Buckton Grange

	Buckton Grange circa 1866 nestles in woodland in the Cowbury Dale valley which lies between Buckton moor and Slatepit moor. Elizabeth Reekie's Book 1871 census 1881 census 1891 census 1901 census
The house was built by John Henry Gartsides shortly after he acquired the Buckton Vale works in 1865. The first mention of Buckton Grange is on the contract of employment signed by William Tetlow and J H Gartside on 2nd October 1869. It is likely then that Buckton Grange was built between 1866 and 1869. The 1871 census shows John Henry Gartside living at Buckton Grange with his wife and four daughters.
In 1874 Charles Timothy Bradbury became Managing Director of several of John Henry Gartside's ventures including Carrbrook. He resided in Buckton Grange for a period of time around the 1880's. The 1881 census records him living there.
By 1881 John Henry Gartside and his family were living at Glyn Garth, Llandegfan, Anglesey, a country residence previously owned by another local cotton mill owner, John Whittaker 2nd, of Hurst Cross, Ashton-under-Lyne. John Whittaker 2nd had also built the Methodist New Connection Church on Queens Road in 1846 (demolished 1968 due to dry rot) and opened the Hurst British School known as the "Black School" in 1858 (burnt down in 1974).
By 1901 John Thompson, Manager of Buckton Vale works, was living at Buckton Grange with his wife and their servants.
In 1910 the Reekie family came to live at Buckton Grange, Mr J A Reekie being the new Managing Director. It was his daughter Elizabeth who wrote an account of the of her life at the Grange between the years 1910 and 1933.
Some time after the Reekies left in 1933 the new manager of the works, Mr Talbot spent several houndreds of pounds having the house refitted with all the mod cons of the day. He was due to take up residence at the end of March 1934 when a fire broke out which burned so furiously that the roof fell in and the house was partly gutted. Elizabeth Reekie wrote that Shepley's adopted son Robert had been an electrician and had been sacked and had taken his revenge.
After this the house was rebuilt but without the North Wing, which had previously been used as a billiard room and for dances and entertainment. The new structure took the form of a square Georgian gentlemans residence and the stone exterior was rendered white. Later the house lay empty for 15 years, and then in 1989 was once again refurbished.

Extracts From the book by Elizabeth Reeki: Buckton Grange: 1910-1933

The house had 7 bedrooms, some over the billiard room and had 2 bathrooms. One of those was for my parents and guests and the second was for the two children and the servants.

There was a fountain outside in a rockery, a large lawn in a rambling garden and a kitchen garden where roses and potatoes were grown.

The works Manchester traction engine had enormous large wheels and smoke belched out of the chimneys, it was very dirty and set of at 5.30 am every day.

The works hooter blasted 3 times at 5.20 am, 2 times at 5.40 am, and 1 time at 6 am when all the people had to be in the works. Father changed this so that work started at 8 am.

Flour came in 1 cwt sacks and was emptied into a metal bin. Any cockroaches that were found suffocated in the flour in the box were just thrown away and no-one worried about them.

Salt came in 7 lb blocks and had to be grated.

Milk came in churns and was laddled into 1 pt bowls for the cream to rise. The milkman was courting the housemaid Mary and the pony got so restless that it used to set off home on its own and had to be caught.

Every Tuesday there were entertainments in the school and there was a sports club with bowling for the men and hockey for the women.

There was a Mothers Union which became the Townswomens Guild and there was a gymnasium in the cellar of the Institute.

Sometimes we had formal dances in the billiard room and the best of the workforce from the works were invited, there were a lot of pretty women.

Shepley was the foreman of the stables when there was 4 or 5 horses. When all the horses went with the introduction of motor cars he had to learn how to drive. He did odd jobs around the house and stoked the boilers in the cellar under the billiard room. Shepley was one of eight brothers who took on the rest of the village at tug-of-war and they always won.

During the war telegraph boys cycled into the village on bicycles to tell of the death of a young soldier in the battlefields and then the village mourned the stricken families.

During the Great War father wanted to encourage food production so rabbit hutches and pig styes were built. The pig styes were on the other side of the stream so were in Lancashire. It was illegal for the pigs to cross the bridge into Cheshire but the sow ignored this and when she crossed over the piglets followed. Once the piglets got into the billiard room and we had to chase and catch them.

Elizabeth Reekie's book can be found in the Local Studies Library at Stalybridge Library.

Census Returns 1871
Address: Buckton Grange						Place Born
Gartside	John Henry	Head	Age	37	Print Works	Ashton
Gartside	Elizabeth	Wife	Age	34
Gartside	Mary A	Daugh	Age	7		Ashton
Gartside	Beatrice	Daugh	Age	6		Ashton
Gartside	Gertrude	Daugh	Age	4		Ashton
Gartside	Evelyn	Daugh	Age	1		Stayley
Cross	Ada	Servant	Age	33	Nurse	Ruddingtons
Bensons	Ellen	Servant	Age	40	Cook	Scotland

Census Returns 1881
Address: Buckton Grange						Place Born
Bradbury	Charles T	Head	Age	53	Cotton Mnfr Calico Printers	Saddleworth
Bradbury	Mary J	Wife	Age	57		Edgbaston
Thomason	Mary A	Serv	Age	40	General Servant Domestic	Ashton
Bowring	Sarah E	Serv	Age	20	General Servant Domestic	Eyam
Outram	Martha	Serv	Age	19	General Servant Domestic	Hope

Census Returns 1881
Address: Glyn Garth Mansion, Llandegfan, Anglesey						Place Born
Gartside	John Henry	Head	Age	47		Ashton
		Cotton Mfr Calico Printers
Gartside	Elizabeth H	Wife	Age	41		Compstall
Gartside	Mary Ann	Daugh	Age	17		Ashton
Gartside	Beatrice	Daugh	Age	16		Ashton
Gartside	Gertrude	Daugh	Age	14		Ashton
Gartside	Evelyn	Daugh	Age	11		Stayley
Young	Rosina E H	Governess	Age	51		Brighton
Thompson	Wilfred	Visitor	Age	23	Gentleman	Oxford
Hes	James	Serv	Age	70	Butler	Wiltshire
Ford	William	Serv	Age	23	Footman	Somerset
Bloss	James	Serv	Age	21	Groom	Cheshire
Cartwright	Mary	Serv	Age	34	Cook	Shropshire
Hicks	Emily	Serv	Age	45	Housemaid	Cornwall
Cuthbertson	Martha	Serv	Age	19	Housemaid	York
Baker	Elizabeth	Serv	Age	22	Kitchenmaid	Stafford
Altazin	Marguerite	Serv	Age	28	Lady's Maid	France
Newell	Millicent	Serv	Age	25	Lady's Maid	London

Census Returns 1891
Address: Buckton Grange						Place Born
Latham	James	Boarder	Age	22	Salesman to Calico Printers	Liverpool
Latham	Oswald	Visitor	Age	29	Salesman to Indigo Merchant	Liverpool
Barrow	Robert	Servant	Age	24	Coachman & Groom	Kent
Barrow	Harriet	Servant	Age	19	Housekeeper	Sussex
Barrow?	Harriet?	Servant	Age	16	Domestic	Lymn
Barrow	Fred		Age	12	Scholar	Lymn

Census Returns 1901
Address: Buckton Grange						Place Born
Thompson	John	Head	Age	44	Print Works Manager	Scotland
Thompson	Helen	Sister	Age	25		Scotland
Stonehouse	Lizzie	Serv	Age	26
Jones	Evan	Serv	Age		Caretaker
Jones	Harriet	Serv	Age		Caretaker

Special thanks to Alan Edge and Gay Oliver and other Members of the "History on your Doorstep" course 2004 and their book "Carrbrook, Peep Into The Past" - which is available now from Tameside Libraries price £4.95 or ring 01457 83 4825.