Family:John Mullin and Mary Unknown (1)

In the 1861 Census, John and Mary had three children living with them, one being my ancestor, Bridget. John was around 60 years old, and working as a mason's labourer.

Their daughter Bridget was born to them in County Mayo, Ireland: see her page for my theory on the locality within Mayo.

Their Burnley home, on narrow Back South Street (parallel to South Street, near Bank Parade and River Brun) Burnley, was in the poor area where many Irish immigrants lived at high density. So, they lived in a mostly Irish community. Back South Street was later re-named Salmon Street. The house would have been of the back-to-back type, meaning that it would have three party walls with neighbours adjoining behind as well as at the sides. This layout meant that any rear rooms were inner rooms with no windows, so no natural light and no ventilation. The homes had no yard - no outdoor space - so washing was hung across the street. Many people took in boarders in order to make ends meet, because wages were still low, and John & Mary had five boarders in 1861. Usually, an earth closet was provided at the end of the row, so that you shared the facility with your neighbours. All the earth closets were emptied each night by the 'Night Soil Man'. Slum areas were demolished between the World Wars, and a modern road, Kingsway, cuts through the middle of the area, where four old streets, including John and Mary's, have been eliminated altogether. -- My mother, Florence Thornber, was the source of most of this information on back-to-back housing in Burnley.

1.   1861 Census, in FreeCEN.