THE SCRIVENER

The Journal of Calderdale Family History Society Incorporating Halifax & District

Number 150 Spring March 2015 CALDERDALE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Incorporating HALIFAX and DISTRICT

Calderdale Family History Society was founded on the 7th March 1985. We aim • To encourage interest in, and assist with, research relevant to the study of fam- ily history in Halifax and the Calder valley. Our area • Covers the modern Calderdale Council established in 1975, which broadly cov- ers the same area as the Ancient Parish of Halifax, with the addition to the west of the township of Todmorden and Walsden. We do this by • Holding meetings, usually on the 4 th Thursday of each month (except August) in Halifax. • Publishing The Scrivener, a quarterly journal, in paper form for full members and on our website for internet members. Contact the Editor. • Hosting a website www.cfhsweb.com/web/, and a members’ forum. Contact the Webmaster. • Running a Research Room at Brighouse Library two half days a week for per- sonal research. Contact the Research Room co-ordinator. • Running projects to transcribe records relevant to members’ research. Contact the Projects Co-ordinator. • Publishing transcribed records. Contact the Publications Officer. • Providing an enquiry and search service from our records in the Research Room. Contact the Enquiry service Co-ordinator. • Maintaining a list of members’ interests by surname and dates of interest, which are available to members on the website. Each quarter new additions are pub- lished in The Scrivener . Contact the Members’ Interests Co-ordinator. • Maintaining an index of “Strays” (Calderdale people who appear in records else- where). Contact the Strays Co-ordinator. Membership • Is open to all family historians who have an interest in the area. Contact the Membership Secretary. • Annual subscriptions are £10.00 for UK individuals (£12.00 for family member- ship), £15/£17 for Overseas • Internet membership is £5.50/£7.50 which only provides information such as the journal on the Internet, but not on paper. • Subscriptions are due on the 1st of the month, on the anniversary of joining the Society (cheques made payable to CFHS.) and should be sent to the Treasurer. • Overseas payments must be made in sterling, drawn on a bank with a branch in the UK, by Sterling Money Order. • Membership subscriptions may be paid annually by Standing Order. • Credit Card payments for subscriptions and purchases of our publications may be made over the Internet via Genfair (www.genfair.co.uk). Contacting the Society • All correspondence requiring a reply must be accompanied by a S.A.E. or 2 recent I.R.C.’s [International Reply Coupons]. Contact the Secretary or appropri- ate officer. • The names, addresses and email contacts of the Society’s officers and co- ordinators appear inside the back cover of The Scrivener and on the Society’s website.

Page 2 CONTENTS

ARTICLES

COVER PICTURE 4 EDITORIAL 5 OCTOBER TALK—MURDER MOST FOUL 6 ANNUAL TRIP to EYAM & BAKEWELL 11 UNWANTED CERTIFICATES 13 EDWARD LEE—THE BLACK SHEEP Part 2 14 HELP WANTED 26 HALIFAX ARCHITECT JOHN OATES 31 HALIFAX DESCENT of JOHN LAPRAIK 38 PILGRIMAGE to LIBYA Part 2 42

GENERAL INFORMATION

BIRTH, MARRIAGE & DEATH CERTIFICATES 48 USEFUL CONTACTS 52 FAMILY HISTORY FAIRS, etc 53 ANCIENT PARISH OF HALIFAX ~ chapelries & townships 56

CALDERDALE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY NEWS

ABOUT CFHS 2 CONSTITUTION CHANGES—Your Vote 5 PROJECTS PROGRESS REPORT 12 MEMBERS INTERESTS—Are you using them enough? 24 NEW MEMBERS’ INTERESTS 26 MEMBERSIP RENEWAL FORM 27 AGM AGENDA 28 NOMINATION PAPERS for SUTCLIFFE AWARD & COMMITTEE MEMBERS 28 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS 37 NEW SEARCH FACILITIES for MEMBERS 49 SPRING/SUMMER MEETINGS 51 RESEARCH ROOM DETAILS 53 CFHS OFFICERS 54

PUBLICATION & SERVICES SUPPLEMENT P1- P4

Page 3 THE SCRIVENER Publication Dates Deadline Dates for Copy

SPRING 2015 (March) FEBRUARY 16th SUMMER 2015 (June) APRIL 20th AUTUMN 2015 (September) AUGUST 17th WINTER 2015 (December) NOVEMBER 9th

Please note that, due my other commitments, the copy date for the Sum- mer issue is earlier than previously. Editor.

Data Protection Act

As a “not for profit” organisation, we are not required to notify the Data Protec- tion Authorities in the UK regarding the holding of personal data. However you should know that we hold on the Society’s computer the personal data that you provide us. Furthermore we make this information available to other members for the purposes of following up “Members’ Interests”.

As part of this, those details are posted on our Members’ Only website, which, under certain circumstances, can be accessed by non-members. If you either do not want us to hold your details on our computer and/or you do not want your details made available to other members as described above, please con- tact our Membership Secretary by letter, or email at [email protected].

Insurance Exclusions The insurance which we hold for certain activities undertaken by members is limited to cover for members under 75 years of age. Consequently, any mem- ber over 75 who is concerned about taking part in specific Society activities should contact the Secretary for clarification.

FRONT COVER

St Paul’s, Stone Cross, Stainland, taken from the article on John Oates by Alice Kingma Lee.

One of the now redundant Anglican churches built after Parliament introduced the Church Building Act of 1818 to allocate money for the building of C of E churches in the new industrial centres, to cater for the spiritual needs of the new industrial masses.

Page 4 EDITORIAL

Hello! I’m your new editor.

I first came to the family history scene when my husband was helping a hitherto unknown cousin with her (and hence his) family tree. I went along to the Family Records Centre in Islington, to see what it was all about. I thought I would see how far back I could get with my father's direct line. It was relatively easy back to the 1840s, using the official records of births, marriages and deaths, and the census records, which took me back to ggg grandparents John and Sarah Hol- royd. Before that, one has to rely on parish records and monumental inscrip- tions. I was able to trace John's parents, William and Sarah back to the 1750's, but what with 10% of the population of Stainland being called Holroyd, and all naming their sons John and William, and their daughters Sarah and Elizabeth, and ministers not seeing any need for mothers' names on baptismal records, I came to a full stop. However, I did find some fourth cousins, which was nice.

I hope you all enjoy this issue of the Scrivener and please keep sending in your articles and especially pictures, with a few words about them. I don’t live locally, so I can’t just go out snapping local scenes.

On a techy note, forgive me if I’ve mucked up your carefully formatted article; I have to fit it on A5 pages, and if I scale down A4 pages, they are unreadable!! If you set up your Word document as A5 pages (File — Page Setup — Paper tab — Paper size—A5) you can see how it will look in Scrivener, and save the edi- tor a lot of work!

Oh, and if you email me, please be sure to give me a clue in the title, such as "Article for Scrivener" or I might mistake it for SPAM and delete it unopened!

Frances Stubbs ([email protected])

Exercising Your Right to Vote

Have you cast your vote? Your committee would like to amend the Constitution at the forthcoming AGM (details published in September & December 2014 Scrivener and on the CFHS web site) and needs to know your feelings about this. Remember the Society belongs to you, its members. Please vote ASAP either by returning the earlier published voting slip (September 2014 Scrivener) by post, or on-line at http:// www. cfhsweb.com.

Margaret Smith (Secretary )

Page 5

October Talk — Murder Most Foul - by Reg Le Plan

It’s a subject that interests me, having been a practicing solicitor for 58 years, because this talk is about the only English solicitor who was ever indicted for the murder of another solicitor. I can’t help thinking that many of us have wanted to do that in the past but we have never actually succumbed.

This series of events took place in 1921 in Hay-on-Wye which, you will know, is now known as the biggest bookshop in the world. These events occurred in a part of Hay-on-Wye which is a bit like the Shambles in York, where as you know, if you lean out of a window, you can almost shake hands with the per- son leaning out of the window opposite. One firm of solicitors had a practice on one side and the other firm had a practice on the other. The solicitor I am go- ing to talk about is Herbert Rowse Armstrong and apart from war service he had lived all his life in Hay-on-Wye. There’s another solicitor called Oswald Martin and he was the intended victim.

Let me tell, in a sense, the end of the story first. On a crisp Saturday morning the 31 st December 1921, Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong was walking from the little hamlet of Cusop into Hay-on-Wye as he did every Saturday to spend an hour or two at his office. He was an austere man, he attracted great respect but not much love, but in that last year, 1921, he had attracted a great deal of love and help and support because his wife Kathleen had died in the February of psychotic melancholia and she was buried in the local churchyard. Every- body rallied round and he was much moved by all these gestures of love.

What might he have been doing that particular Saturday after he had finished in the office? Well he was a keen gardener and his home had two acres of ground and he had taken an area about the size of this room and marked it out with pegs and string in yard squares and there were weeds growing in this area and he was experimenting to see what effect various strengths and types of arsenic would have on the weeds.

He walked into his office, said hello to his receptionist and walked upstairs. He had one of those, I think they call them roll-top desks, where there’s a place for your knees to go in and when it’s rolled up you can open a lot of drawers and some of them are fake and some of them are cupboards, He was a small man, I doubt if he could be seen over the top of the desk.

After about an hour-and-a-half, two police officers called at the office, said hello to the receptionist, who they knew, and asked if they could go upstairs to see Armstrong. Nothing unusual about that, because Armstrong was also part of the justice of the Magistrates Court in Hay-on-Wye. They went upstairs and he greeted them quite affably thinking it was Magistrates Court business.

Page 6 They said that it was regrettable but they had some serious business, Major Armstrong, concerning the possibility that you have tried to murder your fellow solicitor, Oswald Martin. They said that they didn’t like to say this, but the truth of the matter is, Major Armstrong, we have to arrest you. He said, all right, but may I finish signing these letters. They said, certainly, but he wasn’t signing letters, he was opening drawers and taking out little packets, and discreetly stuffing them in his pocket. They stopped that pretty quickly. When they looked in, it was white and brown powder, later seen to be arsenic, so he was arrested and taken to the cells in Hay-on-Wye.

Well, you can imagine, in a place like Hay-on-Wye, what consternation that caused. So that, in one sense is the end of the story, and I said it was.

Why did it happen? Let’s go back to the beginning. Major Armstrong served throughout the First World War as a Staff Officer realising the rank of Major and getting, perhaps for service before the War, the Territorial Decoration. He came out of the war in 1919, thinking that everything would be the same, but there was a new solicitor on the other side of the road, Oswald Martin who had been unknown to Armstrong. The solicitor that Armstrong knew before the war had already indicated his intention of retiring. When Oswald Martin, in 1916, was invalided out of the army, he joined this elderly solicitor. The solicitor soon retired and before the end of the war, Oswald Martin has established himself.

Now solicitors weren’t allowed to advertise, but he was a bit of a go-getter. He wrote little pamphlets, Taxation for Farmers, things like that, and became very well known, and Armstrong didn’t like it. He was a real competitor, or so he thought. I don’t think he was right, because most of the work that they did would be land transactions, where there would have to be one solicitor on one side and one on another, so life was really, in a sense, the same. After the war, masses of agricultural land was put up for sale and it ought have to been hunky dory for both of them. But Armstrong could see, on the same elevation, this solicitor beavering away across the road and he didn’t like it.

They had, of course, to exchange civilities all the time, but there came a point of conflict in respect of a certain transaction, the sale of a farm, where one was acting for one part and the other was acting for the other, but Armstrong would not complete the transaction. Both clients wanted it completed, documents had been signed, money was available and there was no suggestion that Arm- strong had stolen any money. Oswald Martin was bewildered. Why won’t you complete, when everybody wants it and the money is there?

In the end, Armstrong agreed with Martin that they would meet together to dis- cuss the matter at Armstrong’s house and there, for his last appointment of the afternoon, Oswald Martin went for tea. The tea is rather important. We know what they had for tea and we know that it was Armstrong and not any of his daughters or servants who had prepared it. It was tea, potted meat sandwiches

Page 7 and, buttered scones. Armstrong had a plate of potted meat sandwiches, pushed them towards Oswald Martin and Oswald Martin picked what he wanted. But when it came to the scones, Armstrong lifted up the plate and uttered words which went round the world at the time, “’Scuse fingers”. He didn’t hand him the plate, took a scone and gave it to him. The meeting was unsatisfactory. Oswald Martin left and walked back into Hay-on-Wye to his own home. His wife told him that tea would be ready in about an hour. He said that was fine as he had some work to do and he went into his study. When she called him about three quarters of an hour later, he must have said something like, “Look, love I know you have gone to a lot of trouble, but I feel far from well. And he didn’t look well, he was sweating, had pains and he went to lie down. No supper that night. Next day he was on the mend.

Now I have to introduce you to a couple more characters, the local doctor, Dr Hinks and the local Apothecary, Mr Hughes. Mr Hughes was Mrs Martin’s father and Dr Hinks had lived in Hay-on-Wye all his life. They had worked to- gether and both of them called round socially that evening and it was obvious that Oswald Martin still was not well. To both of them, the symptoms described by Oswald Martin were those of somebody suffering from a mild form of arsen- ical poisoning. They asked him what he had had to eat in the last few days. Nothing but what I have had, said Mrs Martin. Except that the day be- fore he had been at Armstrong’s and he had had the tea that I have described. Then the Martins told them about something that I haven’t told you about yet – the chocolates. About three weeks before a 2 lb box of Fullers Best choco- lates was surreptitiously delivered to the Martin’s house, and from that day to this, nobody knows who delivered them. The Martins didn’t like chocolates, but shortly after Mrs Martin’s sister and her husband came to stay overnight. The husband didn’t like chocolates but the sister did and she had two and that night she felt very ill with the same symptoms that her bother-in-law had had. She went to bed early and next day she was rather better. So what Dr Hinks and Mr Hughes decided was that if the chocolates still existed, they would take them, and although it might be a bit late in the day to be effective, he would take a sample of Oswald Martin’s urine for analysis.

The chocolates came back and the urine sample came back, and the analysis came back. Let me talk about the chocolates first. What was revealed was that some of chocolates looked ordinary to the naked eye, but when you turned them over, with a magnifying glass you could see a little blob of chocolate un- der a few of them. Now that signalled to the Pathologist that somebody had injected something into some of the chocolates. Those were later examined and it was found that they had arsenic in them. So that’s the chocolates.

Now the urine sample, in spite of the fact that time had passed, contained arsenic, so the chocolates which were delivered surreptitiously contained arse- nic, some of them, and Oswald Martin’s sample contained arsenic.

Page 8 Now they had to decide what to do. The least they could do was to go to Full- ers and ask if this was a new tasty brand of chocolate that you are putting on the market. This man, Armstrong, was clearly suspected. He was prominent in his town, you cannot smear him without proof. Armstrong could have sued the hide off people if improper accusations were made.

We know now from the evidence, that one of the things that Dr Hinks was con- jecturing on was Mrs Armstrong— died in February – how did she die? They thought she had died from psychotic melancholia, having spent quite a lot of time over the last few years in an asylum at Barnwood in Worcestershire.

The police were informed and very discreetly they went about making investi- gations. They spoke to Mr Hughes about the arsenic that Armstrong had bought, quite legitimately, as I have told you. Other enquiries were made about his business, problems with Martin, that kind of thing. And that is what led to the police arriving at Armstrong’s office on Saturday the 31 st December 1921. I can’t imagine anything more exciting had ever happened to the citizens of Hay-on-Wye. For all I know they may be talking about it still.

He was taken to the police station and on the Monday he appeared indicted with the attempted murder of Oswald Martin and the case was adjourned for one week and then very likely the prosecution would outline the case, the de- fence would reserve its defence and the case would go to the next Assize in Gloucester. But that was not all that was happening.

Because of all these events Dr Hinks persuaded the authorities that the body of Mrs Kathleen Armstrong should be exhumed. So Armstrong made his first appearance on 2 nd January 1922 and between then and his next appearance arrangements would be made for Mrs Armstrong’s body to be exhumed. They took the coffin out and remember, Mrs Armstrong had died in February, getting on for a year ago. And they took off the coffin lid and what amazed them, was there was little or no sign of putrefaction. That took quite a lot of people aback. But if she had been ingesting arsenic from whatever source, it would be a pre- servative. Before the war and probably afterwards there was a ladies prepara- tion called Ponds Cold Cream that contained arsenic. When ladies used it, it gave their face a glow that it might otherwise not have. That was the first sign. Then the various organs were taken out, and quickly got to the nearest place where they could be examined. There was arsenic in Mrs Armstrong’s body.

Armstrong is appearing for the second time on the 9th January. He would have been sad enough that he was being indicted for attempted murder, but he got the shock of his life when a new charge was put to him – murder of his wife. That was the charge that was carried forward to the Assizes. Armstrong is represented by Sir Derek Curtis-Bennett the Crown is represented, as in all poisoning cases, by the Attorney General and the trial ultimately takes place. When the records of the Barnwell Asylum where Mrs Armstrong had several

Page 9 periods of time were examined, it was noted quite openly that among her medication, small quantities of arsenic were prescribed. That was a point for the defence. The prosecution wanted to mention what is known in our trade as ‘Similar Fact Evidence’, the fact that he had been indicted for the attempted murder, by the same means, of Oswald Martin. The defence cried foul. He isn’t being tried for this, it would prejudice the Jury, But the Judge, Mr Justice Darling, agreed with the prosecution and that evidence was allowed to go in.

The defence case, of course consisted of a lot of things. Is there any evidence of any love lost between Mr and Mrs Armstrong? any previous attempts? has anybody heard any rows? the kind of thing that is always examined. There was none of that. The defence argued that – and they had an expert as well – is it possible that in the human body which is obviously very sticky and wet inside, is it possible that the arsenic that Mrs Armstrong had been given at the Barnwell Asylum had somehow not been digested but had become stuck somewhere, and then suddenly been released all at once, and that this was what poisoned her and it was nothing to do with Armstrong.

The prosecution had a wonderful argument. Mrs Armstrong gets better when she goes for a few months to the Barnwell Asylum, comes home to Armstrong and lo and behold she falls ill again very quickly. And it happens time after time after time. That’s the prosecution argument.

The trial didn’t last very long and Armstrong was found guilty. There was an appeal which was done within about three weeks and he was hanged at Gloucester goal on the 31 st May 1922. Isn’t it marvellous? He’s arrested on the last day of December and less than five months it’s all over. It takes about two years now to get to the same position.

And that’s the story. One or two other little elements – Mr Justice Darling was one of those judges who would never be appointed now, because he could not resist making jokes. Here’s one. A man goes before the book to swear that he will be a faithful Jury man. He takes the book and he says “I will not be a Juryman. I told the man who came to the house I wouldn’t be a Juryman, I wrote on the form that I wouldn’t be a Juryman. My Lord, I won’t be a Jury- man.” “What’s your name?”. “Peach my Lord.” “How do you spell it?” “PEITSCH” and the Judge smiled and said, “go on, just for me, spell apri- cot!”

When Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the Pathologist, died in the early 50s, his rooms at New College Hospital were searched and would you believe it, 30 years later that blooming box of chocolates was still there! Anybody could have had any of them, but they didn’t. So that is the story of Armstrong and Martin’s murder. And it has been dealt with in various ways.

Agatha Christie had a book and I think it was called Endless Night, because it

Page 10 was thought that Armstrong had a mistress and he might be justified in having a mistress because his wife forbade him alcohol and tobacco and if they ever went to a party on a Wednesday, she always insisted they go early because, “Herbert it’s your bath night!” But I can’t see him murdering for those reasons!

ANNUAL TRIP TO EYAM & BAKEWELL.

After last years trip was dramatically called off when the coach failed to turn up, everyone was looking forward to finally visiting Eyam in Derbyshire known more famously as the “Plague Village”. We were not disappointed, and after a pleasant journey we arrived at our first destination the Eyam museum. A short film presentation informed us how Eyam was visited by the plague.

In 1665 a local tailor, George Viccars ordered a consignment of cloth from London. When the package was delivered to George the contents were found to be damp. Drying the contents in front of an open fire, it is thought he was bitten by a flea from the package, which was carrying the deadly plague. On September 7 th 1665 George was the first victim to die. The disease soon spread round the village and the Rev Mompesson came to the conclusion that urgent measures needed to be taken as the situation was growing far worse. After a village meeting it was decided that a protective cordon would be put round the village, which effectively stopped people leaving and also stopped people entering. Food and essentials were left at designated places allowing the villagers to pick them up without coming into close contact with outsiders. Money for the purchase of such items was left in containers containing vine- gar, another precaution to stop it spreading. These various precautions did stop the disease from spreading, but the villagers continued to suffer and many families were wiped out. When the disease finally burnt itself out 260 villagers had succumbed to the bubonic plague.

After the museum presentation, members had the opportunity to look round the museum, visit the local church and see many of the cottages with their commemorative plaques listing the family names and those who died.

After lunch we left for Bakewell, a small village nearby made famous for it’s Bakewell tart and Bakewell puddings. This allowed members a period of free time to look round Bakewell, do a bit of shopping, or just relax. Many members took the opportunity to buy a Bakewell tart or pudding from many of the shops, all claiming to be the original tart or pudding.

After a pleasant afternoon blessed with decent weather we made our way back to Halifax.

Clifford Drake

Page 11 Projects Progress Report

As we promised in the December Scrivener, the CD for St. Bartholomew, Rip- ponden BMDs was finally published just before Christmas. Our thanks to all those who worked on this &, in particular, to Neville Broadbent, who managed the project to its successful conclusion.

You may remember, also, that we told you about the 115 headstones stacked in Stoney Royd Cemetery, which had been recovered from Square Church prior to the start of building the new municipal library. We are pleased to say that agreement has been reached with Calderdale MBC &, as this is being written, work is progressing in laying the headstones as a path at the bottom end of Lister Lane Cemetery. Once in place, we will re-visit our Monumental Inscriptions records & ensure that the relevant entries are updated.

The project to transcribe the burial records for Stoney Royd Cemetery (all 43,800 of them !!) is now well underway & we hope to publish the 1st stage CD & download file by the end of March. This means that, when you get this copy of the Scrivener, it may well be available. So have a look at our website www.cfhsweb.com to see the latest position.

In addition, we are putting the validated information on to our Research Room databases as we finish it, which means that it comes available in a more or less continuous stream as the project progresses & can be viewed well before the CDs are published. For those of you who are not local to Halifax, E-Mail our Search Coordinator, Susan Lord, on [email protected] with the name of anyone you think might be on the Stoney Royd records & she will look & pass back any information that she finds.

However, please only ask about people who you think are in the time-frame that we have available, according to the rough timetable below : From March 2015 1861 - 1892 on CD1 From about July 2015 1892 - 1914 on CD2 From about December 2015 1814 - 1941 on CD3 From about April 2016 1841 - 1996 on CD4

In addition to the issue of these 4 CDs, once we have completed the project with the issue CD4, we will then issue a further CD which will contain all the burials from 1861 to 1996. It could well be that you would prefer to wait until then so that you have all the records for Stoney Royd on 1 CD.

The Committee have agreed to a pricing of £5 for each of the 4 individual CDs, as they are released, and £15 for the consolidated CD. The 4 individual CDs will be withdrawn from sale approximately 6 months after the end of the pro- ject.

Page 12 Finally, although this project is going extremely well, it is an enormous under- taking to meet the timescales that we have set ourselves, bearing in mind that the people doing the work are all volunteers & cannot always devote the time to the project that they would like to Consequently, we are always looking for new members of the team to help in the transcribing & validating. If you think that you would like to help, all you need do is E-Mail me, the Project Coordina- tor, at [email protected] & I will be only too pleased to send you some work ! You will only need a computer & MSExcel or equivalent on it to be able to take part. Latest Addition to our Databases

We have recently discovered some transcribed baptisms & marriages from a local Methodist church that was demolished in the 1970s.

They are for Hove Edge Zion Methodist Church & the details are :- - Baptisms for 2 periods - 1874 to 1888 and 1926 to 1947 - Marriages for the period 1952 to 1974

We have added them to our Society databases & so they are available to be searched, free of charge, by contacting our Search coordinator at [email protected], once you have determined the names that you want from our-on-line index.

I hope that this will some extra detail to your research for some of you. Peter Lord - Project Coordinator.

UNWANTED CERTIFICATES. BIRTH CERTIFICATE I have been sent a spare birth certificate dated April 1867 for Hannah Scott of Catherine Slack, Northowram. If any member would like this perhaps they would contact me. Margaret Smith (email — [email protected])

BIRTH CERTIFICATES SURNAME. FORENAME. AGE. TYPE. YEAR. REGISTRATION DISTRICT. Hannah Stott 68 Death 1854 Elland Hannah Stott 21 mths Death 1857 Elland Hannah Stott 17 Death 1857 Northowram Hannah Stott 15 Death 1859 Luddenden Hannah Stott 20 Death 1860 Elland

The above certificates have been donated to the Society. If you are interested in any of them please contact me at the e-mail address below.

Joan Drake. Publications Officer. [email protected]

Page 13 Edward Lee - the Black Sheep Contributed by John Burgess

- Continuing the story from the December 2014 Scrivener -

This is the second of three newspaper reports from the story of Edward Lee, the Black Sheep.

Transcribed from the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, Saturday April 18, 1846:

THE SHOOTING OF SIR GEORGE SITWELL'S GAMEKEEPER EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONERS

On Thursday, W. J. Bagshawe, Esq., B. B. Pegge Burnell, Esq., and Henry Bowden, Esq., attended at the Sitwell Arms, Renishaw, to take the examina- tion of the witnesses against Edward Lee, John Marples, Andrew Cartledge and George Hawley , charged with having wilfully fired a loaded gun at Wm. Jackson, with intent to murder him. The case had excited great interest in the neighbourhood, and the house was crowded with parties anxious to hear the case. Sir George Sitwell was present during the examination of the whole of the witnesses. Mr. Broomhead, Jun., solicitor attended for the prisoner Haw- ley. The prisoners had been brought, heavily ironed, by train, from Sheffield, by police constable Black.

Wm. Jackson: I am gamekeeper to Sir Geo. Sitwell, and have been in his ser- vice about two months. On Tuesday night, the 7th instant, between 9 and 10 o'clock, I was in the servant's hall at Renishaw, and in consequence of what James Eason, the under butler, said, I and Bond, the under-keeper, went out together towards the cover. I went down the carriage road, and Bond went down the garden, round the other side of the cover. When I got about 40 yards down the cover, I saw three or four men on the carriage road. When I got nearly close to them, one of the men saw me, and cried out "Here he is:" and another said "Shoot him - shoot him to the devil." I said "nay, nay, don't shoot now, " and another of the men, who was behind the two first who were pointing their guns at me, also called out "Don't shoot;" but before he had finished his words, one of the men pulled the trigger of his gun and the cap went off; but the contents missed fire. Another gun was pointed at me at the same time by another man. I was then about eight or nine yards from the men. I then thought it would be better for me not to face them, and turned round to walk away; and when I had got about 12 yards from them, a gun was fired at me, and the shot struck me on my thighs down to the lower part of my legs. I had said nothing to them, or given them any provocation, but what I have stated. I was then very faint, and was carried into the hall. I heard the men run down the carriage road after they had shot me. One of the men who pointed the gun at me wore a

Page 14 light-coloured shooting-jacket, and another of them had on a dark-coloured jacket. I believe Lee and Marples to be two of the men, but cannot speak posi- tively to them. I cannot speak to the other two men. On the following morning, Lee came into the room, when I lay in bed, and said "Do you think it was me that shot you?" I said I was sure he was there, if he did not fire the gun; and he replied, "No indeed, I did'nt shoot you." I asked him who did? and he said "Marples." I cannot speak to either Cartledge or Hawley being there, but I am quite sure there were either three or four men....

Mr Bagshawe asked the prisoners if they wished to put any question to the witness....Lee to the witness - What made you think it was me?....Jackson - Because you are under a bad character about poaching, and as soon as I got in the carriage road, I thought you were among them....Lee - But you only go by what folks have told you; you never saw me before....Jackson - Yes, I have met you several times....Lee - You swear to me being in the cover?....Jackson - No, but I thought it was you, merely because on account of your character for poaching.... Mr. Bagshawe - A bad character will always raise a man's suspi- cion, and a good character will always stand in a man's favour....Lee denied that he had stated to Jackson that it was Marples who fired at him....Marples - Do you say you saw me point the gun at you?....Jackson - I don't swear that it was you, but I can swear that one of the men had a light-coloured jacket on, and I thought it was you, from having seen you in a light-coloured shooting jacket before....Marples - He has said that I shot him....Mr Bagshawe - No, he thinks you were there....Marples - I was never there at all, but we were all at this public-house together....By Mr. Broomhead - The men were on the car- riage road talking together, when I first saw them. They did not see me at first, and I had crept within eight or nine yards, when one of them saw me, and called out "He's here." Two of the men were then in front, and the others were a little distance behind. The man behind called out, "Don't shoot." They did not, when they pointed the guns at me, tell me to stand back, or they would fire.

Saml. Bond of Renishaw Hall, said - I am under-gamekeeper to Sir George Sitwell, of Renishaw Hall, and have been in his service about five months. Between nine and ten o'clock on the night of Tuesday, the 7th inst., I and Wm. Jackson, the head keeper, were in the servant's hall, and in consequence of what the under-butler said, I and Jackson went out; Jackson going down the coach road, and I down by the gardens, on the other side. When I got half way down, I heard the report of a gun, and then Jackson scream out. I then ran down and found Jackson on the road between the front of the house and the road. He was twenty or thirty yards from the gate, leading into the wood. He said - "Oh dear, they've shot me;" and had his hand on his leg, apparently in great pain. I left him, and went across the wood, but could not see any men. I saw a dark coloured setter dog in the cover, near to Brook's hill. The next morning, I went with the constable, to apprehend Lee, and told him he was charged with shooting Jackson, the keeper. We took him to Renishaw, and in

Page 15 the saddle-room, he told us the two guns were in a chest, in an old place ad- joining Marples's. We went and found the guns, in the place he had men- tioned, and on our return, I took one of the guns into the saddle-room, to Lee, and said "Is this the gun that did the job?" and he said, "Yes, that's it." I said, "didst thee shoot him," and he replied, "It was young Marples did it." He said he had bore the blame once for nothing, and he would, this time, tell all about it, and not bear the blame when he had not done it

.The prisoner Lee: Did you come to me and ask if it was my gun?....Yes; I shewed you the largest one, and you said it was yours; and I could not stand by keeping it, and you should expect it back....By Mr. Broomhead: When we went to apprehend Hawley and Cartledge, we went into a public-house to en- quire for them, and whilst there they both came in, and Hawley surrendered himself. Cartledge said he would not go without a warrant, but went quietly with us.

Alexander Hibbs: I am a whitesmith, and reside at Eckington. About eight or nine months ago, Lee brought a gun to me to repair. He came about it several times after this. On the Friday afternoon, before the keeper was shot, he and Marples came together to my shop. Peacock, Sir Geo. Sitwell's late keeper, had just gone out before they came in. Lee said he had come for his gun, and I told him I had not it at home: it was at Barlbro'. He said he should like to have it, and would call the next day, and I promised to have it ready. He then shewed me a live hare he had in his pocket, and began talking about Jackson, the new keeper. Lee said he had heard that Jackson had said he would shoot the first man he saw shoot a pheasant. He said - "I'll quieten him for that." I told him Jackson would do nothing of the sort; for he was not allowed to carry a gun at night. Lee said - "We shall try him before long - both him and Sam, the under-keeper, and see what they are made of; and if they don't keep back, we shall give them some shot: we care nothing either for them or their dogs." Marples said either of them would do it, and I told them they had better let him alone, and let the pheasants stop where they were. Lee again mentioned what he had heard that Jackson had threatened to do, and said - "We'll fetch the gun on Saturday, and if he's as fond of shooting as that, we are as fond, and he'll be tried what he is made of before long." Lee then pulled the live hare out of his pocket, and said, "I wish the hare and skin were altogether in Sir George's guts"....Lee: Didn't you say so too?....Hibbs: No....Lee: You're a false man....The witness continued: They went away from my shop directly after, and Lee, as he was going out, said he would come again the next day for the gun. I did not see them again until the morning before the keeper was shot, when I passed the four prisoners together near Mr. Humble's house. Lee's gun is still in my possession....Lee: What was it you said to me about Sir George before I said anything?....Hibbs: I never said anything about Sir George....Lee: Yes you did; you said Sir George would not employ you, because you worked for poachers, and you wished him and them all at the ------. What you have stated is a lie altogether; you are no better man than we are....Hibbs: I did say

Page 16 that I had heard Sir George had said so, but that was at the time you shot his dog, and threatened to shoot the keeper, and were sent to Derby for it. I said I did not care who I worked for so long as they paid me, and I say so now. What I've said is the truth, and I'll stand to it....Lee: Didn't you want to buy the hare I shewed you to make a pie of?....Hibbs: I'm not a poacher. I never took a hare but once, and then I took it to Sir George, and he promised to give me a cou- ple of rabbits for it, but I never got them....Marples denied he had said that either him or Lee would shoot the keeper.

John Cutts, of Barlbro', said - On Tuesday morning, the 7th instant, I was com- ing down Bildhurst hill, between eight and nine o'clock, in my cart, when I met the four prisoners, whom I knew well, going up the hill towards Barlbro'. Lee had the end of a gun barrel sticking out of his pocket, and asked me how I was as they passed. I met them between 10 and 11 o'clock the same morning again in the village of Barlbro', and in the same afternoon, I saw Marples and Lee go into the Rose and Crown, and come out again directly after in company with Cartledge and Hawley, and they all went together to the sign of the Clock Wheel.

Wm. Stevenson, of Barlbro', grocer, said - On Tuesday forenoon, the 7th inst., about 11 or 12 o'clock, a man, dressed like a gamekeeper, came into my shop, and asked for an ounce and a half of gunpowder, a pound of shot and one or two pennyworth of caps. I did not see that he had a gun with him. I sold him what he asked for, and he paid me either 9d or 10.1/2d. I asked if he was a gamekeeper? and he replied that he was not. I also asked him if he did not live with Mr. Wright last year? and he said no. The prisoner Lee is the man. I can speak to him from his general appearance. The shot I sold him was No. 4....Mr Bagshawe: Do you wish to ask this witness any questions?....Lee: No, he has said nothing but what is correct.

Charles Clarke, of Barlbro', said - On Tuesday forenoon, about half-past 11 o'clock, I was at the Rose and Crown public-house, at Barlbro', and whilst there, the prisoner Hawley came in, and called for a pint of ale. In about five or ten minutes, the other three prisoners came in together. Lee, whom I have known for two years, sat by my side. He had a gun in his coat pocket. I saw the end of it when he stooped down. I said to him - "I see you've got a gun," and he replied - "Yes, I've got it: we've been trying at a hare, but didn't shoot her, and we tried at a brace of birds, but missed them." He asked me if our keeper was gone? and I said I believed he was. He then said - "We've just come to have a bit of a throw off with you." He said he thought they should go into the plantation, and I told him four men were working there, and might take them. We sat awhile, and Lee and Marples went to the back door. I followed them, and found Marples letting his gun off. Lee pulled the trigger of his gun, but it missed fire, and he said - "D--- the powder, it's damp, but I'll try it again." He put another cap on, and then it went off. I noticed that the gun had a piece of waxband wrapped around the stock, and it appeared to be shorter than the

Page 17 one Marples had. He took it in pieces, and put it into his pocket, and they all went into the house. Several other persons were about at the time. I followed them into the house, and stopped there for about an hour. Lee and Marples went out first, and I think Cartledge staid a short time after they were gone. Hawley left his top-coat over the laugsettle, and Lee came back in about an hour and a half, and took it away, and I saw no more of them. I can tell one of the guns now produced to be the one Lee had, from having the waxband round the stock....By Mr. Broomhead: Hawley went out by himself, and did not return.

John Sargerson, groom to Sir Geo. Sitwell, said, on Tuesday morning, the 7th instant, about half-past nine o'clock, I saw the three prisoners, Lee, Cartledge, and Marples, and another man standing on the road against the Park wall, just below Mr. Humble's house. On the following morning, I was present when Lee was apprehended at his father's house, at Bole hill, and when he came down stairs, he asked whet we wanted with him, and then said, "I know what you have come for." We took him to Renishaw, and when in the saddle-room, he said, "I'll tell all I know about it. I have suffered before, and expect I shall have to do so again, and be obliged to leave the country if I ever get over this job." He then said, "Marples shot him, and I begged him not to shoot him." About an hour after this, I saw Lee go up stairs into the room where Jackson was lying. I followed, and heard him say to Jackson, who was in bed, "Do you mean to say that I shot you?" Jackson said, "No doubt but you did," and Lee said, "No, I'm not the man; Marples did it." Marples was not then present; he was in custody in the saddle-room. In consequence of what Lee said, I accompanied the po- liceman and Bond, him say to Jackson, who was in bed, "Do you mean to say that I shot you?" Jackson said, "No doubt but you did," and Lee said, "No, I'm not the man; Marples did it." Marples was not then present; he was in custody in the saddle-room. In consequence of what Lee said, I accompanied the po- liceman and Bond, the underkeeper, to Mosbrough, and the two prisoners, Cartledge and Hawley, were apprehended together, at a public-house. Hawley said he expected he should be fetched up for the concern.

John Heald, of Eckington, constable, said - On Tuesday morning, the 7th inst., I was at Barlbro', and saw the prisoners Lee and Marples, with two other men, going into the village. About five o'clock on the following morning, I was called up by a policeman from Sheffield, and accompanied him to the house of Jo- seph Marples, of Eckington, the father of the prisoner John Marples. We then found Marples and took him into custody. I took him to the saddle-room at Renishaw Hall, and in a short time the policeman came in with the prisoner Lee in custody. Marples saw him, and said, "You ought to have the other two, Andrew Cartledge and George Hawley." In the forenoon, I went to Lee, who was then in custody in the saddle-room, and said to him, "I'm afraid this will be an awkward job for you." He said, "I didn't shoot him; Marples shot him. I didn't go into the gate at the same time as them. I stopped upon the bridge, and went in after they fired two shots, and I saw the keeper coming down the road.

Page 18 Marples said he would shoot him, and I and Geo. Hawley cried out for him not to shoot."....By Mr. Broomhead: I have known Hawley many years, and he has always borne an irreproachable character. I never knew of him being con- nected with poachers before.

Thomas Black, of Sheffield, police constable, said - About one o'clock on Wednesday morning, the 8th instant, I was sent to Renishaw Hall, where I saw Sir George Sitwell. About five o'clock the same morning, I, Bond, the under- keeper, and Heald, the Eckington constable, went to the prisoner Marples fa- ther's house, and there apprehended him. I and the under keeper went from there to Bole hill, where the prisoner Lee resides, and took him also into cus- tody. About eleven o'clock, Sir G. Sitwell came into the saddle-room, where Lee was, and heard him say, "if you'll be lenient with me, I'll tell all about it; and I leave the country, if you let me off." Sir George made him no answer, and Lee then said he would also tell him who it was who took his tame pheas- ants some time ago. Sir George then asked him if the men were in the country yet, and Lee said they were. I asked Lee where they had left the guns, and he said, "We had but one, and we left it in an old building next to Marples's." I went to the place he described, and there found two guns wrapped in an old fustian shooting coat, which was quite wet; and in the cupboard in Marples's house, I found the shot bag and powder flask, which I now produce. The same afternoon, I took the other two prisoners into custody at Mosbrough, and took them to Renishaw. Hawley said, "If you let me see Sir George, I'll tell him all about it." He afterwards had an interview with Sir George Sitwell. I afterwards brought the prisoners to Sheffield, and on searching Cartledge, found in his pockets half a dozen caps and a few gun wads.... Cartledge said he had had the caps in his pocket some months.

The witness Stevenson was recalled, and said the shot found in the bag, at Marples's house, was of the same kind as that he sold to Lee.

John Sykes, of Renishaw, miller, said, on Tuesday, the 7th instant, I was at the Sitwell Arms, at Renishaw, and, about eight o'clock, the four prisoners, who had a liver-coloured dog with them, came in. I had some conversation with Hawley, and he said he would dress me my grinding stone. I saw them again the following evening, at the Sitwell Arms, in the custody of a policeman, and as soon as I went in, Hawley said to me, "Old man, I'll come and dress your grinding stone." I asked him when, and he said, "Not long first." The Sitwell Arms is about 200 yards from the gates leading to Sir George Sitwell's grounds.

Mr. William Francis Askham proved being called in to see Jackson, whom he found suffering from gunshot wounds. A large number of shot-corns had en- tered the back part of the thighs and calves of his legs. He had continued in attendance up to the present time. He considered the injuries severe, and, though now out of danger, would require great care. Several of the shots

Page 19 which had been extracted were produced, and were quite flattened....By Mr. Broomhead: He had known Hawley for several years, and knew nothing against his character before this affair, nor had he heard anything against him.... Sir Geo. Sitwell said, if Mr. Broomhead was intending to ask questions about Hawley's character, he should put in evidence a letter which he had in his hand.... Mr Broomhead asked to be allowed to look at the letter, if it was to be put in as evidence.... Mr. Bagshawe said, the letter could not be received as evidence, and, therefore, there was no occasion for Mr. Broomhead to see it.

The witness Heald was recalled, and produced a dark shooting coat and a hat, which he said he had received from Lee's mother, as having been worn by him on the night in question.... The witness Stevenson identified them as being worn by Lee when he purchased the powder and shot.... Jackson was re- called, and they were shewn to him, but he could not identify them.... John Eason, the under-butler at Renishaw Hall, proved that about half-past nine o'clock, on Tuesday night, he was in one of the rooms on the south front of the house, and, in consequence of hearing the report of two guns in the Park, he informed Jackson, who, with the under-keeper, went out immediately.

....This was the case for the prosecution.

Mr. Broomhead, on behalf of Hawley, proceeded to comment upon the evi- dence given by the witnesses, and said there was nothing against his client, except that he had been seen in the others' company, during the greater part of the day. He then went on to state the facts, as given in the voluntary state- ment made by Hawley, and submitted that there had been no intention to join the other parties, but had met them by casual occurrence. It was quite clear that there had been no previous connexion with either Lee or Marples, and that he was innocent of any participation in the outrage, and had used every endeavour to induce the others not to go into the Park. He hoped they would take these circumstances which were in his favour, and, after they had heard his statement, not admit him as an approver only, but liberate him from the charge, and admit him as witness in the case.

The prisoner Hawley then made the following statement voluntarily: I am a wood turner, and work at Slitting Mills. On Saturday, the 4th instant, I was at the house of the prisoner, Cartledge's mother, at Mosbro'. I have been for some time paying my addresses to his sister, who resides in the same house with him, and we were to have been married last Monday. I stopped at Mrs. Cartledge's on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday nights, being prevented from going to work by "back water" at our mill, caused by the incessant rains. On Tuesday morning, the 7th instant, about half past nine o'clock, I and Cartledge left his mother's house to go to Slitting Mills, to see if I could get to my work. When we got to the top of Southgate, in Eckington, we met the prisoners Lee and Marples. Cartledge had with him a liver coloured setter bitch, and she had

Page 20 just got over a wall into a plantation, when we met Lee and Marples. Lee said, "Stop a bit; the bitch stands at something." We looked over the wall, and I saw a rabbit. Lee was taking his gun out of his pocket, when the rabbit got away, and he then asked us where was we going? We told him, to the Slitting Mills, and he said, "It's of no use going; you can't work, and you may as well take a walk with us as far as Spink hill." We turned back to go with them; but instead of going to Spink hill, we went to Barlbro'. Cartledge, Lee, and Marples went into a field on Barlbro' hill, and I went forward to Hague's public-house, and in half an hour, they came to me there. They had seen a hare and a pair of birds. We had a few pints of ale, and went forward to Barlbro', and just before we got to the Crown Inn, Lee left us, and said he would go and buy some powder and shot. I, Marples, and Cartledge went into the Crown Inn, and in a short time, Lee came to us. I left them there, and went to my dinner at Elijah Aston's, and afterwards went back to them, and stopped about an hour, and then left and went to the Clock wheel public-house. In a short time, Lee and Marples came there to me. They asked me where Cartledge was, and I said I did not know. Lee said he would go and seek him, and went out and brought Cartledge in. Lee then proposed to go to Spink hill, and said we were to follow him, and he would shew us the road. We went through the fields and woods. Lee and Mar- ples had each a gun with them, and shot once or twice. Cartledge shot once with Marples's gun. We got to Spink hill just before it was dark, and called at Fox's public-house, where we remained about an hour. We started from there to go home, and when we got to the Sitwell Arms, we called, and had two quarts of ale. We had ale at all the public-houses we called at. We left the Sit- well Arms about nine o'clock, and were then all "fresh." Lee and Marples had their guns in their pockets then. I expected that we were all going home. We went on the road towards Eckington, and just before we got to the Railway Bridge, Lee said, "We'll go and have a shot at Sir George's rooks." Marples said, "Well, I shan't go; and Lee replied, "Won't you, by ---- but I'll make you." Marples said, "Well, if that's it, I shall be like to go, or else he'll shoot me." Sir George Sitwell's grounds are close to the railway bridge, and a rookery, which is called Brok's hill, is 100 or 200 yards from the turnpike road. Marples opened a gate leading in, and we all followed. We went up the coach road as far as the lodge, and I then leaned against a tree. Lee, Marples, and Cartledge went 20 or 30 yards further, and directly I heard two guns fired by some of the party, but I could not tell who. One of them, but I am not sure which, said, "See, yon'd devil is frightened," I said, "Nay, I'm not, but I want to go home." Lee said, "Let's go up to the half-moon planting, and have a shot there." I the went up to them, and tried to persuade them to come back. Lee and Marples had their guns in their hands. They all came back with me as far as the lodge. Lee then said, "I'll go up here and have a shot." He went 50 or 60 yards up the coach road, Marples followed close behind him; Cartledge followed ten or fif- teen yards behind Marples, and I was about ten yards behind Cartledge. Di- rectly I saw a man coming towards us. Lee and Marples said to him, "D--- you get back; - get back with you;" and pointed their guns at him. I saw the man put up one or both of his hands and say, "Don't shoot me." Lee and Marples

Page 21 said, "D--- you get back then, and run." The man appeared to be turning round. I left them, and ran down the road towards the gate. As I turned from them I heard a cap go off, and directly after a gun went off, and a man screamed very loud. I continued to run, and Marples overtook me at the gate. I said, "Surely you have not shot him;" and he said, "By ----- I have." I said, "You ought to have had your brains smashed out then;" and he said, "Lee would have done it, but his gun missed fire." I and Marples went out by the gate, and crossed the turnpike road, and were getting over the wall on the other side of the road, when Cartledge and Lee came up. They got over with us, and we went down the railway as far as Pepworth; we then crossed two fields, and Marples and Lee left us. They had their guns in their pockets, and asked me and Cartledge to take them, but we declined. Marples and Lee went across the fields towards Eckington and I and Cartledge went to Mosbro'. On the follow- ing morning, we heard of a policeman going to George Booth's on Mosbro' moor, and both went there, and were taken into custody.... Two witnesses were called, who gave this prisoner a good character....The other prisoners, after being duly cautioned, were asked if they had anything to state.

Lee said, as I, Hawley, Cartledge, and Marples were going fron the Sitwell Arms, on Tuesday night, between nine and ten, and when we got upon the Railway bridge, Cartledge and Hawley said, "Let's go and have a shot at the rooks;" - (Cartledge: it's a false that.) - They'll do to make a pie of with a water hen, which we have." I staid a short time on the road, and both Cartledge and Hawley said, "You are always doing something when we want you to go in." Cartledge, Hawley, and Marples went into Sir grounds, and two shots were fired before I went in.

Marples made the following statement: - When the keeper came down, Lee said, "Let's frighten him;" and he struck a gun up into the air, and the cap went off, but the gun missed fire. We were then going to turn round, and the gun which I had in my hand was on full cock, and as I was letting it down upon the cap, the hammer slipped out of my fingers, and dropped upon the cap, and the gun went off.... Cartledge made a short statement, confirming that of Hawley. He said they were all fresh at the time they went into Sir Geo. Sitwell's grounds.

Witnesses were called who gave him a good character.

After consulting with the other Magistrates, Mr. Bagshawe said, this charge is one of a character which I am sorry to say is not unknown in this parish; for it has been my lot, during the considerable period which I have acted as a Mag- istrate for this district, to know that Eckington has been unfortunately distin- guished for these proceedings arising out of poaching, Eckington is a parish which, I regret to say, is more known for barbarisms of this kind, than any other parish in this or any other county. I am exceedingly grieved that this Bench should have been again called upon to investigate one of these dread-

Page 22 ful outrages. This case is one of an extraordinary character, for it is quite clear from the evidence, that as regards at least two of the prisoners, there has been a determined intention to make an assault of a violent character, and in this case almost amounting to a charge of murder; for I hesitate not to say, that if this man had unfortunately died, the case would have gone very hard against them. The outrage committed has been one of a most flagrant and bare-faced character. Here are a party who enter a gentleman's grounds, and close to his house fire at his rooks; and on an alarm being given, and his servant going to them, they deliberately pointed their guns at him, one of which providently missed fire, and the contents of another was lodged in the legs of an individ- ual, and he is now suffering in consequence. I hope, for your sakes, as well as his own, he may eventually be no worse for it. It appears to me, that being a new keeper, it has been the intention of the parties, who, as is unfortunately is the case to a great extent in Eckington, to their own disgrace and ruin, invade the grounds of other parties, and destroy game, and because a new man comes on the place, they at once determine to do him an injury, though he has done them no further harm than discharging his duty to his master. It becomes our duty to send this case for trial at the Assizes; but I think there is a great distinction to be drawn between the parties, because we know nothing at all against Hawley or Cartledge. There is not, in their case, as in that of the two other prisoners, the resolute intention, expressed at the gunsmith's shop three days before, to commit the outrage which has taken place, nor do they, as far as it is proved, appear to be cognizant of this intention, or to have done more than being in the other prisoner's company during the day, and following them into the grounds. With the other prisoners, however, it is different, for they ap- pear to have been educated to this kind of proceedings. They are possessed of guns, and are proved to have made use of threats disreputable to be used by any one. I regret that I have to make these strong expressions with respect to this parish, but I do so in the sincere hope and desire that the conse- quences which may result from this case may be productive of some good, by inducing those parties following the same course to turn over a new leaf; be- cause I am sure, that if they do not, such proceedings can lead to nothing but ignominy and disgrace. And I think that this case will serve as a strong proof of what I am saying. The parties will be committed to take their trial at the next Derby Assizes, and as I have stated, we shall make some distinction between them. If Hawley and Cartledge can produce bail for their appearance to an- swer the charge, they will be liberated. The case, however, is one of such character, that it must be left open to the Judge who hears it to decide as to whether Hawley should be admitted evidence against the others. - The prison- ers were then ordered to stand committed; but Hawley and Cartledge were admitted to bail, on entering in their own recognizances in £50, and two sure- ties each in £25, to appear at Derby to answer the charge.

To be continued

Page 23 Members Interests - are you using them enough ?

I thought that I might write an item for this month's Scrivener to extol the vir- tues of the Members' Interests system that operates in our Society.

In common with most family history societies, our members offer a valuable source of information through the medium of making available details of their research to others. This is done by entering basic details into the "Members' Interests" system that is available only to Society members &, often, is the main reason why people join us.

This system has been in operation from the very first days of the Society, back in 1985, and we have amassed a large number of surnames that have been researched & thus detail is available to other members who are looking at the same names. The information is regularly monitored so that only existing members' research names are made available to other Society researchers.

Initially, we produced an updated booklet of detail every 2 years, and supple- mented this with additions & changes each quarter via the Scrivener. Just over a year ago, we proposed to bring the system more up-to-date, by trans- ferring the information from paper on to the Society website.

A great deal of thought went into this, and your Committee agreed, for a num- ber of reasons :- - A bi-annual booklet soon became out-of-date & had to be supple- mented by the quarterly additions from the Scrivener. This made for an unwieldy set of papers, as they built up over 2 years. - Changes, and new entries, were delayed for up to 3 months, from one journal issue to the next. - The booklet & updates needed to give contact details, which meant printing members' personal details in both booklet & updates. We were aware that it was quite easy for these publications to be read by non-members of our Society. Given the changing times, we were concerned that such circulation of personal information ran the risk of infringing the Data Protection Act. - The cost of producing the bi-annual booklet was rising & no longer seemed a warranted expense to the members.

We knew that over 90% of our members had E-Mail addresses (the remaining 10% may have had, but we just didn't know them), so we knew that the vast majority of members used the Internet. Consequently, it seemed a natural progression to put the Members' Interests information on to our Society web- site. This has a number of advantages :- - Members can add & update information immediately, without having to write it down & post it to our MI Coordinator. - Such updates are immediate & other members do not have to wait

Page 24 for up to 3 months to get the information. - Because access to the Interests is on our "Members' Only" section of the website, non-members are most unlikely to be able to access them. - By going on to an electronic method, we only need to put on mem- bers' E-Mail addresses, rather than their full personal details, thereby safeguarding their data integrity. - Effectively, by moving away from a bi-annual booklet, the system has a "zero cost" to the Society.

For the very few members who do not use the Internet, we still publish addi- tions & changes in the Scrivener, but, of course, only list contributors' E-Mail addresses for contact. Anyone not wanting to use the internet can always write to me, the MI Coordinator & I will pass on any request to the relevant member.

Also, if anyone is unsure how to enter their details on to the system on the Society website, you can pass those details on to me & I will gladly enter them for you.

The impetus for this article has been that there have not been many additions or updates on the system over the last few months, so we wondered if mem- bers were getting the best use from it.

It is quite easy to both enter/update your own interests and to search for any name that others have entered. Full guidance notes are available on the site, but to remind you, here are the first steps.

- Once you have logged on as a member, "hover" your mouse pointer over the menu item on the RH side of the screen " Members' Area ". - 3 options will appear - select the 2nd one " Interests ". - "Hover" over that one & 3 further options will appear - select the one you want. They are :- - Search Interests , where you just enter the surname you want to see & the list of details for that name will appear, including the contact E-Mail address for the contributing member. - Edit your Interests, where you can add, amend or delete the interests that you have & want to share with other mem- bers. -Members' Interests - Guidelines - these are full instruc- tions on how to get the best use out of the system, including more detail on what I have outlined above.

So please make use of this valuable resource, both for your own benefit & for the benefit of other members. This is one of the reasons for being a member

Page 25 of our Society !!

If you are still unsure, or want further advice on the system, please contact me by E-Mail [email protected] or by 'phone on 01484-715493 Mike Hardcastle - Members' Interests Coordinator.

New Members’ Interests

Surname Location County Known_From Known_To Wanted_FromWanted_ToCode CLARKE BARNSLEY WRY 1891 1921 1891 1901 2015 HOLROYDSHELF WRY 1891 1921 1891 1901 3616 SLATER ELLAND WRY 1630now Start Now 3636 BARRET STAINLAND/SOYLANDWRY 1670now Start Now 3636 RILEY SKIRCOATWRY 1817now Start Now 3636 CHADWICK STAINLAND WRY 1768now Start Now 3636 CLEGG ELLAND WRY 1798now Start Now 3636 STOTT STAINLAND WRY 1729now Start Now 3636 WHITELEY GREETLANDWRY 1721now Start Now 3636

Address List

3636, Ms C, Lee, [email protected] 3616, Mr B, Holroyd, [email protected] 2015, Miss C.J. Blagbrough, [email protected]

HELP WANTED

Subject: Family History

I live in Cumbria and are researching the history of my family, who were all brought up in the Halifax/Bradford area.

I am missing certain information about 2 family members I am researching and do not seem to be able to find any information on them within the Calderdale site. As a member will I be able to access more information? For example:- my Grandmother was born Edith Bates and born in Shibden, Halifax in 1890. No information is available on your web pages. Any help would be appreciated.

R D Pickard Email: [email protected]

Page 26 CALDERDALE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Incorporating Halifax & District Application for Membership Renewal (For1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016)

Application can be made in three ways:

By Standing Order: Account name: Calderdale FHS Bank sort code: 30-93-76 Account number:01670491 Ref. to use: Membership number & surname

Over the Internet from the site www.genfair.com

By completing the form below and posting to the Treasurer

NAME………………………………………………

TEL.No…………………….

POSTCODE………………………E-MAILADDRESS…………………………………….

(Existing) MEMBERSHIP NUMBER……………………………………..

I/We enclose cheque/P.O. for £…………………………………………. (Made payable to CALDERDALE F.H.S.)

FEES: Individual Family UK MEMBERSHIP £10.00 UK MEMBERSHIP £12.00 OVERSEAS £15.00 (Incl. Air Mail) OVERSEAS £17.00 (Incl. Air Mail) INTERNET £5.50 INTERNET £7.50

Please note that INTERNET membership provides access to the Quarterly Magazine and all other infor- mation from our Members Website only, not on paper. Overseas members not renewing via Genfair should make payments in Sterling.

Please return to: MR P LORD, TREASURER C.F.H.S 288, HALIFAX ROAD, HOVE EDGE, BRIGHOUSE. HD6 2PB

APPLICATION RECEIVED………………………......

RECEIPT No………………………………………………….

Page 27 Calderdale FHS Annual General Meeting - Thursday 23th. April 2015 at 7.30 pm at the North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax.

Agenda & Notes

1. Announcement of Nominations and Citations & distribution of voting papers for the Members' Sutcliffe Award

2. Secretary's Report

3. Treasurer's Report

4. Vote on Proposed Changes to the Constitution

5. Computer Security Report.

6. Collection of voting papers for the Members’ Sutcliffe Award

7. Election of Officers & Committee

8. Election of Auditors

9. Presentation / Announcement of the Sucliffe Awards.

10. Presentation / Announcement of Margaret Walker Award.

11. Any Other Business

Please bring this Agenda to the AGM

Nomination Papers forMembers’ Sutcliffe Award, Officers and Committeee Members

Nomination Paper for the Members' Sutcliffe Award 2015

Every year, the Society makes a presentation of 2 annual awards to members who have made an outstanding contribution to the Society over the previous 12 months. These are entitled The Sutcliffe Awards , in recognition of the work carried out by John & Joyce Sut- cliffe over many years.

The Committee Sutcliffe Award is awarded by the Committee to the Away Member who, they feel, has made such a contribution during the year.

The Members' Sutcliffe Award is awarded to any Society Member, nominated by any other member, and voted on at the AGM by all members present.

This nomination paper may be completed, signed by the submitting member & returned to The Secretary by 7.30pm. Thursday 9th. April 2015. Please note that only one nomination may be made by any one member.

Page 28

I nominate ...... to be considered for the award of the 2015 Members' Sutcliffe Award, for the following rea- sons:

......

......

......

......

......

Signed: ...... Date : ......

(Please print your name here) ......

Please return this nomination form to Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Hali- fax. HX3 0JP (or email scanned copies to [email protected] ), by 7.30pm Thursday 9 th . April 2015

Before proceeding to nominate someone as an officer or committee member please don’t forget to obtain their consent.

CFHS - 2015/2016 Chairperson Nomination Please print the name of the nominee in the space provided. Please return this form to the Secretary: Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Halifax. HX3 0JP, (or email scanned copies to [email protected] ), by 7.30pm Thurs- day 9 th . April 2015

I nominate ...... for election as CFHS Chairperson for the year 2015/2016

Signed ......

Member's name (print)......

Date ......

Page 29 CFHS - 2015/2016 Secretary Nomination Please print the name of the nominee in the space provided and return this form to the Secretary: Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Halifax. HX3 0JP (or email scanned cop- ies to [email protected] ) , by 7.30pm Thursday 9th. April 2015

I nominate ...... for election as CFHS Secretary for the year 2015/2016.

Signed ......

Member's name (print) ......

Date ......

CFHS - 2015/2016 Treasurer Nomination Please print the name of the nominee in the space provided and return this form to the Secretary: Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Halifax. HX3 0JP (or email scanned cop- ies to [email protected] ), by 7.30pm Thursday 9th. April 2015

I nominate ...... for election as CFHS Treasurer for the year 2015/2016.

Signed ......

Member's name (print)......

Date ......

CFHS - 2015/2016 Committee Member Nomination Please print the name of the nominee in the space provided and return this form to the Secretary: Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Halifax. HX3 0JP (or email scanned cop- ies to [email protected] ), by Thursday 9th. April 2015

I nominate ...... for election to the CFHS Committee for the year 2015/2016.

Signed ......

Member's name (print)......

Date ......

Page 30 Halifax architect John Oates and the fate of his unlisted churches, by Alice Kingma Lee.

Have you ever noticed any of the abandoned or decommissioned churches in the region?

Recently I came across the odd looking ex-church St Paul's at Cross Stone, Stainland. It is solid and ungainly in a cute sort of way and it looked more like the work of a local builder than an architect. It has a fabulous old school house next door, with jail underneath and a surviving set of stocks in the wall by the church; all of which are very “wow”. This got me thinking about why the little church is not really very '“wow” itself. Let's investigate.

St Paul's, Cross Stone.

To my surprise, it was designed by quite a prominent Yorkshire architect, John Oates (1793-1831).

Page 31 John Oates

Oates was born in Salterhebble near Halifax. Apparently he was the son of a quarry owner. He opened his architect's practise Oates, Pickersgill and Oates with his brother Mathew and Thomas Pickersgill, in 1819. The office was at 7, Union Street, Halifax. (References 1 and 6).

Oates was designing buildings in the West Riding of Yorkshire at the time of the Church Commissioners' investigation into the provision of new churches. The Commissioners wanted to know whether enough new churches were be- ing built. If so, were they being built in the right places to cater for the spiritual needs of the new industrial masses, who were surging ever townward.

They decided that the answer was “no”. No doubt spurred on by thoughts of the horrors of immorality among the new industrial working classes, Parliament introduced the Church Building Act of 1818 to allocate money for the building of C of E churches in the new industrial centres.

Oates was in the right place at the right time. Between 1801 and 1831, the government contributed £1,152,044 towards the building of new edifices and the worried middle and upper classes matched this with £1,847,956 of their own money. (Ref 3). A million pounds was granted after the 1818 Act, so the churches built after that became known as Million Pound Churches. As far as I can see, Oates was commissioned to design eleven of these churches, in eight years.

St Paul's Cross Stone, Stainland

Given the reason for building these churches, it is rather odd that Oates was commissioned for a new design at St Paul's, Cross Stone. The little place was not even a hamlet, let alone a hotbed of industrial settlement. It also had a chapel already. Still, the Commissioners decided that Stainland was in need and maybe Stainland wanted to replace its 1717 chapel pronto, before the money ran out. The new church was planned in 1831. Oates and Pickersgill completed this design and several others that year, before Oates' death on the 16th of May. (Ref 1).

I had a look online at the list of churches paid for by Commission grants at this time. (Ref 2). It was sad to see that of the new churches built in Yorkshire in the 1820's-30's, 37 had not gained listed status by the 1950's and of those, a whopping 30 have now been demolished.

This little hilltop church is still here, but after a catalogue of disasters, the C of E felt that it was slipping down the hill and closed it. It is now a house. It hasn't slipped very far.

Page 32 What about the other churches? Sad that they have been demolished, I thought. That was until I saw just how ugly some of the churches were. It has to be said, some of them were pretty monstrous. I am not sure whether Oates had dark days and was trying to instigate an early sort of Brutalism, but when you see a picture of St James's Halifax, you have to admit it is a bit Gordon Bennett!

You can see why it wasn't listed, but, listing isn't supposed to be only about beauty. It is supposed to represent what was built at a given time.

The Listed Building Register

The Listed Building system was started just before the war, to determine which buildings were worthy of being rebuilt if bombed. More legislation followed with the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, which developed the basis of the current system.

If you look at Oates's churches, you will find that the several of the survivors are Grade ll Listed now, but even some of these are no longer in use. Why?

St Paul's Church, Shipley, 1823-5, Grade ll Listed, still in use. It's the identical twin to St Mathew's Wilsden, demolished in 1962.

Page 33

They were white elephants. When the Commissioners were worrying, they forgot to factor in one thing. On the whole, the labouring classes who wanted religion, identified more with Non-Conformism than with the Church of Eng- land. They couldn't be persuaded away from it just by the building of more C of E churches.

Non-Conformism

This won't come as a surprise to the seasoned West Riding family historian, but the writer of the 1851 Religious Census hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that as early as 1851, there were already too many C of E church “sittings” (seats available at each service) that were not being used. Why were these seats empty?

The better-off considered going to church to be part of their social lives. See and be seen. Churches got most of their donations through the renting of pews, rather than the collection. In some churches, most of the seats were rented out, with only a few left for the poor. (Ref 3).

In Halifax in 1851, there were 1,380 free seats in C of E churches, out of 4,811, so 3,431 were private - paid for by their occupants. The collective C of E evening services were less than half full on census day. Only 2,996 attended the morning services.

The Non-Conformists in total provided 1,078 free seats out of 4,303, which looks similar, but crucially, this was spread among several different sects. (Ref 3).

Of these, the Wesleyan Reformers had only 400 seats, but all of these were free. This was unique. Their morning services had 460 attendees, the Sunday school 200 and the evening service 526. Their services were full to bursting. (Ref 3).

By comparison, the Wesleyan Methodists had 438 free seats, with 1,928 paid for. Their biggest sitting, the morning service, had only 938 worshippers out of 2,366 available seats.

Working class people didn't fancy going to church and sitting in the poor seats, kowtowing to their social superiors on their day off; if they had a day off, that is. They preferred to partake of religion with others of their class, often in the evening, where they could 'be themselves' said Horace Mann, the census au- thor. He had a point. The Wesleyan Reformers proved it. (Ref 3).

The 1851 Religious Census is the subject of a future article, and a fascinating subject. For now, if we concentrate on Oates's churches, the result of this over

Page 34 provision of C of E buildings was that the small congregations could not afford to maintain them. They fell into disrepair. Oates's attractive church All Saints, in Paddock, Huddersfield, now sits roofless. It is extra sad when you know that John Oates is buried in its churchyard.

Which other churches did Oates design?

I couldn't find a complete list of his churches, but, compiling one from several partial lists, I have come up with these. If anyone knows of any more, please let me know! Email me at [email protected]

Here's the list so far

As well as St Paul's, Cross Stone and St Paul's, Shipley, there were-

-St Matthew's, Wilsden, built in 1823-5 with a grant of £8,174, closed in 1954 and demolished in 1962 because the small congregation could not afford to heat and maintain it. Unlisted. (Ref 2). The pretty church was said to be identi- cal to St Paul's at Shipley, pictured above.

-All Saints in Paddock, Huddersfield, built in 1828-9 with a grant of £2,706. Unlisted. It is, as mentioned, now redundant. John Oates is buried in this churchyard. Maybe it was his favourite church, but he also lived nearby at Springwood. It is very attractive compared to some of his others, with beautiful pinnacles on the tower. Have a look on Google Maps, satellite view, for the roofless church with trees growing inside. It is hidden completely by trees from the street in the summer, but you can see it from Heaton Gardens, across the railway, between the houses. (Ref 1 and 2).

-St James's, Halifax built in 1830-31 with a grant of £4,196, was demolished in 1955. Unlisted. You can see a clear view of the monstrosity on Genuki, churches in the town of Halifax, where you will just recognise Oates's style with the caps on the little pillars. (Ref 2).

Have a look online and at Google Maps for some of these others-

-St John's, Bishop Thornton, North Riding. The only one not in the West Riding that I have come across yet. Unlisted. The photo on Geograph is shocking. Holy Mackrel, only the tower remains, forlornly sporting white paint where the church nave used to be.

-Holy Trinity, Idle, (the place, not the condition of the church) 1828-30, Grade ll Listed. Rather attractive curved pinnacles on the tower. Nice.

-Christ Church, High Harrogate, 1831. This one looks as if the pinnacles on the corners of the tower are missing. I found myself mentally putting them

Page 35 back.

-St Stephen's, Lindley £2,704, c1829-31, Grade ll Listed. Tower church with rather odd squat pinnacles, but what a relief that a really lively church commu- nity keep this one going. The church website says that all of the stained glass was put in from the 1870's, which gives us a glimpse into the basic nature of these churches when built. (Ref 5).

-St Paul's, Huddersfield, 1829, now a concert hall. Grade ll Listed. This one has a spire and later chantry. It is very elegant. You can see a picture of the inside on Google images and a beautiful big close-up of the exterior by Rich- ard North at http://richardnorth.net/2012/02/photos-of-huddersfield/

-St James's, Hebden Bridge. Grade ll Listed. Plain, but I like it.

Oates at the end of his life

John Oates was well respected and was very busy in the last year of his life. As well as his churches, he also built secular buildings. He won a competition to design the Huddersfield and Upper Agbrigg Infirmary, beating 13 other ar- chitects, in a competition run in the Leeds Mercury . (Ref 4).

After his death, which coincided with the last year in which the Church Com- missioners awarded grants, his partners finished the buildings that had already been commissioned, then upped and left for York.

It is sad to see what has become of some of his churches and some of his secular buildings, but the listed building scheme and vibrant church communi- ties have saved the others.

References

St Paul's Church, Stainland, copyright Humphrey Bolton at Wikimedia Com- mons

St Paul's Church, Shipley, copyright Steven Craven at Wikimedia Commons, licence at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Where numbered in brackets, references are taken from the following sources.

(1) http://homepage.eircom.net/~lawedd/ARCHITECTS.htm

(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Commissioners% 27_churches_in_Yorkshire

Page 36

(3) 'Religious Worship in England and Wales' , abridged from the official report by Horace Mann, Esq. 1854.

(4) http://huddersfieldhistory.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/the-buildings-of- huddersfield-reprint-2009-sources1.pdf

(5) http://www.ststephenslindley.org.uk/index_files/Page402.htm

(6) Wyles, D. in Haigh, H.E.A. (1992), (ed .) Huddersfield a Most Handsome Town: aspects of the history and culture of a West Yorkshire town . Kirklees Cultural Services 1992.

Alice Kingma Lee 2014.

Membership Renewals.

Although we have recently introduced a new system for membership whereby your membership runs for 12 months from the time you join the Society, cur- rently, for the majority of members, renewal time is April each year.

Consequently, we are including a renewal form in the centre of this issue of the Scrivener, to make it easy for you to renew.

You will see that there is now the facility to make your payments by Standing Order from your bank. We encourage you to set one up, as this means that, in future, you will no longer need to complete a form & send it off, with pay- ment, to us. Consequently, if you would like to set up a Standing Order, please do so with the details given below & you do not then need the form in the centre of this Scrivener.

The details you need are :-

Account Name : Calderdale FHS Bank Sort Code : 30-93-76 Acc. No . 01670491 Reference to use : Memb. No. & Surname. (eg 1234Smith)

If you are unsure of your membership number, E-Mail the Membership Secre- tary at [email protected] & she will send it to you.

As renewal is from 1st April 2015, it would be helpful if you could set this up as soon as is convenient to you. Peter Lord - Treasurer.

Page 37 The Halifax descent of John Lapraik (1727-1807)

Happy indeed is the family historian who can find extensive biographical detail about an ancestor over and above the bare names, dates, occupations and locations contain in the many church and secular records. Interesting and es- sential as such data are, it is the addition of biographical colour and any record of a person's achievements, in addition to details of the vicissitudes of life which they may have suffered or enjoyed, which serves to maintain a longer term interest in genealogy. Yet happier is the researcher who can access an existing web site dedicated to their ancestor and about whose ancestor there is an entry in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. When a figure as- sumes three dimensional relief from such sources, and takes their place in the developed social history of their times, our forebears can be appreciated in a way which is more rewarding than dealing purely with the identification of births, marriages and deaths without further elaboration.

Such good fortune befell myself when establishing the family's connection to John Lapraik (1727-1807) http://www.lapraik.com/ , when I began to investi- gate, initially in 1971 and at further times since. Although my maternal grand- mother's maiden name was Lapraik and her father, James Lapraik (1836- 1883) was known to have come from John Lapraik's home village of Muirkirk in Ayrshire the connection was speculative and without any documentary con- firmation. Unfortunately, my grandmother's father James died young, aged 47, when my grandmother was 2 years of age, so there was no communication between father and daughter concerning James's origins or forebears which could have later provided the link by oral testimony. It would appear that James was the first generation to venture away from Muirkirk and depart from the family's traditional roots as Scottish lowland farmers to become a draper in London. He is buried in the recently restored Victorian Nunhead Cemetery in south-east London alongside his infant son David (1878-1880).

Space precludes the inclusion of a complete genealogical table. The following list shows the line from John Lapraik to my maternal grandmother.

• John Lapraik (1727-1807) • James Lapraik (1766-1855) • David Maule Lapraik (1803-1865) • James Lapraik (1836-1883) • Grace McMin Churchman, née Lapraik (1881-1973)

I am fortunate to possess photographs of both James Lapraik, and his father David Maule from family records.

Page 38

James Lapraik David Maule Lapraik (1836-1883) (1803-1865)

The connection with Halifax came about when my grandmother moved here with her young family in 1916 as a result of her husband's occupation as a grocery manager for various shops in the chain of Meadow Dairy . She was born in London and spent her youth in Leicester. On marrying in 1902 she lived in Leeds and Otley before coming to Halifax. Again I am fortunate to pos- sess a photograph of my grandmother in her late twenties with her young chil- dren. The photograph provides a good example of Edwardian dress from ap- proximately 1908.

Grace McMin Churchman née Lapraik (left) with her family in Leeds, (possibly Roundhay Park), about 1908.

Page 39

The detail which exists about John Lapraik is directly related to his friendship with the renowned and foremost poet of Scotland, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Although Lapraik did not pretend to the eminence of Burns as a poet he had published a volume of his own verse in 1788 entitled Poems on Several Occa- sions . The work contains two epistles to Burns which form a complementary correspondence with the three epistles which Burns wrote to Lapraik. There is some hint that Burns was perhaps flattering Lapraik with literary attention, but given the 32 year difference in the men's ages it is likely that Burns had due respect for Lapraik's experience, and local knowledge. Burns collected and committed to writing many folk songs from the rich oral tradition which Scot- land provided and it is likely that Burns and Lapraik met or furthered their rela- tionship at a 'Rockin', or song gathering, at the public house in Muirkirk where Lapraik was sometime landlord. Folk song, dance and music formed a major and central part of social contact and entertainment in the otherwise austere and sparse rural culture of eighteenth century lowland Scotland. Both Burns and Lapraik had a strong mutual interest in poetry, song and the literature of their native land and there is every reason to believe this was the basis of a sound friendship though it appears they had disparate temperaments.

The name of John Lapraik is still celebrated in Muirkirk and a memorial cairn is maintained on the site where his farmhouse used to stand near Muirkirk. A plaque is set into the cairn explaining its significance and upon which is in- scribed a stanza of Burn's Third Letter to John Lapraik. A number of Lapraik's possessions are preserved in the Dick Institute, the Museum in Kilmarnock. The museum also holds two interesting miniature portraits one of which may depict John Lapraik as a young man although the subjects, provenance and attribution of these works remains unauthenticated.

Glyn Sutcliffe

http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/search.aspx?search=john la- praik&page=1&period=&theme=&location=

Page 40 Page 41 Pilgrimage to Libya Part 2

By Mollie Lister

Continuing the story from the December 2014 Scrivener -

Part 2

The next morning we set off on the El Adem road out of Tobruk for a couple of kms and off to the right was Tobruk War Cemetery. Mohammed was at the gates to welcome us. His father had tended the cemetery before him and he said his son would follow on from him. His wife looked after the gardens. It was beautiful, covering a large area. There were 2479 burials of Allied forces from all over the Commonwealth and 2 Merchant Navy seamen and 23 civil- ians. Seeing so many graves all in rows was overwhelming once more, and very upsetting. The flowers were growing and would soon be in full flower. Ten of us had graves to visit here and my dad's reference was 1.E.21. I knew this already. The first block was just to the left of the entrance and I found it straight away. I couldn't believe I was actually stood here and felt over- whelmed and very emotional. I felt I'd waited all my life for this. I'd written a letter the night before about us all and about Mum, now in her 90's and slid it down the front of the headstone. I also placed my spray and a poppy cross from his grandchildren and Gt grandchildren in front of the stone. The inscrip- tion on the stone read 'Beloved husband of Blanche, Halifax, England - I thank my God upon every remembrance of you'. That was quite a shock. Appar- ently, it was 7/6 (about 37 1/2pence) to have something extra put on a stone, but a lot of widows and families couldn't afford to have it done. The War Wid- ows pension to include a child was £1 and 9 shillings (£1.45) so you could see why. Mum said later that two of her sisters had paid for it. We had a short service there and quite a long stay and then got on the coach again to visit the French Fortress Cemetery further up the road. The evening before, Allah had been talking to me about Bir Hacheim. He said he had visited Paris a while ago, and there was an underground station called Bir Hacheim (which I knew). His French friends had had no idea about the battle fought in the desert there. He told them of the bravery of the French Brigade (Free French) and of the fighting of the men there, who held Rommel's forces back, giving the Allies some much needed time. He also told them there were about 50 artefacts in

Page 42 the Louvre, which had been taken from the Roman ruins on the Libyan coast at Leptis Magna. Again no-one had ever heard of either. He said Libyans knew more about European history than they did. I told him there was also a bridge in Paris named the Pont de Bir Hacheim and a statue of General Koenig, the French general in charge at the battle. When we got out of the coach he rushed over and took my arm, as there was a lot of rubble on the paths inside, and workmen working there. Very courteous of him. In the cen- tre was the high monument, with the Cross of Lorraine and below a stone giv- ing the story of the battle in French on one side and English on the other. The graves here were wooden crosses but were being replaced with stone ones. I could also see the old pieces of artillery, which were on my old photos, sent to Mum in about 1947. Just past the Cross of Lorraine was a smaller monument, and I knew immediately it was the one with my Dad's name on - raised to the six British soldiers who died fighting alongside their French comrades. It was marvellous to see it. In 1947 a set of photos, including the monument and everything now in the French fortress, had been sent to my Mum, from Ba- den-Baden in Germany via the Foreign Office in London. There was a signed photo of General Koenig and a letter in French and English expressing the close ties between the soldiers who fought at Bir Hacheim. Apparently every- thing had been brought from the cemetery there to Tobruk. Everyone was thrilled for me and Andrew said he would include a visit on his next trip there, and place a poppy for me.

In the afternoon we visited the German cemetery. As we got out of the coach we saw a snake, about four foot long, moving very quickly, sideways over the sand. Allah said it was poisonous, not as much as some are, but enough to kill a small child or animal. The cemetery was built as a very substantial for- tress, with thick walls and the bones of the soldiers are buried together in the centre. All their names, regardless of rank are recorded alphabetically, in mo- saic tiling on the inside walls - some 5,000 names. General Von Bismark's name was there, recorded with the others. Musa had kept telling us about Von Bismark's son and grandson staying at his family's home for a week, to visit his father's resting place. He said the son had visited each day and wept for his dead father each time. Whatever nationality we are, we all feel the same. A little girl, about 4, with no shoes, had followed us in, and stood now watching us all sign the visitor's book. We'd all tried to make friends with her, but her face had remained serious all the time. Now Richard offered her a sweet, which she took without lifting up her head. I kept thinking about her bare feet and the snake. Some didn't sign the book, or join in the short service we had, which I didn't think was right at all. We went down into Tobruk town and were

Page 43 dropped off at the Cathedral. At the time of the siege of Tobruk everything was flattened, but the tower of the Cathedral was left standing. In the streets some were in traditional dress with women wearing burkas, but the younger women were mainly in Western dress. Since about 1996, women have been regarded as equal citizens and allowed to wear what they wanted. I looked in a few shops for postcards, but no luck. There was very little for sale. Every- one wanted to shake our hands and were very friendly. Brownies and Scouts were collecting for the Palestian cause, and most of us seemed to contribute. When we got back, I had a shower and my new white facecloth was turning pink (it eventually was quite a bright pink) - so I'm glad I'm not drinking the water or eating the salad. That evening at dinner after laughing about some- thing, Joan, who lives alone now, said how much she had enjoyed her eve- ning meals. We started laughing again, thinking of the standard of the food. She didn't mean that, of course, but we couldn't stop laughing. That was on two bottles of water - definitely no alcohol available here!

This morning we headed out west along the coast road away from Tobruk. In town things look half built and depressing. Going west though, there are new buildings and the roads and lighting which are all finished. Nick, who is our medical escort and a serving Army doctor, had been taken out this way earlier, to see a new hospital. He'd told us it had very up to date equipment, and he had been introduced to nurses and doctors. The only thing missing had been patients. The roads were empty too, apart from a very few cars. There's even a set of traffic lights which are always at red when we get there, and we have to wait. Out this way is Acroma Knightsbridge, another war cemetery. The road upto this cemetery is unmade, with wild flowers growing in abundance in the fields outside the walls. Mohammed and his wife, two sons and daughter were waiting at the gate to meet us. The setting is beautiful, with the sea in the distance and no buildings to be seen, and the Sword of Sacrifice on the hillside overlooking the cemetery. It's very peaceful, with just the sighing of the wind. We had a longer service and a much longer stay at the end of our visit and then returned to Tobruk.

The following morning we set off again for Tobruk War Cemetery. Also with us were Paster Robbie and Piper John, who had motored all the way from Tripoli. Brigadier Suleman, of the Libyan army came as the Government representa- tive. He was very nice and extremely smart. He met Huw, who was a veteran of the Tobruk sieges, and heard how our Libyan guides hadn't been able to take him to the caves. The caves had been on the outskirts of Tobruk, and the soldiers had lived in them to escape the continuous bombing that had gone on.

Page 44 (They apparently had bars across the entrances now - perhaps Health and Safety!) As they had no way of washing or keeping clean, Huw said they were alive with lice (they and the caves), and so used to move to another cave un- der cover of darkness, and hope nobody had been in it, or the fleas would be there before them. They had lived like this for a long time and eaten whatever they could find. Anyway the Brigadier turned to Musa and said 'just make sure this man visits the caves' and Musa jumped in such a way, that we knew he couldn't disobey! He was taken later that day. Huw was also in his eighties but had been 19 at that time, and had lost a lot of friends in North Africa and later on. After many disasters and adventures, he finished up as a prisoner of war in Italy, escaped, and finished the war unscathed. He later became Headmaster at a boys school in Bath. I wonder if the boys knew of his time in the Army!

We had a short, very moving service at the 'their name liveth for ever' stone, with the piper playing, us singing and the wind sighing as usual. I went to my Dad's grave again and felt much calmer this time. It's unlikely that I'll ever get here again, but I'm so pleased that I've been. I feel more settled about the whole thing, instead of the feeling of something missed. At the service, as well as us and the extra people mentioned, were three British engineers from back at the hotel, who were working on the new water installations in Libya. We'd all chatted to them each evening, and they said it was nice to meet up with some people from home, as they would be out there for some time yet. It was very kind of them to come to our service, like that.

In the evening we had a Gala Dinner - the usual salad of chopped up tomatoes and cucumber, a mixed grill and a cake, made especially for us. Musa sat with us and for a Govt. spy he was great fun. When we told him that young cou- ples could meet and go out without chaperones, and even set up home to- gether without being married in Britain, he couldn't believe it. It turned out he was 30, lived at home with his family still, and although he was engaged had only met his fiance twice, in a shop or cafe with a chaperone. We were asking about penalties for murder or adultery (death and stoning to death), and also if a man could have more than one wife still. Allah soon intervened, as he obvi- ously saw things far more seriously. He said before any man could marry, he had to have the equivalent of £2,000, in order to provide for a wife and family. To have two or more wives, he had to have more money and only a very wise man could manage two wives in a home. Musa asked Sally to marry him and said they would live at Sidi Resegh - way out in the desert. He understood my accent best and so I never stopped talking all evening. In the lift upto the bed-

Page 45 rooms we were laughing again, under the ever watchful eyes of the Colonel, who gazed down on us, even in the lift. Wonder what he will make of us all!

We set off for home the next morning. We hadn't been able to buy souvenirs from the little shop in the hotel. The only pictures anywhere were of the Colo- nel - he of the watchful eyes - no views, nothing. If the pictures have micro- phones as well as camera eyes, it will give them plenty to think about. The coach headed up the road past Tobruk War Cemetery and then the French Cemetery and off along the road which will eventually bring us back to Alexan- dria. When we got to the Egyptian border, it was to take us 5 and 1/2 hours to get into Egypt. As we came closer to the border crossing, there were high barbed wire fences which stretched between high lookout posts, which stretched way out into the desert. These were Egyptian, and the armed guards we were told, would shoot to kill anyone trying to get into Egypt, by any other way other than though the Customs post on the road. This was mainly to stop drugs being smuggled into the country. The first lot of buildings had bars at the windows, and were made of breeze blocks with gaping holes round the windows. There were deep holes in the unmade road, full of water, and the guards armed with automatic weapons were above the road in lookouts, and hanging about by the buildings. People were scavenging through the rubbish along with lots of dogs. There were lots of men, women and children milling about. Egyptian tribesmen who live in the desert, and who had walked from quite a distance with packs on their backs, were coming in from over the hori- zon. Apparently, accidents occur often, with the old mines and unexploded shells still out there, which have never been cleared since WW2. There are certainly a lot who limp or have sticks, and one we saw in a bicycle/invalid chair, which looked homemade, but seemed to work. Some of the barbed wire has huge holes, through which people seem to be coming and going. There's a man at our side of the coach, rolling out material in the dust, then measuring it with his arms and folding it. The tribesmen seem come through to barter for it, and then they fix it in large packs onto their shoulders. They avoid paying commission on it by coming through this way. We watched young boys, wait- ing for the tribesmen getting their loads of material together, then swarming round them to pull the packs off their backs - like hyenas! Some had their loads pinched but others managed to get through the gaps and back into the desert. When a van or truck came, the muggers swarmed over the open loads packed on top, or pulled open the van doors at the back, and managed to steal a lot that way. The armed guards just looked on. Our Egyptian coach moved towards us from the other side. We had to carry our cases from the Libyan to the Egyptian coach, with our Libyan minders standing guard in the gaps be-

Page 46 tween the two coaches. We checked our luggage made it into the Epytian coach, knowing something would 'go' if we weren't careful. We all said 'Goodbye' to Allah, Musa and Ali, which was quite sad. Apparently the holdup had been because the coach hadn't had the necessary paperwork and some- one had had to go back for it. We got our passports back at this point, and then an official got on and collected them again. Then another got on and handed them back, than came round sticking a stamp on them all. We were now by the Arrivals Hall, which looked like something from a cowboy film, with a raised platform running across the front. A group of men are sat on the steps smoking, and another official has just got on and collected the passports up again. A woman, with lots of bangles and with large fancy earings, is tap- ing packs of something white in soft polythene bags round the chests of five men. They are stood with their shirts and jumpers held up, as she walks round each in turn, with wide sellotape. The bags mould to their chests and they pull down shirts and jumpers to cover them up. Now she is going to each with a large wad of notes and counts out a load for each. They saw us watching and laughed and waved, then went into the Arrivals Hall. The cash is obviously bribes and the packs were drugs, we were all sure. We sat here for another half hour, and then an official got on the coach and said we had to get out our luggage to be examined, and we all had to be X-rayed. Pandemonium broke out, and Andrew and Rafat went storming into the Hall. They said later they had gone into the Chief Customs Officer's office and he nearly jumped out of his seat in alarm. Meanwhile, the official on the coach was being argued with, about the luggage and X-ray's. Eventually we were told, that on this occasion we would be able to go through without either. After all this time, we moved forward into Egypt and off on the road. We stopped at Mersa Metruh again and I rang Don. It was lovely to hear his voice. We hadn't been supposed to take mobile phones, although some had. The next day, after a further stop at El Alamein, we got back to Alexandria. In the afternoon we had a tour round the city, which was very interesting. We saw boats in one of the bays, doing underwater excavations on Cleopatra's Palace and the old city remains. We'd watched a TV programme about it last year, so it was good to see they were working on it. Next we went to see Farouk's Palace, now a posh restaurant. The gardens were beautiful. I remembered Farouk being deposed years ago, and reading in the Sunday papers about solid gold bathtaps and nude, marble statues, and finding it very interesting. I reckon I was about eleven at the time. It was very hectic and noisy at teatime, when everybody was going home after work or eating out.

We left Egypt and arrived back at Heathrow the next day. Some got off at

Page 47 Victoria for coaches and a few of us were staying at the Union Jack Club again. The next day, I left for Victoria and then Halifax Bus Station. I could see Don waiting as the bus came in. It was so good to see him, after the most exiting trip I'd ever been on. I've visited my Dad's grave, which I always wanted to do, and now I feel strangely calm and at peace about everything. I've felt to miss him all my life, even though I never met or knew him. When I got home I told my Mum where I'd been, and she said how pleased she was I'd gone.

I feel I just have to say also, that Mum remarried when I was about seven. My step-father, Frank King was the best one ever, and of course my sister, Jenny was born. I was welcomed into the King family and had lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Also Grandma King (Charlotte), who I used to go and stay with at Stainland and who I loved dearly. After the Arab Risings of the last few years in which Colonel Gadaffi was deposed and killed, during the Libyan re- bellion, I've wondered how the friends we made out there have fared. As far as we were concerned, all the people we met were kind and considerate and I hope they all survived the fighting and are leading better lives.

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates in England and Wales

The Society of Genealogists is delighted to announce that the Government has accepted an amendment to the Deregulation Bill currently going before the House of Lords that allows for the publication of information from Birth, Mar- riage and Death Certificates in England and Wales to be issued otherwise than in the form of a certified copy. This is something the SoG has long cam- paigned for and is grateful to Baroness Scott of Needham Market, herself an enthusiastic genealogist, who suggested to Government that this deregulation is possible.

More information can be found on their website http://www.sog.org.uk/news/ article/gro-information-on-births-marriages-and-death-doesnt-have-to-on- expensive-c

(with thanks to Malcolm Austen, Oxfordshire FHS)

Page 48 New Search Facility for Members !

Recently, one of our members commented that, whilst some other Family His- tory Societies offer their members free access to their databases, we don't do this.

We currently have our databases of transcribed information available at our Research Room in Brighouse & also give access to an index of all entries on our Society Website.

Following a Committee meeting in February, we are pleased to be able to tell you that we are now offering free searches to our members of all the data that we hold - over 2m items in total. The way in which you can use this facility is to E-Mail our Search Coordinator, Susan Lord, on [email protected] giv- ing her some basic information.

To get that information, look at the Transcription Index on our website www.cfhsweb.com. Once on the site, go to the menu bar item "Research/ Transcription Index", where you will be shown the screen below

Enter the surname &, if you want to be more precise, the forename, of the per- son you are seeking & then select the "Event Type" from the drop-down box. You can also narrow the search down further by entering a year & a year range. You will then have a screen like

Page 49

Click on "Find" and the results you get will be

Make a note of the information given for the search you want. Specifically, the Search Coordinator will need :-

- Surname & forename - Event Type - Date - Record details - ie the database on which this item is held.

Once you have E-Mailed this information to the Search Coordinator at [email protected], she will find the full entry on the database & E-mail the results back to you.

We regret that we can't carry out research for you from our databases without this relevant information.

We hope very much that this extra facility will make your membership of the Society more worthwhile.

Peter Lord

"He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning." Old English Proverb

"We are the children of many sires, and every drop of blood in us in its turn ... betrays its ancestor." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Page 50 HUDDERSFIELD & DISTRICT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY The Root Cellar THE PLACE TO FIND YOUR ANCESTORS 35 Greens End Road, Meltham, Holmfirth HD9 5NW

We are Open Morning Afternoon Evening (1 st & 3 rd Th) Monday: 2 pm to 4.30 pm Tuesday: 2 pm to 4.30 pm Wednesday: 10 am to 12.30 pm 2 pm to 4.30 pm Thursday: 2 pm to 4.30 pm 7.30 pm to 10 pm (alt ) Saturday: 2 pm to 4.30 pm

No appointment necessary, just come along and carry out your research, seek ad- vice, explore our resources and speak to people with similar interests. Ring the Root Cellar 01484 859229 for information, or to make a booking. Booking is not essential but is recommended, especially if you are travelling a distance and wish to access particular information.

CALDERDALE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

2015 SPRING/SUMMER MEETINGS ~ Thursdays 7:30pm.

At The Shibden Room, North Bridge Leisure Centre

26th March Dr. Ian Rothwell—Mary Bateman—the Yorkshire Witch

23rd April Annual General Meeting

28th May Tony Morris—Highwaymen

25th June Stephen Moorhouse—Medieval Settlements

Friday 20th March 2015 ANNUAL DINNER — at Bradley Hall Golf Club, Holywell Green, Halifax The cost is £20 per head and there will be an after-dinner speaker.

Email [email protected] for menus etc.

Page 51 USEFUL CONTACTS AND SOURCES FOR RESEARCHING WEST YORKSHIRE ANCESTORS

West Yorkshire Archive Service ~ www.archives.wyjs.org.uk (This can be a good place to start to access the West Yorkshire Archive Catalogue)

Calderdale District Archives, (Registers, BTs, Census, etc. etc.) Calderdale Central Library, Northgate House, Northgate, Hailfax HXI IUN Tel: +44 (0) 1422 392636 e-mail [email protected]

WYAS Headquarters, Newstead Road, Wakefield WFI 2DE (Registers, WRiding Regis- try of Deeds, Manorial Records etc.) Tel: +44 (0) 1924 305980 email : [email protected]

The Borthwick Institute ~ www.york.ac.uk/inst/bihr/ (Peculiar + PCY wills, BT's etc.) University of York, Heslington, YORK YO10 5DD Tel: +44 (0) 1904 321166 email ~ link on website

Calderdale Central Reference Library (address as above) Tel: +44 (0) 1422 392631 e- mail [email protected] ( local studies collection, newspapers, maps, trade directories, IGI, GRO indexes, census and parish register fiche, on-line Familysearch and Ancestry; research service offered).

Weaver to Web ~ www.calderdale.gov.uk/wtw/ The council maintains a website with a miscellany of information from the archives ( a wide range of photos, maps, census re- turns, parish registers, poll books, wills , etc., have been digitised to view online).

Malcolm Bull’s Calderdale Companion ~ http://www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk (Large collection of trivia, miscellaneous facts of people and places and other bits of local history about Halifax and Calderdale).

All the Parish records transcribed by the Society are available to search (for a fee) on FindMyPast.co.uk (In addition there are many other records available to search)

West Yorkshire Parish Registers have been put online (for a fee) by the West Yorkshire Archives Service which can be accessed on Ancestry.co.uk . ( Again, many other useful records, for a fee) www.familysearch.org (Thousands of records for free including the IGI and some census data). LDS Family History Centres are invaluable for 'distance research'. Check local telephone directories.

The National Archives ~ www.nationalarchives.gov.uk (a wealth of data arising from public records, including BMD’s, census and much much more). Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU Tel: +44 (0) 20 8876 www.direct.gov.uk/gro is the website of the general register office for everything con- cerning civil registration and to order certificates.

Consider subscribing to a periodical such as Family Tree Magazine or BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine. Online sites such as GenesReunited and LostCousins may help you find relatives researching the same family.

Page 52 LOCAL FAMILY HISTORY FAIRS etc Forthcoming Events of Interest :-

The refurbished Explore York Library and Archiv e opened January (https://www.exploreyork.org.uk )

Thurs/Sat 16/18th April 2015—Who Do You Think You Are Exhibition NEC Birmingham

Bankfield Museum 25 April 2015, 2pm David Millichope and Rob Hamilton will talk about Myths and Perceptions of the Great War 9 May 2015, 2pm Dr Jon Cronshaw will tell us about British artists and the Great War £3 per person. Places limited so please book in advance at museums.calderdale.gov.uk or call 01422 352334

There is a useful list of family history fairs around the country at:- http://www.familytreefolk.co.uk/page_10898.html

View our website at www.cfhsweb.com

and visit

Calderdale Family History Society’s

RESEARCH ROOM

Brighouse Library Rydings Park, Halifax Rd., Brighouse, HD6 2AF

Tuesdays 1:30pm to 4:30pm & Thursdays 10:00am to 1:00pm

Open to both Members & Non-Members

Facilities include :- • Searchable information on 4 computers. • Fiches for all Calderdale C of E churches. • 6 Internet terminals, with access to Ancestry.com (Note —now increased from original 4 terminals) • Wide range of books, journals, cuttings, etc.

For more information and bookings ring 07952-211986 during the hours given above.

Page 53 Calderdale Family History Society Incorporating Halifax and District

Officers and Co-ordinators of the Society

Officer and Name, Address and E-mail Tel. No.

President Mr. Barrie Crossley, 9, Victoria Terr., Delph Hill Road, Halifax, HX2 7ED e-mail - [email protected] 01422-366931

Chairman Mr. Clifford Drake, 22, Well Grove, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2LT e-mail - [email protected] 01484-714311

Secretary Mrs. Margaret Smith, 4 Rawson Avenue, Halifax, HX3 0JP e-mail - [email protected] 01422 -345164 Treasurer (Acting) Mr. Peter Lord, 288 Halifax Road, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2PB e-mail - [email protected] 01484-718576

Membership Secretary Mrs. Susan Clarke, 33, Cumberland Ave., Fixby, Huddersfield, HD2 2JJ e-mail - [email protected] 01484–304426

Publications Officer (sales of books, CDs, etc.) Mrs. Joan Drake, 22, Well Grove, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2LT e-mail - [email protected] 01484-714311

Editor ~ Scrivener (for submission of articles, letters, etc.) Mrs.Frances Stubbs, Beech Trees, Hollybush Close, Potten End, Berkhamsted, HP4 2SN e-mail - [email protected] 01442-871847

Enquiry Service Co-ordinator (for research queries and search requests) Mrs. Susan Lord 288 Halifax Road, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2PB e-mail - [email protected] 01484 718576

Research Room Co-ordinator (for information about room at The Rydings) Vacant e-mail [email protected]

[RR Bookings and Information Tues pm/Thurs am 07952-211986]

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Officer and Name, Address and E-mail Tel. No.

Projects Co-ordinator Mr. Peter Lord, 288 Halifax Road, Hove Edge, Brighouse, HD6 2PB e-mail - [email protected] 01484 718576

Webmaster Mr. Keith Pitchforth, 10 Hallam Grange Road, Sheffield, S Yorks, S10 4BJ e-mail - [email protected] 0114-2307685

Strays Co-ordinator Mrs. Dorothy Hunt, Springfield House, Whitehall Green, Halifax, HX2 9UQ e-mail - [email protected]

Librarian Mrs. Anne Kirker, 356, Oldham Rd. Sowerby Bridge, Halifax HX6 4QU e-mail - [email protected] 01422 - 823966

Members’ Interests Co-ordinator Mr. Mike Hardcastle, Cedarwood, The Grange, Huddersfield Road, Brighouse, HD6 3RH e-mail - [email protected] 01484 715493

The Society's Home Web Page on the Internet is http://www.cfhsweb.com

Page 55 CHAPELRIES AND TOWNSHIPS OF THE ANCIENT PARISH OF HALIFAX

CHURCH/CHAPEL Registers begin BAP. MAR.** BUR. 1. COLEY St. John 1735 1745 1734 2. CROSS STONE St. Paul 1678 1837 1678 3. ELLAND St. Mary** 1559 1559 1559 4. HALIFAX St. James (inc St Mary Rhodes St 1953) 1832 1837 nk 5. HALIFAX St. John** 1538 1538 1538 6. HARTSHEAD St. Peter 1612 1612 1612 7. HEPTONSTALL St. Thomas** 1599 1593 1599 8. ILLINGWORTH St. Mary 1695 1697 1695 9. LIGHTCLIFFE St. Matthew 1703 1704 1704 10. LUDDENDEN St. Mary 1653 1661 1653 11. RASTRICK St. Matthew 1719 1839 1798 12. RIPPONDEN St. Bartholomew 1684 1686 1684 13. SCAMMONDEN WITH MILLHEAD St. Bartholomew 1746 1886 1746 14. SOUTHOWRAM St. Anne 1813 1838 1818 15. SOWERBY St. Peter 1668 1711 1643 16. SOWERBY BRIDGE Christ Church 1709 1730 1821 17. STAINLAND St. Andrew 1782 1844 1783 18. TODMORDEN St. Mary/Christ Church 1678 1669 1666 **Following Hardwicke’s Marriages Act of 1754, Banns and Marriages will only be found in the registers of these churches. After 1837 they lost their monopoly of marriages.

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