The Whittingham Family

by Alex Glendinning

Although Nellie's parents had both lived to a ripe old age, sadly their daughter had not.

Henry Glendinning - for pictures see: The Family Face
Henry Glendinning was my great uncle (the eldest son of Spark Mason Glendinning and Anne Harrison born 9.10.1863 in Hartlepool, my grandfather Fred was their youngest son) and some time ago now I traced our family tree back through County Durham to the early 17th century. Gradually throughout the years I have begun to research the Glendinnings' wives and my endeavours with the Whittinghams have been started by a family tree drawn up by Henry's son Hal when he was a child - for what reason we do not know - a school project or an academic pursuit maybe.

The Whittingham Family Tree
In the event that there are other Whittinghams out there that are working on Nellie's family, below appears a brief summary of the information contained in Hal's tree.

I have done absolutely no research on this data, beyond Thomas and Eliza, and can therefore not vouch for its veracity - maybe somebody out there can help.

The Whittinghams of Sandbach
1. Mary Amy Whittingham (b. 19.6.1863) married October 20th 1886, William Warburton, 39, bachelor, solicitor, of Bowden, son of William Warburton, a Corn Merchant at St Mary's Church, Sandbach. The witnesses were Eliza Whittingham, John Warburton, Eliza Helen Whittingham and Edward Percival. No issue.
2. Eliza Helen Whittingham (b. 17.1.1865) m. Henry Glendinning at Elworth Church, Sandbach on 26th April 1894.

1. John (1799-1816).
2. Thomas Whittingham (b. 2.6.1801) of Sandbach m. Eliza Percival of Tetton Hall, Middlewich (b. 1824). Had issue as above.
3. Sarah (1803-1892), 4. Ann (1806-1862), 5. William (1807-1808).

1. John (1771-1864), 2. Frances (1773-1842), 3. Ann (1775-1858), 4. Bettey (1777-1872).
5. William Whittingham (b. 3.5.1779, d. 26.2.1860) m. Mary Alcock of Bradwell (b. 1778, d. 30.6.1822). Had issue as above.
6. Samuel (1781-1835), 7. Mary (1783-1825), 8. Sarah (1785-1865), 9. Thomas (1787-1877) m. Mary Stubbs of Sproston (1801-1833). Had issue recorded, 10. Ralph (1790-?), 11. Esther (1792-1851), 12. Susannah (1794-1856), 13. Uriah (1796 d. in his infancy), 14. Uriah Cooper (1798-1873).

The Whittinghams of Curtisholme, Middlewich
1. Hannah m. Uriah Cooper of Bradwell.
2. William Whittingham (b. February 1738, d. 16.5.1820) m. (1) Mary Tomlinson of Briaryholme (b. 26.12.1749, d. 25.3.1823). Had issue as above. m. (2) Mary Moss of Swettenham. Had issue recorded.

1. William (1681-?), 2.Peter (1684-?).
3. John Whittingham (b. 1689) m. (1) Elizabeth Kettle of Astbury. Had issue recorded. m. (2) Hannah Shure of Astbury (d. February 1781). Had issue as above.
4. Frances (1692-?), 5. Thomas (1695-?), 6. Elizabeth (1697-?).

1. William Whittingham of Curtisholme m. Elizabeth Birtles of Henbury in 1675. Had issue as previously shown.
2. Humphrey, 3. Catherine, 4. Ann.

1. William.
2. Thomas Whittingham, Gent. m. Elizabeth. Had issue as above.
3. Alice m. Ralph Holland, 4. Katherine m. Edward Moor Moston, 5. Margaret m. Wm. Smith of Okanly.

1. John Whittingham m. Elizabeth, daughter to a Whittingham of Over. Had issue as above.

1. Robert Whittingham m. Katherine, daughter to a Hassall of Elton. Had issue as above.

1. Charles m. daughter of a Forster of Sproston. Had issue recorded in Curtisholme in three succeeding generations.
2. William Whittingham of Old Heugh in the Parish of Warmingham, wife unknown. Had issue as above.
3. Piers. Died without issue, 4. Thomas. Had issue recorded.

1. Thomas Whittingham of Curtisholme m. Ellen, daughter to Walley of Middlewick. Had issue as above.
2. James. 3. William of Chester. Had issue, William, Dean of Durham, 4. Ralph "Had divers children", 5. Ann m. Hugh Cannington of Over.

The very top of the tree shows that all these people were descended from Seath Whittingham, second son to a Whittingham of Lancashire who moved into Cheshire c. 1500.

Henry Arrives in Cheshire
Returning to the Glendinnings, Henry went to Zurich for his University education, studying chemistry. In 1883 he applied to join the firm of Brunner Mond and Company, who were recruiting young chemists for the management team. With characteristic impatience he wrote a letter to Ludwig Mond from his lodgings in Manchester on December 8th. It is preserved at the Cheshire Record Office.

" My dear Sir
Will you kindly let me know as early as possible whether you have come to a decision with regard to my application to you for a situation as chemist in your works laboratory, as I have today heard of another post which I am thinking of applying for should your decision be unfavourable to me, which however will I hope not be the case."

The letter did the trick, he was hired and put to work at the company's head office in Winnington, beginning in plant management in a small way, looking after the Soda Crystal Plant. A salary book of the time puts his first week's pay at £2.00.

Brunner Mond and Company
The company had been present at Winnington since 1873, when Ludwig Mond and John Brunner obtained a license for manufacturing soda ash (used in making soap, paper, glass, textiles and washing soda) from brine, limestone, ammonia and coke by a new method called the Solway process. They had, by the time Henry joined, built up a solid organisation based on the manufacture of heavy chemicals, with nearby plants in Middlewich, Sandbach and Lostock.

Brunner Mond were based at Winnington Hall, a grand house which had been formerly a Girls' School and before that a country mansion. Their original works were set up on the estate and as they became a larger organisation, the social life of their staff revolved around a club in the grounds. For more information about the area see: Welcome to Northwich.

The Rowing Trophy
It was at the Winnington Club that Henry struck up a friendship with a colleague, a diminutive man by the name of Albert W Tangye. Henry was a keen oarsman and Tangye was cox of the Boat Club Fours team. The River Weaver flowed just behind the works. They won the Northwich Regatta in 1887 in company with C. Humfrey, E.B. Harlock and S.H. Brunner. Each member was awarded a silver tankard, Henry's has remained in the family.

Tangye's Diary
Tangye kept a private diary and it is through his writings that a picture of Henry emerges: "A tall, cleanshaven, rugged countenanced man, very difficult to write about". He called him Glen, a nickname nearly all the male members of my family have been saddled with at some time or other!

Henry was not happy with his position at the company so he was pleased when he was put in charge of the ammonia soda plant in Sandbach, in 1890. Tangye was on hand to help, giving him lessons about Ammonia Soda and noting in his diary : "He was no use in practical plant management whatever!" Henry's particular skills had not made themselves known yet and so his friend stayed close to him, helping with several projects.

In 1892 the two of them took off for a climbing holiday in Norway, an event Tangye refers to in his diary as "A glorious holiday, glaciers and many adventures."

Henry became engaged to Nellie Whittingham in 1893 and when he married her, at Elworth Church, Sandbach on April 26 1894, Tangye was the best man.

Married Life
Henry installed his new bride in Newfield House, a short journey from the plant. They were very much in love and from being a stern and somewhat awkward man he became cheerful and sociable, they often entertained Tangye and other friends on Sundays in their gardens, something Henry had never done on his own, preferring the masculinity of his club or his own company.

Henry was delighted when she announced she was pregnant. But on the evening of the 6th of January 1896, she began to suffer serious pain and thrashed around on the bed in agony. The local midwife was called to the house.

Tragedy
Henry was horrified when she was brought, very drunk, to the front door. But from the cries coming from upstairs it was clearly too late to find an alternative. He let her in and she rushed straight to Nellie's bedside. Not a moment too soon, the baby chose that very instant to appear, and without scrubbing up or preparation, the midwife was forced to deliver him on the spot. Eliza was very weak after the birth but joyfully cuddled her baby and the old woman was sent packing.

It was obvious something had gone wrong the next day when she had become almost too weak to move. Henry stayed by her bedside, holding her hand. She became progressively paler and weaker as the hours passed. The local doctor paid a visit and recommended nothing more than bedrest. On the 9th of January she died, fading away before Henry's eyes.

He was grief stricken and refused to see his child. Tangye called and found him deeply upset, blaming his son for what had happened. He completely ignored the baby, and was to never have much to do with him as he grew up.

In an effort to help him forget, Tangye arranged some leave and took him to Italy, but the holiday was not a success, Henry often refused to speak and was difficult to get along with. It was left to his sister in law Amy Whittingham to look after the boy, by now named Henry Whittingham Glendinning. It was she who gave him his nickname of Hal. Tangye wrote in his diary, "An awful sad affair, during his short married life she (Mrs Glendinning) had influenced him excellently and he humanised."

Henry threw himself into his work and became a very forbidding person. He remained friends with Tangye, but it was as if all the joy had gone out of his life.

In 1899, as his work was being affected, the Directors of Brunner Mond found something new and important for him to do to take his mind off his problems and he was sent to China for two years - another story for another time. He returned to the company in 1901, was made head of Information Sciences and later became Managing Director. He retired in 1928 and left Cheshire for good, settling in St Albans, where he was buried ten years later.

Henry Whittingham Glendinning
Hal Glendinning went on to serve in both World Wars, become a Railway Engineer, marry and raise a family of three sons and two daughters. He died in 1967. This branch of the Glendinning family are now numerous and scattered all over southern England and the Whittingham name is still used by some of them when naming their children.

Follow Up
After this article was published I received a number of letters from Mrs Marjorie Hamlett of Elworth that supplied a little more information about the Pits in Sandbach and provided the marriage date of Mary Amy Whittingham and William Warburton, now added above.

The Pits, located on the Sandbach to Middlewich Road (the A533), was sold in 1917 by the Marquis of Crewe and later passed into the ownership of the Sandbach Golf Club (founded in 1923). It was demolished and the grounds are now part of the golf course.

Enquiries

September 26 1998 - from Heidi Cauvin

I have a family line I am tracing in the area of Nantwich/Sandbach/Crewe, Cheshire.The following is what I have. John WHITTINGHAM (born 15 .1.1864 ) married a Louise Jane (maiden name unknown) 11 August 1890 at Methodist Free Church. They had a daughter;Florence Emma WHITTINGHAM ( born 21 January 1891 ) my great grandmother. Her daughter Ivy KELLY still lives in Sandbach on George Street. Other children of John WHITTTINGHAM and Louisa Jane were; Charles WHITTINGHAM, Louisa Ada WHITTINGHAM (1896-1978) and John Edward WHITTINGHAM (born November 1892 )