Genealogy Chat

see below

and also the nearby village of Ackton. I've just received the 1875 birth certificate of my great x2 grandfather's daughter from his first marriage. Later census returns have described her as being born in Normanton, however the birth cert says that she was born in Ackton, the address looks like it says Los-coc. His occupation is described as Railway Wagon Builder. I have been googling and see that Normanton was a important railway terminus at the time. Was there a big wagon building shed there?, is it still there? Also were there railway worker cottages in Ackton? I found him living in his home town of Brighton in 1871 working as a wagon builder and not yet married. By 1881 he was married to my great x 2 grandmother, living in London and working as a builder & joiner (his first wife died). Thank you for your help. Rachelxx

I lived in Normanton, Yorkshire for 3 years for work. It had been a major railway place and was still then a mining town. Ackton is now part of Normanton. (There is also a Quaker public school in Ackton) By the time I went there, the railways had finished, but the staion was obviously huge in its heyday, althoug in a ruined state. It probably had major railway works there, too. I'm not sure which railway company used it prior to nationalsiation just after the war. One of the things I found strange about it (1970-73). was that everyone in the town knew everyone else, and was probably related. I worked in DSS, and people would come i nto the office and say 'Don't tell XXXX about this' as XXXX was amemeber of our staff. It was like livign in a goldfish bowl! Anne

Laura - The registration district on the birth cert is Pontefract in the County of York. So looking at Multi Map, then this Normanton is a different one than the one in Derbyshire. Thanks for your help though! Rachelxx

Thank you for that Anne. Whilst googling yesterday I found a short film about the decline of Normanton made in 1975 on the BBC website. Apparently in it's heyday Queen Victoria stayed overnight at the local hotel. I expect from what you say there's nothing left of where he worked, I was hoping for a museum or something. It's sad isn't it. Rachelxx

Rachel, I have just come back onto the site. There was certainly no museum while I was there. Try the National Railway Museum at York. I know that they have trains on show, but they may also either have the records, or know where you could get information. I'm not sure where Ackton is - the village I meant was Altofts (where the Quaker School is), there is also an Ackworth nearby. Sorry I can't be more help Anne

Hi, Ackton is nearer to Castleford than to Normanton. I don't know much about that area but there used to be a local historian John Goodchild based at Local Studies at Wakefield Reference & Information Library who may be able to give you more details. ,(think he is still there, very knowledable on all areas of the district, wrote loads of local history books etc) Anyway, if he's not there, someone else may be able to help. The library is on Balne Lane, Wakefield, tel 01924 302230 email lib(.)reference@wakefield(.)gov(.)uk good luck with the search Dawn

sorry, don't know how to get library email address on message board! Could try googling library web wakefield gov uk

Thank you for your help Anne & Dawn - I've sent you both pm's. Rachelxx

www(.)twixtaireandcalder(.)org(.) uk try this site it gives a few photos of Ackton Also Normanton etc. Also the address should be Loscoe on the certificate. Just put Ackton in the search box.

I've just sent you a pm Eve