LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter August 2011

* Anyone wishing to go on the Out Visit should give their names to Maureen Hodginson. The price is £3.50 per head. if you want to book refreshments (tea and biscuits) it's £1.95 per head. We are meeting at the Museum at 7.00pm for 7.30. The Museum is situated opposite the Bury Art Gallery. on Moss Street, Bury BL9 0DF.

Research and Advice Sessions

at Haslingden Library every Monday

5.30 – 7.30 pm

and Rawtenstall Library every

Tuesday 1.30 – 3.30 pm

We may be able to do simple look-ups for distant members. When contacting us with an enquiry, please include your membership number

The LFHHS Resource Centre.

The Society’s Resource and Research Centre at 2 Straits, Oswaldtwistle, BB5 3LU is open every Thursday from 1.00pm – 5.00pm and 1st Saturday of each month 1.00pm

Coming Events

Saturday 10th September 2011

National Family History Fair 10.00 .am-4.00pm Admission £3.00 Tyne Suite, Newcastle Central Premier Inn, Newbridge Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8BS For more details check www.nationalfamilyhistoryfair.com

Sunday 25th September

The Society’s Annual Dinner Hosted by the Chorley Branch the dinner will be held at Farington Lodge, Stanifield Lane, Farington, Preston, PR25 4QR

It will be a Luncheon commencing at 1.00pm, followed by Sid Calderbank and Friends with "The Lancashire Cotton Famine in songs, stories and verse".

Full details and booking form were inserted into your May "Lancashire" Journal..

Thursday 7th October

Heraldic Study Day 10.00am – 4.00pm

at Hemsley Masonic Hall,
The Crescent, Salford, M5 4PE
- Opposite Salford University & Art Gallery
and a 10 minute walk from Salford Crescent Railway Station.

For programme and application form, contact the Study Day organiser - A.D. Walden Hon FHS, 2 Butterlands Preston, Lancashire PRJ 5TJ. Tel 01772 792224 or email derrickwalkden@btinternet.com

Rossendale Cemetery Records

Rossendale Cemetery Records have been moved from Henrietta Street, Bacup to Stubbylee Hall, Bacup. OL13 ODE. Contact Leigh Hargreaves Rossendale’s Bereavement Officer at 01706 252539 for an appointment to consult the records.

LancashireBMD recent additions for the Hyndburn and Rossendale area

Haslingden Deaths have now been added from 1837 – 1895. Note The coverage of the former Haslingden Registration area is still an ongoing project undertaken by volunteers from the Society. You should always check the coverage sections. For instance Newchurch St. Nicholas marriages have only been indexed from 1837 – 1845.

Rossendale News, Notes and Queries

At our last meeting we had a very interesting and amusing talk by Norman Hindley on rationing during World War II and afterwards. Rationing did not finish until the early 1950s. It brought back memories for those of us over 60 and a lively discussion ensued. Those under 60 had trouble coming to terms with the small quantities of food we were allowed, 8 oz of sugar, 8 oz of fats consisting of 2oz each of butter, margarine, lard and cheese, ¼ of tea (no coffee) and only one egg per week! Bananas disappeared for 6 years etc. However did our mothers manage?

This month’s article is from new member Peter Ashworth who lives in, Australia.

My Ashworth Family and others by Peter Ashworth

My journey started in Innisfall, Queensland, Australia on the 28 Sep. 1944 where I was the third child of Harry Ashworth, born Rawtenstall, Lancashire, in 1906 and Monica Mary Glynn, born Ayr, Queensland, Australia 1911. Both of my parents are deceased. My father died in 1984 and my mother in 1995.

My mother’s side of the family is very well documented on both sides, with her father’s line to 1830 in Ireland and her mother’s lineage dating back to 1272 with Edward the first and Eleanor, daughter to Ferdinand III of Castile.

My father’s lineage is not so clear and that is where my research begins.

My father Harry, came to Australia in 1926 with his mother Mary Ann nee Hartley b.1880, in Rossendale. I believe they disembarked in Townsville, North Queensland and travelled on to Innisfail. His father Herbert Ashworth, born 1879 was already in Australia.

Like most families there is always a mystery and unspoken accounts. There in no exception in this case. Herbert and Mary Ann to my knowledge never lived together or communicated whilst in Australia. So all my life I have been intrigued as to why she made such a difficult journey to Australia, She returned home shortly afterwards, long enough to have purchased a house and then later returned to Australia. where she remained until she died.

Last month I learnt that Herbert was buried in the same grave as Mary Ann. I was always of the opinion that Herbert was buried at a place called Cabulture, some 1800 miles away from where she lived.

My father never spoke directly to us boys about his home or life in Rawtenstall but the little I do know is he was ousted from school at age 12 for, "tarring little girls bottoms whilst they attended their daily needs" and that he was an apprentice blacksmith at Blackpool before migrating.

My father must have experienced some hurt in his youth as he never spent time with either his mother or father and I can never remember him ever carrying on a dialogue with either. My mother hinted that she believed that Herbert had an affair which resulted in a baby boy and that boy got all the attention. I gather that is the reason for the silence.

All I had to commence my search was a marriage certificate for Herbert Ashworth and Mary Ann Hartley in 1903; a birth certificate for Harry Ashworth; a birth certificate for Mary Ann Hartley and an address of 10 Union Street. Rawtenstall where they lived before migrating.

For a long period I was stumped in establishing the initial connection between Harry, Herbert and Mary Ann until finally through misspelling Herbert’s name as Herbut, that is what we knew him as, I established a connection by chance with the residence 10 Union Street, Rawtenstall.

Herbert b-1879, had siblings Sarah b-1863, John Richard b-1869, and Ada b-1874. Their parents were Henry Ashworth b-c1834 and Isabella. b-1834.

After further researching I managed to find the marriage details for Henry and Isabella. Their marriage took place at Park Chapel, Walmersley in 1862. Henry father’s was named as John Ashworth, an engineer and Isabella’s father was John Ormrod. Both were aged 27. Further research established Isabella surname as Ormerod not "Ormrod" as given on the marriage certificate..

It appears to me that Henry's father John Ashworth was married to Betty ?? and they had 10 children, Mary 1816; James 1820; Samuel 1833 – 34; Ann 1826; Jane 1827; John 1829; Elizabeth 1830; Henry 1832; Samuel 1834 -1836; David 1836 -1836; All born at Ramsbottom and baptised at Emmanuel Church, Holcombe. This register confirms John’s occupation as an engineer, except for his first child Mary, when he was given as a "twister"..

Henry's date of birth, 1832 is not fully consistent with the age on the marriage certificate and various dates on different censuses However, I am fairly confident that the children of John and Betty include my GG father Henry.

From here on the next generation is where it becomes blurred. On the 1861 census, for Factory Bottom, Ramsbottom, John, aged 65, is given as being born at Musbury, [near Haslingden] Betty had died. In 1851 they were both given as being born in "Bury". Musbury is in Bury Parish, so I don’t know whether Betty was also born in Musbury. I feel that John Ashworth, married Betty Kenyon. They were married on the 24 Dec 1815 in Bury Lancashire England. John was at that time given as "Labourer of this Parish".

I found a baptism in 1796 at Haslingden St. James, for a John Ashworth son of James and Betty of Musbury. Place of birth is not given for most other baptisms around this period. So, I could not be certain of any siblings for this John. I would like to have details of any Ashworths born in Musbury around this time who might have gone to work in Ramsbottom.

I would gratefully accept expert assistance, or help from persons already perusing the Ashworth Line. Australia has many Ashworth families.

email. peter.ashworth@amerro.com.au

The trouble with Ashworths…..

The trouble with Ashworths is that there are just too many of them. It is the most difficult of all the Rossendale names to research. For example, From 1723 -1772 there were 100 John Ashworths baptised at Newchurch Parish church. I urge members to register their details in the Society’s pedigree referral index, or like Peter you can write an article for this newsletter. Rita Hirst