75 - The Ridgway Family (Charles and Ann)

The full story of the Ridgway Family can be found in my book The Residents of Romiley Road but here is some information.

The Ridgway family played a very important part in Romiley village. Charles' grandparents were Jonathon Ridgway and Thomasin Tomlinson. They had married in 1771 and built a house on Romiley Road in 1788, which still stands today.

Charles' father was a weaver but Charles began his own plant nursery in 1821 on 2 acres of land after marrying his wife Ann Lord, who came from Liverpool.

Ridgways Nursery thrived for decades, employing many local men (often family members). Charles invested money in land and the business went from using a horse and cart to a motorised vehicle! They regularly attended local markets and the Ridgway gardeners loved to talk about plants with their customers.

Charles and Ann had 6 children. 3 of their daughters, Frances, Ann and Sarah, had already died by the taking of the 1871 census. Their son Thomas, who was a member of Hatherlow Church, died unexpectedly and suddenly in 1886.

Son Andrew (Household 12) worked at the nursery throughout his life and was a key member of the Wesleyan church.

Daughter Elizabeth lived until the age of 93 years. She never married but she did get to travel. I found a record for a passport application from October 1889 and her obituary mentioned that she travelled in Europe and America in her younger years. Her obituary also mentioned that she passed away at the "Manor House" in Romiley, but I haven't been able to work out where this was. Just a few years before her death she had been living at the Nurseries with her niece Bertha.