CAUL COTTAGES Numbers 195 to 211 Gisburn Road, Barrowford

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1 John A Clayton Barrowford 2015 CAUL COTTAGES Numbers 195 to 211 Gisburn Road, Barrowford Annals R J Hayhurst First tram passing Caul Cottages 1903 Blacksmiths Shop (left): Caul Cottages and Brook Bank c.1930 Holme Field Bridge End Field Horse Field Gisburn Rd George & Dragon J A Clayton Extract from Bank House (Walton) Land Survey c.1850 The row of cottages conforming to modern numbers 195 to 211 Gisburn Road was erected in three phases on the Horse Field (part of Sutcliffe s Farm) along the side of the Gisburn turnpike road. Initially numbers 195 to 205 were built on land owned by John Sutcliffe and John Tattersall in the latter part of the eighteenth century. The Sutcliffe family were substantial landowners around Barrowford, members owned a number of farms and built

2 Bank Hall (now the Lamb Club) in the late 1690s. The family owned land extending from Sutcliffe s Farm, at the bottom of Halstead Lane, to Watermeetings Farm, including the Horse Field, and this is the reason why the land occupied by 195 to 211 was copyhold to the Sutcliffes to at least the 1890s. It appears that the properties, including the blacksmiths shop across the road, were erected by John Pollard on land leased from Thomas Sutcliffe. In the Barrowford Survey of 1803 Thomas Sutcliffe and John Tattersall owned Sutcliffe s Farm and Tattersall was living in a cottage with a large garden on John Pollard s Row. In a Barrowford rate book of 1845 a Henry Sutcliffe was living at what is now 211 Gisburn Road where he ran a Temperance Hotel. This was a small shop selling pop and lemonade etc. to members of the Temperance Movement Henry supplemented his income from the shop through handloom weaving. He inherited the copyhold of the cottage row and was at 211 in 1851 and 1861 when he was still running his Hotel at the age of 78. Henry had died by 1871 when we see that John Bolton was living at number 211. John, a strong Wesleyan Methodist, was the village Sexton and was said to have opened almost 1,500 graves in the village by the time of his death in John was born at Ridgealing Farm and married Anne Sutcliffe, of Laund, in 1833: the couple lived at Hubby Causeway (on the site of the Oaklands House Lodge on Church Street). It appears that John Bolton s wife, Anne (nee Sutcliffe) was sister to Henry Sutcliffe - she inherited number 211 upon his death. John Bolton s grandson, Ezra, eventually owned numbers and probably built the workshop at 213 as a tin plate works. Ezra married Emily Brown of Trough Laithe Farm, Barrowford prior to this Emily s parents and grandparents had farmed at Noyna End and Flaight Moor, Blacko. Descendants of Ezra still owned both the properties in It appears that the first house in the initial building phase (number 195) was either built as a shop or was converted the stonework around the ground floor window shows evidence of alteration and, at least from the 1840s to the 1890s, the property was occupied by a succession of drapers. The row was variously known as Laneside, New Roadside, Pollard Row, Main Street, Below Barr, Hatters Row, Gisburn Road and Caul Cottages Number 207 was built on to the gable of 205, probably sometime around Building work at this property (2015) shows that the wall now dividing 207 and 209 has recesses let in to the stonework in the front and rear upper rooms were these originally windows in the east gable of 207 prior to the erection of 209? Originally all of the cottages in the row had a walled area to the front but these were lost during various phases of road reconstruction.

3 The two properties of 209 and 211 share a datestone that, according to Jesse Blakey (Annals of Barrowford), carries the inscription; XP.X T & S XP.X is a Latin abbreviation for Christ but Blakey appears to have missed the letter P where T & S P stands for Thomas and Sarah Pollard (nee Dugdale married in 1802). Datestones are notorious for their ability to mislead the researcher dates on higher status buildings can be wildly inaccurate (having sometimes been turned around and new dates inscribed). We cannot assume without evidence of deed that Thomas and Sarah Pollard actually built the two properties they may have purchased them and added the stone. However, given that Thomas and Sarah were occupying number 211 in 1841 (when Thomas is a grocer) it seems a fair assumption that they did build the houses. In 1774 landowner John Swinglehurst (of Park Hill) sold the Holme Barn and Stable (Sutcliffe s Farm on Gisburn Road where Booths supermarket car park now stands) with the proviso that the purchasers, J. Tattersall and J. Sutcliffe, were responsible for maintaining the road between here and Pollard s garden top. This was Tattersall s house on the west end of the cottages abutting the land now occupied by Broad Bank. Thomas Pollard was the son of John Pollard and they lived next door to each other on John Pollard s Row in 1803 John was rated at 1 for his cottage and 8 shillings for the smithy while Thomas cottage was also rated at 1. Barrowford Survey John Pollard s Occupier Rate 1 cottage and coal house John Wilkinson 15s 1 cottage and coal house James Rushton 15s 1 cottage and garden John Tattersall 2: 5s: 0d 1 cottage John Pollard 1 1 cottage Thomas Pollard 1 1 smithy building John Pollard 8s Roadside at 8 perches 2 yards deduce from rate 3s In the earlier part of the nineteenth century Thomas Pollard was one of six constables at the new Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (Higherford) but he had died by 1846 when Thomas Hargreaves replaced his duties. In 1861 Thomas son, John Pollard (grocer) was living at number 203 and in 1871 John s widow, Eleanor Pollard, occupied number 201. The two houses were built in the same year as the Higherford Mill and display the same evenly coursed watershot masonry. Numbers 207 to 211 do not display the classic pediment style of the pointed door canopies evident in the earlier build of numbers 195 to 205. The row 195 to 205 were built around the time that the old mill in the park was converted to an Arkwright spinning mill by Abraham Hargreaves of Heirs House, Colne. Abridged Census Returns (modern numbers interpolated until 1891) Year Place Head of Household Occupation Age Pollard Row Thomas Pollard Grocer? cellar? William Starkie Tailor 35 app 209 Robert Blakey Draper 45 app cellar? Ann Brown Draper? William Gott Joiner 30 app 1841 Hatters Row John Ward Cotton Weaver 60 app

4 John Robinson Wire Worker 40 app Joseph Sunderland Tailor 30 app Thomas Foulds Cotton Weaver 25 app Pollards Row Henry Sutcliffe Weaver & Tmp Hotel cellar John Greenwood Cotton Weaver Robert Blakey Hawker cellar Ann Brown Dress Maker William Starkie Tailor Emps 4 men Thomas Ridehalgh Shuttle maker Thomas Holland Carpenter emps 4 men Pollard Row Henry Sutcliffe Temperance Hotel Robert Blakey Licensed Hawker Mary Moore Richard Brown Land Surveyor John Pollard Grocer Robert Speak Weaver James Hargreaves Labourer Frank Helm Mechanic (Shop?) William Buckle Tailor 40 Main Street John Bolton Sexton James Rushworth Oat Bread Maker cellar William Bullock Labourer John Rushworth Mechanic Richard Brown Land Surveyor Eleanor Pollard Widow John Nutter Shoemaker retired Emma Blakey Draper (Shop?) William Buckle Carrier 50 Laneside John Bolton Sexton cellar Old Greenwood (See Annals of Bfd) James Rushworth Cotton Warehouseman Ellen Holgate Mr. Brown Land Agent Joseph Brown Clogger James Catlow Grocer Richard Brown Land Surveyor Robert Atkinson Stone Mason (Shop?) Thomas Gott Draper 76 Gisburn Road Ezra Bolton Tin Plate Maker James Rushworth Gentleman Mark Hancock Sugar Boiler William Brown Stock Broker Joseph Brown Retired John Varley 58

5 Richard Brown Land Surveyor Sarah Walshaw Emma Holt Draper Richard Earnshaw Vicar (Wesleyan) Henry Atkinson Builder 41 Gisburn Road Ezra Bolton Tin Plate Worker Sarah Silverwood Reuben Harrison Overlooker Priscilla Brown Weaver Robert Jones Labourer Seth Yates Weaver James Grimshaw Weaver Sarah Walshaw Emma Gott Living on own means Occupants away Francis Simpson Insurance Clerk was then a lock-up shop Gisburn Road Ezra Bolton Tin Worker/Plumber Fanny Silverwood Frederick Stansfield Joiner Priscilla Brown Isaac Morville Clog Maker Thomas Hargreaves Farm Labourer James A Grimshaw Weaver 41 Gisburn Road Martha Walshaw Weaver Emily Widdup Henry Lee Tripe Dresser Francis Simpson Insurance Clerk now Broadbank Miscellaneous Records: Caul Cottages: (A = Annals of Barrowford) A 1839 The owners of the old mill in the park were ordered to reduce the height of the caul weir as in flood time the river flooded the road and the roadside houses. There were no footpaths on the road here until The river wall was erected during dole time of A Richard Brown was a prominent Wesleyan, musician and tea dealer he lived in the Caul Cottages with his spinster sisters. A John Bolton was assistant at Wesleyan day school in Primitive Methodist old chapel. He was village sexton, opened almost 1,500 graves in the village and died in A A 1891 Discussions by sub-committee as to supply of sewage system in Barrowford Richard Brown was a steward at Wesleyan church (Higherford). A 1875 Ezra Bolton was a member of the St. Thomas church choir.

6 A Francis Helm founded a large iron and steel foundry in Padiham A Francis Helm founded a large iron and steel foundry in Padiham Annals A Robert Blakey was grandfather to Jesse Blakey steward of Wesleyan church in 1856 Robert Blakey and his truck A Robert Blakey was the grandfather of Jesse Blakey, and, being a country trader, used to take quantities of goods over into Ribblesdale in his truck, going on Tuesdays and returning Fridays. It contained a rather cleverly constructed secret drawer or false bottom for the securing of valuables. He was accompanied by a faithful bulldog, which carefully guarded the vehicle. In those days when roads were not in the condition they are in the present day, it was hard work pushing this small waggon uphill, and Robert Foulds, of Blacko, often met it at Gisburn and pushed it to the top of the hill; for this arduous labour he received what was to him the handsome sum of one shilling. Robert Blakey was a pious old man. A grandson, Thomas Veevers, tells about going his round with him and staying all night at Eelbeck Farm, near Gisburn, where they always had a family prayer. His remuneration was his meals only, which he was glad of, for food was scarce, it being Dole time. The different farms were visited and a big event was the visit to Gisburn Park, the seat of Lord Ribblesdale. All the goods were there spread out on a large kitchen table and were inspected by his Lordship and his Lady, and a good trade done with them and with the servants. The boy was greatly interested to see a large piece of meat slowly turning in front of the fire with the gravy dropping on to a pudding beneath. Robert Blakey s daughters, the Misses Blakey, were milliners and dressmakers, living opposite the Caul, and their father brought very many orders for them out of Ribblesdale. A 1881 A major flood occurred Old Greenwood was trapped up to his neck in the cellar of the Caul Cottages rescued in the nick of time. A Benjamin Moore was landlord of the George and Dragon his sister, Mary Moore, lived in the Caul Cottages. A 1845 Rate Book shows David Smalley, schoolmaster, living Below Barr (Caul Cottages) also Robert Blakey. Henry Sutcliffe was occupant of the Temperance Hall selling pop and lemonade etc. From his small shop [JC an outbuilding stood on the roadside to the front corner of number 211 this was perhaps the shop referred to]. The land now housing Brook Bank and numbers was purchased at auction at the Fleece Inn in Small building stood on the roadside here including a lock-up grocers shop Rate Book Ezra Bolton, Plumber and Tinner, 211 Gisburn Road. It appears that Ezra built the premises of 213 Gisburn Road as a workshop (by the 1940s this had become the Quick Service Motor Garage with Richard Dicky Bolton of number 211 using the upper floor

7 as a base for his plumbing business. He was a familiar figure going about his business on his motor-cycle and sidecar up to the 1960s Emma Gott at 195 Gisburn Road Mark Hancock of 207 Gisburn Road was a confectioner. He possibly worked in the old building now The Fold as this was a confectionery manufacturer James Rushworth of 209 Gisburn Road was a warehouse man Richard Henry Brown of 199 Gisburn Road was a piano tuner. Directory Gisburn Road : 191 William Davidson Labourer 193 J. Wright Motor Driver 195 J Widdup Labourer 197 J Atkinson Gardener 199 Mrs. Grimshaw 201 Thomas Ellacott Twister 203 Miss B. Suggerson 205 J Bentley Gardener 207 Frank Beecroft Weaver Frank sold day fishing permits from here in the 1960s 209 H Dixon Overlooker 211 R. (Dicky) Bolton Plumber 213 Quick Service Garage Motor Engineers The census return records for the Caul Cottage row are difficult to follow as the earlier records do not provide house numbers. Further, there are cellars below numbers 209 and 211 (reached by steps from 209) and these were often occupied by separate families to the main property (although sometimes members of the main property lived in the cellar) this also complicates matters when attempting to locate specific families at certain houses. The later census returns do not appear to list the people occupying the cellars. By working back from the 1911 census, however, it has been possible to provide a reasonably accurate location for each family over each decade from Sources: Barrowford Rate Accounts 1845 Nelson Library Barrowford Rate Accounts 1896 Nelson Library Blakey. J. Annals and Stories of Barrowford Originally published in hard back by Blakeys, Nelson in Republished by Barrowford Press in soft cover in 2012 Clayton, J. A Lower and Central Barrowford (2 nd imprint) Barrowford Press 2014 Clayton, J. A Higher Barrowford (2 nd imprint) Barrowford Press 2014 Copy of original Towneley Inquisition 1697 Yorkshire Archaeological Society Eliz. Shackleton Diary & Abraham Hargreaves Diary Miller. E. M. J (Editor) A Walk Through Barrowford 1983 Friends of Park Hill, Barrowford Surveys of 1803 and 1847 (Greenwood of Gisburn) Yorkshire Archaeological Society

8 BARROWFORD HISTORY BOOKS BY BARROWFORD PRESS Available from Amazon, and Pendle Heritage Centre, Barrowford