The Lord Family

History

Grandmother Ives was formerly Elizabeth Ann Lord and she was named after her mother (who was a Nuttall). Contrary to all expectations, her family produced problems, surprises and mysteries! Apart from the Nuttalls, they all had their origins in the Todmorden road area (Change, Higher Change and Sharneyford); Tong Lane was adjacent and near the town centre. Even the Nuttalls eventually came to Vale street which was just off Tong Lane. This part of Bacup was, according to the local history books, a 'hive of industry'; the two C.M's (coal mines and cotton mills) were main places of employment.

Great-great grandfather George Lord, and later on his son, great grandfather James, to an even greater degree, plagued me considerably - and being called Lord, a very common name, didn't help matters either!

George Lord married Ann Cropper at St.Nicholas' church, Newchurch-in-Rossendale, on 27th Oct., 1828; the certificate tells us that they were both of Change, so it was quite a distance to travel to get married. However, it was the principal church in the parish which then extended all that way and I was later surprised as to how much it would feature in our BM&D's (on my Maternal side too).

I had thought that George Lord passed away before his wife Ann in 1863 and I spent some time following this stupid notion until I realised that Ann had not been designated a widow on her interment - so where was he? I almost made the mistake of identifying another George Lord as being our elusive 2xgt grandfather. It was only today (29.11.99) and quite by chance, that whilst looking for a 2xgt grandfather from my mother's side (occasioned by a very distant relative (both in miles and years) in Ontario, Canada, who 'turned up' - in a letter - only last Friday) that I noticed in the Bacup cemetery register, a George Lord that I had somehow previously overlooked. I noted the details and, sure enough, he was our 2xgt grandfather and interred in the family grave B61 - his name had not been transferred to the grave register in 1873, otherwise I would have found him much earlier.

His son, gt.grandfather James, was a problem right from the start! There were three children christened with the name James Lord at St.John's church, Bacup,around 1839. Eventually ours was identified and traced, through the years, until he disappeared from the census of 1871.

James Lord and his family lived in Tong Lane (end house of Reed St) in 1881 but in 1871 they were nowhere to be found; as mentioned in the Nuttall story, a long search ensued. Quite by chance, I noticed an apparent error on the census return of 1871 with the listing of a family Nuttall in 'Reed St'. The census enumerator had made a stupid mistake by showing all the occupants of the house as being called Nuttall ('ditto' marks all down the column) when, in fact, a James was shown to be a 'son-in-law' and with daughter Elizabeth A., as being married, also there are grandchildren (Samuel and Annie). So, at long last, here they were and all under one roof.

I am almost certain that the house in Tong Lane (No.39, 1881 census) and the house in Reed St., (1891 census) was one and the same; it was the end house of the street but it faced onto Tong Lane thereby causing a lot of confusion - it was, according to an o/s map of the time, No.36 (see also marriage certificate and obituaries).

The year 1881 saw the addition of Elizabeth Ann (who would become grandmother Ives - evidently named after her mother) and her sisters Sarah and Clara; Samuel is missing but I can find no record of what happened to him.

In 1891, both James and his daughter Clara are missing along with Elizabeth Ann who was deceased. Goodness knows what happened to gt.grandfather James Lord. According to Thomas Edward & Elizabeth Ann's marriage certificate he is not deceased and according to Elizabeth Ann's (mother) obituary (1916), he had died some twenty years previously, which puts the period around 1896-7. But, after searching through these years, both before and after, I have been unable to find him and have now discontinued the search. Cousin Edna mentions that her mother told her that James Lord had been something of a scoundrel and that he had eventually been 'banished from the household'.

The Bacup Times of 20th Jan., 1923 tells us about Clara with her obituary. Apparently she was the wife of a Frank Harrison (still at Tong Lane) but I have been unable to find details of the marriage. Strangely enough, though, she is registered as Mrs. Clara Harrison in the cemetery register but as Clara Lord in the grave register. The other mysteries I leave for you to ponder.

Clara's sister and, in fact, our gt-aunt Sarah, died in Burnley Victoria hospital on 8th March 1953. I recall being with my father when he paid her a visit at 36, Tong Lane at sometime in the late 1930's.(Miss Harrison was there also). I made the same mistake with her as I did with one of my mother's aunts - I didn't keep in touch and lost the chance to learn at first hand important parts of our family history.

Copyright © 2000 Frank Ives snr.
Last revised: March 2000