![]() ![]() The property at 10 Woodsley Street, Burnley, no longer exists and is probably part on the land purchased for the M65 motorway Regrettably the property at Hey Street has since been demolished and is not available to viewįollowing the departure from Wigan, Richard does appear to have moved to Burnley and we find him living at 10, Woodsley Street between 19. This is the latest reference of Richard in Wigan that can be found. However, The 20th Century Directory of Wigan mentions Richard Finch as still living at Hey street in 1903. The last electoral roll in which Richard Finch appears in Wigan is that for 1900-1901. In the list for 1890-1891 and subsequent lists, Hey Street is the sole qualifying property. The qualifying properties for this registration being 4 Robinson Square and 9 Hey Street and it has always been thought that Richard occupied Hey Street. We can see a Richard Finch, engine driver, first listed in the Wigan Electoral Roll and Burgesses List for 1889-1890. There has always been speculation when researching Richards life as to the exact point that Richard made the move between his life in Wigan and his life in Burnley. ![]() The occupation of Richard at the time of his marriage is giving as an engine cleaner and the long term progression of Richard from engine cleaner to subsequent engine driver is seen to commence. The marriage certificate of 1883 clearly indicates that the father of Richard Finch is William Finch who was a collier and the father of Nancy Jane Howarth, Israel Howarth, also a collier. The marriage of Richard Finch and Nancy Jane Howarth took place at St Georges Church in Wigan. Richard Finch and Nancy Jane would reciprocate as witnesses at the wedding of Edward and Elizabeth Ann shortly afterwards. Interestingly, the witnesses to the wedding were Edward Priest and Elizabeth Ann Howarth. Richard was able to sign his own name on the marriage documentation although Nancy Jane made her mark. Richard's early life witnesses his birth in Standish on Mabefore moving between 135, Ormskirk Road, Pemberton, Ince in makerfield and Wigan settling at Turner Street in Wigan where he married Nancy Jane Howarth on July 1, 1883. Richard had no background of privilege or education and he suffered the loss of his mother in 1873 where he was 13 years old. Richards mother is recorded as being a "factory hand" at the time of her marriage to William with her own father's occupation being recorded as a "Carter". In understanding the life of Richard we should remember that his father, William Finch, was an uneducated collier who was unable to sign his name on the marriage documentation and, instead, made his mark as did his wife, Elizabeth Gaskill. In effect, we are left with the idea that Richard Finch slipped out of his family's knowledge and understanding and that there may have been a rift of some description between him and his own children but more on that later. This is significant because the same people were often able to give accurate accounts relating to long deceased ancestors and yet the death of their own grandfather caused them some puzzlement. One problem in researching Richard Finch is that no living relative (as at 1982) was able to say, with certainty, where Richard Finch had died and under what circumstances and where he was buried. There is a need to reconcile the accounts of the record with the oral accounts of family members. The life of Richard Finch as reflected in the publically accessible records also reflects some of the potential pitfalls of genealogy. ![]() Richard's later life also creates some minor mysteries. In the recent history of the Finch family, Richard Finch is possibly one on the easier people to research and the person with the best documented life as reflected in the public record. ![]()
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