Rossendale Miscellany:

News, notes and queries

Last month our speaker, Gerrald Schofield, was ill and unable to attend the meeting. Fortunately Peter Watson agreed to step in at very short notice. He entertained us with his tales of "Ghosts in History" and as usual sent us home afraid of the dark. Though, one of our members did say she would be delighted to meet the ghost of her great grandfather.

Ten years of News and Rossendale Enquiries

In February 1998, I took along to the branch meeting, my first Branch Newsletter. This first effort covered only one side of an A4 sheet of paper but it was well received. So, I continued from there. At that time, it was only issued to members attending the branch meetings. A few years later, Wilf Day set up the branch website and transposed all the existing newsletters on-line, to complement his photographs of churches and places around Rossendale.

In 1998, I wasn’t even on-line myself, few of us were. Over the past decade we have tried to give people an overview of Rossendale life from the Medieval days to the present time. I have bullied and badgered people for contributions. We have dealt with a variety of topics, the earliest settlers in the area, the waves of immigration and emigration to all parts of the English speaking world. We have discussed the difficulties of researching local surnames, Ashworths, Taylors, Lords and Barnes. We have discussed local industries, customs, church registers and their deficiencies, and the growth of nonconformity in the valley Some articles stand out, a vitriolic letter regarding the 19th century quarrymen of Bacup [Jan. 2002], the search for Andrew Taylor of Scout’s alleged 5 wives and 37 children [Nov. 2004 – March 2005], The Honor of Clitheroe [Dec. 2006], The 4 families tracing the descendants of James Ashworth & Mary Nuttall, whom I managed to link together [July 2007] and many others. I would like to thank all of you for your enquiries and your participation.

In November 2007, Jean Harrison described a project she is undertaking on the men of Stonefold who died in both world wars. For the benefit of people unable to attend meetings, I have asked Jean to explain her work in more detail.

St. John’s Church, Stonefold,

War Memorial by Jean Harrison

For the last few years I have been doing research about the men listed on Stonefold Church War Memorial. This work is intended to complement the "Book of Remembrance" for Stonefold Church written by the late Bill Turner. Whereas Bill had concentrated on the actions in which the Stonefold men took part during the two world wars, I have tried to fill in the family details, include photographs of the graves or names of the men on the memorials to the "missing", and, where possible, include photographs of the men. In most cases I have visited the graves and memorials myself where possible. Several friends have taken photographs for me of the graves that I have, as yet, been unable to visit. I have more or less completed my research on World War One and will shortly be researching World War Two.

During the First World War a total of 152 men belonging to Stonefold Church and School served their country in the armed forces. A Roll of Honour was kept of these members. In actual fact the names of 34 men connected with Stonefold Church and School were to be listed on the war memorial.

In addition to these 34 men there are 5 more men buried in the churchyard who are not listed on the war memorial, which I have included here, along with 4 men whose names are inscribed on graves in Stonefold churchyard and are buried abroad. In total I have researched 43 men from World War 1.

The men I have researched from World War One are: Joseph Altham, Enoch Bentley, William Burgess, Richard Clegg, Harry Davison, James Davison, Joshua Dixon, William Dixon, William Entwistle, James Taylor Gregson, Fred Harrison, Harry Haworth, John William Haworth, Croysdale Heaton, James Edward Heys,, John James Holden, John Henry Horner, Daniel Knowles, Ralph Knowles, Rostron Lacey, John Robert Shuttleworth Mead, Tom Lacy Nuttall, William Pickard, Kenyon Pilkington, Thomas Robinson, Fred Rothwell, John Sibbering, Thomas Tasker, John Taylor, William Taylor, George Richard Taylor, Wilkinson Westwell, Richard Whittaker, Thomas Worsley, George Edward Barlow, Robert Bridge, William Allan Cumming, Charles Henry Taylor, Albert Westwell, William Anderson, John Edmund Kirkbride, Robert Revens, Ralph Rushton.

The names on the memorial for World War Two are; Joseph Altham, Harold Bordycott, James Cockerill, Kenneth Hobson, John Holden, John Illingworth, Wilfred Henry Kavanagh, Jack Lambert, Keith Ashworth Rodgers, James Wolstenholme.

I have included in my book several interesting facts such as the regiments represented, on which other Memorials the mens’ names appear, the fact that approx. one third of the men had lost one or both of their parents before enlisting, how many of the widows re-married and most interestingly the relationships or connections between the families who lost their sons during the Great War.

I looked at the relationships through the eyes of my Grandfather’s cousin, Sarah Taylor, who I have found to have connections with 8 of the men who were killed, which will be printed in the next Newsletter.

If anyone would like further information about any of the men on Stonefold Memorial please feel free to contact me 01254 381476 or e-mail jeanharrison18@yahoo.co.uk If you have any ancestors who are on the memorial and you have photographs of them or their graves I would be grateful if I could obtain copies of them as I have only been able to find photographs of about half of the men in the local newspapers. Any further information would be most welcome.

Can you help?

Oliver ORMEROD, my 3rd great grandfather, first appeared in the 1841 Census in Haslingden living with his wife, Betty, and children, Thomas, my 2nd.great grandfather, John, Alice and James.

Oliver and Betty (NUTTALL) were married at St. Mary's, Bury on 7 Nov. 1825. They had six children, Nuttall b. Bury 1826 d.1828, Thomas b. Haslingden 1829, Isabel b. Haslingden 1831, d. 1833, John b. Wood Road, Elton 1833, Alice b. Ramsbottom 1837 and John b. Haslingden 1838.

Betty NUTTALL his wife, was born Ramsbottom in 1800 and bap at Emmanuel Church, Holcombe. Nuttall and Isabel were bap. and buried at Emmanuel Church. Thomas and John were also bap. at Emmanuel Church. Baps. for Alice and James have not been found.

Oliver and Betty appear not to be in the 1851 Census. Thomas was married in 1850 [Father's name on Marriage Cert. stated as Oliver, a Cotton Spinner (deceased not stated)] and appears on the 1851 Census with his wife lodging in Bury. The other surviving children John, Alice and James, now aged 17,16 and 12 appear on the 1851 Census lodging (together) in Ewood Bridge, Haslingden.

My dilemma is trying to substantiate whether my Oliver is the same Oliver born to George and Isabel ORMEROD at Hindley, Lancs. in 1804 and bap. (at Hindley) 1805. Source IGI and LPRS Vol 138, Page 113. I'm almost certain as LPRS states Oliver to be the 3rd. son of George and Isabel and I've found a Thomas and a Peter, the sons of George and Isabel ORMEROD bap. at Hoghton, Lancs. 1801 and 1803.

I've searched for Oliver and Betty since 1841 without success, no death or burial records have 'shown up' nor can I find a remarriage for Betty. I need to verify Oliver's age to establish when he was born.

The burning question is 'Whatever happened to Oliver and/or Betty ORMEROD'? Any information to knock down this 'brick wall' would be greatly appreciated.

Neville ORMEROD (membership no. 7615) normerod@ntlworld.com

Society Information

LFHHS Members Group on Yahoo Groups

Last year a number of specific groups were formed to improve the management of the society. One of these is the Member Services Group [of which, I am a virtual member] which has been discussing the Benefits of Membership. One of the initiatives to come from these discussions has been the members’ e-mail discussion group called "LFHHS Members Group on Yahoo Groups". David Burgess, the membership Secretary has been emailing members with details of this group. More than a hundred have now joined and this number is growing daily. Members are posing questions on a variety of topics and they seem to be receiving good advice.

Pedigree Charts

When you receive your February journal there will be a piece encouraging you to fill in Pedigree Charts, which will then be entered into the Pedigree Database, so that you can be put in touch with others researching the same names in the same areas. For this to succeed, the charts should be updated, some of us haven’t entered any extra names since we joined.

The Straits Resource Centre, Oswaldtwistle

is open every Thursday 1.00pm – 5.00pm.

Experienced volunteers will be there to help with your enquiries.

Subscriptions.

Remember that if you haven’t renewed your subscription for 2008 then you can’t benefit from any of the above schemes. If you renew late, your February journal will not go out in the mass mailing and it makes extra work for all concerned.