Updated 26 Apr 2007

WIRKSWORTH Parish Records 1600-1900

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FLOWERs in Wirksworth

    Dennis Moore on drmoore # ocii.com sent this email about his FLOWER family who have connections with Wirksworth. He says "You may want to post the information on your site for anyone else who might also be researching the Flower family." Thanks Dennis. If replying direct to him, replace the # with an @ in the email address given

    Dear John,

    I was visiting your site a few weeks ago, being directed to it by an Internet search engine, seeking a great-grandmother whom I knew was born in Wirksworth, one Elizabeth Gratton, and who married Edwin Flower in Wirksworth. (The entry is located at www.wirksworth.org.uk/PR033.htm#736). The information it contained about the date of their wedding got me started on a search for more information on the Flower family.

    An 1881 Census return I found during an Internet search enabled me to trace the first four years of their lives together, and it turns out that after being married on 21 Jan 1877, Edwin and Elizabeth lived in Wirksworth until at least 1879, as indicated by Wirksworth being the place of birth of eldest daughter Mary in that year.

    By the time second daughter Clara was born in 1881, Edwin, originally from Cheetham, Manchester, had moved the family to his home county of Lancashire, where he took employment as a labourer in an ironworks. When the Census was taken that year, they were living at 5 Abbey Hey Lane, Gorton, Lancs.

    A copy of a registration of birth I have for daughter May Howard Flower (my paternal grandmother), born 16 Jul 1893, shows that they had by then moved to 17 Gregory Street, West Gorton. I also have a copy of May's registration of marriage to Adrian Moore on 14 Feb 1920.

    So far, I don't know of any more daughters or sons that Edwin and Elizabeth may have had.

    Following is a summary of the information from the 1881 Census return:

       Edwin FLOWER 
          Male   
          Born: 1849 
          Birthplace: Bury, Lancs.  
          Age: 32  
          Occupation: Labourer in ironworks  
          Status: Married 
          Head of Household
          Dwelling: 5 Abbey Hey Lane, Gorton, Lancs. 
      ---------------------------------------------
      Elizabeth FLOWER (nee GRATTON)
          Female   
          Born: 1858 
          Birthplace: Wirksworth, Derbys.  
          Age: 23  
          Status: Married  
          Relation to Head of Household: Wife  
      -----------------------------------------
      Mary FLOWER 
          Female   
          Born: 1879
          Birthplace Wirksworth, Derbys. 
          Age 2 yrs.  
          Relation to Head of Household: Dau
      -------------------------------------
      Clara E. FLOWER
          Female   
          Born: 1881 
          Birthplace: Openshaw, Lancashire, England  
          Age: 3 mos.  
          Relation to Head of Household: Dau
      

    You may want to post the information on your site for anyone else who might also be researching the Flower family.

    Incidentally, since the entry of Edwin and Elizabeth's marriage on the Wirksworth site also identifies Charles Gratton as her father, I have been able to find Charles's marriage to Mary Slater, and traced back to his father Joshua Gratton, and, it would seem, at least one older brother, also named Joshua, all with the help of the information on your excellent site.

    Sincerely,
    Dennis Moore