Comments

Hi Pat,

I came across the following references some of which seem to refer to the W E Taylor that was at St Thomas'

You probably already know them but just in case. It seems to point to him being born in 1878 and therefore not being the one at the school.

The Musical Times 1/9/1899

At the Midsummer examination of the Royal College of Organists, the following candidates were successful :— Associate: W. E. Taylor (Radcliffe)

The Musical Times 1/12/1921

RADCLIFFE (near MANCHESTER).—The two days’

Festival on April 8 and 9, arranged by the Education Committee of the Radcliffe and Pilkington Co-operative Society, attracted good entries. Three choirs sang Stanford’s ‘The bluebird’ in the open choral class, the Radcliffe Co-operative Choir (Mr. W. E. Taylor) being first. The adjudicators were Mr. Frederick Green and Dr. T. Keighley.

Dictionary of Organs and Organists 1912

MANCHESTER. ST. THOMAS' CHURCH, RADCLIFFE. Built 1904 by Hill. Opened by W. Mullineux, F.R.C.O. 3 manuals, 36 speaking stops, 11 other stops, 2,232 pipes. Blown by electric motor. Organist: W. E. Taylor, F.R.C.O.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Marriage: 15 Nov 1924 St Thomas, Radcliffe, Lancs.

William Edward Taylor - 46, Professor of Music, Widower, Carlton House, New Rd., Whitefield

Alice Yates - 33, Clerk, Spinster, 484 Bolton Rd., Radcliffe

    Groom's Father: William Taylor, Traveller

    Bride's Father: Anthony Yates, (deceased), Paper Manufacturer

    Witness: Edward Hargreaves; Louisa Grace Hargreaves

    Married by Licence by: Heber Marks, Vicar

    Register: Marriages 1915 - 1928, Page 194, Entry 388

    Source: Manchester Central Library

[http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Radcliffe/stthomas/marriages_1915-1928.html]   

Regards

Richard M

Thanks, Pat. Yes, thought of that. Also variants of Joanna, such as Hannah, Anna etc. No joy so far. 

Dear Pat,

When I posted my comment I had carelessly not looked in the Weston worthies section; there I would have found the wonderful information that I believe you wrote about Hannah Beacham and her family.

When I first set eyes on the portrait of Hannah (a few years ago, in fact, and before I knew as much as I do now about my family) I was struck by seeing some resemblance with my father and his sister. (It was almost like seeing my father dressed up as an older woman for a pantomime!) He would have been a 4x gt grandson. Although for most of our lives we have not known my grandmothers parentage, we have recently established both ancestral lines through DNA links. Amazing finds! Also I know that Hannah Beacham is definitely a blood ancestor, because a DNA matched distant cousin and I share Hannah as our common ancestor (5x gt grandmother to both of us). I am descended from Hannah’s eldest son William Gould (1757-1822). I was so delighted with the information and stories surrounding Hannah that you wrote in Weston Worthies. I still think she must have been a fascinating character from what you say.( is there anyway that I can copy and save her page from the website to show my family and keep it with my family tree archive.? )

Very best wishes  Angela Willes

You've got a puzzle there!!  You've probably thought of this but could Joanna have been widow when she met John HOCKEY and married him under a name other than TAYLOR?