Comments on: Chapter 1. Murder in Houndsditch

By: Laura Barrell

Laura Barrell — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 12:01:24 +0000

My mother is a Bentley and when her Grandmother died, in amongst her belongings were documentation relating to this and the memorial card and a medal. We are unsure if our family are related to Sergeant Bentley. I have tried to research but cannot find much online. Does anyone know where he was born or any of his family history ?? I can see articles relating to his wife but not his parents or place of birth etc. Many thanks

By: Simon Yip

Simon Yip — Sat, 09 May 2020 18:07:07 +0000

Hi Marianne, I believe that the houses in Exchange Buildings were 3 roomed, with a tiny backyard.

It’s possible that some of the houses were divided into 3 separate dwellings (ie, with a separate family in each of the 3 rooms), but even by the poverty and the overcrowding that existed in that part of London at that time, I imagine that unless they lived in extreme poverty, that your ancestors would have occupied all 3 of the rooms (which were very small).

By: James Kemp

James Kemp — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 19:52:35 +0000

My father was a Police Officer in Kent and worked with a PC Robert (Bob) Smoothy. His father PC Frederick Smoothy was also present at the scene in Houndsditch and after retirement moved to Kent.

There was a chain of officers set up from the house in Exchange Buildings where PS Bentley and other were, PC Woodhams on the corner of Exchange Buildings / Cutler Street, PC Smoothy on the corner of Cutler Street / Houndsditch and PC Piper outside the Jewellers in Houndsditch. The officers all went up to Exchange Buildings when the shooting started. Frederick Smoothy told his son Bob he had taken the seriously wounded Constable Choate to hospital and as there was no transport he took him resting him over a bicycle.

PC Frederick Smoothy received the 1902 and 1911 Coronation (Police) Medals which I now have although it was years later that his son Bob told me more about his father’s involvement in these events.

By: Angelique Aldworth

Angelique Aldworth — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 11:09:19 +0000

Hi all,

I have a certificate awarded to Walter Charles Choats family/wife in March 1911. Would love to know if he has any family still living?

By: Tony Allan

Tony Allan — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 18:19:45 +0000

If anybody has information on the shop at the corner of 1 Cutler Street and 115 Houndsditch. The shop was owned by my Gt. Gt. Grandfather Joseph Posener around the 1870’s selling clothing.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 23:05:03 +0000

My nan’s great uncle was the great Mr Wensley. Her mother’s family were from Hillfarrance a few miles out of Taunton.

By: Derek Harris

Derek Harris — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 17:05:38 +0000

Hello Marianne and Graham,
if you are still following this thread, I think I can shed some more light on your family histories as I am also researching a branch of the Isaacs family who also once lived at Exchange Buildings, the children of Lewis Isaacs. You can contact me via the email address on my website http://www.lewisleathers.com.
Hope to hear from you.
Derek

By: Laurie Piper

Laurie Piper — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:42:51 +0000

A great account of what occurred. PC Walter Piper was my Great Grandad. I have pictures of him in uniform. My Grandfather, his son ( now deceased ), stated that Walter never ever spoke of the events of this evening.

By: marianne isaacs

marianne isaacs — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 04:46:43 +0000

Oh I havent been back to this website in a while,More has been added . My family lived at no 10 up until about 1900 when the moved to North Block I think in Gravel Lane . It was one of the artisam dwelling buildins and probably more salubrious than the Exchange buildings . Its amazing that they were still around in the 1950s. I was recently in LOndon and had a good walk around the area . My family didint move very far from Harrow Alley to Exchange buildings to the North Block until Reuben took off to Australia where he settled in Melbourne and was very successful as a bookamker.

By: John

John — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 15:58:20 +0000

Hello Judith,
Have we corresponded before?
Your Joseph Cashmore is almost certainly the brother of my great-great-great-grandmother, Jane Cashmore, who died at the nearby 37 Camomile st in 1842. No 1 Cutler st is also known as No 1 White st. (The name of White st has reverted to Cutler st.)
Jane Cashmore’s family from her marriage lived opposite at No. 10 White st for a long time in the later 18th and early 19th centuries.
I made a slip with dates in my previous posting. Cutler st was developed by the Cutlers Company from the 1740s, not the 1840s.