The story of Robert Stirzaker (1855–1934) and Elizabeth Ormand (1856–1926) takes us into the heart of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Lancashire, following a family whose lives were closely connected to the land, the canal, the mills and the busy dock at Glasson.
From Robert’s early years as a farm servant around Cockerham, and Elizabeth’s childhood in Slyne, their lives would eventually bring them together and lead them through Claughton, Burton, Ellel and Galgate, before settling for many years at Glasson Dock. Robert’s working life followed the waterways, progressing from labourer and canal bank ranger to lock keeper, while their children grew up around the canals, schools, farms, mills and wharves of the area.
Behind the addresses and occupations is a much more personal story – a family of eleven children, the joy of raising a large family, and the heartbreak of losing Isabella as a baby, Thomas at just thirteen, and Joseph at only twenty-one.
This is a story of family, work, community and resilience, but also a story of the places that shaped them. By following their journey through the villages and canal communities of Lancashire, we can begin to imagine the world Robert, Elizabeth and their children knew – a world of working canals, silk mills, farms, schools and the bustling harbour at Glasson Dock.
Leave a Reply