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An Anti-Corn-Law League member

I am most grateful to Norma Buckingham for allowing me to use the image of her great-great-grandfather's ACLL membership card, and for supplying the biographical details.

John Lomas' membership card for the ACLL

Click on the image for a larger view

My Great-Great-Grandfather John Lomas was born in Stockport in 1805. Shortly after his marriage he moved to Tintwistle where he was an overlooker at Vale House Mill. Following the tradition he became a Non-Conformist. It was quite usual for employees to adopt the religious persuasions of their masters.

He became a member of the National Anti-Corn-Law League, this being a copy of his original certificate. About 1842 the family moved to Ashton under Lyne where one of his sons attended a Chartist school. This son and his younger brother, my great Grandfather became leading musicians in the area.

Vale House Mill in 1860

Vale House mill was owned by Josiah Cheetham in the 1830s. The Liverpool Mercury of 25 February 1820 lists in its 'Bankrupts in Lancashire and Cheshire' one 'Josiah CHEETHAM Stockport, cotton spinner'. Of course, these could be two different men.

Tintwistle is on what is now the incredibly busy main "Woodhead" road (now the A628) between south Yorkshire and Manchester. In the 19th century, it was a village and township two miles from, but in the parish of, Mottram. This was also a thriving village because of the many workshops and mills, which provided a great deal of employment.

Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for the County of Cheshire (1834) notes

Tintwistle United Reformed Church

The places of worship here are a chapel for the independents, of which the Rev J C Potter is the minister, and one lately erected for the Wesleyan methodists; there is also a Sunday school supported by the former, in which about 400 children are instructed; in the same building is a day school, wherein six poor children are educated free of expense; a house is also provided for the master rent free. The number of inhabitants in the township, in 1821, was 1,580, and by the returns for 1831 they amounted to 1,820.

The Ebenezer Methodist Chapel located on Old Road Tintwistle, still exists.