Journal of the

Volume 33, Number 4 July 2020 HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

The Society was formed in 1987 and its aims are to promote and encourage mutual help between people interested in family history and genealogy. It caters particularly for those with interests in the Kirklees Council area which comprises the towns and districts of Batley, Colne Valley, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Holme Valley, Kirkburton, Meltham, Mirfield and the Spen Valley. It covers an area of nearly 160 square miles and within its boundaries lie the ancient parishes of Almondbury, Batley, Birstall, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Emley, Hartshead, Kirkburton, Kirkheaton, Mirfield and Thornhill.

Membership of the Society runs from 1 August to 31 July and the subscription rates, per year, are as follows: Individual Membership £12 Family Membership £15 Overseas Membership £18 Electronic Membership £10

Family Membership consists of two named persons at the same address, receiving one Journal. Please ensure that cheques are in sterling only and are made payable to:

‘HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FHS’ Subscriptions may be paid by PayPal via the Society website, or to The Root Cellar by sterling cheque, or in person by cash. If you are a UK income tax payer you may consider paying your subscription with Gift Aid. This will increase the value of your payment to the Society at no extra cost to yourself. Life Membership of the Society is available at twelve times the annual subscription in force at the time of application. This sum is payable with Gift Aid in four equal, annual amounts.

Meetings are held at regular intervals during the year usually at Huddersfield Town Hall, starting at various times. Please refer to the Programme in this Journal or the website for more details. Occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary to change the programme and so if you plan to attend a particular meeting, please make sure that you check the Society’s website (see below), three or four days prior to the meeting.

Publications: The H&DFHS Journal is published and distributed to members four times a year in January, April, July and October. The Society’s Project Group has produced complete indexes of both the 1841 and the 1851 censuses for the whole of our area (more than 200,000 names and 1/90th of the population of England and Wales for 1851). These are available in booklet form and also on CD. The group is currently indexing Parish Registers (baptisms, marriages and burials) for all the major local churches. This information is available in printed form, as is information from the ever-growing database. Most of these works are listed on, and can be purchased through, the Society web site (www.hdfhs.org.uk) or a full publications list can be obtained by writing to the

Book Seller at ‘The Root Cellar’ (details inside the back cover), enclosing a large letter SAE or two IRCs (International Reply Coupons).

Sale of Goods Act: UK postal customers may change their mind within seven days of receipt of the goods, returning them at their own cost. There will be a charge of 50p per book plus 50p per order to cover our costs.

Data Protection: Our Privacy Policy is available on our website. As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, we are not required to ‘notify’ the Data Protection Authorities in the UK regarding the holding of personal data. However, you should know that we hold on the Society’s computers the personal data that you provide to us. We also make this information available to other members for the purposes of following up ‘Members’ Interests’. If you do not wish the Society to make any of your details available without your authority, please contact ‘The Root Cellar’ by letter, email or phone.

Society website: www.hdfhs.org.uk HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Registered Charity No. 702199 July 2020 VOLUME 33 NUMBER 4

Oakwell Hall, Birstall – Photo by Jane Roberts (see page 15 for tracing Civil War ancestors)

The opinions and views expressed in this Journal do not necessarily represent the views of either the Editor or the Huddersfield & District Family History Society. This Journal is copyright, and no part may be reproduced for publication in any form whatsoever without the written consent of the Editor. The Society accepts no responsibility for any loss suffered as a result of any item published in this Journal. Please note that queries regarding non-arrival of Journals should be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to the Root Cellar at Meltham. Journal Submissions: Please send items for publication to the Editor by email or post, and include your membership number, name and postal address. Items sent by post can only be returned or acknowledged if a SAE is included. Please state if an article has been printed in, or submitted to another publication. Items should be clearly hand- written, typed in Microsoft Word with a file name ending in .doc or .docx. Please do not send any attachments in Word formats which are pre-1997. The Editor welcomes letters and articles on any aspect of family or local history. Items with relevance to the Kirklees area are of particular interest; as are cuttings, hints and tips. Editing of articles may be necessary, depending on available space. Please confirm how much personal information you would like us to include e.g. address and/or email details. Deadline for inclusion in the next Journal: 20 August 2020 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 1 Contents The Society Editorial 3 Annual General Meeting 5 Election of Officers 6 - 7 Membership Renewal Time 8 Our Fair and Other Events in 2020 AND Wanted: A New Journal Editor 9 New Members AND Members’ Interests AND Members’ Interests 20 - 21 Contacts Your Society in ‘Lockdown’ 26 Members’ Correspondence Letters to the Editor 22 – 23 Help Wanted 31 General Interest Programme of Speakers AND Forthcoming Events 4 The Hollingworth Family, Back Cover Photograph – Joyce M Clarke 10 – 11 Edgerton Cemetery Huddersfield & Children’s Graves AND Map Overlay 11 Website Walter William Haigh 1871-1944, Front Cover Photograph – Janet Le 12 – 13 Billon Help Wanted – Sykes and Ainley Family 13 A Young Wesleyan Gets Married... – Elizabeth Green 14 – 15 Civil War Ancestors? 15 150 Years Ago...Snippets from the Huddersfield Chronicle – Janet Le 16 – 18 Billon Family History Without Archives – the Short-Term Future? 18 House History – A Research Record 19 Ordinary Ancestors? 21 The Society Databases AND A Useful App 24 What’s in a Name? AND Maritime Ancestors 25 News from the Family History Federation 27 The Spanish Flu of 1919 – Sue Carson 28 - 29 VE Day in Battyeford 29 Research Corner 30 Garden Robberies and the Vicar of St Thomas’ Church – Susan Hutson 32 – 33 Longevity in Lepton & Asquith’s Fold Location AND Criminal Ancestors 33 Focus on One-Place Studies – Contributions by Pam Smith & Steve 34 – 37 Jackson Thrift Tips from our Ancestors – Jan Green 38 - 39

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Society News and Notices

At the time when the April edition of the Journal was being printed, little did I think life for so many of us would be so dramatically changed: that we would find ourselves living in the midst of a global pandemic. This scenario, with disease running rife through populations, is one which faced so many of our ancestors. From the sweating sickness and plague, to cholera, typhoid and influenza. Not to mention measles, TB, whooping cough and smallpox. We have all come across these in the course of our research. The recording of the influenza pandemic of 1918/19 by a Cleckheaton man is featured on page 28, and it resonates all the more for living during our own pandemic. We have had enormously different experiences of living under lockdown. Some of us have continued working in key services, at our normal workplaces, often in stressful conditions. Others have been able to work from home, possibly whilst coping with home-schooling. Whilst some of us have been furloughed from jobs, or worse still are now facing unemployment. Money worries, anxiety for loved ones, routine disrupted, things like shopping for essentials taking far longer than usual, normal social life and family interactions we take for granted stopped. All have impacted on every-day lives. Some of us have had more extreme experiences - minimising outside contact to a far greater extent than others, even self-isolating or shielding for long periods. And then there are those who have been touched directly by the disease. All this has affected our family history research. I conducted a snap poll in May. The result was 42 per cent of respondents had difficulty focussing on family history. The same percentage had been unable to research because they now had too many other time pressures. 16 per cent found research limited because of travel restrictions, event cancellations, archives and library closures. No-one said they had been able to make the most of new research time and opportunities. Admittedly though, this was only a small sample. It has also affected the work of the Society, and our Secretary has written about this on page 26. Sadly, it has also meant the cancellation of our annual fair, explained on page 9. And, ultimately, it has also dictated the content of this edition of the Journal. The events page is a suggestion of online offerings. And Research Corner is dedicated to some new research opportunities afforded by lockdown. I hope the October Journal will have more positive news. But in the meantime, stay safe.

Jane Roberts Editor

Family History in your Local Library Many libraries in Kirklees offer family history sessions, often supported by members of our Society. We intend to update our records of ‘drop in’ sessions in local libraries in the near future but in the meantime please visit the Kirklees website: http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/index.aspx for more information about family history related events at your local libraries throughout the Kirklees area. ______

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 3

Programme of Speakers 2020

Tuesday 24 November 2020. Annual General Meeting (AGM) talk by Dr David Allen ‘Snuff Boxes’. For more details, including time, please see the AGM notice on Page 5. All are welcome, non-members £2.00 admission. Admittance to non-members is likely to be around 2.20 pm or shortly after. Please note this meeting is dependent on the coronavirus situation.

Forthcoming Events

The pandemic has resulted in the widespread cancellation of meetings and events (see page 9 for some examples). Given the uncertainty as what the position is going forward, this section is a change to the one we usually include in the Journal. This time it focuses purely on online options, either scheduled or suggestions for ones that you can watch at your leisure. Tuesday 21 July 2020, 2pm – 2.30pm – Top Level Tips Webinar: Discovering your Local History. Ideal for everyone, our experts share top tips and pointers on how to start researching your local history, such as your town or house. A free event, but registration is essential. More details at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats- on/events/. This National Archives has been holding a series of online events, so do check the above website link for the updated list going forward. And if you have missed any of the earlier ones, some are now available via the Archives Media Player at https://media.nationalarchives.gov.uk/. Thursday 30 July 2020, 2pm – 3pm – My Ancestors Worked in Textile Mills - Online Talk. This Society of Genealogists (SoG) talk by Adele Emm, costs £10 (discount for SoG members). For more details of this, and other SoG online talks, see http://www.sog.org.uk/books-courses/events-courses/.

YouTube - There are many YouTube Family History Videos, including dedicated channels by data providers. Findmypast’s channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/findmypast and includes videos on subjects such as Finding Ancestors in Newspapers and Finding Ancestors in WW2. Ancestry’s channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/AncestryCom. They have a similarly wide array of videos, ranging from Tips and Tricks for Solving your Family History Challenges to Finding Women’s Maiden Names. Also check out the FamilySearch Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/FamilySearch. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included here, it is up to members to check the event is happening and arrangements have not changed. For more details of family history fairs and events see: www.geneva.weald.org.uk

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Huddersfield & District Family History Society Registered Charity No. 702199

Notice is hereby given of the 33rd Annual General Meeting

To be held on Tuesday 24 November 2020 in the Reception Room, Town Hall, Huddersfield, at 2.00 pm (please note that this is an afternoon meeting)

The holding of this meeting in the usual manner and at this venue is subject to confirmation in the October Journal, due to the current coronavirus situation

DRAFT AGENDA

1. Welcome and Chairman’s opening remarks

2. Apologies for absence

3. Minutes of the last meeting held on 19 November 2019

4. Matters arising

5. Chairman’s Report

6. Treasurer’s Report

7. Acceptance of 2019/20 Accounts

8. Election of officers

9. Appointment of Auditors

Please note that this AGM may only be attended by fully paid-up members of the Society. Any items for discussion in addition to the above are now requested. Those wishing to submit items must do so in writing to the Secretary by 20 August 2020 by email: [email protected] or to the Root Cellar (address at the back of the Journal). The revised agenda will be published in the October Journal with details of any items where a postal vote of the members is required.

Speaker following the AGM

We are pleased to welcome back Dr David Allen, who gave an interesting and engaging talk at our last AGM. The subject of his talk this year will be ‘Snuff Boxes’. All are welcome, non-members £2.00 admission. Admittance to non-members is likely to be around 2.20 pm or shortly after.

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 5

Election of Officers - Postal/Email Nomination Form

Information for Members 2020

Please see the list of officer posts in the Society on the opposite page.

• Members are elected to all posts on an annual basis. The Chairman and Vice- Chairman may be elected for a maximum period of five consecutive years without a break in service. • Nominations are now requested from amongst the membership, for any of the posts. The Constitution states that a maximum of ten members may sit on the Committee; currently there are eight committee members with portfolios as the post of Vice Chairman is held by the Librarian. Two people currently sit as committee members without specific roles. • According to the Constitution, the posts of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer must be members of the Executive Committee. • Please give the names of two members of the Society as your proposer and seconder who you have consulted and who agree to your nomination. • If an election is necessary to any post, a ballot will be held at the Annual General Meeting and the Chairman of the meeting will appoint two scrutineers to oversee the election and announce the result at the end of the meeting. • Postal ballot papers will be sent with the October Journal for any items requiring a vote so that members unable to attend may cast their vote by post. • If insufficient nominations have been received to fill the vacancies, the Chairman of the AGM may, at his discretion, take nominations from the floor. • Please note that the post of Journal Editor will shortly be vacant, and we currently have no-one in post as Projects Co-ordinator, both are currently non-committee posts. We particularly urge members to consider these roles. However, nominations can be made for any post within the Society. • If you would like more information about any of the posts in the Society please contact me by email or leave a message, including your phone number, at the Root Cellar (see inside back cover for details) and I will get back to you.

Susan Hutson Secretary

June 2020

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Huddersfield & District Family History Society (Registered Charity No: 709122) Election of Officers - Postal/Email Nominations - 2020

Current Committee post holders: - Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Data Manager, Librarian, Bookseller, Publicity Officer, Webmaster, Committee Role 1, Committee Role 2 (The Vice Chairman and Librarian are currently the same person).

Current non-Committee posts: - Journal Editor (we are looking for a new Editor this year), Membership Secretary, Projects Co-ordinator (no-one is currently in post) *Please see the notes on the opposite page and current post holder details inside the back cover*

Post .…………………………………………………………………………………......

Full Name of Candidate ……………………………………………………………………….

Membership Number ………………......

Postal Address ………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………......

Telephone ………………………………………………………………………………………..

E-mail ……………………………………………………………………………......

Name of proposer ...... Membership No......

Name of seconder ...... Membership No......

Please give some brief details about yourself to be circulated in case of an election: ……………………………………………………………………………………...……………... …………………………………………………………………………………………………...... …………………………………………………………………………………………………...... …………………………………………………………………………………………………......

Signed …………………………………...... Dated ……………………………......

All nominations must be returned by 20 August 2020 to the Secretary at: The Root Cellar, 33a Greens End Road, Meltham, Holmfirth, HD9 5NW or by email to: [email protected]

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 7

Membership Renewal Time Free Prize Draw for Prompt Renewal Free Prize Draw These are challenging times for societies such as ours and we are now at that time of year when we are hoping you will all renew your subscription. We have been unable to offer the chance for you to meet with our volunteers at the Root Cellar for help and advice recently, but we have tried very hard to ensure that everything else we normally provide as part of your membership has been available. It will help your family history society if you are able to renew your subscription as soon as you can so we can be sure of some certainty around our income for the next financial year. To encourage this, we are offering entry to a free prize draw for everyone who renews by 31 July 2020, with the chance to win a DNA test of your choice up to the value of £79.00 or books/publications/CDs from our online shop to a similar value. We will discuss the choice the winner wishes to make soon after the draw takes place. Everyone, including those who regularly pay by standing order, are eligible for the draw. All the choices you are familiar with are available for your use:

• Individual Membership £12 • Family Membership £15 • Overseas Membership £18 • Electronic Membership £10

Renewal Reminder A copy of the membership renewal form is included loose with this Journal to enable you to make your usual renewal payment; if you already pay for an electronic membership or wish to change to one please follow the instructions below.

Electronic Membership After signing up via the Society website, members will receive their initial welcome pack and the regular quarterly Journal via the internet instead of by post. Those members who are already using the web site to pay their annual membership need simply to login to their account and choose Electronic Membership when they renew. If you wish to choose Electronic Membership, but have previously paid membership fees by other means, then please visit the website, register your details and then login to pay the £10 membership fee through PayPal for the next 12 months (1st August 2020 - 31st July 2021). If you are changing from paying by standing order, then please be sure to cancel the arrangement with your bank before 1st August this year. All choices continue to be available. Paper copies of the Welcome Pack and Journal remain as usual for all other classes of membership.

Please note that enquiries regarding applying for membership via the website should be addressed to the Webmaster, all other membership enquiries should go to the Secretary for the time being (email addresses inside the back cover).

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Our Fair and Other Events Later in 2020 It is with some sadness we have decided to cancel our Family and Local History Fair planned for November, due to the ongoing coronavirus situation. As I write this at the end of May 2020, social distancing is still in place and only minor changes are planned to the lockdown situation. We recognise that events where hundreds of people come together are going to be the last things to return to normal, and if we were to hold it in early November we must start planning now. In June I usually write to all the stall holders and take bookings, this gives us an early indication of the interest from other local family and historical societies. We know that like us, many of these groups and organisations rely on volunteers who come from a predominantly older age group. Whilst by the autumn people will hopefully be visiting more attractions and events, we feel that it is likely that social distancing measures will still have to be in place. This is not something that will be easy for us to plan for and it would be soul destroying if we put a lot of hard work into the event only for it to be cancelled at the last minute. Neither can we have any guarantee of the number of people who will attend and so with a heavy heart we will not be holding our Fair this year. There is no doubt though that we will want to hold it again in 2021. We hope you will understand and join us next year. We are also cancelling our September speaker meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall as that is even less likely to be possible and our proposed speakers were travelling a long way to be with us. The U3A event we usually attend in Buxton each September has also been cancelled. We still intend (unless there are unforeseen circumstances) to hold our Annual General Meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall on Tuesday 24 November, followed by the talk highlighted elsewhere in this Journal. More details will follow in the October Journal. Susan Hutson Secretary

WANTED A New Journal Editor This is a fabulous opportunity for someone who loves writing, hunting out family history news and stories and wants to be at the heart of a vibrant family history community. The job involves putting together our 40-page Journal which is issued to members four times a year. You will need to be confident using Microsoft Word. And a keen eye for detail helps too. Other than that, all you need is enthusiasm and a love of family history. You don’t even need to be local, as the work can all be done remotely via your home computer. In return you will develop new skills, know you are helping the Society and hundreds of family history enthusiasts with Huddersfield and District ancestors, and you’re even adding to your own family history story too! If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers, please contact [email protected] to arrange a chat to find out more details about the role of editor.

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 9

The Hollingworth Family – Back Cover Photograph Thank you to Joyce M. Clarke who is our second member to have a family photograph featured on our Journal back cover. Here is the story behind that photograph.

The picture was taken in Moldgreen, possibly Trevelyan Street or Victoria Place, where the lady in the picture, Mary Ann Hollingworth (known as Polly), my great grandmother and extended family lived. It is taken around 1915 and along with Mary Ann shows her children, clockwise from front left, George (three), Annie (seven), Frances (nine), Arthur Willie (eleven), Frank (five) and sitting on her knee my grandmother Margaret Hollingworth (one). My great grandmother Mary Ann Winkley was born on 2 March 1885 in Kirkheaton to William Winkley and his wife Annie, one of seven children. She married my great grandfather Frank Hollingworth on 20 August 1902 at Christ Church, Moldgreen. They had another two children after the date of this photograph - Roy born 1922, and Emily born 1923. Frank served in the First World War, hence the gap between the births of the children. The marriage record shows Mary Ann’s age as 19 but was in fact 17. Her first-born, Arthur Willie, was born on 2 Feb 1903, so it would seem that she knew she was pregnant when they married. Margaret, my grandmother, was born on 3 Feb 1914 and lived in Moldgreen all her life apart from being ‘in service’ in Blackpool between 1930-1933. Margaret became pregnant while unmarried at the age of 19 and gave birth to my mother Doreen the day before her 20th birthday. She gave birthplace, as recorded on Doreen’s birth certificate, at 291A, Blackmoorfoot Road, Crosland Moor. This address, previously a Workhouse Institution (1869-1881 approx), was later to become a maternity hospital as part of St Luke's Hospital. I learned from an article in The Examiner some years ago that this address was put on the birth certificates of illegitimate children so as to avoid stigma, which would suggest that the maternity hospital was for unmarried mothers around that time. Doreen never got to know who her father was; it is still a mystery. Margaret died on 9 November 1935, aged just 21. As with many families, there were ‘false’ stories of her dying from a broken heart, and suicide on Castle Hill. Before my mother died, I sent for Margaret’s death certificate, to find out that she actually died of tuberculosis in Bradley Sanatorium. Was the story of suicide given by the family as a less shameful end than TB? Margaret may have contracted TB while lodging at a friend’s, as her mother would not have her in the house after finding out she was pregnant. Later Margaret’s eldest brother Frank persuaded his mother, Mary Ann, to have her and the child back, on the condition that he would pay for their keep. How different things are today, thankfully. Frank also footed the bill for Margaret’s funeral at Edgerton Cemetery, paying it in instalments of five shillings a month until February 1936, and I have the receipt to prove it. As an aside, it was this first research into family history that fuelled my desire to find out more of the Hollingworth family roots, and 11 years later I have a large collection of information on the Hollingworths who originated in the Mottram area but quickly populated the Holme Valley, mostly being farmers and joiner/carpenters. I would love to hear of anyone who has information or family trees of these Hollingworth families, as so far it would appear that they all connect to one family who arrived here ‘over the tops’ to Meltham and Holme.

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One of these families emigrated to the USA in 1826, along with related families by marriage, and became well known in the history of the Woodstock area of Connecticut. There is a book called the Hollingworth Letters: Technical Change in the Textile Industry, 1826-1837 in which the letters to and from family in Holmfirth are shared. But that's another story ... Joyce M Clarke (J093) If anyone does have any information about the Mottram and Holme Valley Hollingworth family, please do get in touch. We will pass the information on to Joyce. If you would like your deceased ancestor(s) featured on our Journal back cover all you need to do is send in a good, copyright-free image to me. Please label it ‘Cover Article’. Do ensure you have the permission of the owner of the photograph. Also include an accompanying biography story to use in the Journal - around two pages maximum. And don’t forget to include your membership number - Editor ______

Edgerton Cemetery Huddersfield and Children’s Graves In recent years there has been some discussion around the burials of stillborn and very young children. The concern has been that their graves are unmarked and that the records may not be as comprehensive as one might hope. Society volunteers have been, and are now on the last lap of, transcribing the burial records for Edgerton Cemetery from its opening in 1856 to the middle 1990s. Perusing the data it is obvious that many stillborn children from Huddersfield Infirmary, as well as the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, were buried here. We have received a few enquiries of this type recently and have been able to provide an Edgerton Cemetery package (for a small charge) containing details from the burial register, grave location plans and in some cases we have been able to provide photographs of the location. If anyone thinks they may have ancestors buried at Edgerton they can make enquiries via the Society website at https://www.hdfhs.org.uk/memorial-inscription-index/. Roger Gill (G046) [email protected] ______

Map Overlay Website Maps are a fabulous family history resource. The ARCHI UK Maps website offers a free tool to find old British Ordnance Survey and old maps using your postcode. The map slider then enables you to overlay modern maps on to the older ones. There is much more on the website too, which can be found at https://www.archiuk.com/. For some suggestions about how to use this site in your lockdown research see Take a Virtual Walk on page 27.

Jane Roberts Editor

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 11

Walter William Haigh 1871-1944 – Front Cover Photograph Before anyone scratches their head as to where the little boy appears on the front cover, I have to remind everyone that little boys were not ‘breeched’ until they were about four years of age. Hence my grandfather appears wearing what looks like a velvet dress. As he was the third child in a brood of nine, I would suspect that the dress was a hand-me- down from his sister Mary Eliza b.1867, then Ada Louise b.1869, and it was probably destined to be worn later by Walter’s younger sister Edith Emma b.1873. On reflection, Walter came into a reasonably stable family in 1871, when poverty would abound close by on the streets in Huddersfield. His father Charles b.1834 had their home built at 42 Bankfield Road, which is just a few hundred yards out of the town centre, and the house is still there near to St Thomas’ church. Walter’s father Charles was a basket maker, as were his uncles Abraham, George and Joseph. The trade was to continue in the family with Walter and later, because of a family dispute, the family business was continued by John Edward Haigh, Walter’s younger brother. The business moved to various locations but eventually finished in Milnsbridge. Walter married Louisa Mellor b.1871, daughter of Henry, and formerly of Dearshaw in Fulstone, but how they met is still a mystery. They started their married Walter William Haigh – Age 2 life in Prince Street, Primrose Hill, then later at 17 Bankfield Road, Huddersfield. However, following the family dispute, Walter started up on his own. When I started my family history this part of his life was a bit of a blur. As time went on, I found that my mother had been born at 73 Westbourne Road, Marsh in 1907. I then found a postcard addressed to Mr Walter Haigh sent to Marsh Works at Abb Street, Marsh. This gave me some insight into this early period of my mum’s life, but why hadn’t she mentioned it when we were on the bus going home to Oakes, when I was a child? I have often wondered as I progress with the family history did our relatives know as much as we do? I do remember being told that their home was 12 West Parade, then it changed to 14 and later to Trinity Street. At some later stage they must have moved across the road to number 23 Trinity Street. These premises were demolished in 1970 in preparation for the new Huddersfield Ring Road. Trinity Street Shop - Frank and Walter Haigh Page 12 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4

Whilst researching the 1939 register I found that Walter’s son Frank Haigh, b.1898, had also carried on the trade of basket maker. This came as a surprise as I had only known him as an engineer working at Hopkinson in Birkby. Both my mother and her sister were skilled in basket making, as my mum completed a set of chairs in the late 1970s for a friend. She shared her eagerness with me, but sadly the ‘basket making’ gene must have run out by the time I was being taught. During the War, accessing the osiers, which were needed to continue doing the basketwork, became an increasingly difficult task and sadly Walter died in 1944. I often wished that he had lived a bit longer so that I could have met him. The end of an era? Not quite. Walter’s younger brother John Edward Haigh continued to trade in Milnsbridge into the early 1960s. The firm was then sold on his death and changed its name from Haigh’s Basket Company to Habasco. A quick check on the Internet today shows that the firm is still active and is an international concern. Who would have guessed that when Walter’s grandfather, John Haigh, born 1806 in Horbury, Wakefield but traded in Huddersfield from 1829, would have been the beginnings of a company that is still trading in 2020? Janet Le Billon (L137) ______

Help Wanted – Sykes and Ainley Families

We have been contacted by Gabriel Scott, a 17-year-old with a growing interest in his ancestry. One of his sets of three times great grandparents came from Huddersfield and were part of two prominent families in the area. One was Alfred Ainley, the son of John Ainley who started John Ainley & Sons Ltd, and brewed the well-known Wappy Stout at Wapping Spring Brewery. Another was Sarah Sykes, who was the daughter of Joseph Sykes, the mill owner and woollen manufacturer based at Acre Mills. The Sykes family were also heavily involved in the English Card Company. The Sykes family commissioned many buildings in Lindley, including particularly the Lindley Clock Tower by James Nield Sykes. Gabriel has done a lot of research on the family and knows of family connections to Croft House at Marsh, where James Mason’s family later lived, The Yews on Lindley Moor Road and a property called the Woodlands. The Yews and Woodlands were apparently demolished prior to the construction of the M62, and Croft House was also demolished. Gabriel is particularly looking for photographs of his branch of the Sykes Family, or of the Ainley Family. He is also looking for more information about The Yews or Croft House. Maybe you too have researched these families’ histories? If you can help please contact Susan – [email protected]

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 13

A Young Wesleyan Gets Married... On Monday, 21 of October 1799, William Moorhouse and Hannah Beardsell, both aged 21, with witness Abel Garlick, son of William Garlick, clothier of Holme, walked from Holmbanks in Holmbridge to Almondbury Parish Church to be married. In William’s pocket the fees and the ring, not gold but a simpler, chased hand-made one of bronze, pinchbeck or silver. They were to be married by the Almondbury curate, the Reverend Walter Smith, (not to be confused with the vicar The Reverend Robert Smith). Walter, a master at St James Grammar School, is having a busy October that year with ten marriages: four on Mondays; two on Wednesdays; two on Thursdays; and two on Sundays. He seems to have been the cleric responsible for most of the marriages in the parish; the fees an important part of his stipend. The ceremony was governed by the 1758 Hardwicke Act: ...marriage only permitted in a parish church; …bride and groom must be over 21 unless they have parental consent; …women to be married in the parish where they live; ...marriage to be governed by ‘banns’ or a special licence granted by the Diocesan Authority. The purpose of banns is to give anyone with a legitimate objection to the marriage ‘to declare’ it; they are to be called in the parish churches of bride and groom for three consecutive Sundays before the marriage, and are to be recorded. (A little trap for the family historian, banns may be called and recorded without a subsequent marriage.) The ceremony is to be witnessed and recorded in the parish church register. The Reverend Walter Smith is using the correct standard paper-bound register issued by the Diocese at this time. It is kept in the decrepit parish chest with the triple key locking system, a chest they will be soon be seeking to replace. Three parish officers, John Turner, John Heaton and William Heaton are frequent witnesses to marriages, suggesting many couples do not turn up with the two required witnesses. As befits a schoolmaster, The Reverend Smith keeps the register well; his handwriting is clear, he is using a decent pen and good ink. Like his predecessors he turns dialect names into the King’s English, but there are subtle differences in the entries. Some are recorded in a fine calligraphy with every curlicue well curled, but some are plain. Why the difference? It is easy to imagine that ‘smudgers’ would be the bane of his life, but is this a subtle hint about social standing? A recognition of his Anglican parishioners? A reflection of the place in the church where the marriage took place? Have the applicants annoyed him? Or is he just too tired sometimes to make the effort? I do not know Walter Smith’s views about the growing number of non-conformist groups in his parish, was he a tolerant Anglican who welcomed all who found the way to God? Or did he marry them through clenched teeth? Did he know that William was a Wesleyan*? The Reverend Smith translates ‘Willum Morhus’ into William Moorhouse and gives ‘anna’ her aspirates, but the entry is one of the plainest and both made their ’marks’ as requested with some smudging. Unusually, witness Abel is asked to make his mark. William did not sign his name but I know he was literate; he signed his will. Two centuries on it is difficult to imagine how this, and other marriages like it, were set up. Did the participants need to travel to Almondbury to arrange the calling of the banns or could this be done at Holmfirth chapel? Were they told the day and time of the ceremony to suit the Reverend? It seems a good memory, accurate calendar and timekeeping would be needed if they were to get to the church on time. 1799 was noted as very cold and very wet year. By late October the leaves would be falling and dying summer vegetation on the tracks. Anyone making that journey even if the day was fine, on the available pack horse

Page 14 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 tracks and footpaths, in home-made clothing and clogs, would have arrived in Almondbury a ‘bit clarted up’. Were they too dirty to be allowed in the church? Was this a porch marriage? This was to be the last of the ‘semi-arranged’ clothier marriages in the Moorhouse family. William had been born at Ryecroft in the home of John Stanley. His father James Moorhouse, a younger son, from Hepworth probably apprenticed to John Stanley then allowed/encouraged to marry daughter Ann Stanley. James died very young and Ann re- married a clothier living at Dob, but William stayed with his Stanley grandparents until it was his turn to be apprenticed to Luke Beardsell at Holmbanks, and given the opportunity to marry Hannah. After the marriage they returned to Holmbanks, their home for the next 27 years. The pair are marrying young, the average age at this time is 28 for men, 26 for women. This young couple could not have had the resources to set up as independent clothiers, so who has an interest in getting this pair settled? Luke Beardsell died three years later, with his own sons apprenticed out, did he want to see his widow and daughters cared for and his business in capable hands? The centuries-old system had worked well for the clothiers running a family business, as both man and wife had learned the skills needed to make cloth. A mistress clothier was a skilled and powerful woman! But times they were a-changin’ ... spinning was moving out of the clothier’s home. * ‘We’ve allus bin Wesleyans since mi gret-granfeyther signed up afore ‘e got wed’ - Emily Moorhouse 1876 - 1962.

Elizabeth Green (G11) ______

Civil War Ancestors? 30 June marked the 377th anniversary of the 1643 English Civil War Battle of Adwalton Moor. The Royalists under the Earl of Newcastle defeated Lord Fairfax’s much smaller Parliamentarian force. The likely escape route taken by the Parliamentarians was Warren Lane, which leads towards Oakwell Hall (as photographed on page 1). To mark this I’m highlighting a useful website for those tracing English Civil War ancestors. The Civil War Petitions website supports the project ‘Conflict, Welfare and Memory during and after the English Civil Wars, 1642–1710’. The project began in June 2017 and will run until June 2021. The project description says: The English Civil Wars were a time of terrible conflict. In England and Wales alone, a greater proportion of the population died in the Civil Wars than in the First World War. For those who survived, thousands suffered from terrible injuries whilst wives, children and other family members faced daily struggles as a result of bereavement. The ‘Conflict, Welfare and Memory’ project will reveal the human costs of the Civil Wars by investigating how wounded soldiers, war widows and other bereaved family members petitioned for financial relief... The website address is https://www.civilwarpetitions.ac.uk/. Jane Roberts Editor

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 15

150 Years Ago... Snippets from the Huddersfield Chronicle 23 July 1870 Death of an old man at the Model Lodging House – A tailor, named Thomas Sullivan, 66 years of age, was found dead in bed, on Thursday evening, at the Model Lodging- house. The deceased, it seems, had been lodging at that establishment some time, and as he had complained of being unwell, Mr Priestley, the superintendent, had advised him to apply for admission into the Infirmary. The old man, who objected to leave the Model Lodging-house, retired to bed about ten o’clock on Wednesday night. On Thursday he never left the room and Mr Priestley’s assistant saw him several times in the course of the forenoon. At half-past one o’clock Sullivan appeared to be asleep in bed; but at half-past seven in the evening, life was discovered to be extinct. The deceased, it would appear, had made an effort to dress himself, but, after putting on a portion of his clothing, again took to his bed, and apparently expired. July 30 1870 Removal of the tollgate - In the early part of the week workmen were engaged removing the gates and massive stone posts forming the toll bar at Dogley-lane. The road is now clear of the obstructions. Fire at a Mill - A fire broke out in the drying stove belonging to Messrs. Thos. Dyson and Sons woollen manufacturers, Deanhouse Mills, on Saturday afternoon. About half-past four o’clock Absalom and Daniel Woodhead were in the vicinity of the mill, and discovered the wool and other material, placed in the stove to dry, to be on fire. The neighbours and others flocked to the place, with cans, buckets, &c., and endeavoured to check the progress of the flames. In a short time the fire engine and brigade of Messrs. Josh. Mellor and Sons, manufacturers, Thongsbridge, arrived and, a plentiful supply of water being obtained from the mill dam, the conflagration was speedily extinguished, but not until above £50 worth of damage had been done, principally to the building, which is insured in the Royal office. Several other engines and brigades including that of Messrs. John Brook and Sons, Armitage Bridge, arrived at the place, but their services were not required. Spontaneous combustion it is believed was the cause of the fire. Want of Water - Lindley has long been in a deplorable state from the scarcity of water. The Corporation have, however, endeavoured to lessen the difficulty, and a stand-pipe has been erected at the bottom of Occupation-road. Although the boon is considered a great one, it entails the necessity of some of the inhabitants having to carry it three-quarters of a mile, and even longer distances. It would have been much more convenient if the pipe had been carried 300 or 400 yards higher up the lane. The inhabitants express surprise that, while they have to pay for the water, parties from other places, and not only from another township, but also another parish, should be allowed to use it and pay nothing for it. The discontent has arisen in consequence of a cart from Fixby Hall, in the Halifax district and parish, having during the week, been conveying the water in a large tub to that locality, necessitating the inhabitants of Lindley waiting at the tap until the intruder procured his supply. Just wondered if this was why Lindley had no water? Recovery of a Lost Spring - A spring of water which formerly ran at the bottom of Scar- lane, near Bottom Hall Mill, known as Jacob’s well, has, for some time, been lost, and the inhabitants during the summer, have been very scantily supplied. A number of individuals inaugurated a subscription for the purpose of endeavouring to regain the lost spring. About £10 were raised, and workmen employed to trace the course of the water. The source of the spring has at length been discovered, and at the present time, the Page 16 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 inhabitants of that part of Milnsbridge are enjoying the privilege of a good and constant supply of pure water, the stream being equal to a pipe of an inch bore. 13 August 1870 Almondbury - Gooseberry Show - The annual gooseberry show took place at the house of Mr. Josh. Marsden, the Rose and Crown Inn, on Saturday. There was a fine display of fruit, more than 50 dishes being exhibited. Many of the berries were of a large size. The first prize (a large brass pan), was obtained by John Moseley, Kirkburton. Among the other prizes were five brass pans, five copper tea kettles &c. About 30 of the exhibitors and friends partook of dinner together. Disturbing Foresters - On Tuesday, at the Court House, Huddersfield, George Hoyle, miner, Luke Hoyle, weaver, and Israel Haigh, weaver, were charged with refusing, on the 30 July, to quit the Gardeners’ Arms kept by Mrs. Ramsden. Mr Superintendent Heaton stated that the complainant was a widow, and endeavoured to conduct her house in an orderly and proper manner. On the occasion in question, there had been a foresters’ dinner at the house, and, after the dinner, the foresters enjoyed themselves in the lodge room upstairs. The defendants, who were drunk, went up, and created a great disturbance, behaved very badly, and disturbed the company. The landlady requested them to leave the house, but they refused, and conducted themselves in a most disgraceful manner for some time. The landlady would have been present, but she had been attacked with English cholera, but John Sykes and James Roberts, who were present, witnessed the defendants’ conduct. John Sykes, farmer said the defendants disturbed the company, and would not leave when requested. The men were each fined 5s. and costs. Suicide by hanging – On Sunday, about noon, a man named David Bentley, aged 49, committed suicide at Kitchenroyd, Cumberworth, near Penistone, by hanging himself. The deceased was found in a kneeling posture on the bed, his neck being hung in a cord, which was attached to the curtain road. He had been in an infirm state for several months. 3 September 1870 A Nice Couple – Yesterday, at the Borough Court, John Beaumont, cart-driver, Newtown, was charged with assaulting on the 27th August, his wife Sophia Beaumont, - The complainant stated that the defendant lived with his mother, and, on the day in question, when she ask him for some money to buy something to eat, he started kicking her. The disputants upbraided each other with indulging in loose habits, and the defendant stated that the complainant had pledged his clothing and spent the money with women of notorious character. –The case was dismissed Neglect of family – Thomas Norton, labourer, Bull’s Head-yard, was charged with neglect of family. Mr Hanson, relieving officer, stated that the defendant absconded, leaving a wife and four children chargeable to the union. He visited them and found the family in a state of great poverty. The defendant returned home, and, finding there was a warrant out against him, voluntarily surrendered himself. As there were many cases of that kind, he asked their worships to make an example of the defendant. The relief allowed to the family amounted to £2 1s. 6d. – The defendant and a friend offered to give a promissory note for the payment of the money, but in default of paying £2.10s. he was to be committed to prison for one month 17 Sep 1870 Destroying Burgess List - John Booth, a boy under 16 years of age, of Huddersfield was charged with committing damage to a burgess list, the property of the Corporation. Mr Withers said, that during the past week the new burgess lists had been affixed to the doors of the Council offices, and each day some of the sheets had been torn away; and new lists

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 17 had been substituted. This was a great cost to the Corporation. Yesterday morning an officer in plain clothes was stationed near the place, and saw the defendant pull two of the first sheets from the list, and walk away. The defendant expressed his sorrow for what he had done, stating that he could not read small letters his eyes being weak. – He was fined 1d. damage 1s. penalty, and costs (total 5s. 1d.) Discharging Fireworks in the Public Street - James Duncan, a factory boy, 14 years of age, was charged with discharging fireworks in Princess-street. Police-constable Rowley was on duty in the above street at eight o’clock on Tuesday night, and found the boy letting off a squib. On getting him to the police-office, he found several other crackers and squibs in his pockets. – Fined 1s. and costs (total 7s.) Neglect of Family – Benjamin Walker, of Lindley, a man respectably connected, was charged with neglecting to provide for his wife and children for the space of 21 days. Mr Hanson, relieving officer, stated that on the 7th inst., and previously, relief had been given to defendant’s wife to the amount of 9s. The defendant was respectably connected, but had contracted loose habits. In 1869 the defendant was before the Bench on a similar charge, when he was ordered to pay £3 7s.1d. relief advanced to his family. Of this sum there was a balance still due, of £1 12s. 1d. He had made special enquiries into the case, and found that defendant habitually associated with low characters, and frequented low beer shops. He was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. A little notice from the Huddersfield Chronicle Notices of Marriages containing any announcements beyond the mere fact of celebration, are subject to the charge of 2s. 6d. each. The same charge is also made for Notices of Deaths when any special reference is made to the deceased. Notices of Births are in all cases charged 2s 6d. Janet Le Billon (L137)

Family History Without Archives – The Short-Term Future? It is great that we now have so much material from archives online, via the various dataset providers. It is also a very welcome move from The National Archives that they have made their digitised documents freely available during the period of closure (see page 30 for more details). But four months into lockdown and its ensuing restrictions, I am now really missing my visits to local archives and ones further afield. The feeling of handling old documents, with the tummy butterflies generated by the possibility that you are one of the privileged few people who may have handled the document in generations, is unique. The sensation, and visible remnants, of dust on your fingertips reinforces that you are really touching history. But it might be some time before we experience that feeling again. As reported online by Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, we are being warned that archives will be unable to reopen before September. In addition, social distancing may result in reduced opening hours and increased restrictions on access. And there are also guidelines to be developed on safe handling of material, with no definitive guidance on how long the virus can live on archival documents. Based on this report, for the foreseeable future it seems that there will be no physical access to archives.

Page 18 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4

House History – A Research Record

Last year I told you about our newly released publication to help you to research the history of your house. We were aware that no-one, so far as we knew, had produced a guide which also incorporates pages in which to record your research findings. So, we decided to take on the task of producing our new research booklet which we launched at our Fair last November. You may well have recently enjoyed the BBC2 series by David Olusoga investigating the history of house in Bristol, and admired the research that went into the programme. Of course we don’t all have the resources of the BBC to look into the lives of everyone who lived in a particular property, but we are often able to conduct investigation into who some of the occupiers were, and perhaps a little about the lives and the occupations of those people. We are all familiar with census research but there are so many more records out there to assist in finding out the history to a property. Whether it is historical directories, electoral registers, manorial records or many other types of record you may not be familiar with, most of them are covered in this useful booklet. A list of key dates in relation to when records were produced, as well a list of websites that can aid in research are provided within our book. There is also space to include photographs of your house, the people who have lived in it, and the surrounding area. The cost is £7.50 plus postage and packing if purchased through our website, www.hdfhs.org.uk, or you can buy the booklet directly from the Root Cellar in Meltham once we are able to re-open. It would make an ideal present for someone with an older property.

Susan Hutson Secretary

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 19

New Members We are pleased to welcome the following new members.

Member Number Name Address B611 Lou Barker LITTLEHAMPTON B612 Melanie Bayliss OXSHOTT C302 Ms Nancy Cartwright HUDDERSFIELD C303 Mr Steve Clayton SILSDEN E095 Mr Steve Earnshaw PRESTON G188 Mr Martin Garside NORTH ALLERTON M305 Mr Jeffrey Mellor HUDDERSFIELD N132 Mr John Noble SOWERY BRIDGE S461 Miss Janet Smith LEEDS W463 Susan White HARTFORD, USA W466 Kim Walton HUDDERSFIELD

Members’ Interests Surname First Name Location County From To Mem No Burdett Delariver Denby Dale WRY 1723 1800 S460 Carr George Barnsley YKS 1844 S460 Gaunt Mary Denby YKS 1727 1769 S460 Hawcroft Hannah Barnsley YKS 1789 S460 Hewitt Balley Barnsley YKS 1846 1908 S460 Siddons Elizabeth Barnsley YKS 1816 S460 Taylor Benjamin Linthwaite WRY 1812 1885 B612 Walshaw Noah Cumberworth WRY 1814 1889 B612 Woodhead John Cumberworth WRY 1781 1850 B612

Submitted by: B612 Melanie Bayliss OXSHOTT S460 Mr Grant Smith HUDDERSFIELD

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Members’ Interests Contacts We had a great response to April’s bumper Members’ Interests section (Vol. 33, No. 2). One of the issues which came up was the lack of email addresses. We no longer publish them in this particular column because of the Data Protection changes which came in during 2018. We only include these in occasional articles, letters etc., where members have given express permission. If you do want contact a member regarding their interests please drop me a line and confirm you are happy for us to pass your details on. We will then forward details onto the member for them to contact you. Jane Roberts Editor

Ordinary Ancestors? If you’re looking for a name-rich source covering predominantly working-class ancestors, try the Poor Law Unions’ Gazette. This weekly publication is particularly useful because it provided countrywide information on those who deserted their families, leaving them chargeable to the Poor Law Unions. Authorities did not want a potentially long-term financial burden providing for such families, so this was one means of trying to locate the absconders. It is not exclusively men abandoning wives and children. Some women feature too. For example, in the 1870s the Chesterfield Union were seeking Effie Nix, alias Dolphin, who had abandoned her child. Described as a singer at concert rooms, she frequented singing rooms in places including Huddersfield. The Poor Law Unions’ Gazette includes descriptions of the deserters to facilitate their apprehension, some of which are very detailed and colourful. This may even be down to the descriptions of their clothing. As a valuable commodity (e.g. coats, trousers, footwear), the abscondees were unlikely to have ditched them for new outfits. Information on the person’s last known employment and whereabouts can also be included. I’ve extracted a couple of local examples. 29 March 1884 (also ran in several other editions) HUDDERSFIELD UNION....WALTER BEDFORD, designer and pattern weaver, thirty-six years of age, 5 feet 9 inches in height, ginger whiskers and moustache, slight beard on chin, bald-headed, blue eyes, genteel appearance; went away with a girl about fifteen years of age, and it is supposed they are living together; last heard of three years ago in Oldham; supposed to be there now or in Manchester. Wife and three children...One Pound Reward...Information to the Clerk of Guardians And 7 February 1885 (also ran in several other editions) DEWSBURY UNION....JOSEPH TAYLOR, cloth finisher, 34 years of age, about 5 feet 7 inches in height, slight build, brown eyes, dark hair and moustache, when last seen he wore a grey jacket and dark tweed trousers (much worn), and clogs. Wife and four children. One Pound reward. Information to be given to Mr. Joseph Peace, Clerk to the Guardians, Staincliffe, Dewsbury. The British Newspaper Archive and Findmpast have editions of the Poor Law Unions’ Gazette covering years between 1857-1903.

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 21

Letters to the Editor

Dear Jane More Resources for Bell Ringer Ancestors As a church bell ringer for over 50 years I was interested to read the article Tales That Ring a Bell? in the April Journal (Vol. 33, No. 2.) The Bell News & Ringers Record that is downloadable from the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR) website was published for 35 years between 1881 and 1915, but in 1911 a rival paper was created called The Ringing World, which is still being published today: https://www.ringingworld.co.uk/. Copies of this paper from 1911 to 2000 can be purchased on searchable CDs from the CCCBR website. For anyone who thinks that they might have had an ancestor who was a bell ringer, the country is divided into Guilds and Associations, generally aligned with Diocesan or County boundaries and were formed in the late 1800s. Each of these, from their formation, has produced an Annual Report with a list of members against each tower. Huddersfield is affiliated to the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers http://www.yacr.org.uk/, which was formed in 1875. Notable events such as peals of over 5,000 changes, with the names of the participants, can be viewed on the website. The Library and Archive holds copies of the Annual Reports. In some cases these peals are recorded on boards in the relevant church. For anyone who thinks that they might have had an ancestor who actually cast church bells, I have made a study of these and the resulting database can be found at: http://bellfounders.net/. The data can be searched by name, town and area. Some founders are recorded in medieval times. I hope this is of interest. Peter Dyson (D171)

Dear Jane, Update to the Huddersfield Chronicle Information Provided by the Newspaper Archive Website The Newspaper Archive isn't quite right in the Read All About contribution to the last issue (Vol. 33, No. 3.): Robert Micklethwait was really Robert Watts Micklethwaite [1819-1888]. It was the Huddersfield Chronicle, first appearing on 6 April 1850, that he founded with John James Skryme [1825-1858]. His partnership with Skryme was dissolved on 31 May 1852 and Micklewaite may have moved to Wakefield and purchased the Wakefield Journal later in that year. He was no longer connected with it by 1881, having moved back to 66 Manchester Road, Huddersfield, as a commission agent for oil and tallow. Micklethwaite's dissolution of his partnership with Skyrme was noted in the Chronicle of 5 June 1852. It noted that debts were to be paid to him, ‘by whom on behalf of the proprietors in future the business will be carried on'. I think Skryme would have been one these proprietors. He was certainly one on 4 June 1855 when his partnership with Thomas Pearson Crosland and Cookson Stephenson Floyd was dissolved. George Harper [1828-1897] was listed in Perry's Bankrupt Gazette as the person to deal with debts on Skyrme's departure from his Chronicle partnership. Harper was the printer

Page 22 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 and publisher for the Chronicle by August 1857 and was also the proprietor of the Chronicle and the Daily Chronicle by 1881. John Halstead (H384)

Dear Jane An Additional Headstone Inscription Tip I read with interest your article on graveyards (Vol. 33, No. 3,) as in the late 1990s I did several in the Ryedale District with my brother, now deceased, a retired surveyor who had spent much of his time mapping Africa. He would draw the plans up to OS standards and my wife and I self-recorded details of the graves and inscriptions, I used chalk to number all the graves before recording to make sure I did not miss one – I came unstuck on one as the rain overnight washed all the numbers off (at Kirby Moorside). One tip I can give you is to take along a length of plastic drain pipe about 30 inches long and 5 inches diameter to look down to read obscured inscriptions particularly on flat memorials at ground level - I can assure you it does work. Robert Green (G042) If anyone else has tried this pipe tip, please let me know. Editor

Dear Jane Christ Church, Liversedge I had an article about Christ Church, Liversedge and the Garden of Remembrance published in the January edition of the Journal (Vol. 33, No. 2.) I was asking for information about the history. I was delighted to see the article from Mrs Kathryn Harrison in the April edition (Vol. 33, No. 3.) Thank you very much for taking the trouble to respond. My perseverance paid off. I've learned that what looked like a collection of random, gravestones and kerbs were in an actual graveyard - it had just been altered over the years. I expected conventional neat rows. To my shame, I obviously spent several hours last August unknowingly trampling all over some of my ancestors and I may even have parked my car on top of some of them! Lesley Johnson (J100)

Dear Jane The Holmfirth Anthem Whilst going through several back issues of The Journal I came across several articles on Joe Perkin and the Holmfirth Anthem which is always listed as Pratty Flowers. I see this as very strange; a combination I assume of the dialect word for pretty with the Queen's English word for flowers. Had my Grandfather Benjamin Holroyd Livesey ever mentioned the horticultural word he would have pronounced it as ‘Flairs’. I came to this spelling as I tried to recreate the sound he would have made. My Grandfather lived in West Slaithwaite in the Colne Valley (a lot of the time in The Olive Branch!!) and accents do vary with location but I think my suggestion might find support in the Holme valley. I sing with Stevenage Male Voice Choir and at a recent social event I introduced them to the Anthem and my conclusion was that Flairs gave a better singing line than Flowers. Barry Livesey (L015)

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 23

The Society Databases Most people will be aware that the Society has combined the data from our publications of census, baptisms, marriages and burials into databases. Perhaps fewer people are aware of other databases that have been compiled, not always by the Society but gifted to us by members for our use. Nearly all these databases have their own individual search programs/applications available at the Root Cellar and there is one overarching search called Gendex, originally conceived by Peter Middleton and Ian Clegg, which searches all the available databases. There is an on-line version called Oracle that performs the same function. You might be surprised to learn just how big these databases are. Here are the statistics:

• Baptisms 591,504 • Marriages 76,073 • Burials 507,310 • 1841 Census 173,777 • 1851 Census 200,102 • Apprentices 339 • Edgerton burials 71,833 • Monumental Inscriptions 69,698 • Holmfirth residents 37,670 • 1941 Rate book 11,927 • Calderdale 1851 120,903 • Newspaper BMDs 63,652 • Total 1,922,789 Interesting that we have buried nearly as many as we have baptised, but far fewer marriages. The number of marriages is low because the transcription process stopped at 1837, when the General Registers began. The 1941 Rate Book only covers Huddersfield. It was found at the back of a cupboard in a hairdresser’s in Netherton. How and why it was put there is a mystery. Calderdale’s 1851 census was a data swap between the Societies, our 1851 for theirs as the two communities do have close links. Edgerton burials in some ways duplicates other work by Society volunteers but does contain more details. It is also linked to the Monumental Inscriptions (MIs) which allows us to provide a unique service to members giving the burial details, a photograph (or photographs) of the grave and a map showing the location of the grave. Alan Starkey Data Manager

A Useful App With family history, geographical context can be key. See the One Place Studies articles on pages 34-37 for more information about this. An App from Victoria County History looks like being an important tool in finding out more about the histories of villages, towns and cities across England. The Victoria County Histories can also be found on British History Online, as mentioned in this edition’s Research Corner, on page 30. For more details see https://aimermedia.com/app/english-places/.

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What’s in a Name? If you think of someone’s name, you probably only think of their first name(s) and surname. Perhaps you will include their title, Mr, Mrs, Ms. Maybe, even consider titles such as Doctor or Professor. If you are creating a database that includes names, you need to think about how long each element should be. An initial thought for the first name might be 20 letters (including spaces where someone has more than one first name). That would suffice for most, but one of my friends at college was Anthony Charles Robert, 22 letters. If you have a need to include royalty or nobility who have a penchant for multiple first names, then you need to allow even more space. Or what about the daughter of a Liverpool Football Club fan who named her after every one of the eleven players in the first team in addition to her own proper name? Imagine trying to fit that into the provided space on a form! Surnames can also cause problems. One American system insisted that surnames must be at least three letters long. The designers overlooked the fact that some Asian surnames are only one or two letters long, and so had to undertake a major revision. American systems also require people to have a middle name. If you don’t, like me and many others, your middle name becomes ‘NMI’ or No Middle Initial. At the other extreme, there are those who hyphenate their surnames which can make them quite long. What about the trend for divorcees to retain their surnames from previous marriages, or ladies who wish to keep their maiden name alongside their new married name? Do these count as first names or surnames? Titles, apart from the common ones, what about Captain, Major, Duchess, His/Her Royal Highness, the Honourable Lady, MPs are The Honourable, and ministers are The Right Honourable, and others? Some people also have a suffix to their name. For example, Esquire for the eldest son. Or Baronet. You might also want to include all the multiple qualifications and professional society memberships for doctors, dentists, veterinary surgeons, etc. You might think that this is all academic but it isn’t. The Society databases have been modified from their original design to cater for such eventualities. For example, multiple first names became quite common during the Victorian era. Hyphenated surnames appeared in the late 20th century. So, designing a database that will include people’s names can be problematic. Alan Starkey Data Manager ______

Maritime Ancestors If you have maritime ancestors, the Books Boxes and Boats website is worth looking at. Essentially it is a maritime and historical research service website, but it is also a great research starting point, packed with information and links to various seafaring related websites and databases. It can be found at http://www.maritimearchives.co.uk/.

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Your Society in ‘Lockdown’ So, what have we been up to since mid-March when our lives changed beyond recognition? With the Root Cellar doors closed to the public and few of our volunteers or committee members able to leave their homes, apart from for the most essential reasons, we needed to ensure that things continued ticking over. Our priorities have been our online interaction via our website and through social media with members and people with an interest in our area, as well as ensuring the usual publication of our quarterly Journal. Sales through our website have increased, particularly our CDs and general books about family and local history. This has been good for the Society as it means we can at least maintain our income in these uncertain times, when we are losing that from donations made by visitors to the Root Cellar. It seems many people have taken the opportunity to get stuck into their research, or in some cases start it. Remember that the transcription booklets we sell via our website are a great addition to your research tools, particularly if many members of your family were baptised, married or buried at one particular church. I still use them regularly in my own research. They provide you with the ability to search family names in alphabetical order over a period, which is not so easy on a subscription website. You can also Preparing Orders at the Root Cellar buy our Ancestral Notebook and House History research booklet online. We have continued to offer paid research and some of us have been undertaking research for friends and relatives. We are lucky that we have a hobby which can keep us engrossed for hours on end. Some volunteers have been sharing quizzes with each other and generally keeping in touch with those they normally spend time with at the Root Cellar. To ensure we maintain our membership we have promoted an offer online and via social media to new members of up to 15 months membership, and at the time of writing, this has brought in around 20 new members we would not have gained, making up for those we will have lost by not having our research room open. Let us hope we can meet in person again very soon. Susan Hutson Secretary

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News from the Family History Federation

Using Photographs The Federation recently shared some websites providing old photographs which might be relevant to your ancestors. They pointed out that there are now many new websites that provide old photographs of the areas perhaps where your ancestors lived. One they shared was: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/englands-places/. They also suggested your local Heritage Centre or Family History Society as other great resources for photographs. National sources include the National Library of Scotland, with the website address: https://www.nls.uk/collections/photographs/. Photographs of Wales can be viewed at: https://www.library.wales/collections/learn- more/photographs/. Ireland photographs can be found at https://www.ria.ie/library/catalogues/special- collections/photographs-collections/. Further afield, for ancestors who emigrated to, or lived in, Australia there is a large database accessed via TROVE, website address: https://trove.nla.gov.au/. Local Newspapers are another great resource; use them to check if they contain photographs of the places your ancestors lived. They may even have a picture of your relative. The British Newspaper Archive is at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk (these newspapers are also available via Findmypast). With thanks to the Federation for these tips. Locally for us you could try the online Kirklees Image Archive at https://kirkleesimages.org.uk/.

Take a Virtual Walk The Family History Federation have also come up with a brilliant suggestion for those of us not able to go out, or missing being unable to visit further afield in these strange times. They suggest taking a virtual walk. They point to using the 1939 Register or the census enumerators’ books which are online. They go on to say: Find your forebears and their addresses on each document; then using (sic) online maps such as the Ordnance Survey ones which are freely available at the National Library of Scotland website maps.nls.uk/. Now take “a walk” around the area where your ancestors lived using the addresses and relevant maps you found. It is interesting to compare maps of different periods to see how an area has changed. Also, how about comparing your finds also to old photographs?

Information provided by the Family History Federation

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The Spanish Flu of 1919 A 101 years ago my Grandfather, Jack Holroyd of Cleckheaton, recorded in his diary events relating to the influenza epidemic that affected the world – much as COVID-19 is affecting us today. His best friend, Arthur Davies, died and grandpa, grannie and my aunt and uncle were all seriously ill. The photograph on the left shows three friends - Henry Messenger, Jack Holdroyd (my grandfather) and Arthur Davies. Arthur is on the far right.

The Three Friends 1919 • 26 January – Arthur Davis [sic] visited for tea and to spend the evening; • 29 January – Arthur Davis [sic] taken very poorly; • 2 February – called to enquire about Arthur (this would be a visit, not a phone call. Perhaps this is where Jack contracted the flu virus); • 16 February – Arthur Davis [sic] passed away – 34 yrs. A friend of mine since boyhood; and we were like brothers. Poor Davis [sic]. God bless you; • 2 days later…. 23 [days] after seeing Arthur in person and 16 days after visiting his house Grandpa was taken ill; • 18 February – went home 4 p.m. feeling very ill. Doctor came in and ordered me straight to bed – influenza; • 19 February – in bed all day. Poor Arthur interred 11.30 but I was too ill to go to his funeral. Fanny (grandpa’s sister) came to stay with me; • 20 February – home all day. Got up a bit in the afternoon; • 21 February – at home all day. Hilda (my grandmother) went to bed; • 22 February – at home all day; • 23 February – at home all day. Sonny (my uncle Ian aged 5 yrs.) took to his bed; • 24 February – went to office for an hour or two in the afternoon. Marguerite (my aunt aged 7 years) ordered to bed; • 26 February – Hilda and the children still very poorly; • 27 February – Hilda and children still confined to bed – a little better if anything; • 1 March – went home at noon. An anxious week; • 2 March – at home all day. Hilda and the children up for first time. Still very weak; • 3 March – Hilda and children a bit better. Had to stay with them until 10 a.m. until someone came; • 4 March - Hilda and children still better; • 5 March – Hilda and children a lot better; • 6 March – mother came to stay with us to keep Hilda company. Arthur Davies’ obituary is also amongst Jack’s papers and reads: At the early age of thirty-four years the death took place on Sunday of Mr. Arthur H. Davies, third son of the Rev. K. W. Davies, whose long and successful ministry of Providence Place Church will never be forgotten. In various directions, Mr. Davies – who

Page 28 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 resided at Howard Park – performed good service. For a time he was performing member of, and also acted as secretary of, the Cleckheaton Orchestral Society; he was an active supporter of the Tennis Club which formerly had is headquarters at Pyenot Hall; he had served in the Cleckheaton Volunteers; and he was also an esteemed member of the Cleckheaton Conservative Club. In musical matters he was especially interested. After leaving school, Mr. Davies took up a position with the Railway Company and at the time of his death was in the accounts’ department at Bradford. The interment was on Wednesday morning. Sue Carson (C151) ______

VE Day in Battyeford

Battyeford Methodist Chapel VE Day Celebrations The recent commemoration of 75 years since VE Day, reminded one of our members, Rudie Thramer from Mirfield, of this photograph in her collection. It was taken at the Methodist Chapel at the bottom of Nab Lane, Battyeford. She and her sister, Elizabeth, took part in VE Day celebrations as young children. They are the two girls, third and fourth from the left, in front of the lady in the apron. Rudie arrived with her parents as a refugee in 1940 from Sudetenland and notes how well the family were accepted into the community in Mirfield. The dresses she and her sister were wearing were made by her mother from pink satin. Susan Hutson Secretary

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Research Corner

Lockdown Family History Recent months have been a strange period for family history researchers. Those confined to home have had more spare time. But travel restrictions, social distancing, shielding and the closure of archives and libraries has limited this to home-based research. Even here there are issues - for example fulfilling birth, marriage and death certificates orders is understandably not a top priority for the General Register Office. And mentally the enormity of the restrictions may have resulted in a lack of research motivation and focus. I know I’ve found that tough. But it has provided opportunities too, with many organisations adapting to this new way of researching. It is well worth checking out what is still in place as summer progresses. I’ve also included some suggestions for those not online. Many local authorities, e.g. Kirklees, have implemented free home access for library members to the library edition of Ancestry. Kirklees has also made the British Newspaper Archive available via Findmypast. And you can now join Kirklees libraries online. The National Archives (TNA) made digital records available on their website free of charge for as long as Kew is closed to visitors. This includes their Prerogative Court of Canterbury (1384-1858) wills. You will need to register, and there are fair usage limits. See http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/news/digital-downloads/. TNA also have free webinars. A Discovering Local History one is scheduled in July. You do need to book. Don’t worry if you’ve missed out though. They have uploaded some earlier talks on their Archives Media Player. These include ones about using migration records, an introduction to wills and an introduction to birth, marriage and death registers. More information is at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/whats-on/events/. The Genealogist dataset provider offered three months free access to two of their most useful England and Wales beginners record sets - the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses; and their 1837 to 2005 Birth, Marriage and Death indexes. For more information see https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/first-steps/. British History Online is a digital library which brings together primary and secondary British history sources from medieval to 20th century. It is invaluable for family history. Around 80 per cent of its content is normally free, but it has made all its transcribed content freely available for individual users until 31 July 2020. The website is at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/. For those not online, the telephone has been invaluable for reducing social isolation. I know I’ve made more phone calls to relatives during this lockdown period. People are in. And inevitably many conversations turn to family history. Some of you may have kept a coronavirus diary detailing living during a pandemic. They may be the traditional handwritten book form; others could be via a blog. They could be part of bigger projects such as Michael Ward’s Swansea University initiative; or for the Museum of Ordinary people at https://www.museumofordinarypeople.com/. But all will help future social and family historians. Finally, if you are able to and can do so whilst observing the daily exercise guidelines, how about local walks exploring locations associated with your ancestors, or the history of where you live? Jane Roberts, Editor Page 30 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4

Help Wanted

Can any member out there help the following to make progress in their personal Dear Jane Help Plugging Record Gaps I shall be most grateful if anyone can help me to fill two gaps in my records. 1. Mary Ann Hirst, sister of my great-great grandmother, Martha Hirst. She married John Goodall at Dewsbury parish church in 1841. Sadly, he died in 1843, and in 1845 she married Edwin Clayton at Hartshead. Two children were born before she died in 1850. However, I have record of two children, Fanny and Elizabeth, born after this date. Therefore, I would welcome any information re Edwin’s second marriage, presumably at Hartshead, between 1850-1859. 2. My 3x great grandmother was born Elizabeth Hanson or Hampson, daughter of Peter Hanson of Liversedge, and baptised at Birstall on 28 July 1782. Her sisters Sally, Hannah and Susanna were all baptised at Birstall. But she also had a brother, Peter, and it is his baptism I seek. He became Chairman of the Hartshead School Board, or perhaps that was his grandson. I have no detail of his marriage, which must have taken place at Birstall or Hartshead. Any help to fill the gaps will be much appreciated. Brian Arundel (A037) If anyone can help Brian please let me know. Editor

Does this Push Anyone’s Button? Following on from The Remains of Storthes Hall article in the April Journal (Vol. 33, No. 2) my sister- in-law showed me the button on the left. It is from her extensive button collection. We wondered if it was from staff uniform? Or perhaps from the clothing worn by patients? Can anyone shed any light on it? We would love to find out more.

Jane Roberts Editor

Mystery Button

YouTube Videos It is well worth checking YouTube for videos of locations associated with your ancestors. I recently discovered a brilliant cine film of Batley in 1953/54 with church parades, weddings and everyday scenes. I even recognised my uncle amongst the altar boys in one scene.

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Garden Robberies and the Vicar of St Thomas’ Church I came across two newspaper articles from the Huddersfield Chronicle as I was researching a parlour maid who worked at the Vicarage of St Thomas’ Church, Huddersfield in 1881. I hope these may interest and amuse readers. The Reverend Edmund Snowden was the first incumbent of the newly built St Thomas’ Church on Manchester Road, Huddersfield in 1859 and was a very well-respected member of the clergy in the area for 33 years before he took up his final position in Kirkby Overblow in North Yorkshire. In 1869, issues of a less religious nature were giving him cause for concern when he wrote to the editor of the Huddersfield Chronicle in a letter, published on 2 October 1869. Garden Robberies SIR, - Will you allow me space in your columns to say that my front garden was entered on Thursday night, or early on Friday morning, by some miscreant, and robbed of eight Mrs Pollock geraniums, by which the appearance of the whole garden is spoilt. I am induced to ask you to give publicity to this, because it is but one of many robberies which have been perpetrated throughout the year from gentlemen’s gardens. In short, persons are getting tired of trying to make the front of their houses look nice and gay because as soon as they put out any good or valuable plant, it is sure to be stolen. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that much suspicion is attached to gardeners who reside in the immediate neighbourhood of the town, as these thefts are plainly committed by those who know what are choice plants, and to whom such plants as mine would be useless at the present time, unless they had glass wherewith to preserve them during the winter, as well as the cuttings which they may take from them. Why, then, do they not they, who are honestly disposed among them, combine together as one man, to detect these miscreants, and expose them, instead of remaining unconcerned, while their character, as a class, is suffering much in the estimation of the public? Some amongst them must pretty well know who are likely to be the offenders; and were they to follow up their suspicions, they might easily be discovered, and soon put into the hands of the police. As it is, they now rob, and a stigma rests upon them, as a class, which one would think they would be most anxious to remove. – I remain, yours &c., EDMUND SNOWDEN, Vicar of St Thomas’

A week later it seems at least one resident of Huddersfield was concerned enough to respond to the assertions made by the esteemed Vicar: Garden Robberies SIR, - Under the above head a letter appeared in your last impression, signed by Edmund Snowden, the reverend vicar of St Thomas’s casting severe reflections on the gardeners in this locality, and applying still more severely to the gardeners in the immediate vicinity of the reverend gentleman’s dwelling. It appears that Mr Snowden is an ardent lover of horticulture and has taken great pains to lay out his garden to suit his own taste, so much so that he has not only succeeded in exciting himself but he appears to have excited the envy of “some miscreant” who has not only admired but committed robbery. So far so good. No doubt Mr Snowden is justified in making his complaint known to the general public. Anyone who has any honour to maintain will condemn the practice of robbing gardens. But Mr Snowden has gone further. He has endeavoured to cast a stigma on all the gardeners, simply because he has had eight “Mrs Pollock” geraniums stolen, saying that “it is not surprising that much suspicion is attached to gardeners who reside in that immediate neighbourhood of the town.” If this is to be applied to gentlemen or amateurs, or sale

Page 32 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 gardeners, it would be well for Mr Snowden to explain to which he intends it to apply, and then no doubt he will be dealt with by some other than myself. If he means it for the whole lot, then I say it is a most unjustifiable attack (particularly so, coming as it does, from a reverend gentleman) on the characters of the gardening community, and one which, if he considers it well, now the heat of passion – in which he, no doubt, wrote the letter – will have passed away, he ought to retract. Does Mr Snowden mean that, unless the gardeners combine, and form a sort of police force to watch his garden, they are not honestly disposed? This is simply nonsense, and a doctrine that no sensible person would entertain for a moment. GERANIUM Susan Hutson Secretary ______Longevity in Lepton and the Location of Asquith’s Fold The last Journal (Vol. 33, No. 2) included my article about Jonathan Gill living at Asquith’s Fold at Lepton in 1871. I wrote that I had been unable to find any mention of Asquith’s Fold on any maps of the district but that it appeared to be on the southern edge of the hamlet of Cowms. Shortly after the Journal was published, I received a message from Carol Ronayne (R003) to say that her mother’s family had lived at Spa Bottom (also known as Cowms Bottom) from the early 1800’s. She believes that there was an Asquith’s Place on Fenay Bridge Road (previously known as Cowms Road) and that George Asquith was a blacksmith there in the census of 1841. His widow was still there in the 1871 census. Carol also mentions that near the junction of Spa Green and Fenay Bridge Road there is a house with a date stone (1843?) and the initials A & S. I have made a further study of the census records for what is now Fenay Bridge Road and realise that my Asquith’s Fold should read Asquith’s Place. There are several households in Asquith’s Place and I am now pleased to confirm that Jonathan Gill lived at Asquith’s Place on what is now Fenay Bridge Road in the township of Lepton. Carol has also indicated that she is happy to try and answer any questions about Lepton township. Roger Gill G046 [email protected] ______Criminal Ancestors The Digital Panoptican is a website dedicated to tracing London convicts in Britain and Australia between 1780-1925. It allows you to search millions of records from around fifty datasets, relating to the lives of 90,000 convicts from the Old Bailey. The site can be used to search individual convict life archives, explore and visualise data, and learn more about crime and criminal justice in the past. Even if your criminal ancestors do not feature in it, the site provides background and context, as well as giving ideas and tips which you can translate across to your own research. The site can be found at https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/.

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One-Place Study – A Natural Extension to Researching Your Family History Albeit unwittingly, you may have already started a one-place study (OPS) by collecting old postcards, local history books and maps of the area where your ancestors lived. An OPS looks at a defined geographical area and brings together local history, family history and house history with oral history and reminiscence added to the mix. It is also known as a ‘community’ or ‘micro’ history and when the sources gathered are placed ‘under the microscope’ a wealth of more detailed information about relationships, property owners and the different occupational strata resulting from economic change can be explored. OPSs link a variety of records to build a complete picture of societal change in a community over time. Although there is overlap, the main difference between researching a family history and a community is that you are recording and analysing more people, who aren’t necessarily related to each other, along with their activities and where they fitted in their society. While family history focuses on the pedigree of one family, an OPS examines the same traditional records of birth, marriage and death and more in the whole community to open up a variety of outcomes such as population statistics, mortality, occupations and migration. The benefit to a family historian is that ancestors can be placed in their context at any given time from Domesday to present day or just in the nineteenth century - the choice is yours. The beauty and joy of an OPS is being able to tackle it in whichever way you please; it is non-prescriptive. It could be a hamlet, village, parish or simply the high street in a busy market town where the interest lies in the types of occupational trends present at a certain time, fulfilling the needs of the current population until they expanded further or declined. A place can also be classified as a war memorial, hospital or a prison ship – again the choice is yours. The most common question is why did this happen in the way it did? A common assumption is that nothing much happened in a rural village and that it was a sleepy idyll mirroring the story of Larkrise to Candleford with drama arising between two different populations of hamlet-dwelling agricultural labourers and town-dwelling tradesmen and shopkeepers. However, many rural villages experienced at least five great upheavals to their ‘steady’ lives: 1. 1066 The Norman Conquest and the introduction of the Domesday Book in 1086; 2. 1536-40 The dissolution of the monasteries closed down major employers and land was sold; 3. 1750-1780 The Enclosures of the open fields gave our landscape its present form but deprived many of access to common land; 4. Industrial Revolution brought employment opportunities which encouraged migration from rural communities to developing towns; and 5. Nineteenth century railways ended an age long isolation of a village. It was throughout these points in time that economic, social and technological factors transformed agricultural and rural livelihoods and the modern world began to emerge. Local history research is based on ‘sources’ just like family history, the difference being that records are required for every person in the whole of the village. All civil birth, marriage and death certificates as well as every parish baptism, marriage and burial and each census schedule together with wills, deeds and taxation records and more are taken on board. The topography of the place is considered; which natural features drew people to it in the first place and how was it affected and shaped by national and local events? All inhabitants are under the spotlight in the spectrum of social standing from the poor to the landed gentry and everyone else in-between. Curiosity abounds about who were the Page 34 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 movers and shakers in the village – the manorial courts, the churchwardens or the local friendly societies and who and how all these people interacted with each other. Rillington is a village in North Yorkshire and is situated on the busy A64 between Malton and Scarborough. It is bounded on the north by the River Derwent which was historically significant in the early eighteenth century when the Derwent navigation system was used to transport goods by sloop. The traveller may drive through it and not give it a second glance, unknowing of the previous importance of the nuclear village at a crossroads and its linear Collecting the mail from the Post Office, Low Moorgate, extension north along Low Rillington Moorgate to the farms beyond. The parish of Rillington was in the former Buckrose Wapentake and comprised the township of Rillington and the chapelry of Scampston with their mutual history inextricably linked. This peaceful position at the northern edge of the Yorkshire Wolds is underpinned by glacial deposits from the former Lake Pickering which still offer a rich and fertile rural landscape with a resultant, fully functioning farming community. My One-Place Study of Rillington commenced in 2004 and has since developed into the Historical Rillington Study Group - a local history group who share a common interest. Before lockdown halted events, we were busy preparing for our third community day on 4 Apr 2020 focusing on Westgate, one of the village streets which is part of the A64 between York and Scarborough. We are interested in collecting all sorts of records, photographs, old postcards, ephemera, and stories discovering how and why things changed over time. We constantly ask why? what? who? where? when? and how? of all the items in our custody. This method of gentle interrogation answers questions about migration; why people wanted to live in the village (pull factor) and why did they subsequently leave (push factor). We examine whether mechanised transport links influenced the local population together with employment growth and structural change using the census enumerators’ books. Fluctuations of dynasty, religion and civil war had little effect on the rustic condition of Rillington - that is until the railway arrived in 1845 when life began to change and the isolation of the village was curtailed as the graph to the right illustrates. We analyse the total population Increase in population 1851 after the establishment reflecting on the occupations and of the railway in 1845 places of birth of the people who

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 35 were attracted to Rillington by the railway, the related services of the brickmaking and supporting industries required to sustain a growing community before industrialisation and rural depopulation took hold for good. It is clear that the population rose at the time of the 1851 census after the coming of the railway in 1845. Family and local history research working alongside each other constitute a more complete picture; it is the reconstruction of an historic community. An interface of archival records creates a fact sheet for each individual as well as a holistic approach to the bigger picture of a one-place study. If you need to know anything about an ancestor, then ask a one-placer. If no OPS exists for your ancestral village, there’s an opportunity for the grasping. A word of warning, one-place studies are addictive so do be prepared to have another passion project in your life! There is something a little bit special about viewing a place through time and whether or not your ancestors lived at your chosen place, the research process can comfortably sit alongside your family history project. Start your one-place journey today, I somehow doubt you will ever regret it. Sources: https://www.rillingtonops.org.uk https://www.nameandplace.com Pam Smith, Co-Founder Name & Place

Inspired to Start a One-Place Study? A one-place study, as you will gathered from Pam’s piece, is the study of a community of people in the context – physical, historical, economic, and social – of the place they inhabit. The place can be of almost any size, from a single house, institution or street to a neighbourhood, village, parish, town or district. Some studies cover a cemetery or war memorial and the people buried or commemorated there – my own OPS, of Waters Upton in Shropshire, began as a project in which I researched the lives of those named on the gravestones in the parish churchyard. The periods of history covered by one-place studies can also vary in their extent. Those who have chosen a place inhabited by their ancestors, for example, may restrict their research to the times during which those ancestors were present. Some go as far back as they can. At the other end of the scale some stop in the early 1900s or, if they continue up to the present day, do not make details of living people in their study public, for privacy and data protection reasons. As you can see, the scope of a one-place study can vary enormously – and it can change over time. That means you can, if you wish, ‘start small’ and later expand the geographical size or the period of history covered by your OPS. Your study, your rules! Which place to study? Approaching this from a local history angle, you may know of a place with a history that interests you and which you want to learn more about. Or you may want to embark on a one-place study as an offshoot of your family history research, to ‘put your ancestors in their place’ and get a better understanding of their lives. You may have heard of the ‘FAN club’ approach to genealogy, in which Friends, Associates and Neighbours of your ancestors are identified and studied to reveal more than you would find by pursuing biological kin alone. A one-place study is perhaps the ultimate form of that research. Whichever of these two interests drives you to start researching your place, a one-place study with its holistic approach gives you the best of both worlds – these studies are, as the Society’s strapline says, “where family history and local history unite”.

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Your place could be within easy travelling distance, or on the other side of the world – Wing in Buckinghamshire, for example, is the subject of a one-place study conducted from New Zealand! These days, with so many records online, distance is no longer quite the barrier it was. Speaking of records brings us to the next step on our journey... With your place of study chosen, the next step is to gather information in various formats and from a wide range of sources: published local histories and other publications, censuses, parish records, newspapers, wills, deeds, listed building databases, maps, old postcards, historic directories, timetables, and many, many more. By analysing, comparing, and cross-linking these sources you can develop an understanding of the characteristics of your place, the lives of its people, the various amenities, religious institutions, natural resources, employment opportunities and communications networks in existence, the relationships between all of these and how they changed over time. A one-place study can bring a different focus to your research and generate surprising results, sometimes answering long-standing questions about why your ancestors or other residents of your place made certain choices in their lives. You may wish to share your findings with (and invite contributions from) the wider world as you go along, through a website, a blog, or a Facebook page (or any combination of your choice). Ultimately, you might even publish a summary of your research as a book. This is of necessity a brief overview of what your OPS could involve. For a more in-depth guide Ten Steps to a One-Place Study by one of our founder members, Janet Few, is recommended (and is available as an e-book or in traditional paperback format). Janet has provided a helpful summary of these steps in an article on our website: www.one-place- studies.org/articles/10-steps-to-a-one-place-study/ . Your one-place study may be a personal project, but that doesn’t mean you have to pursue it alone or without support. In 2013, a small group of family and local history enthusiasts from around the world joined forces to launch the Society for One-Place Studies. Their aim was to bring together like-minded people and provide a platform for members to share ideas, experience and good practice, and to promote one-place studies in general, and the studies of Society members in particular. The Society is still going strong, and if you have an interest in the study of a particular place you are very welcome to join us. There are a number membership benefits which include: • Becoming part of a worldwide community of one-place studiers; • Receiving our quarterly electronic journal Destinations; • Invitations to take part in online seminars with presentations on a range of topics relevant to one-place studies; • Opportunities to participate in projects and blogging challenges; • A Society email address, so that the contact details for your study remain constant, even if you change your ISP or personal email address; • The option to register your one-place study with the Society at no extra charge, and set up a dedicated web page for it; and • Encouragement every step of the way on your one-place study journey. To find out more about one-place studies and the Society, please visit our website at www.one-place-studies.org Steve Jackson Social Media Coordinator Society for One-Place Studies

H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 37

Thrift Tips from Our Ancestors Society member Jan Green (G132) kindly sent in some 19th century make do and mend tips. The advice was written in the back of two different very old books (1880s) from a person who was living in Slaithwaite at the time. The first is for shoes and reads: Take a pair of shoes that have become stiff and uncomfortable by constant wear in the rain and apply a coat of vaseline rubbing it well in with a cloth, and in a short time the leather becomes as soft and pliable as when it is taken from the shelves of the shoe dealer.

Making Shoes Like New

The second is for those who are nifty with the needle, and contains instructions for repairing trousers. It reads:

Page 38 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4

To but Trousers Two thirds of seat measure come back one sixth, and one twelfth, dot centre, one sixth towards side seam, from fork, one eight for fly tack. Bottoms one third and one eight, from seat line one half for underside measure leg from bottom allowing 1¾ ins more than half of leg allow 2 in for seat

Trouser Repairs

I don’t think I would even attempt the trouser repair. But the shoe one seems easy enough, and still do-able today. Has anyone tried vaseline® on shoes? The wonder jelly dates from 1870. And do any readers have any other tips written down by ancestors and still used today? Editor H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4 Page 39

THE ROOT CELLAR 33A Greens End Road, Meltham, Holmfirth HD9 5NW (Adjacent to Greens End Garage)

Opening Times Please note the Root Cellar is currently closed due to coronavirus restrictions. For more information see page 26. Please check the website for any updates.

Monday 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm Tuesday 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm Wednesday 10.00 am to 12.30 pm and 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm Thursday 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm Friday 10.30 am to 1.00 pm Saturdays 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm

Why not come along and:

Carry out your research Speak to people with similar interests Work on our computers including using Ancestry.com Worldwide Seek advice from our team of volunteers and explore our resources Purchase our publications booklets and look at old maps of the area

Ring ‘The Root Cellar’ 01484 859229 for information

We operate on a voluntary basis

Page 40 H&D FHS Journal Vol. 33 No.4

HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY (A member of the Federation of Family History Societies) The Society Registered Charity No. 702199

33A Greens End Road Meltham Holmfirth HD9 5NW Mirfield and Thornhill. Telephone: 01484 859229 Membership as follows: Website: www.hdfhs.org.uk

Society Contacts

Chairman Ian Stevenson [email protected]

Vice Chairman Maureen Wheeler [email protected]

Secretary Susan Hutson [email protected]

Treasurer Karen Lightfoot [email protected] cost to yourself. Li Librarian Maureen Wheeler [email protected]

Meetings Publicity Officer Margaret Woodcock [email protected]

Bookseller Keith Woodcock [email protected]

Webmaster Roger Gill [email protected] Publications: Data Manager Alan Starkey [email protected]

1/90th Committee Janet Le Billon [email protected] also o Committee Graham Farmer [email protected] ever- Journal Editor* Jane Roberts [email protected]

Membership Secretary* Vicki Di Stasi [email protected] Sale of Goods Act: order to cover our Research Team [email protected]

Data Protection: All correspondence should be addressed to the appropriate contact either to their email address or to ‘The Root Cellar’. Queries regarding non-arrival of Journals should be sent to the Membership Secretary and not to the Journal Editor. Exchange Journals should be sent to the Librarian please.

* Indicates non-committee member ‘The Hollingworth Family’ Joyce M Clarke (J093) July 2020 ISSN 0953-1254