RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: Pennines on Wednesday 13 November 19 22:34 GMT (UK)
-
I realise this isn't family history so should be under another category -- but because of the place names it would be meaningless to people from elsewhere.
Tonight I watched the DIY SOS programme for Nightsafe in Blackburn which was part of Children in Need (so emotional!) However Nick Knowles asked 2 of the volunteer workers were they were from.
One was from Preston and the other from Oswaldtwistle. Nick Knowles response ---- 'Oswaldtwistle!! Is that a place?'
That just made me laugh.
(Actually Lancs Family History and Heraldry Society have a Research Centre in Oswaldtwistle where Society volunteers help members of the public with family history.)
-
I love the name Oswaldtwistle - once heard it was pronounced Ozzletwissle but don't know if that's right.
I have visited Oswaldtwistle Mill a couple of times in the past
-
I love it too, Carole -- locally it's known as Ossy -- and the adjacent town of Accrington is Accy!
Here in Lancs we don't like using unnecessary long names!
-
I love the name Oswaldtwistle - once heard it was pronounced Ozzletwissle but don't know if that's right.
I have visited Oswaldtwistle Mill a couple of times in the past
Ozzy is definitely Oz-ul-twissle.
-
BashLad -- you are absolutely right. I had never thought of that before - but I've just said it in my head!! I would say Ozzaltwissle (or slight variant).
Definitely has 'z''s and NO 'w' or 'd' in the middle. It's a great name.
The top end of Ossy was known as Gobbinland - this is were the mines were. The miners were Gobbiners! They get a mention in the 'trouble at mill' dictionary!
http://www.troubleatmill.com/speak.htm#g
-
The Accrington Pals(WW1) were composed of lads from all the surrounding towns, only one Battalion was actually from Accrington.
I have the Roll of Honour.
Church ,Chorley,Baxenden etc ,lads from all the small places around are listed and some names recur and the same address, so more than one lad or father and son(s) all killed.
I found it in a junk shop and wondered how anyone could dispose of it.
The memorial on The Somme is a modest Accrington brick wall,the speech by the Lord Mayor at the first memorial service contained this—“ Two years in the making, ten minutes in the destroying”.
I say, but I am a foreigner! OsWaldtwistle, .
Natives seemingly miss out the W.
Viktoria.
-
I once got in bother when speaking of that general area, for mentioning Raw-ten-stall, (yes, that's how it was spelled) when I was greeted with shouts of "Rottenstall"! I knew about "Ossie", but was a little confused when "Blagburn" was mentioned, rather than "Blackburn". Of course, with Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and similar, we're much easier to decipher in Yorkshire!
-
How about Slaithwaite pronounced Slawit?( I believe) ;D
Viktoria.
P.S.and Bury, locally called Burry,but to visitors Berry.
-
"Bested" again, Viktoria, by you!
-
Oh sorry, was just adding to the confusion. ::)
A teacher I knew had a broad Bury accent,at her interview for her first post
after qualifying she was asked “ And where do you expect to get a job with an accent like yours?”
Her reply was wonderful—-“ In Burry where they all talk like this!”
She was about the best teacher I worked with and that is saying a lot!
Viktoria. :-[
-
Viktoria -- as you mentioned the Memorial to the Accrington Pals at Serre -- made of the red Accrington brick -- the black plaques on that memorial were created and carved by my late cousin, Alfred Almond - who was much older than me.
He was the propieter of Hillside Memorials near Accrinton Cemetery, so normally made gravestones. As far as I know this memorial at Serre was only dedicated in the early 1990s. I just feel SO proud that my very quiet cousin has left this legacy.
His father had served with the Pals - although thankfully survived the war.
-
Threlfall Yorky --- then in Yorkshire there is 'Cleckheckmondsedge' --- meant to represent Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and Liversedge -- a name invented by J B Priestly as representative of a typical Yorkshire Mill Town.
As far as I know he lived with an aunt in one of those towns, but I can't remember how I know that or which town it was. Great names aren't they.
-
Sorry, no disrespect to the Accrington Pals or anyone else, back to the lighter vein of Burry, etc. what about "Notlob"? Anybody having heard Bernard Wrigley will know about it! ;D ;D
And then there's Blackburrrrrrrrrn - again, Mr Wrigley :)
He does know how to roll is Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs :-X
-
Ah, that’s the Bowton Bullfrog!
Rawtenstall people have a rich burr, my neighbour’s little boy was Mark, but she said Mork and harmed was oimed, ( such as a dog not well looked after etc. )
Viktoria.
-
Yes, I met up with the Bullfrog the other week - he's still going strong and just as funny!
-
Strangely I don't know the Bolton Bullfrog. I should do -- maybe it's my age.
However I cannot agree with his rolled 'r's. It's definitely Berry!
Also, from an earlier message I so agree it's Rottenstall!
I love accents and enjoy trying to figure out where someone comes from by the way they speak.
-
Bernard Wrigley.
He has a very deep rasping voice and strong local accent .
Sings ,tells jokes etc.
Quite funny.
Viktoria.
-
He was also in Dinner Ladies, and had a part in, I think, Emmerdale, when he tried to launch himself into space.
-
Bernard Wrigley does not roll his Rs as a Scotsman would do, it is more a definite pronunciation ,I would say Blackbern ,the r slightly sounded but his accent pronounces it strongly so more like when we would say burr so
BlackbuRn,a very deep u and pronounced r.
Isn ‘t it hard to reproduce accents in writing. !
You can bring him up ,and hear him..
I find it a breath from the past when I hear a strong accent.
Viktoria.
-
Just wondered if it was the custom elsewhere ,but within living memory
in Lancashire people were described by who their fathers were so you would get :- Jack’O Bill’s O Tom’s,in other words, Jack son of Bill and Grandson
of Tom.
The women too ,and girls often known by both Christian names.
My M in L was Mary Elizabeth ,fondly known as “ our MarLiz” her mother Sarah Anne was “ Seranne”.
Is that known elsewhere?
Viktoria.
-
Got to say that I'm not aware of that custom.
My family did cut names short though - my Mum and her siblings all talked about each other as 'our Lou', 'our Al' , 'our Dot' and so on. Not one of them was ever known by their full christian name.
-
I wonder if that , was well ,to denote their Marys from all the other Mary’s ?
Christian names were not quite so varied as now and Biblical names really popular.
A charming custom though.
Viktoria.
-
The "Tom 'o Billies" does also occur in Yorkshire. Often too, "Tom o' th' Edge" or wherever he lived. I suppose with whole villages surnamed "Greenwood" for example, rather like in Wales, more information was needed to identify the individual.
-
The women too ,and girls often known by both Christian names.
My M in L was Mary Elizabeth ,fondly known as “ our MarLiz” her mother Sarah Anne was “ Seranne”.
Is that known elsewhere?
Viktoria.
I don't know about elsewhere but I'd say that was a thing in Rossendale. G-grandma Edith Ann was always Eadie-Annie all the boys in that generation had one name and all the girls had two apart from Janey - who was Janey - and that's not short for something else.
-
Bashlad -- If Janey wasn't short for anything else -- was it 'long' for Jane?!
This talk of names has reminded me that I had an Auntie Dolly. She wasn't a real auntie - she 'minded' me whilst my Mum went to work. As a child you just accept these names don't you -- haven't thought about it till now, but just wondering if her real name was Dorothy.
I have never known.
-
Most generations had a Jane Ellen so I assumed Janey was the Jane Ellen of hers.
It was only when I started gathering the BMDs that I realised she was Janey all along, she was even baptised that way.
-
Pennines Hubby's Auntie Dolly was Doris
-
Hotice -- my Mum was Doris! She was Dot.
-
We had an “ auntie” Dorothy but known as Dot.
Ellens were usually Nellie,
Margarets Maggie or Peggy,
Gertrudes Gertie,etc.
Never understood why Harold was Hadge.
Dereks were Deks.
Lots of Lizzies ,Lizas etc.
Sarahs often known Sally .
We had a new Curate at church many years ago and he never knew who was
who as we spoke of our friends by their maiden names ,which reminds me of the old Lancashire explanation when maiden names were used “ as was”—- then their married name.
Mary Jones as was , ;D
Viktoria
-
Mary = Polly
-
I could NEVER understand Mary being Polly or Margaret being Peggy -- why?
When I think back, only one of my many aunts and uncles were known by their correct given name and that was an Uncle John -- however I have a cousin John - known as Jack. (John to Jack has never made sense either).
All adds to the colour of life I suppose - and gives us a headache when searching census records!
-
well Dolly married Jack ( Doris and John) just to confuse me even more !!
And thanks Bumblebee I have a great aunt Polly but now I realise that she is likely to be my great nans sister Mary
-
Really good news Hotice, that you have inadvertantly had a problem solved.
You probably won't forget that odd nickname now,
-
Have to admit that I only know about Polly being Mary because I used to visit Aunty Polly when I was a child, and then when I worked on family history I discovered that she was really Mary.
Glad to have helped :)
-
BumbleB,
I didn't know Polly was Mary until I started family history -- nor did I know about Peggy being Margaret.
It's caused me to remember that 2 sisters lived near us when I was a child -- they were known as 'Little Polly' and 'Little Molly'. Just imagine -- there might have been another sister somewhere 'Little Dolly' --- then we would have had Polly, Molly and Dolly!
-
Mary is also Molly, my Lancashire born MIL was ;D