Updated 19 Aug 2014

WIRKSWORTH Parish Records 1600-1900

Return to Front Page

MENU

Last

Photo 490

Next

Lydia Gould in the 1930s

Taken c1910. William and Lydia GOULD.

Taken professionally in 1910

The identities of the childen are as follows, from left to right:
James Gould (12), Drucilla Gould (13), Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Clough, Albert Gould (11), John William (Jack) Gould (17, married Mary Elizabeth in 1916), Elizabeth Gould (18), George Henry Gould (15), Maria Buckley Gould (20) with her left hand on the shoulder of Samuel Gould (5), Annie Gould (7), and Hetty Gould (8)

Taken c1945. Left to right: James, George, Albert, Drucilla, Phylis, Elizabeth, Hetty and John GOULD, children of William and Lydia.

Lydia Gould 1872-1947

Lydia GOULD's last child, Phyllis was interviewed at the age of 90 by Norman Buckley. See the interview below.

Simon Johnson writes:
In the course of my research into the Clough family history, I was recently lent this old photograph. The lady featured in the photograph is not directly connected to the Clough family. Her son, John William (Jack) Gould married Mary Elizabeth Clough of Wirksworth in 1916. I am assuming that the photograph was taken during the 1930s. The photograph features Lydia Gould (nee Buckley).

Lydia Gould (nee Buckley) 1872-1947
Lydia Buckley was born at Cromford in 1872 and was the daughter of Peter and Mary Buckley. Her father was employed as a lead miner. Lydia was raised at Cromford and in 1890 she married William Gould of Greenhill, Wirksworth, who worked as a railway engine driver at a local quarry throughout the majority of his working life.

Lydia gave birth to eleven children between 1890 and 1917. Her first child, Maria, was born out of wedlock and was registered with her mother's maiden name of Buckley. It is unclear as to whether Lydia's husband was the father of Maria though Lydia married William Gould shortly after Maria's birth. The likelihood might be that William Gould was indeed Maria's father, though as he wasn't married to Lydia at the time his name was not listed on Maria's birth certificate. Following her marriage to William Gould, Lydia gave birth to another ten children; Elizabeth, John William (Jack), George Henry, Drucilla, James, Albert, Hetty, Annie, Samuel and Phyllis. It appears that William and Lydia initially spent a period living on Bowling Green Lane at Wirksworth, before moving to live on William's native Greenhill.

By 1910, William, Lydia and their family were resident at 48 The Dale, which appears to have been owned by the Butterley Company, the then owners of the Big Hole Quarry at Wirksworth. Lydia's husband was employed by the Butterley Company as an engine driver on the railway connecting the station of the Midland Railway Company to the Big Hole Quarry. The Butterley Company worked the quarry until 1914, from when the quarry remained closed until February 1925, when it was taken over by the Wirksworth Quarries Ltd. William was employed as an engine driver by the Wirksworth Quarries Ltd until his death on the 2nd of January 1931, aged 61 years. He was interred in Wirksworth Cemetery.

In his book O'er Back And On The Hillock (1989), Jack Doxey recalled that Lydia's husband, William Gould, was the man responsible for driving and maintaining an engine named the 'Coffee Pot'. This engine pulled the loaded wagons from the rock bench in the quarry to the station yard of the Midland Railway Company. Jack Doxey also recalls that from the small yard at the back of 48 The Dale, there was a sheer drop into the quarry bottom, and it was from this point that on many occasions Jack Doxey witnessed Lydia lowering her husband's dinner to him on a piece of string.

Following her husband's death, it appears that Lydia had to vacate 48 The Dale and at some point in the 1930s she moved further up the road to 57 The Dale to live with her daughter, Phyllis Brocklehurst. They later moved to live at 36 West End at Wirksworth where, after a long illness, Lydia passed away on the 9th of July 1947 at the age of 75 years. She was interred in her husband's grave in Wirksworth Cemetery. Lydia's obituary in the High Peak News states that she left behind five sons, five daughters, 51 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren.

Simon Johnson.

Note: In 1901, 48 The Dale had 4 rooms only, and by 1910 Lydia Gould had 10 children. The cottage would have been rather overcrowded.

Taken c1920. William GOULD by Big Hole tunnel, Station Rd.
(train known as the coffee pot).

Taken c1962. Drucilla and Alec Hallows
at 61 Bannisters Yard, Wirksworth.

Dates:
Photo taken:
Size:
Source:

Click on photo for enlargement (on CD only)
Have any more information about this photo? 
Please e-mail the author on:

GOULD/BUCKLEY families

    1838 1840 1831 1833 John Elizabeth Peter 1855 Mary GOULD=====v=====? BUCKLEY=====v=====HERROD 1880 | c1909 1891? | 1897 | | |-----|-------|----|----|--------|-----|-------| |-------|-------|-------|--|---|-----|------|------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1862 1865 1867 1870 1872 1874 1876 1856 1858 1860 1864 1866 1869 1872 1875 Mary Martha Drucilla William Job George Arthur Hannah George Esther Maria Mary Peter Lydia William | | | | | | 1870 1872 William 1890 Lydia GOULD=============================v========================================BUCKLEY 1931 | 1947 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 10 11 |-----------|----------|-------|----------|---------|----|----|----------|------------|---------|---------| | | | | | | | | | | | 1890 1892 1893 1895 1895 1898 1899 1902 1903 1905 1917 Maria Elizabeth John George Drucilla James Albert Hetty Annie Samuel Phyllis BUCKLEY 1983 William Henry | 1983 1979 1965 | | 1900 Drucilla 1920 Alec GOULD=====v=====HALLOWS 1993 | 1963 | | 1926 1923 Maisie 1945 William HALLOWS=====v=====CUMMINGS 1975 | | | 1954 1957 Jerry 1996 Glenis SMITH=====v=====CUMMINGS

CENSUS

--------------------------
1891 Census for Bowling Green Lane, Wirksworth
William       GOULD  Head  Marr  M  21  1870  Railway Engine Driver  Derbyshire, England   
Lydia         GOULD  Wife  Marr  F  18  1873  -                      Derbyshire, England   
Maria Buckley GOULD  Dau   -     F   0  1891  -                      Derbyshire, England
--------------------------
1901 Census for 77 Green Hill, Wirksworth
William  GOULD   Head  Marr M  31  1870  Railway Engine Driver  Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Lydia    GOULD   Wife  Marr F  28  1873  -                      Cromford, Derbyshire   
Maria    BUCKLEY Dau   -    F  10  1891  -                      Cromford, Derbyshire   
John     GOULD   Son   -    M   7  1894  -                      Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
George   GOULD   Son   -    M   5  1896  -                      Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Drucilla GOULD   Dau   -    F   4  1897  -                      Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
James    GOULD   Son   -    M   2  1899  -                      Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Albert   GOULD   Son   -    M   1  1900  -                      Wirksworth, Derbyshire  
--------------------------
1901 Census for 78 Green Hill, Wirksworth
Alfred   WARDMAN  Head  Marr  M  37  1864  Limestone Quarryman  Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Harriet  WARDMAN  Wife  Marr  F  34  1867  -                    Long Birmingham, Lincolnshire   
Lilian   WARDMAN  Dau   -     F  11  1890  -                    Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Ethel    WARDMAN  Dau   -     F   8  1893  -                    Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Lewis J  WARDMAN  Son   -     M   1  1900  -                    Wirksworth, Derbyshire   
Elizth   GOULD    Visitor  -  F   9  1892  -                    Wirksworth, Derbyshire
--------------------------
1911 Census for 48 Dale, Wirksworth
William        GOULD  Head  Marr      M  41  1870  Builders Labourer         Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Lydia          GOULD  Wife  Marr      F  38  1873  -                         Derbyshire Cromford   
Maria          GOULD  Dau   Sing      F  20  1891  Tape Factory Hand Weaver  Derbyshire Cromford   
John William   GOULD  Son   Sing      M  17  1894  Limestone Quarryman       Derbyshire Wirksworth   
George Henry   GOULD  Son   Sing      M  15  1896  Cotton Operative Spinner  Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Drucillia      GOULD  Dau   -         F  14  1897  Cotton Operative Spinner  Derbyshire Wirksworth   
James          GOULD  Son   -         M  12  1899  School                    Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Albert         GOULD  Son   -         M  11  1900  School                    Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Hetty          GOULD  Dau   -         F   9  1902  School                    Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Annie          GOULD  Dau   -         F   7  1904  School                    Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Samuel         GOULD  Son   -         M   6  1905  School                    Derbyshire Wirksworth   
Mary Elizabeth CLOUGH Boarder Single  F  19  1892  Cotton Operative Spinner  Derbyshire Wirksworth  
--------------------------
1911 Census for Claremont, Cromford Road, Wirksworth
Samuel            LAND     Head     Marr     M  42  1869  Draper                   Wirksworth Derbyshire   
Minnie            LAND     Wife     Marr     F  42  1869  -                        Coalville Leicestershire   
Jno Eric Starkey  LAND     Son      -        M  13  1898  At School                Wirksworth Derbyshire   
William Leslie    LAND     Son      -        M   8  1903  At School                Wirksworth Derbyshire   
Jno Henry         STARKEY  Boarder  Widower  M  63  1848  Head Teacher Elementary  Coalville Leicestershire   
Eliza Louisa      CONIBEAR  -       Single   F  30  1881  Servant                  Burton on Trent   
Elizabeth         GOULD  -          Single   F  19  1892  Servant                  Wirksworth Derbyshire
---------------------------

From 2 photos
above, taken
1910 and c1945
William
Lydia
1.Maria
2.Elizabeth

3.John W

4.George

5.Drucilla

6.James

7.Albert

8.Hetty

9.Annie
10.Samuel
11.Phyllis
marr.1916
Mary

    LYDIA GOULD 1872-1947

    Interview with Phyllis Gould – 4th August 2007

    Reference Birthdays etc.
    William Gould was Born 4th July 1870 and Died 2nd February 1931 (61). Lydia Gould (nee Buckley) was Born 20th June 1872. Phyllis Gould was Born 24th August 1917. (viz: 90 in two weeks time).

    Reference 48 The Dale
    In 1933/34 the Gould family moved from 48 The Dale to 57 The Dale because the Bedroom Ceiling fell in. Maybe the blasting in the Quarry was a possible cause! The Quarry face was on the other side of the wall and fence at the end of the garden. However my personal note of caution; the way that Quarry faces were worked in the days of William Gould was not the same as today's system of working with deep hole drilling and blasting from the top after overburden has been stripped off. A lot of Gunpowder (Black Powder) would be used in "jumpers". Limestone was stripped from the top in a series of benches. The workers worked on the benches getting there by climbing down a rope anchored at the top and working with tools using crowbars to lever off the blocks along the bedding planes. This was verified when Phyllis Gould said that a "lot" died falling off the quarry face as they had no safety ropes, just one thick rope to help them when climbing down. (A retired quarry face worker who worked in the big quarry at Stoney Middleton told me that in winter when the benches were frozen they were very slippery!).

    At 48 The Dale, the end of the garden had a low stone wall topped with a small fence and on the other side was the quarry face. In the photograph of Lydia she was facing the quarry and the photographer was standing with his back to the quarry and vaguely behind her can be seen the houses on the main street.

    Regarding the packed lunch or Snap on a piece of string, Phyllis says it was always a Pork Chop "bought from the Co-op" between two slices of homemade bread. It was wrapped in newspaper and then a big black cloth and tied with string. It was not lowered down it was thrown at the end of a string and being left handed "and not a cricketer" Phyllis once threw it and it landed in a railway waggon and her father, only being a small man, had difficulty in climbing into the waggon to retrieve his lunch. Obviously pulling on the string was not the answer. Phyllis says he was not very pleased.

    Regarding Maria, according to Phyllis it was confirmed within the family that William Gould was in fact her father.

    Lydia had an arrangement with the Sexton at Wirksworth Church, John William Hallows. For one shilling she placed stillborn babies and dead babies from unmarried women in wooden Apple boxes and took them to the Sexton for burial in a row at the foot of a wall in the churchyard. This particular burial spot can still be seen in the cemetery.

    Norman Roy Buckley. 5th August 2007.

Compiled, formatted, hyperlinked, encoded, and copyright © 2006, All Rights Reserved.