As Described by David Grimshaw, a Descendant

William Grimshaw, "Gramophone King" of parks in the Manchester region, in about 1905

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A major line of Grimshaws in Lancashire was established in Prestwich, northwest of Manchester, apparently in the 1600s or earlier. Readily available records indicate that the earliest Grimshaw recorded in Prestwich was a John Grimshaw, who died in 1671. Three Grimshaws -- John, James and George -- were likely the sons of John and started families in Prestwich in about the same timeframe around 1680. All three are recorded as living on Rooden Lane. John Grimshaw married Alice Crompton, and James Grimshaw married Maria Crompton. 

David Grimshaw, a descendant of the Grimshaws in the Prestwich area, has provided a descendant chart that goes back to a George Grimshaw who married Margaret (last name unknown). Their oldest children, Thomas and Job Grimshaw, were born in 1821 and 1824, respectively, so they were probably born in about 1800. 

William Grimshaw, David's great-grandfather, was known as the "Gramophone King" of Heaton Park and other parks in the Manchester region. William played the gramophone in public in about 1909, during the earliest period of commercial sound recording, which drew large crowds of up to 40,000. William owned a bicycle shop when he began selling gramphones. This shop has evolved into the present-day  Grimshaws Vauxhall, an auto dealership in Prestwich. Alan Grimshaw, like David Grimshaw, is a descendant of William and is now the managing director of Grimshaws Vauxhall.

Webpage Credits

Photo and Image from David Grimshaw

BBC Report on William Grimshaw, Gramophone King

The Gramophone King as Described in "Surprising Lancashire"

Where Is Prestwich in Relation to Manchester?

Background Information on Prestwich from Wikipedia

Grimshaws Vauxhall, an Auto Dealership in Prestwich

Conjectures on Earliest Grimshaw Family Lines in Prestwich

George and Margaret Grimshaw Descendant Information

Interesting Grimshaw Anecdote from the "Daily Mirror"

Is Francis Grimshaw, Apparent Emigrant to America, Descended from the Prestwich Grimshaws?

References

Thanks go to David Grimshaw for providing the contributions of images and information that have made this webpage possible.

David initiated this webpage by providing the two images below. The first is a photo of Grimshaws Vauxhall many years ago. The second is an image of a flier for William Grimshaw, "Gramophone King", who is described further down on this webpage.

As noted, William Grimshaw owned a bicycle shop and began selling gramophones in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Apparently in connection with his promoting the new machine, William played the gramophone in public, which proved immensely popular for a period of time, drawing as many as 40,000 at Heaton Park. The following article is from the BBC online.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/print/manchester/content/articles/2005/09/09/caruso_concert_090905_feature.shtml 

If you took your stereo down to Heaton Park, how many people would turn up to listen? Almost a century before the BBC Proms in The Park, a Manchester gramophone salesman drew a crowd of 40,000 - playing his record collection!

BBC Proms in the Park takes place on Saturday with 15,000 people expected to turn out to watch the BBC Philharmonic perform live on stage in Heaton Park. The finale to the evening, will be a live link up with the Last Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall for a flag-waving patriotic sing-along.

It’s the first time the Proms event has gone urban – and been staged in a city venue. But Heaton Park has a tradition of playing classical music to the masses which dates back almost a century...

Gramophone King: William Grimshaw

That tradition was started early last century by William Grimshaw from Prestwich. Grimshaw originally sold bicycles from his shop on Bury New Rd but expanded his trade to include the new invention of the day – the gramophone.

In 1909, William Grimshaw listened to the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso perform at the Free Trade Hall. He wanted to share this experience with the ordinary people of Manchester so, a few days later, he took his gramophone to Heaton Park and played recordings of Caruso to an assembled crowd of 40,000 people!

"He always liked the public and I think that was why: because he wanted to bring pleasure, to bring music to people who weren’t able to afford it"

Susan Cahal

Local papers such as the Manchester Evening Chronicle and the Crumpsall Guardian reported that the trams from Manchester and Bury were unable to cope with the huge numbers of concert-goers.

An extract from the Sound Wave and Talking Machine Record, printed in December 1909 reports the occasion as follows:

“In the course of his tour of the provinces, Signor Caruso’s engagements took him to Manchester on September 13 and with his usual enterprise, Mr Grimshaw gave a Gramophone concert in Heaton Park on the following Sunday embracing all the items sung by Caruso… A vast crowd, estimated to number at least 40,000 assembled to hear the Gramophone.”

Caruso himself wrote to Mr Grimshaw expressing his thanks and appreciation of the way his voice had been reproduced. He even sent Grimshaw a signed cartoon of himself! (see below)

 

Caruso: by Caruso

Photographs show crowds dressed formally in Edwardian suits and dresses, wearing caps and hats all listening attentively. Indeed, in the words of the Prestwich and Heaton Park Guardian…

“… they remained as if spellbound from the moment of arrival to the close of the programme, which, it is hardly necessary to say, was intensely enjoyed.”

Grimshaw was the first man in England to give gramophone concerts in the open and the idea spread rapidly around the country. He was soon contracted by Manchester Corporation to hold them in Heaton Park for several seasons and the popularity of these events grew and grew.

In effect, he was the very first club DJ in the world. And for his tour bus? He used a Prestwich Co-op horse-drawn milk cart to transport his equipment to the Park.

William Grimshaw’s great-granddaughter is Susan Cahal who lives in Radcliffe. She says his concerts were so popular he became known across Lancashire as the Gramophone King.

"He always liked the public and I can only imagine that was why: because he wanted to bring pleasure, to bring music to people who weren’t able to afford machines in the home.

A poster of one of Grimshaw's concerts

"In 1907, he told the Manchester Corporation that an extra large horn would enable large crowds of people who couldn’t afford equipment of their own to hear music in the open air which was becoming available on records.”

She added: "As things were at the time, they didn’t have the same publicity to advertise events, and I think it was absolutely wonderful and very far seeing."

Far seeing indeed. Almost 100 years later, Heaton Park will be filled with the sounds of classical music again thanks to Proms in the Park. Grimshaw, I think, would approve.

last updated: 09/09/05

David Grimshaw provided the following image of a chapter from "Surprising Lancashire¹", which is on the history of Lancashire. This chapter provides additional detail on William Grimshaw's success in playing the gramophone for the public early in the 20th century.

Prestwich is located about five or six km northwest of the center of Manchester, as shown in the maps below.

Prestwich is well described on Wikipedia as shown below. Note the mention of the football fields referenced as "Grimshaw's" under the section on Sports. David Grimshaw indicated that this land was donated by his grandfather, Wilfred Grimshaw.

Prestwich

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestwich) 

Population 31,693

Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the town lies between the neighbouring town of Whitefield and the cities of Manchester and Salford.

As can be seen from the map of 1848,[1] the oldest part of Prestwich developed around what is now, Bury new Road and is known locally as "Prestwich Village". There is a large Jewish community in Prestwich, bordering with Higher Broughton in Salford to form the second-largest Orthodox Jewish community in the United Kingdom. This is where the Jewish community of Cheetham Hill in Manchester, which no longer exists as such, has fetched up.

Geography and administration

Prestwich was the ecclesiastical centre of Prestwich-cum-Oldham an ancient parish in the Salford Hundred of Lancashire,[2] and became the Prestwich Urban District under the Local Government Act 1894. It was granted a charter to become a municipal borough in 1939. Under the Local Government Act 1972 it became an unparished area in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, now one of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester.

Districts of Prestwich include:

Sedgley Park

Rainsough

Brooklands

The nature of Prestwich village changed massively in the 1970s, with the erection of the Longfield Shopping Centre. The construction of the motorways near Prestwich also altered the life and habits of the townspeople. In the 1970s, local government changes brought control of Prestwich under Bury Metropolitan Borough Council. It is somewhat different in character from Bury, however, and looks more towards Manchester and Salford. It is geographically nearer to Salford than to Bury.

Prestwich is bounded on its eastern side by Heaton Park, to the west by the Prestwich Forest Park and the Irwell Valley (Agecroft) and to the south by the City of Salford. The two main north-south roads passing from central Manchester to Bury, Bury New Road (A56) and Bury Old Road, traverse the district, .

History

Etymology

The name Prestwich is possibly of Saxon origin, derived from Priest Wic, which in Saxon translates to the priest's farmed land. Another possible derivation of the town's name is Priest's Retreat, one of the village bars is named after this. Wich and wych are names used to denote brine springs or wells in England. Originally derived from the Latin vicus (place) by the 11th century, use of the 'wich' suffix in placenames was usually associated with towns involved with salt production.[3]

Economics

Prestwich is a self-contained community with a wide range of traditional and superstore shopping. The shops of the Jewish community in Prestwich give it a particular distinction.[4]

Demographics

There is an area of south Prestwich which is known as Sedgley Park. This area has a sizeable Jewish population, and there are many Jewish businesses, specialist shops and delicatessens along King's Road, Bury New Road and Bury old Road.

There is also a large Irish Catholic community in Prestwich and the surrounding area, served by St Monica's RC High School Specialist Language College located alongside Bury Old Road and Our Lady of Grace Primary School on Willow Road.

Religion and History

Bury New Road, which runs through the centre of Prestwich, roughly follows the line of a Roman road connecting Manchester to Longridge. It is believed that a Roman fort was built in Prestwich. Although its precise location is unknown it is thought that it may have been in the Castle Hill area, mirroring the fort on Rainsough Hill equidistant from the Roman Road. Roman coins have been found in Prestwich. Most have been found just off Bury New Road and near Prestwich Golf Course, however some have been found in Prestwich Clough about half a mile away from Prestwich village and Bury New Road.

The early history of Prestwich is inextricably linked with the church. Prestwich itself has very ancient origins, and at least for the early parts of its history, the fortunes of the village seem to have followed the fortunes of its parish church. It is known that a Rector of Prestwich existed by at least 1200. The present large parish church, at the end of Church Lane in the village centre, is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and parts of it date from around 1500, although the last extensions were made at the end of the 19th century. It was the centre of the vast ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham. For a time in the 19th century, the church was referred to locally as St Bartholomew's, which could be attributed either to the unpopularity of the Blessed Virgin at the time, or to sheer ignorance. The Church Wakes were traditionally held around St Bartholomew's Day, and this could have reinforced the error.

In 1849, St Margaret's Church was erected near the gates of Heaton Park, originally as a chapel of ease to the parish church, but since 1885 as a parish church in its own right. The church was extended many times in the 19th cenutry, in 1863, 1871, 1884, 1888 and 1899. A particular feature of St Margaret's Church, is the splendid Arts and Crafts Movement oak carving (including reredos, choir stalls, rood screen, panelling, pulpit, bishop's chair, altar rails, etc.) by Arthur Simpson of Kendal, widely believed to be the finest collection of his ecclesiastical work.

Other Anglican churches in the area include churches dedicated to St Gabriel, St Hilda, and St George.

The Roman Catholic Church in Prestwich began to reappear in late Victorian times. Mass was celebrated in 1889 for the first time since the Reformation. The present Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, was opened in 1931 and consecrated in 1956. There are two local Methodist churches, Heaton Park Methodist Church and Prestwich Methodist Church.

In more recent times, the migration of Jewish families, mainly from Cheetham area of Manchester and Broughton Park in Salford, and later arrival of Muslims into this thriving urban area of Greater Manchester, resulted in the additional presence of synagogues and mosques, alongside Christian places of worship.

Places of interest

Heaton Park

Europe's largest municipal park at 259 hectares (640 acres), Heaton Park, is situated to the east of Prestwich, within the City of Manchester. This was the ancient seat of the Earls of Wilton but was sold to Manchester Corporation in 1902. The park is 4 miles from Manchester city centre and although officially part of the City of Manchester, has a Prestwich postal address.[5]

Prestwich Forest Park

Prestwich Forest Park consists of 200 hectares of land on the western side of Prestwich incorporating:

Philips Park

Prestwich Clough

Mere Clough

Waterdale Meadow

Drinkwater Park

While much of the area of the present park was industrialised during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it has mostly now been returned to a more natural state with extensive woodlands, reservoirs and grasslands. While this area has become a haven for wildlife there are still remnants to be found of the area's industrial past. Philips Park, Prestwich Clough and Waterdale Meadow are described in excellent downloadable illustrated leaflets produced by the Metropolitan Borough of Bury Environmental Services Department describing the history, wildlife and points of interest.[6][7] Drinkwater Park is described in a separate Wikipedia article. Philips park has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and Prestwich Clough as s Site of Biological Importance (SBI) due to the important contribution they make to the wildlife heritage of Greater Manchester. The Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail, The Irwell valley Way and a National Cycle Route all pass through the Park. The Friends of Prestwich Forest Park and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) coordinate volunteer activities and events such as the Prestwich Clough Centenary Celebrations.[8][9] The BTCV have a permanent base in the renovated Philips Park Barn which has become a major environmental education and countryside centre for the borough.[10]

Sport

Football

The local amateur team which represents Prestwich is Prestwich Heys FC. For many years, Prestwich Heys played on the fields just off Heys Road, a site known as Grimshaw's. The local high school, Prestwich High School as was (now the Arts College), obtained the land for use as their sports fields and Prestwich found a new home on Sandgate Road, just over the border in Whitefield. This field was near the site of the old St Joseph's RC High School (which merged with St Peter's RC High School, rebadged itself as St Monica's RC High School and located itself on the St Peter's site) and has been redeveloped to include enclosed concrete "fencing", a car park and club facilities. Prestwich Heys currently play in the Manchester Football League. Other local sides include Bury Amateurs who play their home games at Drinkwater Park, Rainsough and also Prestwich Marauders who have various places where they play their home matches. These teams are usually in the North Bury League or the Bury and Radcliffe League.

Cricket

The main cricket club in Prestwich is Prestwich Cricket Club, which has been very successful over recent years. Located between Prestwich Metrolink station and the Grimshaw's playing fields mentioned earlier, Prestwich CC also has crown green bowling and tennis facilities as well as a spacious clubhouse. Prestwich CC has been on this site for many years, with the clubhouse having many photos on display from previous teams and players.

References

http://www.old-maps.co.uk/indexmappage2.aspx

http://www.mancuniensis.info/Maps/salfh_xs.pdf retrieved 2007-11-02

Domesday Book

http://www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/about/s/0/49_prestwich_advertiser.html

http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/heaton-hall/visitor-information/ Retrieved 2007-10-26

http://www.bury.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/519FF1DD-000A-4F50-A3CB-245980F3B067/0/PhilipsParkLNR.pdf Retrieved 2007-10-26

http://www.bury.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9ECF59AA-5F75-43E6-8114-65EF644F3ADD/0/PrestwichClough.pdf Retrieved 2007-10-26

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/176936/ Retrieved 2007-10-26

http://www.prestwichclough.co.uk/

http://www.bury.gov.uk/Environment/Planning/PlanningProjects/CountrysideAndWildlife/PrestwichFP.htm Retrieved 2007-10-26

http://prestwichsnooker.com/index.php?s=8cf8066c1bc492705027a4a9df29e52f&act=idx

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz/s/216/216494_victoria_wood_to_return_to_drama.html

Montagu Lomax, The Experiences of an Asylum Doctor London: George Allen & Unwin 1921

BA Towers The management and politics of a public expose: the Prestwich Inquiry 1922 J Social Policy (1984) 13: 41-61

TW Harding, "Not worth powder and shot." A reappraisal of Montagu Lomax's contribution to mental health reform British Journal of Psychiatry (1990) 156: 180-187

Hopton Daily life in a 20th century psychiatric hospital: an oral history of Prestwich Hospital Int Hist Nurs J (1997) 2: 27-39

Hopton Prestwich Hospital in the twentieth century: a case study of slow and uneven progress in the development of psychiatric care History of Psychiatry (1999) 10: 349-369

William Grimshaw's bicycle evolved over time to the current auto dealership, Grimshaws Vauxhall. The dealership website can be visited by clicking here. The website is summarized below, followed by a brief description of the Vauxhall Automotive Company, which is owned by General Motors of the USA. Note the brief statement and signature of Alan Grimshaw, great-grandson of William Grimshaw.

Welcome to Grimshaws Vauxhall

Our business is built on personal relationships. That is as true now as it was in 1882 when my great grandfather established the first enterprise to carry the Grimshaws name. Much has changed in the intervening years but, as we are about to celebrate our 125th year in business the people we are proud to call both clients and friends are still our paramount concern.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

GRIMSHAWS VAUXHALL PRESTWICH
Bury New Road,
Prestwich,
Manchester.
M25 3BD

Background InformationVauxhall Motors Limited

Vauxhall Motors

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vauxhall_Motors) 

Vauxhall Motors Limited

Type Private (subsidiary of General Motors since 1925)

Founded 1903

Headquarters Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Revenue £3,785 million (2004)

Operating income £131 million (2004)[1]

Net income £-176 million (2004) [1]

Employees 5,047 (2004)[1]

Parent General Motors Corporation

Website www.vauxhall.co.uk

Vauxhall Motors is a UK car company. It is a subsidiary of General Motors. Most current Vauxhall models are right-hand drive derivatives of GM's Opel brand with several performance vehicles coming from Holden/Holden Special Vehicles in Australia and Lotus Cars of Norfolk, England (owned by Malaysia's Proton).

History

Alexander Wilson founded the company in Vauxhall, London in 1857. Originally named Alex Wilson and Company, then Vauxhall Iron Works, the company built pumps and marine engines. In 1903, the company built its first car, a five-horsepower model steered using a tiller, with two forward gears and no reverse gear. This led to a better design which was made available for sale.

To expand its production, the company moved the majority of its production to Luton in 1905. The company continued to trade under the name Vauxhall Iron Works until 1907, when the modern name of Vauxhall Motors was adapted. The company was characterised by its sporting models, but after World War I, designed more austere models.

GM purchase

In 1925, Vauxhall was bought by GM for US$2.5 million. The influence of the American parent was pervasive and together with the Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall's main competitor, led to a wave of American influenced styling in Europe that persisted through to the 1980s. Bedford Vehicles, a subsidiary constructing commercial vehicles, was established in 1930 as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 had made importing American lorries uneconomical.

During World War II, car production was suspended to allow Vauxhall to work on the Churchill tank, which was designed at Luton in less than a year, and assembled there (as well as at other sites). Over 5,600 Churchill tanks were built.

Post World War II

After the war, car production resumed but models were designed as a more mass-market product leading to expansion of the company. A manufacturing plant at Ellesmere Port was built in 1960. During the 1960s Vauxhall acquired a reputation for making rust-prone models, though in this respect most manufacturers were equally bad. The corrosion protection built into models was tightened up significantly, but the reputation dogged the company until the early 1980s.

By the late 1960s, the company was achieving five-figure sales on its most popular models including the entry-level Viva and larger Victor.

21st Century

The first years of the 21st century saw Vauxhall further strengthen its position in the British market, and continue to narrow the gap with Ford. The Corsa was regenerated in 2000 and offered a better-handling, better-built and better-equipped package than ever before.

2002 was one of the best years ever for Vauxhall sales in the UK. The updated Corsa (launched in 2000) was Britain's second most popular new car, and gave the marque top spot in the British supermini car sales charts for the very first time. The Astra was Britain's third best selling car that year, while the Vectra and the Zafira (a clever Compact MPV launched in 1999) lurked just outside the top ten with relatively strong sales.

Closures and restructuring

Vauxhall announced that the Luton car plant would close in 2000, with the final vehicle being made in March 2003, but production still continues at the plant in Ellesmere Port. Manufacture of vans (sold under the Vauxhall, Opel and in some cases Renault) badges throughout Europe) continues at the IBC Vehicles plant in Luton.

On 17 May 2006 Vauxhall announced the loss of 900 jobs from Ellesmere Port's 3,000 staff. Despite already meeting efficiency targets Vauxhall has been told to further improve productivity. Vauxhall's troubled parent GM is cutting 30,000 jobs in the United States. [1]

Origins of the name and the logo

The griffin emblem, which is still in use, is derived from the coat of arms of Fulk le Breant, a mercenary soldier who was granted the Manor of Luton for services to King John in the thirteenth century. By marriage, he also gained the rights to an area near London, south of the Thames. The house he built, Fulk's Hall, became known in time as Vauxhall. Vauxhall Iron Works adopted this emblem from the coat of arms to emphasise its links to the local area. When Vauxhall Iron Works moved to Luton in 1905, the griffin emblem coincidentally returned to its ancestral home.

The logo (as pictured) used to be square however now, it is circular.

Records on the LDS FamilySearch and the Prestwich Parish websites have been assembled for the Grimshaw families in the Prestwich area. The websites can be found at:

Parish of Prestwich: http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Prestwich/ 

LDS FamilySearch: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp 

The assembled records of the earliest Grimshaws in Prestwich are tabulated below; interpretations and conjectures regarding these records are provided below the table.