John Wrench and Lizzie Lever

[Steerforth]

When I was a boy living near Reading, Pennsylvania, my aunt, uncle and their son would visit us at Christmas; they lived in Wayne, New Jersey. We were all from the Accrington/Clayton area.

After the grown-ups had become sufficiently "relaxed", somebody would propose a toast to "John Wrench and Lizzie Lever". I am not certain of the spellings of their last names, but this went on for many years, and each year, the laughs would be as hearty as they ever were.

I think John and Lizzie must have been from Clayton, because that's where my parents' families came from. I am wondering if anybody ever heard of them, or was this a standard toast in the Clayton area?

Thanks!

[ossy kid]

Purely a guess but maybe someone in the family worked or owned a garage or factory and made their fortune there and this is a tribute to their tools?

[Steerforth]

Yes, I thought of a similar angle with the Wrench and the Lever, but I have no idea.

[claytonender]

John Wrench and Lizzie Leaver lived in the Clayton and Dill Area. They both attended Sydney Street Methodist Church in Clayton.
John Wrench (with his wife and daughter) lived for many years in a house in Dill Hall Lane opposite the cemetery. Lizzie Leaver, who was a very good friend of my aunt, worked for many years at Abbot Hall (which was a Christian Guest house) near Grange over Sands. When she retired she went to live in Heysham. Lizzie's brother (who I think was called Eddie) owned a clothes shop for many years in Infant Street in Accrington.

[Bob Dobson]

I remember the name of the Infant St shop. A Barrett's directory c 1953 would be helpful in conforming Claytonender's posting, though we'll never know what the relationship was between the two - or why the laughter broke out.