Skirving Street, Liverpool

Who lived at Skirving Street, Liverpool? A street with a dark history, which tells of 2 sisters, Catherine and Margaret Thompson, widows from Ireland, who murdered their lodgers and claimed the insurance money.

In the 1880's Skirving Street consisted of Court dwellings, where entire families lived in one room, there was one toilet for the whole street and water was obtained from a single standpipe.

Skirving Street is still there today, on the east side of Scotland Road and it lies between that and Great Homer Street. Today, the slums are long gone, and it is now a residential street with terraced houses.

The sisters lived at 5 Skirving Street and the first person to die was John Flannagan in December 1880, the insurance money was £70, about £5'000 in today's terms. In 1882, Margaret married Thomas Higgins and one month later, her stepdaughter was dead and the insurance money of £22 had been claimed. In 1883 Margaret Jennings died and Catherine collected the insurance money.

They then moved to Latimer Street and after that Ascot Street. The story will be continued......

Some of the Westhoff family lived at 26 Skirving Street, but not until after the sisters had moved. The earliest record I have is the 1891 census and there was a Westhoff living in Skirving Street until October 1924.

Henry Westhoff (Dermot's 2nd great uncle) lived at Skirving Street until he got married in July 1892.

John Jacob Westhoff (Dermot's 2nd great grandfather) was there until he died in August 1908.

Mary Ann (Mooney) Westhoff died in Skirving Street in September 1918.

Frederick William Westhoff (2nd great uncle) died in August 1920 and the final record I have of a Westhoff living at Skirving Street is John Westhoff (2nd great uncle) and he died there in October 1924.