NORBERT AINSCOUGH - Grandad Ainscough

b.26th April 1903 - d19th March 1991, at Swinton Hall Nursing Home, Swinton, Lancs.
My father, Peter John Ainscough, has passed the following information to me. The source was his mother, my gran, Freda Ainscough. Norbert Ainscough married Freda Faulkner on 31st March 1934.
Norbert and Freda were cremated and their ashes laid in Agecroft Cemetery.

They had 7 children:
1.1 Michael Kevin b.18th Feb 1935 – d.Dec 1994
1.2 Peter John – (my dad) living
1.3 David Bernard- living
1.4 Anthony Norbert- living
1.5 James Henry- living
1.6 Catherine Ann- living
1.7 John Francis- living

GRANDAD’S PARENTS
Henry Ainscough b.14 July 1868 – 10 October 1912 m Catherine Farley b.20 Sept 1872 – 14 Dec 1951
Henry Ainscough (my great grandad, b.1868 - d.1912) was the father of Norbert Ainscough. Henry married Catherine Farley in 1895. He worked as the Station Master at Dean Lane, Moston 1895 until his early death in 1912 aged just 44 years. He died of heart and bronchial failure. He was buried at Moston cemetery 1912 in grave 761 in St. Anthony's RC section.
Also buried in that grave on 18 December 1951 was his widow Catherine Seymour, previously Ainscough nee Farley (20 September 1872 - 14 December 1951) and Bernard Ainscough buried 15 Jan 1929, son of Thomas & Mamie Ainscough who was born 28 December 1928.

Catherine Farley was of Irish origin but at some point they crossed the Irish Sea, probably in search of work, the Farley family growing up in Birkenhead, Liverpool. Catherine (Farley) Ainscough remarried Pop Seymour after Henry died.

Henry and Catherine had 8 children as follows:
1.1 George Alfred died as a baby b 1890 – d.1890
1.2 John Maurice – b.21 Aug 1896 – d.10 March 1975
1.3 Thomas – b.11 June 1898 – d.2 Oct 1974
1.4 Bernard – b.9 Oct 1899 – d.1 Oct 1978
1.5 Margaret Mary – b.1 June 1901 – d.30 Nov 1983
1.6 Norbert Ainscough (my grandad) b.1903 – d.1991
1.7 Harry Kevin- b.25 Feb 1912 – d.8 August 1998
1.8 Mary Kathleen – b.14 Sept 1904 – d. 8 Dec 1982

GRANDAD'S PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
THOMAS AINSCOUGH b.1846-d.18 Sept 1929 & MARGARET BARNES b.1839-31 Jan 1913
Occupation: The 1901 census lists Thomas as living in Chorley, Lancaster and working as a Railway Goods Inspector.

GRANDAD'S MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
JAMES FARLEY b.1834- d.27 June 1897 & MARY MORRIS b.1836- d.5 July 1900
Occupation: The 1881 census lists James as 45 years old and an unemployed Sawyer. Living at no.10 St. Marys Avenue, Birkenhead, Liverpool with wife Mary and 6 children at home.

Grandad Ainscough was referred to as the "Jelly Tot" grandad by my 2 younger sisters because when they came to stay he would always greet Jane and Rachael with bags of jelly tots! I remember him as a quiet man, incredibly patient and he liked to smoke a pipe. It was difficult for him to get a word in edgeways with Gran around, but he liked it that way. But that isnt how he had always been.....when we were young he was quite strict with us, with a booming disciplinarian voice we had to sit upright at the dining table, no elbows and eat properly, maybe something the children of today could do with learning?? Gran referred to him as her "Funny Face' claiming his nose was stuck up and she reckonned that this was caused by the way he wiped the drip from the end of his nose when he was gardening. I do know that he never learned to drive and so gran and grandad never owned a car, they either walked everywhere or relied on others for a lift. We used to visit them when they lived in a council house, 44 Coniston Rd. Swinton. For many years this house had no indoor toilet, so during the night the choice was either the bucket in the bathroom or a quick dash outside to use the outdoor toilet - I cant believe I had the courage to do this! Many years ago I remember my gran still using an old mangle to do her washing.
My Grandad (Norbert) was a railway clerk throughout his working life, with the exception of the war years. He was borderline for call up to the armed services (age 36 in 1939) and instead was put in the police as a war reserve. One of the advantages of working on the railway was that he got concessionary passes for himself and quarter fares for the rest of the family so they could afford to travel about a bit.
Dad remembers that when he was a lad in Swinton there were trolley buses running from the Town Hall. Peter and his brother Mike used to catch the trolley bus to Manchester and then tram to Hyde, Gee Cross where Catherine Ainscough (Farley) lived. Later after Pop Seymour died and she wasn't well ( dad remembers he was at Hyde with his Dad when she had the first stroke from which she recovered) she moved to live with Uncle Harry and Auntie Helen at Didsbury. He stayed with her once there when Harry and Helen were away for some reason. She died there when he was still at school and he got the news. At the time Peter (dad) was boarding at St, Bedes but left St. Bede's in 1953 and started work at the Pendlebury library soon afterwards.


For more information about the photos visit:
http://flickr.com/photos/barbaraainscough/sets/72157594187366429/