To
conclude this series on the availability of Rossendale Census
Indexes I will now deal with the 1901 census. Although this census
can be accessed online at
www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ the branch decided
to go ahead and index 1901 in the same format as previous censuses
i.e. "Head of Household" etc. So, if you are having trouble finding
the name you want, you may have a second chance with us. They are
not yet published but it is hoped this will be rectified in the next
few months.
In
1894 there had been a major local government reorganisation, which
involved the final break up of the old established Townships and
their division into newly formed Boroughs.
The
census sub-districts are:
Rawtenstall RG13/ 3846 - RG13/3849
Crawshaw Booth, Goodshaw, Love Clough, Rawtenstall (part). Newchurch
Cloughfold, Townsend Fold; Waterfoot. Newchurch, Waterfoot;
Rawtenstall .
Bacup RG13/3851- RG13/3853 - Bacup, Britannia, Stacksteads, Hugh Mill,
Weir.
Haslingden RG13/3854 - RG3855 Haslingden,
Helmshore, Ewood Bridge, Grane, Henheads, Rising Bridge.
Edenfield RG13-3633 - In 1894 Edenfield
became part of Ramsbottom UDC and has not been indexed by us.
Elijah
Hargreaves had a dream. One day in 1873 as he walked along the sand
dunes on Lytham Common, he saw the scene before him transformed into
a new clean town, far away from the grime and smoke of his native
Rossendale. He took this vision to Thomas Fair, the Land Agent for
the Clifton Estates. owners of most of Lytham. Thomas Fair had had a
similar dream, indeed he had already drawn up a plan for a new town,
so Elijah had no trouble in convincing him, and through him, the
Clifton family of the feasibility of his idea.
At
this time Elijah was aged 40. In 1871 he was living at Union St.
Rawtenstall, a mill manager with a wife and 5 children. Clearly, he
was very persuasive as he was able to enrol some very wealthy
business men into his enterprise. They were as follows:
Joseph
Wood Whitehead, of Alder Grange, Rawtenstall. In 1871,
aged 48, he described himself as a Magistrate Landowner and Cotton
Manufacturer employing 200 hands,
James
Taylor, of Warth House, Waterfoot. In 1871 aged 68, he was a Woollen
Manufacturer. employing 90 hands.
Henry
Hardman Ashworth, of Lea Bank, Rawtenstall the son of Richard
Ashworth, Magistrate and Cotton Manufacturer. In 1871 he was aged
22.
John
Warburton, junior, of Greenfield, Haslingden born Edenfield, was in
1871, aged 38, a Cotton Manufacturer employing 127 operatives.
Thomas
Barrowclough, of Bacup. In 1871, aged 36 was living at Clover Hill,
Cotton Spinner and Manufacturer employing 80 operatives.
William Greaves, Spring Field House, Bacup in 1871 aged 34, Cotton
warp sizer employing 22 men.
James
Crabtree, Bacup, Cotton Spinner. (Not positively identified in
1871).
These
seven men together with Elijah Hargreaves became the first directors
of a company named the St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea Land and Building
Company. Woodcock and Sons of Haslingden were appointed solicitors
and Maxwell and Tuke of Bury became the Architects and Surveyors. It
was to be a public company with shares advertised on the stock
exchange. They were to develop 600 acres of land, roughly 1 square
mile at a total rent of £3,127 per annum. with 999 year leases. The
company’s architects were to prepare plans for the layout of the new
town with many wide streets. Separate portions of land would be let
out to individuals who would pay a ground rent to the company.
It was
an enormous undertaking, public utilities (water, sanitation, gas
etc.) had to be provided and a train and road network had to be set
up. Hotels, churches and schools had to be built and health care
provided. It was not all plain sailing, the company had many set
backs, at one point bankruptcy seemed inevitable. The directors were
forced to give personal guarantees without any security. Joseph Wood
Whitehead the first chairman of the company, died in 1879. This same
year the directors had to cut their fees by half to economise.
Elijah Hargreaves, himself, in 1881 was threatened with court action
when he was unable to pay his ground rent.
William John Porritt became chairman in 1881. Porritt was born in
1828, into a prominent textile family based at Stubbins Vale mill.
In 1853, his father had moved to Helmshore, where he founded Joseph
Porritt and Sons. A forceful man, he was largely responsible for
putting the Land and Building Company onto a firm footing. He
remained chairman until his death in 1896.
It
took many years of perseverance before the company became
profitable. St. Anne’s became the place were Lancastrians came to
holiday, to convalesce and to spend their final days.
Elijah
Hargreaves died at St. Anne’s in 1904.He was described as a "retired
publican" in the 1901 census. In spite of all the difficulties he
had seen his dream fulfilled.
In
1962 the St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea Land and Building Company was
acquired "Lock Stock and Pier" by the Amalgamated Investment and
Property Company Ltd. The Chairman and Managing Director of both the
companies, Mr. Gabriel Harrison, took possession of all the
documents relating to the history of St. Anne’s. He became so
fascinated by the story that in 1971 he published a book entitled
"Rage of Sand: the story of the men who
built their own seaside town"
Harrison mentions the names of some of the early settlers; the
pioneers, - Ramsbottom, Duckworth, Ogden, Rawstron, Heap, Shepherd,
Walmsley, Smith, Hamilton, Lord, Porritt, Rhodes, Pennington,
England, Cookson, and many more. He says these names are still to be
found in the current electoral list and on the gravestones in St.
Anne’s churchyard. A church that had been built in 1873 (just before
Elijah Hargreaves had his dream) by Lady Eleanor Clifton. "It faced
the sea, nestling in the sand dunes, and its parishioners were
mainly rabbits".
