Ainscough Legend- Scots or Lancs?

Hi Barbara
Can you help me with a family legend please?
I am the GGS of -
Sarah Ainscough b. abt. 1853 Orrell Lancashire m. abt. 1874 Pemberton Lancashire
John William Lancaster Fairhurst b. 09 Feb 1853 Lamberhead Green

Her Parents were - James Ainscough b. abt. 1825, Lancashire m.? Jane Fishwick b. abt. 1824, Lancashire
His Father was listed as James, and apparently his father was James too.
The legend states that - One of these James Ainscough's was a Scot, and apparently took part in the Jacobite rising of 1745, on the Jacobite side.
This has caused a bit of confusion as to the origin of the name - Scottish or Lancastrian? Can you help please?

Kind regards
Clive Molyneux

Hello Barbara, hope all is well.
Just a note to ask if you would like to join us on this years St. Olave's walk, this time on St. Olave's Day, Friday 29th July - should be great fun!
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/Olsok2011.htm
This year we will be joined by BBC Historian Michael Wood who is filming for a new series Story of a Nation, to appear before next years Olympic Games,
Thanks and best wishes
Steve
_________________________________________________________________________
Steve Harding, University of Nottingham Centre for the Study of the Viking Age, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Tel: +44(0) 115 951 6148 (fax 6142); Mob +44(0) 78110 90635; http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/csva/people/steve.harding; http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve
_____________________________________________________________

Vincent Ainscough - Wrightington

Adrian Rigby writes the following:

Vincent John Ainscough (1901-1963) & Elizabeth Ann Ainscough (1901-1977)

Hi ,
I'm contacting you after finding your blog on Ainscough family history. My Grandad was Vincent Ainscough who is buried with my Grandma Elizabeth Ainscough in the Catholic church at Wrightington, the grave you could not identify. Very briefly it was Vincent who's brother Billy founded Ainscoughs' business empire from his scrap yard at Mosseylea. My granddad worked down the pit during the day and drove Billy's lorry (Billy could not drive) back from where ever he had been buying bomb damaged goods from.
Liverpool dock was a favourite from what I have been told.
I will be seeing my mum over Christmas and will tell her about this contact. Her name is Pauline Ainscough who was married to a Derek Rigby (my father).

Best Regards
Adrian Rigby: A B cartridges ltd

More information can be found here:
http://ainscough-familyhistory.blogspot.com/2007/08/ainscough-burials-wrightington.html

Alice Ainscough b.1833

On 3 Jun 2010, at 14:49, Valda Morgan (bignan6@hotmail.com) wrote:

Hi Barbara,

Just to let you know, Alice Ainscough born 1833 was my GGGGrandmother, She Married Swithin Greenough, who accidently died by falling of a Scaffold (he was a Stonemason) Alice Later came out to Australia about 1882/3, her two brothers Thomas and Richard came out to Australia around 1870 on the SS GREAT BRITAIN. Thomas was with Alice when she passed away in 1890 at Port Melbourne , Victoria, Australia. I have Alice's Death Certificate.

Also images show detail for Jane Ainscough nee Harrison and her husband John Ainscough (Wheelwright). Jane Ainscough nee Harrison and John Ainscough are Alice Greenough nee Ainscough's parents

Cheers Val Morgan. (Australia).

Stopforth family

On 23 Jan 2011, at 14:17, Wendy (wendy807@btinternet.com) wrote:

Hello Barbara,

I found your family history site on the web whilst searching for info about my 3rd Gt Grandmother Ann Stopforth b.1810 Newburgh

Although I have amassed a pile of info about the Stopforth family I cannot say for sure who Ann's parents were.
My best guess is Edward Stopforh and Catherine Hankin although I have no proof of this but her first born was Edward.

Have you come across her in your research? So far I haven't found any clues beyond the cenus records/parish clerk project etc.,
I wondered if she was born a Roman Catholic which may be why I haven't found a baptism record.

My next move is to look in Ormskirk Library and the Records office at Preston as nothing is turning up in the usual online searches.

Look forward to hearing from you

Wendy


Hi Wendy

You may have seen this post already? There are some trees here - you might also like to contact Andy Scarisbrick directly to see if he has any more info. or John Stopforth, Canada - email addresses on this page.
http://ainscough-familyhistory.blogspot.com/2008/11/stopforth-speakman-ainscough-links.html

regards
Barbara

Hi Barbara,

I saw your web site and the message from Wendy. I have just sent her the message below. If my calculations are correct, Anne Stopforth/Ainscough was my 4x great grandmother.

On 4 Apr 2011, at 16:11, JOHN STOPFORTH wrote:
JOHN STOPFORTH
Hi Wendy,
I saw your message on Barbara Ainscough's web site.

Catholicism was a strong belief in the Stopforth family and many of them were recusants. Edward Stopforth and Catherine Hankin were my 3xgreat grandparents who married on july 20th 1800 in Ormskirk at St.Peter & St. Paul's, the parish church. Their first child Thomas was baptised at St. Anne's RC Church on May 10th 1802, one of his sponsors being Anne Ainscough, but I believe that he died that same year. Thereafter are problems since I have found no further baptisms until 1820 in St. John's Burscough, also roman catholic. The problem lies in the fact that the records of St. John's are incomplete - the story goes that they were rescued as bits of paper by an anglican vicar around 1900.
To recap, their first child was Thomas, b.1802 who died the same year. As I understand it, my Thomas was born 1807 although I have yet to find the actual record but all the other facts fit. Both Thomas and William who was born in 1808 (and in 1832 married Susannah Mayor) were named as the "sons of my nephew Edward" and beneficiaries in Hugh Ainscough's Will.

The records of St John's show Edward in 1820, Jane and James, both in 1822 then Hannah in 1824. Somewhere inbetween there is Catherine and Anne, although Anne and Hannah could be the same person. There must have been other births or deaths during the missing years.

There is always the possibility that I have not got it right and that the post 1818 children belong to another Edward and Catherine but I find that hard to believe since St. John's records give Catherine's maiden name quite clearly as Hankin, or Ankin.

My Thomas married Ann Robinson in 1826 and remained as a grocer and beerseller at Spencer's Bridge for the next 40 years until they both died, possibly initially financed by Hugh's legacy. Spencer's bridge is only about a quarter of a mile from Tawdside farm where Edward and Catherine lived. As the oldest son it might have been expected that Thomas would take over the farm when Edward died but it would appear not to have been so. Edward continued to run the farm until at least the age of 77 in 1851.
If this has been of any help, please get in touch.

John Stopforth.


On 5 Apr 2011, at 11:07, JOHN STOPFORTH wrote:

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for your speedy reply.

I am fairly happy with my family tree going back to the second half of the seventeenth century but before that is very problematic - and may always be so. The date stone on the gable end of Tawdside Farm bears the initials E,A,S 1684, that I take to be Edward and Alice Stopforth (nee Dickett). Now a long shot. As far as I can make out, "our ancestors area" became settled in the late tudor times with the draining of the mosses - the straight drainage lines can be clearly seen on the OS map of today with farms and villages dotted around the outsides. A trawl through A2A gives lots of documents dating from the first half of the seventeenth century that concern property transfers that refer to "the inheritance of the late William Stopforth" This seems to have been the William who was secretary to Lord Derby on the IOM and who seems to have been somewhat aquisitive with regard to properties. (reference the Miles Standish dispute).

It looks like his properties were given out to various members of the Stopforth family after his death but how they were related to him, I have no idea. He must have made a will but I have been unable to find it. Do you have any ideas? I believe his widow married into the Heskeths.

Regards, JS

Harriet Parkinson (GG Grandmother)

Many thanks to David Wilson (david_wilson2@btconnect.com) for this information on my Parkinson ancestors - Harriet Parkinson b.1845-d.1936 was my GG grandmother, she married Joseph Meredith Foxley b. 1847 (GG grandfather).
Their daughter Elsie Foxley b.1882 (G grandmother) married Jim Faulkner b.1873 and were the parents of my gran Freda Faulkner.


Dear Barbara

I've just come across your website and see that you are related to Harriet Parkinson, born 1845 in Wrenbury. Harriet was the sister of my gg grandfather Thomas Parkinson.

You might be interested in my website below, which tracks the Parkinsons back 3 more generations.

http://www.wilsonfamilytree.net/parkinsonlineage.asp

The Parkinsons were tenant famers in Wrenbury. I'm still building my website so all the info I have is not on there but I do have quite a few more details including info on the exact fields they farmed -here's a link to e-maps of Cheshire which show the fields that were farmed by Thomas Parkinson in Wrenbury Heath.

http://www.wilsonfamilytree.net/parkinsonfamily.asp

I live quite close to Wrenbury and so I've had a chance to drive by the site. The farmhouse doesn't exist any more. Indeed, there are houses now on both sides of the road where Thomas farmed. The fields on the Wrenbury-Ravensmoor Road are still farmland though. If you type Parkinson in to the map search function you'll also find Thomas's sons Samuel and James were also living in Wrenbury Heath at that time. Samuel was renting a house and a couple of fields whilst James was living with another family a few hundred yards away from Thomas.

What I can tell you is that the Parkinsons as a family lived in Wrenbury until about 1900, by which time, for various reasons, they all moved out of the area. My g.g.grandfather Walter Parkinson (Harriet's nephew) left in the 1890s and ended up as a railway station master in Bangor, N.Wales. My grandfather, Bruce was born in N. Wales but eventually moved to Manchester, which is where I was born (the fact that I live in Crewe only 8 miles or so from Wrenbury is a coincidence).


My mother always used to tell me that the Parkinsons were "gentleman farmers"" (her words) and certainly the early generations were tenant farmers. However, the later censuses show them merely as agricultural labourers so I assume at some point the farm tenancy was lost. I guess that's why they all evetually left the area.
One story my mother always used to tell me was that one of the Parkinsons was known as "Mad" Parkinson - something about him riding round the neighbourhood on a horse threatening people. The story is very sketchy and my mum is unfortunately no longer with us. I'd be interested to know though, whether your father passed down any stories on how the Parkinsons lived or what they were like.


Kind regards

David Wilson

Old Tom Cowley

Many thanks to Sylvia for sharing this image of Old Tom Cowley with us...photo shows Tom with his family at the Willows in Mawdesley.

Sylvia goes on to say that she checked his address on the census, "and it is our Tom Cowley, brother of Everilda." Many more images of old Mawdesley can be viewed here: click on "Local History" on the left, then on "Old Photographs"

daughter of Edward & Dortothy (Cowell) Ainscough

On 20 Nov 2010, at 18:06, Anita Smith wrote:

Hi Barbara,
I have enclosed a photo of Elizabeth Ann Ainscough daughter of Edward Ainscough and Dorothy Cowell,
Edward and Dorothy are the grt grt grt grandparents of my husband John Francis Smith we live in Conwy North Wales,
If you want any more information let me know,
Regards Anita Smith

Hi Anita
Thank you for the image, I have added it to the flickr Ainscough collection. It is great to build up a fuller picture of this family. More detail can be found on this blog at:
http://ainscough-familyhistory.blogspot.com/2007/03/edward-dorothy-ainscough-mawdesley.html
Edward is the grandson of James b.1756, who was brother to my ancestor John (who married Margaret Worthington) and Hugh (liqour merchant), of Ormskirk (d.1813).

If you have any census detail, trees or other researched information connected to this family that you feel might benefit others then please forward to me so that I can add it to the box. net facility on the blog.
regards
B

Wrightington - Speakman - Ainscough links

The PDF (guessed Speakman connections) of the tree above can be downloaded from box.net on the right.

On 16 Aug 2010, at 17:35, Tom Massam (tvmassam@yahoo.co.uk) wrote:

Dear Barbara,
Please could you help me or point me in the direction of someone who knows a lot about the Wrightington / Speakmans.
I am looking for the family of Esther Speakman. She married Henry Massam on 4th March 1810, in Scarisbrick with witnesses Henry Dobson, Mary Speakman and Helen Speakman. I know that Esther died in 1813, and her infant son James Massam was taken by an aunt to live with his grandfather (Speakman) in Wrightington. The source did not specify whether the aunt was married or was an aunt by marriage.
I speculate that Esther's parents were Thomas and Ann Speakman and that Esther had sisters Mary (born 1787 - 1791), Elizabeth (born 1782 - 1786) and Dorothy (born 1792 - 1796) so I am searching for birth records of Esther and these ladies - but in spite of scanning many church registers I have not found a record of their births.
Reasons for the speculation:

1. Thomas and Ann were active as godparents in the RC parish of Scarisbrick (1785 - 1787) at a time which would correspond to them being a young married couple at the guessed time of Esther' birth and in the years just before the births of Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy.

2. Mary Elizabeth and Dorothy Speakman were living together at Wrightington Coal Gate in the 1841 census.

3. On 26 Aug 1782, a Thomas Speakman of Dalton married Ann Bullen of Holland at Wigan All Saints (Maybe a repeat marriage following a private RC marriage?).

4. There was a large Bullen family in Scarisbrick.

Another possible connection: Esther's son James Massam became an RC priest and was the first parish priest of Longton near Stoke. Was his vocation influenced by a relative? The 1861 census records Ann Speakman, born in Wrightington 1796/7 as Prioress of St. Dominice priory at Hurst Green. The Dominican records say "Professed at Hartbury Court May 6 1829 Sister Ann Mary Luisa Speakman born 13 March 1797".
Thanks for any help you can give and I hope they fit in with your Speakmans.
Tom Massam, of Scarisbrick. (Cousin of Andrew Scarisbrick).

On 17 Aug 2010, at 11:22, Andrew Scarisbrick wrote:

Hi Barbara
Long time since we've spoken. I hope you are keeping ok.
And Hi Tom... talk about small world. I don't have anything definite to add, but the speculation does seem logical. Plus I maybe have another coincidence in this.
There was another marriage at Wigan All Saints, 1st Feb 1779, between James Speakman of Dalton and Margaret Bullen "of Rightington" (their spelling). Possibly two Speakman brothers marrying two Bullen sisters?
Regards for now,
Andrew

On 17 Aug 2010, at 13:33, Andrew Scarisbrick wrote:

Hi Barbara
Not to confuse you too much, Tom, but I have found another Bullen marriage at Wigan, All Saints, that may interest you. On the7th of March 1791, William Fairclough of Upholland married Mary Bullen of Lathom, witnesses Robt Bullen and John Holt. Their children were baptised at St. James RC, Upholland/Orrell. Their son, Hugh, married Catherine Speakman, daughter of Joseph Speakman and Susannah Ainscough, and Veronica may be interested in these Faircloughs!
Andrew

Harrock Hall - Rigby Link

On 25 Oct 2010, at 05:04, Stephen Pitman (stephen.pitman@gardline.com) wrote:

Dear Barbara
I stumbled upon your website about the Ainscoughs of Harrock Hall when I was doing my own research on my mother's side, the RIGBYES or now RIGBYS.
We have extensive references to afew of our family sirnames, namely Marsden, Rigby, Worthington, Dandye to Parbold, Douglas Chapel where they had pews. An exerpt from 'Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire Vol XLVII.' is copied below with reference to the Rigbys of Harrock. You can also search online for the book by googling it. Do you have any other information on the Rigbys of Harrock, Peter Rigbie de Lathom, or a Tomas Marsden? It seems they were there quite a long time ago. Do you also know how the Ainscoughs aquired Harrock? Would it have been from one of your ancestors marrying Eleanor Rigbye for example, who was left the estate?

I hope to hear from you soon, and hope the information below is helpful to yourself as well.
Kind regards
Stephen Pitman

Historical Notes on Douglas Chapel. 215
... There were a few old oak benches and pews in the chapel, having initials, and dates of the first half of the seventeenth century, notably one with the name ** Nicholas Rigbye" and a date carved upon it. This was in the south-east comer, and was always occupied by the family residing at Harrock Hall." The Parbold Hall pew adjoined this one. The chapel was absolutely devoid of any coats of arms, tablets, brasses, or monuments relating to the founders or any local families, and the inference is that at the time of the Reformation anything of this sort which may have existed was destroyed and ruthlessly swept away. The edifice, as it stood at the time of its demolition, consisted of a plain rectangular nave without M These galleries were built during the incumbenqr of the Rev. John Johnson. — Frivaii papers of Rev. John Price.
« Harrock Hall was in the possession of the Rigbye family anterior to the fifteenth century. The family continued in the male line until the death of Thomas Rigbye, Esq., who in 1775 <^evi8ed Harrock Hall and other estates to his sister Eleanor Rigbye for her life, with remainder to his nephew, the Rev. John Baldwin, M.A., Rector of North Meols, who, in compliance with bis uQC^'s wiUf^tfsumed the surname and arms of Rigbye.— GaslreU's HctUia. Wikipedia - Saint John Rigby - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rigby_(martyr)

On 15 Oct 2010, at 09:40, Noeline Smith (noeline.smith@hotmail.co.uk) wrote:

Hello,
I stumbled across your 'Blogspot' whilst carrying out my own family research. I am not related to you - but found your site very interesting nonetheless!
I believe that I could be descended from the Rigbys of Harrock Hall and it was whilst lookng for information on that that your site cropped up. I have worked my way back to the mid 1600s and although I don't yet have positive proof it is looking very promising.

I have been trying to read the article entitled "Going back to their roots" but the resolution is not fine enough to read on line so I wondered if you would mind very much sending me a copy as it seems to say something about the Rigbys. Also, if you have any other information regarding the Hall (or possibly the Rigbys?!) would you be happy to share that with me or perhaps point me in the right directon. I live near Salisbury, Wiltshire so that makes things a little more tricky - something that's obvious to a 'local' is easily overlooked!
Many thanks,
Noeline Smith (nee Rigby)

On 29 Oct 2010, at 09:29, JOHN COBHAM wrote:

Stephen,
Regarding your enquiry re Harrock Hall & Ainscough/Rigby connection.
Bill Ainscough purchased Harrock Hall from Sir Peter Moores, who owns a lot of the land  around Wrightington & Parbold several years ago & until Bill aquired it it was pretty much run down. PM himself never lived there, he lives at Parbold Hall. So there is no connection between the Ainscoughs & Rigbys. There is a connection with Harrock & St John Rigby, Martyred in the 16th century & each year a Mass is said in the barn at Harrock Hall to commemorate him. I think Eccleston parish church has some records of the old Rigbye family but I couldn't be sure.
Regards
John Cobham