Mary Ann Dyson   Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

I am not a scientist and thus I shall only try to give a brief explanation of what DNA testing involves and what it can tell us.

The simplest way to collect DNA is to obtain a swab from the mouth of a particular person of interest. The cells collected on the swab can then be analysed.

 There are two chromosomes which are of particular interest to family historians:

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) which is obtained only from the egg cell of the mother. Only females can therefore pass mtDNA on to their offspring.  A test can be used to show which of the seven main ‘clans’ a female line belongs to and can be used to confirm that two individuals share a common female direct maternal line ancestor.

Y chromosome DNA (Y-DNA)  which exists only in males. It is passed from male to male via a sperm cell which contains the Y chromosome of the father. The information carried by Y chromosomes is inherited largely intact over time. The genetic material on the Y chromosome is not mixed with each new generation.  A test can show if two individuals have a common ancestor. Mutations occur to the Y chromosome over time. The rate of mutations is roughly known. The number of mutation found in a Y chromosome can be used to determine roughly when a common ancestor lived.

 More information can be found at this link: http://www.oxfordancestors.com/

I am most grateful to my cousin Hazel Wells (nee Dyson) who first drew my attention to DNA testing when she sent me a tape recording of a radio programme featuring Professor Bryan Sykes, Professor of Human Genetics at Oxford University. During the programme he explained that he had done some research on the Dyson family and this had indicated that 90% of the men tested had a common ancestor.

In his book ‘Adam’s Curse’ published by Bantam Press 2003, Professor Sykes goes into some detail about his Dyson family research.

Professor Sykes had been researching his own family from Yorkshire and had found not only that they were prolific but that they had tended to produce more sons than daughters. Looking for another prolific Yorkshire family he chose the Dyson family. It had been thought that the name meant ‘son of dyer’ and since there must have been a great many dyers in medieval Yorkshire – the surname Dyson was believed have multiple origins.

Bryan Sykes obtained DNA samples from 23 male Dysons and to his surprise 9 had exactly the same Y-chromosome signature and a further 11 had chromosomes that were very closely related to it. This meant that nearly 90% had the same or related Y – chromosomes and therefore had a common ancestor.

Could the common founder be identified?

Looking through court and estate records George Redmonds, the Yorkshire surname expert had came across a lady called Dionissia  of Linthwaite. She had been convicted more than once for cattle rustling and other crimes.  She appears in the Wakefield Court Rolls in 1286 as Dyonisia–de-Lynthayth and in 1306 as Dye-de-Lyntwayt. She had a son, John, who was known as John Dyson. He appears in the Court Rolls in 1316 as John Dyson of Lyntwayt. The later Court Rolls have the following names:

1379 Adam Dison (Crosland)

1492 John Dyson (Linthwaite)

1545 Edward Dyson (Crosland)

According to one Dyson family historian, Dionysia’s husband was Peter Mallesheved (Moleshead) and they had a daughter Agnes as well as their son John.

An Adam de Mallesheved appears in the Wakefield Court Roll for 1274.

Linthwaite   Photograph by Nevin Arrow and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the site licence which can be viewed at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Bryan Sykes now did some rough calculations as to the time when the common Dyson ancestor had lived. He multiplied the number of mutations which had taken place in the Y-chromosome of the Dysons (11/20) by the mutation rate (1 change per 50 generations) and calculated that the common ancestors had lived 27.5 generations ago. Allowing 25 years for a generation, 27.5 generations takes us back 687 years.  The calculation was done in 2001 so that date of the common ancestor came out as approximately 1314. So was John Dyson of Linthwaite the common Dyson ancestor? We know he was around in 1316, so there is a reasonable possibility that he was.

Returning to my own grandmother, what do we actually know about Mary Ann Dyson’s direct ancestors?

Mary Ann’s  father was George Dyson born in Sheffield in 1850. He married Rebecca Glaves in 1872. George died in December 1938 at Sheffield.

George Dyson’s father was another George Dyson, born in 1814 at Eckington, Derbyshire, a few miles south of Sheffield. George married Mary Anne Whittaker in 1838. he died in Sheffield in 1860.

George Dyson’s father was a Joseph Dyson who was living with his wife Elizabeth at Mosborough, Eckington Parish when their son George was born. Joseph was a scythe maker. His death has not been traced.

Mosborough, Derbyshire  Photograph by Andrew Loughran and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the site licence which can be viewed at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Although Joseph Dyson could have originated in nearby Sheffield, it seems more likely that he was the Joseph who was baptised at Staveley in 1778. Staveley is the next village to Eckington. The parents of the Joseph Dyson born at Staveley were a Thomas and Ann.

Thomas Dyson was baptised in 1735 at Staveley and married an Ann. His parents were a John and Ruth.

 Staveley church   Copyright: Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

John and born about 1711 and lived at the Forge, Staveley, hence he must be the son of John and Elizabeth whom we know from baptismal records were living at the forge in 1705

There was a John Dyson baptised at Staveley in 1664.His father was a Robert Dyasson, described in the parish register as ‘pregini’ i.e. pilgrim or traveller.  We cannot be certain that this John Dyson was the same one that married an Elizabeth and lived at the Forge.

In ‘Adam’s Curse’, Professor Sykes explains that some surnames tend to ‘daughter out’ over time – If a family has only daughters then the surname will of course disappear. One would expect the selection of those surnames which survive over time and those which ‘daughter out’ to be a random process but there are some surnames which seem to have proliferated far more than can be expected by chance. Professor Sykes thus speculates whether there are some Y chromosomes which have mutated in such a way as to be more likely to produce male rather than female children. He calls these the ‘selfish Y chromosomes’ He has studied his own Sykes family and has found that there is a small but significant trend towards more male than female children. This trend would obvious lead to far more Sykes family members over a period of time than would otherwise be the case. There may also be ‘selfish mitochondria’ in some females which ensure that more girls are born than males.

If we look at Mary Ann Dyson’s family we find the following:

John Dyson (born  about 1664) and Elizabeth had 3 sons and one daughter

Their son John (born about 1711) and Ruth had 3 sons and 7 daughters

Their son  Thomas (born 1735) and Ann had 3 sons and 3 daughters

Joseph (son of Thomas and Ann) born 1778 and Elizabeth had 2 sons

Thomas (son of Thomas and Ann) born 1804 and Ann had 7 sons and 1 daughter

George (son of Joseph and Elizabeth) born 1814 and Mary Ann had 4 sons and daughter

Their son George (born 1850) and Rebecca had 4 sons and 3 daughters

George Henry (son of George and Rebecca) born 1874 and Florence had 4 sons and 1 daughter

William (son of George and Rebecca) born 1882 and Phoebe had 7 sons and 2 daughters

James (son of George and Rebecca) born 1885 and Gertrude had no children

Joseph (son of George and Rebecca) born 1888 and Ivy had 3 sons and 4 daughters

The above information for the earlier generations does not take into account possible still births  or possible additional children whose births are not recorded on the IGI - nevertheless the data does suggest a certain trend.

I am not a statistician, so I will leave readers to work out whether or not there is a ‘selfish Y chromosome’ in this branch of the Dyson family.

Joseph was baptised on 26 June 1843 at Chelmarsh in Shropshire. His father is unknown although it might have been Benjamin Vale whom his mother married two years later. According to tradition, Joseph spent his early years at Hampton, Chelmarsh, which is where his grandparents lived, but by the time of the 1851 census he was living with his mother and step-father at Halfcot, Prestwood, Kinver. He is shown in this census as Joseph Vale. He is described in the same way in the 1861 census when he was still living at home at Prestwood. By now he was working as a puddler.  

Joseph was in the army for several years and has not been traced in the 1871 census. If he had an 11 year commission he must have joined the army in about 1861/62 as by 1873 he was working as a puddler in Sheffield.  Nothing is known about Joseph’s army career as his papers were lost to the family when his son Noah died in 1955. 

Joseph married Esther Manuel on 7 April 1873 at Brightside Church in Sheffield. The witnesses were Alfred Grant and Elizabeth Grant. Esther’s address is given as Brightside Lane which suggests she was living away from home at the time of the marriage. Joseph’s address is given as Fell Street  which was where Esther’s parents were living.  Joseph might simply have moved into Fell Street for a few weeks to avoid paying for a second set of banns to be read, or he may have been a lodger there which could explain how he met his wife. Presumably Joseph had decided that Sheffield was the best place to seek work as a puddler when he left the army.

Esther’s father had come to Yorkshire for the same reason. Esther’s father had been born in 1824 in Trefeglwys in Montgomeryshire, Wales – so a Welsh strain now enters this branch of the Whatmore family. Esther herself had been born at Rawmarsh, Rotherham in 1853.  A grand daughter remembers Esther as being quiet and gentle, and she liked her hair being combed. Another family tradition states that Esther was over fond of the bottle and would pawn anything she could get her hands on.  

Joseph and Esther were living at 40 Carlisle Street East at the time of the  1881 census. This very long road was lined with steel works and it must have been a most unattractive place to live. 

At the time of the 1891 census, Joseph and his family were living at 26 Mountain Street Attercliffe. They were still there in 1901 when Joseph was described as  boiler firer at steel works.  

By October 1915 Joseph and Esther Whatmore had moved to 31 Uttley Street, nearby, where Joseph died. He was buried on 11 November 1915 in Tinsley Park Cemetery, Sheffield. Esther continued to live at 31 Uttley Street until her death. She was buried aged 79 on 16 July 1932 in Tinsley Park Cemetery. 

Joseph and Esther’s children were: 

1. Harriet Whatmore was born in 1874 in Sheffield. She was at home at the time of the 1881 census but has not yet been traced in 1891. She married Harry Hearnshaw in the June Quarter of 1894 in Sheffield.

At the time of the 1901 census Harriet and Harry were living at 101 Wincobank Lane, Brightside, Sheffield. Harriet died in 1944 in Sheffield. Harry died in 1949 in Sheffield. 

The known children of Harriet and Harry Hearnshaw were: 

Nellie Hearnshaw (1895) who married Arthur F P (Fred) Ball in 1916

Mabel Hearnshaw (1897) who married Ernest Richardson in 1925

Florence Annie Hearnshaw (1899) who married Frederick S. Biggs in 1920

Esther (Tessa) Hearnshaw 1908 who married Charles W Bull in 1932. 

2. Noah Whatmore

Noah was born on 10 April 1875 at 40 Carlisle Street East, Attercliffe, Sheffield. He appears twice in the 1881 census – once with his parents and once again with his grandparents at Fell Street. The reason for this is not known.

At the time of the 1891 census he was at home and working as a labourer in an iron works. In 1896 when he was 21 his parents commissioned an oil painting of him, which I still possess.

 He was still at home in 1901, having delayed marrying as he was expected to support his parents. Noah married Mary Ann Dyson in 1906. The Dyson family lived next door but one to the Whatmore family. 

On the right of the photograph are Noah and Mary Ann Whatmore. On the left of the photograph are Emily (Mary Ann’s sister) and her husband Arthur Holmes  Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

After the marriage the family lived at 30 Brook Street, Hoyland – north of Sheffield. Noah was working as a miner at either Hoyland or Elsecar. They were at Hoyland in 1909 when their daughter Hesse was born. Noah is described on the birth certificate as a Blacksmith’s striker.

Whilst living in Hoyland, Noah, who was a prize swimmer and boxer, rescued a woman from drowning in the nearby reservoir at Elsecar.   

Elsecar reservoir, Yorkshire   Copyright: Steve Fareham and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the web site licence which may be viewed at this link:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

By 1914 the family were living in the parish of Brightside, Sheffield, probably at 11 Margate Street, Brightside. They were certainly at this address just  after the First World War. 

During the First World War, Noah was out of work so he took his family to Shropshire for a time. They stayed at the home of his aunt and uncle Emily and Charles Wilson at Smythy Cottage, Morville near Bridgnorth. One of the local gentry, who was childless, wanted to adopt my father Eric, but my grandmother wouldn’t part with him. When they returned to Sheffield it was some 86 years before a member of the ‘Sheffield branch’ returned to live in Shropshire – I moved to Shrewsbury in July 2001. 

In about 1931 Noah and Mary Ann moved from Margate Street and Mary Ann set up a drapers shop at 91, Darnall Road, Attercliffe.  It seems that they lived over the shop. Unfortunately a branch of Woolworths was established close by and this drove Mary Ann out of business. This must have been a heavy blow at a time when she was already suffering from the cancer which was to kill her. She died  on 8 December 1936 aged 60 and was buried at St Thomas’s, Brightside.

Mary Ann (known as Polly) is remembered with affection by her nephews and nieces who have told me many stories about her loving and caring nature. 

Noah’s last workplace was Hadfields in Sheffield. After his wife’s death he was looked after by his daughter Hesse and when she married in 1943 he moved to 45 Vivien Road, Firth Park, Sheffield with Hesse and her new husband. Noah remarried  at the age of 70 to Elizabeth Ellen Smith on 6 April 1946 at Holy Trinity Church, The Wicker, Sheffield. The witnesses were Henry Smith and H. Smith. Elizabeth is described as aged 59, a spinster and Pastry Cook , living at Flat 3, 9 Burngreave Road, Pitsmoor. This is almost certainly where they lived after their marriage as I remember visiting them at an address in Pitsmoor. 

Both Noah and Elizabeth (known as Auntie Betty) were very well built and I remember an outing with them to Sherwood Forest in the early 1950s. I sat in the back of a model T Ford sandwiched between the two of them. We visited the Major Oak which is the reputed meeting place of Robin Hood. The Oak is hollow and very large and you can climb inside. I did so, followed by Noah who got stuck in the entrance due to his girth! Noah and Elizabeth later moved to a flat at Frecheville, Sheffield.

Noah died from throat cancer aged 79 on the 14^th January 1955 and was buried with his first wife at St Thomas’s, Brightside. Elizabeth died aged 72 in the June Quarter of 1961. It is not known where she is buried. 

The grave of Noah and Mary Ann Whatmore and their daughter Hesse, St Thomas’s Brightside Sheffield  Copyright: Paul Whitaker of Chapeltown Sheffield and reproduced here by his kind permission

The children of Noah and Mary Ann Whatmore were: 

An unregistered child  about 1907 which died soon after birth 

Hesse Whatmore (11 July 1909 –1966) who married Victor Rowan Belk in 1943. They lived first at 45 Vivien Road, Firth Park, but later swapped homes with Margaret and Frank Preston. Hesse worked as a shop assistant and Victor was a painter and decorator. Hesse was unable to have children and they adopted a boy, Terence (Terry) Michael Morgan  born 15 February 1947 at Barnsley.

Hesse Whatmore  Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

They lived at St Joseph’s Road, Handsworth, in a small cottage, 2 up, 2 down, with an outside toilet.  

 21 St Joseph’s Road, Handsworth, Sheffield - the home of Hesse, Victor and Terry Belk Copyright: Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

I spent a lot of time with my cousin Terry. We went to the same primary school in Handsworth close to where my aunt and uncle lived and my aunt could come and collect us both after school. She would take us home and try to get us to have a nap, which we never did, before taking us to ‘The Wreck’. To begin with I thought that this must be some sort of pirate ship, but on arriving there discovered it to be a recreation grounds which had swings and slides for children.

Hesse and Victor Belk with Terry in 1951 Bridlington  Copyright; Rhys Whatmore

I missed my cousin very much when my parents moved to Wales in 1953 but Terry would come and spend long holidays with us in Aberystwyth and we would go swimming in the river or the sea or sit and fish off the harbour jetties.

Terry died unexpectedly on 3 May 2007 when he was only sixty, whilst he was on holiday in Devon with his wife. Terry and his wife have two sons and a daughter and six grandchildren.

Terry never moved away from Handsworth, Sheffield where he was brought up by my aunt and uncle. He was a family man who was contented with his life and he had simple pleasures – an afternoon’s fishing was his idea of heaven. He was greatly loved by his family and friends and at his funeral no fewer than 30 of his work mates turned up! On his grave in Handsworth Cemetery is a little carving of a fisherman. 

Rest in peace Terry – we will never forget you. 

Neither of Terry’s adoptive parents lived to enjoy old age. Hesse died in 1966 when she was only 57. She is buried in the same grave as her parents at St Thomas’s Brightside. Victor had only been retired a short while when he passed away.  

Margaret Whatmore (15 January 1912 – 1997) who married Frank Preston in 1937.

Margaret and Frank lived first at Handsworth and then swapped houses with Hesse and Victor and lived at Vivien Road, Firth Park. Frank was a maintenance engineer in the steels work and was skilful and highly thought of, and eventually became one of the directors of Osborne Steel Works. He came from a local family and his brothers and sisters all lived locally and I knew several of them well and they made a great fuss of me when I was little. They were all kind and affectionate.

Margaret and Eric Whatmore   Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

 In the 1970s, Margaret and Frank moved to live at High Storrs, Eccleshall. Their house there had a marvellous view across to Fulwood and down to Ringinglow Common. They then bought a house in Bridlington  and eventually retired there. Margaret died at Bridlington in 1997 and Frank died there only a few months later in 1998. 

Margaret Whatmore could not have children so she and Frank adopted a daughter who is still living.   

Eric Whatmore  (23 February 1914 – 10 March 2003) 

 Eric Whatmore was my father. He married Elsie Eileen Whatmore on 16 September 1939 at the family church of St Thomas’s Brightside. We 1953 we moved to Aberystwyth where Eric and Elsie remained until Eric passed away. Elsie then came to live with me in Shrewsbury. Elsie passed away on 1 January 2005 in Shrewsbury.  Eric and Elsie had only one child – myself – Rhys David Whatmore, born in Sheffield on 31 March 1947. 

The life story of Eric Whatmore has been told in an earlier post. 

3. Benjamin Whatmore is only known of through the National Burials Index. He was born in 1877 in Sheffield and buried aged 1 on 9 May 1878 at St Thomas’s, Brightside. 

4. Hannah Whatmore was born 1878/79 at Brightside. She was at home at the time of the 1881 and 1891 censuses. She gave birth on 27 April 1899 to an illegitimate daughter – Esther Whatmore. who  married  Samuel Richmond in the December Quarter 1924 in the Sheffield Registration District. 

Hannah married James Harvey on 13 August 1900 at Darnall Church in Sheffield. The witnesses were Harriet Hearnshaw (Hannah’s sister) and Ann Cheney. In the 1901 census, Hannah and James were living in Attercliffe, Sheffield. My father recalled that they lived at Darnall at some time.  

Hannah and James Harvey had a daughter Jessie Harvey in 1914, but I have been unable to trace further children

5. Joseph Whatmore (Junior) was born in 1880 in Sheffield and was at home at the time of the 1881 census. He was buried aged 10 months on 14 July 1881 at St Thomas’s, Brightside, Sheffield.  

6. Annie Whatmore is only known of through the National Burials Index. She was born in 1882 in Sheffield and buried aged 1 on 7 May 1883 at St Thomas’s Brightside, Sheffield.

7. Ellen Whatmore was born in 1883 in Sheffield. She was at home at the time of the 1891 census. In 1901 she was living and working as a cook in the home of George S. Young at 977 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield. Her sister Sarah Ann was working as a nurse in the same household. 

Ellen Heap (nee Whatmore)  Copyright: Norma Rice and reproduced here by her kind permission

Ellen married Frederick Heap in the September Quarter of 1910 in Sheffield. They later lived at Pitsmoor and/or Fir Vale, Sheffield. 

The children of Ellen and Frederick Heap were: 

Alice E. Heap (1913 – 2004)

Fred Heap  (1916 – 1987)  

8. Sarah Ann Whatmore was born on 21 September 1884 in Sheffield. She was at home at the time of the 1891 census. In 1901 she was living and working as a nurse in the home of George S. Young at 977 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield. 

Sarah Ann and Frank Hearnshaw (centre of picture) with their daughter Marian (Mary) and son in law John         Copyright: Janice Cantwell and reproduced here by her kind permission

Sarah Ann married Frank Hearnshaw on 2 August 1913 in Sheffield. Frank Hearnshaw was the nephew of the Harry Hearnshaw who had married Sarah Ann’s sister Harriet.  Frank died in 1951 in Sheffield.

I remember Sarah Ann, who was my great aunt, in the 1950s when she lived in a terraced house in Darnall. She had a small stocky figure and was very warm and affectionate. She always made a great fuss of me. We would go up the tunnel between the houses, through the back door and into her kitchen where she had a traditional black-leaded cooking range. 

Sarah Ann died in the March Quarter of 1971 in Sheffield. The children of Sarah Ann and Frank Hearnshaw were: 

Frank Hearnshaw ( 1914 –1990) who married Lucy White in 1936

Marian ( Mary) Hearnshaw (1916) who married John Thompson in 1940

Hilda M. Hearnshaw (1919) who married John R.W. Chapman in 1950.  

9. Lucy Whatmore was born in 1887/88 in Sheffield. She was at home at the time of the 1891 census. In 1901 at the early age of 13 she was working as a servant. and was living with her married sister Harriet Hearnshaw at 101 Wincobank Lane, Brightside, Sheffield.  Lucy clearly had a mind of her own and she was something of a  worry to her parents.

Lucy Whatmore  Copyright: Marion Whitham and reproduced here by her kind permission

In 1903 or 1904 she was sent away to work for Mrs Burgess at Shawfold Farm, Heaton Moor, Stockport. Mary Ann Dyson (my future grandmother), who was already working in Manchester, was asked to keep an eye on her. The arrangement didn’t work out and Lucy was returned home. A letter of 9 July 1904 from Lucy’s parents to Mrs Burgess tells the story clearly. 

Letter from Joseph and Esther Whatmore regarding their daughter Lucy   Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

Lucy had an illegitimate child born on 26 September 1911 – Mabel Whatmore.  At the time, Lucy was working as a domestic servant. Mabel  married Frederick Whitham in the June Quarter 1936 in the Sheffield Registration District. 

Lucy married Charles C. Naylor in the March Quarter of 1913 in Sheffield. Charles suffered from spells of mental illness and spent many years in Middlewood Hospital and Lucy must have had a struggle to bring up her family of children.  Charles became institutionalised and refused to leave the safety of the hospital when he was given the chance.  Lucy died in 1964 in Sheffield. The children of Lucy and Charles Naylor were: 

Lucy Naylor (1913)

Joseph W. Naylor (1917)

Charles Naylor 1918

Ernest Naylor (1921)

Harold Naylor (1925)

Clifford Naylor (1930) 

10. Kate Whatmore was born in 1891 in Attercliffe, Sheffield. She was at home at the time of the 1891 and 1901 censuses. She married Joseph H. Ryalls in the March Quarter of 1911 in Sheffield.  Kate died on 14 (?) December 1969. Joseph died in June 1977. 

Joseph Ryalls (on left wearing glasses) and his wife Kate (nee Whatmore) (on left of groom) at the wedding of one of their sons  Copyright: Chris Landers and reproduced here by her kind permission

The children of Kate and Joseph Ryalls were: 

Walter Ryalls (1912) who died in infancy 

Joseph Henry Ryalls (1913) who married Elsie Robinson in 1937. Joseph was leading Aircraftman 1239961 Pilot, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Joseph was tragically killed in a training exercise somewhere in Wales on 6 December 1941. He was buried at Intake Cemetery, Sheffield. 

Colin  Ryalls (1915 - 1992) who served in Palestine during the Second World War. He married his brother’s widow, Elsie Robinson, in 1945. 

Allan Ryalls (1917 – 2001) who married Dorothy W. Bowers in 1940 

A daughter  who is still living 

Ronald Ryalls (1922 – 1989 ?) who married Margaret Bullass. 

11. Harry Whatmore was born in 1893 in Sheffield. He was at home at the time of the 1901 census. He left home when he was quite young to join the army and served in the Royal Field Artillery. He married Minnie Drusilla Carter in the June Quarter of 1919 and thereafter lived at Barrow Hill, Chesterfield. In 1937 he was seriously injured in an accident at the Ireland Colliery where he was working and this led to his death the same year. Minnie died in 1969 aged about 71. 

Harry Whatmore   Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

The children of Harry and Minnie Whatmore were: 

Violet M. Whatmore (1921-1921)

Muriel J. Whatmore (1922 – 2006)

Vera Whatmore (1926 - 1977)

A son who is still living  (1927)

A daughter  who is still living (1933)

A daughter  who is still living (1935) 

12. Ivy Ernest Whatmore was born on 27 April 1897. Presumably the Ivy was short for Ivor. It was not a name which he seems to have used – being known as Ernest. He was at home of the time of the 1901 census. Ernest married Emily Bamford in the December Quarter of 1933. My father believed Emily to be a widow with several children.

This is probably a photograph of Ivy Ernest Whatmore with his nephew Eric Whatmore (my father)  Copyright: Rhys Whatmore

Ernest and Emily lived at Shire Green and were not well off. Ernest made frequent use of the pawn shop and on one occasion he pawned a pair of trousers which had a ten shilling note in the pocket. He had to wait until the following week until he could recover his money together with his trousers.

Ernest died in the December Quarter 1944 aged 49 in the Sheffield Registration District. Emily died in the December Quarter of 1974 aged 82 in the Sheffield Registration District.

Ernest and Emily did not have any children.

John Watmore married Elizabeth Ward on 18 February 1797 at Ashford Carbonell near Ludlow.  They lived in Raven Lane, Ludlow, where John was a Shoemaker. Elizabeth died aged 64 in November 1836 and John moved into the Hosiers Almshouses next to St Laurence’s Church and he remained there for the rest of his life. He died there aged 80 in 1856.

John and Elizabeth Whatmore had a large family of children all baptised in Ludlow. They were Elizabeth 1797, Sarah 1799, Henry 1801, William 1803, Jemima 1804, John 1805, Ann 1807, Mary 1809, Edward 1811, Thomas 1813 and  John 1815.

This fine drawing of Raven Lane, Ludow is by the artist William Albert Green. It is the copyright of his son Edwin Green by whose kind permission it is reproduced here. William  Green was born in 1907 in Birmingham and moved to Ludlow in 1952 where he died in 1982. He worked in pencil and in water colour, but in later life he concentrated on pen and ink drawings. His life story can be read at this link, where there are more of his drawings and an opportunity to purchase copies: www.ewgreen.org.uk

We know more about some of the children of John and Elizabeth:

1. William Whatmore, born 1803, son of John and Elizabeth, married Mary Jones on 27 June 1832 at Ludlow. They lived at Ludlow until at least 1855 where William worked as an agricultural labourer.  By 1861 they had moved to Ladywood, Birmingham where William was employed as a mason’s labourer. Their children, all born at Ludlow, were Ann 1833, Mary 1835, Elizabeth 1838, John Samuel 1840, William 1842, Edwin 1845, James 1847, Emma 1849, Herbert 1852 and Alice 1855.

Elizabeth Whatmore, daughter of William and Mary, born 1838 married Thomas Swain.

John Samuel Whatmore, son of William and Mary, born 1840 married Hannah James. They lived in Birmingham and at Hanley Castle and at Malvern. John Samuel is described in the censuses as a Baker, Confectioner and Bread and Biscuit maker. John Samuel died in 1917 in the Kings Norton Registration District and Hannah died the same year in the Birmingham Registration District. Their children were Alice Louisa Whatmore born 1874 who married Arthur Yates, George Frederick Whatmore born 1876, William John Whatmore born 1877 and Arthur Henry Whatmore born 1885.

Edwin Whatmore, son of William and Mary, born 1845 married Sarah Jane Cook in 1868. They lived at Leckhampton, Cheltenham where Edwin was a baker.  Sarah Jane died in 1889  and Edwin remarried in 1893 to a Fanny. Edwin died, aged 56, in 1901. Edwin had three children by his first wife – Annie Whatmore 1870, William Whatmore 1873 who was a brass finisher and who married an  Annie Manning, and Mary Whatmore  1877 who married a John William Stanton.

Herbert Whatmore, son of William and Mary, born 1852 was an Iron Roof Fitter and seems to have moved about a lot. In 1881 he was at Cliffe in Kent, in 1891 at Darlaston and in 1901 at Wednesbury. He married Esther Prentice in 1877 in the Bromsgrove Registration District. Herbert died in 1922 in the West Bromwich Registration District and Esther in 1930 in the Walsall registration District. Their children were William Whatmore 1879 and Amy Whatmore 1881.

2. Jemima Whatmore, born 1804, daughter of John and Elizabeth, had an illegitimate son George Whatmore, born at Ludlow in 1839 who died the same year. A Jemima Whatmore married in the Ludlow Registration District in September Quarter 1844. Since Jemima is an uncommon name in the Whatmore family, it would seem that this was the Jemima born in 1804. Her spouse would have been Thomas Colton, Henry Davies, Benjamin Powell or Thomas Rawlings. Unfortunately, in the 1851 census there is no Jemima with any of those surnames. There is however a Jemima  Meredith of about the right age, married to a Thomas and living at Ludlow. The GRO shows that a Jemima Powell married a Thomas Powell in the Ludlow Registration District in March Quarter 1848. I suspect that our Jemima married Benjamin Powell, and when he died soon after the marriage, remarried to Thomas Meredith. Jemima Meredith died in the Ludlow Registration District in December Quarter 1870  and although her age at death of 55 doesn’t  quite fit, Jemima Meredith is shown in the 1851 census as 45 which is a reasonable match for the Jemima born 1804. Perhaps she shed a few years as she got older!

Ludlow     Painting by the Rev. Edward Williams   Copyright: Shropshire Archives and reproduced here by their kind permission.

3. Edward Whatmore, born 1811, son of John and Elizabeth, married a Mary. They lived at various locations in Herefordshire and by 1861 had settled at Luston, where Edward was employed as a painter. Edward died at the age of 56 in 1866 and Mary died aged 62 in 1874.

The children of Edward and Mary were

Emma Whatmore 1838 who married someone with the surname Clayford and went to live in Marylebone, London,

Alfred Whatmore 1842 who married an Agnes and lived at Dorstone, Herefordshire and later at Bradford where Alfred worked as a railway porter. Their children were William Whatmore 1866, Clara Whatmore 1868  and Edwin Whatmore 1870);

Charles Whatmore 1846 who died in 1867,

Harriet Whatmore 1849,

Maria Whatmore 1852 and died the same year

Sophia Whatmore 1857.

4. Thomas Whatmore, born 1813, son of  John and Elizabeth, married Sarah Yapp on 9 November 1840 at Leintwardine. In 1841 they were living at the New Inn, Cheney Longville and Thomas was working as a tailor. In 1851 Thomas and Sarah were at the Plough Inn, 17 Raven Lane, Ludlow, where Thomas was the innkeeper and also a tailor. By 1861, Thomas had been appointed as the Warden of Hosyers Almshouses in Ludlow, with Sarah as the Matron. Thomas and Sarah were still at the Almshouses in 1871. Thomas died in 1878 and Mary moved to nearby Stanton Lacey. She died in 1884. Thomas and Sarah had one child – Jane Whatmore, born 1841 at Wistanstow. She worked as a dressmaker and in 1881 she was at home aged 39, with her mother.

Hosyers Almshouses Ludlow   Photograph by Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

5. John Whatmore born 1815, son of John and Elizabeth, went down to London and married Maria Mudge in 1843 in the Kensington Registration District. In 1851 they were at Paddington and John was employed as a coachman.  In 1861 John was lodging at St Leonards in Kent and working as a coachman. His wife was not with him and since she died the following year, it seems possible that she was a patient in a hospital somewhere.  John remarried  in 1863 in the Kensington Registration District to a Sarah Wren. In 1871 they were living at the Coach House, Addison Road, Kensington and they were still there in 1881.  John died in 1890 in the Dartford Registration District, presumably at the home of his married daughter at Bexley Heath. Sarah died in 1919 in the St Olave Registration District (Southwark). John had no known children by his first wife. By his second wife he had Kate Elizabeth Whatmore born 1865 at Kensington who married Alfred Joseph Ebrey and lived at Bexley Heath, Kent.

Ludlow is one of the most beautiful towns of England. It has a huge ruined castle which was the headquarters of the Council of the Marches,many half timbered buildings and wealth of fine  Georgian houses. It is also well known for quality of its restaurants.

Pictures of Ludlow can be found at these links:

http://www.teme-valley.co.uk/ludlow2.htm

http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk/shropshire/ludlow1.html

 Thomas Watmore  married Mary Mapp on 14 December 1791 at Stanton Lacey near Ludlow.  

 In 1828, Thomas was running the Harp Inn at Ludlow. The building still remains, a half-timbered house which is currently an estate agents. Harp Lane itself is one of several parallel alleyways  between rows of tall narrow buildings. These represent the sites of the rows of market stalls in an originally large open space. The stall holders gradually made their constructions more permanent until eventually they became proper buildings.

The Harp Inn, Ludlow   Copyright: Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

The children of Thomas Whatmore and Mary Mapp 

1. Edward Whatmore 

The eldest child of Thomas and Mary was Edward Whatmore  baptised in 1793. He married Ann Chipp and via this marriage acquired lands in the township of  Whatmore in the parish of Burford.  As explained in an earlier post, this township has nothing to do with our Whatmore family. The Whatmores are not from there, and only occasionally did any member of the Whatmore family live in the township of Whatmore. Edward and Ann’s marriage would seem to be the one recorded on 8 February 1815  at St Peter’s, Wolverhampton (witnesses Joseph Whatmore and John Robinson) but it is hard to understand what they were doing so far from home.

Edward was a publican like his father and in the year of his marriage was running a pub in Ludlow. Possibly he eventually took over the Harp Inn from his father but at some point after 1824, Edward and his family moved toMarylebone, London where he ran the New Inn at 5 Edgware Road.  Edward died in 1841.

Edward and Mary had four known children all baptised at Ludlow. – Ann born 1817 who died when she was one day old,  Edward born 1821, Thomas born 1823 and Mary born 1824.  Nothing further is known of Edward or Mary, but Thomas Whatmore  was to be very successful. He married Eliza Best Rawlinson  in 1845 in the Camberwell Registration District. Thomas became a very prosperous wine merchant, so much so that he was able to retire by the age of 47 and lived with his family in a very fine house in Cambridge Terrace, Holland Road, Kensington. These beautiful Georgina houses, covered with stucco and with pillared porches are highly desirable residences today. A 76 year lease on a two bedroom flat in one of these houses is advertised at just under half a million pounds in 2008. Thomas inherited the lands in Whatmore Township which had belonged to his parents. He died in 1900 and his wife Eliza died on 16 October 1907.

Thomas and Eliza Whatmore had five known children – Eliza Ann born 1850, who never married and eventually inherited the lands in Whatmore Township; Charles Thomas born 1846 and who died in on 29 November 1867 aged only 21 probably following an accident as  the notice in ‘The Times’ states that he died ‘after a week of intense suffering, borne with Christian fortitude’; Amy born 1852 and died in 1862; Jesse Jane born 1855  who married Samuel  Renard and had two children – Reginald 1883 and Jesse 1887; and Amelia born 1857.

2. Mary Whatmore born 1794 Ludlow (daughter of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp. ) Mary Junior married John Chipp on 24 December 1815 at Ludlow.

3. Ann Whatmore born 1796 Ludlow (daughter of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp) 

4. John Whatmore born 1802 Ludlow (son of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp) 

John married Emma Francis Whatmore who had been born in 1808 at Bridgnorth and who was the sister of Joseph Lloyd Whatmore who became Mayor of Bridgnorth.   They married on 7 May 1833 at St Mary Magdalen’s church, Bridgnorth.

John was a baker and had his shop in Broad Street, Ludlow next door to the Angel Hotel. The building still survives. The desk on which John used to pay out the wages to his employees also survives and belongs to one of his descendants.

John Whatmore’s baker’s shop, Broad Steet, Ludlow    Copyright: Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

In August 1840 there must have been great excitement at John Whatmore’s Baker’s shop. An attempted murder had taken place during the night at the Angel Hotel next door and the razor, now covered in blood, which the would-be murderer had used, was found lying in John Whatmore’s yard, having been thrown from one of the windows of the inn. The person attacked was a William Mackreth, whose throat was cut whilst he was asleep in bed. Apparently  the would-be murderer had intended to kill a Mr William Ludlow who was in the next bedroom to Mr. Mackreth. The attacker seems to have been a Mr Misters who knew that Mr Ludlow carried sums of money about with him. Further details of the affair are provided in the relevant issues of  ‘The Times’.

The children of John Whatmore and Emma Frances, all born at Ludlow, were Mary 1834, John 1835, Emma 1836, Harriet, 1837, Lydia 1839, Ellen 1841, Hubert 1843, Joseph Edward 1847 and Charles Walter 1850.

John was only about 51 when he died on 27 November 1853. His widow Emma Frances moved to Birmingham where she lived with Emma, her unmarried daughter. Emma Francis died on 27 March 1890 at 8 Barker Street, Lozells, Ashton and is buried at Keyhills Cemetery, Lozells (Plot 227n).

Emma Francis’s children who survived to adulthood moved with her to Birmingham.

Her son John Whatmore became a Grocer at Aston. He married Hannah Pope in 1860 at St Martins, Birmingham. They had one child - Frederick John Whatmore, born in 1861. He married Betty Jane Sarcens and they moved Leamington where Frederick was a butcher. They had two children – Beatrice Whatmore, born 1885 and Dorothy 1891 and Irene Lydia (Trene) Whatmore born 1894 who emigrated to New Zealand.

 Emma Frances’ son Joseph Edward married an Emma and worked as a Ladies’ Outfitter in Birmingham. They had two children Frances Elizabeth Whatmore 1879 and Dora Alice Whatmore 1881.

Emma Frances’ son Hubert Whatmore married an Elizabeth Ann Hopkins.

 5. Elizabeth Whatmore  born 1805 (daughter of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp) 

 Broad Street, Ludlow   Copyright: Peter Saunders and reproduced here by his kind permission

6. William Whatmore born 1808 ( son of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp) 

William was one of the few Whatmores in Ludlow eligible to vote and his name is shown in the poll books for 1835 and 1837. He married a Sarah and lived at Tower Street, Ludlow where he had a house and a shop. He died in 1840 and Sarah remarried in 1841 to a Charles Brown who took over William’s grocer’s shop in Tower Street. Sarah died in 1872.

William and Sarah Whatmore had two known children – William 1833 and Louisa 1839.

William Whatmore, son of William and Sarah married a Mary from Ludlow. They moved to London where they lived in Hampstead Road, close to where the Euston Tower now stands. William was a haberdasher, hosier and shirtmaker. They had only one known child - Emily Louisa Whatmore who was born in 1859. She was only 20 when she died  on 15 December1879 and she is commemorated by a stained glass window in St Pancras New Church, in Woburn Place, London. This is the only stained glass window to a Whatmore which exists to my knowledge.

 The memorial window to Emily Louisa Whatmore in St Pancras New Church, Woburn Place, London    Copyright: John R Salmon and reproduced here by his kind permission.

 7. Helen Whatmore born 1815 (daughter of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp)  

8. Henry Whatmore born 1817 (son of Thomas Watmore and Mary Mapp)

Henry Whatmore seems to have quite enterprising, but he doesn’t appear to have been as successful as other members of this family.  he married  Harriet Smith form Morville in 1838 in the Wolverhampton Registartion District. The family lived at Bridgnorth until at least 1842, Henry working as a baker. They then headed for London and were at Paddington by 1844. In 1851 they were at Giltspur Street in the City of London  and henery i9s decsriobed in the cenmsus as a retailer of beer. In 1861 they were at marylebone, Henry being a proprietor of cabs. In 1871, they were at Lambeth, henry being a cabman. In 1881 they were at Newington, Henry now working as a waterman. Henry’s wife died in 1887 and he went to live with his married daughter Elizabeth in Newington. Henry died in 1897 in the Camberwell Registration District.

The children of Henry and Harriet were: Louisa 1839, Emma 1840, George Henry 1841, Mary 1842, Francis Caroline 1844, Thomas 1846, Elizabeth Sarah 1852, William  1854 and Louisa 1859.

The proceeding of the Old Bailey from 1674 – 1834 have been put in line at this link:  http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/

A search engine is available on the website and on 25 January 2008, I searched for members of the Whatmore, Watmore and Watmough families whowere involved in the proceedings.  It is suprising how many cases members of these families featured in. The following notes are based on the records found on the website.

 A trial at the Old Bailey   Picture from ‘Mysteries of Police and Crime’ by Major Arthur Griffiths

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Trial of John Jones, John Lloyd Theft with Violence: Highway Robbery 24 February 1725  (t17250224-16)

John Jones and John Lloyd of Clerkenwell and two others not yet taken, were indicted for assaulting a Richard Cade and stealing from him a peruke on 16 February.

Richard Cade stated that the men had stopped him and demanded money, but he had very little, so the men snatched his wig and made off.

Being near his home, Richard Cade called out his fellow servant JO WATMORE and together they pursued the thieves and came across them in Leather Lane. Richard Cade  knocked Lloyd down and seized Jones by the collar. Lloyd escaped but was soon captured by John Pitman, an Excise Officer.   Lloyd had confessed before a Justice had be had been involved in the robbery and promised to return the wig, which he subsequently did by penny post. Jo Watmore and the Excise Officer confirmed that the wig had been returned.

The Jury found both Jones and Lloyd quilty and they were sentenced to death.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Trial of Edmund Edward Edwards 6 December 1732  Theft (t17321206-47)

Edmund Edward Edwards was indicated for stealing a sheet and a petticoat, the goods of a THO.WATMORE, but he was acquitted.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Trial of James Watmore 9 July 1740  Theft: Simple Grand Larceny  (t17400709-39)

JAMES WATMORE of St Mary’s hill was indited for stealing 7 bushels of wheat-flour, a  quartern loaf (the goods of Arthur Findon), and three hempen sacks (the goods of John Kimber, John Heffeild and Joseph Strutt, on 27 June.

Arthur Findon said that on 26 June, his wife had told him that she believed that Watmore had flour and bread hidden in his breeches and Findon arranged for a Constable to come in the morning  to check, but the Constable did not arrive. That morning Findon’s wife told him that Watmore could hardly walk about the shop because he had such a bundle between his legs. Findon then challenged Watmore, who begged that he would not expose him. A quarten loaf , of a pretty big circumference was found in Watmore’s breeches. Eventually Watmore confessed that he stolen several loaves in that way. He also confessed that he ahd stolen some flour and that it was at his lodgings, except a little with which his wife had made a pudding.

James Watmore was taken to Brideswell and a search was made of his lodgings where was found a sack and a half of flour – about 7 bushels in all. Finden identified one sack, by the marks on it, as belonging to Joseph Strutt and the other as belonging to John Heffeild.

At the trial both an Edward Cunningham and an Anthony Tubby stated that they had heard Watmore confess to the theft.

The Jury found James Watmore guilty and he was sentenced to seven years transportation.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Trial of John Childes  Theft: Simple Grand Larceny  14 January 1768 (t17680114 –43)

John Childes was indicted for stealing four hundred oak laths. At the trail a John Bell stated that Childs had come to him offering to sell some oak laths. As such small amounts were not often for sale, Bell said that he was suspicious. Childes had said that if Bell went to his lodging he would hear a good account of his character. At the lodgings, bell told the landlord that he believed that Childes had stolen the laths. At this, Childes had gone into the house, gone upstairs and breaking a window had tried to escape via the rooftop. Bell said that a constable was sent for and Childs was captured.

Childs told the court that he had comer honestly by the laths and that he had run away because he had been frightened.

The Jury Acquitted Childs.

Childs was then indicted for a second time for stael;ing four hundred oaks laths and a chimney pot.

JOHN WATMORE as witness, said that on 17 November, Childs had offered him the laths, a large chimney pot and some Dutch tiles. Watmore said that he asked who they belonged to and he had been told that they belonged to Widow Young who lived at or near the White Swan, Fetter Lane. Watmore had sent one of his men to enquire but there was no such person to be found. Watmore had then advertised the laths and other things.

Childs stated that he had had the laths and other things for five months.

The Jury acquitted Childs.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Trial of Samuel lemon and Sarah Young  Theft: Simple Grand Larceny 8 September 1773 (t17730908-30)

Samuel Lemon and Sarah Young were indicated for stealing eight guineas and three quarter guineas, the property of THOMAS WATMORE on 2 July.

The Jury acquitted both defendants.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Thomas Wright and Thomas Whatmore  Theft: Grand Simple Larceny  16 February 1774 (t17740216-45)

Thomas Wright and THOMAS WHATMORE were indicted for stealing three guineas, the property of David Lewis on 29 January.

The Jury acquitted both defendants.

 Newgate Exercise yard  by Gustave Dore   from ‘London : A pilgrimage’ by Gustave Dore and Blanchard Jerrold 1872

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 Thomas Wright and Thomas Watmore  Offences against the King: Coining  16 February 1774 (t17740216-96)

Thomas Wright and THOMAS WATMORE were indicted for offering on 25 January to John dent a piece of false and counterfeit money in the likeness and similitude of Guinea, knowing it to be false and counterfeit, and that on 29  january they did offer to David Lewis another piece of false and counterfeit money, well knowing it to be false and counterfeit.

John Dent stated that the prisoners had come to his hatters shop where Wright had ordered a hart and arranged for it to be bound with velvet, total coat 12 shillings. Wright had given him a £10 note and  Dent had given in change nine guineas, a half guinea and a sixpence, weighting it to ensure it was true coinage, before handing it over. Watmore now said that he could have done with the note so he was going away and it was handier than have coins, so Wright asked for his note back and returned the  coins he had received, to Dent. At this point a James Wadham, a linen draper had come in and asked for change of a £20 note. As Dent didn’t have sufficient change, he had lent Wadham  ten guineas. A few minutes later Wadham had returned saying that two of the guineas were bad.

Dent said he then weighted the guineas to confirm that they were counterfeit and went to one of the keeps of the New Prison and got one of the men to go with him in search of Wright and Watmore, but were unable to find them.

James Wadham then confirmed what Dent had told the court.

David Lewis now gave evidence to the court. He stated that he was a linen draper in the Minories and that on 29 January the prisoner had  come into his shop for some handkerchiefs.  The price was ten shillings.  Watmore had given him a £10 note and  had been given in change nine guineas, a half guinea and a sixpence. Watmore had then claimed that one of the guineas was light and asked that it be changed. Wright now asked for the note back saying that he would supply a guinea to pay for goods.

When Lewis took the change back he noticed that three of the guineas were bad. Jumping over the counter, he locked the door and sent a yping lady to fetch a constable. The prisoners were searched and ten or twelve good guineas were found on them.

In their defence, the prisoners said  that if they had changed the guineas, they would not have found fault with them for fear for being discovered.

The jury found both prisoners guilty and they were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 John Hughes: Theft: Simple Grand Larceny 21 February 1776 (t17760221-32)

John Hughes was indicted for stealing two linen shirts, two linen stocks and a silk handkerchief, belonging to Robert Dillingham, on 12 January.

Robert Dillingham told the court that he was an ironmonger and had packed up the shirts and stock in a silk handkerchief and had given them to JOHN WHATMORE for his wife to wash. However, John Whatmore had lost the linen.

John Whatmore said that he had gone with the washing to a public house in Mitre Court, together with Levi, a Jew. Watmore had gone away without the washing. When he returned the bundle had gone and so had John Hughes who had been drinking there and who had left without paying. The following Saturday, Levi had met Hughes and had stopped him and sent for Whatmore. Hughes had sent for his wife who had produced the handkerchief and stocks and a pawnbroker’s ticket for the shirts.

The prisoner said that after drinking in the alehouse he had found a bundle in the street and had taken it home.

The Jury found John Hughes guilty. He appears that he was sentenced to a whipping.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 James Whatmore  Theft: Simple Grand Larceny 11 September 1776  (t17760911-11)

James Whatmore was indicted for stealing twelve pairs of men’s leather gloves, the property of Alice Binns, on 24 July.

Edward Roebuck told the court that he was book-keeper at the Greyhound Inn which was kept by Alice Binns. He explained that the gloves were lost out of the3 compting house and that on James Whatmore being stopped at the door, the gloves were found under his coat.

Thomas Greenham said that James Whatmore and another man had came into the pub and asked for A pint of cider. Whilst Greenham was drawing it, he saw, through a hole in the wainscot, the prisoner take the parcel and try to put it I his pocket. As it was too big, he put it under his coat and went out.

James Whatmore  told the court that he knew nothing of the matter and called seven witnesses who gave him a good character.

The Jury found James Whatmore guilty and he was sentenced to third years’ hard labour on the River Thames.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 George Hull and Elizabeth Bond Simple Grand Larceny, Theft: Receiving Stolen Goods  3 December 1777 (t17771203-60)

George Hull was indicted for stealing a silver table spoon, the property of THOMAS WHATMORE on 19 April  and Elizabeth Bond was indicted for receiving the spoon knowing it to be stolen.

The Jury found both prisoners not guilty.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org) 25 January 2008 James Beach, Joseph Hall and Francis Burke   Theft with violence: Highway Robbery 9 January 1782 (t1782108

The three prisoners were indicated for an attack on Sarah Stockden, in a field near the King’s Highway,  putting her in corporal fear and danger of her life, and stealing from her a pair of silver show buckles, a pocket book and five shillings.

Sarah Stockden  said that she was robbed on 24 December in the morning about a hundred and fifty yards in the Duke of Bedford’s private road in the parish of Pancras.

John Stockden told the court that he was with his wife on 29 January when three men made them stop and two of them began to search his wife’s pockets. One of them took her buckles.

Charles Grubb told the court that he was a constable and was sent for by Mr Stockden  who said he had been robbed. Grubb explained that he caught up with the thieves just at the end of Holborn and caught Burke by the collar. There were four men there and they gave him a blow and drew their knives. Two of them were taken but the others escaped. Beach had given Grubb aviolent blow with the butt end of a pistol.

Michael Deveren said that Mr Stockden had told him that he had been robbed and that he had then  helped him. In Tottenham Court Road they had seen Hall who had gone into the Fox and Hounds. Deveren said that he and Stockton had gone into the pub and had seen four men sitting there. Mr Stockden had said that he could swear to three of them. Stockden and Deveren went in search of help and met Mr Glover. Meanwhile the four men had left the pub, so Glover went for a constable whilst Deveren followed the men to Broad St Giles. Grubb and Glover arrived with Stockden and there was a fight.

Glover told the court that he and Grubb had captured Burke.

Charles Jealous then told the court that he had taken Beach and Hall in Onslow Street Saffron Hill. He explained that someone had told him where these two lived.

THOMAS WATMORE said that he kept the Fox and Hounds. He knew nothing of the robbery but testified that three of the prisoners had come in for a drink. Mr Stockden had then come in and gone out, returned and then gone out again. Later Mr Stockden had returned and asked if he knew the names of the men.

The Jury found all three of the prisoners guilty and they were sentenced to death.

 More trials will be described in a later post

he pictures which illustrate this account are mainly taken from a wonderful database of old photographs of Old Sheffield, put on the internet by Sheffield Libraries. The database can be accessed at this link: http://www.picturesheffield.com/

Ernest Douglas Dyson (Dougie) was  born in Attercliffe in 1908, the son of George Henry Dyson and his wife Florence Ireland. Both his parents died young and he was adopted by the Hinch family.

He married Winifred Mary Eames and they had two children—Roy William Dyson who died aged only a few weeks old and Anne Evelyn Dyson. They also had an adopted daughter Josephine Evelyn (Josie) Dyson.

Dougie was brought  up in Attercliffe and worked on the railways in and around Sheffield for most of his life so the vivid memories in this booklet are his own.

After his wife died Dougie lived for several years with his daughter Anne, then lived in a residential home at Totley.

Dougie Dyson as a young man    Copyright: Anne Penton and reproduced here by her kind pernmission

Whilst already in his 90s Dougie discovered  a hidden talent as an artist and began to paint pictures of local steel works  and scenery and in 2003 his talent was locally and nationally  recognised when he was awarded the titles of ‘ Oldest Active Artist in the Yorkshire Region’ and ‘Second Oldest Active Artist in Britain’.

Dougie passed away on 25 July 2004 following a short illness.

UP AND DOWN T’CLIFFE : Memories of Old Attercliffe  by Dougie Dyson

Much has been written about Attercliffe but the book I like is the one entitled ‘Old Attercliffe’ by Mr Vine, the past Headmaster of Huntsman’s Gardens School. It is probably the best book and if it is out of print I don’t know why. 

My short, simple but perhaps interesting tale of Attercliffe is as remembered from the time of the First World War of 1914 – 1918 and the twenties and thirties. 

We have all heard about the Wild West through Hollywood and books but we have had our own prospectors  here in Attercliffe in nearby woods and wastelands, in camps and some with families. They were there in coal not gold strikes, staking claims for fuel for home use or working for others who had bigger claims. Little pits were dug, many feet deep. Men, coal and rock  were being hauled up and down these pits mostly by hand, swinging on the end of a rope in a barrel or a bucket. In one or two pits the haulage was by a pony moving perhaps forwards and backwards from a vertically hung wheel. There is enough material here to make films and to write books about. The only thing lacking is gold or gold dust – but rather something coloured black. 

Attercliffe memories of the First War World include the day war broke out, zeppelins held in search lights, women munitions workers in their first ever trouser overalls, half blacked out gas lamps, black treacle instead of sugar in tea, phosphorus buttons worn on coat labels, Ticklers jam, ration books and queues. There were soldiers straight out of the trenches in near full kit, semi black bread, margarine and embroidered post cards sent back from the front line. 

Later memories include prisoners of war going down ‘the Cliffe’ on trams, guarded front and rear, to work on construction at Vickers and the day the war ended when school teachers opened class room doors and announced peace to each other. After that came street parties for the returning men and then the great flu epidemic with burials at night with horses and cabs with their candle lit lamps, in place of cars. 

Of course some times were good as well as bad with satisfied and dissatisfied people. Women liked going down Attercliffe – not up town but ‘down the Cliffe’. They were happy perhaps if they had a £2 cheque to spend at John Banners store or elsewhere. It cost them the equivalent of 10 pence extra to cash the cheque  and they paid off the extra weekly. 

The House of John Banner was where some of the women might be served by their own sons or daughters. A cheque was big at £2 in those days. Even if the cheque was for shoes it would be just as welcome  as it was the passport for a morning or afternoon out down Attercliffe and the cheque would open the doors of Greenlees or Turners perhaps. 

Attercliffe Road in the 1900s showing the ‘Horse and Jockey’, the Central Saloon Hairdressers and Steve Wright and Foster Brothers Outfitters Photo No: 3437 Copyright : Image No : S13136 Sheffield Local Studies Library and reproduced here by kind permission of the Head of Leisure Services

 Saturday was the day for going down or up Attercliffe. This was when you met your relations and their latest news. If you missed them on your way down you would be sure to face them on your way up and you would get to know, amongst other things, the latest bits of scandal. Whilst the women chatted away for perhaps half an hour, the poor kid in the pushchair turned blue with cold – there were no plastic chair covers like there are today. Perhaps that’s why today’s kids seem quieter – you hear some howling  but not half as much as in those days.

Saturday morning – that was the time to get your hair cut and talk football, not forgetting cricket – perhaps in Harry Hewitt’s shop where father and daughter Elsie used to work together, and a son had his shop further down the Common. Did these football loving barbers ever see an F.A. football match? If they did it would have had to have been on a Christmas Day because some working hours were long. The shops would open early and close at 9.00 p.m. – some of them anyhow. It was good to be in Hewitt’s shop on a Saturday. Some of the lads would be in the Station pub next door on Saturday night. There they could talk about the day’s sport and the results. 

Grant and Morton’s – that was the place to get your photograph taken. If you could get there whilst the sun was shining – all the better. There was no lighting like there is today but the photography was very good as some of the old portraits taken there can prove. 

If Sheffield can be called a picture in a golden frame, then Attercliffe can be called a jewel set in a ring of steel – a bit roughened, but a jewel for all that. The steel ring flashed its reflection in the sky  as furnaces were tapped and steel rolled. 

There were between 20 and 30 pubs and beer houses in the district  and they thrived on the three shift system. They did not have to sell food – only what was listed under the name above the door.   

After treading hot plates in rolling mills, melting shops and foundries  the men needed a beer. You could see these men going up and down between shifts, some with faces blackened with sweat and dust unlike today – there were not many washing facilities then. You could tell some workmen by their walk – especially a roller (steel). Most wore sweat towels. These were held in the mouth whilst working as a way of keeping the dust away, or mill men might hold them between their teeth to prevent being pulled through the rolls whilst bending down. 

Carlisle Street, Attercliffe about 1900 showing Kayser Ellisons  Copyright : Image No : S14108 Sheffield Local Studies Library and reproduced here by kind permission of the Head of Leisure Services

Next door to the Post Office Sorting Department in Worksop Road was the Department of Glass Technology and a great man in glass technology called Professor Turner could be seen coming and going there. Another old gentleman called Mr Cufflin in his Churchill hat and carrying his Gladstone bag could also be seen be seen  coming and going on that road. His bag contained his tools of trade and his lunch. I think he was on his way from his home (another hairdressing shop on Eccleshall Road) to his lock-up barber’s shop  near the Baptist Church on Darnall Road. There he could be seen hanging out his new barber’s pole and taking it in again each night. All this was very important as he thought a lot about that particular pole  and it could be stolen for firewood. 

On his way, Mr Cufflin must have passed a dozen or more barbers’ shops with names such as Fleming, Thorpe, Short and Wagstaff etc.  

Two other gentleman could be seen on that road. They were Mr Herbert and Hubert Makin of  the old establishment of William Makin and Sons, Attercliffe Steel Works with their file cutting, forging, hardening and engineering shops. They would have passed plenty more steel works on the way , some large and some small, and would also have passed the beer-off of a man called Hunter who used to tap every bottle bottom of beer he sold with the palm of his hand. Then he would wipe a label on the wet counter and stick it onto a customer’s bottle (boy or girl) and clench tight round it with his fist. This was to stop the young customer breaking the label and taking a swig. This label was, of course, required by law. Of course the young customer got a better chance of a swig when they were old enough to take a jug or pitcher across to Hunter’s. 

Next was the  Blue Bell (Mr  Hurrel) where the best whisky was  the equivalent of 62½  new pence a pint. Further towards the aqueduct was the White Hart and Pheasant (Mr Arliss) at the side of the arches. This pub used to get flooded at the same time as the aqueduct. There you could see boys diving in and out of the flood inspecting the odd submerged car.  On hot summer days these boys would be swimming in the canal above or walking along the parapet of the bridge.  

Many a waterman must have felt as relieved as if rounding the Horn  on arriving at Attercliffe after navigating numerous locks on the way from Goole. The pound stretch from Tinsley to Sheffield was two miles without any more locks (so called pounds). There might be a bit of poling to do around the bends but the boatman had only one more mile to do when he got to Attercliffe and he used to be thankful for this stretch of waterway. Some boats were under part sail, part engine or towed and poled.  

Jenkinsons and the Palace Theatre on Attercliffe Road  Copyright : Image No : S13126 Sheffield Local Studies Library and reproduced here by kind permission of the Head of Leisure Services

Not far from this canal bank was the farm of the Smith family where they could sometimes be seen clay pigeon shooting on the side of the canal on the back part of their farm. One of the Smith daughters was a teacher at St Charles’ School and another was a dressmaker. One son had a milk delivery round while the mother would sell milk and eggs at the door. 

Not far from here was a quarry and a brickyard. Horses pulling carts filled with clay and ganister would have passed through the aqueduct on the way from Coup’s other brickyard to this one and when they reached Makin Road they had to have the assistance of another horse called a ‘chain horse’. A boy would stay on the bottom of the steep road with his horse and when he heard the call, ‘Chain horse’, he would go and hook his extra horse on. Thousands of tons of clay and ganister were taken up to make bricks and mortar and all had to be brought down again. This chain horse lad was aped in the local steelworks. When a man called for another helper he shouted, ‘Chain horse’, and some did work like horses.   

There were some people of note around Heppenstall Lane and Baldwin Street.  Dr Byrnes was one of these and some kids thought that they knew what was in his bag when he got a maternity call. ‘Another one?’ Then there was Father Beasley of St Charles and Charlie Baldock wearing his tweed hat at the family house and shop with partridge, pheasant, venison and hares etc hanging outside along with baskets of crabs, lobsters and mussels. There would be a big halibut and salmon inside, and perhaps a sturgeon at odd times. At one time a big, black, curly haired retriever dog could be seen on the pavement in front, with perhaps a kid on its back. One of Charlie Baldock’s sons could be seen driving his smart horse Turnout – going up and down ‘the Cliffe’ at a cracking pace. 

Next to Baldock’s you would have found Bradbury’s shop with fireworks and Christmas Clubs – ‘Pay what you like – have what you like’ and not forgetting the grand wine and provisions shop at the corner of Oaks Green. 

There was a house at the corner of Effingham Road by the W.M.C. near to the Cholera Monument with its horse drinking trough. This was the house and surgery of Dr Settle. Across the road, higher up, was Markham’s Undertakers where they carried on the business from a fine Georgian house. They had daughters who were teachers. Up Effingham Road near Beardshaw’s works lived F. Knight and Sons, fishmongers.

Horse drawn coaches ran from the Green Dragon at the top of Baldwin Street. 

We must also not forget a man called ‘Fish Bill’ with his donkey and cart. The donkey would be hee-hawing outside the ‘Victoria’, asking for a drink or perhaps from sheer boredom. I have seen the donkey being backed out of the ‘Victoria’ with the cart getting stuck in the doorway! Fish Bill used to drive on his stomach with his feet dangling over the back end of the cart. 

The Victoria was round the corner from the Palace Theatre and the queues for this theatre used to stretch right around past the pub. But there were times when the commissionaire used to shout, “Seats guaranteed to all parts”.  You were lucky to get into the Adelphi Picture House which was built round the old vicarage. This picture house was noted for its orchestra under the direction of a chap called Simpson. 

If the picture houses in the  surrounding areas were full on a weekend, people would make their way down to Attercliffe, even if they had to walk up to a mile or more – but they had no chance with the Adelphi. They might make it at the Globe, the Regent or the Pavilion with a lot of luck. 

Some youngsters were allowed to sit in the orchestra pit of the picture houses, which was a space little more than a yard wide. Although they could see nothing but shadows on the screen if they held their heads up high, they were satisfied because they had been in and they could boast about it and they would hope they would have better luck the next week. If the youngsters caused any trouble there were always the drum sticks to hand! 

In later years that well known  ‘gentleman’  - Taylor, the ‘Duke of Darnall’ – would appear in Attercliffe wearing his bowler hat, swallow tail coat, striped trousers and spats – not forgetting his gloves and a flower for his button hole. After putting away his sweeping brush at Hadfield’s Steel Works where he was a labourer, he would dress up  and wave his gloves to all and perhaps do a bit of traffic supervision. 

Mention Woolworth’s to a poor little drapery shop keeper in the 1930s and she might stamp her foot in rage because when that store was opened she would be lucky if she sold a copper’s worth of baby ribbon in a day and nothing else. When Woolworth’s opened it had buckets and bowls at a price of six old pence (2½ p) and scores of household requirements for just over the equivalent of 1 new p. Woolworth’s was another place where the local women were proud to work – in fact they were full of pride at getting a job at all, although of course not all the women were happy there.  It was  a place where everything was on view and could be handled  and manipulated – a forerunner of the shops we know today and it was the downfall of many small shopkeepers whose customers were tempted away. 

Mary Ann (Polly) Whatmore’s haperdashery shop in Darnall Road, Attercliffe. Mary Ann Whatmore was my grandmother and she was forced out of business when a branch of Woolworth’s opened nearby.  Copyright : Rhys Whatmore

There was about a dozen provision shops in Attercliffe besides small shops. Some were famous names like Liptons, Althams, Maypole, Meadow Dairy, Gallons, Melias, Home and Colonial, Burgons, Gowers and Redmans. Grandmother could take her grandchildren to Cleethorpes for a day  if she had saved up enough stamps from her purchases at Althams, but on the great day she would perhaps not go to town to get on the train nor would she go to Attercliffe Road station near Norfolk Bridge, not if she lived ‘up and down Attercliffe’. She would perhaps go to her own station at the top of Great Central Street, off Chippingham Street and get on the train there. 

A day out to Cleethorpes would be a day to remember – away from the industrial polluted air which in some streets turned your curtains another colour, not to mention what it did to your lungs. Big, tall chimney stacks stood all around and one was climbed by a young local boy for a shilling coin.  

Drapers and outfitters included names like Capps, Turners, Banners, Burtons,  Burgess, and Roses for hats and caps. Shoe shops were Timpsons, Playfair, Lambtons, Greenlees, Public Benefit and Globe. Lambtons had a giant model of a boot as an advertisement, which was drawn by horse around the district. 

There was a milliner called Bailey and a cabinet maker by the name of Beaman. His fine house is now turned into the Aqueduct W.M.C.  There were chemists – Paddon – to name one, and a few herbalists which were very handy if they were open on a Sunday to supply ‘liveners’ after a Saturday night down ‘t’ Cliffe’. There the customers would have a jug of either sarsaparilla, served from the barrel by pump, or stone ginger beer from a stone jar. 

Carters Manufacturing Chemists lost their works in a great fire during the 1920s but it was soon built up again. This was another place where the local lasses found a livelihood. Hamiltons and Chaloners were builders merchants, painters and decorators, Matthews was for furniture, and McGraths was for leather, then further down the hill was Jarmans the jewellers, Pierpoint’s greengrocery stall and Toones for wines and spirits. Across from here you would have found Slacks the bakers and Wiley’s wine and spirit shop. Nearby was the pawnbroker with a passage way at the side where you could slip into the pledge office with your parcel to pawn or redeem, without being seen. The parcel would probably contain a shirt or a pair of trousers, brought regularly. 

Doctors of the district, in addition to those already mentioned, included Farris, Cleary, Kirkpatrick, Nelson and not forgetting Pettigrew. These doctors had their own stocks and some had dispensaries. Some of the cold cures that you could buy were sweet nitre, elderflower and peppermint. Laxatives included Parkinson’s blood and stomach pills, senna pods, liquorice powder, Epsom salts, sulphur tablets and brimstone treacle. There was also goose grease for the chest  and seven rubbing oils for the aches and pains.  ‘Old Arnold’ of Sheffield market would have done some good trade with a stall in Attercliffe. 

Some herbalists did a good trade with the shift workers, opening before 6.00 a.m. Some pubs were also open early, and there was a shop in Newhall road where at dinnertime you could see roast pork, rice pudding and meat and potato pie in big dishes, all hot and steaming. 

Attercliffe was like a kaleidoscope – it had many changing patterns  of street life.  Stalls at street corners sold all kinds of things. If they sold any joints of meat they were all marked with the price just like in a butcher’s shop.  Both sides of the street were very crowded, especially at weekends. Street vendors included pikelet and muffin men, women selling blocks of salt, hot pie and pea men, coal hawkers, newspaper men, and women with bags of apples, nuts or oranges outside picture houses  - not forgetting Oates ice cream such as you can’t find today unless specially made, Hardys the bakers and Fletchers with their new ‘daily bread’ loaf – extra large and at a cheap price.  

There were sets of roundabouts mounted on drays, barrel organs, buskers playing and escapologists wriggling out of chains etc. One old woman used to trudge an old pram on which was fixed a small organ which she used to grind, playing mournful tunes to people as they passed along Worksop Road on a Friday night. The Salvation Army also used to play regularly in the streets, whilst pre-election meetings took place at the public baths corner near the public library.  

The library was where silence was strictly enforced and if you dropped a book on the floor – well! Newspapers could be read on stands around the walls, but all the horse racing sections were blacked out. When changing a book your hands had to be clean. 

There were six billiard saloons and it was, “Come in man and be a Newman or a Joe Davis”. There were dance halls within a mile’s walking distance and there were recreation grounds at Woodbourne Road and Carbrook Road. A recruiting office was between Washford Bridge and Effingham Road and a church nearby where some locals got married. 

Staniforth Road used to have its fairground between Palmer Street and the railway bridge on local feast days.  There were two Co-op stores on Staniforth Road and a bake house opposite Speddings news and stationers, where you used to be able to take your bread to be baked, putting your name  into the bottom of the pot first on a small slip upside down. John Dunn’s beer-off was just above. He had his own bottling plant there in Wilfred Road. It was also in Wilfred Road that hay was chopped up by machine in a small shop opposite Sanderson’s furnaces. Young people had great fun sledging and trolleying down this road, there being no houses either side except one for Sanderson. 

Round the corner at the bottom was Kayser Ellison’s works and round the other corner was Bowler’s fruit and vegetable shop and house – not forgetting Knutt’s beer-off in Bridport Road. On open ground near here was another place where there was a fair, part of what they called Little Attercliffe. Then there was Doctor Lane at the top of which were the houses and stables of T. Smith and Sons. They had some fine horses, but later a fleet of brand new Ford trucks could be admired there as horses gave way to motor power – a good thing. 

There was a nice row of cottages at the canal side of Tinsley Park Road. A man could spot a barge or boat coming under Broughton Lane Bridge and arrange for his wife to be carried on her visit to the Sheffield Canal Basin (wharf) to buy her flour at the Sheffield Corn Exchange. He would set off and walk there on the tow path and then prepare for the return journey of his wife, and that was another day out for them. This was in the days before electric transport.  

Canal Cottages, Tinsley Park Road in the 1950s. My great great grandfather Thomas Glave was living here in 1869.  Photograph by Llewelyn Roberts  Copyright : Image No: t00515 Sheffield Local Studies Library and reproduced here by kind permission of the Head of Leisure Services

Down by the road at the side of the canal, women could be seen holding up their aprons and walking behind coal and coke carts, to catch any fuel that happened to fall, the roads at that time being very uneven, but if the carts carried gas cokes then these would be avoided as some of these weighed pounds. Small coke also fell and could be picked up or caught in the women’s aprons. It was used in blacksmiths’ shops and for file forging and cutlery. Gas coke was a by-product of coal. Graded coke was used by steam trucks such as those belonging to Brown Baileys and Spear and Jackson – another type of vehicle travelling round ‘the Cliffe’.