William James Boulter, my great-grandfather
There is no official record of William’s birth, but the 1851 census and several family trees state that at age 4, he lived at 53 Albany Street, St Pancras, London with his parents, Thomas (49), Rebecca (28), and siblings George (15), John (13), Hannah (4), and Frederick (2). He was born on 5 October 1847. These dates and relationships align with those in his tree, although I still have questions. Albany Street, laid out in the 1820s, featured elegant, cream-stuccoed terrace houses and notable Grade I listed buildings designed by John Nash. This seems at odds with his later life; perhaps he and his family were lodgers. There is a record of his baptism on 24 October 1847 in Old Church, St. Pancras, a short distance from Albany Street.
At 13, the 1861 census shows William living on Canute Road in Southampton. Older brothers George and John have left the family home, but he now has other siblings: Maria (10), Elizabeth (6), Jane (4), and Arthur (2). The census lists him at 2/3 Canute Road, where Elizabeth Boulter (74) also resides, along with a servant, Matilda (16). I cannot find any information about Elizabeth, but her surname is Boulter, and her age may suggest she is an older sister of William.
In the 19th century, at the height of the spa period, Canute Road was a fashionable promenade named “The Beach” before being renamed around 1850 and appearing in the first street directory in 1851. The area underwent significant changes with the arrival of the docks in the 1840s. The road developed with warehouses, shops, and offices, including the mid-19th-century office and retail building at 3 Canute Road, as well as other notable buildings, such as the former Ship Hotel, located at 5 Canute Road, which was built in 1852 as a refreshment room and pub.
The 1871 Census lists William Boulter as a lodger at 5 Lansdowne Place. However, the information does not match other documents. For example, it states his wife is Emma, aged 30, and his children are Elizabeth and Charles. What is also confusing is that the head of the household at the address is Elizabeth Leake. The 1881 census has William residing at Lansdowne Road. Looking through older maps, I cannot find either Lansdowne Road or Place, but there is an area called Lansdowne, and once again, the data does not match. I’m not sure if this information relates to William Boulter, my great-grandfather.
It is not until the 1901 census that things start to make sense again, though not entirely, as the family is now living at 1 Wickham Court, a slum area, unlike Canute Road, where William stayed with his parents at the age of thirteen. However, all the other dates and details match, so perhaps the family fell on hard times. William had married Elizabeth Leake around 1880 and was a Dock Labourer.
William died in 1908.
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