NORCROSS FAMILY-RIBCHESTER,PRESTON

[Radcliff]

Just use your search box,like I do ,I do not have any links ,I search by name and county ,using phonetics,


The British History online,a history of Lancashire, will be of interest to you to as it mentions a Norcrosse of Ribchester,

and  a Henry Norcross was instituted as vicar 9th of March 1573

[jericho]

Hi happy hunting


The information that I have is that Thomas Norcross was born in 1851 the son of John Norcross and Margaret Watson.   In 1875  Thomas married Alice Elizabeth Kenyon. They had at least 10 children before Thomas died in 1900. Alice and several of the children arrived in New Zealand abt 1909. Two years later Alice remarried, and for a while the family settled in Nelson. After this some of the children married and settled throughout New Zealand, well others ended up in Australia. As this is not a main branch of my family, I have not followed through on the family, but should you have a connection with this family, I do have a Norcross descendant that I have had contact with in the past who  may be able to give you more info, so you can pm me and I will pass your name and details on to them.  Hope this helps.

jericho

[varfhackpoet]

I know I'm a little late responding, but I am a Norcross descendant. I'm currently in Richmond, Virginia, but the rest of the Norcross family (at least my branch of it) is located in Maine and other various parts of New England.

I've been able to trace my family back as far as Thomas Norcrosse (spelling?) from Ribchester, England (born around 1558). Not sure who far back we can go prior to that, but I was able to find his wife and her parents (Mary Elizabeth Beddell and her parents William and Elizabeth.)

Hoping to reach out to other Norcross members.

[Cerelle Bolon]

I am double descended from the Norcross/Norcrosse family as my two 2nd great grandmothers Susan and Sarah Butler were the granddaughters of Mary "Polly" Norcross and Asa Butler. Mary Norcross's family goes back through Daniel, William, Richard Jr, Richard, and Jeremiah Norcross (1595-1657) who arrived in Massachusetts, USA by 1633. From there the family can be traced securely to Thomas Norcrosse (1560-1617) and before that there is a Henry Norcross who may have been not his father but a cousin and also a George Norcross b. 1480 in Ribchester. Henry was confirmed as bishop of St. Wilfred's church in Ribchester and served until his retirement in 1616. The name first appears  in a survey of 1320-46 when a Roger de Northcrosse was listed as having "a messuage and an oxgang of land, 7.5 d" It appears that the name first came from a cross at an intersection of roads and later became a market place. There is still at least one of these North crosses remaining in the market of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. There is also a nearby town called Carlton which once had a division called Norcross.  The Butler side of my family is very old as well..and has been traced back to 1100.  So..hello cousins..

[mammy710]

 Hello from Norcross family in Massachusetts,

We are planning a trip to UK and looking for any resource or information about Norcross places to visit in Ribchester/Preston.    And any Norcross cousins to visit!  We are always open to have Norcross cousins visit here.

 

[Maiden Stone]

Have you looked at Lancashire Online Parish Clerks website? It has pics of the church & village.
Also Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society has a Fylde branch + a Ribble Valley one. The 2nd covers Ribchester. Longridge (next town to Ribchester & once part of same parish) has a local historical society. Longridge constitutes the former villages of Alston & Dilworth. Ribchester parish would have covered a larger area than it does now. Your Norcross people may have lived in the wider area.
"Visit Lancashire" is the tourism body.
Lancashire archives catalogue is online. There's a list of early Lancashire maps.
Ribchester was flooded last Christmas; some residents decamped to Longridge.
Lancashire County Council has closed several libraries & museums this year. If you're thinking of visiting any, check beforehand that they are open. Opening hours reduced  even for the Harris Institute & Museum in Preston. 
Archaeological societies also worth checking out. Ribchester is an ancient place. Archies discovered another bit of Roman road around there recently.
Wouldn't your clergyman have been a Vicar or Rector, rather than Bishop? Unless Ribchester was even more important than I thought.
P.S. There is a row of cottages in Longridge which is the oldest row in the world built by a Building Society. The Longridge Building Society was one of the first to be set up, 1790s. They were for handloom weavers. They may have been built by my ancestors, a family of stonemasons who lived there, so I just thought I'd give them a mention! Have a good trip.

[Cerelle Bolon]

THANKS for all the good hints! And yes, Henry was a vicar, not a bishop..and a disgraced one at that. When we were there this summer, a local contact gave me a copy of the charges against him, and sad to say, he really disgraced himself! We saw many places with connections to the Norcross line, including what is left of a town which was named Norcross, which is located near Carleton off Fleetwood Road near Poulton-le-Fylde. The church at Ribchester is lovely, and right next to it, excavations of the ruins of a Roman camp are ongoing, plus right next door, there is a small but very nice museum of items that have been found there. I have joined the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society and yes, Thomas Norcrosse was born in Alston in Dilworth..but he lived from 1558-1617. It was his son who came to America in 1633 (my 9th great grandfather). Again, thanks for all the clues...and after Christmas will work on those! Cerelle

[GINLOVER]

Hi all.....I'm very late to the game on this thread.

Has anyone come across Ann Norcross B:1770 in Ribchester D:1809? Her father was Thomas Norcross, I have no dates for him as of yet. I'm also seeking the name of Ann's mother too!

Thanks
Ginlover

[Maiden Stone]

A Thomas Norcross married 1769 in Blackburn, may be worth checking out, Ann seems to have been the 1st of his children baptised at Ribchester, according to  Lancashire OPC.