wiganer
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wigan
« on: Wednesday 16 January 08 13:45 GMT (UK) » |
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Hi everyone,
as the name suggests I am from Wigan.
If can help anyone re this area I will be glad to do so.
Also my hubbie an I are WW1 enthusiasts and have visited thecbattlefields many times .I have lots ofphotos and if they would be of any use to anyone I will gladly post them.
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 23 January 08 13:26 GMT (UK) » |
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My fathers family are from Wigan. They came in the 1830s from Kirkby Liverpool. My great great grandfather founded the Rugby club and was director there for a number of years. 3 members of the family were players there, the most famous being Jack Prescott a fly half who became captain of Warrington when they won the cup. I'm trying to find out about Jacks grandfather Elijah born Kirkby 1810 and who was originally a boatman on the canal. My grandfather told me they used to run excursions on the canal from Wigan Pier. I've had this confirmed in part by a Newspaper orbituary. I would like to know more about these excursions but found no mention of them when I was at the Wigan Pier Museum nor about the canal boatmen in any detail. My grandmothers grandfather John Sedgewick (1829) was also a boatman. If you know of any sites to find out more I'd be greatful.
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wiganer
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Re: wigan
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 23 January 08 22:40 GMT (UK) » |
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hi,
I have heard of these excursions but I thought it was a joke -on the lines of the pier.
Wigan World is a good site for informaton of all kinds re Wigan and The History shop is really good.They have loads of old original maps and documents and the staff are good.
It is also convenientlysituted across the road from the registrars office f you need a certificate.
Its at the bottomof Library St.but is closed on Wednesday as I found out today.
vera
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 24 January 08 08:56 GMT (UK) » |
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My grandfather said Wigan Pier was actually a long jetty for the passengers to get on and off the boat. If you think about it before the railways probably the only way you could get to Liverpool quickly and fairly cheaply would be by canal. I went to the Wigan Pier museum and thought they would know the truth but they only spoke about the music hall joke. By the time the music hall jokes were made the railways were there and probably the use of the jetty had faded from most peoples memory. My great great grandfather had moved on to running a chemist shop and then became a building contractor. Some relatives continued running boats but probably goods not passenger. I can't get to Wigan at the moment. I've emailed a query on the Wigan Local history site to see if they know. Could it be that I am the only one who knows the true story of Wigan Pier?
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emmsthheight
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Re: wigan
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 24 January 08 13:05 GMT (UK) » |
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Hi ! 
Thank you for the offer. That's really kind. It's great to have some one on the spot - and to see the photo!
All I know of Wigan is a few shops and hours spent on Wigan stations between trains. I've done whole exam papers on the top station in the snow - outside!!
I'll definitely be looking at my elusive ggrandfather again!
Thank you again.
Emms.
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 24 January 08 16:27 GMT (UK) » |
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Hi Wigan,
been doing some more research. In the Trade Directory in 1839 transport by water is described as Fly Boats by the Union Co. (these went to Leeds) and another boat that went to Liverpool (company not named) Apparently these fly boats are unique to the Wigan Leeds canal as they are shorter than elsewhere because of the length of the locks. So now I have to find where the Union Company had its head office, and whether they ran the Liverpool boats too. I spoke to an expert on canals and he didn't even know that much.
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 24 January 08 17:14 GMT (UK) » |
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Not the same kind of Fly boat plus its cargo not passenger. But thanks for trying. I found a picture of a converted Leeds Liverpool fly boat but not one unaltered.
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Forthefamily
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Re: wigan
« Reply #9 on: Friday 25 January 08 01:10 GMT (UK) » |
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duckweed
My OH has a map of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal system.
Anyway, I was telling him about your post and the Wigan Pier and he started to give me the gears about it being a joke but I insisted.....so he pulls out his map and lo and behold it has an insert of Wigan and there is the pier is marked on Pottery Road....... 
mab
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #10 on: Friday 25 January 08 10:40 GMT (UK) » |
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Thats interesting because my great uncle's house was called the Pottery. I've found his orbituary and it says that Elijah Prescott was the captain of a packet boat. This means he was on the route to Liverpool as packet boats couldn't go to Leeds, they were too long for the locks. Apparently when the railways came the normal passenger boats couldn't compete because they were too slow so the packets ceased in about the 1840s and instead they took leisure boats up the canals.
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XPhile2868
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Re: wigan
« Reply #11 on: Friday 25 January 08 23:15 GMT (UK) » |
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My maternal great grandfather Lewin Henry Ricketts was born in Hindley in 1897, and according to a distant cousin, he was in the last cavalry charge made by the British Army in the First World War. Do you have any access to information that could be relevant?
Stephen
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Smith (Lancashire), McKenna (Ireland/Liverpool/Leyland), Maynard (Hertfordshire/London/Preston), Ricketts (Gloucestershire/Wigan/Preston), Scowcroft (Preston), Harling (N. Yorkshire/Lancashire), Willis (Preston), Clegg (Manchester/Preston), Dodd (Wigan/Cheshire), Alston (Lancashire), Hulks (Hertfordshire), Nicholson (Co Mayo, Ireland/Lancashire), Brown (Co Tipperary, Ireland/Lancashire), Wilson (Kendal) Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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wiganer
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Re: wigan
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 26 January 08 12:01 GMT (UK) » |
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hi duckweed,
I will see if I can fnd anything out re the adress & f it stil exists.
Rickets is a familiar name in the area.
What do you term as being the last cavalry charged of the first WW .
Was your relative killed or did he survive?
vera
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XPhile2868
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Re: wigan
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 26 January 08 12:40 GMT (UK) » |
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He survived the war and died sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. My Ricketts relatives were originally from Gloucestershire.
The information I have about Lewin in WW1 is "He was in the cavalry during WW1 and was in the last cavalry charge made by the British army i.e. on horseback with lances and sabres."
Stephen
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Smith (Lancashire), McKenna (Ireland/Liverpool/Leyland), Maynard (Hertfordshire/London/Preston), Ricketts (Gloucestershire/Wigan/Preston), Scowcroft (Preston), Harling (N. Yorkshire/Lancashire), Willis (Preston), Clegg (Manchester/Preston), Dodd (Wigan/Cheshire), Alston (Lancashire), Hulks (Hertfordshire), Nicholson (Co Mayo, Ireland/Lancashire), Brown (Co Tipperary, Ireland/Lancashire), Wilson (Kendal) Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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duckweed
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Re: wigan
« Reply #14 on: Saturday 26 January 08 19:50 GMT (UK) » |
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Have you tried the National Archive to see if he's listed for medals? If he's listed there you can get his regiment and service number.
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