Recently, a lady with Chorley links sent a number of photographs to the Chorley Heritage Group. Not many are named but with the few details we have established the following:

The Sykes Family

John Sykes of Coppull was born in 1874 in Barkisland, near Halifax. He was the son of Ann (MS Wignall) and Joseph Andrew Sykes.

In 1900, John Sykes married Margaret Sharples, a daughter of Ann and Alfred Sharples of Coppull (but with links to Charnock Richard). John and Margaret lived at first in Preston, and then moved to Coppull. In 1930, one of their daughters, Gladys Sykes married Harold Banks at St. John the Divine, Coppull.

The Sharples Family

Ann Robinson and Alfred Sharples married at Charnock Richard in 1865. Alfred was a widower, previously married to Elizabeth Halton. There were children from this marriage, and Ann and Alfred were parents to at least 10 children of their own. Ann was born in Coppull, and Alfred in Charnock Richard. Margaret (see above) was their 3rd child, born in 1870, and later the wife of John Sykes.

We have a memorial card for Ann Sharples, who died on October 17th, 1908 aged 65 years, and was interred at Charnock Richard.

Norris Family

So far, it hasn’t been possible to establish a link between the Norris family, the Sykes, and the Sharples.

A memorial bookmark dated 14th of May 1921, for Harry Norris, the 17 year old son of William and Sarah Norris (MS Fowler), records the family’s address as Moss Farm, Charter Lane, Charnock Richard. The Norrises were living in Charter Lane at the time of the 1911 Census. Their home, if it was Moss Farm then, is recorded as a 4 roomed property. By coincidence, the much-enlarged Moss Farm is for sale at present.

Do you have any more details about the families? Are you descended from them? If so, you might be able to fill in some missing pieces of the jigsaw and be interested in seeing the photographs.