Railways in Highworth, Swindon
 

Hi,

I came across this site whilst researching my family tree and the occupations of my forebears. I have a query which I thought your members may be able to help with.

I have discovered from the 1861 census that one of my ancestors lived in Highworth, near Swindon. It looks like Highworth Street and nearly all the people living there are listed as 'engine turners' or 'engine fitters'. Someone has suggested this was probably related to the burgeoning railway industry in Swindon at that time. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks.

hard to believe but Swindon was once a railway town....more or less built by the GWR on a green field site next the padd to BTL main line near the gloucester junction

It is slightly curious though.

Highworth still is a separate village to Swindon, and is about 7 miles away from the long-gone Swindon Railway Works. Even in the old days when many people walked miles to work, this seems a long way out of the town. But it would have been far nicer to live out there, than smokey and noisy Swindon Town itself. Highworth is rather posh today.

The whole of new-Swindon consided of a huge Railway Works and the Worker's houses built on green fields. (Think of:- Lancashire Mill towns, or even Milton-Keynes :p ) The original Swindon was a tiny agricultural village on the top of a hill to the south, and is now known as Old-Town.

I could believe a place called Highworth Street, Swindon, full of railway workers, but not Highworth village. I could be wrong.:D

I believe Highworth was on the MSWJR and had its own station....

I didnt know that. and it would explain how they got to work. But I still think that Managers, Clerks and Formen would live at Highworth, and engine fitters and turners would live much closer into Town.

Incidentally there is no Highworth Street, but there is a Highworth Road in Swindon. (That is not to say that 140 years ago the road names were the same.)

Mr Zippy:- It would be great to hear a bit more about your ancestor, eg date of birth and death, or how old he was in 1860?

According to the "British Railways Maps and Gazetteer", Highworth was the terminus of a short GWR branchline from Swindon with intermediate stations at Stratton, Stanton and Hannington. In 1861, Swindon Works employees couldn't have used the line to get to work as it didn't open until 1883. It closed in 1953.
Further information about Highworth here: http://www.swindon.gov.uk/highworth.pdf

Thanks everybody - sorry for late acknowledgement.

I have now revisited the Census records and obtained the actual record sheet. Although the website I used suggests the address was 'Highworth', the actual record is less clear and actually states the address as being in New Swindon, which makes more sense from what you are all saying. Not sure where the Highworth bit comes in, because the name of the street is very difficult to decipher. So, looks like it was in Swindon itself and not the village.

For the benefit of Shed Cat, the ancestor is Thomas Skinner, who I am fairly confident is on the male line of my maternal grandfather. He was 49 in 1861 and employed as an engine turner. He has two working sons, Albert and Joseph, who are employed as Engine fitter and (I think) engine erector - which I assume means engine builder? My great great grandfather was also called John Skinner and was 10 in 1861 - he worked as an engine driver in 1881 and lived right next to the railway in London.