23 - The Swindells Family (Thomas and Julia Ann)

Thomas Swindells was the son of James Swindells and Mary Rowbotham who ran the Friendship Inn (Household 57). He was born in Romiley in March 1843. His wife Julia Ann was also a Swindells who was born in Hyde but moved to Romiley during her childhood. Her father was a farmer.

The couple married on 11th March 1867 at St Mary's Church in Stockport. By this point Thomas had been working for many years as a mechanic, an occupation that many of his family held. Mechanics were very much in need in all of the many factories in Romiley and the surrounding areas in order to keep the machines working and the profits growing.

The couple had 8 children but many were taken at a young age. Their first child Mary was baptised on the 31st July 1867 and buried on 5th October 1871. We know from a newspaper report about 4 children who died in the same week that Mary either died from diphtheria or scarlet fever.

Their son Daniel was baptised on 6th October 1875 and he was buried on 2nd November 1876.

Their daughter Minnie was baptised on 7th December 1881 and was buried just a few months later on 9th Mar 1882.

In the 1890s the family moved to 59 Cross Street in Hyde where Thomas continued to work as a mechanic at a cotton mill. He would have held one of the most prestigious jobs at the mill. By 1901 3 of their children were also working. Peter was a planker at a hatworks, James was a shoemaker and Gertrude worked as a bread and confectionery maker.

Sadly Gertrude, who was staying in Wigan with her cousin in the 1911 census, passed away later that same year aged just 28 years of age.

By then the Swindells family had moved to Godley Newton and lived on Commercial Street in a house with 5 rooms. Thomas had retired at the age of 68 and 3 of their children still lived with them (Gertrude also likely still lived there). Hannah, who would pass away 3 years after the census, was 42 years of age, unmarried and unemployed. Peter still worked as a planker and James ran his own business as a greengrocer.

Thomas Swindells died in 1911, followed by Julia Ann in 1919.