Memories of Rothwell
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Year: 1860s
Seanor Match works
Actually this memory via my father and grandfather go back further than 1860. My great-great-grandfather, Richard Seanor, got interested in match making and went to London to find out the process etc. He then came back to Rothwell and started his own matchworks factory. He then went on to make the small match that we use today and of course the match box, which was made by children around 10 years of age. Quite a few times the factory burnt down, and later when his son Jabez took over, he opened a factory in Bootle, Liverpool, but in 1904 or thereabout Jabez sold the business to Bryant and May, the match makers we all know but who have now moved to Sweden. I have been to Rothwell a few times and met some of the people there who knew of my great-grandfather (Jabez) and of course Richard my great-great-grandfather. I have also been to the old church to visit their grave sites, and found out about the adopted son (Andrew Marshall) who ran the Rothwell Times newspaper. I am still finding out more and more of this history but would like to meet anyone who could pass on more information, so that I can visit the site and build on these memories of my past ancestors lives, and so would appreciate hearing from anyone who could help. I also know that my ancestors had connections with Abbotford and Hunslet but I am not sure to what extent, and I would like to find if there are any grave sites in these two towns which may contain some of my ancestors. I also would like to contact anyone who may have some history on the arrival of my ancestors into England as I have received info from "Genubase" stating that they could have arrived in Britain around the year 970, probably in what is now Derbyshire. I also would like to hear from lost relatives, and any info on the Seanors (Seyner or Saynor, or Sayner) who arrive in Britain around 1740 from Europe and went to Rothwell, to stay with their relatives, as I have found that they moved on to USA with a King's gift of 390 acres of land in Pennsylvania, and I have met some of them over there, still on this land. I also believe that my great-great-grandfather Richard can take credit for discovering the "Safety Match" which from what I have heard was by accident. And I would like to get more details about this. Last edited: 17/11/2008 09:22 by Eric Seanor |
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 Rothwell, the Church c1960 (ref: R85020) |
Year: 1930s
My child days
I was a child in the Rothwell children's home and went to the the church you mentioned. Last edited: 12/05/2008 09:29 by First Name Last Name |
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Year: 1969
Memories of rothwell in the sixties
I lived in Rothwell from the age of 5 leaving to come to Australia in 1969 at the age of 16. I think regularly now of how the village would have changed so much since I left. I remember being a bridesmaid at the Trinity church and still have photos of coming down the path through the gate. I drew a picture at school of the church; we had to do this in charcoal and wish I had kept it. We used to wander around and look at the old gravestones. I remember the fairs that used to be held every year when we used to celebrate Childrens' Day and have races in the park, and the scary fireworks display at night standing on the hill thinking they were going to land on me. I attended the Church school in the main street and remember the new shopping centre being built. We used to call into one of the shops and buy a bag of broken biscuits for a penny for a treat. I remember looking over the wall into one of the shops which I think ended up being the first supermarket in Rothwell. Then I went to the secondary modern school which I believe is now called Rodillians. It was pretty bare around the school and used to have prickly hedges growing, there was also a ditch. I do remember when I first started at this school as I was only small. One day there was a strong wind and I got blown into the prickly hedge and was covered in scratches. There was also a great Tuck shop which was really tiny and sold lots of sweet things. We used to walk everywhere and I used to have to take my two sisters and brother to Sunday school at the Methodist Chapel. I used to like the Christmas plays and I was in a couple of them, also the Harvest festivals. My friends at school were Diane W, Susan H,Cynthia (Denise) F. & Gail L. My mum tells me stories of when they lived in Rothwell during the second world war and that they had bomb shelters in the gardens. She lived in Temple Avenue and straight over the road was a wooden bridge that went over the railway line that ran from the Fanny Pit; that's where my dad worked. We used to see all the miners walking up the hill with their black faces and white eyes. Down the banking to the railway line, blackberries used to grow and we used to go down there to pick them. There was also a farm down the lane and my sister Christine used to have a friend called Janet that lived there. There was a working mens' club. I am not sure if that still exists, but it was a treat if we ever got to go there and have our bag of crisps and bottle of pop. I remember the stage, and I remember that my Grandma and Grandad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there. We used to live on Fourth Avenue and just around on the main road used to be a shop that sold everything, it was a post office too. The year that we left Rothwell was a pretty long winter. It was still snowing in April and I used to cut through the fence at the bottom of our garden and cross the fields to my friend's house who lived in I think it was Sixth Avenue and we used to catch the bus to work in Leeds. I haven't seen snow since so it's stuck in my mind. I would love to visit Rothwell again one day, not sure if it will ever happen but I do have some great memories & I will treasure them, I do still have some relatives that live there and just recently my brother has been to Engalnd and I think he visited Rothwell, sadly we dont communicate so I wont be able to share his experiences he was only 6 when we left so wouldnt have remembered too much anyway. I will keep checking this website to see if I can see any photos that might mean something to me, and hopefully someone might remember some of the things that I have mentioned. Marie Marsland (nee Lord) Last edited: 03/07/2007 12:49 by Marie Marsland |
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Year: 1955
My early years in Rothwell
I was born in Rothwell in 1949 and have lived there all my life and remember when it was a picturesque village where everyone knew each other. What changes have taken place over the years. I remember going to the Corn Mill with my dad on a Saturday morning to get corn for dad's pigeons. We had to go over a foot bridge, across the mill pond, past the big water wheel and into the storage shed. Being very small, dad would lift me up to get the corn out of one of the big barrels and nearly always pretend to let go of me, so I thought I would fall in. Tommy Barret owned the mill and he was a great big man, who always wore a dirty brown apron and scared me to death. Going back over the footbridge we would stop to watch the swans and in springtime the May blossom would fall and cover the water. My best friend was Ann who lived in Manor Farm (near to the castle ruin). The farmhouse was fascinating with narrow corridors upstairs and the old dairy next door, where the ancient equipment hung still. There was a secret passageway that ran from the farmhouse into the church vaults, which had been sealed up years before by Ann's grandad as he thought it to be in a dangerous condition. We lived in Pottery Fold, by the side of the River Dolphin (then known as Rodhill Beck). At the other side of the beck was Wards garage, which flooded every time it rained heavy, and just beyond Rothwell Parish Church. I attended Rothwell Church school, Commercial Street (where Morrisons is now) in the days when the 'kid catcher' would always know if you didn't go to school and a letter would be delivered home to your parents. I only did it once, but the good-hiding I got taught me never to do it again! The shops in Commercial Street were wonderful. The Co-op where sugar was weighed into blue bags and hams hung from the ceiling. Thrift stores where Mr Lunn would let you help yourself to a broken biscuit. Keitels pork shop where the most delicious pork pies were to be had, along with 'ducks', polony and jugs of gravy. Happy Days! Last edited: 26/06/2007 15:46 by June Holstead |
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