47 - The Rowbottom Family

William Rowbottom was born in Marple in 1832 and by the age of 8 his father, John, had died. His mother, Betty Cheetham, who had brought 7 children into the world with John, then married Benjamin Hadfield. They lived at Church Street in Marple, where Benjamin worked as a hatter. The whole family then moved to Dingle Hollow in Romiley where William worked as a factory operative.

At the age of 18, on the 12th May 1851, William married Elizabeth Jane Bradbury, the daughter of a boatman. They had 3 children named John, Samuel and William. In 1861 William worked as an overlooker at the cottom mill and they took on Patrick and Michael McNally, Irish stone masons, as lodgers.

1863 brought tragedy for the family when both John and William died in the winter of that year.

Only Samuel remained by the time of the 1871 census. By this point Elizabeth was working as a grocer and they had 2 lodgers. One lodger was Benjamin Hadfield, William's stepfather, who was working as a card room hand. The other was Eliza Shottin, William's niece, working as a throstle spinner.

Benjamin Hadfield had become addicted to alcohol, and by 1875 was in a very bad way. He had attempted to take his own life by hanging, which failed, and then made a second attempt by throwing himself into the canal. He was said to be "unable to obtain a proper livelihood" and had spent some time in the infirmary. Having no money or friends, he was taken to Stockport Workhouse. He died in 1879.

Eliza Shottin was the only surviving daughter of Ann Rowbottom. Ann married William Shottin and the couple had 4 children, but 3 died in infancy. William died when Eliza was just 6 years of age and Ann passed away in 1866, when Eliza was 14.

In 1874 Eliza married Elias Wild(e), a labourer from Bredbury. She had 8 children with him, and then had a further 3 after the death of her husband. Elias was often in trouble with the law. In 1877 he was arrested for being drunk in charge of a horse and cart, He was caught drinking outside of licensing hours in 1885, then in 1886 he was again arrested for being drunk in charge of 2 horses and 2 carts. He was working for Samuel Howe at this point. In 1887 he was fined for neglecting to send his daughter to school and in 1888 it was by the Sanitary Committee that his house was "so over crowded as to be injurious to the health of the inmates".

By 1881 the Rowbottom family had moved to Cheadle where they ran the Printer's Arms pub. Samuel worked at a Solicitors.

By 1891 William had retired but they remained in Cheadle. Samuel had married by this point but it looks like he died aged 30 in 1890.

The Rowbottom's returned to Romiley, moving into a house at Hole House Fold. Elizabeth Jane died in 1902.

William married Martha Green a year later. She was 21 years his junior and had a daughter named Ada who lived with them at 1 Hole House Fold. William died in 1911.