EVENTS Bridgtown are holding their Annual Exhibition and launch of their new Bridgtown book TODAY (Sunday, 15th October) at the Bridgtown Social Club, Walsall Road. 10am – 4pm. We will be there and will be selling their new book from our Base.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday. All welcome.

REQUESTS Jenni Bond forwards a 1900 photograph of the Rev Shapurji Edalji with the St Marks Choir that includes Jenni’s grandfather, Tom Garratt as well as Billy Bullock (Churchwarden) and Joe Beard and Jenni asks for help in naming the ladies.

RESPONSES At our Exhibition we had a request from Debra who was researching her Steadman family tree starting with her g-grandfather John Ernest Steadman and our researcher Vi has now produced a tree going back to 1797 and Debra emails ‘Goodness we were so pleased when Vi showed us the research she had done since last week. We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude for all the hard work Vi has done – I can’t believe that only a week has passed since we knew next to nothing. Now my mom is going to sort through old photos so we can meet up with you again so that these can be added to your archives.’

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS The Official Cricket Scorebook of Hawkins CC for the 1938, 1939 & 1940 seasons has been kindly donated by Geoffrey Sambrooke ane records all the matches and details of everyone’s scores etc.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

19th October 1967 Story of a new Karate Club with instructor, Mr David Hayward, held at the Salem Methodist School Rooms, Cheslyn Hay.

20th October 1917 Cheslyn Hay Bowling Club’s dinner and presentation of prizes, all listed.

20th October 1917 Presentation made at Messrs T A Hawkins and Sons, Old Coppice Colliery, by the Manager Mr L K Fairley, to Mr John Warburton with full details.

20th October 1917 Howard Wilkes, of Upper Landywood, was summoned for cruelty with full story.
20th October 1917 Raymond Jones and Frederick Hawkesworth, of Cheslyn Hay, in court and found guilty. Full details.
20th October 1917 Listing recommended increases in the price of the allotments.
MEMORIES We’ve had an encouraging response to our recent ‘Memories’ with stories on the fishing tackle shop as well as memories of wartime and Alan Brown contributes with comments on the ‘Memories’ column in his own inimical style.

EVENTS Roger’s Chat n Char this Thursday, 12th October, as usual, starting at 10am in the Salem’s Main Hall.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday andour researchers are on hand to help with viewing through our photographs and archives as well as for family history.

REQUESTS An interesting enquiry was made at our Annual Exhibition on Saturday as to one of the photographs on display. GW-CHM-19 is entitled ‘The National Mouse Show held at St Marks – March 1948’. We have no further information and none of the owners of their ‘prize winning pets’ are named. Can anyone help?

Moss Fisher has rekindled his interest in angling again after almost 40 years away from the sport and emails ‘In 1967 when I was fourteen years old, my older cousin used to take me down the new roading from by the bridge in Station Street down to the brook towards the Watling Street where we used to fish for tiddlers. A couple of years later I had a proper fishing rod, which, I believe, was hand made in Bridgtown by a chap named Allport. I think they came from a shop in Cross Street which I believe is now called ‘Boardwise’. I seem to recall this was a hardware shop where we used to get all hooks and bait from. Can anyone else remember it?’

And an enquiry from Leanne Gilmour in Tamworth who emails ‘I am trying to find out about the history of a cottage located in Cheslyn Hay. It is called ‘The Mooring Pin’ at number 25 Littlewood Road. I am trying to find out the age of the property and anything I can on the history of it and it’s previous occupants from years gone by.’

RESPONSES We’ve now completed our research on Adrian Baillie’s request on the family of his g-grandparents, George Richard Mason and Jane Elizabeth (nee Hall) including their siblings going back to 1774 and also their eight children and their descendants. We have also forwarded photographs of 45 different members of Masons that we have available in our archives to see if they fit into Adrians family tree.

Further to Norma’s last week’s comments on the war years, Ron Whitehouse adds further memories when he was at Pinfold Lane School during the war.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS This week, two photographs of the Bulls Head in Shareshill – in in the 1930s (SH-PUB-2) and one with all the locals on the bowling green for the Coronation on 1st July 1911 (SH-PUB-3). £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.
ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS Birth certificate for John Ernest Steadman (1896) and his marriage certificate to Annie Morgan (1917).

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

12th October 1967 Miss Letitia Bowater, of 16, Littlewood Lane, Cheslyn Hay, winning a competition at Bournemouth.

13th October 1917 Mr Ernest Fereday, Chemist, at Cheslyn Hay and Bridgtown, had conditional exemption by the Recruiting Officer, but this is of no avail now and he appealed.

13th October 1917 Details of a meeting of the local Relief Committee and Red Cross Society held at Salem Schools with Sergeant Wright and Mr Charles T Lawson.

MEMORIES More excerpts with some glorious tittle-tattle from ‘Auntie Kath’s Diary’. Kath Wootton was married to headmaster Isaac (Jim) Stokes with stories of Raymond Hawkins, Mr and Mrs Cropper, Cliff Devereux, Fred Ridgway, Marie Smith, Mrs Bird, Mrs Buxton, Oliver Wood, Mr Kerry, Walter Bull and Reggie Plant.

GENERAL NEWS Latest news on 1 High Street, the old residence of the Hawkins family is that a planning application has been put in for converting it into five flats. Three one bedroom flats in the house itself and two in the outbuildings.

And our researcher, Jean, reports that the Lichfield Record Office will close to the public in January 2018 and the collections will be moved over to Stafford.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS No events scheduled for this week.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday. Everyone welcome.

REQUESTS I have received an interesting enquiry from Donald Parbrook who is trying to solve a long standing mystery in his family tree. Donald’s grandfather was born as George Brevitt, daughter of Harriet Brevitt of Rail Road with his father’s name not given. Harriet went on to marry George Parbrook, a coal miner and had further children. The family were well known in Cheslyn Hay and George became a Methodist minister around 1913. He changed his name from Brevitt to Parbrook by deed poll as an adult, as he was known as a Parbrook thanks to his mother’s marriage when he was young. The family story is that Harriet went into service and came home pregnant and was paid “hush money”. Donald has now taken a DNA test and believes that there might be a link with the Whitehouse family and is asking if any Whitehouse/Parbrook/Brevitt members have taken a similar test as he would like to contact them. It is a truly fascinating story and if anyone is interested please email me first so that I can forward Donald’s full account of all known facts of his family history.

Another intriguing enquiry on the Whitehouse family comes from Ann who emails ‘I was sorting out some old papers that belonged to my Mum and found an invoice from a Mrs J Varner (or Parner) to Miss Alice Whitehouse, dated 1st November 1918, the sum of £120 on receipt of the ‘General Business’ carried on at Benton’s Lane, Landywood. I believe this Alice Whitehouse is related to John Whitehouse who married Mary Ann Bagley, who is buried in Great Wyrley Cemetery. John Whitehouse was my mother’s (Avis Mary Whitehouse nee Slatcher ) grandfather. Does anyone have any idea what business it refers to as this was a lot of money for 1918!

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS Two photographs of the Four Oaks Inn including one of the Hilton family with Arthur Meanley and one of F Henshaw, C Pilsbury, S Cope, C Lightfoot and S Kirk in 1964. Also the wedding reception of John Richard Roberts & Doreen Mary Price with the Leach family in 1946. £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS Woodman Bowling Club’s 1984 Annual Supper and Presentation Programme including information of the season and all the Cup Winners.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

5th October 1967 Details of the Woodman Bowls Club’s most successful season since its formation in 1920 together with cup winners and participants and a bit of its history.

6th October 1917 Information of the death of Captain Clarence Hawkins together with details of his life.
6th October 1917 Story of Sapper Joseph Clewley on an eleven day furlough.
6th October 1917 The allotees making amends for the wet weather having an effect on their potato crop.

MEMORIES Norma Barta from Michigan responds to Ron Whitehouse’s recollections of the Second World War with her own wartime memories around Cheslyn Hay mentioned a couple of well known names.

GENERAL NEWS Derrick Middleton of the Bridgtown Local History Society is discussing with the owners of Wyrley Park Retail Park the possibility of erecting a Board to mark the site of the old Hawkins Brickworks and the Long House, opposite where B & Q are on the A5. Although at an early stage, Derrick states that good progress is being made.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS Our Annual Exhibition is next Saturday, September 30th at the Community Centre (Village Hall) in Pinfold Lane from 10am – 4pm with the theme of ‘People, Places, Maps & Mines’ and 9,000 photographs will be available to browse through. Free admission.

OUR SALEM BASE is open to everyone from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday.

REQUESTS No requests received this week.

RESPONSES Following the news of the passing of Willi Schaefer, Derek Bullock from Canada emails his recollections at Abbey Dropforgings during the 1950s.

Thanks to our three researchers we were able to produce the information that Ellie required for the compilation of the histories of her Elwell family.

Further to Roger’s request earlier this month in tracing the family of Jack Hughes who married Dorothy Foster at St Marks in 1943 we have been contacted by one of our members, who has been able to update us in our research from Dorothy’s two marriages.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS Two photographs, both involving The Lot, now Park Street. The old cottages in March 1984 before they were demolished (PL-PAR-26), and the Perks family including Sarah, Fred, Nigel & Anthony Perks, Kath & Mac Walmsley, Charlie & Lorraine (nee Haycox) Vernon and Chris Jervis outside 23 The Lot in 1956 (PL-PAR-27). £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS Certificates of Harry Cartwright and Rhoda Whitehouse marriage (26 Dec 1881) and birth certificate of Daniel Cartwright (24 Apr 1886).

EXTRACTS FROM CANNOCK ADVERTISER researched by Dave Washington

Death of reporter George Follows in the Manchester United air crash (25 Jan 1958) and Isaac Stokes drawing attention to the increasing costs of maintaining the Salem Church (1 Mar 1958).

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

28th September 1967 Cheslyn Hay village may soon have the help of a working party of enthusiastic teenagers from the Great Wyrley Secondary Modern School.

29th September 1917 Recognition of the workers of the Women’s Working Committee with Mr F Wynn, Mrs R Evans and Miss Lily Cartwright.

29th September 1917 The Annual Harvest Festival in connection with the Primitive Methodist Church was held on Sunday last mentioing Mr Lawrence Hood and Mr S Allen.

MEMORIES Once again we turn to Pat Everiss’s researches with one of her narratives, a full and descriptive, poignant piece written about the history of our own War Memorial.

WWI COMMEMORATION This October we commemorate the death of Captain Clarence V Hawkins of the 5th Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, who was killed on 26th September 1917 aged 25, son of Thomas and Alethea Hawkins, of Glenthorne House, Cheslyn Hay, and remembered with honour at the Loos Memorial.
WILLI SCHAEFER Willi’s funeral is on Wednesday, 27th September at the Bushbury Crematorium at 3.00pm.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS We have no speaker this month because of our Exhibition on Saturday 30th September, but Bridgtown LHS have John Devey giving a talk on ‘A Walk to Cannock and Back’ at the Bethel Church, Union Street, on Wednesday, 20th September, starting at 10am.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday and this week Philip Jones is following up with more research on his Rowley family.

REQUESTS Just received a welcome request from Ellie who is writing two life histories of her Elwell family. I have always said that everyone should write an outline of their own memories of their grandparents and family members for future generations and hopefully we may be able to help Ellie in her quest. Alfred Elwell was born on 11th January 1866 in Bilston, to a James Elwell and Eliza (nee Dudley) and he married Jane Holland (b1869) on 8th October 1888 at St Matthews Church, Wolverhampton. They had two children – Alice (b1890) and Leonard (b1893). The family are on the 1911 census living at 91 Station Street, Cheslyn Hay, along with a child named Alfred, recorded as a son aged two, but as Jane is 45, I am assuming the child might be a son of Alice who is aged 20 or even Leonard. My main reason for contacting you is because I am doing life stories of Alfred and his nine siblings for a birthday present for a descendant of their great niece, Iris Sharrott, who will soon be 93 and she is the great-granddaughter of Alfred’s brother James Elwell (b1868) at Highfields, Ettingshall as confirmed by his birth certificate, but I have not been able to find the family on the censuses pre 1891 when they lived in Pelsall. I have noticed that there is an Elwell’s Garden Nursery in Cheslyn Hay and I wondered if they may be descended from Alfred and Jane. Or have you any information on Alfred that I could add to his story. His occupation was a colliery engineer.

RESPONSES An email from Gary in France responding to a request in our newsletter dated 10 April 2016, from Julie Cooke, for a photograph of Ted Wilkes and offers to help. They are now in contact with each other and Julie confirms that her paternal grandmother was Elsie Wilkes (b1895) who married William Bevan in 1920, having seven children, the youngest being her dad, Edgar Thomas Wilkes (1935 – 94). Julie assumes that Gary’s wife is the granddaughter of Ted, Elsie’s brother. Ted (b1887) married Hannah Knowles (b1888) and had three daughters, Gertrude (Nancy), Hilda and Dorothy M. Gary is now sorting through his photographs, so hopefully Julie’s request will now come to a satisfactory conclusion.

Our researcher Vi has given details of the Bulls Head for Marlene and we have located a photograph of the pub for her.

We have also managed to settle Moss Fisher’s dispute for him by quoting the Cannock Advertiser in 1966, dated 25th August, and we also have used a photograph of the floods in Littlewood Lane in our book ‘The Fleeting Years’ (p40).

And Tessa’s request has brought an immediate response from the family of Hettie Cascarino and they are now in contact with each other and exchanging information.

Our researchers though are struggling to find any information for Jane on the pit death of her g-grandfather, Joseph Boddice as his name does not appear on the UK Index for coal mining accidents and deaths. Also it seems that his death was registered in Wolverhampton and nothing is appearing in the Staffordshire newspapers.

More information on Adrian Baillie’s request tracing his Mason connections in Cheslyn Hay and they come from one of our members, who is related to them.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

21st September 1967 Full details of the Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley and District Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society holding its ‘early’ show.

22nd September 1917 A meeting of the Food Production Committee involving Miss Kathleen Wooton and Mr Isaac Stokes.

22nd September 1917 Details of the special occasion of a Sacred Concert on the green of the Cheslyn Hay’s Working Men’s Club.

MEMORIES This week we continue with the recollections of Ron Whitehouse on local events during the Second World War with stories involving Horace Jackson, Mr Hitchen, Mr Ponder, Albert ‘Trotty’ Jukes, Harry Parbrook and,some Jellyman stories.

CEDAR TREE It’s sad to see the end of the Cedar Tree in Low Street as it will be closing for the last time on Friday, 22nd September. It will be missed by many people but continuity will be thankfully maintained as the Salem who will open a ‘Coffee Stop’ every weekday from Monday to Friday from 10am – 4pm in the actual church itself starting the following Monday, 25th September.

GENERAL NEWS For Sale for Family History researchers. An Eye Com Portable Briefcase Fiche Reader. Model 2100 AC & DC (attachment to use in car as well as at home). Full Instructions, fiche holders, plus spare bulb (worth £15) As new – £50.

WILLI SCHAEFER I have just heard the sad news that Willi has passed away aged 92 having been in a local nursing home for the past few months. Willi had worked for Elliot Lucas’s all his working life as a foreman and then as a director and was always well respected by everyone who worked there.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS Chat n Char this Thursday, 14th September starting at 10am as usual in the Salem’s Main Hall with Roger’s theme this month is ‘Give Us a Clue’.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday. Open to everyone.

REQUESTS Two requests from our website page. Marlene Gladwin asks for pictures of the Bulls Head pub in Shareshill, which was later turned into a lodging house around 1940, as her grandparents ran it, Norman and Gertrude Perry and would appreciate any information at all.

Also Jane Pettifer appeals for information her g-grandfather Joseph Boddice who died in 1927 in a mining accident around the Cannock area.

And Tessa emails from Wales ‘I am researching my Ancestory and believe that Hetty Cascarino was the wife of Vincent, they had a son Frank who Virginia Margaret Ward married and would like to contact any descendants of Hettie.

Finally Moss Fisher wants to settle a dispute. He emails ‘What year did the brook at the bottom of Little Wood flood and was it the Wyrley Brook down there? Moss is confident that it is the Wyrley Brook and the floods were in 1967.

RESPONSES Vi, our researcher, has looked into Roger’s enquiry re the Jack Hughes and Dorothy Foster marriage by examining all the local christenings.

Vi also provides information for Adrian Baillie on the descendants of his g-grandfather, George Richard Mason (b1867), illegitimate son of Elizabeth Mason, who was baptised at Wednesfield. He married Jane Elizabeth Hall and they had eight children. Full information given down to the local living descendants.
ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS Three newspaper reports. One on the History of Cheslyn Hay from 1286 (17 Sept 1937), another on the Boundary Stones (12 May 1960) and also E J Homeshaw’s Cheslyn Hay nicknames (undated).

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

14th September 1967 Story about ‘Fluff’ the three-years-old pet cat of the new steward and stewardess Mr and Mrs W Bevan at the Cheslyn Hay WMC.

14th September 1967 News of Cheslyn Hay Salem’s Women’s Own with Mrs C J Perks, Mrs S A Wollaston and Mrs McCulloch. .

14th September 1967 The Cannock, Hednesford and District Butcher’s Association Charity Bowling Cup was won by the Woodman, Cheslyn Hay, on Saturday, on the Cannock Town Green, when they beat Chadsmoor Progressive Club by 102 points to 92. Full report of the match and individual scores.

15th September 1917 Details of a successful Bowling Competition organised by the committee of the local Red Cross Society.

15th September 1917 The final round of the Senior Club Challenge Cup was decided on the green, with results and scores.

15th September 1917 James Lunt, of High Street, and his white Wyandotte’s fowl which laid a remarkably large egg.

15th September 1917 In Memoriam of Caroline Heminsley and William Heminsley, both of Warstones Farm.

WHAT’S IN OUR ARCHIVES From the recent donations from The Four Crosses Inn at Hatherton, the history of this old inn by Roland Ridgway.

GENERAL NEWS Bridgtown LHS are unveiling another notice board at the corner of North Street and the Watling Street, previously known as Wynn’s Corner to commemorate the history of both Wynne’s and Whitehouse’s factories as well as Astbury’s.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS No events this week.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday and this week we have Mick Clark from Birmingham researching his Wollaston family.

REQUESTS Roger is tracing the family of Jack Hughes who lived at the Kop in Great Wyrley and was in the Royal Engineers in WWII. He married Dorothy Foster at St Marks in 1943 but they divorced and he married Vera Cartwright in 1950 to live at 31 Brook Lane in Great Wyrley and he would appreciate any information of his first marriage.

Just received a request from our Facebook page from Adrian Baillie stating ‘I am tracing my Nan’s father’s family in Cheslyn Hay. My great grandfather George Richard Mason was 81 when he died in 1945. However on the 1911 census he was only 44 and on his marriage certificate his age is also wrong. My great grandparents lived at 5 Cemetery Street in Cheslyn Hay where my late grandmother was born. I’m looking for the descendants of George Richard Mason and Jane Elizabeth Mason that might have more information or a photo of either one of them. My Nan, Ivy Mason, was their youngest daughter.

RESPONSES We have been able to provide Diana with plenty of information on her Morgan family with a 25 page family tree and it is an interesting one, as her g-g-grandmother Sarah Morgan was born in 1849 and the tenth child of Abel Morgan and Mary Lyons. We have also been able to help in the matter of their religion. Abel also seemed to have spent some time in gaol and when he died in 1851 Mary married into the Cheslyn Hay Lawson family.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS One of Ivan Holmes, the barber, plying his trade in the Western Desert in 1941 (PE-HOL-5) and a photograph of John Prime, in uniform, who was our stationmaster from 1917-1933. £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS After the closure of the ancient inn on the Watling Street, The Four Crosses, we have acquired an original 1977 painting of the inn by Roland Ridgway together with a short written history of the establishment. Also a small framed picture dating back 100 years with an inscription etched into the wood on the back ‘L to R. P Henshaw, C Spilsbury, S Cope, C Lightfoot as given by Mr S Kirk, Four Crosses, Hatherton Farm’. Can anyone help us by identifying and adding more information on these drinkers?

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher

7th September 1967 A report covering the life of Mr R T Paradine.

7th September 1967 Talbot F.C. had an easy victory beating visitors Shelfield Athletic 6 – 1. Full report of the match with goal scorers.
8th September 1917 Thomas Ponder, Cheslyn Hay, found guilty in court.
8th September 1917 John Thomas Preece, of Chapel Square, Cheslyn Hay, was found guilty in court and expressed a determination to go to gaol.
Nellie Preece, the wife in the above case, was charged with another offence but denied it. Was found guilty.

John Thomas Preece was then charged with another separate offence against Moses Whitehouse, of Cheslyn Hay. Found guilty again.
Preece was then charged with another offence against Moses Whitehouse, which he denied but was found guilty again.

Preece was then charged with a similar offence against Hannah Roe. Denied again but found guilty again.

Preece was then charged with yet another offence, this time against Thomas Hall, at Cheslyn Hay. Once again he denied it but there was enough evidence to find him guilty and send him to prison. Preece then showed the spirit that was in him by shouting “This is what we are sent out to fight for; for men such as you – you ought to go out there”. Preece later apologised and asked not to be sent to prison.

GENERAL NEWS Anyone wishing to become a member for the annual fee of £5 and to receive this newsletter with full details under all the headings every Sunday morning at 9am please contact me through my email address below. Many thanks.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net