1871 Census Entry for John Acton’s Household

Address and Census Reference

In the 1871 England Census (taken 2 April 1871), John Acton’s family was recorded at 33a Testerton Street, Kensington, in west London. This address fell within the civil parish of Kensington and the ecclesiastical parish of St. Clement’s (Notting Hill). The official census reference is RG10/42, folio 45, page 83.

Household Members in 1871

At 33a Testerton Street, the Acton household consisted of the following members (with their relation to head, marital status, age, occupation, and listed birthplace):

John Acton – Head – Married – 38 – Clerk (India Rubber trade) – born in Birmingham, Warwickshire.

Harriet Acton (née Cokeham) – Wife – Married – 33 – born in Middlesex (London) (approx. 1838).

George William Acton – Son – 5 – Scholar – born in Kensington, Middlesex (Jan 1866).

John Acton – Son – 3 – — (child at home) – born in Kensington, Middlesex (Oct 1867).

Eliza Barker – Sister-in-law – 7 – Scholar – born in Clerkenwell, Middlesex. (Eliza is listed as John’s sister-in-law, indicating she is likely Harriet’s younger half-sister.)


John Acton’s occupation is clearly given as a “Clerk in the India rubber trade.” This is confirmed by archival notes from the Kensington local archive. (One contemporary source mis-transcribed the address as “12 Treverton Street”, but the census page shows 33a Testerton Street as the correct address.)

Eliza Barker, age 7, appears in the household as John’s sister-in-law.  This indicates she was a relative of Harriet. Indeed, Eliza was born in Clerkenwell in January 1864 and is likely Harriet’s half-sister (from Harriet’s family before her marriage to John). No other boarders or relatives are listed in the Acton household aside from young Eliza.

Enumeration District and Context

33a Testerton Street was located in the Notting Dale area of North Kensington, a neighborhood which by the 1870s was known for its overcrowded slum conditions. St. Clement’s Church (the parish for Testerton Street) had been founded in the 1860s to serve this impoverished district, sometimes called “the Potteries.” The Acton family’s address would have been among rows of workers’ cottages in a cul-de-sac off Latimer Road. The enumeration district covering Testerton Street included similar working-class households in that Notting Hill vicinity. The presence of a “Clerk (India Rubber trade)” in this area is notable – John’s occupation suggests he was employed in the booming Victorian rubber industry, perhaps at a local rubber goods manufactory or warehouse. Meanwhile, Harriet managing the home with two small children (and her young sister) in such a cramped neighborhood reflects the challenging living conditions of Notting Dale at that time.

Full 1871 Census Transcription of 33a Testerton St., Kensington

33a Testerton Street, Kensington, Middlesex (St. Clement’s Parish) – Schedule showing:

John Acton, Head, Mar, 38, Clerk (India Rubber trade), born Birmingham, Warwickshire.

Harriet Acton, Wife, Mar, 33, born Middlesex (London).

George Wm. Acton, Son, 5, Scholar, born Kensington, Middlesex.

John Acton, Son, 3, [child at home], born Kensington, Middlesex.

Eliza Barker, Sister-in-law, 7, Scholar, born Clerkenwell, Middlesex.


(Source: 1871 England Census, Kensington, London – RG10/42 folio 45 p.83)

Sources: The above information is compiled from the 1871 census return for Kensington, corroborated by local archive research notes and genealogical records for the family (e.g. Eliza Barker’s birth in Clerkenwell). The enumeration took place on 2 April 1871, documenting the Acton family at 33a Testerton Street, with John Acton’s occupation and all household members’ ages and birthplaces as shown. The Notting Dale context is drawn from historical descriptions of the area.