| Peter
Stanford writes:
Being the nearest substantial
centre of population to Entwistle, and
eventually a developing one, it is hardly
surprising that Over Darwen became a major base
of the Entwis(t)le family. The migration
of some of them to that town seems to have started
only after the loss of the family's lands in the
second half of the 1500s, but they
afterwards became one of its major families with
some of their number helping to shape its rise
to Borough status and becoming prominent local
figures.
Book summary and
Entwis(t)le reference by Peter Stanford:
References to Entwis(t)le in Darwen and its
People by J G Shaw
This book was published in
1889 and consists of two volumes bound together.
Though the work itself is very
informative the indexation is deficient, with no
mention of Entwistle in the index for Book I and
only one in that for Book II.
I have, therefore, been through them and
produced this paper so as to provide both an
index and a summary of the Entwistle information
they contain.
Passages in quotation marks
are Mr Shaw’s, or as otherwise attributed.
The incidental comments in square
brackets are mine.
Book I –
“General History” - was written by Mr Shaw
between mid 1887 and mid 1889 –
pp 44 & 48/53
[Negative information can sometimes have
some significance and I wasn’t too surprised
to find an absence of Entwistles from the two
earliest lists of Darwen inhabitants, based on
taxes 1523-24 and wills and other documents
1560-1603.
Although Entwistle is close to Darwen to
its north, both its civil and ecclesiastical
attachments are southwards, as, perhaps more
significantly, were the Entwistle landholdings
before George lost most of them in the mid
1500s. Though
more than a hundred years ago Entwistle was
regarded as an old Darwen name it probably only
first appeared there following that event and
became part of its growing population as
industrialisation progressed.]
pp 45 (picture on page
facing) and 46
“Holker House, Hoddlesden … erected
in 1591 … its original owner was probably an
Entwistle of Entwistle, judging from the letters
R.E.I. over the door”.
Shaw then quotes Mr Ashton (historian):
“… we can discern a stone on which are
sculptured the letters R.E.I. between two
arrowets, a griffin, the owner’s crest, and
the date 1591.”
[From the initials, the
owner may well have been an Entwistle – it was
customary to place the surname initial between
those of the husband and wife.
But there is a problem - the Entwistle
arms do not feature a griffin.
This is, however, the heraldic emblem of
the Grimshaws, who were lords of the manor in
those parts, and may well allude to the episode
mentioned on page 42 whereby one Grimshaw, esq.
shot a “monstrous serpent” with arrows –
In fact, what is described there is a griffin.]
p 52 “Inhabitants of
Darwen, temp. James I” (from wills etc.
1604-1625) …
“Entwistle, Hy., of Over
Darwen. Will 1606”
[This is the earliest
reference I have seen to a Darwen Entwistle and
we could potentially glean valuable information
from this will]
pp 54/55
[No Entwistles on a similar list for
1626-1649]
p 123
“A small Methodist Society was formed
in Over Darwen about 1785 … Mr Ralph Entwistle,
of Sough, had entertained John Wesley on his
journeys through Darwen from Bolton
to Blackburn, and he joined the Methodist
Society …”
p 124
“In 1809 … there were … 70 members
of the (Methodist) Society in Over Darwen, the
leaders being William Greenwood, Joseph
Whittaker, John Entwistle, James Smith and
Burgoyne Fish.”
p 144
In “Directory of Darwen for 1824 …
taken from … Baine’s History of Lancashire,
original edition” – “Coal Proprietors:
Entwisle, Wm.”
p 170
“The first municipal election passed
off without a contest, eighteen townsmen – all
Liberal in politics – being nominated and
returned unopposed. The first meeting of the Town Council was held in the Free
Library on July 9th, 1878 …
Councillors … William Entwisle (and five
others) were elected Aldermen”
p 172
“List of Mayors” –
“Election (of) 1882, Nov.
9th – Ald. William Entwisle,
Rosehill, Quarry Owner
“
“
1883
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
“”
p 189
“a list of the borough magistrates
living at the present day … Robert Smalley
Entwisle, Southport … qualified September 1st,
1881. … William Entwisle, Rosehill …
qualified January 16th, 1885.”
Book II – “Old
Darwen Families” – was dictated to Mr Shaw
by Jeremy Hunt (1806 – 1887) between 1884 and
mid 1887. Mr
Hunt had obviously been a keen observer of
people from a very early age.
He had long-lived parents and grandmother
from whom he had gleaned information about
people born before the end of the 1600s –
chart facing p 14:
(Descendants of) “James Marsden
1700-92)” –
“Rachael – ‘Own Nine
Penn’orth’ (granddaughter of above) – Wife
of William Entwisle of Catleach”
pp 15/16
“About 60 years ago there used to be
gigantic musical festivals at Liverpool, in
which a number of singers from Darwen took part
– old Richard Entwisle … and others.”
pp 17/18
“James and Lawrence (Marsden) had a
sister named Rachael.
She was married to a man named William
Entwisle of, Catleach, and I knew her well.”
Mr Hunt then explains that her nickname
arose from her habit of referring to the nine
pennies she had spent on dancing lessons, and
tells some other tales about her.
“Her husband, William Entwisle, was
better known as ‘Owd Billy o’ Ralph’s’,
and as Billy was ‘father of seven sons’ a
lot of the Entwisles are descended from her.”
pp 46/47
“John (Pickup) had …five daughters
… Robert Smalley Entwisle, J.P. took (one of
them) as his second wife”
“James Pickup No 2 …
had one son and one daughter.
The daughter, Sarah, became the first
wife of Mr Robert Smalley Entwisle, J.P., who
married two cousins.
Sarah, Robert Smalley Entwisle’s first
wife, had an only son, the present James Pickup
Entwisle.”
p 52
“William (Eccles) married Ann, the
daughter of old Ralph Entwisle, and aunt of the
present Robert Smalley Entwisle, J.P.(as his
first wife)”
p 67
“John (Briggs) was married twice.
Both his wives came of a family named
Entwisle, which supplied half the neighbourhood
with wives.
Their mother and father – Edmund
Entwisle – had both large families before they
married each other, and after the marriage there
sprang up a third lot.
The whole three lots of children were
brought together, and it would puzzle anybody to
‘sunder ‘em out’.
They were chiefly girls, and they were
best known as ‘Money Ned’s lot’.
There was such a ‘squad’ of them
altogether that it became a matter of common
talk what a lot of wives came out of that
family. John
Briggs’s family are mostly living in Bury.”
p 72
“The daughters of Old George (Briggs),
of Sunnyhurst, were Betty and Dorothy.
Betty married James Entwisle”
p 74
“William Thompson, a one-armed man, is
clerk at the Entwisle’s, at Sough”
p 83 “James
(Hindle), the son of James, married Miss
Entwisle, daughter of old William Entwisle of
Catleach, best known as ‘Owd Billy o’
Ralph’s’.
He had two sons and five daughters” (of
whom further details are given).
p 84
“Rachael, daughter of Old James (Hindle),
married a man named Entwisle.
One of her sons, Anyon, was a well-known
local character, particularly noted for
composing peace-egg songs, and for going
peace-egging 60 years ago.
When he got tired of peace-egging he went
to Australia with his two lads, in 1827.
Australia was then commonly spoken of as
the New-found-land.
Australia didn’t agree with him, for he
was killed there by the aborigines, and one of
his lads, who was bound apprentice over there,
was so ill-punished by his master that he died.
The other lad came back to Darwen …”
“Old Anyon used to be called ‘Pigeon Anyon’ in Darwen …”
“Old Rachael had other sons beside
Anyon. I
remember Marsden and Caleb, but no more.”
p 98
“Lettice (Jepson, daughter of George)
married Nicholas Entwisle.
Both died, leaving a daughter, who became
the wife of George Bury of Cotton Hall.
She died and left a daughter who married
into the Jepson family, her husband being John
Jepson of Charles-street.”
p 118
“Half-a-dozen more important families
will about complete my list, and then I shall be
able to bring this long series to a summary
conclusion, but two of the families I have yet
to deal with – the Fishes and the Entwisles
– are pretty numerous, so I will tackle them
first.” “’Old
Nick’ (Fish) has a sister who married one
Thomas Entwisle”
p 120
“David (Fish), who married Beulah
Entwisle, was born at Trees Farm seventy years
ago, and he lives there yet, but he runs a great
risk of having to flit in his old age, for Trees
Farm is going to be converted into a public park
in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee.
He has three sons, married, and a
daughter, unmarried.”
p 127
“…Betty (daughter of Burgoyne Fish of
Chapels) married James Entwisle.
Of course they are dead, but … left
families”
[Correspondent Glenn Taylor has suggested that
this Betty Fish married Thomas Fish and that it
was her sister Jane who married James Entwisle]
p 131
“Conclusion:”
“I will, however, conclude … with a
few words about the Entwisles … The first
Entwisle I knew was the grandfather of Robert
Smalley Entwisle, of Sough.
He was one of the original Darwen
Methodists, along with old Burgoyne Fish,
upwards of a hundred
years ago … His name was Ralph Entwisle
… I think he must have been living when I was
a lad. Most
of the Entwisles sprang from him and his
brothers. I
also knew a William Entwisle of Catleach, who
died about sixty years ago.
He had sons, James, Ralph, Lawrence,
Edward, Joseph, John and William, and about four
daughters. He married … ‘Old Nine Penn’orth’.
[Unfortunately Mr Hunt died
before dictating his intended next chapter, on
the Entwisles.
However, Mr Shaw fashioned a two-page
‘chapter’ on the family from pieces of
Enwistle information given to him by Mr Hunt
when dictating the history of other families.
I will reproduce its essence here, even
though it inevitably repeats much of the
foregoing, because there are some differences
which could be of importance; in particular
concerning the sons of William of Catleach – I
think we have to prefer the following version as
it would have been said when he was in better
health.]
pp 133/134
Titled “The Entwisles:”
“Ralph Entwisle, a Methodist, is the
first Entwisle of who I have any recollection
… (apparently) living seventy or seventy-five
years ago.
John Wesley put up at his house … more
than a hundred years ago.”
“Old Ralph had several brothers, and
most of the Entwisles of Darwen are descended
from these men.”
“Old William Entwisle, of
Sough, was son of Ralph.
I knew him very well.
He married Betty Smalley, grand-daughter
of The Rev. Robert Smalley.
Robert Smalley Entwisle, J.P. of
Southport, and Alderman William Entwisle, J.P.,
an ex-Mayor of Darwen, are his sons.
Robert … married two cousins … Sarah,
only daughter of James Pickup No. 2, while the
second was one of William Pickup’s five
daughters. By the first marriage he had only one son, James Pickup
Entwisle.”
“A second important
branch of the Entwisle family is descended from
William Entwisle of Catleach, better known as
‘Owd Billy o’Ralph’s’1.
Owd Billy died when I was a young
man of twenty.
His wife was Rachael Marsden – ‘Owd
Nine Penn’orth’ – daughter of old James
Marsden … They had seven sons and, I think,
four daughters, and a good many of the Darwen
Entwisles are their descendants.
The seven sons were James, Ralph, Edward,
Lawrence, Anyon, John and William. One of the daughters married old James Hindle, of Eccleshill
… I forget her name, but I remember her sister
Hannah.”
“James, the eldest son of
‘Owd Billy o’Ralph’s’, married Ellen
Holden, and his descendants now live near Guide.
He used to farm at Mouse House, just
above Putforth, a farm between Guide and
Belthorne.
Ralph married Ellen Holden’s sister
Mary. They were the daughters of old Thomas Holden …”
“Anyon2
married … Alice, commonly called ‘Owd Ailse
o’Adam’s’ …”
(The above are as dictated
by Mr Hunt.
Mr Shaw then adds further notes, but they
are all as recorded earlier in the book, and,
therefore, have already been noted above.)
1 Mr Shaw’s footnote:
“Jeremy never told me anything about Ralph,
father of ‘Owd Billy’, and I presume it
would not be Ralph Entwisle, the Methodist, for
he had a son William who is called ‘William
Entwisle of Sough’ to distinguish him from
this William Entwisle of Catleach.”
2 Mr Shaw’s footnote:
“Jeremy never told me anything about the
families of Edward and Lawrence, or John and
William, but I have an impression that he has
told me they all grew up and married.”
p 136
Mr Shaw notes that “George Bury, of
Cotton Hall, married the only daughter of
Nicholas Entwisle.”
Peter
Stanford, Greenfield Farm House, Colne, Nov.
2000 - With amendments July 2004 |
