Elizabeth Riley 1864 - 1935 (Great Grandmother)
Born at Pinxton in 1864 to parents Thomas Riley and Harriett Rowe, Elizabeth was the 2nd of their 2 children.
She had an older brother Joseph (1860).
Joseph Riley 1860 - 1925
Born in Pinxton, Joseph moved to work in Stafford on the railways as an Engine Fireman, here he met and married Annie Banks (nee Riley) in 1881. They had a daugter Edie about 1893. He moved to Netherfield, Notts to work as a railway engine driver. He died aged 66
In Pinxton coal has been mined on a small scale on land leased from the great landowners from Tudor times but with the arrival of a branch of the Cromford Canal in the 1790's a miniature industrial revolution began. The early 19th century saw the building of a railway line from Pinxton Wharf to Mansfield. It was horse drawn until 1849 when it became linked to the Erewash valley railway. The population expanded from 463 in 1801 to 868 in 1831 with new housing being built in the wharf district which became known as New Pinxton.
In 1871 Elizabeth lived with her family at Long Staithes, Pinxton, she was a scholar and would have attended the Girls' & Infants school, erected in 1860, enlarged in 1878, for 145 girls & 110 infants; average attendance, 120 girls & 110 infants. It was only in 1880, that education became compulsory for children under age 10.
In the 1881 census the family had moved to Church Lane, and took in a lodger “Thomas Henchcliffe” who had a brief affair with Elizabeth and fathered Mary Henchcliffe Riley. Mary appears to have been raised by her grandmother, as by 1891 Elizabeth is working as a domestic servant at 19 Burns St, Sherwood, Nottingham to Percival B Fleet, whilst her mother Harriett (now a widow as Thomas had died in 1890) and daughter Mary are still living at Pinxton.
The most common work for women was domestic service. In 1851, there were 752,000 female servants; in 1890, well over a million. Many women found the lifestyle, with its accommodation, food and regular wages, preferable to the grind of factory work.
Freer Roe married in 1897 to Elizabeth Riley, who already had a daughter (Mary 1881) out of marriage. The marriage took place in Stafford, where Elizabeth’s brother Joseph (also a Railway Engine Driver) had been living back in the 1891 census. It is possibly Joseph moved to work in Netherfield as a Railway Engine Driver, who introduced Freer to his sister Elizabeth.
Freer and Elizabeth had children George (1901) and Bertha (Harriett Bertha 1903) at Garnet St, Netherfield. Her daughter Mary Henchcliffe Riley, had also moved to Netherfield and lived just around the corner on Meadow Street, with her Grandmother Harriett. Mary Henchcliffe Riley stayed with her grandmother Harriett until 1910 (when Harriett passed away) and Mary emigrated to the USA to join John Godber Barker.
By 1911 Elizabeth had moved with Freer to Woodside Cottage, Meadow Road, Netherfield, Carlton, Nottinghamshire, a house with 6 rooms. She died 12 July, in 1935 in Netherfield.
She had an older brother Joseph (1860).
Joseph Riley 1860 - 1925
Born in Pinxton, Joseph moved to work in Stafford on the railways as an Engine Fireman, here he met and married Annie Banks (nee Riley) in 1881. They had a daugter Edie about 1893. He moved to Netherfield, Notts to work as a railway engine driver. He died aged 66
In Pinxton coal has been mined on a small scale on land leased from the great landowners from Tudor times but with the arrival of a branch of the Cromford Canal in the 1790's a miniature industrial revolution began. The early 19th century saw the building of a railway line from Pinxton Wharf to Mansfield. It was horse drawn until 1849 when it became linked to the Erewash valley railway. The population expanded from 463 in 1801 to 868 in 1831 with new housing being built in the wharf district which became known as New Pinxton.
In 1871 Elizabeth lived with her family at Long Staithes, Pinxton, she was a scholar and would have attended the Girls' & Infants school, erected in 1860, enlarged in 1878, for 145 girls & 110 infants; average attendance, 120 girls & 110 infants. It was only in 1880, that education became compulsory for children under age 10.
In the 1881 census the family had moved to Church Lane, and took in a lodger “Thomas Henchcliffe” who had a brief affair with Elizabeth and fathered Mary Henchcliffe Riley. Mary appears to have been raised by her grandmother, as by 1891 Elizabeth is working as a domestic servant at 19 Burns St, Sherwood, Nottingham to Percival B Fleet, whilst her mother Harriett (now a widow as Thomas had died in 1890) and daughter Mary are still living at Pinxton.
The most common work for women was domestic service. In 1851, there were 752,000 female servants; in 1890, well over a million. Many women found the lifestyle, with its accommodation, food and regular wages, preferable to the grind of factory work.
Freer Roe married in 1897 to Elizabeth Riley, who already had a daughter (Mary 1881) out of marriage. The marriage took place in Stafford, where Elizabeth’s brother Joseph (also a Railway Engine Driver) had been living back in the 1891 census. It is possibly Joseph moved to work in Netherfield as a Railway Engine Driver, who introduced Freer to his sister Elizabeth.
Freer and Elizabeth had children George (1901) and Bertha (Harriett Bertha 1903) at Garnet St, Netherfield. Her daughter Mary Henchcliffe Riley, had also moved to Netherfield and lived just around the corner on Meadow Street, with her Grandmother Harriett. Mary Henchcliffe Riley stayed with her grandmother Harriett until 1910 (when Harriett passed away) and Mary emigrated to the USA to join John Godber Barker.
By 1911 Elizabeth had moved with Freer to Woodside Cottage, Meadow Road, Netherfield, Carlton, Nottinghamshire, a house with 6 rooms. She died 12 July, in 1935 in Netherfield.
Thomas Riley 1821 - 1890 (2nd Greatfather)
Thomas Riley was born at Risley, Derby’s in 1821 to parents Joseph and Elizabeth Kent. He was baptised on 1 Jul 1821 at All Saints Church, Risley. He was the 2nd of the couple’s 6 children.
His siblings were;
Ann Riley 1811 -
Born at Dronfield, Derbys. Ann married William Walker, a joiner, in 1841 at North Wingfield, Derbys. No further trace after 1851 Census.
Elizabeth Riley 1822 -
Born at Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. No further trace.
Mary Riley 1824 -
Born at Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. Mary married William Slater (a Coal Man) in 1842. They had children William, John Edward, Anne M, Mary J, Charles and Arthur. They moved to Handsworth, Yorks. No further trace after 1881.
James Riley 1827 - 1827
Died 3 days old.
Jane Riley 1830 - 1891
Born at Pinxton, she married William Sykes (a shoe maker), in 1849. They had children; John (1849); Joseph (1850); Thomas William (1853); Elizabeth (1857); Harriett (1860); Edward (1862); Alfred (1864); George (1866). She died age 61.
RISLEY is a small village and township, partly in the parish of Sawley, and partly in that of Sandiacre. The township contained, in 1831, 252 inhabitants, being only an increase of twenty-seven persons in 30 years.
In the mid 1820’s Thomas moved with his family to Pinxton, where his father Joseph became the publican of the New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton. By 1841, and age of 20, Thomas had learnt the trade of a wheelwright, where he would make or repair wheels; wheeled carriages, etc. He still lived at home with his parents and siblings at Pinxton, Notts. In 1847, after further radical agitation, another act limited both adults and children to ten hours of work daily.
The early 19th century saw the building of a railway line from Pinxton Wharf to Mansfield. It was horse drawn until 1849 when it became linked to the Erewash valley railway. The population expanded from 463 in 1801 to 868 in 1831 with new housing being built in the wharf district which became known as New Pinxton.
In the 1850s, he learnt the role of a publican, and helped his father at the New Inn. Navvies who dug canals and railways had a reputation for enjoying their ale. The Local Government Board once calculated a contractor needed a hundred navvies on his books to make sure he had fifty at work. The problem was subbing: men worked a couple of days, subbed their pay, got drunk.) Their impact on a tranquil rural population usually enlivened it, frequently debauched it, and always scandalised the ruling gentry
In 1858 Thomas Riley, now age 37 married Harriett Rowe age 27. In 1860 their son Joseph was born and the couple set up home and business as a publican of the New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton. Shortly after, they had daughter Elizabeth in 1864.
By 1871 Thomas had changed occupation again, and worked as a carpenter. He lived at Long Staithes, Pinxton. He had moved by 1881 to Church Road, Pinxton, where he worked as an engine driver. To help financially they took in a lodger Thomas Henchliffe, with whom his daughter Elizabeth had an affair. Thomas died in 1890 age 67.
His siblings were;
Ann Riley 1811 -
Born at Dronfield, Derbys. Ann married William Walker, a joiner, in 1841 at North Wingfield, Derbys. No further trace after 1851 Census.
Elizabeth Riley 1822 -
Born at Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. No further trace.
Mary Riley 1824 -
Born at Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts. Mary married William Slater (a Coal Man) in 1842. They had children William, John Edward, Anne M, Mary J, Charles and Arthur. They moved to Handsworth, Yorks. No further trace after 1881.
James Riley 1827 - 1827
Died 3 days old.
Jane Riley 1830 - 1891
Born at Pinxton, she married William Sykes (a shoe maker), in 1849. They had children; John (1849); Joseph (1850); Thomas William (1853); Elizabeth (1857); Harriett (1860); Edward (1862); Alfred (1864); George (1866). She died age 61.
RISLEY is a small village and township, partly in the parish of Sawley, and partly in that of Sandiacre. The township contained, in 1831, 252 inhabitants, being only an increase of twenty-seven persons in 30 years.
In the mid 1820’s Thomas moved with his family to Pinxton, where his father Joseph became the publican of the New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton. By 1841, and age of 20, Thomas had learnt the trade of a wheelwright, where he would make or repair wheels; wheeled carriages, etc. He still lived at home with his parents and siblings at Pinxton, Notts. In 1847, after further radical agitation, another act limited both adults and children to ten hours of work daily.
The early 19th century saw the building of a railway line from Pinxton Wharf to Mansfield. It was horse drawn until 1849 when it became linked to the Erewash valley railway. The population expanded from 463 in 1801 to 868 in 1831 with new housing being built in the wharf district which became known as New Pinxton.
In the 1850s, he learnt the role of a publican, and helped his father at the New Inn. Navvies who dug canals and railways had a reputation for enjoying their ale. The Local Government Board once calculated a contractor needed a hundred navvies on his books to make sure he had fifty at work. The problem was subbing: men worked a couple of days, subbed their pay, got drunk.) Their impact on a tranquil rural population usually enlivened it, frequently debauched it, and always scandalised the ruling gentry
In 1858 Thomas Riley, now age 37 married Harriett Rowe age 27. In 1860 their son Joseph was born and the couple set up home and business as a publican of the New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton. Shortly after, they had daughter Elizabeth in 1864.
By 1871 Thomas had changed occupation again, and worked as a carpenter. He lived at Long Staithes, Pinxton. He had moved by 1881 to Church Road, Pinxton, where he worked as an engine driver. To help financially they took in a lodger Thomas Henchliffe, with whom his daughter Elizabeth had an affair. Thomas died in 1890 age 67.
Joseph Riley 1786 - 1860 (3rd Great Grandfather)
Joseph Riley was born 1786 at Repton, Derby’s, to Robert Riley and Margaret Tetley. Repton village dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and was the place where Christianity was first preached in the Midlands. It's situated in the Trent valley between Derby and Burton-on-Trent in the county of Derbyshire. On one side of the village is the Old Trent, the remnants of the former course of the river, on the other three is attractive rolling farmland.
On 7 Jan 1818 Joseph Riley married Elizabeth Kent,
In 1819 the couple had daughter Ann, then Thomas in Risley, Derbys (1821), Elizabeth in Kirkby in Ashfield (1822), Mary in Kirkby in Ashfield (1824), and James in Kirkby in Ashfield in 1827. Unfortunately James died within days of his birth. Finally daughter Jane was born in 1830 at Pinxton.
By time of the 1841 census the couple had set up at home at The New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton where Joseph was the publican. Pinxton Wharf is the northern terminus of the Cromford Canal Link which opened up local coalfields and Pinxton porcelain to a wide market via the Erewash Canal. From here, an early railway (the Mansfield and Pinxton) was opened in 1819 to connect Mansfield with the canal system. Tickets to travel on the horse drawn line could be bought at the Boat Inn.
Joseph and Elizabeth stayed in Pinxton as a publican at the New Inn at Pinxton and can be found in trade directories:
1857 Trade Directory
PINXTON a township parish and scattered village near the western verge of the county 31 miles E by from Alfreton and 6 miles SW from Mansfield extends partly into Nottinghamshire which is rateable to the poor but not tithe able to the rector It contains 1223A of strong land and in 1851 had 175 houses and 943 inhabitants of whom 504 were males and 439 females rateable value 2179 5s 9d The principal owners are Wm S Coke Esq Mr John Coupe Mr John Coupe junior and Mr Wm Cutler the former is lord of the manor and patron of the living The Church dedicated to St Helen is a small edifice on an eminence in the centre of the parish It was rebuilt about a century ago and has a nave chancel and tower with two bells The tower supposed to be 500 years old is a distinct building on the south side the chancel in which are monuments to the Coke and Lillyman families The living is a rectory valued in the King's book at 6 Os 10d now 280 The Rev Ellis Williams is the rector who resides at the rectory a good mansion near the east end of the village A school with residence for the master was erected here by the late D Ewes Coke Esq The tithe is commuted under the new act The parish was enclosed about 43 years ago Here is a branch of the Erewash canal with a wharf about half a mile SW of Pinxton and a coal wharf for the collieries of Messrs Coke Co G Wheatcroft & Son carriers have also a warehouse This is now generally called New Town The Methodists have a chapel here and one at Pinxton The Erewash Valley branch of the Midland railway runs through the parish and has a station here which together with the canal opens an extensive market for the coals of this neighbourhood to all parts of the kingdom Brook Hill Hall in a richly wooded district is the picturesque seat of Wm S Coke Esq 1 mile NE of Pinxton Church it is situated within the Nottinghamshire boundary at the foot of a gentle declivity with a verdant lawn and the pleasant valley of the Erewash in front Sleights House 1 mile W from Pinxton Upper Birch Wood 1 mile SW is a district of scattered farms Feast nearest Sunday to Old Michaelmas day.
New Inn - Joseph Riley
Joseph died in 1856 and was buried on the 11 December.
In the early 1800s and encouraged by a lowering of duties on gin, gin houses or “Gin Palaces” had spread from London to most major cities and towns in Britain, with most of the new establishments illegal and unlicensed. These bawdy, loud and unruly drinking dens so often described by Charles Dickens in his Sketches by Boz (published 1835-6) increasingly came to be held as unbridled cesspits of immorality or crime and the source of much ill-health and alcoholism among the working classes.
The British government’s eventual response to the problem seems strange now to modern eyes. Under a banner of “reducing public drunkenness” the Beer Act of 1830 introduced a new lower tier of premises permitted to sell alcohol, the Beer Houses. At the time beer was viewed as harmless, nutritious and even healthy. Young children were often given what was described as small beer, which was brewed to have a low alcohol content, to drink, as the local water was often unsafe. Even the evangelical church and temperance movements of the day viewed the drinking of beer very much as a secondary evil and a normal accompaniment to a meal. The freely available beer was thus intended to wean the drinkers off the evils of gin, or so the thinking went.
On 7 Jan 1818 Joseph Riley married Elizabeth Kent,
In 1819 the couple had daughter Ann, then Thomas in Risley, Derbys (1821), Elizabeth in Kirkby in Ashfield (1822), Mary in Kirkby in Ashfield (1824), and James in Kirkby in Ashfield in 1827. Unfortunately James died within days of his birth. Finally daughter Jane was born in 1830 at Pinxton.
By time of the 1841 census the couple had set up at home at The New Inn, Wharf Road, Pinxton where Joseph was the publican. Pinxton Wharf is the northern terminus of the Cromford Canal Link which opened up local coalfields and Pinxton porcelain to a wide market via the Erewash Canal. From here, an early railway (the Mansfield and Pinxton) was opened in 1819 to connect Mansfield with the canal system. Tickets to travel on the horse drawn line could be bought at the Boat Inn.
Joseph and Elizabeth stayed in Pinxton as a publican at the New Inn at Pinxton and can be found in trade directories:
1857 Trade Directory
PINXTON a township parish and scattered village near the western verge of the county 31 miles E by from Alfreton and 6 miles SW from Mansfield extends partly into Nottinghamshire which is rateable to the poor but not tithe able to the rector It contains 1223A of strong land and in 1851 had 175 houses and 943 inhabitants of whom 504 were males and 439 females rateable value 2179 5s 9d The principal owners are Wm S Coke Esq Mr John Coupe Mr John Coupe junior and Mr Wm Cutler the former is lord of the manor and patron of the living The Church dedicated to St Helen is a small edifice on an eminence in the centre of the parish It was rebuilt about a century ago and has a nave chancel and tower with two bells The tower supposed to be 500 years old is a distinct building on the south side the chancel in which are monuments to the Coke and Lillyman families The living is a rectory valued in the King's book at 6 Os 10d now 280 The Rev Ellis Williams is the rector who resides at the rectory a good mansion near the east end of the village A school with residence for the master was erected here by the late D Ewes Coke Esq The tithe is commuted under the new act The parish was enclosed about 43 years ago Here is a branch of the Erewash canal with a wharf about half a mile SW of Pinxton and a coal wharf for the collieries of Messrs Coke Co G Wheatcroft & Son carriers have also a warehouse This is now generally called New Town The Methodists have a chapel here and one at Pinxton The Erewash Valley branch of the Midland railway runs through the parish and has a station here which together with the canal opens an extensive market for the coals of this neighbourhood to all parts of the kingdom Brook Hill Hall in a richly wooded district is the picturesque seat of Wm S Coke Esq 1 mile NE of Pinxton Church it is situated within the Nottinghamshire boundary at the foot of a gentle declivity with a verdant lawn and the pleasant valley of the Erewash in front Sleights House 1 mile W from Pinxton Upper Birch Wood 1 mile SW is a district of scattered farms Feast nearest Sunday to Old Michaelmas day.
New Inn - Joseph Riley
Joseph died in 1856 and was buried on the 11 December.
In the early 1800s and encouraged by a lowering of duties on gin, gin houses or “Gin Palaces” had spread from London to most major cities and towns in Britain, with most of the new establishments illegal and unlicensed. These bawdy, loud and unruly drinking dens so often described by Charles Dickens in his Sketches by Boz (published 1835-6) increasingly came to be held as unbridled cesspits of immorality or crime and the source of much ill-health and alcoholism among the working classes.
The British government’s eventual response to the problem seems strange now to modern eyes. Under a banner of “reducing public drunkenness” the Beer Act of 1830 introduced a new lower tier of premises permitted to sell alcohol, the Beer Houses. At the time beer was viewed as harmless, nutritious and even healthy. Young children were often given what was described as small beer, which was brewed to have a low alcohol content, to drink, as the local water was often unsafe. Even the evangelical church and temperance movements of the day viewed the drinking of beer very much as a secondary evil and a normal accompaniment to a meal. The freely available beer was thus intended to wean the drinkers off the evils of gin, or so the thinking went.