Cheslyn Hay & District Local History Society

Our Guest Speaker this Thursday 28th April is Patsie Jarman on ‘Advertisements from Bygone Times’ at the Salem starting at 7.30pm.  Admission £1 including refreshments.
Our Salem Base will be open as usual on Tuesday 10am to 4pm.  Last week we had researchers on the Showell and Kendall family trees.
We have received a request from someone researching their Kendall family tree and who asks if anyone has any information on the death of Albert Kendall who was killed down the pit in January 1943.   Plus an enquiry from another researcher who has two families interlinked with Cheslyn Hay – the Daces and the Beasleys together with the address ‘Dace’s Lot’ where both families lived in the mid to late 1800s.
And more successful responses from last weeks enquiries include a full Withington family tree and confirmation of the marriage of Thomas Withington and Harriet Wood from Cheslyn Hay in 1873 and  more details of the lives of Trudge Harris and Ted Ridgeway.
Just one photograph handed in and it is of a presentation in 1950 with Frank Bowen receiving a trophy with Mr Starkey, George Head, Bill Lockley and three unnamed people looking on, and two family trees added to our Archives – the Pearsons Family Tree going back to Henry Pearson 1778 inc Wm Whitehouse b1818 and Eliz Benton d1887 and the Withington tree as mentioned.
And Dorothy Drage supplies this week’s Memories with her story of her connection with Cheslyn Hay and her times there with her beloved Gran Rose Craddock (nee Allen).
We have also been offered a record of Howard Benton and the local choirs in the early 1950s made on an old LP.  If there is any interest we intend to have it copied and transferred to a CD and sold, not to make any money, but purely at a nominal cost. Alan Jones is the organist.  All enquiries to me at this email address.
I’m always pleased to respond to any enquiries connected to Cheslyn Hay and the nearby areas.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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We have a gazebo with a suitable display to celebrate St George’s Day on Saturday 23rd April at Harrison’s Club in Wharwell Lane in Great Wyrley, with the Town Crier starting the event with a parade at noon and it carries on throughout the afternoon.
Our Salem Base will be open as usual on Tuesday 10am to 4pm.
Two requests this week.  One from Jill, who left these shores for Australia in 1970, who is after more information on the family of Thomas Withington (b 1852 Gt Wyrley) who married Harriet Wood (b 1856 Wyrley) and one from Amanda who is trying to trace Bernard Masefield who lived in Queens Street at the 1901 census and believed to have married Matilda Morris.
Excellent responses to last weeks requests include four photographs of Mike Birch‘s father Harry as well three photos of Sheila Ridgway’s father Ted at Hawkins in the wartime Fire Service. And we also have photos of Sheila’s friends Mary Massey and Vera Pringle, but amazingly we are able to satisfy her request by supplying the Express & Star photograph of herself on the swings at the Rec.  And two members also recall her father Ted Ridgway with a couple of warm memories.
And Tony Bibb, who spent his earlier years in Wedges Mills relates stories of Trudge Harris and the Middle Hill Hutments. And further to Peter’s request, information is provided that ‘Joseph Edward Kingston married Mary Asbury in 1881 at Great Wyrley Church.  Joseph died in 1936 and Mary in 1946.  In the 1911 census they lived at 11 High Steet, Cheslyn Hay and their youngest daughter Florrie wasn’t born until 1907.  Mary’s sister Ann Asbury married Phineas Baker at Great Wyrley Church in 1888 and they lived at 18 Low Street.’
And Stuart Pearson has offered Lisa all his researches on the Whitehouses connected to his Pearson family tree, and Jean from West Bromwich has confirmed that John Whitehouse and Lydia Dace were married in June 1833 at St Peters in Wolverhampton and adds more information to the tree.
New photographs this week include a 1926 wedding of Herbert Smith of Coppice Lane and Hilda Bradbury Yates and families and one of Middle Hill before the Toll Road whilst we have had a base of a cup donated to us with a mystery.  It has 12 shields on the base, starting with winners Chadsmoor Progressive 1944 and 1945.  Uxbridge A is 1950, the Woodman won it in 1952 but the other 8 shields are engraved ‘Cheslyn Hay’, the last one being 1955.  Is it the base to a Bowls Cup?  And can anyone help with more information?  Also donated are some Marriage and Death certificates, School reports and Testimonials which include the names Frederick Craddock, George Wootton, James Hiram Pearson, Violet Jane Onions and Frances Colley.
After last week’s memories on WW II we have Olive Kendall’s (nee Whitehouse) wonderful memories of the 1930s.
Full information can be gained through contact at
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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Coffee Morning on Thursday, 14th April, at 10am at the Lecture Room at the Salem and we have the speaker Ian Payne talking on the life of TV and Film Star Richard Wattis from Walsall.
Our Salem Base will be open as usual on Tuesday 10am to 4pm.  Last week we had five visitors including a very welcome visit from members in Bournemouth.
Requests include Sandra Matthews from Australia who is keen to find out more about her Great Grandmother Sarah Perks with a fascinating story concerning her connection with the Booth family of the Salvation Army and of her Grandmother, Edith Emma Perks, who was born in the Cannock Workhouse.  And another request concerning another bible, this one owned by the late Lambert Brough showing names of Mary Kingston, Joseph Kingston and Mary Asprey from the mid 1800s.  Plus Jill Greenhill from Brisbane who is tracing her Withington family tree.  Finally a request from Sheila Ridgway tracing a photograph of herself and her friend Vera Pringle on the Rec that appeared in the press in the 1960s as well as requesting anyone who knew her father Ted who was a shunter on Tony, Loco 301.
Plenty of response from last weeks enquiries with detailed information on George Wood and Mary Anne Cope families and full information on the Middle Hill hutments as well as news on Bill Westwood and Trudge Harris.  Plus updated news of the Goodman family and Tom Pepper.
New photographs received this week are of two Landywood School photographs – one of a class with Mr Hollins and one of a football team with Mr Hollins and Mr Lowe.
And the Memories Column comes from Ron Whitehouse with some some marvellous wartime memories from his childhood including the plane crashes over the village as well as stories of Harry Parbrook, Albert ‘Trotty’ Jukes and of course Jellyman.
Fuller details can be obtained via the email address below.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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Our Salem Base will be open as usual on Tuesday 10am to 4pm. An update of our Archives reveal a total of 5971 photographs with 8161 names – all alphabetically listed.  All available at our base as well as all of the Documentary Archives, which still have to be listed.
We’ve received more  enquiries this week for the Wood family and in particular George Wood  (1854 – c1919) who married Mary Ann Cope in 1874 as well as someone researching the Jellymans who married into the Brough and Smith families of Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley.  And there has been request for anyone who may remember Heather Goodman who used to live in Low Street many years ago.  Plus some nostalgia on the Middle Hill hutments where the names of Bill Westwood and ‘Trudge’are mentioned.
And from recent requests we have had plenty of information on the Whitehouse/Dace marriages, as well as news of the Thomas Reaney pit fatality at Harrisons.
New photographs this week include the wedding of Arthur Cartwright and May Davies in 1917 with the two families and guests, 23 in total, all named, Fred and Florrie Birch with their son and his bride on their wedding day, and a photo of Edward Sayer owner of the Coppice Colliery before Joseph Hawkins.  Plus the Coppice Colliery football team of 1952 and officials and supporters with not one name recorded – so can anyone help?
And we have been presented with an excellent 25 page booklet of ‘Now and Then’ photographs of Cheslyn Hay together with plenty of local information.
In this week’s Memory Column, we have Peter Cadman’s view of what sport was like in the fifties on the village with well known characters such as Mr Stokes, Ernie Carter, Arthur Hampton, Joe Price, Bill Cadman, Johnny Turner, Owen Lawson, Roger (H) Brown, Nigel Bullock, Roger (Butch) Westwood, Ian (Scotty) Scott, Tim Perks, the Stevenson brothers, Michael(Spike) Fletcher, Paul Whitehouse Tony Cascarino, David Hewitt, Ronnie Benton, John Bailey, Melvyn Ponder, David (Bert) Parsons, Richard Bury, Roy (Riga) Rigby, Ivan Massey, Taffy Blount and Jack Martin.
And on the staffspasttrack website we had another 152 sightings last month -  Brittania Picture House 41, Woottons Post Office 32, Albert Hawkins shop 20, Garretts shop 18, Salem Chapel 18, Hacketts Butchers 9, High Street 8 and Walter Hackett 6.   More information of the above can be obtained by contacting the email address below.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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