LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter November 2004

Monday 29th November

Archive Awareness Campaign.

Rawtenstall Library. Drop in: 10.30am - 3.30pm

Who do you think you are?

Staff from Lancashire Record Office will be available to answer questions on Family History and Local History Research.

Rossendale Census Indexes

In previous newsletters I have described the available indexes for 1841 and 1851 censuses. The 1861 census was transcribed in the early 1990s. It is only available in book form. Copies are available in local libraries, other copies are available by application to the branch secretary.

The indexes give surname, forename, age and folio number for the head of household, plus any other relatives, employees, lodgers etc. who may have a different surname to the head.

The geographical coverage was extensive. It covered not only the Rossendale area but also parts of Rochdale and Bury Parishes.

We are currently investigating the possibility of having the typescripts scanned and made available in some computer readable form; so that they can be published by the society in microfiche or CD format.

Areas covered:

RG9/3049-3051 covers those parts of Bacup and Whitworth which fall within the Township of Spotland in Rochdale.

RG9/3052-3056 Newchurch. It includes Deadwen Clough (with the Hamlet of Cloughfold and Newchurch Village; Wolfenden and Tunstead Booths with the hamlets of Waterfoot, Booth Fold and Tunstead; That part of Bacup and Stacksteads which came within Haslingden Registration area.

RG/3057 & 3058 Townships of Higher Booths (Crawshaw Booth and Goodshaw Booth); Lower Booths (includes Rawtenstall) - also Cowpe Lench with New Hall Hey and Hall Carr (both areas now in Rawtenstall) which fell within the ancient parish of Bury but are in Haslingden Registration area.

NB. RG9/3057 has been published on microfiche.

RG9/3059 Township of Tottinghton Higher End. A part of the ancient parish of Bury which is in Haslingden Registration area. It covers the hamlets of Stubbins, Chatterton and Irwell Vale together with the village of Edenfield. Also the Township of Musbury, also a former part of the parish of Bury and is now part of Helmshore.

RG9/3060 & 3061 Township of Haslingden includes Grane. Also Henheads, Stonefold and Rising Bridge (detached portions of Lower Booths)

RG/93039- 3042 Our 1861 index also covers the remaining parts of Spotland Further and Nearer End which lie within the Rochdale area.

Rossendale Ancestry

TAYLOR/ HOLDEN/HUDSON/ROSTRON/PICKUP

Andrew Taylor - Father of many....but how many?

I have a puzzle for you. We all like puzzles don’t we?

There is a gravestone at Newchurch which reads:

"In the memory of Andrew Taylor, Inn Keeper of Scout/ who died Decr. 7th 1867 in the 75th year of/ his age/ Also Alice the wife of A. Taylor of/ Scout who departed this life the 17th/ day of July 1843 in the 30th year of her age/ Also Andrew son of Andrew and Mary Taylor who departed this/ life March 4th 1857 aged 9 months/ Also Mary wife of the above who died/ June 20th 1869 in the 48th year of her age/ Also Mary wife of James Rostron who/ died June 24th 1876 in the 49th year of her age".

It seems simple enough, a husband, his two wives and one child who died in infancy.

However, this piece of research was sparked off by one of our members who had found a note in the Newchurch marriage register. Beneath the marriage of Elizabeth Taylor, 18th March 1876, the Vicar had written:

"Elizabeth is the 37th child of Andrew by his 5th wife Mary."

Elizabeth was at that time 19 years old, her father Andrew was given as being Innkeeper of the Mason’s Arms. She had married Ormerod Pickup, aged 21, the son of John Pickup.

So, was Elizabeth really the 37th child of Andrew?

Taylor is a very common name in Rossendale. Our 1851 surname index showed 150 entries. Fortunately Andrew is not common. I used our "Head of Household" index to find him in 1861. There were only two Andrews listed, one aged 60, was a weaver from Bacup, married to Fanny. The other, aged 66, was the man I wanted. An innkeeper, living at Scout with amongst others, a one year old daughter Elizabeth. He was born in Ashton-under-Lyne. From the IGI, I found that Andrew Taylor was baptised 29th December 1793, his parents were Jonathan and Mary.

In 1861, Andrew had 7 children listed on the census, and also Mary Rostron, given as a lodger, born Accrington. Since then. I have found that he had another daughter, Ellen, born later in 1861. This would make her the 38th child, or would it?

From various sources, I have gathered the following information:

Wives

(Probable and Possible)

21 August 1814 Anne Holden at Haslingden. VRI
4th Sept. 1826 Ann Hudson at Haslingden VRI
1838 Alice Hudson Lancs BMD (RM/3/7)
c1844 Mary,,,,,,,

Census entries, all at Scout, Newchurch.

1841 - wife Alice aged 25 - she died 1843 (see Gravestone)
1851 - wife Mary aged 32 born Newchurch
1861 - wife Mary aged 41 (same Mary?) - she died 1869 aged 47 (see Gravestone)

Children:

c1816 William 1841 census & 1881 census - born at Belthorn (near Blackburn)
c1827/8 Mary (mar James Rostron) born Accrington 1841-81 Census.
1830 Grimshaw (mother Ann) born Accrington VRI
1838/39 Jonathan born Newchurch. Census.
1842/43 John born Newchurch. Census.
1844/45 Ashworth born Newchurch. Census
1846/47 Grimshaw born Newchurch. Census
1848/49 Edmund born Newchurch. Census
1855/56 Martha Ann born Newchurch. Census
1857 Andrew died aged 9 months - Gravestone
1861 Ellen - 38th child? VRI and 1881 census.Total

12 children, can you fit 26 more into the gaps?

A Peal of Bells at Newchurch

TAYLOR/WHITTAKER/ROSTRON

I have two items which relate to a new peal of bells at St. Nicholas, Newchurch.

1. At the marriage of James Taylor to Alice Ann Whittaker - 18th March 1875, the Vicar wrote:

New peal of bells rung at this marriage for the first time.

2. An extract from the obituary of Edward Rostron published in B&RN on Saturday 4 February 1882 tells us: The remains of the deceased gentleman will be interred this day in the family vault, St. Nicholas’ Churchyard, Newchurch at twelve o’clock noon. The coffins are three in number, viz. a pitch-pine shell, a second of sheet lead, and a third of polished oak, cut from the bell frame taken down in 1874, when the deceased presented the church with a new peal of bells. This old bell frame which was placed in St. Nicholas tower in 1825 was taken out and stored in Mr. Rostron’s cellar, where it remained until Tuesday last, when in accordance with the deceased expressed wish, it was handed to Messrs. Halstead, undertakers, of Newchurch, for the purpose above named. The coffin is of elaborate design, having six massive polished brass handles with breast plate in the form of a shield, bearing the following inscription EDWARD ROSTRON Died Jan. 30th 1882 in his 60th year.

Thanks to Mary Davison and Chris Pickup for the above items.

Whilst the 100th anniversary of the above marriage, was commemorated by another peal of bells; Edward Rostron seems to have been forgotten. Sadly the location of his vault is now lost. We did not find it when we did the MIs for Newchurch.