ROSE HOBBS (nee SANBY) 1894 - 1986

ROSE'S FAMILY

The photograph of my grandmother Rose at the top of the page was taken around 1920. My Grandmother's maiden name was SANBY. The only photograph I've got of her parents was taken in 1895. The baby that my great-grandfather EDWIN is holding is his daughter ROSE. The woman on the far right is my great grandmother MARY ELIZABETH (nee BROOMHEAD)

EDWIN (1856 - 1910) and MARY ELIZABETH (1858 - 1904) were married at St Thomas Church in Crookes Sheffield on 25th November 1878. At the time of their marriage EDWIN was 22 years of age and MARY was a year younger. Edwin's occupation was given as an Edge Tool Forger, (a blacksmith who forges knives and agricultural implements such as scythes), the same occupation as his father HENRY SANBY who is my great great grandfather (grandfather x 2). The marriage was witnessed by a FREDERICK SANBY who is Edwin's twin brother. FREDERICK SANBY was married earlier that year in the June quarter of 1878 to a woman who I believe was called Elizabeth Wildgoose

MARY's father was named on the marriage certificate as EDWARD BROOMHEAD (my great great grandfather ) and his profession was that of a File Grinder. There is an excellent article by Desmond Holden that was first published in The Peak Advertiser, on 27th October 1997 in which he details the origins of the BROOMHEAD name.

The other interesting fact about the marriage certificate is that it gives their address at the time of marriage as "Cobden" which is situated in Crookes district of Sheffield. The only reference I can find to date of the area is in the book "Crookes - The History of a Sheffield Village" that was published by the local history group

"For many years, a Mission Hall stood on Cobden View Road, opposite the footpath to Newent Lane. In the later nineteenth century, Cobden was reputed to be a very rough neighbourhood. It was said that a group of men and youths tried to disturb the services at the Mission Hall at this time beating on the wooden walls and molesting people who went to it..."

The earlier census of 1871 confirms that the family of HENRY SANBY was living at Cobden and was still living in the same house ten years later in 1881

Dwelling: No 1 Cobden View Terrace

Census Place: Nether Hallam, York, England
Source: FHL Film 1342117 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 4626 Folio 113 - Page 22
Marr Age Sex Birthplace

Henry SANDBY Married 51 Male Sheffield, York, England Rel: Head - Occupation: Edge Tool Forger          Agnes SANBY Married 50 Female Sheffield, York, England - Rel: Wife
George SANBY 16 Male Sheffield, York, England - Rel: Son Occupation: Joiners Tool Striker
Agnes SANBY 14 Female Sheffield, York, England - Rel: Daughter Occupation: File Cutter
Jane SANBY 11 Female Sheffield, York, England - Rel: Daughter Occupation: Scholar

The occupation of Henry Sanby (and other members of the family) is described in Sidney Pollard's book "The History of Labour in Sheffield"

"The forger still worked largely by eye and by manual skill alone; he required little in the way of capital equipment beyond a "hearth" (a small coke fire) and an anvil. After heating his steel rods or bars, he shaped them with skilful blows of his hammer into blades, file blanks or similar articles, drawing out the "tang" (the part of the blade projecting into the handle) in the process. Smaller articles were forged "single-handed"; larger articles were made by two men, forger and striker, the former attending to the form, while the latter "drew out" the blade from a rod of steel. Some articles were stamped or pressed, and others like saws were made from sheets of rolled steel.'

Given the information on the 1878 marriage certificate and the UK Census 1871 and 1881 it appears that my great great grandparents family lived barely four hundred yards from my present address.

My great grandparents EDWIN AND MARY SANBY and their two children CLARA and ALBERT appear on the 1881 Census but have been entered under the surname SAMBERY. The were living at the time with MARY'S family in Brocco Street Sheffield. Ten years later in 1891 the family had moved and were living at  402 SOUTH ROAD, WALKLEY, SHEFFIELD
There is another photograph of my grandmother ROSE  which was taken circa 1914. On the back of the photograph is a firm's name "Grant and Morton, 539 Attercliffe Road Sheffield" .

I have also posted pages on the SANBY Family in Sheffield for the census years 1871, 1881 and 1891. 

As well as the information on my branch so to speak of the SANBY family, I am also adding additional information that I hope to tie in at some time in the future

The final photograph on the page shows Christ Church, Attercliffe, Sheffield: the church where my grandparents were married in August 1918. The church itself was damaged by German bombing in 1940 and was eventually demolished

As a final footnote I believe that quite a few of my ancestors will be buried in St Mary's. St Mary's is one of three cemeteries on the hillside between Rivelin Valley Rd and Bole Hill Road. On the lower slopes there is St Michael's RC Cemetery. Above that is St Mary's cemetery which is the cemetery for St Mary's, Walkley (C of E). St Mary's Cemetery is now closed and in many places quite overgrown. There is still an occasional burial but that is in an existing family plot.

In June 2003 a fellow researcher stumbled across the grave of my great grandparents in St Mary's Cemetery Walkley. The headstone had the inscription

In Loving memory of
Mary Elizabeth
    the beloved wife of Edwin Sanby
who died Feb 28th 1904 in her 46th year
        Also of Edwin Sanby
  the beloved husband of the above
 who died Feb 6th 1910 in his 54th year
            Gone but not forgotten
    Also of Alice the beloved wife of
       Albert Sanby
    and daughter in law of the above
   died Apr 24th 1921 aged 37 years

The following photograph of my great grandparents grave was taken on Friday 28th November 2003

Note:

Did the following two teachers teach my gran - I'll never know

Burgoyne Road Board School

John STEBBINGS Master of Burgoyne Road Board School, abode 2 Warrington Road, Crookes Moor Road (Kelly's 1893)
Miss Florence N. CORBETT Girls' mistress (Burgoyne Road board school, Cundy Street), abode 29 Crookes Road (Kelly's 1893)

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This page was last updated on 08/01/08 11:31