A religious gene? Your Family Tree Magazine August 2007
Father
During the course of my family research, religion has cropped up quite a bit and some of the characters and stories I’ve come up with have given me food for thought. Is religion in my family’s genes? Could it be that my own Christian faith is made easier by my history?
I started my family research in Giggleswick Vicarage around 1970. I was a friend of the Vicar’s son. Through this friendship I got to know his dad who told me how the Mormons (better known now as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were a bit of a pest for Anglican clergy as they were busy copying parish records, something everyone is grateful for today! The idea dawned that with a local name like Twisleton I might find it interesting to look in local parish records, which I did. I have a faded exercise book from those days full of Twisleton records.
Thirty years on I’ve come back to family
research, and I’ve since been a custodian of parish records myself as a priest.
In my present work as mission and renewal adviser in
priests and churchwardens typically give time and trouble to help researchers.
I live in Haywards Heath some way from my
roots in the Craven Peak District. Fortunately for me, it is only a short trip
to the Family Record Centre in Islington or The National Archives at
deaths from 1837. Personally, I find looking through registers by hand more appealing than an internet search. Another useful addition to my research tools, which has helped to me keep my research tidy and organised, is the program Family Tree Maker.
Poets and preachers
Tracing my ancestors back to the Craven
Peak District I was delighted to find the details of my 2x great-grandfather
Thomas Twistleton, only to discover that apart from my great-grandfather
(Gregory Twisleton), he had another son, Francis Twisleton. With a little more
research I discovered yet another generation, and I became the proud possessor
of the birth certificate for Thomas Twistleton born
Twistleton, farmer. Winskill Farm. Tom’s birthplace, still stands above Langcliffe on the road to Malham.
These men form a large part of my religious
pedigree. Thomas (1845-1917) is famed in Settle to this day for his Poems in the Craven Dialect with
Christian insight. His father, Francis (1812-1858), nick-named the Craven
Giant, was a temperance campaigner. Tom Twisleton’s poems can still be found in
second hand bookshops. They include much witty reflection on life and criticism
of religious hypocrisy as in Church Gangin’ and The
Church in Danger which shows sympathy for the free churches then arising in
Craven. Tom’s brother Henry Lea (1847-1905) who emigrated
to
Tom’s father Francis (1812-1858), nicknamed the Craven Giant, was a temperance campaigner. I found out about his ministry through a press cutting in my family deed box – an excellent first resort for researchers if possible – published in a journal named The British Workman in 1861:
In
the earlier years of his life, when a working man, he was accustomed, like many
of his comrades, to drink freely… He was, however, induced to abandon both the
pot and the pipe, and by God’s blessing on his sobriety and industry, he has
risen, step by step, from
the ranks of the labouring classes… Mr Frank Twistleton [sic] of
Horton-in-Ribblesdale…is constantly attending cattle markets in the North of
seeking, by the distribution of tracts, and conversations with his fellow
farmers and cattle-dealers, to induce them to follow his example. We have
reason to believe that hundreds of persons have been induced by the example and
entreaties of Mr Twistleton [sic], to abandon their habits of intemperance, and
are now sober fathers, and good husbands.
Who knows what good influence comes to me
genetically from my illustrious 2x great-uncle? His tombstone still stands in
St Peter’s churchyard in the
Research before 1837
My work had already turned up two extremely prominent religious forbears. However, I didn’t feel that this was enough to prove a genetic link. I therefore set about delving further into my family’s past.
As other family historians will know, research before 1837 is inevitably constrained by the lack of civic records, although church records do come much into play. Fortunately, family history is full of helpful, enthusiastic people whose dedication to the subject is invaluable for all those researching their families.
My research in the Settle area was greatly assisted by Phil Hudson who operates the North Craven Historical Research Group (www.northcravenhistoricalresearch.co.uk). The group has made a variety of documents available online, including some of the registers of the ancient parish of Giggleswick which I had searched manually 30 years
before. Through writing an article on the local significance of the
Twisleton family for the Settle and District Community News, I was quickly in
electronic contact with other local history buffs. My research was also given a
helping hand by the Sta
and by a chance visit to an open day at St Peter’s Church in Sta
Reverend forbear
In my 1970 exercise book there was one
record that particularly intrigued me. Giggleswick parish registers record the
burial of Revd William Twisleton of Sherwoodhouse on
So how could I find out more about The
Reverend William Twisleton? For example was he Anglican or Dissenter? The
National Archives at
A project to create a database of clergymen of the Church of England between 1540-1835 is underway (www.theclergydatabase.org.uk) and I’ll be following it with interest, along with new church resources online which serve those seeking family history via parish records.
Spreading the net
In the course of my research, and contact with other branches of the family, I have come across clerical Twisletons across the land who cannot be directly linked to my own family tree. But family history is never finished, and one day I hope to be able to link in some of the following: Bro John de Thytelton (Vicar of Sheffield 1307), Adam de
Twyselton (Canon of Worksop Priory 1351),
Thomas Twisleton (Curate of Swillington near
So religion is certainly in my family. But
is it part of my genetic make up? I’m certainly more open to this view
following my family history research. Whether there’s any true evidence to say
that religion runs in your
About
the author
Fr.
Boxes:
Dialect
poem: Church Gangin’
Written in local Craven dialect, the author’s feelings are clear…
This poem by Tom Twisleton provides an interesting insight into his views on religious hypocrisy.
Yan
Sabbath day, I’ summer time,
When
leaves were green an’ flowers smelt prime,
An lile birds raised a din,
I
chanced to pass a house o’ prayer,
That rear’d its steeple in the air,
As
fooaks were gangin’ in.
I
stood an’ watch’d ’em walkin’
in,
To
hear of future woe for sin,
An’
bliss for t’ just an’ wise;
An’ whal I gloor’d wi’ vacant stare,
An’ watch’d em enter t’house o’
prayer,
Strange
thowts began to rise.
I
ex’d mysel, “What is it brings
Yon
mingled group of human things,
That
fra their houses come?
Do
they come here to sing an’ pray,
An’
to the priest attention pay?”
Answer
says, “Nobbut some.”
An’
then, again, there’s some who gang,
Wi’
solemn looks an’ faaces lang,
To
sing the sang o’ praise;
Who
wear religion as a clooak,
To
hid fra unsuspectin’ fooak
Their
cunnin’ roguish ways.
There’s
some, na dout – but, ah! a few!
Who
gang wi’ hearts sincere an’ trew,
To
worship heaven’s high King;
Who
humbly kneel befoor the throne,
An’
in return for mercies shown,
Their
heartfelt praises sing.
Census
records
The national decennial census records are fantastic for putting people in the right place
When researching my forbears I was helped by census records both online at The National Archives and at the Family Records Centre. These clarify residence and occupations and so complement parish church and civil records.
Francis and Mary Twisleton were aged 38 and 34 respectively in the 1851 census, resident in Langcliffe with sons Thomas (aged five) and Henry Lee [sic] (aged three). Francis is recorded as a farmer. The family are not included in local records for 1861, but in the 1871 Census they reappear listed at Winskill, Langcliffe all 20 years older. This fits in with Thomas’ early book of poems entitled Splinters Struck off Winskill Rock. Francis is listed as farming 235 acres and Thomas as a flour dealer. On the 1881 Census Francis has gone – he died in 1875 – and Thomas is a farmer with 144 acres married to Mary with six children.
Gene
Study
Geneticist
Contacts
FAMILY RECORDS CENTRE
[w] www.familyrecords.gov.uk/
[t] 020 8392 5300
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
[w] www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
[t] 020 8876 3444
Websites
CLERGY DATABASE
[w] www.theclergydatabase.org.uk
NORTH CRAVEN HISTORICAL RESEARCH GROUP
[w] www.northcravenhistoricalresearch.co.uk
Further reading
POEMS IN THE CRAVEN DIALECT
Tom Twisleton, Wildman And Son, Settle, 1876
STAINFORTH: STEPPING STONES THROUGH HISTORY
Peter Kemplay,
Sta
Illustrations
The author at Francis Twisleton’s grave in
St Peter’s Churchyard, Sta
Birth certificate of the Craven poet, Thomas Twistleton (sic)
View of Winskill, Langcliffe with the farm formerly tenanted by Twisletons and the author in the foreground
Cover of Tom Twisleton’s Poems
Picture of Tom Twisleton and frontispiece of his book
Sherwood House home of The Revd William Twisleton who died in 1768
1871 Census for Winskill detailing Francis and his son Tom Twisleton