AUDLEY & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
May 2006
EXECUTIONS ON BIGNALL HILL?
The dangers of using Web based information in an unquestioning way are aptly demonstrated by the following. While surfing the web I came across the following website: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Bignall_Hill, _Staffordshire, which clearly states that two criminals were executed on Bignall Hill in 1864. http://www.newspaperdetectives.co.uk/master1864B4.htm tells us that the executions occurred on the 31st December 1864 and that the two men concerned were Charles Brough, aged 24, a miner, and George Walker. Subsequent research by one of our members, Ian Bailey, tells us that Charles Brough was accused of the murder of George Walker at Bignall Hill farm in 1864. Charles Brough was indeed executed in December 1864, but in Stafford Gaol. Another man was executed at the same time but for a completely different murder. In this case, information on the web is incorrect and very misleading.
‘LINLEY HALL and MOW COP’
About twenty-five society members and guests thought that the March meeting, a snowy evening, was doomed for disappointment, when the speaker failed to arrive. Not so, for Philip Leese, at very short notice agreed to talk to us on either, ‘Linley Hall’ or ‘Mow Cop’, in event he gave us both.
Linley Hall is situated on the Staffordshire / Cheshire border. There is evidence of Bronze Age barrows and possible Saxon dwellings. In Parrott’s survey of 1733 it was described as a folly and was called, rather grandly, Montpelier. Situated on top of a hill it is a very ‘healthy spot’. One owner, William Rowley, who died in 1745, had his final wish granted; it was to be buried in his own back garden.
In 1760 James Caldwell was the owner of the three storey Georgian mansion, which was at that time described as a ‘wild and lonely place.’ In 1789 Edward Salmon paid £4750 for the property, which by that time had expanded to 211 acres and included 6 houses.
Philip then went on to talk about Mow Cop. Mow Cop is a familiar local landmark on the Staffordshire / Cheshire border. It is in fact formed by hard rock at the end of the Pennines. Interestingly traces of a prehistoric camp have been found and burial mounds and also a Bronze Age boat. As recently as 1982 a 3,000 year old hammer was discovered, giving further proof of stone quarrying. High quality millstones called querns were quarried for use in watermills. These date back to the Iron Age.
In 1754 Randle Wilbraham built an elaborate summerhouse looking like a medieval fortress and round tower.
Mow Cop is also renowned as the place where Primitive Methodism started when, in 1807, it was the venue for a 14 hour meeting called by Hugh Bourne of Stoke and William Clows of Burslem. Given to the National Trust in 1937, Mow Cop again drew a huge crowd of over 10,000 Methodists in recognition of the occasion.
Members will note that Philip is also our next scheduled speaker on the 5th May. His talk on the 3rd March was interesting, authoritative and very entertaining and his talk in May is highly recommended.
(The Editor wishes to thank Joan Tomkinson for this review)
SNIPPETS
The cause of the explosion was never established, but several home made keys to
the safety lamps were found in the pockets of those who died. Evidence was also
found of miners smoking underground. A collection ordered by Queen Victoria raised
over £16,000 for the widows and children. The 'Talke Directory' of 1872 records that
'170 persons are now receiving relief from the fund, widows receiving 5s a week, and
2s a week will be paid for children until they arrive at the age of 14'. An additional fund
was set up after this to provide for those affected by subsequent disasters.
In April 1875 another explosion occurred in the Bunker's Hill coal pits, killing 42 men
and boys. £3,000 was raised for the widows and orphans. There were also explosions
at Talke O' Th'' Hill on the: 18th February 1873, killing 18; 24th December 1884 (17):
and 27th May 1901 (4). Other disasters were at the Jamage Pit on: 5th January 1876
(5 dead); and 25th November 1911(5 or 6).
Talke colliery closed in 1928, putting 1,000 men out of work.
·
The Origins
Network have announced that Staffordshire is now available on the England and
Wales 1871 census on British Origins (www.britishorigins.com)
Over 873,000 names can be searched throughout the county of Staffordshire
including images from all parishes. A full index to and digitised images of the
complete census for England & Wales will become available over the coming
months. Users with access to CDs of the original records can use this index
alongside these CDs. Counties now available on the 1871 Census include:
Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Glamorgan, London-Kent, London-Middlesex,
London-Surrey, Middlesex (ex. Metropolitan area), Norfolk, Staffordshire, Surrey
(ex. Metropolitan area), Wiltshire, Worcestershire
·
U.K. MAPS
ONLINE. A new website was launched recently displaying high-
quality maps to aid genealogists with U.K. interests. The site currently
has 10 London maps and views dating from circa 1560 to 1897 with more
London and English county maps planned. The maps are free for all to use
for non-commercial projects, so feel free to use these maps to illustrate
your family history project.
http://archivemaps.com/mapco/index.htm
· Important Dates for Family Historians: -
1190 Julian calendar introduced in England (New Year’s Day the 25th March)
1538 Parish registers introduced in England and Wales
1553 First parish registers in Scotland
1600 Gregorian calendar introduced in Scotland (New Year’s Day the 1st January)
1601 Poor Law Act in England and Wales (Parishes made responsible)
1634 First official Irish parish registers
1659 First unofficial Irish census
1707 Act of Union between England and Scotland
1732 Parish registers written in English instead of Latin (except for the period
between 1650-1660)
1752 Gregorian calendar introduced in England and Wales (New Year’s Day 1st
January)
1754 Hardwick Marriage Act (Included printed books for marriages only)
1801 Act of Union between England and Ireland (Until 1922)
1821 First official Irish census
1823 Establishment of prisons
1834 Poor Law Amendment Act (Parishes grouped into Unions)
1837 Civil Registration introduced in England and Wales
1845 Civil Registration introduced in Ireland of non-Catholic marriages
1855 Civil Registration introduced in Scotland
1857 Matrimonial Causes Act (Divorce Courts set up)
1864 Full Civil Registration introduced in Ireland
1874 Birth and Death Act – made illegal not to register
1918 Votes for women aged 30 and above
1926 Adoption of Children Act (Register of adoption set up. Previously adoption
was by a drawn up deed or word of mouth)
1928 Votes for women at 21
1929 Age of marriage with parents’ consent raised to 16 (Previously 12 for a girl
and 14 for a boy, with consent of parents)
1969 Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
PAVIOR—appointed by a village to see to the repair of paving stones etc.
COUPER--one who buys and sells, especially in cattle and horses
BARKER --a tanner of leather
CURRIER--a dresser of leather for further treatment
CORDWAINER--a worker in leather --from bottles to shoes and horse harnesses
CLERK--in addition to the present meaning, the term was often applied to a
clergyman [a clerk in holy orders]
HALFBAPTISED--privately baptised
HILLIER or HELLIER--a slater or tiler
HUSBANDMAN--a tenant farmer
IN-LAW-- could have a different meaning before the mid C19 from what it has today—
the term son [or daughter] in-law could mean stepson /step daughter
PINFOLD or POUND--an area where stray animals were put in the parish. They were
released on payment of a fine by the owner
YEOMAN --a man holding--not necessarily owning--and cultivating a small landed
estate
ANGELA’S CORNER
Some Audley Emigrants.
Some people from Audley and the surrounding areas who emigrated to the North American Continent in the latter part of the nineteenth century.
At the Masonic Cemetery Walsenburg in the county of Huerfano Colorado USA, there is a monumental stone recording the life and death of Noah Dean and his wife Betsy Smallwood. It reads as follows:
Noah Dean born 4 July1835 died 19 December1910
Betsy Dean born 4 February1836 died 10 December 1907.
We can gather from the inscription, the birth and death of Noah and Betsy Dean and also their possible location at the time of death. What it does not tell us is where they were born.
Noah was the son of John Dean and his wife Hannah Johnson. He was born in Alsagers Bank near Audley, Staffordshire, in 1835. He grew up in Alsagers Bank and lived there for a number of years. In 1861, he was working as a coal miner in Farnworth Lancashire. At this time his family were living in Linehouses near Tunstall. By 1871, His parents and some of their children including Noah were back in Chesterton living in Back Sandford Street.
Betsy was born in the Tunstall area and is still living there in 1861. However, by the 1870s she and Noah have children baptised in Chesterton Parish church.
Noah sailed from Liverpool, on the 26 August 1880, on the White Star Liner called the Celtic. She arrived in New York on 4 September 1880. Betsy sailed with her children Anna, Alice, Ephraim, Phoebe, Eliza and Charles on the Helvitia. The ship left Liverpool on 30 August 1882 and arrived in New York on 12 September 1882.
By 1885, the family were living in Iowa. Noah was still working as a coal miner, just as he had done in England. Sometime between 1885 and 1900 the family moved to a small mining community called Rouse. This was in Huerfano county Colorado. Rouse eventually became a ghost town.
Walsenburg was only a short distance from the mining community of Rouse, hence the burials of Noah and Betsy in the masonic cemetery in this town.
Noah was a coal miner all his life and had a number of children, so he probably never had much money. It is possible that he was ‘head hunted’ in this country by representatives of a USA mining company. He and his family may well have been given help with the cost of their fares to the USA. No doubt, his family had paid for the beautiful obelisk monumental stone in the masonic cemetery.
Noah Dean, was the first cousin of my great-grandfather Aaron Jones Dean. Both men were descended from the Dean family. The records of this family go back in Audley, to 1539.
Common Sources:
Unusual Sources:
Copyright Angela M Davies.