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I have a letter with a great deal of family history and forenames in it but there is no year but just Saturday December 30th. However there is an address and a 3 digit phone number. The address is at Knitsley Lane Consett (no feedback from present owners) The letter discusses amongst many things the hard very snowy winter. I am trying to decide what year to start at. I have the names and dates for many of the family but cant seem to tie in the date for this very detailed letter. Does anyone know when they stopped using just 3 digits? - or anything else that might help.

The winter of 1946-7 was a very hard and long one.

I was born in May 1947, and it was snowing heavily when my mother went to the hospital - she wasn't sure she was going to manage to get there.

Apparently 1963 was also very bad:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/case-studies/severe-winters


ADDED:

December 30 was a Saturday in 1946.

(Ain't Google wonderful?)

Re phones -
from another simple Google search - STD was introduced gradually, 1958 - 1979:

https://tinyurl.com/s3c23gu

Thanks - I remember 1947 - I would have been 5 - 2ft deep! I suppose 46 could be a starting point. The letter is very frustrating it is signed by Your affectionate Sarah & Ramsden. The family name is Ramsden - seems odd to have the family name as a forename too - unless it was something they did then - this could still be 1800s. It also refers to Ramsden being on the farm as though it was his first name but cant find anything for a Ramsden Ramsden in Consett or area. Maybe I will focus on some of the earlier 1800 members first. :-)

It can't be the 1800s as they had a phone. Only richer families had phones by about 1930, so probably after then.

Do you have a house number or house name? Have you checked the 1939 Register?

Rose

To whom was the letter sent?

The fact that these people could write, and had a telephone, rather rules out the 1800's

What are the names in the letter?

1939 for Knitsley Lane, Consett

Algean House Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Carcref Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Carlton House Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Ceres Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Leomahagon House Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Pendlington House Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
The Bungalow Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Weardale House Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Werneth Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Woodville Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
Woodville Cottage Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
1 Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
1 Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England
2 Knitsley Lane Consett U.D. Durham England

No-one named Ramsden listed in any of them, nor is there a Sarah.

Contact the Durham County Record Office about Electoral Roll for Consett in 1946 - I'm sure that would be the year of the letter, especially given the date Saturday 30 Dec, and the mention of the bad winter:

https://tinyurl.com/w5qdoz8

Just looking vaguely around for Ramsdens and Sarahs -

Started with this woman:


Sarah J Ramsden
in the 1891 England Census
Name: Sarah J Ramsden
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Relationship: Daughter
Birth Year: 1866
Father: Allan Ramsden
Mother: Margaret Ramsden
Birth Place: Barnard Castle, Durham, England
Civil Parish: Conside and Knitsley
Ecclesiastical parish: Christchurch
Residence Place: Consett, Conside and Knitsley, Durham, England
Registration district: Lanchester
Sub registration district: Consett
ED, Institution or Vessel: 10
Neighbors:
Piece: 4091
Folio: 12
Household Members:
Name Age
Allan Ramsden 49 - photographer and phrenologist
Margaret Ramsden 48
Mary A Ramsden 27
Sarah J Ramsden 25
Ada Ramsden 21
Wm John H Ramsden 14

Address: Pasture Drift House


Her marriage:

Sarah Jane Ramsden
in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915
Name: Sarah Jane Ramsden
Registration Year: 1894
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: Lanchester
Inferred County: Durham
Volume: 10a
Page: 427
Records on Page:
Name
Sarah Jane Ramsden
James Williams


Son with middle name Ramsden:

John Joseph Ramsden Williams
in the 1911 England Census
Name: John Joseph Ramsden Williams
Age in 1911: 14
Estimated birth year: abt 1897
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Black Hill
Civil Parish: Iveston
County/Island: Durham
Country: England
Street address: 3 Percy Terrace Delves Lane Consett
Occupation: Apprentice To Printing
Registration district: Lanchester
Registration District Number: 550
Sub-registration district: Consett
ED, institution, or vessel: 14
Piece: 29891
Household Members:
Name Age
James Williams 43
Sarah Jane Williams 45
Mabel Williams 15
John Joseph Ramsden Williams 14 - apprentice to printer
Ruby Williams 11


He married a Sarah:

John J R Williams
in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: John J R Williams
Registration Date: Jul 1918
[Aug 1918]
[Sep 1918]
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration district: Lanchester
Inferred County: Durham
Spouse: Sarah E Park
Volume Number: 10a
Page Number: 677


John J R Williams
in the 1939 England and Wales Register
Name: John J R Williams
Gender: Male
Marital status: Married
Birth Date: 24 Nov 1896
Residence Year: 1939
Address: 15 East Parade
Residence Place: Consett, Durham, England
Occupation: Newspaper Proprietor Master Printer <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Schedule Number: 339
Sub Schedule Number: 1
Enumeration District: FFJR
Registration district: 550/2
Inferred Spouse: Sarah E Williams
Inferred Children: James E Williams
Helen Williams
Household Members:
Name
John J R Williams
Sarah E Williams
James E Williams
Helen Williams


Perhaps always known by his middle name ??



Died 1975 in Newcastle:

John Joseph Ramsden Williams
in the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995
Name: John Joseph Ramsden Williams
Death Date: 8 Sep 1975
Death Place: Durham
Probate Date: 23 Jan 1976
Probate Registry: Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Address: Sniperley Hall, Witton Gilbert, Co Durham.


ADDED:

From a Google search, there is (or maybe was) a printing/publishing company in Consett called Ramsden Williams Publications, and also a Ramsden Williams Stationery Co.

Yes!
he was known as Ramsden:

"Teddy Pearson asked me if I’d like to go with her to visit a couple who lived near Durham. Mr Ramsden Williams and his wife Sarah lived in a large house called Sniperley Hall."

https://christinasmitchell.wordpress.com/tag/consett/

However, I see you mention your Ramsden as "being on the farm".

What exactly does it say, please?

At least in 1869 a farm was part of the Sniperley estate, and the estate still had parks and gardens in 2017:

"The 1869 OS depicts Sniperley House at the centre of the estate. A parkland shelter belt is marked along the north boundary of an area marked The Intake, (i.e. it had been recently brought under cultivation). A clump of coniferous trees is also shown in The Intake. A kitchen garden with curved boundary walls, at the east and west ends, stands west of the house. Pleasure grounds lie to the south bordered by a ha-ha which defines the south park. A serpentine approach crosses from the south park into the pleasure grounds before arriving at the south front. The south section of parkland is dotted with single trees. East of the mansion Sniperley Farm is screened by a clump of trees. An orchard stands south of the farm. Sniperley Farm is shown on a tithe map of 1839. Durham HER (D49039) It is possible there were views from Sniperley Hall to the picturesque remains of the chapel at Beaurepaire, which would have been an eyecatcher in the landscape, however, this has not been tested on the ground."

https://tinyurl.com/wtfl4m3

So just because your Ramsden was "on the farm", it doesn't necessarily mean he was a farmer.
Ramsden Williams may just have been keeping an eye on his land and employees.



The farm was sold for "development" in 2018:
http://docs.novaloca.com/26_13782_636505931045090000.pdf

Just as a correction 30th December 1946 was a Monday. 27th was most definitely a Friday

Our first phone in 1970 had a local phone number Greenlands 293

30th December was a Saturday in 1967, 1972 & 1978

Apparently Dec 1978 & Jan 1979 was a very bad winter

So it was, Ann ! I stand corrected.

Some website I looked at said it was a Saturday - but obviously wrong.


Oh, well - 1967 or 1972, perhaps, in that case?

Or it may just have been a bad winter in Consett, but not nationwide.
It's frustrating not to be able to see the letter to look for further clues!

January 1940 the Thames froze. Up in the NE the snow could have arrived earlier and 30 Dec 1939 was a Saturday

Title: The Consett Story

Publisher: Ramsden Williams Publications, Consett, Co. Durham.

Publication Date: 1963

I would be surprised if there were 3-digit phone numbers In 1967. I was working on the telephone exchange in 1969, and there were NO 3 digit numbers then

Perhaps John will share with us the info he obviously has, which could help to identify the people, and time-scale.

Yes, you're right, Erika.

As a student in 1965, I could phone home using STD to the west of Scotland, and I'm sure Consett would have been ahead of that.

If my find of Ramsden and Sarah Williams is correct , the letter could have been written any time from 1918 onwards - in the absence of more clues.

Your find looks inspired. We need John to return when he can

Being on STD depends where you lived . As I posted earlier we had a 3 digit number in 1970 so there were some around

Quite favour December 30 1939 until John comes back with perhaps a little more info

John says the letter contains a 'great deal' of family history, so, with any luck, he should be able to connect it with the info found and posted on here