One afternoon when coming out of a store on King Street, in Bank Top, Blackburn, (King Street leads eventually into Preston Old Road, one of the old and important arteries out of the town) I noticed the adjacent Almhouses. They have always been there of course, but I've never taken much notice of them, but on this particular day I did. The stonework seemed to have been cleaned up and the doors had recently been painted so, for the first time, I stood in front of them and read what was written on the plaque between the doors.
"These Almhouses were erected and endowed by Wm and Jane Turner of Mill Hill AD 1833."
Anticipating that there might be a story here I went home for my camera - and of course there was a story, because William Turner was one of Blackburn's first MPs. William (1) was son of Robert and nephew of William (2). William (2) farmed at Martholme and founded the Helmshore side of the family whilst Robert founded the Blackburn side of the family. The brothers William (2) and Robert were the sons of Thomas and grandsons of Robert Turner, who was born in Great Harwood.
William (2), who farmed at Martholme, had a grandson also called William (3), and he is the only Turner of whom we have a photograph. This William (3) had a woollen mill in Helmshore, the village largely created by the Turner family. The Turner family were among the country's largest woollen manufacturers during the first half of the 19th century. Unfortunately, William (3) had no male issue to carry on his business. From two marriages, he produced 11 daughters so when he died in 1852 the Turner family's direct involvement with the business ceased. The Whitaker family took over and extended the business to include cotton spinning, which carried on until the 1960s. The Helmshore Textile Mills, now a museum, are well worth a visit. Much has been written about the riots of 1826 when a mob broke into William Turner's mill and smashed the power looms. A present day William Turner's (4) book "Riot. The story of the East Lancashire Loom Breakers in 1826" was published by Lancashire County Books in 1992.
Robert, the brother of William (2) farmer of Martholme, founded the Blackburn side of the family. Robert, a "putter out" who provided materials for handloom weavers to weave cloth in their own homes, lived in Mill Hill House, a large stone building not far from where the River Darwen flows through Mill Hill. On the banks of the River Darwen was the Stakes Hall estate and over 200 years ago Jonathan Haworth built a water-powered spinning mill and a calico printing works there. When he went bankrupt in 1799 Robert Turner and his sons took over. All that remains now is the name. Stakes Hall was at the bottom of Parkinson Street and across the road, through a gap in the wall, there was for many years some derelict land where the Turner's mill once stood. More recently some new buildings have been constructed on the site, Cardwell Mill Phases 1 and 2.
(The genealogy of the Turner family is set out on pp 544-545 in W. A. Abram, History of Blackburn first published in 1877 and reprinted by T.H.C.L Books in 1990 -Ed)
A similar process happened at Ewood. There was a calico print works on the corner of Livesey Branch Road and Bolton Road, run by the Haworths. When they went bankrupt in 1799, the Turners of Mill Hill bought the property and added a spinning factory. The mill changed hands many times over the years, and was eventually demolished to make way for McDonalds, Aldi and Iceland. Calico Street across the road is a reminder of what used to go on in the area.
In 1810 one of Robert's sons, William (1) married his cousin Jane Turner at Manchester Cathedral. Like his nephew, William (3) of Helmshore he produced no sons to carry on the Turner's spinning and printing business. William (1) and Jane only had two daughters, Ellen and Mary who died when she was 4 years old and is buried in St. John's Churchyard.
The River Darwen was extremely polluted, much by the dyeing and the printing business of the Turners and was this that drove the Fieldens of Feniscowles Hall to leave the area in the 1800s and move to the fresh air of Scarborough. Mill House was demolished in 1881, but St. Peter's R.C. Church and Primary School were built on the site with some of the stone from Mill Hill House.
William Turner must have made an enormous amount of money from his business, because in 1818, he bought Shrigley Hall in Cheshire, a stately home with extensive grounds. He demolished the original hall and rebuilt it, and moved in about 1825. I paid the Hall a visit a couple of years ago. It remained in the family for over 100 years, but in 1929 it was sold to the Salesian order of Roman Catholic priests for £8,000. For over 50 years it was a boarding school for boys preparing to enter that order.
Shrigley Hall is now a very superior country hotel and leisure centre. It advertises its golf, riding, fishing, clay pigeon shooting, and there is a swimming pool in what used to be the chapel. An enclosed garden in the grounds with the notice "Salesian Cemetery" on the gate contains the graves of a number of boys and several priests.
The foyer allows one to imagine what it might have looked like in William Turner's day and the William Turner Suite hosts conferences 160 years after his death.
1826 was to prove an eventful year for William Turner. He'd sent his only daughter Ellen away to an exclusive boarding school near Liverpool. His brother, Thomas, had died at Mill Hill and he had Thomas's affairs to clear up. He had been appointed High Sheriff of Cheshire with all the ceremony and responsibility that the office entailed, including providing a public breakfast for 200 people at Shrigley Hall.
One morning in March he received an enormous shock. His 15-year-old daughter Ellen who was to be his heiress, had been abducted from her school on the orders of a scoundrel called Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a diplomat. Wakefield had taken her to Gretna Green and married her there. This was the second time he had abducted an heiress. Ten years before while working in the British Embassy in Italy he had made a runaway marriage with a young women with whom he had 2 children, but four years later she died. In 1826 being short of money and with the help of his brother William and Stepmother Frances; he made another attempt to improve his prospects by marriage. Frances and her husband, Edward Wakefield lived at Macclesfield, a few miles from Shrigley. She found out about this eligible heiress with a wealthy father and helped plan the deception which could make Ellen, Edward Gibbon Wakefield's next victim.
In March 1826 a letter was delivered by a servant to the school where Ellen lived. It was supposed to have come from Ellen's mother's doctor saying Mrs. Turner was ill and as Mr. Turner was away, she needed to see her daughter immediately. Both Ellen and her teachers accepted the story. She prepared herself for the journey, entered the waiting carriage outside, and was thus abducted.
She was taken first to Manchester, where in the Albion Hotel she met her abductor Edward Gibbon Wakefield for the first time. He explained that the story of Ellen's mother being ill was not true. It was her father who was in trouble, in financial difficulties, and had gone to Scotland to escape his creditors. He wanted Ellen to meet him there and so she was persuaded to travel north with Wakefield and his brother William. When they arrived over the border, Wakefield then told Ellen that it would be in the family's best interest if she married him. He had a wealthy uncle, who was a banker who could be persuaded to rescue William Turner from his predicament if she did. Ellen was a dutiful if somewhat naive daughter. She realised that it would put an end to his position as High Sherrif and bring disgrace on the family if her father was financially ruined. They drove on to Gretna and were married at Gretna Hall by David Laing, the so-called 'parson'. In England couples had to be married in Church with the consent of the parents if under 21. In Scotland, any couple could declare themselves husband and wife before witnesses and it was legal. Gretna was the first stagecoach stop after Carlisle. This Ellen and Edward Gibbon Wakefield did and now he had Ellen's future fortune under his control.
Another researcher of the Turner family has been to Gretna and obtained a photocopy of the marriage register following an article in the Times in July 2002, the wedding register containing Ellen Turner's entry. It was being auctioned at Christie's fetching £7,637.
In order to inherit Turner's money Wakefield would have to wait until his death, but William was only 50, so he gambled that Turner would be unwilling to subject his family to the scandal and then he, Wakefield would ingratiate himself into the family. But William Turner decided to take the risk. Wakefield had written to him saying Ellen was safe and well and gave him an address in Paris. With his London agent and two of his brothers-in-law William pursued the couple and caught up with them in Calais.
Ellen was returned safely to her family, but it was another 15 months before she was free from Wakefield. He returned to try to heal the breach with his father-in-law, but was arrested, along with his brother and stepmother, and all three were tried at Lancaster Assizes. Ellen's schoolteacher, Miss Elizabeth Daulby was one of the witnesses. Ellen is described in a Macclesfield Courier article as "rather tall for her age... plainly dressed in black silk with a narrow straw bonnet trimmed with red ribbon". All three defendants were found guilty. Frances was eventually granted her freedom. Willliam was imprisoned in Lancaster and Edward Gibbon was sent to Newgate Prison, both for three years.
Though the marriage had not been consummated Ellen was still technically Mrs. Edward Gibbon Wakefield. William Turner sent a petition to the House of Lords asking for permission to introduce a Bill declaring the marriage null and void. This was granted and on June the 6th 1827 it received the Royal Assent. William returned to Shrigley having spent £10,000 on the case, but knowing that his fortune was safe.
Following a talk I gave on this, a member of the Lancashire Museums Service, Heather Davies, sent me a photograph of a painting of the Wakefield's trial by a lawyer present which hangs in one of the rooms at Lancaster Castle. At the same time she sent me a photograph of Ellen Turner from the Helmshore Textile Museum collection and now in store in the museum of Lancashire Life now in Preston. But there is a big question mark hanging over this picture, because at the time there were six Ellen Turners. Ellen's grandmother, a great aunt, an aunt, her cousin William's wife and his daughter were all Ellen Turner. With the age of the portrait and the style of the dress all come from that period, but it is not clear which Ellen is depicted.
Whilst imprisoned Edward Gibbon Wakefield began to take an interest in the colonies, which Britain had in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and at that time convicts were still being sent to Australia where they suffered under squalid and brutal conditions. His idea was that if ordinary law-abiding citizens were encouraged to emigrate to the colonies, it would help the colonies to prosper and develop. When he was released from prison he wrote pamphlets and gave evidence to a committee of the House of Commons. He became Manager of the South Australian Association which founded the colony in 1836 and commemorating this there is a statue of him in Port Adelaide. Later he became agent to the New Zealand Land Company serving between 1839 and 1846. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1853 where he was eventually elected to its General Assembly. He died there in 1862.
Whilst clearing out some old newspaper cuttings and magazines I came across a copy of Pictorial Education, June 1971 and there, illustrating an article on empire-builders was a portrait of an older Edward Gibbon Wakefield but no story of the scandalous behaviour and imprisonment - he was an Empire Builder.
Lyme Hall in Lyme Park adjoins the Shrigley estate in Cheshire. This stately home has belonged to the Legh family since 1388 but when Thomas Legh died suddenly of a stroke in 1797 he had seven illegitimate children so none of them could inherit. A special Act of Parliament was passed after many years of legal disputes, so that his eldest natural son Thomas, who was only five when his father died, could eventually inherit the estate. As well as Lyme, Thomas Legh inherited estates round St. Helens and Newton-le-Willows and racecourses at Newton, Goldborne and Haydock Park. At 36 he was an exceedingly eligible man, and on June 14th, 1828 he was married at Prestbury Church to Ellen, the only daughter of William (1) and Jane Turner. There was great rejoicing in Blackburn as well as in Cheshire on the occasion of the marriage. The Blackburn Mail gave an account of the festivities.
The couple, he was then 36 she 17, took part in the social round of the area, visiting Buxton during the season, being patrons of fund raising balls for charities, or attending society events in London. His father-in-law William (1) Turner was a steward at the Newton racecourse. A print exists of the meetings showing Thomas and William Turner with others on horseback there. This was the only known portrait of William Turner, if only we could identify him; there is no hint which gentleman is which. It is interesting to write that Thomas Legh was one of the Magistrates at the hearings in Disley before the actual trial and took statements from Ellen and from William Wakefield. Was the marriage a love match or a marriage of convenience between two wealthy families who needed an heir? Sadly, if the latter, that was not to be - nine months after the marriage Ellen had a stillborn son; 15 months later she had a daughter, Ellen Jane; then 12 months later, while in London, at a house in Berkeley Square, she went into labour and sadly both she and her newborn son died. She was 20 years old. The funeral was a grand affair. There was a breakfast for the 110 tenants on the estate at the Horse and Jockey in Newton. Then in twos, on horseback, wearing gloves and special hat bands, they led the procession of the hearse drawn by six black horses, 12 carriages, 2 chaise and 8 gigs. Six clergymen carried the coffin, covered in crimson velvet into St. Oswald's Church at Winwick. Ellen was then buried in the Legh family vault.
A couple of years ago I met two ladies (Audrey Jones and Abby Ashby) who were researching the story of William and Ellen Turner. They had visited St. Oswald's Church and took a photograph of Ellen's memorial: "In the vault of this chapel are deposited the remains of Ellen, the dearly beloved and most deeply lamented wife of Thomas Legh Esq., of Lyme Hall Cheshire." Thomas Legh did not marry again for another 13 years. He married a lady called Maud Lowther and had no more children. When he died in 1857 his daughter Ellen Jane could not succeed him as his estates could only be inherited by the male line. Everything passed on to a nephew, William John Legh who was created Lord Newton in 1892. In 1946 the third Lord Newton gave Lyme to the National Trust.
After speaking a few years ago I was put in touch with a lady called Kate N. Atkinson who lives in Stockport and I am greatly indebted to her for her help. She was in the process of writing a book about Ellen Turner, her interest arising from her work for the National Trust at Lyme Hall. (Ed- Her book, "Abduction: The Story of Ellen Turner" was published by Blenkins Press in 2002) After speaking to her on the telephone I decided to go to Lyme Hall to meet her. It was a lovely day and the gardens were beautiful. The house is very interesting, but there is no evidence of Ellen there. I hoped there would be a portrait of her, but there was only one of Thomas Legh in a fancy dress, a miniature of him and a bust of him and his second wife on one of the corridors.
(Ed - Audrey Jones & Abby Ashby also covered the story in "The Shrigley Abduction". Published by the History Press in 2003)
What made the visit more interesting was the fact that Lyme Hall was used in the TV presentation of Pride and Prejudice in 1997. It was used as Pemberly, the home of Mr. Darcy. There was an exhibition in the house of costumes used in the film, but that has long since closed.
In 1832, two years after Ellen's death, William Turner put his name forward to be nominated as an MP for Blackburn. This was the first time that the newly enfranchised Blackburn had qualified to have an MP and a great meeting was advertised to vote for two of William Feilden (one of the Feildens of Feniscowles Hall), William Turner and Dr. John Bowring.
The Blackburn Alfred 10th December 1832 takes up the story.
"It would be seen in an advertisement in today's paper that this novel event in the annals of Blackburn is fixed for tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. The nominations will then be made in the Lower Tacketts Fields, where the hustings had been erected adjoining to the theatre."
The hustings was a wooden platform from which the candidates made their speeches, Lower Tacketts Field gave its name to Tacketts Street and the theatre was the old Theatre Royal, later the Cinema Royal. The report goes on: "The polling will take place at nine the following morning and proceed until four o'clock. A great number of special constables had been sworn in to assist in presrving the peace. It has been agreed by all the respective candidates that no ribbon shall be worn by any party and that no parade of music banners or flags shall take place. Besides this the magistrates have very prudently issued an order that all beer shops be closed at eight and all public houses at 9 o'clock each evening during the continuance of the election."
The news in the Blackburn Alfred the following week reported a different story: "Early in the morning of Tuesday last the Political Union and Dr. Bowring's friends were astir with drums, fifes, flags and banners. When they reached the hustings the crowd continued to increase and there might be at one time 10,000 persons present but among them a considerable number of boys and special constables.... and we believe 19 out of 20 at least were non-voters. At 2 o'clock John Fleming the returning officer declared from the hustings the final vote Feilding 377, Turner 347, Bowring 334. The populace before the announcement was made had exhibited symptoms of violence and several stones and other missiles were thrown from the field in Ainsworth Street. Dr Bowring quieted them down for a while by exhorting them to preserve peace and good order. However another portion of the populace was employed in breaking the windows of the Old Bull and several special constables were injured."
William Turner was thus voted in as one of Blackburn's first MPs, a position he held with William Feilden, over three successive Parliaments for nine years, although on opposite sides of the House.
Dr. Bowring's supporters caused much of the trouble partaking of the barrel of beer donated by William Turner, in order to persuade people to vote for him. It was broken open and drunk in the Churchyard. It was interesting to know that in 1832 the population of Blackburn was 27,000. Only 1058 votes were cast, owing to the fact that women were not allowed to vote and only men who owned a house or a business had the right to vote and if they owned house and the business they had two votes.
William was increasingly involved in his family spinning and calico printing factories in Blackburn after the deaths of his brothers Thomas and John in 1825 and Robert in 1842. He also helped to manage several of Thomas Legh's business concerns in Newton, such as mining and railways. And then in 1833 he and his wife erected and endowed the Almhouses at Bank Top. The Blackburn Alfred reported the opening of them in February 1834.
"The Almhouses at Bank Top were opened by Mrs. Turner, the lady of our worthy representative on Wednesday last. There are six in number in a very neat style, one storey containing two apartments. Every requisite article of furniture has been provided by the benevolent founder, who grants an allowance of three shillings a week to each of the tenants. The following are the names of the widows who had been admitted to have these comfortable asylums: Alice Heys, 79 late of Queens Street, Mary Ainsworth, 58 of Redlam, Betty Bennett, 82 of Limbrick, Mollie Green, 67 of Chapel Street, Jane Dinsdale, 69 John Street and Widow Stuart, 81 of Grimshaw Park."
I found a reference to the Almhouses in 1905 - "Mrs Daniel Thwaites of Addison Lodge, Kensington has sent her usual gift of 24 pounds to the 12 old women of the Bank Top Almhouses. The vicar of St. Luke's has received the usual cheque for five pounds from Mrs. Yerburgh of Woodfall Park to be used in the purchase of Christmas coal for the 12 old inmates of the Almhouses at Bank Top.".
There used to be other memories of William in the same area. There used to be Turner Street by the side of the Almhouses, and Turner's Arms stood on the corner of Throstle Street. Both these landmarks have gone to be replaced by a store and car park.
In the parliamentary elections of 1832 and 1835, both Feilden and Turner were returned without outbreaks of disorder. In 1841, however, events took a different turn.
William Turner put up with William Feilden and with a new candidate, John Hornby. John Hornby was a Conservative. He was the brother of W. H. Hornby, the first mayor of Blackburn whose statue stands between the town hall and the Mall. In the election John Hornby beat William Turner by only one vote! The Conservative headquarters were in the Old Bull at the top of Church Street. Charles Tiplady, a Victorian diarist wrote in his diary that the mob, which favoured Turner, was exasperated. Paving stones and brickbats were thrown at the windows. Stones were hurled at the front door until it gave way. Those who got into the interior tore out tables, chairs, sofas and glasses. Charles Tiplady was in the Bull Inn at the time. He managed to stay calm, but witnessed despondency, triumph and terror. The military was called out and the riot act was read.
William Turner of course appealed against the outcome of the election. A committee of the House of Commons met a great number of witnesses were called and a great deal of expense incurred. At the end of the week however he found himself losing ground and gave up the contest. When his supporters in Blackburn heard the result, it was an excuse for another riot. Charles Tiplady records how members of the mob congregated in the market-place at the top of Church Street and revenged themselves on Mr. Hornby by smashing the Bull Inn windows. John Astley, a respectable bookseller was thrown down and killed on the spot. The eventual verdict by a jury was that; "He died by the visitation of God".
There was not a secret ballot until the year 1872, and I often wondered what was the process used by which people cast their votes. Then I found a drawing in an old history book in the library. The voters are queuing up to go up the steps onto a platform to vote in open view. In this case they were being entertained by a juggler whilst they waited. Mill workers were expected to vote for their employers. Charles Tiplady wrote in his diary: "May 16th 842 was exceeding sad to hear that Mr. Turner has given my uncle Ratcliffe notice to leave Mill Hill. It seems that he has taken the loss of his seat very much to heart. He must have found out that my uncle Ratcliffe hadn't voted for him and that might have been the vote that made all the difference". John Hornby issued a poster after the election thanking all his supporters. Hornby and Feilden together issued a poster castigating William Turner.
(Ed - The Politics of the time in Blackburn are covered in "Blackburn: The Evolution of a cotton town" by G. C. Miller 1951, republished T.H.C.L Books 1992)
Besides the Almhouses William Turner was also the benefactor of Blackburn, St. Luke and other churches in Blackburn and Cheshire. Published at the time of the 1841 election are listed the Churches he had supported - the Church at Shrigley, the new Church at Bollington, Disley, Witton, Feniscowles and the new Church at the top of Moor Street. Could this be Holy Trinity? I wondered - its in the right area. The foundation stone of Holy Trinity was laid in 1836 and the Church consecrated in 1846 so in between they would be building, and William Turner's £100 contribution was towards that. (His name was on a list of subscribers to Trinity Church) It is claimed that he provided the land for the Methodist Church at New Row, but the initials over the door read G.W.T 1828 and there is no mention in the Blackburn Mail of 1828.
Being defeated in the 1841 election was the end of the road for William Turner. His wife Jane died at Shrigley in April 1841. William died at Mill Hill the following year. Charles Tiplady recorded in his diary: "June 17th 1842, Expired after a very short and sudden illness William Turner of Mill Hill, late MP for the Borough. It is supposed that the recent defeat of the election and scrutiny with the embarrassment in his affairs prayed heavily on his spirit". He was 65 and was buried with his wife in the churchyard of St. John. Peter Whittle, a Victorian historian wrote in his book "Blackburn as it is" in 1852: "The Turners of Mill Hill have a large family vault with iron rings appended to the covering of the stone, but no inscription". Upon inspecting the grave 150 years later you can still see where the iron rings used to be and there is an inscription. There are six graves here containing the remains of William's parents, Robert and Helen Turner, four of his brothers Alexander, Thomas, Robert and John and of course William aged 63, Jane is aged 69 and daughter Mary Jennet 4 years three months.
His granddaughter Ellen Jane was 12 months old when William died. Trustees had to look after Shrigley estate for her until she married. At 16 she became the wife of Brabazor Lowther, her father's 32-year-old brother-in-law. They had four children and Ellen Jane died in 1906. One of her descendants sold Shrigley to the Salesians.
In 1852 Peter Whittle wrote: "William Turner left the major part of his real and personal property to his granddaughter. The Almhouses at Bank Top, the authorities say have not shared in his bounty."
So what of the Turner Almhouses today? I spoke to the Reverend Tecwyn Jones who used to be the vicar of St. Luke. Somehow the church inherited the Almhouses and the upkeep of them. About 30 years ago it was realised that they were too small and old fashioned, and were in need of modernisation. Mr Jones got an architect to draw up a plan to modernise them. The estimate was between £30,000 and £40,000, a sum of money obviously the church could not afford, so in 1975 they sold them to Blackburn Borough Council for £1 each. They had been knocked into four houses instead of six and modernised, and they are let for a nominal rent to people in Blackburn on the housing list. I had the good fortune in 2001 to meet one of the ladies who lives there, Mrs. Thorpe. When the old ladies moved in 1833 they had one room each, the sink and cooking facilities were in the bay window and they shared an outside toilet. When there were only six ladies they had two rooms each, a living room and a separate bedroom. Mrs. Thorpe has 4 rooms. The back room has been divided into two to make a kitchen and a bathroom. Her bedroom has been taken off the house next door so she was made very happy and comfortable there.
Kate Atkinson came over to Blackburn in 2003 to do a tour of Turner sites. We went to Helmshore and Martholme. I took her to the car park of McDonalds at Ewood where one of the Mills used to be. We drove past the site of the mill at Stakes Hall and saw that someone was building on the land; a great skeleton of metal was going up there. We went to look at the school and then to the Almhouses. Unfortunately Mrs. Thorpe had gone into a nursing home. The old house at Mill Hill has gone, and the mills have gone. Turner Street has gone, the pub has gone, but William Turner, cotton manufacturer and calico printer and MP for Blackburn is still remembered in the 21st century in the row of quaint and attractive Almhouses.
Acknowledgements
Local Archives, Blackburn Library
Kate Atkinson
Tecwyn Jone
Audrey Jones
Museums Service
Article published in Lancashire Volume 33, November 2011. Pages 9-18
Transcribed by Shazia Kasim
Published October 2024
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