1879 Abraham Batty Auction Notice- Berner St., Batty St., Lipski Address, etc.

[Archaic]

Hi everyone.

I came across this 1879 auction notice stating that a large number of East End properties belonging to Abraham Batty were up for sale. Apparently 'Batty Street' (of ‘Batty Street Lodger’ and 'Lipski Murder' fame) was named after this man's family, though I’m not sure if it was named directly after Abraham Batty or after one of his forebears.

I was surprised by how many properties Abraham Batty owned- dozens of them, comprising large stretches of Batty Street,
Berner Street, Christian Street, Sander Street, and Commercial Road East.

Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to have owned #40 Berner Street, site of Dutfield’s Yard, but some of his other properties are described in this auction notice as including stable yards.

Abraham Batty is listed as the owner of #1-#19 (odd numbers) and #2-#18 (even numbers) Batty Street. The famous Lipski murder occurred at #16 Batty Street in 1887, a year before the Ripper murders, so it appears that this address belonged to Abraham Batty up to the year 1879.

Abraham also owned properties on Berner St., which runs parallel to Batty Street. In 1888 “Broad-Shouldered Man” is supposed to have manhandled Liz Stride at #40 Berner Street shortly before her murder, yelling “Lipski!” to scare off witness Israel Schwarz.

‘The Batty Street Lodger’ is said to have lived at #22 Batty Street, which would have been quite close to Batty’s swathe of properties that included #18.

Thanks and best regards,
Archaic

[Archaic]

Transcription of 1879 Batty Auction Notice

The type of the article is a bit difficult to read, so here's a transcription of it. (My emphases.) From 'The Ecclesiastical Review', 1879.

" Auction Sale.

By order of the surviving Trustee of the late Abraham Batty. Esq.—Christian-street, Batty-street, Berner-street, Sander-street, and Commercial-road East.—To Trustees, Capitalists, and others.—Important and highly valuable Freehold Properties.

"MESSRS. RICE BROTHERS are instructed to offer for SALE, by ACTION, at the AUCTION MART, Tokenhouse-yard, City, on WEDNESDAY, October 29, 1879, at two o'clock precisely, in 17 lots, valuable FREEHOLD GROUND RENTS, amounting to £287 9s. 2d. per annum, arising from and amply secured by first-class shop property,

situate and being Nos. 8l, 86, 88, 90, 92, 91, 96, 98, 100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110, 112, and 114, Commercial-road East, with the premises in the rear thereof, comprising Coopers' Hall, the extensive and well-arranged engineering works, in the occupation of Messrs. Fraser Brothers, capital stabling, &c.,

together with 10 dwelling-houses, with gardens, Nos. 93 to 111 (being odd numbers), Christian-street;

19 dwelling-houses and other premises, being Nos. 1 to 19 (odd numbers) and 2 to 18 (even numbers) Batty-street;

nine dwelling-houses, Nos. 1, 3, 5, 13, 15, 17, and 19, also 12 and 11, Berner-street, with the extensive stabling, yard, dwelling-house, and premises adjoining, with gateway entrance from Berner-street, and private way from Batty-street;

also No. 16, Sander-street, Commercial-road East, with reversion in 22.5 years from Michaelmas, 1879, to the rack rentals, estimated at about £3,000 per annum;

also three freehold houses, being No. 7, 9, and 11, Berner-street, let at weekly rentals amounting to £106. 6s. per annum.—

The estate may be viewed by permission of the respective occupiers, and particulars, with plans and conditions of sale, had of Messrs. Bridger and Collins, Solicitors, 37. King William-street. E.G., at the Mart; and of the Auctioneers. "The Factory Gazette," Offices, 2, Adelaide-place, London Bridge, City. "

Best regards,
Archaic

[lynn cates]

nice

Hello Bunny. Have I ever mentioned that you do good work?

Cheers.
LC

[Archaic]

London Hospital Connection

Thank you Lynn.

I have a little bit of info about Abraham Batty. According to one of his descendants, a woman named Ann, Abraham Batty was born in 1780 and died in 1868. He was a ‘market gardener’ in Batty Street and later in the Batty Fields area of Bermondsey. (I believe he is the Abraham Batty whose extensive properties were auctioned in 1879, though it's possible there were two Abraham Battys who were father and son.)

That was all the info she gave, but I found a man who may be one of his forebears; perhaps his father or grandfather. "Abraham Batty of Church-Lane, Whitechapel" is listed as a contributor to the new London Hospital in a 1775 pamphlet titled 'An Account of the Rise, Progress, and State of the London Hospital'.

I'm still not sure which member of the Batty family 'Batty Street' and 'Batty Gardens' are named after, or if they were already existing streets under different names and were renamed in honor of a Batty.

Best regards,
Archaic