| Author |
 Topic  |
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
 Posted - 11/02/2017 : 13:14:22
|
A J2 chassis has turned up with the chassis number J3704. Records apparently show this was sold new in Sheffield in October 1933 to a Mr Bailey. In the hope of finding the registration number, does anyone know if Sheffield car registration records survive?
Sam |
|
|
John James
United Kingdom
965 Posts |
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2017 : 18:53:34
|
Thanks John that is good news. Have you any tips on how best to go about researching vehicle registrations in the Sheffield archives? It is impractical to call in person.
Sam |
 |
|
|
John James
United Kingdom
965 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2017 : 20:47:41
|
Sam,
Probably best to phone the archive people in the first instance and hope to get somebody who is helpful. Assuming you find a helpful person who is able to confirm that the Registers still exist and they are in the format that we are after i.e. they give the registration mark and the chassis number (they may not!) then you would probably have to pay for an extract from the records as very organisations do something for nothing nowadays.
Another option is to ask a Triple-M owner who lives in the Sheffield area to go along and have a look.
Regards, JOHN |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 11/02/2017 : 22:05:30
|
I will phone Sheffield on Monday morning and hope for the best. Thanks again for the advice.
Sam |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 10:31:59
|
It is a very good thing that Sheffield kept a record of cars and registration numbers issued but the archive does not include chassis numbers! Another problem is, the first registered owner noted is not the customer but the dealer who registered the car pre-sale!
M.G. records show J3704 was supplied in Sheffield by Pointings Ltd., on 18th October 1933 but Abingdon probably noted the date the car was 'registered for guarantee' which was presumably the day the new owner collected it in a fully road legal state with number plates , tax disc and insurance. But the crucial question is - "when was it registered with the local authority and a registration number issued?"
The Sheffield archive looks like this -
(all the above are 'WJ' followed by the quoted number)
So the challenge is, which one is J3704 ?
Since, according to the M.G. record Mr S T Bailey bought his M.G.J2 on 18th October 1933 and the car was presumably road legal, then there is a good chance the M.G. Midget 2 seater registered with the authorities 4th October 1933 could be the one - namely WJ 7880. But 'a good chance' is not proof.
Thanks for the suggestion John to try Sheffield City Archives. Although the research is far from complete this is a big help.
Sam |
Edited by - sam christie on 17/02/2017 10:52:02 |
|
|
|
Nick Feakes
USA
3435 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 13:07:12
|
Sam
Is WJ the only letter series issued by Sheffield City? If so (and assuming there are no other MGs registered WJ between your pictures) then since 7876 is known, J3704 must have been 7880. As you say, not proof but on the balance of evidence I would say "guilty as charged"! However, I wonder if the DVLA would accept it as good enough? A very helpful and interesting thread for anyone searching for their original registration number.
Nick |
|
|
|
NeilS
United Kingdom
199 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 14:37:34
|
I know things have changed since but when I tried to regain the reg for my Riley Lynx it needed a document that had both registration and chassis number. I had a very similar copy of the Evesham register, but of course there are no Riley factory records as they were all lost in the war
Neil |
|
|
|
george
United Kingdom
863 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 14:43:09
|
| I would not hold out too much hope with DVLA. My cars chassis file stated that the car was bought by Dr Pritchard on the 1st Jan 1936 .On the same day a Dr Pritchard of the same address registered an MG 12hp with the Sussex reg authority and was given the number NJ 7843 .Can I have my number back !! NO !!.As Sam says the reg authorities did not record chassis numbers, had they done so I might not grind my teeth so much. Geoff |
|
|
|
NeilS
United Kingdom
199 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 17:34:29
|
It is not entirely true that chassis numbers were not recorded. Whilst they were not recorded in the register they were recorded on the index cards. These exist or a few areas. We are very lucky my that the lincolnshire one's DO exist back to the start of th 20 th century. Held in the Linoln and Grimsby archives. Of course saddly not the case for Sheffield
Neil |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 17:39:51
|
This is really about establishing the history of J3704 and the adventures it had leading up to it sitting in a shed behind a house in Belfast . While the registration number (like the chassis number) is crucial to the research I would not hold out much hope of regaining it.
The chassis belongs to an elderly chap who is not in the best of health and I hope to present him with as much history as I can.
Mr S T Bailey lived at 210 Rock Street, Sheffield,S3 9JF but I know nothing else about him. I wonder if Mr Bailey was a young man at the time and if he ever took part in motorsport.
Sam |
|
|
|
John Mee
United Kingdom
209 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 18:27:38
|
My F1 Magna has a Sheffield registration number WJ 2417 and again registered by Pointings Ltd. The chassis file contains at invoice for fitting these number plates seven days before the car was delivered to Pointings in Sheffield. So was it the usual practice to register new cars before they even had a buyer? There is an interesting film on utube showing a couple picking up their new MG Magna at the factory, it also has a lot of footage of the cars being built. The final shot shows the car being driven away with clouds of smoke billowing from the exhaust.
WJ 2417 number plates fitted 2 12 1931
Logbook registered 5 12 1931
Delivered Pointings 9 12 1931
John Mee |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 18:57:39
|
I imagine it was possible to buy a car which was in stock but I guess most prospective owners made a choice of colour and considered which extras to have and then waited for the car to be built and delivered.
Perhaps the dealer was even notified by Abingdon by post prior to delivery so the car could be registered with the local authority and plates prepared. It seems some owners collected their cars from the factory to drive them home and run them in very gently.
Does anyone know how long it took on average from placing an order for an M.G. to taking delivery?
Sam |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 17/02/2017 : 23:46:26
|
Thanks to the latest generous research by a Pre War Minor Network Forum member it looks very convincing that S T Bailey was Sydney Thomas Bailey born 16th January 1908 and died in Sheffield in 1993. There is evidence he was a builder in 1929.
Sydney would have been a very lucky young man to have brand new M.G. J2 at the age of 25 and at such a nice age for such a car.
I guess 210 Rock Road was his parents' house and his father was a successful builder and assisted in the purchase. Sydney probably followed his father in the family business.
If Mr Bailey had children photographs and anecdotes might still exist. Another challenge....
Sam
Sam |
|
|
|
Malcolm Bailey
United Kingdom
301 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2017 : 21:36:06
|
Hi Sam,
As a member of the Bailey clan I have searched my family tree but cannot find any relative by the name of Sydney Thomas Bailey b 1908 in Sheffield. However there is a record of his father and grand father on Ancestry but no record after the census in 1911 when he was three. I shall keep looking and report further.
Regards
Malcolm |
|
|
|
sam christie
United Kingdom
3116 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2017 : 23:19:51
|
Thanks Malcolm. I think this is he -
His final address was Round Leys Newfield Lane Dore Sheffield. I wonder if anyone there remembers him.
Sam |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Forum Locked
Topic Locked
