With  many  thanks  to  all  the  members  of the Family who  have  assisted
an extremely persistent and, no doubt, intrusive person, namely the Author

Mr.  Derek Boothroyd,    Harrogate, Yorkshire
Miss Norah Cruickshank,  Long Crendon, Bucks.
Mrs. Joan B. Duckworth,  Hesketh Bank, Preston, Lancs.
Miss Gwen Guy,           Waterloo, Liverpool, Merseyside.
Mr.  Ted Harrington,     Mona Vale, Sydney, Australia.
Mrs. Holmes,             Leebotwood, Shropshire.
Mrs. Joyce Kelsall,      Kaitaia, New Zealand.
Mrs. Marjorie Kelsall,   Beckenham, Kent.
Dr.  Albert L. Kelsall,  Teignmouth, Devon.
Dr.  David J. Kelsall,   St.Albans, Herts.
Mr.  David J. Kelsall,   Coulsdon, Surrey.
Mr.  John Kelsall,       Toronto, Canada.
Mr.  Noel Kelsall,       Kaitaia, New Zealand.
Mr.  Richard Kelsall,    Coulsdon, Surrey.
Mrs. Phyllis S.I.Noble,  Bristol, Somerset.
Mrs. Greta Sambidge,     St.John's Wood, London.
Mr.  Eric Sambidge,      Landkey, Barnstaple, Devon.
Mrs. Claire Skilbeck,    Bledlow, Bucks.
Mrs. Jo-Anne Strachan,   Gt. Mollington, Chester, Cheshire.
Mrs. Rita Weiss,         High Wycombe, Bucks.




 INTRODUCTION

          I   became   aware  at an early age that my parents' families were
quite different in one particular aspect; the number of  relatives  on  each
side. I have ten (first) cousins on my father's side but none of my mother's
side.  I  had  two  aunts  and three uncles on my father's side but only one
uncle and one aunt on my mother's; I had numerous great uncles, great aunts,
and cousins of my father whereas I had only two great uncles and  two  great
aunts  as well as two cousins of my mother. I was also aware that the family
had connections with Accrington and a former Mayor, John Barlow, who, I  was
told, was quite a Victorian, strait-laced individual, a reputation every bit
in  keeping with his strictly tea-total Methodism. I was told that he was my
mother's grandfather in that John and his wife had  adopted  my  grandmother
before  she  was four years of age and brought her up, even to the extent of
sending her to a Finishing School in Switzerland,  by  the  shores  of  Lake
Geneva.   Obviously  a  Family  with sufficient standing to afford a private
education and several servants, namely the redoubtable Mabel and Liza.  This
disparity in numbers did not puzzle me at the time; it  just  seemed  to  be
'one of those things' which was accepted as being really quite normal.

          I  was aware at the time of my maternal grandmother's funeral that
my mother had two cousins who in turn had married and had families of  their
own; I even knew some of my second cousins' names but it took the funeral of
my Uncle Bert (Duckworth) and several overnight stays with my aunt Joan  for
me  to  begin  to  show  some awakening interest in the family history. Joan
showed me a flyleaf out of a family bible on which was written  the  details
of my great-grandfather's family. There had been some minor family rift with
Great-aunt Mary which was duly made up in the seventies and in the course of
a  couple  of  visits,  I was sensible enough to make some notes of what she
told me. It was on one of those occasions that I learnt of the "Dogger  Bank
Outrage" an event which I now relate to anyone careless enough to initiate a
conversation on Family Trees!

          I made a halting start in early 1986 when I made some notes of the
Accrington  Connection  and the movement of my grandparents to 357 Blackburn
Road,  Accrington,  at  which  address  my  mother  was  born  in  1931.  My
grandparents  moved  from  there to Higher Barn midway between Blackburn and
Preston before moving for the last time to Hesketh Bank  about  eight  miles
from Preston just off the main road to Southport. After some early successes
in results, I started properly. I still haven't finished...

Andrew Kevin Kelsall Pearson,
Clitheroe,
LANCASHIRE
(c) 1994