Oliver's Trees and the Three Roberts
Oliver’s Trees was a farm set amongst the fields at the far end of Carr Moss Lane, close to where Gettern Mere once lay. One of the cottages on the farm was called Gettern Cottage and the track opposite Heather Farm led to it. Being situated in such a remote location, the cottage had no electricity of course but also there was no running water – how times have changed! Unfortunately, like so many of the old farm houses and cottages, it was demolished long ago but evidence of its existence can still be seen today.
The census records do not always mention Gettern Cottage and never mention Oliver’s Trees.
However, in 1891, as luck would have it, Gettern Cottage was listed in the census and the family living there was the Howards – Robert (the first one in this story) and his wife Mary Bold plus their two daughters, Annie and Mary.
Robert Howard was born in 1859 in Scarisbrick to Margaret Seddon and Henry Howard , a labourer. In 1861, they were living in St. Helens, but in 1863 Henry died and Robert was living with his maternal grandparents in 1871, Edward Seddon , a blacksmith in North Meols and his wife Alice Culshaw .
Robert married Mary Bold on 14th January 1884 at Everton and by the time of the 1891 census, they were living at Oliver’s Trees in Gettern Cottage. Robert was an agricultural labourer at that time.
The couple went on to have six children and eventually were living at 54 Liverpool Road, Ainsdale. Mary passed away in 1909. Two years later, Robert was still in Ainsdale and had five of his children living with him plus a grandson. He died in 1928.
Robert Ainscough was the second Robert to live at Oliver’s Trees farm with his wife Annie Hooton and two young children Thomas and Jane as recorded in 1901 Census.
Robert was born in Scarisbrick on 7th December 1870 to Mary Silcock and Thomas Ainscough , a farmer and farm bailiff. Robert’s baptism took place on 25th December 1870. Initially, his occupation was a labourer, at one point working for the Aspinwall family at nearby Green Kettle Farm. He married Ann Hooton , a farmer’s daughter from Segar’s Lane on 7th May 1896 and they moved into the cottage at Oliver’s Trees farm. They were still there when the 1901 census was taken and at that time, Robert was a teamsman. They had left Gettern Cottage by 1904 and moved to Ainsdale, still living there in 1911 according to the census records.
As time went by, Robert became a farmer like his father and took over the running of Rainbag Farm, Segar’s Lane (which is sadly no longer there). His wife, Annie died on 28th February 1938, however, Robert lived to the grand age of 83. He passed away on 15th January 1954 and was buried with his wife, two of their children and a granddaughter at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Halsall.
In the winter of 1904, the new inhabitants of Gettern Cottage at Oliver’s Trees were the recently married Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heaton, the third and final Robert in this story. Mrs. Heaton was May Aspinwall…..
May Aspinwall was the daughter of Mary Sephton and Richard Aspinwall, a farmer. She was born at Green Kettle Farm, Plumpton Lane, Halsall on 21st December 1880 and baptised at Halsall on Wednesday, 26th January 1881. Like her brothers and sisters, she attended Halsall Old School down Summerwood Lane. She lived at Green Kettle until she married Robert Heaton on Tuesday, 27th December 1904 at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Halsall.
Robert Heaton was the son of Phoebe Sharrock and George Heaton, a farmer from Scarisbrick. Robert was born at Hurleston Hall, Scarisbrick on 6th June 1880 and lived there until he was orphaned at the age of 16 in 1896.
Having no living grandparents at the time either, Robert and his two sisters, Annie and Martha, had to make their own way in life and were unable to take on Hurleston Hall.
Their mother’s brother, George Sharrock , took over Hurleston Hall, although Annie was still there in 1900 according to her marriage certificate.
Martha went to live and work with another uncle Robert Sharrock , a farmer.
Robert Heaton found employment and a place to live at Halsall Hall, working as a teamsman for the recently widowed Ellen Cropper . See history of Halsall Hall farm and Diaries of Cropper Family.
After their marriage, Robert worked for his brother-in-law, George Aspinwall at Barn House Farm, Carr Moss Lane – just down the road from Oliver’s Trees Farm. Whilst living at Oliver’s Trees, May became pregnant with their son, George . The story goes that if Robert was out in the fields, some distance from the cottage, the chosen form of communication to alert him to May’s going into labour, was to shout and wave a rather large stick with a white sheet attached!
Typically, one Autumn day, Robert was out working – May, sensing she was about to give birth, called out to her husband and waved her flag to attract his attention. Help was sent for and George, their first son, arrived on 12th October 1905, safe and sound. He was named after Robert’s father, George Heaton who had farmed at Hurleston Hall in Scarisbrick, but sadly died there aged 40 of heart disease in 1888.
Sometime between 1905 and 1908, Robert, May and George moved to 165 Carr Moss Lane, Halsall, a semi-detached property that May’s father, Richard Aspinwall had built in 1899.
Their second son, Robert GNRK-7YG was born there on 17th February 1909. The family were still living there when the 1911 census was taken on 2nd April and Robert was listed as a labourer. However, later that year the family moved away from Halsall as Robert had the opportunity to have his own farm in Upholland, Lancashire – Parsonage Farm.
Their third child, Lilian May GNT3-8J7 was born there on 17th December 1913. The family appear on the 1921 census records for Upholland and were still living at Parsonage Farm, Robert being described as a tenant farmer.
Sadly, May developed cancer and she died on 12th January 1947. She was buried at St. Thomas’ church, Upholland. After this, Robert went to live back in Halsall with two of his children, Robert and Lilian and their families who all lived together at Green Kettle Farm. They had previously taken up an offer of farming at Green Kettle and moved back to Halsall in 1945, where May was born 65 years earlier and just down the road from Oliver’s Trees where Robert and May’s married life began.
Robert Heaton died on 10th July 1958 and was buried with his wife May at Upholland church.
This was the story of the three Roberts at Oliver’s Trees.
