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 31^st 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 5^th May. His talk on the 3^rd 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

• There was a pit explosion at 11.15a.m. on Thursday December 13^th 1866 at the Talke O' Th' Hill Colliery  when 91 men and boys were killed out of the 180 who descended that day. Thirteen men and boys were rescued alive, two of who died later. By Friday morning 58 bodies had been recovered and removed to 'The Swan Inn' where two rooms had been provided for the reception of bodies and identification by relatives. There were terrible scenes as people searched for their loved ones, many of whom were dreadfully mutilated.

      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: 18^th February 1873, killing 18; 24^th December 1884 (17):

      and 27^th May 1901 (4). Other disasters were at the Jamage Pit on: 5^th January 1876

      (5 dead); and 25^th November 1911(5 or 6).

      Talke colliery closed in 1928, putting 1,000 men out of work.

• An excellent website with lots of information about the Diglake Disaster can be found at: http://www.warrinerprimaries.com/Topic/diglake.htm
• A Horse Brass was recently sold on e bay for £237! It advertised the work of saddler

       John Meredith Howell who was born in Llanrhaiadr, Denbighshire in 1864. In 1887 he 

       married Cathrine Jones of Ruabon, in Wolstanton. On the 1901 census he is recorded as

       being a saddler in New London Road, Chesterton.

The Howell’s shop was what is now the sandwich shop right at the bottom of Victoria Street in Chesterton, universally known by the older generation as ‘Saddler Howell’s’. In Audley the shop was what was known by my generation as ‘Mrs Giles’’. This was at the bottom of Boon Hill; the second shop starting up Bignall Hill, next to what was an auto spares shop. It is now a private property.

The brass would have been used on horse harness to advertise Howell’s work, but with the demise of the heavy horse, the shop was recognised as purveyors of high-class leather products to include shoes, brief cases etc. Members will remember the wonderful smell of leather when you entered the shop.

There is obviously a fantastic story here. Where and when did John and Cathrine meet? What brought them to Chesterton? What about the successes of the next generation?

If there are any members with further information please contact me, MayerFam@aol.com.

·         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 25^th 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 1^st 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 1^st

                          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

• www.ellisisland.org: Contains more than 22 million names of passengers and members of ships' crews who entered the United States through Ellis
  Island and the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924. 
  www.castlegarden.org: If your ancestors arrived at New York prior to when Ellis
  Island opened, check this site where there are more than 10 million
  names of those who arrived between 1830 and 1892. 

• Useful Occupations Names: -

       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:

1. 1841, 1851, 1871,,1881 census for Audley SRO.
2. 1861 census for Tunstall Staffordshire. SRO including Linehouses.
3. Baptisms St James PC Audley Staffordshire SRO.
4. Marriage records Christ Church Tunstall Staffordshire SRO.

Unusual Sources:

5. Information and photographs from the Dean and Malbon families in the USA.
6. Ancestry.com Shipping records. SRO and USA
7. Ancestry.com 1885 census Iowa USA, 1900 Colorado census 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930. SRO and USA.
8. Shipping records, Norwegian Heritage Internet site.
9. Memorial stone records and pictures, internet site.

Your comments and suggestions would be most welcome. If anyone recognises any of these family names and would like more information, you can write to Robert Mayer, or contact me directly by email at angeladavies@blueyonder.co.uk

Copyright Angela M Davies.

NOTICES

·         On the Wednesday of the 4^th and the Friday of the 6^th October Ian Bailey will have available at the meetings some 15 lever arch files of photocopies of his extractions from the Staffordshire Advertiser. These will be the original, unedited entries and when used in conjunction with the index, see page 7, will provide a wealth of information for family historians.

·         Please note that there will be no meeting on the afternoon of Wednesday 2^nd August and on the evening of the 4^th August. This is outside our control; the hall has been seconded for Holiday Club Activities.

·         JJ Heath-Caldwell has contacted us with an important and interesting request.

       JJ wrote an article a couple of years ago on his family who lived at Linley Hall, Talke.  He

       also has a really good website on the family.

       Well, he has received a bequest, which, among other things, contains 12 diaries written

       by James Caldwell covering the years 1808-38.  He envisages that it will take a couple of    

       years to transcribe them, as they are so substantial, so he is trying to get volunteers to 

       transribe them and they will then become freely available on his website.

       Caldwell was well connected.  He was an executor of Josiah Wedgwood and friend of 

      Josiah Wedwood II and his family.  He was a partner in Bent's Brewery of Newcastle and

       in the major potting firm of Wood & Caldwell in Burslem (the partnership ended in 1818). 

       He was involved in the North Staffs Infirmary and knew and visited Heathcotes, Sneyds

       and other local notables.  All these are mentioned in the diaries, as are people who lived

       on the Linley Hall estate.

       From a local and family history viewpoint these are exciting documents - and they haven't

       been used by historians before: they have been in a trunk in the family's possession till 

       now.

      JJ is going to send me a sample in the next few weeks just to see what is involved.  Then

       it is over to us.  I certainly want to be involved.  If you are as well you might like to contact

       me.  Members will be kept informed of progress.  Ian Bailey, 20 Hillside Ave, Endon,

       Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, ST9 9HH.  Email: ibail1sc@stokecoll.ac.uk

·         The Central England Fair will take place on SATURDAY May 27th, 10am-5pm at Buxton Pavilion Gardens, St John's Road, Buxton Derbyshire, SK17 6XN

·         The LIVERPOOL AINTREE RACECOURSE FAIR will take place on Sunday October 29^th, 10am-5pm at Princess Royal Stand, Exhibition Suite, Ormskirk Road, Aintree, L9 5AS

·         Members are aware of the ongoing wills project and the initial publication of the Wills and Probate Inventories of the people of the Parish of Audley, (1650 –1700) has been transcribed and is available CD, please see the publications listing below. If you would like to take part in this project please contact Robert Mayer on: MayerFam@aol.com.

·         A further project is being developed around the 1910 LAND TAX SURVEY.  It is clear that the Land Tax Survey is an absolute goldmine of information and anyone interested in taking part should contact Roger Wood at the next meeting.

·         We have been further invited to host the 2006 Border History Fair in October this year. This will be a major event for the society and we extend a warm welcome to all members planning to attend. Typically displays will be available from organisations such as the Staffordshire Parish Register Society and the County Record Office. The venue will be the Church Hall, Audley and Saint James’ Church will be open on the day.