LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter June 2004

Coming Events

Saturday 26th June - York Family History Fair. York Racecourse.

Friday 1st October - LFHHS - Annual Dinner. Whalley Abbey. Hosted by Ribble Valley Branch. £16.00. Details in "Lancashire" May 2004.

LFHHS Constitution - Final Draft

The final draft of the revised constitution was submitted to the AGM 22nd May. This constitution will, when it has been agreed by the Charity Commissioners replaces the existing one.

The final item should be of interest to Branch Workers.

Under the heading "Standing Orders"

5. Travelling and Other Expenses
a. Executive Committee members and others on Society business carried out at the request of the Executive Committee may claim mileage or the cost of public transport.
b. Branch members working on projects for publication by the Society, may claim travelling expenses, as above, and for consumables (for example paper and printer ink to produce the master hard copy of the project) from their Branch. The Society will reimburse the branch for these expenses when the project is completed for publication.
c. Branch representatives attending Executive Committee meetings may claim travelling expenses, as above from their branch.

A full copy of the constitution is available on request.

Mills Mansions and Corner Shops

A Major New Resource for the history of the North West.

The 2nd N.W. Access to Archives (A2A) project provides free online access to thousands of archive catalogues of family, estate, business and industry collections from 25 different archive repositories across the region.

The archives chosen for this project illustrate the historical development and diversity of the region, they represent major centres of industry and population as well as sparsely populated rural communities.

The types of records include: manorial papers, maps, plans, surveys, leases, estate accounts, title deeds, correspondence, journals accounts etc.

For further information pick up a leaflet or check out the web site www.a2a.org.uk

Membership Secretary

At the Society AGM Pip Cowling from Bradford agreed to take over from Vicky Barlow as Membership Secretary. She is to be assisted by Roy Dewhurst from the Hyndburn Branch.

.... and Society Treasurer

No one has yet been found to take over from Carole Walker as Treasurer. Anyone interested in shadowing Carole, with a view to learning the job should contact Tony Foster, the Society Chairman.

Rossendale Ancestry

Dean Mill and Nab Colliery/ HEYWORTH

Des Heyworth (member 7848) says he has a good line back to Robert Heyworth of Nab Farm, Water (b.c. 1690). This man is known as "Robert the Water man."

According to family tradition he had amongst his children "Straight-up Robert", Richard "Shankum" who is buried at Lumb Baptist chapel, John "Hubbub", Hannah and Alice who married Lawrence Ormerod.

"Straight-up" never married but left a will which gave the above details. Des’s line descends from Richard "Shankum". It is known that Robert "Water man" had a brother James who lived at Dean Clough and was a feoff. Des has an extract from the Clitheroe Court Rolls which reads:

Elizabeth Heyworth surrendered 1661 to John Heyworth in Wolfenden.

John Heyworth surrendered 1682 to James Heyworth.

James Heyworth surrendered in 1690 to Oliver Ormerod in trust.

Richard Heyworth surrendered with Oliver Ormerod to John in Wolfenden, Grace and John Heyworth of Bankend and Greensnook, Bacup.

Des has a tentative pedigree. He says he is interested in the original ownership of Dean Mill and the nearby Nab Colliery, which possibly powered it. He believes that Dean Mill originally went by another name.

All this is very complex, if anyone can shine any light on these Heyworths or on Dean Mill contact Des

email: des.heyworth@virgin.net

The Haworth’s – A journey back to Haslingden.

Growing up all I knew about my maternal grandmother’s family was that Great-grandfather was a HAWORTH from Yorkshire, that he was the black sheep of the family and that he had been cheated out of his inheritance by a crooked solicitor. His father, it was believed by all the relations, had been a wealthy hotel-owning doctor in Scarborough.

It was the arrival one summer of the 1881 census on CDs that has sent me off on a long and fascinating journey backwards in time to Haslingden in 1787. Fortunately for me the 1881 census had Great-grandfather under his full name – William Pick HAWORTH. It’s true he was a Yorkshireman, being born in Keighley in 1864, but the family didn’t live in Scarborough – they lived in Filey. The revelation was that his father James, the wealthy doctor, came from Oswaldtwistle. The GENUKI pages gave me more information from a Trades Directory – in the 1890’s James was in partnership with his son John and had written a book.

Filey Library recognised the title but thought that I should try the Filey Archive at the Town Hall. The Filey Archive was wonderful. I just mentioned James’ name and hit a veritable goldmine of information. James had left a scrapbook of cuttings about his life to the Archive! From them I have received copies of reports on family marriages, music composed by James, letters to newspaper editors and 50th wedding cards. The only thing that is missing is an obituary.

A phone call from the Filey Archive finally sent me off to Lancashire; James had a brother John who lived in Accrington. And if Filey was a goldmine, Accrington was a diamond mine. Over the next few months more obituaries arrived, local history books were borrowed, baptismal registers and 1851 census data photocopied. I started borrowing census films at my local LDS, but realized because the name is so common that I would have to list every HAWORTH in Oswaldtwistle. This was a good move, as every so often yet another one of them joins the family.

It was a combination of the 1851 census and John Haworth’s obits that led me back to Haslingden. John’s father was Jonathan and his uncles were Richard and James and they were all born in Haslingden; Jonathan about 1789, James in 1792 and Richard in 1798. Their father was Richard.

My next step was the online IGI. I found them all there and also some possible siblings – John(1790), Jane(1794) and Elizabeth(1803). IGI had their mother as Isabel(la) and I found a marriage for Richard HAWORTH to Isabella BIRTWISTLE in Haslingden in 1787.

And that is where my journey may end for I have no way of knowing who Richard or Isabella’s parents were; their marriage entry simply gives their names – no parents, no address, and no profession. Jackie Ramsbottom has kindly checked the registers for me and although the baptism registers have an address of Grane or Hartley House, no other information is given.

Did John, Elizabeth or Jane survive and marry? Why didn’t they move to Oswaldtwistle with the rest of the family? Were Richard and Isabella born in Haslingden? Who were their parents? I think to answer these questions may prove more difficult than unravelling the Oswaldtwistle chapter of their lives.

By the way, James of Filey didn’t own hotels – his house became one after he died and the so-called crooked solicitor was in fact William’s brother-in-law who was an executor of James’ estate and who I think may just have made some bad investments. But I will have to consult the News of the World for the story on that so I am told!

Submitted by Fiona Hall who runs the Society’s "Helping Hands" service. email: fiona.j.hall@btopenworld.com