History
of Harriseahead Post Office and its occupants
Courtesy Adger
Postmaster 1881 to 1916 - John Taylor (b. 1836 to d. 1916).
The first sub-postmaster was John Taylor
who was born in Mow Cop in 1836. He married Martha Sarah Dale in 1857.
Martha was born in Denton, Lancashire in 1841 but her family moved to Harriseahead
soon after she was born. The male members of both families were coal miners
in their early years. By 1871, John had opened a grocer shop in Harriseahead
but continued to work as a coal miner.
Martha probably ran the shop. They had a young 'servant' girl to help in the
house who lived with the family. In 1881, this was Anne Hancock age 14 and
in 1891, it was Edna Ford age 17. By 1881, the census tells us that John was
no longer a coal miner but was now a farmer and a grocer. Another ten years
on and the 1891 census shows John now to be a postmaster and grocer.
The Post Office was at numbers 1 - 3 High Street, Harriseahead. John and Martha
had four children;
Albert Robert born 1857 (see below for more notes); Sarah Ellen born 1860
became a school teacher (NB. is she one of the teachers pictured in the Harriseahead
web site gallery?); John Reginald born July 1877 and died one month later
in August; Elsie Maria born 1879.
John's wife, Martha, died during the 1890's and John remarried, in 1900, a
widow by the name of Elizabeth Richardson (nee Lawrence) - a farmer's daughter
from Audley. Elizabeth's, coal-miner, husband, Charles had also died during
the 1890's. Elizabeth brought to the union a daughter,
Caroline Richardson age 20, from her first marriage (so there was probably
no further need for a 'servant' girl!)
In 1901, the census shows Elizabeth to be Assistant Post Master to John's
position of Post Master. John Taylor died on 29th May 1916 and he is buried
in St. Thomas's churchyard at Mow Cop.
2Lt Samuel Pointon Taylor
Additional notes of interest.
John's oldest son, Albert, married Annie
Pointon on 25th January 1882 and they initially lived in Chapel Lane, Thursfield,
but later opened their own grocers shop in Broad Street Hanley. They had two
children; Elsie Rose born in 1883 and Samuel born in 1884 - who was also,
rather oddly, given his mother's surname as a second Christian name - Samuel
Pointon Taylor. Elsie built her own business teaching music in Hanley and
Samuel went on to train as an architect with a company called Parker and Unwin
in Buxton. Parker and Unwin became famous as the architects and planners;
first of the Rowntree village near York; then of Letchworth Garden City -
the first garden city, which even today [2006] has many tourist visitors every
year to its Heritage Museum. Samuel Pointon Taylor was one of the small team
of five architects who worked on the Letchworth project. Afterwards he set
up his own offices in Harrow-on-the-Hill, North London. He had a particular
interest in housing and planning and in 1911 published, a book entitled "Housing,
Town Planning etc Act 1909: A Practical Guide". He later entered various Glasgow
Housing competitions: for the Mosspark housing estate, he won a first premium
award: for the Shettleston and Tollcross area layout, he won a first premium
award: for the Kennyhill, Riddrie, Blackhill and Lethamhill layout, he won
a third premium award.
The date of Samuel's death is unknown. His descendents - grandchildren and great grandchildren - live in Penn in Buckinghamshire. They have adopted Sam's second Christian name as part of their surname - with a hyphen between - Charles and Thesca Pointon-Taylor with their children Sam and George.
Postmistress 1916 to 1920 - Elizabeth Taylor (nee Richardson, Lawrence) b. 1845 d. 1927
After John Taylor's death in 1916 his second wife Elizabeth, assisted by her daughter Caroline continued to run the Post Office. By now, Caroline had married John Simpson Broad in 1911. Elizabeth died in 1927 and she is buried, with John Taylor, at Mow Cop in St. Thomas's churchyard.
Postmistress 1920 to 1957 - Caroline Broad (nee Richardson) b. 1880 d. 1957
Caroline Anne Richardson was born in 1880 in Halmerend Lane, Audley and died in 1957. John Simpson Broad was born 1883 in Smallthorne. They had one child Charles Donald Broad born 1912. Caroline and her husband, John, continued to run the Post Office but by now, the Post Office had moved to 5 High Street, Harriseahead. Harriseahead Post Office was a very busy office, which not only carried on the counter trade but was also responsible for the sorting and distribution of mail for the whole of Newchapel, Packmoor, Turnhurst, Rookery, Dales Green and Mow Cop as well as Harriseahead. About four full time postmen/women were employed and mail had to be delivered every day of the year except Sundays but including Christmas Day. Extra part-time staff were employed at Christmas. All this changed in the early 1960's when the Crown office was opened at Kidsgrove.
John Simpson Broad with Caroline in the back yard of the old post Office at 5 High Street. The chapel schoolroom (now demolished) is in the background. Picture taken in the 1920's
Sorting the Christmas mail in 1952. Caroline and John Simpson Broad are in
the centre, John Broad with the beret over his right ear is to their right
and Donald Broad (with the flat cap shading his right ear!) is extreme right.
Postmaster 1957 to 1964 - Charles Donald Broad (known as Donald) b. 1912 d. 1992
John Broad with his parents Gertrude and Donald in 1950
However, during this period, the Post Office living accommodation was rented to other family members and the office itself was run as a lockup.
Donald had married Gertrude Eleanor Jones in 1934. They had three children;
John born in 1935; Patricia born in 1942; Angela born in 1949.
Initially the family were living at 115 High Street, Harriseahead (later renumbered to 161). When John married Ethel Freda Scragg in 1958, they continued to live at 115 High Street while the remainder of the family moved to a bungalow at 77 High Street.
Later, in 1963, Donald and his now depleted family (Patricia had also married in 1962 so only Angela was still at home) moved back into the Post Office accommodation at
5 High Street whilst planning new premises. He decided to clear an area of land, which he owned, and built two new houses and a new purpose built Post Office - its present site at
21 High Street, Harriseahead. His son John and daughter-in-law Ethel moved into the second, attached, new house at 23 High Street.
Postmistress 1964 to 1974 - Gertrude Eleanor Broad b. 1911 d. 1975
In 1964 Donald's wife Gertrude took over the Post Office and ran it for ten years until she became seriously ill in 1974 and later died early in 1975.
Postmaster 1974 to 1990 - Charles Donald Broad (known as Donald) b. 1912 d. 1992
In 1981, the Sentinel ran a story celebrating 100 years of the Post Office in the same family. Donald's son John often used to 'man' the Post Office during holidays and other absences.
Charles Donald Broad in 1981
Postmistress 1990 to date - Ethel Broad
John was a schoolmaster and head of the English department at what is now called St Margaret Ward School in Chell. One of his 'claims to fame' was that he taught Robbie Williams, the pop singer. John died with cancer at the very young age of 61 in December 1996. John Broad's wife Ethel took over the Post Office when Donald became too ill to cope. She continues to run the Office at the present date - 2007. It is also of interest to note that, given the trend for schoolteachers amongst Broad family members, Angela also took up teaching and became headmistress of a school in Liverpool. She took early retirement in 2006.
John & Ethel Broad at the time of their engagement in 1957
Photo's and information courtesy :- Philip Clarke
