James Moorcroft and family of Dicconson's Farm
James Moorcroft (1852-1919) 9JN9-1D5 was born in Downholland in 1852. His parents Robert Moorcroft and Mary Shakelady had him baptised at St. Thomas’ Church, Lydiate on 5th September 1852. In the 1861 and 1871 census records, the family was living on Ormskirk Road, Downholland – his father, Robert was a farmer of 14 acres.
The 1891 census shows the Moorcroft family living at Dicconson’s Farm, Halsall. James, Elizabeth and their 7 children are all listed – this is the only time the whole family appears together on a census record.
Mary Jane Moorcroft was the oldest of the children. She was born in the autumn of 1873 and baptised on 12th October of the same year. In 1897 she married farmer’s son, William Banks KJGL-DXK who lived just down the road from her on Dicconson’s Lane.
After their marriage, the couple ran The Ship Inn, Rosemary Lane, Haskayne.
In December 1909, tragedy struck this young family when Mary Jane slipped into the Leeds & Liverpool canal and drowned.
The newspaper cutting from the Ormskirk Advertiser details the inquiry that was conducted at The Ship Inn concerning the death of Mary Jane Moorcroft.
William Banks continued to live and work at the Ship Inn after his young wife’s death. In 1911, we can see that living with him was his middle child, Edward and a servant, Alice Dickinson from Manchester. His oldest son, James was away visiting the Slater family of Anderton Street in Manchester. Elizabeth, only 7 years old in 1911 was living with her grandparents James and Elizabeth Moorcroft at Dicconson’s Farm in Halsall. Both Edward and Elizabeth attended the ‘New School’ on New Street.
Unfortunately, just two years later, William Banks became ill and he passed away on 24th August, 1913 (which was his sister-in-law Margaret’s birthday). On his death certificate, the Registrar (William Brown of Rose Cottage, New Street) stated the cause of death as being ‘tabes mesenterica and exhaustion’ (a type of tuberculosis).
This meant that Mary Ann and William’s children were orphaned by the ages of 15, 13 and 10 years of age; James and Elizabeth lived with Mary Ann’s sister Margaret and her husband John Bate in Aughton, while Edward went to live with his grandparents Edward and Ann Banks in Halsall.
Henry Moorcroft was the eldest son of James and Elizabeth Moorcroft and was born in 1876. The records for St. Cuthbert’s church show his baptism as being on 10th September 1876. Henry married Catherine Leatherbarrow in 1907 and like his older sister, Mary Ann, he ran a public house – The Scotch Piper Inn, Lydiate.
The Moorcroft family are even mentioned in the Wikipedia page of the Scotch Piper as being long serving landlords. Even after Henry’s death in 1933, Catherine continued to run the pub with their daughter, Margaret. Scotch Piper Inn – Wikipedia
Margaret Ann Moorcroft was born on 24th August 1878 in Halsall where she lived until she married
John Bate P9SX-L1V, a farmer from Aughton in 1916. They lived at Aughton House and in 1921 we can see that Margaret’s nephew and niece, James and Elizabeth were living with them, having been orphaned in 1913.
Unfortunately, Margaret and John’s marriage was cut short in 1933 when John had a terrible accident while out shooting rabbits in fields close to their home. The Ormskirk Advertiser reported on the incident (although they refer to John Bate as Henry Bate).
We next see Margaret in the 1939 Register for England and Wales where she is still living at Aughton House and appears to have two lodgers – a trainee accountant and a lady of private means. Margaret Ann Moorcroft died on 15th October 1963 at Ormskirk Hospital; her probate records give her address as Aughton House.
Robert Moorcroft was the middle son of James and Elizabeth. He was born on 19th September 1880 in Halsall. He lived at home, Dicconson’s Farm until he married Elizabeth Margaret Prescott GG4C-71H in 1907. They had two children: Elizabeth GG4C-VQ3 who was born in 1908 and William GG4H-1YY born on 10th May 1921, named after his uncle, William Moorcroft. The family lived at 13 Park Lane, Maghull in 1921 and by 1939 had moved to Deyes Lane, Maghull.
During WW2, his son William joined the Royal Air Force, becoming a Flying Officer in the Volunteer Reserves. He was killed in action on 14th July 1943 in Belgium and is buried at Les Hayons churchyard, Luxemborg, Belgium. Follow this link for more information. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/219773/
Robert Moorcroft, died at home of a heart attack just 5 months later on 15th December 1943.
Elizabeth Ellen Moorcroft was born on 2nd March 1887 in Halsall and is the third daughter of James and Elizabeth. As a young woman she enjoyed sending and receiving postcards and had an extensive collection of them which can be viewed on the Ormskirk and District Family History Society website. She married John Ball GB7L-KSG in 1916 and the couple ran Moss Side Nurseries in Maghull. They had two children – John GBWL-XH1 and Helen GBWG-9WJ. Elizabeth died on 31st May 1971 and her husband John passed away on 2nd December 2002 and is buried on the island of Guernsey with his son John and daughter in law.
Ada Alice Moorcroft and William Moorcroft were twins born in 1890 to Elizabeth and James Moorcroft. They were both baptised on 29th October 1890 at St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall. Sadly Ada Alice passed away at home on 9th August 1894 aged just 3 years and 9 months. Her death certificate states she died of pneumonia convulsions. Two days later she was buried with her grandfather, Henry Woodcock at St. Cuthbert’s church.
William Moorcroft, the youngest son and twin of Ada, worked on the farm with his father James. He married Emma Rimmer GP6F-V7L in 1916 and the couple had two children: James GP6N-MTX, born in 1917 and Lavinia GP6F-8JB, born on 14th May 1920. Unbelievably, only five months later, tragedy struck the family yet again when William met a harrowing death at the age of only 30 years old.
William’s wife Emma was left with 2 young children; her brother Robert Rimmer came to Dicconson’s Farm to help and support her on the farm.
By the time the 1939 Register was taken Emma and her children had moved to Croft Lodge, Carr Moss Lane, Halsall and she was living on private means.
James became an insurance agent and Lavinia joined the Women’s Land Army in 1942. Lavina Moorcroft has her own biography page, part of series of articles on the Women’s Land Army in Halsall.
Emma didn’t marry again and died on 31st July 1970, fifty years after her husband William. They are buried together at St. Cuthbert’s Halsall.
