Joseph Walmsley - Can Any One Help Make The Link? Darwen Grimshaw Bridge

[Landyman]

On the website http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/history/old-families6a.html there is an article about the Walmsley's of Rishton. The article says:

"The Walmsley family was associated in earlier times with the Lancashire village of Riston. In 1581 it was recorded that Sir Thomas Talbot sold the manor of 'Rissheton' to Thomas Walmsley - the manor continued in the possession of the Walmsley family until 1711 when it passed by marriage out of the family holdings. The wealth and importance of the family continued until the 19th century, when they became prosperous textile manufacturers. The family held shares in the Grimshaw Bridge Mill at Eccleshill, an early water-powered carding and spinning factory, erected in 1782 by William Yates. Following Yates' failure in 1790, the mill was worked briefly by William Booth of Lower Darwen. By the early nineteenth century, Walmsley, Townsend & Green had taken over. In 1823, the surviving partner, Joseph Walmsley, was employing 23 hands at the mill, and the whole undertaking came into the sole possession of the Walmsley family. In 1855 the family retired from business and sold the Grimshaw Bridge plant, but the Walmsley family name is still well remembered in placenames throughout Lancashire."

The Joseph Walmsley who is described as employing 23 hands is my wife's 4x Great Grand Father. He would have been born sometime around 1796. But I can't find any evidence of his birth or background. Walmsley was a common name in the Darwen area so how can I find out if he was part of the family as described on the website or if he wasn't. Any help much appreciated.

[garstonite]

Looking at the area ....
www.lan-opc.org.uk/Search/indexp.html
Joseph Walmsley
1796   + / - 2 years
baptism

Baptism: 4 Jan 1795 St Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe, Lancashire, England
Joseph Walmsley - Son of Edmund Walmsley & Mary
    Abode: Chatburn..................  = 20 miles from Riston

Baptism: 1 Mar 1795 St Bartholomew, Chipping, Lancashire, England
Joseph Walmesley - Son of James Walmesley & Alice
    Abode: Chipg.......= 16 miles from Riston

do the villages of Chipping or Chatburn appear in your research ??
   

[Mrs. AB]

Hello Landyman,

I am assuming Joseph stated his birth place as either Over/Lower Darwen or Darwen.

It's possible that Joseph could have been baptised in a chapel in the Darwen area (not currently on the Lancs OPC site as mentioned by Garstonite) eg Pole Lane / Ebenezer.

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Over-Darwen/lower/index.html  explains that Lower Chapel in Over Darwen had a large congregation which split after the death of Rev. Robert Smalley Snr in 1791 and members joined the other chapels in the area namely, Pole Lane, Ebenezer and Duckworth St Chapel. You'd need to use your search engine to find out where the registers for these chapels are kept.

However, there is a Joseph Walmsley on https://familysearch.org/search   born 7 Nov 1795 ( Pole Lane Chapel) son of Joseph and a Joseph Walmsley baptised 10 Dec 1795 Pole Lane Independent Chapel, Over Darwen son of Joseph and Peggy who could be your man and possibly one and the same person.
 I used Darwen as a place of birth with birth years ranging from 1792-1799 on familysearch and only the Joseph shown above came up, but it does depend on where Joseph stated he was born/came from and if it was consistent.

If Joseph was born in the Darwen area, there is a wonderful website, darwendays, with lots of photos and info which I found by using "Pole Lane Chapel Darwen" in my search engine.

 http://www.darwendays.co.uk/index.php/galleries/churches/pole-lane-chapel#!RECORD_OF_MINISTERS     shows that Pole Lane opened in 1793 and Ebenezer Chapel in 1822

Hope this helps,
AB

[mosiefish]

Hi,

I think Mrs A B is spot on with the Joseph baptised at Pole Lane.  The records are on Ancestry.  Interestingly there is this entry listed as 1820:
 
Joseph Walmsley Junr,  Grimshaw, born 7th November, 1795
his wife Jane Bamber born 22 February, 1795
William their child born 29th December, 1817
John their child born 1st October, 1819 and baptised 13th January, 1820

The book starts with a census of the congregation listing whole families and dates of birth.  Joseph and family appear to be the last entry before the 1820 baptisms begin.
Mo

[andrewalston]

There are a couple of baptisms in 1790. One of these is at Lower Chapel in Darwen, with Joseph being born at Bog Bank, a listed farmhouse due west of M65 J4. That's about 2 miles from Grimshaw Bridge.

UPDATE:
Just noticed there's a burial for this child. Shame.

[Landyman]

Thanks for the help everyone, some great leads and they have really helped. I am pretty sure that Joseph is the baby baptised in 1795 at Pole Lane. His parents were Joseph and Peggy. They could be the Joseph Walmsley and Peggy Taylor who married in St Mary the Virgin, Blackburn 9 May 1793. Although it looks like they had a child (Joseph) buried at Pole Lane in 1790 (born 3 years before their marriage is that likely? could someone check the record for me to see if they think it is a Joseph and Peggy listed as parents).

The family of Walmsley from Rishton were Roman Catholic does this make it less likely to be the same family? Any idea where I might pick up biographical data about this family?

[andrewalston]

The 1790 burial is the baby I found, son of James & Peggy, according to Lan-OPC.
It matches the baptism pretty much exactly.

[andrewalston]

Children of RC families would be very unlikely to be baptised in other denominations.

Until 1837 they might marry in a CofE church (which for a long time was the only legal form of marriage), probably with a second ceremony in a Catholic church, either on the same day or a day or so either side.

Burials might well be in a CofE churchyard, if that was the only proper burial ground. The service would likely be at the RC church. There would be entries in the registers of both churches, usually with some comment in the burial register.

[Landyman]

Managed to get a bit further - I am pretty sure that Joseph Walmsley (b.1795) was the son of Joseph Walmsley and Peggy Taylor, Joseph was the son of another Joseph - born circa 1719, who married Ann Cooper. Joseph, b.1719 was, it seems, the son of Peter Walmsley.

I can't find Peter Walmsley in the Blackburn area - should be born about 1690/1695 - has anybody else come across him? Could he be a catholic and so not registered anywhere - is there anyway to find out?