LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter November 2013

LIBRARY DROP IN SESSIONS
Beginners Welcome. Haslingden Library every Monday 5.30 – 8.30 pm
Note: the doors to Haslingden Library close at 7.30 pm.

and at Rawtenstall Library every Tuesday 1.30 – 3.30 pm

We may be able to do simple look-ups for distant members. When contacting us with an enquiry, please include your membership number

The LFHHS Resource Centre.

The Society’s Resource and Research Centre at 2 Straits, Oswaldtwistle, BB5 3LU is open every Thursday from 1.00pm – 5.00pm and 1st Saturday of each month 1.00pm..

EXIBITIONS AND FAIRS

The Society will be in attendance at the following venues:

9th November 2013. – Batley 10.00am to 4.00pm Batley Town Hall, Market Place, WF17 5DE

9th March 2014. - Rotherham 10.00am to 4.00pm Herringthorpe URC, Wickersley Road, Rotherham.

Calderstones Hospital Records

It has recently been announced that record books showing the history of the old Calderstones Hospital prior to the formation of the NHS are being preserved in the Lancashire Archives. Staff at Whalley site have been cataloguing files as part of a new database, they include records from the nearby former hospital at Brockhall.

Documents which can be legally kept, including those of service users discharged before 1950, are being stored in Lancashire Archives for access by researchers.

Great War Memories

The Accrington Observer is looking for your stories, pictures and family memories as preparations go ahead to commemorate the outbreak of World War I. The Accrington Observer would like to tell as many personal stories as possible. They are asking anyone with letters, diaries and photographs etc. to contact the managing editor, Eamonn O'Neal at the following address, First World War Project, MEN Media Hollingwood Avenue,Chadderton,OL9 9EF or email him at eamonn.oneal@menmedia.co.uk

Hoddlesden & its Satellite Villages

(Blacksnape, Eccleshill, Yate & Pickup Bank) by Roy Parker  This book tells the history of four intertwined rural townships that were typical of old east Lancashire, tracing their development from their beginnings as tiny settlements in one of the county’s beautiful wildernesses, right up to the modern day.

This book will appeal to anyone connected to the villages but also to local and family historians elsewhere wishing to add background into their own personal history. Furthermore, to all who have an interest in the broader history of Lancashire and the British Isles. £14.99 can be published through the Society website.www.lfhhs.org.uk.

Rossendale News, Notes and Queries

Last month Norman Hindley gave us a talk on the History of the Co-operative Stores. He describes the early days of the Co-operative movements. The Rochdale Pioneers founded in 1844 were not the first but they were they most successful. He went on to tell us about the Bolton Co-operative Society were he worked for many years. His reminiscences stirred many memories amongst his audience. They remembered the dividend numbers of their mothers and grandmothers, the co-op milk men, the funeral services etc.

Well Bank, Haslingden
Where is Well Bank?

Look for Well Bank on a modern O.S. map of Haslingden and you will find it situated to the west of the Haslingden by-pass road (the A56) the former railway line to Accrington, as it runs through the Carrs Industrial Estate. If you look on a street map of Haslingden you will find it situated to the south of Townsend Street and to the west of Charles Lane, in an area known as the football field. The 1909 O.S. has it further north nearer to the bottom of Laburnum Street and to the east of the railway. It appears that they needed to find a suitable space and just plonk in “Well Bank”.

Woodcock’s History of Haslingden shows that the Well Bank area was part of the Glebe land. In relation to the turnpike roads he states that in 1790 “the order was given that certain persons should view and value three closes of meadow ground in Haslingden called Well Meadow, the Smithy Bank and the Ing and the value should be tendered to the owners”.

In 1799 Lord Ribblesdale having acquired it from the Archbishop of Canterbury divided it up and sold it to the Bury, Haslingden, Blackburn and Whalley Turnpike Trust. This was the site of Blackburn Road.

The oldest property (now No. 1 Victoria Street/34 Blackburn Road) can be seen on the 1846 map of Haslingden. It is the only building in this area on the map.

No. 1 in 1851, was occupied by Betty Hargreaves aged 45, cotton manufacturer of Haslingden. At that time the property was listed as being on Blackburn Road. In 1861 it was described as “Well Meadow.” Today it is called Well House.

In 1841 Betty was living at Coal Hey, off Deardengate with her husband Thomas who died in 1847. His widow lived until 1888 at Well House. This premises consisted of a large three storey dwelling house and warehouse. The row of windows on the third storey indicates its previous use as a hand-loom workshop. There is a partly in-filled taking-in door to the first floor. Betty (later known as Elizabeth) was quite an entrepreneur In 1855-56 she was responsible for building Britannia Mill. In 1870 her sons Henry and George became partners in the firm.

I have been given a pedigree of this Hargreaves family which takes the family back to 1613.

In 1861 land on the Well Meadow, then owned by John Hoyle Esq. was leased to William Rothwell, a stone mason. In 1864, he and his brother Thomas built a pair of semi-detached houses at the south western end of the meadow [nos. 17 & 19] The 1871 census shows that by then 13 houses had been built. William Rothwell was living in what became No.19. Although at this time the houses were not numbered. In 1881 and 1891 there were 19 houses. Two remained to be built Nos. 2 & 4.

The Gated Area

Well Bank could be described as “Outer” and “Inner”. “Outer” describes the street up to its junction with Queen Anne Street. “Inner” was a gated area. There were gates crossing from No. 9 to the edge of the garden belonging to No. 12. The gate posts are still there. There are still actual gates between No. 6 and No. 18 leading from Well Bank to Thomas Street and Townsend Street. The whole area within the gates is unadopted and is unrecognised by modern Sat Navs. Outer Well Bank was frequently known as Victoria Street This name (thanks to the postal service) is now given to the entire street.

I came to live in Well Bank in 1962 when my father purchased no. 17 from his brother. It would be impossible not to be fascinated by this area and the people who have resided there.

So, where is the well? To be continued. Rita Hirst.