John and Mary Bush lived in New Bridge Street, Nottingham

Looking at the source England Marriages 1538-1973 index (FHL Film Number: 95040, 95043, 95044) on 3 April 1825 Mary Heep married John Bush in  the church of St Peter Nottingham. The 1841 Census then shows that they lived together on New bridge Street, Nottingham. That street lies off Canal Street, and is shown in the above 1968 Photograph. This is a notorious area of the the town known for its over crowding and slums.

John and Mary Bush are on the bottom left of the above 1841 Census record. The Household occupants were all born in Nottinghamshire, they are:

Thomas Heep, age 65 born in 1776. His wife was Fanny Heep, age 60 born in 1781. Then we have John Bush, age 40, and his wife Mary Bush, age 30 born in 1811. In this census Thomas William Bush age 2 was living with his parents at this house.

In tracing the Christening of John Bush (Thomas’s father), the only reference that shows one of Nottingham’s principal churches, St Mary’s in this instance, as the place of the occasion (FHL Film Number: 503800, 503801) indicates that it took place on 31 January 1802; his father is given as William Bush, with Elizabeth being his mother. These are of course Thomas Bush’s grand parents.

Thomas William Bush Was Baptised in St Peter’s church

Thomas William Bush was born in Nottingham at New Bridge Street, and was later Baptised in the church of St Peter on 22 May, 1839. This is usually recorded as his date of birth because we have no other records, and we have to make do with the transcript from the Nottinghamshire baptisms index 1538-1917, shown here.

As you can see his denomination is Anglican (Church of England), and his mother Mary Bush, and his father John Bush or recorded as his parents.

Later we will see that Thomas William Bush has been adopted by Thomas & Jane Marriott who are both run a Baker & Grocery shop at 4 Canal Street. We can only surmise that his parents wanted Thomas to have the education, and to live in a good family background of a higher status that they were able to provide from there humble abode in New Bridge Street. Thomas Bush was certainly living with his parents up to 1841 as seen from the 1841 of that year. He was educated at a Wesleyan School, of which there were five in the area, and at the Robert Goodacre Academy, which first opened in upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, before he had a purpose built building near Nottingham Castle; the Standard Hill Academy. This had a small observatory on the roof of the building as shown here.