Hi everyone (heh, I can hardly keep up with all these so very helpful responses!),
…so there’s mileage in the idea that Nether Alderley – or at least the junction at Welsh Row -is known locally as Broken Cross. That really does give me food for thought. Many thanks.
Even so (ever one to hedge my bets!), I guess there’s still a possibility that the great-aunt was right. Maybe her forebears – from the blacksmithing Henshaw/Henshall family - did at some point run the smithy at Broken Cross just outside Macclesfield, but they certainly weren’t there at the time of the early censuses (and that’s the period she’d have been harking back to). One possible scenario is that they had the smithy just before 1841 or in between 1841-1851, but were elsewhere at the time of both censuses.
Which brings me to the question, does anyone know when the Broken Cross smithy nr Macclesfield was founded? From what the great-aunt implied, it could have been early in the 19th century, but that’s as far as I can get.
As for the NA smithy, I think the Isaac and Ellen Henshaw in Kathb’s message are the children of Henry Henshall, smith (1786-1818), and the grandchildren of John Henshall, the NA blacksmith (1737-1814) that Su mentions. In turn, John I think was the son of Henry Henshall, yet another NA blacksmith (d.1783). From old Henry’s will (courtesy of the wonderful Cheshire RO), it would seem that he had an ‘old’ and a ‘new’ smithy in NA, both being in ‘Street Lane Ends’, which John and another son Daniel inherited. As the great aunt would have been related – though somewhat distantly – to those Henshalls, you can see why I’m curious about NA perhaps being called Broken Cross.
I hope I’ll be able to return all your kindnesses sometime, but many thanks for reading and responding to my missives in the meantime.
Birtle
Hello there,
Regarding the Henry Henshall that died in 1783, do you please have a date of death for him?
It seems that this Henry married Mary Sutton in Wilmslow by licence on the 10th of November 1735: His Wife was pregnant. On the 28th of November, 1735, in Wilmslow, they had Sara, and Catherine. Sara was buried on the 30th of July 1736. Then in Wilmslow they had baptised: Amy Henshaw, in 1737, and a Henry Henshaw in 1743.
In the Cheshire Parish Register Database for the baptism of Amy Henshaw, it has the residence down as: "CHOR" (for Chorley). This has me a bit puzzled: There is not a Village near Alderley or Wilmslow called Chorley. Would this be a reference to Chorley Hall near Alderley please/ around there?
Regarding the John Henshall that you mentioned, I can only find a baptism for him dated the 27th of Feb 1740, in Alderley. On "Family Search" the Father's name has been transcribed as: "Harry". But if he is mentioned in Henry's Will, then I suppose they must have had a John.
Then also in Alderley they also had:
Mary - Baptised 13 May 1747.
Daniel - One of my 6x Great Grandad's. He was baptised on the 12th of August 1750.
Sarah - Baptised on the 23 of June 1754.
I estimate that Henry's Wife, Mary Sutton, may have been baptised in Wilmslow, on the 19th of July, 1713. Her Father's name was Daniel.
Had Mary already died by the time that Henry had written his Will please? I have a date of burial for Mary, on the 29th of February 1776, in Alderley.
Are there any other interesting things in Henry's Will?
I do apologise for the many questions, and for me droning on. Once I start on here I sometimes get a bit carried away haha!
Any information regarding the above would be gratefully accepted.
Thank you.