Margaret Magnall was born on the 19 July 1853. She was the daughter of Thomas (HM059) and Rachel (HM060). Margaret’s birth certificate shows that she was born at Boardmans.

Registration District Bury, Lancashire
1853 Birth in the Sub-District of Holcombe in the County of Lancaster
No. When and where
born		 Name, if any Sex Name and Surname
of Father		 Name, surname and
maiden surname
of Mother		 Occupation
of father		 Signature, description and
residence of informant		 When
registered		 Signature of
registrar		 Name entered
after registration
246 Nineteenth
July
1853
Boardmans		 Margaret Girl Thomas
Mangnall		 Rachel
Mangnall
formerly
Isherwood		 Cotton
Weaver		 X The mark of
Rachel Mangnall
Mother
Boardmans		 Second
August
1853		 Robert
Wolstenholme
Registrar

The 1861 Census was taken on the night of 7 April 1861 and shows the family living at Bromley Fold in the parish of Tottington Lower End. It took some time to track the family down on the 1861 Census, I finally found them when I stopped looking for variations on the Magnall surname and started looking for a Thomas married to a Rachel with the correct children with the correct ages. I found them with the surname Greenhalgh. Margaret was a 7 year old scholar.

The 1871 Census tells us that she was 17 years old living with her widowed mother at Cog Lane, near Wood Top, Habergham Eaves along with her brothers and sisters Mary Ann (FM232), Joseph (FM234), Ralph (FM001), Thomas (FM021) and Sarah Jane (FM231). She was a cotton weaver like several of her brothers and sisters.

Margaret married John William Hartley (born 7 August 1850 in Burnley) at Holy Trinity Church in Burnley on 17 October 1872. Margaret was 19 years old and a weaver living on Dover Street. John was a 22 year old working as a clerk living on Gibb Fields.

The 1881 Census shows that John and Margaret were living at no. 4 Cog Square with their daughter Emily aged 6. John was now 30 years old and a Coal Weigher (mine), Margaret was a Cotton Weaver and Emily a scholar. Ralph, her brother, was living at no. 6 Cog Square.

John and Margaret had the following children:

  • Emily (born 21 September 1874, died 1943)
  • Thomas Aspinall (born 31 December 1876, christened 24 January 1877 at the same time as Sarah Jane Magnall (EM057), died September 1878)
  • John Aspinall (born 20 December 1882, died 13 April 1940)
  • Herbert Vincent (born 1885, died November 1886 and buried 27 November 1886 in Burnley Cemetery grave 3857)
  • Clara (born 8 July 1888, died 1980)
  • Francis Arthur (born 3 March 1890, died November 1971). Frank, as he was known, married Amy Bertha Wilson on the 10th May 1913 at Hovingham church in North Yorkshire. They had two daughters, one of whom was Elsie Winifred (24 March 1916 – 10 June 1991). Elsie married Arnold Pearson Jones (19 Jan 1910 – 8 June 1969) on 24 August 1939 in Doncaster Yorks.
  • Rachel Hartley (born 24 September 1893, died December 1893, buried 18 December in Burnley Cemetery grave 3857)

The name Aspinall occurs several times as a second name. This is because John William Hartley’s father was John Aspinall Hartley who was the illegitimate son of Matilda Hartley a maid at Reedley House (nr Burnley?) and the son of the House John Aspinall.

The 1911 Census shows John and Margaret living at Ebor House, Queen’s Park Road in Burnley with Clara (22) and Francis (21). John was 60 years old and an “Unemployed Colliery Clerk”, Margaret was 57 years old and a housewife. The document tells us that Margaret had had 7 children of whom 3 had died. I think the one missing from the list above is Herbert Vincent Hartley born 1885, died November 1886 but this needs checking.

Margaret died in June 1923 aged 69 and was buried in Burnley Cemetery in grave 3857 on 12 June. She had been living at 106 Barracks Road.

John died in July 1928 aged 77 and was buried in the same grave on 12 July. He had been living at 70 Belvedere Road.

Thanks to Clare Hollis, daughter of Arnold and Elsie Winifred for providing much of this information and for the photo.

[Last updated 23 Dec 2023]