Billinge families

COLEMAN

(from Appendix P in the main text)

The first record of a Coleman in Billinge is the birth of Mary 7th Mary 1856, the daughter of John and Catherine nee Lavell. John Coleman was born 18th November 1860 and died, aged 6, 18th Feb1867. Margaret 30th April 1864 was their next child and then Catherine 30th October 1865. There are no further children recorded to this couple. How they came to Billinge is unknown; they were probably already married with children when they arrived. John, aged six, is the first recorded Coleman burial so maybe John and Catherine, his parents, came here looking for work around 1856, found it and then moved on sometime after 1867. No other members of this family can be traced as being buried in Billinge.

The next Coleman record in Billinge is the marriage of Patrick, son of Patrick and Bridgett, and Margaret, daughter of Patrick and Mary Mulroy, 6th November 1870. Margaret came from Portico evidently and used to keep pigs behind the old post office. If and how this Patrick Coleman was related to John, husband of Catherine Coleman, is unknown but they could have been brothers. Patrick lived to be 69. He was residing at Wigan at the time of his death in 1909 but is buried at St Mary's. Margaret Coleman died 19th July 1903 at 53. Patrick and Margaret were godparents to Catharine McManus 28th December 1877, the daughter of John and Ann nee Fay. It seems that Irish drovers used to bring cattle over from Ireland to sell in Billinge. These drovers used to board with the McManus and Durkin families, pasturing their cattle at Joe Middlehurst's Farm, in Birchley, until they disposed of them at the best price. It could be that this association with the McManus family stems from Patrick, and maybe his brother John, being Irish drovers and former lodgers.