27 – Bootle, Liverpool: 24 September 2024

My long journey to find the Moon Man began in Bootle, a suburb of Liverpool that lies in the north of Liverpool.  In years long before I was born, Bootle was a village in its own right rather than a part of the Liverpool urban sprawl, but even when my mother was born, Bootle’s independent status had already been swallowed up by the growing expanse of Liverpool.  In a sense, this was inevitable.

Liverpool kept growing as a city because it was the major port in Britain for importing and exporting goods across the Atlantic Ocean.  As the volume of trade through Liverpool grew, so too did the number of docks needed to handle all of the trade.  At one time, the docks sprawled well north and south of Liverpool city centre.  Many of my ancestors were dependent on the docks for their survival.

Eliza Hankin was born in Bootle and she was baptized in Saint Leonard Church, Bootle on 10 April 1895, shortly after her birth.  Her parents were John Hankin and Mary Ellen McGillicuddy. 

Eliza had been age 19 when she received the Postcard from Alfred Pearson in August 1914. The front of the Postcard contained a photo of Saint Mary Anglican Church, Bootle.  This is the Postcard photo of Saint Mary Church.

The photo can be enlarged and when it is, details begin to emerge of the individuals shown in the photo.

Unfortunately, the only way in which Saint Mary Church can now be seen is by looking at this or similar photos.  Saint Mary Church no longer exists.  I found this information at the website https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/LAN/Bootle/StMary

St. Mary's Church and churchyard were situated on Church Street, at an angle between the present Strand Road and Irlam Road, leading into Merton Road, not far from that part of the shore on which Alexandra Dock opened in 1881. The church was built with town towers, possibly as a navigational aid for shipping approaching the Mersey, but these were replaced at a later date with a spire. Early in the Second World War this spire was seriously damaged when the trailing cable from a barrage balloon became wound around it and the top of the spire dropped through the church roof. In 1940 St. Mary's was wrecked '...by enemy bombs and the resultant fires'. The congregation continued to worship in temporary accommodation and on the 20th March 1949 the Bishop of Liverpool dedicated the '..austerity parish church, the new St. Mary's, Derby Road, Bootle'. The congregation subsequently moved again to premises dedicated in 1981 and the parish is now united with that of the former parish of St. Paul's, North Shore, (St. Paul's, Kirkdale) to form the parish of St. Mary with St. Paul, Bootle (see 'Diocese of Liverpool Year Book, 1996 - 1997,

 The site where Saint Mary once stood is now designated as Church Gardens.  This is what Church Gardens, site of Saint Mary Church, looked like today. 

 There is a memorial plaque on the site that gives brief information about the building that once stood there. The plaque says this.

HERE STOOD THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY FROM 1827 UNTIL IT WAS DESTROYED IN 1941 BY ENEMY ACTION WITHIN THESE HALLOWED GROUNDS ARE BURIED THE EARTHLY REMAINS OF 760 PERSONS THE CHURCHYARD AND GROUNDS WERE RESTORED IN THE YEAR 1960 BY THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, AND BURGESSES OF THE COUNTY BOROUGH OF BOOTLE IN COOPERATION WITH THE VICAR AND CHURCHWARDENS OF THE PARISH OF MARY WITH ST JOHN

 

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Eliza was age 21 when she became a war widow on 2 July 1916.  She probably did not find out she was a widow until some weeks later because information travelled much more slowly in 1916 and because she was not officially married to Alfred.  This meant the authorities probably knew nothing about her existence. 

Eliza probably learned about her widowhood only when she was told by Alfred’s family that he was dead.

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When Eliza received the Postcard, she was employed as a domestic servant in Newlands School in Hoylake on the southern side of the River Mersey.

At some point prior to March 1920, she stopped working at Newlands in Hoylake and moved back to Bootle and worked in the Hamilton Jam Factory located in Park Street, Bootle.

While working at Hamilton Jam Factory in Bootle, Eliza met and had a love affair with a returned soldier called William Henry Cooban.  Two of William Cooban's sisters worked at Hamilton Jam Factory and Eliza met William through his sisters.  Although Eliza never revealed the name of her lover, modern DNA testing has unlocked this secret from her past.  Violet Hankin was born at 143 Strand Road Bootle on 30 March 1921.

This is what 143 Strand Road looked like today.  When Violet was born, 143 Strand Road was The Maypole Shop.  Although the McDonald’s outlet is not visible in the photo, it too is now located at 143 Strand Road.

 

 Not far from 143 Strand Road is a sign that provides some insight into the changes that have occurred in the area of 143 Strand Road since Violet was born in 1921.  This photo needs no comment.

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William Cooban was a veteran soldier from World War 1.  His service records were destroyed by German bombing during World War 2.   William did not work in Hamilton Jam Factory.

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Unfortunately, the love affair between Eliza and William Cooban was not able to erase past memories for either of them. 

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Eliza Hankin married William Hyslop on 6 October 1924 in Saint Matthew Church, Bootle.

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William Cooban married Martha Bullen on 26 December 1923 in Christ Church Bootle.  Christ Church Bootle looked old and neglected when I visited it today.