Robert Alger (1779 - 1846)

[devonjon]

Hi

Would be grateful for any thoughts on following person whose been a personal challenge for quite some time !

Robert is my 4 x GGrandfather. Caught in 1841 census at Stamford Crescent, Ashton (living on own means and not of this county) and in various directories and numerous Manchester Courier / Times items in newspaper.

From those I can see he is noted as a gentleman, one time churchwarden of ashton parish church and notable Tory (oh dear!). Indeed after his death there is a large piece at Salford Sessions regarding his estates liability for some rather expensive renovations to the church which he oversaw before his death (or 'intemperance and dropsy'). Whilst I can find a few death notices none are of any detail other than a one line basic fact. I can find no will.

A few issues are enigmatically eluding me.

His birth is not Lancashire and there's a possibility he was born in Cambridge. With some almost good connections tying him with a probable brother John in London. Both Robert and John had children born in 1816 (Ashton and London place of birth) and they were both given the unusual middle name Congdon. (which is very strongly found as surname in Devon/Cornwall - though I can find no such ancestral links so far to that location).

Roberts daughter Mary Congdon goes onto marry a Richard Broadhurst (a dancing professor) whose based in Ashton until they move to Cheadle after 1851 before his untimely death at age of 35.

What I've struggle with is finding more about Robert Alger in terms of where he got his money or what he did ? Its possible (like his brother John) that he ran a pub in Ashton (noted in trade directory early 1800's The Crown). But I'm unsure if its the same Robert - though name is unusual.

Also as a gentleman, churchwarden and noted for his political stance I remain surprised that his death didn't generate a more fruitful obituary or even a will (which may shed light on his life and origin and maybe even the core issue I have which is where and why Congdon drops in) - perhaps there is a more local Ashton publication where such would have appeared ? (and perhaps not worthy of Manchester Courier).

I am not local now to Ashton as can tell by username. Though I was born there and ancestral search has found in both my mother and father lines very strong Ashton roots through name Lees, Mannion, Hall, Broadhurst, McCabe, Regan etc.

Many thanks for any thoughts.

Kind Regards
Jon

A bit lacking in local knowledge......

PS: I know Robert died on 28 July 1846 at Stamford Crescent, Ashton (is that there today ? what kind of area was it ? - good / bad/ indifferent ? ) and then buried 3 August. But I don't know where or what would be most likely close cemetery at that time and if that place has had MI's done in case there's a stone??

PPS: As he was churchwarden to ashton parish church perhaps that's logical place of burial BUT by ashton parish church does it mean St Michael and All angels ?

[Woody]

Hi Devonjon

I don’t think I can help much with Robert Alger’s background yet, but I’ve found a couple of things that might help with corroboration and spreading the net.

The location of the Crown Inn and its history is relatively easy to trace thanks to Rob Magee. In his booklet published 1989 (‘A Directory of Ashton Pubs and their Licensees’), he has the Inn’s address as 112 Stamford Street and there’s a partial photo taken circa 1890 in the book. Robert Alger was the very first licensee (1807) and stayed there until 1825.

The Crown Inn stood opposite the old market cross and changed its name to the Manor Court House in the 1830s after the market moved to its present site. This entire site was cleared in 1891 to make way for what is now St Michael’s Square – which is next door to St Michael & All Angels Parish Church. So, in Robert’s case, given his role as church warden there, coupled to the proximity of his 1841 address to St Michael’s, it’s unlikely he was buried elsewhere.
.
I also found an advance notice of a marriage in the Lancaster Gazette, publication date: Saturday 21 February 1824 which, taken in conjunction with the other bits of evidence, seems to strengthen the case for Robert Alger’s association with the Crown Inn.

“On Saturday se’nnight, Mr Thomas Ogden of Ashton under Lyne, surgeon, to Miss Alger of the Crown Inn, Ashton under Lyne”.

Evidently the marriage took place the following month

Marriage: 11 Mar 1824 St Michael and All Angels, Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, England
Thomas Ogden - this Parish
Sarah Ann Alger - this Parish
Witness: Mary Schofield; John Bromley?; Jonn. G. Hague
Married by Licence with consent of parent by: Is. N. France Curate
Register: Marriages 1821 - 1827, Page 118, Entry 353
Source: LDS Film 559173

And from that information, we can deduce that Thomas Ogden’s wife was

Sarah Ann Algar
England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Christening: 2 December 1804 St. Michael, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England
Residence: Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England
Father: Robert Algar
Mother: Mary

Here’s a bit about that’s linked to the debate over money towards repairs at St Michael and All Angels.

.....'In January 1791 the tower was struck by lightning and great damage was done, necessitating a general repair of the structure in the following year. In 1817 the tower was taken down and a new one erected (1818), and soon after the whole of the north side of the church was rebuilt as at present. Whilst the work was in progress (March 1821) a fire occurred, doing much damage to the original building, which was only partially repaired, the south side continuing in a more or less ruinous state till 1840, when a general rebuilding began, and in the course of a few years the whole fabric underwent a complete restoration and reconstruction, assuming its present aspect (1840–4)'.

As to the quality of the area in which Robert lived, it’s difficult to be precise because the social balances in that era were being transformed at a considerable pace.

Steam-powered looms in factories required a large workforce, and the population of Ashton increased from fewer than 250 in the late 1700s, to 33,000 by 1831.

This expansion in population was accompanied by appalling living conditions, frequent cholera/ typhus epidemics, and civil unrest from those no longer tolerant of the authority of the pre-existing social order. In 1851, for example The Morning Chronicle, the national radical newspaper, published a letter in which a correspondent described the town’s population as having ‘the reputation of being turbulent and fanatical… The most ultra-political and theological opinions run riot amongst the population.’

Much of this turbulence was directed at ‘the establishment’ i.e. the church (George Chetwode the absent rector, to be precise) and his uncle, the rigidly establishment principle landowner (the Lord Stamford, Earl of Warrington who consistently attempted to block non-conformist activity on his land by, for example, refusing them permission to build places of worship). One major bone of contention was that they each extracted a huge income from Ashton under Lyne, but neither of them ever came anywhere near the place, preferring to stay at their respective country estates. So, if it came down to losing cash they thought they were owed for repairs to the church, Robert would get very short shrift from either after his death and that might even account for the absence of subsequent documentation.

The reason for me rambling on about the politics is that given his politics, church role and personal status, Robert Alger probably couldn't have avoided being involved in these conflicts so it might be worth studying some of the Church and Chartist records. He wouldn't have been a Chartist but he might have given evidence at a criminal trial or ecclesiastical court.

I suspect Stamford Crescent was on one side of Stamford Street, the main Ashton thoroughfare at the time, approximately where the Albion Church now stands; or perhaps down the incline towards the River Tame, close to Ashton Hall and on the fringe of an area called ‘Botany. There’s no sign of Stamford Crescent in census returns after 1841, so perhaps the land had been taken for construction of the new railway line (which still runs parallel to the river at the bottom of that incline). The Stamford Estate owns virtually all the land so their Estate records might yield information.

Crickets Lane would be at the other side of Stamford Street and, in the 1841 census, the greater part of Crickets Lane was described as ‘Cricketty’. No-one knows the origin of either name. We do know that in the 1700s, Cricketty was a row of very fine houses built at the very edge of Ashton. By 1851 however, it had been reduced to a string of poor quality lodging houses, a poverty-stricken slum where disease was rife which ran right down to the old market cross and the Crown Inn.

As to the quality of Robert's dwelling place in later life, much depends on where Stamford Crescent was and my 1852 map doesn’t extend that far so I’ll have to visit the archives in the library. I had time today but the problem is these days that we can’t just go there when we want to; we have to go when the local politburo tell us we can, and I won't have more spare time for a few days now.

Come back here in about a week and I might have some more information about Stamford Estates and an obituary if there was one.

[devonjon]

Woody - that's fantastic I really do appreciate your time on that. Really interesting stuff.

I'd made an assumption that name was too uncommon for my Robert to indeed be same noted as running the Crown. I guess I hesitated due to lack of convincing evidence but also as I (with a modern head perhaps) didn't quite square a pub landlord being described later on as a Gentleman.

Separately I had always wondered with the not so common Ashton name of Alger whether the Alger Mill was in some way connected. But basic searching revealed nothing I could really feel as pursuing down that line.

That Lancaster Gazette advance notice of marriage is spot on. Not come across that and I already knew that Sarah Ann was Roberts 1st child so tying her to Crown Inn does make the connection.

It also ties with an assumption I have that Robert had a brother in London who was also a licenced victualler of The Mitre, Broadwall, Surrey. Pretty much the same time early 1820's. And as noted above both had children in 1816 that they both gave middle name Congdon to - for reasons I know not at this stage. Quite a common repeat of previous surnames as middle names in family. A number of children with middle name Alger and Lees. (Robert Alger married a Mary Lees at Manchester Cathedral in 1804). SO I wonder of one day I'll find an ancestor of this line with surname Congdon.

IF I'm right about the Cambridge birth for both of them then it will be an ever interesting but likely fruitless search to work out what drew the brothers to different ends of country in pursuit of same career.

Many thanks again and look forward to your next post.

Cheers
J

[Woody]

No problem, J, although there’s good news and bad news to report from my visit to the archives.

The good news is that I found an 1853 OS map that shows Stamford Terrace. I can also confirm from the microfiche of burial records at St Michael and All Angels that Robert, his wife Mary and his son Henry Wellington Alger were all buried there (Mary 1832; Robert 1846; Henry W 1848). By the time I'd got to the archive I'd tracked down most of the BMD stuff for Robert Alger/ Mary Lees’ eight children (together with grandchildren) but I suspect you already have this information. I’ve collected too much to post here so if you want it, just send me an e-mail address via the Forum personal message system and I’ll send it
on.

It’s been quite an interesting hunt but I must say it’s had its fair share of tangles so far. The various middle names have been helpful and it’s interesting to note how many of these had associations with political or military figures of the day – Wellington, Peel, Fox, etc. I wonder whether that’s how ‘Congdon’ came into play ?

Some sources reckon ‘Congdon’ to be of Irish derivation but there are literally thousands with that surname born in your neck of the woods in 1841. It’s a similar story for ‘Alger’

I did start to wonder if the Alger wealth could derive from Robert’s marriage to Mary Lees ? Pre-1800, there were several well-established and wealthy cotton-manufacturing ‘Lees’ families in this area – Stalybridge, Hyde and Oldham. Whatever, the early Alger family wasn’t exactly short of cash because Robert’s 20-year old son, George, declares himself to be of independent means on the 1841 census.

As to accumulated wealth from owning a pub, the Crown was particularly well-placed within the local canal system, three canals meeting at Ashton below the Crown Inn. Begun in 1792 to transport coal into Manchester, and by 1806 making a healthy profit, the canals didn’t decline until the emergence of railways from 1845. The new turnpike road also entered Ashton close to the site of the Crown Inn. A couple of years ago I came across an Ashton publican who, by 1911, had managed to scrape together sufficient funds to retire aged 53. He left £28,000 (today nearly £1.5m) in his will. Seems I’ve always managed to be on the wrong side of the bar.

Of Robert and Mary Alger’s eight children, two sons, Henry Wellington and Robert Harvey, entered veterinary practice although they each met with different degrees of success. Henry Wellington Alger had premises in Stamford Street, Ashton but was declared bankrupt a couple of years (1846) before his early death in 1848. In 1846 he was also stated to be living in lodgings, even though his wife Harriett and family were still alive. Harriett was born at Cambridgeshire in about 1815

In the same year as her husband’s death, Harriett married her second husband, Henry Leigh, a cotton waste dealer from neighbouring Mossley. I think he died at Cheetham, Manchester in 1870 and, thereafter, Harriett can be found as publican at the Pasterer’s Arms, Gregson Street, Manchester until her death at Little Bolton in 1886. Her son George Percy Leigh (b 1850) who managed the pub had died in 1884. Another of Harriett’s son, Stanley Fox Peel Alger, had earlier migrated to the Kearsley area of Bolton and that’s probably the link.

On the other hand, Robert Harvey Alger developed a successful veterinary practice down the road from Ashton at Audenshaw where he married Isabella Breakey. He died there in 1936.

A third son, William Alexander Alger was for a time in partnership with John Nield whose family owned a woollen mill at Midge Hall, Mossley (until 1888, part of Saddleworth, Yorkshire). The regional newspapers report the dissolution of this partnership in 1838 and then, as a drysalter of Manchester, an ‘assignment’ (an alternative to bankruptcy) was made out against him in 1846. He disappears from the documentary after a further bankruptcy order at Manchester, 1855, this time as a Commission Agent.

His wife, formerly Alice Nield, a Midge Hall, Mossley woman, declared herself a widow in the 1861 census but there’s nothing obvious for William Alexander’s death. From the 1861 census, it turns out that Alice was John Nields’ aunt and she can be found living in the same residence as him (Apsley House, Stamford Road, Mossley OL5 0LG) in 1861 and 1871. That’s another reference to politics given that the Duke of Wellington’s London townhouse bore the same name. John’s father, Thomas Nield who lived at the same residence although part of a different household died in 1861 leaving an estate of ‘under £40,000’ for stamp duty purposes (a paltry £28m at today’s values). Alice died at Lytham St Anne’s in 1873.

And the bad news ? I’m afraid I could find no reference to Robert Alger's activities in the archives I searched, and microfiche copies of any local newspapers don't begin until 1851.

[devonjon]

Gosh what a bundle you've mailed me and this post. Thank you very much. This will keep me busy for a good while for sure. Fascinating insight and detail of the times.

I guess I must assume that Robert and wife were buried at St Michaels just before it closed and then were dug up and relocated to Hurst. No doubt any linkage between headstone and bodies were lost if indeed a headstone remained. Know that sort of things had to happen but never come across it with my connections – doesn’t feel right for sakes of bending a round such old burial grounds !

At a skim I did spot that you’d not located Mary Congdon Broadhurst (nee alger) death. Shame but it confirms I'd not missed something obvious - one of my brickwalls. Found readily aged 44 in 1861 census with children then vanishes. Can't find her death, further marriage or migration. Had always assumed it was a Mary Broadhurst died 1862 located in index but sadly a wasted lining of GRO pocket as transpired to not to be her but an infant.

Interesting notes about Lees. I am a Lees albeit through my fathers line (the Algers are my mothers) which I think also could be Ashton sourced. So a possible cross pollination of same genetic material ! Alas though I've known very few Lees in my time it wasn't without some surprise to find how prevalent that name is in Greater Manchester area. Annoying as it makes tracing the right Lees a thankless task. Hence I like my ancestors with the more obscure names like Alger, Clinker, Antrobus.

Yes the middle names are wonderful for tracing. I sensed that upto Roberts generation the middle names Lees, Alger (and possibly Congdon) reflected a nod to previous generations but certainly the next generation picked more of the 'people of the day'. Still I will keep trying to see if there was a Congdon of note (to attract London and Ashton attention) in 1816 !

Indeed Alger and Congdon are very prevalent in SW in 1841 and then increase in prevalence in East Anglia and London. Can't help think that somewhere there must be an ancestral link so SW whether I'll ever find it is another thing.

Many thanks again - all best.

Jon