Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Having been researching my family history for about a year now I have been trying to find out more information about the Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society. My Great Grandfather was employed by them up until his death in 1933 (the society also paid for his funeral and burial) and he worked for them in the painting and decorating department. I was wondering if anyone knew of where I could find out more about the society and it workings in Accrington and perhaps the possibility of there being any form of employment records that may be held somewhere. My Great Grandafther is turning out to be something of an enigma as I know he was a prisoner of war in Germany but am struggling with how to find out where and when and also what regiment he was in. Any help or pointers would be gratefully received!

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

I have a book called Accrington and Church Industrial Co-operative Society Limited History of Fifty years' progress by James Haslam, but it only goes up to 1910. if there's anything I can look up for you, just say, Marie

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

His name, Regiment, and number would help, a previous address even more so.
The Accrington Co-operative Society was first formed in the upstairs room of a property in Brigg's yard off Hargreaves St, back in the mid 1800's in bid to beat the truck act.


Retlaw.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Have a look at the website of the Lancashsire record office. Their holdi ngs are on it. In addition, there is a Co-operative Wholesale Society library in Manchester and they have lots of records. The postal adddress is probably Balloon Street. The Society paid for hundreds of funerals as ther was a sceme, just as today, where members paid a penny or so a week and it paiod for the funeral. Even if they were not a member of the scheme and engaged the Co-op to run the funeral instead of (say) Kirby's, then they would get some back in the form of 'divi' (dividend) which was allocated to them through their membership number. Even today. the Co-op is the largest funeral business in the country

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

It would be interesting to know how many co-op businesses there were in this area, and indeed throughout Lanc/Yorks!...My Mum used to work on the Millinery Counter at the Co-Op on Abbey Street..the one that had the Stuffed Bear in it! I still recall collecting those little blue stamps!


Best Regards - Taggy

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

was the blue stamps yer Divvy?:D

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Thats out of order Mr Cashman, Taggy is a nice chap, and not a Divvy:D:pand besides he's a fellow Rover

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

To start you off, there was the main one that occupied most of the top end of Warner St, with branches on Higher Antley St, Nuttall St, Co-op Joiners in Birtwistle St, there was also the Co-op down around the Barnes St area of Clayton.
Where the branches were in Church, haven't a clue.
The Co-op in Accrington was formed by the Accrington Weavers Assoc, at a meeting at the home of Mr Thomas Briggs in 1849, in a bid to beat the mill owners. Many mills had shops attached to their premises, and paid 1/2 the wages in their own tokens, which could only be spent in the mill shop, at their prices, even though the practice was outlawed by the government, it carried on for many years. Thats why workers Co-operatives were formed.
Look at some of the early census returns and you will come across entries, Mill owner & Grocer, employing xx men, xx women and xx boys & girls, some of those children were not 10 years old.
You won't find any entries listing these children as working in any mill, they will be shown as scholar, but that was only 1/2 time.

Retlaw.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

1900

A total of 1,439 co-operative societies now registered.

The Co-operative | our history

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Thanks everyone for your messages - albeit after three years of originally posting!! The power of the internet eh!! I will check out the suggestions and see what I can come up with.
As for the prisoner of war thing - my Grandfather was called John Southworth and his regiment number was 2874. He served with the Batt Loyal North Lanc Regt and he was listed at the time of signing up at 40 Peel Hall Street, Preston. I have no idea how to go about looking for where he might have been held but I do have an account with Ancestry where I found his service records. Any help with where to look next would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Bekibird.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Was it not the top of Oak Street ?

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Your right, it was Oak St, my excuse is so much has been destroyed and rebuilt, I some times get .
led astray.
Same with Nuttall St, from Wellington St to South St, I now can't say exactly where Dicky Scents was.
or the french polishers.
Retlaw

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

LOL!!...Been a few years since ive been called a Divvy Jaysay,in fact with some of the things i have been called over the years, it rather feels complimentary!! :D

Best Regards - Taggy

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Here are a few photos
Attachment 16189Attachment 16191Attachment 16190Attachment 16190Attachment 16190
Attachment 16190Attachment 16190Attachment 16190

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Here are a few more

Attachment 16199 Attachment 16200 Attachment 16201 Attachment 16202 Attachment 16203 Attachment 16204 Attachment 16205 Attachment 16206 Attachment 16207 Attachment 16208

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

And finally

Attachment 16209 Attachment 16210 Attachment 16211 Attachment 16212 Attachment 16213 Attachment 16214 Attachment 16215 Attachment 16216

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Jeff I assume the Baxenden Co Op is now the Pharmacy and can I pinch a copy for a then and now?
Thanks
Manchester Road, Baxenden - Accrington Gallery

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

You can pinch as many copies as you like. I got the pictures from the Accrington & Church history book.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Thanks, I've put them here
Co-op Baxenden (Then and Now) on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

If I remember rightly Walter the French Polisher on Nuttall street was called Jack Barrett, and I'm nearly sure he had an old coop shop

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

When I was in my teens my mate Gordon Addison (lefty) was manager of coop grocers in Bash, it became a motor Jack place of some sort, was on the corner near the Church, if I remember rightly

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Just looked at some of your photos. the one of KSA Design & Marketing is the building of the Co-op on Manor Street.
KSA Design & Marketing, 132 Manor Street, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 6EA on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Attachment 16224

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Also found this one of yours
Accrington & Church Industrial Co-Operative Society Limited 1886 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
which is this building
Attachment 16225

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Well I'll gutu foot of our stairs.
Coop in Nuttall St wur ontut corner wi Edmund St.
Thony wun A con think on.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Thanks Jeff we wondered about it when we took the photo, have added a Tag

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

What lovely pictures. My mum said, after her brother died, her mum didn't go out of the house for a while and mum had to go to the co-op every Friday night for the shopping. I think it would be the one in Dill Hall lane, as they lived in Prospect Terrace. My grandfather, William Broadley, was on the local board at one time. Much earlier, there was a James Clough involved with the start up of the local movement, but it doesn't say any more about him that I can find. There's a James Clough in my family 1800-1877, but I suppose it was a common name. Marie Ball

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Briggs Yard, Abbey Street.

The place where Accrington & Church Co-operative Society was founded, and the early meeting place of the Accrington Weaving Union.

http://www.northcravenheritage.org.u...2002p10_18.htm

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

I am pretty sure he was on Nuttall Street, inbetween the Star Inn and the bottom part of South Street. In fact I feel he was next to a "ginnel" - there was an old grocers shop on the corner (the side of this shop faced the side of the Britannia Inn on Nuttall Street) if I remember correctly the grocers belonged to a Mr Cooper, then another shop, then the ginnel and then t'was Mr Barretts shop.

(oh drat, this is the only photo I can find and the shop we are talking about would have been on the L.H. side of this photo, probably just about where you can see part of a car!)

(Retlaw, if the photo is one of yours - nice one! Its a good un!)

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Does anyone recall the large wooden hut near the corner of Fern Gore Avenue and Rimington Avenue which was a Coop before the shops on Fern Gore Avenue were built ?

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Could well be, I took a lot of photos when they were knocking Nuttall St about. Heres a couple more.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Interesting seeing these piccys of the old co-op.After my stint at Maypole(the first supermarket in Accy),I went to the co-op. They had me moving around a bit....I worked with a lovely lady at Baxenden....then went to Dowry st,then a shop at Church Kirk....not sure of the street....here I was introduced to a delivery pushbike complete with large basket on front..then they opened a big store on Blackburn Rd...think it was at the top end of Frederick St....close anyway(was changed to a bingo hall later from memory)..then I got a job closer to home at nuttall st which had just been refurbished into a mini market.At the co-op I learnt to weigh cheese,butter,coffee,dried fruits,lentils,dried peas..bag up sugar,rice.sago etc.slice up bacon and ham etc.I also learnt to add up quickly to avoid the nasty glares of the next customers waiting in line:)The co-op had it,s own social club..and had rooms at the top of Oak st where I spent many a night playing snooker with my mate John. Later on I left to work at Bulloughs with my dad.....then to Australia.I remember my co-op days with fondness even though it's nearly 50 yrs since I was there.
Tal

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Yep.......that,s right....York St ,Church was the Church Kirk shop I worked at...(wiff the bike).....:eek:

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

The French Polishers place was very near to the Railway Bridge Atarah, as you were coming from the police station it was on your right hand side on the last block before the bridge

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Yes , Jaysay , on the corner of Belfield Rd .

Just past it were some public toilets , but I'd better avoid that subject . :rolleyes:

Re: Accrington and Church Co-Operative Society
 

Ya but there were loads of public toilets in those days JCB:D