addleworth istorical ociety ulletin

Volume 46 Number 3 2016

Bulletin of the Saddleworth Historical Society

Volume 46 Number 3 2016

New Additions to the Archives The Family Papers of Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Leeds Mike Buckley 59

A Saddleworth Commemorative Jug Mike Buckley 72

Memory Lane Una Ross 78

Members of my Family who took part in WWII Patricia Foster 83

Obituary Keith Taylor 87

Cover Illustration: Mary Jane Johnson (née Whitehead (c1840-1905) SHS Archive

©2016 Saddleworth Historical Society and individual contributors and creators of images.

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NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ARCHIVES The Family Papers of Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Leeds

Mike Buckley The Society acquired a collection of deeds and family papers at an auction by Capes Dunn on the 29th November 2016. The lot, which was described as an ‘Interesting Collection of mainly 19th Century ephemera relating to the Whitehead, Buckley and Radcliffe families from the Shaw Hall and Shaw Hall Bank areas of Saddleworth’ turned out to have belonged to the Johnson family of Leeds who, though never having resided in the district, had acquired the bulk of the papers through marriage. The collection is a mixture of wills, deeds and other household documents spanning a century and a half and is a useful example of how deeds and papers belonging to a particular property or family can end up in the most unlikely and unrelated places. The earliest documents belonged to the Buckley family of Shaw Hall Bank. Following the sale of the James Farrer’s manorial estate in 1791, the large Shaw Hall Bank farm was bought by John Buckley of Abels (1704-1795) and three of his sons. The earliest document in the collection is the will of one of them, William Buckley (1730-1801). It is a large parchment sheet attached to which is the grant of probate, also on parchment, bearing the seal of the Bishop of Chester. In fact, many of the early wills in the collection are of this nature and are in sharp contrast to the modest paper copies deposited in the diocesan court records. By Buckley’s will, part of the Shaw Hall Bank estate passed to his son, James Buckley (1759-1839). Both William and James were described as clothiers and in his will, William left to his son ‘implements for dressing and finishing of cloth’. James had a large family of nine surviving sons and daughters. This is illustrated by family tree in Figure 2. All three of his sons and five out of his six daughters died childless. Many of the Buckley documents in the collection are the wills of these children leaving their property to their surviving brothers and sisters. Only one daughter, Peggy Lees Buckley (1807- 1863), married and had a child and it was to this child that the accumulated wealth of the brothers and sisters ultimately devolved. By the 1860s the family had moved away from Saddleworth. One of the sons was a cotton dealer in Salford, one daughter died in Flixton and another lived at Bowden in Cheshire with her married sister. The last remaining brother, Robert Buckley (c1802-1892), a woollen manufacturer, was described as ‘gentleman’ at the time of his death. He lived at Congleton and died a wealthy man, his estate valued at more than £10,000. He would have been the last to possess the Buckley family papers. His estate passed to his nephew, Walter Whitehead, the son of his sister Peggy Lees Buckley who had married Charles Whitehead of Shaw Hall (1814-1893). The majori- ty of the documents in the collection relate to this Whitehead family, their history running in parallel with the Buckley’s fortunes. The Whitehead family had long lived at Shaw Hall, having inherited the leasehold estate from the Radcliffes in the late seventeenth century. They purchased the freehold in 1791 but seem to have lost the estate in the early nineteenth century, possibly through bankruptcy. Whether or not this was the case, the estate was put up for auction in 1809. It was not this Whitehead family, however, that Peggy Lees Buckley married into. Ann Whitehead (1783-1824), a daughter of the John Whitehead who had apparently lost the Shaw Hall estate, married William Whitehead (1782-1848), the son of Robert Whitehead of Manns. The two families appear to have been unconnected, however after the marriage, both William and his son Charles Whitehead, the husband of Peggy Lees Buckley, went to live at Shaw Hall. Both father and son were described as shopkeepers. Like the Buckleys the family seem to have risen in status and wealth as

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the nineteenth century progressed. William was described as ‘gentleman’ at the time of his death in 1848, as were his two brothers, John Whitehead of Tunstead (1778-1846) and Samuel Whitehead of Kinders (1792-1868). Samuel lived in Stayley for part of his life and acquired a number of leasehold estates there. The deeds to these are in the collection. They were leases for three lives, a particular form of tenure popular in earlier centuries but still then in use by the lord of the manor of Stayley, the Earl of Stamford and Warrington. The documents, which are standard printed pro formas on parchment, make interesting reading, almost medieval in their manorial obligations and payments. The deeds were retained by the family after Samuel’s death, even though the estates had been disposed of. Both Samuel and his brother John Whitehead appointed their brother Charles as executor of their wills and this is no doubt how the papers passed down through the family. The earliest Whitehead document details an 1829 sale of three seats in a pew in Saddleworth Church from Timothy Whitehead of Uppermill, to his brother-in-law, William Whitehead of Shaw Hall, shopkeeper. It is unlikely William enjoyed these for very long as the old church was rebuilt shortly afterwards and it is perhaps surprising this document has survived. It possibly entitled the family to a seat in the new church without paying a pew rent. Like the Buckleys, the Whiteheads had moved away from Shaw Hall by the 1860s and Charles and his wife settled at Bowden in Cheshire with Alice Buckley, one of his wife’s sisters. At the time of his death in 1893 he was living in Southport and was described as ‘gentleman’. The estate passed to his only son, Walter Whitehead, a solicitor, who died in 1915, and was then described as ‘of Manchester, gentleman’. His estate was valued at nearly £21,000. A separate collection of papers relates to Charles Whitehead’s brother, Joseph Whitehead (1810-1867). A letter, now no longer in the collection, but a transcript of which has been included, is from Joseph Whitehead, writing as a young man in1838 from Sydney, Australia, to his uncle Samuel Whitehead. Among other things it discusses the quality and price of Australian wool and makes some acerbic com- ments about the inhabitants of Sydney. Joseph settled back in Saddleworth at Shaw Hall and at the time of his death was described as a cotton spinner. He left three sons and three daughters. Two of the sons were also cotton spinners and lived in Oldham and perhaps it was here that their father’s cotton interests lay. One of his daughters Annie Whitehead, married Thomas H. Tanner, woollen manufacturer of Greenfield, and the Tanners for many years were linked with various members of the family as trustees of Joseph’s estate. But it was another daughter Mary Jane Whitehead that was central to the fate of this collection of documents. Another transcript of a letter, the original once part of the collection, is dated 1861 and is addressed from Mary Jane to a Mr Johnson. It is affectionately written and it comes as no surprise that the two subsequently married. It is not clear how the couple met. William Johnson was a woollen manufacturer and lived at Farsley near Leeds but through the marriage he became involved in the Whitehead family affairs and was one of the last trustees of the estate of Joseph Whitehead, Mary Jane’s father. On the death of Mary Jane’s cousin, Walter Whitehead, in 1915, administration of his estate was granted to the Johnson family, by this time to William Johnson’s son John Whitehead Johnson and, presumably, this was how the Johnson’s acquired all the Whitehead and Buckley papers as well as some or all of their property. The property at Tonge, Middleton, purchased by Charles Whitehead and Robert Buckley remained in the Johnson family until at least 1951 and the collection contains an interesting abstract of title to this property. The

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Johnsons acquired a large house called the Beeches in Roundhay, Leeds which was rented to the Secretary of State for War during the Second World War. They lived in the adjoining cottage at the time and after the war settled in Salisbury. Finally, two documents in the collection relate to property in Saddleworth but cannot be connected to any of the Buckleys, Whiteheads or Johnsons. The will of Ann Lees, of Huddersfield, Spinster in 1825 left all her freehold and leasehold estate in Saddleworth in trust for her nephews John Driver, Samuel Lees Driver and Eli Lees Driver. Samuel Lees Driver acquires the whole of this estate by a deed of 1849 in which the properties are listed. The quite extensive holding included houses and land at Latham and Knowsley in Shelderslow and property in Strinesdale and High Moor. What subsequently happened to these properties in not recorded. The way in which this collection was accumulated is summarised in Figure 1.

William Buckley

(1730-1801)

son

James Buckley John Whitehead William Whitehead Samuel Whitehead

(1759-1839) (1778-1846) (1782-1848) (1792-1868)

son nephew son nephew

Robert Buckley Charles Whitehead Joseph Whitehead

(1802-1892) (1814-1893) (1810-1867)

nephew son son-in-law

Walter Whitehead William Johnson

d. 1915 (1838-1922)

cousin son

Joseph Whitehead Johnson

(1868-1943)

Figure 1 Descent of the Family Papers

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BUCKLEY FAMILY PAPERS 1 May 1801 Probate Copy of the Will of William Buckley of Shaw Hall Bank, Co. York, clothier. Inter alia, he leaves his messuage and tenement at Shawhall Bank jointly to his two sons James Buckley and William Buckley. 27 Oct 1835 Probate Copy of the Will of William Buckley of 5 Oldfield Road, Salford, Co. Lancs., cotton dealer. Leaves his estate to his wife for her life then to be divided between his brothers and sisters. 17 Oct 1839 Probate Copy of the Will of James Buckley of Shaw Hall Barn, Co. Yorks., yeoman. He leaves his real and the remainder of his personal estate to his son John Buckley. 25 Nov 1848 Administration of Goods &c of John Buckley, of Shaw Hall Bank, Saddleworth, Co. Yorks., bachelor, who died intestate to Robert Buckley, his brother and one of the next of kin. 27 Nov 1848 Probate Copy of the Will of Samuel Buckley of Frenches in Saddleworth, Woollen Piece Burler. Leaves an annuity to his sister Betty Platt and after her death remainder to his nephews. 4 Jun 1849 Receipt by Hannah Buckley for one sixth part of personal estate of John Buckley, deceased. 4 Jun 1849 Receipt by Alice Buckley for one sixth part of personal estate of John Buckley, deceased.. 4 Jun 1849 Receipt by Mary Buckley for one sixth part of personal estate of John Buckley, deceased. 4 Jun 1849 Receipt by Betty Buckley for one sixth part of personal estate of John Buckley, deceased. 5 Jun 1849 Account of Estate of John Buckley, deceased. 8 Jun 1852 Mary Buckley to Trustees. Settlement of sum of money in favour of her nephew Walter Whitehead, son of her sister Peggy Lees Whitehead and her brother Robert and Betty, Alice and Hannah. 26 Jan 1857 Account of Estate of Hannah Buckley, late of Shaw Hall Bank, spinster, submitted by brother and sister Robert and Betty Buckley. 11 May 1888 Probate of the Will of Betty Buckley of Langfield Road, Flixton, Co. Lancs., spinster. Leaves her property to brother Robert Buckley and nephew Walter Whitehead. PAPERS OF CHARLES WHITEHEAD (1814-1893) AND WALTER WHITEHEAD (d.1915) 11 Feb 1829 Timothy Whitehead of Uppermill, clothier, eldest son and heir at law of John Whitehead of Shaw Hall, deceased to William Whitehead of Shaw Hall, shopkeeper. Grant of three Seats in a pew of Saddleworth Church. 1 Mar 1838 Transcript of letter from Joseph Whitehead of Macquarie Place, Sydney, Australia, to his uncle Samuel Whitehead esq., of Spring Grove, Near Uppermill, Saddleworth. 23 Oct 1846 Probate Copy of the Will of John Whitehead of Tunstead, gent.. Leaves property at Tunstead and Moorgate. Appoints nephew Charles Whitehead one of his executors. 7 Jul 1849 Charles Whitehead and his wife Peggy Lees Whitehead, she being a

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sister and heir of John Buckley, deceased, appoint Robert, Betty and Hannah Buckley, brother and sisters of Peggy Lees Whitehead and heirs of John Buckley, deceased, as trustees of a settlement of £500 for the benefit of the children of Peggy Lees Whitehead. 27 Mar 1868 Probate of the Will of Samuel Whitehead. Appoints his friends Charles Whitehead of Bowden, Co. Chester, gent. and Samuel Mallalieu of Bank Top, gent., trustees of his estate for benefit of his daughter Mary Whitehead during her lifetime then to the children of his late brothers and sisters Dan Whitehead, William Whitehead, Lucy Scholes, Sarah Platt and daughter Matty Wild 7 Oct 1870 Administration of their Estate and effects of Mary Wilson of Bowden, Co. Chester, spinster, who died 5 June 1866 to her sister, Violet Wilson, spinster. 17 Feb 1875 Probate copy of the Will of Alice Wilson of Bowden, spinster, who died 7 January 1875. Leaves estate to her sister Ann Wilson and appoints Charles Whitehead of Bowden, gent., executor. Witnessed by Walter Whitehead, solicitor, Bowden and probate granted to Charles Whitehead. 31 July 1880 Charles Whitehead of Bowden, Co. Chester, gent. to Thomas H. Tanner of Prune Hill in Saddleworth, woollen manufacturer. Appointment of new trustee under the Will of Samuel Whitehead, deceased in place of Samuel Mallalieu, deceased. 12 Apr 1892 Receipt for Estate Duty for Robert Buckley. Valued at £10,661. 27 Apr 1892 Account of Estate of Robert Buckley of Millon Terrace, Congleton, Co. Chester, gent. by Walter Whitehead of 96 Carter St, Greenheys, City of Manchester, gent., his executor. 29 Mar 1893 Account of Estate of Charles Whitehead of Southport, gent., who died 25th February 1893, exhibited by Walter Whitehead of Manchester. 11 Apr 1893 Account of succession to estate of Charles Whitehead who died 25 February 1893 provided by Walter Whitehead of Manchester, gent.. 20 Apr 1893 Letter from the Legacy and Succession Duty Office concerning the estate of Charles Whitehead, deceased. 2 Feb 1894 Agreement between Walter Whitehead of Manchester, gent., Rev Thomas Butterworth, of Hurst, Ashton under Lyne (executors and trustees of the will of Charles Whitehead, deceased) and Ann Sarah Bower Whitehead of Liverpool, Co. Lancs, his widow. Agreement to divide estate of Charles Whitehead, deceased between Walter Whitehead and Ann Sarah Bower Whitehead. Comprising property at Tonge and various investments. 27 Apr 1894 Letter from Ann Sarah Bower Whitehead to Walter Whitehead. PAPERS OF SAMUEL WHITEHEAD OF KINDERS (1792-1868) 10 Aug 1813 Lease from George Henry, Earl of Stamford and Warrington to James Slater of Stayley, Co. Chester, clothier, and his heirs. In consideration of the surrender of a lease dated 15 Aug 1811, the same premises are re-leased to John Slater for the term of his life, and those of his daughter, Sarah Slater, and John Kershaw, cotton spinner. Messuage and tenement in Stayley with 5½a 7p of the Cheshire large measure. 2 Sep 1813 Mortgage by James Slater of Stayley, clothier to William Walker of Bollington, Co. Chester, farmer, of the same leasehold estate in Stayley.

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20 Dec 1820 Transfer of above mortgage by James Walker and James Slater to James Hall of Bowden, Co. Chester, yeomen. 7 Apr 1834 Probate Copy of the Will and Codicil of Sarah Shaw of Stayley, widow. Leaves real and property to her children and appoints, inter alia, her son-in- law James Slater, executor. 5 & 6 Apr 1836 Lease & Release. Devisees in Trust under the will of Benjamin Holland, late of Stayley, to Samuel Whitehead of Shire Clough in Stayley, gent., and another. Messuage and tenement, formerly consisting of two dwellings near Brushes in Stayley with land containing 3¾a 2p of long Cheshire measure, also land in Stayley lately occupied with a tenement in Stayley called Coopers containing 6¾a 11p. Both tenements being held by lease for three lives from the Earl of Stamford and Warrington and were auctioned at the Eagle Inn in Stalybridge on 16 September 1835 and sold to Samuel Whitehead for £320. 29 Aug 1836 Lease from George Henry, Earl of Stamford and Warrington to Samuel Whitehead of Shire Clough in Stayley, gent.. In consideration of the surrender of two leases dated 23 August 1802 and 20 August 1805, the same premises are re-leased to Samuel Whitehead for the term of the lives of his daughter, Mary Whitehead, then aged 5 years; William Wright of Hollinwood, Hatter, then aged 38 years and Daniel Robinson, of Lane in Stayley, labourer, then aged 57 years. 1 Mar 1842 Additional lease to John Slater of two fields in Stayley (endorsed on back of lease of 10 Aug 1813.) 31 Aug 1846 Probate Copy of the Will of John Slater of Ashton under Lyne, publican, dated 20 June 1835, and who died 10 February 1846. Leaves his leasehold tenements at Lane End near Quick Edge in Saddleworth to his son-in-law, William Jackson, then living in New York, USA, and his brothers, Thomas Slater and Moses Slater, both of Stayley Wood in the Parish of Mottram in Longdendale, manufacturers, in trust for the benefit of his wife Matilda, his granddaughter, Alice Hannah Jackson, daughter of his daughter Alice Jackson. 27 Dec 1865 Samuel Whitehead of Kinders, gent., to Corporations of Ashton under Lyne and Stalybridge by virtue of a Waterworks Act of 1864 for the purposes in that act. Land in Staley, part of land leased on 29 August 1835 by the Earl of Stamford and Warrington to Samuel Whitehead, containing 13a 3p statute measure, and as delineated in a plan on the indenture. The land adjoined a tenement called Buckley Wood. 28 Feb 1866 Copy of Will of Samuel Whitehead of Kinders, gent.. Appoints Charles Whitehead of Bowden, Co. Chester and Samuel Mallalieu of Bank Top, trustees and executors to administer estate for benefit of his daughter Mary, for her lifetime then, in default of children, to be equally shared between the children of his late brother Dan Whitehead, the children of his late brother William Whitehead, the children of his late sister Lucy, the wife of George Scholes, the children of his late sister Sarah, the wife of Moses Platt, and his sister Matty, the widow of Joseph Wild. JOHNSON FAMILY PAPERS 8 Oct 1861 Transcript of Letter from Mary Jane Whitehead to Mr Johnson. 5 June 1867 Probate Copy of the Will of Joseph Whitehead of Shaw Hall, cotton spinner. Leaves estate at Midgrove, Delph to eldest son William Whitehead and appoints his son John Whitehead and George Seville of Royton Rd, Oldham, cotton spinner, trustees of his estate for benefit of his wife, his son William and daughters Hannah, Mary Jane, Eliza and Ann.

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3 Feb 1876 John Whitehead of Oldham, Cotton spinner & George Seville of Royton, cotton spinner, to John Whitehead, Joseph Edward Whitehead of Oldham, cotton spinner, and Thomas Hoare Tanner of Greenfield, woollen manufacturer. Appointment of new trustees under the will of Joseph Whitehead, deceased and conveyance and assignment of trust estate comprising a messuage and dwellinghouse at Shaw Hall. 20 Jun 1891 Probate of the Will of Hannah Clarkson of Farsley, Co. York, spinster, who died 15 May 1891. Leaves three quarters of her estate to her niece Ellen Clarkson, daughter of her late brother John Clarkson and the other quarter to her cousin Mary Wade, daughter of her uncle the late William Wade, all of Farsley. Appoints her cousins William Johnson of Farsley, woollen manufacturer and Benjamin Johnson of Farsley, woollen manufacturer, her executors. 31 Dec 1890 Joseph Edward Whitehead, and Thomas H. Tanner to Thomas H. Tanner and William Johnson of Farsley near Leeds, woollen manufacturer. Appointment of new trustee under the will of Joseph Whitehead, deceased. [on back of above indenture.] 8 May 1900 Agreement between William Johnson of Bramley, Leeds, gent., and John Edward Tanner of Prune Hill, Greenfield, woollen manufacturer appointing John Edward Tanner as trustee under the will of Joseph Whitehead, deceased, in place of his father Thomas Hoare Tanner who died 26 March 1900. Mentions the children of Thomas H. Tanner: George Frederic Tanner, John Edward Tanner, Ethel Hoare Tanner and Sidney Hoare Tanner. 2 Aug 1905 Administration of the Estate of Mary Jane Johnson (wife of William Johnson) of Bramley, Leeds, who died 8 April 1905. Administration granted to her husband, William Johnson. 3 Aug 1905 Probate copy of the will of Annie Eliza Smith, wife of Alexander Smith of Staningley, Leeds, physician and surgeon. Leaves her interests under the will of her maternal grandfather, the late Joseph Whitehead of Shaw Hall, Greenfield, cotton spinner, to her brother Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Bradford, stuff and woollen merchant and her sister, Alice Gertrude Johnson, of Bramley, Leeds, spinster. Appoints her brother Joseph Whitehead Johnson, and her sister Alice Gertrude Johnson, spinster, executors to whom probate was granted. 2 Aug 1916 Account of Estate of Walter Whitehead of Manchester, gent. provided by Ernest Birch of Southport and Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Leeds. Ernest Birch a descendant of a brother of the father of Walter Whitehead. Value of estate £20,898 including rents from properties at Tonge. 27 Oct 1925 Deed for plot in Harehills cemetery, Leeds granted to Polly Wriglesworth of Leeds. Records that William Wriglesworth was interred 12 October 1925. 8 May 1941 Joseph W. Johnson to Secretary of State for the War Department. Agreement to possession of The Beeches, North Park Avenue, Leeds, but excluding cottage and gardens, occupied by the owner. 26 Mar 1945 Fire Insurance policy by Mrs Edith Johnson and Miss Annie Bushrod of Spruce Cottage, Leeds, as administrators of Joseph Whitehead Johnson, deceased, for dwellinghouse and shop at 266 Grimshaw Lane, Tonge, Lancs.. 26 Mar 1945 Fire Insurance policy by Mrs Edith Johnson and Miss Annie Bushrod of Spruce Cottage, Leeds, as administrators of Joseph Whitehead Johnson, deceased for dwellinghouses at Grimshaw Lane, Shaw Street, Railway Street and Greaves Street, Tonge, Lancs..

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3 Oct 1945 Edith Johnson, widow & Annie Bushrod, married woman, both of Salisbury, Co. Wilts to Leonard Carl Perkin of Leeds, company director. Licence to occupy 1 Lidgett Park Ave, Leeds while the property know as the Beeches shall be occupied by the Secretary of State for War. 29 Dec 1947 Deed of family arrangement between Edith Johnson, of Salisbury, Wilts, widow, William Johnson of Kempston, Co. Beds, and Annie Bushrod, wife of Robert Frank Bushrod, of Salisbury, Wilts. Concerning the estate of Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Leeds who died 10 March 1943 intestate and of which administration was granted to his widow Edith Johnson and his daughter Annie Bushrod. It was agreed that as widow, Edith Johnson would receive the property known as the Beeches in Leeds, and William Johnson, as son of Joseph Whitehead Johnson, and Annie Bushrod, as daughter, would jointly receive the property in Tonge, Lancs.. 13 Jul 1950 Deed of family arrangement and release between the above parties of the bonds, stock and cash, part of the estate of Joseph Whitehead Johnson, deceased. It was agreed that as widow, Edith Johnson would receive half of the bonds, stock and cash, and William Johnson, and Annie Bushrod, would jointly receive the other half. 1951 Abstract of title of Annie Bushrod to the above property at Tonge, Middleton, Lancs.. Reciting that Charles Whitehead of Bowden, Co. Chester, gent., having previously provided a mortgage on part of the above, was party to its sale to Robert Buckley of Bowden, Co. Chester, gent., by deed dated 1 November 1891 and the same Robert Buckley, after previously having provided a mortgage, purchased the other part, by deed of 1 November 1881. Also that in his will dated 18 March 1892 Robert Buckley left the same to his nephew Walter Whitehead and that by his will proved 1 Oct 1915 Walter Whitehead left the property to Joseph Whitehead Johnson of Bradford, son of his cousin Mary Jane Johnson. 5 Apr 1955 Insurance policy by Mrs Edith Johnson of Brightstone, Isle of Wight for The Beeches, North Park Avenue, Leeds and Spruce Cottage, Lidgett Park Avenue, Leeds. post 1966 Family Tree of the Johnson Family of Farsley and Bradford. Undated. Copy photographs of William Johnson (opposite), his wife Mary Jane (née Whitehead) (front cover), House at Shawhall, the Beeches, 3 North Park Avenue, Leeds, (opposite) and a group with hounds in front of Farrers Arms. OTHER DEEDS 7 Apr 1825 Probate Copy of Will of Ann Lees, of Huddersfield, Spinster. Leaves all her freehold and leasehold estate in Saddleworth to her brother in law, Matthew Driver of Huddersfield, bookkeeper, husband of her sister Betty, in trust for her nephews John Driver, Samuel Lees Driver and Eli Lees Driver. 2 Nov 1849 John Driver, Eli Lees Driver and Edward Lees Driver to Samuel Lees Driver of three undivided shares in freehold and leasehold estates in Saddleworth whereby Samuel Lees Driver acquired the following properties in Saddleworth: Four dwellinghouses in Shelderslow called Latham; messuage and dwellinghouses at Shelderslow called Knowsley with 8a 2r 32p of land; Messuages and dwellinghouses at Valiant; land and mill at Carrier Lowe containing 3a 2r 18p; Messuage called Daisey Knowl on High Moor with 7a 2r 30p of land; and several messuages, dwelling- houses &c at High Moor. Also two rents from leasehold land and 8a 2r 30p on High Moor.

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SHS Archive The Beeches, North Park Avenue, Leeds

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SHS Archive William Johnson (1838-1922)

SHS Archive Mary Jane Johnson (c1840-1905)

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A transcript of the letter, referred to on page 60, as sent by Mary Jane Whitehead to William Johnson of Farnley, near Leeds.

Shaw Hall October 8th, 1861

Dear Mr. Johnson, I received your very kind letters for which I am very sorry I did not answer and I will tell you how it is that circumstances happened to prevent me, the first is that my uncle Ralph departed this life after I received your letter but I think I can venture to say that he has died in the Lord. The next is that we have had a great deal of company and I have been from home. I am very glad to hear that you are all well. Sister and I are very well, also Mr. S. I have had the pleasure of seeing him, he came home for the remainder of his luggage. He like it in Wakefield very much he has got comfortable lodgings and very kind friends. He told me how glad he was that he had drawn out of the Rifle Corps for he knows that our parents are opposed to it. As I was walking through Uppermill on Saturday evening I was grieved to see them all going into the Commercial Inn for I know that most of them are members of Christ Church and I am sure they are lacking for want of more spiritual strength. May God keep you from all evil ways. I am very sorry that you was mistaken in reference to Baptism, I did not think that you were opposed to religion far from it I can tell you as it weighed very heavily on my mind as I did not wish to grieve you. I can assure you that I wish I was more like you I hope you will pardon all my faults. Dear Mr. Johnson I can never forget you but we must not forget to be absent in body is to be present in spirit, and now let us ask God to keep us from all evil thoughts and then at the last great day we may rise not to shame and contempt but to everlasting life. I had almost forgotten to thank you for the beautiful prayer and pens that you sent me for which I feel greatly indebted. I have it in music it is a very nice tune. I shall keep them in remembrance of you as long as I can. Please to remember me in your prayers for I have prayed for you ever since I knew you. Please to excuse this ill wrote letter and please to give our kind love to Mr and Mrs. C. and accept the same from your unworthy but ever loving friend, Mary Jane Whitehead

When in solemn secret prayer Your happy spirit finds access When your breathing ill you care Sweetly at the throne of grace Me to Jesus then commend Think about an absent friend I will do the same for you As in love I’m bound to do

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A SADDLEWORTH COMMEMORATIVE JUG

Mike Buckley An interesting commemorative Saddleworth jug appeared at a Sotheby’s auction in 1988.1 The highly decorated creamware jug which is inscribed William and Sarah Radcliffe, Boarshurst caught the imagination of local Greenfield residents, John and Anne Lord, and they decided to bid for it. Anne attended the auction in person and after some stiff bidding was able to secure the jug which she kept secret and gave to her husband as a present on his birthday. Anne and John moved to Boarshurst soon afterwards and over the years have been intrigued as to who William and Sarah Radcliffe were and exactly where in Boarshurst they lived.

Mike Buckley The Commemorative Jug c.1810-20 Although still relatively hazy figures, recent research has shed a little light on their lives and backgrounds. What is clear is that the jug belonged to William Radcliffe 1776-1840 and to Sarah his wife (1773-1845); they were the only couple of that name who lived at Boarshurst during this period. Both were from well established Saddleworth families: William’s family had lived at Cross for over 150 years and Sarah was the daughter of Giles Shaw of Furlane, one of Saddleworth’s most important freeholders, the owner of estates at Uppermill and Carr Barn as well as Furlane. Their status is indicated by the fact that they were married by license at Saddleworth Church in 1795. A license had to be sought from the bishop and

1 Auction of European and Oriental Ceramics and Works of Art, Wednesday 13th April 1988, Sotheby’s, Booth Mansion, Chester. Lot 565. ‘A Good English Pearlware Commemorative Jug, circa 1810, the rounded sides engine turned around the base and inscribed in gilt script ‘William and Sarah Radcliffe, Boarshurst’ flanked by groups of botanical specimens, the neck encircled with pure vermiculi on a gilt dot ground, some restoration, 6¼in; 17cm.’

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purchased, but it avoided banns being read out in church and was the preferred approach by the better sort. Sotheby’s estimated the date of the jug as c.1810-20 and it is tempting to think that it might have been a twenty fifth wedding anniversary present, an occasion which fell on 3rd September 1820. William’s father, William Radcliffe of Cross (1736-1817), was a clothier. Although not a freeholder, he was a well to do leaseholder and at the breakup of the manor of Saddleworth in 1791, like many of the manorial tenants, he purchased the freehold of his farm.2 He was also one of the elite thirty one leading men of the district who also in that year purchased the commons and manorial rights.3 With so many new freehold properties entering the market new investment opportunities were readily available. Quite a number of those who had purchased their ancient leasehold properties decided to sell up, attracted by an immediate profit or perhaps finding they could not comfortably meet, or were unhappy with, their new mortgages. Those with the funds, or an appetite for further investment, had ample opportunity to add to their property holdings. The Radcliffes were in this category of entrepreneurs and, following the purchase of his own property, William Radcliffe acquired further freehold farms at Boarshurst, Rye Top and at Knowl Top. The farm at Boarshurst was acquired in 1795 and comprised a farmhouse and seven acres of land.4 By 1800 William Radcliffe was in occupation of his father’s property5 and must have taken up residence soon after his marriage and the purchase of the farm as their two children, Ann, born in 1796, and John, born in 1799, were both baptised from Boarshurst.

The Boarshurst Farm (No. 4 on the Map) purchased by the Radcliffe’s in 1795.6

2 WYAS (Leeds), RAD 305 (C/9). ‘Particulars of sale of a very improvable estate in Saddleworth now let in 170 farms at the George Inn, Huddersfield on Monday 28th March 1791 and the five following days.’ Details of the sale were printed and a number of copies exists in various archives. That in the Radcliffe Collection in Leeds Archives is annotated with details of the purchasers and amounts paid. 3 B. Barnes, Manor Records Part I in Saddleworth Historical Society Bulletin (SHSB), Vol. 5, No 2, pp. 17-18; Indenture of Sale of the Manor of Saddleworth from James Farrer’s executors to Thomas Shaw of Uppermill, clothier and 30 others, dated 8th August 1792. (deed in private ownership). 4 West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS) (Wakefield), Registry of Deeds, DS 279 300. 5 WYAS (Wakefield), Saddleworth Land Tax Returns 1800, among those listed for Boarshurst: William Radcliffe Jnr., tenant of William Radcliffe and paying tax of 3s 1½d. 6 M. Buckley et al. (eds), Map of the Inclosures in the Parish of Saddleworth Belonging to James Farrer, esq., 1770, in Mapping Saddleworth II, p.66, Saddleworth Historical Society, 2010.

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At this period the majority of Saddleworth men were engaged in the woollen cloth trade. William Radcliffe’s father, his brothers and uncles, were all described as either clothiers or woollen manufacturers. Despite these family connections, William appears not to have primarily earned a living in this way. Rather, for most of his career he was in trade as a grocer and evidence exists, in the form of a number of banknotes, that at one stage he had set himself up as a banker issuing his own banknotes. The banknotes, now in the Saddleworth Museum collection, are all dated 1799. Those that had been in circulation are all valued at one guinea but blank notes of 5s indicate that lower denominations had probably also been issued.7 The issued notes bear Radcliffe’s bold and florid signature. Neil Barrow in his 1984 article on Saddleworth banknotes explains the banking market at this time.8 Banks operating outside London, the ‘country banks’, were allowed to issue notes. During the period 1797-1829 notes could be issued in denominations down to £1 and most banks did so, although Lancashire was an exception.... Saddleworth’s proximity to the expanding trade of Lancashire was probably one of the incentives for note-issue. There was an unsatisfied demand for currency.... A further incentive to provide note issues arose in 1797 when the Bank of England suspended cash payments. From 1797 to 1821 it was not required to give gold on demand against its notes and minting of coinage was considerably curtailed. Because of the shortage of currency nationally, other Saddleworth manufacturers and merchants were also issuing their own promissory notes at this time. The primary consideration in the eyes of the public was that the banker was seen as honest and

Saddleworth Museum Collection H128 William Radcliffe’s 1 Guinea Banknote 1799 financially sound. Radcliffe’s family connections and his involvement with the public through his retail activities would place him in a favourable position in terms of trust and easy access. But Radcliffe’s banking activities must have been short lived. No notes after 1799 exist and there is no reference to a formally constituted Radcliffe bank in early nineteenth century trade directories. The 1811 Holden’s trade directory only lists William Radcliffe of Boarshurst as a grocer9 and he is described as such,

7 Saddleworth Museum Archives, D43, F68, G75, H128. 8 N. Barrow, ‘The Bank Notes of the Saddleworth Private Banks’ in SHS, Vol. 14, No. 2, Summer 1984, pp. 26-31. See also W. C. E. Hartley, Banking in Y orkshire, Dalesman Books, 1975. 9 Holden’s London & Country Directory, Vol. 3, London, 1811.

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with one exception, until 1832 in subsequent directories.10 The exception is Wardle & Pratt’s directory of 1816 where he is listed as a woollen manufacturer, either an error, or perhaps an indication that he also had some involvement in the cloth trade.11 By 1836 he appears to have retired from the grocery business and from 1836 to 1840 is described simply as either Mr William Radcliffe, Boarshurst or William Radcliffe, Boarshurst, gent.12 However, a mortgage deed of 1837 describes him as a clothier and once again indicates that he also had some involvement in the woollen cloth trade.13 William Radcliffe died in 1841 in his 64th year and his wife in 1845 aged 71. A finely carved tombstone in the old churchyard at Saddleworth marks their grave and that of their children.14 William left no will but his estate was administered in January 1841 by his widow and son.15 Once again, in his administration he is described as gentleman, an indication of his probable wealth and standing in society. His grocery business was carried on after his death by his son John Radcliffe of Boarshurst (1799- 1866), he also appears to have a run a carrier business in addition to his retail activities and directories of 1843-1848 indicate that he transported goods from Boarshurst to Huddersfield every Tuesday, and from Boarshurst to Manchester every Saturday.16 No doubt this part of his business came to an end with the advent of the railway through Saddleworth in 1849. John’s son John William Radcliffe of Boarshurst (1827 -1890) was the Relieving Officer at the Saddleworth Workhouse and served for a time as Assistant Overseer of the Poor and Deputy Superintendent Registrar for Saddle- worth.17 His tombstone in the new churchyard at Saddleworth proudly (but probably incorrectly) records that he was Seventh in descent from William Radcliffe of Cross in 1609. This inscription may have been inspired by his second cousin John Radcliffe of Furlane, who meticulously transcribed and edited the Saddleworth Parish Registers and privately published these in two volumes in 1887 and 1891.18 He was grandson of William Radcliffe’s brother James Radcliffe (1779-1842), also a freeholder at Boarshurst. James Radcliffe and his son John Radcliffe of Boarshurst (d. 1867) were successful woollen manufacturers who amassed considerable wealth which passed to John Radcliffe of Furlane, the grandson.

10 E. Baines, History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County of Y ork, Vol. 1, Leeds, 1822; Pigot and Dean’s Directory of Manchester, Salford &c., for 1824-5, Manchester, 1824; Pigot & Son’s General & Classified Directory of Manchester, Salford &c., for 1832, Manchester, 1832; Parson & White, Directory of Leeds and the Clothing Districts of Yorkshire, Leeds, 1830. 11 Wardle & Pratt, The Commercial Directory for 1816-17, Manchester, 1816. 12 Pigot & Son’s General & Classified Directory of Manchester and Salford with their Suburbs, Manchester, 1836; Pigot & Son’s General, Classified and Street Directory of Manchester and Salford together with the Country Manufacturers, Manchester, 1839-40; Robson’s Commercial Directory of London and the Counties of Cheshire, Derby, Durham, Salop, Worcester, and York, West Riding, with North Wales, Vol. 2, London,. 1840. 13 WYAS (Wakefield), Registry of Deeds, MO 616 631. 14 M. Buckley (ed.), Monumental Inscriptions in the Old Churchyard of St Chad’s Church, Saddleworth, Gravestone No. 359, p. 67, Saddleworth Historical Society, Uppermill, 2015. 15 Lancashire Archives, William Radcliffe of Saddleworth, Gentleman, WCW Supra, Administration 4th February 1841. 16 Isaac Slater, Directory of Manchester and Salford and the Townships Contiguous, Manchester 1843; William’s Commercial Directory of Stockport, Preston, Wigan &c. &c., Manchester, 1845; Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of the Counties of Chester, Cumberland, Durham, Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmorland and York, Manchester 1848. 17 Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Lancashire, Manchester 1863; William White, Directory of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Dewsbury &c., Sheffield, 1866; Kelly’s Directory of the West Riding of Yorkshire, London, 1888. 18 J. Radcliffe (ed), Saddleworth Parish Registers, 1613-1751, Uppermill, 1887; 1751-1800, Uppermill, 1891.

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This is as much as can be said of William Radcliffe and his family. It is a bare account of his life but what emerges is a picture of a man, one typical of the Saddleworth elite of his day. He was from an old Saddleworth family, which had its roots in the eighteenth century dual economy of cloth production and small scale farming and, like his father, he was an entrepreneur, a product of the industrial revolution. His foray into the banking industry, although short lived, was one of the earliest such initiatives in Saddleworth; his occupation as a shopkeeper, which now sounds prosaic and unremarkable, was a new feature of industrialisation and the emergence of the Saddleworth villages, a trade only made possible by the variety of goods newly available in Saddleworth arriving via the canal and turnpike road network. At the end of his life the fruits of his endeavours had earned him the title gentlemen. Two questions remain. Where in Boarshurst did he live and why do the burial registers record that he died in the poorhouse, surely not a fitting end for a gentlemen? His relative, John Radcliffe, the editor of the parish registers, states in a footnote that he lived at Higher House, Boarshurst. This is consistent with the farmhouse associat- ed with the Boarshurst estate purchased by his father which was located at the junction of Park Road and Boarshurst Lane. The present block of four cottages appear to be a late eighteenth century development around an original farmhouse, now called Two Hoots Cottage which dates from c.1780. Was this also the location of the shop kept by him and his son? The question of why he died in the poorhouse is more difficult to answer. He was a man of apparent wealth so it seems unlikely this was on grounds of poverty. But poorhouses also sometimes served as geriatric or fever hospitals and even lunatic asylums and here might lie the answer.

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MEMORY LANE

Una Ross Una Ross died in July 2001 just a few months after celebrating her hundredth birthday. She was born, Una Cocking, on 16th September 1900 in a small terraced house in Denshaw Fold. It had once been a tenter stove associated with Long Royd Mill nearby and in this tiny ‘one up one down’ cottage she lived with her parents and seven siblings. Her father Thomas Cocking, like his father before him, worked at the Denshaw Valley Print Works as a driver, both of the horse drawn vehicles and the steam wagon. After leaving school Una also went to work at the Print Works. Subsequently she worked at Moorside and Slackcote. After marriage she moved to Shaw and lived here for the rest of her life. A remarkable and active woman she loved writing and was a regular contributor to the Denshaw Observer magazine in the late 1990s with fascinating stories of life in Edwardian Denshaw. For many years she was President of the Shaw Literary Society and the local Townswomens’ Guild and was a strong supporter of the British Legion. She also helped to found the Shaw House- bound Club. Towards the end of her life she wrote an account of her life and her daughter Aimee had this bound and presented to her on her hundredth birthday as a ‘This is Your Life’. The following account of her schooldays in Denshaw is part of this autobiography.

H. W. Smith Bradley Denshaw Fold in about 1900. The row of cottages on the right of the picture is the converted Tenter Stove. It was in one of these cottages that Una and her family lived.

Chapter 4 School Days Schooldays for me started when I was three years and four months old, straight into the infant’s class, no nursery schools then. My days in the infant’s class were not happy ones, I had a feeling I was not liked by the teacher, she had favourites and I was not one of them. I once had to wee on the floor because she would not let me leave the room. It was a long way to the toilet

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outside in the yard, wet or fine it made no difference. Another time she noticed I had been killing things out of my hair so she sent me home with a note. My Father cut my hair short like a boys and it was kept like that until I was old enough to look after it myself. The remedy then was to wash in sheep dip.

Una is featured in the well known view of Denshaw Fold taken in 1903. She is the little girl fourth from the right. She wrote in 1997; “The group in Denshaw Fold I can say something about as it was my play area. The first house on the left was Mrs Crawshaw’s toffee shop and next door lived Edna Wrigley who is the tallest lady standing in the ginnel, as we used to call it. The other lady is Mrs Wrigley who lived in a house at the back in its own grounds, we used to have bonfires there. The two boys in the road are Sam and Arthur Virgin. My brother had the hoop and my sister and myself are there the little one with the light hair. The small house at the end of that row at the bottom was where Mr and Mrs Platt lived. Mr Platt had a lively rose garden on the opposite side of the road, it was his pride and joy”. Mrs Jackson the head mistress liked children whose parents had money and could dress them nicely. I was quick to notice this and was glad when I was able to move into standard one which was in another room. The teacher there was Mrs Lawton and from then on I was happy at school. Two classes ran together in that room, standard one and standard two. We could hear the other lesson so when we moved up we already had a good start on the harder work. Once when the teacher had to leave the room she gave us a book to look through to find the longest word that we could remember and spell when she came back. My choice was ‘opportunity’ which proved to be the longest, I wonder if there was any significance in my choice of word. We also learned to darn socks in Mrs Lawton’s class, we nearly all wore clogs and they made big holes in them. Education in those days consisted of the three R’s and examinations were marked out of ten. One teacher promised a shilling to anyone getting ten out of ten. Two of us did get ten out of ten in all three subjects, but she forgot to give us our shillings. That was the class I was in when the teacher announced that the Titanic had been sunk in 1912.

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The headmaster was a Mr. Williams; he had one son and one daughter. He believed in using the cane on either boys or girls if he thought they needed it. One boy lived in a little shop close to the school and had to go there one day to purchase a cane to be used on himself. Mr Williams’s daughter was called Nancy and one morning in prayers she started to giggle about something and could not stop so her father caned her until her hands bled. She ran home and did not come back again that day. All the master said was “that’s what you will all get if you do not behave”. In the room there were three classes going on at once so the headmaster never missed anything that may have been going wrong.

Mr Williams and Mrs Jackson are featured in this school group photograph of about 1910.

By the time I was old enough to move up into the top class we got a new headmaster called Mr. Blackshaw and what a difference it made to the school. He was young, tall, dark and handsome. We would have done anything for him. His first move was to break the canes over his knee. He said he did not need them and he never did. He got good work out of us without needing to resort to such punishment. In my spare time I used to write letters to Uncle somebody or other on the children’s page in the Manchester Weekly Times. I won a book for letter writing and another for a short story; I wish I could remember what the story was about. When I was about twelve I started to learn shorthand with a view to doing something better than working in the mill when I left school. It was a Mr. Godard who ran the classes and charged sixpence a lesson. I enjoyed going and found it easy to learn but after a time I could not foreshame to keep going without the sixpence because we had not got any money. Mr. Godard wanted me to carry on for nothing; he said it was a shame to give it up when I was doing so well. So I began to realise that my parents were not interested in my future. Mr. Blackshaw ran evening classes to help scholars prepare for exams and I was the only girl, he felt he could make something of me. I got top marks in all the subjects; algebra was one of my favourites. So at 13, when it was time to leave school Mr Blackshaw came to our house to talk to my parents. He begged them to let me stay on at school with a view to my becoming a teacher. My brother said ‘we had to go to work so she will have to do the same’ so that was the end

80 SHS Bulletin, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2016 of that. I shall never forget the disappointment on that man’s face. He knew then, and I realised later, what a shame and a waste of opportunity once my chance had gone by. A typical day at school went something like this. “Good morning children.” “Good morning teacher.” followed by prayers. Then a show of hands and your clogs or shoes were inspected. You dare not go to school with dirty hands or more especially dirty footwear. Every so often a nurse or doctor came round to see if the children were kept clean. I sometimes felt uncomfortable when I knew I was not as I should be underneath, no knickers on for instance. What a relief when the nurse passed by me. If you did not attend school an inspector called the ‘school board’ called at your home to find out the reason. You were not allowed to miss school to look after your mother as I had to do one day and was caught in the act. The fact is there to see in the school’s records, which I was allowed to view a few years ago at an open day. The school board was called Mr. Young and dealt strictly with offenders. It made a nice change in the summer when the top classes went out on nature study walks; you then had to write about what you had seen. Better than sitting at a desk all day. I remember the first time I was in the class that could go out on a walk we all had to line up in the schoolyard ready to set off. I was so tiny the teacher said you will not be able to walk all the way and sent me to sit in the infants’ class until they came back. I did not like going back into Mrs Jackson’s room, I was broken hearted when I went home for dinner and did not go back to school in the afterwards. It was fortunate for us that Mr. Blackshaw came to take over the school when he did because we had the advantage of a higher standard of education and a much happier atmosphere. He did not make more of the better off or victimise the poorer, but brought out the best in any who showed promise. This proved particularly true in my case as I found later. His ideas did not stop with the school and I shall show further on how he added to our way of life in other directions.

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Una as a young girl

Una celebrating her 100th birthday in September 2000.

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MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY WHO TOOK PART IN WORLD WAR II

Patricia Foster Although members of my family were reluctant to talk about their war experiences, I do have some insight into what happened to them. They are all from Saddleworth related families. Harold Rawlinson (1916-1983). My father was a descendant of the Wood family who came from Greenfield. His Grandfather was Robert Radcliffe Wood. He lived, prior to his marriage, on Ladhill Lane in Greenfield.

Foster family collection Henry Rawlinson in 1943 During the war, Henry was in the Royal Air Force and became a Flight Sergeant. He flew a Blenheim Light Bomber and, I gather, was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). I know he never claimed his medals and have only just discovered from WWII military records about the DFC. I have no idea what it was for exactly. We do know, however, he saw service in India and was due to be parachuted behind enemy lines to guide allied bombers to targets in Rangoon. (Burma). However,

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Mountbatten and his army took Rangoon before the mission was launched. We also know he broke his arm whilst in India. Here is a picture of him in India.

Foster family collection Street Scene featuring Water Supply Pump, India

The Indian photo shows the village pump which is outside the entrance to the toilet. Native Women pumped the water. The entrance to his billet is shown on the right hand corner of the toilet. All the information was shown on the back of the photo which he sent to my Mother. He used to send her wonderful letters whilst away. The subject he taught was English. It perhaps explained this. When he came home, having married my mother in 1939, whilst on leave, he resumed his teaching career. He retired as Deputy Head of King Edward VI Grammar School, Stafford, in the late 1970s. Sadly he died in 1983. Frank Kenworthy (1919-1968). My Uncle Frank was my mother’s younger brother. His parents were Ben and Annie Kenworthy (née Bradbury). Frank joined the army, signing up in Bury with the Lancashire Fusiliers. He lived at Harrop Court in Diggle until his marriage in 1945. Captured by the Germans after after defending the beaches in Dunkirk in 1940, he was marched through France and Germany and became a Prisoner of War. He appeared to be ‘missing’ for some months and then found to be at STALAG 344 in Lamsdorf, Poland. He was there for 5 years. During that time he was almost shot for stealing bread. An old lady saved him. She popped her head over the fence saying, “Don’t shoot that Boy”. Their diet was awful with potato peelings as a staple. My mother told me the Germans used to torture prisoners by sticking pins under their finger nails and leaving taps dripping. He and the other prisoners were released one morning in 1945 by the Americans, by which stage the Germans had all disappeared. He married when he came home in 1945 and became a belt-fitter for machines. He suffered poor health for the rest of his life and sadly died in 1968 at the young age of 49.

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Leonard Broadbent (1920-2003) Leonard was my cousin - a few times removed. He was actually second cousin to my mother, Doris Kenworthy, and we were very close in the latter years of his life. He had a difficult childhood. The family were abandoned by their father and his mother, who I understand was a concert pianist, was put into a nursing home in Leeds as she found life difficult after her husband left. Len spent a lot of time in an orphanage in Leeds. Sometimes he was cared for by relatives in the Saddleworth area. I know he was, for some time, a student at Diggle Primary School. He stayed with a cousin of my grandmother called Florence. She was his aunt, sister of his father. I gather she lived on Co-op Row in Diggle at that time. He used to play with Uncle Frank and I heard they were in trouble at one time for swimming in the mill dam which used to exist at Harrop Court. Because of his childhood, and lack of family support, he joined the Navy ‘underage’ in 1936 aged sixteen. According to naval records, his date of birth is given as 9th May 1919. His actual date of birth was 9th May 1920. He was born at Kimologue in Ireland. As his father is a Broadbent, the Irish connection came from his mother. They came to this country not long after he was born and settled in the Leeds area. Before joining the Navy, he had trained as a Draughtsman.

Foster family collection Len Broadbent as a crew member of HMS Pembroke

Len trained on HMS Pembroke and later on HMS Wildfire which was based at Sheerness. He then joined HMS Ramillies, which was a fifteen gun battleship. In 1938, he was sent for torpedo training on HMS Vernon. When the war broke-out he was assigned to HMS Firedrake. This was eventually sunk in December 1942 escort- ing envoys to Canada. Luckily Len had been assigned to the Indian Ocean by then and was not on board. From 1942 to 1943 Len served on HMS Resolution in the Indian Ocean and from 1943 to 1945 he was on HMS Ausonia. This was a repair ship and originally a passenger liner of Cunard White Star Line. In 1946, he was released when serving on HMS Pembroke. He was awarded Good

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Foster family collection Len Broadbent and part of crew of HMS Firedrake

Foster family collection HMS Firedrake

Conduct Badges in 1940 and again in 1945. His character throughout was pronounced very good and his efficiency was reported as ‘satisfactory’ and later ‘superior’. He achieved a Trade Certificate saying Able Seaman Leonard Broadbent was a leading Torpedo Man employed on electrical and torpedo works. Len married Kathleen Huntsman during the war while on leave. After the war, they lived in the London area and he was employed by the BBC. At first, I believe he was a camera man and later worked in personnel. He was a ‘larger than life’ character who sported a great moustache in later years. I miss him so much now. Acknowledgements I would like to thank David Rawlinson (my brother), Susan Cockroft (my cousin, Uncle Frank’s daughter) and Ivan Foster (my dear husband), who have all all helped me with this article.

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OBITUARY

Keith Wilson Taylor 1932 - 2015

Taylor family collection Keith

Keith was born in Blackpool. As a young child he also lived in Lancaster and Torrisholm. He had a brother and sister. He was extremely intelligent and at the age of 5, when he first went to school, he could read, count and tell the time. He progressed on to Lancaster Royal Grammar School. Apparently he was always ‘top of the class’. He was a contemporary of Cecil Parkinson, the late minister, at Lancaster. Keith excelled in Classics and Humanities (i.e. History, Geography and Religious Education). He was the first member of his family to go to University and studied Economics, History and Politics at Leeds University. He became President of the Students’ Union and joined the Conservative Society. As a student and later, he was always smart and elegant. He had a superb collection of Beau Brummel waistcoats. His hobbies were classical music and reading. Keith had a great sense of humour and enjoyed the ‘Goon Show’ which he listened to every Saturday and regularly sang the ‘Ying Tong Song’. As a young man he loved going to Lancaster Castle with his family to visit the dungeons, listening to stories of the Lancashire witches and seeing views of Hangman’s Corner. Many visits were also made to St Peter’s graveyard at Heysham. After leaving Leeds University, he worked for Calico Printers. Then in 1959, he became a Conservative Councillor for Chadderton. He was on the Health Committee

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as Vice-Chairman and also a member of Housing Divisional Education. He hated all forms of extravagance and waste in the spending of tax-payers’ money. Later, he decided to do a Master’s degree which he passed in 1976. After this, he worked at Manchester Polytechnic lecturing in Economic History and Politics. He also travelled around the country lecturing. He retired at the age of 60. He married twice. His first marriage, of 44 years, was to Joan with whom he fathered one daughter, Elizabeth. After the death of Joan, he moved to Stoneswood House, Delph, living there for two and a half years. Later, he moved in with his second partner, Andrea Stott. They were together for 12 years, living at The Wharf, Wool Road, Dobcross in an apartment in the converted Stonebottom Mill complex. He married Andrea not long before he died. When in Saddleworth, he joined Saddleworth Historical Society serving on the committee. He helped to organise the monthly program of talks, entertained the speakers and delivered copies of the Bulletin. He became a member of the Liberal Democrats when he lived in Saddleworth. He was a keen and knowledgeable member and stood a few times for Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, but without success. He, with Andrea, was also an active member of the Saddleworth Civic Trust. He visited Spain often as his younger sister lived there with her Spanish husband and enjoyed Spanish History and politics. At the age of 70, he learnt to speak Spanish. Many enjoyable holidays were also spent in the Lake District, Morecambe and Lancaster with his family. Together, he and Andrea visited many different countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Belgium. He thoroughly enjoyed these and was always keen to join in everything despite his failing sight. His family and close friends describe him as a positive and caring man who always had time to listen to anyone. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and we send our condolences to his wife, Andrea, and his family.

Thanks are due to Andrea Taylor, Charles Baumann and Keith’s sister, Gillian, with help in writing this.

Patricia Foster.

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