A member of The Federation of Family History Societies
St James' Church, Haslingden
St John's Church, Bacup
St Mary's, Church Rawtenstall

LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter July 2001


TONIGHT

Our Out-Visit to St James Church, Haslingden and walk round the town is being hosted by the Haslingden Roots Research Group.

1st August - Research Workshop in Longholme Chapel.

5th September - The Amish Story. by Mrs. Lewis.

3rd October - Rawtenstall Library. A look at the resources of the library and help with your research.

7th November. Uncle Fred, Mary Davison and Jean Harrison will tell us about Fred Harrison.

5th December. Christmas Social.


Haslingden Roots

Haslingden Roots Research Group meets every Monday evening at St. James Church, Haslingden. Members of the public are welcome to come along to the Church from 7-30 to 9-00 The group will offer help and advice on tracing local Haslingden families.

The Rooters are attempting to do a one place study, of local surnames and families. At present they are concentrating on the period from 1837 to the present day. They are aiming to transcribe and index all the records which cover the old Borough of Haslingden (Haslingden town, Haslingden Grane and the village of Helmshore)

Please note that they do not cover the whole Haslingden Registration area. This stretched from Accrington through to Bacup, covering Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Crawshawbooth, Newchurch, Cowpe-Lenches and Edenfield.

Haslingden Roots and the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society work closely together. Indeed, seven of the Rooters are also members of the LFHHS.

Jackie Ramsbottom, Secretary of Haslingden Roots, can be contacted by email: jax@grane92.freeserve.co.uk or you can check the web site at http://www.haslingden.org.uk/


Rossendale Ancestry:

McKEAN:

Donald B. Hyde, PO Box 25747 Colorado Springs CO 80936-5747 has written about his late wife’s family who lived at Edgeside Holm in 1881. He would like to identify " Sneddle Holme" (apparently nearby) which appears on his wife’s birth certificate.

TAYLOR:

In the June newsletter I mentioned that Bill Taylor of Alabama was researching Shore Taylor of Newchurch. We have discovered that Shore born 1823, was a younger brother of William Taylor born 1814, son of Edmund and Betty of Miller Barn. This line is being researched by Valerie Maxwell.

RILEY/ TRICKETT/ BARNES/ BRIDGEHOUSE/ GREGORY:

John Riley, email: riley@attglobal.net has just taken over some research commenced by his aunt. John is very enthusiastic and eager to follow up several lines in the Crawshawbooth area. His aunt had collected information on Tricketts, Barnes, and Gregorys with whom the Rileys intermarried. He is also interested in the Bridgehouse Family of his grandmother.

HOYLE/ LORD/ WHITTAKER/ POMFRET:

Vicky Barlow, the LFHHS Membership Secretary has given me details of her Hoyle Family. She is descended from John Lord Hoyle, who was born 3 August 1838. His parents were John Hoyle and Alice Lord. John Lord Hoyle married Hannah Whittaker born 1837, daughter of Simeon Whittaker and Elizabeth Pickup (Piccop). Vicky would also like information on Thomas POMFRET, born c 1831 son of Thomas Pomfret, born c1805.

HINDLE:

Tom Bradley has discovered that his Ashton-under-Lyne and Stockport Hindles originated in the Haslingden area. He has established descent from James Hindle who married Alice Barnes of Musden Head 13 January 1714/15. We don’t have the full list of his children as the Haslingden registers are in such poor condition at this period. Tom can be contacted at email: Tomaudrey@bradleyt5.fsnet.co.uk

DUXBURY:

John Howarth writes "I am interested in the Duxbury families of 18th century Accrington and Baxenden. I have found a host of baptisms with no marriages recorded. They were nonconformists. Has anyone a clue where I may find a record? Some baptisms in the Atham registers say ‘at Haslingden’ after the name. Of particular interest are the marriages of James Duxbury to Elizabeth c1768, and George Duxbury to Alice about 1740, Also the name Joanna is of interest as I have found this name to be common in the family". email: john.t.howarth@xtra.co.nz

BIRTWISTLE: Janet Huige of the Netherlands is desperate to trace the marriage of Richard Birtwistle to Isabel. They has a daughter Christiana baptised in Haslingden in 1832. She also needs the baptism of Richard’s eldest daughter Alice, born c1829. email: cs.huige@hccnet.nl


Our Haslingden Walk

The walk commences at St. James Church. We will leave throughout the church car park and trace the following route:

Along Rake Foot to Fountain House on the corner of King Street.

Down King Street noting Rock Hall on the hill to the left - the site of Marsden Square and Hargreaves Street Mill. This leads to the site of King Street Methodist Chapel on the corner of Chapel Street. There are about 20 gravestones remaining.

On Chapel Street we can see the old Cave Adulham Chapel. At the bottom of Chapel Street Luke Ralph had his metalwork shop.

Reaching Bury Road we come to the Mary Hindle Centre. This was previously the very historic public house "The New Thorn".

Along Bury Road we will see the site of the old police station, the old market site, the old grammar school site (all gone), we will see Ebenezer Baptist Church and St. Mary’s RC church.

Greenfield Street will take us down to Manchester Road, where we will visit the War Memorial and Manchester Road Methodist Church. Passing by Warner Street we will turn down New Street. This will take us to the old Congregational Church graveyard.

Crossing Lower Deardengate, into Peel Street, to see the home of Capt. Robert Stott V.C.

From Peel Street, we will visit Coal Hey, and Deardengate Croft, where a block of 18th century handloom weavers cottages stand.

We will return to Deardengate along Radcliffe Street. At the traffic lights, you will observe the Commercial Hotel with its distinctive clock. We cross to Higher Deardengate, passing the site of Haslingden’s first Baptist Church on Pleasant Street and many other important buildings in the history of the town.

At the top of Deardengate you will see the replica "Big Lamp." The original is in a garden on Helmshore Road.

We now cross into Church Street, the historic main street of Haslingden, once famous for its numerous public houses. Turning to the right into St. James Close, we will see the Duckworth Drinking Fountain.

We will then walk up George Street, pass the Irish Democratic League Club and the Davitt Memorial and return to St. James Church. There will be a chance to look round the graveyard and examine records in the church. Refreshments will be available.

More details are available on "Haslingden Town Centre Trail" produced by Rossendale Borough Council and the Action for Haslingden Partnership.


Did you miss...

Tony Foster’s talk "Uncle Bilsborrow". Tony described how he found some mid 18th century shorthand written by the Rev. William Smalley of Darwen. This lead him to search for "Uncle Bilsborow" and eventually to his son James. James founded the first Congregational Church at his home in Haslingden. We heard also how, a century later, some builders made a "macabre discovery" in a garden in Lower Lane, Haslingden.


Rossendale Ancestry -

Workshop and Exhibition The exhibition will run from September 29th - October 13th at Rawtenstall Library. A workshop will be held in the exhibition room on Saturday October 6th.

Please consider your contribution NOW. If you don’t have a local family, you can do displays on a specific locality, historic maps, census returns, civil registration certificates, population figures, distribution of surnames, etc. etc. You can provide your expertise in graphic art, or in providing leaflets, publicity etc.

Several of our members have offered to help. I would like some firm commitments to be given at our August meeting.

Coming Events ....

27th October The NW Group of Family History Societies FHS Fair, at the Guild Hall, Preston. Details from F. Gullick, 4 Lawrence Avenue, Simonstone, Burnley.