Thursday

wednesday

message for Ivan

I am putting this message on here for Ivan because I am having difficulty posting to the comments.

Thank you for your comment Ivan. Earlier on in the year I visited your website many times when I was researching the Hobson family in Whitfield and I was most impressed. The map also helped me as I do not know Glossop very well.

I asked mum about Bert Turner, he came from an old Glossopian family and was involved with the parish church in Old Glossop. He later became the caretaker at the Duke of Norfolk school. My mum also knew of the Bert Turner you referred to, and reminded me that I have a photo of him with my dad and a steam train. (I have not learnt how to put pictures on here yet, I am waiting for my daughter to teach me.) My mum would be interested to know what part of Glossop you grew up in, she lived opposite Manor park in Old Glossop and was born in 1934.

monday

sunday

Letter from mum.

Thank you mum for sending me this letter about the children of Joseph Steele and Isabella Dumble .

XX

I am one of the granddaughters of Joseph and Isabella Steele. They had 14 children (3 died in infancy) so there were numerous Aunts, Uncles and cousins. I can barely remember my grandmother as she died when I was nearly 5 years old, of my Grandfather I have some lovely memories of him, he re-married - Ruth Davidson, who bought a house in Ferryhill where some of my Aunts, Uncles and cousins also lived. So when we went to visit there was also the thrill of going to several other houses.

The oldest of the children was Ephraim (known as Eph) he married Jenny and they had 3 children they didn't live in Ferryhill and I can't remember visiting them but I did meet them when I was married and they then lived in London.

My mother came next she was Elizabeth (Liz or Lizzie) she left home when she was 14 to go into service so she moved around quite a lot working her way up to the position of "cook". She ended up in Glossop (Derbyshire) where she met my father Reginald Garnett they had 2 children, my older sister and myself. They moved to N.Wales some years after my father retired. I live in Peterborough and my sister lives near Glossop.

Next came Isabella (known as Bella) who married William Bell (known as Will) they lived in Ferryhill and had 7 children (5 girls and 2 boys). We had a lot of contact with Aunt Bella and Uncle Will as we always went to see them when we went to Grandads and after he died we used to stay with Aunt Bella. They also used to visit us at Glosssop and remained in contact til they died.

Then came William (known as Will) who married May. They had 3 boys. Uncle Will worked in the coal mine and they lived in Nottinghamshire. We visited them amd they came to Glossop and we saw them many times over the years.

Next was Lucy who never married, she also went into service and eventually went to work in London at the Royal free Hospital where she was when war broke out in 1939. The hospital was bombed and she came to live with us in Glossop. She then went as cook-in-charge to a sanatorium for service men near Rochdale (Lancs) but eventually came back to live with us in Glossop. She lived with Mum and Dad and moved with them to N. Wales till she died.

Ernest (Ernie) married Olive, they lived in Ferryhill and had 5 children. Uncle Ernie worked in the coal mine, served in the Navy during the war, returned to Ferryhill to the mines but he had the calling to be a minister, and eventually they moved to Bastow (Derbyshire) where he trained but was one of the cooks there (I presume in return for the fees). One of the children was born there (twins but one died). Eventually after several years he was given a ministry in a poor district in Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Edward (known as Ted) married Elsie Doerton, they lived in ferryhill and had 3 children. Uncle Ted was a joiner/carpenter. This marriage ended in divorce and Uncle Ted lived with Aunt Bella for a time, then he was employed by M&S where he moved round the country depending on where M&S needed him. He met Ruby and they married and lived in Newport (Gwent?) We used to visit at Ferryhill and him and Ruby came several times to N.Wales.

Hilda married Tommy James, he was a miner and they lived in Ferryhill, had 3 children. Always visited them and they came to Glossop.

Mary married Tommy Greg they lived with Grandma and Grandad before they eventually moved to Darlington. They had 2 boys. This marriage ended in divorce and Mary met Johnny and together with the boys emigrated to S.Africa wher the boys still live.

Sarah (known as Sally) went into service and also ended up in Glossop where she met Herbert (Bert) Turner. They married and had 3 children, one of whom emigrated to S. Africa where she still lives. Of the other 2 one still lives in Glossop and the other a few miles away. The one in Glossop is the only cousin that we have any contact with.

Phyllis married Harry Willetts they lived at East Howle he was a miner and they had 2 children.

****************************************************************************

Its raining

Its raining, raining, raining :- storms are forecast. Do I really have to go out today?
Yes you do.

Went to Waterstones, bought a book of photos Around Leigh.

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Whilst sitting waiting for the bus was treated to a concert of church bells ringing, I was there for at least 20 min. I was thinking what it must have been like many years ago when you could have listened to the bells without the infernal din of traffic. And how clever people were, how their arms must have been aching after pulling the cords and how they kept in time. Then the taxi man rather spoilt my illusion when he said he thought they were electric! Wonder how I solve that mystery.

And yes I did get wet.

Not enough time

to do everything I want to do. I planned on going to the library today but got distracted by the European market that is on for Christmas.

Leigh

I have five local history books for the Leigh area they are:-
The Lancashire cotton famine around Leigh by Fred Holcroft
Mining Days in Abram by Richard Ridyard
Early Victorian Abram by Norma Ackers
Memories of Lowton by Richard Ridyard
Silk manufacturing in Leigh by Fred Holcroft

Not knowing the area I think it is important to try to gain some knowledge of local names and history. If anyone is local to that area and can provide me with more information I would be most grateful. I have found the local bus map to be most useful.

Seeing Leigh on census returns I got the impression that was where they were from but (and I am nowhere near being an expert nor perfect) I have a little more understanding now. Sitting on the bus it is quite difficult to visualize what the area must have been like in the 1860s as today it is more or less built up all the way from Salford to Leigh. I sit looking out of the window trying to erase all the 'modern' buildings, seeking out the older terraces and the odd ancient farm buildings, thinking what a journey it must have been on the old roads. There are two bus routes I can take and they both climb out of Salford and eventually run down onto the plain where Leigh is situated with its tall chimneys making it easy to locate from a distance away. It must have been quite a view in the olden days even with cloudy grey skies and modern eyesores it sort of catches my breath. The wide expanse of horizon. The openness after the city confines. Is that what drew Christopher to the area or was it merely the lure of employment - I suspect the later but I can romanticise can't I?

Today I will give you some background information from the first book. On the first page is a useful map of the Leigh Poor Law Union in 1861. The names of interest to us are Westleigh, Golborne and Lowton which all lie on the Western side one under the other. I will return to the subject of the cotton famine at a later date. Here I am going to look for information about the Leigh area.

"In 1861, there was no such place as 'Leigh'. Several townships made up Leigh parish, whilst a similar combination of townships made up Leigh Poor Law Union. In this study, unless a township is specifically named, the word 'Leigh' describes the whole area."10 Townships in all :- Atherton, Westleigh, Pennington, Bedford, Astley, Tyldesley, Golborne, Lowton, Culcheth and Kenyon.

"By 1862 Leigh was a rapidly growing district. The entire district had increased from 17,557 to 37,696, a rise of over 110% since 1801, although there had been accelerated growth during the most recent period." Notably Golborne had increased from 1910 (in 1851) to 2776 in (1861) an increase of 46%, the largest growth in the district. And that this increase came from an influx of workers rather than an increase in the indigenous population.
"As a result of the decline in domestic textiles and the spread of coalmining and factory textile manufacturing, there was population growth over most of the district. By 1861 the 'pit and mill' economy, which was to hold sway for the next hundred years, had already been established. Employment figures for 1861 were: silk weaving 4,134 cotton 3,597 and coal 1,323.
Yet the factory industry had arrived late in Leigh, since there were very few suitable sites, where waterpower couldbe harnessed, ...but with the application of steampower to both the spinning and the weaving processes, widespread cotton mill construction took place across the entire district, so that by 1861, about thirty cotton mills provided employment.

Mill wages were not high by todays standard, but they compared favorably with alternative employment available at the time. They were a lot more reliable than those in domestic textiles. Cotton mills provided employment for both sexes and for all ages, so that an entire family in work could be well off.

Census information for Christopher and his family 1861
Lowton, Leigh
School lane

Christopher Steel 48 Maker up in cotton factory
Ann 50
Jane 16 Cotton factory worker
Martha Alice 12 Cotton factory worker
Richard 10
William 7
James 5

and for James mother :-

Lowton, Leigh
Chapel St?

James Aspinall 27 silk weaver
Sarah Aspinall 27 factory cotton reeler
Elizabeth 2

*Sarah at least must have been in Lowton for the birth of James in about 1856, and I *presume* the family came to Lowton from Blackburn as William was born there in about 1854. So maybe we are looking at 1855. What do you think?

Although the district was dominated by the manufacture of silk, that industry was struggling in one of the frequent slumps, which was to lead to its eventual decline and extinction. Employment prospects in silk were becoming increasingly limited and younger workers were entering the cotton industry."

Today Leigh is a town with I think the main shops for the local area. It took about 20 min (mind you the bus driver was not intent on hurrying) on the bus to get from Leigh to Golborne, Lowton being slightly nearer. I saw the names Pennington (larger nicer houses) and Bedford in Leigh town.

Shhhhhhhhh.........

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.......... dont tell mum where I've been today. I played hooky. And I'm not going to say : think it will be part of her Xmas pressie.

Well its not THAT exciting. But had my faith in humanity restored somewhat. Would you lend a book to a complete stranger when you didn't even know where they lived?

Made the one and a half hours that I had to spend sitting on a bus worthwhile, and the fact that it was raining and windy and it hailed AND I ended up staggering up the hill to the bus stop at the top because I suddenly realised the bus I was waiting for would probably be full of school kids.

Hope everyone else had a good day.

Enlarging my library.

Well I had a busy weekend. On Saturday we went to a model railway exhibition and yesterday it was the local history open day. Despite the cold it was a bright and sunny day. We got there nice and early and collected a ticket for the bus ride at 12. The museum was full of different stalls concerned with different areas around Salford. I dashed poor Joseph round as I wanted to see what was there before the bus ride and I filled my bag with a few books. We went a little early to queue for the bus so we could get a downstairs seat. There were three vintage buses, the one we got to ride on was made in the 1960s (1966 to be precise, Joseph has just reminded me).

They gave us a sheet with the route and things to look out for. It was really good, they took us all round Salford, down to the quays round Ordsall Hall and up to the Transport museum where they gave us 20 min to have a quick look round at the old buses and trams. We arrived back at the Crescent at 1.30 by which time the museum was full! Bought a few more books before heading home. Could easily have bought more but ran out of change.

Unfortunately there wasn't anything for the "really old" Salford. But that was made up for because I bought a CD with Coalmining memories on it.

Coal mines in Lancashire.

"In the late eighteenth century the output of coal grew rapidly due to the development of steam machinery and the demands of industry generally. In 1858 there were 380 coal mines in the County of Lancashire and they produced 8 million tons during the year; by 1874 the number of mines ...558 and the output of coal had doubled"

"The coal mined during the 18th and 19th centuries was extracted from the seams of high quality coal having such geological conditions that they were easily mined. Good coal seams having good mining conditions provided good profits. The intensity of extraction which had been achieved over the period 1860-1920, in such seams from the small Lancashire Coalfield, caused them to become exhausted during the ten years 1920-1930. Unavoidably, the more inferior seams which had been developed had to be worked more intensively resulting in the market value of the product being reduced accordingly. Lancashire coal no longer had the quality which for many years had ensured consistent demand at such a good selling price that mine owners were assured of handsome profits. With the exhaustion of the most valuable coal seams at depths of about 2,500 feet, mine shafts were deepened to locate good seams at lower horizons, until mining in the 1920-1930 decade was being carried out at depths of 4,500 feet.

Dust and very high temperatures made mining difficult beyond normal human effort and in many instances men were unable to attend regularly at the mine; production costs were seriously increased and the profit margins were further reduced.

The combination of heat and dust in the deeper workings of mines in Central Lancashire in the 1930 to 1950 period created for the colliers working conditions which were probably without parallel in any other mines in the country at that time. Salt tablets were supplied to the men to replace that lost by excessive perspiration when at work. Losses in body weight up to 12 pounds in 8 hours by men in the deeper parts of mines were recorded."

It goes on to explain that after Nationalisation in 1947 more capital became available for mechanisation but after 1955 demand for coal fell with the subsequent closure of the mines. In 1907 (358 mines), 1950 (80 mines) by 1970 (12) and the last date 1975 (9).

I do not think there are any deep coal mines in Lancashire today although I remember a few years ago in the local paper articles about an open cast coal mine which was causing problems for local people.

I wonder what happened in the lives of the colliers after the census 1901. I think they must have been hard times, and I am on the lookout for information which tells of their lives. So if anyone could recommend any books etc. I would be most grateful.

Another question that naggs at me (I know the answer will never definitely be found) is why did Joseph Steele leave the Leigh area for New Shildon. Any suggestions welcome. I know from the census that Ephraim Aspinall was also in New Shildon - his wife was from Durham. From oral history the story goes that they had nothing but a kitchen knife and that they went to live with an uncle, his wife was not very welcoming. One suggestion by mum is that no one in Leigh had room to take them in. Another is work - but at that time (before 1901) that did not seem a problem. There was contact so it is unlikely to be a family feud. My nana said both her grandmothers from the Leigh area visited them in the north east. And Joseph Steele went back to Leigh to visit his mother. We know Joseph had to get married - but that seemed to me quite commonplace.
Ephraims birth was registered in Mar 1897, and Josephs father James death was registered in June 1897. Of course we do not know if they left for New Shildon before James died.

Mary Aspinall

Well I have done it again. Guilty as charged - assumptions my downfall. So here is a warning not to take everything I say at face value but please check.

Here is the evidence I, in my haste, overlooked. I have transcribed the whole of the page.

Census 1881
RG11 piece 3801 folio 5 page 3
Leigh,Lowton district 1
Golborne

10/109 Church St Ellen Unsworth 64 Formerly cotton weaver Golborne
Agnes 21 Cotton spinner Golborne
11/96 Samuel Bate 29 Coal miner Golborne
Elizabeth 29 cotton weaver Lowton
Peter 1 Golborne
12/98 Samuel Pickering 34 Wagon ? Cheshire ?
Margery 69 Domestic housewife Liverpool
13/100 Jonathen Sithers 27 coal miner Golborne
Alice 26 cotton weaver Golborne
Mary E. 8m Golborne
14/94 Joseph Hayes 38 Formerly coal miner Golborne
15/92 Mary Holland 48 cotton weaver Golborne
Jane 40 cotton weaver Golborne
Hannah (sister) 37 house maid Golborne
Elizabeth (daughter)16 scholar Golborne
16/90 James Aspinall 47 Plate layers LNWR Lowton
Sarah Blackburn
Mary 19 cotton weaver Lowton
Joseph 16 labourer in a coal mine Lowton
Ephraim 9 scholar Golborne
17/88 William Lowe 22 coal miner Middleton
Maria 20 Formerley cotton spinner Lincolnshire?Whittlesea
Julia A 2 Lowton
Daisy A 3m Golborne
18/86 William Hy Taylor widow 27 coal miner Golborne

on next page
Joseph Taylor 7 Golborne
Elizabeth Taylor 4 Golborne

(The first number is the household number : note the pattern of the house number)

So Mary Aspinall was Willam Hy Taylors second wife and Joseph and Elizabeth were therefore her stepchildren.

William Henry Taylor married Mary Waddington, Golborne St Thomas 1873 C8L/1/377
most likely death
Jun 1879 Mary Taylor age 28 Liegh 8c 129

William Henry Taylor married Mary Aspinall Leigh Register office or Registrar attended
1881 Wigan +Leigh ROL/33/44

There is also William Henry Taylor married Ellen Johnson Wigan+Leigh 1881 ROL/31/159
but this couple are on 1881 census at Culcheth.

In 1891 William and Mary are still living in Church St.
RG12/3083/5/16

William H. Taylor 37 Coal miner Golborne
Mary 29 Lowton
Joseph 17 Coal miner Golborne
Elizabeth 14 Golborne
William H. 8 Golborne
James 4 Golborne
Sarah M. 5m Golborne

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On a lighter note had a good morning taking Joseph to a model railway exhibition in Swinton.
Hope tomorrow is just as good.
And the sun is shinning!

The miners working day

Reborrowed this book from Manchester Library. Brilliant and interesting, again it is mostly photographs (as you have probably gathered I like books with lots of pictures).

Mines and miners of south Lancashire 1870 - 1950
A photographic record
J. Lane and D. Anderson

I will probably be boring some of you but will put a few quotes (over the next few days) which may be of interest, and certainly made me think about what a debt this country owes to those brave men who risked their lives every day and without whom there would have been no industrialization.

From the book :-

An example of the timetable of a working day in the life of a coal miner in the Wigan district of Lancashire during the decade 1920-30 may be of interest.
He would probably rise from his bed about 5.20 am and have breakfast from 5.25 am to 5.40 am ( his wife would have risen before him and prepared his breakfast and his sandwiches to take to the mine).
From 5.45 am to 6.10 am he would travel by public transport (electric trams) to the stopping place nearest to his colliery; 6.10 am to 6.30 am - he walked to the mine, checked at the lamproom and collected his safety lamp. At 6.30 am he was expected to reach the pit shaft and by 6.40 to be in the mine reporting his presence to his official in charge. From 6.45 he would begin his journey into the mine workings to his place of work, the time of his arrival at that place depending upon the nature of the journey, distance, gradient, height of the roadways and temperature. The working shift would end about 2.00pm, giving him 30 minutes to leave his working place, recover his clothes and make the return journey to the shaft bottom where he would wait, along with many other men from different parts of the mine, for his turn to be raised to the surface.
On the surface he returned his safety lamp to the lamproom and collected his "check" (a numbered disc), this recording his return from undergound. Assuming his walk back to the trams would be three quarters of a mile, he would probably board a tram about 3.15pm and arrive home at about 3.45 to 4.00 pm. His last meal would have been sandwiches and cold tea in the mine about 11.00 or 11.30 am. On arrival home his principal meal of the day was ready.

The Wilcock family

The following information is from M.
Thanks.

Richard Steel married Mary A. Wilcock
1872 Leigh Register office or registrar attended.

On the 1871 census
RG10/3910/22/37
Leigh, Lowton
Golborne

John Wilcock 44 coal miner
Letita 42
James 22 coal miner
Mary A. 18 cotton weaver
Thomas 17 coal miner
Richard 15 coal miner
Priscilla 13 cotton weaver
Louisa 11 cotton weaver
Aquila 10 coal miner
Ann 8

(Now we know where the name Aquila and also Priscilla came from.)

At the parish church in Wigan
28th January 1850
John Wilcock (Collier) father Richard (Engineer)
Letitia Rigby father Abel ? (Hindley Weaver)
both made their mark
witnessed by
Mark Dickinson
Alice Dickinson
both signed their names

Letitia mother was called Anne b. 1811
Letitia had three sisters Catherine b. 1840, Jane b.1838 and Mary b. 1830

In 1881
Richard Steele and Mary A. lived at 14 Turton St.

Marys mother :
Letitia (mistranscribed on Ancestry as Steele) lived next door at 16 Turton St.
RG11/3801/69/68
Leigh, Lowton 2

Letitia do 52
Priscilla Wilcock 24 cotton weaver
Louisa Wilcock 22 cotton weaver
Jane Wilcock 18 cotton weaver
Abel Hopwood Wilcock 4m

And Marys brother lived at 6 Turton St.
RG11/3801/69/67
Leigh, Lowton 2

Thomas Wilcock 27 coal miner
Martha 25
John 4

Other information found :

Aquilla Steele married Nancy Clarke at Lowton St Luke 1903
Joseph married Margaret Ashcroft at Golborne St Thomas 1920
Jane may have married James Hughes at the register office 1920
Richard Steele married Alice Ishmael at Golborne St Thomas 1920

Lucy Steele - Glossop

Thanks mum. Taken from a cutting from the Glossop Chronicle - Times gone by

Miss L Steele who represented Transport and was the first woman member of Glossop, Hadfield and District Trades Council.

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In response to a comment by I
I also am interested in how our ancestors lived

I have a thin book called "Pits and Looms" A photographic look at two of Lancashires traditional industries by Peter Riley The reproduction on the photos is not very good but an interesting book nevertheless. There is not much text and the section on coal mining is better than the cotton section. Here are some quotes -:

Coal Mining in Lancashire, 1936
There was a special camaraderie among miners and their families, and it is little wonder that this part of Britain was known as the workshop of the world. Coal and other fuels were produced by tough, no-nonsense men who relied exclusively on the local pit for their livelihood. When pits were the scene of accidents or deaths, the whole community were intimately involved, and when they closed for one reason or another it was often the death knell for whole towns.

Preparing to go down the pit
There was always a look of apprehension on the faces of miners preparing to drop a mile underground, where they would remain for the next eight to ten hours. The days work would not begin at the bottom of the shaft, for these men would often have to walk or crawl to the pit face which could be two miles away. To say it was a tough life is an understatement!

At the coal face
Crawling on all fours, squatting in unimaginable confined spaces was often the lot of pit men, particularly in the 1930s before modern technology was introduced in the pits. In pre-nationalisation days the private companies who owned them would often refuse to invest in machinery that would have made the lot of miners a whole lot easier. Not that mining is easy for anyone, but just watching these men at work is enough to make us all appreciate just what a brilliant job they did.

Loading coal at the washery in 1936
Despite the hardship of the miners digging out the coal, Lancashire housewives even in the 1930s were a fussy lot and did not like receiving coal with dust on it. This meant the pits normally washed the fuel before shipping it out.

The Dive Underground in Atherton
One visitor to the pit early in the 20th century wrote: "The change from daylight to darkness is dramatic in its suddenness. The whole drop is 600 yards, or four times the height of St Paul's Cathedral in London...........The air presses on the drums of the ears; there is a catch of the breath; the stomaach is left at the pit head, and overtakes the toner later; there is a feeling of utter helplessness......"

Colliers strike, 1912
Strikes among miners were becoming more common in the early 20th century than they had been in the Victorian era, as colliers realised they had the right to better pay and conditions, but most strikes brought extreme hardship to families. In 1912 soup kitchens were set up throughout Lancashire to help feed the families of striking pitmen, and a fuel shortage meant sneaking onto coal heaps and picking whatever bits of coal or coke was available, though anyone caught could face a jail sentence.

Our relatives who worked in the coal mines

Richard Steele b. 1851
James Steele b. 1856
WIlliam Steele b. 1854
Joseph Aspinall b. 1865
Ephraim Aspinall b. 1872
Joseph Steele b.1876
Samuel Steele b.1880
Christopher Steele b.1885
James Steele b.1887
William Steele b. 1883
James Steele b.1873
Cornelius Steele b.1874
Aquilla Steele b. 1880
Walter Steele b. 1881
John Ephraim Steele b. 1897 information supplied by I.
William Steele b. 1904
Ernest Steele b.1911

What brave men.

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I do not know which pits these men worked at.
The following link is interesting.

http://www.communigate.co.uk/lancs/acl/page14.phtml

BMD for Leigh 1850 - 1910

Taken from Free BMD site

Jun 1858 Sarah Steel Leigh 8c 172 marriage James Aspinall
Dec 1863 Mary Jane Steel Leigh 8c 12 death (? Christopher)
Mar 1864 Ann Steel Leigh 8c 137 death (Christopher)
Sarah Steel Leigh 8c 167 death
Sep 1867 Mary Alice Steel Leigh 8c 133 death age 19 (is this Martha Alice?)
Sep 1872 Richard Steel Leigh 8c 298 marriage Mary A. Wilcock
Sep 1873 Jane Steel Leigh 8c 138 death age 1
Jun 1874 Mary Steel Leigh 8c 161 death age 57 (is this the wife of Thomas?)
Dec 1874 Cornelius Steel Leigh 215 or 315 (Richard)
Elizabeth Ann Leigh 8c 224 (Fanny)
Herbert Steel Leigh 8c 221
Sep 1875 James Steel Leigh 8c 117 death age 0
Jun 1876 Joseph Steel Leigh 8c ?4? (James)
Jun 1876 Mary Ann Steel Leigh 8c 243 marriage Richard Bevington
Jun 1877 Thomas Steel Leigh 8c 242 (Richard)
Christopher Steel Leigh 8c 162 death age 65
Mar1880 Samuel Steel Leigh 8c 264 (James)
Jun 1880 Herbert Steel Leigh 8c 301 or 361
Sep 1880 Christopher Steel Leigh 8c 217 (William)
Mar 1882 Christopher Steel Leigh 8c 217 death age 1 (William)
Sep 1882 James Steel Leigh 8c 235
Dec 1882 James Steel Leigh 8c 136 death age 0
Dec 1883 William Henry Steel Leigh 8c 224 (William)


Jun 1872 Christopher Steele Leigh 8c 257 marriage
Ephraim Steele Leigh 8c 304 marriage Fanny Cope (Thomas)
Mar 1873 James Steele Leigh 8c 219 (Richard)
Jun 1873 Thomas Steele Leigh 8c 235 (Fanny)
Dec 1874 James Steele Leigh 8c 211
Dec 1874 James Steele Leigh 8c 229 marriage Elizabeth Howard
Mar 1877 Sarah Ellen Steele Leigh 8c 254 (Fanny)
Mar 1879 Arthur Steele Leigh 8c 267 (Fanny)
Sep 1879 Ephraim Steele Leigh 8c 105 death age 29 (Thomas)
Dec 1879 Thomas Steele Leigh 8c 149 death age 65 (Thomas)
Dec 1879 William Henry Steele Leigh 8c 246 marriage Kate Jones
Jun 1880 Aquila Steele Leigh 8c 257 (Richard)
Dec 1881 Walter Steele Leigh 8c 212 (Richard)
Dec 1884 Joseph Steele Leigh 8c 262 (Richard)
Dec 1887 Priscilla Steele Leigh 8c 242 (Richard)
Dec 1889 Jane Steele Leigh 8c 349 (Richard)
Jun 1891 Edwin Steele Leigh 8c 323 (James)
Jun 1892 Priscilla Steele Leigh 8c 148 death age 4 (Richard)
Mar 1893 Richard Steele Leigh 8c 333 (James)
Jun 1893 William Steele Leigh 8c 288 (Richard)
Jun 1893 Marion Janette Steele Leigh 8c 392 Marriage John Henry Clifford
Sep 1894 James Steele Leigh 8c 394 marriage Lucy Young
Dec 1894 Violet Louisa Steele Leigh 8c 288 (James/Richard)
Jun 1895 John Ephraim Steele Leigh 8c 312
Sep 1895 John Ephraim Steele Leigh 8c 183 death age 0
Sep 1896 Ernest Steele Leigh 8c 278 (James)
Richard Steele Leigh 8c 257 (Richard)
Dec 1896 Clara Steele Leigh 8c 278 (James/Richard)
John Steele Leigh 8c 303
Mar 1897 John Ephraim Steele Leigh 8c 321 (Joseph/James)
Mar 1897 Joseph Steele Leigh 8c 339 marriage Isabella Dumble
Jun 1897 James Steele Leigh 8c 153 death age 40
Mar 1898 Florence Steele Leigh 8c 275 (James/Richard)
Dec 1899 Harold Steele Leigh 8c 265 (James/Richard)
Mar 1900 Edward Steele Leigh 8c 337
Sep 1900 Edward Steele Leigh 8c 184 death age 0
Mar 1901 Elizabeth Steele Leigh 8c 184 marriage Thomas Waterworth
(widow of James Steele)
Samuel Steele Leigh 8c 338 marriage Alice Harvey
Jun 1901 James Aspinall Steele Leigh 8c 327
Jessie Steele Leigh 8c 286
Dec 1902 Walter Steele Leigh 8c 297
Dec 1902 Walter Steele Leigh 8c 163 death age 21 (Richard)
Mar 1903 William Aspinall Steele Leigh 8c 338
Aquila Steele Leigh 8c 414 marriage Nancy Clarke
Dec 1903 Thomas Steele Leigh 8c 285
Dec 1903 Thomas Steele Leigh 8c 187 death age 0
Sep 1904 Sarah Steele Leigh 8c 268
Mar 1905 Ethel Steele Leigh 8c 302
Jun 1905 Mary Ann Steele Leigh 8c 319
Jun 1906 Amy Steele Leigh 8c 274
Jun 1907 Annie Steele Leigh 8c 171 death age 4
Dec 1907 Elizabeth Steele Leigh 8c 283
Sep 1908 Lucy Steele Leigh 8c 288
Sep 1908 James Steele Leigh 8c 504 marriage Lucy Green
Dec 1908 Abraham Steele Leigh 8c 271
Dec 1909 May Steele Leigh 8c 287
Mar 1910 Margaret Elizabeth Steele Leigh 8c 381 marriage Ernest Humphrey Rose
Sep 1910 Thomas Steele Leigh 8c 485 marriage Margaret Orrell
Sep 1912 Charles Steele Leigh 8c 511 marriage Elizabeth Brooks
Jun 1913 Jane Steele Leigh 8c 402 marriage Philip W. Davies
Sep 1913 Walter F. Steele Leigh 8c 614 marriage Elizabeth A. Finnerty
Mar 1915 Richard Steele Leigh 8c 374 marriage Eliza Collier
Jun 1915 Gideon Steele Leigh 8c 603 marriage Evelyn Hill

(Thomas) and (Fanny) are not related to our Steeles as far as I know.

1871 Class RG10 Piece 3911 Folio 107 Page 9
Leigh, Culcheth District 6
4 Canal Street
Thomas Steele 55 Machine Tenter Cheshire Macclesfield
Mary Ann 55 Devonshire Plymouth
Ephraim 22 Cord Winder Lanchashire Newton Heath
Charles 14 Machine Tenter ''
Annetta 11 ''

1881 Class RG11 Piece 3803 Folio 91 Page 54
Leigh, Culcheth District 9
Albert Place
Fanny Steele 28 Lincolnshire, Hinckley
Thomas 8 Leigh
Elizabeth 6 Leigh
Sarah Ellen 4 Leigh
Arthur 2 Leigh
(Fanny married Thomas' son Ephraim in 1872, Ephraim died 1879)

Thoughts about Blackburn

With there being such a big gap between Sarah and Mary Anne (children of Christopher) there must have been other children born which died. So I have looked at the Free BMD site for Blackburn 1837 -1856. First at Steel then Steele.

Mar 1840 Samuel Steel Blackburn 21 37
Sep 1840 Elizabeth Steel Blackburn 21 17 Death
Mar 1841 Samuel Steel Blackburn 21 9 Death
Jun 1841 Adam Steel Blackburn 21 85
Dec 1841 William Steel Blackburn 21 15
Sep 1842 Sarah Steel Blackburn 21 70
Jun 1844 Mary Jane Steel Blackburn 21 43
Sep 1851 Francis Thomas William Steel Blackburn 21 66 Marriage
Margaret Standing
Dec 1853 William Henry Steel Blackburn 8e 226

Jun 1838 Mary Steele Blackburn 21 14
Dec 1853 Maria Ellen Steele Blackburn 8e 232

As you can see there was not much activity with these names. So it does not look like a local name. We know from the census that Mary Jane and William Henry are children of Christopher and Ann so we can amend the draft tree for these two.

It is would seem unlikely that they would call a second daughter Sarah (although not impossible) so it would appear there is at least one other Steel family in the Blackburn district.

The most likely names to me look like Elizabeth, Samuel and William. Any thoughts appreciated.

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From the IGI site www.familysearch.org

we have a marriage for
Christopher Steele
Ann Wilson
1 Dec 1833
Saint Mary, Blackburn
Batch no. M007086

and also John Steele
Sarah Cunliffe
9 Apr 1832
Saint Mary, Blackburn
Batch no. Moo7086

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From the Lancashire online parish clerk project
www.lan-opc.org.uk/Blackburn/index.html

possible baptisms for Ann

12 Aug 1810 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
Ann Wilson - daughter of James Wilson & Mary
born 24 Jun 1810
Abode Blackburn
Register Baptisms 1792-1812 page 336, entry 19
source film 1278804

4 Dec 1808 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
Ann Wilson - daughter of Thomas Wilson & Nanny
born 14 Oct 1808
Abode Blackburn
Register Baptisms 1792-1812 page 307, entry 29
source film 1278804

25 Dec 1805 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
Ann Wilson - daughter of William WIlson and Susan
born 25 Feb 1805
Abode Blackburn
Register Baptisms 1792-1812 page 246, entry 2
source film 1278804
*baptised with her brother born Sep 1805 James Wilson

also from this site
marriages for steel

18 Mar 1821 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
Robert Burton Warper Bachelor of Blackburn
Mary Steel Spinster of Blackburn
Witness - J. Baron, George Simms
Married by banns by R. Cardwell
Register Marriages 1819-1821 page 253 entry 757
Source Film 1278807

10 Aug 1796 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
William Dickinson Servant of the parish of Blackburn
Sarah Steel (x) Spinster of the same parish
Register Marriages 1792-1797 page 242 entry 974
Source Film 1278807

11 Sep 1796 St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn
William Steel cabinet maker of the parish of Blackburn
Isabella Parkinson (x) of the same parish
Register Marriages 1792-1797 page 247 entry 992
Source Film 1278807

So............... to contradict myself there was steel activity before Christopher, mind you they need not be connected to Christopher need they?

Local history fun day

I went to Salford local history library today. On Sunday 19 November they are holding a local history and family fun day. I'm putting this on here to remind myself to GO and not forget as I usually do. It is free, a number of different history groups will be attending and there will be free rides on a vintage bus.

I have a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk until the end of November immigration lists to USA are free to view. If you can get on it - it keeps crashing for me ! Thanks to BBC family history message board. Access it from the home page.

Lucy Steele

Just a quick post today had a busy day - not unfortunately with family history. Thursday is usually my day but I had other things to do today. Isn't it frustrating when you want to get on with something and you have to have patience - not one of my virtues I' m afraid.

Welcome to C. And thank you for the following information

Lucy Steele born 1908
most likely parents James Steele and Lucy Young
Lucy Steele married Hervey Bourne in 1928
She died in 1989.
Her grave is in Golborne churchyard.

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Trawling through census returns I have often wondered at the number of marriages where the wife is older than the husband. Also I have wondered if the stigma of having a child out of wedlock was so great how come so many of them went on to get married. I came across this article which perhaps explains it :
"Historians are still arguing about whether, or when, most couples 'fell in love', in the sense that we understand it, but what is clear is that there were several considerations in choosing a spouse and in the timing of marriage. One was the property - dowry, land, tools, a few pieces of linen or household equipment - which the partners had gradually managed to assemble. A second was the agricultural, industrial and domestic skills they had gradually learned. A third was the likely fertility of the wife (she should be fertile - but not too fertile). The results were that marriage had to be delayed so that the property and skills could be assembled - the average age was around 28 for men and 26 for women in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries; though many had to wait much longer. Older wives were often popular: they had more skills and property, and were likely to produce fewer children. If a spouse died, remarriage could be very rapid (a few weeks in some areas) - the household economy could not long survive without two adults at its head. In spite of continual opposition from the Church, premartital sex continued - there were important advantages in knowing that your intended spouse could have children." Anderson

The children of Jospeh Steele and Isabella Dumble

This information is taken from Free BMD and Ancestry BMD for the later ones. I have not double checked the earlier ones against Ancestry.

My mum remembers her mother saying there were 13 born 11 living, my aunt thinks there were 14 born 11 living. There is also a story of Lucy being about 4 and attending a funeral after which she suffered from nightmares and her father (Joseph Steele) saying he would not do that again (make a small child attend a funeral).

I have not sent for any of these certificates.

Generation 6
Joseph Steele and Isabella Dumble
John Ephraim Mar 1897 Leigh 8c 321
Elizabeth Dec 1898 Auckland 10a 212
Isabella Mar 1901 Auckland 10a 207
Joseph Aspinall Mar 1903 Auckland 10a 228
died Jun 1903 Auckland 10a 125
William Dec 1904 Auckland 10a 249
Joseph Aspinall Sep 1906 Auckland 10a 271
died Sep 1906 Auckland 10a 156
Lucy Dec 1907 Auckland 10a 199
Thomas (?) Dec 1909 Auckland 10a 195
died Dec 1911 Sedgefield 10a 226 age 2
Ernest Dec 1911 Sedgefield 10a 374
Edward Sep 1913 Sedgefield 10a 384
Sarah Jun 1915 Sedgefield 10a 358
Hilda Jun 1916 Sedgefield 10a 343
Mary A Dec 1917 Sedgefield 10a 270
Phyllis Dec 1922 Sedgefield 10a 328

The one we are unsure about is Thomas.

Thanks to J1 who corrected me on John Ephraim, there is also a John Ephraim Steele registered in Leigh Jun 1895 8c 312 who died Sep 1895 Leigh 8c 183.

A wasted trip to the library

Last Thursday I went to the library to do some research and had a fantastic time, it was really productive and all went well. Finally got myself a little notebook in which I wrote down what I wanted to look for. They have a copier in the other part of the library so I took the film off to copy and whilst I was doing that noticed that they have ANCESTRY LIBRARY on the computers in there. So..........off I dashed to the information lady to ask what it included and could I get copies of the census images ............oh yes 20p well that was fine lovely just what I wanted. I'd used up all my time so resolved to go back the next day.

Up bright and early, out of the house for 8.30 suffered the packed commuter buses, stood outside in the cold for 9.00 opening. All full of excitement. Hmmmmmmmmmmm first the computer wouldn't access Ancestry for 20 mins. Sat twiddling my thumbs. Then got on, found what I wanted easy peasy (well I have Ancestry at home) . "Please could you show me how to print off the census image" Mr Information man. "Well we haven't quite got it figured out yet" came the ominous reply. He came and tapped some buttons, too quick for me to follow what he did "Lets see what comes out" He helpfully said. Wrrrrrrrr wrrrrr went the printer out came two sheets : only the list of names, the other blank. "Lets try landscape" tap tap went the keys double quick time then I saw him hit the print box. Back to the printer. NOTHING. Information man running round in circles. "Well, its printing off my computer behind the desk fine but for some reason it won't print from that computer." And of course by then all the other computers had eager beaver family history people at them.

This is Friday morning - the morning I do my big weekend shop. Now I was late and all for nothing.

Mind you I should have wondered why they could do it when I have already tried at the computer place at Js school. To futher explain the problem I have a very poorly printer at home, it thinks paper is for chewing up or if I'm lucky printing skewwiff. I can just about print the census image as it appears on screen at 50% but I can barely read it. I want to print at 100% .But all they seem to be able to do is a print screen thing - so I only get the bit that fits on the screen. Anyway back to the drawing board. The thing is I have borrowed a book and in the pages someone had left a census image on A4 paper which was really clear to read and had all the columns. So it can be done.

***********************************************************************

Anyway on to some more information.
The only certificates I have are three marriage certificates. They are photocopies of the originals rather than handwritten copies. The details are as follows :-

Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Lowton
May 17th 1858
James Aspinall 24 Bachelor Silk Weaver Lowton Abraham* Aspinall Silk Weaver
Sarah Steel 24 Spinster Reeler Christopher Steel Weaver
married after banns
both signed with their mark as did the two witnesses
Ralph Unsworth
Elizabeth Aspinall

Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Golborne
October 5th 1874
James Steele 18 Bachelor Collier Golborne Sarah Steele Spinster
Elizabeth Howard 18 Spinster Thomas Howard Spinner
married after banns
all signed their names including the witnesses
James Wright
Rachel Duckworth

Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Golborne
April 13th 1872
Christopher Steele 56 Widower Packer Golborne William Steele Porter
Mary Dawson 55 Widow Samuel Blinstone Whitesmith
married after banns
Christopher signed, Elizabeth made her mark
both witnesses signed
Thomas Turner
Ellen Turner

*The capital A of Abraham is written over a capital E, this suggests to me that the rector who married them did not know the family. I have searched for a James Aspinall with father Abraham but have not found one yet. I wondered if it might be a mistake and could have been Ephraim.

If anyone has any certificates and wouldn't mind sharing them with us please send me the details.

Draft Steele tree : generation 1-5

GENERATION 1
William Steel
Mary

GENERATION 2
Christopher Steele (1813)
Ann Wilson (1811)

GENERATION 3
Sarah Steel (1834)
Mary Anne Steel (1845)
Martha Alice Steel (1849)
Richard Steele (1851)
William Steel (1854)

GENERATION 4
Sarah Steel
James Steele (1856)
Sarah Steel and James Aspinall (1834)
Elizabeth Aspinall (1859)
Mary Aspinall (1862)
Joseph Aspinall (1865)
Ephraim Aspinall (1872)

Richard Steele and Mary A. Wilcock (1853)
James Steele (1873)
Cornelius Steele (1875)
Thomas Steele (1878)
Aquilla Steele (1881)
Walter Steele (1882)
Joseph Steele (1885)
Priscilla Steele (1888)
Jane Steele (1891)
William Steele (1894)
Richard Steele (1897)

William H. Steel and Kate Jones (1857)
Christopher Steel (1881)
William Henry Steel (1884)

GENERATION 5
James (son of Sarah) and Elizabeth Howard (1857)
Joseph Steele (1877)
Samuel Steele (1878)
William Steele (1882)
Christopher Steele (1885)
James Steele (1887)
Thomas Steele (1890)
Edwin Steele (1892)
Richard Steele (1893)
Ernest Steele (1896)

Elizabeth Aspinall and Samuel Bate (1861)
Peter Jack? Bate (1880)
Fred Bate (1888)
Sarah Alice Bate (1892)
James Aspinall Bate (1895)
Mary Ellen Bate (1901)

POSSIBLE
Mary Aspinall and William H. Taylor (1854)
Joseph Taylor (1874) mother Mary Waddington
Elizabeth Taylor (1877) mother Mary Waddington
William H. Taylor (1883)
James Taylor (1887)
Sarah M. Taylor (1891)
John Taylor (1895)

POSSIBLE
Joseph Aspinall and Alice Mills (1862)
William Henry Aspinall (1888)
Martha A. Aspinall (1889)
James Aspinall (1891)
Robert Aspinall (1893)
Lily Aspinall (1897)
Ephraim Aspinall (1900)
Sarah Aspinall (1900)

POSSIBLE
Ephraim Aspinall and Sarah Ann Davidson (1874)
James H. Aspinall (1894)
Sarah A. Aspinall (1900)

POSSIBLE
James Steele (son of Richard) and Lucy Young (1877)
Violet L. Steele (1895)
Clara Steele (1897)
Florence Steele (1898)
Harold Steele (1900)

All the above information was taken from the census (Ancestry website) except generation 1 which was taken from the christening of Christopher.

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog.

Thank you to my dear daughter C. for helping me set this up.
And whose own blog inspired this one.

As I am a newbie to this and not very good on computers I will appologise beforehand for any mistakes I may make. Please feel free to point them out to me.

So : who is this blog for and why did I set it up ?

It is for a) the nine people involved in the Steele family tree
myself, my mum, my sister, I, J1, J2, O, K and M
b) anyone else interested enough to carry on reading (em......that does not sound like
good english to me).

I wanted somewhere to put details of my research to share with others which was easy to use. I am very disorganised so I am hoping this will help me overcome that. I am also very impulsive in my research darting from one thing to another and I hope doing this will make me complete a section before moving on to another (yes......... dream on). I would also welcome others checking my work for mistakes (hm not unknown) and sharing their research with me. Also I want to record the hunt as it continues for more information. (Of course you can skip those self indulgent posts they are not mandatory reading).

I will say a big thank you to the others involved so far. Thank you for replying to my emails. Thank you for sharing your trees with me and thank you for sharing the stories behind the names. This is not meant to replace email contact rather supplement it.

Rules I have made for myself concerning this blog.
I will not reveal any living persons identity.
I will refer to persons by one letter so that any information or help received can be acknowledged.
I will not pass on another persons details or information without asking their permission first.

And I think that is enough rambling for the first post.