The Taylor and Bramley Families of Blackburn Margaret Taylor was Michael Gregory’s great great grandmother. It was known from her marriage certificate and from census returns that Margaret Taylor was born in Blackburn in 1834-36, the daughter of John Taylor, a brick maker. The Parish Church of Blackburn, dedicated to St Mary, is included in the International Genealogical Index (IGI); but there were four other churches in Blackburn not included in the index. A search was made of the online edition of the IGI for Margaret Taylor born in Lancashire, daughter of John, between 1825 and 1831. This produced a list of entries, but none was in Blackburn. The original parish registers of Blackburn were now searched for Margaret’s baptism in the period 1831-38: St Mary’s St John’s St Paul’s St Peter’s The result was negative. The Roman Catholic Church of Blackburn, St Alban’s, was then considered. These registers are supposedly included on the IGI. The original registers for the years 1834 to 1836 were searched, but again with no positive result. As noted in research on the Caffrey family1, the 1851 census of Blackburn is indexed by surname only. Christian names are not included in the index which makes searching for a name like Taylor laborious. There are some 80 references in the census returns themselves, but the right family was quickly found: Census 30 March 1851 Public Record Office Ref: HO 107 2258 ED 4 fol 88v SRD and RD Blackburn Entry 27: 19 Whalley Bank, Blackburn John Taylor Head Mar Hannah Taylor Wife Mar Margt Taylor Daur Un William Taylor Son Un John Taylor Son Peter Taylor Son Nicholas Taylor Son (a number of lodgers were also noted) 37 36 15 14 10 7 4m Occupation Labourer at Bricks Cotton Creeler Cotton Creeler Scholar Scholar Where born Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Margaret was shown here as the eldest daughter living at home, working as a cotton creeler; as was her younger brother William, aged 14. The names of her siblings were also noted. Her mother was called Hannah. The record indicated that her mother and father were both born around 1813/14. It was hoped to find the birth registration of the youngest of the Taylor children shown on the census, Nicholas (born 1850), which would indicate Hannah’s maiden name. Fortunately, the family was assiduous in registering the births of their children and the certificate was found: Birth Registration District Blackburn Sub-district of Township of Blackburn County of Lancaster 21 Nov 1850 Nicholas [son of] John Taylor (X) Spinner [of] 19 Whalley Banks Blackburn and Hannah Taylor formerly Bramley A search of the IGI was now made for the marriage of John Taylor and Hannah Bramley. There was indeed an entry for this marriage with the date 20 April 1835, but it was submitted by a church member rather than taken from a parish register. Such entries are often inaccurate. However, the original registers of St Mary’s were checked and the entry was found to be correct: 1 See Gregory, M.P., (2006), Personal Family History Report of the Caffrey Family of Roscommon, Ireland. 1 Blackburn St Mary, Lancashire Original Parish Registers Marriage 20 Apr 1835 John Taylor (X) of his parish Bachelor spinner and Hannah Bramley (X) of this Parish spinster were married in this church by Banns with consent by me Richard Burnet Joseph Fairbottom, James Neville Witnesses: The marriage took place ‘with consent’, indicating that one or both of the couple was probably under 21; this suggested that the ages given for John and Hannah in the 1851 census were probably inaccurate. If they were born in 1814/15 they were probably about 20 when they married. However, neither of the witnesses was a parent of the bride or the groom. Since it was now known that John and Hannah had children born between 1835 and 1850, the search was extended to the Roman Catholic registers of St Alban’s to cover this period. There were Taylor families using this church in this period, but no sign of John and Hannah. During research into the Caffrey family of Blackburn 2, an entry was discovered for a Margaret Caffrey (Margaret Taylor married Thomas Caffrey) who died in Blackburn. The death was reported in the BMD Index for the January quarter of 1879, ref 8e, page 205. This is likely to be Margaret Taylor and a copy of her death certificate may yield further family clues. Further research on this line is clearly possible, beginning with a search for the baptism of John Taylor in about 1813/14 in Blackburn. The family could also be searched for in later census returns. Using the online resources available at www.ancestry.com, a search was made for the family in the 1861 and 1871 census returns. They were located as follows: 1861 Census Blackburn St Peter’s Ward 67 Chapel Street John Taylor Hannah Taylor Nicholas Taylor Peter Taylor James Taylor Doctor Taylor Head Wife Son Son Son Son Mar Mar S S S S 49 49 11 16 9 6 Unm W 15 56 19 26 1 28 3 2 Occupation Where born Blackburn Walton Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Occupation Brickmaker Where born Blackburn Walton Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn 1871 Census Blackburn, Trinity Ward 17 Plymouth Street Doctor Taylor Hannah Taylor James Taylor Peter Taylor Margaret Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Diana Taylor Emma Taylor Head Mother Head Head Dau Wife Dau Dau Mar Mar Brickmaker Brickmaker Cotton weaver There was a slight age discrepancy for Hannah Taylor between the 1861 and 1871 entries, but this is not unusual. In an attempt to obtain further information about the family, research was undertaken using the census returns available online in the Ancestry.com website. The following information was found: 1861 Census 65 Chapel Street, Blackburn John Taylor Hannah Taylor 2 Hd W M M 49 49 Weaver Blackburn Walton Ibid. 2 Nicolas Taylor Peter Taylor James Taylor Doctor Taylor S S S S S S S S 11 16 9 6 Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn 1871 Census 17 Plymouth Street, Blackburn Peter Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Diana Taylor Emma Taylor H W D D M M 3 2 26 28 Brickmaker Cotton weaver Blackburn Blackburn M M 36 Gas stoker 37 13 Cotton weaver 11 Cotton weaver 9 7 4 10 mon Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Haslingden Haslingden 36 45 17 13 10 Gas stoker Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Hd W D S S S S S M M S 40 41 18(?) 17 12 8 5 2 S 33 31 29 27 20 2 1881 Census 81 Mill Hill, Blackburn Peter Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Diana Taylor Emma Taylor Jane Taylor Ada Taylor Peter Taylor May Taylor Hd W D D D D S D 1891 Census 14 Arthur Street, Blackburn Doctor Taylor Eliza Taylor Eliza Fowler Hugh Fowler Thomas Fowler Hd M W M StepDau StepSon Stepson Heald knotter Cotton weaver 1891 Census 46 Stansfeld Street, Blackburn James Taylor Margaret Taylor Esther Taylor James Henry Taylor William Taylor Doctor Taylor Herbert Taylor Walter Taylor Gas stoker Cotton weaver Cotton weaver Scholar “ “ “ Blackburn Blackburn Haslingden Blackburn Blackburn “ “ “ 1901 Census 186 Bolton Road, Blackburn Diana Taylor Emma Taylor Jane Taylor Ada Taylor May Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Hd Sister Sister “ “ Niece Cotton worker “ “ “ Blackburn Blackburn “ “ Haslingden Blackburn 1901 Census 113, Johnson Street, Blackburn Doctor Taylor Eliza Taylor Elizabeth Fowler Hugh Fowler Thomas Fowler Hd M W M Stepdau Stepson Stepson 45 55 27 23 20 Gas stoker Heald knitter Gas stoker Solicitor’s clerk Blackburn “ “ “ “ 1901 Census 128, Stansfeld Street, Blackburn 3 James Taylor Margaret Taylor Doctor Taylor Herbert Taylor Walter Taylor Hd W S S S M M 48 52 18 15 12 Gas stoker Blackburn “ Bricklayer “ Apprentice Blacksmith “ Mechanic’s boy, “ Cotton mill Attention returned in 2009 to Michael Gregory’s ancestor, Margaret Taylor, who was born about 1834-1836 in Blackburn. She was the daughter of John, a brick labourer. This information was already known from her marriage certificate and censuses. Margaret married in 1854 and was therefore at home with her parents on the censuses of 1841 and 1851. These were copied. In 1851, the family was living at 19 Whalley Banks, Blackburn (HO107/2258, fol. 88, p. 10). Margaret’s parents, John and Hannah, gave their ages as 37 and 36 respectively. John’s occupation was ‘labourer at bricks’ and the whole family had been born in Blackburn. In 1841, the family was already living at Whalley Banks (HO107/59/23, fol. 5, pp. 2 & 3). John Taylor was aged 27 and his occupation was “op spinner”. His wife, here enumerated as Ann, was 26. They already had four children. Margaret was the oldest, aged 6; Thomas was 5; William 3 and John 6 months. In the 1861 census, the last on which he appeared, John gave his age as 39. These three censuses would therefore suggest a birthdate for John somewhere between 1811 and 1814. The marriage of John Taylor and Hannah Bramley had already been located. They were found to have been married at St Mary Blackburn on the 20th April 1835. Because the marriage had taken place ‘by consent’, it was possible that either John or Hannah might have been under 21. Despite this, neither of the witnesses had the same surname as the bride or groom. No baptisms had so far been located for any of John and Hannah’s children. Searching the IGI for children of any John and Hannah or Ann Taylor, the following were identified as belonging to the correct family: 22 Mar 1843 8 Jun 1845 14 Feb 1847 (born 30 Jan 1847) 2 Mar 1849 (born 15 Feb 1849) Diana Peter Jane d/o John & Hannah s/o John and Hannah d/o John & Hannah St Mary, Blackburn St. Mary, Blackburn St. Mary, Blackburn Eliza d/o John & Hannah St. Mary, Blackburn There were also several children born to a John and Ann, which did not fit with the known children of the couple in question. However, there was also a Margaret Ann Taylor baptised to John and Ann on the 20 th May 1835 at St Mary’s. She could be the couple’s oldest child and Michael Gregory’s ancestress. The parish registers of St Mary Blackburn are available on microfiche at the Society of Genealogists’ library (LA/REG/81002/1-595). The five baptisms were located and that of Margaret Ann were copied. John’s occupation was a spinner on the baptisms of Margaret and Diana and a labourer on the remaining three. No more specific address than “Blackburn” was ever recorded for the family. It is not therefore clear whether this Margaret Ann was the child of John and Hannah Taylor. Margaret was clearly born very soon after her parents’ marriage. It is also possible, given her age in 1841, that she was born just before the wedding. A search was therefore made on the IGI for any baptism of a Margaret Bramley in 1835 in Blackburn. None was found. Using both the IGI and BVRI, a search was then made for the baptism of John Taylor, initially concentrating on the years 1810-1814. There was one baptism at St Mary Blackburn: 20 Mar 1814 John s/o William & Peggy Taylor Additionally, at St. Paul, Blackburn was found: 12 Jan 1812 (born 9 Dec 1811) John s/o Robert & Mary Taylor Bearing in mind the possibility that John was younger than this, the search online was extended to cover the whole of the period 1800 to 1820. No further John Taylor was baptised at St Mary’s in this period. Several younger children called John were found baptised at St Paul’s and also two at St. Alban’s Roman Catholic Church: 2 Jul 1815 Joannis s/o Gulielmi Taylor & Helenae Holker St Alban (born 23 Jun 1815) 4 11 Feb 1816 John (b 2 Feb 1816) 15 Feb 1817 John (b 9 Dec 1816) 1 Aug 1817 John (b 5 May 1817) 8 Feb 1819 John (b 21 Dec 1818) 28 May 1819 (b 28 May 1819) s/o James & Elizabeth Taylor St Paul s/o William & Nancy Taylor St Paul s/o John & Ellen Taylor St Paul s/o James & Ellen Taylor St Paul Joannes s/o Gulielmi Taylor & Sarae Morris St Alban It was felt that given John’s age on the census, a birth date of 1811 to 1814 was more likely. A copy of the baptism of the child of William and Peggy at St Mary’s was therefore made. This gave William’s occupation as weaver and their abode as Blackburn. No other children were found baptised to this couple. A copy of the 1812 baptism at St Paul’s was also made (LDS film 1470928). This family were “of Oswaldtwistle”. No occupation was given for the father. The original registers of St Albans RC Church are available on film at Lancashire Record Office in Preston. A copy of the baptism of Joannis, son of Gulielmi Taylor and Helenae Holker was obtained. The sponsors were Radulpho Railton and Gainer Pearson. This couple also baptised another son as James on the 25th December 1810. No marriage of this couple appears on the IGI or BVRI. The registers of St John Blackburn for 1813-1853 are available on film at the LDS (1656732) Baptisms were searched from 1813 to 1817 for John Taylor. No Taylors at all were found baptised in this parish. The IGI contains a submitted entry for the marriage of William Taylor to Peggy Oldham, which was said to have taken place on the 24th March 1799 at Blackburn. This event was found in the registers of St Mary Blackburn on the date suggested. A copy was therefore made. William Taylor was a crofter and his bride was a spinster. Both were of the parish of St Mary. They married after banns and the witnesses were James Radcliff and John Margerison. When did John Taylor die? He was alive and present on the census for 1861 but his wife was a widow by 1871. He must therefore have died sometime between these two censuses. Age at death is only given in the indexes from 1866. Until that date, it is only possible to determine a person’s age by ordering a copy of the death certificate. Clearly, John Taylor is a very common name and a total of ten people of that name appear in the death indexes between 1861 and 1865 for Blackburn registration district. Any one of these could be Michael Gregory’s ancestor. Only one man of the correct approximate age appears to have died between 1866 and 1871 in Blackburn: Mar 1867 John Taylor 53 8e 264 There are several candidates for the baptism of Michael Gregory’s ancestor, John Taylor. The evidence of his age suggests a most likely birth date of 1813/4. His most likely parents are therefore William Taylor and Peggy Oldham. However, it is not possible to be certain of his origins. Neither William nor Peggy can be located with any certainty on either the 1841 or 1851 census, although there is a Margaret Taylor, aged 72, a female servant with the Briggs family in Blackburn in 1841 (HO107/502/23, fol. 9, p. 11). This has not been copied. The 3rd great grand-mother of Michael Gregory, Hannah Bramley married John Taylor at St Mary Blackburn on the 20 th April 1835. The couple were married “with consent” so it is possible that one or both of them were under age, although neither of the witnesses appears to have been a parent of the bride or groom. Hannah had already been located in each of the censuses from 1841 to 1871. Her age consistently suggested a birth date of 1814/5, apart from in 1861, when both she and her husband were said to be aged 49. This could make her year of birth as early as 1811. Her birthplace was given as Blackburn in 1851 and Walton in 1861 and 1871. Walton-le-Dale is a locality west of Blackburn, near to Preston. Possible Anglican parishes in Blackburn where a baptism could have taken place at that time were St Mary, St John or St Paul. The registers of St Leonard, Walton-le-Dale, are available on microfiche at the Society of Genealogists’ library (LA/REG/77759/1-50). Unfortunately there is a gap from 1809 to 1812. However, the bishops’ transcripts covering these missing years are held at the LDS library on film (1502380). It was therefore possible to search all of the relevant period for Hannah’s baptism. No baptism for a Hannah Bramley or Bromley was found. However, a baptism was found for Rachel Bramley on the 19th March 1815. She had been born on the 18th February in the same year. Her parents were Richard and Ellen, they were of Walton and Richard’s occupation was “macanick”. No other children of this couple were found. Marriages in the parish of Walton are indexed on the IGI up to 1812. There is no marriage for Richard Bramley. An indexed transcript to the marriages of Walton (1609-1812) is held by the Society of Genealogists’ library (LA/R37). No Richard 5 Bramley appears in the index. However, a systematic search of the relevant years in this volume revealed the marriage on 1 st January 1811 of Richard Bromley, a macanick, and Ellen Bolton. The witnesses were William Wilson and John Tomlinson. This printed transcript contains baptisms up to 1808 and the following possible siblings of Richard were found: 26 Aug 1787 6 Dec 1789 15 Jan 1791 Thomas s/o Richard & Margaret Bromiley Mary d/o “ Sarah d/o “ born 8 Aug “ “ born 19 Nov born 22 Dec No baptism was found for Richard. The IGI was used to make a search for any other children of Richard and Ellen Bramley or Bromley in Lancashire. Besides Rachel, this revealed the following three children baptised at Walton: 17 Sep 1820 17 Sep 1820 29 Jun 1823 Abraham Bramley Isaac Bramley Richard Bromley The bishop’s transcripts also showed a further child of this couple: 30 Aug 1812 David Bramley born 2 Aug The parishes of Blackburn were now considered for the baptism of Hannah. St Mary Blackburn Baptisms 1813 – 1819 2 May 1813 20 Oct 1813 20 Oct 1813 4 Sep 1816 31 Aug 1817 13 Jun 1819 7 Jan 1820 Mary Stanley Mary William William Thomas Lamb Henry d/o William & Margaret Bramley s/o Walter & Molly Bramley d/o Walter & Molly Bramley s/o William & Margaret Bramley s/o Wm & Margaret Bramley s/o Walter & Mary Bramley s/o William & Margaret Bramley Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn plasterer joiner joiner plasterer plasterer joiner plasterer The registers of St John Blackburn from 1813 only are available on film at the LDS library (1656732). The years 1813 to 1819 were searched. No child with the names Bramley or Bromley was baptised there during that time. Indexes to wills and administrations proved at Chester and deposited in the Lancashire Record Office at Preston, up to 1837, are held at the Society of Genealogists’ library. These were searched from 1791 for any Bramley. 20 Aug 1802 15 May 1805 5 Mar 1810 5 Mar 1810 3 Sep 1819 May 1822 Aug 1830 Aug 1836 William Bramley Lawrence Bramley William Bramley John Bramley Arthur Bramely Harriet Bramley William Bramley Margaret Bramley Padiham cotton manufacturer Easterley farmer Thorny Bank tuition Hambledon Hall yeoman Harcoat Richmond Row, Liverpool Blackburn innkeeper Whalley w Thomas adm will adm will will will adm The will of William Bramley of Blackburn, an innkeeper, was of interest and a copy was ordered. For the remaining years in which the Consistory Court of Chester proved wills in Lancashire (1838-1857), the search was extended at Lancashire Record Office. Sep 1838 Ann Bramley Apr 1845 Thomas Bramley Aug 1847 Roger Bramley Apr 1850 Rebecca Bramley May 1854 John Bramley Mar 1856 William Bramley Manchester Whalley Huncoat, Accrington Todmorden Blackburn Pendlebury widow innkeeper turner widow tallow chandler gentleman will adm will will will will A copy of the will of John Bramley, tallow chandler, was also obtained. William Bramley, an innkeeper of Blackburn, made his will on the 12 th March 1830. He named his two friends as executors: Joseph Edmundson, a cotton manufacturer and John Biggar, draper. His wife was called Margaret and he had four children – 6 Elizabeth, Dorothy, Mary and William. He died the day after the will was written and probate was granted on the 12 th August 1830 to the two executors and his wife, Margaret. John Bramley of Blackburn was a tallow chandler. His will was written on the 10th February 1854. He named a brother, Lawrence, brothers-in-law, Thomas and James Willson, and an employee, Richard Ewart Moyle. He had a son, Thomas, who was under 21 and other sons and daughters, also under 21, whom he did not name. His wife was called Mary. No date of death is stated, but it must have occurred during 1854. Probate was granted to three executors: his brother, Lawrence Bramley, Thomas Willson and James Willson on the 26th May 1854. There is currently no evidence to link any of the people mentioned in either of these wills to Michael Gregory’s ancestor, Hannah Bramley. Hannah may have been another child of Richard and Ellen Bromley in addition to those christened at Walton-le-Dale from 1787 to 1791. However, her baptism has yet to be found. There is a gap in the baptisms of the children about 1813/4 when she could have been named. It is a pity that Hannah did not name one of her own sons as Richard as the continuity of this rather more unusual first name would have suggested that her father or grandfather also had that name. We can only speculate, at present, at her ancestry. Unfortunately, there are no probate documents for men called Richard Bramley, who lived at Walton-le-Dale, in which Hannah may have been named. Perhaps there are wills for them under the surname of Bromiley. This line of research may be worth pursuing in future years with a slight possibility of finding additional forebears. Date of Report: 23 September 2009 7 Sources Consulted Civil Registration General Register Office Birth Nicholas Taylor 1850 Census Returns The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office), London 1851 Census Index Blackburn 1851 Census Blackburn: Whalley Bank 1861 Census (Online) 1871 Census (Online) 1841 Census (Online) 1881 Census (online) 1891 Census (Online) 1901 Census (Online) Parish Registers Lancashire County Record Office Blackburn St Mary Original Registers Baptisms 1831-38; Marriages 1835 Blackburn St John’s Original Registers Baptisms 1831-38 Blackburn St Paul’s Original Registers Baptisms 1831-38 Blackburn St Alban’s Original Registers Roman Catholic Baptisms 1836-50 Registers of St Leonard, Walton de Dale (Society of Genealogists, LA/REG/77759/1-50) Marriages of Walton 1609-1812 (Society of Genealogists Library, LA/R37) Miscellaneous International Genealogical Index (online) Indexes of Wills and Administration, Chester (Society of Genealogists Library) Lancashire Record Office for Wills of: William Bramley of Blackburn, Innkeeper and John Bramley of Blackburn, Tallow Chandler 8 The Taylor Family of Blackburn and Relationship of Michael Peter Gregory to the Taylor Line Richard Bromiley William Taylor Weaver = Peggy Oldham m. 24 Mar 1799 St Mary, Blackburn John Taylor Born ca 1813 Spinner of Blackburn (1835) Spinner/brickworks labourer Of 19 Whalley Banks Blackburn(1850-51) Brickmaker (1854) Living at 67 Chapel Street, Blackburn (1861) Thomas Caffrey Born ca 1834 Ireland = Thomas Caffrey Born 1 February 1865 Blackburn = Thomas Edward Caffrey Born 15 July 1891 Blackburn Malcolm Peter Gregory Born 26 Feb 1935, Hayfield Michael Peter Gregory Born 25 June 1957 Blackburn Richard Bramley Mechanic = Margaret Taylor Born 1834 Blackburn = = = Genealogy Chart No 7 Margaret Ellen Bolton m. 1 Jan 1811 Walton-le-Dale Thomas Bramley b. 8 Aug 1787 Bp. 26 Aug 1787 Walton-le-Dale Hannah Bramley Born ca 1814/15 Walton, Blackburn Married 20 April 1835 Blackburn St Mary Living at 17 Plymouth Street, Blackburn with her sons (1871) Mary b. 19 Nov 1789 Bp. 6 Dec 1789 Walton-le-Dale Sarah b. 22 Dec 1790 Bp. 15 Jan 1791 Walton-le-Dale William Taylor Born 1836 Cotton creeler 1851 Married 3 June 1854 Blackburn Died before 1881 Living 17 Chapel St Blackburn (1871) Jane, b. 30 Jan 1847 Eliza, b.15 Feb 1949 John Taylor Nicholas Taylor Thomas Taylor Born 1840/41 Born 21 November b.1835/6 Blackburn 1850 at 19 Whalley Diana Cotton creeler 1851 Banks Blackburn b.10 Mar 1843 Peter Taylor = Elizabeth See Ferdinand Family Born 1843/4 Doctor Taylor = Eliza [?] = [?] History Report & Blackburn b. ca 1855 Fowler Genealogy Chart No 7 Living at 81 Mill Blackburn St., Blackburn 14 Arthur St (1881) Gas stoker Blackburn (1891) Gas stoker Ellen Ferdinand Diana Emma Margaret James Taylor = Marg Thomas Born 1863 Blackburn b. ca 1868 b. ca 1869 b. ca 1871 b. ca 1852 aret Fowler Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn Blackburn b.1881 May Ada Jane Blackburn b. ca 1880 b. ca 1873 b.1870 Solicitor’s Peter Taylor Clerk Elizabeth Ashworth b. 1877 (Haslingden) Esther (1901) b.1873 (Haslingden) Eliza A. Cotton weaver b.1874 See Ashworth, Bond and Beck Family History James Henry Taylor Blackburn Report & Genealogy Chart No 4 b. ca 1874 Hugh (Blackburn) Fowler = Bernadette Caffrey William Taylor b.1878 born 13 April 1934 b. ca1879 Blackburn Blackburn (Blackburn) Gas stoker Doctor Taylor (1901) b. ca 1883 Bricklayer (1901) Herbert Taylor b. ca 1886 See Caffrey Family History Report (Blackburn) & Genealogy Chart No 1 Walter Taylor b.1889 (Blackburn) See Gregory Family History Report & Genealogy Chart No 1 9