EVENTS   We have almost filled two coaches for our daytrip to Bletchley Park on Thursday 10th July but we have just 5 seats left.  £23 each starting from the Salem at 7.30am with a tour aroundBletchley Park on the morning and the afternoon at Banbury where an Official Guide (Cheslyn Hay born and bred Malcolm Smith) will be on hand to show and explain the sights if required.  If interested please contact Roger on 01543 372856.

OUR SALEM BASE  is open every Tuesday from 10am – 3pm.  All welcome.  This week we have a couple of members from the Wollaston/Cartwright family visiting us to view our archives as well researching their families.  Everyone welcome.

REQUESTS  An email received from Bill Thomason from Salford - ‘I have just discovered a great-grandaunt on my family tree named Ellen Cartwright who married a John Wollaston.  They had 8 children of which 6 were born in Cheslyn Hay.  In 1881 they lived at 11 The Green and in 1891 until her death in 1927 they resided at Low Street and I wondered if these places still exist?’

And by pure coincidence Michael Clark emails to say he is calling at our Base on Tuesday 15th April 2014 to research his Wollaston family!

Also a request from Bronwyn Tomkins from Australia who emails ‘John Whitehouse (b1811 - 21 Nov 1884) married Lydia Dace (b1815 – Mar 1886) on 17 June 1833 and I can follow forward from here with a fair amount of confidence with my line coming from their son John.  But I cannot get any further back.  I have found a John born to Samuel Whitehouse and Mary Burrows about the right time but need to have confirmation of this before I can add to my tree. Also Lydia’s parents I believe to be Joseph Dace and Tryphena Baker and any assistance I can be given would be greatly appreciated.’ 

RESPONSES   The mystery of the 1920 Arnold Hawkins letter has now been solved with our researchers tracing the link between the recently deceased Kathleen Marie Warburton (nee Hood) and the Arnold Hawkins reference dated 1920 for George Edward Evans.

Following on from Edna’s (nee Birch) memories, Sheila Ridgway emails that her mom’s friend wasEthel Harley, Edna’s sister, and they emigrated to Adelaide and Sheila is contacting them for more information.  

And Mike Fellows adds to the Burton s reminiscences with details of Frank Burton and the Burton family.

Also we have been able to help David with his request on the Henry Crutchley/Isabella Hortonenquiry giving details of all of their five children and a detailed family tree of the Crutchleys going back to  William (b1775) who married Sarah Poyner. 

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS  Henry Hawkins Steam Wagon of the 1920s, Cheslyn Hay hydrant sign, Landywood country lane in the 1940s, the Titley family of 1942, Dave Thomas and the Titleys in Windsor Road in the sixties, also individual ones of Edith (nee Whitehouse), Bob, Kay & Cliff and the Stella football team dated 1955 but with not one player named.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS   1872 birth certificate of Thomas Whitehouse (mother Mary nee Stopp) and his NHI certificate dated 1924.

OLD NEWSPAPERS researched by Dave Washington.  Copies available at £1 per report.  This week are all from 1930 and include 9 reports of the court case of the two brothers William and Frederick Barnett of Station Street of causing the death of their father George Barnett and their mother standing bail for them.  Also the wedding of Miss Madge Vesta Letitia Parbrook of 57 Station Street, the death of William Edward Richardson, two court cases with Richard Jones andGeorge Mason being found guilty and Mrs E Waite of Landywood winning the Editors Award for her Green Gooseberry Chutney recipe.

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

17th April 1964  A story of the well known Cheslyn Hay billiards playing policeman, Ken Shirley. .

MEMORIES  This week we have delved into our archives to find an interview with an old Great Wyrley collier, William Turner, dated 13th April 1967 – almost fifty years ago.  He was a miner in the local pits and gives details of what life was like way back to the 1880s recalling many old families.

FAMILY HISTORY  by Andrew Pearson   Another old Cheslyn Hay family - the Parbrooksgoing back to the late 1700s when Susannah was born.  She married Thomas Whitehouse Jnr and their first child Marie was born in 1811.  There are 4 pages of the Family History with a total of 24 pages of full information.  Selected pages are available at £1 each and the family tree is just £4.  Names on the tree include Baker, Beeson, Brevitt, Brindley, Brough, Browell, Derry, Eweres, Ford, Highfield, Horobin, Hough, Jeffries, Owen, Parker, Parton, Pearson, Perry, Pritchard, Read, Ridgway, Salter, Smith, Stevenson, Tuft, Turner, Whitehouse and Wood.       

GENERAL NEWS  Another 132 sightings of local scenes of Cheslyn Hay in March on staffspasttrack.  High Street 22, Woottons Post Office 22, Brittania Picture House 21, Garbett’s Shop 17, Salem 15, Albert Hawkins Shop 14, Hacketts Butchers Shop 13, Walter Hackett 8.  

Memberships are now due for the next twelve months and if you are interested in joining to receive a full and unabridged newsletter every Sunday morning please forward a £5 cheque made out to CH&DLHS and post to Trevor McFarlane, 42 Station Road, Great Wyrley, Walsall, West Mids WS6 6LQ.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS   This Thursday, April 10th, is Roger’s Chat ‘n’ Char morning in the Lecture Room at theSalem starting at 10am.  John Devey will be providing a light hearted talk with Roger in charge of the entertainment.

OUR SALEM BASE  is open every Tuesday from 10am onwards but we are closing early at 2pmfor a meeting.  All welcome.

REQUESTS  David Schweickle is researching the Crutchley family down from Henry Crutchley(b1777 in Longdon by Rugeley) who married Isabella  Horton in 1807 in Cannock.  Isabella was born 1782 in Tamworth in Arden but she was buried in Great Wyrley on 26th March 1860 and she had a daughterNancy (b 14 February 1819).  Can anyone help David?  

RESPONSES    The Hickman family tree has been researched for Iris and can be seen below under ‘Family History’.

Jean has been helping David with his search for Eliza Bailey’s death  but her findings are not yet conclusive as not all of Jean’s information on Eliza agrees with David’s Eliza.  There is an Eliza Bailey as a domestic servant, single, about the right age, born in Staffordshire and a Thomas Bailey of about the right age born in Cannock living in Stoke on Trent in 1911 and described as married but Jean is now looking through probates and the local cemetery records.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS  The wedding of Ron Sutherton and Doris Harper, Rose Craddock (nee Allen) with Diane Bennett and Mrs Shorthouse, one of Edna Brown’s trips to Hayling Island in 1999 with most of the 36 named, a day trip from Bridgtown Social Club in the 1930s, St Pauls of Bridgtown football team in 1920 and one of the Hawkins cricket team that won the Bennett Cup in the 1940s and one of the presentation with the names Horace Jervis, George Johnson, Jack Bailey, Joe Baldwin, Ray Chetter, Arthur Chilton, Alan Bates, Dick Hood, Sid Thacker, Alec Gripton, Charlie Reed, Elijah Whitehouse, Frank Heminsley, Joe Cadman and Bill Brough.  7×5 photographic prints are £1 each.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS  We are helping Great Wyrley LHS to store artefacts from Snapes Farm and amongst the items we have the Wesleyan Sunday School Magazines from 1890 – 1892 and the Weekly Milk Delivery Book with payments around the Landywood and Cheslyn Hay areas from the 1920s and names are listed in this week’s Newsletter.  The book is available at our Base for anyone who wishes to see whether their ancestors paid the milkman or not!  

OLD NEWSPAPERS researched by Dave Washington.  More reports from 1932 with a sad court case with John Smith of Hill Street as well as other cases involving John Robert Jackson, Matilda Perks and Leonard Charles Turner, the death of Albert Hawkins and Cheslyn Hay beating Gentleshaw in the final of the K Gethin Challenge Cup.  Copies available at £1 per report.

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

11th April 1914   Story involving Mr Albert Altree.

18th April 1914  A report on the Football Carnival under the auspices of the Horticultural Society Sports Fund on the Barn Flat. 

18th April 1914  The marriage of Fred Stokes

18th April 1914  A Don tournament at the Cheslyn Hay WMC with all the winners.  

MEMORIES  The mention of the 1932 will of John T Rowley of Wharwell Lane last week has prompted me to produce some interesting snippets from an interview with his son Horace and dated 18th April 1967.  They include the Star Inn, Wharwell Lane, a pond at the end of Bentons Lane, Wilf Sambrooks, Spion Kop, the turnpike, ‘glass alleys’, Noddy Quinton’s pit, the Broomhills, old LadyBates of Cowshed Row, Plants Building and the tragic case of Silvanus Turner.

FAMILY HISTORY by Andrew Pearson  Following the interest in the Southerton family of last week, I have now seen the family bible which lists the marriage of George and Ann Brough on 6th March 1848 and the birthdates of all their nine children up to 1872 as well as their daughter Eliza’s marriage to Thomas Bailey and some Brough and Southerton births and deaths. 

The Hickman family tree covers 5 pages and goes back to the early 1700s when William Snr was living in Great Wyrley and the tree includes local names such as Chapman, Brookes, Altree, Lockett, Hodgkins, Whitehouse, Carpenter, Shorter, Wollaston, Thomas, Brough, Bullock,Walker and Birch.  Selected pages are available at £1 each and the full family tree is £5.                          

GENERAL NEWS  

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS  

OUR SALEM BASE  is open every Tuesday from 10am – 3pm.  All welcome.  Last week’s ‘Elliott Lucas Day’ was an outstanding success with 27 ex personnel including Mr Rodney Timson and Mr Willi Schaefer, all exchanging photographs, memorabilia, artefacts and their memories of course.  We are now looking to more events along the same lines and we await suggestions for other factories or firms that have had strong links with Cheslyn Hay in the past.  

REQUESTS  After the mention of Harry Burton I have exchanged emails with one of our members who confirms that he has traced back the Burton family back to the 1700s and is quite happy to share information with anyone following the same line.

Alicia emails ‘I have read with some excitement the memories of Edna Birch. I believe Edna’s reflection of family life solves a bit of a mystery for me ….’ and Alicia goes on to say how the family if linked to her Aunt Rosannah Jones (nee Bate) who resided at the Dell in Rosemary Road with Nellie Birch and asks for more information from the Birch family.

A request from David Whitehouse.  ‘I am looking for the death date for Eliza Bailey (nee Brough) born 1851 married Thomas Bailey in 1871.  Last sighting was on the 1901 census on Church Streetin Cannock.  Children were George Handel (1876-1956), John Henry (1878-1957) and Joseph Edward (1880-1964).’

Following the recent family history request for the Southerton family, Iris puts in a similar enquiry for the Hickman family tree.

RESPONSES  Although our Cheslyn Hay interlinking family tree included only one reference to the Southerton name Andrew has built up an interesting two page report going back almost 200 years, as can be seen below under ‘Family History’.

After Julie’s request for photographs of Elsie Wilkes’s siblings Iris emails details of the family but we have also received an excellent photograph of one of them – Jim (b1898).

Our researcher Vi has looked into the background of Mrs Warburton of Hatherton Road in Cannock for Lynsey and her maiden name was Kathleen Marie Hood and her parents were Lawrence James Hood and Elsie M Ewers and she married Stanley William L Warburton (b1918 in Walsall) and his mother’s maiden name was Thompson.  So we still cannot link the family with Mr Evans.  Joan Plant then adds more information having worked with Mrs Warburton at the National Insurance Office inCannock from 1951 onwards.  Joan says she was always known as Kay and gives details of her life and we also have a photograph in our archives of Arnold Hawkins and a Mr G Evans.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS  Two photographs of the Melotone Band with Maurice Stokes, Ron Wilkes, Cliff Hooper and David Hudson, the Salem Sunday Bible Class from the 1920s with only Catherine & Amy Stokes, Miss Allsopp and Mrs Windsor named, Cheslyn Hay Over 60s Club in 1950 all unnamed, Hawkins Brickworks with Minnie Walker and Sid Kisbee, Joe Stokeskilled in WWII in Ireland, wedding of Bert Farrington and Chris McDonnell, the Stokes family and one of Ikey Stokes, Kathleen Westwood (1905-2005) in 1935 who married Walter Bickleyand a group of lads at Pinfold Lane School including Ray Thomas, David Paxton and Don Pearson.  7×5 photographic prints are £1 each.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS  One A4 page of the History of Abbey Dropforging and three pages of the life of Harold Thomas Whitehouse (b1926).

OLD NEWSPAPERS researched by Dave Washington.    Reports of Harriet Kingston, John Thomas Rowley, a tragic story of Charlie Towle, Oscar Anslow and Cheslyn Hay Villa beating Tamworth Athletic 3 – 1.  Copies available at £1 per report. 

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

4th April 1964  A story of Mrs Lily Ellis.

4th April 1914  An amusing incident concerning a great admirer of Aston Villa. 

MEMORIES  This week we complete the wonderful recollections of Edna Brown from Upper Landywood who passed away on 13th March 2011 relating amusing tales as well as some tragic ones, with the Birch and Brown families Ethel Saunders, Fred Wootton, Walter Bull, Edie Parkes, Mr Carter and June Ann Turner.  After Edna’s passing and with the family’s request we have been loaned a series of photographs of the Brown, Birch and other families from Upper Landywood,with the majority are unnamed, but can be viewed at our Base.  

FAMILY HISTORY by Andrew Pearson  After last week’s enquiry, Andrew has produced an interesting Southerton family tree that stretches back to their roots in Shropshire in the 1830s but they were well established in Cheslyn Hay before the end of the century linking with local families that include the names of Brough, Altree, Mason,  Houghton, Banks, Mincher, Dace andSteadman.  A 2 page family tree is available on request for £2. 

GENERAL NEWS  

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

OUR SALEM BASE  is open every Tuesday from 10am – 3pm.  All welcome.

REQUESTS  After Alan Brown’s recent comments Dorothy Drage emails ‘I believe Alan Brown is related to me if he has Myra Scott (nee Brown) in his ancestry.  Myra was a cousin of my fatherFred Craddock of Hill Street and Denise Nicholls (nee Scott) who is Myra’s daughter is my second cousin.  I would be most interested if Alan has any family to enable me to extend my family tree’.

Marion McCullough enquires ‘Is there anyone researching the Kendalls descended from Priscilla’s two sons Thomas and Joseph Kendall?  They came with her to Cheslyn Hay and were raised byIsaac Stokes.  Joseph remained in the Great Wyrley area and his wife was Jane Deakin having children Sarah Ann, Josiah, Elijah, Emma, William, Mary J, Eliza, Lizzie, Harriet and Louisa all born from 1860s to 1880s.’  And Marion asks if there are any Kendall descendants still living within our area.

Following the success of contacting his old friend, Les Clarke, now living in Cheltenham, puts in another request ‘Does anyone remember Martin’s Garage on the edge of the Landywood border with Newtown?  They ran some international lorries in the fifties.  I was also involved helping Sam Walker of Walker & Wall Plasterers and there was a Tom Smith who worked with me at Fosters Bakery and he lived in a bungalow on the main road – I think number 337.’
RESPONSES  After a couple of responses to Les Clarke’s request last week and thanks to Kevin Bickley we were able to contact the family of Ted Steadman and we have found him and they are now in touch with each other after almost fifty years and a delighted Les emails ‘Thanks a million for tracking down my friend Teddy Steadman.  I have just put the phone down after speaking to him and you will be pleased to hear that we are making arrangements to meet up soon.  Thanks again.’  The reunion will be at our Base where they can both look through our 8500 photographs, which includes three of Teddy Steadman from the 1930s!  Vi Leach also adds to Les’s comments with her memories of the Steadmans.

Geoff Stokes has contacted me after being unable to make the recent meeting of the Stokes family.  He has an interest in John Stokes and Rebecca Hodgkins and wishes to be in contact with Angela to exchange information as his link with the Stokes’s go back to 1740 in Cheslyn Hay’.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS  Five Thurstance photographs with Fred, Alf and Margery and also including Irene and Bill, Jean, Noreen & Irene Kendall as well as Carol Parkes.  Plus Hannah Stokes and daughter Liza, a school picture of Sid Bickley and Walter Earlham plus members of the Cheslyn Hay Arcadian Clubettes in 1978.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS  A family tree going back to James Brevitt marrying Mary Brotherton in the mid 1700s, plus a detailed tree descending from James Edward Perry (b1887) and the 1891 birth certificate of Beatrice Ellen Wilkes.   

OLD NEWSPAPERS researched by Dave Washington.  On holiday this week.

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

21st March 1964  More problems caused by vandalism on Cheslyn Hay’s recreation ground.

21st March 1964  Mrs G A Blackley brought up suggestions at a Council Meeting for the ‘Britain in Bloom Campaign’.

28th March 1914  Cheslyn Hay United and Bridgtown met on the Barn Flat Ground, Cheslyn Hay,on Saturday afternoon in connection with the Cannock Chase and District League.  Both clubs have done splendidly in the league, in fact Cheslyn Hay have an unbeaten record; consequently more than ordinary interest was manifested in last Saturdays encounter.  The line ups of both teams are named followed by a full description of the match.  Available on request. 

MEMORIES  Firstly a few corrections and updates from recent ‘Memories’.  It was Ken Woottonand not Ken Smith who had the Post Office as mentioned in Mary Archer’s ‘Memories’ last week  and we have confirmed that Stuart does not live on the site of the Lord Nelson and the ‘cellar’ is actually the footings of Sam Newell’s cottage next  to the old pub. 

From Bert Heminsley’s Memories of two weeks ago, Dorothy Drage emails about the old picture of the farm.

Lastly there has been a dispute on the recollections of Derek Stanton as to where Cow Shed Row and Rose Cottage was and Joan Plant gives details of where both were.

Memories this week are from a 2002 interview with Edna Brown of Fern Cottage in Upper Landywood and the first part covers the Birch family with all of Edna’s siblings with stories including Dr Devereux, Florence Dyke, Hector Hulme, Reg Harley and Phillip Wootton.

FAMILY HISTORY by Andrew Pearson.  We have had enquiries for the Whitehouse tree but Andrew says that it will have to be by request with members stating individual names and approximate dates as there are too many trees and there are currently 682 names on the Database. 

ELIOTT LUCAS DAY  We are organising an Elliot Lucas/Abbey Dropforging day for all old employees at our Base on Tuesday 25th March from 10am onwards.  Rodney Timson, who joined the company in 1960 and became Works Manager and Director as well as Managing Director of Abbey Dropforging in 1971, would welcome meeting anyone from ‘the old days’.  I will be contacting as many people with Elliot Lucas connections as possible, and requesting everyone to bring in old photographs and memorabilia to make it a real occasion.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net