Comments

Friendly Societies were early Insurance Companies specialising in specific risks such as funeral costs. The National Archives and/or Somerset Heritage will hold some records I would think.

David Boley has pointed out to me that on Page 355 of Pam Slocombe's book there is a paragraph about the Mark Friendly Society, which might have been known locally as the Mark Club.  If anyone has family papers which mention the Friendly Society I'm sure that he would be interested.  It was mentioned as late as 1865 in the Western Gazette when it met in the Pack Horse Inn.

This is purely a guess.  There are 9 men who are "Members of Mark Club" buried between 1800 and 1809.  It could be a form of Burial Club which covered the costs of the burial.  The Vestry Minutes might refer to it.  There is no mention that I can see in the book "Mark, A Somerset Moorland Village" by Pamela Slocombe.

Hi WSMDFHS members

As a 'lockdown' project I've been undertaking the history and development of Hill Road, Weston - super - Mare, mainly focussing on Hill Road north of Milton Road to Trewartha Park.

Specifically, I've been researching the individual houses  which were mainly built over a 40 year period starting with Hans Fowler Price's Tyn - y - Coed built in 1862 - and the biographies of many of the residents who lived in the houses in the style of the TV series 'A House Through Time'.

Many Hill Road names and families are involved in this research project but if any members have already done research on any house, family or individuals in Hill Road then I'd love to hear from you, and especially if you know of anyone who previously lived in Hill Road, or visited relatives who lived there, and would be willing to share their experience of living there.

We have lived in Hill Road for 35 years so we rather feel like historical artefacts ourselves now..!

If you have any old photos or images/pictures of Hill Road, Deeds/documents &c and are willing to share them, I would love to hear from you and would be more than happy to discuss and share my research to date.

thanks in advance for any interest & enquiries

kind regards - Keith Graham

Comment submitted on behalf of John Harding - Sydney - Oz

Thanks Pat -

I thought of that too - but if you compare the distance from the bottom detail of the bay window to the lettering it would seem to be written on the shop signage board - (which in the modern photo is the area painted yellow) - where the Paynes would have had their own name rather than one of the lines they sold - so the photo may be earlier than 1939 - not sure when Jack Harding first opened his business but it may have been before the Paynes began trading at No34 -    

 

The first ‘Wills Gold Flake’ photo has a bus coming along Moorland Road - it looks an earlier type than more streamlined buses of the ‘30s - admittedly transport companies keep their machines running as long as possible so that may not mean the bus is contemporary with the snapshot - but perhaps Jack is standing there 5-10 years before 1939 - in addition the window shot may not be contemporary with bus shot either - the family albums are a bit disorganised like most peoples’ - it’s only forensic pendants like me who get obsessive about the details!

Anyhow if you have access to earlier Kellys…

And of course there’s the Mystery of the Moorland Pedlar too…

John H

According to the 1939 Register - Albert & Blanche PAYNE have a shop at 34 Moorland Road and while he is a shopkeeper and salesman she makes home-made sweets, cakes and jam.  I can only assume that the notice in their window was for a brand of product associated with their business. Have no idea what it might be though!