EVENTS  There will be no Chat n Char morning this Thursday, 13th July, as it has been replaced by Roger’s trip to York.  Both coaches leave the Salem at 7.30am  and they will start the return journey from York at 5pm.  There are still two places available at £21 per head, which includes entry into the Minster, with a free guided tour, and the Museum, Treasury as well as the Crypts.  If interested contact Roger on 01785 212412 as soon as possible please.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday and this week both of our researchers Vi and Jean will be available all morning.

REQUESTS  Bill Thomason emails ‘In my family tree I have a William Wooton, who died in 1890 in Staffordshire and he had a son, Joseph Wooton who married Martha Cartwright (nee Taylor from Willenhall 1836-70) but I cannot find the marriage recorded and Joseph changed his surname to Cartwright and later married Elizabeth Benton, formerly McNally, about 1908.’  And Bill asks if there is any connection with our Wooton family who are mentioned regularly in the newsletters.

RESPONSES  Both of our researchers, Vi and Jean, have liaised together and resolved Norma’s request from last week naming all the eight Bowen children’s births recorded, together with the three deaths.

NEW PHOTOGRAPHS  From the recently donated Geoff Blunt Collection, all taken in the 1990s.  Hawkins Cricket Pavilion (SP-CKT-22), old pit shafts at the Rec (PL-STA-175&176), Coppice Colliery (IN-MHW-28), Kissing Bridge (IN-RAL-43), ancient cottages in Dundalk Lane (PL-DUN-10,11&12), old waterworks buiiding (OR-WTW-10&11), High Street (PL-HIG-18, 88 &129), Wollaston’s old coach house (PE-WOL-9), Wharf Cottage (PL-MNP-34 & 35), Low Street cottages (PL-LOW-45), the Rec (PL-STA-177) and the grave of Frederick & Isabella Gilpin (IN-GIL-67).  £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.

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

13th July 1967    An article ‘Glancing Backwards 25 Years – 11th July 1942’   A story about Mrs Edith Thomas of High Street, Cheslyn Hay.

13th July 1967  Retirement of Mrs Corona A Price with background of her career.

13th July 1967  Details of the Hawkins v Harrisons cricket match.

14th July 1917  Charles Bullock, bricklayer, Mount Pleasant, Cheslyn Hay, appeared in court at Cannock.

14th July 1917  Isaiah Pearson, Cheslyn Hay, was summoned by his wife, Bertha Pearson, for desertion with full story.
14th July 1917  The concluding rounds of the bowling competition at Glenthorne, Cheslyn Hay, in aid of the Red Cross Society with full details of the participants and winners.
MEMORIES  More stories on the old Fire Station Garage involving the Ridgway and Lager families and further to Moss Fisher’s recollections on the Fire Station he has now brought up another topic – local barbers.  This time concentrating on Albert Bullivant and Ivan Holmes concluding with ‘I always remember the men being asked if they wanted “anything for the weekend?”  And as Moss says he had no idea of what it meant then and even after such a long passage of time, he still does not understand what it means.  (Answers on a postcard please)
WHAT’S IN OUR ARCHIVES  Documents relating to what appears to be from the interesting life of Martha Tranter from Cheslyn Hay.  She was born 17th June 1744, daughter of Samuel and Susannah Tranter and her two marriages.
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

18th June 2017

EVENTS  Bridgtown LHS are holding a talk on ‘Passchendale – the Local Angle’ by Bob Brevitt on Wednesday, 21st June at 10am but please note that it is to be held at the Bridgtown Social Club and not at the Bethel, whilst renovations to the chapel are being carried out.  £1 admission.

Landor LHS have requested to be shown around our village in Cheslyn Hay with a conducted walk and Peter Cadman will be doing the honours on our behalf this Wednesday, 21st June.

OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday and this week Kevin Boulton from the Staffordshire History Centre in Stafford will be giving a short address at 11am on the new development of the premises which will then hold records up to 1,000 years old, as well as having a new community exhibition space, modern research rooms and strong rooms to provide storage for an additional 25 years of future collections.  Our own normal research facilities will be available as normal.

RESPONSES  Further to Joan’s request from Australia our local researchers have found mentions of John Harley in the Cheslyn Hay Pinfold Lane Punishment Book and are listed.

ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS   A return bus ticket from The Green Bus Service.

EXTRACTS FROM CANNOCK CHASE COURIER researched by Mike Belcher

This week from the year of 1955.  Copy of any Newspaper Report £1 with reports of stories and court case including W Wesley, H Stokes, J Perry, W Baker, S Boulton & S Hughes, G Holmes, H Stokes, A Pearson, Perks, Plant, Miss Redding, Mr Perks, Mrs Ballance, Mrs McCullough, Mrs Perks, Mrs Goodman, Sarah Altree, William Altree, Sheila Steadman, Marilyn Hammond, Mr & Mrs WG Craddock, Mrs Grindley, Frank Chilton, Maureen Poole, Gillian Brough, Malcolm Smith, Carol Thomas, Susan Worsey, Kathleen O’Neil, Lynn Dunn, Tony & Jacqueline Price, Judy Thomas, Jack Pratt, Mr W Mytton, Mr M Richards, Tony Griffiths, John Turner, M Arrowsmith, Terry Haywood, Alan Fidler, K Knowles, Judith Dace, Pauline Brown, G McLachlan, Pauline Whitehouse, Irene Birch, Anne Dace, Dianne Davies, Hilda Walker, Margaret Lawrence, Irene Astbury, Mary Waine, Barry Hassall, David Ridgway, Boyd Kingston, Pat Foster, Margaret Bullock, G Allen, Anne McLachlan, Tony Mitchell, Angela Dace, Mrs Conroy, Mrs Woolley, Mr D Dunn, Mr Parkes, Jimmy Dace, Mrs M Cliff,  Mrs M Gretton, Mrs M Smith, Mr H Tonks, Mr W Richardson,Mr B Whitehouse, Messrs G & T Sellman,  Mrs E Mitchell, Muriel Mitchell, Wendy Withington, Mrs C Withington, Mrs E Walker, Mrs A Fidler, Barbara Ridgway, Mrs Newman, Mrs Hawkins, Mrs E Stone, Mrs L Hooper, Mr C R Paradine, Henry William Farmer and Charles Major Wilcox.  For more details of these reports please contact me via the email address below.

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

22nd June 1967  Cheslyn Hay Primary School’s eighth annual sports day with names of winners and competitors.

23rd June 1917  Cricket match between Cheslyn Hay and the Special Constables on the Coppice Lane Grounds giving scores and details of the match.

MEMORIES  From both Pamela Bate and Norma Barta who both recall stories of the local buses and trams and their routes right back to the war years.

WHAT’S IN OUR ARCHIVES  Following on from last week’s news that we have completed the scanning of our photographs, we have now compiled a list of  10,511 individual names that have been named in newspaper reports.  Like the photographs this is an ever growing record thanks to the work of Sue Challenger and will also be included in our Master Database some time in the future.  These names, from Sid Abbott to George Zeal, have been involved in the last 150 years of Cheslyn Hay history and have proved to be an invaluable source of interest to all of our local family historians.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS There have been 4 cancellations for Roger’s trip to York on Thursday, 13th July at £21 per head including entry into the Minster with a free guided tour to include the Museum, Treasury and the Crypts. If interested please contact Roger 01785 212412 as soon as possible.

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

REQUESTS After John Harley’s ‘Memories’ last week, his daughter, Joan Muegge, from Australia wonders if we have any school records of him before he emigrated in 1948.

RESPONSES Following last week’s enquiry, our researchers have checked local records and confirmed that the 1954 Ward Blossom Queen, Gillian Brough, was not from Cheslyn Hay.

We have supplied several photographs for Neil after his request last week lisiting their connections with the WMC, the Cheslyn Hay Buffs and Elliot Lucas’s.

Mick Clark also emails to give details of the brothers Frank and Derek Perks as they were two of my his mother’s cousins and we have 21 photographs of them to be forwarded on.

Last week’s mention of the gypsy caravan in Bates Paddock with Clara Bates and her husband Tommy in the post war years raised a few memories. Can anyone add any more recollections?
ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS ‘The Story of Staffordshire’ has been donated by Kath Walmsley with a two page inscription by the author Mark Hughes BA, Headmaster of Christ Church Schools, Stone, in the front addressed to one of his researchers E A Orton and dated 20th October 1915. Kath cannot recall how the book came into her possession and thus has no knowledge of E A Orton.

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

15th June 1967 Story of the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List awarded to Mrs Lillian Julia Perks.

15th June 1967 Mr R N Crutchley of Cheslyn Hay, has taken over the position of Hon Secretary of the Walsall Junior Youth League with details.

16th June 1917 News of Sergeant Major R Handy of The Lot being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the French Croix de Guerre, for distinguished bravery with full details.

16th June 1917 Private J Wesley of Station Street, visited his father on a short furlough giving some startling incidents which have taken place in France.

16th June 1917 At the Rawnsley Athletic Sports on Saturday, Mr John Pratt, of the Rose and Crown won the 100 yards flat handicap with details.

16th June 1917 News of the Communal Kitchen during the war.

MEMORIES Once again we have asked Diana to dip into the diaries of her Aunt Kathy (nee Wootton) who was married to the headmaster Isaac (Jim) Stokes with some wonderful stories and local gossip together with names from the the summer of 1960.

VOLUNTEERS The Society has, over the years , built up a photographic archive that provides a unique insight into Cheslyn Hay’s past. The 6,935 photographs, in our collection, record over a 100 years of local events, sites and people. This treasure trove is central to many of the services we offer our members and which we intend to improve upon. All these photographs have been scanned by a team of volunteers using their own equipment and the resultant computer images securely filed away in the ‘cloud’ and we will, over time, be utilising them to provide further services to members. It also addresses the security risk of lost and damaged photographs and ensures their preservation for future generations. This has been a mammoth task over the last two years and the committee wishes to record their appreciation to all of our volunteers and in particular to Mick Fellows, Moss Fisher, Dave Bray, Rob Allan and Graham Parker.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

EVENTS Bridgtown LHS are hosting a talk by Katherine Page entitled ‘Bridgtown before 1860’ this Wednesday, 17th May at 10am at the Bethel Chapel, Union Street, Bridgtown.
OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday with our researchers also on hand ready to give advice and support.
REQUESTS June Wollaston called into the Base on Tuesday with her family tree that links in with the Handel Whitehouse (b1867) son of Charles Whitehouse and Emma Kitchen and she goes back another two generations to George Whitehouse who married Lucey Brindley at Bednall on 10th May 1790. June requests if anyone can help her to go back even further.
June also is connected to the Warrender family mentioned in last week’s newsletter and has brought in photographs and a range of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates going well back into the 1800s and enquires if anyone else has any connection with these Warrenders (Albert Snr, Fred, Reginald, Grace, Albert Jnr & Stanley). There is also a link with the Griffiths family.
NEW PHOTOGRAPHS Fred Harley Snr, Alice Harley & Fred Harley Jnr at Elwell’s Farm c1930 plus Alice Harley, Fred Harley Jnr, Fred Harley Snr & wife Alice. Also one of Connie Richards and one of the Cheslyn Hay WMC as seen from the bowling green in the 1940s and 3 photographs of the model of Hawthorne Cottage built by Graham Collins for our 2011 Exhibition and a copy of the Memorial Service with photograph of Brian Cowley. £1 per 7×5 Photographic Print.
ARCHIVE ADDITIONS/ARTEFACTS/DONATIONS Whitehouse family tree going back to George Whitehouse marrying Lucey Brindley as mentioned above. A copy of the 1952 Cannock Rural District Official Guide including the histories and photographs of Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Saredon & Shareshill.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher
18th May 1967 Results of the Cannock Rural District Council Elections in Cheslyn Hay in a very close contest with W G Craddock, R A R Elsmore, W G Mytton, H Roberts, D A Stanton and R Edmunds.
19th May 1917 The Sunday School Anniversary at the Salem United Methodist Church. Full details.
MEMORIES We complete the interview with Albert Edward Wood of 37 Leveson Avenue dated 1st October 2002 with stories relating to Henry Hawkins Longhouse Tileries, Mr Williams, Dick Plant, Constance Carpenter and Swallow Raincoats in Cannock.
WHAT’S IN OUR ARCHIVES Over the years we have gratefully received Personal Collections from families which we have always kept separately from our normal archives. Many of these Collections are donated after bereavements and they contain family photographs, letters, personal items and memorabilia that must have meant so much to them and we are privileged to be able to keep such memories alive to be shared with everyone who have a common interest in Cheslyn Hay and its inhabitants over the years. The Collections are under the following names and can be viewed at our Base on Tuesdays – Craig Bailey, Pamela Bate, Les Belcher, Geoffrey Boulton, Hilda Bowdler (Walker Family), Jim Brevitt, Edna Brown (2 volumes), Joe Cadman, Peter Cadman, John Cartwright, Jack Dawkins, Devereux Family, Roy Handley, Ethel Harley, Hawkins (3 volumes), Hawkins Colliery (Records), Hawkins Photographs (inc Harriman & Wootton families), Hawkins Autograph Album, David Leach (M54 construction), Roger Moore, Joan Perks, Ann Plant, Ivor Plant, Janet Smith, Isaac Stokes (Photograph Album), Victor Taylor, Malcolm Tonks, John Turner, Freda Walley, Whitehouse (Family Tree), Laurence Wood, Wootton (inc Family Bible).
MICK FELLOWS Mick passed away at home on Thursday, 11th May, aged just 67 after bravely fighting his illness for quite some time. Mick has a long history with our Society and together with his wife Lesley, who is also our treasurer, he has been an integral part of the success of our development from its inception in 1994. His computer knowledge in our early days was invaluable but I, personally, will always appreciate his friendly and sociable outlook that I believe was his main strength. We had a common bond together through our support of Walsall FC and even in his latter days it was always a real pleasure to exchange memories with Mick as he would always be able to prompt some long forgotten incident during the ‘good old days’ to make us smile. A truly good friend and one we’ll all miss at the Society. Our thoughts go out to Lesley and the family.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

7th May 2017
EVENTS Chat n Char this Thursday, May 11th in the Salem starting at 10.00am and Roger’s theme this month is ‘Eboracum, Jorvik, Eoforwic; a history of York.”
OUR SALEM BASE is open from 9am – 2pm every Tuesday. Everyone welcome.
REQUESTS No requests received this week.
RESPONSES Jean and Andrew have been able to provide plenty of information for Sue on her Handel Whitehouse family including a copy of the marriage certificate dated 31 Dec 1887 of Handel Whitehouse and Emily Walker as well as a Family Tree. Also Pauline Turner adds that her grandfather Handel Altree was named after his uncle Handel Whitehouse and we have photographs of this Handel’s family in our archives.
OLD NEWSPAPERS researched by Dave Washington A court case of Isaac Elwell for gross cruelty (1883), Life of Mrs John Naylor, wife of the Reverend Naylor (1922), court case of Albert Victor Crutchley for aggravated assault on Elsie Foster (1930), a road accident involving Harold Wollaston (1931) and an inquest on Gladys Doreen Smith of 23 Coppice Lane (1951). Copy of any Newspaper Report £1.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK 50/100 YEARS AGO by Mike Belcher
11th May 1967 Mr Brian Trevor Turner, a miner, of 2 Mitre Road killed in a road accident. Full details.
11th May 1967 The funeral took place at Church Road Methodist Church, St Anne’s-on-sea, Lancashire, on Saturday, of Mrs May Warrender, of 21 Hatherton Street, Cheslyn Hay widow of Mr Albert Warrender.
11th May 1967 A local Salem newsletter introduced by the Cheslyn Hay’s Methodist minister the Rev Gordon Jenkins and Mr I Stokes.
11th May 1967 Details of the funeral of Mrs Janet Mary Ridgeway, wife of Roland Ridgeway, of 10 Sutherland Road
12th May 1917 Information on how Cheslyn Hay is boldly dealing with the food problem, and is setting an example to the whole of Staffordshire.
12th May 1917 The Salvationists of Cheslyn Hay, celebrating their third year’s work at Cheslyn Hay on Sunday.
12th May 1917 A football match was played on the Barn Flat Ground on Saturday,when teams from Leacroft Colliery and Great Wyrley Colliery competed. The proceeds of the match were for Wilfred Garrett, of Station Street.
MEMORIES This week we continue with the interview of Albert Edward Wood of 37 Leveson Avenue dated 1st October 2002 which started in our newsletter 6th November 2016 covering his schooldays with
Miss Smiley, Mr Cadman, Mr Bale, Mr Baxter and Fanny Ford, the music teacher as well as stories of his mates Reg and Harry Plant, Trevor Baker from Saredon Road and Tony Brough from Station Street. Also many stories of the railway and people he remembered naming Mr Hudson, Roland Ridgway, Godfrey Devereux, Albert Thacker, Dick Benton, Mr Paradine, ‘Trotty’ Jukes and Albert Podmore.
WWI COMMEMORATION This May we commemorate the death of 13623 Thomas Carver of the 1/6th (TF) Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, who was killed on 12th May 1917 aged 41, son of Charles and Jemima Carver, of 2 Station Street, Cheslyn Hay, and buried with honour at the Fosse No 10 Communal Cemetery Extension, Sainsen Gohelle.
GENERAL NEWS For anyone searching for two old Cheslyn Hay books that have out of print for some time, we now have one ‘Pubs & Publicans of Cheslyn Hay’ at £5 and a ‘Cheslyn Hay Lives Vol 2’ at £4 available. Please contact me at the address below.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net