The first document I have added is a letter from a Thomas Harrison to his wife and son in Stanah from a slave ship in Virginia dated 1752.
Now I know this isn’t directly about Thornton but I thought it was interesting enough to put in and I hadn’t realised until reading this that there were slave ships running out from Lancaster. I have tried to find some more about Thomas Harrison but as you can imagine from that date the information is a little sketchy to say the least. After doing a bit of digging my best guess is that this might be Thomas Harrison of Stanah, noted as a shipcarpenter in 1754, who married Ellen Bickerstaff (good Thornton name that is), daughter of Richard Bickerstaff of Stanah, on the 6th of October 1750 at St Chads in Poulton. This Thomas and Ellen went on to have a son called Thomas according to a document at the Records Office but as many children took their fathers name this is still just a best guess. I’d love to know what happened to this family, whether Thomas returned and lived out his life in Thornton or if he died abroad and his wife remarried or indeed whether the family eventually emigrated and became early settlers in America .. but that’s probably just me being nosy.
The second document is ‘Lands gaind by the new Clow’ and has another sheet attached which says ‘Survey of Robert Bickerstaff Land in Stenoa’, both are undated.
Now what the heck is a clow? There are lots of mentions of Clows on the Records Office search but none actually say what it is. I’ve been asking on Brians Forum and as he, and many helpful others, suggested it does appear to be mentioned along with watercourses/waterways and is documented as an alternative spelling for Clough. I’ve also found it mentioned a lot in relation to water mills and especially as a type of valve for releasing water.
1890 22 September Baildon Local Board wrote to Idle Local Board about ‘the bad condition of the water in the wheel Race at Buck Mill, and to the necessity for its being let off occasionally’
1891 29 June another letter from Baildon Local Board, about opening the Clow at Buck Mill ‘to obviate the bad smells said to arise there’
A smelly clow can’t be a pleasant thing under any circumstances!
Now I personally don’t think that the clow mentioned in the document is relating to a mill. I think the name stuck and it could be referring to a valve which released water from Dykes into the river which had previously overflowed and flooded the surrounding area. There are modern release valves still at Stanah Clough (OK not so recent a photo but I don’t feel inclined to climb down in the mud when I have a perfectly good sepia one) and Ramper Pot.
Nice hat missus!
As for the date of the documents again it’s a best guess (if you think this post is vague you should see what I've put on the site). After looking into some of the names on the first sheet, the dates which seem to keep coming up are around the mid 1700’s .. especially around 1760ish. I can find a Robert Bickerstaff owning some of the lands mentioned in 1761 but it could be a son or grandson who is on our doc and actually be much later around the time of the enclosure of Thornton Marsh in 1800 (still typing it).
So before I tie myself up in knots about who, what, when, where and how, I will leave you to draw your own conclusions .. and if nothing else it’s very nice handwriting.
Just for Fun ...
Circle the Cat
PS .. I have also added a new link to the baptism records 1759 - 1798 for St Chads in Poulton which was Thornton's Parish Church before Christ Church.
A
Thanks again H.H.,Very interesting,I see the document is entitled "Land Gained by the Clow"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this refers to the draining of Stannah Villas Land west of Stannah Rd,its riddled with underground streams and the water drained off via Brook Farm Main Dyke has to enter the river somewere.Except for one disasterous attempt, my recollection is that most of the low level land around Stannah has always been used for grazing,and the land west of Stannah Rd is riddled with underground streams.Prior to WW2 almost all the land was pasture or winter fodder crops, Kale, Mangols swede's ect.The only cereal crops i remember were grow on high or drained ground,eg:(were millfield school now stands)by Thornton Hall farm, and these were for consumption by his animals,
PS, I see the Gardner name is mentioned.
"Baildon Local Board wrote to Idle Local Board about ‘the bad condition of the water in the wheel Race'..."
ReplyDeleteAnd being the Idle Local Board, of course, they probably procrastinated a little and then went home.
p.s. After three attempts I managed to circle that stupid cat (probably because I'm used to rounding up my own badly behaved bundle of claws and fur)...only to discover there's no 'Congratulations', no little animation, no nothing. I'm glad I wasn't chasing it all day otherwise I'd have been most disappointed.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know .. I've been at it 2 days and I've got 2 cats! I don't want to circle it anymore just catch it and ring it's blooming neck !!!!
Hi James
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that some of the plans and surveys done in 1800 for Thornton Marsh survive so we can try and spot where it's likely to be.
Three posts in a row .. how sad!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway I was glancing through the Parish Records for St Chads and in the mid 1700's there were 3 blacksmiths in Thornton at the same time. I would have thought 1 maybe 2 as the population wasn't that big.
Hi, Considering that the only mobile power would be Horse power,and all machinery would have to be forge repaired(No welding in those days)3 would be a likely number,Posibly one would be a "Blacksmith" (Metal Worker) and not a farrier.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Forge at 4 Lane Ends was such a place
hence the name Forge and not Smithy.does it give locations?
Hi James
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately on the parish records it just mainly gives 'Thornton' and if you are lucky a fathers occupation which in this case is 'blacksmith'. I only noticed because they all had children on the same baptism page. I did come across triplets though !! I think it would be highly unlikely they all survived but a miracle to get to full term at that time.
Now you mention it I suppose with all the farm workers around Thornton at the time 3 blacksmiths would be useful. Am pretty sure that one of them would have been at the Bay Horse either whilst or before it was a beer house.
RE;The Dads Army Lads,App: they were trained by an Ex Royal Navy Petty Officer,and one of them was called Mc Guiness who lived on Lesley Ave; at that time, other than that there is no trace,
ReplyDeleteSorry,
Mc guiness from what i can remember he was a real caricter, i was a teenager at the time but i do remember them. in saying that they are probably best left in the past lol.
ReplyDeleteOh no I like characters .. spill. When I am tracing my family tree you see hundreds of agricultural labourers and it's the interesting ones which are fun.
ReplyDeleteMy 4 x gt grandfather (1801) was a right one. He murdered his first wife and was sent to prison .. when he got out he stole from the vicar and was transported to Australia. He escaped before his time was up and came home (6 month voyage) to bigamously marry his third wife at the age of 76!
I was one of the Dads Army crew. in the late 60's early 70's. every gala day hahah..
ReplyDeleteRe The Bay horse Pub, There was a blacksmith forge/building at the back of the pub on the carpark side, the foundations are still there, I noticed them a few months ago after all the trees had been cleared.
John D-A
Hi John
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog firstly.
I don't remember you from the gala as I'm too young (no laughing!). I will definately go and have a look for the blacksmiths .. thanks.
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