Mrs Jones of 150 Hoole Street Walkley Sheffield - April 1907

This is from the Yorkshire Telegraph and Star dated 3rd April 1907

It also appeared in the Daily Mirror two days later.

A rare occurrence in 1907 and one that would have put a major strain on the meagre finances of the family. The King's Bounty which incidentally I had never heard of, approximates to about £335 in today's money. I hope that the family received further contributions to assist them in bringing the triplets up. And it would be fascinating to know what happened to the family in the years to come      

Edwin Millwood Oakes (1813 - 1900) - One of Sheffield's Oldest Manufacturers

I came across this report of a funeral for the late Edwin Millwood Oakes (1813 - 1900) dated 7th June 1900

I was going to find out more about Edwin and post an article to the site. However Edwin and his ancestors feature in the Story of Old Attercliffe (Part 2 ) by G R Vine, a transcription of which appears on Eric Youle's excellent blog.

As I have no wish to replicate the information I have just pasted a brief family tree of the Oakes family

  

Edwin was buried as the report states in Sheffield's General Cemetery on Sat 6th June 1900 - the grave reference is Q1 101

Sarah HANDLEY Spinster, Shrewsbury Hospital age: 71, buried: 21 Nov 1862

Sarah Ann OAKES Wife of Edwin Millewood Oakes, Manufacturer, 46 Wilkinson Street
age: 58, buried: 12 Oct 1870

Mary Charlotte OAKES Spinster, 62 Wilkinson Street age: 45, buried: 26 Dec 1897

Edwin Millord OAKES Gentleman, 62 Wilkinson Street age: 87, buried: 6 Jun 1900.

St Michael and All Angels in Neepsend Sheffield. 1906

On Friday 18th August I posted a blog on the missing war memorial from the long demolished church of St Michael and All Angels in Neepsend Sheffield.

To date I am still no nearer locating its whereabouts but I have found two photographs of the church when it served as the focal point of the local community

The second photograph was taken in 1906 and shows the interior of the church

There is more information on the church on the Sheffield History Forum

Oak Street, Heeley, United Methodist Free Church Sheffield

I came across this photograph of Oak Street Chapel, a chapel I did not know even existed

In 1905, Oak Street, Heeley, United Methodist Free Church formed part of the Sheffield (Hanover) Circuit. It is believed the congregation was established in the early years of the nineteenth century. From 1826 until 1871 when the Oak Street Church opened, the Church met in Gleadless Road. In 1867 there were 56 members, by 1927 this had grown to 450. The church came to be known as Oak Street with Anns road (St Andrews) during the 1930s and 1940s and by 1957, was referred to as St Andrews. The last entry for a marriage is 1947. The register was officially closed in 1950.

Known unto God - Death of a Baby Girl - June 1900 Sheffield

Whilst I was researching some family history material I came across this small report in the local press

"June 14th 1900

An inquest was held this morning on the body of a newly born female child, found in the canal at Sheffield yesterday. Mr. W. E. Ryves, surgeon, said the body had been in the water about five days, and he could not form any opinions as to the cause of death. The man who found the body in the canal said it was wrapped in brown paper. Round the child’s neck a piece of window cord had been tied, and attached to the cord were a piece of coal and a coal hammer.

The verdict of the jury was that there was not sufficient evidence to show how the child came to its death or got into the canal."

Whilst I agree with the surgeon as to cause of death - he could not find one, and the jury "there was not sufficient evidence to show how the child came to its death" I would contest the statement about "how the (new-born) child got into the canal"

She was wrapped in brown paper with a cord around her neck and attached to the cord was a piece of coal and a coal hammer. This strongly suggests to me that other parties were involved in the preparation and disposal of the body. It is blindingly self evident but the coroner and the jury chose to ignore this fact. 

No investigation was ever launched which was the norm at the time

As for the baby she was most likely buried in a communal public grave like so many others - a very brief life extinguished at the outset

The Lawson Family of Green Street Sheffield - June 1920

And on the same page that the two unveiling's of the war memorials were reported, there was this report that shows another side of Sheffield after the war

It is from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 28th June 1920

Green Street does not exist anymore - in fact I have been unable to find its location. The report is unequivocal in its description of the filth and sqaulor the family were living in. But what is remarkable is the statement that the head of the household Charles Lawson made in court. He said that this kind of thing, that is "gross child neglect" had been going on for 20 years and blamed his wife for it.

If that is the case and I have no reason to doubt Mr Lawson what were the "lady inspector of nuisances" and the Town Clerk's Department doing in that twenty year period. The report infers that more than one visit was made but it appears no action was taken. A familiar story

And what did Mr Lawson do in that period - nothing according to his statement, it was all his wife's fault. But I do find that difficult to believe! He should have received a far greater sentence as the family was his responsibility and not solely his wife's.

It would be interesting to know what happened to the family. I just hope that the children were not scarred by their childhoods but I think that unlikley    

        

Wickersley War Memorial (Rotherham)

Whilst I was attempting to research the current location of the St Michael's (Neepsend) war memorial (see previous post) I came across this newspaper cutting from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 28th June 1920, In fact(it was adjacent to the St Michael's cutting.

 
But thankfully this memorial is still there and what is more a local historian has posted an excellent article on the servicemen that appear on the memorial.

Neepsend St Michael and All Angels, and Wicker Holy Trinity - War Memorial

At the prompting of a friend, I was asked if I knew anything about the whereabouts of the war memorial that was in the long demolished church of St Michael and All Angels in Neepsend Sheffield.

The excellent Sheffield Soldiers of the First World War site does have a transcription of the names on the memorial that was prepared by the vicar at the time but sadly no photograph

I was able to locate a press cutting from the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 28th June 1920 which gives an account of the inauguration of the memorial in the church.

St Michael and All Angels was closed in 1952 and demolished three years later. It is believed that the war memorial was moved to the custodianship of Wicker Holy Trinity..

Wicker Holy Trinity Church still stands at the corner of Johnson Street and Nursery Street but is now The New Testament of God

I contacted the church and asked if they knew anything about the war memorial but sadly they did not.which is not really surprising. According to the National Archives the Wicker Holy Trinity church was merged with Christ Church Pitsmoor Sheffield in 1972.

If anyone can offer any further information on the whereabouts of the memorial then please contact me.

The War Dead - 1939 - 1945 War Graves Commission Statement

I came across this article in The Times dated 4th October 1945

I was unaware that requests had been made for the repatriation of the fallen both during and after World War 2. Whilst I recognise the distress and anguish that non-repatriation may cause relatives and friends of the deceased, I think that the principle of "equality of treatment" is paramount The Imperial War Graves Commission were fully justified in re-stating their position. 

Arbourthorne School (Sheffield) Class 3A, circa 1948.

The following is a a class photograph from Arbourthorne school (Sheffiled) with Ivy Hill on it (third from right, back row), The photograph was taken circa 1948.

The back of the photo says: 

Arbourthorne school Class 3A, Teacher Mr Whitham.
Back row L-R: P. Copley, M. Hopcroft, S. Stott, J.Pearson, M. Naylor, J. Marsden, I. Hill, R. Beety, B. Schofield.
Front row: P. Finlay, M. Hopkinson, M. Stimpson, J. Wheatly, S. Thompson. 

If anyone can recognise any of the pupls in the photograph please can you let me know

A Sheffield Funeral - November 1925

I just cannnot seem to get away from involving myself in Methodist Chapels in Sheffield. The other day I sat down and read through this months edition of Grapvine Magazine and came across this photograph in the excellent column "Immortal Words." The writer Jason Heath uses archive photographs that are in the possession of his family business John Heath & Sons. and places them in a historical context.

Grapevine Magazine - July 2017 

Jason identified the location as Carver Street Methodist Chapel - the shop Runwell Cycles was opposite the main entrance. Furthermore Runwell Cycles did not start trading until 1925 which dates the photograph post 1925. Jason points out that double funerals are rare and given the presence of  fireman in full ceremonial dress concluded that the funeral was that of two of their colleagues. His great great uncle Joe officiated at the funeral - he is the man with his back to the camera checking that the coffins are steady and correctly positioned.

I did check first with the British Library Newspaper Archive but could find no instances of death in service for Sheffield firemen in the mid to late 1920's. 

But I was familiar with the tragedy that befell the Melling family in November 1925 when two brothers James and Herbert lost their lives in a motor cycle accident near Bell-Hagg, Sheffield

I contacted Jason and referred him to the article. He confirmed that it was his firm John Heath & Sons that were the funeral directors that day. The boys' father Cllr. Melling was Chair of the Sheffield Watch Committee which would explain the presence of the ceremonial guard and the mourners were certainly dressed for a cold day in November.  

A mystery solved but whilst I was verifying the material I came across some more information about the origins and history of Carver Street Methodist Chapel. I think I might be embroiled again at sometime in the future 

Wards Pub Guide - Sheffield Best Bitter

I Have just posted a pamphlet to the site that I came across whilst going through some old booklets that I have accumulated over many years.

It is a publicity pamphlet but unlike much of the material that is produced today, the content in this booklet is both interesting and informative.

The maps are in the article. I was going to expand this pamphlet but I discovered this full history of the brewery and the people who made it on this site. 

I would like to know though the names of the four employees of the brewery who lost their lives in the Sheffield Blitz of December 1940. I have asked the owner of the site if he has any idea who they were but if he doesn't I will have a go at finding them. 

St John's Wesleyan Chapel Crookes Sheffield

Whilst I was engrossed in religous matters concerning the erection of Wesleyan Chapels in Sheffield (see previous blogs) I came across references to St John's Wesleyan Chapel in Crookes. This is from the Leeds Mercury dated 23rd January 1890.

I had never heard of such a Chapel in Crookes but with a capacity of 800 it must have been a large building and prominent to boot - "one of the finest set of religious building's in Sheffield." 

A little research revealed that St John's Wesleyan Chapel in Crookes was no other than Crookes Valley Methodist Church which is situated in Crookesmoor

  

This report is from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated 29th July 1890

The building and its adjacent premises served the people of Crookes and the surrounding district for over 100 years but it suffered a long and painful death. For many years it was derelict but it has now been converted to student flats and apartments.

The following summary was taken from the now defunct website of the Crookes Valley Methodist Church

"In 1878, a room on Commonside was taken for conducting mission services. This was an area with rapidly growing population, so a society was formed which quickly grew and in 1880 land was purchased on Crookesmoor Road.

A building was erected in 1881 and was initially called St John's Weleyan Methodist Church. By 1887 a new scheme was started to erect a larger chapel. In it's first ten years membership grew from 10 to 214, the Sunday School from 40 to 483, with the original 9 teachers increasing to 57.

In July 1889 the Wesleyan Conference met in Sheffield and laid a foundation stone of the new building which was opened in 1890. There were services at 10.30am and 6.30pm with the Sunday School starting at 9.30am and 2.15pm, and a prayer meeting at 7.00am and a mission service (open air in the summer) at 8.00pm. The building cost £7000 and was paid for out of 'selfless giving by rich and poor alike'. Within three weeks of the new church opening, weekly offerings were at £600 a week when £1 a week was a good wage for a working man.

There were weekly class meetings and mid-week services on Wednesdays and Fridays. Other weekly activities included Mothers Meeting, Ladies sewing meeting, Band of Hope, Boys Brigade, Healing Meetings, Penny Bank, Mutual Improvement Classes as well as band and choir practice.

Just as things were going from strength to strngth so things began to falter. Many of the rich leaders of the Church moved to new areas of the city. The membership was in such a decline in the 1930's closure became an issue. This was slaved off due to members moving from Oxford St after bombing in World War II.

In 1965 Western Street moved to share the building and it became Crookes Valley Methodist Church. In the last 10 years the church has suffered a loss of financial income from tenants moving out and nearly sold the building to the Nine O'clock Community. Then the church council believed the building should be used for God's purpose as it was originally planned 100 years before.

Faith, mighty faith the promise sees
And looks to that alone
Laughs at impossibilties
And cries 'It shall be done'

A prophetic poem for the church when it decided to take over the whole building"

This is from The Star (Sheffield) 24 February 2003

Church is sold for GBP465,000

AN ENORMOUS Grade II-listed Victorian church has been sold at auction for almost double its asking price.

Crookes Valley Methodist Church, an imposing stone building which dominates the corner of Crookes Valley Road and Crookesmoor Road in Sheffield, was sold for GBP465,000.

It had a guide price of just GBP250,000.

The building, which was erected in 1890, had been home to a congregation of Methodist churchgoers for more than 100 years.

But recently worshippers dwindled to just 27.

The building, which went under the hammer at a sale at the Crucible, was bought by a consortium of investors who are expected to turn it into residential accommodation.

Adrian Little, a partner at Mark Jenkinson property auctioneers which handled the sale, said: "The church sold well above expectations. It is a Grade II-listed building, so the structure will be preserved, but there is no doubt some form of residential use will be sought.

"The prices obtained at the sale showed no sign whatsoever of the market slowing down." The building, which was built 113 years ago with money from the Osborn steel family, is in a poor state of repair. It occupies seven storeys and nearly half an acre.

This building was erected in 1881 and was initially called St John's Weleyan Methodist Church. The building cost £7000 and was paid for out of 'selfless giving by rich and poor alike'. Within three weeks of the new church opening, weekly offerings were at £600 a week when £1 a week was a good wage for a working man.In 1965 Western Street moved to share the building and it became Crookes Valley Methodist Church. In the last 10 years the church has suffered a loss of financial income from tenants moving out and was nearly sold . Then the church council believed the building should be used for God's purpose as it was originally planned 100 years before.
To the best of my knowledge the church closed in 2003 and is now going to rack & ruin. 

The Mysterious Poisoning of Ernest Foster - Crookes. Sheffield May 1896

I've just posted an article to the site titled "The Mysterious Poisoning of Ernest Foster - Crookes. Sheffield May 1896"

It is based on an report that appeared in the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent dated Saturday 30th May 1896.

I have disagreed with the verdict but one of the more interesting parts of the report is that it was initially thought that the poisoning was due to the consumption of tinned lobster by the deceased. I was not aware that tinned lobster was available in Crookes in the late nineteenth century never mind eaten!

The other point is that that they produced the tin at the inquest at the Royal Hospital six days after it had been opened. It appears that the smell was over-powering for want of a better word! 

The Death and Funeral of Pablo Fanque - Leeds May 1871

Many years ago I posted an article to the site - The Hendersons Were Not There (Neither Was Mr Kite) Sheffield 1848 which had its origins in the Beatles song "For The Benefit of Mr Kite"

Last week I received this e-mail from a researcher who came across the article and asked this question

Dear Chris
I hope you do not mind me contacting you. I have been reading your fascinating article about Pablo Fanque and I had a question about the article you posted.  You mention Wallett taking part in the funeral procession- and I wondered if that was indeed the name of his favourite horse at the time or whether it was in fact his friend W.F. Wallett?
I am researching Pablo's life and your mention of Wallett is the only one I have come across- if it is the name of his last favoured horse it would appear to be a fine tribute to his good friend!
Best wishes in advance
Grant Philpott

ps I have posted the section below for ease of reference!

2. 1871 - By the 1860’s Pablo’s circus was in decline. Pablo died on 4th May 1871 at the Britannia Inn, 22 Churchgate, Stockport, at the ripe age of seventy-five.
Churchgate, Stockport, Cheshire, 1871 (RG10/3664 4 73 19)
Pablo Fanque, lodger, 61, Norwich, Norfolk, equestrian circus proprietor
Elizabeth Fanque, lodger, 40, Sheffield, Yorkshire
George P Fanque, lodger, 17, Liverpool
Edward P Fanque, lodger, 15, Manchester
William Walker, lodger, 15, Luton, Bedfordshire, apprentice? music
Mary Walker, lodger, 13, Glasgow, Scotland, ditto, music
He had been there with his second wife, Elizabeth, and two sons, George and Ted, since at least the beginning of the previous month. Pablo’s funeral took place in Leeds Woodhouse Cemetery and was a spectacular occasion. The hearse was preceded by a band playing the ‘Dead March’, followed by Pablo’s favourite horse, Wallett, and four mourning coaches. The deceased and his horse were brought from Stockport by train, and were met by throngs of well-dressed spectators.

Thankfully I was able to answer his question - when I posted the article The British Library Newspaper Archive had not been digitalised

This is from the Leeds Times dated 13th May 1871

It appears that Wallet the horse followed the hearse but Pablo's dear friend Mr W F Wallet who the horse was named after, was detained in Hanley Staffordshire and so did not attend the funeral

Ebenezer Wesleyan Reform Chapel, Bramall Lane, Sheffield

I am starting to get worried now as this is the second time in less than a month that I have posted a blog that relates to Wesleyan Reform Chapel's. A sign from above perhaps?

But like the one I posted on the Weselyan Chapel at School Road, Crookes this does include a photograph that has not been seen before

Ebenezer Wesleyan Reform Chapel, Bramall Lane, Sheffield

This photograph appeared on the Sheffield History Forum and shows the chapel in its prime.

The above photograph was taken by a family member whilst the chapel was in the process of being demolished. I have not got an exact date but the photograph is circa 1979 - 80. I believe that the reason for the demolition apart from declining attendances was that it stood in the way of the now-fabled Bramall Lane dual-carriageway.

A full list of Wesleyan Methodist and Wesleyan Reform Chapels in the Sheffield area appears on the Sheffield Family History site 

Crookes Post Office Sheffield

I came across this print by the Sheffield artist the late George Cunningham (1924 - 1996) showing a winters scene at Crookes Post Office with the Wesley Hall in the background together with Crookes Endowed School on the left.

I am unsure when the Post Office first opened in Crookes but it had been there for many years before closing in April 2016. The Post Office business was relocated to a store on the main road through Crookes

This photograph was taken ten years earlier in October 2006 and shows the Post Office with Wesley Hall in the background (see previous blog)

 At the time this was written the building remains unoccupied

Crookes Wesleyan Chapel, School Road, Crookes, Sheffield

The first drawing of the Crookes Wesleyan Chapel in School Road, Crookes, Sheffield. It was taken from the Wesley Hall site and shows the Chapel that was built in 1836, the first that was built in Crookes

The photograph below was taken in 1908 and shows the Chapel just before the congregation moved to Wesley Hall (1912).  

 

The drawing is a very good likeness apart from the sign - it states Crookes Wesleyan Chapel,whereas the photograph has the single word Wesleyan. It is the first photograph I have seen of the original Chapel

The building is still there but it is now flats and apartments  

 

The Melson Family Powell Street Sheffield

I have just posted an article to the site that is based on a brief report that appeared in the Sheffield Daily Independent dated 11th November 1914. The "deeply pathetic" story is an understatement.

But when I researched the family, Gertey's death was just a forerunner of a greater tragedy that was to befall the family within the next year..

I have been unable to find a photograph or illustration of Powell Street where the family lived for so many years. I believe that they were back to back properties that may have been demolished in the early to mid Sixties    

Sheffield Blitz Heroes - George Medals

I came across this article in the Yorkshire Post dated Saturday 8th March 1941. It refers to the award of the George Medal to three civilians from Sheffield for their bravery on the nights of the Sheffield Blitz.

Unfortunately the report does not go into greater detail with regard to location etc but newspapers at the time were subject to strict censorship.

And yes PC Radford did get married to Miss Smith

Surname First name(s) Spouse District Vol Page
Marriages Jun 1941
Radford Samuel Smith Sheffield 9c 1809
Smith Gwendoline R Radford Sheffield 9c 1809