The Thornber family of Vivary Bridge, COLNE

[Stanley]

The Thornber family of Vivary Bridge in Colne is featured in Robert Neill’s novel "Song of the Sunrise" later released in paperback as "The Mills of Colne".  Thomas Thornber of Vivary Bridge was a cotton mill owner and his daughter, Ellen, married another local mill owner, Nicholas England.  Much of the information behind this historical novel was provided by Wilfred Spencer, who was the librarian at Colne Public Library in the 1950s.  During late 1999, I was contacted by Margaret Smith, nee Thornber, who was interested in tracing her Thornber roots. From searches in the 1881 census and initial findings from general registration, it soon became apparent that she was descended from the Thornbers of Vivary Bridge.  I now believe that Thomas Thornber, the founder of the cotton business, shown as No. 1 in the chart below, was the son of Henry Thornber, shown in one of the Gisburn family trees on this site.
Caleb Haworth, a conveyancer of Marsden near Colne, drew up a number of pedigrees which are now in Colne Public Library.  Some information has been taken from one of his charts on the family of William Smith and Fanny Thornber.
Abbreviations
BC     Birth certificate
MC    Marriage certificate
DC     Death Certificate
MI      Monumental Inscriptions. No. 1 at Gisburn Parish Church on grave of Thomas (no. 1 below)
           his wife named as Fanny Croasdale, and his two sons, Henry and Thomas. No. 2 at Colne for Nicholas England.
C41    Census of Colne 1841, similarly C51, C61, C71, C81, C91
PC      Parish Church
W1     Will of Thomas Thornber, who died in 1841, made in 1834 naming his wife Fanny,
            his son Thomas and six daughters, Ellen, Fanny, Elizabeth, Mary, Margaret, Ann.
W2     Will of Thomas Thornber who died in 1848 shows six sisters with their married names,
            together with his son Thomas and daughter Elizabeth Ann.
abt.     about 
 
 
1.     Thomas Thornber born baptised on 24 January 1762 at Long Preston.  He was a farmer and butcher in Barnoldswick and then a butcher in Colne up to at least 1808.  Thereafter he started a cotton spinning business at Vivary Mill, Colne.  Died 5 May 1841 at Colne and buried 12 May 1841, aged 79, at Gisburn PC (DC& MI).  Will made in 1834 names his wife as Fanny, son, Thomas and six daughters.
+      Fanny Croasdale on 30 April 1797 at Gargrave PC by licence.  The marriage bond and allegation, dated 29 April 1797, indicate that  Thomas was 30 or over a bachelor and a grazier while Fanny was 25 or over and a spinster.  She was the daughter of Henry and Ellen Croasdale (MI) and born abt. 1771/2, died 29 September 1837, aged 65 (MI) at
Colne and buried on 5 October 1837 at Gisburn PC.
2.     Ellen Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2, born 3 June 1797 and bapt. 1 July 1797 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick. She died at Grange in Lancashire, 11 January 1860 aged 62 years (MI)
+      Nicholas England, cotton manufacturer on 15 June 1820 Colne PC. He died 11 July 1852 aged 56 years (MI)
3.     Thomas Thornber England
3.     Frances England, born 31 December 1823, bapt 7 September 1827 at Colne PC.
3.     Elizabeth England, born 8 April 1827, bapt. 7 September 1827 at Colne PC. She died at Heirs House near Colne, 11 June 1848, aged 21 years (MI)
3.     Ellen England, born 1829, died at Colne, 31 October 1830 aged 10 months (MI)
2.     Ann Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2, born 7 August, bapt. 25 August 1799 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick.
+      Robert Aspinall mentioned in W2.
2.     Fanny Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2, born 7 February, bapt. 20 October 1803 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick. Died 25 August 1872 in her 70th year, buried Briercliffe, MI.
+      William Smith on 28 May 1827 Colne PC. He died who died 25 April 1864 in this 64th year, buried Briercliffe, MI. (See footnote 3)
3.     Thomas Thornber Smith, from notes of conveyancer, Caleb Howarth.
3.     Fanny Smith, from notes of conveyancer, Caleb Howarth.
3.     William Smith, from notes of conveyancer, Caleb Howarth.
2.     Henry, born 7 July 1804, bapt. 26 August 1804 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick, died 15 March (MI) buried Gisburn 18 March 1810
2.     Elizabeth Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2, born 7 April, bapt. 4 May 1806 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick.
+     Samuel Ellis on 28 Oct 1829 Colne PC
2.     Mary Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2.  Baptised early 1801 at St. Mary le Ghyll, from hand-written transcript at Colne library.  In C41 living at Vivary with her son Joseph and her sister Ann.
+     Joseph Bell, on 6 Jul 1830, Colne.
3.    Joseph Bell born c. 1840 from C41
2.     Margaret Thornber, mentioned in W1 and W2, born 14 August, bapt. 18 September 1808, at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick.
+     Robert Watson on 12 Apr 1832, Colne PC. 
2.     Thomas Thornber son of Thomas Thornber and Fanny Croasdale born 1 September, baptised 8 October 1810 at St. Mary le Ghyll, Barnoldswick. Succeeded his father as owner of Vivary Mill.  Died 6 January 1848 at Colne, aged 37 (DC) and buried at Gisburn PC on 14 January 1848.  Made will naming his six sisters and two children, Thomas and Elizabeth Ann.  In C41 at Haverholt, the next property to Vivary Bridge in the census.
+      Ruth Ratcliffe the daughter of Thomas Ratcliffe on 19 June 1839 at Salford Register Office (MC).  She was born abt. 1815/16 in Colne from C51 and C61.
3.     Thomas Thornber, born on 15 August 1840 at Haverholt, Colne (BC) He has been found in all census returns from 1841 to 1891 by which time he was a widower. He died 20 Jan 1911 at Morecambe aged 70 (DC). See also footnote 4.
+      Sarah Barker, the dau. of Nathaniel Barker on 1 July 1868 at Birch in Rusholme near Manchester.  (MC)  She was 21 and born in Manchester ( from C71 & C81).  She died before 1891.
4.     Thomas Henry Thornber born on 5 June 1869 at Vivary Bridge Colne (BC).  Found in C71 and C81
+     Annie Derbyshire daughter of William Derbyshire, on 29 April 1899 at Cheadle PC. (MC)
5.     Dorothy Thornber, born 12 February 1900
5.     Thomas Frearson Thornber, born 15 June 1902 at Cheadle (BC)
4.     Edward Barker Thornber, born 1870/71, Colne, from C71 and C81.
4.     Horace Thornber, born 1874/5, Colne, from C81.
4.     Sarah Frances Thornber, born 1876/7, Colne, from C81
4.     Cyril Thornber, born 1877/8, Colne, from C81
4.     Alice Thornber, born 1879/80, Colne, from C81
3.     Elizabeth Ann Thornber known from W2 and C51.

 Footnote 1. Monumental Inscription at St. Mary's Gisburn
To the memory of Henry son of Thomas and Fanny Thornber of Vivary Bridge, Colne, born 7 July 1804, died 15 March 1810, also the above mentioned, Fanny Thornber, daughter of Henry and Ellen Croasdill, who departed this life 29 September 1837 in the 66th year of her age, age also her husband, Thomas Thornber, who departed this life 5 May 1841 aged 79, also their son Thomas (then illegible).
Footnote 2. Monumental Inscription at St. Bartholomew's Colne,
This was abstracted from the records by Beth Merryweather in New Zealand from Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society Fiche.
White marble with dove above, butterfly below with poppy and chrysalis.
Sacred to the memory of Nicholas England of Colne who died 11 July 1852 aged 56 years and is interred in the West End of this Church. Also of Ellen, wife of the above Nicholas England, and daughter of Thomas Thornber of Vivary Bridge. She died at Grange in this county, 11 January 1860 aged 62 years. Also of Ellen their daughter, who died at Colne, 31 October 1830 aged 10 months. Also of Elizabeth their daughter who died at Heirs House near Colne, 11 June 1848, aged 21 years. "I am the Resurrection and the Life."
Footnote 3.
At the Lancashire County Record Office there is a book listing the monumental inscriptions at Briercliffe St. James, near Burnley. The first is clearly relevant to the family tree above showing William Smith and his wife Fanny, formerly Thornber, and two of their grandchildren.
B20. In affectionate remembrance of William Smith of Hill End, Briercliffe, who died 25 April 1864 in this 64th year also Fanny his wife, who died 25 August 1872 in the 70th year of her age. Also Harold Smith, of Hill End, Briercliffe, younger son of Thomas Thornber (Smith) and Sarah Smith, who died 20 March 1891 aged 17. Also Fanny Thornber Smith of Hill End, Briercliffe, 4th daughter of Thomas Thornber (Smith) and Sarah Smith who died 11 November 1894 aged 19 years.
The second could be related to this family but there is insufficient information at the moment. William Thornber Smith must have been born about 1843 and could be the William Smith mentioned in the tree, identified from the notes of Caleb Howarth.
B 17. William Thornber Smith of Langlands, Cheadle Cheshire, who died 25 March 1895, aged 52 and his wife Alice who died 1 September 1896 aged 51.
Footnote 4.
In 1873 there was a survey of land ownership in England, published in 1875. It showed by county, each owner with the number of acres of land and the gross rental value. Thomas Thornber of Colne features in the returns for both Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire
Name and County
Residence
Acreage
Gross Rental
Thomas Thornber for Lancs.
Colne
7
£49
Thomas Thornber for West Riding of Yorks.
Colne
128
£355