LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY AND HERALDRY SOCIETY

Rossendale Branch Newsletter February 2003

Programme

Tonight - 5th February 2003

Bacup- Britannia Clog Dancers, a talk by Mr. A. Clarke

Wednesday - 5th March

The story of the Rossendale Male Voice Choir, a talk by Mr. J. Stanhope

Wednesday - 2nd April

Rossendale Branch - AGM

Rossendale Branch Committee: AGM

Anyone wishing to assist in running this branch, in any capacity from Chairman to Catering, should contact John Dalton by March 5th. We would be particularly happy to have volunteers willing to help with small research enquiries, transcript work at the library, or publicity (issuing posters) etc.

followed by: The Diary of Richard Kay (1716 - 1751) of Baldingstone near Bury, a Lancashire doctor,

a very short talk by Rita Hirst to mark the recent republication of this book by the Chetham Society.

Coming Events:

LFHHS - Irish Ancestry Group Mini-Conference

at 2 The Straits, Oswaldtwistle, Lancs., BB5 3LU on Saturday, 8th March 2003, 10.30 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.

Cost - £5.00 per person. Please bring a packed lunch. Tea and coffee provided.

Please Note Numbers are limited. Bookings and enquiries to Miss M. Purcell, 128 Red Bank Road, Bispham, Blackpool, Lancs. FY2 9DZ

Tel. 01253 353909

Let Margaret know if you intend to be present at the conference and include SAE for acknowledgement and directions. Payment may be made on arrival.

Lectures include - Irish Research on this side of the Irish Sea and Old Age Pension Returns. There will be an advisory panel in the afternoon.

The full programme was printed in our last Newsletter. Some leaflets are still available.

Creation to Cremation

The North West Group of Family History Societies’

Annual Conference will be hosted this year by the Manchester & Lancashire FHS on

Saturday 26th April 2003 9.00 am to 4.00pm at

Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester.

Programme:

9.00 am Registration

9.30 am Welcome - Lord Mayor of Manchester

9.45 am The History of Cremation Records by John Marsden

10.45 am Break and Refreshments

11.15 am Challenges & Changes, Civil celebrations by Hayden Keenan. Supt. Registrar.

12.15 pm Lunch

2.00pm Genetics in Genealogy by Prof. Peter Beighton.

Admission is by advanced booking only, closing date 14 April 2003. The non-returnable payment is £15.

Please send form to M &LFHS, Clayton House, 59 Piccadilly, Manchester. M1 2AQ

Thirty Years on! 1973 - 2003

30 years ago our family history society was founded under the grand name of the

Rossendale Society for Genealogy and Heraldry.

To celebrate this event the LFHHS is returning to its roots. 

This year the Annual Conference & AGM will be held on 

Saturday - 10th May 2003 at St. Mary’s Chambers, Rawtenstall.

Speakers:

Melvyn Hirst - Research Insights

Peter Marshall - Recycled Country Houses.

Thomas Woodcock - Norroy & Ulster King of Arms.

Full details and booking form will be available in your

February 2003 "Lancashire" journal.

Rossendale Ancestry:

BILL YATES: The Last Handloom weaver?

Sheelagh Whittaker writing from Canberra, Australia, would like to verify a family story. She tells me that Bill and Peggy Yates were the grandparents of her ancestor William Rostron Whittaker. Her family claims that Bill Yates was the last handloom weaver in Haslingden. Bill and Peggy were 50 and 48 respectively in 1861. The 1851 census for Irwell Vale lists him as William Yates "warper". In 1861 he was also shown as a "warper" he was living on Station Brow, Haslingden, so he was probably working in one of the 4 or 5 factories situated in that area. In 1871, he was living in the same area, listed as "twister in a cotton mill".

This appears to be one legend which can not be verified. So, who was the last handloom weaver in the area? I think there were several in the more rural areas, in 1851 and possibly in 1861. Please let me know if you have any information on this subject.

Sheelagh’s Email: sheelagh.whittaker@eds.com

HUDSON/ CRABTREE/ GRINDROD

Robert Rood says his information came from a Crabtree cousin and some notes written by his gg uncle in the 1890s. His gg grandfather Jonathan Crabtree left Love Clough in 1846, the family had originally come to the area from Hebden Bridge. His cousin told him that there is a cemetery at the Rehoboth Chapel, where some of their Hudson ancestors are buried.

His earliest recorded Hudson is John born c1684 in Yorkshire. He moved to Lancashire c. 1700 and married a farmer’s daughter from Bank Top, near Lumb. Their eldest son Richard 1714 - 1775 lived at Height Farm, near Whin Isle. He married Ann Grindrod daughter of Edmund Grindrod of Height Farm. Anne sang with the Larks of Dean and Richard composed music. He died after being kicked by a horse whilst ploughing a field. He was buried at Goodshaw Chapel. Inscribed on his stone is:

"My body lies interred here. My sole is gone, if you’d know where. Tis to be banished from God’s face. Unless salvation’s work is done, And sinners saved by grace alone. God will have glory thus you see, By saving guilty sinful me."

Richard’s children, Eli, Reuben and James all had musical ability. 

email rood@intellink.net

Ebenezer Baptist Chapel

Records held at Rawtenstall Library:

Bapt. 1759 - 1874 Microfilm and Book

Burials 1782 - 1866 Microfilm

M. I. c1770 - 1867 Book

LORD/LAW of Greave, Bacup

Researching common names can be very difficult, so I have explained this research in detail.

Eileen Ovenden was given a family tree by her cousin. Originally she had difficulty finding the locality of Greave. I was able to tell her that in 1851, it was a small hamlet, situated on the road from Bacup to Todmorden. It straddles the old boundary between the ancient Township of Newchurch and the Township of Spotland (within Rochdale Parish). Bacup at this time was largely in Newchurch. It had just started to expand into the Spotland area.

We managed to establish that Eileen’s family lived on the Spotland side of the boundary. Her second problem was that almost every family in the hamlet was named Lord.

John Lord aged 33 (1851) was married to Betty Law. John was a joiner born in Spotland. Their children were John (10), Anne (8), Alice (7), James (5), Samuel (4), Ellen (2), Edward (6mo) There was also an apprentice Richard Lord (14) born in Newchurch.

John’s father was given on a marriage certificate as Samuel Lord, farmer. Eileen’s informant gave her Samuel Lord Mar. (56 in 1851) farmer of 9 acres born Newchurch. His wife Betty (54) was born in Todmorden.

In the 1841 census, Samuel is listed as a 40 year old carter with a wife Alice aged 45. This Samuel is living next door to John and Betty and appears to be the correct parent. I have the monumental inscriptions for Ebenezer Baptist Chapel. There are 11 Lord family gravestones including:

"This stone is erected to the memory of Samuel Lord of Greave who departed this life the 6th day of January 1853 aged 59 years. Also of Alice the wife of Samuel Lord of Greave who departed this life the 25th day of March 1843 in the 54th year of her age".

Samuel Lord and Alice Taylor were married at Newchurch, St. Nicholas 21 March 1815. They had many children registered at Ebenezer Baptist Church (mother’s maiden name is specified in the register), including John born 9th October 1817.

"The Old Church in Rossendale"

At the end of the 17th century there was no place of worship of any kind in Bacup. The few inhabitants had to travel to Newchurch. About this time little companies of Protestant dissidents formed what they called "The Church in Rossendale." .It was from this group that Ebenezer Baptist sprang. They were influenced by two Yorkshire - cousins. Baptist preachers William Mitchell and David Crossley.