The Rothwells of Blackburn: A Working-Class Family Through Victorian Times

Henry Rothwell (1811–1875) & Alice Hacking (c.1807–1889)

Henry Rothwell was born on 1 August 1811 in Haslingden, Lancashire, and baptized there on 20 October. He married Alice Hacking on 22 July 1833 in Blackburn, where they raised a large family amid the industrial bustle of 19th-century Lancashire. Alice, born around 1807 in Clitheroe, lived a long life marked by resilience, passing away in 1889 from a strangulated hernia and exhaustion.

Henry worked variously as a horsekeeper, ostler, porter, carter, and foundry laborer—occupations that reflect the shifting demands of industrial Blackburn. The couple lived in multiple working-class neighborhoods including High Street, Back Lane, Salford, Ewood Bridge, Swarbrick Street, and Peter Street.

Alice had a daughter named Nancy from a previous reletionship. Henry and Alice had eight children together, many of whom followed their parents into the cotton trade.Their lives offer a vivid portrait of working-class endurance, familial bonds, and the harsh realities of Victorian life.

Children of Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking

Name	Birth–Death	Occupation / Notes
Nancy Rothwell	1828–?	Cotton weaver; married James Hindle in 1852; lived in Accrington and Musbury
Richard Rothwell	c.1834–1844	Died of smallpox at age 10 despite vaccination
James H.R. Rothwell	1835–?	Stone mason’s laborer; married Margaret Airey; lived at Fisher Street
Mary Rothwell	c.1836–1903	Cotton weaver; married George Slater; died in Blackburn Union Workhouse
Henry Rothwell Jr.	1838–1840	Died of typhoid fever at age 1
Martha Alice Rothwell	1840–1899	Cotton weaver; married Samuel Rawcliffe; died of cerebral apoplexy
Ellen Rothwell	1842–1844	Died of consumption at age 1
Alice Ann Rothwell	1844–1872	Throstle spinner; married James Taylor; died of uterine hemorrhage at age 27
Elizabeth Rothwell	1846–?	Cotton weaver; lived at Peter Street and Swarbrick Street

Threads of Labor and Loss

The Rothwell children were deeply embedded in the textile economy of Blackburn. Census records show many working as cotton weavers or spinners from adolescence. Several died young—Richard, Henry Jr., Ellen, and Alice Ann—underscoring the fragility of life in an era of limited medical care.

Alice Ann’s death in 1872 from uterine hemorrhage, possibly linked to childbirth, left behind three young children. Her daughter Jane was just seven. Martha Alice died in 1899 after a cerebral event, and Mary spent her final years in the workhouse, labeled a “lunatic”—a term often used for dementia or mental illness.

Final Resting Places

Most family members were buried in Blackburn Cemetery, including Henry, Alice, Mary, Martha Alice, and Alice Ann. Their burial records, death certificates, and census entries form a poignant mosaic of lives lived in the shadow of mills and hardship.

Legacy

Henry and Alice Rothwell’s descendants carried forward the grit and tenacity of their forebears. Their story is not one of fame or fortune, but of quiet perseverance. Through the lens of historical records, we glimpse the rhythms of working-class life in Victorian Blackburn—its labor, its losses, and its enduring familial ties.

X00379 Nancy Rothwell after 1841

I had previously talked about finding Nancy Rothwell's birth information. Aside from her birth information, however, I had only found her in the 1841 census and nothing beyond that.

Ancestry hints suggested a marriage record, which turned out to be a marriage record between a Nancy Hacking and a James Hindle.

No age is given, which doesn't help identify to see if this is the right person. The only witness to the marriage appears to be from the Hindle side, which doesn't help. As well, there are some questionable details.

For one thing, her name is given as Nancy Hacking, which could mean that she went by her mother's name, which might make some sense, given that she was likely born out of wedlock.

As well, her father's name is listed as "Benjamin Farrar". This doesn't help in identify her as the correct Nancy, but it does lean to someone who was born out of wedlock, as the surname doesn't match and the marriage record does not indicate that she had a prior marriage. If this is the correct Nancy, it would shed some light on who her biological father is.

The location doesn't help in making any identifications either, as I haven't found any other connections to Bury, Lancashire at this point.

So, there isn't a whole lot of definite proof that the Nancy in the marriage record is the correct one, other than the name fitting.

But I had a look to see if I could find more records about the family and I managed to find them in the 1851 census.

In the 1851 census, they are living next door to Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking and family, which would be too much of a coincidence for them not to be connected.

So, now having identified the correct Nancy in the marriage record, we now have found her up to 1851. Of course, we still have the question of what happened after 1851. I have not been able to definitely find the family in later census years, or in any death records. Plus, there is now the new question of who was Benjamin Farrar?

Next Steps:

• Continue looking for family members in the later census records
• Continue looking for death records for either Nancy or James Hindle
• Look for the children found in the 1851 census (Alice and Richard) in later records

Profile: John Taylor and Jane Whittle Family

🧬 John Taylor & Jane Whittle: A Lancashire Family in the Industrial Age

John Taylor and Jane Whittle lived through the heart of England’s industrial transformation, raising a large family in Blackburn, Lancashire. Their story, stitched together from baptismal records, census data, and death certificates, offers a vivid glimpse into working-class life in mid-19th century northern England.

👤 John Taylor (circa 1820 – 20 March 1861)

Born around 1820 in Heywood, Lancashire, John Taylor was baptized on 25 March 1820 at the local Church of England parish. He spent much of his adult life in Blackburn, where he worked variously as a labourer and a striker in a foundry. His residences included Sutton Street, Eanam, Brook Street, Quarry Street, Syke Street, Daisy Street, and Turner Lane—each address marking a chapter in his working life.

John died of influenza on 20 March 1861 and was buried four days later in Blackburn Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was living at 25 Daisy Street and working as a striker for blacksmiths.

👤 Jane Whittle (8 November 1823 – 25 June 1861)

Jane Whittle was born in Blackburn on 8 November 1823. She married John Taylor on 22 May 1842 in Blackburn. Like many women of her time, Jane’s life is traced primarily through her roles as wife and mother, appearing in census records and baptismal entries for her children. She died just three months after her husband, on 25 June 1861.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Children of John Taylor and Jane Whittle

John and Jane had nine children, many of whom lived short lives—a poignant reminder of the era’s high child mortality rates.

#	Name	Birth–Death	Notes
1	Mary Ann Taylor	1843–1846	Died young
2	James Taylor	1845–1893	Married Alice Ann Rothwell in 1864
3	Mary Elizabeth Taylor	1848–1855	Died at age 7
4	Ellen Taylor	1851–1851	Died in infancy
5	John Taylor	b. 14 Dec 1852	Cotton spinner in 1871; possibly married Martha Ann Bulcock
6	Rachel Taylor	1855–1855	Died in infancy
7	Charles Taylor	1856–1939	Had a long life; served in the Royal Navy
8	William Taylor	1859–1859	Died in infancy
9	Thomas Taylor	1861–1861	Died shortly after birth

🧵 Threads of Continuity

John and Jane’s son, John Taylor (b. 1852), appears in the 1861 census living with his maternal grandparents, John and Ellen Whittle, following the death of both parents earlier that year. By 1871, he was living with his brother James and sister-in-law Alice Ann Rothwell, working as a cotton spinner. Later records are harder to confirm due to the commonality of his name, though a possible marriage to Martha Ann Bulcock has surfaced through Ancestry hints.

🪦 Final Resting Places

Both John and Jane were buried in Blackburn Cemetery, their deaths occurring just months apart in 1861—a tragic year for the family.

X00378 Elizabeth Rothwell after 1871 (continued)

Continuing on from a previous post about X00378 - Elizabeth Rothwell after 1871 and a discovery made while researching X00384: William Charles Taylor after 1881.

To recap: Elizabeth Rothwell is the daughter of Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking, born 16 July 1846. I have found her in various census records up to and including 1871, but nothing beyond that. There was a marriage record that I was investigating, but nothing definite.

While researching William Charles Taylor, I found William in this 1891 census record living with his Aunt and Uncle. William and Elizabeth Brown

Elizabeth Rothwell would have been his aunt, and the age of Elizabeth Brown matches. Could Elizabeth Brown be Elizabeth Rothwell? I have been looking for a marriage record for an Elizabeth Rothwell and a William Brown, but have not found anything definite at this point.

X00391 John Taylor born 1852 after 1871

John Taylor is the second son, and fifth child of John Taylor and Jane Whittle. He was born 14 December 1852. Aside from his birth and baptism records, I have also found him in the 1861 and 1871 censuses.

Both of his parents died in early 1861 and so at the time of the 1861 census, he was living with his grandparents, John and Ellen Whittle. At the time of the 1871 census he is living with his brother and sister-in-law, James Taylor and Alice Ann Rothwell. His profession in the 1871 census is listed as a cotton spinner.

But after the 1871 census, it gets a little difficult to find him due to his very common name. In the 1861 and 1871 censuses he was living with other family members so it is easy to positively identify him, but in the censuses beyond I haven't been able to link him to any other family member.

Ancestry hints suggest a marriage between him and a Martha Ann Bulcock, so I decided to have look into that. I did manage to find the marriage record:

Most of the other ancestry hints are based on this marriage record being the correct one.

The name and age in the marriage record match with this John Taylor. The profession is a cotton porter, loom weaver, which is different than being a cotton spinner, but he could have changed profession. The address doesn't create any links to anything that I can tell. The father's name of John Taylor matches, but the profession does not match any previous profession for John Taylor

Given that John's father died when he was about eight, there is the possibility that he wasn't aware of what his profession actually was and gave the wrong information. But there's not enough definite information to conclude that this marriage record is the right one.

X00376 James H.R. Rothwell after 1856 Continued

Continuing the search to findmore information about James Hacking Ratcliffe Rothwell after 1856 (X00376), I did receive the death certificate that I had requested in a previous post.

Recapping: James H.R. Rothwell was born 6 February 1856 in Haslingden, Lancashire. He married Margaret Airey in Blackburn on 26 July 1856. I have found him in the 1871 census, but nothing beyond that date.

As mentioned earlier, I did request a death certificate from the GRO for a James Rothwell who died in 1894, aged 60 in Blackburn:

The name isn't exactly correct; nor is the year of birth or profession, which is what had me a little doubtful. Although one possible clue is that the informant is a daughter named Ellen Sharples, and the James Rothwell in my tree did have a daughter named Ellen. So I had a look for a marriage record between an Ellen Rothwell and someone with the last name Sharples.

I came across this marriage record between an Ellen Rothwell and a Samuel Sharples in 1883. Ellen ROthwell is a daughter of a James Rothwell, so it looks to be the same family as in the death record:

I had a look for a birth record for the Ellen Rothwell in the record and managed to find this baptism record:

The address of York Street in the baptism record matches the address in the marriage record, so the Ellen Rothwell in this baptism record is the same as the one in the marriage record and the same as the informant in the death certificate. But the parents are James Rothwell and a Mary, so it doesn't look like it is the correct James Rothwell. And so the search continues.

X00374: Alice Hacking EOL (Continued)

In previous blogposts I have talked about Alice Hacking and X00374 and finding her birth information, including her parents.

From the known documents I had determined that she was likely born between 1805 and 1809, outside of Blackburn, likely Clitheroe or Ribchester.

I had identified five possibilities for baptism records for Alice Hacking in the previous blogpost. Since then I have expanded the information further to look at where the families were living at the time:

Possibility	Name	Birth	Baptism	Location	Residence	Father	Mother
1	Alice Hacking	22 Dec 1806	22 Feb 1807	Blackburn	Lower Darwin	James Hacking	Jane Hacking
2	Alice Hacking	30 Nov 1809	19 Jan 1810	Blackburn	Blackburn		Betty Hacking
3	Alice Hacking	Unknown	31 Jul 1808	Blackburn	Lower Darwin	Lawrence Hacking	Betty Hacking
4	Alice Hacking	5 Apr 1806	27 Apr 1806	Altham	Clayton	James Hacking	Ann Hacking
5	Alice Hacking	19 Oct 1805	10 Nov 1805	Mitton	Aighton	James Hacking	Mary Hacking

This gives a better indication of which baptism record might the correct one. Lower Darwen is South of Blackburn, whereas Clitheroe and Ribchester are North East of Blackburn. Altham and Clayton are East of Blackburn.But Mitton and Aighton are located between Clitheroe and Ribchester, so they seem to be the most likely.

Doing some further research, I also found a death record for the fourth option in 1827, so that was clearly not the correct match

So, it is looking like possibiity 5 is the most likely one.

I'll need to do some more digging to see if I can find any other clues about this family

Next steps

• Look for a marriage record for James Hacking and Mary
• Look for James Hacking and Mary in the 1841 census
• Look for other records