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Girls used Penny Bazaar jobs to support families

Emma Wassin Newcastle
BBC A wide shop front showing several counters and rails of clothing sits in an indoor market. The large dark red sign reads 'Marks and Spencer Ltd Original Penny Bazaar' with gold lettering. Lamps hang down from the sign and above there are the old ventilation grates and windows. The shop is quiet, with no customers or workers behind the counter. BBC
Young women working at the Penny Bazaar in the 1920s were often main household earners

Stories of some of the first women to work at the last surviving Marks & Spencer Penny Bazaar have been revealed in new research.

Evidence uncovered by a family history website has found young working-class women used jobs at the shop in the Grainger Market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to support their families and overcome hardship during the early 20th Century.

Researchers traced employees of the Penny Bazaar, which opened in 1895, through census returns, birth and marriage records and newspaper archives and found some girls as young as 15 were working there to support their families.

A spokesperson from the site Findmypast said "the biggest influence on our communities comes from ordinary people".

Findmypast An old, yellowed document with a mixture of typed and handwritten faded writing. In the top left corner it reads 'Strictly Confidential' and the form shows the names, ages, genders, occupations and employers of members of Jane Freeburn's household. The record shows Jane was 15 years old and worked as a shop assistant at Marks & Spencers Ltd. Findmypast
Records show that 15-year-old Jane worked there to support her family after her father passed away

Jane Freeburn was just 15 years old when she was recorded in the 1921 census as a shop assistant there.

Following the death of her father in 1918, Jane became one of the household's main earners, helping support her widowed mother and the rest of the family.

Researchers also uncovered the story of sisters Margaret and Lily Watson, aged 21 and 16, who both worked at the Penny Bazaar in 1921.

After the death of their mother and while their father was out of work, the sisters became vital wage earners helping support younger siblings at home.

Findmypast An old, yellowed document with a mixture of typed and handwritten faded writing. In the top left corner it reads 'Strictly Confidential' and the form shows the names, ages, genders, occupations and employers of members of the Watson household. The record shows that 21 year old Margaret and 16 year old Lily both worked as shop assistants at Marks & Spencer. Findmypast
Sisters Margaret and Lily worked at the Penny Bazaar after they lost their mother and their father was out of work
A bald man with a beard wearing glasses, a pale blue shirt and a dark blazer. He stands in front of a blurred background of a market hall. A sign displaying the research into the Penny Bazaar workers is behind him.
Councillor Burbidge says the new research brings "real opportunity to open people's eyes to the history"

Heritage consultant Sarah Dyer, who is based in the North East, said the shop was an important employer at the time when employing women "wasn't always done".

"To enable to get them a first step up and provide for their family, it was enormously important," she added.

Newcastle Lib Dem councillor Owen Burbidge, said the new research had helped "uncover" the past that has made the Grainger Market what it is today.

"The stories of normal people at times are forgotten about.

"I think this work, and ongoing work that will come following on from this, gives us a real opportunity to open people's eyes to the history," he said.

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