Table of Contents
G6: Jessie Taylor (1827-1898) and Bessie Taylor (1827-1914)
Birth: Jessie Taylor was born in around 1827 to William and Jane, likely in the village of Kidsgrove near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.
Marriage: to Bessie Taylor on 3 September 1853 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove. They were both aged 26.
Spouse history: Bessie had been born in around 1827 to Edgar Taylor in Woore, about 10 miles west of Stoke-on-Trent.
Children: (1) Ann in 1855, (2) Ellen in 1856, (3) Mary in 1858, (4) Edgar in 1860, (5) Emma in 1863, (6) Elizabeth in 1867, (7) Theresa in 1871. The couple were quite lucky by the standards of the day in that only one of them died in childhood. In 1881 Mary gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Annie, who the couple raised as one of their own.
Occupations: Jessie was an agricultural labourer. By 1871 he had his own four-acre plot of land near Haslington, which more than doubled to ten-acres over the next decade. The farm was a family affair and Bessie was recorded as still working the land as late as 1901 when she was aged 74.
Residences: in 1861 they were one of several families who lived at Manor House just outside Alsager. Over the next decade they settled on their own farm in the nearby hamlet of Oakhanger Moss near Haslington. After Jessie’s death, Bessie lived with daughter Theresa.
- Jessie: Manor House, Alsager (1861)
- Bessie: Manor House, Alsager (1861); Butterton Lane, Oakhanger (1901)
Deaths: Jessie died on 20 April 1898 when aged 71 and was buried two days later at Christ Church in Alsager. He left his estate of £266 to his son-in-law John Hilditch and his daughter Theresa. Bessie died on 1 December 1914 when aged 87, leaving her estate of £25 to Theresa and Annie.
G6: George Hilditch
All we know about George is that he is the father of John. There are some potential matches that need to be fully researched.
G5: Ann Taylor (1855-) and John Hilditch (1848-)
Birth: Ann Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1853. She was the first child of Jessie and Bessie.
Marriage: to John Hilditch on 7 October 1872 at St Margaret’s Church in Wolstanton. She was aged 17 and he was 24.
Spouse history: John had been born during 1855 and raised in Haslington. His father was a farmer called George and there is a likely match, but a little further confirmation is required first.
Children: (1) Lilian in 1876, (2) John in 1878, (3) Adelaide in 1880, (4) George in 1883, (5) Earnest in 1885, (6) William in 1889, (7) May in 1892, (8) Ethel in 1894, (9) Annie in 1898.
Occupations: by 1881 the couple farmed 9 acres of their own land in Haslington.
Residences: the family likely lived in one of the small cottages around Moss Farm.
- Ann: Manor House, Alsager (1861)
Deaths: George died before 1921, with Ann possibly following the next year.
G4: Lilian Hilditch (1876-1936)
Birth: Lilian Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1876. She was the first child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 30 April 1876 in Haslington.
Marriage: to Fred Godfrey Cowen on 11 October 1902 at St Matthew’s Church in Haslington. She was aged 26 and he was 25.
Spouse history: Fred had been born during 1877 to James Cowen and Mary Ann Garner. He was part of a large family, with at least two brothers and four sisters. In 1881 they lived in a terraced house on Furlong Lane in the Burslem area of Stoke-on-Trent. His father was a packer for a potter, and there was a large earthenware factory behind their road. By 1891 Fred had begun working as an errand boy in the port. The family had moved before 1901 to Leek Road.
Children: (1) Jack in 1905, (2) Reginald in 1906, (3) Fred in 1907, (4) Edgar in 1913.
Residences: in 1911 the family had a terraced house on Derby Street in Burslem. They moved onto the neighbouring Hill Street over the next decade, and then on to Elder Road during the 1930s.
- Lilian: 23 Derby Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1911), 36 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921-1930), 10 Elder Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1936)
- Fred: 6 Furlong Lane, Stoke-on-Trent (1881-1891), 174 Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1901), 10 Elder Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1936-1937)
Occupations: Fred had a long career as a house painter, with the 1921 census revealing that he worked for Grant Ltd. builders, being joined there by his 16-year-old son Jack who was an apprentice bricklayer, and 13-year-old Fred who was an errand boy.
Deaths: Lilian died on 30 January 1936 at the London Road Hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme. She was aged 60. She left her estate of £972 to her husband. Fred survived her for just over a year and died on 17 February 1937 also aged 60, leaving an estate of £2,924 to his children.
Note: more Lilian Hilditchs were born in the same area in 1869 and 1880, and so we must be careful when looking at the records.
G3: Jack Godfrey Cowen (1905-1979)
Birth: Jack Godfrey Cowen was born in Stoke-on-Trent on 2 March 1905. He was the first child of Fred and Lilian.
Christening: on 26 March 1905 in Haslington.
Marriage: to Edith Nancy Herbert during 1936 in Stoke-on-Trent. He was aged 30 and he was 33.
Spouse history: Edith had been born on 30 May 1902 in the Cobridge area of Stoke-on-Trent to Charles Edward Herbert and Louisa Ann Pegg. By 1911 they lived in an end terrace on the main Waterloo Road, with her father working as a builder’s foreman.
Children: a boy in 1938.
Occupation: Jack was aged 16 in 1921 and worked as an apprentice bricklayer for Grant Ltd. builders – an occupation he would have for the rest of his life. Edith meanwhile was a shorthand typist for the Empire Porcelain Company on Stoke Road.
Residences: in 1939 the family lived with Edith’s parents on Hill Street.
- Jack: 23 Derby Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1911); 36 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921); 29 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 29 Davidson Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1979)
- Edith: 376 Waterloo Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1911-1921); 29 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 29 Davidson Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1979)
Deaths: Edith died on 17 March 1979 when aged 75, leaving an estate of £7,202. Jack survived her for just a couple of months and died on 8 July 1979 aged 74, leaving an estate of £7,975.
G3: Reginald Cowen (1906-1973)
Birth: Reginald Cowen was born in Stoke-on-Trent on 13 March 1906. He was the second child of Fred and Lilian.
Christening: on 29 April 1906 at St Luke’s Mission Church in Oakhanger.
Marriage: to Hannah Rose Mountford during 1933 in Stoke-on-Trent. They were both aged 26.
Spouse history: Edith had been born on 14 March 1906 – the day after her future husband – to Henry Mountford and Catherine Elizabeth Hudson. By 1911 they lived with her maternal grandparents on Plough Street in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent. Her father was a coal miner. Hannah’s mother died in 1914, and in 1921 she lived with her widowed father in a terraced house on Mount Street.
Children: a daughter in 1938 and a son in 1940.
Occupation: despite being aged only 14 in 1921, Reg worked as an apprentice joiner for Howland & Sons – an occupation he would have until at least 1939. 15-year-old Hannah meanwhile worked as an enamel selector in the warehouse of Grimewades Ltd. in Cobridge. This was an earthenware manufacturer that had expanded rapidly to become one of the largest manufacturers in the North Staffordshire potteries, employing over 1,500 people.
Residences: in 1939 the family lived on Buxton Street. By the mid-1960s they had moved to Biddulph.
- Reg: 23 Derby Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1911); 36 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921); 110 Buxton Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 2 Northfield Drive, Biddulph (1965-1973)
- Hannah: 39 Plough Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1911); 20 Buxton Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921); 110 Buxton Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 2 Northfield Drive, Biddulph (1965-1988)
Deaths: Reg died on 22 February 1973 when aged 66 and was buried at St Lawrence. Hannah survived him for 15 years and died at home on 8 September 1988 aged 82. She was buried in Biddulph Parish Church.
G3: Fred Cowen (1907-1987)
Birth: Fred Cowen was born in Stoke-on-Trent on 22 August 1907. He was the third child of Fred and Lilian.
Marriage: to Edith Prophett during 1936 at Audley Methodist Church in Stoke-on-Trent. He was aged 28 and she was 24.
Spouse history: Edith had been born in the Audley on 25 October 1911 to Charles Prophett and Ann Whalley. Her father was a plumber and house decorator. By 1921 they lived on the main Raven’s Lane which ran through the town.
Children: twin daughters in 1938.
Occupation: in 1921, 13-year-old Fred was an errand boy for Grant Ltd. builders, alongside his father and older brother Jack. He then became a plumber and painter, just like his father-in-law.
Residences: in 1939 the family lived on Elder Road in the house where Fred’s parents had died in 1936 and 1937. Post-war they moved to a terraced house on Chapel Street in Audley. By the 1980s they lived on Deans Lane, a rural road a couple of miles south of Oakhanger.
- Fred: 23 Derby Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1911); 36 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921); 10 Elder Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 16 Chapel Street, Audley (1949); Greenways, Deans Lane, Balterley Green (1987)
- Edith: Raven’s Lane, Audley (1921); 10 Elder Road, Stoke-on-Trent (1939); 16 Chapel Street, Audley (1949); Greenways, Deans Lane, Balterley Green (1987-1988)
Deaths: Fred died on 3 December 1987 when aged 80. Edith survived him for just a few months and died at Wilbraham House Care Home on 11 March 1988. They were both cremated at Bradwell Crematorium in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
G3: Edgar Cowen (1913-1930)
Birth: Edgar Cowen was born in Stoke-on-Trent during 1913. He was the fourth child of Fred and Lilian.
Residences: 36 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent (1921-1930)
Deaths: Edgar died in the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary on 26 November 1930 when aged just 17. He was buried in Burslem Cemetery on 1 December after a service at Christ Church, Cobridge.
G4: John Thomas Hilditch (1878-1939)
Birth: John Thomas Hilditch was born in Haslington on 22 June 1878. He was the second child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 21 July 1878 in Haslington.
Marriage: to Gertrude Hilda Bardsley on 9 June 1909 at St Matthew’s Church in Haslington. He was aged 30 and she was 26.
Spouse history: Gertrude had been born in the Chorlton-on-Medlock area of Manchester on 13 July 1882 to Daniel Bardsley and Elizabeth Ann Hulme. She was christened at St Michael’s Parish Church in Ashton-under-Lyne in August 1882. Gertrude was enrolled into St Thomas’ School in Ardwick during 1889, when the family lived on Robert Street to the south of Piccadilly station. Her father was a serving machine mechanic, but soon switched occupations to become a pub landlord. In 1891, 18-year-old Gertrude lived with her parents in the Stamford Arms in the tiny village of Little Bollington, about 15 miles south of Manchester. They then moved south to Haslington where they managed the Hawk Inn.
Children: (1) Daniel in 1909, (2) George in 1911, (3) Joan in 1916.
Occupations: from January 1898 John worked for the London and North Western Railway as a labourer. Until 1923, when the government forced railway companies to merge, LNWR was the largest railway in Britain and covered an area from Carlisle in the north, to London in the south, and from Liverpool in the west to Leeds in the east.
John then worked as a woodworking machinist for a few years before following in the footsteps of his father-in-law to become a publican. The family lived and worked in the Broughton Arms pub on High Street in Haslington from at least 1913 until 1929. By the outbreak of war, he once again worked as a wood machinist, alongside volunteering in the ‘SJAB ARR’ full-time, which could perhaps have been the St John’s Ambulance.
Residences: the young family had a terraced house just a few doors up from the Hawk Inn that her parent’s ran.
- John: 141 High Street, Haslington (1911); Broughton Arms, High Street, Haslington (1913-1929); 217 Nantwich Road, Crewe (1939)
- Gertrude: 35 Robert Street, Manchester (1889-1891); Stamford Arms, Little Bollington (1901); Hawk Inn, Haslington (1909); 141 High Street, Haslington (1911); Broughton Arms, High Street, Haslington (1913-1929); 132 Lansdowne Road, Manchester (1939)
Separation: it’s likely that John and Gertrude separated before 1939 when he boarded with the Ainsworth family on Nantwich Road – probably a flat above a shop on one of the main streets in Crewe. Gertrude lived in a detached house on Lansdowne Road in affluent West Didsbury.
Deaths: John died on 30 December 1939 when aged 61 while assisting in the ARP work at the Bedford Street Schools. He was buried at Crewe Cemetery. There is no mention of Gertrude in his obituary. She survived him for some four decades and died in 1979 when aged 96.
G3: Daniel Bardsley Hilditch (1909-)
Birth: Daniel Bardsley Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1909. He was the first child of John and Gertrude. There is some confusion over his birth registration. The only Daniel Hilditch registered in 1909 was born in London and died soon afterwards, but a Daniel Bardsley Hilditch was registered in Nantwich in 1928 but is linked back to 1909 on the indexes. It’s likely that his birth was registered retrospectively.
Military service: Daniel joined the Royal Air Force in 1924 and was given service number 50840. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant in January 1943.
Marriage: to Maureen Allen on 17 July 1942 at the Belmont Presbyterian Church just outside of Belfast. He was aged 33.
Spouse history: Maureen was a Belfast girl who had been born in 1910 to John Allen.
Children: unknown.
Residences: 141 High Street, Haslington (1911); Broughton Arms, High Street, Haslington (1921).
G3: George Bardsley Hilditch (1911-2000)
Birth: George Bardsley Hilditch was born in Haslington on 20 June 1911. He was the second child of John and Gertrude.
Marriage: to Edna Mary Matthews during 1934 in Coventry. He was aged 22 and she was 18.
Spouse history: Edna had been born in Coventry on 9 May 1915 to Albert Matthews and Florence Elsie Vickers Applin. Her father was killed in action at the end of 1917, at which time they lived in a terraced house on Foleshill Road in the Harnall area. Her mother married James Henry Wilson Fox who was an engine fitter for Armstrong Siddeley.
Children: a girl in 1935.
Occupations: George was a schoolteacher.
Residences: in 1939 they lived in a new semi-detached house on Nunts Lane in the Holbrooks suburb to the north of Coventry.
- George: 141 High Street, Haslington (1911); Broughton Arms, High Street, Haslington (1921); 95 Nunts Lane, Coventry (1939)
- Edna: 43 Foleshill Road, Coventry (1917-1921); 95 Nunts Lane, Coventry (1939)
Deaths: George died in November 2000 when aged 89.
Notes: the couple separated, and Edna married Leonard Kay in London during 1947. They moved to the United States and lived in Florida from at least 1969. Edna died on 5 July 1996. It’s not thought George remarried.
G3: Joan Hilditch (1916-)
Birth: Joan Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1916. She was the third child of John and Gertrude.
Residences: Broughton Arms, High Street, Haslington (1921)
There is no further record of her.
G4: Adelaide Hilditch (1880-1889)
Birth: Adelaide Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1880. She was the third child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 6 May 1880 in Haslington.
Death: in 1889 when aged just 9.
G4: George Edgar Hilditch (1883-1943) and Bertha Lloyd (1888-1919)
Birth: George Edgar Hilditch was born in Haslington on 12 November 1882. He was the fourth child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 17 December 1883 in Haslington.
Marriage: to Bertha Lloyd on 18 August 1909 at Christ Church on Crewe Road in Wheelock. He was aged 26 and she was 21.
Spouse history: Bertha had been born in the village of Sandbach on 29 July 1888 as the sixth child of Thomas Lloyd and Priscilla Martin. Her father was a ‘paddler’ in an iron works, and they lived on Chapel Street. Sadly, he was dead by 1891 and her widowed mother had to work as a charwoman to support her children. Also ‘lodging’ in the house that night was widower Josiah Bourne, who her mother would later marry. By 1901 they had a house on Crewe Road close to Wheelock.
Children: (1) Marjorie in 1910, (2) Hilda in 1915, (3) George in 1917, (4) Herbert in 1919.
Occupations: in 1901 Bertha was a silk worker, likely in the large mill in Wheelock. George became a farmer who by 1911 had his own farm – likely an arable farm given that they had shire horses. He worked this with his family for the rest of his life.
Residences: George lived in Oakhanger for his entire life.
- George: Oakhanger (1891-1943)
- Bertha: Chapel Street, Sandbach (1888-1891); Avonsmith Row, Crewe Road, Wheelock (1901), Oakhanger (1911-1919)
Hobbies and interests: George had a good voice and used to sing when he was working in the fields.
Deaths: Bertha died of Spanish Flu on 16 March 1919 when aged just 30, the day after giving birth to Herbert. George never remarried. His daughters grew up on the farm with him, but his sons were sent away. George died in December 1943 when aged 61. The probate gives the date of death as the 27th, although members of the family recall it being Christmas Eve. He was found face down in a small stream near the farm and the family thought that there was some suspicion about it. He was buried with his wife in the church graveyard. His estate of £808 14s went to his daughter Marjorie since at that time both sons were away fighting in the Far East.
G3: Marjorie Hilditch (1910-1992)
Birth: Marjorie Hilditch was born in Haslington on 10 June 1910. She was the first child of George and Bertha.
Residences: in 1939 Marjorie lived in the vicarage attached to St John the Evangelist’s Church in Sandbach Heath with the elderly Alfred Ward and his wife Margaret. She was a domestic servant, but apparently left under something of a cloud.
Marjorie inherited her father’s estate of £880 after his untimely death in 1942. The farm was sold, and she then worked for Rolls-Royce for some years, living in her brother Herbert’s house as they were often away with his work.
- Sandbach Heath Vicarage, Sandbach (1939); 28 Warrington Avenue, Crewe (1992)
Death: Marjorie died on 29 December 1992 when aged 82. She never married.
G3: Hilda Mary Hilditch (1915-2009)
Birth: Hilda May Hilditch was born in Haslington on 13 January 1915. She was the second child of George and Bertha.
Marriage: to Ernest Wakeley during 1937 in Crewe. She was aged 21 and he was 24.
Spouse history: Ernest had been born in Crewe on 10 May 1912, the sixth child of Joseph Wakely and Louisa Maude Shields. The family lived in the Monks Coppenhall suburb where his father worked as a brakesman on the railways – responsible for applying the brakes of goods wagons during shunting – moving to become a guard at Crewe station by 1921. The family by then lived in a terraced house on Swinnerton Street.
Children: (1) Judith in 1945.
Occupations: Ernest followed his father and worked for the railways, becoming a goods guard.
Residences: in 1939 the newlyweds lived in Madeley Cottage in the village of Hough to the south of Crewe. They then moved to Middleton St George near Darlington.
- Hilda: Madeley Cottage, Hough (1939); 26 Killinghall Row, Middleton St George (2002-2003)
- Ernest: 23 Swinnerton Street, Crewe (1921)
Deaths: Ernest died there on 19 March 1989 when aged 76. Hilda survived hum for 20 years and died on 22 May 2009 when aged 94. They are both buried in the churchyard of St George’s in the village.
G2: Judith Mary Wakeley
Birth: Judith Mary Wakeley was born in Crewe on 23 January 1945. She was the only child of Ernest and Hilda.
Notes: it’s possible that she married John Edward Beeston on 20 August 1966. Her headstone cites her surname as ‘nee Wakeley’ without a married surname, but the metadata on the record records the surname as Woodward. There is no record of a marriage between Judith Wakeley/Beeston and a Woodward. Perhaps she married twice, and the second occasion was overseas? She evidently moved to the village of Middleton St George near Darlington.
Deaths: Judith died on 15 July 1991 when aged just 46. She was buried alongside her father in the churchyard of St George’s in the village, later joined by her mother.
G3: George Edgar Hilditch (1917-1987) and Joan Roberts (1924-2005)
Birth: George Edgar Hilditch was born in Nantwich on 20 November 1917. He was the third child of George and Bertha. His mother died of Spanish Flu 18 months later, and whilst George’s sisters grew up on the family farm, he and his brother were sent away. It’s possible that he spent some time in Dr Barnardo children’s homes as later in life he was always very generous supporting this charity.
Military service: George Hilditch was conscripted into the Royal Marines in 1940. After training he first joined the Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation, whose role it was to defend naval harbours against air attack, before moving to the Royal Marine Division in March 1943 as a machine gun instructor. He then joined 44 (Royal Marine) Commando and during 1944 sailed for the Far East to fight against the Japanese in Burma. George participated in several operations and landings, including the battle of Hill 170 in January 1945, which was one of the most intense battles of the whole Burma campaign. George returned home during December 1945, serving at Lympstone in Devon for a few months until discharged.
Marriage: to Joan Roberts on 29 March 1952 at St Winefride’s Roman Catholic Church in Holywell. He was aged 34 and she was 28.
Spouse history: Joan had been born in Holywell on 23 January 1924, the second child of George and Alice. In 1939 the family lived in a relatively new semi-detached house on the small Coronation Estate.
Children: four girls between 1953 and 1961.
Occupations: before the war George had been reunited with his father and worked on the farm, but he returned home to find that he had died, and the farm had been sold by sister Marjorie. He became estranged from his siblings.
After this he worked for the railways out of Crewe, alongside night school to gain civil engineering qualifications. This involved a lot of travel, and he used to say that he could be half asleep on a train and recognise the approach to Crewe station by the sound of the track. In the 1950s he began to work as a site agent, managing building sites.
In 1939 Joan had worked as a sorter in a paper making factory, despite being only aged 14. Post-war she was a comptometer operator. Comptometers were mechanical calculators that were very fast in operation when adding up lists, such as required in accounting. Operators were specially trained to make use of the full keyboard and enter each number by pressing all the digits in one go using all fingers, as necessary, at once.
Residences: after the war George lived with his sister Hilda and family in their large cottage in the village of Hough. He then moved into Crewe itself in December 1948 where he first lived in a semi-detached house on Badger Avenue, a few doors down from where his nephew Frederick Hilditch had lived in 1939, and then in a similar house on Woodside Avenue. George moved to Mostyn in North Wales in February 1951 where he lived at The Hook (or perhaps Nook).
- George: Madeley Cottage, Hough (1945-1948); 254 Badger Avenue, Crewe (1948); Heron, Woodside Avenue, Crewe (1949); The Nook, Mostyn (1951-1952)
- Joan: 86 Coronation Estate, Holywell (1939-1952)
Deaths: George died in 1987 when aged 69, and is remembered as a family man, a good father and grandfather. He loved his home, was a hard worker, both at work and home, did a lot of DIY and was a passionate gardener. Joan survived him for 18 years and died in 2005.
G3: Herbert John Hilditch (1919-1984)
Birth: Herbert John Hilditch was born on 15 March 1919. He was the fourth child of George and Bertha but never knew his mother, who died the day after he was born. Herbert was sent to live with Joseph and Elizabeth Ayres in Sandbach, who were possibly an aunt and uncle, who raised him as one of their own.
Military service: Herbert enlisted into the army in 1940 and joined the 18th Battalion of the newly created Reconnaissance Corps. They shipped out in October 1941 bound for the Middle East but diverted as the situation in the Pacific rapidly deteriorated following the Japanese invasion of Malaya. They landed in Singapore on 5 February 1942, and despite having lost the bulk of their weapons and equipment were moved into the island’s defences. Just 13 days later the British surrendered and Herbert was taken into captivity. He spent the next three years working as a slave labourer for the Japanese. He was liberated on 2 September 1945 and repatriated home.
Marriage: to Patricia Arnold during 1945 in Crewe. He was aged 25 and she was 24.
Spouse history: Patricia had been born in Crewe on 13 October 1920, the third child of Frederick Thomas Arnold and Rose Partington. Her father was a coppersmith in the L&NW locomotive depot, and they lived around the corner on Castle Street. When the National Register was taken in 1939 Patricia lived on Goulden Street.
Children: one girl in 1960.
Occupations: before the war Herbert worked as a joiner for Rolls-Royce, while Patricia was a ‘packer’ – presumably in a factory. After the war he worked as a general manager on building sites, a curiously similar occupation to his estranged brother George.
Residences: the family settled in South Wales after Patricia became ill with Rheumatoid arthritis when Herbert was working on a big hospital in Cardiff.
- Herbert: 65 Park Lane, Sandbach (1921), 17 West Street, Crewe (1939), 17 Church Road, Rhoose (1984)
- Patricia: 30 Goulden Street, Crewe (1939), 17 Church Road, Rhoose (1984)
Deaths: Patricia died in 1983, with Herbert surviving her for just a few months. He died on 18 July 1984 when aged 65.
G4: Ernest James Hilditch (1885-1960)
Birth: Ernest James Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1885. He was the fifth child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 7 June 1885 at Christ Church in Alsager.
Marriage 1: to Sarah Annie Hilditch during 1908 in Nantwich. He was aged 23 and she was 18.
Spouse history: Sarah had been born in 1890 to John Hilditch and Annie Newton. She was christened in Haslington in July. The family lived on High Street where her father worked as a boiler maker.
Children: (1) Frederick in 1908, (2) Earnest in 1910, who died the following year.
Death: Sarah died in 1912 when was aged just 22.
Marriage 2: to Annie Cooke during 1915 in Haslington. He was aged 30 and she was 25.
Spouse history: Annie had been born on 18 November 1889 and is probably the daughter of James and Alicia, although due to the commonality of her name further confirmation is required.
Children: (1) Edith in 1916, (2) Irene in 1918, (3) Margaret in 1922.
Residences: in 1911 Ernest and his young family lived on the High Street in Haslington, probably between The Cosy and The Fox Hotel. He continued to live there after Sarah’s death and his subsequent marriage to Annie. In 1939 the couple lived with the three girls in the grandly named Kendal Villa, which was a relatively new semi-detached house on Waldron Road that overlooked the countryside to the south.
- Ernest: High Street, Haslington (1911-1931); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939-1960)
- Sarah: High Street, Haslington (1890-1911)
- Annie: High Street, Haslington (1915-1931); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939-1941)
Occupations: Ernest had a long career in the cycle and motorcycle industry. By 1911 he was a ‘cycle maker’ with his own business, with the next census describing him as a self-employed motor and cycle agent. The business struggled though, and in 1927 Ernest had to enter into a Deed of Arrangement with his creditors. He later became a motor engineer.
Deaths: Ernest was widowed for a second time when Annie died at home on Boxing Day 1941, aged 52. She left her estate of £740 to her husband. Ernest died in Crewe on 26 January 1960 when aged 75. He left his estate of £2,585 to his eldest daughter.
G3: Frederick Arthur Hilditch (1909-1967)
Birth: Frederick Arthur Hilditch was born in Haslington on 20 December 1908. He was the first child of Ernest and Sarah. His mother died when he was young and the 1921 census captures the 12-year-old boy living with his maternal aunt Emma Brookes and her husband Arthur on Furber Street in Crewe. He still lived with them a decade later
Marriage: to Carrie Farr during 1931 in Nantwich. He was aged 22 and she was 21.
Spouse history: Carrie had been born on 5 January 1909 as the fourth child of Walter Farr and Mary Ellen Hulse. She was christened at Christ Church in Crewe a few weeks later. Her father was a postman and the family lived on Chester Street, possibly in a house attached to the post office. There was little change over the next decade, other than the cramped house being home to eight children.
Children: a boy and a girl in 1932 and 1935.
Residences: in 1939 the young family lived in a semi-detached house on Badger Avenue, part of a new estate in the northwest of Crewe.
- Frederick: High Street, Haslington (1911); 56 Furber Street, Crewe (1921-1931); 242 Badger Avenue, Crewe (1939); Crewe Cottage, Crewe Road, Haslington (1967)
- Carrie: 3 Chester Street, Crewe (1909-1921); 242 Badger Avenue, Crewe (1939); Crewe Cottage, Crewe Road, Crewe (1967)
Occupations: Fred worked as an aero engine fitter in 1939 – probably at the new Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe which was manufacturing the new Merlin engines that powered the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, and later the Lancaster bomber. Post-war he had his own garage called F&A Hilditch based in Haslington.
Hobbies and interests: Fred had a lifelong passion for motorcycle racing – perhaps stemming from his father – and competed in amateur races from the late 1920s. In one such amateur grass track race during May 1930, he was thrown from his motorcycle and fractured his skull. Post-war Fred competed in amateur T.T. road races, including the famous Manx T.T. between 1949 and 1951. The family tradition was carried on by his son.
Deaths: Fred died on 3 August 1967 when aged 58. The death was reported in the local paper:
Garage chief dies in street. A Haslington, near Crewe, garage proprietor who was formerly well known as a rider in Manx T.T. races collapsed in the main street at Haslington last night and was dead when removed to Haslington Memorial Hospital. He was Mr. Frederick Arthur Hilditch, aged 58, of Crewe Cottage, Crewe Road, Haslington.
Carrie survived him for 30 years and died on 19 July 1998 when aged 89.
G3: Ernest James Hilditch (1910-1911)
Birth: Ernest James Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1910. He was the second child of Ernest and Sarah.
Residences: High Street, Haslington (1911)
Death: in 1911.
G3: Edith May Hilditch (1916-2008)
Birth: Edith May Hilditch was born in Haslington on 28 June 1916. She was the first child of Ernest with second wife Sarah.
Residences: High Street, Haslington (1916-1931); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939)
Deaths: it appears that Edith remained a spinster and died on 13 July 2008 in Crewe when aged 92. Nothing else is known.
G3: Amy Irene Hilditch (1918-1989)
Birth: Amy Irene Hilditch was born in Haslington on 2 February 1918. She was the second child of Ernest with second wife Sarah, and commonly known by her middle name.
Marriage: to Thomas A. Jones during 1941 in Crewe. She was aged 21.
Spouse history: nothing is known of Thomas due to the commonality of his name.
Children: unknown.
Occupations: in 1939 when she was aged 21, Irene worked as a silk cutter.
Residences: High Street, Haslington (1918-1931); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939); 19 Primrose Avenue, Haslington (1989)
Deaths: Irene died at home on Primrose Avenue in Haslington on 14 December 1989 when aged 71.
G3: Margaret Mary Hilditch (1922-2005)
Birth: Margaret Mary Hilditch was born in Haslington on 29 January 1922. She was the third child of Ernest with second wife Sarah.
Marriage: to George E. Bennett during 1942 in Crewe. She was aged 19.
Spouse history: nothing is known of George due to the commonality of his name.
Children: unknown.
Occupations: in 1939 when she was aged 17, Margaret worked as a housemaid.
Residences: High Street, Haslington (1922-1931); Kendal Villa, Waldron Road, Haslington (1939)
Deaths: Margaret died in February 2005 when aged 83. George had possibly died in 1992.
G4: William Henry Hilditch (1889-)
Birth: William Henry Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1889. He was the sixth child of John and Ann.
Christening: on 1 September 1889 at Christ Church in Alsager.
Occupations: William followed in his father’s footsteps and became a farmer. In 1911 they worked the land together. After his death William laboured on the farm of T. Bermion in Barhomley, although he still lived with his mother.
Emigration: William is cited on the passenger manifest for the Duchess of York, which sailed to Quebec, Canada from Liverpool on 2 August 1929. It is stated that his country of intended future residence was Canada, but his name is struck out, likely indicating that he did not travel. There is no further clear record of William in England – although there was a William E. Hilditch working with his brother George at Oakhanger Moss in 1939. He possibly died in 1957.
G4: May Hilditch (1892)
Birth: May Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1892. She was the seventh child of John and Ann.
Death: died aged 6 months and was buried at Christ Church in Alsager on 24 November.
G4: Ethel Hilditch (1894-1919)
Birth: Ethel Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1894. She was the eighth child of John and Ann.
Death: died of Spanish Flu on 15 March 1919 when aged just 24.
G4: Annie Gertrude Hilditch (1897-)
Birth: Annie Gertrude Hilditch was born in Haslington during 1897. She was the ninth child of John and Ann, and commonly known by her middle name.
Marriage: to George Beech on 4 April 1920 at St Matthew’s Church on Crewe Road in Haslington. She was aged 23 and he was 31.
Spouse history: George had been born in Crewe during 1889, but had many namesakes born in a similar area at a similar time, so we need to be careful with the records. Our George was a butcher who lived on Nantwich Road in Crewe, possibly in a flat above a shop on this main road.
Children: (1) Gertrude in 1923, (2) Betty in 1925.
Residences: 220 Nantwich Road, Crew (1920-1921)
Deaths: George died on 14 January 1938 when aged 49.
G3: Gertrude Beech (1923)
Birth: Gertrude Beech was born in Haslington during 1923. She was the first child of Gertrude and George.
Death: died soon after being born.
G5: Ellen Taylor (1856-)
Birth: Ellen Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1856. She was the second child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 8 March 1856 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Residences: Manor House, Alsager (1861)
Notes: 15-year-old Ellen is not on her parent’s 1871 census return. It is likely that she and older sister Ann were working for John Edwards in Haslington. Some online trees suggest that Ellen married George West in 1879, and indeed this is quite likely, but given the commonality of her name further direct evidence is needed.
G5: Mary Jane Taylor (1858-)
Birth: Mary Jane Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1858. She was the third child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 20 February 1859 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Occupations: in 1871, 23-year-old Mary lived and worked on the family’s smallholder farm but had just given birth to an illegitimate daughter. Her parents would raise baby Annie as one of their own.
Residences: Manor House, Alsager (1861)
Notes: some online trees suggest that Mary married John Darlington in 1883, and indeed this is quite likely, but given the commonality of her name further direct evidence is needed.
G4: Annie Jane Taylor (1880-1972)
Birth: Annie Jane Taylor was born in Kidsgrove on 26 September 1880, the illegitimate child of Mary and an unknown father. She was raised by her maternal grandparents as one of their own.
Christening: on 21 November 1880 in Haslington.
Occupations: Annie worked on the family smallholder farm as she grew up, continuing to be cited as a farmer long after the death of her grandfather in 1898.
Residences: Annie lived with her grandmother and aunt Theresa in Haslington until the former’s death in 1914. She continued to live with Theresa for many years, and in 1939 they had Manor Cottage on Taylor’s Lane. Despite being aunt and niece, they were close in age.
- Butterton Lane, Oakhanger (1901); Manor Cottage, Taylor’s Lane, Oakhanger (1939)
Deaths: Annie was a lifelong spinster and died in 1972 when aged 92.
G5: Edgar Taylor (1860-1863)
Birth: Edgar Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1860. He was the fourth child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 1 April 1860 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Residences: Manor House, Alsager (1861)
Death: died aged three and was buried at Christ Church in Alsager on 19 August.
G5: Emma Taylor (1863-1936)
Birth: Edgar Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1863. She was the fifth child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 19 July 1863 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Marriage: to Henry Bebbingdon on 7 October 1896 at St Matthew’s Church in Haslington. They were both aged 33.
Spouse history: Henry had been born in Oakhanger during 1863 to Thomas and Emma Bebbingdon. He was baptised in Sandbach Primitive Methodist Church in Sandbach during November 1863. The family lived in Oakhanger Moss, where they were neighbours with his future wife.
Children: they adopted Marjorie Bullock by 1921.
Occupations: by 1891 Henry was a police clerk in Birkenhead, lodging with his brother John, who was a police officer. Emma was probably working as a cook in one of the large houses overlooking the Mersey in affluent Bebington. Henry had become a police constable himself by the time of his marriage, being promoted to sergeant by 1901 and Inspector by 1908. He had retired by 1921.
Residences: in 1901 the couple lived in a flat above a shop on Cross Street, just off Market Square in central Birkenhead. A few years later they moved into a semi-detached house on Milton Road in the Tranmere suburb, and then on to nearby Thompson Street.
- Emma: 2 Rock Park, Birkenhead (1891); 2 Cross Street, Birkenhead (1901); 51 Milton Road, Birkenhead (1908); 54 Thompson Street, Birkenhead (1911-1921)
- Henry: 76 Camden Street, Birkenhead (1891); 2 Cross Street, Birkenhead (1901); 51 Milton Road, Birkenhead (1908); 54 Thompson Street, Birkenhead (1911-1921)
Hobbies and interests: in 1908 Henry joined the Combermere Lodge of the Freemasons.
Deaths: Henry likely died in Birkenhead during 1933. Emma survived him by a few years and died at the start of 1936 when aged 73.
G5: Elizabeth Taylor (1867-)
Birth: Elizabeth Taylor was born in Kidsgrove during 1867. She was the sixth child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 28 April 1867 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Notes: some online trees suggest that Elizabeth married John Garside in 1895, and indeed this is quite likely, but given the commonality of her name further direct evidence is needed.
G5: Theresa Taylor (1871-1952)
Birth: Theresa Taylor was born in Kidsgrove on 7 March 1871. She was the seventh child of Jessie and Bessie.
Christening: on 25 June 1871 at St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove.
Occupations: Theresa worked on the family smallholder farm as she grew up, continuing to be cited as a farmer long after the death of her father in 1898.
Residences: Theresa lived with her mother and niece Annie in Haslington until the former’s death in 1914. She continued to live with Annie for many years, and in 1939 they had Manor Cottage on Taylor’s Lane. Despite being aunt and niece, they were close in age.
- Butterton Lane, Oakhanger (1901); Manor Cottage, Taylor’s Lane, Oakhanger (1939-1952)
Death: Theresa was a lifelong spinster and died at home on 9 December 1952 when aged 81. She left her estate of £1,339 to Annie and a Jesse Taylor Garside.
