Notes from our Talks Programme
Compiled by Peter Keen

1. The Gerard Family by Walter Carney, February 27th.

Walter Carney is a local historian from Ashton in Makerfield, who has been studying the Gerard family, whose roots can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, for decades.

He took us back to the days when a persons' religious beliefs could be a matter of life or death, as powerful men of opposing faiths attempted to become predominant in Britain. In the 1600s members of the Catholic Gerard family fought on both the Royalist and Parliamentary sides, and the picture was confusing to say the least. An officer in Cromwell's army was killed but his son was handed to the Catholic Sir Gilbert Gerard, together with a large sum of money, if he was brought up to be a Protestant, demonstrating not only the power of money but also the great trust placed in the Gerards to adhere to the conditions.

The family maintained its position and lands throughout the following centuries, which was no mean feat, became increasingly prosperous and moved their home to Ashton in the late 1800s. Originally known as the Gerards of Brynn, they had occupied a moated timber dwelling at that location but then moved to Garswood hall at Pewfall, and later still to Ashton where Garswood New Hall was built.. In 1929 the family sold up and moved to Shropshire but the present Lord Gerard is unmarried and the title will end with his death.

As the railways developed the local company wanted to widen its track bed to lay extra rails to cope with increased traffic. This would have to be built on Lord Gerard's land, and one of the conditions he imposed was that the company should double the width of a bridge on his carriage drive. The art of wheeling and dealing had clearly been passed down through the generations.

In the early 1900s Lord Gerard set up his own militia, which developed into three troops of the Lancashire Hussars. The regiment put on plays in the family home as evidenced by surviving posters. During WW1 the hall became a hospital for officers. Lady Mary Gerard took her supervisory duties seriously, running a large medical staff and service staff , all dedicated to the comfort of the wounded. She was much loved and respected in the locality. Walter illustrated this era with a selection of photographs which showed the hall, both interior and exterior, together with the nurses and their charges.

Other photographs showed the family's horses, dogs, family portraits, wedding days and some of the notable personalities who had been welcomed as guests over the years. These included Edward Prince of Wales, later to become Edward the 7th, and Lady Churchill. With the decline of the family sadly came the disposal of the hall and its contents. The rooms and wide range of furniture and family items were listed in sample pages of sale catalogues which were shown in slide form.

The Gerards had quite an impact upon military history. A photograph of Lord Gerard's funeral showed a procession of soldiers wearing the turned up bush hats designed by Lord Gerard, which were later to be adopted by the Australian army. Stanley Street Military Museum in Preston contains many relics of the Ashton Hussars including a complete uniform, found in a trunk in Ireland, and a watch which had been presented to one of the troopers. A solid silver horse drum has survived, along with many other items of military equipment. The oldest building in Ashton today is the 'Band House', in fact an old armoury which was used by the regimental band for practice sessions. Under its Bandmaster Batley the Ashton band became one of the best in the county.

A few of the Gerard dwellings have survived, though much altered over the years, as has the family vault at St. Oswald's Church, the gates to the estate ( now leading to the golf club), Gerard Street in Ashton and a few public houses named The Gerard Arms. The item of greatest importance to the family and to Catholics generally is the hand of Saint Edmund Arrowsmith. Martyred for his beliefs, his hand was brought back to the Parish where it remains today, an object of continued veneration.

Walter's slide programme was a departure from the Society's usual range of themes but was none the less interesting. Local history is a topic which many find fascinating as they attempt to relate the present to the past. Walter clearly knows his local history and has the knack of putting it across in an informative and humorous manner which all those present very much appreciated.

2. Broad waterways of the North West by Nigel Bowker, January 2003

Nigel Bowker is a well-known figure in the waterways world, and this was shown by the audience which came to hear him - among them Mike Stammers of the Liverpool Maritime Museum, and a Mersey tug-man.

He set out to illustrate the changes which had occurred in the vessels which had sailed on the Mersey, the Weaver and their associated waterways, together with changes in the pattern of boat use, the companies which ran them and the cargoes carried.

The early vessels were all timber built, but later ones had steel hulls and timber decking, until eventually the hull and upper decks were all steel built. During wartime, when there was a metal shortage, barges were even built in concrete. Vessels went through changes, as steam gave way to diesels, and in some cases had their engines removed and were used as dumb barges. Paddle steamers were phased out in favour of the screw driven craft. In other cases new funnels and wheel houses were fitted, and as the vessels changed hands so did their colour schemes. The Northwich boat yards, Pimblotts and Yarwoods were well illustrated, not only building boats but running an extensive overhaul and repair service.

There seemed to be a constant pattern of change not only amongst the boats. Even the companies changed, the Liverpool Lighterage Company being taken over by the Alexander Towing Company. The names of other companies tripped off Nigel's tongue, the Wolverhampton Corrugated iron Company, the Bootle Barge Company, Burton's sugar carriers, all now long gone. Abbots, the lighterage company from Manchester, handled some of the Kelloggs grain traffic along the Manchester Ship Canal, along with the MSCCo's own Bridgewater Department. Nineteen of their barges were named after Cheshire meres, one of which is the Society's own Barmere.

The variety of cargo carried was not wide but the tonnage was considerable. Chemicals like soda ash formed a large proportion of the trade, especially on the Weaver navigation. Rape seed were carried in large quantities by the Bibby line, but these gave way to rape oils, so the boat owners responded by providing tankers instead of bulk cargo carriers. Maize, rye, wheat, and other grains were also carried in bulk. The wheat went up the Mersey to Bank Quay flour mill at Warrington, whilst palm oil was also brought up river to Port Sunlight for Lever Brothers soap factory. Flax was an interesting departure from the usual cargo range. A later cargo was bulk paint stripper. The fumes given off by this were apparently such a problem that they interfered with the boat's diesel engine and special ventilation systems had to be fabricated.

Just as some of the boats have survived so have the associated quayside buildings, in some cases now converted to flats. None of the many flour mills lining Birkenhead East and West Floats survive as mills but are all in the hands of developers.

Especially interesting to SCARS was the site of Sammy Evans' marine scrap-yard. Originally located at Garston, he moved his work to the Widnes bank of the Mersey just beyond the entrance locks to the Sankey Canal. Nigel's slides illustrated the sad fate of many steel hulled vessels as they lay on the mud awaiting the cutting torch.

Some boats were of course lost at sea but a much sadder fate met many, such as the Gowanburn which was abandoned in the upper reaches of the Weaver navigation where it remains to this day, gradually rotting away. Not all boats suffered this fate of course. Some were sold off to new owners for new uses. The Davenham became a houseboat in London whilst the Marsden crossed the Atlantic to Florida. The Witch has found a home with Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Changing trends in cargo handling meant that the boats which had negotiated local rivers for many years became redundant and worth very little. When the Burton sugar fleet was sold off in 1959 many of the boats failed to reach their reserve prices - £50 for a dumb barge and £200 for a motor barge. The floating pontoon Elevator number 12 which was used to empty grain ships became redundant when the new silos were opened on the quayside of Seaforth Dock with their pneumatic suction pipes. The lifting mechanism was scrapped but the pontoon found new lease of life back in Liverpool Docks.

Another, small item of change was illustrated in the few surviving members of the 'nobby' fleet shown moored outside the Sankey Canal at Widnes. These were the local shrimping boats which made their catch in Liverpool Bay and boiled them in a cauldron on deck on the way back to port.

Nigel had so much to tell that he was only able to use half his slides. He is therefore booked for a return match during our next season of talks so we can see the rest. Members were still discussing the talk well after the speaker had left, a sure sign of an excellent presentation.

Future Talks: The next Season of Talks is presently being put together by the Executive. As our readers know, we cover a wide spectrum of interests - from subjects directly related to the Sankey itself, through similar restoration schemes elsewhere, and back to themes connected with the local history, particularly the industrial history, of the areas the Sankey served. Speakers are always being sought. If you know of a Speaker you think would be well-received at a SCARS' evening, please let Peter Keen know their contact details (phone: 01744 884000).

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