The Stories from the Stones 8 - By Steve Lavender

'Stories from the Stones'
Please visit the Contents Page for this section, where you will find other 'Stories from the Stones.'

These same stories are also published on Penistone Archive Group's Facebook page, their Journal and in 'The Bridge' magazine issued by St John's church, Penistone. Many thanks to their tireless author, Mr Steve Lavender, for his worthy contributions to local history and this website. - JB.

Story 8 - William Wordsworth 29th March 1694, Mary Wordsworth 4th June 1690

'To begin, begin.'

With these three words written by the poet William Wordsworth, I decided that it was time to start the search which has been on my mind since I started the Stories of the Stones last October.

The William Wordsworth in our graveyard is not the Poet Laureate whose words I have used but I have come across many accounts of the Wordsworth family in Penistone’s rich history and wondered if I might be able to find a definite connection. My challenge with this Story is to build a link from William and Mary Wordsworth of Penistone in the 1650s to poet William Wordsworth of Grasmere in the Lakes, who with Samuel Taylor Coleridge helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature.

The poet is famous for his ‘daffodils poem’ but there are so many wonderful works I hope that you might take time to have a read of some of them. Here is an example:

'My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky.
'So it was when my life began;
'So it is now I am a man.'

The Penistone Wordsworths can be traced back into the Fifteenth century and earlier, they became an integral part of our town. There was another William who was vicar of St John’s Church in the 1460s; they built homes at Water Hall and Snowden Hill as well as in the wider district; it was Josias Wordsworth who helped raise funds to build the Cloth Hall in 1763. now the building occupied by Clarke's the Chemist.

There are a number of references at the end of this Story if you wish to read more but for now we will just try to make the family connection. By the late 1800s the family had pretty much disappeared from the area and the fact that there are many strands to the family makes the project quite complicated. Indeed, there is probably a good case for a book on the subject of the Wordsworths in Penistone. Here is another quote from the poet:

'Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be.
'Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, to live better in the future.'

So take a look at what I have managed to work out and journey with me along the family Wordsworth tree from poet William born in 1770 back to William and Mary in our graveyard.

William, Poet Laureate, born Cockermouth 1770, died 1850, married to Mary
William’s parents: John Wordsworth, born Penistone 1741, died Cockermouth 1783, and Anne
John’s parents: Richard born Normanton 1690, died 1760, and Mary (William’s grandparents)
Richard’s parents: Richard born Penistone 1654, died 1721, and Elizabeth (William’s great-grandparents)
Richard’s parents: William (Ambrose) born Penistone 1610, died 1680, and Grace (Our William’s great-great-grandparents)
William’s parents: William born Penistone 1592, died 1666, and Mary (Our William’s great-great-great-grandparents)

So, there we have it. William and Mary, the poet’s great-great-great-grandparents, are recorded as being buried at St John’s and only recently did we find their gravestone hidden beneath the carpet in the chancel. We have also discovered that there are graves which appear to be those of their children including Priscilla and Jonathan as well as another 25 Wordsworths found.

The Wordsworth Aumbry
The Penistone Almanac of 1938 has a wonderful story of The Wordsworth Ambry (shown here on the right). An Ambry is a storage cupboard located in a church and it is believed that this one was made in this district in 1525. The translation of the latin inscription outlines part of the family history around this time. The article also mentions that this Ambry is a famous heirloom of the Wordsworths of Penistone and greatly prized by the poet William. We understand that the Ambry was removed to Rydal Mount Ambleside – I wonder if it is still there …….?

Here is another quote most suited to our present situation:

'The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.'

This is but a brief look into one aspect of this fascinating family and there is a great scope for learning more from the resources listed below. We will remember William and Mary Wordsworth of Penistone. To end with a quote from the poet:

'Come grow old with me. The best is yet to come.'

Ancestry before 1700 is fraught with errors and mistakes so, if my work has resulted in any issues, please let me know and I will be happy to correct them. My thanks to:

• Ancestry.com;
• The Poems of William Wordsworth;
• Penistone Archive Group;
• JN Dransfield’s 'History of Penistone' 1906 (available as a reference book in Penistone Library);
• Penistone Almanack 1938 (available as a reference book in Penistone Library);
• Rainbow photo by Richard Galliford; also Jack Briggs' Penistone Pictorial.

S.J.Lavender, Chair, Friends of St John’s Church Penistone, May 2021.