and Gorton House, East of Central Manchester

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In 1906, Francis John Angus Skeet¹ published a history of several families that included a line of Grimshaws from Audenshaw. The earliest recorded Grimshaw family line Eccleshill and Clayton-le-Moors described in Whitaker² is also presented in summary form to provide context. Skeet did not show a connection of the Audenshaw Grimshaw line to the  earliest recorded line, and the connection has apparently not been made since his publication. The Audenshaw Grimshaws apparently had an earlier presence at Gorton House and Stanfield Lodge than at Audenshaw Lodge. The earliest Grimshaw identified in this line by Skeet had a currently unknown first name and a spouse with the last name of Wilde (first name also unknown). 

One of the best known descendants of this Grimshaw line was Robert Grimshaw, who played a prominent role in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, having made arrangements with Edmund Cartright to build textile mills using Cartright's power loom design (see companion webpage). The first mill Robert Grimshaw attempted to build, near Manchester, was burned shortly after it went into operation, apparently by arson, during the power loom unrest around 1820.

Webpage Credits

Descendant Chart of Audenshaw Grimshaws

Skeet's Rendition of Whitaker' s Descendant Chart of the Earliest Recorded Grimshaw Family

Connection of the Audenshaw Grimshaws to Gorton House

Robert Grimshaw of Gorton House

Norman Grimshaw Information on Gorton and Audenshaw Grimshaws

John Grimshaw's Entry in Burke's "Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry"

Modern Photos of Gorton House and Audenshaw Lodge

Where Are Gorton House and Audenshaw?

Grimshaw Connections to Gorton Chapel (Now Brookfield Unitarian Church)

Handwritten Letter by J Stanfield Grimshaw

Grave of Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw at Gorton Chapel

Probable Descendant Grimshaw Family from Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw

Missive from a Descendant of Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw

References

Thanks go to Dave Grimshaw for making images available of the Grimshaw presence at Gorton House and Brookfield Unitarian Church. Thanks also go to Robert Siddall for posting pictures of the Brookfield Unitarian Church and the Grimshaw-related photos on his website at the following address:

http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk/ 

And thanks to Dave Mott for providing recently taken pictures of Gorton House as well as an 1848 map of the area. Thanks also to Norman Robert Grimshaw for sending excellent background information on this family line at Gorton House and Audenshaw Lodge. Finally, thanks to Simon Grimshaw for posting detailed information on Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw, a probable descendant line, on the Grimshaw Genealogy Forum (March 2007).

As noted above, Francis John Angus Skeet¹ published a history of several families that included a line of Grimshaws from Audenshaw. A descendant chart derived from Skeet's publication is shown below. An image from the original publication is still needed for this webpage. 

Grimshaw & Wilde

|---George Grimshaw

|---James Grimshaw (1661 - 27 Jun 1718)

|---|---James Grimshaw (16 Oct 1694 - 11 Feb 1772) & Jane Stanfield. Married 1 Feb 1721.

|---|---|---Robert Grimshaw (not in Skeet; added by contribution from Norman Grimshaw) (and Burke)

|---|---|---James Grimshaw

|---|---|---Samuel Grimshaw

|---|---|---John Grimshaw (1 Mar 1738 - 12 Jun 1822) & Mary Holt (5 Dec 1749 - 6 Sep 1810). Married 28 Oct 1779.

|---|---|---|---James Grimshaw

|---|---|---|---John Grimshaw (28 Jan 1783 - 2 Jul 1861) & Mary Anne Ogden. Married 14 Jun 1832.

|---|---|---|---|---John Grimshaw (21 Apr 1833 - 22 Oct 1882)

|---|---|---|---|---Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw (13 Jan 1836 - ) & Augusta Sophia Murray

|---|---|---|---|---George Grimshaw (26 Jan 1839 - 21 Jan 1898) & Kate Withers

|---|---|---|---|---|---Henry Grimshaw (8 Aug 1893 - )

|---|---|---|---|---|---Kathleen Grimshaw (12 Apr 1892 - )

|---|---|---|---|---|---Gladys Grimshaw (22 Oct 1895 - )

|---|---|---|---Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw (22 Jan 1783 - 6 Sep 1810) [Should be 20 Jan 1869, according to grave?]

|---|---|---|---William Grimshaw (8 Dec 1784 - 1882) & Harriet Pattison ( - 3 Dec 1890)

|---|---|---|---|---William Frederick Grimshaw

|---|---|---|---|---Frederick Stanfield Grimshaw (5 Jun 1838 - 29 Aug 1867)

|---|---|---|---|---Helena Caroline Grimshaw & Harrington Arthur Harop Hulton

|---|---|---|---|---Harriet Grimshaw ( - 29 Mar 1857)

|---|---|---|---Mary Grimshaw

|---|---|---George Grimshaw

|---|---|---|---John Grimshaw (21 Nov 1776 - )

|---|---|---|---Betty Grimshaw (1779 - )

|---|---|---|---George Grimshaw (1782 - )

|---|---|---|---James Grimshaw (1784 - )

|---|---|---|---Samuel Grimshaw (1785 - )

|---|---John Grimshaw

|---|---Mary Grimshaw (29 Jun 1696 - )

|---|---Elizabeth Grimshaw (13 Jan 1703 - 1723) & Pilkington

|---|---Ann Grimshaw (Aug 1707 - 3 Oct 1729) & Knight

|---Joseph Grimshaw

|---Thomas Grimshaw

|---Mary Grimshaw (1672 - )

 

This reference usually emerges for Grimshaw researchers who are just getting started because of the presence of the Grimshaw name in the title. However, very little information beyond the family line shown above is provided on the Grimshaws, and (as noted) no connection is made of the line back to the earliest recorded family line. The James Grimshaw born in 1661 would have been a contemporary of Richard and John Grimshaw, the last generation to occupy Clayton-le-Moors before it passed into the hands of the Lomaxes in 1715.

The earliest recorded Grimshaw family line Eccleshill and Clayton-le-Moors described in Whitaker² is also presented by Skeet in summary form to provide context. Images of Skeet's descendant chart are provided further down on this webpage.

When Francis John Angus Skeet¹ published his history of several families, including the Audenshaw Grimshaw family line, he included a diagram of the earliest recorded Grimshaw family line of Eccleshill and Clayton-le-Moors as described in Whitaker². Skeet's diagram (in two parts), which he derived from Whitaker, is shown below. Skeet did not show a connection of the Audenshaw Grimshaw line to the  earliest recorded line, but notes that "...I fancy most of the Grimshaws claim descent from it".

Gorton House was occupied by Robert Grimshaw in 1790 and was owned by Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw in 1844, as indicated in text accompanying the photographs below. As shown below, it is now known that Joseph was the nephew of Robert Grimshaw, thanks to Norman Grimshaw (see next section). The source of the photos is Dave Grimshaw, who posted them on the "Grimshaw Group" on Yahoo. The original publication currently unknown the website author.

Source: http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/grimshaw/photos/view/fa17?b=2&m=s&o=0 

The captions of the photos provide a good deal of important Grimshaw information and are therefore transcribed below for ease of reading.

Gorton House, now part of Debdale Park, off Hyde Road. Here Robert Grimshaw lived in 1790. Gorton House was occupied in 1841 by Nathaniel Denison and Joseph Gillham, who had a hatworks in the grounds of the house. By 1844 Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw owned much of the estate. He actually lived at Stanfield Lodge near Gorton House. By 1840 Edward Pinder, who manufactured steel, lived there. The house passed to Manchester Corporation with the extension of Debdale Park after the Second World War.

The coat of arms of the Grimshaw family on a memorial to Brookfield Unitarian church. This is the family crest of John Grimshaw of High Bank House and Audenshaw Lodge and of his twin brother Joseph Stanfield, who owned Gorton House and built and lived at Stanfield Lodge. The Grimshaw family also provided the parsonage for Brookfield Unitarian church at the top of Tan yard Brow and gave financial help to the Sunday school. Joseph Stanfield was involved with the building of the Gorton Schools in 1863.

A memorial in Brookfield Unitarian church to the Grimshaw family. John Grimshaw lived at High Bank House on High Bank, near Tan Yard Brow, and also previously at Audenshaw Lodge. He was important to Gorton as a magistrate and deputy lieutenant of the county. He died aged 78 in 1861. There were also Grimshaws at Gorton House in the late 1700s. John’s twin brother Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw lived at Stanfield Lodge, now part of Debdale Park. Their brother built High Bank Mill on Ogden Lane.

The Robert Grimshaw who lived in Gorton House in 1790 the same individual whose mill was burned during the social unrest of the time. The following is from a companion webpage:

Additional detail on the burning of Robert Grimshaw's spinning factory in 1790 are provided by Harland³ (1865, p. 272-275):

GRIMSHAWS FACTORY FIRE.

In 1790 Mr. Robert Grimshaw, of Gorton House, Gorton, near Manchester (having contracted with the Rev. Dr. Cartwright, the inventor of the power-loom, for the privilege of using 500 of his looms), erected, for their reception, a weaving factory at Knott Mill, with steam-power. The mill was finished, and the machinery, including 30 power-looms, had not been many weeks at work before the whole building was burned to the ground. As the proprietor had previously received several anonymous letters threatening destruction to the mill if he persisted to work it, there is every reason to conclude that the fire did not happen without design, but was the work of an incendiary. Mr. Grimshaw was about erecting another mill in Gorton, but this fire not only deterred him, but others, from bringing the invention into use; and the next attempt to introduce power-looms into Manchester was not made till sixteen years afterwards. About the time of the fire there lived up the Ginnel, near the Chapel-Houses, Gorton, a man named Lucas, a hand-loom weaver and crofter or bleacher. Though very illiterate, -- not able to write, and scarcely to read, -- he enjoyed considerable local fame as a rhymester. He composed a ditty on the destruction of Grimshaw's mill, which was regularly set to music, printed, and sold by the ballad-dealers of Manchester. The entire song cannot now be recovered, but the following fragment has been orally gleaned from five old men, each of whom well recollects singing it at the time of its currency. It reveals the feelings of the working-classes of that day on the introduction of machinery and steam-power. For the above particulars we are indebted to Mr. John Higson, of Droylsden:--

 

Come all ye country gentlemen

     Come listen to my story;

It’s of a country gallant

     Who was cropp'd in his glory,

All by a new invention,

     As all things come by natur,

Concerning looms from Doncaster¹

     And weyvin' done by wayter.

Chorus.-  Then, eh, the looms from Doncaster

                    That lately have come down--

               That they never had been carried

                    Into Manchester town.

 

For coal to work his factory

     He sent unto the Duke,² sir;

He thought that all the town

     Should be stifled with the smoke, sir;

But the Duke sent him an answer,

     Which came so speedily,

That the poor should have the coal,

     If the Devil took th' machinery.

                         Then, eh, etc.

 

He got all kinds of people

     To work at his invention,

Both English, Scotch, and Irish,

     And more than I could mention.

He kept such order over them,

     Much more than they did choose, sir,

They left him land for liberty;

     Please God to spare their shoes, sire.

                         Then, eh, etc.

 

The floor was over shavings,

     Took fire in the night, Sir;

But now he's sick in bed;

     Some say it’s with affright, Sir.

 

          [The rest wanting.]

 

1Dr. Cartwright had erected a mill for power-looms at Doncaster, but with so little success that it was abandoned.

2The Duke of Bridgewater, the great coal owner.

The connection of Robert Grimshaw with the descendants of James Grimshaw of Audenshaw has now been established as described in the following section.

Norman Grimshaw, who is originally from the Gorton area and has lived in Australia for nearly 40 years, provided the following very helpful information on the Grimshaws of Gorton House and Audenshaw Lodge. Norman also provided an 1848 map of the area showing the location of Audenshaw to Gorton House (shown below).

March 21, 2007

Thomas

Thanks very much for hosting the best family and genealogy website I have every come across. All the better for being Grimshaw!

Since 1970 I have lived in Australia but originally came from Gorton, Manchester. Being 23 when I left Manchester gives me an interest in the district which I have always held. It helps to put a local knowledge into my own research, and help others as I have, feel free to give my email address to any Manchester Grimshaw. Your website links have been a great help. Family lore gives me link to the Audenshaw Grimshaw"s but I have not found it yet. It has always bemused me that the Audenshaw Grimshaw's were never reinvented as Gorton Grimshaw's given their contribution to Gorton. Perhaps they wanted to remain aloof from the many Grimshaws in Gorton!

Anyway please accept the contribution below, I could rabble on for much longer but feel I would overload an already busy person.

The following extract is taken from the "Gorton News" a local community newspaper (www.gortonnews.org.uk), author Jeff Goldthorpe, a local historian.

Probate of the will of James Grimshaw a merchant of Audenshaw was granted 15th May 1772. He left to his wife Jane, a messuage in Audenshaw for life with remainder to his eldest son Robert. Land in Newton in the parish of Mottram, County of Chester, in Droylsden and Salford and Hooley Hill to Robert and his heirs. Land called Semisters Tenement in Gorton, houses and land in Market Street in Manchester, messuage and land at Alt Edge to his son George. Land in Woodhouse, houses and land in Market Street Lane in Manchester and land in Crowthorn and Rycroft to his son John. In addition he left twenty pounds and yearly interest on 400 pounds to his wife, 600 pounds to Robert and 1000 pounds to sons George and John. There was an annuity of 30 pounds to Elizabeth Hobson, widow of Ralph Hobson of Failsworth that was to be paid by George and John.

James Grimshaw was an extremely wealthy man for the time, but where did his fortune come from?

Son Samuel as given in Skeet's Audenshaw line is not recognised within the will. Conversely eldest son Robert well defined in the will is not recognised in Skeet's line, a mystery ?

The will is held at Lancashire Records Office under catalogue references DDX144/15

Messuage is a term used in deeds and other documents to signify a dwelling house and surrounding property and outbuildings. Tenements were originally any rented property , it was not until the 19th century that it took on the meaning we know today (in British use).

An additional article in the "Gorton News" also by Jeff Goldthorpe relates the story of Robert Grimshaw bringing the cotton power looms to Gorton. The story is already posted on the Grimshaw Origins website and they appear to have a common source, but the article below gives greater detail.

The First Gorton Cotton Mill - most people who live in Gorton will not doubt have heard of the old Gorton cotton mill. But how many have heard of, or are aware of the first cotton mill to operate in Gorton some thirty-five earlier. The story of the mill was recorded by Mr John Higson of Droylsden (a much respected historian of his day) in 1852 and goes back to the early invention of the power loom.

About the year 1785 a Rev Dr Cartwright of Kent invented a power loom which was so crude and incomplete that he was forced to redesign his invention and apply for a second patent. His second design proved more feasible and in 1787 he built a mill in Doncaster. Unfortunately he had limited success and abandoned the project.

Shortly after these events, across the Pennines in Manchester, a Dr Bardsley was in conversation with Robert Grimshaw of Gorton House, Gorton, here he mentioned to Robert Grimshaw that a minister near Doncaster had invented a power loom and described it to him. Dr Bardsley's description of the loom stirred Grimshaw's imagination to the extent that he would not let the subject rest until Dr Bardsley agreed to accompany him to Doncaster and visit the inventor.

During the meeting that followed between Robert Grimshaw and Dr Cartwright a deal was struck, giving Grimshaw the patent right or privilege of using 500 of his power looms. Having concluded the business Robert Grimshaw returned to Gorton and built a mill large enough to house the machinery. These looms were powered by a steam engine. Each one able to do the work of two experience hand-loom weavers and could be tended by a child. A safety device was incorporated within the loom (not for the benefit of the operator) so that should the high speed shuttle be obstructed the loom would automatically stop without damaging the work. Grimshaw took delivery of the first thirty looms and put them into production. Unfortunately his operation was short lived, for within a few weeks the whole mill was burnt to the ground. It was said to have been an accident, but prior to the burning Robert Grimshaw had received several anonymous letters threatening to burn his factory to the ground if he persisted. It happened, obviously this was no accident but arson, probably perpetrated by disgruntled hand-loom weavers fearful of loosing their livelihood.

Robert Grimshaw had sunk bore-holes and discovered coal in the area.. He purchased the right to use Gore Brook (which I believe shows that the brook was a much bigger water course than we see today) and build a dam across. This dam was situated near to the middle bank of the present reservoir.. He had intended to build a larger mill to the west of the canal near Gorton House. Deterred by the burning of his mill, Robert Grimshaw moved his operation away from Gorton. IN 1790 he built a weaving factory at Knott Mill Manchester.

At the same time as Robert Grimshaw was moving his operation to Knott Mill, in Gorton, at a place know as the Ginnil lived a hand-loom weaver we knew only as "Lucas". Lucas despite being almost illiterate had gained a considerable reputation locally as a rhymester. Following the destruction of Grimshaw's mill he wrote a lengthy rhyme reflecting the feelings of the working class of the day and its attitude to mechanisation. Considering the popularity of this particular ditty it was often put to music and printed, being sold by ballad merchants of Manchester.

Audenshaw Lodge, year 2005, having fallen into disrepair for many years is now being renovated. The present owners describe the house "set in a rural idyll, approached by a sweeping winding drive at the end of a country lane", Not a bad description for a house now set in suburban Manchester ! A plaque on the left hand gable bears the date 1774.

George H Grimshaw, born 26th January 1839, died 21st January 1898 , was an England and Lancashire cricketer of some note and ability, see (www.uk8.cricket.org). The 1881 British Census finds him living at High Bank House, Gorton, with his widowed mother, Mary Ann aged 84 and his elder brother, John aged 47, a solicitor. When he died his home was given as High Bank, Grafton, Herefordshire. Probate was granted to his wife Kate. He must have married late as the 1881 British Census gives him as unmarried. The 1881 Census also gives his occupation as a cotton spinner. Given the high achievement and status of his family background should this read cotton spinner manufacturer ?

The twin brothers John and Joseph Grimshaw, amongst their other business interest they were also cotton manufacturers of some note. Various academic papers on the history of the British Mechanised Cotton Industry give them mention usually as " the non-conformist Gorton Grimshaw brothers".

Finally of interest to North American genealogists. Jane Stanfield (wife of James Grimshaw 1694-1772), her immediate family came from nearby Dukinfield. The family were also of non conformist & Quaker beliefs. Their church, of which the family where great benefactors, was the Old Presbyterian Chapel , Dunkenfield. In 1730 they went to the "colonies", I have them in Kennett MM, Chester County, PA. in the early years.

Once again many thanks for the pleasure you have provided

From country Victoria

Australia.

Norman Robert Grimshaw.

John Grimshaw, fifth generation descendant of the Audenshaw Grimshaw family line, has the following entry (p. 508) in Burke's⁴ "Genealogical Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry". Note that John was at the time a magistrate for Lancaster and Chester.

Dave Mott has kindly provided photos, apparently taken in the Fall, 2006, of Gorton House. Two of the pictures are shown below.

As noted, Norman Grimshaw provided information, a photo, and a map for Audenshaw. The information and associated photo are shown below.

Audenshaw Lodge, below, year 2005, having fallen into disrepair for many years is now being renovated. The present owners describe the house "set in a rural idyll, approached by a sweeping winding drive at the end of a country lane", Not a bad description for a house now set in suburban Manchester! A plaque on the left hand gable bears the date 1774. (From Norman Grimshaw, see above)

Gorton House is located next to Stanfield Lodge on the south bank of "Reservoir of the Manchester and Salford Water Works", near the dam that impounds the reservoir, as shown in the 1848 map of the area depicted below. The reservoir is now referred to as the "Lower Gorton Reservoir". Thanks go to Dave Mott for providing this map and the one below it. The source of the maps is: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/.

A more detailed inset from the map above is provided below. It is apparent that Gorton House is outlined above the letter "o" of "Ho" (the remainder of the word "House" appears to be missing).

Norman Grimshaw's contribution of an 1848 map showing the location of Audenshaw Lodge is shown below. The points in common with the above maps, Mawson Hall and Debdale Farm, indicate the location of Audenshaw in relation to Gorton House and Stanfield Lodge.

As shown in the modern map below from the Ordnance Survey website, Gorton is located east of central Manchester and south of Droylsden. Audenshaw is located further east near the intersection of the M60 and the M67.

Modern details of the Gorton House and Audenshaw area are shown in the Ordnance Survey maps below (compare with the 1848 maps above). Gorton House is in a section now referred to as "Debdale". Audenshaw Lodge is on the right edge of the map on the right, just northeast of "Lodge Farm".

The website of Brookfield Unitarian Church includes a nice history, written in 1903, that includes references to the Grimshaws, who were apparently benefactors of the church. The webpage address is shown below, followed by a photo and text from the webpage.

http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk/shorthistory.html 

Short History of Gorton Chapel.

THIS year, 1903, the members of Brookfield Church, Gorton, are celebrating the bicentenary of the opening for public worship of the Old Chapel, known as Gorton Chapel, in the year 1703. Whether this date be exactly correct we will not stop here to inquire, but it is at any rate as nearly correct as the facts now in our possession enable us to arrive at.

In those days Gorton was a village, with a small population, distant about three miles from Manchester. The inhabitants, as far as we can gather, were engaged in hat making and in hand-loom weaving. The stream, now known as the Gore Brook, would then present a very different appearance from what it does now. Its waters were stocked with fish, which drew the patient angler to its banks to while away a lazy hour of an evening. In a large house not far from the river lived the Lord of the Manor, or Squire, and round about were the cottage homes of the people. There was then no well-made Hyde Road as there is now; there would be no schools, as at present, except the dame's school. The education then given would be mostly given on the Sunday. The only place of worship for years previous to 1700, to which the people would resort, was the Parish Church, known as Gorton Chapel, then under the protection of the College authorities at Manchester, corresponding to the Cathedral Chapter now. But in that time of religious turmoil there were a few people in the village who were dissatisfied with the tenets of the State Church, and who openly dissented from its teachings. They would not attend the Parish Church, but they met secretly for worship in the upper room of a house near the top of Cross Lane, just where it joins Abbey Hey Lane today. We may rest assured that these Dissenters would not long remain content with their temporary meeting-place, and hence we find that about the year 1703 a Dissenting Chapel was built and opened for worship in what was known as Gorton Vale. This building was the Old Chapel in which our forefathers met to worship God Sunday after Sunday, and the opening of which we are commemorating this year.

Who its first minister was we know, but we do not know in what year exactly he began his ministry. There were, however, ministers in the village holding dissenting views previous to him. Such were the following: John Wigan, who was an Independent, as Cromwell was. The Presbyterians, who were the other section of the Dissenters, were very ill-disposed towards him, and had great trouble with him. He gave up preaching, and became Major John Wigan, of the Parliamentary Army. He was minister at Gorton until 1646, when he left for Birch. Adam Martindale, who came to reside in Openshaw in this year, left the ministry at Gorton in 1648 to go to Rostherne, in Cheshire. The Independents were growing in number and influence in Gorton, and it was from the Independents, not the Presbyterians, that the congregation of the Old Chapel was formed. Principal Gordon points out that there were in Lancashire in 1647 some Congregationals, as at Gorton and Birch. Martindale was for some years an itinerant preacher. He spent his last days at Leigh, and was buried at Rostherne on September 21st, 1686. His autobiography is a work of considerable interest and value. David Dury settled at Gorton' in 1648, and remained as minister until August, 1650. The three succeeding ministries were short, viz., those of Thomas Norman, Zachariah Taylor, and Robert Seddon, M.A. Of the latter we may note that he lived with the Rev. John Angier's family at Denton before he, settled at Gorton, where he was ordained on June 14th, 1654. He remained here until April, 1656. Of the next minister, Rev. William Leigh, M.A., much more is known. He began his ministry on November 11th, 1656. He was one of the 67 ministers in Lancashire who were ejected from the Church by the Act of Uniformity which came into force on August 24th, 1662 (St. Bartholomew's day). He died in 1666, about 50 years of age, and was buried on January 11th, 1666, at Denton Chapel (Th' Owd Peg) by his friend, -the Rev. John Angier. The Rev. John Jollie, who succeeded Leigh, was the son of Major Jollie, the Provost-Marshal of the Parliamentary Army. He shared with John Angier the duties of the Denton Chapel after the Act of Uniformity came into force. He ministered occasionally at Gorton after 1669, and resided at Gorton until his death, June 17th, 1682. He was buried at Oldham. The Rev. Henry Newcome, M.A., first minister of Cross Street Chapel, preached his funeral sermon. The name of Jollie is one that plays an important part in the history of our old Chapels. And it is also worthy of note that the Rev. Samuel Angier, nephew of John Angier, of Denton, became minister of Dukinfield Old Chapel, and his remains lie there in the Chapel yard; and further, Samuel Angier's daughter, Ann, married the Rev. John Cooper, the first minister of Hyde Chapel, Gee Cross (1710-1730), in which latter year he died.

Mr. Jollie was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Dickenson, who received his education at Rathmell Academy, under the Rev. Richard Frankland, M.A. This Academy was the forerunner of the present Manchester College, Oxford. He was ordained at Stand on May 24th, 1694. He remained at Gorton until 1702, when he removed to Northowram, near Halifax-, as successor to the celebrated Nonconformist, Oliver Heywood. Here he ministered until his death, December 26th, 1743. From his tombstone at Northowram we gather that he was born in 1669. A memoir of him was written by the Rev. Thomas Jollie. It is not known who was the minister at Gorton from 1702 to 1704, after Mr. Dickenson's retirement. The first occupant of the pulpit of the Old Chapel, of whom we have any knowledge, is the Rev. Nehemiah Reyner, who married Mrs. Jane Eaton on November 12th, 1712..

All we can say is that he began his ministry here probably about the year 1707. From Gorton he removed to Cross Street Chapel in 1731, and laboured there as late as 1740. It is interesting to note here that among others who preached at Gorton towards the close of the 17th century was Oliver Heywood. Being one of the ejected ministers of 1662 he preached at the house of Mr.Hulton, of Droylsden, on January 6th, 1667. We now come to the ministry of, the Rev. Samuel Hanson, whose remains lie in the Old Chapel yard, on the south-west side of the spot where the Old Chapel stood. On his tombstone it is stated that he was born at Wyke, in the parish of Birstall and county of York. He died " November 28th, 1763, in the 71st year of his age, after having been Pastor of this Church upwards of thirty-one years." He commenced his ministry at Gorton, therefore, in 1732, as we gather also from the Register now in our possession, and probably in the month of July, for we know from the Register that the first baptism during his ministry was solemnized on July 16th, 1732. He was born in 1692. His wife was Mary, daughter of Mr. Richard Foster, of Ossett (where he had been minister for several years before coming to Gorton, in his 40th year), in the county of York. She died August 24th, 1760, in the 67th year of her age, so that she was born in 1693. When she married Mr. Reyner she was a widow, a Mrs. Mary Jepson, and sister-in-law of the Rev. Thomas Dickenson, her husband's predecessor at Gorton. Mr. Hanson was the grandfather of Colonel Hanson, who obtained so much notoriety when great meetings of the Manchester weavers were held at St. George's-in-the-fields, on May 24th and 25th, 1808.

A period of two years intervened after the death of Mr. Hanson before his successor, the Rev. John Atchison, was appointed in 1765. He was born at Everdon, in Northamptonshire, March, 1743, studied at Daventry, left Gorton for Leicester (after having married a rich lady), where he kept a school and occasionally preached, and died at Leicester on February 9th, 1813. He was minister here until 1788. His mother died at Gorton, March 9th, 1785, and her remains alone lie in the grave in the Old Chapel yard. On her tombstone it is stated that she was " the relict of David Atchison, born December, 1709, married May 4th, 1737, and died March 9th, 1785, in the 76 year of her age." The last baptism solemnized by Mr. Atchison was on May 3rd, 1788. To this entry is appended the following note: " The Registers of Christenings and Burials, from and after the first day of October, 1785, became subject to a Stamp Duty of Three Pence for each entry, which Duty (having taken a Licence according to the Act of Parliament for that purpose) has been duly collected (according to the following Register entries) by me, John Atchison.”

The present parsonage, where these notes are written, was built during the ministry of Mr. Atchison in 1744 ("mainly at the expense of the Grimshaw family." The Rev. William Dodge Cooper, nephew of the Rev. Bristowe Cooper, of Gee Cross, was born in 1759, educated at Hoxton Academy, settled at Stand at the age of 22, where he ministered from 1781 to 1788, accepted an invitation to Gorton in the latter year in a letter addressed to Mr. Robert Grimshaw, and laboured here for 13 years until his death on June 9th, 1801. His grand-niece, Mrs. Thomas Cocks, of Church Lane, Gorton, is still living, and the name of Bristowe Cooper is still kept in the family by her son and grandson. Mrs. Cocks's maiden name was Margaret Cooper. The tomb, in which lie the remains of William Dodge Cooper and his wife Betty, was "erected by a few friends who, although not allied to him in blood, revere his virtues and regret his death.

He was succeeded in the ministry here by the Rev. Joseph Ramsbotham, who came from Fulwood, where he was minister from 1798 to 1802. He was " Minister of the Protestant Chapel, Gorton, for three years and nine months, was buried by the Rev. Dokter Barnes, 18th March, 1806." He died March 15th, 1806, aged 26 years. . . . Dr. Barnes, who officiated at his funeral, was the minister of Cross Street Chapel and Tutor at the Manchester College, the fore-runner of the one now at Oxford. In the same grave with his lie the remains of his brother-in-law, William Basnett Townsend, .who died June 24th, 1804, aged 20 years. " In Life they loved and in Death they are now for ever united."

The Rev. Joseph Jeffries, after a ministry at Topsham, in Devonshire, and Ringwood, in Hampshire, began his ministry at Gorton in April, 1807. He signs his name after a baptism on April 19th, 1807, and last officiated at a baptism on May 13th, 1827. He died at the Isle of Man in the summer of 1829, having been prohibited from preaching during the last two years of his life owing to mental infirmity. The Rev. Charles Danvers Hort entered upon his ministry here in September, 1829. He was the son of the Rev. Gillard Hort, minister of Frenchay, near Bristol, 1804-1815, and afterwards pastor to a large congregation in Cork. Danvers Hort was born in Bristol in 1807, educated at Belfast and Manchester College, York, and left Gorton after a ministry of seven years in 1837. His last signature in the Register bears date March 24th, 1836. After that date until May 30th of the same year appears the name of his father. He died at St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin, after having been an inmate of that institution 27 years. He would then be 60 years old. I learn that he taught classics at an Academy in Chorlton-on-Medlock, and that the revered Rev. S. Alfred Steinthal was one of his pupils at this academy. In 1837 the Rev. George Henry Wells, M.A., began his long and valued ministry at Gorton. He was born at Warrington in 1811 ; educated at Glasgow University, where he graduated, and at Manchester College, York; was minister for a short time at Irvington ; and laboured at Gorton from February, 1837, until the end of June, 1881 He was minister at the Old Chapel for 34 years, until its abandonment in 1871, when it was replaced by the present beautiful Brookfield Church, which was erected at the expense of the late Richard Peacock, Esq., M.P. for Gorton, as a token of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the recovery of a beloved daughter from a serious illness. Mr. Wells ministered at the new Church for ten years, after which he retired from the ministry to spend the remainder of his days at Bowdon, where he died July 17th, 1888. His remains lie in the Old Chapel yard, where also lie the remains of a twin son, Robert, who died July 31st, 1865, aged six months. Mrs. Wells, nee Miss Wood, of Rochdale, is still living at Bowdon, and the surviving twin son, Mr. Joseph W. Wells, in the vicinity of Stockport. A tablet was placed by Mrs. Wells in the chancel of the present Church in memory of her husband, and a baptismal font was placed in the west end of the Church by the congregation in memory of Mr. Wells and Mr. Peacock. We have further to add that during the ministry of Mr. Wells the Sunday School, which was replaced by the present new school in 1900, was erected, and was opened in 1863. The first baptism solemnized by Mr. Wells was that of our respected Trustee, Mr. Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw.

The Rev. Dendy Agate, B.A., was minister of Brookfield Church up till 1893, and the Rev. George Evans, M.A., was appointed his successor in the following year. Mr. Wells was the last minister of the Old Chapel.

We now come to deal briefly with the Clerks or Sextons of Gorton Dissenting Chapel. The first was James Entwisle, 57 years clack (sic!) of this Chapel, who died September 11th, 1766, aged 80 years and upwards. He must therefore have commenced his duties in 1709, not long after the opening of the Chapel for worship. (2) Benjamin Aveyard succeeded Entwisle immediately; and, as Higson, in his " Gorton Historical Recorder," states, was " sexton of the Nonconformist Chapel for 19 years," i.e., from 1766 to 1785. He died August 25th, 1785. There is no intimation on his tombstone, as there is in the case of Entwisle, that he was clerk of the Chapel. (3) George Aveyard, who died October 27th, 1814, aged 75 years, was clerk 29 years, from 1785 to 1814. (4) George Aveyard, who died June 3rd, 1863, aged 77 years, was clerk for 49 years, i.e., from 1814 to 1863. (5) Joseph Jones, father of Mr. James Jones, landlord of the Lord Nelson Inn, died April 1st, 1877, aged 61 years, clerk for 14 years. Of these 14 years he served as clerk of Brookfield Church for six years.

All the clerks from 1709 to 1877, five in number, lie buried in the Old Chapel yard. It is worthy 'of note that the service of the three Aveyards lasted the long period of 97 years. Members of both the Aveyard and Jones families are still associated with our Church.

The Old Chapel was built mainly at the expense of Thomas Oldham, of Sandfold, Reddish. The inscription on his gravestone reads: " Here resteth the body of Thomas Oldham, borne in Reditch, and buried here the 7th day of August, 1710, in the 62: year of his age.

"Here lye the ashes of a pious mind, Plain, charitable, from all fraud refin'd, He many temples built to th' King of kings,

And now in glorious bliss his praises sings."

He was, therefore, born in 1648, the year before the beheadal of Charles I. It is said of him that " he. was the liberal endower and one of the founders of the Non-conformist place of worship."

The old horsing-stone, which stood opposite the entrance to the Chapel for the convenience of worshippers who came from a distance on horseback, now stands near the Lodge-gate, and bears inscribed on it the date 1703.

It now remains for me to write very briefly about the families who worshipped in the Chapel. The association of the Grimshaw family with it goes back a, long way. -The first of the name, mentioned on the tombstone, is Mr. James Grimshaw, of Audenshaw, who died February 11th, 1772, aged 77 years, so that he would be about eight or nine years old when the Chapel was opened. The family seem to have been worshippers at Gorton during the whole period of the existence of the Old Chapel. The sole surviving member of the family is our honoured Trustee, Mr. Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw, who was baptized by Mr. Wells on December 10th, 1836. On a tablet placed to the memory of several members of the family on the south wall of the present Church it is recorded that " they worshipped in this Chapel, and munificently added to its endowment." The tablet was removed from the Old Chapel to the present Church during its erection.

At one time in the 18th century most of the members of the congregation bore the name of Shawcross. There still remain connected with us two families bearing that name. The two sisters, the Misses Shawcross, of South Reddish, have from their childhood been worshippers at the Chapel. Their ancestors at one time resided at Gorton Hall, which afterwards became the residence of Mr. Richard Peacock. The ancestors of the late John Shawcross, of " The Plough Inn," were for a long time worshippers at the Old Chapel, and we now have members of his family connected with us.

The name Ryder, probably for Rider, is the first that appears in the old Regisiter now in the Vestry safe. William Ryder, son of Samuel Ryder, of Gorton, was baptized by Mr. Hanson on July 16th, 1732, the year when he began his ministry. Thomas Rider, of Leavenshulme (sic!), died April 7th, 1774, in the 80th year of his age, and this is the first bearing the name of Rider whose grave I find in the yard. In the centre of the yard is a monument erected by friends and admirers to the memory of James Rider, father of the present secretary to the trustees of Brookfield Church, who died October 20th 1872 aged 71 years.

Among other honoured worshippers in the Old Chapel, I find the names of Mr. Thomas Clay, father of the late Alan George Clay and Mr. Robert Clay, who built the school of 1863; Worthington, Dixon, Withington, Richard Peacock, through whose munificence the present Church was built, and others whose names have already been mentioned in, this brief history.

On the west side of the graveyard lie the remains of John Ashton, the first organist at this Chapel, who died September 22nd, 1833, aged 26 years. Nieces of his are still living in Gorton. And I conclude this history with an interesting inscription on the gravestone of Elizabeth Withington, wife of S. Withington, who died April 9th, 1819, aged 57 years:-

Here rests a woman, good without pretence, Blest with plain reason and with sober sense So unaffected, so composed a mind,

So firm yet soft, so strong yet so refin'd. Heaven has its finest gold by tortures try'd, The saint sustained it: but the woman dy'd.

Gorton, October 17th ,1903

W. K Woodhouse, 103, Chapman Street, Gorton

A modern-day photo of Gorton Chapel, now Brookfield Unitarian Church, is available at the following internet site and is provided below.

http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk/brookfield.html 

The Brookfield Church website includes an image of a handwritten letter by Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw, which is reported to have been written in 1893; the image is shown below.

No information is provided on the letter beyond the image itself. The reported 1893 date is highly questionable because J Stanfield Grimshaw died in 1869 according to the grave below. The image of the letter is at:

http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk/jsg.jpg 

Joseph Stanfield Grimshaw, benefactor of Gorton Chapel, is buried there, as indicated at the following website. A picture of Joseph's grave from that website is provided below, also.

http://www.robertsiddall.btinternet.co.uk/recent.html 

Robert Grimshaw, born in 1802 in Gorton, married Lucretia Grimshaw in 1830 and had several children while living first in Gorton and then in Ashton under Lyne. The following descendant chart was constructed from information posted by Simon Grimshaw on the Grimshaw Genealogy Forum, which is on Genealogy.com, on March 31, 2007. 

Robert Grimshaw (1802, Gorton - 1851/1861) & Lucretia Grimshaw (ca 1804 - ). Married 2 Feb 1830, Manchester

|---James Grimshaw (1825, Gorton - )

|---William Grimshaw (4 Jan 1827, Gorton - )

|---Elias Grimshaw (ca 1830 - )

|---Mary Ann Grimshaw (1832, Gorton - )

|---Sarah Grimshaw (1836, Gorton - )

|---Jane Grimshaw (1837, Gorton - )

|---Samuel Grimshaw (May 1840, Ashton under Lyne - Mar 1913, Bolton) & Ellen Naylor (Dec 1843, Warrington - ). Married Dec 1862, Ashton under Lyne.

|---|---Robert Grimshaw (Sep 1864, Ashton under Lyne - )

|---|---Charles Grimshaw (Sep 1866, Ashton under Lyne - )

|---|---Thomas Grimshaw (Sep 1870, Ulverston - )

|---|---Samuel Grimshaw (Sep 1874, Ulverston - )

|---|---Elias Grimshaw (Sep 1875, Bolton - ) & Sarah Holcroft. Married Sep 1895, Bolton.

|---|---|---Edith Grimshaw (Dec 1895, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Florence Grimshaw (Jun 1897, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Elizabeth Ellen Grimshaw (Sep 1900, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Frederick Grimshaw (31 Aug 1903, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Harry Grimshaw (11 Oct 1914, Horwich - 4 Jun 1973, Bolton) & Sarah Glover. Married Dec 1937.

|---|---|---|---Frank Grimshaw (28 Apr 1936, Farnworth - )

|---|---Mary Ellen Grimshaw (Sep 1877, Ulverston - )

|---|---James Grimshaw (1879, Barrow in Furness - ) & Sarah Moore

|---|---|---John Grimshaw (1909 - )

|---|---|---|---Roger Grimshaw

|---|---|---May Grimshaw (1911 - )

|---Elizabeth Grimshaw (Dec 1842 - )

A possible christening record for Robert Grimshaw was found on FamilySearch.org and is shown below. It indicates that Robert was christened on March 7, 1802, and his father was John Grimshaw.

IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0

British Isles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROBERT GRIMSHAW Pedigree

Male

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event(s):

Birth:

Christening: 07 MAR 1802 Gorton, Lancashire, England

Death:

Burial:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents:

Father: JOHN GRIMSHAW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Messages:

Form submitted by a member of the LDS Church. The form lists the submitter's name and address and may include source information. The address may be outdated. Details vary. To find the form, you must know the batch and sheet number.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source Information:

Batch Number: 7830332

Sheet: 87

Source Call No.: 1126424 Type: Film

Source: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp 

If Robert's father was indeed John Grimshaw, then it is likely that this John Grimshaw was the one who was born on November 21, 1776, the son of George Grimshaw (see descendant chart above). However, this connection is conjectural and not yet established. Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw used the following names that were in common with John Grimshaw's relatives: James, William, Mary, Ann, Samuel, Jane and Elizabeth (Betty).

Simon Grimshaw's entry in the Grimshaw Genealogy Forum included census data for Robert and Lucretia for 1841, 1851, and 1861. In 1841, the family was living at "Abey Hey" in Gorton, and Robert's occupation was "hatter". In 1851, The family had moved to Ashton New Road in Gorton, where Robert's profession was again shown as hatter. The 1861 census indicated that Lucretia was a 57-year-old widow living in Droylsden with six other family members.

Additional research by Simon Grimshaw (not reported on Genforum) on baptisms at the Manchester Central Library yielded the following results (from the parish records of Gorton - St James, previously St Thomas):

John & Sarah Grimshaw

|---James Grimshaw (2 Nov 1787 - )

|---Elizabeth Grimshaw (Oct 1791 - )

|---Samuel Grimshaw (13 Nov 1796 - )

|---Mary Grimshaw (30 Jun 1799 - )

|---Robert Grimshaw (7 Mar 1802 - )

|---Helen Grimshaw (16 Dec 1804 - )

An excellent candidate for Lucretia Grimshaw was found on FamilySearch.org in three records as shown below.

First record

IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0

British Isles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LACRETIA GRIMSHAW Pedigree

Female

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event(s):

Birth:

Christening: 24 MAY 1802 Newton Heath, Lancashire, England

Death:

Burial:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents:

Father: JONATHAN GRIMSHAW Family

Mother: MGT

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Messages:

Extracted birth or christening record for the locality listed in the record. The source records are usually arranged chronologically by the birth or christening date.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source Information:

Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type:

C020822 1793 - 1844 0924264 IT 3 Film 6909452 Film

Sheet: 00

Second Record

IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0

British Isles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucretia Grimshaw Pedigree

Female

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event(s):

Birth:

Christening: 24 MAY 1802 Newton Heath, Lancashire, England

Death:

Burial:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents:

Father: Jonah Grimshaw Family

Mother: Margaret or Peggy Hill

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Messages:

Record submitted by a member of the LDS Church. The record often shows the name of the individual and his or her relationship to a descendant, shown as the heir, family representative, or relative. The original records are not indexed, and you may have to look at the film frame-by-frame to find the information you want. A family group record for this couple may be in the Family Group Record Collection; Archive Section. (See the Family History Library Catalog for the film number.) These records are alphabetical by name of the father or husband.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source Information:

Film Number: 457300

Page Number:

Reference number:

Third Record

IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0

British Isles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucretia Grimshaw Pedigree

Female

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event(s):

Birth:

Christening: 24 MAY 1802 Newton Heath, Lancashire, England

Death:

Burial:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parents:

Father: Jonah Grimshaw Family

Mother: Margaret or Peggy Hill

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Messages:

Record submitted by a member of the LDS Church. The record often shows the name of the individual and his or her relationship to a descendant, shown as the heir, family representative, or relative. The original records are not indexed, and you may have to look at the film frame-by-frame to find the information you want. A family group record for this couple may be in the Family Group Record Collection; Archive Section. (See the Family History Library Catalog for the film number.) These records are alphabetical by name of the father or husband.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source Information:

Film Number: 452038

Page Number:

Reference number: 24668

Lucretia's family is summarized below from the above records on FamilySearch.org:

Jonathan or Jonah Grimshaw (ca 1756, Newton Heath?) & Margaret or Peggy Hill (ca 1760, Newton Heath? - ). Married 1781, Manchester

|---John Grimshaw (c 20 Apr 1782, Newton Heath - )

|---Betty Grimshaw (c 3 Jun 1784, Newton Heath - )

|---James Grimshaw (c 23 Apr 1786, Newton Heath - )

|---Phillip Grimshaw (c 13 Mar 1788, Newton Heath - )

|---Mary Grimshaw (c 11 May 1794, Newton Heath - )

|---Robert Grimshaw (c 26 Jun 1796, Newton Heath - )

|---Jonah Grimshaw (c 20 May 1798, Newton Heath - )

|---Sarah Grimshaw (c 25 May 1800, Newton Heath - )

|---Lucretia Grimshaw (c 24 May 1802, Newton Heath - )

|---Fanny Grimshaw (c 27 Apr 1804, Newton Heath - )

|---Samuel Grimshaw (c 28 Sep 1806, Newton Heath - )

Newton Heath is located in the northeast outskirts of Manchester, not far from Gorton.

Based on the above hypotheses, a summary ancestry chart for Robert Grimshaw is provided below:

Grimshaw & Wilde

|---George Grimshaw

|---James Grimshaw (1661 - 27 Jun 1718)

|---|---James Grimshaw (16 Oct 1694 - 11 Feb 1772) & Jane Stanfield

|---|---|---Robert Grimshaw (not in Skeet; added by contribution from Norman Grimshaw)

|---|---|---James Grimshaw

|---|---|---Samuel Grimshaw

|---|---|---John Grimshaw (1 Mar 1738 - 12 Jun 1822) & Mary Holt (5 Dec 1749 - 6 Sep 1810)

|---|---|---George Grimshaw

|---|---|---|---John Grimshaw (21 Nov 1776 - ) & Sarah

|---|---|---|---|---James Grimshaw (2 Nov 1787 - )

|---|---|---|---|---Elizabeth Grimshaw (Oct 1791 - )

|---|---|---|---|---Samuel Grimshaw (13 Nov 1796 - )

|---|---|---|---|---Mary Grimshaw (30 Jun 1799 - )

|---|---|---|---|---Robert Grimshaw (7 Mar 1802, Gorton - 1851/1861) & Lucretia Grimshaw (c 24 May 1802, Newton Heath - ). Married 2 Feb 1830, Manchester

|---|---|---|---|---Helen Grimshaw (16 Dec 1804 - )

|---|---|---|---Betty Grimshaw (1779 - )

|---|---|---|---George Grimshaw (1782 - )

|---|---|---|---James Grimshaw (1784 - )

|---|---|---|---Samuel Grimshaw (1785 - )

A very interesting e-mail was received from Roger Grimshaw in April 2008 with additional information on one of the branches of Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw's descendants. The e-mail is shown below with the Grimshaw information in italics.

From: rogermaggie@lycos.co.uk

To: thomas.w@grimshaw.com

Subject: Grimshaws of Horwich

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 22:56:49 +0200

Dear Tom,

I hope you do not mind me contacting you directly, after the several messages on Genforum.

The research you posted on the Gorton line was brilliant. I must congratulate you on your efforts. We must surely be related - - - maybe you have already worked that out!!! I am recently retired but working part time, so have limited time for research. I have been spending some time on my mother's side (Gladys Sankey for Bolton), and have come to a temporary stop in trying to track down my long-lost cousins. I have spent a day in Bromley library, and knocked on doors around my aunt's former family home in Kent, but am missing a vital link.

I also have relation who has tracked down the family tree on my grandmother's side, and done a terrific job. He is Frank Petty, now living in Devon, but formerly of Bottom o'th Moor, at the summit of Chorley Old Road. His sister Marjorie is living in Chorley, and I am tapping into her memory to identify old photos, and memories of relations. Nothing has been done on my grandfather's side, but your research fits exactly. I have resolved to put in the effort here.

It is almost uncanny how little info there remains of the Grimshaw line in our family records. My grandfather was James, son of Samuel, and born in Barrow in 1879. He married Sarah Moore in 1907 in Horwich. About 1900 he went to Germany, and got a job in the Meissen pottery works, but was injured at work, and never fully recovered. He had long periods of sickness, when Sarah had to take in washing to make ends meet. "Auntie" Marjorie remembers that my father, John, had cousins Ethel, Edith, Harry, Florrie, and Emily, and that James's sister Mary Ellen, became Mary Ellen Dixon. My grandparents lived at 23, Catherine St West and it remained the family home until my Aunty May died in the early 1980's. I think she must be the person the family referred to as "Aunt Mary Ellen" I think I have a photo of her. There was also another lady referred to as " Auntie Maggie". In your family tree I can find Elias's children Edith, Florrie, and Harry as well as Fred, who Marjorie did not mention, but not Ethel or Emily. I see that Harry was born after an 11-year gap - - is there an explanation for this?

There is another branch of the family I would like to trace. My Aunty May took me and my brother and sister to the Panto in Manchester, and we always called in Lewis's to see Jack Grimshaw, who was chief store detective, and got the tickets for us. There is/was also a relation called called Mrs Dorothy (Dolly) Smith who I called on in the early 70's as she lived close to us in S Manchester. I have no idea how she fitted in. On the note, written by my father, the names Phyllis and Alwyn are written, but I have no idea of the connection, if any. My father died in 1999, so I am not able to tap his brains.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Roger Grimshaw -- Haslemere, Surrey 01428 656288

A portion of Robert and Lucretia Grimshaw's descendant chart is shown below with the portions containing additional information from Roger indicated in italics (Roger himself is shown in bold on the chart).

Robert Grimshaw (1802, Gorton - 1851/1861) & Lucretia Grimshaw (ca 1804 - ). Married 2 Feb 1830, Manchester

.....

|---Samuel Grimshaw (May 1840, Ashton under Lyne - Mar 1913, Bolton) & Ellen Naylor (Dec 1843, Warrington - ). Married Dec 1862, Ashton under Lyne.

|---|---Robert Grimshaw (Sep 1864, Ashton under Lyne - )

|---|---Charles Grimshaw (Sep 1866, Ashton under Lyne - )

|---|---Thomas Grimshaw (Sep 1870, Ulverston - )

|---|---Samuel Grimshaw (Sep 1874, Ulverston - )

|---|---Elias Grimshaw (Sep 1875, Bolton - ) & Sarah Holcroft. Married Sep 1895, Bolton.

|---|---|---Edith Grimshaw (Dec 1895, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Florence Grimshaw (Jun 1897, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Elizabeth Ellen Grimshaw (Sep 1900, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Frederick Grimshaw (31 Aug 1903, Bolton - )

|---|---|---Harry Grimshaw (11 Oct 1914, Horwich - 4 Jun 1973, Bolton) & Sarah Glover. Married Dec 1937.

|---|---|---|---Frank Grimshaw (28 Apr 1936, Farnworth - )

|---|---Mary Ellen Grimshaw (Sep 1877, Ulverston - ) & Unknown Dixon

|---|---James Grimshaw (1879, Barrow in Furness - ) & Sarah Moore. Married 1907, Horwich.

|---|---|---John Grimshaw (1909 - ) & Gladys Sankey

|---|---|---|---Roger Grimshaw (Author of Email, 2 April 2008)

|---|---|---May Grimshaw (1911 - )

|---|---|---Ethel Grimshaw

|---|---|---Edith Grimshaw

|---|---|---Harry Grimshaw

|---|---|---Florrie Grimshaw

|---|---|---Emily Grimshaw

|---Elizabeth Grimshaw (Dec 1842 - )