Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

This isn't about anything much except those happy accidents that happen occasionally when you're treeing.
My father-in law used to talk about growing up next door to a lady called Polly Proctor who'd lost both her sons and her husband in the first war. He said that he'd been named in honour of one of them. So when Kris & Mel decide to do a project on Briercliffe soldiers I set out to unearth some information about them.
I found the war graves records of the two sons, and bits of military records for one but nery a mention of the father. The mother's name turned out to be Mary, so why they called her Polly I don't know.

Like you do, I firtled round in the census records and lo and behold, the boys' paternal grandmother turned out to be a Leaver. What's more, once I had her marriage certificate I was able to work out that she was actually related. So it turned out that, unknown to him, my father-in-law was directly descended from the same man as the boy he was named after.
My little Proctor/Procter tree now got tacked onto the big Leaver tree. A most unexpected result.
And you know when you don't know when to stop? well I carried on just a little bit further, found that one of the Proctors married a Heap and hey presto it all joined up with Peter's 'Heap' tree. At this rate we'll have all of Briercliffe on the one tree.
Now there's an idea for the 25th anniversary celebrations- we put all our trees together, print them off and paper the libary walls with them! (Just joking)

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!

For some reason Mary was often changed to Polly, anyone know why?

As for the one huge Briercliffe tree, Kris and I have discussed this. I have too much on my plate to think about it at the moment but if anyone ones to have a go at it I'll gladly submit my file to the project!

As for the soldier database, not forgotten. Lyndon is aware that I want this but hasn't had time to do anything about it yet.

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Mel

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The only reasoning I have found so far for Polly is that it was a pet form of Molly which was a pet form of Mary!

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Mel

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One pleasing bit of serendipity in my research happened when I wondered if I could find out anything about the life of my GG'father after he retired from his career with the Staffordshire Constabulary. I put "Joseph Tideswell" Pelsall (which is where he lived later in life) into Google, and it threw up just one reference: a list of landlords of pubs in Brownhills, including Joseph Tideswell, Rising Sun, 1908. The only reason it found this page was that another pub in the list was in Pelsall Rd!
I already knew that by the 1950s his daughter, my great-aunt, was the licensee of a Brownhills pub, though I think it was the Railway Hotel. Of course, it wouldn't be surprising if she had learnt the trade from her father.
Nothing to do with Briercliffe, but it's a nice story. It certainly gave me a useful bit of the jigsaw puzzle!.
Charon

There is a Tideswell Road just around the corner from me. I believe Tideswell was the name of the builder.

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Mel

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Mel,
I've found lots of Tideswells in N Staffs, especially along the axis from Stoke to Uttoxeter and into Derbyshire; they were mostly in farming and mining I think. My GGf was born in Cheadle so he was an exile when he worked in West Brom and Smethwick; it's a much less common name there in the deep south! Still, he must have got used to it, to retire in Brownhills and Pelsall.
Charon

Have you ever travelled to Cheadle? If there are any pics you want, let me know. It's less than 10 miles from me.

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Mel

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Mel,
that's really kind and I'll remember the offer when I get round to the Tideswells. At present they are on the back burner (ouch!) while I concentrate on Lancs and the IOW
Also I'd feel a bit guilty when you have so much to do for the website - but perhaps you'd like a day off when the weather's better?
Charon

It really is on the doorstep. I could combine it with a shopping trip. There is a shoe warehouse there that I buy my boots from. I have friends in Cheadle, my ex lives there and I am still very good friends with his parents. Cheadle is a place I visit often. I also have ancestors there myself. My lot from Cheadle are Barlow and Salt.

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Mel

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Mel,
my 4G and 7Gg'mothers are Salts. I'll pm you later and we can try to find out if we're related. Now I really must tear myself away and drive to Dorset. This forum is too much fun!
Charon

OK, no problem. I'll have to familiarise myself with them. I haven't looked at that line for a while.

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Mel

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Nice work Maureen! When you get a chance maybe you can pass on the census info and I can add it to my Leaver file!! (I know you gave me some things already but with the “work” thing it’s lost I think).

I know we talked about this before, but I am sure most of Briercliffe is related. I got a little sidetracked on Pickles recently, it turns out the same Pickles family married into my Leaver’s numerous times, and this same family also married into my Sutcliffe line which in turn married into my Leaver line!! It makes me wonder who introduced who!! Not only that, I have seen my Leaver’s in Annie29750’s Nutter tree!! This is the reason I have been collecting all these Wills, it is interesting to see some of the names mentioned, and it can alert others to a new line of enquiry!

General Will-Finder

I've found intermarrying in Briercliffe too. My Stanworths married into the Todd family, later into the Dents, then a Todd and Dent married. One day I'll get them all sorted. The Edith Todd who married into the Leavers is a connection of mine. I'll look that up, Kris.

Could this be because Briercliffe was isolated, so not a wide variety of potential marriage partners?

I have a Mary Ann who was always known as Polly. I've read that Mally was an old form of Mary. Maybe the Polly came from this - similar to Mel's suggestion.

Joan

That would be great if you could look into the Todd’s. As well as Edith - http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/paf ... 04.htm#943 I also have Elizabeth Todd marrying a Leaver http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/paf ... 04.htm#909 do you think they are Sisters?

By the way, these Leaver’s are Brother’s so its cool if they are sisters!!

Edit – I have added the Todd’s census here - http://briercliffesociety.co.uk/talkbac ... .php?t=787