William Hoyle in Manchester and Blackpool

This post updates and corrects a former one I made last year on William Hoyle, and I'm very grateful to Frances Mary Clifford for pointing out the problems with my post, and for sending me so much information about her great-grandfather and the other William Hoyle I'd confused him with. Both Hoyles were Victorians and both were concerned with drink and its many problems, but they were broaching the topic from very different angles: William Hoyle (1831–86) was a temperance reformer and a statistician who published a number of his essentially scientific findings on drinking behaviour; William Hoyle (4 September 1834 – 14 November 1895), who was Frances's great-grandfather, was more a writer of hymns and songs, often telling of the evils of drink.

William Hoyle, hymn- and song-writer, is the author of the above book with the title-page Daisy Ballads and Recitations (1891), but which (unusually) has the different title 'Hoyle's Popular Ballads and Recitations' on the cover. The word 'Daisy' is interesting, as it suggests the very popular Ben Brierley's (originally fictional) Daisy Nook: a recreational area between Failsworth and Drolysden (now Greater Manchester) which retains that name. Surely the adjectival use of 'daisy' (which Brierley intended as a holiday term) is at the root of Hoyle's use of the word? Please let me know if you have any information on this, either by email or by a simple comment to this post.

In 1863 William Hoyle founded what was to be the biggest regional branch of the Band of Hope: The Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope Union, which was immensely popular. Two years later he established the monthly publication Onward: The Organ of the Lancashire and Cheshire Band of Hope Union, which was heavily slanted towards the younger reader. It too was extremely popular and was published in both Manchester and London. Although Hoyle appears to have just contributed to this periodical rather than edited it, he edited the more modest Band of Hope Treasury (1869–90), also a children's temperance magazine.

William Hoyle also published, in many different editions, Hoyle's Hymns & Songs for Temperance Societies and Bands of Hope (the first being in about 1869), and Hoyle's Reciter: Fifty-four original Recitations and Dialogues (date unknown, and some of these being in the Lancashire dialect). He also wrote 'William Foster: a life story' (1895), a brief biography about a man he greatly admired, although this work was never published.

Above is a group photo of the Bennett Street School (Manchester) Superintendents from 1880, which shows William Hoyle seated fifth from the left. Hoyle was a commercial traveller by profession, and like the mysterious William Foster (who died on 5 February 1879 aged 63 years) was a member of the Manchester Independent Order of Oddfellows.

Willam Hoyle now lies in Layton Cemetery, Blackpool.

'IN

LOVING

MEMORY OF

WILLIAM HOYLE,

AUTHOR OF

HYMNS AND SONGS

DAISY BALLADS ETC,

AND FOUNDER OF THE

LANCASHIRE

AND CHESHIRE

BAND OF HOPE UNION

WHO DIED

AT SOUTH SHORE,

NOV^R 14^TH 1895,

AGED 61 YEARS.'

My William Hoyle posts:

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William Hoyle in Manchester

William Hoyle in Manchester and Blackpool

William Thornber, Blackpool

'The

Parish Church

of Saint John

(Grade II Listed)

The first Church of St. John was built on this site in

1821 as a Chapel of Ease to Bispham. It became a

Parish Church in 1860.

Its third curate was the Rev. William Thornber

(1829–45)

Blackpool's first historian.

His grave, and that of William H. Cocker another

Blackpool pioneer and its first Mayor, remain to the

east of the present church completed in 1878.

The original vicarage, completed in 1829, stood

across the street on a site behind the Empress

Buildings.

Kindly donated by

Blackpool and Flyde

Historical Society'

Among Thornber's writings are The History of Blackpool and Its Neighbourhood (1837), and, er, according to the British Library catalogue, Traditions of the Foreland of the Fylde. Elizabethan era. Penny Stone; or, a Tradition of the Spanish Armada (1886), which includes a biographical sketch of the author.

The Temple of Arts, Blackpool

 

 'The Temple

of Arts

One of the oldest surviving buildings in the

town centre.

Built in 1847 it became John Eastman's Temple

of Arts photographic studio in 1853, said to

have been the first in Blackpool.

The outer wall was originally adorned by three

carved figures – 'The Three Graces', Faith,

Love and charity. Created by the artist

Samuel Wood they were subsequently hidden

for many years until uncovered in 1976.

Sadly they were damaged during building

renovation in 1988 and were replaced by

a plastic replica.'

Alistair Cooke, Blackpool

'ALISTAIR

COOKE

(K.B.E.)

Legendary Broadcaster, Journalist and Writer,

Alistair was renowned for his 'Letter from America'

broadcast which ran for 58 years from 1946 until his death

in 2004. In 1917 at the age of 8 years he moved from Salford

with his family living here at number 10 Vance Road.

He became and American citizen in 1941

and received his Honorary Knighthood

in 1973.

Kindly Donated by

June and Trevor Lockwood

Iona Hotel

2010' 

Maria Vero, Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #8

'In

Loving Memory

of

MARIA,

WIFE OF DAVID R. VERO,

PASSED AWAY 20^TH FEB. 1913,

AGED 76.

SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY

FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. (MANCHESTER BRANCH)

AND LEFT THIS WORLD AN ANCIENT TEMPLAR,

AND BRITISH WOMAN.'

Again, I can find no information on this person other than that on the gravestone, although the concern with women's suffrage is interesting. David R. Vero and Maria were no doubt also very involved with the temperance movement, but there is nothing else to discover. And what does 'British woman' mean exactly?

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

Richard Gorton Barlow, Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #7

'Here lie the remains of

RICHARD GORTON BARLOW,

DIED 31^ST JULY 1919, AGED 68 YEARS.

FOR TWENTY ONE SEASONS A PLAYING

MEMBER OF THE LANCASHIRE COUNTY

XI, AND FOR TWENTY ONE SEASONS

AN UMPIRE IN COUNTY MATCHES.

HE ALSO MADE THREE JOURNEYS

TO AUSTRALIA WITH ENGLISH TEAMS.

THIS IS A CONSECUTIVE RECORD IN

FIRST CLASS CRICKET WHICH NO OTHER

CRICKETER HAS YET ACHIEVED.

BOWLED AT LAST.'

I hardly ever include anything concerning sport as I have a virulent allergy to competitive activities, but I simply had to include this as the monumental work is so unusual and attractive.

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

Ada Boswell, Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #6

'In loving Memory of

ADA,

THE BELOVED WIFE OF

TOBIAS BOSWELL,

OF SOUTH SHORE.

WHO DIED MAY 11^TH 1901.

AGED 48 YEARS.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

QUEEN OF THE GIPSIES.

ALSO OF THE ABOVE

TOBIAS BOSWELL,

WHO DIED APRIL 5^TH 1908,

AGED 52 YEARS.'

I have almost no information on 'The Queen of the Gipsies', least of all why she was so called.

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

James Wayman and Samuel Pilling, Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #5

'RAISED BY FRIENDS

TO THE MEMORY OF

THE

REV. JAMES WAYMAN,

BORN AUGUST 15^TH 1840,

DIED DECEMBER 8^TH 1899.

HE WAS A GOOD MINISTER,

AND USEFUL CITIZEN.'

'Useful citizen' today seems an odd way to describe someone, and I wonder if it seemed odd at the end of the 19th century too. James Wayman was also the co-founder of the Blackpool Times in 1877, with Samuel Pilling:

'IN

LOVING MEMORY

OF

EMMA

WIFE OF THE

REV. S. PILLING,

BORN DEC^R 9^TH 1844,

DIED MAY 5^TH 1927.

ALSO OF THE ABOVE

REV. SAMUEL PILLING

BORN DEC^R 29^TH 1844,

DIED JAN^Y 11^TH 1930.'

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

George Washington Williams: Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #3

'GEORGE

WASHINGTON

WILLIAMS

AFRO-AMERICAN

HISTORIAN

1849–1891'

George Washington Williams was born in Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania. In 1874, he became the first African American to graduate from Newton Theological College. Supported by Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison, he founded the monthly journal The Commoner in Washington D.C., publishing eight issues. His most noted works are A History of Negro Troops in the War of Rebellion and The History of the Negro Race in America 1619–1880.

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

Samuel Laycock: Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #2

'SAMUEL LAYCOCK,

BORN JANUARY 17^TH 1826,

PASSED TO THE HIGHER LIFE

DECEMBER 15^TH 1893.

THOU ART NOT IDLE: IN THY HIGHER SPHERE

THY SPIRIT BENDS ITSELF TO LOVING TASKS,

AND STRENGTH TO PERFECT WHAT IT DREAMED OF HERE

IS ALL THE CROWN AND GLORY THAT IT ASKS

ALSO OF HIS BELOVED WIFE

ELIZA,

WHO DIED FEBRUARY 27^TH 1917.

IN HER 82^ND YEAR.'

Unlike Spencer T. Hall's grave, Samuel Laycock's mentions nothing of his literary works, or anything of his life for that matter. Laycock was born in Marsden near Huddersfield, now in West Yorkshire, and was the son of John, a hand loom weaver. Samuel began his working life in a mill at the age of nine, and continued as a mill worker of different statuses until the American Civil War (1861–1864) caused him to be unemployed. He wrote dialect poetry about life in the mills, his earlier publications being Lancashire Rhymes; or Homely Pictures of the People (1864) and Lancashire Songs (1866). Laycock worked as a librarian at the Mechanics Institute in Stalybridge from 1865 to 1971, and later moved to Blackpool due to poor health. Eliza was his third wife, and the future novelist Arthur Laycock was one of their children.

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

My Samuel Laycock posts:

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Samuel Laycock: Layton Cemetery, Blackpool
Samuel Laycock in Stalybridge

Spencer Timothy Hall: Layton Cemetery, Blackpool #1

'HERE RESTS, LIFE'S LABOURS O'ER,
THE EARTHLY REMAINS OF
SPENCER TIMOTHY HALL. PH.D., M.D., M.A,
"THE SHERWOOD FORESTER,"
AUTHOR OF "THE FORESTER'S OFFERING,"
"THE PEAK OF THE PLAIN," "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
OF REMARKABLE PEOPLE," AND OTHER LITERARY WORKS.
BORN AT SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD, DEC. 16^TH 1812,
DIED AT BLACKPOOL, APRIL 26^TH 1885.
"WHO, WALKING OFT WITH NATURE, HAND IN HAND,
TURNED ON HER WHEN SHE SPOKE, A RAPTURED EYE,
AND THEN, RETIRING IN HIS INMOST HEART,
THERE PONDERED ALL HER TEACHING O'ER AGAIN,
UNTIL, O'ER FILLED WITH GRATITUDE AND JOY,
HE TRIED TO ECHO THEM IN HYMNS TO GOD.
AND CHEERING WORDS AND WORK FOR SUFFERING MEN."

ERECTED BY HIS EARLY FRIEND, C.P.'*

* Dr Rowena Edlin-White informs me that 'C.P.' is 'Charles Plumbe (1813- ?1899), a cousin of Samuel Plumb the poet. Apart from being Post Master in Mansfield he produced two newspapers, The Sherwood Gatherer and later, The Midland Gazette. Apparently also a poet in a small way, I have yet to find anything by him. He appears to have been the last survivor of the Sherwood Forest Group'.

Many thanks to The Friends of Layton Cemetery for their amazingly enthusiastic help with all our grave enquiries.

Allen Clarke and Cornelius Bagot, Blackpool, Lancashire

'ALLEN CLARKE MEMORIAL WINDMILL
THIS WINDMILL WAS GIVEN IN 1937 BY
CORNELIUS BAGOT
OF BLACKPOOL
TO BE MAINTAINED AS A MEMORIAL TO
ALLEN CLARKE
AUTHOR, JOURNALIST & LANCASHIRE DIALECT
STORY WRITER WHO WAS BORN IN BOLTON IN 1963
& DIED IN BLACKPOOL IN 1935 AUTHOR OF 'WINDMILL
LAND' 'WINDMILL LAND STORIES' MOORLANDS AND
MEMORIES' - FOUNDER OF THE LANCASHIRE AUTHORS
ASSOCIATION AND THE BLACKPOOL RAMBLER CLUB'

'Blackpool Council
Built in 1838 on the site of an earlier windmill
by millwright Richard Blezard for Nancy, widow
of John Whalley. Originally one of seven windmills
in the area, it is the last remaining within the boundary
of Blackpool Borough. The design is typical for the Flyde
Coast, other surviving examples being Lytham St Anne's
to the south and Thornton to the north. The mill ceased
operating in 1928 and was given to the town by
Cornelius Bagot, as a memorial to his friend,
local author Allen Clarke (1863–1935).'

'BLACKPOOL CIVIC TRUST
HERITAGE TRAIL
251
WHITEGATE DRIVE
BUILT 1900
The home of
CORNELIUS BAGOT
1924 – 1940
He gifted
LITTLE MARTON MILL
(GRADE II LISTED)
Together with 315 sq yards of land on 30th October 1937
in trust as a perpetual memory to local author
ALLEN CLARKE
Cornelius Bagot was knocked down by a taxi near
this house on his 60th birthday 9th August 1940
During the W.W.2 Blackout.'

There's even a photo of Little Marton windmill in the Layton Rakes pub in the centre of town, which mentions both Allen Clarke (who often wrote under the pseudonym Teddy Ashton) and Cornelius Brown. Unfortunately Blackpool Council hasn't paid anything like the respect to Allen Clarke's grave as it has to his mill: we were unable to locate it in Marton Cemetery because, as an email from his granddaughter Shirley Matthews informed me, it still lies in pieces after being vandalised some time ago.

My other post on Allen Clarke:
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Paul Salveson: Lancashire's Romantic Radical: The Life and Writings of Allen Clarke / Teddy Ashton (2009)