Charlemagne on a cold Sunday afternoon

Yesterday was a very rainy day and I wrote this after an hour or so of solid rain when the garden was sodden with rain water and the wind meant that it was too cold to be out………..

There are a few things that really annoy me. Cold calling, speculative e-mail shots and 'drip pricing' all really upset and irritate me. I also dislike emails that tell me that the Bank of this and that is sending me a lot of money if only I will give them my credit card details. Yes, you get them as well.

In terms of genealogy, one of the things that really annoys me are those websites whereby people claimed descent from this and that personality right back to Adam and Eve with very little evidence or even an attempt to claim ‘evidence’ for their claim. Whilst this sort of assertion may be truly mediaeval in origin and quite mediaeval in spirit it doesn't really push back the boundaries of credible genealogy. From reading my last blog you will understand that I been looking at the gateway ancestor and trying to find somebody that will take us back even a little and I have been giving this matter some thought. So, whilst I dislike ‘strange’ web sites that make bold and unsustainable claims, I also recognise that they can be fun.

I have speculated in an earlier blog about the possible connections with the Finch family in Standish and Wigan being linked with the Earls of Aylesbury. This is purely speculative on my part, with no evidence whatsoever and ‘just for fun’ as they say. For the readers of this blog I want to confirm that I am quite able to make a distinction between fact and fantasy. The idea that the Finch family with which I am connected is also part of the noble family of Finch is fun but my daily life does not rely on this possibility. My life will not be ruined if I am not part of the noble family and it will not change anything immeasurably in my life. My Finch tree starts in 1806 and anything before that is speculative.

Still, I decided to test out the possibility that 80% of the population of Western Europe can claim a link to the Emperor Charlemagne. Now, that seems a very strange statistic and one may wonder how 80% of Western Europe can claim descent from one person or from an Emperor. However, it seems to be generally accepted that Charlemagne is the progenitor of Western Europe and that he is the progenitor of 70% of Eastern Europe. I suppose the difference between the Eastern and Western parts of Europe used to be the problem of travel in previous ages. The idea that so many people descend from Charlemagne is on the one hand exciting and invigorating and also unifying. Isn't it magnificent that we will descend (or most of us descend) from one person even if that person is so long dead?

Some years ago I went to the great city of Aachen which is now in Western Germany and I went to the Church where Charlemagne's remains are to be found. Amidst the tourists, the crush of humanity and the splendour, I truly felt connected with Charlemagne in an historical sense. I am not making any claims about ‘spooky’ mystical connections here and certainly Charlemagne did not speak to me in a personal sense. If Charlemagne did speak to me would that speech have been in mediaeval German or would Charlemagne have by some amazing power learnt modern English? No, Charlemagne did not speak to me in any mystical sense but I did, nevertheless, feel connected with him as the father of western Europe. Charlemagne is one of those great figures who, although sometimes quite genocidal in nature, is also one of the great figures in European history. However, did 80% of Western Europe descend from him? I decided to give this one a go and see whether or not I could prove some sort of descent from Charlemagne. If 80% of the population of Europe descends from the Emperor, then there is a fair chance that I can show this to be the case for the Finch family of Standish and Wigan.

Strange and mystical genealogies on the internet abound and it is clear that when people copy and paste Standish based genealogies they often click the link on Ancestry.com that places Standish in Gloucestershire rather than Lancashire. It is evidence of a lack-lustre piece of research when that mistake is not noticed in the onward ‘copying’ of the link. Mistakes such as this often test the credulity of individuals and despite such a style of research, I decided to look at my ancestors in the 18th century and see which of them I could take back any further. Which of them would prove revealing to a ‘copy and paste’ and ‘just for fun’ way of doing things. Interesting?

I decided to set aside the normal rules of genealogy and behave like one of the mediaeval heralds who set about writing genealogies that pleased their political master rather than relied on proven records. In the desire to connect myself to Charlemagne I used the International Genealogical Index freely and also used it widely. I want to talk about this in some detail so that you understand how I tried to connect myself in the 21st century to my 34th generation ancestor. The International Genealogical Index is a wonderful tool and I have used it for some years. It has confirmed all sorts of suppositions and it has led to some wonderful openings being made into the past that have subsequently been cross examined or cross referenced by other sources. Certainly, the International Genealogical Index has become more of a tool in the last few years then it was when I started to research my family tree. To find Charlemagne, I had to use the International Genealogical Index a little more freely, widely and with a little less respect.

I started by testing out any of the ancestors. How many of them could I take back a little further? I found that there was one particular line 'Smith' that was more yielding to research than I had imagined. Using the International Genealogical Index I was able to look at the marriage of individuals and then to go back 20 years or so to look to their birth and so on and so forth. Using this rather free method I was able to find a reasonable line. I wasn't completely cavalier in my attitude to this research and I looked for multiple people of the same name in a relatively short time period . If there were several men by the name of ‘John’ then I decided it was impossible to make a determination of which person of this name was the true ancestor and I set aside the project . However, for 'Smith' in Wigan I found that there were several wonderful people with no other similar names in the same time period. Equally, I could not believe my luck when I found that at one period of time a family actually married into a Finch line for a few generations before that, again, became untraceable in the International Genealogical Index.

The gateway ancestor finally emerged in the name 'Prescott' and I suspect that for many in the North-West this name is particularly useful as a gateway ancestor as it leads the family back into the line that is ‘Standish’ and Standish Hall. Well, when I found that I had managed to break my way through the gateway and found the noble family of Standish I became quite excited. Rather than my usual selection of ‘real people’, I was beginning to find people who were not so much members off the local workforce as members of the local aristocracy. There are people by the name of ‘Molineux’ etc and that is quite exciting in itself. ‘Beaumont’ is always exciting when found in a family tree as is ‘De Clare’. In effect, I have managed to push back to a point where, instead of family trees, we had national history. Eventually I came across an illegitimate link to Henry Plantagenet, King of England. With royalty one always finds a descent to Charlemagne and sure enough we can rely not so much upon this one Plantagenet but on the other aristocracy to find links to Charlemagne.

What does this tell us about genealogy on the Internet? Well, genealogy on the Internet is enormous fun and passes many a pleasant hour when it is raining outside and we cannot go out. Genealogy on the Internet is solidly entertaining and it can be similarly speculative. Sure, the International Genealogical Index had evidenced and witnessed all of the assertions, or assumptions, that I made but at any one spot, at any one juncture and at any one point the progress to the past could be faulty and in error. In effect, this great long and apparently unbroken golden line to the past could be a mistake. Don't misunderstand me, I'd love the idea that the Finch family in Wigan descends, however remotely, from the Emperor Charlemagne. That we descend from Henry Plantagenet is truly exciting. But that it might also be a mistake is also amazingly apparent.

A progress report of sorts

I have been researching my family tree for some. When I first started there was no such thing as the internet and I originally had to write letters to people in the hope that they would respond favourably. I had many responses from the Wigan and Burnley area, some were positive and some were not and some were interested and some more disheartening. Most of all they had a weariness about them because at that time people were just beginning to become interested in trees and genealogy as a whole. I think many local vicars were at the point where they were transferring the records that they held to the local county archive service. I think many of the local clergy were quite delighted to rid themselves of these records and the contact they had from people like me. Some letters from local clergyman were lacking in Christian charity whilst some were quite delighted that someone had actually written to them in the first place. One took one's chances and wrote. I was reminded of the idea of casting one's bread upon the water.

Of course, there was always the possibility that one could visit Wigan and Burnley. However, it was such a long way to go and even when I got there I wasn't sure that I would know what to look for or where to go as the starting point. So, I started to research in the paper record and started to ask for certificates. Births, marriages and deaths started to flow into the house. At that time the price of certificates was, by modern standards, quite cheap. Although to a youngish person starting out in life, the cost of endless certificates became daunting. To say the least, life also got in the way and a great many things happened as a great many things happen to everyone else. Interest in genealogy and family history ebbed and flowed and sometimes 'things' were forgotten only to be resurrected at a later time when life had settled down and the past became more pressing than the present. The certificates would be brought out and analysed and thought about and examined before being brought back in the box in which I retained them. This box was carried dutifully from house to house as I moved from one home to the next as part of my job. The ancestors stayed with me in the form of these certificates and at some point I knew that I would put it all together and make some sort of unity out of all the little pieces of information and all the little bits of rubbish that I had collected. This makes true the idea of 'never throw anything away'. I should never have thrown away some of the things that I had to throw away but in various house moves little pieces of paper became lost and detached and discarded. These many little pieces of information I regret losing because now when I do have time to sit down and resurrect the whole story they are a gap that cannot be filled.

Needless to say, new pieces of information had been found and I rejoice at the ability of the Internet to provide new information as archives go online, people become more interactive and information is out there. Like pebbles laid out on the beach, information about the ancestors becomes more and more accessible. We have cousins in Australia and the United States who are delighted to find their ancestors. Perhaps more than people in the United Kingdom, Americans and Australians have a greater interest in their roots and heritage and I can understand that. There is perhaps also a time in peoples lives when roots become more important and it seems significant that many genealogist and family history experts are older people. I suppose they had the time to dedicate to such a time consuming passion and the determination to look at a screen in the hope that something useful will pop out. Older people do have the time, although they also have lives and retirements which are to be lived and enjoyed. Despite this I think that genealogy and family history is something that can be enjoyed by everyone and it speaks to us of our roots and heritage. Genealogy also speaks to us of our past but also it says something about our future. Where others have been; so too may we go in the future.

The Finch family history is in many ways a little bit of a roller coaster. I have certainly in some manner of speaking been disappointed that I have not yet found a British Duke in the ancestors. I never really expected to find a British Duke (or any Duke for that matter). However, all of the genealogy programme's lead us to believe in some sort of gateway ancestor that will lead us into that possible nobility and aristocracy and sometimes I think we are all a little disappointed not to find that link. The Finch family has been a disappointment in this matter although the disappointment is perhaps, in reality, of my own making rather than that created by the ancestors who lived their own lives and made their mark on their society in their own way and in their own time. My disappointment is nothing in comparison to the daily achievements they made in their own lives. They got up in the morning among often grinding poverty and they went to work in often terrible conditions before returning home to live the lives to which they had no alternative. Our ancestors were remarkable creatures and my own little disappointments at not finding 'nobility' are quickly changed to a strange sort of delight that they, as a group, had survived. So, I do not yet have the gateway ancestor and I cannot claim to be part of any great noble house although I do hope and I do look out for such an ancestor and if anyone knows of such then please speak up I am only too willing to hear it.

In reality, like many other families, the Finch family is often clothed in obscurity and it does not pop-out of the historical record easily. We are coalminers and we are factory workers. The history of the Finch family and those who married into the family is written in carbon. Our lives are sometimes brief and later we rest in the Lower Ince Cemetery before a branch of the family transferred over to Burnley. So far I have not come across anybody that is famous or important or noteworthy although increasingly that has a sort of reassurance to it. Although we have no one of historical importance in our family it also means that neither do we have generals who have been responsible for the mass murder of their fellow citizens and neither do we have religious zealots who lead the Church of England (other denominations also exist!) from time to time. If members of the Finch family made mistakes then they made mistakes were themselves and their own family rather than whole communities. There is something a little comforting in that. It is better to be responsible for one's own mistakes rather than to find them writ large upon the pages of history. Still, it would be nice to find one of 'us' that had made it.

Ancestry.com has made the whole process a lot easier. We are able to share information and I know that over the past few months I have had some wonderful contacts from family members around the globe who have contacted me with their own contributions towards the tree that you can see. It is wonderful to be able to work collaboratively in such an intensive manner towards a common goal. The Finch family has moved on as a result of such collaborative endeavour and I look forward to further work in this area using Ancestry.com. The weblog has also proved very useful in sharing information and raising the profile of the Finch family that originates in Standish and Wigan. I hope that using the website 'Find a Grave' will, similarly, raise the profile of the family and encourage others to add their own contribution to build up our knowledge family members around the world. Raising the profile on the Internet may mean that we become more noticeable and others start to contribute to our knowledge and understanding of this ancient Lancastrian family.

So, research which began in the past continues and picks up pace over time. Internet research has built on pre-existing paper documentation gathered so many years earlier and is augmented by contemporary contributions. Knowledge about the Finch family, its origins and contribution to society develops and little historical questions are resolved. In terms of a progress report I think that the past year has been extremely important, rewarding and interesting and I look forward in continuing this research in collaboration with others.

Israel Finch (1885-1891)

Israel is an interesting Biblical name and this son of Richard Finch is in fact named after a maternal grandfather (Israel Howarth) who at that time was an ‘in-mate’ of a psychiatric hospital at Whittingham before Israel Howarth's own death in 1894.

The idea of naming a son after a grandfather is understandable. However, Israel Finch was named after a person who was both a detained patient and a person given to violent outbursts as part of his psychiatric condition. Additionally, Israel was a child named after a grandfather who had been part of a criminal trial in 1875 of people involved in a violent assault. Although, Israel Howarth was not convicted he was associated with those who were violent.

Despite such issues, Nancy Jane and Richard still thought positively enough of Israel Howarth to name their first son after his grandfather.

However, this particular Israel died in 1891 and we can only contemplate the grief of the parents even at a time when children died early with greater frequency. Israel was buried in a shared grave (Grave No. L 580) at the Lower Ince Cemetery. A birth and death certificate would be interesting for Israel although this is a job for another day as they say as this form of intensive family history can become expensive.

The question could be: why was Israel buried into a public grave when Richard was clearly doing so well for himself? Was it the case that Richard was an unemotional man as indicated by my relative in 1982 or was it something else?

Israel is not just a simple and abstract record in the family history. Israel has individuality as a child and as a distant cousin and despite this individuality as a person, Richard and Nancy were going bury Israel and other children anonymously in a public grave. Is this some sort of commentary on how Victorians viewed death, bereavement and children or is it some peculiar feature of the relationship of Richard and Nancy Jane? Were the couple just financially conservative or was it that they were at the start of becoming financially secure and resented paying the money to purchase a private grave for such a young child?

Although their first born son is buried in Wigan in a public grave; Richard and Nancy Jane are later re-united into a private grave in Burnley to be still later joined by a daughter,Mary Finch, and there is something uncomfortable in this arrangement. Did Richard remember his son Israel when he died in far away Gloucestershire so may years later?

I’m trying not to become mawkish about the separation of Israel from his parents in death and burial but we may consider Richard and Nancy Jane's actions as being quite unemotional although this lack of emotion fits in with family comments about Richard in particular.

Israel is interesting both in his death and the circumstances of his burial. Symbolically, Israel stands for and represents Victorian attitudes to death and burial and Israel also tells us something about Richard and Nancy Jane.

See this link for a comment on English burials
Public Versus Private graves

Ellen Finch

The last few days have been a sort of emotional roller coaster in research relating to Richard Finch and has created more questions about Ellen Finch. Just who was she, who did she originally marry and what was her birth name? Why wasn't she a beneficiary of Richard's will?

I received a copy of Richard's will after waiting for a month or so and that was a big event after all the waiting. That Richard didn't leave anything for 'the second wife', was hard enough to understand. That he didn't mention his second set of children is quite amazing. However, we have to remember that the eldest son Richard was possibly involved and my money rests on Richard being his father's favourite and being the person who decided on what happened after the death of his father. How much say did Ellen have over the bequests of her husband and did the law even allow Ellen to claim her husbands estate? Was she left with nothing or was it that she didn't need anything? Even so, there is an atmosphere of 'disloyalty' created by Richard towards Ellen. Despie this the late second marriage of Richard to Ellen (who had a previous marriage) may have seen Ellen as a woman left wealthy or at least comfortable.

The idea of Richard (Jr) being a significant player with influence rests on the limited material available. We can see that Richard (Jr) was an engine driver and that he followed in his father's footsteps. Richard is the first mentioned in the will and he lives in Burnley as opposed to another son, William, who moves away. I suspect that Richard (Jr) argued for the burial of his father 'up-North', but that is pure conjecture and the stuff of TV drama. Perhaps a widowed Ellen felt unable to argue with Richard's own son in such matters?

Ellen Finch is someone that we need to pay greater attention to as we try to peel away the layers of history and gain some idea of the past.

Richard Finch. Burial 20th September 1934

I have been looking for the burial of Richard Finch for the past year and at one point believed that he was buried in Gloucestershire. However, I once again looked at the Lancashire On line parish clerk project and find that Richard is actually buried in Burnley.

Richard was, in fact, buried on 20th Sep 1934 at the Burnley Cemetery. It is the same Richard because the address is given as "Rosegrove Ableton La. Severn Beach Bristol".

Startlingly, Richard is buried in grave A12655 and that means that Richard is buried in the same grave as his first wife. Imagine: Richard is buried in the same grave as his first wife when he died whilst married to the second wife Ellen.

That Richard died without apparently leaving anything to Ellen or the children is interesting but Richard is buried with Nancy Jane who died in 1917. There is clearly a story to be told here and that is probably a real humdinger!

I am so relieved to find Richard's burial. It is like finding an old friend and it is a sort of closure.




Gender: M
Register: Burials 1933 - 1940, Page 67, Entry 106028
Source: Original Registers Book 14

Elizabeth Gill (nee Finch) 1883-1969

I have to acknowledge from the beginning that this Elizabeth Finch, daughter of Richard, is largely unknown to me as the person I spoke to in 1982 had never met her and relied on hearsay and family accounts.

The date of death is conjectural and may be incorrect although it feels 'right' and sits in the usual time frame for someone born in 1883.

My source remembered that this Elizabeth married an Amos Gill and the name proved to be correct when I checked it out many years later. This is, again, the power of family accounts of long distant family members. We sometimes doubt what we are told although many the accounts given to me by family members have proved to be correct when checked out.

I remember that Elizabeth Finch moved with her husband to Edmonton near London and that Amos was a wealthy man. This was important to the teller of the story who was proud that at least one Finch woman had married well. I know no more of this member of the family but I would like to know more.

"Rosegrove"

The address/house name for Richard Finch in Severn Beach seems to be "Rosegrove" and situated at Ableton Lane. Now that name seems to have some meaning for Richard as it is also the name of the railway station in Burnley.

It is probably the case that Richard worked from this Burnley station in his career as an engine driver and we start to become closer to the real Richard Finch as he moves from the hard industrial North-West to leafy Gloucestershire. We also start to see Richard as a man 'soaked through' with the railway even to the point of naming his house after a railway station even when he was so geographically far away. Perhaps Richard was similar to the archityple British Imperial explorer of the period in India who called his hill-top bungalow after a distant town in Surrey. Perhaps at the end of our days we all hark back to our earlier days and life times when we were happy and fulfilled.

I find myself asking why Richard was so associated with Burnley when he was born in Standish and was probably well known to Wigan. Richard, clearly, made a decision to move away from Wigan and an ealier posting details his house ownership in both towns. However, despite a point when he owned houses in both towns; Richard moved on.

The death of his wife in Burnley in 1917 allowed Richard to marry again and start his new family in the Bristol area. We don't yet know when Richard moved to Severn Beach although we can be certain that it was post 1920. I'm working under the hypothesis that Richard bought a new property in the new town of Severn Beach and moved there with Ellen. Richard, who had been surrounded by poverty and family members being incarcerated in the workhouse or psychiatric institutions, possibly found security for the first time.

The great surprise is that Richard does not, in his will, apparently leave monies for his wife or second family. Richard remembers some, if not all, of his older children living in Burnley. He does not remember William Finch in the will although he remembers Mary Finch a person that he is said to have (at some points) disliked. The reasons for this choice may be lost in time and never to be known.

"Rosegrove" is a place that leaves a lot of questions unanswered in relation to Richard whilst answering others and the greatest puzzle left is the last resting place. Where is Richard buried? Richard does not appear to be buried in Burnley next to his first wife although this would be very unusual especially for Ellen Finch. Richard is not buried in the parish in which he died and this is unusual.

"Rosegrove" is interesting in that it tells us something about Richard and humanises him to some extent.

Last Will. Richard Finch.

Well, here it is just when I thought it would never arrive. We have the last will and testament of Richard Finch

This is the last will and testament of me

Richard Finch of Rosegrove, Ableton Lane, Severn Beach in the County of Gloucestershire. Retired Engine Driver.

I hereby revoke all former testamentary dispositions made by me and declare this to be my last will and testament.

I appoint my wife Ellen Finch and my son Richard Finch to be my executors and trustees of this my will.

I give devise and bequeath £256 war savings certificates, £115 my money in the Burnley Building Society, £15 insurance money in Brittanic Insurance Company payable at my death, about £34 to become due at my death from the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, about £44 to come in shortly from war savings certificates and also any other monies or personal estate I may have due to me and all my other estate to be equally divided amongst my three children Richard Finch, Isabella Parker and Mary Finch

In witness wherof I have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of September 1934 One thousand nine hundred and thirty four.


Signed : Richard Finch

Witnessed: Wm Murphy (clerk to the solicitors)

Witnessed: John Denver(s/p?
Saint Kilda
Ableton Lane
Severn Beach Railway Inspector


The hand written will is written on two small pieces of paper. It is written in one hand and then signed by Richard Finch whose hand appears a little faint and shakey. I would anticipate that Richard was a man in poor health. That he is a retired engine driver may indicate that he has been in poor health for some time.

Israel Howarth (1833-1894) and Isabella (1827-1885)

Isabella Abbott (previously McVey) (nee McDonald) is becomming a particularly productive area for research. My thanks to our Australian connection for this research which takes us further and opens up new possibilities for this side of the Finch family.


Marriage solemnized at St. Catherine’s Church in the Parish of Wigan in the County of Lancashire.

When Married: Dec 31 1854

Name and Surname: Israel Howarth / Isabella Abbott

Age: 24 / 26

Condition: Bachelor / Widow

Rank or Profession: Factory Hand / -

Residence at time of Marriage: Scholes / Scholes

Father’s Name and Surname: John Middlehurst / Isaiah (or Isaac) McDonald

Rank or Profession of Father: Labourer / Weaver

Married in St. Catherine’s Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after Banns.

This marriage was solemnized between us: The mark X of Israel and Isabella. In the presence of us: James Mulroony / Margaret Mulroony


Isabella is found in the 1851 census boarding with Thos and Ellen Layland in Wigan. Living with Isabella is her daughter Nancy aged 6 and a son Robert aged 4. Isabella's age was 22

William Finch (1835-1912)

There was always a problem with the identity of William who was born in 1835 and, therefore, before civil registration in 1837. It was difficult to locate William and even harder to differentiate one William from another. This was my only experience of paying for a records agent but more about that at a later date.

To make things more difficult than they may be, there are two “William Finch” boys born in 1835 and in the same village of Standish.

The IGI shows the issue as follows:-

WM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 15 FEB 1835 Standish, Lancashire, England

WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Christening: 27 DEC 1835 Standish, Lancashire, England

For someone without access to paper records it would have been impossible to differentiate the two births and in the early 1980’s when this research started it was almost impossible to find the correct William and then to try and disentangle identity from a distance.

What about the paper record? Well, the paper record would not help us if we were looking at birth records and so we are looking at marriage records for William who married after civil registration and this did prove to be effective.

Starting from the ‘known’ and moving away to the ‘unknown’ Richard Finch gave us his birth certificate and then the marriage certificate of his parents and his father’s name was William with a calculated year of birth but more importantly a father’s name of ‘John’. This allowed a clear, evidenced and demonstrable way of separating the two Williams born in Standish and ‘our’ William is born at the end of the year rather than the beginning.

Starting from the ‘known’ and moving away to the ‘unknown’ is the standing operating procedure in genealogy and with William it paid dividends.

Coalmining History Resource Centre

The Coalmining History Resource Centre is an amazing on-line resource to find and I recommend that you check it out

http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/home/index.html
The is a link on the front page entitled “History of Mining Disasters in the UK” and this is worth having a look. With a searchable data base you can have a look at the Finch family killed in disasters. Have a look at the Ince Moss disaster in 1871.

William Finch (1894-1964)

This is a picture of William Finch. The picture is torn and seems to have the ‘You are here’ problem seen in maps where everyone touches the point on the map which eventually dissolves. We can see William as being quite dark in complexion even after some photo editing in line with the written record.

William is physically small here like many of his compatriots and other Finch men. If anyone can comment on the photograph then that would be very welcome especially comments relating to the men around William.

"Heneage"

Certain names can proliferate within a family and may persist over time. We find that certain male names arise and maintain a prevalence in our immediate relatives and more distant cousins that form a cohesive pattern over time. Like the ‘magic-eye’ children’s toys, the naming patterns are sometimes only perceived with the perspective of time and familiarity with the subject.

Selective naming within a family is no great surprise and we find the same dynastic pattern most easily recognised within Royal and noble families. How often do we marvel at the ability of the French Bourbons to call their heirs “Louis” through the ages or for ordinary French families to have generation after generation of males called Jean-Baptiste? Some families do that sort of thing and some others do not.

The Finch family to which I belong in the genealogy displayed on Ancestry.com have the usual Finch male names such as “Richard”, “William”, “Heneage” or “John”. The names are repeated again and again and although the English tradition is not to hyphenate names and create “John-Richard” or similar forms, we do find that we can start to see a pattern and that pattern is quite powerful. Naming a son (or a daughter) is a personal matter to the parents but it also serves as a message to the world about identity, culture, society, history and belonging. The effect is so strong that if we spot a “Charles Finch”, we can immediately switch off from the search and move on to another name because this is not a name in the family to which we belong. If we see an “Otis Finch” we can be sure that he belongs to a branch in the USA. A whole range of male names can be ignored in favour of the names we have mentioned as well as the occasional “James” thrown in for good measure. Certainly, it would be fun to find an 18th century “Atticus Finch” in Wigan although that is unlikely to happen.

Despite certain fanciful absences from the family nomenclature such as “Atticus”, the Finch family in Wigan and Standish is heir to a range of strong influences when it comes to naming our sons. There are patterns and fashions in names and the Finch family is no different to many others in that respect. However, we are not the French Bourbons or the German Wittlesbach and we have never ruled a country. As a family, we did not have the burden of dynastic expectation placed on us or labor under a burden assumed by ourselves although time and circumstance do play a part in what we call our sons. Putting it simply, there are names more popular than others. History also plays its part and after the Battle of Trafalgar there may have been a number of boys around England called Horatio and George Washington may have set a similar trend or two when it came to the USA.

In addition to male names in Finch ancestry we witness other names which were popular in English society that are not always similarly popular in the family. So, Edward, George, Peter and Joseph are all popular in society and it would be no real surprise if they cropped up in the family although for some reason the Finch family usually omit these popular names. So much for predictability and fashion. Perhaps the distant choices made in the wider family through the ages were more focused than we had previously imagined and names were chosen deliberately and with determination.

Surprisingly, the personal name that perhaps exemplifies a male Finch in 19th Century Wigan and Standish, and sets us apart, is “Heneage” and this is something that is quite startling. We have here a name that identifies ‘one of us’ and sets us apart from other families. Although “Heneage” is a marker for a Finch family it is also hard to avoid the association with Heneage Finch (1580–1631) and his noble descendents. Try researching a person with this name in the family tree and you’ll find links to nobility suggested by the search engine and this is surprising and also confusing.

Our surprise is because the Finch family in Wigan and Standish is often seen to be financially poor and sometimes confined to the workhouse. We have to ask why we have and why do we repeat the same personal name as a noble family and why does the Finch family repeat this name over time? Cousins born in the 20th century similarly bear the name either as a first name or a middle name and it is clear that the name “Heneage” at some points has been important in saying something about identity and belonging. It is perhaps worth looking at the way in which “Heneage” came to Wigan because it has been important to our family and perhaps has some part in uniting us with even more remote cousins. It is fair to say that other families do use the name ‘Heneage’ although it is also fair to say that it appears to be this family that use the name with such resolute determination.

The start of the tradition of calling Finch males “Heneage” in Wigan and Standish seems to have encompassed all spellings. We have “Hendage” in 1674, “Hennage” in 1798, “Heneage” in 1784, “Hennege” in 1832. All from Standish and Wigan with other possible ‘Finch’ relatives in Chorley and Leyland also using the name.

Who was the first representative of this noble family in the area? Well, we can see that in 1692, “The Honourable (Reverend) Henry Finch”, was inducted as Rector of Winwick in Lancashire on August 1, 1692. Notably, this Henry Finch was the 6th son of Heneage, Earl of Nottingham and a younger brother of Daniel, Earl of Nottingham. Here we have perhaps the first link of this noble family with Lancashire although we may find that this clergyman came to Lancashire because they already possessed estates in the area and had a real link to the county. This possibility of a link to Lancashire is worthy of further research and extensive family papers do seem to exist that would allow a real depth of research. The arrival of Rev. Henry Finch in the County seems to have been followed by the subsequent arrival of the Rev. Edward Finch (1663-1738) who was Rector if Wigan 1707-1714 with a further family member, Heneage Finch, (1683–1757), attempting to become the MP for Wigan at an early point in his career. Have a look around on the search engines and you’ll come across some stories about this family and tangential links to Wigan and Lancashire. The links of the noble family to Lancashire are there to find although perhaps there is a need to explore and develop the links.


My meaning in all of this? Well, there is no suggestion that we have a clear, evident and demonstrated link to the Earldoms of Winchilsea and Nottingham and the noble Finch family. Such bold and overly confident assertions are often found in ‘’fantasist’ genealogical circles and too many people have read Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d'Urbervilles“ and hoped for something to happen. The idea of hidden links to a noble family are often a little blunt, over confident and unproven.

On the other hand; there seems to be something interesting going on over and above simple genetics. There may well be no blood connection between the noble Finch family and our own ancestors although ‘our’ family did assume a personal name of the richer and more prominent family. Is it the case that ‘our’ Finch family simply ‘aped’ the manners and circumstances of an aristocratic ‘sound a like’ to enhance their own status? This would be unsurprising in an age dedicated to aristocracy. Did they themselves believe at the time that there was a link of their own family to aristocracy?

It can only be imagined what the noble and aristocratic Finch family felt when the poor and ignorant Finch family in Lancashire started to call their sons by this exalted name and they then found that the son of a stone mason in Standish had the same name as an Earl. Interesting?

So, we have the real and evidenced connections of the aristocratic family with Lancashire and the Established Church of England and this means we have access to family papers and the records of the Church. There is further research to be completed in the area of personal naming and we may find that the links of the aristocratic Finch family to a rural and gentile Lancashire are greater than we currently perceive. “Heneage” as a name may lead us in a whole new direction. Good hunting!

John Finch (1804-1846)

Civil registration in England and Wales begins on July 1 1837 and as a result of this commencement date, William Finch’s marriage to Elizabeth Gaskill in 1859 is the last point at which I have a ‘hard copy’ certificate for my Finch line.

This ‘hard copy’ states that William married Elizabeth Gaskill and that his father was a ‘John Finch’ who was a ‘stonemason’. As a result we can count backwards from Williams age at his marriage and begin to look around for a William Finch born in 1835 and this seems to bring us to a family in Standish with a John Finch where John has the required William Finch as a son and where John is a stonemason.

It seems reasonable to consider Standish as the home for William and his father, John, unless anyone can offer an alternative although it is clear that there is a reciprocal movement of Finch ancestors between Standish and its larger neighbour Wigan which had a preponderance of weaving and weavers.

The 1841 Census for Standish gives John’s age (as the father of the required William) and we can count backwards to the most likely John born in Standish. We also have the names of John’s wife given as Jane.

The choice of John is at the moment based on evidence and deductive reasoning although unsupported by secondary documentary evidence. I say that because the IGI is incomplete as is the Lancashire OPC although both resources are magnificent in their scope and ambition. We have to accept and acknowledge that if the records were complete then the story may leap out at us. We must also search for secondary evidence that either evidences what we believe to be the case or offers new and better alternatives.

The birth of John in 1804 lead us to his parents and here we have the IGI to help us with this


Event(s) for John Finch International Genealogical Index
Birth: 29 MAR 1804
Christening: 29 APR 1804 Wigan, Lancashire, England
Parents:
Father: WILLIAM FINCH
Mother: JANE HESWICK




However, we have a problem when we try to find the marriage of William and Jane in Standish a village which seems to be the epicentre of the Finch line. However, the IGI search throws up a number of Finch ‘possibles’

1. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Death: 25 MAR 1959

2. William Finch - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Death: 19 NOV 1930

3. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 23 NOV 1863 Cathedral, Manchester, Lancashire, England

4. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 18 DEC 1823 Prestwich, Lancashire, England

5. William Finch - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 24 APR 1570 Croston, Lancashire, England

6. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 16 JUL 1910 Adlington, Lancashire, England

7. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 25 MAY 1762 Hindley, Lancashire, England

8. William Finch - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 27 OCT 1886 Alston, Lancashire, England

9. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 12 JAN 1658 Wigan, Lancashire, England

10. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 29 DEC 1724 Wigan, Lancashire, England

11. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 07 NOV 1813 Wigan, Lancashire, England

12. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 24 APR 1570 Croston, Lancashire, England

13. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 24 APR 1570 Croston, Lancashire, England

14. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 28 APR 1806 Upholland, Lancashire, England

15. WILLIAM FINCH - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Male Marriage: 02 JUN 1794 Saint Mary, Lancaster, Lancashire, England

The dates are,clearly, either too early or just too late and William Finch seems to have married someone with a name that is a problem for those recording events and may be confused with ‘Keathwich’, ‘Guestwick’ ‘Heswick’ and may originally be ‘Kissack’.

I offer Jane Kissack as an ancestor based on the Lancashire accent that may confuse the issue. We can see this issue of Lancastrian accent in the name ‘Henage’ which is also pronounced as ‘Enage’. We can also see William from Lancaster as a weaver and it seems entirely appropriate for William and his new wife to make their way to the growing town of Wigan and the nearby village of Standish. I am, however, impressed by the way that the IGI has so few matches for a ‘William Finch’ and a ‘Jane’.

The task seems to be to find secondary evidence for ‘John Finch’ who is also a stonemason in Standish. The evidence for a stonemason is limited so far and this may be the next source of information.

John Finch is intriguing in that we have evidence for him from the ‘hard copy’ and now we have to move backwards and evidence and demonstrate him and his parents in the generation that precedes him.

Hannah Finch (May 1 1865 - Dec 1865)

Hannah is the daughter of William Finch (1835-1912) and Elizabeth (nee Gaskill 1837-1873). Hannah was born May 1 1865 in Ince in Makerfield and the Lancs OPC has her baptised on Dec 11 1865 at All Saint’s parish Church In Wigan. However, the IGI has a Hannah Finch baptised Dec 11 1865 at St Catherine's, Wigan. So, what’s the truth in this and why would there be any discrepancy if any at all does exist. Perhaps someone can explain this for me?

I looked and looked for a marriage for Hannah and finally came away with the idea that this may have been one of the many Finch girls that never made it to adulthood and who died young. Starting from the known and working to the unknown is a standard operating procedure and I followed this in the case of Hannah.

We know that Hannah was born in 1865 and the next test is the 1871 census and here we find the main indication that Hannah did not make it when Hannah does not turn up with her siblings in the paper record. I have often watched those TV shows where modern people find their ancestors in the workhouse and they break down and cry there and then on TV. Well, I didn’t cry but I came close at crying for someone who was cut short before they could fulfil their potential.

In the 1871 census we can be fairly confident that we have the correct William and Elizabeth Finch. William is seen to have been born in Standish which is correct and in 1833 which is close to the true date of 1835. Elizabeth is said to be born in 1838 which is close to the correct date of 1837. It is in the presence of the correct children that we can conclude that this is the correct family and that Hannah is not there as we could reasonable expect her to be.

The 1871 census show the presence of Richard Finch aged 11, John Thomas aged 7 and their sister Jane, aged 3. However, there is no Hannah who seems absent. The IGI does not carry the death/burial date although the Lancs BMD does have a Hannah dying in 1865 and I am going to accept this entry as a real possibility of being ‘our’ Hannah Finch rather than someone totally unrelated. Hannah seems not to have made it. Just to be complete I also checked the 1881 census and Hannah isn’t there either.

There is no burial for Hannah in the Wigan Cemetery which has an excellent searchable database and I can only imagine that she was interred at Hindley or another place. Perhaps Saint Catherine’s had a cemetery and this served as the final resting place for Hannah.

"John Finch"

There are many problems in researching Finch heritage in Standish and Wigan and the main problem is the sheer number of people with the same name in a certain time frame.

“John Finch” seems to be one of the more popular names in the early 19th Century and is found in both Wigan and Standish. There is a also a degree of frustration in that the IGI is not ‘foolproof’ and the Lancs OPC does not cover all time periods and for all areas although it is truly magnificent how many hours are continually given over by volunteers to this endeavour.

So, “John Finch” and the continual problem of which one we descend from. I had a look at the number of people with this name and wanted to try and list them in a 20 year period.

John Finch Sep 23 1790 Thomas Finch and Alice
John Finch Jan 29 1791 Robert Finch and Betty highton
John Finch 1792 Robert Finch and Alice
John Finch 1793 James Finch and Alice
John Finch 1796 Thos. Finch and Betty
John Finch 1798 Edwd. Finch and Alice
John Finch Mar 29 1804 William Finch and Jane Heswick
John Finch Apr 23 1813 Thomas Finch and Catherine
John Finch Feb 14 1820 William Finch and Ann
John Finch 1821 James Finch and Mary
John Finch 1823 Peter Finch and Ellen

“John Finch “ has a wide popularity and there is a doubtless the possibility for confusion as to identity when we conduct electronic searches. There is also the popularity of the mothers name “Alice” which is popular in the same way that “John” is popular.

It is evident that the Finch family was present in both Standish and Wigan and is a local name although William Finch and Jane Heswick are probably from Lancaster.

Jane Fisher (1805-1871)

Richard Fisher and Betty Lawton married on October 30 1804 at All Saint’s Church in Wigan, Lancashire with Jane Fisher being their first child born in 1805 in Standish. Richard and Betty had other daughters although no sons seem to have been born to the couple. Esther Fisher was Christened on March 29 1807 again in Standish with Mary Fisher being christened January 24 1809 in Standish. Mary’s christening is variously given as January 24 in the IGI and January 29 1809 in the Lancashire OPC so this is a cautionary tale when it comes to assessing the evidence and looking at dates and circumstances. By the time that Mary was born the family lived in nearby Coppull and this indicates a degree of mobility for the parents. Richard Fisher is noted to be a weaver which is unremarkable for this geographical area and may have lead to the need to travel as contracts occurred.

Jane is a little elusive when it comes to her records which do not appear in the Lancs OPC for 1805.

Jane is seen to marry John Finch on July 25 1827 at Saint Wilfrid’s Church in Standish which would be normal for that period when many people adhered to the Established Church of England. Jane’s children followed quickly with Richard (1828), Enage (1830), James (1833), William (1835), Elizabeth (1838) and John (1842).

The couple are there in the 1841 census of Standish at Can Row with Richard, Enage, William, Betty and John.

Regrettably, her husband John seems to have been the subject of a court case shortly after the census in 1846 with John dying ( although aquited) in the same year.

Jane seems to have married quickly after the death of John. This time she married William Marsden on December 21 1846. This may have been a love match but we also anticipate that Jane’s wish to re-marry may have been as the result of a need to feed, house and cloth her children now that John Finch was gone.

The IGI shows Jane’s marriage to William being when she was 31 years old although this may hold either a mistake in the record taking or a miscalculation on Jane’s part when she gave her age. In any event William Marsden seems to have been younger than Jane and we can only speculate that it was entirely in Jane’s interests to have a fit and healthy younger husband who would provide for her existing children. Whereas John Finch has been a stonemason, William Marsden was a wheelwright and with a skilled occupation he seems to have been a reasonable ‘catch’ for this women with children. William does not seem to have brought children to the new relationship.

The most unusual point of this marriage is that it took place at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Chorley (OPC Lancs) although if we have any doubts about that this is the same Jane Finch (nee Fisher) then we can see that the father of the bride is Richard Fisher who is a weaver.

Again, if we have any doubts that we have the correct Jane Fisher then we only have to wait for the census of 1851 which shows that Jane Finch and her new husband William are at Wigan Road in Standish. Although Richard seems to have left the family we find that Jane still has with her Heneage, James, William, Elizabeth and John. If we rely on the census we miss the birth and premature death of Agnes Marsden in (1846-1847) although in the date of Agnes’s birth we may have a reason for the somewhat rapid marriage of Jane to William.

By the census of 1861 we find that there has been rapid changes in the household with most of the children having left the family home with James alone remaining with Jane and William. The last 10 years has doubtless been a busy time with departures and the outcomes for the children is a piece of research in itself. William seems no longer to be wheelwright and seems to be listed in a similar occupation as a joiner and carpenter.

However, by 1871 we have a complete change and we see that relying on snapshots at 10 yearly intervals really does mean that we miss out on all the events of the family. In 1871 James is now the head of the little family living at 32, High Street Standish. James is presumably caring for his mother and stepfather or at least is the major person in terms of income. In the period 1861-1871 James has been married and is now also a widower with children. Esther, Helen and John are all in the family home with William and Jane now listed as ‘Boarders’ with James as the ‘head’ of the family for the purposes of the census.

Regrettably, the census was probably taken just ahead of Jane’s own death in 1871. The whereabouts of Jane’s grave in currently unknown although this may be revealed by research.

By 1881, William Marsden is a boarder at 6 Scholes Lane in Standish with Langtree and a ‘joiner’.

The life of Jane Fisher who became a Finch and later a Marsden is probably little different from the lives of many other women who lived in the period. However, I am pleased to present her to you in this manner because I have seen her name for so many years as a possible ancestor to so many Finch relatives and it is good to see her ‘clothed’ in her context and with her events and circumstances all around her. I hope that people will have a look at Jane Fishers life and add to what can be known or deduced.

Nancy Jane Finch

Could anyone help in finding Nancy Jane Finch (b 1896) born in Wigan? I have used the Free BMD which has no further information. Nancy Jane is the daughter of Richard Finch (1860-1934) and Nancy Jane (nee Howarth 1859-1917).

Information supplied

Thank you for the links for the "National Railway Museum" and for "Railway Ancestors" added on the front page. I hope to explore over the coming weeks with relation to Richard Finch. Much appreciated. We may find records relating to Richard and his life and times and employment on the Railway.

Once again thank you for this!

Mary Finch (1900-1973)

I have been spending time recently (a lot of time) on the children of Richard Finch and for some of them this has at times been a little speculative although I have received some very useful information from a member of the wider family. My thanks for that!

The problem comes with the daughters of Richard Finch as we always have to find the correct husband for daughters and Finch can be a ‘popular’name in Wigan and Standish and not all people called “Finch” are related to this Finch family. I became a little obsessed with Mary Finch (b 1900) and what happened to her but when did she die?

I was puzzled by a Mary Finch in the Burnley cemetery buried March 1 1973 (A12655). and wondered if this could be the daughter of Richard and Nancy Jane (nee Howarth). The aged certainly seemed correct although it takes a little more than a ‘blunt’ age to ascribe parentage. There was a need to cross reference the occupant of the grave to the family to make a positive match but how to do that.

The grave number (A12655) seemed the best way to do that and thanks to the OPC project, I was able to look at the grave number for Mary Finch and cross reference that against other members of the family in Burnley. That seems to have done the trick because the other occupant is none other that Nancy Jane herself buried December 8 1917 in grave A12655. It seems that either other people had suggested- post mortem-that Mary may be buried with her own mother or Mary may have made a stipulation that she be buried with her own mother.

Is this attribution co-incidence? Well, yes it could be and I have to offer that as a possibility in the absence of documentary evidence and being at a distance but it is perhaps a little churlish to deny that the Mary Finch buried in 1973 is not the daughter of Nancy Jane. The idea of Mary being buried in the same grave as her mother seems right and proper and an idea that we should nurture rather than discount.

So, Mary Finch is accounted for and ‘gathered in’ and we know what happened to her and Mary and Nancy Jane Finch are buried alongside Rose Lilian Finch who died in 1920. The same is not true of Mary’s sister - Nancy Jane Finch – and we will have to work to find her resting place as she is not in the cemetery at Burnley.

William Finch (1894-1964)

26 Lower Water St
Deveneley
204024

The First World War records for William Finch are quite hard to find. The address above gives no indication that Lower Water Street is in fact in Burnley and is not in the fictitious town created in error. I disregarded this record for some weeks until I looked at this William Finch in "Deveneley" and found that it was correct.

The address at enlistment is given as 421, Warrington Road, Lower Ince, Wigan. However, Warrington Road is soon crossed out and replaced by Lower Water Street the home that saw the death of William's son Harold in 1917. The occupation of William Finch at enlistment is given as haulage hand and later as a motor driver. This designation indicates that at least the early part life William Finch had escaped the family tradition of being a coal miner although he would later go back to that occupation.

At enlistment William was 22 years 11 months old. However the more remarkable statistics come about when we start to see comments made about the physical state of William who was, by modern standards, a person of diminutive build. William's height is recorded at 5'2" which is, by modern standards, quite short. However the diminutive height is matched by a diminutive weight and William's weight is recorded as 122llb which makes him around 9 stones in all. The examining officer found that William's chest was 35 inches when expanded with a 3 inch range of expansion.A scar below the right and eye was present. In terms of physical state; this is recorded as "good" and William is seen to have brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.

In terms of war record there is little to go on. The documents that are available are difficult to read in electronic form and may not be that revealing in a hard copy format. William is seen to have been awarded the British War Medal and see Victory Medal although this seems to have been fairly standard for most servicemen.

Despite a undistinguished war record, William was wounded March 29 1918 and appears to have been transferred to a hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne in England and it seems that he stayed there until June 2, 1918 when he was granted a one week furlough ending June 11 1918. We presume that he went home to his wife and family.

William was seen as being fit for duty to the "command depot" although not fit for "duty" or "employment" as the other options. This outcome indicates that William's injuries although perhaps not life threatening were certainly serious enough to warrant hospitalisation and being invalided out of the immediate battle zone and quite a protracted period of convalescence.

http://finchgenealogy.blogspot.com/

Second marriages

Many marriages in Victorian England involved at least one person who has been married before. The Marriage of William Finch (1835-1912) to Rachel Murray (nee Hilton) evidences and witnesses this tendency. Many of these second marriages included children from a previous relationship as did the marriage of William and Rachel who had a joint child (Edwin Finch b 1877) to join their existing children. We can also see the second marriage of William’s son, Richard Finch and Ellen Adams and their second family.See this link for background reading

A second marriage may have been based on financial necessity and child care needs rather than what the 21st Century may see as a ‘love match’ Starting a new life together may have been seen as exciting as in any culture and it presented other relationship for parents and children alike. In the household there were doubtless many ‘step’ relationships.

William and Rachel will have been aware of the problems of a second marriage and aware of the benefits from such second marriages and the families they created. William may have found it advantageous to have a mother to his 5 children and Rachel to have a man around to support her in the care of her 8 previous children. However, the household must have been overcrowded.

William and Rachel will need to have come to terms with emotions following the death of Rachel’s first husband James Murray (1832-1873) (married on December 5, 1851, Pemberton) who appears to have died in the Workhouse and the death of Elizabeth Gaskill. They will have needed to learn to live in a stepfamily and manage change.

"Burnley Express". 8th December 1917

Does anyone have access to the "Burnley Express" newspaper for this date as I'd be very grateful for the obituary (if it exists) for Nancy Jane Finch. Nancy Jane Finch (nee Howarth),(1859-1917), died prematurely aged 58 and was buried in the Burnley Cemetery (Grave: A12655) on 8th December 1917.I would really like to have the information contained if at all possible.

Richard Finch (1860-September 15 1934)

In the recent history of the Finch family, Richard Finch is possibly one on the easier people to research and the person with the best documented life as reflected in the public record. Richard's later life also creates some minor mysteries.

The life of Richard Finch as reflected in the publically accessible records also reflects some of the potential pitfalls of genealogy. There is a need to reconcile the accounts of the record with the oral accounts of family members. One problem in researching Richard Finch is that no living relative (as at 1982) was able to say, with certainty, where Richard Finch had died and under what circumstances and where he was buried. This is significant because the same people were often able to give accurate accounts relating to long deceased ancestors and yet the death of their own grandfather caused them some puzzlement. In effect, we are left with the idea that Richard Finch slipped out of his family's knowledge and understanding and that there may have been a rift of some description between him and his own children but more on that later.

In understanding the life of Richard we should remember that his father, William Finch, was an uneducated collier who was unable to sign his name on the marriage documentation and, instead, made his mark as did his wife, Elizabeth Gaskill. Richards mother is recorded as being a "factory hand" at the time of her marriage to William with her own father's occupation being recorded as a "Carter". Richard had no background of privilege or education and he suffered the loss of his mother in 1873 where he was 13 years old.

Richard's early life witnesses his birth in Standish on March 15, 1860 before moving between 135, Ormskirk Road, Pemberton, Ince in makerfield and Wigan settling at Turner Street in Wigan where he married Nancy Jane Howarth on July 1, 1883. Richard was able to sign his own name on the marriage documentation although Nancy Jane made her mark. Interestingly, the witnesses to the wedding were Edward Priest and Elizabeth Ann Howarth. Richard Finch and Nancy Jane would reciprocate as witnesses at the wedding of Edward and Elizabeth Ann shortly afterwards. The marriage of Richard Finch and Nancy Jane Howarth took place at St Georges Church in Wigan.

The marriage certificate of 1883 clearly indicates that the father of Richard Finch is William Finch who was a collier and the father of Nancy Jane Howarth, Israel Howarth, also a collier. The occupation of Richard at the time of his marriage is giving as an engine cleaner and the long term progression of Richard from engine cleaner to subsequent engine driver is seen to commence.

There has always been speculation when researching Richards life as to the exact point that Richard made the move between his life in Wigan and his life in Burnley. We can see a Richard Finch, engine driver, first listed in the Wigan Electoral Roll and Burgesses List for 1889-1890. The qualifying properties for this registration being 4 Robinson Square and 9 Hey Street and it has always been thought that Richard occupied Hey Street. In the list for 1890-1891 and subsequent lists, Hey Street is the sole qualifying property. The last electoral roll in which Richard Finch appears in Wigan is that for 1900-1901. However, The 20th Century Directory of Wigan mentions Richard Finch as still living at Hey street in 1903. This is the latest reference of Richard in Wigan that can be found. Regrettably the property at Hey Street has since been demolished and is not available to view

Following the departure from Wigan, Richard does appear to have moved to Burnley and we find him living at 10, Woodsley Street between 1902 and 1920. The property at 10 Woodsley Street, Burnley, no longer exists and is probably part on the land purchased for the M65 motorway

In effect, we see Richard at one point owning properties in Wigan and Burnley before disposing of the property in Wigan and settling entirely in Burnley. Property ownership is particularly significant in the life of Richard if we remember that Richard's own father, William appears to have died in the Wigan Union Workhouse in 1912. Whatever the position of Richard in relation to property ownership it clearly did not incline Richard to provide any form of obvious care and support to his own father.

Richard Finch of 10 Woodsley Street, Burnley, also appears in the Register of Parochial Electors from 1908 to 1915 and in the registers of 1919 and 1920. Richard Finch, junior, and Richard Finch, senior, are both listed. It is also possible that Richard Finch was partly living in Burnley before 1902 as the Barrett's directories do not contain Compleat list of residence of the town.

We can be confident that this Richard Finch is the Richard Finch in question in that "Finch" is not a Burnley surname; this is clearly revealed by the compleat absence of any families of this name in the 1851 and 1871 census returns for Burnley. In the modern telephone directory for the East Lancs area the name is almost entirely concentrated in the Blackburn and Bolton areas unlike other names which are entirely found in North East Lancashire district. We can also witness that the Finch Burials in the Burnley Cemetery are all related to Richard Finch with no Finch burials before the family settled in Burnley.

Richard and Nancy Jane seemed to be fairly settled in Burnley from around 1904 up until the premature death on Nancy Jane in 1917. It is after 1917 that we perhaps see one of the less well documented features of Richard's life and that may be a second marriage in 1920 at the age of 60 years old to Ellen Adams. At the time of writing, this marriage is conjectural and we rely upon the electronic record rather than by corroboration of hard copy evidence. However, something apparently happened in 1920 as it is the last time that Richard Finch appears in the records of Burnley and after a possible marriage with Ellen.

1920 also seemed to be period when the children of Richard and Nancy start to drift away from Burnley and form their own households. The Free BMD does show that a Richard Finch married a woman known as 'Adams' and had two children in the Bristol area one of whom survived to majority. This record also shows a Richard Finch who could have been born in the 1860 having died in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England. The interesting point is that Bristol and Thornbury are quite close geographically and the dividing line is sometimes one that causes confusion to genealogists. These facts are not evidential although they are persuasive of a second family for Richard.

The final burial place of Richard is not known although the online records for Thornbury have been searched without success and it may be that Richard's ultimate burial place is in the Bristol area although this remains to be confirmed.

Richards life contains a number of interesting features and there is no doubt that he achieved a deal of property ownership and financial security not seen in the lives of other family members of that same period. He seems to have declined to financially support his own father and seems to have remarried later in life before leaving the geographical area and settling in Gloucestershire and starting his second family. I am fairly sure that Richard will have left some form of legacy to his descendants and a review of a will or letters of administration may reveal more about the second family.

William Finch (Born abt 1774) - A weaver of Lancaster

To be frank: the search for remote ancestors can be a little bit of a gamble and some people take what the British call ‘a punt’ on the likely ancestors, that is, they randomly choose from a range of likely options. I am sure that some ‘punts’ or ‘guesses’ are likely to succeed and some choices are far more convincing than others. Less satisfactory are the choices made from a range of ancestors likely to provide a link to a famous person or a ‘desirable’ relative. This can be seen as ‘family tree surgery’ where we unintentionally remove, or add, branches that are desirable

When researching from the digital record and with no immediate ability to check the paper record, I came across the problem of John Finch and the parentage of John Finch (1804-1846). There are a number of people called John Finch in both Wigan and Standish in the period and this brings the research to a halt in many ways. Just how do we decide on the most likely option from the digital sources available? Which is the correct Finch and in what period?

The issue of the correct Finch and how to take the research backwards in time is amplified by the rendering of the name for the wife of William Finch married on June 2 1794 at St Mary’s Church in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. William Finch as a name is easy enough and he is identified as a weaver of Lancaster and he marries Jane Kissack a spinster of Lancaster. However, a problem occurs with Jane’s maiden name which is variously rendered as ‘Gueswick’, ‘Keswick’, ‘Heswick’ and possibly even ‘Keathwick’ for the birth of her children although if we search and cross compare against different digital records we can make a ‘choice’ of Jane Kissack as the most likely mother for John and the wife of William. Have a look at the IGI and other records to see the many options and possibilities for the spellings.

At this point we are somewhat left lacking further information as the online record goes cold and we cannot further refine our knowledge of William Finch. However, William Finch is a weaver and the idea of a weaver from Lancaster coming to Standish in the early 19th Century seems quite reasonable. In effect, William was leaving what may have been a quiet rural backwater and heading for a centre of hand weaving that was increasingly to turn into a centre of power looms and mechanisation. Wiliam was taking his new wife to a centre where their skills could benefit them most. This is speculation although perhaps not unreasonable

Try this page for a debate on weaving and Wigan/Standish(http://www.wiganman.co.uk/Content/history/hand_weavers-1.html)

It does mean that this part of the Finch family present in Standish and Wigan may not always be seen as Wigan/Standish family and perhaps should be seen as a Lancaster family. The link with William and Jane also opens up the possibility for a link to the Isle of Man as ‘Kissack’ is a name that originates on the island. Place ‘Kissack’ into Google and see what happens. Unfortuantely, I cannot see a way of taking this forward and we may have to accept this link as speculative although possible.

In essence, the link to William Finch and Lancaster is speculative at the moment and we need to confirm or refute the link.

Richard Finch (1860-1934)

There has been some debate surrounding the parents of Richard Finch. Some say that Richard's parents are 'Heneage and Jane' and others say 'William and Elizabeth and this debate is to be expected as we search the information available to us.

The problem seems to be based on the reliance that researchers place on digital genealogy and the comparative importance placed on the paper trail. The main issue seems to be that we do not simply rely on the digital trail and that we check the paper trail from time to time. It is also fair to say that the digital trail is quicker and easier than the paper trail and a lot more fun in some ways.

When I began to search the family history in 1982, I had the paper trail delivered in one go in the form of 'hard copy' certificates. Although this resource was expensive it was also informative. I learnt a lot and I have had time to speak to relatives (now deceased) and to assimilate the information provided.

I can comfirm that the parents of Richard Finch are in fact 'William and Elizabeth' rather then 'Heneage' and that this is confirmed in the marriage certificate of Richard Finch where the father of the groom is stated to be William and to be a collier.

The importance of the paper trail seems to be manifest.

The 'Fitch Cross'.

The badge comprised of the fitch cross is a device and no more than that. The family did not hold the right to have a coat of arms and was not 'armigerous'. We did not have the trappings of aristocracy but more about that at a later date.

The badge is based on a ‘fitch’ cross with the fitch being the sharpened point at the base. The choice of ‘fitch’ is a pun in the same way that the “Wiggin Tree” is a pun on ‘Wigan’.

Aristocratic origins are not evident for the ancestors although we can celebrate their very real origins whilst also allowing them the same dignity that other genealogies afford their own ancestors.

I would really like the different Finch families from Lancashire to use the 'fitch cross' as a symbol of our often shared ancestry.

Parish records Wigan

The online records for All Saints in Wigan read like a who’s who of the ancestors with ‘Finch’ being a numerically prominent family in the town in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Wigan/Wigan/allsaints/index.html

In this series of records we have a wider series of occupations than those based in primary or extractive industry although the general theme of industrial occupations is reinforced.

• John Finch is a goldsmith buried in 1783
• William Finch is a bookseller buried in 1798
• Robert Finch is a tailor buried in 1811
• Robert Finch is a Pewterer buried in 1812
• Alice Finch is a ‘huckster’ buried in 1810
• Thomas Finch is a pauper buried in 1830


Women are seen to die in ‘childbed’ which is to be expected in a period of poor/none existent ante-natal care and poverty is seen in the life of Alice who makes her living as a huckster …..

Huckster: “One who sells wares or provisions in the street; a peddler or hawker or One who uses aggressive, showy, and sometimes devious methods to promote or sell a product.”

We also have Thomas who was a child in the workshouse dying at the age of 3.

In Wigan we may perceive the workings of the larger town and the more complex relationships between people and the ways in which they earn a living.

1841 Census and Wigan

1841 Census Wigan

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Wigan/index.html

This census is harder to read as it hasn’t been divided into sections or sub-divided. However, it still proves useful in gaining an impression of the ancestors in Wigan, their socio-economic status and prospects.

However, it is clear that the numbers of ancestors are slightly lower in Wigan although Wigan is numerically larger than nearby Standish.

Some of the occupations of the ancestors in Wigan include.

• John Finch. Innkeeper
• Peter Finch. Nailor
• Elizabeth Finch. Cotton Spinner
• Martin Finch. Plumber and Glazier
• William Finch. Tailor
• Ann Finch. Pauper.
• Henry Finch. Pipemaker
• John Finch. Rope maker


The ancestors in Wigan appear to have more varied occupations than those of Standish although they are based on secondary manufacturing industry such as a nail making and rope making rather than primary or extractive industry such as a coal mining.

The one pauper appears in Wigan although there are no explanations for the pauperism which may be related to disability or widowhood.

'Industrial peasantry'

The Finch family present in Standish and Wigan is large in numbers and can be traced to the 17th Century although the family has been poorly researched so far.

The large numbers of ancestors in the churchyard of Standish and Wigan is a testament to the strong and robust family presence in the geographical area although there is little ‘presence’ for the family.


Have a look at this site for Standish parish records http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Standish/StWilfrids/index.html and see the sheer numbers of ancestors to research over a long period of time. There is no doubt that Standish (and Wigan) are the home of this surname in the North of England. However, when we compare the two Census returns in 1841 they indicate that the name is more prevalent in Standish?

By the idea of presence I mean the usual artefacts left behind by the family. There are few documents, wills, tombstones or monuments in Churches. If the ancestors collectively left monuments to themselves then those monuments are in the ephemera of the County archive rather than in marble and stone.

As a family we seem to have been financially poor and with little material security. William Finch 1835-1912 died as an inmate of the Wigan Union Workhouse and the Howarth’s who married into the family in 1883 had their own financial problems.

A brief survey of the occupations for the family buried in Standish and Wigan indicate what may be described as ‘industrial peasantry’ rather than the middle classes or ‘shire family’ and this seems to be the reason for the paucity of records. Poor people leave little material evidence of their passing!

The generations seem to contain ‘colliers’ and ‘factory-hands’ whilst having its fair share of early deaths based on ill health. We do not have the professions in the family and we did not have land

1841 Census and Standish

1841 Census of Standish and what is tells the researcher

http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Standish/index.html

This on line census is magnificent in that it is divided alphabetically and easy to access. It indicates the sheer number of ancestors and this number is significantly larger then nearby Wigan. Standish is clearly the home of the Finch family in the North West of England.

The census also indicates the industrial nature of employment for the ancestors

The census lists the following occupations for some heads of family. Some families contained a variety of occupations and one branch of the family contained Betty Finch who at the age of 15 worked in a coal mine.


• John Finch Stonemason
• James Finch. Coal labourer
• William Finch. Nail Maker
• Enage Finch. Cotton Weaver
• James Finch. Agricultural Labourer
• William Finch. Coal Miner
• John Finch. Coal Miner
• Richard Finch. Coal Miner
• James Finch. Nailor
• Edward Finch. Nailor
• William Finch. Agricultural labourer.


This survey is not exhaustive as there are other family members on the census not included in this list. However, it does indicate that the ancestors were not from the professional class and were probably uneducated and poor although no more so than the other residents of Standish.

Richard Finch (1860-1934)

Richard Finch (1860-1934) is a little bit of an enigma in that he disappears from the family in Burnley after the death of Nancy Jane Finch in 1917.

My older relative who oftens acts as an informant in these matters seems to have forgotten where Richard died. Despite a vague recollection of a death on Gloucestershire. Now, this is a little odd becasue Richard had no apparent links with the South West of England unless those links were formed resulting from employment on the railways. The links with the South-West may also have come from a second wife. A second wife may also account for the disappearance from the family and a certain ambiguity surrounding his death. My hunch is "Ellen Adams" who married a Richard Finch in Burnley although the story grows....

An 'Adams' woman has two children by a Richard Finch in Bristol before Richard's death in Thornbury and it seems unlikely to see this as based on simple coincidence. The interesting feature of the two births is that 'Thornbury' seen as the possible place of death of 'our' Richard Finch is very close to Bristol which sees the birth of two Finch children.

This needs to be investigated further. I add this story here and would appreciate any information or advice about a second marriage