LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch  Newsletter   February 2001

Coming Events ....

Saturday 24th March 2001

"We seek them here, we seek them there"

A Family History Day -hosted by The Family History Society of Cheshire for the North West Group of the Federation of Family History Societies. It will be held at the Manchester Metropolitan University Crewe + Alsager Faculty on the Alsager Campus. . I have a few application forms and leaflets.

Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd April

"The Cup of Love" - the Spring Conference of the Federation of FHS will be held at Leicester University, Oadby. The theme of the conference will be to explore some of the more extraordinary goings-on of our ancestors you can contact Mrs. Y J Bunting, Federation Conference, Firgrove, Horseshoe Lane, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hampshire GU12 5LL Please enclose a stamped A5 envelope.

Rossendale Ancestry:

1. Constance Ashworth tells me she is "at the end of her rope" regarding her Ashworth Family.

Her ancestor Edmund Ashworth was baptised at Newchurch13 Nov. 1842. He was the son of Edmund and Alice Ashworth of Newchurch, Mason. Edmund Ashworth junior emigrated to Clearwater County PA in September 1870. He had two young sons Andrew and John. John was born in September 1867, Andrew was a few years older. Accompanying Edmund was his wife Mary Ann (Taylor) and her mother Susan Trickett. I have tried to find Edmund aged 19 in the 1861 census. I have also tried to find his parents marriage at Newchurch.

If you would like to contact Constance her email address is conniea@erols.com

2. I have two coincidental enquiries regarding the Heyworth Family of Brex. Both enquiries also tie in with Holt Mill. Brex is within the Tunstead area. In the 1840s it seems to have been 3 remote farmhouses. Holt Mill is just a row of terraced houses near the mill and it is in the Lench area, south of the road to Bacup.

*** Stuart Heyworth is researching James Heyworth, a tenter of Holt Mill. He married Mary Jane Ashworth, a weaver of Newchurch in 1842. They had 5 children John 1842, Mary 1845, Sarah 1847, William Wilcock 1849, and Joshua 1857. On his marriage certificate James gave his father as "John Heyworth, farmer" Both James and his wife were given as "minor" at the time of their marriage.

I found this James at Holt Mill in 1841. He was given as age 15. Living with him were Mary Heyworth aged 60, and John Haworth aged 20, Betty Haworth aged 20 and John Haworth aged two. I subsequently found two marriages 9 Jan. 1837 of John Haworth of Holt Mill to Elizabeth Heyworth of Brex; 11 Jan. 1836 John Taylor of Holt Mill to Susan Heyworth of Brex.

*** David Walker is also investigating this Heyworth family. James Rothwell married Deborah Ashworth nee Heyworth 13 Oct. 1844 at Bury. Her 1st marriage was to Richard Ashworth son of Richard. Her father was John Heyworth, Farmer of Brex. She was also living at Holt Mill before she married to John Rothwell. emails: Stuart: agent.s@lineone.net David: Wa1kerClan@aol.com

ROSSENDALE SURNAMES

A synopsis of a talk given at Rawtenstall library, 10 September 1975. By Alan Hitch FLA

The original Rossendalians settled in the valley from 1200 to 1450. Their names often give their place of origin. In 1304 we have William de Dynley, Richard of Dunnockshaw, Henry of the stocks, Robert of Couhope, John de Hargrave.

By 1420 some modern surnames had appeared e.g. Roger Rothwell, Henry Carter, Christopher Holden, John Wilson etc.

The most crucial step in Rossendale’s history occurred when land was deforested in 1507 and let out to tenants. The former vaccaries became split up into farms, for example Constable Lee vaccary was given to five people, Robert Priestley, Richard Schofield, Reginald Ingham, Ottowell Haworth and Charles Haworth. It is from this period that the traditional valley families can be traced and located. The Clitheroe Court Rolls give many details of places and land disputes. Some families whose history can be traced from the 1500s to the 1800s are those of, HOYLE of Fairwell Farm, Bacup; HAWORTH of Constable Lee and HOLDEN of Holden Hall in Haslingden.

Surnames in this period include:

Ashworth, Aspden, Barnes, Birtwistle, Booth, Bridge, Clegg, Collinge, Cunliffe, Duckworth, Grime, Hamer, Hardman, Hargreaves, Haworth, Heap, Heyworth, Holt, Hoyle, Law, Lord, Maden, Nuttall, Ormerod, Pickup, Pilling, Ramsbottom, Riley, Schofield, Tattersall, Taylor, Warburton, Whittaker.

For information about these families during the 18th century the most valuable sources are the indexes to Wills at Chester published by the Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society (the original wills are at the Lancashire Record Office) and the Newchurch Parish Registers, 1653 - 1723. Published by the Lancashire Parish Register Society. Vol. 45

Extracted from "Lancashire" October 1975.

To be continued.

MORE MARRIAGES DISCOVERED

By Michael Hiluta

Whilst enjoying a relaxing week off work, I decided to search for more marriages to complete my "Newchurch database." The Vicar of Holy Trinity, Tunstead, gave me the phone number of Bill Ingham who was in charge of the registers. Bill was very helpful and informed me that the marriages along with the baptisms had been sent to the Central Library, St. Peter’s Square, Manchester. They are now on microfilm. Here are the reference details. Baptisms are from 1840 - 1905 and are in a filing cabinet marked MFPR 1637. The marriages are on two reels MFPR 1638 and 1639:

L143/1/2/1 1858 to 1883

L143/1/2/2 1883 to 1905

L143/1/2/3 1905 to 1918

L143/1/2/4 1928 10 1931

L143/1/2/5 1932 to 1949

That is a lot of records waiting to be transcribed. For those unfamiliar with the area Tunstead and Wolfenden Booths lay to the east of Newchurch and to the west of Bacup. It includes Stacksteads.

Mount Zion Baptist Church, Edgeside

Dennis Nuttall has transcribed the marriages for Mount Zion Church. He has presented a copy to Rawtenstall library and will give a copy to the Society library in the near future.

The names are in alphabetical order, in 2 volumes, one for the grooms and one for brides. 29 May 1909 to 26 June 1999.