Rowbottom/Rowbotham

 Rose Eliza Saville 1870-1944
Born Thaxted, Essex, Died Hyde, Chesire.

Rose Eliza Saville was born in Thaxted in about 1870. In the 1871 census a Brazey Eliza Savill is recorded to be living in the village. She is 9 months old and her parents are named as Frederic Savill (Broxted  1844) and Emma Savill (Mason) (Thaxted 1845/6). They are seen to be living on a farm called Bush, which can still be seen today.. The family is not present on the 1881 census. The fact that Rose appears in 1889 in Newton Hyde suggests that she went, either with her family or alone, in search of work. We first encounter her in the marriage records in 1889. Then, in the 1891 census she is living with John Rowbotham in a little terraced house on Field Street in Hyde.  

The area was known as Flowery Fields. There are still a few houses left from the terrace so it is clear what they were like. In front of the house is the Church of St Stephen. (19thC). The area was full of mills and the colliery was nearby as well. It would have been a very practical place for them to live. Before the children were born, Rose worked as a card room operator. The carders job was seen as one of low status job by others in the industry.

Once she had children Rose seems to have stopped working in the mill. She brought up 2 girls and a boy in the house on Field Street. There were probably two rooms on each floor. In the 1911 census there is a new baby in the family, Alice. At 17 her son Robert was an assistant blacksmith. The second sister Annie was a hat trimmer. Between 1901 and 1911 Rose set up a small chips hop in the house where they now lived on Old Road. Today 65 Old Road still has the same function, and gets very busy at times.

In 1913-14  there was a sad occurrence in the family that must have affected her. Her son Robert´s first wife, Ethel Bardsley and their baby, John died after less than a year of the married. Rose subsequently lost her son as he enlisted in the Army Service Corps as a Farrier and Shoemaker. He was away for many years, as most of the men from their neighbourhood would have been. In 1921, after returning from the war Robert married Elizabeth Alice Gregory and soon  afterwards, Rose Rowbotham was born. She was named after her grandmother. Rose Eliza. Rowbottom died in1944.

Robert Rowbottom 1893–1927
Born Hyde  Died Barrow 

Robert Rowbottom was born in 1893 in Newton Hyde. He was the oldest of 4 children. He had two younger sisters, Annie and Elizabeth who were just a couple of years younger than him. When he was 15, Alice was born to his parents. As a child he would probably have gone to school until 12 years old. We see him in 1911 at 17 working as an assistant blacksmith. 

In September  1913, at the age of 19,  he married Ethel Bardsley,  who was from just a few streets away. She lived with her family in Hallbottom Street. Their son John, named after Roberts father, was born around  June 1914.  By October both the child and his mother were dead. Immediately after this tragedy Robert enlisted on Nov.13th 1914. He was then described as a widower. Robert joined the Royal Regiment of Artillery as a Farrier and Shoeing Smith and served in the 23rd Divisional Ammunition Column in the 2nd Section. He would have been responsible for both the making and fitting of shoes for the horses which took ammunition to the gun posts.

The 23rd Division was in the Somme and Passchendale. In 1918 they fighting in Italy. Although he himself would  not normally have been in combat,  it is possible that he would have had to fight at some point. At Ypres all ranks were ordered into battle.  

He was hospitalized in Boulogne on the 8th of September 1916 having been kicked by a horse.  After the Armistice in November 1918 the Divisional Units were moved to Treviso and demobilisation took place in January and February 1919.  However it does not seem that Robert was there at this point. It is not known when he left the 23rd Divisional. Robert would have come home sometime in mid 1919, or a touch later.

In 1921 he was awarded the Victory Medal.

In this period his address was 17 Brook Street but there is a Brook Street in both Hyde and Chadderton, where he later lived with his wife Elizabeth Alice Gregory  In December  he married Elizabeth Alice Gregory whose address was at Westfield Street Chadderton.

He was 28 and she was 26. Their daughter Rose was born in 1922. The family lived in Victoria Street, Chadderton for five years.It is not known where he was working during this period although it is said that after he died his widow was able to sell the smith´s shop where he worked. In 1927 Robert Robottom died of tuberculosis. The last record of him is his death in Barrowmore Hospital for ex servicemen. He left   £103. 18s  to his wife.

Last November we were contacted by Rowan from  N-Spain, asking for help in a bit of family research. We of course tried to help out as best we could.  

Hi, I love your blog spot. My Great Great Gran had a chip shop at 65 Old Road in Hyde form 1910 onwards. From what I have seen on Google maps it still is a chippy! I think the address is in Flowery Field.My Great Great Gran was called Rose Rowbotham (Sometimes written Rowbotham). Her husband was a miner called John and their son was Robert Rowbottom (1893 - 1927) He was a farrier and fought in WW1. He enlisted in Nov. 1914 just after his first wife and their baby died. She was called Ethel Bardsley and was also from Hyde (Hallbottom Road). I have never see any photos of this part of our family because Robert died when my grandmother was only five. Could you give me some advice. I live in N. Spain so making a quick trip is not so easy. I would love to know if there are any pictures.

Thanking you so much........  Rowan Hardman 

When Nancy and I set the blog going we were not sure how it would take off, we have been more than thrilled with all the help from others which has been so freely offered . We had no intentions of getting into Genealogy... but it was inevitable such request would turn up. We have always done what we can to help others and will carry on doing so. What we'd like now is if Rowan can be given some pointers into his family history. We have little knowledge to add but know that out there many of you have spent hours researching your family trees. If you can suggest anything to help Rowan with his quest please do so in the comments or email us and we will pass it on.
One thing we would like to show is your family's histories if it concerns Hyde, you could do the post yourself.. include pictures, and your own story and we'd be pleased to show it here.

Thank you 

Tom & Nancy