LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter October 2006

Coming Events

Saturday 7th October

Irish Ancestry Group - Mini Conference

Venue - The Straits, Oswaldtwistle 10.30am - 4.10pm

Contact Margaret Pursell, 128 Red Bank Road Bispham, Blackpool FY2 8DZ. email mpursell@redbank.fsnet.co.uk Payment £6. Please bring a packed lunch. Application forms & programme are available at the back of the room.

Saturday 28th October

Family History Open Day hosted by Haslingden Roots and Rossendale Branch at Haslingden Library. 10.00pm - 3.00pm Everyone researching Rossendale Ancestry will be welcome; come and meet us.

Executive News - from your Chairman

Again greetings in this second Chairman’s summary. Since the last summary, I have been able to visit two branches Preston, and Blackburn & Darwen, as well as the two I normally attend, Bury and Chorley. I plan to visit at least four more before Christmas.

At our last Executive Meeting on he 14th August the following decisions were made:

1. We received a grant from Lancashire County Council to help cover the costs of expenses of travelling to Preston to check BMD’s. Any branch wishing to claim expenses should contact me for the forms, which they can then print for their own needs.

2. A small working party of Fred Moor (web master), Pip Cowling (membership Secretary), David Hustler (publications sub committee member) and Carole Walker (treasurer) are looking at our application forms and the Paypal system.

3. The Straits working party was changed to an Executive sub-committee with responsibility to spend the setting up capital and the day to day running of the Straits when it is opened.

4. Following on from this the Executive met the following Monday, {together with the working party} and agreed to setting up the Straits according to the working party’s proposals. Details of which, are available from me on request.

5. A meeting was arranged on Saturday 30th September at Astley Hall from 1pm to 4pm to discuss the question "Where are we going".

6. The Publications Sub Committee are to produce the guidelines required for projects, so that they can be published by the Society, regardless of format.

7. It was agreed by the Publications Committee and approved by the Executive that any branch wishing to have its own web pages, should first of all consult Fred Moor for guidelines and the Executive will give final approval. (This does not apply to the two establish websites, Rossendale and Pendle & Burnley)

Stephen John Ward. Chairman LFHHS.

Book Review

‘Choppy’ Warburton,

Long distance runner and trainer of cycling champions: Hero or Villain?

by Richard O, Watson published by E. Wileybooks, 2006.

James Edward Warburton was born to run. His birth place was Coal Hey, just off Lower Deardengate, Haslingden. The property still stands in fact it boasts a blue plaque but this does not refer to James Edward, there is no memorial for him in Haslingden. This may be due to some confusion over his place and date of birth or maybe it is due to his activities in later life. He was in fact born on 13th November 1845, a month after his parents’ marriage. They were James Warburton, and Harriet Birtwistle, a widow whose maiden name was Morris. James Edward is known universally as "Choppy" for reasons which are not entirely clear. He was the eldest of 12 children of whom, only six boys and a girl survived, His potential as a runner was discovered by John Duckworth (his employer at Hutch Bank Mill) when he was about 17 years old.

Richard Watson has extensively researched his career as an athlete. He has documented his progress as an amateur from 1866 - 1879 when, at the age of 34 he turned professional. During this time he won over 500 first prizes, including 75 cups. He had visited venues throughout the north of England and amazingly run races ranging from 1 mile to over twenty miles, at the same time he was working full time as a warehouseman in a local mill. His professional career was equally spectacular, he was now able to race against the top long distance runners. Mr. Watson gives details of his encounters with the accepted champions of the day when he seems to have been willing to run any distance if the purse was big enough. He was very popular and crowds gathered where ever he went, many of them betting heavily on his success. In 1880, he visited his brother George in the USA and entered several competitions in the States, there he acquired 80 cups and medals.

So, why "villain"?

In 1892 he became a very successful cycling trainer and went to France to train his riders. He was trainer of world cycling champions, Jimmy Michael and Arthur and Tom Linton. In recent years there have been many accusations of drug taking in sport especially in cycling. Choppy has been firmly identified as the instigator of drug taking in the sport in the 19th century. Nevertheless, Mr Watson concludes that Choppy was probably the best runner in the world for at least two years and Haslingden should be proud of her son. Choppy died in 1897 aged 57 years.

Available from the author, Paperback, 204 pages price £11.95 including postage (UK) Overseas £14 including postage. write to Richard O. Watson, 3 Whittle le Woods, Nr. Chorley, Lancs. PR6 7JQ or email Richardwatson3@blueyonder.co

Jurors’ Lists - transcripts.

These lists cover the years 1796-1834, they are to be found in the Quarter Sessions Documents at the Lancashire Record Office. They are listed by Blackburn Hundred and then by town. They give Name, Age, Address, Occupation and Qualifying Township. I have already printed some transcripts for Higher and Lower Booths. This month I am printing the jurors for Haslingden in 1796. The names were arranged under the "Posts" or "Wards" in which they fell, Church Post, Grane Post, Holden Post and Town Post, . The forenames on the first page of the microfilm could not be read. It may be better on the original.

Haslingden 1796 - Church Post

Billsborrow, James, 60, Haslingden, Yeoman
Lonsdale, Edward, 20, Haslingden, Yeoman
Wilson, John, 23, Baxenden, Yeoman

- Grane Post

Anderton, James, 42, Haslingden, Yeoman
Duckworth, George, 37 Haslingden, Yeoman
Hobbran, John, 40. Abroad, Yeoman
Holden, John, 45, Haslingden, Yeoman
Horsworth, Henry, 29, Blackburn, Yeoman
Hutchinson, William, 60, Bury, Yeoman
Ratcliffe, Ellis, 50, Haslingden, Yeoman
Rostron, John, 62, Haslingden, Yeoman
Rostron, John, 64, Haslingden, Yeoman
Rothwell, Richard, 43, Haslingden, Yeoman
Walmsley, George, 47, Rossendale, Yeoman

- Holden Post

Houghton, ?, 36, Flaxmoss, Yeoman
Anderton, ?, 55, Haslingden, Yeoman
Ellensworth, ?, 40, ABroad, Gent.
Hargreaves, ?, 31, Bury, Gent
Hargreaves, ?, 50, Holden, Gent
Heys, ?, 31, Haslingden, Yeoman
Houghton, ?, 34, Flaxmoss, Yeoman
Houghton, ?, 54, Flaxmoss, Yeoman
Kay, ?, 42, Flaxmoss, Yeoman
Law, ?, 50, Newchurch, Yeoman
Law, son of James, 40, Flaxmoss, Yeoman
Lister, ?, 67, Edenfield, Yeoman
Lund, ?, 42, Holden, Smith
Lund, ?, 37, Manchester, Yeoman
Taylor, ---- wood, 40 (odd), Burnley, Yeoman
Turner, ?. 40, Haslingden, Yeoman

- Town Post

Howorth, ?, 40, Haslingden, Yeoman
Howorth, ?, 47, Haslingden, Yeoman
Hoyle, ?, 42, Haslingden, Yeoman
Lonsdale, [Danie]l, 32, Haslingden, Yeoman
Rishton, ?, 64, Haslingden, Yeoman
Rostron, ?, 47, Haslingden, Yeoman
Teasdale, Richard, 51, Haslingden, Yeoman
Townsend, ?, 42, Haslingden, Yeoman
Wilkinson, ?, 37, Haslingden, Yeoman
Wilkinson, ?, 50, Bury, Yeoman
Wilkinson, ----n, 40, Manchester, Yeoman