Wigan Album

Hi

At the back end of last year, I enetered a request re the Bagshaw and Hoof families of 22 Bottling Wood - a great-uncle of mine was killed in the Great War and the family lived in Wigan briefly. I note that the caption below the photo ' shows it is on the East side of the Douglas ( Whelley) opposite to Coppull Lane - anyone know if that road is still in existence and, when I hopefully visit soon (work prevented an earlier foray acrosst he border from Leeds) will I be able to take a comparison photo from the site that the original one was taken from?

Thanks

Just found out that my great-great-great grandfather is listed at bottling wood in the 1841 census. Never knew it existed..

I've noted Anthony Child's comments about No.22 Bottling Wood with interest as I have discovered that ancestors of mine also lived at No.22 in 1881. They were the Braddocks and another Braddock family lived at No.17 at that time. Also some Braddocks, but not my immediate line, lived at Nos.21 and 48 in 1891 and Nos.11 and 41 in 1901. I assume they must all have been related in some way. I understand that there were 67 houses in Bottling Wood. They seemed to have been mostly miners, probably working at the Alexandra Colliery.

An ancestor of mine Ann Lomas(nee Vaughan), widow of Reuben Lomas was living at 45 Bottling Wood in 1901, with children Eliza and William. Her daughter Caroline married into the Hoofe family, living at No. 22. Are there any relations out there ?

The row of terraced houses in the foreground and the stone farmhouse on the left of the photo were on the west side of the river Douglas, not the east. To the left of the farmhouse, just off the picture, was Sutton Mill, an old water mill and the gully in front of the terrace was the mill race running back to the Douglas. Sutton Mill was occupied by my great grandfather, William Leather and then by his eldest son Richard. My grand father, Josh Leather was the second son and he brought up a family of 12 children in the two cottages, knocked through as one, at the left hand end of the row, which was called Sutton Mill Common. Another brother also lived in the row and the river ran immediately behind these houses. When the houses in the valley were demolished in about 1930 most of the residents were re-housed in the new council houses in Whelley which became the Bottling Wood estate. My father, Tom Leather and many of his siblings and cousins spent their whole lives in the Swinley / Wigan Lane / Bottling Wood area and i heard so much of life in the valley that it was very real to me even though the houses had been demolished before I was born.

My Grandad Tommy Foster also known as "Tommy one arse" ( War wound due to the Kaiser)used to live at 15 Bottling Wood after marrying my Gran Susie Dowd. Susie grew up at 68 Bottling wood and was the daughter 0f Paddy Dowd.
Circa 1928 my Grandad and Gran moved to 8 Cedar Drive in the new Bottling Wood.Where my Grandad lived until 1960 when he moved in with my uncle, the tenancy of no 8 was taken on by my uncle Paddy Foster until 1995 when he moved to Hale nr Kendal.
With regard to J.T Leathers comments I would like to ask J.T do the following names and places mean anything Dick Leathers pond, apparently situated near the pens, Maloneys brew Bottling wood? Do the names Alf and Martha Leather mean anything? Martha Married a Jack or James Holding and lived opposite my Grandad on Cedar Drive. My Mother little Eilean Foster remembers Old mrs Holding with great fondness she was very kind to my mums family. In 1939 my Gran died when my mum was only 4 years old, leaving my grandad with seven kids to bring up on 17s 6d war pension, he at that time being aged 60. Mrs Holding was living with just her husband at that time and used to make massive pies which she used to bring over the road and tell my grandad the pie was to much for her and him would my grandad give it to the kids to save it going to waste.If she had said to my grandad I have baked a pie for you and the kids he would have told her in no uncertain terms that he did't her charity. Proud chap my grandad was.
The tales my mum tells of Bottling Wood in the 30s,40s and 50s it sounded like a great place to grow up and the people made up a good and caring community,long before Maggie Thatcher made selfishnes,greed and destruction of community government policy I don't know what it is like today I havent been there since 2005 when I had to inform some of the folk there of my Uncle Paddys death.

my grandparents were originally from the old bottling wood befor moving up to the new estate of bottling wood, my grandad was a holland and he married a heyes, my mum still lives in bottling wood 76 years after she was born there, any 1 who remembers them can u let me know ?

To JT Leather. Thankyou so much for explaining what we see in the photo. It's so awesome to have a photo of the house that my/our ancestors lived in. Your grandfather Josh Leather was married to my Great-Grandaunt - Mary Alice Nicholson. Her father (Jeremiah) William Nicholson is my Great-Great Grandfather, & he died at 5 Sutton Mill Common in Aug 1900. My Great-Grandfather William Nicholson (Mary Alice's brother) was living at 4 Sutton Mill Common in the 1901 Census. William, his wife Rebecca & the children emigrated in 1912, coming to NZ by 1914, after a short stop in Australia. I assume that 4 Sutton Mill Common is the cottage that Josh took the wall out of to make the two cottages in one? I notice that in the 1911 Census Leathers are at #4 & #5 Sutton Mill Common. And my Mr Nicholson is at #2.

My mother was born in Bottling Wood (33a) and this is the first time I have seen what it looks like. She was born in 1913 and her name was Alice Harrison

dave Bradley - I remember your uncle Paddy Foster from 8 Cedar Drive. All of my family - the Seddon's & Myers came from Bottlingwood and several of them still live there. Your uncle Paddy used to keep ferrets and whippets and lived back to back with my gran Doris Seddon who sadly died in the early eighties. My aunt still lives in the same house to date. My old dad still lives in Cedar Drive at the opposite side. Fond memories of the characters, most of who are long gone, but still a few left.

To J. T. Leather- Can I ask, are you related to William Leather born approx 1872 who lived at 31 High Street (formally known as 1 Thomas' yard). I think William jnr is the son on William Leather and brother of Richard Leather

My gt Granny lived at 35 Rosemary's Cresent in 1920s. Her name was Catherine/Kitty Carr and she had 2 children, Annie Carr my Granny and her sister Edna Carr who would be teenagers. Her husband James was in the Lancs Fusiliers and was injured twice in France in 1916 and 1917. Does anyone have and recollection of the name or family.

I was brought up in Bottlingwood,has well has my mum and grand parents, my grandparents were Barnibas and Ellen Holland, they had 1 son Jack and 4 daughters, Peggy, Jean, Betty and my mum Brenda, she lived in Bottlingwood all her life till the age of 85 in 2021

This posting I find absolutely fascinating and an area on my mind for some time.
If of interest please keep an eye on future postings on pad WW as I am currently researching.

Read with interest all the Bottling Wood posts.
I had relatives living at 69 Bottling Wood - Mary & Thomas Foster. Thomas was a bricklayer I think. It was around the 1800's. Other surname include Hague and Donnelly. His son, also Thomas, was baptised at St.Patrick's Church in 1868.
Just wondering if anyone has heard of them.
Thanks.