LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter February 2009

Coming Events

Irish Ancestry Group

The IAG meeting on 14th February 2009 will be a talk on Exploring Your Irish Ancestry. 

The BBC magazine 'Who Do You Think You Are' is listing this meeting in their Events section, So,  places in the Straits, Oswaldtwistle will be limited for this talk. As it is only right that members who wish to attend should have the first chance, would you please ask anyone who intends to come, to get in touch with me as soon as possible and book a seat.

Margaret Purcell

Tel 01253 353909 e-mail mpurcell@redbankmp.fsnet.co.uk

128 Red Bank Road, Bispham, Blackpool, FY2 9DZ

The Family History Society of Cheshire

10th Annual Family History Day

Saturday 21st February 2009 10am – 4pm at the Memorial Hall, Chester Way, Northwich

Admission £1 Refreshments Available Free Car parking adjacent to venue.

Haslingden Library

As part of a big lottery project Haslingden Library will close for refurbishment on Tuesday 10th February 2009 at 7.30pm for a period of approximately 6 weeks

Research and Advice Sessions

at Rawtenstall Library, every Tuesday 1.30 – 3.30

The Rossendale Branch continues yo hold regular Research and Advice Sessions at Rawtenstall Library. We have a group of members who are on hand to assist members of the public. We also, when time permits, do simple look-ups for LFHHS Society members who are not able to attend the library in person. Please note we do not have library access to the 1911 census.

1911 Census

There have been a lot of questions regarding the 1911 census. Sheila Court, Secretary of the LFHHS has passed on the following information from the Federation of Family History Societies. http://www.ffhs.org.uk/archives/census1911.php

13th January 2009 Today the 1911 Census has gone live on the Internet at http://www.1911census.co.uk/ The site is a pay per view site in partnership between FindMyPast and The National Archives. The site will not be part of the FindMyPast system and will not be available for viewing as part of their subscription services, although log-in details and pay per view credits will work on either site.

The census will go live on the FindMyPast subscription site later in 2009.

There will only be one more census that we can use in the first half of the 20th Century and that is the one for 1921 as the Census for 1931 was burnt during the Second World War and there was no census taken in 1941 due to the war, although a National Register was made for the issue of identity cards.

The Information Commissioner made a ruling in 2006 about the availability of the 1911 Census and the early release is explained in this ruling.

The 1911 Census also differs from the previous censuses in that it is the original householder’s schedules that have survived and not the enumerators’ books we are used to. As a consequence of this the amount of data is greatly increased and the paper copies are stored on 2 kilometres of shelving, approximately 8 times larger than previous censuses.

This increase has meant that it has taken much longer to prepare them for public access and much credit goes to the teams at the TNA [The National Archives] and FindMyPast for getting this done. From today there will be a staggered release of the information in the 1911 census. This will include images and transcription data, but with sensitive data held back, in line with the Information Commissioner's recent ruling.

From 3 January 2012 the public will have full access to the entire 1911 census, including the information not accessible in 2009. Researchers anywhere in the world will be able to search across the fields of the census by name, address or TNA catalogue reference, and download high-resolution digital images.

Natalie Ceeney, Chief Executive of The National Archives said:

"The 1911 census holds more information than the 1901 census. It is also the first census where the householder's schedule has remained the master entry, rather than the enumerator's notes, so researchers are actually able, in most cases, to view their actual ancestors' handwriting when looking at 1911 census entries. This will be an invaluable resource for anyone who is working hard to trace their family's history."

Also available are the enumerators’ summary sheets which give information and statistics on their locality. These will be added to the site when all the household schedules are complete. For further information you should click onto the website given above.

Rossendale Miscellany:

News, notes and queries

Possibly because of the publication of the 1911 census, I have been swamped with enquiries this month. I am working through them as best I can. However, if you wish to publish your enquiry in this newsletter you must be a member. If you are a member and have a story to tell. Please send it to, me Rita Hirst at the branch’s email address..

This month’s article is from Valerie Maxwell, one of our long standing local members.

William Taylor of Waterfoot 1813 – 1892 William Taylor was the son of Edmund Taylor, and his wife Betty Ashworth. They had married at St. Nicholas Church, Newchurch on 21st January 1806 and had 10 children.

William, their fourth child, was born at Miller Barn, Waterfoot, Newchurch on the 4th February 1813. He married Susan Taylor on the 10th November 1836. The marriage took place at Bury (St Mary the Virgin) Parish Church because she lived at the bottom of Cowpe, known as Cowpe Lench, just over the Newchurch border in Bury Parish. When William married Susan his occupation was given as a Dyer. By the time of the 1841 census they had two children, George aged 3 and Richard aged 1. They were living at Cowpe, next door to Susan’s father Richard Taylor. William was listed as a Butcher, his father in law was the Inn Keeper at the Duke of Buccleugh. Later in 1841, when his daughter Elizabeth Ann was born on 19th August 1841, her parents were living in Rawtenstall and William Taylor was now an Inn Keeper.

On the 31st January 1846, William’s third son James was born. On 17th February 1846, his wife Susan died. He was now listed as a Tenterer.

I found him next in the 1851 census, he had married again, a widow Mary Pilling. She had 6 children. William’s son George was now aged 13, a Power Loom Weaver, Richard aged 11 was a Tea Boy Elizabeth Ann was 9, a Piecer, James aged 5 was a Scholar. His other daughter, Martha was living with his 1st wife’s sister Martha Taylor, who had married a Grocer, Thomas Barlow of Haslingden. Also in the household was Martha’s father Richard Taylor aged 73, a Proprietor of Houses, born Newchurch.

By 1861, William Taylor had changed his job yet again. He was now a Railway Porter, living at Glen Bottom with his wife Mary and two of her children, Ann aged 20, and Elizabeth 18 both Cotton Weavers. His youngest son, James aged 14 was a Mule Spinner. William was still a Railway Porter in 1871, still living with Mary, his wife at Glen Terrace, Waterfoot.

Surprise! in the 1881 census William, now 70 had a new wife, Ann Law aged 39 and they have a son John William aged 3. He was still living at Glen Terrace which is over the Newchurch border in Brandwood, Rochdale Parish..I had to go to Rochdale for John William’s birth certificate. I found that he had another new occupation. He was a Woollen Warehouseman. William was still around in the 1891 census, he was living at Glen Bottom and was now listed as a Horse Keeper and Groom.

William Taylor died on 22nd January 1892 at Glen Bottom, Waterfoot, aged 79, having had at least 8 occupations. He had 3 marriages, 6 children and 6. stepchildren and lived in three parishes (Whalley, Bury and Rochdale) but apart from a short time in Rawtenstall during the 1840s (which he most likely thought was the other side of the world) he never moved more than a few hundred yards from where he was born at Miller Barn, Waterfoot.

by Valerie Maxwell (No. 164) email maxy16@ntlworld.com