People from Stoke-on-Trent
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Thomas Poole Burrows	[ Web Site Index ]

Thomas Poole Burrows, a grocer. He was the son of George and Sarah Burrows and was baptised at Bucknall on 15 May 1814. 

At the time of the 1851 census he was living with his older brother, John Burrows, at No 36 Market Street, Longton, where they ran a substantial grocery business which employed at least three male assistants who lived with the family. Shortly afterwards Thomas got married and his first two children were born in Longton. 

In the mid 1850s he acquired two plots on the south side of Ricardo Street (No 3 & 4) where he built a large two-storey detached house in 1857 - Holly House. The date of construction is commemorated by a date stone "T.P.B. 1867” over the rear entrance to the house. The house has a simple façade facing Ricardo Street embellishment by a columned porch over the front door.

The 1861 census shows the occupiers of the house were:

Name	Marr | Age		Birthplace	Occupation
Thomas B Burrows	Married   46	Head	Staffs, Stoke	Grocer
Cecilia S Burrows	Married 35	Wife	Staffs, Stoke
Sarah P Burrows	Single 8	Dau	Staffs, Longton	Scholar
Annie Burrows	Single 5	Dau	Staffs, Longton	Scholar
John Burrows	Single 2	Son	Staffs, Dresden
Ellen Wood	Single 28	Srvnt	Staffs, Cobridge	House Servant

 
By 1881 Thomas Burrows, aged 66, was a widower and had retired from his grocery business. He was still resident in the house in 1891:

The 1891 census:

Name	Marr | Age		Birthplace	Occupation
Thomas P Burrows	Widower 76	Head	Staffs, Bucknall	Retired Grocer
Sarah B Burrows	Single 38	Dau	Staffs, Longton
Annie Burrows	Single 35	Dau	Staffs, Longton
Cecily Burrows	Single 25	Dau	Staffs, Dresden
Annie E Mellsted	Single 18	Srvnt	Goucestershire	General Servant

Thomas Burrows died shortly afterwards and Kelly’s Directory of 1896 lists the occupier of Holly House as “Miss Burrows", presumably one of his unmarried daughters.