Isn’t this a super family group photo, the daughters look so much like their Mum. A recent buy from my friend Paul on eBay, he does find some great old postcards.

This photo has an astonishing amount of information on the back, not just the parents but also their three children. This makes it so much easier to identify the family. I started a small family tree on Ancestry with the five names and very quickly found the 1911 census with the Flitcroft family living at 172 High Street, Bolton, Lancashire, that Paul had pencilled in on the back.

I fairly easily found out more about the Flitcrofts with research. Walter Flitcroft was born on 27 June 1864 in Bolton, Lancashire. His father was William 1837-1913, and his mother was Caroline (Dearden)1838-1923. At age 17, Walter was a ‘Pattern Maker’ on the 1891 census ten years later he is a ‘Wood Patternmaker’ 1901 he is a ‘Manual Instructor in Wood.’ Description of his job: “A wood patternmaker is a skilled craftsman who creates wooden models of castings to be used in foundries” Interesting, did he, I wonder, work for his grandfather’s company at some time? More about his grandfather later in the blog.

Walter married Annie Crumblehulme in 1888 in his hometown. They had three children. Walter died in October 1940 in Horwich, Lancashire, at the age of 76.

Annie Crumblehulme was born in 1864 in Lancashire, Lancashire. She died in October 1935 in Bolton, Lancashire, at the age of 71. She came from a large family; her parents were William and Mary, and she had eight siblings that I have found so far. More about William later.

Their eldest child, Gertrude Flitcroft was born on 18 January 1889 in Bolton, Lancashire. She married James Percival Walker in the second quarter of 1910 when she was 21, and shortly after in July 1910, Gertrude gave birth to a daughter Constance Irene Walker and then in September 1913, a boy James Percival Walker Jr. Gertrude died in October 1966 in her hometown at the age of 77. James in his 20s was a Clerk at a Cotton Manufacturers, then in his 50s a Departmental Manager, for Funeral Furnishing and Monumental Masons.

Second born Anne Crumblehulme Flitcroft was born on 25 July 1890 in Bolton, Lancashire. She married William Clegg (1881-1948)in April 1915 in her hometown. They just had one son William Clegg, 1916-1992. Anne died on 6 July 1971 in Lancashire, Lancashire, at the age of 80, and was buried there.

The youngest child Alfred Crumblehulme Flitcroft was born on 26 April 1894 in Bolton, Lancashire. At the age of 17 he was an Apprentice Iron Founder, then at 45 a change of direction he was a Chartered Architect and Surveyor. He married Nellie Kellett in July 1922 in his hometown. They also just had one son Alfred Flitcroft Jnr 1923-2002. Alfred Snr died on 14 October 1970 in Lancashire, Lancashire, at the age of 76.

Flitcroft family tree here on Ancestry: Flitcroft Walter & Annie

William Crumblehulme

Annie Crumblehulme‘s father was William Crumblehulme, and he has a fascinating story. He founded an Ironworks called William Crumblehulme & Son’s Ironfounders of Bolton, Lancashire. There is a lot of information on the internet about the company, it’s a Rags to Riches tale. The company were a manufacturer of fire ranges and kitchen stoves, etc, operating at the ‘Derby Works’ in Bolton, Lancashire.

Here’s the full story of the Ironfounders, thanks to Bolton Revisited: Crumblehulme & Sons

I was really pleased to see this invitation on the website, as you can see it was sent to Miss Gertrude Flitcroft! So, I’m presuming the whole family were at the celebrations or maybe just Gertrude as she was the eldest of the three children.

From Bolton Revisited: “1900 was a special year for ‘Crumblehulme’s’ as it celebrated its ‘Silver Jubilee’. At the Co-operative Hall in Bridge Street, Bolton, 570 people, including customers, friends, workers, and wives, sat down to tea. Congratulatory speeches were made, Mr W. Crumblehulme Sen. remarking that the firm was very proud of their workers and owed its success to them in making great progress despite the severity of the competition, and with the co-operation of the employees there need be no limit to its development“.

An example of the work of Crumblehulme & Sons

Till next time then…….