Richard Higginson was born in 1810, 5 years before the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. He was born in Croston, a village/small town 11 miles south of Preston in Lancashire. Lancashire in the 19th century was the centre of the “Dark Satanic Mills” with over 2500 cotton mills employing over half a million workers. The mills either prepared and spun the cotton or wove it into cloth before exporting it over the whole world.
Richard married Sarah Rigby on 27th Sept 1840 in St George Church, Chorley, Lancashire. Sarah who was born on 21st May 1813 already had 2 children before marrying Richard; Samuel born on Sept 17th, 1837 and Alice baptised on 29th June 1840. The birth registry for both Samuel & Alice shows their mother Sara as a single woman and the census record for 1841 which was taken on the night of Sunday 6th June 1841 shows Richard & Sarah as having 2 children, Samuel & Alice, but both under the surname of Rigby. In 1841 the family was living in Canel Leach, Croston, now Station Road. The next entry is in the 1851 Census which now includes Anne who was born 2nd Oct 1845 and Jane born 3rd Dec 1843. Sadly, Their Mother, Sarah was not on the Census, she had died on 7th Aug 1847 at the age of 34 just 5 months after her first-born Samuel had died, aged 9 in Mar 1847, her death certificate has the cause of death as “decline” – perhaps the death of Samuel was too much for her. The Children were all now using their Fathers Surname of Higginson and living in Dobb Cross, Crowson. The death of their mother would have had a major effect on the family but would also have become a financial problem for them and the task of looking after the children would become difficult for Richard. Alice, only 11 in 1851 was already working in the Cotton Mills as a Bobbin Winder alongside her father who was a Hand Loom Weaver, Jane and Anne were at school but by 1861 both Jane and Anne were also working in the Cotton Mills. Alice had left home and married in 1861 to John Bromley and Jane married in 1862 to Thomas Large. Richard Higginson passed away in 1869.
After Jane married Thomas Large in 1862 they moved from Croston in Lancashire to Bunbury in Cheshire, this was the birthplace of Thomas and perhaps this was her way to escape a life working in the mills and the hardship she endured in her life at Croston. Croston to Bunbury is over 50 miles and how they met will be a mystery that we will never really know, but Thomas worked on the Railways and Jane lived at the north end of Croston close to the Railway Station, perhaps Thomas was sent from Bunbury by his employer to carry out maintenance work on the railway at Croston and it was here that the two met. Jane had only turned 18 and Thomas was 21, neither could read or write so the lure of a better life must have been strong. By 1871 they had settled in Bunbury and now had a daughter Elizabeth aged 3. They went on to have a further 5 children, Frederick (b.1867), George (b.1874), Arthur (b.1877), Job (b.1880) and Thomas (b.1883). By 1901 most of the family had married and left home, except for Thomas, the youngest son and now aged 18.
They still lived in Bunbury and their neighbors in 1901 were 2 other families who at that time would have no knowledge that their lives would end up being linked forever. In one house lived Reginald Brown 36, a man living off his own means with Emily B Sutcliffe 38, employed as a servant & her sister Fanny Louisa Sutcliffe 33, also employed as a servant. In the next household lived Thomas Mounfield 54, a Farmer, Mary Mounfield his wife, 50, and their daughters Sarah Lupton 25, (married to Percy Lupton) and Ada Mary Mounfield age 15 (at the time of the census Ada was visiting a friend and is recorded as being at the house of the family of William Jackson at Chestnut Street Southport). Thomas Large and Ada Mary Mounfield were in a relationship and Ada became pregnant in Sept 1908. They married on 16th Dec 1908 and their son Thomas Henry Large was born on 21st May 1909, 5 months after their marriage. Ada was very close with Fanny L Sutcliffe her neighbor – perhaps this friendship helped Ada through these difficult times as her family did not look upon on her situation well.
Fast forward to 1911 and we now find all the families spread apart, Ada, Thomas & their baby son Thomas Henry Large ( affectionately called Harry ) aged 2 are living at 140 Gladstone Street in Over, Winsford. Thomas & Mary Mounfield now run a small boarding house at 8 Laburnum Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Merseyside. Thomas & Jane Large were still living at Bunbury Heath. Reginal Brown had married Emily Sutcliffe in 1906 and were living at The Nest, Bunbury. Fanny Sutcliffe had married William Rice in 1906 and was living at 103 Ermine Road, Chester, they were now 43 & 47 years of age and had a daughter Emily Francis aged 11 months.
Ada had always kept in touch with Fanny Sutcliffe, now Rice. When her son Thomas, was older and had learnt to drive he would take his mother Ada to see Fanny in Chester. Thomas ( Harry) was 20 at this time Fanny’s daughter Emily 18. Whilst Ada and Fanny spent afternoons together so did Harry and Emily, and in 1936 at the ages of 27 & 26 they married. Harry and Emily had probably known each other as children through Ada and Fanny friendship. Unfortunately Emily’s father William died in 1925 when she was 14 and her mother in 1934 so she had no parents living to see her get married.
In 1901 the 3 families of School Lane Bunbury were simple neighbours, but would end up being related
Reginald Brown, Emily B Sutcliffe age 38 & Fanny L Sutcliffe age 33 would become my Great Grandma
Thomas & Mary Mounfield who would become my Great-Great Grandparents & Ada Mary Mounfield would become my Great Grandmother
Thomas & Jane Large age 60 were my Great-Great Grandparents
Thomas & Jane Large’s son Thomas married Thomas & Mary Mounfield’s Daughter Ada.
Their Son Thomas then married Fanny Sutcliffe’s daughter Emily in 1936 and they had a daughter Dinah Mary large in 1938 who is my Mother.
Thomas (Harry) and Emily (Affectionately called Molly) moved to Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire with Thomas’s work, which is where their daughter Dinah Mary was born on 29th June 1938.
Ada died in 1957, Thomas moved to Cockermouth in Cumbia to live with Harry & Molly at Sunny Croft in Mayo Street, Cockermouth.
