LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter  July 2002

Programme 2002

Next Month - 7th August

Research Evening.

4th September The other 1851 - Rossendale Census.

John Dunleavy will talk about the Ecclesiastical Census of 1851.

2nd October Members’ Miscellany.

Members are invited to talk for for about

10 minutes on a subject of their choice.

Have you undertaken an interesting piece of research? Have you found an unusual source? Or maybe, you would like to tell us what prompted you to start researching your family in the first place.

6th November On board HMS George V

Events from WWII. Norma Cowpe.

4th December Christmas Celebration

Did you miss....

Quakers in Rossendale, our talk by Julia Hoyle?

Julia told us how the Society of Friends (Quakers) had been formed in 1656 during a time of religious, social and political turmoil. They seek an inner religious experience and simple truthful, ethical, and peaceful living. The first meeting place in the valley was at the home of Richard Radcliffe of Chapel Hill. Meetings commenced there in 1658. There are some simple gravestones at the Meeting House at Crawshaw Booth. This was opened in 1716. The MIs are at Rawtenstall Library.

Why not visit the website for Quakers in the North West of England. www.north-west-quakers.org.uk

Book Review

Rossendale: The Second Selection, by Ken Bowden. (Images of England Series) Tempus Publishing Ltd.

The Mill, Brimscote Port, Stroud, Gloucester GL5 2QG Tel 01453 883300 Fax. 01453 883233 E-mail tempusuk@tempus-publishing.com

If you have Rossendale Ancestry, especially if you live outside the area, you will have wondered about the places where your ancestors lived. Ken Bowden is a noted historian who for many years was Librarian at Bacup Public Library. In this second selection of pictures representing Rossendale, he has endeavoured to include photographs of every town, village and hamlet, which together make up the present Borough of Rossendale. With just a few exceptions Mr. Bowden has chosen photographs which have never been reproduced in published books. All the photographs have been fully annotated. Where appropriate sketch maps have also been included. The selection commences at Whitworth and moves geographically through Bacup, Stacksteads, Waterfoot, Cowpe, Rawtenstall (and points north), Edenfield and Rossendale West (including Grane and Haslingden). The author states that he has tried to highlight some of the areas which often seem to be overlooked - amongst them Shawforth, Scout, Strongstry and Stonefold.

The book is available for £10.99 contact Tempus Publishing, by letter or phone. Postage and packaging is free (in the uk) if you quote this newsletter as your source of information. Copies are also available in local bookshops and post offices. Tempus does have facilities for people ordering from abroad to pay by credit card.

LFHHS Website

Following an appeal for help at the AGM, Fred Moor has taken responsibility for the website, and will be updating and developing it, in conjunction with the Publications Committee. They would like to clearly define purpose, audience and image of the website. Please send your comments by email to info@fredmoor.com or write to

Fred Moor, 18 Sandyhurst Avenue, Lytham St. Annes, Lancs. FY6 2DA

Family Names in Rossendale

1400 - 1800

Surnames began to be introduced around A.D. 1350 in the South Country, spreading northwards slowly, until the process was completed around A.D. 1400. Obviously, at first, there would be strong resistance to the change imposed from London, and a perusal of the Poll Tax of 1379 for the village of Gisburn, between Clitheroe and Skipton, illustrates this quite clearly, for, of sixty-two entries, twenty four doggedly insist on using the name by which they have always been known e.g. "Henry, servant of John of Altaham", or "Alice Robyn-doghter", or again, "Thomas of Westby". Those who comply with the law are instantly recognisable:

Katherine Bullock, John Wilkynson, William Bakster etc.

Eventually all will adopt the new mode however grudgingly, for few people are willing to swim long against the tide.

When the first records for Rossendale appear this process of change is complete.

A.D. 1427: The Duchy of Lancaster Rental List shows the names BOOTH and GREENHALGH.

A.D. 1507: The Duchy of Lancaster list indicates the following leaseholders - ASHWORTH, CRAWSHAW, DEARDEN/ DUERDEN, HARGREAVES, HOWORTH/ HAWORTH, HEAP, HEY(S), HOLT, INGHAM, LORD, ORMEROD, PICKUP, PILLING, RAMSBOTTOM, TATTERSALL, WHITTAKER.

A.D. 1527: The Duchy’s List adds to the earlier names LAW, NUTTALL, PRIESTLEY and WHITWORTH.

A.D. 1539: Only one new name on the List viz., HOLDEN

Names in Parish Registers

Although Thomas Cromwell compelled the introduction of registers of baptisms, marriages and burials in every parish in the land from 1538, those of St. Nicholas, Newchurch in Rossendale, begin only in 1606 (it is assumed that earlier registers have been lost). There are then some gaps (sometimes spanning years) until 1753, when the entries are kept in separate volumes and are complete down to the present day. So, perusal of these registers and those of St. James, Haslingden, (which are similarly defective in the early years) yield the names of new families, e.g.:

BARLOW, BARNES, BARON, BELL, BENTLEY, BIRTWISTLE, BRACEWELL, BRIDGE, BUTTERWORTH, CHADWICK, CHEW, CLEGG, COATES, COLLINGE, COWPE/ COPE, CRABTREE, CROPPER, CUNLIFFE, DAWSON, DUCKWORTH, EASTWOOD, EARNSHAW, ENTWISTLE, FIELDING, FLETCHER, GREAVES, GREEN, GREENWOOD, GREGORY, HALLOWS/ HOLLOWS, HARDMAN, HARRISON, HEAP, HEYWORTH, HINDLE, HOYLE, JACKSON, KAY, KERSHAW, KNOWLES, LONGBOTTOM, MADEN, MILLS, MITCHELL, OGDEN, PILKINGTON, RATCLIFFE, RILEY, ROBERTS, ROTHWELL, RAWSTHORNE/ RAWSTRON/ ROSTRON, SCHO(L)FIELD, SEDDON, SHEPHERD, SMITH, SPENCER, STANSFIELD, STOTT, SUTCLIFFE, TRICKETT, TURNER, WALMSLEY, WALSH, WARBURTON, WHITEHEAD, WHITTLE, WILKINSON, WOOD(S).

Many of these names indicate the movement of families over the Pennines from West Yorkshire (particularly from the Todmorden-Hebden Bridge- Sowerby Bridge- Halifax areas) where they had been established since c1400. Many more were to follow them once the Industrial Revolution really got under way, but by that time people were flocking into Rossendale from the poorer agricultural counties as well as from Ireland.

Submitted by P.I. Chattle Member No. 5985

Coming Events

Friday 4th October -

LFHHS Annual Dinner hosted by Pendle and Burnley Group, at the Bay Horse Inn, Blacko Bar Road, Roughlee. £17.00 per head. Please book early. There are limited places available. Full details are in the August magazine.

Sunday 27th October - This year the annual Family History Fair hosted by the N.W. Group pf Family History Societies will be held at Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square,

Manchester. 10.30am - 4.30pm

There will be the usual variety of stalls.

Also Refreshments and Free street parking. Admission £2 - children free.