NAYLOR and FRANCE - Heckmondwike

[jannergray]

Hello All,

Does anyone connect to the NAYLOR and/or FRANCE Families in Heckmondwike?

I'm trying to link the NAYLOR and FRANCE families together since my direct ancestor, Dobson NAYLOR, born c1804 at Heckmondwike (I've never been able to trace his baptism) may well be named after a possible relative in the FRANCE Family (there are lots of Dobson FRANCE's!)

I've been tracing one Hannah FRANCE for quite a while. She appears to have had a fair number of illegitimate children at Heckmondwike but later married a Thomas NAYLOR in 1860...

Any help, or tips for where to search for baptisms, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Graham

[Samueller]

Hi Graham.

I presume you have searched for your NAYLOR and FRANCE baptisms in the PRs of St James's Parish Church and also St Saviour's. Heckmondwike.  Unfortunately for family historians there were lots of nonconformist chapels in the parish as well.  It is reckoned that circa 1900 the total seating of the various churches and chapels would accommodate the entire population four times over!  Some of the registers of BMDs in these chapels have survived, but not all.  When a chapel closed, the archives were not always deposited for safe-keeping, and those that were did not all go to the same place.  I would suggest you try Wakefield and Huddersfield archives first.  Huddersfield & District FHS may have details of what records are where, and may even have copies.  Good luck!

Sam

[suep968]

Hi Graham

I have been trying to research the Naylor family from Heckmondwike, but have no idea whether or not my family is connected to yours.

My great great grandad was Robert Naylor born 24/3/1853 at Morton Row, Heckmondwike the son of John Naylor born c1821 Heckmondwike and Ann Smith of Heckmondwike   John Naylor was the son of another John Naylor born c1776 Heckmondwike and Ellen surname unknown born c1781 Heckmondwike.  I have not yet been able to check out the details with parish records so cannot confirm how accurate some of the details are.  Robert Naylor, his wife Sophia and sister Mary Elizabeth are all buried in Heckmondwike cemetery grave no 74 section d.  My grandma insists there is a headstone to this grave but I havent found it.

Sue

[pityackafromblyth]

Cannot help with Naylor and France, but I lived in Heckmondwike in the 1960s.  Your post, Samueller, caught my eye as regards the total seating in all the places of worship- "enough to accomodate the town's population 4 times over."  That is what struck me on my first few days in town, the number of churches and chapels.  I think the majority were still in use.

[Samueller]

The siuation has changed somewhat in the past 50 years.  A few of the chapels and one church have closed, but on the other hand there weren't any mosques there in the 60s! I lived in Heckmondwike in the 80s.

The high number of places of worhsip does make things difficult for family historians.  I believe the registers of some of the small chapels disappeared when the buildings closed.  They were probably kept by a chapel warden.

Sam