Martha Ellen Bancroft and the Mayday celebrations

 

Martha Ellen Bancroft is second from right

Some time ago I wrote an article for the blog about a lady called Martha Ellen Bancroft, who's details I found on one of my many trips to the local reference library. It was only recently that I came across lots more information and photographs which gave more details about her and the photograph of her taking part in what looks like Mayday celebrations in the Sutton-in-Craven area, a village between Keighley and Skipton.

Martha Ellen was the daughter of Smith and Mary J Bancroft and was born on 13/3/1905 in the Crosshills area. She had 3 siblings, Emily,Florence and John.

 

Her father Smith Bancroft died at an early age in 1914 when she was about 9 years old, which must have meant a struggle for her mother Jane bring up 4 young children.

The picture at the top of the page shows Martha Ellen around 1911 taking part with the other village girls in the local Mayday celebrations. The occasion marked a resurgence of interest in England country dance and folk music. Some years later, a Maypole was erected in the park and pupils at the Church of England school did Maypole dancing. This annual celebration seems to have started around the time of Edward VII's coronation in 1902 and continued up around 1960 when the village Maypole was removed.

 

Martha Ellen, along with her two sisters all worked as weavers in a local mill as the 1939 census shows, and she seems to have remained a single lady all her life.

Here's the story about finding her details and the poem I wrote some time ago:

I have for a long time been writing poetry, just really as a bit of a hobby, and only when I have come across something that inspires me to put pen to paper, and this was one of those occasions

Some time ago while doing some research at the local Reference Library, I came across an old dusty box file which had been deposited there by the family of a lady called Martha Ellen Bancroft, after her death. The box was full of lots of little things which this lady had obviously treasured throughout her life not just photographs and letters, but some personal items such as glasses and nail scissors. I began to build up a picture in my mind, while going through the contents, of what this lady must have been like, and how she led her life. I felt a little sad that this lady’s whole life now seemed to be represented by just a box full of old papers left to gather dust on a shelf in the Library, and was moved to write a poem about this experience.

Anyway, on with the story….I sent this poem to a local magazine, which has a family history section, and was lucky enough to have it published, and that was the end of the story as far as I was concerned…..but then out of the blue I was contacted by a lady from Cowling near Skipton, who recognised the person who the poem was written about and sent me more information about this lady and her family.

Martha Ellen Bancroft lived all her adult life in Cowling area, and had worshipped at at Ickornshaw Methodist Chapel, and when it closed in 1985, the remaining members transferred to St Andrews Methodist Church Cowling.
In memory of her and her sisters, the Church later named their meeting room as “The Bancroft Room”.

The Local History Group meet monthly in The Bancroft Room at St Andrew's, and at their last meeting they read out my poem to the audience, some of whom had known Martha Ellen….. I wish I could have been there to read it out in person !!

Here's the poem:

Memories of Martha Ellen
It was just a box of old papers
Left for all to see
What was hidden there waiting
Had it been left for me

So many pictures to look at
Scraps of paper, nothing else
Momentoes of some happy times
Memories now, nothing left

Her life, just a bundle of papers
Laid bare to be viewed by all
Was it a life full of interest
Or just a sorry tale

So many items to look at
So many thoughts left unsaid
Was she this quite gentle soul
Or lively and outgoing instead

All these items…..treasured memories
Made happy times, I’ll bet
Did this lady live her life
With such a gregarious set

Pictures of that bonny babe
Holding her mother’s hand
And later in life….a maiden lady
Abroad in a foreign land

How strange it feels, just looking
Invading her private life
These photos of her twilight years
Why was she never a wife

So what was her life made up of
Would she have changed if she could
Or was she content with the way it was spent
Did she live life to the full
And who will remember her passing

The following picture taken around 1911 shows all the girls in full  Mayday outfits which must have been taken around the same time as the pic from the top of the page.

And another picture of the girls in costume at the official Sutton Park opening.

 

[It is unclear as to who or why someone deposited Martha Ellen's papers in the local library but I'm glad they did!]

Herbert Bancroft died in WW1 29th January 1917.

 

'PICTURED IN MEMORY AS YOU USED TO BE YOU LEFT BEHIND ACHING HEARTS'

Here's the details of Herbert Bancroft who died from injuries in WW1 and was buried in Stony Royd Cemetry, Halifax along with other WW1 casualties.

I was not clear how exactly how old he was at the time but it seems likley he was born circa 1883 in Claremont area ofHalifax area, the illegitimate son of a Martha Ann Bancroft who seems to have lived in and around the Halifax area, and like her son Herbert led a somewhat mysterious nomadic live moving from pillar to post before a marriage in 1897 to a Robert Warton Cockroft. 

The 1901 census shows Herbert living with his mother in Halifax, and also shown as a 'boarder' is her husband, who she married in 1897!...obviously an error!

1901 census

 

It is also not clear when he enlisted in the army but he was serving with the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, with a reg number of 33682, and their war diary for the first part of 1917 and the early entries for January mention very wet, boggy conditions followed by freezing temperatures, 'perishing cold' and snow. They were in billets for the last week or more of January and although that would be a relief for the men I suspect it was too little too late for Herbert who might already have been evacuated back to the UK for treatment, which suggests his condition was already serious.

He died of pneumonia in hospital which the pension record card gives as the reason for his death in Ashington War Hospital and whilst it could have been cause by his service it might have been due to influenza. It was January of course, so a death of this nature in winter isn't unusual, particularly if he's been serving in the trenches.

Pension Record

The pension record shows that his mother, Mary Ann Cockroft being the beneficiary of his war pension.

Soldier's effects

 

Herbert got himself into trouble earlier in his life when he was sent to prison, when he mistakenly caught begging from a policeman! The story can be read here

 

Stoney Royd Cemetery

 

Anthony Bancroft of Lightcliffe 1803-1845

                                                  St Mathews Graveyard -Lightcliffe

Here's a sad story about an Anthony Bancroft who committed suicide in 1845.

Anthony was the son of James [1767-1840] and Sarah Lister [1767-1831]who lived all their married lives in Lightcliffe, Yorkshire and had 10 children. They were married on 8^th March 1789 at St John's Halifax and were both listed as coming from nearby Hipperholme and James occupation was listed as a 'dresser', a textile job that many of his sons, including Anthony also worked as .

James & Sarah's marriage record

 

Anthony was baptised on 28/12/1803 at St Mathews, Lightcliffe, as were all the other children. 

 

Anthony's baptism

 

Not much is know about Anthony's life, and he appears to be missing from the 1841 census, which is not unusual. We know from newspaper records that his occupation was a ' cloth dresser' working for a company called Messrs James Brown & Co at the time of his death. He appears to be living alone in lodgings and unmarried at the time, probably because the whole family had separated after the earlier deaths of both parents. Anthony was not without money and the newspaper report describes him 'He was a steady industrious man, and had saved an amount of money, which, for a man in his circumstances,might be looked upon as a considerable, and which was invested in houses, valued at between two and three hundred pounds.' It seems clear from the reports that the poor man had some mental heath issues at the time of his death.

Anthony's burial record

Here are the reports from two local Leeds newspapers:

Leeds Intelligencer 03 May 1845

DEATH BY HANGING.—An inquest was

held on Thursday last, at the Court House,

Leeds, before Blackburn Esq., on view of the

body of Anthony Bancroft, a cloth dresser, in

the employ of Messrs. James Brown and Co.,

who had been found that morning suspended

by a silk handkerchief, in his lodgings, in St.

James’s-street. The Jury returned a verdict

“that the deceased was labouring under

temporary insanity.”

Leeds Times 03 May 1845

SUICIDE BY HANGING. – On Thursday last

an inquest was held before John Blackburn,

Esq., relative to the death of Anthony Bancroft,

a cloth dresser, who had been in the employ of

Messrs. James Brown and Co.. The deceased,

who was a single man, 37 years of age, resided

in lodgings, in St.James’s Street. For the last

fortnight, he had been labouring under

depression of spirits, but continued at his work,

up to the day when the unhappy deed was

committed. This was on Thursday morning.

The occupant of the house called him up as

usual about six o’clock, to go to his work, after

which he himself continued in bed till about an

hour after that time, when he got up, and on

going into the cellar kitchen, was horrified at

seeing his lodger suspended by the neck, from

a nail over the kitchen fire-place, which was

used for roasting meat. Life was quite extinct.

The deceased had suspended himself from the

nail by a black silk neckerchief, which had

apparently broken with his weight in the first

instance, but he had tried it a second time, and

too fatally succeeded. He was a steady

industrious man, and had saved an amount of

money, which, for a man in his circumstances,

might be looked upon as a considerable, and

which was invested in houses, valued at

between two and three hundred pounds. The

jury agreed upon a Verdict—That the deceased

had destroyed himself in a temporary fit of

insanity.

Anthony was buried with his parents and infant brother Edwin at St Mathews Lightcliffe.

Bancroft family grave

 

                                   In memory of EDWIN the son of JAMES and SARAH BANCROFT

of Lightcliffe who departed this life April 29th 1815

aged 3 years and 8 months

Also of SARAH wife of the above named JAMES BANCROFT

who died July 31st 1831 aged 64 years

Also of the above named JAMES BANCROFT

who died January 27th 1840 aged 72 years

Also of ANTHONY son of the above JAMES and SARAH BANCROFT

who died May 1st 1845 aged 41 years

 

William Bancroft from 'Old Snap' farm

 

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Old  Snap Farm  2025

Here is a story about a married couple, William Bancroft & Ann Binns who lived all their lives in and around a farm called “Old Snap” on the outskirts of Keighley, Yorkshire. 

 

William married Ann Binns in 1785 at Haworth Church, even though where they lived was actually in the Keighley Parish area, most marriages around there took place at Haworth, because that was geographically nearer. It is noticed that neither William or Ann were able to write their names as they just left an X as their mark and William's surname is spelt with a "K" which was not unusual in those days where people could not read either.

William & Ann's marriage at Haworth PC 1785

 

William is listed as a weaver in the Craven Muster Rolls of 1803, This was an important historical document produced in 1803, when England declared war against France and the threat of invasion by Napoleon made it necessary to prepare the whole of the active male population of the country between the ages of 17 and 55 for military training, but not military service. The purpose of the lists was to organise reserves of men, not already serving in the military services, who would be required to take on such duties as evacuation of the civilian population, moving food supplies and gathers arms and equipment in the event of an invasion. 

They had at least five children, Ann being their fourth child. Shown near the bottom of this burial records page is the entry for a poor child of 2 years of age, Ann Bancroft, who was the daughter of William and Ann Bancroft and died from Smallpox.

As the following page from the Haworth burial records shows in September/October 1794, smallpox was rampant in the area around this time. The records for this six week period shows 15 out of the 20 burials in this small village were due to smallpox, and nearly all were young children.

 

Haworth Burial Record

William and Ann lived in a small isolated farmhouse know as ‘ Old Snap’ which is still there today on the outskirts of Haworth. Just surviving must have been a daily toil for William and his family, due to the rough moorland that surrounded them, were he scratched out a living as a hand loom weaver.

William seems to have lived his whole life in the area around Old Snap, and died in 1823, and was buried at Haworth Churchyard, as the following parish record shows, written by the hand of Rev’d Patrick Bronte. 

William's burial at Haworth PC

His wife Ann and family seem to have carried on living in the same area, but not at Old Snap, After William's death,  Ann is shown as living nearby at Deanfield as a servant with a farmer called Joseph Heaton…the Heaton family being the large landowners in the area at the time, and the owners of Old Snap farm, which the Bancroft had probably been renting from them. [The ages on the 1841 census are approximate]

1841 census

It seems likely that Ann lived to a good age and died aged 91 years and was buried at Haworth Parish Church as had been her husband William.

Ann's burial at Haworth PC 1/3/1850

 

Bancrofts from Yorkshire Strays 1881

Bancrofts from Yorkshire Strays 1881

 

 I am sure many of our Bancroft researchers, whilst looking for ancestors from Yorkshire have drawn a blank because the people they are looking for have disappeared from the county.

 Here's a list of Bancroft families from the 1881 census, where the head of household originated from Yorkshire but by 1881 was living elsewhere in England [not Scotland or Wales] 

 Have a look and see if yours is there.

 

NAME  ST S/M AGE OCCUPATION    PARENTS     BORN                 LOCATION

LANCASHIRE

STEPHEN H M 64 C.W.TWISTER JOS/ISABELLA OAKWORTH 40 ROBINSON ST,BURNLEY
HANNAH W M 66 WIFE HARDEN
ELIZ ANN D U 24 C/WEAVER HARDEN

EDITH ANN GD 9 SCHOLAR HOLBECKETHEL GD 6 SCHOLAR HOLBECK

MARY H W 71 L/HOUSE KEEPER HALIFAX 62 BONNY ST, LAYTON

RUTH H W 70 SEAMSTRESS WAKEFIELD 12 DAVIES ST,SALFORD

EDWIN H M 56 CLERK HEBDEN BRIDGE 25 WATERLOO ST,OLDHAM
MARY A W M 56 DRESSMAKER HEBDEN BRIDGE
CLARA A D U 24 DRESS ASS ROTHERHAM

JOHN H M 56 FARMER WADSWORTH LOWER PEMMIN,WARDLE
MARY W M 64 F'MERS WIFE CLITHEROE

HENRY H M 55 CORN DEALER HALIFAX 10 MOUNT PLEASANT,TODMORDEN
MARY A W M 55 HALIFAX

WILLIAM H S 13 FUSTIAN CUTTER CLIVIGER, LANCS

WILLIAM H H M 30 CARVER/GILDER SHEFFIELD 18 NEW PARK ST,BLACKBURN
MARY J W M 31 BIRMINGHAM
EDWIN T S 7 SCHOLAR BIRMINGHAM
FREDERICK S 6 SCHOLAR OLDHAM
HARRY S 3 SCHOLAR BLACKBURN

JONAS H M 40 STONE MASON JAMES/HANNAH BINGLEY 162 COLNE RD,BURNLEY
MARY W M 37 BURNLEY
HANNAH D U 17 C/WEAVER BURNLEY
CLARENCE S 15 C/WEAVER BURNLEY
ELIZABETH D 14 C/WEAVER BURNLEY
CLARA D 13 C/WEAVER BURNLEY
ROBERT S 11 C/WEAVER BURNLEY
JAMES S 9 SCHOLAR BURNLEY
ALICE D 8 SCHOLAR BURNLEY
FRANCIS S 6 SCHOLAR BURNLEY
BERTHA D 4 SCHOLAR BURNLEY
HANNETTA D 3 SCHOLAR BURNLEY 

SELINA D 1 ?

JOSEPH H M 37 C/WEAVER JOHN/REBECCA DENHOLME MODEL LODGING
HOUSE,ACCRINGTON
ELIZ A W M 32 C/WEAVER BURNLEY

JAMES H M 46 GAMEKEEPER HALIFAX TOWNLEY,BURNLEY
SUSANNA W M 33 CLIVIGER
WILLIAM S U 20 SAWYER CLIVIGER
MARY ELLEN D 14 C/WEAVER TODMORDEN
EMILEY D 10 SCHOLAR NEW CHURCH
CROPLEY S 8 SCHOLAR HALIFAX
ELIZA D 5 SCHOLAR HALIFAX
MAY D 1 HABERGHAM EVE

TITUS H M 48 FORMER PUBLICAN JOSEPH/RACHEL BINGLEY 22 EDWARD ST,POULTON
BANCROFT W W 39 BINGLEY
HANNAH D 8 BINGLEY
ADA D 3 BINGLEY

THOMAS H M 51 COARD WAINER HALIFAX 46 HACKING TER,TODMORDEN
ELIZABETH W M 43 TODMORDEN
HANNAH J D U 21 C/SPINNER TODMORDEN
MARY E D U 16 C/SPINNER HALIFAX
SARAH E D 12 C/SPINNER TODMORDEN

MARGARET H W 52 HOUSEKEEPER LEEDS 3 IRK ST, OLDHAM
JOHN S U 17 WAREHOUSEMAN LEEDS
WILLIAM S 13 SCHOLAR OLDHAM

JOHN H M 52 C/WEAVER LUDDENDENFOOT WESTS VIEW NEWCHURCH
RD,NEWCHURCH
SUSAN W M 51 C/WEAVER NORLAND
ELIZABETH D U 27 C/WEAVER COTE HILL WARBY
MARY ELLEN D U 23 C/WEAVER NEWCHURCH
SARAH ANN D U 21 C/WEAVER NEWCHURCH

GRACE H W 52 ANNUITANT WARLEY GALE,CALDERBROOK
BETSY D U 16 ROCHDALE
ANNE D 9 SCHOLAR ROCHDALE
FLORANCE D 5 LITTLEBORO

WILLIAM H W 55 COTTON MANUF'ER KEIGHLEY 25 PALADINE SQ,HABERGH EAVES

WILLIAM H M 55 HOTEL KEEPER SHEFFIELD OLD RED LION
HOTEL,BURNLEY
MARIA W M 56 H/K'S WIFE ...HAMPDEN
THOMAS S U 20 DRAUGHTSMAN MANCHESTER

JAMES H M 26 C/CLOTHLOOKER STEPHEN/HANNAH OAKWORTH 139 ABEL ST,BURNLEY
FRANCIS W M 31 

ELLEN D 3 BURNLEY
ANNIE D 1 BURNLEY
GEORGE
ALFRED

H M 26 C/WEAVER COTEHILl,WARLEY 65 NEWCHURCH OLD
RD,NEWCHURCH
ANN MARIE W M 24 TIPTON
FLORANCE B D 3 CLOUGHFOLD

JOHN
CHARLES S 1 CLOUGHFOLD

JOSEPH G H M 27 CORN DEALER S/MAN
poss ILLEGIT STANBURY 54 NAPIER ST,ARDWICK
MARY A W M 28 GRASSINGTON

DERBYSHIRE

JOE H M 30 SHOE MAKER LOXLEY GREEN LANE,DRONFIELD
JANE W M 27 DEINHEAD
HARRY S 5 SCHOLAR ROYDE
WALTER S 4 HASLAND
SARAH D 1 DRONFIELD

INGHAM L W 43 RAILWAY CLERK HALIFAX 44 BAINBRIGGE ST, DERBY
WERBURGH
WILLIAM L 11 SCHOLAR DERBY
AUGUSTUS L 5 SCHOLAR DERBY STAFFORD

HUDSON H M 26 COLLIER YORK 49 BROOK ST, BURNSLEM
SARAH A W M 29 BURNSLEM
SAMUEL S 5 SCHOLAR BURNSLEM
ABRAHAM S 3 BURNSLEM

ABRAHAM H M 22 COLLIER YORK 13 CLARANCE ST,BURNSLEM
MARIA W M 20 CREWE
WILLIAM T S 4M BURNSLEM

DURHAM

ARTHUR B 7 SCHOLAR BRADFORD 18 WILLIAM ST,DARLINGTON

WILLIAM H M 55 FOREMAN/QUARRY KILDWICK TROW ROCKS,HARTON
ANNE W M 50 SHIELDS

GLOUCESTER 

JAMES H M 40 COACHMAN HALIFAX HENLEY GROVE LODGE,WESTBURY
MARY W M 40 C/MANS WIFE HALIFAX

 
MIDDLESEX

 
JAMES H M 52 CAB OWNER YORK 43 CHEYNE WALK,CHELSEA
MARY ANN W M 49 C/OWNERS WIFE NORTHAMPTON
JENNY D U 17 ACTRESS CHELSEA
ANNIE H D 12 SCHOLAR CHELSEA
MARY M D 9 SCHOLAR CHELSEA

 

 

 

The final service at Scar Top Chapel

 

Scar Top Chapel - 2024

 A local Chapel long associated with many generations of Bancroft families has recently closed its door for the last time for worship. Scar Top Chapel, near Oakworth, has held its last-ever service. 

 Two hundred people, from as far away as Scarborough, attended. Congregation members included Stanbury Village School pupils. 

The chapel was originally a single-storey building, constructed by farmers and farm labourers for the education of children. It was known as Scar Top Sunday School. A top storey and balcony was added in 1868. 

It was realised over a century later, in 1971, that Scar Top had never been registered as a chapel, but rather than come under the administration of the Methodist circuit, the church retained its independence. 

The original Sunday School Building at Scartop was the first chapel erected in the neighbourhood. 

It was built in 1818 by the local inhabitants, everybody taking part in the work. Farmers led the stone, the outdoor workers got the stone, masons did the building, joiners did their part, and it was erected at little cost as a ‘labour of love’.

 There is no known description of the original building at Scartop, but we know that a  piece of land, measuring 120 square yards, was purchased 4 May 1818 from a Mr Wright, yeoman, of West House, Oldfield, for six pounds, on a 9,000 years lease, with a peppercorn rent. The land was on a steep hillside, with the Haworth-Colne Turnpike road to the north 

The current Scartop Chapel, which is situated alongside Ponden Reservoir, came about when the Trustees agreed to replace the original building with a much larger two storey chapel, including a balcony, in 1868. The laying of the corner stone on February 9th 1869 was celebrated with an open air ceremony which was marred by extremely wet weather and more than 200 people retired to the nearby Ponden Mill for tea. The new school was opened in September 1869 pic new build. We are fortunate to have a photograph of the new building taken soon after its completion. 

Chapel & Ponden Reservoir under constuction

 

The area was extensively photographed during the early phase of the construction of Ponden Reservoir. The fabric of the chapel and adjacent cottages have remained largely unchanged over the past 140 years, which is testimony to the skill of the builders and their choice of good workmen and materials. 

The final service was led by minister Wendy Duckworth. She says: "The congregation, for the very last time, sang carols and hymns lustily – a sound that will never again ring out over those hilltops. "It was a sad day for many, the end of an era. "The final hymn was To God be the Glory, which had become the Scar Top anthem and was sung throughout the years – mostly at the end of services." 

 

As  the lights went out for the last time

The full story about the chapel and the Bancroft connection can be read by clicking HERE.]

Fred Bancroft and the Denholme Brass Band

 

I was recently sent the above shown plaque showing  “Presentation to F Bancroft by the Denholme Brass Band in appreciation of his 45 years services  January 30^th 1928” and after some research I think this was a Fred Bancroft born circa 1866, the son of Thomas and Mary, who although born in Ovenden near Halifax spent all his adult live as a weaver in Denholme.

Fred, like most of the village and his parents probably worked in Foster's Mill as a weaver which was also his father's occupation.

He married Mary Lodge at St Paul's, Denholme on 17^th December 1898 and both were described as 'weavers' so its quite probable that they met whilst both working at Foster's Mill.

Fred &  Mary's marriage

The 1901 census shows them both living at a house on New St without children. Both were still listed as weavers and interestingly Mary is shown as coming from Westminster area of London.

1911 census

Fred died on 21/12/1948 and was buried at the nearby Denholme Clough graveyard.

Now a bit about the Denholme Brass Band, which largely revolved around Foster's Mill where most of them probably worked.

With the reduction of working hours in the mid to late 1800’s people had more leisure time. Methodist and Baptist Chapels encouraged men to join the local chapel band and from there local village and town brass band emerged. Within our area there were 5 brass bands, Denholme being one of them.

'The first record found of Denholme Brass Band is 1864 when they played at a Grand Gala which was held in a field belonging to Messrs. Foster adjoining White-Shaw, Denholme. The proceeds of this Gala amounted to £5.9s.2d and were applied for the benefit of the causeway then being constructed through Denholme.  In July 1867 the Band performed at the ‘Band of Hope Gala’ in Peel Park. On the 15th May 1873 the Denholme and Halifax, and Thornton and Keighley Railways Bill was passed in the House of Commons. This information was received by telegraph by Messrs W & H Foster’s works a little before stopping of work for the day. The clock bells in the tower of the new warehouse were kept ringing for an hour, and later in the evening the Denholme Brass Band paraded the streets.  The band played at the laying of the foundation stone for the Mechanics Institute in 1880.

Denholme Brass Band was actively involved in local competitions between 1891 and 1932. They entered 25, the highest ranking they achieved was 2nd place, at the Haworth concert in August 1898 playing ‘Fairest of the Fair’, and again at Haworth in August 1899 playing ‘Rose Queen’. In 1911 the band travelled to the Crystal Palace to play in a preliminary cup competition. They came 3rd in the competition playing ‘Harvest Home’. During this period the band had numerous conductors: Mr Holmes 1891, Mr William Heap 1894-95 and 1911-1912, Mr Tom Dean1889-1903 and Mr Green 1929-1931.

The band had always wanted a dedicated band room for rehearsal and the following article appeared in the Halifax Courier on the 19th October 1889.

'Opening of a New Band Room. —The opening ceremony in connection with the new band room which has been built in Pit Lane for the of the Denholme Subscription Brass Band took place last Saturday afternoon. Previous to the opening, the band played through the village to the new building. The Rev. A. Brown, vicar of St. Paul’ s, Denholme, presided, and in doing so, took the opportunity to give few statistics as to the cost of the building, etc., which was about £124. Towards this sum about £100.00 has been raised, £55.00 has been raised by public subscription, £46 by the members of the band, which they have subscribed, the remainder being raised by entertainments, etc. In addition to the sum contributed by the band, the cost had considerably reduced by hard work, which the members had wrought digging, painting, and other assistance. In calling up Mr. Eli Foster, of Waterloo House, to present the key to Mr. Jonathan Knowles, junior, of Bingley, who went through the formal opening, the chairman congratulated  the members of the band in securing the presence Mr. Foster representative of the employers of labour in the neighbourhood. In presenting the key (which is a silver one, of artistic design;) Mr. Foster said that it was a very pleasant duty which devolved upon him. He considered they had acted wisely in asking Mr. Knowles to open their new band room, being the son of native of Denholme, who always took interest in the Denholme Brass Band. He was glad hear of the success which had attended the efforts of the band in building a room which they could call their own.'

The band ceased to be active in 1932.

 

Band  - circa 1900

Timothy Banc[k]roft's house was a place of 'Religious Worship'

1701 Wakefield Quarter Sessions

 I came across this entry in the Wakefield County Court Quarter Sessions records stating that on 17/7/1701 a Timothy Bankroft [spelt with a 'K' as was common in these times] of Warley near Halifax, which stated that his home was recorded as a place of 'Religious Worship'. This statement got me thinking about why such a situation would be required. 

There have always been times in history when various religious denominations, particularly of the none-conformist faiths, were persecuted and therefore had to meet secretly as a groups in an individuals private homes or as I think in this case where there was not a local Church or Chapel where they could gather to worship. This situation was not uncommon in the early days of Wesleyan and Baptist faiths, so what do we know about Timothy from Warley? 

 The baptist movement emerged at the beginning of the 17th century, but its members suffered persecution until the Act of Tolerance in 1689 granted freedom of religion to all faiths (apart from Roman Catholicism, which had to wait another hundred years). 

 Not much is known about Timothy other than the facts that he looks to have been baptised in December 1654 at St John's, Halifax.

Timothy's baptism record - Halifax

 

 He married Sara Scofield at St John's Halifax, At the Time he was living in Warley and Grace was living at Sowerby.

Timothy's marriage

 

 [Sorry, all the copies of the records are difficult to decipher!] 

Sadly we may never know why Timothy set his home up as a place of 'Religious Worship'

Illegitimacy..the scourge of the working class!

 

 

St  John's baptism 9/4/1822

Whilst going through some old parish records for St Thomas Church, Heptonstall, Yorkshire I came across an unusual baptism entry for an illegitimate child called Henry Bancroft who was baptised on 9^th April 1822. 

The very unusual entry, and something I have not come across before, lists the “reputed” father as a John Thomas Tebbelroyd or Hebblroyd [difficult to decipher from the hand writing.] who was described as a Wadsworth weaver.

Elizabeth Bancroft, the child's mother must have been pretty sure of her facts, or was put under pressure from the authorities to actually put this on the records, bearing in mind the laws surrounding illegitimacy in those times made it difficult for the alleged father to escape the child and mother maintenance costs.

Checking further, I found no evidence of the parents marrying at a later date.

Illegitimacy has always been around in society albeit sometimes hidden, even within families. I have come across many instances where an unmarried girl, living at home with her parents, has a child which has been listed on census records as her brother or sister, and even registered in that manner in some case. The figure below shows the average illegitimacy ratio for some 98 English parishes, and after 1840 from published official statistics. It is evident that illegitimate births had been on the rise since the middle of the 17th century.

 Before 1540 data is difficult to obtain, and data for the period 1835-1840 is also inaccurate as this was the transitional period from parish registers to civil registration in England. It is possible that in the early 19th century up to 30% of all births were not recorded in parish registers and in some places, especially in larger parishes, non-registration may have been even higher at around some 70%. Indeed my G/G/Grandfather, Timothy Bancroft, was born in 1840, but never  officially registered, even though it was a legal requirement by this time.It seems likely that many of these unregistered births were illegitimate, so the above figures should be treated as an underestimate.

The Bastardy Examination Board
  "Bastardy Examinations", to determine the name of the father, must have been a very traumatic experience for any young woman, as the fear of ending up in the local workhouse was always the ultimate threat from the authorities for any unmarried mother and child . The examination would take place before two Justices who inquired into the circumstances under which the woman about to give birth to an illegitimate child had fallen pregnant. Legally a woman who knew herself to be likely to bear an illegitimate child was obliged to present herself for examination, but in practice this only occasionally happened, and examinations occurred more often after the birth. Bastardy Examinations were particularly keen to discover the identity of the father, in order to force him to provide a bond, known as a "Bastardy Bond",  to indemnify the parish against the costs of maintaining the child. Evidence of paternity claims had to be "corroborated in some material particular"... something that was often impossible to achieve to the disadvantage of the poor woman being brought before the examining committee.

Prior to the 19th century, the Poor Laws stipulated that the putative father was responsible for the maintenance of his illegitimate child. If he failed to support the child, the mother could have him arrested on a justice's warrant and put into a workhouse, or even prison until she agreed to name the child's father. Local authorities issued public funds to maintain the mother and her child until the father could do so. Those public funds were to be reimbursed by the putative father, though this rarely happened because many fled and disappeared without trace. In an attempt to stem the rising costs of poor relief, the local authorities quiet often attempted to reduce their liability for illegitimate children by forcing the fathers to marry the women.


The cost of child-support expenditure could potentially consume a significant proportion of a parish's budget. In Sowerby Bridge, a large township in  nearby Halifax, West Yorkshire, between 25 and 38 per cent of annual expenditure on the poor was dispensed to unmarried mothers between 1818 and 1828. If the parish could enforce and collect maintenance payments, this could moderate the parish's costs of child support. Under the terms of affiliation orders, unmarried mothers in that area typically received between 1s 6d and 2s 6d per week in the early-nineteenth century. It is difficult to provide a contemporary equivalence of value, although it is worth noting that in the late-eighteenth century, a typical male agricultural labourer might have been earning around 10s a week. Unmarried mothers would thus be receiving as much as a quarter of a male labourer's wage. 

 In the 1833 Poor Law Report, the Commission Report on Bastardy, appointed the previous year to investigate the situation, revealed that the Poor Laws encouraged "licentiousness between unmarried couples". More relief was being issued to maintain illegitimate children than to support legitimate children. Not only were the mother and child given relief, but costs were rising because mothers were shipped back to their original parishes to avoid long term responsibility for their illegitimate children. Young men, accused solely on the word of the mother and unable to pay the surety, were, innocent or guilty, forced into early and unsuitable marriages which the commission felt were detrimental to the country. 

 

Bastardy Examination Board