LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter November 2003

Programme: 2003

Wednesday 5th November - The Lancashire Cotton Famine (1862 - 1865) Fred Holcroft

Wednesday 4th December - Christmas Celebrations. By popular demand we will once again have a CHRISTMAS SOCIAL, with FUN - GAMES and POTATO PIE SUPPER. Tickets are available from Kathleen Ashburner £2-50 each

Programme: 2004

Wednesday 7th January - Research Evening

Wednesday 5th February - To be arranged...

Wednesday 3rd March - Tracing your Army Ancestors. Jonathan Ali

Wednesday 7th April -AGM and Heirlooms

Open on Saturday

The Lancashire Record Office will open on one Saturday each month for a trial period during 2004, from 10.am until 4.00pm:

10 January; 14 February; 13 March; 17 April; 8 May; 12 June; 10 July; 14 August; 11 September; 13 November; 11 December.

LRO, Bow Lane, Preston. Tel. 01772 533039 email: record.office@ed.lancscc.gov.uk

Haslingden Roots

Meetings will be held at St. James Church, Haslingden from 7.00pm to 9.00pm on the first Monday of the month until Easter, when the regular weekly meetings will be resumed.

Contact: Jackie Ramsbottom on 01254 394794 or email to jax@grane92.freeserve.co.uk

Mathilde Kirstine Downham

I have been given a memorial card for Mathilde Kirstine, the beloved wife of David Downham, of Priestentax Farm, Grane, Haslingden, who died December 7th 1920 and was interred at St. Stephen’s Church, Haslingden Grane.

I am going to put the card into the safe keeping of Jackie Ramsbottom, of Haslingden Roots. If you are connected to the Downham Family then you can contact Jackie at the address given above.

Cricket Team - Acre Mill Baptist Chapel

I have had a phone call from Frank Ives, who tells me that in 1998, he visited our Rossendale Ancestry exhibition in Rawtenstall library. He remembers seeing a photograph of the Acre Mill Baptists’ Cricket team, taken after they won the 3rd Division Championship in 1923. At the time we were asking for the names of the team and the officials shown on the photograph. Frank was able to supply this information but now he is interested in obtaining a copy of the picture for his own web site.

If you can give Frank any information his address is

Frank Ives 44 Gordon Street, Bacup, OL13 8DH

The Ives Family Web Site can be found at www.ives55.btinternet.co.uk

William Ives and his family arrived in the Stacksteads area of Bacup between 1876 and 1878. William and his ancestors came from the Burnham area of North Norfolk and his wife Clara from Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Coming Events

Saturday 8th November

The North West Group of Family History Societies

Family History Fair

Manchester Velodrome, the National Cycling Centre, Stuart Street, Manchester.

10.00am - 4.00pm. Admission £2.00 (children free) Refreshments ---- Free Parking Free Lectures:

Details - Mr E.W. Gullick, 4 Lawrence Avenue, Simonstone, Burnley. BB12 7HX email - ed@gull66.freeserve.co.uk

Rawtenstall Cemetery Update

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Robert Airey of the legal section, for allowing me access to the original burial records, which are held in the strong-room at Rossendale Town Hall.

These records contain the "last address" of the deceased, which the "currently used index" does not. These latter indexes are held by Maria Todd (the Cemeteries Superintendent ) at 41 Kay Street, Rawtenstall.

I now hold 19,282 names and the first 9,440 are complete with address, from 9th January 1877 to 5th February 1923.

Michael Hiluta.

Lancaster Castle - HM Gaol

This list was taken from the 1851 Census index on microfiche (L3), available in full from Dorothy Haworth, 24 Cecil Street, Oswaldtwistle Lancs BB5 3HF or by email at fiche@lfhhs.co.uk

Clement NUTTALL Debtor Mar. 41 Victualler Born Lancashire - Rossendale.
John HOYLE Debtor Mar. 51 Woollen Manufacturer Born Lancashire - Rossendale.
Betty ASHWORTH Prisoner Unmarried 21 Steam Loom Weaver. Born Lancashire - Bacup
Elizabeth WOODS Prisoner Mar 29 Steam Loom Weaver. Born Lancashire - Haslingden.
Catherine FRANKLIN Prisoner Unmarried. No occupation. Born Lancashire - Haslingden.

Submitted by Maureen Hodgkinson.

Old Photographs

Many thanks to Andrew Robinson of Helmshore for a fine sepia photograph of "Rawtenstall from Pike Law". Wilf Day, is always pleased to receive old none copyright photographs for the web site. He would be particularly interested to receive photographs of old Haslingden.

Church Histories

There are photographs of most of Rossendale’s Churches on the web site but not all of them have detailed histories. If you have an interest in one of these churches, perhaps you would like to write a short description of the church and if possible list the available records.

Lancashire BMD

Hyndburn and Rossendale

Tony Foster has informed us that a further 4,305 Hyndburn marriages went on the website 27th October. These are mainly Registrar’s Marriages covering the years 1837 - 1867.

Jim Lancaster has passed on details relating to the Blackburn and Manchester areas:

4,964 marriages for Blackburn RD consisting of Darwen, St Peter (formerly Holy Trinity) (1837-1863);

Blackburn, St Mary the Virgin (Blackburn Cathedral) (1857-1870); Feniscowles, Immanuel (1838-1879); Darwen, St James (1838-1892); Tockholes, St Stephen (1840-1930); Belmont, St Peter (1851-1979); Blackburn, All Saints (1900-1912).

There has been a significant development with the addition of the first marriages at Manchester Cathedral. The full details are:

14,756 marriages for Manchester RD, principally Manchester Cathedral. 1837-1841 but also Hulme, St Mark (1865-73); Ancoats, All Saints, (1846-78); Barlow Moor Emmanuel (1861-1900); Whalley Range, St Margaret (1849-73); Manchester Registrar 837-1841) and Chorlton-on-Medlock Registrar (1837-41).

Of these, about 10,000 are for the Cathedral. another 12,000 or so in the final stages of checking to be added soon and these will extend coverage to mid 1845.

Website address: www.lancashirebmd.org.uk