Sunderland, South Wales and a family shaped by industry, war and hard work
John Ferry – Born in Sunderland
John Ferry was born on Wednesday, 10 October 1894, at 2 John Street West, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, County Durham. He was the son of William Ferry (1864–1945) and Dorothy Mustard (1867–1935).
John was born into a Sunderland that was already one of Britain’s great industrial towns. Bishopwearmouth had begun centuries earlier as a farming and religious settlement centred around its medieval church, but by the nineteenth century it had been absorbed into the rapidly expanding industrial town of Sunderland. The River Wear had become the lifeblood of the area, supporting shipbuilding, coal exports, engineering and associated trades.
Bishopwearmouth in John’s childhood
When John was born in 1894, Bishopwearmouth was no longer the rural village it had once been. Streets of tightly packed houses, workshops, shops and public houses had spread across the area.
The historic Bishopwearmouth Green, with St Michael’s Church standing at its centre, remained an important landmark, but the surrounding landscape had become increasingly urban. The transformation had been dramatic. In earlier centuries, cottages with small yards and garden plots had stood amongst fields and hedgerows. By John’s childhood, these had largely been replaced or surrounded by terraces and other working-class housing. The growth of Sunderland’s industries meant that thousands of working people needed somewhere to live, and houses were built close to the factories, workshops, docks and shipyards where they worked.
John Street West would therefore have been part of a densely developed urban environment. A working family’s home was likely to have been modest, with several members of the family sharing limited space. Coal fires would have provided heat and cooking, and everyday life would have been closely connected to the street and neighbouring households.
This was an age when a person’s occupation often determined not only their income but also where they lived, the people they knew and the rhythm of their daily life.
Sunderland’s industrial success was particularly associated with shipbuilding. During the nineteenth century, the town became one of the world’s leading shipbuilding centres. Wooden vessels gradually gave way to iron and then steel ships, creating employment for generations of skilled craftsmen, labourers, engineers and metalworkers.
It was into this world that John Ferry grew up.
A young man in an industrial city
The 1901 Census places John, aged six, living at: 49 Thomas Street South, Southwick, Sunderland
There were nine people in the household.
Southwick lay on the north side of the River Wear and was closely connected with the industrial life of Sunderland. The families living in streets such as Thomas Street South were part of the enormous workforce required to keep the factories, shipyards, docks, railways and workshops operating.
By the time John was sixteen, the 1911 Census records him at 22 Trimdon Street, Deptford, Sunderland
He was unmarried and working as a blacksmith.
This is an important detail because blacksmithing was a highly skilled industrial occupation. A blacksmith did far more than shoe horses. In an industrial city such as Sunderland, metalworkers could be involved in producing, repairing and shaping the ironwork required by ships, machinery, engineering works and other industries.
John’s trade therefore placed him directly within Sunderland’s industrial economy.
His later occupation as a furnace man suggests that his working life continued in heavy industrial and metalworking environments. Furnace work was physically demanding and dangerous. Workers were exposed to intense heat, heavy materials, smoke, dust and long hours. In a shipbuilding and engineering centre such as Sunderland, men skilled in working with metal were an essential part of the industrial workforce.
Elizabeth Laidler — a childhood in Monkwearmouth
John’s future wife, Elizabeth Laidler, was born on Thursday, 22 August 1895, at 12 Barrington Street, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland.
She was the daughter of Thomas Laidler and Sarah Alcock.
Elizabeth’s childhood was spent in another historic part of Sunderland. Monkwearmouth had developed around the famous monastery founded in the seventh century and was home to the remarkable St Peter’s Church, one of the great surviving reminders of Sunderland’s much older history.
But alongside these ancient buildings was a rapidly expanding industrial community.
The 1901 Census records Elizabeth, aged five, living at 51 Millum Terrace, Monkwearmouth.
There were eleven people in the household.
By 1911 she was living at 53 Marley’s Buildings, Millum Terrace, with a household of seven.
The names Buildings and Terrace are revealing of the type of housing in which many working families lived. Industrial towns needed large quantities of affordable accommodation, and rows of terraces and grouped dwellings were constructed to house workers and their families.
A home could be small by modern standards, and privacy was limited when several generations or numerous children shared the same property. Washing, cooking, heating and sanitation were all much more labour-intensive than they are today.
For families such as the Laidlers and Ferrys, the street itself was an important part of everyday life. Children played outside, neighbours knew one another and families often lived close to relatives and fellow workers.
John and Elizabeth — marriage and the First World War
At the age of 21, John married Elizabeth Laidler, aged 20, on Monday, 11 October 1915, at the Register Office.
Their marriage took place during one of the most difficult periods in British history.
The First World War had begun in 1914 and by 1915 the conflict had already transformed everyday life. Young men were leaving industrial towns throughout Britain to serve in the armed forces, while those remaining behind worked in industries increasingly important to the war effort.
John himself became a soldier.
In October 1915, he was recorded as a Private with the 3rd Durham Light Infantry. At this time his residence was given as the Skating Rink, Ocean Road, South Shields, and he was described as a Private and forgeman.
The reference to his work as a forgeman is particularly interesting. Forging involved heating and shaping metal, making it another occupation closely connected with the industrial skills John had developed as a blacksmith.
John’s military service continued through the war:
- October 1915: Private, 3rd Durham Light Infantry
- December 1915: Private, 3rd Durham Light Infantry
- November 1916: Lance Corporal, 3rd Durham Light Infantry
His progression to Lance Corporal suggests that he had gained experience and responsibility during his military service.
For Elizabeth, meanwhile, the war meant starting married life during a period of uncertainty and separation.
The move to South Wales
By January 1920, John and Elizabeth had moved away from Sunderland to 7 Andrew Road, Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales, and John was working as a gas worker.
This move represents a fascinating chapter in the family’s history because Penarth and nearby Cogan were themselves communities transformed by industrialisation.
Penarth Dock had opened in 1865, creating a huge demand for workers. Coal from the South Wales valleys could be transported by rail to the docks and then loaded onto ships for export. The development of the docks brought railways, warehouses, engineering businesses, public houses, shops and large amounts of new housing.
Cogan expanded particularly rapidly. Between 1861 and 1891 its population increased from just 283 to 1,627, while hundreds of houses were constructed for dock, railway and industrial workers.
The area around Pill Street, Dock Street and Andrew Road was therefore very much a working community.
Some of the houses were built specifically to accommodate industrial workers. Pill Street, for example, was at one time known as Company Row, with properties associated with the Penarth Harbour, Dock and Railway Company.
The railway was equally important. The Barry Railway reached Cogan in the late nineteenth century, connecting the area with Cardiff and providing an important route for both passengers and the coal trade.
Life in Cogan and Penarth
By 19 June 1921, John and Elizabeth were still living at 7 Andrew Road.
John was recorded as – Labourer – Cardiff Gas Works and Elizabeth was described as performing home duties. Their household consisted of five people.
John’s employment in the gas industry placed him within another essential Victorian and Edwardian industry.
Gas works supplied towns with fuel for street lighting, domestic lighting and cooking. In the Penarth and Cogan area, gas was being used to illuminate streets from the late nineteenth century, following the development of the Cardiff Gas Light and Coke Company.
For a gas worker, the job could involve heavy physical labour, maintenance, handling materials and working around industrial plant. Gas production was dirty and potentially hazardous, but it was an essential service that helped illuminate streets and homes before electricity became widespread.
The surroundings would have reflected this industrial landscape. Cogan contained rows of terraced houses, railway lines, dock infrastructure, workshops, public houses, shops and industrial premises.
The local brick industry also played an important role. Cogan brickworks produced the distinctive red marl bricks used extensively in buildings throughout Cogan and Penarth.
This means that the very houses in which John and Elizabeth lived were part of the industrial story of the community.
Twelve children
Their children were:
Sarah Ferry – Born 6 December 1915, at 53 Millum Terrace, Monkwearmouth. She died in Sunderland in December 2000, aged 84.
Dorothy Ferry – Born 22 November 1916, at 26 Hardwicke Street. Sadly, Dorothy died at Glan Ely Hospital, Cardiff, on 20 November 1931, just two days before her fifteenth birthday, although her recorded age was 14.
Catherine Ferry – Born 16 December 1919, at 7 Andrew Road, Penarth. She died in Cardiff on 27 September 2009, aged 89.
John Ferry – Born 23 July 1921, at 7 Andrew Road. He died at Sunderland General Hospital on 8 June 2009, aged 87.
Phyllis Ferry – Born 21 January 1924, at 7 Andrew Road. Tragically, she died at 28 Dock Street, Cogan, on 7 May 1932, aged only eight.
Joseph Gibson Ferry – Born in Cardiff on 16 February 1926. He died in Middlesbrough on 29 October 2017, aged 91.
Eileen May Ferry – Born in Cardiff on 4 May 1927. She died at Royal Lancaster Infirmary on 26 January 1991, aged 63.
Ralph Ferry – Born in Cardiff on 16 May 1931. He died in Sunderland in August 2001, aged 70.
Margaret Rose Ferry – Born in Cardiff around April 1933. She died in High Wycombe in December 2022, aged 89.
Mary Georgina Ferry – Born at 47 Pill Street, Penarth, on 6 May 1935. She died in Morecambe on 6 October 2025, aged 90.
Jill Ferry – Born in Glamorgan 8 November 1936. Tragically, she died at 47 Pill Street on 2 July 1937.
Jack Ferry – Born in Glamorgan on 8 November 1936. He died in Sunderland in December 1999, aged 63.
The children’s birthplaces tell the story of a family constantly adapting to changing circumstances. Their early lives were divided between the industrial communities of Sunderland and the rapidly developing docklands of South Wales.
Dock Street, Pill Street and the world around them
By the time John and Elizabeth were living in 28 Dock Street, Cogan, the family were surrounded by a landscape that had been transformed within only a few generations.
Penarth Dock, the railway and the coal trade had created employment for thousands. Cogan’s streets contained labourers, railway workers, dock workers, tradesmen, publicans, shopkeepers and families whose livelihoods were tied directly or indirectly to the docks.
The houses themselves were predominantly modest terraces. Many were close together, with small yards or gardens, and were designed primarily to provide practical accommodation for working families rather than spacious living.
The surrounding buildings would have included shops, public houses, chapels and schools, while the railway and dock infrastructure formed an ever-present part of the landscape.
Pill Street was particularly significant. By around 1900 it had a school and chapel, while Dock Street and neighbouring streets had become fully developed. The area was also crossed by railway infrastructure serving the docks and coal trade.
This was a community where work and home were often only minutes apart.
The tragedy of the 1930s
The family experienced enormous happiness in these years, but also heartbreaking losses.
In 1931, their daughter Dorothy died at the age of just 14.
The following year, Phyllis, aged eight, died at 28 Dock Street, Cogan.
And in 1937, another tragedy struck when little Jill Ferry died at 47 Pill Street, having been born only months earlier.
These losses must have left a profound mark on John and Elizabeth. They were raising a very large family during a period when childhood illnesses and other medical dangers remained far more serious than they are today.
The fact that three of their twelve children died during childhood gives another dimension to the family’s story. Behind the census entries, addresses and occupation records was a family experiencing the same joys, fears, hardships and grief that affected countless working families of the period.
Returning to Sunderland
By 29 September 1939, the family had returned to Sunderland and were living at: 10 Nelson Street, Sunderland. John was recorded as a general labourer, aged 45, while Elizabeth was undertaking unpaid domestic duties. There were nine people in the household.
The timing is significant.
Britain had entered the Second World War in September 1939, only weeks before this census record. Sunderland was again living under the shadow of war, and its industrial importance made it a significant target.
The city’s shipyards, engineering works, docks and industrial infrastructure were vital to Britain’s war effort.
For John, now a general labourer, his working life continued to be rooted in the physical industries that had shaped Sunderland for generations.
For Elizabeth, running a household containing a large family was itself a considerable undertaking. Domestic work in this period meant cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, shopping and caring for children, often without the modern conveniences that we take for granted today.
A lifetime of industrial work
John’s occupations provide a fascinating thread running throughout his life.
Blacksmith – As a teenager, John worked as a blacksmith. This was a skilled occupation requiring knowledge of metal, heat, tools and forging.
Forgeman – During the First World War period he was described as a forgeman. This would have involved working with heated metal and heavy industrial equipment.
Furnace man – Later records describe him as a furnace man, eventually identifying his work as being connected with the shipyard.
These were physically demanding jobs, and they connect John directly with Sunderland’s industrial heritage.
The River Wear shipyards depended upon generations of men who could work with iron, steel and machinery. Sunderland’s shipbuilding industry had changed dramatically during the nineteenth century, moving from wooden vessels to iron and then steel construction.
John belonged to the generation that inherited those industrial skills.
Gas worker – After moving to South Wales, John became a gas worker and later a labourer at Cardiff Gas Works.
This was another essential industrial occupation. Gas production provided lighting and fuel to growing towns and cities and required a substantial workforce.
General labourer – By 1939 John was recorded as a general labourer.
Although the title may appear less specialised, general labourers were indispensable to Britain’s industrial economy. They performed the heavy physical work required across factories, building sites, docks, warehouses and other workplaces.
Retired furnace man – By October 1962, John was living at 16 The Royalty, Sunderland and was described as a retired furnace man.
By April 1974, he was living at Flat 21, Holly House, Adelaide Place, Sunderland where he was described as a Retired Shipyard Furnace Man.
It is remarkable to see this occupation still attached to John’s identity towards the end of his life. His working life had been closely connected with the industries that had made Sunderland famous.
Elizabeth — the work behind the family
Elizabeth’s records tell a different but equally important story.
The census describes her as undertaking home duties.
For a woman raising a large family, this was far from being an easy or insignificant occupation.
Elizabeth gave birth to twelve children and experienced the loss of three of them during childhood. She managed the household while John worked in physically demanding industrial jobs and, for periods, served in the armed forces.
The phrase “home duties” conceals an enormous amount of unpaid work: cooking, cleaning, washing, caring for children, managing household expenses and maintaining the family home.
In working-class families of this period, the home was often the centre of family life and survival. Elizabeth’s contribution would have been fundamental to keeping the family together.
The final years
Elizabeth died at General Hospital, Sunderland, on 6 October 1962, aged 67. Her cause of death was recorded as cerebral haemorrhage and hypertension.
She was buried in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, Ward 42, Section A, Grave 1192, on 10 October 1962.
John lived for another twelve years. He died at General Hospital, Sunderland, on 18 April 1974, aged 79. His cause of death was bronchopneumonia.
He was buried in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery on 23 April 1974, in the same grave as Elizabeth, where he was the third interment.
Their final resting place brought them back to the Sunderland landscape in which their story had begun.
More than names and dates
The story of John Ferry and Elizabeth Laidler is much more than a collection of census entries, certificates and addresses.
Their lives reflect the enormous changes experienced by working families during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
John was born into Victorian Sunderland, a city transformed by shipbuilding, coal and engineering. He became a skilled metalworker, served his country during the First World War, moved his young family to South Wales and worked in the gas industry before eventually returning to Sunderland.
Elizabeth grew up among the crowded terraces of Monkwearmouth and became the mother of twelve children. Together they experienced marriage, war, migration, industrial work, family life and devastating personal losses.
Their addresses chart a remarkable journey:
Bishopwearmouth → Southwick → Deptford → Monkwearmouth → South Shields → Penarth → Cogan → Cardiff → Sunderland
Each address represents a different chapter.
Each street was part of a community.
And each community was shaped by the industries, churches, schools, railways, docks and workplaces surrounding it.
When we look at John Street West, Thomas Street South, Trimdon Street, Millum Terrace, Andrew Road, Dock Street, Pill Street and Nelson Street today, it can be difficult to imagine the world John and Elizabeth knew.
But these were not simply addresses.
They were homes where children were born, meals were prepared, clothes were washed, families gathered, neighbours talked and lives unfolded.
The churches, schools, railway lines, docks, shipyards, gas works and factories surrounding those homes were not merely buildings or businesses. They shaped the opportunities available to people like John and Elizabeth and helped determine the course of their lives.
And perhaps most importantly, the twelve children of John and Elizabeth carried their story forward.
Their descendants are the continuation of a journey that began in the streets of Victorian Sunderland, passed through the industrial communities of South Wales and eventually returned to the banks of the River Wear.
This is where the family history becomes more than genealogy.
It becomes a story about people — where they lived, how they worked, what they endured, whom they loved and what they left behind.