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Hi there
Interesting to hear about your Thomas Winstanley.
My family also come from St Helens, although originally from Holywell, in Flintshire. 
My Great grandfather was Thomas Digby Willoughby Winstanley, born in Dec 1844 in Holywell and moved to St Helens before 1871 when he married his wife, Mary Jane Hughes who was also from Holywell. 
Thomas and Mary Jane were living with Mary Jane's father and mother in St Helens when the 1871 census was taken. 
Thomas was one of 7 children of John Wood Winstanley b1819,  a Watchmaker from Holywell and Ann Roberts of Halkin Flintshire. 
I know that their sons, John Clement and Thomas D.W. came over to St helens but did not carry on with the watchmaking trade; Thomas was a copper roller and John Clement a labourer. 
However their grandfather, another Thomas Winstanley, also a clockmaker, had several children who were watch or clockmakers, as did his father, John before him, so it is possible that one of these children came over to St Helens and are related to your Thomas (obviously a common name in this Winstanley branch)
Do you know who Thomas Winstanley's father was? 

Pam

Hello again Sarah

It seems that one of my messages has got lost in the ether.

I was explaining that I think I may have found a record for John's first marriage to a Hester Wood (signs her name Esther) from Alstonefield I presume in Derbyshire.  The witnesses are both Wood Presumably her parents, but it does state that John is from Ashbourne which is a town nearby.  So if he and Esther were witnesses to a marriage to a Hannah Wood in Holywell, then this could be a relative but I could find no further Winstanley's in the surrounding area near Alstonefield.  Also I have no proof of this as they are just parish records and again no links to Clement Winstanley!

The marriage to Mary Ann Hartshorn is his second wife I think as the dates fit, he has a further 3 children after Esther's death and the first child was christened Mary Ann.

I think that was all I wrote, hope it explains the second message, sorry to confuse!! 

Regards

Pam

Many thanks Sarah

I had no idea that there were so many links to Wales and I shall spend some pleasant hours trawling through them to see if there is any information on Holywell that could be useful.

I will certainly ask for your help if I have any c of e Winstanley's in Flintshire, but so far they seem to be mostly catholic,(unless you know differently) which makes searching for them quite difficult. The family was very large with many clock and watchmakers and living in Holywell, Mold, Flint and Wrexham and later moving into Lancashire

My biggest problem is that there is a large gravestone in St James Church, next to the site of St Winifred's Well in Holywell for John Winstanley born 1746 (I do not know where he was born, but not in Flintshire) and died in 1841 aged 95yrs in Holywell.  He is my g.g.g.g.g.grandfather and this gravestone states quite clearly that John was :
"grandson of Clement Winstanley esq. of Winstanley, in the County of Lancaster and Catherine, daughter of Sir F Willoughby, Lord Middleton of Parkam and Wollaston Hall in Nottinghamshire and of Middleton in the county of Warrick."

However there is no link that I can find for him to the (much documented) Clement Winstanley in Braunston, as Clement only had one son that is recorded (James, his heir) and this James did not have a son called John!

Any help would be much appreciated!
Kind regards
Pam