January 28, 2012
The legacy of Ordsall Lane
This Christmas, the senseless killing of student, Anuj Bidve, shocked the nation. The fatal attack took place on Ordsall Lane in Salford, an ordinary street with a particular significance for my family history. In the late nineteenth century, my ancestors lived on that very same street and in fact, it was the final home of my 3 x great-grandfather, John Dawson, the infamous brothel keeper. (See posts from Jun/Jul ’11)
Ordsall was a predominantly working class area that developed as local factories and mills expanded. Rows of two-up, two-down terraced houses were built in the 1860s and 1870s to house the influx of workers. Considered to be more salubrious than some of the neighbouring slums, it was nevertheless, an area known for its street violence. Rival gangs of ‘scuttlers’ (street fighters) would slug out their differences on the cobbled streets. Home to the notorious Ordsall Lane Gang, there were street fights involving up to 300 youths, all armed with belts, broken bottles and knives. At the height of the violence, in 1873, a policeman was killed during a scuttle.
My family moved from Deansgate to Ordsall Lane at the beginning of 1871. My 2x great-grandfather, Edward Dawson lived at no 90 with his wife, baby daughter, his two teenage brothers and a lodger. Edward was a railway porter and one of his brothers worked as a cloth hooker in a warehouse. Edward’s father, John Dawson lived in the house in May 1871 after serving a prison sentence for ‘keeping a disorderly house.’ The Ordsall Lane address on his burial records provided the proof that he was definitely my relative. In the summer of that year, Edward’s baby daughter died, aged 1 and in December, his son, also named Edward, was born in the house on Ordsall Lane. By 1874, the Dawsons had moved further into Salford, where they remained for the following century.
The recent tragedy on Boxing Day cast a shadow over the community in Ordsall and was a chilling reminder of its violent past.
The full story of John Dawson, my brothel-keeping ancestor is revealed in the Feb issue of Your Family History magazine.
(Photo courtesy of A Rea – it isn’t Ordsall but is typical of the area)
