WILDs of Darwen

[Aulus]

I've managed to do quite well with my Wild family in Darwen, getting back to Henry Wild who married Ann Yates at Blackburn St Mary's on 22 Jan 1787.  There are Henry Wilds in every generation down to the current one, and up to the start of the 20th century, they were all plasterers, painters and decorators.

I've been tidying up and filling in the dates of some more recent members of the family, but when it came to James Wild, born 1863, son of Samuel Wild & Mary Holden, I had to order two certificates, as there were two James Wilds in 1863.

One of the certificates was the right one, the other introduced me to another Wild family that I've not been able to link up with mine.

Would appreciate any thoughts or finding them on the 1841 census or other earlier records.

This second James is the son of Henry Wild and Nancy née Knowles, living at Blacksnape, Over Darwen.  This Henry is - unlike all the plasterers and painters in my tree so far - a cotton weaver (like most of Darwen!)

I found the marriage of Henry Wild and Nancy Knowles 20th June 1843 at Blackburn St Mary's, though unfortunately in 1843, Blackburn St Mary's was still using up its stock of pre-civil registration registers, so the register held at Preston records office doesn't have age or fathers' names.  So I sent for the certificate from the GRO.  Would you believe it?  There is just a line through Henry's father's name and occupation!  Aaarggh!  (Nancy's father is given as David Knowles, a weaver.)

I can find Henry and Nancy on most of the censuses:

• 1851 (HO107/2261; fol. 384; p. 12), at Blacksnape with children Charles (1845), Peggy (1847), Henry (1849), William (1850)
• 1861 (RG9/3111; fol. 18; p. 29) at 25 Blacksnape with children Charles (1845), Margaret (1847), Henry (1849), William (1851), David (1852), Samuel (1855) and John (1860)
• 1871 (RG10/4187;fol. 115; p. 21), 16 Bury Old Rd, Darwen with children Henry (1849), David (1853), Samuel (1855), John (1860), Mary (1862), James (1864), Richard (1866)
• 1871 (RG10/4187;fol. 115; p. 21), 16 Bury Old Rd, Darwen with children Henry (1849), David (1853), Samuel (1855), John (1860), Mary (1862), James (1864), Richard (1866)
• 1881 (RG11/3822; fol. 38; p.31) at 1 Wellington Street, Westhoughton with children David (1854, widower), Samuel (1856), John (1860), Mary (1862), James (1864), Richard (1866)

The censuses give Henry the father's birth year as 1821-2 and Nancy's as 1823-4.  All are born in Darwen.

I think this is probably Nancy on the 1841 census: HO107/503, book 10, fol. 7, p. 6, age 17.  Head of household David Knowles.  That might explain why one of Nancy's children is called David.


With the exception of David and Richard, all the names are ones that recur frequently in the Wilds on my line.  There aren't that many Wilds in Darwen, so I can't help but think that this lot are connected.  What I really need to find is the 1821 Henry's father, but so far I've not been able to find a baptism, nor him on the 1841 census (it'd be nice to find him with his parents!). 
I wonder if the move to Westhoughton between 1871 and 1881 might be why I've not heard of them before?  Though their connection (assuming there is one) to my line must be quite high up the tree, making them fairly distant cousins.


Sorry for a long ramble.   

Any thoughts welcome!

[ShaunJ]

In 1841 there's a weaver by the name of Henry Wild in Duckworth Street, Over Darwen. Age shown as 15 but that could be rounded down from 19.  He's not with a Wild family though.

HO107/503/7 folio 16 bottom of page 24

[Aulus]

Thanks Shaun.

I was beginning to think I'd done the impossible and completely flummoxed the collective wit and wisdom of Rootschat!


No wonder, I'd not found that one - Ancestry have transcribed him as Henry Witch.

I wondered if the head of household's wife might have been a Wild, but it seems she's Ellen Harwood.  (Married Henry Fielden at Blackburn St Mary's 26 Apr 1821.  Spinster, so she's not on her second marriage.)

It's a good find, Shaun, so thanks again.  I'm pretty sure this must be him.  There aren't that many Wilds in Darwen.  Unfortunately with no family obviously connected to him, I don't think I'm going to be able to connect him to my Wilds, though I'm sure he must be somehow.

My feeling is that the Wilds moved into Darwen in the early to mid 1780s.  Where from?  There are lots and lots of Wilds in Rochdale.  But there may be a clue in a removal order in 1826, in which the Darwen authorities tried to get my great x4 grandparents removed to Quick or Saddleworth.  This is quite a bit later than when I think the family must have moved to Darwen - a generation later indeed, so it might be a false clue.

[Our Kid]

Hi,
I have a Mary Wild who married my great grandfather George Hansell in Blackburn Registrars Office in June Qtr 1907.  She died in 1917 in Darwen.
George died shortly afterwards. 

I have no other information about her as I have never sent for this marriage certificate, being a late marriage, George would have been 63 and already had a rake of children.  One day I might take this further as I am looking for the youngest son of George, another George who was in the Industrial School in Bolton in the 1911 census.

If I every find anything about Mary, I will let you know.

Best wishes,
Pauline in Darwen

[Luzzu]

Hi,

 

Found this one on http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/ - the date is a few years earlier than your were looking for but he's a plasterer  .

Baptisms: 27 Oct 1817 Darwen Chapel (Now St James), Darwen, Lancashire, England
Henry Wild - Son of Henry Wild & Phebe
    Abode: Over Darwen
    Occupation: Plaisterer
    Baptised by: M Y Starkie
    Register: Baptisms 1816 - 1819 BT, Page 827, Entry 395
    Source: LDS Film 1656733

There are quite a few Wilds on this website - have you had a trawl through through the Darwen registers?

Only Nancy Knowles I can find in Darwen is the daughter of Hugh and Mary but thought it was worth posting so you could rule it out.

Baptisms: 26 Jun 1831 Darwen Chapel (Now St James), Darwen, Lancashire, England
Nancy Knowles - Dau of Hugh Knowles & Mary
    Abode: Wiswell
    Occupation: Blue dyer
    Baptised by: Hy Dunderdale
    Register: Baptisms 1830 - 1836 BT, Page 18, Entry 1402
    Source: LDS Film 1656734

However there was a David Knowles baptised in Darwen in 1794:-

Baptisms: 12 Jun 1794 Darwen Chapel (Now St James), Darwen, Lancashire, England
David Knowles - Son of David Knowles & Betty
    Abode: Eccleshill
    Register: Baptisms 1782 - 1812 BT, Page 691, Entry 1196
    Source: LDS Film 1656733

Hope it helps.

Luzzu

[Howfen]

Hi Aulus
Been researching our family and just seen your posting of 18th April 2009.
We are the Westhoughton branch of the Wild's.
However we have an "e" on the end.
This was added by my great grandmother(Elizabeth Holt) who married David wild the son of Henry and Nancy.
It first appears on my grandfathers baptism in 1883 James Augustus Wilde.
Interestingly his generation are also the first to use the name Knowles as a "middle" name for boys christened David.
This is sometimes confusing as there are several David Knowles Wildes in the same generation.
Another name used as a "middle" name is Stainbank and this has also been handed down though mainly used by girls in the family.Dont know where this originates.
Contact with the Darwen side of the family seems to have faded out with my fathers generation real pity .
We too have hit the same problem as you in regards to Henry Wild's parents
Wondered if you've had any success since 2009.

[Aulus]

Hello Howfen, and apologies - I hadn't noticed your response previously.

How fascinating to come across someone from the "other" Wild family in Darwen!

While my direct line of Wilds never added an e, some cousins sometimes became Wilde (and some then revert back to Wild).  When daughters married, the Wild name often becomes a middle name for sons named Henry - so we have Henry Wild Cooper, Henry Wild Houghton, Henry Wild Kay et al.  My Wilds seem to have a strong genetic need to keep the Henry Wild name going, even to the latest (2014) birth!

I have to admit that I haven't made any further progress beyond fleshing out the detail on some cousins' lines, and managing to piece together what happened to my great uncles Percy & Henry Wild who went to America in the early 20th century, and their descendants today.

I like to think that the your and my original Henry Wilds must have been cousins: the coincidence of  many Christian names recurring in both Wild families seems too strong.  Plus, as far as I can see, there just being these two Wild families in Darwen in the 18th, 19th & 20th centuries, suggests to me they came to Darwen around the same time, perhaps from the Rochdale area, where there are Henry Wilds (and Henry de Wyldes) going back to the 13th century.  Just need some as yet undiscovered records or a time machine to make the connections!

[Howfen]

Hi Aulus
Thanks for replying to my post
Sorry I have,nt been in touch earlier but only just returned from hols.
With regards to the father of Henry Wild( who married Nancy Knowles ) we have pursued a line that suggests
that Henry was christened at Ogden Particular Baptist church Butterworth on 7th Aug 1821 and that his parents were James and Sally Wild.
Would like to hear your views on this
Unfortunately we have not been able to establish were Henry Wild is buried ( No record in Westhoughton or Wingates were they settled ).Could you help please?
We would be only to pleased to supply any info concerning our branch of the Wild(e) family Westhoughton.
Would be grateful if you could pass our interest on to anyone else researching the Wilds.
Many thanks
 

[Legend1]

Hi,

Just seen this whilst checking some family history, I live in Darwen. Nancy Knowles and Henry Wild were my great great great grandparents…

Their son, William Wild, my great great Grandad, his son, William Wild, my great Grandad, his son, James Wild, my grandad.

Hope it helps you piece things together…

🤔🙂