Hargreaves Family History

Tracing the Hargreaves family of Burnley Lancashire

In August 2001 my husband Peter Walls Hargreaves and I, Margaret K M Hargreaves began to trace the Hargreaves Family of Burnley Lancs. We suspected it would not be easy. Peter had told me that in Lancashire the Hargreaves Family are as numerous as the Smiths in Derby. I knew they had been Unitarians which should have made it easier. It didn't as all the Unitarian Records were not at the Lancs Record Office at Preston. Nor were there any records on the IGI which is usually a good source of family information.

Turning to the 1881 Census on CD Rom we found Walls straight away. Thank goodness for unusual Christian names. We found the Hargreaves at Loveclough near Burnley but it was recorded as Coveclough. When the Hargreaves moved into town we found them in Marlborough Street Whalley. It was a mistake of course. We knew it was Burnley.

It is thanks to 4 men that we made progress. My husband's cousin John Christopher Sharples let me copy all the photographs and documents saved by his mother, Elinor Sharples nee Hargreaves. He also put us in touch with another cousin David Herbert. David is a grandson of Peter James Hargreaves. Uncle Peter had been mentioned a lot in family talk. A religious man, he always led the Good Friday walk up Pendle Hill. David is blind but aided by an internet that speaks to him he was able to do a lot. He got in touch with a newspaper in New Zealand, Relatives responded and information was exchanged. Several seemingly insurmountable problems were ironed out Many of David's near relations had emigrated and touch had been lost as folk died.

David put us in touch with another cousin Tom Bennett. We met in Burnley Library and Tom told us some delightful stories about his grandfather, William Henry Hargreaves and about his mother Maggie (Gasworks) Bennett nee Hargreaves. Tom took us to the Churchyard and we recorded Hargreaves Memorials. In fact we found all 3 Hargreaves brothers William Henry. Peter James and Walls all working for the gasworks in Burnley. It is not surprising the Harold Hargreaves (Peter's father) worked for Jackson Boilers and invented a Gas Boiler for heating hot water very economically. David put us in touch with his cousin Peter Hargreaves of Doncaster who shared information and photographs with us.

The name Peter keeps occurring in every generation. I think it entered the Hargreaves family when John H born 1828 married Ann Hart whose father was Peter Hart. We dedicate this piece of family history to the next generation.

Talk to Tom Bennett in Burnley Library on 20th August 2001

Tom Bennett is the grandson of William Henry Hargreaves (1856-1940) and remembers a lot of very interesting things about him. Tom is the youngest son of Margaret (nicknamed Maggie Gasworks) Hargreaves who married Horace Kinsman Bennett on July 3rd 1920.

Tom told us that his grandfather, W HH, left school when he was 7 years old. He went to work at the Print Works and moved on later to the Gas Works where he was an engineer. He retired when he was 72 years old through ill health. He had worked for 57 years at the Gas Works in Burnley.

Wm Henry married Jane who died on Oct 29th 1915 so Tom, her grandson, born 1927, never met her. He took us to her grave in the massive Burnley Cemetery. He knew his way to it very well, pointing out landmarks such as a statue of a soldier in whose hand poppies were placed, an angel over the grave of a child and a fireman's grave which had a picture in stone of a fireman's axe, helmet and hose. Tom told us that years ago there was a real fireman's helmet in a glass case.

The grave, Tom showed us, commemorated Jane, wife of W H H who lived with him at 3, Ashfield Rd Burnley and died on Oct 29th 1915 aged 61 years. The gravestone also remembered William Henry Hargreaves, baby son of W H H and wife, Jane, who died in infancy and, Elizabeth nee Binns who died on Oct 4th 1910 aged 40 years. She was the wife of Peter James Hargreaves, younger brother of W H H. Also named was John William (Jack) who died on 6th Feb 1919 aged 40 years. He was mortally wounded at Étaples in WW1. He was the 2nd son of W H H and he set out to see him in a Belgian hospital but turned back when he were told his son had died. Tom told us that his mother Maggie and her three young sons were often told to go and scrub the headstone and W H H would joke and say they hadn't done it. When W H H himself died, his burial was on Jan 11th 1940. His body was placed in the same grave but not mentioned on the inscription.

Tom Bennett told us he was christened Tom (not Thomas) after a faithful horse driven by his father? He and his parents, Horace Kinsman Bennett and Maggie Bennett nee Hargreaves and their three sons, Horace, Bill and Tom himself lived with grandfather W HH at 4 and 6 Smith St. At first the family lived in one of these 2 up, 2 down houses and grandfather W H H occupied the main bedroom. Maggie, husband Horace and sons all slept in the downstairs front room. In 1937 a regulation came out which said 2 generations should not occupy the same bedroom so the family acquired next door and these 2 houses are named over and over again in Hargreaves family records.

W H H had a younger brother John Hargreaves. We found this John (Jnr) in Union St, Burnley in 1881 married to an Ann and working as a labourer. Tom had a vague memory of somebody called Uncle Jack turning up at a funeral in the Love Clough area, wearing a red waistcoat. The family disowned him (however it was apparently the only waistcoat he possessed).

W H H enjoyed a drink every Christmas morning. The drink was never beer, always spirits. He would start off by wishing son in law, Horace, a merry Christmas and drinking with him and then go on to drink with various male neighbours and relatives including Uncle Walls (1864-1930). Uncle Peter James (1862-1946) never joined in as he was a Teetotaller. At the end of the session Maggie would tell her husband Horace off saying "You've never been anywhere, how can you be so drunk?". WHH was never the worst for drink.

When Tom was young, his grandfather W W H used to go to the Cattle Market every week. He always brought home some toffee which he put in a certain drawer. Often Tom and his brothers would sneak some, until on one occasion Tom put his fingers in the drawer and pulled out some eucalyptus tablets. These tasted horribly bitter and the boys ate them but never did it again. About the same time WHH who suffered from Bronchitis, was given a recipe of a herbal cure. The mixture contained sulphur, liqufruta and black treacle and looked and smelt horrible. However W H H drank it.

Tom was delighted when his cousin Wilfred Binns Hargreaves(1887-1963) turned up in a car. Wilfred was the eldest son of Peter James Hargreaves by his first wife, Mary Ann Binns. This was when Tom, born 1927, was still a child and cars were a rare sight in those days and only owned by the rich. Wilfred took the lads a trip to Blackpool but unfortunately a wheel came off the car before they got there. Later on in his life Tom was asked by a friend to drive the friend's car to Bellevue, Manchester. Tom said it was a good job that it was flat at Bellevue as the car had no brakes.

Tom told us things about his Hargreaves uncles and aunts (sons and daughters of W H H and wife Jane). The eldest surviving uncle was John William (Jack) Hargreaves born 1881 who went to America to seek his fortune. Sadly this did not happen and he came back on a cattle boat. When Tom's mother Maggie opened the door to him she did not recognise him as he had a beard. She was 17 years younger than this brother and had probably been very young when he went. This uncle Jack was killed at Étaples in WW1. Tom's aunt Annie Hargreaves moved in with a man who was separated from his wife. Father, W HH told her never to darken his door again. He disowned her. She used to wait until her father had gone out and then visit her mother, Jane and brothers and sisters.

Tom's uncle Peter (4th) Hargreaves married firstly Emma who died in 1933 aged 46 years and the daughter of that marriage. was Tom's cousin, Ethel Hargreaves, who died in 1937 aged 13 years of a nosebleed. Peter married again. His second wife was Annie Lawson who already had a son Robert Lawson by a previous marriage. Robert emigrated to Australia? and sent for his mother and step-father telling them how well he was doing. Peter and Annie Hargreaves went to join him but it was a disaster financially. They never came home. Tom's aunt Janie married Jimmy Linton, a coal miner, and their children were Tom born 1934, Harry, Florence and William.

When W H H drew near to the end of his life he celebrated his last Christmas. Tom told us how his mother Maggie would creep round every year to the next door semi in Smith St. She let herself in and stood by her father's bed leaving a Christmas stocking with the customary apple, orange and new penny in. On this occasion a hand appeared out of bed and her father said, "Got yer. I've been waiting 84 years to see who put that there and now I know it was not Santa at all. It was you!".

Tom's mother, Maggie, was small, barely 5 feet in height, but tough and lived to be 86 years old. She would never have a telephone so Tom relied on a helpful neighbour to tell him when she was poorly. Once when Tom went to his mother's house they had an argument. She told him off for swearing and slapped him. He was then 55 years old.

Tom himself has married twice, Alice Davison and Norah Yearsley, and has 3 sons, Bill, John and Peter. He has worked as a railway porter, sewing machine mechanic and school and church caretaker. Church caretaking was the hardest job, requiring 7days and 6 nights work. He has many friends. One lady has arthritis so badly she can't drive her car and Tom drives her out. Another friend has peripheral vision. He also works on Sundays at Townley Museum, Burnley keeping an eye on valuable exhibits. It was delightful to meet him.

Margaret K. M. Hargreaves