1848 TWISS Birth Certificate. Where in Ashton-in-Makerfield???

[Rowan Tree]

In 1851 the same William Twiss (judging by name of wife and children] is present on Haydock Lane as a farmer of 11 acres. His age is 41 [dob 1810]. He is in the same position relative to neighbours as in 1841 (Twiss, Turton, Dierden, Greenall/Greenhough. On the tithe map the latter two are located at the north end of Haydock Lane, and in the 1851 sequence they are located just before Mill Fields Lane which is at the north end of Haydock Lane. All of this evidence from the censuses places William Twiss at the southern end of Haydock Lane, which fits with the 1838 tithe map.

There is a baptism: 1810 St Helens for William Twist, father Thomas Twist.

There is an 1830 Prescot marriage to an Elizabeth Leavesley which may fit (he is a collier)

The family is still on Haydock Lane in 1861.

There is a death in Dec 1869 William TWISS farmer, Haydock with a probate naming widow Elizabeth and brother James, engine driver.

(I'm just giving outlines here because I suspect that you will have all of this already. The main point is to establish that this William TWISS is the William TWIST located on the tithe map.)

Note that this William Twiss cannot be the father of Thomas Twiss, widower who married Jane Spencer in 1856 because that William Twiss is recorded as deceased.

We’re cooking on gas here, Alan! 

Brilliant work on the tithe maps. Thank you so much. What you've learnt and shared in this thread really is invaluable to me.

The 1810 William TWISS is a son of one of the brothers from the original group of brothers that I highlighted (Thomas b 1784).
 
I’m going to add some TWISS / TWIST family details to this post. I think it will be helpful and handy to anyone with an interest in any of the family names mentioned.

T = TWISS / TWIST

Thomas T b. 13/12/1753 m. Sarah KNOWLES b. 10/02/1759
I don’t have an exact place of birth for either Thomas or Sarah, but it was very likely Haydock.

Thomas and Sarah’s children:
1.   William 1776 - 1782. Died age 5
2.   Ellen 1778 – 1833 m. William BANE / BAINES = 9 children
3.   James 1780 – 1854 m. Sarah GREENALL. I don’t know if James had been married before Sarah or if he’d only married late. He was 53 when he married Sarah. I haven’t found any children for James.
4.   Mary 1782 – 1849 m. Thomas NAYLOR = 11 children
5.   Thomas 1784 – 1851 m. Ann KNOWLES = 11 children
6.   Ann 1787 – 1827 m. Peter DIXON = 4 children
7.   Joseph 1789 – 1866 m. Mary BROWN = 13 children + 1 illegitimate child with Betty FORSHAW
8.   David 1792 – 1852 m. Mary DIXON = 3 children. Widowed then m. Ann PIMBLETT
9.   John 1797 – 1806. Died age 8
10. Hannah 1800 – 1871 m. Abraham SIMM = 7 children
11. William 1802 – 1839 m. Betty ROTHWELL = 3 children

I’m descended from Ellen T b. 1778 & William BANE / BAINES through my maternal line.
I’m descended from Thomas T b. 1784 & Ann KNOWLES through my paternal line.

The children of Thomas T b. 1784 & Ann KNOWLES:
1.   John 1807 - 1807
2.   James 1809 - 1809
3.   William 1810 – 1869 m. Elizabeth LIVESLEY = 8 children
4.   Ann 1812 – 1847 (my ancestor) m. Charles FORSHAW = 7 children
5.   Thomas 1814 – 1836
6.   David 1819 – 1867 m. Jane FAIRHURST and m. Ellen ALLNATT
7.   Edmund 1821 – 1849 m. Ann HARRISON
8.   Joseph 1823 - 1824
9.   Catherine 1824 - 1825
10.   James 1826 – 1902 m. Anne CRITCHLEY
11.   Marcus 1830 – 1830

Children of William T b. 1802 and Betty Rothwell:
1.   Thomas 1827 – 1892 m. Ellen BANE / BAINES and m. Jane SPENCER = 5 children
2.   Jane 1831
3.   William 1834

Sticking to William T b. 1802 for a moment.
I now feel I have the correct death for him:
24th October 1839, Newton, William TWISS, collier. Cause of death: “Affection of the Kidneys.” Death registered by Jonathan ROTHWELL, present at the death, Newton.

I think Jonathan ROTHWELL must be a relative of William’s widow, Betty, nee ROTHWELL. The 3 children I have for William and Betty were all born in Newton. On the 1841 census, a widowed Betty and her 3 children are living in Newton Common, which is the Haydock side of Newton. There were coal mines sitting on the boarder between Newton and Haydock, so this all feels like a fit.

[AlanBoyd]

I noticed that the farm sizes in 1851 were quoted as ‘Cheshire acres’.

from an AI response about this:
A **Cheshire acre** is a historical unit of area that was used primarily in the county of Cheshire, England, and also in parts of South Lancashire, especially during the 19th century[2]. It is significantly larger than the standard (statute) acre.

- **Size:** One Cheshire acre equals **10,240 square yards** or **92,160 square feet**[1][4].
- **Comparison:** A standard acre is 4,840 square yards or 43,560 square feet, so a Cheshire acre is about **2.12 times larger** than a standard acre[1][4].
- **Dimensions:** For a rectangular plot ten times as long as it is wide, a Cheshire acre would measure **96 feet by 960 feet**, compared to the standard acre’s 66 feet by 660 feet[1].
- **Historical context:** The Cheshire acre is one of several regional or customary acres that existed in Britain before the standardisation of measurements; others included the Lancashire acre and the Irish acre[4][7].

The use of the Cheshire acre declined after the adoption of the statute acre as the legal standard in the 19th century, but references to it can still be found in historical documents and land records[2][5].

Sources
[1] Acre (Cheshire) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acre_(Cheshire)
[2] Cheshire acre - Engole https://engole.info/cheshire-acre/
[3] What is a Cheshire acre? - Sizes https://www.sizes.com/units/acre-cheshire.htm
[4] Acre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acre
[5] The Customary Acre: an Indeterminate Measure By ... https://www.bahs.org.uk/AGHR/ARTICLES/23n2a5.pdf
[6] Cheshire Farms https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/business/sites-and-premises/cheshire-farms
[7] UNTIL comparatively recently a man's wealth was measured https://www.hslc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/110-2-Smith.pdf
[8] Cheshire acre, n. meanings, etymology and more https://www.oed.com/dictionary/cheshire-acre_n
[9] Cheshire-&-Warrington - ACRE https://acre.org.uk/cheshire-warrington/
[10] Cheshire Acre https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=71061.0

[Rowan Tree]

I'm just having a mooch through Lancashire Record Office's on-line catalogue and have found a few interesting items:

3rd March 1775
Recognizance for Thomas Twist of Haydock, Collier, to abide by the Orders of the Court with regard to the unborn Bastard Child of Catherine Saxon of Haydock
Sureties: John Middleton of Windle, Husbandman and James Myers of Windle, Blacksmith

16th March 1775
Recognizance for Thomas Twist of Haydock, Collier, to abide by the Orders of the Court with regard to the unborn Bastard Child of Elizabeth Battersby of Haydock
Sureties: John Middleton of Windle, Husbandman

19th July 1775
Haydock. Order of filiation and maintenance of John, bastard child of Thomas Twist, collier, and Catherine Saxon, singlewoman

17th March 1831
Recognizance for William Twiss of Haydock [Winwick], Collier to appear at Kirkdale for a misdemeanor
Sureties: William Hughes of Ashton within Mackerfield, collier James Gutteridege of Haydock, colllier

[Rowan Tree]

I didn't know that about "Cheshire Acres."

So, the TWISS' had more land than I'd originally thought.

That's a good catch. Thanks 

Daft question, but... Where would I look to find out more about Tithes? What website are you using?

[AlanBoyd]

I use thegenealogist.co.uk It is a subscription site. I don’t post images because of their terms, which is why I have to go into lengthy descriptions.

[Rowan Tree]

I use thegenealogist.co.uk It is a subscription site. I don’t post images because of their terms, which is why I have to go into lengthy descriptions.

It's good to know which site you use - thanks.

I'm trying to remember if I've ever used The Genealogist before. I'm not sure if I ever have.

RT 

[Rowan Tree]

I've received the will I ordered from Lancashire Records Office.

It's the last will and testament of James TWISS b. 23/04/1780 - d. 01/05/1854
The will is dated 19/10/1850

In true family history style, it's presented more questions than it's answered but it's a fascinating document.
Most surprising to me was the equality that I found within the will. The primary executor of the will is a woman, brothers and sisters are treated equally, nieces and nephews are treated equally, and the individual who receives the largest, numbered (£) legacy, is female. I'm wondering if other wills of the time were like this or quite different.

These are the names that feature in the will, in the order they appear, and as they are described:

• Ellen HUNT, wife of Ralph HUNT of Newton, builder. Executor
• Samuel ROBINSON of St. Helens. Executor (Ellen HUNT appears to be the primary executor)
• Ellen BAINES, "my niece who now resides with me"
• James NAYLOR of Haydock, bricklayer
• Ann KNOWLES of Haydock
• Thomas TWISS, brother
• Joseph TWISS, brother
• David TWISS, brother
• Sarah FAIRHURST, sister
• Hannah SIMM, sister
• George BAINES, nephew
• David BAINES, nephew
• Sarah GLOVER, niece (this name is crossed out)

There is an additional part at the the end of the will that appears to be wrote in a different hand. The part is titled, "Codicil" (an addition or supplement that explains, modifies, or revokes a will or part of one). This codicil includes the following names;

• John GREENALL
• Ellen GREENALL, his wife
• Thomas TWISS, nephew
• Thomas NAYLOR, nephew
• Betty TWISS, niece

I've included an image of the codicil because it's the only part of the will that I'm struggling to read.

This is what I can make out. Anything I'm unsure of is in BLUE:

Codicil to this my will
I further give and bequeath
all my House & Hotel H??ni??e
Stock in ?ade H????ing Stock Utensils
and Cattle & John Greenall and Ellen Greenall
his wife for their sole use for ever and
I give & my nephews Thomas Twiss and Thomas
Naylor and my niece Betty Twiss ? the
the sum of five pounds. ?? ? my have this twenty second day of April 1854

[Rowan Tree]

Information about the names in the will:

Ellen HUNT, wife of Ralph HUNT of Newton, builder. Executor. Ellen's maiden name is GREENALL, but I'd be interested in finding out who her parents and siblings were. Ellen is living at Haydock Stocks on the 1841 census. On the same census page is Sarah BAINES, and Ann KNOWLES.

Samuel ROBINSON of St. Helens. Executor.

Ellen BAINES, "my niece who now resides with me." I frustratingly don't know who this is. There's something I haven't worked out here. Ellen appears to marry a man named John GREENALL. But the only marriage I can find shows a John GREENALL marrying an Ellen GREENALL and the ages are way out. On the 1861 Census, John and Ellen, plus 2 children, and 4 servants (GLOVER, GLOVER, BIRCHALL, and WISWELL = all connected names) are living in Haydock.
Marriage 1852 - Christ Church, Eccleston.

James NAYLOR of Haydock, bricklayer. James TWISS' sister, Mary, married Thomas NAYLOR. Is this James NAYLOR a relative of Mary and her husband? I've yet to pin this down.

Ann KNOWLES of Haydock. James TWISS' mother, Sarah, was a KNOWLES. Also, James TWISS' brother, Thomas TWISS married an Ann KNOWLES in 1806.

Thomas TWISS, brother. Thomas died before the will was read.

Joseph TWISS, brother.

David TWISS, brother. David died before the will was read.

Sarah FAIRHURST, sister. This one is mega puzzling. James TWISS didn't have a sister or sister-in-law named Sarah FAIRHURST (that I know of).

Hannah SIMM, sister. Youngest sister who married Abraham SIMM.

George BAINES, nephew. Son of sister, Ellen.

David BAINES, nephew. Son of sister, Ellen.

Sarah GLOVER, niece. Married daughter of sister, Ellen. Sarah had died before the will was read (which is why her name was crossed out).

John GREENALL. Is this the John GREENALL who I believe married Ellen BAINES?

Ellen GREENALL, his wife. Is this the niece, Ellen BAINES, who was living with James? Who are Ellen's parents? Could James be Ellen's father?

Thomas TWISS, nephew. Could this be the son of James' brother Joseph? Joseph had a son named Thomas TWISS b. 1835. Or could this be the son of James' brother, William? William had a son named Thomas b. 1827 (the Thomas who married Jane SPENCER).

Thomas NAYLOR, nephew. Sister, Mary, had a son named Thomas NAYLOR b. 1807.

Betty TWISS, niece. I'm still puzzling this one out.

[AlanBoyd]

the sum of five pounds. ?? ? my have this twenty second day of April 1854

“as witness my hand this”