Lower Aspden Cottage Oswaldtwistle - Page 2

Marie Ball · 29-01-2011, 17:49

Thank you very much, Wadey. It looks far too respectable to have a murder committed there. Am I allowed to copy the picture? I'm hoping to do a new edition of Broadleys in Clayton le Moors soon and for some of the families I have no pictures of people, and I end up with headstones, lots of pictures of those. If I can copy it, what do I write by way of acknowledgement? Thank you, Marie

Lorraine Procter · 29-12-2013, 23:05

I was very interested in your post about Aspen Cottage as my Mum, Bessie Procter was born there. Her Grandparents lived there for about 60 years. Harry and Alice Clements moved to Oswaldtwistle in about 1890 from Wheatley in Oxfordshire. He got a job as a gardener for the owners of Aspen Cottage and eventually the couple became the tenants. The cottage dates back to the Tudor times and possibly even as early as the 14th century. Rumor has it there is a tunnel linking the house to Church Kirk Church and was used by the monks to enable them to go to Church undetected.

Retlaw · 29-12-2013, 23:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lorraine Procter

I was very interested in your post about Aspen Cottage as my Mum, Bessie Procter was born there. Her Grandparents lived there for about 60 years. Harry and Alice Clements moved to Oswaldtwistle in about 1890 from Wheatley in Oxfordshire. He got a job as a gardener for the owners of Aspen Cottage and eventually the couple became the tenants. The cottage dates back to the Tudor times and possibly even as early as the 14th century. Rumor has it there is a tunnel linking the house to Church Kirk Church and was used by the monks to enable them to go to Church undetected.

That sounds very similar to the fairy tale of the one in Acc that went to Whalley Abbey. Impossible, back in those days they would have needed explosives to tunnel so far, 4 metres down and its mostly solid rock, the only explosive known at that time was gunpowder, and you would have needed tons of the stuff.

Lorraine Procter · 05-01-2014, 00:20

I did say ' rumor ' had it. LOL

maxthecollie · 05-01-2014, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retlaw

That sounds very similar to the fairy tale of the one in Acc that went to Whalley Abbey. Impossible, back in those days they would have needed explosives to tunnel so far, 4 metres down and its mostly solid rock, the only explosive known at that time was gunpowder, and you would have needed tons of the stuff.

I know when the Esso garage next to the Swan on Abbey Street was being built my dad told me that when they were digging down to lay the concrete over the footpath next to the church , a very large crater appeared

Heather1950 · 24-04-2017, 04:18

Hello, I have just discovered this web site. I am the great grand daughter of Harry & Alice Clements. My father, John (Ian) Clements lived in Aspen Cottage for 1-2 years in approx. 1919. His father, James Charles Clements died in WWI and his wife, Isabella (McNaught) brought her three children over to visit with their grandparents.
My father & I traveled to the old family home in 1985. Aunt Bessie no longer lived there but we met Mr. & Mrs. Douglas. They kindly allowed us to tour the house & my father shared several stories of his time there. I took several pictures of the house & shed. There was a cross on the roof & my father stated that the house was 500-600 yr. old. He reported that the house was originally a dormitory for monks and he also told the story of the hidden underground passage to the church.
The pictures I have seen posted of the house seem different from mine. I will post mine when I relocate them.
Bessie was my great aunt and now I see her daughter lives in the province beside me! I live in the Vancouver area of BC.I hope we can connect!