Introduction

In the dim recesses of our childhood we were barely aware of the intricacies of family relationships. We knew who grandma was, where our uncles lived and which auntie had a sixpence on the sideboard to cheer us on our way after a visit – didn’t we? We knew the tragedy of her mother's premature death and our Mum, Hilda Cook, had been brought up by her aunt and uncle in Leicester. Her father married again.

The surname Naylor is a common one. Our researches into the maternal side of the family tree have been long and slow. We had a few photographs and other memorabilia and we had our own recollections to go on but documentary evidence was fragmentary. We were guided primarily by a family portrait taken about 1899 which showed all nine of the Naylor children and which had been annotated at the time with their identities. We soon discovered two other large Naylor families in this region of England with often repeated Christian names but we have not been able to link them with a common ancestor – at least not in records after 1800. Census returns were also complicated at one point (1881) by the family being registered in the indexes as Taylor. However we have now traced the family from the early 1800s and we know of the destiny of at least five of its branches.

This is the story of the Naylor family from South Normanton, a mining village near Alfreton in Derbyshire.

John Naylor marries Ann Cotterill

John Naylor, our great grandfather, was born in Somercotes, Derbyshire in February 1836, the second son of John and Ann Naylor. Like his father before him, by the age of 15 years he had become a miner. He met and married local girl and dressmaker, Ann, the daughter of another miner Henry Cotterill at St Helen's Church in the nearby village of Pinxton on April 24th 1854. It is abundantly clear from the maps of the area that these are still tightly knit communities, even today, and the distances between them are small.

John spent his whole working life in the deep mines of the Derbyshire coalfield firstly underground and then moving into management. By 1896 he was under manager at the Cotes Park No.1. and No.2. pits in Alfreton which employed in excess of three hundred souls at the face and above ground.

John and Ann Naylor lived initially in South Normanton and then in the 1860s moved to the developing district of Cotes Park. They had a large family; seven sons (Joseph, Thomas, Edwin, John Henry, Alfred, Maurice and Arthur) and two daughters (Mary and Miriam) living to adulthood. We also know of a daughter, Bessey, born in 1863 who died in childhood. (Now this is a conundrum)

John was taken ill with influenza which developed into pneumonia from which he died on November 27th 1897. He was interred in the churchyard of St Michael and All Angels Church, South Normanton a few days later. Ann lived on for another 10 years, dying at the age of 72 on March 12th 1908. She was buried alongside her husband.

Epilogue

Within a space of about ten years two of these family lines had died out; the third had been blurred for more than half a century. We had little inkling as children of the significance of these issues. Large families from a century before had become small families through infant mortality, singledom and childless marriages and then just disappeared. It was only through our recent researches that we have been able to uncover the links between these branches and how they relate to us. It is only now with the increasing accessibility of the internet that we have been able to reconstruct our full maternal family tree back to its roots in the coalfields of Derbyshire.

The children

Our information about the families of their children is very variable. We have added a first article recounting the stories of the three lines that we have direct knowledge or experience. We are in contact with several direct descendents of the other brothers and look forward to add further sections about them in the future.

The paragraphs below and in the next column give an outline of our knowledge to date. These sections will be developed as more information becomes available.

Joseph (1855 - 1942)

Joseph Naylor was the first born son of John and Ann Naylor. He married Elizabeth Marriott in 1877 and continued living in South Normanton, first at Fox Terrace and then at West End. They had five children: Harold (b. 1880), Elsie (b. 1885), Alwyn (b. 1888), May (b. 1892), Esther (B. 1893). He started work as a miner at the face and, like his father, worked up into management. In 1891 his next door neighbour was his newly married brother John Henry and wife Lily. He was a Colliery Deputy at Cotes Park in 1901. Also in 1901 his next door neighbour was his younger brother Alfred

Thomas (1857 - 1955)

Thomas Naylor was born in 1857. He married Mary Armstrong (b. 1860, Alfreton) at the Baptist Chapel, Swanwick in March 1879 (Belper 7b 606 JFM 1879). They lived initially with her father, Samuel, at Lea Brooks, Alfreton. He was also a miner reaching the position of pit deputy by 1901. They do not appear to have had children and Samuel was still living with them (aged 75) in 1901.

Bessey (1861 - 161)

See article Now this is a conundrum

Edwin (1863 - 1933

See article Recollections of living in coal mining communities

Mary (1865 - 1940), John Henry (1867 - ) and Miriam (1879 - 1916)

See article Relocation to Leicester: In the footsteps of Mary, John Henry and Miriam Naylor

Continued in column 2...

The children (Continued)

Alfred (1869 - )

Alfred Naylor was born on March 4th 1869 in Cotes Park. He married Ada Cutler the daughter of Thomas Tomlinson Cutler, a postmaster from Alfreton on December 2nd 1893. His brother Arthur was a witness at the ceremony. They had daughters Winifred (b. 1897) and Emily (b. 1900). Alfred also became a coal miner and had worked his was up to Colliery Manager in 1901. At that time he was living next door to his brother Joseph.

Maurice (1871 - 1948)

Maurice was born in 1871. He married Matilda Byard at the Congregational Chapel in Alfreton on December 23rd 1893. Her father was noted a Joshua Byard of Alfreton who had been a coal miner. His witness was his younger brother Arthur. There are suggestions that they had two daughters, Ivy (born 1894) and Marian. We are uncertain about the direction that the family took after that date. We have found an entry in the 1901 census return (although they are indexed as Maurice and Matilda Maylor) for the Selston District of Nottingham but this does not include any children.

Arthur (1872 - 1963)

Arthur was the youngest of the Naylor sons and was born in October 1872. Like his other brothers he became a coal miner after he left school. By the time of the census of 1901 he had moved to Shirebrook near Workshop and was employed as a railway signalman. Later that year he married Margaret Levick (Worksop 7b 91 AMJ 1901). Margaret was the daughter of a coal miner (Joseph Levick from Dronfield, Derbyshire). We know that they had a son, Cyril, born about 1911.

The Will of John Naylor

The following is a transcript of the document housed at the Derbyshire Record Office:

This is the last Will and Testament of me John Naylor of Cotes Park, Alfreton in the county of Derby, Undermanager. I give devise and bequeath all my real and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever unto my wife Ann Naylor of Coates Park (*), Alfreton for her own absolute use and benefit after that my executors Joseph Naylor (my son) South Normanton, Alfreton and Alfred Naylor (my son) Nottingham Road, Alfreton, have realized all monies due to me and have paid all my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses. I appoint Joseph Naylor and Alfred Naylor Executors of this my will and I declare this to be my last Will and Testament. As witness my hand this eighteenth day of February eighteen hundred and ninety six.

John Naylor

Signed by the said John Naylor, testator, as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time who in his presence ands at his request and in the presence of each other have hereunder subscribed our names as witnesses

Thomas Naylor         Ed Naylor         John Henry Naylor         Maurice Naylor

On the 22nd day of February 1898 Probate of this will was granted at Derby to Joseph Naylor and Alfred Naylor, the executors. (*) Both spellings of Co(a)tes Park are used in the document

References:

1) An electrical servant's call box: Salvo!: Archetectural Salvage and Antiques
2) Wright's Directory Leicester 1906 Pg 185. Historical Directories: A University of Leicester Project
3)Derbyshire Record Office and Derby Diocesan Record Office. WIlls Index 1858-1928. M816 1898 page 121

Page added: May 31st 2006
Last updated: July 8th 2020

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