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Samuel Eardley of Congleton 1812

Posted By: peterdzik
Date: Wednesday, 9 April 2008, at 6:22 a.m.

This research threw up some interesting links as it led to the Eardley group who later left for Utah (not the 3 Congleton born sons of Samuel). The latter must have been part of the great exodus of silk mill workers of Congleton who left the area in the great depression of the time. The Congleton Eardleys had inputs from 3 different directions. From the descendants of the first Samuel of Horton parish, died 1727. Second the later influx from Newport and Shifnal, Shropshire, including mine engineer(1881 census) Samuel and large family, at Mow Cop, who had been a harness worker as a teenager in Biddulph. Third were the East Cheshire Eardleys, of various ancestors.
Samuel was baptised at Brereton July 17th, 1811, of Robert Eardley and Mary Lea, who had married the previous Dec. 31st at Brereton. No other baptisms etc occur at Brereton, so they presumably left for Congleton. Robert was shown as of Astbury, but baptised at Sandbach 4th July 1790, of Samuel. He is probably of the line of William Eardley of nearby Bradwall, originally of Talke, who I covered in my posting about the Talke Eardleys. That land and the Crown Inn had been owned by William and John Eardley of Eardley Hall in a deed of 1622. The forename Robert is widely used in early Yeardley records, the first I found being Robert Yardley of the impressive Horsley Hall of Eccleshall in te 1590's.
It's not clear what happened to Mary, but Robert married Charlotte Johnson of Lane End (Longton) on 22 november 1819. At least 3 children, John, Jemima and Charlotte, were born at Congleton. At some point the family moved east to Church Gresley, Derbyshire, a little past Burton on Trent, and then some 4 miles away to Hartshorne . In between these two is Swadlincote. There was already a thriving pottery producing community there, one of whom John Eardley and wife Elizabeth, did not seem to be related to Robert. Thus Samuel of Congleton, had a number of half siblings presumably growing up with him. So the other Eardleys already there may be of the Francis Eardley line of nearby Marston Montgomery. The local geography gives me a good clue as to where exactly Francis came from. His gravestone , with inscription, is also still in Marston Montgomery churchyard.