Hi i am Brian Nixon and i remember him playing at the club .Great times ,full of great people .Alan Lancet at the club he gave me job as bottle lad (filling the back fixtures with bottled drinks) i worked for about an hour at 6 pm and got thirty bob for 5 days but on Saturdays Alan would allow himself to indulge a bit more than usual and when busy i would top up the shelves at about 9 pm while bingo was on and he would always give me a 10 bob note rolled up in a ball (not bad for 10 min work 50 odd years ago)

leo for meddlers is one of the most travelled and changed mysterious sayings.. in the USA i’ve heard layovers for meddlers, or layovers catch meddlers, or layos catch meddloes etc.. mostly changing because it’s mostly a spoken saying said to curios children. leo’s or layovers are traps/trouble that you’ll get entangled in for meddling curiosity.

Hello Peter, I found some emails from 2017, and you asked for my grandad, George Bournes’ siblings and their spouses names. I cannot remember if I sent them, as this email was perhaps hidden somewhere. Grandad was treasurer at Ball Green Club. I remember the wonderful dances to live bands on a Saturday evening. The highlight of the year was New Year,s Eve. As my family was either related through birth or employment to everyone , it was like a weekly family get- together. We children had wonderful times playing up and down the stairs, and playing outside in the car park. No-one seemed worried about us, as we felt perfectly safe. Over to the chip shop opposite before driving home to Newchapel.
My second cousin, Anne Hodgekinson of South Street has a wonderful memory, I will ask her what she can recall. Mr Parr was a committee member or perhaps chairman. I will search my photos. The highlight of the year was the club trip to Blackpool, by train from Ford Green. Members’ children got 5 bob to spend in Blackpool. We were given ricci and crisps for the journey and the children were treated to chips and egg, tea, bread and butter and ice cream in Woolworths cafe before our return. In the sixties the club thrived but membership fell in the eighties. The club gave camaraderie to the lives of hardworking men who had the fellowship of the pit. Grandad had many friends and the club was his second home.

Hi Peter.
I would like to inform you that Philip and I had a sister Valerie ,she is buried in the church graveyard, new cemetery .
Hope you are well
Brian

I was married to fred and beryl willotts son and am trying to find freds parents names his mum was a simcock named sarah jane but I can only find a sarah jane berrisford married to a john willott if you could help I would be very grateful as I am researching this side of the famIly for the family tree many thanks millie willott

I was born Janet Mountford. My great great uncle was John Mountford born in 1816 and married to Kate Holdcroft . their gravestones are in the churchyard at St Anne’s Brown Edge. John’s brother was Hugh and there were two sisters Eliza and Jemima.. I have John’s family bible and I should like to give it to one of his relatives. I believe John and Kate lived at Singleton Farm. My email address is
j.rickinson@btinternet.com

my name is Colin Sheldon son of Sam Sheldon of Stein Fields farm broad lane brown edge my grandfarther was Samuel Sheldon son of my great grandfarther
Richard Sheldon of the lump of coal brown edge

I have a photo of my grandad sid stood outside, kay gave it to me years ago

Clare
So Robert Nixon born 1890 would have been your great grandad,father of Robert Harry,Clarence,Ivor and your grandad Maurice.
During my childhood i can remember “Bob Nixon” and I am sure his wife was bedridden for a long time before she passed away,I cant recall her name she of course would have been your great grand mother.
So your dad was also Maurice jnr who was son of Maurice snr,hope i am getting there!!
That certainly puts us in the same bloodline as brothers Albert and Robert they also had another brother Harold.
My Dad John Nixon therefore was cousin to Ivor,Norman,Clarence,Robert Harry,and your grandad Maurice snr.
Not sure what title we would get out of this but certainly related.

Hi Peter,
I have just read your history of the Nixons. Olive Bailey was my great x 4 grandmother. I read with interest that her mother was a Farnsworth. Where did you find this information?
Thanks
Sue

I am related to the Hancocks of Brown Edge. Charlotte Han(d)cock born in Brown Edge married James Goldstraw of Grindon Moor. Their son Thomas Goldstraw is my grandfather. My mum who has passed on was Grace Amelia Goldstraw. John Han(d)cock Charlotte’s father was a coal miner.

So interesting to read about my ancestors.

My father’s family were the Copes from Cornhill, Norton and we have a family tree which lists the Iron Foundry at Norton Green, also other Foundries in earlier years.

Sue Morrey

Fascinating read. Honor was my great aunt, my grandad Sam Dawson was her brother. She taught my father Fred Dawson at Brown Edge school, and then my brother, sister and lastly me at Endon School. She was a fearsome teacher and made sure the three of us sat at the front of the class so she could keep an eye on us. Lovely lady though, one of a kind.

Hello-
My name is Ralph H. Sandmeyer III. My grandfather was the radio operator on the B24 that crashed in Brown Edge. It has always been my desire to visit Brown Edge. I’d be happy to share some of my grandfather’s military photos if you’d like to add them to your page.

Cheers-
Ralph Sandmeyer

A very interesting read. My grandad Frank Jervis married Alice May Davenport. I was told that their eldest son Frank Ashley, my dad was also born at Hobbs House. I wonder if Frank and Alice were living with Davenport relations at the time? I do know that later the Davenports were living across St Anne’s Vale

My mums nan and grandpa lived on Hilltop farm , I only knew her as nanny Tomkinson . Her daughter ( my Nan ) was called Marion Tomkinson .

Excerpt from “A likely story”, researching the Mountford family, by George Clifford Mountford, my late cousin. I suggested he name the history “Sermon on the Mountfords” but he wisely passed…
Fred Mountford, my grandfather, was born in 1881 at or near “The Lump of Coal” a public house in those days, but now a private residence at Brown Edge. Census records show that Fred’s brother George and sister Martha had followed their parents into the tailoring trade whilst John had become an earthenware potter, Joseph an ironworker, Harry was a colliery clerk and Thomas was running a business at home making locks.
Fred decided he wanted to be a Millwright. This was the pinnacle of the Steam Age and most mills would have been converted by this time from water or wind power to steam. Later records show him building and repairing machinery at Burgess and Leigh’s pottery which lies between the Trent and Mersey canal and Port St. in Middleport. He became well known and respected as a Millwright within the Potteries and once was sent to Bruges in Belgium to erect a steam engine for use in that city. Presumably that engine had been designed, made and exported by Boultons Engineers of Burslem.
Fred married his wife Bertha Stonier (from Tunstall) and they lived at 73 Forster St. Middleport, a few hundred yards from Burgess and Leigh’s works. They raised seven children. Elizabeth (Betty) 1906, Bertha 1913, Ida 1915 (my mother) Kathleen 1917, Edna May 1919, George Clifford 1907, Frederick 1910.
On the night of Friday 8th January 1943 tragedy visited 73 Forster Street, Middleport (from the Evening Sentinel). A middle-aged couple were fatally gassed and a daughter (Kathleen) was taken to hospital suffering from gas poisoning today as the result of an escape from a fractured main in the street at the front of their house. My mother found discovered the tragedy and raised the alarm, informing the police and medical aid. She was the only other occupant of the house. The houses at the bottom of the (now) Woolrich St. have now been demolished. No other houses were affected by the leakage.
I have more details if you are interested. Please use the subject “Mountford” if you reply to me. I took a photo for my cousin Clifford of the house that I was told was formerly the Lump of Coal. Do you have a contemporary one?

I am the granddaughter of Charles Edgar Burrows who is on the photograph receiving the darts trophy. He lived in Wiifeld Lane, Brown Edge. My grandmother made the lucky mascots. Many years ago I contacted Alan Hayes and he told me that my grandad and someone else (it could have been Alan himself) during the second World War raised funds for the soldiers when they were home on leave. My grandad held a raffle and raffled my mums dolls to raise money. I would love it very much if a member of Alan’s family could contact me. I never managed to visit him and regret this very much. He had lots to tell me about my grandad. I look forward to someone emailing me. Thank you for your time reading this.

could i please have a link for my research, i have ancestors named Pointon, Sheldon and Turner
kind regards
Rachelle

Hi when I lived at Norton we used to catch one of your buses to Hanley from outside the park on Ford Green Road just below the crossroads.

I am writing a family history/tree book for my sister and would like to include ‘Memories of Norton’ and hope to include the big brown bus in it. What I cannot remember is the service number.

Could you help please?

Kind regards
Barbara

Bacca Simcock was my Grandfather who lived on Fiddlers bank and was married to Elizabeth who was a postwoman. They had a number of children- Brian, Keith,David, Ray (my dad) Frank, Joe, Nancy, Florence, Violet, I think there were 14 in total

There was also OJD 128R which along with OJD 164R replaced VBF and JRF in1982.These were replaced by EWY78 and 79Y in 1987 shortly before the sale to PMT.

Hello from Jaimie McEvoy in Canada, Great Grandson of Arthur Goodwin of Bank End Farm.

On the afternoon of Aug 15th 1944,myself and pals from Norton in the Moors were watching a match at Knypersley cricket ground Biddulph. At the southern end there was a coppice of tall trees.Suddenly a Lancaster Bomber, at very low alttude flew down th pitch. The plane flying N-S went through the tops of the Trees,branches were ripped off. One engine started to smoke.The Plane veered to the East, towards Endon and Leek. On the next day news came that the bomber had crash landed in a field behind Brown Edge.I went on a search, found the site but it was cordoned off.However I found a crumpled piece aluminium,one side painted yellow , outside the crash site My souvenir ! I retained this despite house moves over the Years. What a Blessing all of the crew survived.

Very old Nortonian.!!

My great grandfather George Mountford was born 1838.He was the second child of Joseph and Martha Mountford. Anecdotal wisdom has it that he was born near The Lump of Coal.He married Elizabeth Turner and was a tailor.Their son George was born in November 1870, my grandfather, a tailor in Smallthorne.My grandfather died in 1938.

I’m tracing my Davenport family tree my Grandfather was John William Davenport born Lask Edge 7 May 1894 working back his father James Davenport Born Brown Edge born 1862/3, I’m now trying to work out if his father was William Davenport as mentioned in the Davenport family History above, any information on my family line would be greatly appreciated

The Lump of Coal. Richard Sheldon (1839-1928) was probably the longest serving landlord of any of the Brown Edge pubs. He was there from 1862 until 1909 when his son George took over. Not sure how long George was there but he died in 1934. His father-in-law (Basnett) was the licensee of the Rose and Crown at Stanley in the late 1800’s.

Reply

The following were licensees at the dates shown.
1876 – George Goodwin
1880 – George Goodwin
1900 – Charlotte Goodwin
1920’s – Possibly Ephraim Sherratt followed by his son (also Ephraim)
1939 – William Wilshaw
Later – possibly Harry Noel Hargreaves

Thanks for this website, very informative! – Do you know if any of any of Edwin’s children are still alive? According to a local obituary, Stephen Turner of Brown Edge (born 1956) died in August 2022. Was he Edwin’s son?

Many thanks