Electoral Register

St. John's Square, 1879/80

The following information is taken from the Electoral Register for 1879/80. Not everybody living or working in the square would have been included; and the descriptions of occupations are open to interpretation. Even so it is clear that already there are non-residential uses in the square; and that the residents were probably mostly of the lower middle classes, not by any means the gentry. House No. 1 is at the corner of Church Street and the Square and numbering continues clockwise.

	Voter	Age	Occupation
1	warehouse of Henry Bate
2	Myra Merrie	44	Boarding House Keeper
3	John Barratt	51	Latch Maker
4	John Johnson	45	Insurance Agent
5	John Tay	42	Butcher
6	uninhabited
7	uninhabited
8	George Wild	55	Locksmith
9	Robert Wakeman	57	Letter Locksmith
10	Mary Chillington	53	Dressmaker
11	Richard Pearson	52	Agent
12	Joseph Blakemore	41	Bottle Jack Maker
13 & 14	William E Bratt	40	Schoolmaster
15	Sarah Green	55	Boarding House
16	Robert Forrester	28	Vicar of St. John's
17	25 Sisters of Mercy 1 Boarder Student 1 Elementary Teacher 13 Scholars
18	Printing Works Warehouse Owned by Richard Brisco of Sumerford Hall and Arthur Brisco of Wightwick
19	Public House: George Williams	48	Publican
20	George Sale	43	Brass Founder
21	George and Eliza Sharvell (residing elsewhere)
22	George Gwinett		none
23	James Conchie	34	Draper
24	Jospeph Foster	73	Formerly a Clerk
25	Thomas Price	78	House Agent
26	William Smith	26	Railway Clerk
27	Warehouse Owned by Robert & Henry Peak
28	William Rodgers	30	Brass Founder
29	uninhabited
30	Thomas Ham	33	(employing 2 men and 1 boy)
31	William McIlwraith	35	Draper & Clothier
32	uninhabited
33	Stephen Pearce	62
34	Abraham Wilkinson	57	House Agent
35	Thomas Steward	53	Surgeon
36	uninhabited
37	James Rummage	40	Tailor
40	George Hodson	71	Hinge Filer
41	John Childs	43	Locksmith
42	John Haycock Henry Arnold	37 43	Hingemakers (employing 3 men)

There were two "courts" off St. John's Square. Number One Court had its access between 4 and 5 St. John's Square (in the north west corner); and Court Number Two lay in the south west corner. In Wolverhampton these courts, which were usually crammed into areas of back land, were normally occupied by the lower orders; but these courts not only produced some electors but, to judge by their occupations, they were not of noticeably lower standing.

Court No. 1	John Worton	27	Labourer in Iron Works
	John Stych	41	Coffee Mill Maker
	Rowland Hill	57	Cabinet Lock Maker
	George Martin	24	Blacksmith
	Edward Weaver	31	Tinplate Worker
	William Jones	28	Galvaniser
	Samuel Fenton	52	Keysmith
Court No. 2	Henry Startin	28	Coach [builder?]
	William Sout[?]	52	Bricklayer

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