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: Alice Hacking (ca 1807-1889)

Alice Hacking (circa 1807–1889)
Name: Alice Hacking
Gender: Female
Birth: Circa 1807, Clitheroe, Lancashire, England
Death: 4 November 1889, Blackburn, Lancashire, England
Burial: 7 November 1889, Blackburn Cemetery, Lancashire

Life and Residences
Alice Hacking lived a full life across various addresses in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her movements reflect the changing landscape of industrial England and the realities of working-class life in the 19th century:

• 1841: High Street, Blackburn
• 1844: Back Lane, Blackburn
• 1846: 38 Salford, Blackburn
• 1851: Ewood Bridge, Blackburn
• 1861: 6 Swarbrick Street, Blackburn
• 1871: 33 Peter Street, Blackburn
• 1881: 146 Cleaver Street, Blackburn
• 1889: 69 Alker Street, Blackburn (final residence)

Marriage and Family
Alice married Henry Rothwell on 22 July 1833 in Blackburn. Together, they had nine children:

• Nancy Rothwell (b. 1828)
• Richard Rothwell (c. 1834–1844)
• James Hacking Ratcliffe Rothwell (b. 1835)
• Mary Rothwell (c. 1836–1903)
• Henry Rothwell (c. 1838–1840)
• Martha Alice Rothwell (1840–1899)
• Ellen Rothwell (1842–1844)
• Alice Ann Rothwell (1844–1872)
• Elizabeth Rothwell (b. 1846)

Her children’s lives spanned various paths, with some marrying and others passing away young—a poignant reminder of the era’s harsh realities.

Conflicting Birth Records
There are conflicting records regarding Alice’s birth year. While most sources suggest circa 1807, one record indicates circa 1810. This discrepancy is common in early 19th-century documentation and adds complexity to genealogical research.

Final Days
Alice passed away on 4 November 1889 in Blackburn. Her death certificate cites a strangulated hernia and exhaustion after a 12-day illness. She was laid to rest three days later in Blackburn Cemetery.

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Sources

• Census: Blackburn, Lancashire, folio 4, page 1 [D01529]
• 1851 Census: Haslingden, Lancashire, folio 244, page 14 [D01628]
• 1861 Census: Blackburn, Lancashire, folio 100, page 27 [D01602]
• 1871 Census: Blackburn, Lancashire, folio 75, page 25 [D02674]
• 1881 Census: Blackburn, Lancashire, folio 24, page 41 [D01347]
• Death Certificate: England and Wales, 4 Nov 1889, Blackburn [D02683]
• Burial Record: Blackburn Cemetery, 7 Nov 1889 [D02680]

X00374 Alice Hacking End of Line

I have mentioned Alice Hacking previously. She is my 4x great grandmother and is currently one of my end-of-line ancestors. So, I've been doing some research to see if I can find more information about her birth and the generation before her.

Below is a summary of her birth date and location information based on the records that I have found:

No	Doc	Year	Age	Birth Year	Birth Place
D01529	1841 Census	1841	30	1811	Lancashire
D01628	1851 Census	1851	43	1808	Clitheroe, Lancashire
D01602	1861 Census	1861	55	1806	Ribchester, Lancashire
D02674	1871 Census	1871	66	1805	Clitheroe, Lancashire
D01347	1881 Census	1881	72	1809	Difficult to read
D02683	Death Certificate	1889	79	1810	N/A
D02680	Burial Record	1889	83	1806	N/A

The location information for the 1881 census is difficult to read and the ages in the 1841 census were rounded. So, I'm looking for a birth year between 1805 and 1809 and a location outside of Blackburn i.e. Clitheroe or Ribchester.

So, looking at the possible baptism records, I have found five possibilities

Possibility	Name	Birth	Baptism	Location	Parents
01	Alice Hacking	22 Dec 1806	22 Feb 1807	Blackburn	James Hacking & Jane Hacking
02	Alice Hacking	30 Nov 1809	19 Jan 1810	Blackburn	Betty Hacking
03	Alice Hacking	Unknown	31 July 1808	Blackburn	Lawrence Hacking & Betty Hacking
04	Alice Hacking	5 Apr 1806	27 Apr 1806	Altham	James Hacking & Ann Hacking
05	Alice Hacking	19 Oct 1805	10 Nov 1805	Mitton	James Hacking & Mary Hacking

Given that Blackburn was a larger city nearby, it is possible that the baptism occurred in Blackburn. Mitton is part of Clitheroe and the baptism record says the family was from Aighton, which is just West of Clitheroe, so possibility number five seems to be the leading candidate, but more investigation is required.

X00375 Henry Rothwell 1838-1840 - Solved!

I've gone back to look at X00375 and the birth and death information for Henry Rothwell 1838-1840 again. I still have not been able to find a birth record from the GRO for a Henry Rothwell that has a maiden name for the mother of Hacking.

But instead, I had another look at the father's professions in the baptism, death and burial records:

• Baptism (1838) Father's profession: Ostler
• Death (1840) Father's profession: Ostler
• Burial (1840) Father's profession: Not given

The fact that the baptism and death records both list the father as being an ostler is good evidence that the two are related. The question is, is the father (also named Henry Rothwell) the one in my family.

I had a look at some other records to see if the profession is the same. In later years, Henry Rothwell, the father's profession is given as a carter most often. Both ostlers and carters work with horses, so that is a good indication. But in the baptism records for both Mary Rothwell (1836) and James H.R. Rothwell (1835), Henry's profession is listed as being an ostler

And with that, I'm willing to conclude that Henry Rothwell (1838-1840) is connected to my Rothwell family.

X00370 & X00371 Nancy Rothwell Birth info - Solved!

Nancy Rothwell appears in the 1841 census living with the rest of the Rothwell family, aged 13 (implying a birth year of about 1828). Unfortunately, she doesn't appear in any later census records with the family that I could find.

This information created a few questions as described in previous posts:

• X00370 - Birth information for Nancy Rothwell
• X00371 - When did Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking get married?

I have found a marriage record for Henry and Alice in 1833

A marriage in 1833 implies that Nancy was likely born before the marriage. And sure enough I found an interesting baptism record:

It's a baptism record for a Nancy Rothwell, baptised 21 May 1841 and the parents are Henry and Alice Rothwell. And Henry is listed as a carter which matches. The actual date of birth however is given as 2 April 1828, which would match. So, it's a definite possibility that Nancy was born 2 April 1828 out of wedlock, but was baptised later in life (at age 13) when the parents were married.

So this fits. I did however, find a baptism record dated 11 Oct 1829 for a Nanny Hacking, born to an Alice Hacking, with no father listed:

This could be an original baptism record, but the date and location don't match and there's not enough other information to tell for sure.

I did also look into the possibility that Alice Hacking as married previously and found a marriage record between an Alice Strong and a James Hacking on 28 November 1828.

But this seems unlikely. For one thing, Alice is listed as a spinster in the 1833 marriage record, and the name Hacking appears as a middle name for one of her children. Also, the marriage would have taken place after Nancy was born, according to her later baptism. So, it would seem that this is more of a coincidence than anything else. I have also found James and Alice Hacking in later census records.

After considering the evidence and timing, it would appear that the 1841 baptism record for Nancy Rothwell and the 1833 marriage record for Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking are the correct records.

X00373 Alice Rothwell Date of Death

Similarly to my research on the death date for Henry Rothwell, I had a similar issue for finding the death date of his wife, Alice. She appeared in the 1881 census, but I could not find her in any later census records, so presumably she died between 1881 and 1891. I had found a death certificate that looked to fit:

The location of Blackburn and the address of Alker street are consistent with my Alice Rothwell. The year of birth is a little off (about 1810 vs about 1807) but still close. She is listed as the husband of a Henry Rothwell, although as established previously, there were more than one Henry and Alice Rothwell couples living in the area at the time.

I managed to find her in a burial record for Blackburn Cemetary:

Then I checked the other names in the same plot. This is the same burial location as the Henry Rothwell that I have recently determined is the correct one, which would also suggest that this Alice Rothwell is also the right one.

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Sources:
[D01347] 1881 census of England, Blackburn, Lancashire, folio 24, page 41; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.ca (accessed 15 Feb 2025); citing PRO RG 11/4189.

[D02680] Deceased Online, "Deceased Online," database, Deceased Online (Deceasedonline.com : accessed 25 May 2025), 1492.

[D02683] England and Wales, death certificate for Alice Rothwell, died 4 November 1889; citing 08e/292/476, Q4 quarter 1889, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn Southern sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

X00188 Solved! Part 2

Continuing on the story of X00188, I had a look at the burial record for Henry Rothwell, who died in 1875. I had a look to see who else was buried in the same plot. There were four names

It lists four individuals, including Henry and Alice Rothwell. There is also a Mary Slater, who was buried in 1903 and a Martha Bass who died in 1885. Neither of those names are familiar to me, but I had a look at Alice Rothwell's burial record:

And from that I found the death record:

Unfortunately, neither the burial record, nor the death record gave any clear indication, other than that she was married to a Henry Rothwell. Next step...to see if I can find out more about Mary Slater or Martha Bass.

X00375: Henry Rothwell 1838-1840

I'm investigating Henry Rothwell who, much like Ellen Reynolds is a potential child of Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking who lived between census years and therefore never shows up on a census record. Also, much like Ellen Reynolds, I found out about Henry Rothwell through other family trees.

The main sources of evidence for Henry Rothwell are two records from St. Paul's Church in Blackburn

The first is a baptism record from 1838

It shows a baptism date of 28 August 1838; parents of Henry and Alice Rothwell. The family is located in Blackburn and the father's occupation is listed as a "cutter" (if I read that correctly). So, it all fits, although no definite proof that is the same family, as there may have been more than one Henry and Alice Rothwell living in the area.

Then, I came across a burial record:

The burial record gives a burial date of 9 February 1840 and an age at death of 17 months, which would correspond to a birthdate around August of 1838, so it fits. Unfortunately, the record doesn't give us an additional information to link back to the family.

So, next I found a death record

The death record gives a date of 5 February 1840 of typhoid fever. It confirms the partents names of Henry and Alice Rothwell, so it matches with the baptism record, but unfortunately, still doesn't directly link back to my family

What would be helpful would be to find a birth record, as that would likely give the mother's maiden name. Unfortunately, I have been checking with the records at the GRO, and have not been able to find any Henry Rothwells born in or around Blackburn in 1838. So, I'm still searching for that definite link.

The Rothwell Family Part 3

I"m reviewing the information that I have to ensure that I have the correct surnames with the Rothwell family.

We know that Alice Ann Taylor’s last name was Rothwell from her daughter's birth record [D00449].

I also checked the GRO Indexes for both of the other children - Mary Alice Taylor, born 1867 and Charles William Taylor, born 1870. In both index records for them, the mother's name is given as Rothwell. So, I'm confident there.

Next, I had a look for Alice Rothwell's maiden name. Her marriage record [D00866] only lists her father as Henry Rothwell; no mention of the mother. Her baptism record [D00085] gives parents as Henry and Alice Rothwell. On the other hane, her birth record [D01711] does give us an answer and lists the mother as "Alice Rothwell, formerly Hacking".

So, we have established, that her maiden name is Hacking. I have found a marriage record for a Henry Rothwell and Alice Hacking in 1833. It all seems to fit except for one slight problem According to the 1841 census, Nancy ROthwell was born around 1828. So does this mean:

• Nancy Rothwell was born out of wedlock before they were married?
• Nancy Rothwell was born to one of the parents prior to their marriage?
• Is there an error somewhere and Nancy Rothwell is not their child?

There is a marriage record found from around 1828 between a John Hacking and an Alice Strong. Perhaps Alice was born Alice Strong, and Hacking is her first married name. There seems to be a few things that need further investigation:
X00370 Investigate Nancy Rothwell Birth info
X00371 Investigate Henry Rothwell & Alice Hacking Marriage

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Sources
[D00085] Saint Mary, Blackburn (Blackburn, Lancashire, England), "Baptism Record - Alice Ann Rothwell"; FHL microfilm Batch No. C110009; Dates 1844 - 1845; Source Call No. 1278805.

[D00449] England and Wales, birth certificate for Jane Taylor, born October 12, 1864; citing 8e/286/97, D quarter 1864, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[D00866] England and Wales, marriage certificate for James Taylor and Alice Ann Rothwell, married jun 28 1864; citing 8e/452/216, J quarter 1864, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[D01711] England and Wales, birth certificate for Alice Ann Rothwell, born 11 November 1844; citing 08e/350/221, 4 quarter 1844, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

The Rothwell Family Part 2 - Alice Ann Rothwell (1844-1872)

In order to start looking at the information I have about the Rothwell family, I'm going to have a more in-depth look at my three-times great grandmother, Alice Ann Rothwell and what I know about her

Ancestor Profile: Alice Ann Rothwell
Full Name: Alice Ann Rothwell
Birth: 11 November 1844, Blackburn, Lancashire, England [D01711]
Baptism: 23 February 1845, Saint Mary, Blackburn, Lancashire, England [D00085]
Death: 8 March 1872, Blackburn, Lancashire, England [D00688]
Cause of Death: Hemorrhage (Uterine) [D00688]

Biography: Alice Ann Rothwell was born on November 11, 1844, in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. She was baptized on February 23, 1845, at Saint Mary Church in Blackburn. Throughout her life, Alice resided in various locations within Blackburn, contributing to the fabric of the local community.

Alice spent her early years at Back Lane, where she lived from birth. In 1851, she worked as a scholar and resided at Ewood Bridge. By 1861, she had become a throstle spinner and lived at 6 Swarbuck Street.

On June 28, 1864, Alice married James Taylor, a blacksmith in Blackburn. The couple resided at 43 Forrest Street shortly after their marriage and later moved to 49 Forrest Street in October 1864. Alice continued her life in Blackburn, living at 42 Milham Street in 1871.

Alice's life was cut short on March 8, 1872, when she passed away due to a uterine hemorrhage. At the time of her death, she was still residing at 42 Milham Street.

Family:
Father: Henry Rothwell (circa 1812 - 1875?)
Mother: Alice Hacking (circa 1807 - 1889?)

Spouse: James Taylor (September 30, 1845 - April 17, 1893) [D00866]

Children:

• Jane Taylor (1864 - 1941)
• Mary Alice Taylor (1867 - )
• William Charles Taylor (1870 - )

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Sources:
[D00085] Saint Mary, Blackburn (Blackburn, Lancashire, England), "Baptism Record - Alice Ann Rothwell"; FHL microfilm Batch No. C110009; Dates 1844 - 1845; Source Call No. 1278805.

[D00688] England and Wales, death certificate for Alice Ann Taylor, died March 8 1872; citing 8e/286/305, M quarter 1872, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[D00866] England and Wales, marriage certificate for James Taylor and Alice Ann Rothwell, married jun 28 1864; citing 8e/452/216, J quarter 1864, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[D01711] England and Wales, birth certificate for Alice Ann Rothwell, born 11 November 1844; citing 08e/350/221, 4 quarter 1844, Blackburn registration district, Blackburn sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

X00369: Investigating the Rothwell Family: The Case of Ellen Rothwell

As I delve deeper into the history of the Rothwell family, my focus has recently shifted to their children. While exploring various family trees on Ancestry, I came across a child named Ellen Rothwell, who supposedly was born in 1842 and lived until 1851. Since she did not survive long enough to appear on any census records, confirming her connection to my Rothwell family has proven to be a challenging task.

In my quest for answers, I searched for a baptism record and discovered an Ellen Rothwell born on May 23, 1842, and baptized on July 2, 1842, in Blackburn, Lancashire. The parents listed on the record were Henry and Alice Rothwell, which seemed to be a good match. However, the father's profession was recorded as "labourer" rather than "carter," which he is usually listed as, leaving some room for doubt.

Undeterred, I turned to the General Register Office (GRO) indexes and found a birth record for an Ellen Rothwell that listed the mother's maiden name as "Hacking." This detail appeared promising and warranted further investigation. The next logical step was to order the birth certificate to verify the information and uncover any additional clues.

Similarly, I found a GRO index for a death record of an Ellen Rothwell in Blackburn in March 1851. This date aligns with the information I have, as it would have been before the census was taken. However, to confirm this, I will need to order the death certificate as well.

As I continue to piece together the story of the Rothwell family, each discovery brings me closer to unraveling the mysteries of my ancestors. Stay tuned for more updates and revelations in future blog posts.