The Craxford Family Magazine Teal Banner


Return to previous pageStep Back    To Teal pg1To Teal pg1    HomeHome    HelpHelp/FAQ    SearchSearch    PrintPrint    Login - User: anonymousLogin   

Page 6. THE NAYLOR FAMILY REUNION 2007

THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL, SOUTH NORMANTON, DERBYSHIRE, May 17th - 19th 2007

The Naylor family 1873
  The family of John and Ann Naylor (about 1873)
 
Jennie Eldridge
  Jennie creates a photo back up
An assortment of spring showers, blustery winds and patchy sunshine greeted the group who gathered for a family get-together, research day and lunch in mid Derbyshire. The venue was chosen for its ease of access adjacent to the M1 motorway and its proximity to the towns of interest (Pinxton, South Normanton and Somercotes). We had a similar meeting at the same hotel in Autumn 2006, albeit with a slightly different make up, but an unfortunate computer glitch destroyed much of the photographic evidence. This was an opportunity to make amends.

Margaret and Terry Radford
  Margaret and Terry Radford
The nine members present represented five of the nine branches of the family tree which had its origins in the family of John and Ann Naylor who lived in this area in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Although we shared common great grandparents for some it was an opportunity to meet our second cousins for the first time and for others a chance to renew contact after separation by time and distance. Margaret Brookes is a descendent of their oldest son Joseph while Terence and Margaret Radford are grandchildren from third son Edwin's line. Alan and Brenda Craxford's grandmother was youngest daughter Miriam and we were acquainted with her older sister Mary and the children of John Henry when we were young. We also received apologies from Ann Mallon and Ivy Upton.

Reunion group portrait
  Group portrait

A DAY OR RESEARCH

The John King Museum, Pinxton, Derbyshire
Research in progress
  The Museum building
  Research in progress
Museum leaflet
   Click for more information
Our first port of call was the John King Museum at Victoria Road, Pinxton. Dedicated to the inventor of the Mine Cage Detaching Hook and housed in his original workshop, the museum has many memorabilia of the mining industry. It also houses parish records, census returns and other documents from the South Normanton area. We were met by curator, Dennis Deneley who showed us the exhibits and set about aiding our research by pointing us to the appropriate parish registers. We came across several strands of new information, particularly about the Cotterills (John's wife's family) and the answers to two old mysteries were at last revealed (See article NOW THIS IS A CONUNDRUM). Margaret and Dennis also discovered that they shared a common ancestor which led to a very lively discussion.

A study of parish records
The Mind of Jesus cover
  Brenda, Dennis (seated) and Margaret study the Parish Records
  The Mind of Jesus"

CHURCHES

After lunch, we visited two of the churches which featured in the lives of the Naylor family. We went first to the twelfth century St Helen's Church in Pinxton where John Naylor married Ann Cotterill in 1854.

St Helens Church, Pinxton
Interior view
  St Helen's Church, Pinxton
  Terry admires the altar and nave
Plaque at St Michael and All Angels
  In Memory of Joseph Naylor

It was then on to the main site of our afternoon investigations, the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Church Street, South Normanton. Built in 1137, this Norman building stands on an incline overlooking the village and is visible for several miles. We were met by Margaret Taylor, the acting verger who showed us around the interior of the building and explained some of the local history. Again we discovered that we were probably related through the Cotterill family line. We were particularly interested in a small carved plaque at the rear end of the nave which commemorated the installation of electric lighting in the church by Elizabeth Naylor in memory of her husband Joseph.

St Michael and All Angels, South Normanton
Interior view
  St Michael and All Angels, South Normanton
  The altar

There is a small older graveyard in front, to the sides and immediately behind the church. Beyond that is a much larger cemetery which stretches back and down the hill along Fordbridge Lane. The first part is wooded and headstones are dotted about within the dense undergrowth. We found several of the Naylor graves in this area.

The churchyard
Brenda and Margaret inspect a memorial inscription
  The leafy graveyard at the rear of the church
  Brenda and Margaret inspect an inscription
The grave of John and Ann Naylor The headstone of Joseph and Ellen Naylor
John Naylor's last words
  John Naylor's last words
For Lilly Naylor
  For Lilly Naylor
  The grave of John and Ann Naylor   Ellen and Joseph headstone

CONVIVIUM

Work in progress
Margaret studies Miriam Naylor's photograph album
The album
  The "photo studio"
  Margaret studies Miriam's album
  The album

Our time at the hotel was not wasted either. We set up our mini studio in the lounge where wifi internet allowed access to the website. Brenda had brought with her Miriam's photograph album (See article MIRIAM'S ALBUM) which had been one of the triggers of our research into the Naylor family. Several other pictures were produced which, after further discussion, brought about a number of positive identifications and allowed correction of a number of mistakes present in our database.

Our stay was completed with a light lunch in the hotel restaurant.

Family lunch
  Family lunch at Chatterleys Restaurant

Added: May 22nd 2007

Return to Top of Page

Translate this page:



Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional Valid CSS! Labelled with ICRA

Phönix Site of the Year - 2009

© The Craxford Family Genealogy Magazine and individual copyright holders.
Edited and maintained by Alan D. Craxford 2005 - 10. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.
Search the Craxford Family Magazine powered by FreeFind
Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape Safesurf web site
Optimal screen resolution is 1024 x 768
Hosted By eUKhost logo UK Web Hosting

and powered by The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding v7.1.3 ©, written by Darrin Lythgoe 2001-2010.