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

Profile: Charles Taylor (1856-1939)

🧭 Ancestor Profile: Charles Taylor (1856–1939)

Born in the heart of industrial Lancashire, Charles Taylor’s life journey spanned the Victorian era, two world wars, and the evolution of Britain’s maritime strength. His story is one of service, movement, and resilience—woven through census records, certificates, and naval assignments.

🧒 Early Life in Blackburn

Charles Taylor was born on 13 August 1856 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England^[1]. He was baptized just two weeks later on 27 August at the local Church of England parish^[2]. His parents, John Taylor (circa 1820–1861)^{[14][15][16][17]} and Jane Whittle (1823–1861)^{[3][18][19][20]}, both passed away when Charles was still a child, leaving him to navigate early life in a rapidly changing industrial town.

By 1861, Charles was living at 49 Forrest Street in Blackburn and attending school^[3]. A decade later, he had moved to Accrington, still a scholar, residing at 29 Canary Street^[4].

⚓ A Life at Sea

Charles’s maritime career began in earnest with his marriage to Eliza Aylward on 28 August 1877 in Portsea, Hampshire^[5]—a naval hub that likely influenced his path. In his marriage record he was recorded aboard H.M.S. Excellent, working as a seaman^[5].

Over the next decades, Charles rose through the ranks:

• 1881: Leading Seaman aboard H.M.S. Boadicea^[6]
• 1891: Seaman and Coast Guard in Tynemouth, Northumberland^[7]
• 1901: Chief Boatman, Coast Guard in Cromer, Norfolk^[8]
• 1911: Chief Officer, Coast Guard in Barton Under Humber, Lincolnshire^[9]
• 1921: Retired Coast Guard Officer in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire^[10]

His postings reflect the strategic coastal locations vital to Britain’s naval defense, and his steady advancement suggests a respected career.

🏡 Family and Residences

Charles and Eliza had at least two children:

• Elizabeth J. Taylor (born circa 1879)^[7][24]
• Frederick Charles Taylor (born circa 1886)^[9]

The family moved frequently, following Charles’s assignments:

• Tynemouth (1891)^[7]
• Cromer (1901)^[8]
• North Somercotes (1907)^[12]
• Barton Under Humber (1911)^[9]
• Cleethorpes (1921–1939)^[10][11]

Eliza passed away on 3 August 1907 in Louth, Lincolnshire and was buried in North Somercotes Cemetery^[12][13].

🕊 Final Years

Charles spent his final years in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, residing at Twining Place. He died on 3 January 1939 of bronchio pneumonia^[11], closing a chapter that had begun in the smoky mills of Blackburn and ended on the quiet coast of Lincolnshire.

📚 Source Citations

1. Birth certificate, 13 Aug 1856 – GRO, Blackburn
2. Baptism record – Blackburn Church of England
3. 1861 England census – Blackburn
4. 1871 England census – Accrington
5. Marriage certificate – Portsea, Hampshire
6. 1881 England census – Royal Navy
7. 1891 England census – Tynemouth
8. 1901 England census – Cromer
9. 1911 England census – Barton Under Humber
10. 1921 England census – Cleethorpes
11. Death certificate – 3 Jan 1939, Cleethorpes
12. Death certificate – Eliza Taylor, 3 Aug 1907
13. North Somercotes Cemetery record
14. Baptism record – John Taylor
15. 1851 England census – Blackburn
16. Death certificate – John Taylor, 1861
17. Deceased Online – John Taylor
18. Baptism record – Jane Whittle
19. Birth certificate – Jane Whittle
20. 1841 England census – Blackburn
21. Birth certificate – Eliza Aylward
22. 1861 England census – Portsea Island
23. 1871 England census – Portsea Island
24. 1881 England census – Portsea Island

X00390 Charles Taylor after 1861 - Solved!

Continuing my search for Charles Taylor and his death information (X00390), I was hoping that I would encounter the same luck that I had in tracking down his wife, Eliza Aylward.

First, I did manage to find Charles Taylor in the 1921 census

It's definitely the right one, because the birth information and location (Blackburn) matches, plus his profession is listed as a retired Coast Guard officer. At the time of the 1921 census, he's living in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England.

The only other census-like record for England after 1921 is the 1939 register, so I had a look for him there. I was not able to find a Charles Taylor that matched, suggesting that he probably died before 1939

So, it would seem that he likely died somewhere between 1921 and 1939, which is a pretty wide range; his name is fairly common and he moved around a lot, so this seemed like an impossible task.

But then I thought, if he was retired in 1921, perhaps he stopped moving around and settled in Cleethorpes. So I looked for death records for a Charles Taylor between 1921 and 1939 in Cleethorpes. And sure enough I was able to find a record for a death in 1939:

Not only does the name and age match, but the profession listed is retired Chief Officer, Coast Guard. As well, the informant is F.C. Taylor, a name that matches one of his known sons.

So, I am happy to conclude that I have found the correct death record and death information for Charles Taylor.