Higher Mill Workforce 1912

 First published 21 April 2014

Higher Mill Workers 1912

(click on photo to enlarge)

Here we have the Hoghton Bottoms Higher Mill workers assembled for a commemorative photo. The men are all wearing a buttonhole, and the girls, a flower pinned to their working clothes – what was the occasion ? Was it a Royal event? Obviously it was not a holiday, for they are wearing their working clogs.  

The names are mostly Riley Green people, names left to right front row, 

 Jane Wadsworth, Annie Crook, Frances Windle? Cissy King?  Marion Windle, 

 Lucy Clayton?  Alice Crook,    Mabel Windle (extreme right)

Back row, left to right, Harold Windle, Margaret Clayton?, May Clayton, Billie Clayton,

Polly Thornber

Mabel Windle, my grandmother (far right) and her sister, Marion, (sixth from the right) were living at the Tower Cottages at this time.  If Mabel had been around 18-20 years of age, this puts the photo date around 1912-1914. 

If you can identify any of your ancestors, please let me know.

For all those people out there interested in family history, some of the marriages of the above mentioned people were: 

Mabel Windle-------m--------Thomas Miller-Crook

Marion Windle------m--------John Hunt
Frances Windle------m--------Edward (Ted) Wignall

Margaret Clayton----m--------Harold Windle

Lucy Clayton---------m--------Robert ?  Singleton

Alice Crook----------m--------Eli Miller Crook

Annie Miller Crook--m-------James Lawson

Polly King------------m--------Stanley Thornber

Cissy King-----------m--------William Holroyd

May Clayton              unmarried

Jane Wadsworth       unmarried

Billie Clayton             unmarried

Hoghton Church - Holy Trinity

First published 30 January 2012 

As G C Miller tells us in "A Brief History of Holy Trinity Parish Church" there was apparently no church in Hoghton Parish before 1823.  Services were probably held in the Banqueting Hall or the private family chapel at Hoghton manor house (thought to have been in Hoghton Bottoms) and later at Hoghton Tower.   These services would have been for the Hoghton family, together with their dependants and household attendants.  Others would have had to use churchs in Brindle, Walton-le-Dale or Samlesbury.  He also tells us that a small congregation of Protestants held services in the Great Hall of Hoghton Tower until 1795.  

The drawing shows the original building, apparently now part of the south transept.  Built in local red sandstone and Early English, Gothic style, rather plain, with four turrets, one at each corner. The original name was the Chapel of Hoghton in the Parish of Leyland, and founded in 1823. Hoghton was created an ecclesiastical parish in 1842.  

The old church had problems with its roof.  The timbers rotted and eventually in 1884 the ceiling showed great cracks, some portions fell down and it had to be closed.
Services were transferred to Hoghton School while the church was rebuilt.
The new church in perpendicular Gothic style was opened in 1887, Henry de Hoghton being the benefactor. 

The East stained glass window is a memorial to Mr and Mrs Eli Crook, from their children and was placed in the church in 1929

Class of 1958

First published 27 June 2012.

Many thanks to Philip White (Headmaster's son) for supplying this photo from his distant abode in Dubai. 

After collaboration with family members, all but three names are missing!  Please write if you can identify them.

Starting with back row :  Mr White, Headmaster, -  Unknown - Maurice Throup - John Smalley - David Throup - John Farnworth.

Middle Row - David Clark - Brian Bentham - Bill Wilmer - John Birchall - Barry Sproson.

Front Row - x Throup? - Janet Cressey - Ann Graham - Barbara Veevers - x Throup? - Carol Wallbank.

In Front, Joyce Brennand.

Mr White became Headmaster of the school in 1956 following the retirement of Christopher Burns.

The Cyclists' Rest 1905

 

This photo was first published 22 October 2013

This photo was apparently taken in 1905 -  long before we needed petrol in Hoghton!  I remember going to Murray's from the 60's when it was run by Neil Murray and his wife and it was a busy filling station and general store ( the life and soul of Hoghton village!). Later Neil's son Ian and his wife, Stephanie, took over, retiring approximately 2012. The new owners have transformed it back into a private house. Watch this space for more modern photos.

Class of 1933

 

Photo first posted in 6 Jan 2014

First Row (left to right)

Edwin Shillitoe                               lived      Cherry Tree Farm, Dover Lane

Colin Margison                                "            The Straits

Gilbert Hindle                                  "            Vale House Farm, Hoghton Bottoms

Second Row

William (Billie) Gorton                   "            Duxon Hill Farm

Unsure

Unsure

Unsure

Jean Entwistle                                 "            Fowler's Farm, Station Road

Bessie Clayton                                  "            Quaker Brook Farm

Joan Sutcliffe                                    "            Chapel Lane     

Frank Wood                                      "            The Barracks, Chapel Lane

William ? Bamford                          "            Chapel Farm, Chapel Lane

Third Row

Peter Birchall                              "                  Hoghton Bottoms

Leo Walsh                                    “                  Council Houses, Riley Green

Bobbie Bamford                         “                  Chapel Farm, Chapel Lane

Jack Shillitoe                              “                  Cherry Tree Farm, Dover Lane

Herbert Miller- Crook              “                   Bell Villas, Gib Lane

Frank Clayton                            “                   Quaker Brook Farm

Unsure

Geoffrey Wilkinson                  “                    Gib Lane

Tom Singleton                           “                   Brindle Bar/Tower Lodge

Frank Entwistle ?                     “                    Fowler's Farm, Station Road

Of the girls marked Unsure – could be any of the following, who attended Hoghton School at this period.

Alice Platt                              lived               Bell Villas, Gib Lane

Irene Woods                           “                     Blanket Hall, Gib Lane

Margaret Wilson                   “                      Riley Green

Rita Cunningham                  “                      Riley Green

Elsie Seed                                “                      Long Barn, Chapel Lane

Vera Wignall                           “                      Middenstead Farm, Station Road

Dorothy Windle                    “                      Tower Cottages

Margaret Windle                  "                       Tower Cottages
Phyllis Harrison                   “                       Park Gate

Marion Chadwick                 “                      The Barracks

Marjorie Shaw                       “                      Rock Gardens
Eileen Tetlow                        "                       Quaker Brook Lane

Joan Sutcliffe

Of the boys marked Unsure -  Could be any of the following, who attended Hoghton School at this period.

 

Dick Birchall                                 lived                   Hoghton Bottoms

Jack Hindle                               “                     Vale House Farm, Hoghton Bottoms

Dennis Harrison                      “                     Park Gate
James Harrison                        "                     Park Gate

Tom Kipling                              “                     The Barracks

Harold Shaw                             “                     Rock Gardens

John Ainscough                      “                      Stanley Villas

Tom Abbott                              “                     Stanley Coppice Farm
Jack ? Smith                             "                     Strait's Shop - formerly a Coaching Inn
Jack ? Swift                               "                     Camm's Poultry Farm, Gib Lane

                                                                            (now the Glen)

Alfred (Alf) Hitchen              “                       Coppice Farm

Photo and  names courtesy of  Herbert Miller-Crook (3rd row) born 1925!

Class of 1932

 

Photo coutesy of Gareth Maddock whose maternal grandfather appears in the middle, back row, Stanley Hitchen. Also on the photo, Stanley's  brother Alfred Hitchen, F Clayton, Holden and R Clayton. (Not sure which is which but Alfred seems to be to the right of his brother.

This photo, just of the boys, was  taken in 1932 seems to be taken the same day as the Football Team one, but there is one extra  member. Some nice clogs on the front row!  

Hoghton School Football Team 1932

 

Photo courtesy of Gareth Maddock.

Gareth's maternal grandfather was Stanley Hitchen, (who lived at Stanley Coppice Farm, Roach Road as a child). Stanley is on the back row third from the right. He had a brother called Alfred.

Not many of theses faces are known, but the back of the photo mentions F Clayton, Holden and R Clayton on the back row. Perhaps someone could name a few more?

Alfred and Stanley Hitchen 

Traveller's Rest

 

 The Traveller's Rest is a shelter built into the front wall of Hoghton School, directly opposite the entrance to Hoghton Church.  It has a bench and traces of what seems to have been a drinking fountain.  Over the headstone we see the words "Traveller's Rest" and the initials C de H for Charles de Hoghton and the year 1877.  I've rested there many a time after walking up the hill!

I originally posted this photo in 2012. Taken by my grandfather, Thomas Miller-Crook, in 1932, it shows my Grandmother, Mabel (née Windle) with her two children sitting in the Traveller's Rest. My Uncle Herbert would be around seven year's old, sitting next to Mabel and my father Eric, aged, 3, standing to the right on the pavement.  This would be the original stone seat. When the roadway was raised a wooden platform was placed on the stone seat to compensate the height.  

They would walk on Sunday mornings from their home at 5 Bell Villas, Gib Lane, to Riley Green, Horrobin Fold cottage, to visit their Aunty Rachel Miller-Crook, who lived there alone.  

Hoghton School 1932 - whole school

 

Photo courtesy of Gareth Maddock.
Year is approximately 1932.

The final photo is a large group shot of what is presumed to be the entire Hoghton School.  Alfred Hitchen should be somewhere on this photo, but Lilian Hitchen, his sister, is towards the middle of the photo in the second row from the back wearing her hair in pigtails and with a bow in her hair. Gareth's maternal grandfather, Stanley Hitchen, is sat at the far right of the front row.

Class of 1928

 

Names to be added soon

Motorcyclists outside the Smithy

Early motorcyclists outside the Smithy, Chapel Lane

This photo would have been taken around 1956

My father, Eric Miller-Crook, is on the left, centre, John Wilmer, followed by Fred Ormerod on the right (from Hoghton Tower Cottages).  The three were good friends and would go out riding together.  Judging from the white line they have painted on the ground, perhaps they were going to have a race?

Brennan's Farm, Station Road, can be seen in the background and the entrace to the Boar's Head and Gib Lane on the right.

The "Shuttle Shop"

 

Vale House Farm is shown here in the foreground.  Livesey's factory is further along the road, in the centre of the photograph.  This factory manufactured shuttles for the cotton industry and was known as "the Shuttle Shop"!  See also the postings on Higher and Lower Mills.