Family Photo

 

Here's a great photo. Thanks to Liz Anderson and Kate Gibson for this one.

Back row standing: 

    1. Clarissa Alma Alcock (Alma)    1895-1984

    2. Ursula Alberta Rigby nee Alcock    1885-1970

    3. probably John's sister Hannah Hordern nee Alcock    1849-1934

    4. Hannah Hordern Alcock (Nancy)    1899-1970

Second row:

    1. Pam Rigby   b. 1920

    2. Nancy Rigby   1917-1947

Third row seated:

    1. John Alcock        1853-1926

    2. Alberta Alcock nee Eccles    1862-1939

    The young child Alberta is holding is probably Margaret Rigby b. 1922

    3. Unknown man, probably born around 1850

Front row seated on ground:

    1. Doppie 1907-1997 (close family friend)

    2. Marion Rigby   b. 1914

    3. Doppie's twin sister Ethel

So this photo was probably taken around 1923. Could it have been Margaret's christening? I wonder where Edwin was?

Walton Villa auction

 

Here's an advert for an auction at Walton Villa for John's father William Alcock who died in 1888. Thanks to Paula Mott for sending it to me. The sale couldn't have taken place until at least 1891 as September 24th wasn't a Thursday in 1888, 1889 or 1890.

Ursula Alcock

Of John and Alberta's 9 children, 4 stayed in the UK - Ursula, Edwin (Roy), Clarissa (Alma) and Hannah (Nancy). Of those, only Ursula and Edwin had their own children.

He is a photo of Ursula, her mother and 5 of her 6 children. Robert Rigby (b. 1916) is not in this photo. Maybe he was the photographer?

In this photo:

Ursula b. 1885

Her mum Alberta Alcock 1862-1939

John (Jack) b. 1912

Marion b. 1914

Nancy b. 1917

Pamela b. 1920

Margaret b. 1922

Ursula in a car (thanks Kate Gibson)

Ursula and mum Alberta i.e. before 1939

Ursula 1953

First World War Twins

 

Stoke Sentinel article from December 1969

John and Alberta Alcock's twin sons Edwin and Harold both fought in the First World War. Edwin joined the war from the UK and fought in The Somme and Ypres. He was severely wounded by a bayonet and was blown up but survived.

Harold joined the was from Australia and fought in Gallipoli. Harold survived the war when a camel fell on him in a crossfire, thus shielding him.

Edwin (Roy)

The twins were also written about in the book Edwardian and Great War Cheadle. It says that Edwin went over the top in The Somme on July 1st 1917 and was shell-shocked in the German trenches on July 16th. He was reported missing by his friend Bateman from Cheddleton. Edwin was invalided home whilst Bateman was tragically killed taking Thiepval. 

This is the account of Harold in the book:

More on Harold Alcock here

Alcock bros

John Alcock came from a family of at least 9 children (6 girls and 3 boys). His 2 brothers Ralph and William were important characters in late 19th Century and early 20th Century Cheadle.

Ralph Alcock at his daughter Dora's wedding

   

Ralph and Fanny Alcock were responsible for at least 17 children. Poor Fanny must have been constantly pregnant. They lived at and had a hardware store at 25-29 High Street Cheadle, which Ralph called Stafford House.

Here are some of the things that Ralph Alcock was involved in:

- furniture sales, upholstery, ironmonger, auctioneer, valuer, certified bailiff

- Lid Lane Nurseries

- secretary of Cheadle Rifle Club

- vice-president of Cheadle Pigeon Racing Association

- member of 1914-18 Home Defence Corps

- helped to form a dvision of the Cheadle St. John's Ambulance

- took part in creating a Free Library in the Town Hall

- emigration office and booking agent for Canadian Pacific Railway

- organising talks on life in Canada

Their children Alfred (Fred) and Frances moved to Canada. Edward also moved to North America. The children who emigrated to Orlando Florida named the street they lived Alcock Road.

Their son Willy Alcock (William Ryder Alcock) carried on the furniture business in Cheadle High Street. 

John's brother William had no children but was an important builder in Cheadle. In 1905 he bought 6 plots of land in the Charles Street area. In 1910, he owned 22 houses or shops in the town, including 5 in the High Street. In 1911 he obtained permission for building a smart new street called The Avenue and also sold the land to the council which became Cheadle County Primary School. Charles Street and The Avenue must have been at the edge of the town in those days. After William Alcock died in 1924, 37 lots were sold according to an article in the Cheadle and Tean Times dated 18th July 1924.

The 1896 Kelly's Directory of Staffordshire pages 112-113 lists the following: 
Alcock Wm. builder, contractor & timber mer. 3 Bank st
Alcock John, auctioneer, valuer & estate agent (established 1863), Queen street
Alcock Ralph, ironmonger, cabinet maker, hardware & furniture dealer ; manufacturer of every description of household furniture; house completely furnished, furniture removed with safety & dispatch ; orders receive prompt attention, Stafford house, High street

Thanks to Paula Mott for the photos and also to the fascinating book Edwardian and Great War Cheadle for a lot of this information and the Ralph Alcock advert.

 

Stafford House now

Another business card

Here's a business card of John Alcock sent to me by Mike Plant who does the excellent Historical Cheadle Facebook page. 

It says he was established in business in 1863 when he was ten, which surprised me, but I have since found that children only went to school until that age in those days. Things have certainly changed.

This is the first mention I've heard of the Nag's Head Inn, Leek. Any idea what that is these days?

John Alcock photos

Here are some photos of John Alcock, probably when he was in his 70's. First there's a better quality scan of the photo from his obituary. It looks like it could have been taken at a wedding.

Here are a couple of photos of John (top left) with his brother Ralph (top right) and wife Alberta (bottom right). The lady in the bottom left with the baby I guess is either a daughter or daughter-in-law of John. The baby I guess is a grandchild who must have been born before November 1926 when John passed away.

The 1888 diary (when John was 35) mentions going to have his photo taken. I wonder if those photos still exist anywhere? I'd love to see them.

John and Alberta's children

Kate Gibson sent me this typewritten note prepared by John Alcock's daughter Clarissa Alma:

It shows that they frequently moved house. In Cheadle the places they lived at included Charles Street, Bank Street, High Street, Queen Street and Mill Road. I'm not sure that the house numbers are correct here.

Here is the information I have:

1891 census - auctioneer, living 35 High Street, Cheadle with wife Alberta and children Mary 9, Ethel 7, Ursula 5, Walter 4, Frederick 1, Edwin & Harold both 3 months

1896 - Kelly's directory lists him as living in Queen Street.

1901 census - book agent, living Mill Street, Cheadle with family. Wife Alberta and children Ethel 17, Ursula 15, Walter 14, Frederick 11, Edwin 10, Harold 10, Clarissa 6 & Hannah 1

1904 - Kelly's directory lists him as a commission agent, Park View Villas, Cheadle.

1911 census - 23 WOODHOUSE STREET STOKE ON TRENT

1926 obituary - 23 WOODHOUSE STREET STOKE ON TRENT

Park View Villas, Mill Road, Cheadle

Bed & Breakfast Park View Guest House

Plans to turn guest house into care home for children set to get go-ahead 

23 Woodhouse Street, Stoke

John's Ancestors

Kate Gibson sent me the ancestors of John Alcock. It was prepared by his daughter Clarissa Alma and her nephew John Rigby in 1979:

The ancestors on his father's side:

This is the first time that I have seen his grandmother's maiden surname as Goodwin. On the 1841 census, you can just tell that her name is Ann. Kitty was Kate Alcock: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LYZL-MKL

The ancestors on his mother's side:

Dianne Shenton kindly sent me this marriage record for Ann Goodwin and William Alcock senior:

The marriage took place in Kingsley in 1801. Here is Ann Goodwin's FamilySearch record: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LYZ2-114

Mystery photo #2

This photo was sent to me by blog reader Kate Gibson. It might not be one of the Alcocks but it intrigued me as to who it might be.

The uniform might give some clues but also the name "P.A. Rayner" of Leek. In the book Secret Leek by Neil Collingwood it states that P.A. Rayner was the first professional photographer in Leek and took his first portait in 1867. He died in 1892, so the photo must have been taken sometime between those 2 dates. Judging by the age of the man, he must have been born around 1850-1860.

Any ideas? Post your sleuthing below in the comments.

 

Mystery photo

Kate Gibson sent me this photo:

Could it John? It looks a bit like John to me. It doesn't look like Alberta to me though. From the fashion, I guess the photo was taken in the 1920's when John was around 70 years old. What do you think?

Atmospheric Aluminium Sign

John Alcock wrote many patents. Here's a letter about an Atmospheric Aluminium Sign sent to me by Kate Gibson. That sounds like an intriguing invention but I can't find any more about it. 

John's great granddaughter Pam said that he also invented wire cutters to be attached to bayonets, which were used in WW1 to save the lives of soldiers who would cut through barbed wire and escape. This invention was probably inspired by his sons who were fighting in World War One. His twin sons Harold and Edwin were both injured during the war but luckily survived and lived to have children and grandchildren of their own, including me!

Business Cards

 

Thanks to Kate Gibson for sending me these business cards of John and Alberta Alcock. I never realised that Alberta was a certified midwife. 

It says that John had over 30 years experience and they moved to Woodhouse Street between 1901 and 1911 so the card is probably early 20th Century.

A New Year's Wish for 1905

 

Quick roll away the circling years

Bringing new hopes and calming fears

May the glad year which now does live

Bring thee all pleasures life can give

Health, strength, and joy place on your way

Happiness spread from day to day

Yet even to thy God give praise

For all the blessings of thy days

Thanks to Kate Gibson for this

From Wikipedia about 1905: "As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony is subtitled The Year 1905 to commemorate this) and the start of Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland. Canada and the U.S. expand west, with the Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces and the founding of Las Vegas. 1905 is also the year in which Albert Einstein, at this time resident in Bern, publishes his four Annus Mirabilis papers in Annalen der Physik (Leipzig) (March 18, May 11, June 30 and September 27), laying the foundations for more than a century's study of theoretical physics."

Fidelity

FIDELITY

As clings the fog to the tree

So cleave I my love to thee

As clings the fog to the wall

I cleave thee my love through all

And storms may come, and storms may go

And winter's frost, and ice, and snow

Yet to thee I still fondly cling

And o'er thee throw a shelt'ring wing

HORTON YARDLEY

Thanks to Kate Gibson again for this one

 

April Fool's Day

APRIL FOOL'S DAY

The one who picketh up this card

May think the case extremely hard

But this card makes an April fool

So please accept the ancient rule

Horton Yardley

Thanks again to Kate Gibson for this

 

Table Manners

TABLE MANNERS

In silence I must take my seat

And give God thanks before I eat

And for my food in patience wait

Till I am asked to hand my plate

I must not frown and must not pout

Nor move my chair "or plate" about

I must not shout nor must I talk

Or play about with knife and fork

I must not folk about my food

Nor fret if I don't think it good

The tablecloth I must not spoil

Nor with my food my fingers soil

I must not play nor must I sing

Nor must I move my napkin ring

And when I'm done give to God praise

For all the blessings of my days

HORTON YARDLEY

This was written by John Alcock for his 9 children around 1880. His daughter Ursula passed her copy to her son John Rigby who wrote this copy out in 1983. John's granddaughter Kate Gibson passed it on to me. Thanks!

I must say that mealtimes didn't seem like much fun in those days but I suppose with so many children it would have been chaos if they were all doing what they liked.

 

MY WISH - poem

 MY WISH

A simple card my love is this
That bears to thee my loving wish
That God may guide thy path thro' life
And shield thee from all earthly strife
Prosper thy course that all may run
As smooth and brightly as the sun
Shed o'er thy ways a perfume sweet
And guide to Him at last thy feet

HORTON YARDLEY

Thanks to Kate Gibson for this

To My Sweetheart (poem)

 

TO MY SWEETHEART

I am thine and thou are mine

Thus our hearts together twine

In sweet loves mysterious Knot

True as the bright "Forget-me-not"

Horton Yardley

Sent in by Kate Gibson - thanks for that

Friendship and a Birthday Greeting

 Here are a couple of poems sent to me by Kate Gibson - thanks for those.

The first about Friendship is marked with John Alcock's pseudonym Horton Yardely. The second is a birthday greeting but has no name on it.

FRIENDSHIP

If all my friends stuck fast to me,

As fast as I do stick to thee,

No other wealth would I aspire,

For I should have all I desire,

So here's my hand and here's my heart,

God grant that we may never part.

A BIRTHDAY GREETING

Now once again upon the earth,

Dawns unto thee thy day of birth,

Fast as the circling years roll round.

God has thee with another crown'd,

Thy children mingle in thy praise,

And unto thee thy voices raise,

Congratulate thee on this day,

"God give thee blessing" that we pray,

And when the fleeting years have cast,

Thy days unto those that are past,

And unto thee earth shall not dawn,

_ thou awake in heavenly morn.