lancashiretodundee

(Full disclosure – I went to the primary school linked to the Chapel mentioned below. The Head was Mr Chew. It was not the nearest school. My great grandfather David was as far as I know the first Wesleyan. Previous generations were linked to the Church of England) My source only deals with the Wesleyan (mainstream) Methodists. There was no mention of the Primitive Methodists, nor of the Methodist New Connection. Ranked in terms of numbers of congregations (in 1851) the order is Wesleyan, Primitive, Calvinistic, Association, and New Connection. Wesleyans are by far the most numerous. This count excludes Independent (some of which may be Methodist and some perhaps Congregationalist) who are 2 nd to Wesleyan and Bible Christian. Baptists rank 3 rd . The Wesleyans seemed to regard the Primitives as disorganised and chaotic and did not speak to them. The Wesleyans wanted respectability, which they thought the Primitives did not attract. There was a big Primitive Chapel in my town t...

This clergyman who remonstrated with the Wesleyans in Duncan Square, Oswaldtwistle and called them “babblers” was Rev Jonathan Topping, assistant curate at Church Kirk in July 1807 then curate in 1809 until March 1810. I assumed at first that his residence would be the Old Parsonage. All that remains of this is Parsonage Street. It is parallel to Market Street opposite the railway station entrance. Duncan Square was five minutes’ walk away behind the disused Palladium cinema. However, as he was only a curate and not the incumbent, this was probably not the case. He resided at Church Bridge where his first child was born, according to the baptismal record. This would be the bridge over the Leeds-Liverpool canal at its mid-point. This is marked as Church Kirk Bridge on the old OS map. There is an old house West of the bridge which I assume was and is a farmhouse. Perhaps he took lodgings there. Perhaps he had business at the old parsonage and took the opportunity to bother Mrs Haworth ...

Alfred Waine of Roughlee (1867-1937) was my 2 nd great uncle. He was the younger brother of David Waine, my great grandfather. He was a bit of an entrepreneur who turned a redundant cotton mill, Roughlee Lower Mill, into a place of recreation. In December, 1911, the Corporation of Nelson invited offers for the purchase of Roughlee Mill and appurtenances. I was given to understand that Alfred was the only party to put in a bid. I found a report from 1888 when Nelson Local Board resolved to purchase the mill from the Stuttards, who also owned other mills in the area, owing to the depression of trade. They kept the mill for 22 years before deciding to sell. The place became Roughlee Lake and Pleasure Ground. It continued as such until about 1970. Alfred was a cotton twister and loomer before this up until 1911. He must have been one of the first Waines to get out of coal. My two times great grandfather John Waine who was a pit shaft sinker moved to Roughlee to help him with the wate...