Gordon Bird

[DeborahJRushworth]

Just a quick post to notify the death of Gordon Bird this week at the great age of 97 years. He was the son of George Bird, who was Gamekeeper on Whitemoor and Landlord at the Lane Head (Fanny Grey) with my great grandmother Mary Sharp Bird (nee Rushworth). Gordon moved South in 1947 and brought up his family in Welwyn Garden City. You had some local history accounts on the site that mentioned George Bird and I thought there may be people still about who remembered Gordon.

I have been trying to re-find a story on your site about George Sharp who I believe was my great grandmother's grandfather but can't seem to raise it. It mentioned him enclosing land on Whitemoor and being taken to court for it. If anybody has any information about the Sharps or about George Rushworth or the Rushworth Brothers (Crane Works/Iron Founders, Colne) I would be very grateful to hear. I know the works building on Little Queen Street in Colne but wondered what happened to the company in the end.

[Wendyf]

There are a number of photos taken at Rushworth's in the collection at Colne Library. I will see what I can find out about them when I am down there next Wednesday.

[Stanley]

Welcome to the site Debs. There is a lot in the archive about all these subjects and when the Google bots get it indexed they will be available by Google search.
BIRD INDEX ENTRIES. 04/09/10

1902.
Henry Bird noted as overlooker living on Wellhouse Road in Barrett Directory 1902.
c. 1920
George Bird
LTP. 79/AO/01. Jack Platt talks about being caught poaching on Whitemoor by the gamekeeper George Bird. George lived at Whinberry Harbour, Whitemoor reservoir which was the Keeper's Cottage. He later became landlord of the Fanny Grey at the top of Salterforth Lane.
c. 1920
Roy Bird
LTP. 78/AH/07. Fred Inman talks about Roy Bird being Conservative candidate for Skipton in General Election about this time and speaking in Earby.
c.1936
Charlie Bird
LTP. 78/AB/04. Billy Brooks talks about Charlie Bird and partners having 400 looms in Calf Hall Shed.
c.1950
Clifton Bird
LTP. 78/AC/06. Ernie Roberts talks about a fire in Widdup's at Moss Shed in post war years. “There were this fire and it were a mystery. I mean, if there were a loom on fire there were a hot part you see, red hot. But there were no hot parts on this loom. Bloke called Clifton Bird were t’weaver, he were like a friend of mine, I were tackling at the time and it were my loom so it was my duty to find out what caused this fire. I looked all over, nothing. It were a week or two after that Clifton told me he had put his foot on a match. He smoked a pipe and he used to go to the toilet with his pipe and one or two odd matches in his pocket. One fell out as he were walking in and he stepped on it and that was it, on fire.

RUSHWORTH INDEX ENTRIES AS OF 09/02/08

1848
George Rushworth of Green Bank, Barnoldswick mentioned as elector of Barnoldswick.

1851 census
Joshua Rushworth, head, 31, gamekeeper at Whinberry Harbour, Whitemoor reservoir. Born Burnley. Mary (nee Sharp) wife, 24, born Colne. George, 7. William, 5. John, 3. All born Barnoldswick (Whinberry comes under Barlick) Also resident was George Sharp, 65, father in law, widower, born Colne. [Joshua is still at Whinberry Harbour in the 1871 census.

1851 census
George Rushworth of Green Bank. 49. Farms 52 acres. William, son, 24, Quarry man. James, 22, HLW, cotton. Josiah, 19, quarry man. Mary Ann, 16, house servant. Martha, 14, HLW cotton. John, 12 bobbin winder. Elizabeth, 10, bobbin winder. Alice, 8, bobbin winder.

1871 census.
Daniel Rushworth. Moor Laithe Farm. 57. Farmer of 43 acres and employing two men.

1879
Slaters Directory. Rushworth Brothers. Makers of steam portable engines and boilers. Steam derrick cranes and steam travelling cranes. Primet Bridge, Colne. Similar entry in Barrett directory for the same year.

1879
George Rushworth of Guy Syke, Colne mentioned in Slater’s directory as ‘an agent’.

1886
Textile Mercury of 15/04/1886. Report that Long Ing Shed company propose to buy land at Long Ing to build a new shed. Capital £20,000 in 40 shares of £500 each. George Rushworth, engineer of Colne takes 4 shares and is thus a director of the new company.

1887
Cotton Factory Times. 03/06/1887. Report of the starting of the engines at Long Ing Shed. George Rushworth present and described as ironfounder of Colne.

1887
Barrett notes John Rushworth as being a farmer on White Moor.

1887
LTP. 78/AG/07. Page 9. Newton pickles mentions Rushworth’s of Colne as main people associated with scrapping mills and engines in the area. In LTP. 78/AB/05. Page 3. Billy Brooks says that engineering firms like Rushworth’s from Colne would invest in new sheds to aid them in getting contracts for the work. Rushworth’s were major shareholders in Long Ing Shed and got contracts for the CI troughings and pillars. (Started June 1st 1887)

1887/1888
Barrett directory fir both years mentions George and John Rushworth as being in business at Primet Bridge trading as Rushworth Brothers, engineers and machinery merchants. John lived at 28 Brown Street, Cone and George at Shaw Street, Colne. 1879 Barrett gives John’s address as Ormerod Street, Colne.

1890
LRO. UDBk. 5/1 (i) box of legal papers. September 4th 1890 David Rushworth sells land below Whitemoor to Skipton Rural District Sanitation Authority for a borehole to supply Barlick with water.

1890
Calf Hall Shed Company minute books. 23 April 1890. Complaints about George Rushworth using dynamite to scrap the old engines at Wellhouse Mill. Numerous entries in succeeding years of minor disputes and purchases with same man.

1902
Mrs Elizabeth Rushworth farms Coates Flats. (Barrett Directory 1902) Same entry in Barrett for 1896.

1931
LTP. 78/AG/03. Page 17. Newton Pickles talks about George Carr Rushworth bringing them in to the engine at Long Ing Shed to rebore it and at the same time getting Roberts of Nelson in to attend to a loose flywheel as both jobs were beyond Rushworth’s capability. This was shortly after S Pickles had bought the shed and shortly afterwards took the engineering maintenance off Rushworth and gave it to Newton’s father’s firm Henry Brown Sons and Pickles.

1960/61
LTP. 78/AH/14. Page 13. Fred Inman describes how George Rushworth came into Victoria Mill, Earby to scrap redundant looms. Talks about the way many looms were not scrapped but sold abroad after attracting the scrapping subsidy.

1964
Bob King describes how he bought second-hand loom parts from Rushworth’s at Colne when re-equipping Spring Mill in Earby.


SCG/09 February 2008

SHARP INDEX ENTRIES 02/03/12


1770
Jonas Sharp noted as paying Land Tax in Barlick, 6/- but no address given.
1835
George sharp noted as elector of Barlick in 1835. Address given as Hey Farm (The Farm I owned from 1959 to 1982) Same entry for 1837. In 1841 he is an elector but address given as Sandiford (on Gisburn Old Track), same entry for 1848.
1859
William Sharp noted as elector of Barlick in 1859. Address given as Alrham, Accrington, Lancs. (Must have owned property in Barlick. Address not specified)
1950/1960
LTP. 79/AO/03. Jack Platt talks about a man called Laurence Sharp being second man to him on one of Wild Brother's wagons.

SCG/02/03/12

[Stanley]

I haven't a reference for it but a vague memory of a George Rushworth being found face down and drowned in shallow water on the moor. Assumption was he'd fallen face forward for some reason. Around 1950/1960 I think.

[DeborahJRushworth]

Re George Rushworth. I found the relevant news article with help from staff in Colne Library. George Rushworth (grandson of George Rushworth, founder of Rushworth Brothers) died tragically in the stream at Wycoller on 16 April 1972 aged 48. An inquest the following day decided it was an accidental death following losing his footing in the dark and falling about 8 feet into the stream where he banged his dead and died in 8 or 9 inches of water. He was thought to have gone to visit a friend Albert Wilkinson at Lowlands Farm. George was single and had had a career in the Royal Navy before joining the family business. He died intestate and his estate presumably went to his sister, wife of former MP for Morecambe Mr Hall-Davis. According to the newspaper report he had owned several farms and the shooting rights on Whitemoor.

[Stanley]

Thanks for that Deborah. Nice to know the synapses are still working! Straight into the index.

[Stanley]

I tripped over this on Google when I went looking for a pic of the Rushworth Loom Pile at Colne. There is stuff on Oneguy that even I have forgotten!