Can you help trace descendants of the County founders?
VARIOUS people connected to Stockport County, including myself, are very keen to try and locate descendants related to the founder members of the club detailed below.
William Ridgway, Tom Machin, Ted Whittle, Stan Hockenhall, Tom Roberts, Samuel and William Riley, Ted Simpson, Jack Hewitt and two brothers named Broadbent met in the summer of 1883 in ‘McLaughlin’s Café’ on the corner of Heaton Lane and Wellington Road South to form a football club.
William Ridgway was born in Portwood and lived to the good age of 95 living on Grimshaw Street - his daughter Hannah Duckworth made a birthday cake for his 90th birthday with writing ‘1866-1956 - Still going strong.’
Tom Machin and Messrs Kelly and Whittle were made life members of Stockport County.
Tom Machin started a business as a cycle dealer in Wellington Road South and was one of the earliest members of Stockport Golf Club and a member of Davenport Golf Club. He built Shaw Heath Laundry and retired in 1948.
His only son, councillor Clifford Machin, took over the business. Tom of Davenport Park Road, died in 1950 aged 83.
Ted Whittle was also born in Portwood and started work as a hatter at Royle’s in Adswood. He became a ‘League’ linesman and later, for 20 years, was in charge of the gate at Edgeley Park.
In 1900 he took the grocer’s shop at Adswood Road East, where he died aged 84.
He was an active bowler and won the Jarvis Cup at Stockport Cricket Club. Ben Kelly died aged 82 at the Nottingham home of his youngest daughter, having lived previously on Garners Lane.
The young men, aged 14 to 17, were pupils at Stockport Sunday School and also attended Wycliffe Sunday School, in Heaton Norris.
The Wycliffe cricket and football teams already played on Heaton Norris Recreation Ground, so this was the obvious choice for their new team which they called Heaton Norris Rovers.
Some members of the team played cricket in the summer for Wycliffe and football for the Rovers in the winter.
The Rovers matches were staged in the Recreation Ground where the bowling greens are now situated - this ‘green’ area of Stockport was used by several football and cricket teams during this period.
The club played at several grounds which were just open fields, before they moved to Green Lane in 1888 and later Edgeley Park in 1902.
If you can help please email Simon.myers5@ btinternet.com, or call 483 8801 or 07779 348303. Simon Myers Offerton
PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES...
IN the July 5 edition of The Stockport Express coun Mark Hunter spent sometime berating the ‘appalling’ decision the East Cheshire council had made that could impact people in the area that use the A34.
This, from a man whose own council is to close the main A6 road through the town centre for months, a council that thinks building yet another supermarket within a mile of four others is better and preferable to building houses and that a row of brand new shops built behind a row of old shops, mainly closed, to let or for sale, is progress.
The old proverb of people in glass houses springs to mind! Name and address supplied
SAD TO HEAR MAG CLOSING
IT is with great sadness that I read of the imminent demise of the Stockport Heritage Magazine.
Surely such an important part of Stockport’s history should be supported by the local authority, local newspapers and similar institutions.
Please do not let this significant part of our heritage become the latest victim of the internet scourge. Tony Bryan Marple Bridge