Freda Birchall
Mother of Trevor Leach
and grandmother of Karen and Richard Leach
Freda Birchall was born in Manchester on 28th September 1910 to Mary Jane Smith (Polly) and Thomas Arthur Birchall (Tom). They married in about 1904/5 according to their 1911 census form. She was named after her Uncle Fred (her father's brother, Frederick Birchall) who had recently died. Her family lived in Manchester. Freda attended Cromwell Road Girls' School in Pendlebury from 1917 to 1924. She left at the age of fourteen having taken Algebra and French as extra subjects.
Freda is on the 3rd row and is second from the right
Freda is on the back row second from the rightFreda told Trevor that she played hopscotch and skipping when she was a girl. One of her friends was Alice Beckett who lived at Pendlebury, down the road from Swinton. Freda liked her school in Swinton very much. Ahe also liked her piano lessons. Freda went to Greenwood's Secretarial College on Doulton Street, Manchester. Her first job was with Melor's, an estate agent, where she did invoicing to collect ground rents and other accounting work. She worked there twenty years. When she left, they gave her a beautiful metal fillagree standing mirror.
At the time of the 1911 census, the Birchall family were living at 189 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester.
Freda was six months old. Polly's mother, Sarah Smith (age 70), was a widow and lived with them. It says that Tom and Polly had been married for six years and had had another child who had died. Polly was 32 years old and Tom was 29 years old. Tom was working as a Cap Manufacturer (Tweed cloth). He was an "Employer" since he employed persons other than domestic servants and he carried on the trade "At Home".
The family later lived at 34 Bingham Street, Swinton. Thomas Birchall had a friend, Mr Pinder, and together they had an allotment and grew vegetabels and reared hens for eggs and for chicken. The family always cooked a chicken on Christmas Day. (Karen saw on GoogleEarth in 2010 that right behind the house there is a large plot of land with allotments).
Every New Year's Day, they had a party at Auntie Alice's (Henshaw) in Sale, Cheshire. They did puzzles and Uncle Frank played the piano.
Freda told Trevor in 2001 that her father had made the dining table, the seats beside the fireplace, the bedside cupboards, and the bookcase under the hatch in the livingroom.
Polly and Tom Birchall went to the pictures (movies) every Saturday night and sat in the same seats each time (pre-booked!) They always got custards (tarts) from the corner shop on a Saturday morning.
Mary Jane Smith (Polly)
b. 27 January 1878
Sycamore St, Newton
d. 30th October 1960, 34 Bingham St (age 82)
b. 1882
Forman Joiner for Builders
d. 14 April 1963, Buxton Hospital (age 81)
married
22nd April 1905
Thomas Arthur was 23 years old and Mary Jane was 27 years old
Baptist College Mission Hall, Chorlton, Manchester
At the time of their marriage, Thomas Arthur was living at 15 Ellesmere Place, Longsight, and Mary Jane was living at 15 Westfield Street, Harpurhey??? The marriage certificate says tath Thomas' father was William Birchall and he was a Joiner Journeyman. It says that the father of Mary Jane was James Smith (deceased) and he was a Roller Coverer.
Freda told Trevor: "Mother didn't like her name Mary Jane, so she called herself Polly." They lived at 34 Bingham Street, Swinton, England. The outside toilet at 34 Bingham Street had a telephone directory hung up beside the toilet. There was a bath in the kitchen which her dad put in. There was a workshop on the first floor, where her dad would do his joinery. He was always the happiest when he was doing his joinery and dealing with wood. Her parents' room was downstairs in the front room. Her dad would always have a rice pudding every day. He liked porridge in the morning. He wasn't into fishing. He had a motor bike with sidecar where Grandma would sit. The belt would break and she had to jump off and pick it up. He loved his Ford car and was very proud of it.
Trevor remembers visiting his grandparents. He recalls how his grandfather loved listening to the radio and would have the volume turned up very high as he was hard of hearing and had hearing aids. His grandfather's wood workshop was up the steep stairs on the left-hand side. It was a large room and had a long rack of tools hanging on the wall that was beautifully organized with tools such as various chisels that were different sizes and shapes. Each tool was in its right place and Tom would put his tools back where they belonged when he finished. The workshop was noisey with multiple saws and drills going.
Their next door neighbours were the Morrisey family. Trevor played with Lily Morrisey's daughters.
Freda's mother died in 1960 at age 82. Her father was left a widower.
Family of Polly Smith
(later Polly Birchall - wife of Thomas Arthur Birchall)
Polly's family were from the Manchester area. Her parents were James Smith and Sarah Kemp. They married 20th January 1867. James and Sarah had six children: Alice, John, George, Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie), Mary Jane (Polly), Annie.
The 1901 census shows that at age sixty-one Sarah Smith was a widow. She lived at 107 Church Lane, North Manchester, with her daughter Lizzie Birchall (age 25) and husband Fred Birchall (age 27) and her Lizzie's younger sisters, Annie (age 20) and Mary (age 23). Fred Birchall was a "hat and cap traveller".
The marriage certificate of James' daughter, Polly, shows that James' profession was a "Roller Coverer".
married
Sarah Kemp
b. 19 March 1840
Edgely, Stockport
d. after 1901
b. 31 Aug 1841
Mercy St, Stockport
d. before 1901
20th January 1867
James wrote out his family and it was kept in the family Bible.
SARAH AND JAMES SMITH'S SIX CHILDREN:
Alice Smith b. 22nd October 1867, George St, Newton, Manchester
John J Smith b. 10th Oct 1869, George St, Newton, Manchester
George Smith b. 4 April 1872, George St, Newton, Manchester
Sarah E Smith b. 8 January 1876, Allum St, Manchester
Mary Jane Smith b. 27 Jan 1878, Sycamore St, Newton, Manchester (Polly)
Annie Smith b. 29 June 1880, Sycamore St, Newton, Manchester
James Smith's parents: William (born 27 Feb 1796-5 July 1867) and Sarah Smith (4 Feb 1800-11 Jan 1863)
James Smith's siblings: Mary Smith, George Smith (b 5 Mar 1828), Ann Smith, Margeart Smith, Eliza Smith
Polly's sister, Alice Smith, (b. 22nd October 1867) married Jim Henshaw and they had one son, Frank. James Henshaw was a master hairdresser. James' father was Francis Henshaw (iron fitter) and his mother was Sarah Vallon. James was born 16 September 1867 at 21 Sudell Street, He was buried 7 September 1943. Alice died at age 88 on 14th March 1956 while living at 18 Wynyard Close in Sale, Cheshire. She was a widow and she left all everything in her will to Frank. He lived at 85 Collyhurst Street in Sale and then moved into his parents' home at 18 Wynyard Close. Frank died at age 71 and was buried on 4 September 1963. Jim, Alice and Frank are all buried in Sale Cemetry in the Nonconformist part of the burial ground.
Tom and Polly Birchall in 1960.
Sent from Scotland to them at their home, 34 Bingham Street in Swinton.
"My dear Uncle Jim and Auntie Polly,
Many thanks for your letter card received this evening. Went to Loch ? yesterday. To day we have been to Loch Duich - this is our fifth day of sailing. Hope all is going well. Freda and Trevor join with me in sending love. Frank"
Family of Thomas Arthur Birchall (Tom)
Tom Birchall's parents were Emily Marsh and William Birchall. Emily was born in Bristol and William was from Wigan. They had six children: Ada Birchall, Alice Birchall, Sarah A Birchall, Frederick Birchall, Thomas Arthur Birchall (Tom), and Harriet Birchall.
At the time of the 1901 census, Tom Birchall lived with his family at 15 Ellsemere Place, Longsight (South Manchester), Lancashire. He was age nineteen and his sister Sarah was thirty-two. Sarah was single at the time but she later married George Wild and had one son, Frank. Tom is listed as a joiner improver and his father is listed as being a carpenter and joiner. William was age 58 and Emily was age 56 in 1901.
Emily Marsh
b. 1844/45
Nailsea, Bristol
d.
b. 1842/43
Billinge, Wigan, Lancs
d. December 1916?
married
1905
EMILY AND WILLIAM BIRCHALL'S SIX CHILDREN:
Ada Birchall - married Ed Armitage - children: Fred Armitage
Alice Birchall b. 1873/4 Manchester - married James Edgar - children: Millie, Jimmy, Edith, Joseph, Alice
Sarah Ann Birchall - b. 1868/9 St Helens, Lancs - married 1902/3 George Wild b 1856/57 Rochdale, Lancs -
children: Frank Wild b. 1892/3
Frederick Birchall - b. 1874 Salford, Lancs d. before 1911 - married Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie) Smith b. 8 Jan 1876 - children Edith, Alice, Doris (Dora)
Thomas Arthur Birchall (Tom) - b. 1882 Longsight, Lancs - married 1905 Mary Jane Smith (Polly) -
children: Freda Birchall
Harriet Mary Birchall - b.1872/73 St Helens, Lancs - married Charles William Womersley b. 1873 Manchester - children: Florence b. 1896/7 Manchester, Frederick (Fred) b. 1904/5 Manchester
William Birchall bought a grave site (2517) in the borough of Salford for two pounds and two shillings in 1875? The document says that William Birchall lived at 3 Fitzwiliam Street, Lower Broughton.
Alice Birchall (age 27) was married to James Edgar (age 30) by the time of the 1901 census. James Edgar was a Iron Turner. They lived at 15 Durham Street in North Manchester. Their four children were all born in Manchester and listed as: James (4) Edith (age 3), Joseph (age 2), Alice (age 11 months).
By the 1911, according to the census, James (age 40) and Alice (age 38) had been married for fifteen years. They now lived at 9 Birkham (sp?) Street, Newton Heath, Manchester. They had six children as well as one child who had died.
At the time of the 1901 census, Harriet M Birchall was age 28 and had married Charles (age 28) Womersley. They lived at 20 Upper West Grove in South Manchester. Charles was a White & Dyson Calico Buyer. Their daughter, Florence, (age 4) was born in Manchester. Charles' brother, Frederick S Womersley (age 25) worked in "commercial traveller starch". Florence (Flo) was a good friend of Grandma's. She worked at a Post Office as a telephone operator in Manchester and she knew everyone in Deansgate.
The 1911 census for Harriet Birchall (age 38) shows she had been married to Charles W Womerseley for fifteen years and had two children: Florence (age 14) and Frederick (age 6). They lived at 49 Campbell Road, Longsight, Manchester (with 6 rooms including the kitchen).
The will of Charles William Womersley says that he died 3rd July 1924 while living at 51 Birch Lane, Longsight in Manchester. (So he would have been only about age 51 when he died). Thomas Arthur Birchall (Joiner) of 34 Bingham Street, Swinton, and Frederick S. Womersley were named as the executors of his last Will. However, Thomas was the only surviving executor and so was the Administration of all the Estate. Charles bequeathed everything to his wife, Harriett Mary Womersley.
Frederick Birchall (age 27) was married to Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie) Smith at the time of the 1901 census. They lived at 107 Church Lane in Prestwich, Lancashire. Lizzie's mother (Sarah Smith age 61 who had been widowed) lived with them, as did Lizzie's sisters, Mary Smith (age 23) and Annie Smith (age 20). By 1911, Sarah Elizabeth (Lizzie) Birchall was a widow (age 35) and had three daughters: Edith (age 9), Alice (age 6), Doris (age 1). The 1911 census says that they had four children but three survived. They lived at 199 Ashton New Road, Manchester. Lizzie was a shopkeeper of a sweet shop. She had her "own account" and carried on trade "At Home".
Sarah Ann Birchall lived at home with her parents at age 32 according to the 1901 census. She was working as a dressmaker. They lived at 15 Ellesmere Place, Gorton. By the 1911 census Sarah Ann (age 43) had been married to George Wild (age 54) for eight years. Frank Wild is listed as their son (born in Manchester) but he was age 18 (and it lists them as having "none" children born alive) so perhaps Frank was adopted. George worked as a Grocers warehouseman. Frank was a shipping clerk. They lived at 3 Ellesmere Place, West Gorton (Manchester).
