Samuel Greene - Astley Headmaster

Work in Progress - this post is not completed

Samuel Greene was born on 4th December 1827 in Houghton [Green?] Winwick,

the fourth Son of Jonathan Greene and Mary Jones who were Handloom Weavers [Silk] and

baptised on Christmas Day 1827 at St Oswald’s Church in Winwick.

Samuel’s siblings, the other children of Jonathan and Mary, were:

Edward who married Catherine Harrison, John who married Mary Wright,

Jonathan and Mary who both died as babies and Mary who married Thomas Platt.

Living with his parents in Houghton Green in 1841 and at the time of the 1851 Census:

Still with his parents in "Parish of Winwick - Township of Houghton, Myddleton & Arbury"

Samuel Occupation was a Gardener.

Apart from the fact that part of the area in which the family lived was historically in Lancashire but now in Cheshire, the church records regarding baptisms for their children is also somewhat confusing with churches changing names etc - some explanatory information at:

https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Winwick/newchurch/baptisms.html

Samuel married Sarah Darbyshire at St Oswald's Church Winwick on 4th Dec 1851.

Sarah was the daughter of Ralph Darbyshire and Sarah Taylor.

Samuel and Sarah's Children:

John 1852 & Elizabeth 1854

Both baptised at St Oswald, Winwick

On both occasions Samuel’s occupation is recorded as a Gardener.

In 1852 their abode was recorded as being Hulme and in 1854, Winwick.

Mary b c1858 - She is listed as daughter on the 1861 and 1871 Census

but I cannot find a baptism record naming the parents.

She may well have died young, perhaps in 1874 but again there is no record to confirm.

Buried at Newchurch ?

William Baptised 18th April 1861 at Bury Lane Church, Newchurch.

Samuel again recorded as a School Master and they were living in

Bury Lane, Culcheth.

Samuel The fifth child, baptised 30th August 1863 at the Parish Church, Newchurch.

He died when he was just 7 months old and was buried on

17th Feb 1864 at the same Church.

Sarah born on 25th November 1864.

Annie born on 29th October 1869 and baptised at Newchurch on 13th February in 1870.

Jane baptised on the 7th April 1872 again at Newchurch.

Note: Bury Lane Church became All Saints, Glazebury.

Background Information:

The baptism register for 1838-1865 includes entries for 'Bury Lane Church', which later became All Saints Glazebury. From 1856-1863, these appear on separate pages within the main register. Prior to 1856, entries for Baptisms at Bury Lane appear within the main register, sometimes out of date sequence. After 1864, All Saints Glazebury kept its own registers.

Fowley Common, although in the district of Culcheth, is further North East than Culcheth village itself, towards Glazebury, which is in the top right hand corner on the map above.

From: culcheth.org: “The name "Newchurch" which is found throughout the village, refers to the building of the village's first church in or about 1560, as a separate, new church, from the mother-church of St. Oswalds in Winwick, some 5 km away. The original New Church burned to the ground in 1903 and had to be rebuilt from scratch, as a new, New Church.”

The 1861 Census taken on the 7th April shows Samuel, now a School Master, and Sarah with children: John, Elizabeth, Mary and William living in Fowley Common, Culcheth with a servant Hannah, just ten years old, who was a nurse - presumably for newborn Son William.

Detail of Lancashire CII - OS Six-Inch Map showing location of Culcheth south of the Railway.

This close up [below] clearly shows a Bury Lane School and Fowley Common.

According to a directory entry [below - date unknown] he must have been at the National School in Bury Lane before transferring to, and becoming Headmaster of, Astley National School.

The Astley National School in Church Road and below, another image of the back of the building just before demolition in ?

In 1996 I went to the new Astley St Stephen’s School and was able to photocopy pages from the school log books. These mention Samuel Greene's name several times and I presume it is his handwriting.

1871 Census: “Civil Parish of” Culcheth, “Village or Hamlet” Bury Lane.

to be continued . . .

Glazebury from Wikipedia:

“The village name is unusual as the ending "bury" in English place names usually signifies a fortified place. However Hurst became known as Glazebury in a different way. In the 17th century Civil War combatants were buried in a road which became known as Bury Lane (now part of Warrington Road) and Glazebury is believed to take its name from a combination of bury and the word glaze from the nearby Glaze Brook.”

Samuel died on 4th May 1908

Sarah, I believe had died earlier that year.