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Oh bless her. How awful. She must have been in a dreadful frame of mind to have done that ...

Jill

How awful is that? I think I would need a stiff drink!

Just to let everyone know I have found the info on the murder and suicide.
Members of the Thornton family emigrated to New Zealand and it seems that the murder and suicide happened over there .
In 1922 the wife of JAMES ARTHUR THORNTON drowned her four children and then drowned her self.
Quite a horrible story by all accounts as the bath she used only held 2ft of water and it would seem that she undressed each child drowned them one by one and then placed them on the bed, before finally taking her 6month old baby undressing herself and drowning herself and the baby.

thank you for everyones help,need a cup of tea now
kath

Thank you Dea I will do that

DO come back to us when you get it and we can look further !!!

Dea Xxx

Thank you for trying.
I think what I will do is send for the death certificate of the Mary Thornton I have found for 1915 then if it is the correct one I will know if she did commit suicide .
I just keep thinking I must have missed some thing but I do not know what

I can find nothing in the newspapers at the moment which seems very strange, given the story !!

Dea Xxx

Thank you Dea

It has taken me a long time to unravel Charles Thorntons marriages . It would seem he was not a man that could live alone !

Yes thank you , that is Charles with his 2nd wife, Martha Ball
Percy was the son from his 1st wife he emigrated to Australia in 1902
Charles 1st wife was Emma Sims she died 1n 1881 after giving birth Percy

for info
Charles Henry Thornton married Emma SIMS (b 1849) 1879 ref 8c 475 Bolton
They had 1 child - Percy b 1880
Emma died 1881 ref 8c 182 Bolton

Charles Henry Thornton married Martha Ann BALL 1882 ref 8c 413 Bolton
Children James b 1884
Anne b 1885
Louie b 1893

Martha died 1903 ref 8c 299

Charles Henry Thornton married Mary FIELDING 1907 ref 8c 778 Bolton
children Harold b 1909
Phyllis b 1911

Am working on it but can't quite tie it down yet !!

Dea Xxx

Could this be Charles in 1901 census?

Name: Charles H Thornton
Age: 43
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1858
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Martha A Thornton
Gender: Male
Where born: Farnworth, Lancashire, England

Civil parish: Bolton
Ecclesiastical parish: All Souls
County/Island: Lancashire
Country: England

Street Address: 22 Rawsthorne St

Occupation:

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status:

View image

Registration district: Bolton
Sub-registration district: Little Bolton
ED, institution, or vessel: 18
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 11
Piece: 3620
Folio: 80
Page Number: 2
Household Members:
Name Age
Charles H Thornton 43
Martha A Thornton 44 b Newton le Willows Lancs
Percy Thornton 21 b Farnworth
James A Thornton 17 b Farnworth
Annie Thornton 16 b Farnworth
Louie Thornton 8 b Bolton

Thank you. Yes that is correct although sometimes it is FIELDING

Yes - this is the marriage :

Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1907
Surname Forename(s) Surname Forename(s) Church / Register Office Registers At Reference
THORNTON Charles H FIELDING Mary Bolton Register Office or Registrar Attended Bolton RO/156/191

Dea x

This looks like it could be Phyllis' birth so Mary's maiden would be Fielden

Births Dec 1911
Thornton Phyllis mmn Fielden Rochdale 8e 29

I have just been looking at the lancashire death reg site and there is a possible death registered in 1915 of a Mary Thornton correct age and at Castleton Rochdale so could be the correct one but there are no children registered in the same year and region and it looks like Charles Henry Thornton died in 1923 again Castleton rochdale.

I would have to send for the death certificates to be sure but these are the only deaths I can find that match

Thank you.
All I know is that Annie Thornton took her half brother Harold Thornton and Half sister Phyllis Thornton to New Zealand in 1925 because their mother had drowned and killed three other children but of course this could be incorrect.
My thinking is that it must have been a few years after 1912 but it could have been between 1912 and 1925.
If she did drown her children I would have thought they would have been quite young and as Mary Thornton was already 40 years old in 1911 I would not have thought she would have had much time to have three more children so perhaps this part of the story has been embelished a little over the years

Can you give some details of the 'possible murder' - dates etc.

I have access to some newspapers which might give details.

Dea Xxx

Thank you
that certainly must be them
much appreciated
kath

1911 ?
THORNTON, Charles H Head Married M 50 1861 Lower Loom Over Looker Lancs Farnworth N Bolton VIEW
THORNTON, Mary Wife Married
3 years F 40 1871 Lancs Bolton VIEW
THORNTON, Annie Daughter Single F 24 1887 Beamer Cotton Lancs Nr Bolton VIEW
THORNTON, Louie Daughter F 19 1892 Cotton Reeler Lancs Bolton VIEW
THORNTON, Harold Son M 2 1909 Lancs Bolton VIEW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RG number:
RG14 Piece:
24611 Reference:
RG14PN24611 RG78PN1411 RD470 SD2 ED8 SN305

Registration District:
Rochdale Sub District:
Castleton No 1 Enumeration District:
8 Parish:
Rochdale

Address:
108 New Barn Lane Rochdale