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I attended a funeral at St Mary's Blackbrook St Helens in 1994. From memory - Blackbrook is sort of on the edge of Haydock but definitely in St Helens

Hi Carole,

This is the kind of local knowledge that's in valuable. Thanks!

I'm actually from neighbouring Newton-le-Willows, but when I initially read "Blackbrook," I thought, "yes, but, which one?" 

Rowan Tree 

More information with regards to St. Mary R.C. Church;

St. Mary Immaculate, St. Helens is on Blackbrook Road.

A Catholic mission was established in 1674 and the first chapel built in 1752. The present church was built in 1844-5.
It stands on land which formerly belonged to the Orrells, a Catholic colliery-owning family, whose red brick house, known as Blackbrook House, still stands a short way from the church.
In the mid-nineteenth century the house became a convent for the Sisters of Mercy, who built the Blackbrook House Industrial School attached to the former mansion. The school building was built in 1903-4.

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone can help clarify something for me.

I'm looking at a R.C. baptism on Ancestry. The transcription says the baptism took place at "Blackbrook, Lancashire, England."

Here's the rest of the baptism:

Louisa LITTLER
Bapt. 30th July 1854
Father: William LOWE
Mother: Mary LITTLER

Can anyone help clarify where exactly this baptism took place? There's a Blackbrook in Haydock, there's a Blackbrook in Parr, and there's a Blackbrook Road in St. Helens.

Louisa LITTLER was born 27th July 1854 in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

There's another Louisa LITTLER b. 6th June 1854, daughter of William LITTLER and Martha nee TAYLOR, bapt. 14th June 1854 at St. Thomas, Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Beware about getting the two Louisa's confused.

Many thanks,

Rowan Tree 

Among other things, there is an original will of Thomas Knowles of Haydock, 1833, which a mentions a Twiss sister and nephew
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DW53-WRV?view=fullText&keywords=Twiss%2CHaydock&lang=en&groupId=

This is great! Straight away I can see that this is James TWISS' uncle or Sarah TWISS nee KNOWLES' youngest brother, Thomas KNOWLES.

MODIFIED: Thomas KNOWLES wrote his will on the 8th April 1833 and was buried on the 5th May 1833. He died of consumption.

Thanks, Jon, that's really helpful 

If the James TWISS will on Family Search isn't a contemporary copy, then I'm not sure how to describe it. It's in a different hand to the original that is held at Lancashire Records Office and it isn't signed. Whereas the original at LRO is signed