LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter July 2007

Rossendale Miscellany

News, Notes and Queries

Higher Booths

I have had several enquiries this month for information on Higher Booths. This is an area to the north of Rawtenstall it covers Gambleside Booth, Loveclough Booth, Goodshaw Booth, and Crawshaw Booth. Wilf Day has recently deposited a book in the the Branch library entitled

"A Survey of Lands at Higher Booths, 1791". This has been transcribed from the original document as a joint project by the Rossendale Branch of the LFHHS and Rawtenstall Library Studies.

According to the foreword the lands in the above area had been measured by William Charles, Henry Butterworth, Miles Heap & Thos. Ainsworth and valued by Mr. John Hitchon of White Lee House, Cliviger and Mr. John Collinge of New Barn in Hapton in the year of Our Lord 1790, in order to settle taxes in a more equal manner than in former time.

The survey lists the owner and occupier of every property. Every field and driveway has been measured and valued. As an appendix all new erections from 1792 – 1837 have been similarly listed.

Osborne Green - Higher Booths

I had some interesting correspondence with Colin Hollis, a new member now living in Brighton. Initially, he was interested in some sporting medals which had belonged to his grandfather Albert Green but became fascinated when he discovered that Albert’s grandfather had been a Chelsea Pensioner who came to live in Rings Nook, Goodshaw in the 1860s. He was born in Cottam Norfolk in 1821. We don’t know where he was in 1841 & 1851. Probably somewhere with the army. Harriet was born in Pembroke 1852/3. His son Osborne C was born in Ashton under Lyne, in 1854/5. Henry Samuel was born in Gibraltar c1858. Arthur Ed.in Norwich c 1862/3 and Ann Elizabeth in Higher Booths 1868. Wilf has supplied Colin with details of local births, marriages and deaths and Colin is now trying to get details of Osborne’s army service from Kew.

email: colinhollis@btinternet.com

Pilling Family – Higher Booths

Linda Atrill in Ohio says:

"I am looking for any information on Pillings living in the Higher Booths area. My gggrandfather James Pilling emigrated to Canada in the 1850's. In the 1841 census he is living with a brother Edmund both around 15. He then married Mary Farrand in 1846 with whom he had James b. 1847, William b 1850 and Alice b.1861 in Canada. Edmund, I believe married Alice Turner.  Both list Edmund Pilling as their father on their marriage marriage certificates. I have been in touch with another researches who has Edmund Pilling listed as the natural father of her gggrandmother Hannah born in 1823 to Sarah Gill. We don't know if it is the same Edmund. Any information would be appreciated.

My email is linniej6@yahoo.com

Wilf Day tells me: "James and his brother Edmund are on the 1841 & 1851 census at Laneside, Lumb. Whilst this was in the township of Higher Booths it was, in 1851 in the ecclesiastical district of St Michael's, which was constituted out of Newchurch parish in 1846. I can find nothing of this family in any of the churches at Goodshaw. Most likely is they attended at either St Nicholas, Newchurch, Newchurch Methodist or Lumb Baptist."

McKernan / Farnworth - Higher Booths

Kay Swindale writes from Australia: "My interests are McKernan and Farnworth families. Charles McKernan was born in Ireland. c1800 (it varies depending on which census you read) married a Mary (don't know where or when) and had George, Elizabeth, Susy, John, Sarah, Jane and Mary. John c. 1826 in Goodshaw m Mary Farnworth in 1851 and had Thomas, Enoch and Susannah. Susannah b 1857 m John Williams (formerly from Liverpool but resided in Accrington at the time of his marriage) in 1878 and sailed for Australia the same year. I have obtained a lot of information from the Census and parish records.

I am interested in any of the McKernans and Farnworth families.

My email address: knswin@gil.com.au

James Ashworth and Mary Nuttall

Over the past few years I had several enquiries regarding the family of James Ashworth and Mary Nuttall. They lived at Four Lane End, Stacksteads and were married at Newchurch in Rossendale, 23 April 1810.

Sylvia Walch, from our Rochdale branch, first contacted me about this family [newsletter July 2004] she told me that she was tracing the line of Nathaniel Nuttall Ashworth, a butcher who had married at Mottram in 1844. Census entries showed that he was born in Rossendale.

Then in 2006, I received an enquiry from Margaret Ashworth [newsletter May 2006], she had arrived at the same 1810 marriage again via Nathaniel Nuttall Ashworth and had tried to push the line further back.

She says "I have found George Ashworth of Whitewell Bottom who married Ann Baron of Lum in Newchurch on 26th September 1776. They had four boys, Robert, George, John and James born 12 January 1785. Am I on the right track?".

It is difficult to know, but there was no George amongst James’ family. His children are Alice, 7 Aug1813; John, 28 Nov 1814; Maria, 31 May 1816; Mary, 21 Aug 1817; James, 6 Feb1819; Nathaniel, 20 May 1820 – 13 Feb 1821; Henry, 7 Dec 1823 - 4 Jan.1825, Nathaniel Nuttall Ashworth 10 Oct 1825 and Susannah 28Jun.1826. All recorded At St Nicholas.

By 1841, James Ashworth was livng in Ashton under Lyne aged 67, described as a labourer.with Mary aged 53 and Maria (24), James (17), Susannah (15), Sarah (13), Mary (4). also Alice Taylor (27) his daughter? & Jephtha Taylor (27).

It's Susannah that's causing the headache for Erika Szwandt. She say her gt. gt. grandmother, Susannah Ashworth "had children but does not name their father.

I am just on last avenue of trace by purchase of my Gt;gt; Grandfather’s marriage certificate in case he named his father on that certificate as his birth certificate names his mother but no father. My connection to her is through one of her sons, John born 1846, in Ashton under Lyne".

In 1851 Susannah was still living with her father. He was given as a 77 year old widower, an oat cake baker, Mariah 33 and Susannah (25) Susannah has 2 sons, John (4) and Joseph (10 months).

By 1861, Susannah has returned to Rossendale. She is living at Todmorden Road, Bacup. She has 3 sons living with her and no sign of a father. They are John H. now 15, born Ashton, Abraham (4) and James (7mo). Joseph has disappeared.

Finally, I have recently been contacted by Derek Thomas who lives in Milnrow. He is yet another descendant of Nathaniel Nuttall Ashworth. I have put all these people in touch with each other and hope that they can make some progress. Ath the very least they can have a grand family reunion.

emails:
Erika Szwandt: erikaszwandt@yahoo.co.uk
Sylvia Walch: sylvia@sylvia80.freeserve.co.uk
Derek Thomas: derekthomas303@ntlworld.com
Margaret Ashworth: marash@waitrose.com

Ashworth/ Wright/ Maxwell

I have a couple of queries from Wendy Kelly

She says "I have the information as follows, George  Richard Ashworth (father) born c1852, married to Mary Eliza  Maxwell born c1855, children, Harold 1883, married to Eliza Wright, born 1877,  Cheshire Hyde, marriage November 26th, 1904, the parish church, Newchurch  in Rossendale, his address 35 Church Street Newchurch, his father timekeeper, her father not known, (she is my grandfather's half sister in some  census, in others she was known as the same name as the rest of the  family McCormick, although in the 1901 census my grandfather's sister  Elizabeth is head of family, and she is younger than Eliza) the rest of  the Ashworth children are, John 1879, George Homer 1885 he and a Ruth  Bogle were witness's to Harold's wedding ( I have found a wedding for  them in 1905 register Haslingden) also listed are William 1888, Thomas 1892,  Amy 1895.

Birtwistle / McCormick

Another family I am interested in is the Birtwistle family, James born c1834 * in Haslingden, married first to a Hannah Crabtree, born 1837, and secondly to Elizabeth born c1846, at All Saints Elton. The children were all born in Newchurch. In 1881 he was at Whitewell Bottom, Newchurch. His youngest son William Worswick Birtwistle born 1881, married December  8th 1906, at St. Mary’s Church, Rawtenstal to Elizabeth McCormick (born at Hyde, Cheshire, 1880) , other children of James are Joseph  c1861, John c1866, Alice c1875, Ernest. An elder son Edward was listed in 1861 born c1859".James had knocked 3 years off his age in 1881 because he had married a much younger wife".

email: wendy60@fastmail.fm

editor’s note - anyone researching Birtwistles should check "The Birtwistle Family, 1200 – 1850" by William A. Birtwistle and Ray Aspden. Published 1990. This states "Joseph Birtwistle born 1777, the eldest son of Richard & Susan of Hartley House {Haslingden Grane} married his cousin Alice Birtwistle in 1801. Joseph and Alice are recorded at Edenfield & Musbury in 1851. Joseph [born 1814] 3rd son of Joseph & Alice was recorded as a stone mason in Edenfield in 1841 & later he is shown in the 1851 census at Whitewell Terrace Newchurch. His children are James 1834; Ellen 1836; Ester 1838; Jane 1840; Anne 1842; Sarah 1847 and Susan 1850.

Facts and Figures.

Ashworths in Newchurch 1851

The poulation of Newchurch in 1851 was 16,915

Of these 909 were surnamed Ashworth.

Population figures for Higher Booths:

1801 – 1607;
1811 – 2568;
1821 – 3172;
1831 – 4347;
1841 – 3652;
1851 – 3827;