An Historians
View
For the greater part of the last century
the Grimshaws of Crowtree were one of the most influential families
in Barrowford.
The original settlement of this old family,
from which it took its name, was a tenement or holding. In the parish
of Blackburn, about 3 miles to the Northeast of Blackburn town, lying
near the Hoddleston Brook, between Yate Bank and Eccleshill. It was
originally spelt Grymishagh or Grymishaw, signifying a Wooden Glen,
and supplied the family with its name De Grimshaw. They are known
to have been there at least as early as 1276 when Richard De Grymishagh
held the tenememt in succession to his father Walter, and the main
branch of the family continued to live there latter years of the 17th
century.
With the marriage in the 14th century of
Adam De Grimshaw and Cicely De Clayton, this branch of the family
resided at Clayton Hall, Clayton Le Moors, until the principle stock
terminated in an heiress, Mary Grimshaw, whose daughter Rebecca marrying
Richard Lomax Esq carried Clayton Manor to the Lomaxes. Permission
was recently been given for demolition of this Hall, rebuilt about
1850, and sadly in a ruinous and neglected condition.
A descendant of Adam and Cicely, Henry Grimshaw
of Clayton 1467-1507, had a younger brother Nicholas, born in 1481,
and he is presumed to be progenitor of the Pendle Forest branch of
family in which Nicholas was a favourite name in every successive
generation. Many residences in Pendle Forest have direct connections
with the family. One of the most interesting being Ashlan House at
Fence, this was built in 1594 by Richard Grimshaw and was then called
The New House.
In 1737 and there after it is referred to
in legal documents as the Fence, and then the following century as
The Fence or Hewn Alchelor House, later as Hewn Ashlan.
The originator of the family in which we
are interested was Nicholas Grimshaw of Heyhouses in Sabden, where
he was living in the time of Queen Elizabeth Tudor. His Great Grandson
Nicholas who was buried at Whalley in 1651 had two sons, the youngest
being Nicholas Grimshaw of Heyhouses and after of Fence Gate. He married
Isabel Whittaker of Symonstone in 1664. From their older son John
of Fence Gate and his wife Eleanor Stephenson of Old Lannd are descended
that branch of the family which were so influential in Preston, providing
that city with several important citizen including 3 Lord Mayors.
One of them, Lt Col Nicholas Grimshaw a solicitor who married Esther
Mary Haigh and died in1838 was Lord Mayor no less than 7 times including
2 Guild years.
The younger son of Nicholas and Isabel another
Nicholas of Padiham and Northwood, married Anne, daughter of Thomas
Grimshaw of Oakenshaw, in Clayton Le Moors, The Homestead of another
branch of the ancient family. It is of interest here that their second
son Nicholas of Blackburn born 1714 and who married Susan Briercliffe,
founded a branch of the family who settle in Belfast and descendants
of whom are living now. The elder son Thomas of Northwood, Heyhouse
and Higham born 1703 married Margaret daughter of John Holt of Loveclough
and by her had a son Nicholas of Heyhouse and Higham, born 1738. This
Nicholas married twice; from his first wife springing the Grimshaws
of Crowtree, and from his second wife Elizabeth Harrison widow of
Nicholas Parker of Slaidburn. The Grimshaws became famous as solicitors
and brewers, James of Redley Grove married Alice Keirby.
Nicholas, who sold property at Heyhouses
and settled at Higham, by his first wife Mary Riley of Simonstone,
had a son Thomas, born 9th March 1765. This Thomas married Grace,
the daughter of Abraham Gibson of Brigg Royd in Stansfield near Halifax.
For her he built the house at Higham, which is now the Four Alls Inn,
and their initials may still be seen over the doorway. Jesse Blakey
in The Annals of Barrowford, tells us that the owners of Crowtrees,
the two brothers Bulcock who were both bachelors, were uncles of Grace
Gibson and left a considerable portion of their large estate to her
husband including Crowtrees.
By her will of 1638 Grace Grimshaw bequeathed
to her sons James and Christopher all that cotton mill or factory
(which she most particularly discribes) an estate called Whithycroft
and a capital messuage called Crowtrees. Both mortgaged to William
Birdworth to raise the capital to build the mill, a messuage farm
and tenement in the occupation of the Ingham Walton (this became Bank
House), and a capitol and newly erected dwelling house called Beanfeild
House together with the estate belonging called The Lane Farm. A messuage
farm and tenement called Hubby Causway (Higher Causeway) and the three
cottages belonging. Ten cottages in Upper Barrowford (now Foreside),
four cottages at the Higher End of the New Malt Kiln, and other cottages
belonging together with the New Malt Kiln on the southerly side of
the Gibson Turnpike Road. The Old Malt Kiln on the northerly side
of the road, the messuage, farm and tenement called Rolph Laithe and
that called Lower Ridge, as well as some dwelling houses in Colne
Lane Colne. Thomas and Grace had 9 children, James born1791 being
the eldest son and Thomas born 1794, and the second on the marriage
of Thomas with Mary Bracewell of Coates Barnoldswick in 1823. His
mother Grace built Bour Field on part of the Land of Lane Farm and
incorporatly the old farmhouse (the barn and farm cottage of which
stood at the junction of Gisburn Road and Barnoldswick Road until
pulled down for road widening about 1924). Unhappily this marriage
was short lived as Thomas died on 15th August 1824 and the course
of history was changed.
His brother James now came to live Beanfield
by his will of 14th March 1844 he divided his estate into 15 equal
shares, of which his daughter Catherine was to have two. This must
have Beanfield or one farm. As in her will 15th January 1848 she devised
her estate to her husband Robert Haidman Parkinson, and on his dream,
in trust for her daughter Anna Bracewell. Anna must also have been
the daughter of one of three sons of Mary Grimshaw, eldest daughter
of Thomas and Grace, who married William Bracewell of Coates Barnoldswick
and the two later held Beanfield in trust to pay the and profits thereof
to Anna Bracewell until they died. Anna continued to live at Whitly
Croft with her Grandmother Mary Bracewell and seems to have been a
somewhat eccentric character. She was referred to by the local council
on occasions as difficult to treat with and in 1890 an action was
brought against her in the High Court of Chancery by John Strickland
of the Grange, for cutting off his water supply which came from her
estate. She was ordered to pay £10 damages and an injunction was brought
against her to be perpetually restrained from diverting said water.
At that time the only source of supply. She died in 1910 at Morecombe
and the local papers of that time contained no mention at all of this
her death, which was followed by another High Court action to determine
the succession to the estate.
That Elizabeth Bracewell, widow of Thomas
and a daughter of James Grimshaw should take the whole of the property.
The estate was then sold off and "Higherford" as we know
it today came into being. With houses being built on Gisburn Road
and Barnoldswick Road. Although the houses at Barleydale had been
built first on Crowtrees land in 1909.
James son of Thomas born in 1832, inherited
Crowtrees on the death of his older brother Nicholas in 1856, he married
Frances Garde by whom he had three sons and a daughter. The daughter,
Kate and one son James Garde Christopher went to live in New Zealand.
Thomas Nicholas became Town Clerk of Wakefield and has descendants
there and Charles Edward became an Architect (moved to London Married
Edith Edna Palethorpe and had a son Norris and a daughter Phyllis).
We have a link here with the present for their mother died in 1885
when she the children were young and later Mrs Land told me that she
could remember someone coming from Crowtrees to school when she was
there to tell the children that their mother had died. Only three
years later their father died also. Their Aunt Mrs Thomas Bracewell
of Thorneyclough brought up all the children, and the estate of Crowtrees
was sold.
Thomas had two other sisters, Grace who married
Richard Harper who built the Willows at lothersdale and the Brookdell,
near Crowtrees, and whose granddaughters are still living. And Mary
who married Richard Crossey of Soiland near Halifax, one of their
daughters Clara Helena married her cousin Richard Walters Harper,
so the present Miss Harpers are, as it were, twice descended from
James Grimshaw.
The third son of the original Thomas and
Grace was Christopher he married in1824 Mary Spencer Swinglehurst,
daughter and heiress of John of Park Hill. Had there been children
of this marriage, Barrowford may not have had its park. As it was
through the death of John Holt who succeeded to Park Hill and died
childless the opportunity came to buy this estate. It is worthy of
note here that the people of Barrowford themselves raised the money
for the purchase so that it would be no change on the rates, and the
house and became the property of the township forever.
Mary wife of Christopher died in1841 and
he built the Grange and went to live there, one of his sisters, Harriet
Anne keeping house for him until his death. She then, in 1871 built
Thorneyclough and lived there until her death in 1890 when her niece
and nephew Thomas and Elizabeth Bracewell succeeded her.
Most of the Grimshaws men were very musical
and took active part in the choir of Higherford Methodist Church,
which the family keenly supported. In the early days instruments accompanied
the choir and it is said that Christopher could play every one of
them. On his visit to Manchester in his capacity as cotton manufacturer,
he always attended the service at the cathedral and write down the
tunes of any hymns or anthems which took his fancy, adding parts for
the instruments and the choir on his return home. His greatest achievement
was to build an organ for the chapel, which superseded the instrumentalists
on it, Completion in 1859. William Holt the brilliant young organist
and nephew of Abraham Holt of Barrowford opened it himself an organist
builder, the chapel having been enlarged to accommodate it.
The fourth son Nicholas died aged 16 and
15 buried with his brother Thomas in Colne Parish Church and the three
other daughters were Ellen Anne, Betty and Grace.
Ellen Anne married Thomas Corlass of Kieghley
and they lived at Croft House (Lower Whithcroft) after living for
a time at Readyford where Thomas had the mill. One of their daughters
Sarah marries the Rev Glough, the very well known congregational Minister
Barrowford. One of their sons Edward was the father of the present
Mrs Wiseman. When she married Mr Wiseman she went to live at the home
of her Great Aunt, the above Grace, daughter of Thomas and Grace,
she married Ingham Walter son of James Walton of Pasture House Worsted
Manufacturer, and who built Bank House. There were no children to
this marriage, and the hpuse after their death passed to the Wiseman
family.
Betty the last daughter, is the subject of
a romantic story by Jesse Blakey referring to her elopement! Be that
as it may she married William Melville Lomas of the Willows in Lytham,
wine merchant. They had two children both of whom died in infancy.
Perhaps her mother forgave her for in her will she charged her estate
with her sisters. However, she died in 1866 and is buried at Horbury,
co. York.
The Grimshaw family built Higherford Mill,
which they ran as two forms, James and Christopher Grimshaw "and"
Grimshaw, and Bracewell". They also ran the two Malt Kilns on
Higherford Hill, so that almost no corner of Higherford was untouched
by their influence and owes to the family an immeasurable debt.
[I am greatly indebted for much of the information
above to Mrs and the late Mr Hanson of Halstead; and to Mr and Mrs
Wiseman for kindly offering to me the loan of their titles deeds and
family papers].
(Written by: Doreen Crowther)