The Heaps of Cornholme (Part 4 Henry Heap's family)

John Heap married Grace Brierley in 1840. They had 8 children between 1841 and 1862.

Their sixth child Henry was born in 1852 in Broadclough near Bacup. Some time in the mid 1850s Henry moved with his family to Cornholme. At about the same time James Ashworth and Mary also moved to Cornholme. Henry's family originally lived at Stubley Holme but then moved to Redwater Foot, opposite Frostholme Mill.

The 1871 census shows that Grace, now a widow, was living with her daughters Alice and Grace, and twin sons, George and Henry. Henry was shown as a Warehouseman in a Cotton Factory, probably Frostholme Mill.

Henry Heap

The 1881 census shows our Heap family living at 1 Birthright View. This address appears to have been renamed 1 Oakleigh Terrace before the next census in 1891. A photo of the house was shown in the last post (Part 3). But by now Henry was married and living with his wife Martha and daughter Alice Selina in Cliviger, the next parish to Stansfield.

Henry had married Martha Parsons in 1875. Martha was from Sabden near Whalley in Lancashire. Future posts will tell the story of Martha and her ancestors.

Henry and Martha's second daughter Ethel was born in 1882 but Martha died two years later. In 1891 Henry was living at 1 Oakleigh Terrace with his mother Grace, his daughters Alice Selina and Ethel, his twin brother George and sister Grace. In 1895 Henry married Martha Annie Holland. He is described as a Bookkeeper and then a Cashier in the next two censuses. Henry and Martha Annie had three children - Dorothy, George and Harry. He died in 1923.

Grace Heap died in 1894 and her sister Mary Ashworth in 1908. Douglas Wilson, a great great great grandson of Mary, has it on family authority that the widows Mary and Grace 'would sit by their firesides alternately smoking their clay pipes and no doubt chewing the cud'.

Ethel

Ethel is described as a Cotton Weaver in the 1901 census and was still living in Cornholme with her family. Two years later she married Harold Hiley (see Part 1).

Acknowledgement: 'Our Heap Family' by Rodney Heap