VOL. 37 AUGUST 2015 No. 3

 

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THE LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY & HERALDRY SOCIETY Formerly Rossendale Society for Genealogy & Heraldry (Lancashire)

Inaugurated 1973. Registered Charity Number 513437

President: Steve Williams Vice-Presidents: Rodney Hampson, JimTopping, Terry Walsh, Bill Taylor,

A.Derrick Walkden, Rita Hirst, Peter W. Joslin, Tony Foster, Margaret Purcell

Visit our Website on www.lfhhs.org.uk Subscriptions: Ordinary Membership £14 Overseas Membership £16 Family Membership £15 UK Pensioners & Students £12 Renewals are due on the 1st January. Cheques should be crossed and made payable to Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society and sent to the Membership Secretary.

MEETING VENUES BLACKBURN Ewood Park Working Mens’ Club, 318 Bolton Road, Blackburn BB2 4HY & DARWEN First Thursday of the month at 7.30 pm. BURY Blackburne Hall, Church Hall, The Wylde, Bury BL9 0LA Second Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm. CHORLEY Lecture Room, Chorley Library, Union Street, Chorley PR7 1EB Third Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm. FYLDE St. Martin’s Church, Fleetwood Road South, Carleton, Poulton-le-Fylde FY6 7NL Second Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm. HERALDRY St. Stephen’s Church Centre, Bird Street, Preston PR1 8DY GROUP First Monday of the month at 7.30 pm. HYNDBURN Accrington Library, St. James Street, Accrington BB5 1NQ First Tuesday of the month – 7.15pm for 7.30 pm IRISH ANCESTRY 2 Straits, Oswaldtwistle BB5 3LU GROUP Saturday Workshops 1pm – 4.30pm as per Branch Programme. LANCASTER & The Lothersdale Hotel, 320 Marine Road Central, Morecambe LA4 5AA MORECAMBE Third Thursday of the month at 7.30pm LONDON & Brompton Library, 210 Old Brompton Road, London SW5 0BS SOUTH Five meetings a year on Saturdays at 2.00pm (see Branch Programme) PENDLE & Colne Library, Colne BB8 0AP BURNLEY Third Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm. PRESTON St. Mary’s Parish Hall, The Guild Room, Cop Lane, Penwortham, Preston PR1 9HY Last Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm. RIBBLE VALLEY Clitheroe Cricket Club, Chatburn Road, Clitheroe BB7 2AS Second Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm ROCHDALE St. Andrew’s U.R. Church, Entwisle Road, Rochdale OL16 2HZ Last Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm. ROSSENDALE Longholme Methodist Church (opp.Bus Stn) Bacup Road, Rawtenstall BB4 7NU First Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm.

CONTENTS Page 2 Branch Programmes

Members’ Articles – 4 The Sutcliffes of Pendleton – Part 2 of 2 – Paul Sutcliffe 11 Letters from John Woods, Commercial Traveller,

Darwen – Part 2 of 3 – Ann Stocker 17 Nancy Bury Found – Judy Bourke

21 Beginning the search for my ancestors – Doreen Osuch

24 Member’s Letter 25 Deaths Notified

27 Notes and News 27 Book & CD Reviews

31 Members’ Interests

37 Branch News Cover Picture: Front: The late Mary Davison visiting War Graves with Jean Harrison Back: Heraldry If you have a drawing suitable for the front cover, kindly forward to the Editor. Thank you. All contents of this magazine are copyright of Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society and individual authors. No such content may be reproduced in any form unless prior permission to do so has been given by the Editor and the author/authors concerned. _________________________________________________________

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BRANCH PROGRAMMES 20 Jul Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 21 Jul Chorley – Pirates – Adrian Warrall 29 Jul Preston – The Victorian Suburb – Carole Knight 29 Jul Rochdale – Out Visit to St Luke’s Parish Church, Heywood 1 Aug London & South – When Cotton Came to Lancashire –

Paul Cross 3 Aug Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 6 Aug Blackburn & Darwen – Four Lane Ends Sunday School, Blackburn – Hilda Rawcliffe 8 Aug Irish – Advice & Research Workshop, Oswaldtwistle BB5 3LU 13.00 – 16.00 hours 11 Aug Ribble Valley – Out Visit – Folly at Settle 12 Aug Bury – Research Evening 12 Aug Fylde – The Pack Horse Trade & Routes in the North West – Margaret Dickinson Aug Hyndburn – Out Visit 17 Aug Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 18 Aug Chorley – Out Visit 19 Aug Pendle & Burnley – Lady Randy – Winston Churchill’s Mother Pat Osborne 26 Aug Preston – Bring your own research – help evening 26 Aug Rochdale – Family History Myths and Lies? – Gillian Waters 1 Sep Hyndburn - Workshop 3 Sep Blackburn & Darwen – James H Morton, Cotton Town

Impressionist – Illustrated talk on the Darwen artist – Harold Heys 6 Sep Ribble Valley – Society Annual Dinner at Waddow Hall 7 Sep Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 8 Sep Ribble Valley – Members Night 9 Sep Bury – Cremations and their Records – John Marsden 9 Sep Fylde – Mini Talks by Branch Members 15 Sep Chorley – Historical Newspaper Stories – Angela Danby 16 Sep Pendle & Burnley – Wills & Probate Records – David Lambert 17 Sep Lancaster & Morecambe – Basic Heraldry – Tony Consadine 21 Sep Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 26 Sep Beginner’s Family History Workshop at Leyland Museum 30 Sep Pendle & Burnley –Practical Evening 30 Sep Preston – Debtor Life in 18C & 19C Lancaster Castle Prison (with photos of prison as yet unseen by the public)-Graham Kemp 30 Sep Rochdale – Century in a Shoebox – LieslBeckles 1 Oct Blackburn & Darwen – Manorial Records – Dr Alan Crosby

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3 Oct London & South – Folk Cures and Remedies – Tom Doig 5 Oct Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 6 Oct Hyndburn – Snuff, Spinning & Spiritual Houses – Harold Hoggarth 13 Oct Ribble Valley – Calderstone Hospital 1915-1921 14 Oct Bury – TBA 14 Oct Fylde – Blackpool Tower – Barry Shaw 19 Oct Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 20 Oct Chorley – Glen Atkinson 21 Oct Pendle & Burnley – Who Was My Uncle Bilsbarrow? – Tony Foster 28 Oct Preston – Battle of Preston 1715 – Dr David Hunt 28 Oct Rochdale – A tragedy too far – Anne Booth 2 Nov Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 3 Nov Hyndburn – White Feather WW1 – John Hartley 5 Nov Blackburn & Darwen – Oh! What a Lovely War – Steve Williams 10 Nov Ribble Valley – Unsung Heros – Alan Hemsworth 11 Nov Bury – Whitefield War Memorial – David Galloway 11 Nov Fylde – Find the answer to your problems 16 Nov Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 17 Nov Chorley – White Feather (WW1) – John Hartley 18 Nov Pendle & Burnley – Grandmother’s Letters – Alan Crosby 19 Nov Lancaster & Morecambe – Researching with Christine Dundas 21 Nov Beginner’s Family History Workshop at Leyland Museum 25 Nov Preston – Quiz night and Jacob’s Join 25 Nov Rochdale – Researching a War Memorial – Tony Foster 1 Dec Chorley – Golden Age of Comedy Pt.2 – Brian Halliwell 1 Dec Hyndburn – Christmas Social 2 Dec Pendle & Burnley – Quiz – The Pendle Round – Andrea Smith And Christmas Party 2 Dec Rochdale – Christmas Party 2 Dec Bury – Christmas Party with Rochdale Branch 3 Dec Blackburn & Darwen – Bene ‘n ‘ot – The Tommies Tipple

From Palais Benedictine to Plumbe Street Burnley – Denise North - Followed by Christmas Festivities

3 Dec Lancaster & Morecambe – Festive Meal in Morecambe 5 Dec London & South – Members’ meeting 7 Dec Lancaster & Morecambe – Morecambe Library 2pm 8 Dec Ribble Valley – Christmas Party 9 Dec Fylde – Jacobs Join and Quiz 12 Dec Irish – Advice & Research Workshop, Oswaldtwistle BB5 3LU 13.00 – 16.00 hours 13 Jan Bury – Research Evening

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19 Jan Chorley – Members’Talks About Family Heirlooms 10 Feb Bury – Short Talks by Members 16 Feb Chorley – Travels with my Great Aunt – Dr Alan Crosby 15 Mar Chorley – AGM and Investigating your Seafarer Ancestors – Gordon Read 19 Apr Chorley – Dick Kerrs Ladies Football Team – Gail Newsham 6 Dec Chorley – Victorian Times – Graham Stirrup

MEMBERS’ ARTICLES

THE SUTCLIFFES OF PENDLETON By Paul Sutcliffe (8388)

Buscheyplatz 17, 44801 Bochum, Germany (Part 2 of 2)

NEW ZEALAND As far as the sons of Isaac are concerned, the Sutcliffe line was continued by at least two of the males, William and James, to whom I will return later in this summary. Records of the Australian immigrant board show that Robert Sutcliffe of Pendleton, son of Isaac and Alice, arrived in New South Wales aboard the vessel St. Vincent on 13 March 1849. He had taken advantage of the available ‘assisted passage’ scheme, which was offered at that time to workers such as blacksmiths, so that his voyage ‘only’ cost him five pounds. The record states that he enjoyed good bodily health and required no medical assistance during the long voyage. Between 1855 and 1873 he can be found on electoral rolls and in Wise’s Trade Directory as an inhabitant of Wellington, New Zealand, residing in Dickson Street and Willis Street. So far no records have been discovered which show marriage, the birth of children or even his death there. ACCRINGTON William moved to Accrington, where he married Mary Hacking in St. James, Accrington on 8 September, 1849. His brother, James, followed suit in 1851 by marrying Hannah Burton on 22 March in Newchurch in Rossendale. At this time, according to the census of 1851, his occupation was as a wheelwright and his wife was a woollen power loom weaver. Their son, James Isaac, was born on 2 September 1851 and baptised in Newchurch on 5 October 1851. William and Mary’s only son, Isaac, was born on 9 July 1850 at Plantation Mill Street, Accrington. The 1851 census shows this address to be the domicile of Mary Hacking’s family and that William was now a labourer at the print

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works. By 1857 William had slightly changed the terms of his occupation, still a labourer but at the brewery in Burnley Road, Accrington. 1857 was a tragic year for both William and his brother James being the year in which both their wives died. William married again on 4 September 1858 to Betty Riley and the 1861 census reveals a family reunited with William and his new wife, Betty, their son, Isaac, and James and his son, James Isaac, all residing at 182 Burnley Road, Accrington. William was still by occupation a labourer and James a wheelwright. The length of William’s second marriage, however, was also fated to be shortened by the death of his wife, Betty, on 14 July 1867. For the second time, only a brief time after his former wife’s death, William remarried. This was to Mary Ann Pilkington on 22 February 1868, so that he, together with his new wife, Mary Ann, and his son, Isaac, are all to be found on the 1871 census living at 41 Maudsley Street, Old Accrington. William was still a labourer. The son was listed as being a cotton weaver. James did not immediately remarry but in the 1871 census was living with relatives of Betty Riley at 41 Marsden Street, Old Accrington. Still a wheelwright, his son, James Isaac, had become an apprentice grocer. On 27 October 1876 James married the widow of Thomas Barnes (1826-1870). Her maiden name had been Alice Holt. The 1881 census reveals that James Isaac had now left his father and that Alice Barnes had a son, John Barnes aged twenty, who was an ironmonger along with a daughter, Rachel aged 16, a teacher, and George aged 14, who was also an ironmonger. James was described as formerly being a wheelwright. They were living in 29 Marsden Street, Accrington. In the 1881 census the only change is that they are now all ten years older. On 8 June 1884 James Sutcliffe died at 41 Marsden Street, Accrington at the age of 54 years. His son, James Isaac, was in attendance at the death. At that time the son’s residence was 8 Melbourne Street, Accrington. Similarly to James Isaac, William’s son, Isaac, had also left the residence shared with his father shortly after the 1871 census had been taken. 1873 saw the year of the marriages of both cousins; Isaac marrying Hannah Caroline Howard in Southport on 1 March 1873, followed by James Isaac to Margaret Cressey on 31 July at Accrington, St. James. By moving to Southport (North Meols), Isaac had followed the example of his uncle George Hacking (1831-1912), under whose

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family roof in Plantation Mill Street, Accrington, he had briefly lived as an infant at the beginning of his father’s marriage to Mary Hacking. William Sutcliffe’s later life points to an increase in prosperity if not in happiness. In the 1870s William started up in business as a brewer and shopkeeper at premises in 16 Sidney Street, Accrington, as evidenced in Barret’s Directory of 1878. In 1879, according to Slater’s Directory, he moved to 2 Manor Street, where he was described as a ‘shopkeeper and dealer in groceries and sundries’. By the 1881 census his business was situated in 5 Sidney Street, Accrington where he registered his occupation as ‘grocer and brewer’. Brewing suggests some kind of knowledge which he had gained at the brewery in Burnley Road as a labourer in the 1850s and 1860s. One possibility, which cannot be proven, is that he had worked for the Bank Brewery in Burnley Road, which was operational at that particular time. His mental state, however, was in turmoil and, according to the later inquest into his death on 18 June 1883, severe depression led to an attempted suicide on 9 December 1882 where he tried to cut his own throat. Unfortunately, his mental problems did not abate and on 16 June 1883 he was found dead in Sydney Street by one of his employees, John Entwistle. The inquest into his death found that he had ‘hanged himself by the neck, with a rope from a hook in the wall of his cellar whilst of unsound mind’. His will ‘proved at Lancaster the second day of August 1883’ states that at this time he was living at 6 Manor Street so that his place of business and abode were separate. He left his ‘real and personal estate’, valued at 564 pounds and 7.5 pence net, to his third wife, Mary Ann. There is no mention of his son, Isaac, who at that time was living in North Meols. The inscription on his gravestone in Burnley Road Cemetery, Accrington (Grave number EB 428) reveals not only the ages and dates of death of himself and his three wives but also two daughters born to his first wife, Mary Hacking, who had both died as infants. In Memory of the late William Sutcliffe who died June 16th 1883 in his 62nd year. Also Mary Ann wife of the above, born May 29th 1827, died April 19th 1901. Mary, wife of William Sutcliffe of Accrington, who died August 30th 1857 aged 30 years and 10 months, interred at St. James Church. Also Alice, their daughter, who died March 1st 1856 aged 2 years and 4 months, interred at St. James Church. Also Elizabeth, their daughter, who died December 1st 1858 aged 3 years and 4 months, interred at St James Church. Also Betty, his wife, who died July 14th 1867 in the 51st year of her age.

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The number of William’s remaining relatives resident in Accrington was increased after his nephew’s (James Isaac) marriage to Margaret Cressey in 1873. Jane Hannah Sutcliffe was born in 1874, James Richard in 1876 and John William in 1879. James Isaac Sutcliffe had a number of different occupations up until his death in 1819 which included shopman, joiner’s labourer and carpenter. Jane Hannah married James Howarth in 1896 at St. John the Evangelist, Accrington. In the 1901 census James Isaac and his son, James Richard, were at 26 Norfolk Street, Accrington, a residence they shared with Jane Hannah, her husband, James, and baby daughter, Margaret; whereas Margaret Sutcliffe, James Isaac’s wife, was staying with her mother and father, Richard and Jane Cressey, at 6 Burnley Road, Accrington. John William Sutcliffe was also resident at this address. John William Sutcliffe married Grace Alice Lees in 1900 and moved to Rawtenstall. At least two female children are known to have been born to this couple, Florence Gladys in 1901 and Winnie in 1909. For Jane Hannah and her husband, James Howarth, it is possible to locate three children, Margaret born 1900, Jane 1903 and Arthur 1907. James Richard Sutcliffe married Gertrude Nellie Townsend in 1902 and also had three children; Mollie born in 1903, Jim in 1905 and Margaret in 1910. He remained in Accrington and with the onset of the first world war became one of that group known as the ‘Accrington Pals’, who joined up and saw action in Flanders. Tragically, James Richard never returned, being ‘killed in action’ as a private in the 11th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment on 6 August 1916. SOUTHPORT Isaac Sutcliffe, born on 9 June 1850 in Plantation Mill Street, Accrington, had moved sometime after the 1871 census to join his uncle, George Hacking, in North Meols (Southport). His occupation in the 1871 census is as a cotton weaver, but by the time of his marriage on 1 March 1873 to Hannah Caroline Howard he has become a broker’s assistant to his uncle, George Hacking. Slater’s Directory for 1879 shows him to be self-reliant having taken over his uncle’s business. He is listed as a marine store dealer at 1 Back Virginia Street. The 1881 census confirms and extends this description by stating that he is a ‘marine store dealer employing two men and a coster woman’. A ‘marine store dealer’ was in modern terms a scrap/scrap-metal/merchant, at the outset possibly not far distant from the ‘rag and bone’ man, who would call on all neighbourhoods and collect any

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‘scraps’ he thought might be of further value. The ‘coster woman’ was a woman who sold merchandise from a handcart. However small and insignificant the business seemed at this juncture, Isaac’s legacy to his family after his death in 1908 would suggest a relatively high level of affluence. Isaac’s business success, however, could not have been achieved without the support of his uncle, George Hacking, and it is therefore certainly necessary to refer to him in more detail before returning to Isaac. George Hacking (1831-1912) was the brother of Isaac’s mother, Mary Hacking (1826-1857). George’s career is a further example of the self-made man; a late nineteenth century biography where financial independence and political clout go hand in hand. George’s initial occupation, apprentice to an engraver, recorded on the 1851 census for Accrington, gives no indication as to how his life and aspirations would change to such a radical extent. After his marriage to Elizabeth Holcroft in Clitheroe in 1854, he appeared on the 1861 census as a furniture broker. Sometime at the end of the decade, he moved to North Meols (Southport) where in the census of 1871 he had formed the business which was later to be passed on to his nephew, Isaac Sutcliffe. The description of the business was very similar to that of Isaac’s in 1881. ‘Furniture broker and marine store dealer, employing two men and one woman’. Business must have been so profitable that he could take early retirement, so that by the census of 1881 he was referred to as a ‘retired broker’. In the meantime George had been elected Liberal councillor for Craven Ward, Southport. He continued this duty from 1874 until 1883 when he was elected as an alderman to the local council. In 1892 according to an article of the Liverpool Mercury (Tuesday, 1 November) under ‘New magistrates for Southport and Blackburn’, George Hacking of Ash Street was ‘placed on the commission of the peace for the borough of Southport’. Controversy surrounded George at the end of the century when he no longer was ‘actively’ resident at his house, 50 Ash Street. By this time his influence and power had increased as he was not only a J.P. but also the chairman of the Southport Watch Committee. His move of permanent residence to his adopted daughter, Alice, and her husband in their house in Prescot in May 1899 meant that all rights to be considered a resident of Southport and therefore on the voting list for that place were necessarily contested. In the Liverpool Mercury of 22 September 1899, it was reported that although George had been resident at 50 Ash Street for 14 years and a rate payer in Southport for

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34 years, his present claim to abode there was only token with no real substance. All the furniture had been taken out of the house and only ‘a bed and chair had been left to prove occupancy’. ‘He had not slept in the house since the middle of May’. This probably marks George’s retirement from civic and political life in Southport. Although dying in 1912, he was still able to outlive his nephew and attend Isaac’s funeral in 1908. Isaac Sutcliffe and his family moved residence and business from Back Virginia Street to Tulketh Street after 1881. Together with his children, Elizabeth (1873-1965), William (1874-1951), Richard (1879-1955), Mary (1882-1933) and Ann (1884-1970), and his wife, Hannah Caroline Howard (1849-1920), they all settled in at number 90 Tulketh Street; one of the few houses on this street which is still in existence today. Over the course of the next twenty years, Isaac was in possession of three properties in Tulketh Street. A glimpse into Seed’s Southport and District Directory 1924-1925 shows that this right of occupancy was still preserved after his death. Thus William Sutcliffe at 51 Tulketh Street, Isaac Sutcliffe Marine Store Dealer at 53a and Richard Sutcliffe at 90 Tulketh Street were all registered as occupants in this street. Furthermore, Isaac’s daughter Elizabeth, who married Edward Sutton (1859-1939) in 1901, was living with her husband at 88 Tulketh Street. Naturally, Isaac’s business of ‘recycling the waste of others’ was in sore need of a depot or storage yard, and the location of that in Tulketh Street did not meet with universal approbation, as verified by this article taken from the Southport Visitor of 23 September 1885. THE TULKETH STREET MARINE STORE Much has already been said and written regarding the marine store nuisance in Tulketh Street, yet on public grounds the serious nature of the case ought to be a sufficient reason for offering our extended comments. In the memorial sent to the Mayor, and read out at the last meeting of the Council, it was alleged that the business was not only offensive but prejudicial to health, and other respects calculated to depreciate the value of property in the vicinity, on account of the premises being used for the purpose of storing various kinds of old rags, bones , fat and other refuse collected, which when stirred up for removal caused a sickening stench to permeate the atmosphere, to the annoyance alike of both residents and visitors.

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This was probably a time where the political influence of his uncle, George Hacking, a member of the Council, would have proven most expedient! Isaac did, however, find another location for his yard, albeit some years later. This was in Boundary Street at the old Tramshed Works, the former car shed and stables of the Birkdale and Southport Tramways Company. By 1897 the Town Council had set up a Tramways Committee with a view to planning a comprehensive electric tramway system. After 12 December 1902 the old horse-drawn trams of the Birkdale and Southport Tramways Company had been completely faded out and replaced by the electric variety. At some point after this, Isaac bought or rented properties on Boundary Street for his own business purposes. In 1956 these properties, numbers 97, 99, 101, 103 and 103a Boundary Street, still in the hands of the Sutcliffe family, were sold to Butterfield and Co. for 5,600 pounds. Today number 99a is the home of Karwowski Motors and still known as the ‘Tramshed Works’. Isaac died on 11 May 1908 at his home, 90 Tulketh Street. His obituary attested him ‘geniality and generosity’ describing him as a ‘large-hearted man’ whose ‘companionship was greatly appreciated’. Anecdotal evidence, passed down by family members throughout the years, suggests an overindulgence in alcohol and a proclivity to give money to people he thought were suffering because of impoverishment – often on the way home after a stint in the local inn, which seems, in his case, to have been the Crown in Birkdale. His burial certainly brought out a large company of mourners, the Southport Visitor recording no less than twelve coaches, which followed his coffin to the Cemetery. Present was a certain John Slinger of Pendleton, thus maintaining, almost 100 years after the marriage of Alice Slinger and Isaac Sutcliffe in 1817, the Southport Sutcliffes contact to the village of Pendleton. The net value of his personal estate left to his wife Hannah Caroline (nee Howard) was valued at the considerable amount of £3,494.05p. Hannah Caroline died on 26 January 1920. She was the daughter of Richard Howard (1801-1885) and his second wife, Elizabeth McKenzie of Scotland (1817-1879). Her obituary identified her prominently with the work of Christ Church, where she had long been a member of the mother’s meeting. She had also taken a deep interest in the Christ Church Mission in Tulketh Street. The close contact to Pendleton can also be documented, even at this late juncture, by the presence of John Slinger, the same mourner who had been in attendance twelve years earlier at the funeral of Isaac. Of the female children, only Elizabeth Sutcliffe was to marry. After her marriage to Edward Sutton on 4 July 1901, she gave birth to three

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children. Edward Sutton had been married before to Jane Ann Wright in 1882, but the marriage was curtailed by Jane Ann’s death in 1884. He was at that time a close neighbour of the Sutcliffes in Tulketh Street. Edward, who started his working career as a Cartwright, joined the police force as a constable third class on 28 October 1881 and quickly moved up the ranks, making sergeant on 11 February 1890 and inspector on 9 January 1902. He was superannuated on 13 August 1908. After their parents’ deaths, the four children continued the business of ‘Isaac Sutcliffe Marine Store Dealer’ as a partnership right up until the death of Richard Sutcliffe on 1 May 1955. The business was no longer so profitable but, nevertheless, had stood the pressure of time and competition for almost eighty years. The last surviving member of the Sutcliffe family remaining in Southport was Denis Richard Sutcliffe, son of Richard, born 13 May 1919 in Wallasey, who died on 20 February 1993 at Queenscourt Hospice, Southport. Denis had worked as an accountant for the Southport gas board, and after his retirement been involved with the financial management of the Bold Hotel. _________________________________________________________

LETTERS FROM JOHN WOODS, COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER, DARWEN –

By Anne Lovell (1455) 57 Bywater Place, London SE16 5NE

Tel: 020 7231 9344 (Part 2 of 3)

My Dear Wife, I do not know whether I told you in my last letter that I had written to several people – Mrs Simpson – my brother Sam Albert Almond - & my mother & Belgrave I wrote all of them a short account of my trip, (as I promised) and will write further, as I get time, before reaching Australia, or after – _____

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Remember me particularly to Mrs Simpson – Harry, John & Susy, & Mr Broadbent & his wife, & Mrs Aspden& Jim, &Mr & Mrs Grime, & Albert _____

Tell Mrs Simpson & Harry, I am keeping my watch at English time, so that I can form an opinion what you are all doing, & that the two Saturday nights, already past, I have been aboard the ‘Iberia’ in body, but not in spirit – and tell John Hargreave, I sometimes imagine I am sitting opposite him as usual, but the delusion only lasts till the vessel’s movement dispels it, by a sudden pitch. _____ Dear Wife, I think I forgot to say in my letter to you that I had not yet been seasick – I have felt a little head-ache on two occasions at night, but it has all gone away after a nights rest. The trip is more enjoyable every day, as the weather gets finer & warmer, & the passengers to know each other better – We shall be in Naples in a few hours, & I intend to join a party to Pompeii – The vessel will wait for the Mails, & leave Naples at 4.0 pm tomorrow, Friday – and we expect to arrive at Suez about Tuesday – It is very interesting I am told at Suez & Port Said – visiting the Arab Towns, Mosques, Bazaars, &c which I will give you an account of –

_____ Have you got Harold a Saddle & Bridle, I ordered your Trap – When you get the Trap, buy Rugs for covering you during Riding, both Skin & Waterproof, & buy good ones – from Walsall, see the price list I got in Book form, & write for them. P.S. I have written my brother Sam, Mrs Simpson, Albert Almond – my mother, & Harold York Hotel Adelaide Apl 4th 1886 Sunday My Darling Wife, After an elapse of nearly 5 weeks I am again having the great pleasure of writing to you, with the certainty of a post – and in order to miss

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nothing if it is possible, I will take your letter first, which with the Darwen News, I received at Suez, as you will see by my Diary – I was very sorry to hear about Mrs Linney, and I hope she is better by this time – I have not written yet, but I intend to do so – I could not write from Suez, as the ‘Iberia’ left before the letters were distributed to us – _____ I am glad you seem to have got into ordering the paper – I suppose you ordered the Rope Brown from Mr Grime for Birdsalls, & the Skip paper from Collins Mill – _____ Peter’s letter pleased me very much, I am glad to find him in good spirits & doing well – I am sure all my customers will receive him well on my account. Tell him I often think of him, & I shall expect to see him a full blown Commercial when I come home – _____ And now my dear girl, I can tell you something of myself which I know from the love between us you are anxious to hear. You will have received my letters from Naples & Suez, & seen the telegrams of the ‘Iberia’ being at both places, & in the Suez Canal – also when this reaches you – you will have seen notice of her arrival here – I did not telegraph you as promised, which I will explain later on – In my letter to you from Suez, you will recollect how well I have been except from sea-sickness – this health only continued for a few days longer, as the heat after entering the Red Sea, was so terrific, and overpowering, that I could not eat or sleep – I was afraid of going to my cabin it was so hot & draughty – the perspiration soaking my nightshirt, and although I lay without any clothes on me – the result was a fearful cold, which if sweated out, was caught again next night. & my appetite going, I was in a dreadful state – Every morning I got up with great difficulty, I was so weak, and always with a dull heavy headache, & a dreadful tongue, while my bowels were dreadfully costive - & I had to take Epsom Salts & pills every night – This hot weather kept on for a fortnight full, & I got very weak & languid, as I could eat nothing, an orange or a lemon, & a little soup, or gruel being all I could take for several days. Still I struggled hard against it, & if I felt better at one time than another, I always tried to eat something to sustain me, and this helped me greatly – Once I felt myself getting over it, but some rough weather unsettled me again, & I was as bad as ever – plenty of the passengers were much worse than me, having to

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be carried up on deck every day & down at night – one – a German, when I left at Adelaide was not expected to live the day out – he was the worst case – It appears it is no unusual thing for passengers to die on the passage, the ‘Iberia’ has lost as many as 5 on one trip – the last trip but one, they buried 3 together on the banks of the Suez Canal – Directly we had got away from the Tropics, and the weather became cooler, it began to improve, and before we landed at Adelaide, I was again eating well, & sleeping better, but felt very weak – I never left the Hotel the first night, I felt so tired, but I went out next day (Thursday April 1st) and knocked about, but the heat was so great here, that I felt done up again at night – Another nights rest however set me up, & although the following day Friday was hotter than any I met in the Red Sea, or Tropics, I stood it well, & Saturday & today (Sunday) I have come on like a rush, & feel well & strong & ready for anything – The great heat generally I find, affects anyone the first time out, and takes a time to get over – this I have done, & I am beginning to feel quite easy in it – I am eating again capitally, & sleeping soundly, and in fact have made such a rapid recovery, that I feel as if I had never ailed anything – so make yourself easy on that point I feel all right, & ready for my two days sea trip to Melbourne, which I take on Tuesday at 3.30 The reason why I did not telegraph was this – in the first place I did not want to say I was unwell, & thought if you heard nothing you would conclude I was well - & the second reason was – when I arrived in Adelaide the Banks were closed, & I had not enough money to pay for the telegram which would have been £2/3/4 for four words, of which two would be the address – I had spent too much on the Lace &c &c, which by the way, I have sent home from here in a Case, with the Ostrich Feathers – Brass trays, Turkish Shoes, & Walking Sticks – You will have the Carriage to pay from here as I have not paid it – Don’t tell anyone why I did not telegraph – I don’t want them to know what money I spent on my way here – I felt very sorry on your behalf, that I could not telegraph, as I knew how anxious you would be, but at the same time, I knew you would see the arrival of the ‘Iberia’ given in the papers. _____ I enclose you pages of my Diary up to date which you will find interesting perhaps, though some portion of it, written at Sea, & when I was unwell, is far from what I should it to have been – _____

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I thought of Harold & you all on March 30th his birthday, and imagined you having a party, which I hope you had – tell him I wished him many happy returns of the day – I found it impossible to send a parcel from Suez for him, and so bought nothing – _____ You must recollect I am going to bed, when you are getting up, and vice versa, and although I cannot see any of you – I frequently pull out my Watch, and reckon the difference in time between here, & in England, and imagine what you are all doing, sometimes at breakfast, dinner or tea, and sometimes you are just going to bed when I have had my breakfast – I hope my dear love, you, & the children are quite well, & happy, & everything going on right, I never imagine anything else, or I should be miserable – and I hope you are making the best of our separation, which will make our meeting so sweet – I am looking forward to this with a pleasure which you only can estimate, and this keeps me wonderfully in my absence from you – kiss the dear children for me, & tell I am coming home soon – and remember me kindly to my brother Sam, & all our family – let them know you have heard from me – your father, mother, Mary Ann, & Peter, & Harry, Tommy, John, Susie, & Mr Broadbent, & Jack Simpson – With my ever living love to you, my dear Wife, I am Yours only John Woods P.S. If you see Wostenholme, tell him not to come through the Red Sea but by the Cape of Good Hope, if he wants to reach alive –

_____ Scotts Hotel – Melbourne Apl 16th 1886 My Darling Wife, I should have written to you, last week, but the Mail had left just when I arrived here, so that I could not get a letter away at all, until today – I quite expected to receive at least one letter from you when I arrived here, but although it is a fortnight since I landed, I have had nothing from you – The Mail came in on Monday last, and I was very much disappointed at not having your letter and Newspaper – Another mail arrives on Monday, so probably I shall have two letters from you together – anyway, I will write you on Tuesday again, & let you know, as there is another English Mail from here in 4 days, so you can expect another letter to follow this very closely –

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I left Adelaide on Tuesday week, and I had a fair passage though not so good as I should have liked, and I arrived here on the Thursday following – I have been received here with great kindness by everyone, & shown all over the City, which is a very fine one, quite different to my expectations – The Shops, Warehouses, & public buildings are better than in Manchester, but not so many of them, while the Suburbs are far superior, the Residences, gardens & grounds, being wonderfully fine, and everything so clean & fresh – The weather is colder than at Adelaide but as every day is fine, it is most pleasant, & I hope it will keep so – I intend to leave here after writing you on Tuesday, I have to go to Ballaratt& Sandhurst – both long and expensive railway journeys – then I shall have to take a boat from here, on my return, to Tasmania, about 2 days and 2 nights sailing, where I shall stay a week or 10 days – then I shall have 5 days more sailing to New Zealand, where most of my time will be spent – as the towns I have to visit, are a long way apart, and I must take a few days with each – From New Zealand I shall have 5 days more sailing to Sydney, & stop a fortnight, then 2 days sailing to Brisbane in Queensland, & stop a week, & 2 days sailing back to Sydney, where I shall embark for San Francisco, which will take the Steamer a month to reach – You see I have all my programme made out, and I must arrange to reach Sydney at a certain time, or I may have to wait nearly a month for a Steamer to San Francisco, as they only run every 4 weeks – I am rather afraid of my journey to New Zealand, as the coast is a very dangerous one, & the sea generally very rough, so that I expect to have a time of it. Not only this, but the accidents,which have lately happened don’t make the journey an encouraging one. I can only go by one line, & they have lost 4 Steamers on the coast in two months – The last one which occurred this week, and which you will have seen an account of, has been the most disastrous – 34 persons being drowned & dying from exposure – but I hope to escape all this, and before this letter reaches you I shall be over it all – so that need not trouble you – I am glad to say that so far my business has turned out satisfactorily, and I hope that my trips will benefit both the firm and me – And now as to myself – I know you will have been looking forward to hearing how I am – I have been here about 9 days, and every day, seem to improve in health, the last 3 or 4 days especially so – I am eating well, and I can do something I have not been able to do for many months. I can eat anything I like, & drink the same, and it never troubles me, everything digests easily, and well, & I have no acidity of the stomach, vomiting, cough, or difficulty in breathing – in fact everything is altered

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so far – whether it is the climate, or the entire change & rest from business or not, I cannot tell but the fact remains, I am a different man already, and I believe I shall come home in far different health to when I set out – I hope you are all well, happy and content at home and looking forward to the time when I shall be with you again – I think of you all, scores of times in a week, and picture where I think you are, and it gives me a great amount of pleasure – Give the children my love and kisses, & remember me to everyone, and for yourself, remember I have your portrait which I often look at, & kiss, and I always think, there is only one perfect women, and certainly only one for me - & I count every day, a day nearer to the meeting, which must be such a joyous one to you, & your loving & Devoted Husband John Woods To be continued…

NANCY BURY FOUND OR HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

By Judy Bourke Burlington, Ontario, Canada

e-mail: judith.bourke@sympatico.ca In 1854 my great-grandmother, Isabella, was born, illegitimate daughter of Nancy, or Ann Bury. At the time Nancy, a cotton weaver, was barely nineteen years old. Born in Blackburn, she was the daughter of Thomas and Isabella Bury, but when she gave birth to her daughter she was not living with her parents. Had there been a falling-out between Nancy and her parents? Surely not over the baby; illegitimate births were very common in her father’s family. Isabella was left in the care of her grandparents and Nancy disappeared from my view. I feared the worst, so it was with disbelief that I eventually received the news that she had been living in Accrington and had married John Harrison, the son of an eminent Blackburn iron founder. This uncovered a fascinating new story and gave rise to many questions. How would a lowly mill hand have met one of Blackburn’s most eligible young bachelors?

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In 1855, Nancy was struggling to obtain maintenance payments of two shillings a week from James Cooper, the putative father of Isabella. On 1 January 1860, she married John Harrison in Accrington. The couple already had a son, William Harrison Bury, born in 1858, and their daughter, Maud Elizabeth was born less than three months after the wedding. Had Joseph Harrison, John’s father, put his foot down that his grandchildren should be brought up in a legitimate marriage? (As it turned out, they were the only grandchildren he had) Did they marry in Accrington to avoid home-town publicity? Was Nancy a welcome addition to the Harrison family? John Harrison was the second son of Joseph Harrison, iron founder, inventor, mill owner and self-made man, who started life in Ingleton as a whitesmith, a worker of tin plate, rising to be a major employer in Blackburn. Joseph’s sons all had responsible positions in their father’s businesses, taking over when Joseph retired. Four more children were born to John and Nancy in the next few years. By 1871 John, at the age of 41, had retired to Lytham, living with Nancy at No. 7 Sandhills (probably now Clifton Drive). Their sons William, 12, and Harry, 7, were packed off to school in Bispham, while the girls, Maud, 11, Bessie, 9, and Evelyn, 6, were in Morecambe. Only Ernestine, 3, was at home with her parents and one servant. Whose idea was it for John to retire so young? Were the children sent off to school to gain an education and social polish that their parents never had or did being parents not suit the couple? How did the polished children feel about their unpolished parents when they came home? Couldn’t they have been home-schooled? The boys in Bispham were close enough to visit, but why were the girls sent so far away? It would have been a long rail journey with one or two changes from Lytham to Morecambe. Was there no good girls’ school any closer? The girls may have been very happy at the school (happier than at home?). Maud was living at the same place when she died, and Bessie in 1911 was visiting an old school friend. John and Nancy moved from the shore to Willesley House in Hastings Place, Lytham, before 1891, living with their two sons only and no live-in servants. Ernestine was visiting not too far away on South Promenade, St. Annes on the Sea, at a lodging house run by Ellen

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Lewis. This was a household of women that could provide Ellen with the female companionship she no doubt was missing at home. Evelyn had died in 1883, Bessie married and moved to Liverpool in 1885, and then Maud died in 1887. Eventually, a younger sister of Ellen, Mary Sinah Lewis, became Ernestine’s “beloved friend and companion”. Neither Evelyn nor Mary died at home. Evelyn was at “The Elms”, Garstang Road, Preston, perhaps a private hospital. She died after fourteen days of Typhoid Fever attended by her sister Bessie. Maud’s primary cause of death was said to be Neurasthenia Anorexia, four years, followed by Tubercular Meningitis, one week, then Coma and Asthenia. The doctor seems very fond of fancy words, but surely the primary cause was four years of TB? She died in Morecambe at Eidsforth Terrace, the same address as the school the girls had attended. The informant, present at the death, was M. Finney. Was she a teacher at the school now or was it another private hospital? Why so far away from the family? Did they visit Maud often or at all? The family could have well afforded nursing care at home for the girls. The financial arrangement for John’s retirement from business must have been substantial as John and Nancy seem always to be financially secure, moving on to grander and grander houses, as well as providing for their children. William briefly was a ‘Tutor M.A.’ (he had been at St. John’s College, Oxford), but Harry never seemed to work; they both lived “on own means”. What did they do all day? Did they have clubs to go to, play games, travel, sit on company Boards of Directors? From Willesley House, they moved back to the Blackburn area about 1895, to Clayton Grange at Clayton-le-Dale. This was an 18 room “commodious family residence” purchased at a time when the family was much reduced in size and about to get smaller. Harry married in 1898 and settled in Blackpool. Maybe John and Nancy were expecting many visitors to their big new house but the usual household was just John and Nancy, Ernestine and her companion Mary, and two servants. Although the family must have been fairly well-off, they seem to be rather under-staffed for a house that size. Could two servants do all the cooking, cleaning and other duties for the family? And from one advertisement for a Cook General for 22 pounds per annum, it would

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seem that the pay was not generous. Are the Harrisons cheap, or careful? Nancy died in 1906 of Typhoid Fever. William, who had lived with his parents, unmarried, until at least 1901, in 1911 was living back on the coast at St. Annes, in digs with the large family of a luggage carter. He died two years later of pneumonia with his brother Harry in attendance. Was William’s love for his mother the only reason he stayed with his parents so long? Could he in the end have been a buffer between the two? At the end of her life, it seems that not all was well with Nancy’s relationship with John and possibly the whole Harrison family. She was not buried in the family vault at St. Leonard’sParish Church, Balderstone, where Joseph and Elizabeth Harrison were interred and Joseph’s eldest son, William, along with Evelyn and Maud. John was buried there, and eventually Ernestine. Harry was the last in 1948. Even Mary Lewis, Ernestine’s companion was buried at Balderstone. But there is no record of Nancy’s burial there, nor William’s. Had bitterness about a ‘shotgun’ wedding surfaced during John and Nancy’s long marriage? Did John begin to question William’s paternity? This ‘rags to riches’ Cinderella story may not have had a happy ending, and Nancy’s good fortune was not passed back to her own family. Her first daughter, Isabella, raised by her grandparents, worked in the cotton mills until she married and had children. Thomas and Isabella Bury, Nancy’s parents, both died in the workhouse. Had Nancy completely cut ties with her family after her marriage? Did she ever see her daughter Isabella? How did Isabella feel about her mother living the good life while she was slogging away all hours in the mill? Is genealogy just names and dates? No way! These are real people with feelings and motivations like ours. Although you are trying to build up a moving picture out of snapshots that may be ten years apart, use your imagination. Think of how and why, and if you can come up with more than one story, that’s great! You may be 100% wrong but perhaps one day you’ll find a clue to sort out which story is correct, or to start you on a new one.

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Resources: The start of all of this was a tip from Jeff Whatmore about Nancy’s marriage after he had read my ‘Ann Nowell and the Berry Family’ in the November issue of Lancashire. Thank you Jeff. www.cottontown.org/Pages/default.aspx www.familysearch.org www.findmypast.co.uk www.freebmd.org.uk www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-record-office-aspx www.lancashirebmd.org.uk www.lan-opc.org.uk/indexp.html _________________________________________________________

BEGINNING THE SEARCH FOR MY ANCESTORS By Doreen Osuch (nee Fell) 10073

110 Minster Moorgate, Beverley HU17 8HR e-mail: doreenosuch@hotmail.co.uk

About six years ago I organised a family reunion for my Fell cousins – there were eight of us and it was decided to hold a reunion at the Pendle Inn, Barley – as we had all been born in Nelson, Lancashire. This has now become an annual event. One of the cousins was researching family history and it seemed a good thing to do in the winter months. I bought two files and thought I would finish everything by the end of that winter! I was certain that I was Lancastrian – with a slight touch of Yorkshire, and my relatives were all miners or weavers. Not being sure how to start I decided to use my four grandparents as the way forward – so began to search for the Fell, Elliott, and Wilkinson families. At this point I could not remember my Grandma Wilkinson’s own name – she died when I was ten and had always just been called Grandma Wilkinson. It was another six months when a flash of inspiration struck – and Margaret Whittle could be tracked. The Wilkinson and Whittle families were from Hindley, and were mainly miners. I decided to use one of the well-known databases and took out one year’s subscription – but knowing that my Wilkinson and Whittle grandparents had once lived in America I took out the subscription to cover the world. One year would be more than adequate for my needs.

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In my innocence I thought that what was on that site was accurate, but it wasn’t too long before I realised my mistake e.g. that you cannot have a son or daughter born 50 years before your own birth. Fell Ancestors Tracing the Fell family was difficult as the name brings up all sorts of problems when searching, and at that point I did not realise it would be useful to look up Sell and Yell – even though I now know the family went back to Roughlee Booth. One day I spent a few hours looking through the 1841 census records and realised that the majority of the names were incorrect – presumably whoever had transcribed the records was not local and did not recognise North-East Lancashire names. When I had finished I had changed at least half the names in these Roughlee records, and found my Fell family. This led me to the excellent Lancashire Online Parish Records – with a focus initially on Newchurch-in-Pendle. At this point I knew that the family had married into the Robinson, Nutter and Hanson families. The family can be traced back to George Fell about 1740 – but no further – and this could well be due to the lack of records in Padiham at this point – given that there was reference to one child being born in Habergham Eaves. Interestingly there is a Roger Fell in the 1600s with a son Thomas – but no link has been established. By now I had joined the LFHHS and received excellent information about my search for my Nutter connections – based around my fourth great grandmother Isabel Nutter, who had a father Ellis Nutter of Sabden. The informant congratulated me on having one of at least thirty plus Ellis Nutters, but was able to advise me of the correct Ellis Nutter, and send me an extensive family tree. The Hanson links go back through a Margaret Calverley and began to go back through Downham and Gisburn to the Calverleys of Calverley, Yorkshire. It was much later when I realised they went back to Calverleys who served the King of Scotland, and to royalty across Europe. The search had now continued for over a year, and I was hooked! My grandfather Ambrose Fell had married a Jane Tomlinson of Colne Fields. My visit to the family reunion each year was extended to a week so that I could join a cousin and search through the library records in Colne and Nelson. We were able to consult records created by Doreen Crowther and lodged with the Colne library. We had some information not in the records, and she had information that we had

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not found. We then found out that the Tomlinson line ran back through a Chartist, and to a family of Tomlinson and Walker who were classed as Tinkers. This seemed to be as far as we would go on that line. However, we found out that they came from Bolton-by-Bowland and that a family tree record had been created by a professor in Canada, with one copy lodged in Clitheroe library. Elliot Ancestors My grandmother had been an Elliot and they were traceable to Skipton – as my grandmother had often spoken about living at Skipton Rock, and catching rides on the train. She was unaware that the train to the quarry had put her father – a carter – out of work. They then moved to family in Lancaster, before moving to Nelson for work. Discussion amongst the cousins led to her mother being identified as Elizabeth (Liza) Maloy born in Lancaster. Her stepfather was an Anthony Hoyle who together with his wife, Elizabeth Maloy (senior) had been landlords of the Globe Inn at Overton in the 1880s. A windswept car park and heavy rain are memories of visiting the pub, along with a guided tour from the current landlady. By this time online connections were being established with members of the Hoyle family and we now have a group of six who regularly exchange details. Four of us are based in the UK, but the other two connections are in Canada and New York. The father of Elizabeth Maloy (senior) had married for a second time and with his second wife and son had moved to Brooklyn – taking two of his daughters with him – Anne Maloy and Rebecca Maloy (now McBride). The American cousins have provided a large amount of information about the Maloy and McBride connections within Brooklyn – with one of them writing up the history of her grandmother. The Wilkinson and Whittle lines were more difficult to establish (but that’s another story). I have at least 20,000 family members, and just as many hints! The miners and weavers have led back to titled families e.g. Towneley, Constable, Leigh, Trafford etc. One of the Mobberley family is my great-grandmother three times and my great-grand aunt at least twice. The Hartley, Walton, Rigby and Whittle families are still confused as there are too many alternatives to choose from. There is a criminal deported to Australia (who died there); a link to the Quakers in Cumbria; and some interesting potential great-grandparent relatives i.e. Lady Godiva, Hereward the Wake, King John, Edward Seymour, and a Tyrell who was beheaded and during torture had said he killed the Princes in the Tower! The Calverley line has led me to a Percy of Leconfield who stands on a plinth above Queen Victoria on

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Beverley Minster (just down my street). So, at last I might be able to do some local research within East Yorkshire. My biggest problem is finding ‘duplicate’ relatives, with slightly different spelling of their names, and an old-fashioned card index system is speeding up this process. I have at least 80 files in my office, a board with the beginnings of the family tree, and as you can see I am definitely hooked. If I had realised how much this hobby would grow, I would have thought more carefully in the initial stages as to how to manage the process i.e. organising the files, not believing that any of the data online is necessarily correct – so perhaps I need to go back to the beginning and check it all (that should take a few years!) ____________________________________________________________________

MEMBER’S LETTER Jane Ainsworth recently wrote: I really enjoyed reading the May 2015 journal, but was especially interested in the Josselin Society Visit to Flanders. By amazing coincidence we did the same – “All Quiet on the Western Front” tour with Leger recently, getting home to Barnsley late on the Friday evening. We even had the same excellent guide, Marc Hope. I think the Josselins must be a lot fitter than me as I found it very tiring – as well as emotionally draining – visiting so many different cemeteries and museums over each of the three full days on the Western Front and becoming immersed in the enormous scale of the slaughter 100 years ago. I didn’t get off the coach for odd visits where I could get a good view but for most you need to see up close or go inside to look around. Having said that the effort was very worthwhile and an organised tour the best way of experiencing and learning so much. I had booked to do a tour via rail last year but it was cancelled as not enough people booked so I decided to research further and try again for 2015. We chose early May as we particularly wanted to see the Arras Memorial and pay tribute to my great uncle Charles Robert Hardy, who was killed in action on 3 May 1917, aged only 20, as well as Paul’s relation Eli Ainsworth, whom I wrote about in my article about the Ainsworth Brothers from Chorley. The Historial of the Great War at Peronne is an awe inspiring museum and very well laid out with clear explanations. The wide ranging collection of items from Britain, France and Germany is most

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impressive and includes a lot of art works, especially by Otto Dix. (Amongst the items I even spotted a souvenir from Barnsley – a Barnsley British Co-operative Peace tin!). We could have spent a lot longer here but I did buy a copy of the excellent guidebook. I know lots of people have already done similar tours and others will have them planned but I can really recommend doing one to anyone with an interest in the First World War. ____________________________________________________________________

DEATHS NOTIFIED

Mary Davison – Blackburn

Margaret Illingworth – Ribble Valley

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the above.

OBITUARY MARY DAVISON 1927 – 2015

(Mary with Jean Harrison) (Mary at the Menin Gate)

Mary was born in Haslingden in December 1917. She was the only child of Edward Davison and his wife Amelia Wade. She attended St.

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Mary’s RC church school in Haslingden. All her life she had a close connection with the church, and at one time she was a School Governor. Mary, was a remarkable woman. When she joined the fairly new family history society in 1979, she was a Chief Inspector of Police for the Greater Manchester Police force. This was at a time when it was difficult for a woman to get promotion within the police. In fact, she had passed her superintendent’s exams when she decided to retire. In retirement she became a World War 1 expert. She researched all the 67 men on Haslingden St. Mary’s war memorial, by going through the local papers. From this, her interest grew to such an extent that she joined the Western Front Society and made many visits to France and Belgium. She also made several visits to Gallipoli. Once on a cruise ship she gave an impromptu lecture to the passengers as they passed the Gallipoli peninsula. Foreign travel was another pastime. She visited China, India, Australia, Peru, America, Canada, Russia etc. and even went to the Falklands and Antarctica. Everywhere she went, she took slides and on her return she gave slideshows to local groups. Many societies looked forward to their annual visits from Mary. She became a member of the then Rossendale Society for Genealogy and Heraldry in the late 1970s, she helped transcribe the gravestones of St. James’ church and St. Nicholas in Newchurch. The last slide show she gave to us was in October last year. It was entitled “Silent Cities of World War 1”. She not only showed many slides from her extensive collection but told us how the cemeteries had come into being, details of the way they were laid out, the meanings of the designs and messages on the stones and the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Her talk was poignant and her anecdotes were interesting and informative. Shortly before her death she booked herself into Highfield Care Home, on Grane Road for she said, “Four weeks rest and recuperation”. A few days later they transferred her to Blackburn Royal Hospital where she died on Monday 27 April 2015. Mary had no next of kin but many friends. We will miss her formidable presence at our meetings. Rita Hirst Rossendale Branch _________________________________________________________________________________

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NOTES AND NEWS

LANARKSHIRE LOCAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY SHOW 2015

Saturday 22 August 2015

9.45am to 4.30pm Motherwell Concert Hall & Theatre

Admission: Adults £2, Children FREE

_________________________________________________________

KAY/KAYE ANNUAL GATHERING

This year the Annual Gathering of the Kay Family Association will be held at the

Holiday Inn in Brighouse, Yorkshire Saturday 26 September 2015

From 2pm

Anyone with an interest in the names Kay/Kaye is very welcome to attend.

Please contact Kay Relf on 0116-2717637 or e-mail: kayuk@btinternet.com for further details.

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BOOK & CD REVIEWS NEW CDs CD030 Heraldry in the Victoria County History of Lancashire This is an alphabetical listing of armigers whose arms are depicted in The Victoria County History of Lancashire, and the blazons thereof. Also some corporate heraldry (civic, ecclesiastical etc.) and a list of seals. Heraldry enthusiasts will notice the different spellings for the same charges. These are, no doubt, as shown in the original sources. There are some errors, however! What self-respecting armorist would write the words “Gold” and “Silver” in a blazon? – or show a mullet of five points upside down without mentioning it in a blazon? The dedicated armorist will no doubt check with other sources of heraldic information. Price £4.50 (plus p&p)

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CD031 Monumental Inscriptions & Images 1812-2012 for the West Bradford Churches, Lancashire This CD contains the monumental inscriptions for the three West Bradford Churches – Old Methodist Graveyard, the Methodist Church and St. Catherine’s. Along with the MIs the CD includes images of all of the gravestones. Price £9.50 (plus p&p) CD032 MIs & Images Mellor Methodist Church Methodist Church, Mellor, Lancashire: Memorial Inscriptions and Images 1809 – 2012. Apart from the inscription the CD contains a name and place index along with over 800 images. The images can be viewed by clicking the hyperlink associated with the inscription. Price 9.50(plusp&p)_______________________________________ CD033 Heraldic Glass, Preston Minster This CD contains the images of the Coat of Arms illustrated in the 37 windows of the Minster Church of St John the Evangelist Preston. In addition the blazon of each arms is given. Price £9.50 (plus p&p) This publication is also available as a booklet £2.00 (plus p&p) Orders should be sent to: LFHHS, 2 Straits, Oswaldtwistle BB5 3LU Payment with order please, cheque made payable to LFHHS These CDs can be ordered via our on line shop at www.lfhhs.org.uk

MAKING SENSE OF LATIN DOCUMENTS FOR FAMILY & LOCAL HISTORIANS

By B Westcott Printed by The Family History Partnership 2014

82 pages, Price £7.50 ISBN 978-1-906280-45-1 This slip book does exactly what it says on the tin. It does so in an easy to read format, covering the various sorts of documents likely to be encountered by Local and Family Historians, from Parish Registers, Wills & Intestacy to Writs and Land Deeds. Brooke Westcott has an engaging approach to the complexities of not just reading but understanding the documents. In doing so he provides something of the background and origins of the documents. In essence it provides an essential guide for those likely to become

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embroiled in reading and interpreting otherwise impenetrable documents. Reviewed by Mike Coyle _______________________________________________________

PUTTING YOUR ANCESTORS IN THEIR PLACE: A GUIDE TO ONE PLACE STUDIES

By J. Few Printed by The Family History Partnership

96 pages, Price £7.95 ISBN 978-1-906280-43-1

The term ‘One Place Studies’ was a new idea to me. It involves looking in detail at a single geographic area, its people, buildings, history and its trades and occupations. It is an interesting subject and an interesting read. The book combines a clear definition of One Place Studies, a comprehensive ‘How To’ guide and source list. There are maps and diagrams; statistical examples and a really useful section on how to pull a study together and publish it, with example studies. There is a useful and broad bibliography with magazines and websites and a full index to enable a researcher to dip into the book for both inspiration and guidance. A really good addition to the library of the family historian who wants to investigate the context of their family’s life and livelihood. Reviewed by Mike Coyle _______________________________________________________

PRESTON IN THE 1960s TEN YEARS THAT ALTERED A CITY

By Keith Johnson Printed by Amberley Press 2015

96 pages, Price £14.99 ISBN 978-1-4456-4181-2

The latest paperback Keith has produced about Preston, Lancashire. With 90 illustrations to look through, it was a lovely trip down memory lane for me, having been born and bred in the town. As a local historian Keith has captured Preston during a decade of constant change, enabling family historians to put ‘flesh on bones’ for those of us with Preston ancestors. This book is also available in Kindle, Kobo and iBook formats. Reviewed by Hazel Johnson

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METHODIST RECORDS FOR FAMILY HISTORY

By R. Radcliffe Printed by The Family History Partnership 2014 32 pages Price £4.95 ISBN 978-1-906280-44-4

This slim volume provides a history of the Methodist Church as well as a useful source book for those researching Methodist ancestors. The author applies his great knowledge and vast experience to provide the second edition of a useful booklet. Reviewed by Mike Coyle _______________________________________________________

THE FAMILY BIBLE: A PRICELESS HEIRLOOM By R. King

Printed by The Family History Partnership 2014 80 pages Price £6.50 ISBN 978-1-906280-39-0

The ‘Strapline’ on this book says ‘Its History Evolvement with Inscriptions of Family History Events’, and that is exactly what it does. The author offers us not just a vehicle for recognising and understanding the role of the Family Bible as a source of family history, but it provides a history of the family bible, with lots of interesting examples of how the bible contributes to its acceptance as a valuable resource. As well as a useful source book, the book makes for an interesting read as a miscellany of all things ‘Family Bible’. Reviewed by Mike Coyle _______________________________________________________

THANKFUL AND NOT SO THANKFUL:

HOW THE GREAT WAR CHANGED THREE ENGLISH VILLAGES FOREVER By G. Lees

Printed by Mereo Books 2014 191 pages Price £12.50 ISBN 978-1-86151-271-0

The book reads as a travelogue, storybook, biography and historical account. It does so with ease and efficiency. Gerald Lees takes us through the stories of three North Lancashire villages and their

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fortunes in the World Wars. The ‘Thankful’ villages were those grateful that their populations were untouched by the conflicts. The third was devastated by the loss of high proportion of the men of the village. More especially the author takes us through the personal stories of the men lost and those who came home; their families and the villages. There are plenty of images of the folk and associated documents; village views and memorials. The book also records the research journey the author took to develop it, with some useful insights for others to use. The book made a good holiday read for me, full of detail and really good individual stories, easy to read, to pick up and to put down. Reviewed by Mike Coyle

MEMBERS’ INTERESTS WILL MEMBERS KINDLY ENSURE ALL NAMES AND ADDRESSES ARE IN BLOCK CAPITALS WHEN FORWARDING ITEMS FOR INCLUSION IN ‘LANCASHIRE’. THANK YOU. _______________________________________________

Abbreviations: c.Bury = Bury area e.20C = early 20th Century m.18C = mid 18th Century c.1650 = about 1650 e.1763 = earliest ancestral link l.19C = late 19th Century

N.B. The 19th Century ran from 1801 to 1900. Unless otherwise specified, all locality names are in the pre- 1974 County of Lancashire. All other references are to pre- 1974 Counties. _______________________________________________ Surname: County: Locality: Dates:__________ Stuart Hodgkinson (10491) 2 Hawthorn Bank, Burnley Road, Altham, Accrington. Lancashire BB5 5TS Tel: 07901788675 E-mail: sdhodgkinson@btinternet.com HODGKINSON LAN Grindleton 18C-19C _________________________________________________________

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Tim Blakey (10431) 52 Lime Walk, Headington, Oxford OX3 7AE Tel: 01865768967 E-mail: tim.blakey@ymail.com BLAKEY LAN c.Altham pre 1856 _________________________________________________________ David Smith (10517) 124 Stephenson Way, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9DD Tel: 01778 393188 BARDSLEY LAN Royton, Oldham pre 1900 BEAUMONT YKS Holmfirth pre 1820 BRADBURY LAN Oldham pre 1860 BRADLEY LAN Oldham pre 1870 BROOKS LAN Oldham pre 1900 CHADWICK LAN Oldham pre 1900 COLLINSON LAN Prestwich pre 1720 CROMPTON LAN Oldham pre 1900 DAVENPORT LAN Radcliffe pre 1780 DUNCUFF/ DUNCROFT LAN Prestwich pre 1775 FITTON LAN Prestwich pre 1805 GOODMAN LAN Oldham pre 1870 GREEN LAN Oldham pre 1900 HART LAN Bolton pre 1850 KERSHAW LAN Royton pre 1900 LEONARD LAN Oldham pre 1900 LONGBOTTOM YKS Silsden pre 1790 MARSLAND LAN Chadderton pre 1780 NEEDHAM LAN Oldham pre 1820 THORPE LAN Oldham pre 1720 ROSTRON LAN Oldham pre 1900 ROWBOTTOM LAN Oldham pre 1900 RUSHWORTH YKS Ilkley pre 1830 SMITH LAN Oldham pre 1840 SMITH YKS Kildrick pre 1770 SUMMERSCALES YKS Silsden pre 1770 STANSFIELD LAN Oldham pre 1740 TAYLOR LAN Oldham pre 1780 WHITTAKER LAN Oldham pre 1810 WINPENNY LAN Oldham pre 1850 _________________________________________________________ Vivien Thomas (6128) Sher Lea, Dean Steep, Lynton. Devon EX35 6JT Tel: 01598 752084 E-mail: vivien@keith-vivien.org.uk BAINES MDX Middlesex 1853 BEAKE KEN Sandwich 1754 BEDINGFIELD KEN Thanet 1704+

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BINS WRY Snaith 1675+ BOWER WRY Silkstone 1780 BRADLEY KEN Eastchurch, Sheppy 1823+ BRADLEY KEN Bobbing 1799+ BROWN KEN Thanet 1640 CARTMEL LAN Heyhouses c1836 CLARKE KEN St Peter in Thanet 1591 CLEAVER MDX Middlesex 1799 CLIFFORD KEN Thanet 1704 CLIFTON LAN Heysham 1756+ COE WRY Snaith 1708+ COOKSON LAN Lytham 1741 COULSTON WES Cliburn 1692 CROFTS KEN Sheppey 1866+ CROFTS CAM Ely 1826+ CROOKALL LAN Lytham 1741 CROSBY WES Cliburn 1693+ DALTON WES Cliburn 1663+ DARBY KEN Thanet 1739+ DENBY WRY Snaith 1619+ EMERSON KEN Ash-Next-Sandwich 1785 FRANKLAND LAN Heysham 1792+ GREEN WRY Snaith 1788 HADDON STS Tamworth c1773 HALL LAN Marton 1802 HALL WRY Silkstone 1819 HAWKSWORTH WRY Cawthorne 1696+ IVESON WES Cliburn 1753 JOHNSON WRY Snaith 1763 KIRBY KEN St Peter in Thanet 1689 MARTINDALE WES Kirkby Stephen 1753+ MEXBURGH WRY Snaith 1641 NAYLOR WRY Darfield 1892 NUBY KEN Birchington 1680+ PACKER KEN Ash Next Sandwich 1696+ PARKIN WRY Silkstone 1780 PARKIN WES Cliburn 1621+ PATMAN ESS Widdington 1792 PEACOCK WRY Snaith 1749+ PEARSON LAN Marton 1800+ PEARSON LAN Lytham 1785+ PLATT KEN St Peter in Thanet 1620+ REED ESS Saffron Walden 1792+

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ROBINSON LAN Heysham 1756 ROYSTON WRY Barnsley 1811+ SACKETT KEN Birchington 1642+ SAINTER WRY Snaith 1789+ SAVAGE NTT Newark on Trent 1781+ SAVAGE WRY Barnsley 1816+ SKEFFINGTON WRY Barnsley 1834+ SKINNER KEN Canterbury 1803+ SLEATH KEN Ash Next Sandwich 1696+ SMITH LAN Honley 1711+ STOCKDEN WRY Cawthorne 1726+ SWIFT WRY Honley 1709+ SWIFT WRY Hoylandswaine 1801+ SYKES WRY Cawthorne 1702+ TAYLOR KEN Eastchurch, Sheppey 1822+ TERREY KEN Milton Next Sittingbourne 1783 WHITE KEN St Peter in Thanet 1644+ WILLACY LAN Heysham 1789+ WITHERDEN KEN St Lawrence 1557+ WOODHOUSE WRY Torrisholme 1787+ WOODWARD WRY Barnsley 1839 WRIGHT ESS Saffron Walden 1763+ WRIGHT KEN Milton next Sittingbourne 1885+ _________________________________________________________ Robert Franks (10279) 71 Sandy Road, Norton, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 3AJ E-mail: robert.franks.uk@talktalk.net Tel: 01384 393632 FRANCKES FRANCKS FRANKES/FRANKS LAN Preston 18C to 1831+ _________________________________________________________ (Ann) Christabel Bramley (7658) 213 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 2JB E-mail: christabel.bramley@ntlworld.com Tel: 0141 772 6698 ASHTON LAN Ribchester 18C BENNETT LAN Blackburn 19C BENTLEY LAN Blackburn 18C BISPHAM/BISPIN LAN Blackburn 19C BURROWS/ BURRAS LAN Blackburn 19C BURY LAN Blackburn 19C

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CASSETY/CASSITY/ CASSIDY/CASSEDY LAN Blackburn 19C CHRISTIE MDX London 19C CLARKE LAN Blackburn 19C COULTHURST LAN Blackburn 19C DERBYSHIRE LAN Blackburn 19C DEWHURST LAN Blackburn 19C DIXE MDX London 18C-19C EDWARDS MDX London 20C EDWARDS FLN Holywell 19C ELLIS STS Shelton 19C ELLIS FLN Holywell 19C FLANNERY LAN St. Helens 20C GARSTANG LAN Blackburn 19C GRIMSHAW LAN Blackburn 19C HIGHTON LAN Blackburn 19C IRELAND LAN Ribchester 18C KENYON LAN Blackburn 19C-20C KNOWLES LAN Blackburn? 18C MILLER LAN Church & Oswaldtwistle 19C MILLER LAN Blackburn 19C-20C NUTTALL LAN Church Kirk 19C PEEL LAN Bury 18C PEARSON LAN Church Kirk/ Oswaldtwistle 19C QUINN YKS Leeds, Sheffield 19C RHODES MDX London 19C ROBERTS LAN St. Helens 20C RUSH LAN St. Helens 19C SAGAR LAN Blackburn 19C-20C STEPHENSON LAN Halton 18C WALKDEN LAN Yate & Pickup Bank/ Lower Darwen 18C YATES LAN Lower Darwen, Belthorn, Grimshaw, Yate & Pickup Bank, Blackburn, Grimehills 18C-20C _________________________________________________________ Julia O’Dowd (7771) 105 Beltinge Road, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 6HS Tel: 01227 749411 BILLINGTON LAN Preston 1884+ BROUGHTON LAN Lower Darwen, Mellor 1743+

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BROUGHTON LAN Blackburn 1807+ BROUGHTON LAN Preston 1836+ ECCLES LAN Preston 1870+ FORREST LAN Preston 1890+ WAREING LAN Walton-le-Dale 1750+ WAREING LAN Preston 1865+ _________________________________________________________Ian Clark (2657) 6 Pembroke Close, Romsey. Hants SO51 8BS Tel: 01794501819 CLARK(E) LAN c.Kirkham, Garstang 1600-1799 FISHER LAN c.Woodplumpton 1600-1699 HASLAM LAN c.Blackburn 1600-1699 HOOLE LAN c.Garstang 1600-1699 JOLLY LAN c.Kirkham 1600-1750 NICKSON, NIXON LAN c.Kirkham 1600-1750 SHARPLES LAN c.Kirkham 1600-1699 _________________________________________________________Alison Ferry (8384) 36 Yarrawonga Drive Castle Hill, Townsville 4810 Queensland, Australia E-mail: alisonferry@ymail.com ASHCROFT LAN c.Leyland 18C ASHCROFT LAN Leyland 19C BILLINGTON LAN Walton-le-Dale 19C BRAMLEY LAN Walton-le-Dale 19C BRINDLE LAN Brindle 18C FOWLER LAN Walton-le-Dale 18C-19C HARRISON LAN Euxton 18C-19C HASELDEN LAN c.Newton, Farington 19C MARSDEN LAN Walton-le-Dale 18C PARKER LAN Brindle 19C ROBINSON LAN c.Walton-le-Dale 18C THRELFALL LAN Farington, c.Preston 18C-19C WALMSLEY LAN Leyland 18C _________________________________________________________ David Lancaster (10412) 1 Vernon Avenue, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 5HL Tel: 01788 546993 E-mail: dflancaster99@hotmail.com BENTLEY LAN Burnley 19C CARTMELL LAN Blackburn 19C CATLOW LAN Burnley 19C DANNS LAN Burnley 20C EASTWOOD LAN Burnley 20C GREENWOOD LAN Colne 19C HARTLEY LAN Burnley 19C-20C HARTLEY YKS c.Skipton 20C

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HIRST/HURST LAN Burnley 19C HOLDEN LAN Burnley 19C HOLLAND LAN Padiham 19C LANCASTER LAN Burnley 1870+ NUTTER LAN Burnley 19C POOLTON LAN Burnley 20C POOLTON WAR Birmingham 19C ROBERTS LAN Liverpool e19C STEPHENSON LAN Burnley 19C-20C WALSH LAN Blackburn 19C WATSON LAN Burnley 19C WILLIAMSON LAN Manchester _________________________________________________________

BRANCH NEWS

BLACKBURN & DARWEN Correspondence Secretary: Anne Dolphin, 39 Bosburn Drive, Mellor Brook, Blackburn BB2 7PA Branch e-mail: blackburn@lfhhs.org.uk

_________________________________________________________

BURY Secretary:

Branch e-mail: bury@lfhhs.org.uk _________________________________________________________

CHORLEY

Secretary: Sheila Gibbons, 24 The Cedars, Eaves Green, Chorley PR7 3RH

Tel: 01257 262028 Branch e-mail: chorley@lfhhs.org.uk The branch’s April meeting featured Joanne Halliwell, who provided a hugely entertaining evening in her role of ‘Betsy the Scullery Maid’. We were left in no doubt about the upstairs/downstairs situation in Betsy’s establishment. Joanne encouraged audience participation, and we found we had one or two budding actors in our midst! It was an evening enjoyed by all. In May, our speaker, Harold Hoggarth’s talk had the intriguing title, ‘Snuff, Spinning and Spiritual Houses’. All was revealed when we learned that each word of the title was a reference to an ancestor of

37

Harold. Although Harold claimed not to be a family historian, and confessed to being a little anxious about talking to a roomful of family history enthusiasts, his talk showed an impressive amount of thorough research, and was received with great interest. In this season of Walking Days, we look forward to Jim Burns visit in June to our branch with ‘Whit Walks in and around Manchester’. The Chorley branch continues its project transcribing activities, both for BMD and in the recording of those who served in conflicts from the Boer War to the present. As a branch, we are indebted to the LFHHS Chorley Family History Research Centre volunteers, who come not only from the Chorley branch but also from other parts of the Society. We are fortunate to have the Centre on our doorstep, and Chorley has easy access to motorways, main roads and train station means that not all visitors are local ones. We look forward to the remaining meetings of the summer, and to our August visit to Horwich Heritage Centre. Submitted by Jenny Cree _________________________________________________________

FYLDE

Secretary: Mrs. Olive Thexton, 7 Bispham Lodge, 251 Norbreck Road, Thornton Cleveleys FY5 1PE Branch e-mail: fylde@lfhhs.org.uk

Our first meeting of 2015 concerned Hidden Histories of the Fylde. David Evans gave a brilliant presentation, old pictures of the areas of the Fylde and stories and myths. A very interesting evening enjoyed by all. We all have a hunger for pictures of times past. Thank you David for an entertaining evening. We like a tour of the area where we live, and where some of our ancestors lived. In February we had a brilliant presentation from Allan Seabridge and his wife. We were given a tour of Life in the North Atlantic Convoys through the eyes of someone who originally was a newspaper reporter for our local paper. We shall never grumble about snow again, after seeing the pictures of snow and ice and how these men endured the conditions. There were letters written each day and sometimes the delivery of these would mean that there could be several weeks of

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letters. There were lots of extracts of these letters. We had an opportunity also to view several documents and other items, including the medal just issued for this campaign. A book has been produced about the story, anyone interested in this can contact me for details. We have to say thank you for the presentation. We have not seen quite as much publicity for these brave men and were also pleased to have a seaman amongst us who had made a special journey to see and listen to the stories, he explained to me that he did not apply for the medal, his memories were enough for him. At the March AGM we filled all Committee positions and owe our thanks to those who have been re-elected, for the work they have completed. Also thanks to those who do not wish to continue with their positions. Now we wish the new Committee members well and look forward to another interesting year. April was an open meeting, a chance to help each other with any family tree problems. We were able to provide some answer to queries. In May we had a visit from Dr Brenda Hustler. We were left with some hand out sheets, after being bombarded with help and advice as to how to trace Irish Ancestry. Lots of new ideas to think of. Thank you Brenda for an extremely helpful evening. Julia Beeden visited us in June and we had a slide show similar to the one that she produced at the AGM. The workmanship of these people is fascinating. Thank you Julia for another chance for us to increase our knowledge of these fabulous old buildings. Another reminder that the contact email (as above) can be used to contact the branch, at any time, if you want any help regarding the Fylde area just send an email. A little local knowledge can be extremely useful. _________________________________________________________

HERALDRY GROUP

Contact: A. Derrick Walkden, 2 Butterlands, Preston. Lancs PR1 5TJ Tel: 01772 792224 Branch e-mail: heraldry@lfhhs.org.uk

The branch may not attract large numbers but the quality of what we do is evident, so we would encourage other members to join us in our meetings. We try to make the talks as interesting as possible and as free of heraldic jargon as we can.

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Our main project at the moment is the Heraldic Study Day, 1 October 2015, at Salford. You and your friends will be most welcome at this annual event. We already have applications coming in, so why not fill in the application form and join us? _________________________________________________________

HYNDBURN (covering Accrington, Altham, Church, Clayton le Moors, Gt Harwood,

Oswaldtwistle & Rishton) Secretary: Eileen Bullock, 51 Hawthorn Avenue, Oswaldtwistle,

Accrington. Lancs BB5 3AE Branch e-mail: Hyndburn@lfhhs.org.uk

Our April meeting was a workshop and, as always, well attended. In May we had an interactive talk by Derek Sanderson, an expert on porcelain. At his request members had brought along family heirlooms and we were treated to our own mini ‘Antiques Road Show’. Derek has an extensive knowledge of his subject and an unlimited fund of anecdotes from his travels and experiences working on television. He also brought along items for the audience to identify and provided a prize for the winning amateur ‘expert’. It was a great success. _________________________________________________________

IRISH ANCESTRY GROUP Secretary:

_________________________________________________________

LANCASTER & MORECAMBE Branch e-mail: Lancaster@lfhhs.org.uk

Please note new venue for monthly meetings: The Lothersdale Hotel, 320 Marine Road Central, Morecambe LA4 5AA This is a more convenient location, being a hotel with all its facilities including Wi-Fi, bar, tea and coffee, and free car parking after 6.00pm across the road in a Council run car park. Buses from Carnforth, Heysham and Lancaster pass the front door at regular intervals so public transport is not a problem. Attendance at Torrisholme has been falling for some time and so the move to The Lothersdale Hotel is being seen as a new location and a new start. ______________________________________________________________________

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LONDON & SOUTH Secretary: Elizabeth Prior, 18A Redcliffe Street, West Brompton

SW10 9DT - Tel: 020 7370 2107 Branch e-mail: london@lfhhs.org.uk

 Our AGM was held on 28 March and resulted in the re-election of the existing committee. Mike Fairclough agreed to continue as Chairman, with Elizabeth Prior as Secretary and Helen Conchar as Treasurer. Following the AGM Mike Coyle provided us with plenty to think about when he gave us his views on ‘The Future of Family History’. He started by looking at recent changes in technology and the availability of records as well as the growth of new areas of research such as DNA testing. He went on to speculate on how things might develop further. He also considered the impact of shifting attitudes towards marriage and family structure and the problems these would cause for family historians. Despite the many challenges Mike was optimistic about the future. On 30 May we welcomed Roy Stockdill, who gave an entertaining talk entitled ‘It’s a Funny Old Genealogical World’. Roy is a Yorkshireman who has been living in London for many years working as a journalist. He is a keen family historian and was editor of the Journal of One-Name Studies for 10 years. During his time researching Roy had come across plenty of unusual and humorous entries in parish registers, census records and on gravestones. He started his talk by looking at the Northowram or Coley (non-conformist) registers which include many observations made by the Reverends Oliver Heywood (1644 – 1702) and T Dickenson (1702 – 1752). Some of these observations are amusing such as the following from 1692:- Widow Turner married her man at Coley Ch. Nov. 14 calld Lancashire a poor lad and a bad one, not 20 and she above 60. Others, like this, are quite touching:- Dec 9. 1696, Isaac Farrar and Phoebe Clay married at Halifax Church without the knowledg or consent of parents on either side he had stollen her affections being but 17 years of age a sad grief to her tender-hearted father The registers can be found at www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/northowram/ Roy went on to look at some of the unlikely names such as Shrove Tuesday, Friday Handslip, Watercress Joe and a clergyman named

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Crucifix, all found in the 1881 census. He then turned his attention to strange things found in wills, unusual inscriptions on gravestones and, finished his talk by displaying some odd stories from newspapers. Forthcoming meetings will be on 2 August when Paul Cross will talk on ‘When Cotton Came to Lancashire’, 3 October when Tom Doig will talk about ‘Folk Cures and Remedies’ and we will finish the year with a members meeting on 5 December. Submitted by Geoff Fitzpatrick _________________________________________________________

PENDLE & BURNLEY

Web site: www.lfhhs-pendleandburnley.org.uk Branch e-mail: pendle@lfhhs.org.uk

_________________________________________________________

PRESTON Correspondence Secretary: Stephen Benson, 32 Slater Lane, Leyland

PR25 1TN Tel: 01772 422808 Branch e-mail: preston@lfhhs.org.uk

A new start in March! We kicked off our first meeting at St Mary’s Church Hall in Penwortham with a visit from that cheeky miss, Betsy the Scullery Maid aka Joanne Halliwell. She informed us that, despite not being a ‘full shilling’ she had been chosen by the ‘lady of the ‘ouse’, to interview new staff for the house, as so many had been sacked for v