Originally Posted by cashman (Post 927444)

Wallop, wallop, yeh will get accused of being in the clique, ........see accyweb meet thread from page 7.:rofl38::rofl38::rofl38::rofl38:

Originally Posted by Neil (Post 927491)

Not sure about that clique but there are a few on here in the "how to mess up quoting and post hard to read horrible font posts"

I think I have spent more time fixing this thread than you lot have having a tantrum at each other :rolleyes::D

Originally Posted by steeljack (Post 927929)

Guess its to be hoped the Grandkids/Greatgrandkids dont bin all the stuff after he's passed on while they are looking for the policys. (sorry for being flipant)
Sorry Retlaw , but who are you doing all this work/research for ? if it's for yourself no problem, in that case stop telling everyone about it and saying everyone else is an 'idiot/fool/amatuer' and treating them with disrespect ......... if your doing it as a service/historical research project for the folks of of Accrington and area don't keep it a locked away like its some Vatican secret , everyone appreciates your work, but be prepared and open enough to other views , disscusion and argument
Just my thoughts and many thanks for your input to earlier enquiries ;) :D

PS. have no idea about plagerism arguments about the" Accrington Pals /Bill Turner book " mentioned many times on Accy web , just know I have it in my bookcase on my military history shelf ;)

Originally Posted by wallop79 (Post 927937)

Again another who just doesn't get it, how many more times does it have to be said, HE IS DOING THIS FOR HIMSELF & BILL TURNER, what he does with HIS information is HIS business alone, not for the likes of yourself, mikejoey or anyone else to decided, as for the grandkids binning stuff, he's not 2 yet so it'll be me & my sister looking for the policies :tongueout

Originally Posted by Mikejoed (Post 927286)

You really mustn’t be so bombastic in your opinions, Retlaw. It’s one thing to be confident in your own accuracy but to claim everyone else is wrong and you are the only one that’s right is nowt less than sheer arrogance. I am aware of the many hours of research you have put in and even as one who is only just starting out, I can and do appreciate your endeavours. I do, however, think it is not just sheer selfishness but downright criminal that your findings should remain under lock and key. What on earth is the point of all your research if all you want to do with the findings is to lock it away where no future generations can benefit from all your hard work. I am aware that you have been a tremendous assistance to folks who have been researching their family tree. And respect for your reputation as a historian, particularly in the field of the Accrington Pals is of proven repute, as cantankerous as you can be. I just wish you would get down off your high horse for a minute and don’t just read what I am saying but rationalise the evidence with some common sense.

You insist in saying there is no relationship with the Hargreaves at Christchurch but the evidence is there in the stain glass windows. See attached photo. The dedication reads ‘In affectionate remembrance of my father & mother Robert & Louisa Hargreaves of Bank House Accrington – who are buried in this churchyard this window is dedicated by their only surviving daughter Louisa Grace Robertson Aikman’.

R S Crossley’s ‘Accrington Captains of Industry’ is as accurate an account you’ll find anywhere on Accrington’s history. He was respected by and worked closely with Richard Ainsworth, another highly esteemed Accrington historian. Excerpts from Crossley’s book were reproduced in The Observer in 1988. See attached entry about Thomas Hargreaves. Look closely and you will see in the third column a reference to Robert Hargreaves who married Louisa. Now look at the ‘Hargreaves Pedigree’ attachment and you can see under ‘TAB III’ a Robert Hargreaves of Bank House who married Louisa and their third child was ‘Louisa Grace’ who married ‘Colonel Francis Robertson Aikman’. How much more evidence do you need as unequivocal proof of the Hargreaves’ connection with Christchurch?

When I suggested that newspapers were renowned for making errors during the war I was in fact agreeing with you! Doh! However, getting accurate news from the front line back home was no easy task and was invariably subject to inaccuracies. The old adage of ‘Send reinforcements we’re going to advance’ becoming ‘Send three and four pence we’re going to a dance’ was a humorous example of how easy it was for errors to be made when passing on information to and from the front line. And who could blame them in the midst of a heated battle. So, please don’t be so unreasonable with the press when they did get it wrong. I agree it must have been devastating for a family to read of their son’s demise whilst he was still very much alive but crap happens in war.

When it comes to the newspaper article about the re-internments of members of the Hargreaves family in Christchurch, which you refuse to accept as fact, I am left with the quandary of trying to imagine why on earth would the press publish such an article that not only gave accurate names and dates of Hargreaves family members, as you can check against the attached ‘Hargreaves Pedigree’, what sense would such an account make. Are you seriously suggesting they invented the entire episode? I know you have been through the Christchurch records but to imagine they never made errors or omissions is to be more naïve than I can be, and you’ve been at this historical research business for more years than I could ever hope to match. You suggest that Christchurch wasn’t opened until 1841 meaning the contract to reserve grave sites would have to have been made 2 years earlier in 1839. I see no problem with that. When looking for funding of the church building, that is, before building commenced, such contracts would be commonplace by benefactors with the church. And whilst the church may not have opened its doors until 1841, work on building it may well have started two years earlier. It was a huge project and without the machinery available to today’s builders. I will look into this more thoroughly and report back to you, Retlaw. Unlike you, I believe that history belongs to everyone and our findings should be shared. Not everyone who has a deep interest in our local history has the time, perhaps not even the wisdom, to carry out the research that you have been privileged to successfully do.

I am currently preparing to interview a couple of Accrington’s senior citizens. One is 96 and the other is just 76. Both are absolute treasure chests of memories about Accrington and I am looking forward to the amazing privilege of recording their reminiscences on DVD so that future generations can learn about the life and times of Accrington folks in times gone by. You would be an ideal candidate for such a project, Retlaw, if it weren’t for the fact that you would rather selfishly keep your knowledge to yourself :(

Originally Posted by hargreavesconnection (Post 1141199)

I have another question - is St. James Church still standing?