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ON this page other local historians will be invited to place their contribution to Burnley's rich history. Keep coming back, the page will be constantly updated. The first of our many local historians to make a contribution to these pages is Ken Spencer. What Ken doesn't know about Burnley past isn't worth knowing. It's been said that Ken knows mores about 19th. Century Burnley, than any other local historian alive today. The title 'Mr Burnley' went to Walter Bennett, the author of the 'History of Burnley' Volumes 1 to 4, but if it hadn't, then surely it would have gone to Ken Spencer. Ken, is also a gentlemen in every respect, always keen to assist, whether it be to a family historian stuck on a certain subject, or helping out in the reference library when short staffed. Below are some of the fascinating articles written by Ken, beginning with the Mystery Stone of Howorth Fold.
THE MYSTERY STONE OF HOWORTH FOLD
'Many's the time I've tried to reckon up what those letters mean' said an old friend not long ago. He was referring to the letters on the wall tablet at Lower Howorth Fold House, between Rosehill and Towneley, and was unwittingly repeating the words of George Hindle in his 'Tales of the Brun' nearly one hundred years ago. 'Many strangers gaze with curiosity at the large stone above the doorway, and inquire the meaning of the initials I., I., and C., I., and the face of an adult and a child, with the date 1748' I have never seen the mystery explained, and what follows now is an interpretation, rather than proof. Like Sherlock Holmes case 'The Five Orange Pips' there are points in connection with it which have never been, and probably never will be entirely cleared up. The face on the tablet have inspired the story that the house was once a maternity home for Towneley servants, but it is hardly likely that such a thing would be advertised on the wall, and in any case the Towneley's did not own Howorth before about 1813 (They sold it in 1906) Incidentally, there is also supposed to be an underground link with Towneley Hall. The same unlikely tale is told of Huffling Hall, the Hollins, Old Laund (Brierfield) and Swinshaw (at Loveclough) What look like the 'I's on the tablet are in fact J's This substitution is not uncommon in stonework lettering, and is not remarkable. Two of them probably stand for John Jackson who made his will from Howorth Fold in July 1747, and died there in November 1748. His chief beneficiaries were his daughters Mary Clark, widow of James Clark, of Walshaw, and Ann Howorth, of Howorth Fold. Mary Clark had two sons, John and James born in 1737 and 1741 respectively, and it is my guess that it is one of these who is represented by the letters J.C. and the figure of a child's head. The other letters, and the adult's head would, of course be for John Jackson himself. Grandfather and grandson. Therefore J.J. and J.C. All rather unconventional, but certainly within the limits of possibilities. The datestone at Lower Howorth Farm next door is easier to interpret. It was set up later than the house itself, which dates from the 17th. Century, GHE 1777 it says, and relates to George Hargreaves and Elizabeth Smith who were married at St Peter's on October 17th. 1776. Their daughter, Mary married James Fletcher, of Gannow, the canal engineer, and died aged 24 in January 1806. She left a two year old son, Samuel, who became the great-great grandfather of the late Mrs S.D. Smith, who will be well remembered as a headmaster of Todmorden Road School. By one of the most pleasing threads and continuity which sometimes runs through local history, Mr Smith spoke about the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the Burnley and District Civic Trust in April 1970. It was an important talk, for at that time there was no public access to the towpaths, and therefore no towpaths walks, angling or Weavers' Triangle Toll House Museum--amenities which we now take very much for granted. The Civic Trust was then campaigning for all those things, and Mr Smith's talk played a part in helping to bring them about.
This article also appeared in the Burnley Express, dated 4th. April, 1989.
Below is Lower Howorth Fold House.
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THE ERIC GILL CONNECTION IN BURNLEY
Until a few days ago I knew very little about Eric Gill (1882-1940) I was vaguely aware that he had created a war memorial in Leeds, which some people liked and other didn't, and that he had designed some type faces that were highly thought of by printers, but that was about all. Now, with the publication of a new and controversial book about his private life 'Eric Gill' by Fiona MacCarthy, we are likely to hear more of him in the future. He achieved much more than I knew of, of course. He was an engraver, sculptor, artist and author, with substantial entries under his name in 'Who Was Who' and the 'Dictionary of National Biography'. But what really took my eye when I was recently reading a preview of the new book, was the fact that his father was the Rev. Arthur Tidman Gill. This rang a bell. I remembered that there was once an Arthur Tidman Gill in Burnley. I cannot pretend to evaluate Eric Gill's work, or comment on his lifestyle, but perhaps I can say something about the family's background. Arthur Tidman Gill (1848-1933) was the son of Rev. George Gill, pastor of Westgate Congregational Chapel from 1861 to 1880. This George Gill was a remarkable man. He was born in 1820 at Tiverton in Devon, he grew up in London and married when quite young. In 1844, he and his wife set sail for the South Sea Islands as missionaries under the auspices of the London Missionary Society. To be precise, they went to Mangaia in the Cook Islands, which is about as far out into the ocean as you can get. Here they worked for 13 years before moving on to Raratonga in the same island group. An elder brother, the Rev. W.W. Gill had previously worked there. Mr and Mrs Gill had a large family, and in about 1855, the older boys were sent to England, presumably for their schooling. The son of a native chief came with them, but was tragically drowned en route. When the rest of the family eventually left the islands for England in 1860, the young chief's mother, Akatu Vaine, came with them as nurse to their children. She called them 'her family'. Mr Gill was appointed first pastor of the new Westgate Chapel, which opened in July 1861, and his name lives on in 'Gill Street' off Clifton Street. They lived on Grimshaw Street at first, and then moved to Woodfield, a detached house at the far end of Clifton Street. Akatu Vaine, affectionately called 'Opoo' was of course a nine-day wonder when she first came to Burnley, but she became a familiar figure as time went by. She was a big built woman with a cheerful face, and people respected her for the careful way in which she looked after the children. She died in January 1877, aged about 70, and is buried in Burnley Cemetery. Mr Gill was tremendously active at Westgate, making it into an influential chapel not only in the religious sense, but also as something of a cultural centre. He also busied himself with a translation of the Bible into the language of Raratonga, published in 1872. He was suddenly taken ill in the summer of 1878, and retired from his ministry a couple of years later. The family moved south to Lewisham, where he died in August 1880. His eldest son, also called George, continued to live in Burnley. He had married James Lomas, whose father had been mayor in 1867-68. In 1874, after her death he married Sarah Jane Duckett, eldest daughter of James Duckett of Woodleigh, Manchester Road. They came to live at what I presume to have been an extension to Woodleigh, the part furthest up the road, now called Jalna, and I believe the rockeries and grottoes which are still in the garden date back to their day. Young George Gill was a mill manager, and then an accountant who became the manager of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. He was active at the Mechanics and in the Burnley Literary and Scientific Club. My mother remembers his concern at the felling of the tree which almost used to meet overhead on Manchester Road. He was she said 'a grand chap'. He died in 1911, and his wife in 1927. They had two daughters, but I doubt if there are descendants living locally. The Rev. Gill almost certainly owned property around Clifton Street. He may have owned Gill Street, and perhaps Nisbet Terrace (now gone) and Bartlett Terrace, the name for the block of houses at the bottom end of Clifton Street. They were named after two of his children, Sarah Nisbet Gill, and William Bartlett Gill. Woodfield House where he lived must have lost much of its value after Clifton Pit was opened close by in 1876.
It fell into a state of deterioration during the 20th. century, and was a bakery in its latter days, being demolished in July 1965. In the Gill family, the children's middle name was usually given in commemoration of some cleric. Thus: Arthur Tidman Gill was no doubt named after the Rev. Arthur Tidman, who, incidentally preached at Westgate in July 1863. Towneley Hall has a good collection of Gill family photographs. Elizabeth Gill, Arthur's sister married a London executive named S.M. Osmond, and became the 'rich auntie Lizzie' mentioned in one or two of the books about her famous nephew, Eric. What has most impressed me in writing about the family is the continuity of character between the three generations, the Rev. George Gill, his son Arthur, and grandson Eric. A missionary on a small island in the South Seas may be regarded as a hero or reviled as totally misled. The ethics are not important here. The point I want to make is that in the Rev. Gill's day such a missionary would have been an exceptionally capable and all round man, able to turn his hand to anything, and by all accounts, Mr Gill was such a person. Likewise, in his own context, was his grandson, Eric, a thoughtful and individualistic man who was nevertheless the acknowledged master of a wide range of technical skills.
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On the left is Arthur Gill and his sister Elizabeth. Below is another article by Ken Spencer, on Hufling Hall, Burnley Wood.
HUFLING HALL
Hufling Hall is on Hufling Lane, Burnley Wood. I believe that Walter Bennett in his History of Burnley, part 3, page 22 was wrong in saying that Hufling Hall ever belonged to the Halsteds of Rowley (Hall) The John Halstead who founded the John Halstead Charity in 1672 was of Broadbank in Briercliffe, and the properties concerned were Higher Mosley Farm, (later known as Woodplumpton Farm) and Sandbed. This becomes apparent after careful reading of the Charity Commissioners Reports, 1900. No property near Hufling Hall was involved, and it is virtually certain that in 1672 it was not yet built. The present building is listed Grade Two, and has been described for me the late Mr Ralph Cross. It is a well preserved two storey house, one of the few complete houses of the period in Burnley. Rectangular in plan, about 45 foot by 50 foot. It has five good mullioned windows at its front, two at ground level, and three above. The front door is not central, the house body to the right being wider than the rooms to the left. The house is stone built, but has been covered by a thick layer of plaster. The roof, which is original, is covered with its old stone slates. Detailed examination of the roofing timbers ahs not been possible, but has been sufficient to show that the house is covered by one immense span, and that the 17th. Century pulins and rafters are intact. The house is divided internally by two walls extending from front to rear and is accordingly of three bays, the internal and external walls supporting the exceptionally heavy roof at four points. There is no trace of an original back door, if there was one, and the original disposition of the internal space today cannot by determined. Sarah Pearson in her RURAL HOUSES OF THE LANCASHIRE PENNINES, page 150 shows an internal plan of the Hall, with an accompanied description. In a separate account of the roof design, Mr Cross mentions unusual ironwork, which I suggest, confirms the identity of the builder as Henry Clayton, a blacksmith. The Sutcliffe family was farmers at Hufling Hall in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth. They may have gone indirectly from there to Howorth Fold. See G. Hindle story, The Coiners of Mosley Hill in TALES OF THE BRUN (1896)
A messuage, cottage, farm and premises, called Hufling Hall, and several closes of land, in possession of John Sutcliffe and William Brookes contained 40 acres, 3 roods, and 31 perches, with an annual value of one hundred and twenty two pounds. These are listed in the lands belonging to the Burnley Rectory in the Act of 1819 for granting leases, see T.T. Wilkinson, HISTORY OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH OF BURNLEY. Ellen, the daughter of John Turner, a weaver, and his wife Betty, of Hufling Hall, was baptised at St Peter's on November 24th. 1833. There were some Turners at Howorth Fold about this time, John may well have been one of them, as may another John Turner who comes into the story later. The Tithe Map schedules of 1842, show the Hall's owner as the Rev. Mosley Master (of St Peter's) and its occupants as John Hall (27 acres) and Mrs Betty Brooks (10 acres) Brice Smith, aged 38 farmed Hufling Hall in 1851, his wife Elizabeth died there in December 1855. He was, I think, uncle to Brice Smith who was a well known Burnley cricketer in the 1860s. The census for 1861 shows the Hall and its adjacent buildings as occupied by no fewer than 34 people, Edmondson's Wrathall's Riley's Bancroft's and Heap's. This sort of subdivision of what once was a single house into multiple parts was common at this time. Compare for example, Extwistle Hall, Daneshouse and Fulledge, where the same thing occurred. Pleasure Gardens called Hufling Hall Gardens flourished at or near the Hall in the 1850s and 1860s, see Burnley Express, February 12th. 1980. It may have been about that time that there was a pond in front of the Hall. In their hey-day, the gardens were run by Moses Lancaster, whose daughter Duella (Mrs Lardner) was still in residence at the Hall when interviewed for the Northern Daily Telegraph, in July 1953. She died there on July 30th. 1955 aged 88 years. Her daughter, Mrs Clara A. Wetherell, told me in about 1980 of the family tradition that her grandfather Moses liked to stand at the door in a thunder storm. On one occasion he was perhaps doing just that, when struck by lightening, which hastened his death. His widow, Eliza advertised the Hufling Hall barn and stable to let (Burnley Gazette, December 24th. 1870, page 4) and shortly afterwards she remarried. Her new husband was John Turner, a cotton weaver, who in April 1872, took out a lease on the Hall from the church authorities. He was in residence there in 1881, aged 54, with his wife Eliza aged 53, and daughters Emily, later Mrs Beecham, and Duella (later Mrs Lardner) He died in July 1883, and his widow, Eliza in December 1906. The fields around the Hall remained fairly clear of development until the 1880s. The general spread of Burnley into Burnley Wood, as outlined by Alfred Strange, after who Strange Street is named created a need for a school there. Burnley Wood School was built on previously open fields behind Hufling Hall. The Hall was in two parts during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the main building, and the cottage, numbered 69, and 71 Hufling Lane respectively.
Duella Lancaster married William Lardner, a painter and decorator. The first lived in the cottage part of the Hall (No.71) with Duella's mother as neighbour, but by 1902, they had combined the whole building into one. Mr Lardner died in 1906 or 1907, leaving his widow at the Hall to bring up their five children, Harry, Herbert, George, Ernest and Clara. In October 1907, John Lancaster, Duella's eldest brother, took out a mortgage to buy the Hall, together with No. 2 Strange Street. This was paid off during 1917. Harry and Ernest Lardner carried on with the painting and decorating business until the 1950s. Ernest lived his whole life there, raising his own family at 2 Strange Street, which became known as The Cottage. On January 1st. 1959, the Wooller's bought the Hall.
A BIT OF SPECULATION
Hufling Hall was never a hall in the sense that Towneley, Gawthorpe, Barcroft or Royle was. It was never more than a middle sized building, no bigger than the average farmhouse either in itself or in the extent of its estate. I suspect that it was named Hufling Hall in affectionate derision, on account of the man who built it, Henry Clayton, a blacksmith. Oakleigh, built much later of course was nicknamed Teapot Hall after its first owner, Abraham Altham the wholesale tea merchant. Hufling, a word unique in place names so far as I know, had an old meaning to fan a fire. This is of course exactly what a blacksmith did. It is important to note that the lane we call Hufling Lane was named after the Hall, and not vice versa. Its earlier name was Hufling Hall Road. I regard Hufling Hall as a real gem.
Ken Spencer.
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HERE ARE A NUMBER OF ARTICLES BY LOCAL HISTORIAN JAMES HOWELL PUBLISHED IN THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
Historic hamlet's echoes of the Brontes
First published on Monday 21 January 2002 in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.
by local historian, James Howell.
THIS is a look at the histories of certain buildings of Hurstwood. The most imposing building in the old part of Hurstwood is Hurstwood Hall. It was built by Barnard Towneley in 1579. He was an illegitimate son of the Towneley Family. In 1550 he carried off and married Agnes Ormerod when she was about 13-years-old. Her father and brother were both dead by 1550. Barnard and Agnes were married until the death of Agnes in 1586. Barnard lived until 1602. Barnard Towneley was an architect and builder. He purchased the land on which Hurstwood Hall is built from his wife's cousin, a man called Haydock. Over the main doorway of the Hall is carved the inscription 'Barnardvus Townley et Agnes Uxor Ejus, 1579.' The Hall was occupied by descendants of Barnard and Agnes Towneley until about 1775. For a few years around 1795 an upper room was used for Methodist religious services. The Hall was lived in at this time by Joseph Eltoft, a Methodist lay preacher. Some of his relatives were cotton manufacturers at Burnley. In 1803, Charles Towneley of Towneley Hall made Hurstwood Hall part of his estate. In about 1900 it became part of the Thursby estate. Between about 1855 and about 1877 the Hall was lived in by John Crabtree and his family. John Crabtree was a farmer and Baptist preacher. From 1862 until 1870 Baptist services were held in probably the same upper room of the Hall as the earlier Methodist services. Crabtree moved to a farm at Bottin in about 1877. From about 1930 until 1960, part of the Hall was used as a tea-shop. This was run by Mrs Elizabeth Stanworth who lived at the Hall also. The Hall garden was used as a tea garden. Mrs Stanworth died at the age of 76 in 1960. Hurstwood Hall then became unoccupied. It fell into dilapidation and suffered from vandalism. The building was renovated and has been lived in since 1964. It has been one home ever since that time, instead of being partitioned into separate residences. In 1975 there was a severe fire at Hurstwood Hall. In 1996 part of a television serial adaptation of Anne Bronte's novel 'The Tenant of Wild Fell Hall' was filmed at Hurstwood Hall. Almost opposite the front of the Hall is a large barn that used to be associated with the Hall and is about the same age. Parts of the building used to be utilised as a stable, a cow shed, and a card shed, in the past. A section of the building was used for non-denominational Christian religious services from about 1879 until 1992. Close to the barn is the former Hurstwood Baptist Chapel, which is a building that was erected in 1860. It was built as a branch of Vale Chapel, which is near Todmorden. The architect of Hurstwood Chapel was Thomas Horsfield of Halifax. The building replaced the upper room at Hurstwood Hall as a Baptist place of worship. Adjoining the former Chapel is the former Sunday School building which was erected in 1883. The Chapel was renovated in 1891. The first minister of the Chapel was James Crabtree, who was almost certainly a brother of John Crabtree of Hurstwood Hall. James and John are both buried in the churchyard. James and his wife and children were the first occupants of Hurstwood House in about 1860. Hurstwood House stands very close to the churchyard. Some other people buried in the churchyard include Smith Holgate who was a cotton manufacturer at Bankfield Shed on Bankhouse Street in Burnley, and James Shackleton who was the head gamekeeper for the Towneley Estate. From about 1860 until about 1880, Hurstwood Baptist Chapel used to have large numbers of people regularly attending services until about 1930. There was originally seating for about 300 people. After about 1950 often less than 30 people attended services. Richard Collinge was the organist from 1903 until about 1973. He is buried in the churchyard. Hurstwood Baptist Chapel closed in about 1984. However, in 1992 the building re-opened as a non-denominational Christian place of worship. The congregation had previously used the barn mentioned earlier. Spenser House stands almost opposite Hurstwood Hall. Spenser House was built in about 1530, members of the Spenser family lived there up until about 1690. There is a very good chance that the great Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser was part of this family.
There is also a very good chance that he stayed at this house in 1579. That is also the same year that Hurstwood Hall was built. In the period between about 1830 and about 1920, members of the Marshall family inhabited Spenser House. A music hall comedian called Jack Sharples lived in one part of the house for a few years around 1930. At that time the house was divided into three homes. In 1988 former Burnley footballer Eddie Cliff and his family lived at Spenser House until 1994. Architectural features of Spenser House include mullioned windows, a porch, and old decorate carvings on some of the inside walls. In 1996, the television serial version of Anne Bronte's novel 'The Tenant of Wild Fell Hall' was partly filmed at Spenser House was well as Hurstwood Hall. Rupert Graves, Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens played the main characters in the serial and they all acted in the scenes that were filmed at Hurstwood.
First published on Thursday 03 September 1998:
Show is sprinkled with stardust
FAMOUS actors and actresses who have links with Burnley feature in a new exhibition by historian James Howell.He has collected a variety of photographs, cuttings and articles and they are on show at Burnley heritage Centre, Lower St James Street, Burnley, until September 19.
Burnley's first actress Mary Lowes, a silent movie star, is pictured along with 50 items from other stars including Burnley TV actress Kathy Jamieson, Rossendale's Jane Horrocks, Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous, and Anna Friel, best known for Beth Jordache in Channel Four soap Brookside, who has relatives in the Burnley area and whose first movie Land Girls opens tomorrow.Mr Howell said: "I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me put the exhibition together by donating items, they include friends and stars of TV and films."
First published on Thursday 18 April 1996:
Fulledge Rec's 100 years of history
THERE are 100 years of colourful history at Fulledge recreation ground in Burnley.
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in 1904, with its thrilling horse-riding displays and mock shoot-outs, was the most spectacular of the many memorable events held on the urban field.
But, as visitors to the annual funfair know, the inconspicuous piece of land on the fringe of serene Towneley Park can be dramatically transformed in other ways.Bought by the old Burnley Corporation this week in 1896, Fulledge rec has been used as a fairground, circus-site and sports pitch.Historian James Howell , who lives a few yards from the ground on Admiral Street, has been researching an article for Burnley and District Historical Society's magazine, Retrospect.He told the Citizen: "Lady O'Hagan, of Towneley Hall, sold the land to the corporation in April 1896. In the same month, many of the streets in the area were completed.
"They included Thursfield Road, Linby Street, Linden Street, Admiral Street, Lyndhurst Road, Mitella Street and Holmsley Street."It was a year of great change for the area.
Three building companies rapidly erected hundreds of houses, making 1896 a record year for house-building in Burnley.A few months later, Lady O'Hagan sold Towneley Hall to the council. In 1903 it became an art gallery and museum.James added: "Until 1939, the ground was used for amateur cricket and football matches, and since 1959 it has housed the annual fair."
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