William James Hubert ^{4 5 6}

  Chronology:

In 1861 he was linving with parents at 14 Church St, Poplar. ¹²

In 1871 I haven't found any record of him. His mother and most of his siblings were in Deptford, Kent, while his father was a patient in Woodford Hall, an Essex convalescent home.It is possible he was staying with relatives and transcribed incorrectly on the census. ¹³

In 1881 he was living with his parents at 193 Manchester St, Poplar and working as a Lighterman.This was the trade of his father who worked as a Lighterman all his working life.

The photo from about 1910 shows "A silhouette of a London lighterman. St Paul's Cathedral can be seen in the distance. The lightermen conveyed goods between the ships and the quayside. They took their name from this process of 'lightening' the ship. The lightermen secured the 'free water clause' allowing them to be exempted from charges in the enclosed docks that were built during the 19th century. They were thus able to enter the docks and receive or deliver goods directly to or from vessels."
^{14 15}

In Mar 1886 according to a 1998 letter from the Metropolitan Police Service (Thames Division) he became a water policeman and remained with the service until he was pensioned in 1912.His height on joining was 5 ' 6 3/4". ^{16 17}

In Sep 1887 at the time of his marriage to Lavinia both were recorded as living at 330 Grosvenor Buildings, Poplar. William was described as a widower working as a Waterman.

This is a bit confusing as according to his police record of service he had joined the previous year.

The photo shows the Grosvenor Buildings in 1928, about 40 years after they were built about as part of a slum clearance project. In 1965 they themselves were cleared as a slum and the site became what is now Robin Hood Park. The buildings generated some controversy over the years .....

"The former street plan on the cleared site was substantially modified by the MBW. A new street, Manisty Street, was laid out between Cotton Street and Robin Hood Lane, and Cotton Street was extended to the High Street. Wells Street and Robin Hood Lane were widened and the former courts, alleys and minor streets on its south side were abolished. It was intended that model dwellings should be erected in the area, but the Peabody Trust, the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes and Sir Sydney Waterlow's company all declined invitations to undertake such a scheme, and the land did not reach the reserve price on auction in 1885. The larger part was sold later in that year to the developer James Hartnoll, and the remainder was disposed of in small lots. These sales produced £8,200.

Hartnoll built seven blocks of what he described as 'model dwellings', designated Grosvenor Buildings, with accommodation intended for 1,392 persons (Plate 35c). They were of four and five storeys, with basements, and had a dominating presence in this district of small houses. They contained 542 flats, two-thirds of which were of one or two rooms, while the seven largest ones had four rooms. Each flat had a kitchen, lavatory and other facilities, making it 'equal to a house all to yourself'. Yet they seem to have been difficult to let - despite the overcrowding in the neighbourhood, the result, allegedly, of demolition carried out as part of the Wells Street scheme - and not until 1897 were they all occupied. The designed occupancy rate was 1.3 persons per room, which would have produced the proposed population of 1,392, but this was quickly exceeded, and in 1894 the 512 occupied flats had 1,764 residents, 778 of them children. The population later rose to over 2,000.

Within a few years of their completion it was said that, although they had replaced a very bad slum, they 'do not themselves bear an enviable reputation'. Conditions and rents led to a number of tensions between the landlords and tenants: there were rent strikes in 1915 and 1939, for example. These tensions culminated in a prolonged dispute in the early 1960s, when a change of ownership was followed by rent increases. Some of the tenants objected and complained that the buildings were insanitary and verminous. An inspection revealed that they were structurally sound, however, and there was much debate before they were purchased by the GLC in 1965 and demolished shortly afterwards. The westernmost blocks had been destroyed during the Second World War."

Advertising poster for Grosvenor Mansions c1885

Sources ^{3 18}

In 1891 he was a Police Constable living at a Fish Shop, 1 Strattondale Street, Poplar with wife, family and brother-in-law Robert Roberts, Fishmonger. Number 1 must have cosisted of at least 9 rooms with those mentioned in five or more. Three other families lived occupied another 4 rooms including that of another brother-in-law William Henry Roberts.

The map shows the location of this and other homes and places of interest to the Hubert family in the Poplar and Cubitt Town area. ¹⁹

In 1901-1911 he was a Metropolitan Police Constable living at 44 Galbraith Rd, Poplar with wife and seven of their children. Fred was two months old.

Galbraith Street is a short street half way between Manchester Road and Crossharbour DLR station. In 1882 it was all open land from behind the Manchester Road houses to Millwall Dock. In 2005 it consisted solely of ex-local authority flats.

Cubitt Town in 2005 - nothing survives of the pre-war buildings.

Sources ^{7 20}

In Mar 1912 he was the Pensioned from Police. ²¹

He resided in Mar 1915 in 246 Manchester Road, Poplar. ²²

In Jul 1925 at the time of his son Frederick's marriage to Daisy he was described as a Thames Policeman but was probably well retired by that time. ²³

William's date of death has not been established but a family story related by Mike Hubert suggests that he died somewhere near the river, possibly while working as a watchman. It is said that he was not found for for some days.

William married Ruth Elizabeth Baker From Jul to Sep 1885 in Poplar, London.¹ (Ruth Elizabeth Baker was born From Apr to Jun 1862 in Rotherhithe ^{25 26} and died From Jan to Mar 1886 in Poplar, London ²⁷.)

William next married Lavinia Adelaide Roberts, daughter of Thomas Richard Roberts and Louisa Matilda Bishop, on 15 Sep 1887 in Registry Office, Poplar.^{2 3} (Lavinia Adelaide Roberts was born on 30 May 1866 in 7 Fountain Terrace, Poplar, London ^{28 29 30} and died on 5 Sep 1927 in 246 Manchester Road, Poplar ³¹.)