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Lol, yes, it means blind from birth. It may well be one of the Ramsdens married into his family. The only way to find out would require a bit of money spent on certificates to find a connection.
You may find that the local records office has more info on this man.
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Hi
Thanks for your reply
I am interested in Joseph because when I was young we lived near Alexandra Park and my father always said he was a relation.
He was buried in Chadderton Cemetry in the family grave of the Ramsden and Kirby family so I assume he was more than just a lodger. I have visited the Oldham local history centre and discovered he also sold Muffins on the market ( a type of bread cake if you don't come from oldham) His father was a hatter which was quite a big industry before the cotton mills.
were it says blind from firth I assume it should read blind from Birth.
Interestingly the engraving on the statue states he was the last bellman, but there was one more after him who was not as famous in the town.
Pete
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1851 - Bell Man, interestingly lodging with some of the same people as the house in 1861:
Joseph Howarth
Age: 63
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1788
Relation: Lodger
Gender: Male
Where born: Oldham, Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Oldham Below Town
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter
Town: Oldham
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
Disability:
View Image
Registration district: Oldham
Sub-registration district: Oldham
ED, institution, or vessel: 1jj
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 124
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Howarth 63
Mary Ann Lawson 15
Alice Ramsden 52
Henry Ramsden 54
Mary Taylor 11
View
Original
Record
View original image
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1841: Occupation Bell man Living alone in but same house as 2 other families.
me: Joseph Howard
[Joseph Howarth]
Age: 55
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1786
Gender: Male
Where born: Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Prestwich Cum Oldham
Hundred: Salford
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
View Image
Registration district: Ashton and Oldham
Sub-registration district: Oldham below Town
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Howard 55
View
Original
Record
View original image
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1861 - says "Blind from Firth!!"
Occupation: Town Crier
e: Joseph Howarth
Age: 74
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1787
Relation: Boarder
Gender: Male
Where born: Oldham( Blind From Firth,) Lancashire, England
Civil Parish: Oldham
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter
Town: Oldham
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation:
Condition as to marriage:
View Image
Registration district: Oldham
Sub-registration district: Oldham Below Town
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 220
Household Members:
Name Age
Joseph Howarth 74
Elizabeth Kinnerston 15
Edward Kirby 34
George Edward Kirby 4
Joseph Henry Kirby 1
Mary Anne Kirby 28
Sarah E Lawson 5
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Have you tried a google search? Or contacted the local records office?
Quite a few hits for him on google - he was a lay preacher, guess you know that.
ERE is a statue in Alexandra Park of Joseph Howarth (Blind Joe) the last Oldham Bellman. Joe was born blind and took to the church, becoming a lay. preacher.
He made up for his disability by having a wonderful memory, They say that you could read him a passage of the bible (his favourite book) and he could recite it back word perfect and he never forgot any passage read to him. A handy asset when you were the bellman and had to give out the news each day in the market place. .
One of his duties was declaring the market open every Saturday morning and declaring it closed at 11.30pm on a Saturday night, making sure all the stall-holders and customers had gone home. It must have been an early form of late night shopping, and that was over 150 years ago.
Joe died in 1862 and a collection was started to erect a memorial to him. This took the form of a statue, unveiled in 1868, and was said to be the only statue in England with a top hat. They used to say that at midnight on the night of a full moon. He raised his right foot and their was a ten shilling note under it, but that might have just been an excuse for staying out late in the park.
The only criticism of Joseph was that he had no sense of humour and insisted that everything must be done by the book - a trait that didn't endear him to everyone.
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I am trying to find information about Joseph Howarth who was known as Blind Joe, He was the parish bellman in Oldham and there is a statue in the local park in remembrance of him.
he was born in Prestwich-cum-oldham (ie the old name for oldham) in approx 1786 and died in oldham may 1862 at the age of 75 in his 76th year.
pete
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