9th March, 2007
Family Break up
The Fairclough family were hand weavers who lived in Chapel Lane, Wigan.
This page is a continuation of their story.
It seems likely that Thomas Fairclough Senior had died before the 1861 census.
It is difficult to locate the other members of the family with any degree of certainty
as Fairclough is a fairly common name in Wigan.
But there is one interesting house in Queen Street near Chapel Lane.
There are two households within the same building.
The head of one household is called "Chas. Fairclough, aged 34". He is of the right age to be the Charles of the family in question. He is now married to Anne.
The head of the second household is "Mary Fairclough, aged 40" - again of the right age to be the sister of Charles and daughter of Thomas.
But the deciding factor that these are members of the family under examination is the second person in Mary's household. She is Maria, now aged 13.
In 1851 she was improbably described as Thomas' daughter, but now her true identity is revealed - she is the daughter of Mary and grand-daughter of Thomas.
Charles is now an "iron foundry labourer".
But his wife, sister and niece reflect the great changes they have witnessed in Wigan's industrial landscape - they are now all "cotton mill operators".
Return to Roots?
Another interesting entry in the 1861 census is to be found in a house in Longton, Staffordshire.
Listed in the household of William and Mary Burton is "Elizabeth Fairclough, aunt, aged 66". Fairclough may be a common name in Wigan but in Staffordshire it is quite rare, so is this the widow of Thomas? Certainly she was born in Longton. She may have returned to her roots and moved in with her nephew and family.
Elizabeth Fairclough is now working in the pottery industry, as are many of her neighbours - Longton is one of the "five towns" of the "Potteries" area of North Staffordshire.