Pam of Howfen local history Thanks for pointing out Stuart A. original request and Jennifer's answer (this had slipped through). I'm to am also very interested in any information on the people and the different buildings over the years. My fathers family had lived there until the late 19sixties from the mid 18hundreds. When my 2x great grandfather James CROMPTON then the tenant farmer of Ditchers Farm, Lostock. Had a terrace of four brick cottages 2 up 2 down central stairs built. With a 999 year leasehold, but no mineral rights! They were later numbered evens 10 to 16. If anyone has got the information on the missing half of the 1891census page I would very much like it! Also any pictures of the place would be welcomed? What ever happened to the road sign? Derek Crompton London South-East

In message <[email protected]>, [email protected] writes >My fathers family had lived there until the late 19sixties from the mid >18hundreds. When my 2x great grandfather James CROMPTON then the tenant >farmer of Ditchers Farm, Lostock. My family, Pendleburys and Hartleys, had a long connection with Colliers Farm, which I think adjoined Ditchers Farm to the east. They seem to have variously rented, leased, owned and occupied it from the 1670s to the 1880s, although I don't think any lived there in the last 50 years. I've no idea what happened to it later. Do you know anything of it Derek? or anyone else? As far as I can tell from old maps, the house was very near to where the M61 crosses the railway, but should have been just missed by both. The present site seems to have its own access bridge over the railway, from Chew Moor Lane, but there looks to be only a couple of small sheds there on Google Earth. (On the 1849 OS map it's called Pendlebury's, not to be confused with the present day Pendlebury's Farm, just north of Wingates.) Other branches of the Pendleburys lived at Whittle House and Ainscoughs. The Hartleys seem to have lived at Duggans which was on the corner of what's now the churchyard in Wingates. That's very near a Hartley's Farm, but I haven't found a family link there. I'd love to hear any info or history of any of these properties or families. -- David Hartley