OTTERS IN BRIGG - FAMILY HISTORY WITH AN INTERESTING LOCAL FLAVOUR

With many buildings in today's Brigg town centre dating back to before Queen Victoria became monarch in 1837 or being added during her reign, there have been many tenancy and ownership changes down the decades.
No 62 Wrawby Street (pictured above, right) is a typical example.
We've recently been contacted by someone from Cornwall who has 'by marriage' connections with the Otter family which established a well-known business at No 62 in the 19th century. It continued well into the 20th.
The family lived in the Owston Ferry area of the Isle of Axholme in the 1600s and gradually moved east. Later, they farmed in Grayingham for a couple of generations until William Otter started his milling and bakery business in Brigg.
Our correspondent, who chanced on a reference to the Otters in a Brigg Blog post from October 2017 via a web search, says: "I have attached a timeline of the Otter family as they moved from farming to baking in Brigg, which may be of interest to some of your local contacts." (see the extract below...)
In October 2017, Josie Webb, of Brigg Amateur Social Historians (BASH), told us: "In 1849 William Otter was living and working in a 4-acre area at the south end of Bridge Street. He was a baker, grocer and miller. He also had a bake house and retail outlet at 62 Wrawby Street, managed by his son - William Otter Junior.
"By 1869 the Bridge Street premises were all up for sale, following his death. His widow Mary then moved into 62 Wrawby Street, joining their son. They were grocers, bakers and cheese-makers. By 1876 Mrs Isabella Otter [I think this was probably her son's wife] was running the business and so it continued until 1909 when a Mrs Jane Barley went into partnership.
"I believe this ended sometime in the late 1920s. I guess it was sold and a Mr Davies bought it; Peirsey Kitchen managed it  - eventually owning it - until its closure in the 1970s.
"The bake house building is still there, visible from Bigby Street. It's all covered in ivy now."
Brigg Blog's searchability means that some posts, from time to time, prove of use to people researching family history, and some of them contract us from time to time.
Our correspondent and his wife like to visit Brigg when travelling to the north, but the current emergency is ruling that our at present.
 
EXTRACT FROM THE OTTER FAMILY TIMELINE - BRIGG, SCAWBY & WRAWBY

WILLIAM OTTER (1803-1861)
1827    William Otter married Mary Cox in North Kelsey. William was a Miller/ Baker. Most of their married life was spent at Bridge Street, Scawby (an area of Bridge Street was then still classed as part of our neighbouring parish - NF).   They had 8 children, all born in Scawby and christened in Wrawby (St John's Church, Brigg, had yet to be built and Brigg remained part of neighbouring parishes for ecclesiastical purpose - NF).  The second child, Robert, died as an infant and the third child was also christened Robert. Mary Cox was the daughter of John and Mary Cox who are buried in All Hallows' Churchyard, North Kelsey.
1828    William Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 19 September 1828.
1830    Robert Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 11 June 1830. (Died as an infant)
1832    Robert Edwin Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 20 November 1832.
1835    John Cox Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 16 May 1835.
1836    Jane Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 12 December 1836. (died aged 20) buried at St Hybald, Scawby.(The Parish church of Scawby)
1839    Mary Ann Otter was born and christened in Wrawby, 28 March 1839. (died age 20) buried at St Hybald, Scawby.
1841    Thomas George Otter was born and christened in Wrawby 14 April 1841. (He died as an infant)
1843    Lucy Maria Otter was born in Brigg.   1868 Lucy Maria Otter married Alfred Meanwell.   They had 7 children.   Alfred was a grocer and farmer and they lived most of their married life at High Street, Caistor.   Lucy Maria died 3 Feb 1897 at Caistor.  By the 1901 census Alfred had remarried.
1861    William died suddenly at Buxton where he was taking the waters, as he had a heart condition. He was with his daughter, who was also in delicate health.

WILLIAM OTTER (1828-1863)
1852    William Otter married Isabella Johnson on 4 May 1852 at South Kelsey. They spent their lives as bakers at 62 Wrawby Street, Brigg.  Isabella died 4 November 1901 at Brigg
1855    Mary Ann Otter was born and christened in Brigg.   She died 26 April 1923.
1860    Jane Otter was born and christened in Brigg.   
1863    William died 7 October 1863, aged 34.
1891    Isabella (70) widow was living at 61, Wrawby Street, Brigg with daughters Mary Ann (35) and Jane (31) all bakers and Provisions dealers.   Also John Thomas Barley.
1901    Isabella, Mary Ann, Jane and a John T Barley (servant) were living at 62 Wrawby Street.
1901     Isabella died 4 November aged 82 and is buried in Brigg cemetery.   
1902    Jane (44) married John T Barley (48) in Brigg.
1911    Mary Ann Otter, Jane Barley and John T Barley were living at 42 Wrawby Street. (7 roomed house, Otter Villa)
1923    Mary Ann died 26 April and is buried in Brigg cemetery.
1930    Jane Otter died July
 
THE BAKERY IN LATER YEARS
1930    The business was now in the hands of John T Barley.
1931    John T Barley married Grace Bourne (nee Otter) Jane’s cousin (Daughter of John Cox Otter)
1941    John T Barley died.
Grace Otter had married Arthur W Bourne in 1912 (after the death of her mother Fanny Otter)  and had 2 sons. AW Bourne died 1925.
7 June 1941 Grace Barley died a widow
Arthur Ernest Bourne (b 1913 d 1968 NSW)
Alfred John Bourne (b 1924 d 1990 Holton-le-Clay).