I found the message below (msg 1) on the World Wide Whalley Web message list http://books.dreambook.com/fijay/gbook.html. I contacted the author and recieved this reply (msg2). William Whalley Camas, WA USA Message 1 Name: Chris Sterry E-mail address: [email protected] Homepage URL: http://members.aol.com/vicwhalley/ Comments: I am now the Vicar of Whalley, Lancs, UK. I have been doing some resreach on the Whalley family who were Lords of 1/2 the Manor of Whalley from about 1695 until mid 19th C. They lived at Clerk Hill above the Village. If you follow the URL above, and folow the link "Why Three Fish?" You will see the Whalley Coat of Arms. Let me know if you want any geneological info about this family. Chris Message 2 From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 29, 1999 2:40 PM Subject: Re: Whalley family > Dear William > Thanks for your e-mail. > I'm glad you appreciated the website, and the info about the Whalley coat of > arms. I have to say that, though I look at in the East Window virtually every > day I had no idea what the Whalley Coat of Arms depicted until I researched > it properly. > The hoops on the top of the heads are spouts of water! > I guess form the information you give that the Geneaology you found > originally came from Whitaker's History of Whalley. There is a fold out > 'Family Tree' of the Whalley, Smythe and Gardiner families opposite p.18 of > Vol II in the 4th edition. The information it gives agrees with what you > record --including the purchase of Clerk Hill in 1715. Another reference > gives the purchase date as 1699 --before that it was owned for some time by > the Crombock family. > John Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner was succeeded by his brother, Sir James. Sir > James, 2nd baronet, married firstly Eliza Assheton dau of the Warden of > Manchester, then Jane Master, dau of the Rector of Croston. He died > 21/8/1805 and was the first to be buried at Whalley. He was succeeded as > Baronet by the son of his 1st wife, Sir James Whalley Gardiner, b. > 2-Sep-1785, died 22-Oct-1851. Initially the Lancashire Estate went to a son > of the second marriage, John Master Whalley, Rector of Slaidburn, born > 1/1/1793 and died 27/10/1861. He was buried at Whalley. He and the Vicar, the > Revd Robert Nowell Whitaker had a great dislike of each other, probably > fuelled by the Vicar's appropriating of the one of the Whalley family pews in > 1842 for the use of his own family. > Sir John Whalley Gardiner, the 3rd Baronet was succeeded by Sir John Brocas > Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner, the 4th and last Baronet. He was born 16-Mar-1816 > and died at Roche Court 16-Oct-1868, when he title became extinct.His only > daughter Mabel was born 6-Aug-1863, and her trustees sold the estate in June > 1871 to the Longworth family, owners of one of the local cotton mills. > I hope this fills out some of the details for you, if you don't already have > them. > I have taken photos of the Whalley tombs, and will e-mail them when I have > them developed. > I also saw the people who live at Clerk Hill yesterday, and asked their > permission to take a photo of the house, so in due course I will e-mail that > too. > I would be glad for you to pass my comments on to the Whaley Search Party. > > An interesting aside --for three years I was Domestic Chaplain to the Lord > Bishop of Blackburn, and lived in a cottage in the grounds of Whalley Abbey. > The House was named 'Whaley Lodge' --very confusing! It was so named because > the money to refurbish it was given a by a Miss Whaley, and Exxon heiress, > who believed (porbably wrongly) that her family had come from Whalley, and > whose trustees honoured her wish that some money should go to the place of > her ancestors. > > Time for bed now. Sadly the Whaley-Smythe Gardiner family tree is not easily > copiable because of the size of page anmd the rgailoity of the book. > > Thankx for your e-mail. > Do keep in touch. If ever you come to Whalley you will be most welcome!!! > Chris >