99 – Alfred Pearson Enlists in World War 1, Part 3: 19 November 2024

This blog is a continuation of the story of Alfred Pearson.  Blog numbers 30 and 33 also summarise aspects of Alfred's story.  

At the time he enlisted in WW 1, Alfred had been “stepping out” with my distant relative Eliza Hankin when she worked at Newlands School in Hoylake.

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Britain declared war on Germany at 11.00 pm on Tuesday 4 August 1914.  On Friday 7 August 1914, Lord Kitchener - Secretary of State for War – made a public appeal for 100,000 volunteers to join the British Army.  Forming part of this appeal for volunteers was a famous Poster.

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Edward George Villiers Stanley held the title Lord Derby and was Minister of War from 1916 to 1918.  He wanted the glory of personal responsibility for the enlistment of large number of volunteers from Liverpool, the city where his very rich estate called Knowsley was located.  Lord Derby had a letter published in the Liverpool Echo on 19 August 1914.  In part, that letter said this.

I appeal to every able-bodied man within the prescribed ages of 18 and 30 who feels he owes a duty to his country to meet me at Seaforth Barracks next Friday, the 21st inst., at seven o’clock in the evening and there take service in this new Liverpool Battalion. I am sure that if the military authorities can receive the help I now ask from all classes of the community, we shall be able on Friday evening to tell Lord Kitchener that not only is the battalion full, but full to overflowing. I am, sir, yours faithfully, DERBY Knowsley, Prescot, Lancashire August 18, 1914

A committee of businessmen was then formed and a message was drafted and sent to staff employed by the businessmen, urging them to attend Lord Derby’s meeting on 21 August 1914 so they could enlist in the new battalions of the King’s Own Liverpool Regiment that were to be composed of the newly enlisted volunteers. 

The venue mentioned in the Lord Derby letter was Seaforth Barracks, which was in the Liverpool suburb of Seaforth in the north of the city.  The venue was changed from Seaforth Barracks to Saint George’s Hall in the centre of Liverpool.  Saint George’s Hall still exists and it is opposite Lime Street Station in Liverpool.  The enlistment venue was changed because so many men were trying to enlist.  Saint George’s Hall was larger and better able to deal with large numbers of people.

The Lord Derby letter also set a time of 7.00 pm on Friday 21 August 1914 for the opening of the enlistment process.  This was also changed.  Enlistment was changed so that it would commence at 9.00 am on Monday 31 August 1914.

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In the Postcard Alfred Pearson sent to Eliza Hankin on Saturday 15 August 1914, he indicated he was going to enlist that very night – on 15 August.  I cannot establish why Alfred did not enlist on 15 August.  My guess is that he was unable to enlist that night because so many other volunteers were also trying to enlist.  Friday 21 August, the original date for Lord Derby’s recruitment process was the first Friday after the date on the Postcard. 

Alfred definitely tried to enlist again on Monday 31 August at Saint George’s Hall.  Once again, he was unsuccessful in his attempt.

Hundreds of men queued outside Saint George’s Hall waiting for the doors to open at 9.00 am on 31 August.  It took only 30 minutes for the first 1,000 men to undergo their initial processing into the King’s Liverpool Regiment.  The enlistment of the initial 1,000 men meant that the hoped for new battalion of the Liverpool Regiment was formed within 30 minutes of the doors being opened to permit enlistment.  This first battalion was the 17^th Battalion.

A second new battalion (the 18^th Battalion) was formed at 11.00 am on 31 August when a second group of 1,000 men enlisted.

The enthusiasm for enlistment to fight Germany was very great.  Over the remainder of that week, potential recruits were divided into batches of 90 men per batch and four batches with 90 men per batch were processed every day.

By Friday 4 September, 2,865 men had enlisted in the King’s Own Liverpool Regiment.

Four Battalions were quickly formed – the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th and 20^th.  These Battalions were known as the Liverpool Pals battalions.

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Alfred Pearson enlisted on Wednesday 2 September.  He must have been part of the heaving mob of men unsuccessfully trying to enlist on Monday 31 August.

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The Earl of Derby is in the middle of this photo.  I doubt he ever missed a meal in his life.  I doubt he ever cooked a meal in his life.

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The Liverpool Pals battalions arrived in France on 7 November 1915.  By 1 July 1916, they had suffered 140 deaths on active service.

1 July 1916 was the first day of the Battle of the Somme.  On this one day, the Pals Battalions lost 225 men.  Another 32 were wounded on 1 July and died of their wounds after 1 July.

1 July did not mark the day when the Liverpool Pals Battalions suffered their greatest casualties.  They suffered their largest number of dead on 30 July 1916 when trying to take the village of Guillemont.  An appalling 450 men from the Liverpool Pals Battalions were killed on that terrible day.

The book “A Singular Day On The Somme – The Casualties of the Liverpool Pals on 1 July 1916”, lists the names of EVERY man who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme - 1 July 1916.

A Singular Day says this about Alfred Pearson.

PEARSON Alfred Corporal No 16332 18th Battalion Aged 23 Alfred Pearson was born on 5 May 1893 at 12 Stockbridge St, Everton, Liverpool and was baptised on 12 July that year on St Saviour’s Church Everton.  He was the son of Thomas and Jane Pearson, who lived at 69Granton Rd Anfield Liverpool during the war. When he enlisted in Liverpool on 2 September 1914 Alfred was employed as a teacher at Boaler Street School.  His enlistment paperwork includes the following: height 6 foot, weight 160 pounds, complexion brown, hair brown, eyes brown, religion Church of England.  On 19 June 1915 he was appointed paid Lance Corporal and promoted to the rank of Corporal on 1 September.  On 7 November1915 Alfred sailed for France with his Battalion on board the SS Invicta.  He was struck by shrapnel on the nose on 12 January 1916 and treated for three days by a Field Ambulance. Alfred was killed in action on 1 July 1916 with A Company and has no known grave, being commemorated on the walls at Thiepval Memorial in France.

 

98 Bastardry in Hoscar Moss – Part 6, What Happened Later: 18 November 2024

 

James Hankin

It became a very bad idea for James to continue working the Hankin farm at Burscough.  Catherine’s closest relatives and his repudiated daughter Mary Culshaw all lived at Burscough. 

Probably before the Court Orders were made, James ceased working at Burscough.  For his own protection, James stayed in Hoscar Moss and avoided Burscough as much as possible.

By no later than 5 February 1781, my five times great grandfather Thomas Hankin had died at age 59.  This was not an early age in 1781 at which to die, but his life was certainly shortened by the actions of his son James.  His death occurred almost precisely five years after the birth of his granddaughter Mary Culshaw.  The Court Orders were made against James Hankin less than three years before he died.  

Thomas might have had a longer life if James had not treated Catherine Culshaw the way he did.

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There is a very strong indication that Thomas was significantly alienated from his son James when he died.

Thomas died without having made a Will (“intestate”).

For aristocrats, this would not have been a significant issue.  English law said “real property” went to the oldest son unless the Will directed otherwise.  Aristocrats had “freehold” title to their lands and “freehold” land was definitely “real property”.  If there was no Will, land ownership simply transmitted to the oldest son. 

But Thomas did not have “real property”.   His farms were located on leased land – and leased land did not count as “real property”.  Leased land counted as “personal property” and had to be distributed under a 1671 statute “for the Better Settling of Intestates Estates”.  This meant that by doing nothing, Thomas stripped his son James of most of the inheritance he probably expected to get.

The statute required the estate to be divided into thirds – one third going to Thomas’s widow Elizabeth, and the other two thirds had to be distributed among his children.  When Thomas died in 1781, his surviving children were James, Jane, Nanny and Thomas.  Instead of getting 100% of his father’s estate, James received ¼ of 2/3^rds – or 16.67% - of the estate.  

This was a severe blow.

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After Thomas died, James was allowed to farm one property at Hoscar Moss. 

The 1798 Land Tax Redemptions for the Parish of Lathom record that Mr W Bootle, through someone called “Harrison” was the owner of a block of land in Lathom which was occupied by James Hankin.  The land tax assessment for this land was one pound, one shilling, nine and a quarter of a penny or 261.25 pence. 

Another reference in the Land Tax Return records an additional block of land at Lathom which was leased by “Hankins” and occupied by someone called Benson.  This is a reference to other unnamed members of the Hankin family, not to James Hankin.  This was probably a reference to Thomas Hankin, my four times great grandfather.

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James married Susan Ellison on 23 July 1781.  Susan was not from Ormskirk Parish and had no prior knowledge of Catherine Culshaw and her baby.  The story of Catherine and James was notorious to Lathom and Hoscar Moss natives. This meant no local females were interested in marrying James and he had to marry someone from outside the local area.  His reputation made marrying a local girl impossible.

Susan had been baptised in Huyton on 12 February 1758.  Huyton is near Knowsley and about 24 kilometres (14.9 miles) from Ormskirk. 

Susan’s family had moved around before settling in the Ormskirk district. 

Susan’s parents were John Ellison and Mary Allin; they married on 21 April 1752 at Flixton and Susan’s older brother Joseph was baptised on 29 August 1752 in Flixton.  Flixton is now part of Greater Manchester and about 56 kilometres (35 miles) from Ormskirk. 

Susan’s brother William was baptised on 14 March 1756 at Huyton. 

Her brother James had been baptised on 21 November 1762 in Warrington, about 34 kilometres (21.1 miles) from Ormskirk. 

Susan’s family moved around a lot for that era and they certainly had no knowledge of the scandal involving James when Susan married James.

James and Susan did not have any children.  The irony of this is unmistakable.  James had been the father of Mary Culshaw but had denied being her father.  Not having any children was a great burden for James and Susan.  Without children, they had no close family members who would be obligated to care for them in old age.  The lack of children was surely seen as a punishment for the way James had treated Catherine.  Because James had denied being the father of his own daughter, he was denied the blessing of having children of his own children later on when he most definitely must have wanted them.

James was buried on 4 September 1815 at age 67. 

Susan Ellison was buried on 28 April 1826 at age 68.

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James Hankin certainly lived in Hoscar Moss Road.  This is Sandyways Farm, one of the houses on Hoscar Moss Road in which he might have lived.  The other house in which he might have lived is the farmhouse of the farm now operated by WP Hodge & Son; it is about 100 metres west of Sandyways Farm and also on Hoscar Moss Road.

Notice the white square in the middle and near the top of this photo.  The next photo shows a blow up of the white square.

 

This is a closeup photo of the white square near the roof of Sandyways Farm.  It was put there by my four times great grandfather Thomas Hankin.  Although his father had died intestate, in practical terms Thomas inherited the farms that had been operated by his father Thomas.  Thomas my four times great grandfather prospered and created a small farming empire.

The “T” was Thomas Hankin; the “E” was his wife Ellen Bretherton and the “H” was for Hankin.  

Thomas Hankin was everything that his brother James was not.  He was a decent, hard working intelligent man who did not cheat those around him.

Several houses in Hoscar Moss Road have similar white squares that differ from each other only in the year shown on the square.

 97 Bastardry in Hoscar Moss - Part 5: 17 November 2024

Who Was baby Culshaw?

The Court Orders state that James and Catherine’s daughter was born on 8 January 1776, but do not name the child.  The baby is merely called “the bastard child”.  Who was this child and what happened to her?

There are no surviving records of the birth of any children around 8 January 1776 with Catherine Culshaw as the mother or James Hankin as the father.  Perhaps the records did not survive, but it is certain that Catherine’s baby was baptised. 

Although conceived through serious sin, if the child was not baptised, she would according to the Church, spend eternity in Hell after death.  The Church said even illegitimate children had souls and had to be baptised to avoid eternal suffering in Hell.

James obviously took no steps to have his child baptised; he denied that he was the father.  Catherine or someone close to her had to make the baptism happen.

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If her baby was to avoid lifelong blight and ostracism, Catherine had to do something.  

Such situations were not unique and some “solutions” were available.

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Informal adoption of children by close family members still occurred in England and Ireland until the mid 1950s. 

Informal adoption did not require a Court order declaring someone had become the legally recognised parent.  A close relative such as a grandparent, a married brother or sister or cousin, could accept the responsibility of raising a child and treat it as their own. 

The identity of the biological parents was often made known to the adopted child at an early age.  Although reared by the adoptive parents, the child often knew and maintained a relationship with the biological parents.  By being adopted, the child might sidestep the stigma of illegitimacy, while maintaining a relationship with his or her biological parents. 

In 1776, informal adoption was the only plausible avenue available to Catherine to ensure her daughter’s life was not permanently blighted by birth outside marriage.

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The then prevalent naming traditions can be used to guess the name of Catherine’s baby. 

The first two daughters in a family were usually named after their grandmothers.  Catherine’s mother was Mary Almond and James’s mother was Elizabeth Culshaw. 

Given the conduct of James Hankin, his daughter was probably not called Elizabeth.  Catherine probably named her daughter Mary because this was the name of the maternal grandmother.  

Because James Hankin denied being the father of the child, the original surname of baby “Mary” was probably Culshaw rather than Hankin.

Is there a baptism record for a child called Mary Culshaw shortly after 8 January 1776?  

If there is a record, is there a credible connection the named parents of that child and Catherine Culshaw?

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Mary Culshaw was baptised on 23 June 1777.  The record claims Mary was the daughter of William and Margaret Culshaw of Burscough. 

Was this Mary Culshaw actually the daughter of Catherine Culshaw and James Hankin?

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William Culshaw, the named father of Mary Culshaw, was baptised on 30 April 1749.  

His father was Thomas, his mother was Mary and his parents lived at Burscough.  

William had been named after his paternal grandfather William Culshaw.  

Thomas, father of William, had been baptised on 11 April 1725 and his father was also William Culshaw of Burscough. 

Thomas, the son of one William Culshaw and the father of another William Culshaw, who was named as the father of Mary Culshaw in 1777, was a brother of Elizabeth Culshaw.  Elizabeth Culshaw was the great grandmother of baby Mary and the aunt of Catherine Culshaw. 

William Culshaw the nominated father of Mary Culshaw, was Catherine Culshaw’s first cousin.  It is very plausible that he and his wife might have adopted Catherine’s baby.

William Culshaw the nominated father of Mary when she was baptised on 23 June 1777, married Margaret Holcroft of Burscough through marriage banns on 1 April 1766.  Marriage by banns meant William (baptised only 18 years earlier in 1749) was at least 21 when he married in 1777.  

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Margaret Holcroft was at least 25; she was baptised on 11 May 1740. 

Margaret was the daughter of Roger and Ann Holcroft of Lathom.  

Records have survived for the following children of William Culshaw and Margaret Holcroft.

·         Ann was baptised on 8 March 1767.  She was buried on 1 March 1771. ·         Roger was baptised on 12 November 1769. ·         A second child called Ann was buried on 17 July 1774. ·         Nanny was baptised on 28 June 1772 and buried on 18 July 1774. ·         A second Nanny (or Nancy) was baptised on 13 August 1775. ·         Mary was baptised on 23 June 1777. ·         William was baptised on 17 October 1779. ·         Margaret was baptised on 26 April 1782

The first four daughters of William and Margaret were called Ann after Margaret’s mother Ann Holcroft.  Out of their first four daughters, three were dead in 1777. 

Their first son was called Roger, after Margaret’s father Roger Holcroft.  He was still alive in 1777. 

Immediately prior to the baptism of baby Mary in 1777, William and Margaret’s family was tiny.  If they hoped to have any children who might still be alive when they grew old and needed children to support them, William and Margaret urgently had to have more children.  Viewed this way, Catherine’s child would have been a blessing.  

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This is a summary of William Culshaw and Margaret Holcroft’s family immediately prior to the baptism of baby Mary.

 

William Culshaw + Margaret Holcroft

- Before Mary Culshaw’s Baptism in 1777 -

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Ann Culshaw   Baptised 8 March 1767   Buried 1 March 1771

Roger Culshaw   Baptised 12 November 1769

Ann Culshaw   Buried 17 July 1774

Nanny Culshaw   Baptised 28 June 1772   Buried 18 July 1774

Nanny Culshaw   Baptised 13 August 1775

 

Mary Culshaw was baptised only eighteen months after the birth of Catherine’s baby in January 1776.  

When Mary was baptised, William and Margaret had only two children – and they desperately needed more children. 

Catherine was the first cousin of William and she desperately needed to find a home for her baby if she was to have any chance of a normal life.  

Given the circumstances, It is certain that Mary Culshaw was the biological daughter of Catherine Culshaw and James Hankin.

Logic says Catherine’s daughter was adopted by her cousin William Culshaw and his wife Margaret Holcroft.

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Adding William in 1779 and Margaret in 1782, William and Margaret’s family looked like this.

 

William Culshaw + Margaret Holcroft

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Ann Culshaw   Baptised 8 March 1767   Buried 1 March 1771	Roger Culshaw   Baptised 12 November 1769		Ann Culshaw   Buried 17 July 1774	Nanny Culshaw   Baptised 28 June 1772   Buried 18 July 1774		Nanny Culshaw   Baptised 13 August 1775
Mary Culshaw   Born 8 January 1776   Parents James Hankin; Catherine Culshaw   Adopted by William Culshaw and Margaret Holcroft   Baptised 23 June 1777		William Culshaw   Baptised 17 October 1779			Margaret Culshaw   Baptised 26 April 1782

 

Perhaps Mary Culshaw could have a normal life.

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Hoscar Moss Road looking east (2018).  Except for the obvious modern features, James Hankin was very familiar with this view

 

96 Bastardry in Hoscar Moss - Part 4: 16 November 2024

William Culshaw and Mary Almond – Parents of Catherine Culshaw

The family of William Culshaw and Mary Almond, parents of Catherine Culshaw looked like this –

 

William Culshaw + Mary Almond

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Ann Culshaw Baptised 6 June 1756

Catherine Culshaw Born between 1756 and 1758

Cicely Culshaw Baptised 2 May 1762

Mary Culshaw Baptised 4 August 1763

Mary Almond’s mother was Elizabeth Wilkinson.  There is no surviving record of her birth, but she married Thomas Almond on 1 July 1722.  Records for six children of Elizabeth Wilkinson and Thomas Almond have survived.

·         Mary was baptised on 12 July 1730.

·         Lydia was baptised on 18 July 1731.

·         Ann was baptised on 4 February 1734.

·         John was baptised on 20 July 1735.

·         James was baptised on 11 September 1738.

·         Cicely was baptised on 10 April 1741.

 

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This is a tabular summary of the family of Thomas Almond and Elizabeth Wilkinson, parents of Mary Almond.

The family of Thomas Almond and Elizabeth Wilkinson looked like this –

Thomas Almond + Elizabeth Wilkinson

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Mary Almond Baptised 12 July 1730

Lydia Almond Baptised 18 July 1731

Ann Almond Baptised 4 February 1734

John Almond Baptised 20 July 1735

James Almond Baptised 11 September 1738

Cicely Almond Baptised 10 April 1741

Ann and Cicely Culshaw, daughters of William Culshaw and Mary Almond, were named after two of Mary’s sisters.  Catherine was a Culshaw name and Catherine, daughter of William and Mary, was named after one of William’s Culshaw relatives.

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Apart from everything else about concerning the circumstances in which Catherine Culshaw’s daughter was born, there is a particularly unsavoury aspect to Catherine’s pregnancy.

By the standards of the time, Catherine came from a very small family.  She was one of only four children and her siblings were all sisters.   Catherine’s mother Mary Almond was buried on 25 June 1767 and there is no record that Mary’s husband William ever remarried. 

By the time James Hankin had sex with Catherine Culshaw in 1775, Catherine’s mother had been dead for 12 years.  When James made her pregnant in 1775, Catherine had been a motherless orphan for 12 years.

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The close family relationship between James Hankin and Catherine Culshaw meant there was never any possibility of them having a relationship which could result in marriage.

 Catherine’s paternal grandfather was William Culshaw and Catherine’s father William had been named after her grandfather.  Catherine’s grandfather William Culshaw had been baptised on 9 August 1702. 

William Culshaw who was Catherine’s paternal grandfather was also the maternal grandfather of James Hankin, father of Catherine’s child.

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William Culshaw, father of Catherine Culshaw, was the brother of Elizabeth Culshaw.  Elizabeth Culshaw was the mother of James Hankin.  She was also my 5 times removed great grandmother.

After Catherine’s mother Mary Almond died in 1767, Catherine’s aunt Elizabeth Culshaw, mother of James Hankin, probably became a mother figure to Catherine. 

Legally speaking, James and Catherine were first cousins, but from a practical perspective the relation was probably akin to that of brother and sister.

As if all this was not bad enough, the story is even worse that it might seem.

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James was at least 26 and possibly 27 when his daughter was conceived, while Catherine was between 17 and 19.  James was at least 27 and possibly 28 when his daughter was born; Catherine was between 18 and 20.

The irresistible conclusion is that a man in his late twenties, took advantage of a girl who was not yet legally an adult and who was at least ten years younger than him.  Either James callously exploited a naïve young girl or else he raped her. 

Given James denied to the Court that he was the father of Catherine’s child, rape seems more likely than exploitation. 

If James felt that admitting his role in the conception of the child was tantamount to an admission of rape, that would explain his denial of paternity. 

Making matters so much worse for James was the inescapable fact that the young girl who had given birth to his child was his first cousin.  She was a woman he was completely forbidden from having sex with – whether inside or outside of marriage.

As first cousins, James and Catherine could not legitimise their relationship – if there ever was one.  But as happens too frequently, the victim of the exploitation – his own cousin - suffered far more than James ever did. 

Catherine not only had to give birth while unmarried, she was also thrown out of the home that she was born in and grew up in – and this all happened during one of the coldest winters in recorded English history. 

As will become clear in later blogs, Catherine’s miseries did not cease after her daughter was born.

The feud between my great grandfather five time removed Thomas Hankin and his brother James Hankin had given birth to bitter fruits for James, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth, and for Catherine, the niece of Thomas’s wife Elizabeth. 

The poison created by the feud infected the next generation – and the poison of the feud infected succeeding generations. 

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It was as if a hideous game of “Pass The Poison Parcel” had been initiated in the 1740s when Thomas and his brother James had their bitter falling out.

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Henry Culshaw, a relative of Catherine Culshaw, is remembered on the WW1 war memorial in Burscough.  The memorial is located on Liverpool Road South.  Like Catherine, Henry was an astonishingly brave human being.

 95 Bastardry in Hoscar Moss - Part 3: 16 November 2024

 

Who Was James Hankin?

 

-          Burscough, Wednesday 3 April 1775 -

The Orders say that James Hankin, father of the unnamed child, lived in Lathom.  Only one James Hankin lived in Lathom in 1775.  

James Hankin was the oldest son of Thomas Hankin and he was baptised on 18 February 1749, probably in Lathom Chapel.  Thomas Hankin, father of James, was my five times removed great grandfather.  Thomas had inherited the Hankin farms at Hoscar Moss and two other farms at Burscough and Scarisbrick.  James Hankin was my great uncle five times removed and his mother was Elizabeth Culshaw, who was baptised on 30 October 1720.

Identification of the forebears of James Hankin is relevant to this astonishingly sad story of bastardry.

Elizabeth Culshaw’s father – James’s maternal grandfather - was William Culshaw, baptised on 9 August 1702.

When his daughter was born on 8 January 1776, James was 27 years old, and possibly older, allowing for possible delays between birth and baptism.  James was probably 26 or 27 when his daughter was conceived.

By 1775, James had assumed a significant role in running the Hankin family farms at Hoscar Moss, Scarisbrick and Burscough; he was the eldest son and the heir apparent.  The expectation was that he would inherit everything when his father died.  Thomas father of James was baptised on 3 March 1722 and in 1775 was at least 52, probably older – and worn out by a lifetime of hard physical work. 

By 1775, Thomas was ready to transfer some responsibilities to his eldest son.  Probably one of these responsibilities was management of the Burscough farm.  Although the date James took over the Burscough farm is unknown, it probably happened from about 1769 when James was 20. 

James was certainly running the Burscough farm when he got Catherine pregnant because Catherine’s family had their own farm at Burscough and lived there.

Conception of the child occurred on about Wednesday 3 April 1775, probably at Burscough.

 

Who Was Catherine Culshaw?

There are no surviving birth records for Catherine, but she can be clearly identified.

Becoming pregnant outside of marriage was no more unusual in 1775 than it is now, but having a baby outside of marriage was much rarer then than it is now.  Massive social stigma and shame was reserved for any woman who was not married when she gave birth to a child.  Stigma was also directed at a woman who became pregnant before marriage – but this was dissolved if she married the father of the child, preferably before the birth.  The shame of pregnancy disappeared if there was a marriage.  This required paying money to the local Bishop and getting a licence to marry without the delays caused by having to read the marriage banns.

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The most significant aspect of the Court Orders made in 1778 is that James Hankin and Catherine Culshaw did not marry before their child was born.

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In the world of 1775, Lathom was a place where everybody, quite literally, knew everybody else.  There had to be a reason to account for the failure of James and Catherine to marry.  Without a reason making it impossible to marry, social pressure would have forced them to marry each other.

The most obvious reason for their non marriage is that perhaps James or Catherine were already married to someone else, but neither James nor Catherine was married to someone else in 1775.  Being already married to someone else did not cause the failure of James and Catherine to marry each other.

If James and/ or Catherine were not already married to someone else, there is only one possible explanation for their failure to marry.  They did not marry because they were so closely related to each other that the law would not permit them to marry each other.  There is no other logical explanation. 

In 1775, marriage between first cousins was illegal and there were no exceptions.  Catherine and James did not marry because they were first cousins living in a community where everyone knew they were first cousins.

Knowing James and Catherine were first cousins makes it relatively easy to identify Catherine’s parents.  

Catherine Culshaw was the daughter of William Culshaw who lived in Burscough.

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William Culshaw from Burscough was baptised on 23 May 1731 and he had married Mary Almond on 4 January 1755 under the banns system.  Mary Almond was baptised on 12 July 1730.

There are records for only three of the children of William Culshaw and Mary Almond and they do not include Catherine.

·         Ann was baptised on 6 June 1756;

·         Cicely was baptised on 2 May 1762; and

·         Mary was baptised on 4 August 1763.

The 2 April 1778 Orders say that James and Catherine’s daughter was born on 8 January 1776.

Assuming Catherine was at least 16 years old when she became pregnant and at least 17 when she had the baby, Catherine was born no earlier than April 1775 and no later than 1758.  Because her sisters Ann and Cicely were baptised on 6 June 1756 and 2 May 1762, Catherine was probably born between 1756 and 1758. 

If Catherine was born about when her sister Ann was baptised in 1756, she was perhaps 20 when her daughter was born in January 1776.  She was probably not 20 but somewhere between 18 and 19.  

Conception of the child probably happened when Catherine was aged between 17 and 19.

 

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Hoscar Moss Road, where James Hankin lived when he impregnated his 1^st cousin Catherine Culshaw in 1775. 

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 My truly wonderful wife Margaret Redden at The Ship Inn, near Hoscar Moss, in 2018

 

94 Josephine Wood (Hankin) Continues Her Descent into Hell - Part 4: 13 November 2024

After Cliff had worked at Crockford and Robertson for about six months, a job became available at KF Pitts Engineering at 1140 Main Road Eltham.  It was only about 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) away from our home in Research, but Cliff didn’t have to walk or ride a bicycle or do anything to get to work.  Our neighbour Fred Garrett already worked at KF Pitts and Fred picked dad up every morning and drove him to work.  Cliff worked at KF Pitts until about two months before we left Research for good.

This is part of an article from the Newsletter of the Eltham District Historical Society dated April 2016.  It is by Ken's daughter and gives a glowing picture of him, many aspects of which accord with my memory.

During the Second World War he worked at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation as a draftsman in the aeroplane engine division. In his youth Ken knew no fear and often raced Les Castledine, his brother-in-law and ongoing friend, to work on their motorbikes. After the War he continued his lifelong involvement in engineering when he started work with his father at the back of their house at 1144 Main Road, Eltham. Ken Pitts 1997 Ken married Lila Castledine, one of the eleven children of the Castledine family of Lower Plenty and their marriage was blessed with 5 children, Wendy, Dennis, Judy and Faye (twins) and the youngest Debbie. Wendy attended Eltham Primary School and Eltham High School. Dennis went to Eltham Primary School then to the Preston Technical Trade School. Judy and Faye attended Eltham Primary School then Eltham High School and Debbie went to Grove Street Primary School and Eltham High School. Ken continued to work with his father at the rear of his home until he and his brother Don built a factory at 1140-1142 Main Road, Eltham (K F Pitts Engineering), the building is still there today. He was an inventor, mechanic and engineer through and through and built up his own business. He designed and manufactured agricultural machinery that was distributed Australia-wide and exported to South Africa. He developed mowers and slashers for orchardists and farmers, as well as mowing and general equipment for the Shire of Eltham for many years. He was a man who never read instructions – he didn’t need to, he always got things right. Ken had a passion for motor racing and raced for 17 years, including against Peter Brock in car races at Albury, Winton, Sandown, Wangaratta and Phillip Island and also competed in hill climbs at Rob Roy, etc. He raced his Austin Healey and Mini Cooper S at these events and won many Trophies (1955-1972). Ken also had a love for nice cars, including Ford Mustangs, Ferraris and Porsches. You would always see him driving around Eltham in a nice car. Ken sold the business in 1985 but never fully retired. He would always be in his garage workshop designing and manufacturing and made a lot of display stands and wire baskets for the sock industry. Lila Passed away in 1987, Ken passed away in 1997.

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We were desperately poor when we lived at Parsons Road.  The mortgage payments soaked up more than half of Cliff’s wages.  Food was barely adequate and Josey was such a fanatical Catholic that she gave money to the local church that should have been used to feed and clothe us.  

Josey got a job cleaning Ken Pitts’ house.  

It should have been impossible for Ken Pitts to have an affair with Josey because his wife Lila and their children lived in the house and were usually there when Josey came to do cleaning.  

I have clear memories of Josey being heavily pregnant with my sister Margaret and walking down our street to do cleaning at the Pitts house.

These are two photos of Ken Pitts that I found in the Eltham Historical Society Newsletter.  The Newsletter gives no information about when they were taken.

The photo shown above is an old black and white one showing a younger Ken Pitts.  Ken is standing next to a Morris Mini Cooper car.  Mini Coopers were made from 1959 to 2000.  Ken looked like he does in the photo when we lived at Parsons Road. 

 

This photo shows an older version of Ken Pitts.  I presume it was taken within five years of Ken's death.

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I always assumed that when our family fled from Parsons Road in 1962, it was because Cliff had discovered that his employer Ken Pitts was the biological father of his son James David Hankin.

I think Cliff never did know that Ken Pitts was not simply the biological father of my brother James Hankin.  

I think Cliff never did know that Ken Pitts was also the father of my sister Margaret Hankin.  

If Cliff had known before he died that Ken was also the biological father of his daughter Margaret, this would have smashed his already broken heart into even tinier, minute slivers.

Cliff had already decided that he no longer wanted to live when he contracted mesothelioma (asbestosis in his lungs).  He died rapidly after the formal diagnosis. 

He had been betrayed multiple times by the only woman he had ever loved.

When Cliff Died in 1984, his beloved Josephine Wood functioned only in slow motion and she inhabited a different world from that which most people live.  Mental illness, electric shock treatment (Electro Convulsive Therapy) and injections of strong anti psychotic drugs kept her body alive, but she had no idea where she was or what she was doing.

By 1984, Josephine Wood lived in Hell – a Hell that she herself had played a major role in creating.  

Josey lived another 27 years in the Hell of her own making.