At the end of 2020, I was contacted by John Holmes, asking if I could add to the information he already had about his grandfather, Samuel Alfred Holmes, who moved from Derbyshire to keep cows in Liverpool at Abyssinia Street. Here's what I was able to offer:

​1875 18th July. Baptism of Samuel Alfred Holmes. Parents: John and Ellen. Occupation of Father: farmer. Abode: Congreave in Rowsley (Derbyshire).
 
1901 Census — 2 Pengwern Street – Joseph Bretherton b. 1864, Whitewell, Yorks. Milk Dealer. Brother: William (29). Sister: Elizabeth(22), Slaidburn, Yorks. Servant: Alfred Holmes (24), Stanton, Derbyshire. 
 
1902 4th June. Alfred Holmes married Elizabeth Bretherton at St Saviour Church, in parish of St Philemon, Toxteth. Alfred was a ‘Milkman’ at 1 Shallot Street. Father: John Holmes, Farmer. Elizabeth was living at 148 Grove Street. 
 
1905 25th December. Baptism of Walter Holmes, born at 4 Abyssinia Street. Father’s Occupation: Cowkeeper. 
 
1910  22nd December. Burial at Holy Trinity Church, Wavertree. Samuel A Holmes. Age: 35. 4 Abyssinia Street.
 
1911 Census — Elizabeth Holmes was a 'widow' and 'Cowkeeper' living at 4 Abyssinia Street. Born in Yorks. Sons: Alfred Holmes, b. 1903, Liverpool, and Walter Holmes, b. 1905, Liverpool. 
 
Number 4 was at the railway end of Abyssinia Street, where there was an open space (see attached map. c. 1905) suitable for the keeping of cows.

Following a request for information about Charles Blackburn & Sons, in Liverpool. Here's what I managed to put together from the census and directory records:

​1871 (census) — 138 Friar Street: Chs. Blackburn (born 1843, London), Milk Dealer. M Emma Blackburn (wife, born 1844). Sons: G J Blackburn (born 1868) and Chs. Blackburn (born 1869). Daughter: Amelia Blackburn (born 1870).
 
1881 (census) — 64 Warwick Street: Charles Blackburn (born 1843, London, Middlesex). Mary E Blackburn (wife). Sons: Charles (born 1869, Liverpool), Thomas (born 1874, Liverpool) and James (born 1876, Liverpool)
 
1891 (census) — 62-64 Warwick Street: Charles Blackburn (born 1843, London, Middlesex), Dairyman and Milk Utensil Maker. Mary Emma (wife). Children: Frances Brown (born 1873), Thomas (born 1874) and James (born 1876).
 
1894 (directory) — Charles Blackburn, Dairyman, 5-7 Oldham Street and Platform 7
 
1900 (directory) — Charles Blackburn & Sons, Dairyman, 5-7 Oldham Street
 
1901 (census) — 5 Oldham Street: Charles Blackburn (born 1843, London), Milk Dealer. Mary E (wife). Children: Frances B (born 1873), James (born 1876) and Joseph (born 1879).
1901 (census) — 160 Northbrook Street: Charles Blackburn (born 1869, Liverpool), Dairyman and Dairy Utensil Manufacturer. Wife: Margaret A Blackburn. Son: Charles W (born 1894).
 
1911 (census) — 140 Selborne Street: Charles Blackburn (born 1869, Liverpool), Wholesale Milk Dealer. Margaret Ann (wife).
 
1918 (directory) — Charles Blackburn, Dairyman, 31 Handover Street
1918 (directory) — Mrs Emily Blackburn, Dairyman, 169 Lodge Lane
 
1926 (directory) — Charles Blackburn & Sons, Dairymen, 26a Head Street, 169 Lodge Lane and 45 St James Place
 
1939 (register) — 21 Parkfield Road: Charles Blackburn (born 23rd March 1869), Traveller (Preserves), married. Margaret A Blackburn (born 20th April 1869), Unpaid Domestic, married. Charles W Blackburn (born 2nd April 1893), Government Clerical Assistant, married. Jessie Blackburn (born 14th May 1893), Unpaid Domestic, married.

I've recently been assisting a reader with their family history research. It involves the Warburton family who were cowkeepers and dairymen in Liverpool. I thought I'd share my findings here in case anyone was interested.

It seems the Warburton family have a long lineage of cowkeeping in Liverpool, principally maintained by three generations of men named Peter Warburton:
Peter Warburton 1 was born circa 1812
Peter Warburton 2 was the son (?) of 1 and was born circa 1839
Peter Warburton 3 was the son (?) of 2 and was born circa 1867
 
Peter Warburton 1 appears on the censuses of 1841 through to 1861 as a Cowkeeper at 24 WILTON STREET (located off Soho Street, just north of Islington).
Peter Warburton 2 has taken over the business by the time of the 1871 census. The record includes his wife, Elizabeth (b. 1836), and children: Rhoda (b. 1863), Peter (b. 1867), and John (b. 1870).
 
By 1881 things get a bit confusing! Peter Warburton 2 and his family (including a 14-year-old Peter Warburton 3) are living at 3 Penton Street and Peter is a ‘Gentleman of Property’. Meanwhile a John Warburton (widower, b. 1814) is a Cowkeeper at 44 CELIA STREET. I don’t know who this John Warburton is, but I’m sure it’s no coincidence that, after Peter Warburton 3 gets married and starts his own family, he becomes a Cowkeeper at that same address, 44 CELIA STREET (1891 census).
 
The trade directories of the day then bowl us a few more googlies! The 1894 directory lists Peter Warburton as a Cowkeeper at 44 CELIA STREET but also as a Dairyman at 44 SCOTLAND ROAD. Then, the 1900 directory lists Peter Warburton as a Cowkeeper at 66-68 LETA STREET and an Isabella Warburton is now running the 44 SCOTLAND ROAD dairy!
 
After all that jiggery-pockery, things settle down a bit and Peter Warburton 3 is recorded as being a Dairyman at 66-68 LETA STREET through the next two censuses and right up until the 1926 directory. I don’t believe any of the original properties have survived.
 
If anyone can add to this, please do get in touch. Thanks, Dave.

Just a quick update on my talks programme. As you will have seen from my events page, my bookings began to be cancelled from March onwards as groups and clubs suspended their meetings due to lockdown. I've been in contact with a number of clubs who have bookings with me between now and Christmas and none of these expect their meetings to resume until the beginning of 2021 at least. This is totally understandable as so many of these clubs are supported by people who will be shielding for health/age reasons. That includes me, as my health problems have returned and I am in treatment once more. Hopefully, both myself an my audiences will be able to return to normal service sometime in the new year. In the meantime, I'm taking the opportunity to add more cowkeeping/dairying information to my website. Stay safe. Dave.

I'm delighted to announce that I have just received a clean bill of health! So, I am once again open for business and am now taking bookings for talks. Thanks for all your patience, support and best wishes. It's good to be back. Dave.

Hi. I will have a table at the Liverpool Heritage & Culture Day being held at Liverpool Central Library on Saturday 26th October 2019, 10.00am-16.00pm. Will have books for sale and happy to chat to anyone with an interest in Liverpool Cowkeepers. See you there. Dave.
​ https://liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/heritage-and-culture-day/

It is lovely to hear from readers who have enjoyed my books and who have then had brought to the fore some long lost childhood memories. I thought I'd share with you this recently-received message from Val McCowen, for which I am most grateful:

Having just finished reading "My Family and Other Scousers", I felt compelled to write to you.

I also read your book about the Liverpool Cowkeepers. As family history, I found 'Cowkeepers' a revelation, although my great aunt remembered sitting on the milk  float as a child (born 1897 in Preston), dangling her legs over the back. She would go round with the milkman as customers brought their jugs to fill from his churns.

It was the horses in your book about your days in Liverpool , that triggered so many memories for me. My dad was a Lancashire Mounted Policeman. As a child in the 50s and early 60s I have fond memories of the policeman's wives and children  going on a day out to The Lancashire Agricultural Show, and sometimes travel to the national shows, where the police  horses would  display their skills and do a "musical ride". My dad and his horse "Trafford" won best trained police horse several times. Some band music triggers so many fond memories for me.

In the early 1950s my dad was transferred from stables in Formby to Hutton, Preston, where the Lancashire Police Headquarters stables were and still are. We lived at "the stables" for some years in the lodge to the big house "Holmemead". As children we would play in the barn and hayloft. We were told never to climb on the hay, which was the horses food. We could play on the straw bales, which were used for bedding , but I remember them being very scratchy. The hay was much sweeter smelling and softer to climb on and play in. Your antics in the dairy hay loft brought back many memories for me, making dens and jumping from great heights!

As children we would often be rounded up and gathered in the field next to our house. We were provided with  football rattles, tin cans, anything that would make a noise  to simulate a rowdy football crowd . We would make two lines of noisy rabble while the horses walked through our noise , mostly ignoring us. Once they could cope with us without being disturbed they were passed fit to be let loose at Preston North End and other football fields!

Our grandchildren don't have those wonderful playgrounds and freedoms of the past. Looking into our family history has made me acutely aware of how important it is to talk to our children and grand children about our precious memories. So, thank you so much for your inspiration - and a couple of good reads.

With kind regards,

Val McCowen

At this morning's talk for Upholland U3A, I was asked about the demise of the Milk Marketing Board, but I couldn't recall the year of its end. So, just to put the record straight, following deregulation in 1993, the Milk Marketing Board continued until 2002.

At a recent talk I spoke with Walter Whitfield. He told me that his father had been Matthew Whitfield who was a cowkeeper at 19 Browne Street, in Liverpool. Unfortunately, the dairy in Browne Street was bombed during the war, but the family relocated to Shropshire to farm there.

I also had a chat with Susan Sunderland and her family. Susan's mother used to work for Tom Parker, a hay and straw merchant located at the top of Smithdown Road, and she can recall the local cowkeepers (including the Hogg family) calling in to pay their bills.

At the end of my talk at the Lancashire Infantry Museum, Fulwood Barracks, Preston, earlier this year, someone had kindly brought with them documents relating to the Fawcett family of cowkeepers. With having so many people to chat to, I didn't make a note of your email address. Please do drop me a line as I'd love to find out more about this branch of the Fawcett family. Ta. Dave.