Crest traditionally used by the
 Varley Family

(Note .The same crest appears on the bottles of brandy sold by the Hennessey Cognac company in France! )
Roots
Family Page - fragments of history
(supplement to Mike Varley's homepage)

Note:  As new information comes to light I periodically update & correct this site,

placing the revision date at the end.

Regards ---- Mike.

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My Grandfather Jesse Varley [born 1870 , St Helens Lancashire, died 1929 , Liverpool] and his family at his holiday home "Longleat", which was to the east of Llandudno in North Wales, in 1916 at the height of the Great War. "Longleat" is still used as a private residence. Jesse lived in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, between 1898 and 1917. Stainton and Rowland were both on leave from active service in France. Stainton was with the South Staffordshire Regiment  and later the Royal Tank Corps. Rowland was with the North Staffordshire Regiment, and this picture must have been take before he was wounded in the Battle of the Somme, c.July 1916,  late in 1917 he was "loaned" to the Royal Flying Corps  with whom he trained as an Observer, flying FE2b aircraft in France with No.58 Squadron  on night bombing raids during the early part of 1918. Eric joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 and trained as a fighter pilot;  he was awarded the Military Cross in March 1918 after being badly wounded. He was one of the last 'flying' officers to receive this award before the introduction of the DFC in April 1918. During the 1939-45 War Eric was a flying instructor with the RAF at No.15 Elementary Flying Training School, Kingstown Aerodrome, Carlisle. Rowland served in the South Staffordshire and RAF Regiments on airfield defence, and later in RAF Training Command.

(1)                                                  (2)

58 Squadron  Royal Flying Corps  Northern France 1918

My father , Rowland A Varley (1896-1958), was serving as an Observer with 58 Squadron, RFC, at Auchel , Northern France, in the spring of 1918.
The squadron operated on tactical night bombing raids over the German lines using FE2b aircraft, which had a pusher type engine and propeller facing aft. The aircraft in  (3) is fitted with a Vickers 2HE cannon which fired single 25 mm one inch) shells. My father is sitting in the front cockpit.

According to Trevor Henshaw's history of 58 Squadron, "Night Bombing in the Great War", 1992, my dather's tour of duty in France was from 6th Jan 1918 to 12 July 1918. He then went to the RAF training school at Reading as an instructor.

The Royal Flying Corps was incorporated in to the Royal Air Force on  1st April 1918, the squadron retained its designation.

(3)

Varley's in the 1881 U.K. Census

The Varley Heartland in 1881

In the 1881 Census 4,437 Varleys are recorded as living in England, Scotland and Wales. This figure included some, but not many, persons with surnames  with a similar spelling and starting with a "V". Those counties with the greatest number of Varleys were:

          YORKSHIRE                  2,144  (  48.3 %)

          LANCASHIRE                1,098   (  24.7 %)

Nottinghamshire :  150 ;  Derbyshire : 125 ;  Durham : 55 ; Lincolnshire :  56 ;

          Staffordshire :  50 ;  and within London and the adjacent counties of  Surrey & Kent a total of 297.  None appeared to live in the South Western counties.

Within Yorkshire the greatest concentration of Varleys was within a wide  East-West band across the centre of the West Riding which included the towns of Bradford (161), Leeds (151) and Huddersfield (53). Within the county of Lancashire the greatest concentration was in the southern half. A similar proportion distribution  is generally true today (2003).

Outside Yorkshire and Lancashire most of the 1195 Varleys, 27% of the total,  lived in either adjacent counties or London and the home counties. Only a few lived in South West England, Wales or Scotland. 

This information is derived from a trawl of the LDS disks of a transcription of the manuscript census records.

 Varleys in the 1861 Census.

In the 1861 census there were 1253 Varleys in Yorkshire, 421 in Lancashire and 111 in London.

 In 1881 the percentage increases over the 20 years since 1861 were Yorkshire – 71%(2.7% year) , Lancashire – 161% (4.9%/year),  London - 76%.  The total UK population grew by 26.5%   over the same period.

In Lancashire in 1861, out of 421 Varleys there were 12 aged 60 to 69,  10 aged 70  to 79  and one (Male) aged 80.

Varleys in other countries.

At the end of the 20^th century around 9,000 Varleys lived in the United Kingdom, 2700 in the United States of America, 900 in Australia, 600 in Canada,150 in New Zealand,  and 130 in the Irish Republic.  Within the USA the greatest number of Varleys lived in New York

Jesse Varley and family in the first, 1841,  Census

The house and street name, in St Helens, is not  legible in the photocopy of the original manuscript entry.

 Jesse Varley & family in the 1861 Census

My Great-Great grandfather  and his family appear in the 1861 UK census as living at 33 Market Street, Hardshaw, St. Helens. Lancashire,  the details of the census entry are as follows

Notes.

(1) All the children are recorded as being born in St Helens .   Jesse Varley (b 1810) had two older children, not living at home in 1861, Alice Varley (b c1831) and  John (b c1833).

(2) Jesse’s family is the largest Varley family group appearing in the 1861 census for the St Helens/Prescot  area.  There are 13 more Varleys in this area, making a total of 23 in all, most of the males appeared to be engaged in ironfounding.

(3a) Abigail (b 1851 d.1908)  married Walter S Hadley ( b. 1853 d. 1920 ) from Birmingham, they had a son Tate G Hadley (b 1880) (no issue) whom I met in Birmingham  in 1936 & 1943. Three of their sons, including Henry Edward Hadley (b. 1890 in St Helens), immigrated to the USA and Canada living in Winnipeg, Seattle, Detroit etc were they have descendants.

(3b) Ruth (b 1854 d 1886) married Edward Hadley (d 1889) circa 1884, younger brother of Walter S Hadley, and they had a daughter Emmeline Hadley (b 1886 d 1899).

4. Jesse Varley’s (b 1810) ancestors have proved difficult to trace as the name was quite common in South Lancashire, nevertheless some investigations have indicated that he  may  have been a son  of  Henry  Varley   and  Alice, nee Seddon, who were married on the1st February 1795. Henry Varley’s father may have also been a Henry Varley who died in 1811. Barbara Varley (b 29-12- 1809) was  born a Halsall , a common name within the coal mining community of South Lancashire and also difficult to trace. Jesse Varley (b 1810) died 24^th May 1861 soon after the census   He was interred in St Helens Cemetery on 27 May 1861.

   Barbara ( b 29 Dec 1809) lived to 74 years of age and was interred at St Helens Cemetery on 21 August 1884 with Jesse her husband.. In the 1871 census she is recorded as living at 3 Foundry St, St Helens, with her children Henry Varley (age 33), David Varley (age 23) , Abigail Varley (age 20) and Ruth Varley (Age 17). In the 1881 census they had moved to 7 Foundry St and only Henry and Ruth remained at home. Ruth married in 1884 but died in August 1886.

(5) Barbara Varley  (b 3^rd October 1843), she  married Jose Riera ( born in Spain, 1846) at the Wesleyan Chapel, Prescott, on 19^th June 1868. Jose became a partner of William Varley, as Wm.Varley & Riera, engineers and ironfounders of Phoenix foundary.  Jose Riera, who was born a Catholic but became a Wesleyan Methodist.  In the 1881 census they are recorded as living at 125 Grange Lane, Birkenhead, with Jose now called Joseph and with the occupation of draper.  In the 1891 census they were living at 160 Grange Lane, Joseph is described as a General Draper, with 6 children; Jesse (age 20), Luis (age 16), Pedro (age 14), Anita (age 10), Ceilia (age 8) and Daisy (age 2).   In 1916 Jesse Varley Riera was recorded in the Singapore Jurors List  as being an assistant  with the International Trading Company, River Valley Rd., he would then have been 45; he may also had a share in a rubber estate. Luis Riera ( b c1885) emigrated to New Zealand as a farmer cadet, where he has descendants. but later became an accountant.

(6) Alice Varley (b 1831) married James Courtney Procter , in the 1871 census they are recorded as living at 2 Foundry St, St Helens, with 7 children including Alice Varley Procter (age 7) and Jesse Varley Procter age 4.   Jesse Varley Procter  died in 1944 and was interred in the same grave as Jesse Varley (b 1810) on 27 Oct 1944

(7) Zeuriah Varley ( b 1846), name should be spelt Zeruiah, after the elder daughter of Jesse father of King David ( Old Testament). She later married James Appleton c 1867 and appears in the 1881 census as living at 89 North Road, Windle , with 4 sons and one daughter. Her name seems to be consistently misspelt in official records.

(8)David Varley (b.1848) , appears in the 1881 census as a “model maker in Foundary” married to Sarah with 4 children.

(Note. Some information from (1) NZ source, Barbara Molloy, a descendant of Luis Riera.  06/05/2006 & etc, . (2) David Procter on 11 Jan 2008,)

Varleys in St Helens circa 1876-1881

My Great Grandfather and his family appear in the 1881 UK census as living in Boundary Road (no number), Windle, St Helens, Lancashire, the details of the entry are as follows

Although in the 1881 census Jesse (b.1842) is recorded as having been born in Prescot in the 1861 census, St Helen’s was given as his place of birth.  Jesse, senior (b. 1842), may have worked in the  firm of  John Varley (Ironfounders) Ltd, Waterloo Foundary, Atlas Street, St Helens, Lancs. The firm was established in 1837, by John Varley and Jesse (b 1810), but not in Atlas Street. It was still listed in the Ironfoundaries Trade Book in 1988, with 50 employees, but it had been deleted  by 1995. At one time the firm supplied Liverpool Corporation with cast iron drain covers. Worrall's directory of 1876, describes the firm of "John Varley & Co. Waterloo Foundary" as being "brass and ironfounders, millwright and engineers", . The same directory also lists a Jesse Varley as a "bookkeeper" at 43 Ormskirk St. St Helens, and another entry is that of “exors. of Jesse Varley” at Brookfield  Foundary and Engine Works, St Mary's Street, St Helens.

 Jesse (b. 1842) married in Warrington in (3^rd Qtr) 1868 (8c pg.211).

Boundary Road, where Jesse (b. 1842) resided appears from the census return to be a "new" development.

In the 1891 census the family have moved to 24 Ridgway Rd, West Derby, a suburb of Liverpool. Jesse is now 49 and his description has reverted to engineer's pattern maker. Two more boys have been born, Henry in 1882 and William in 1885, the latter in West Derby. My grandfather, Jesse b 1870, is aged 21 and described as a school store stockkeeper.

In the 1901 census they are still in Ridgway Road. Jesse, (b1842) is aged 59 and described again as an engineer's pattern maker. Jesse, Elizabeth and James have left home, Eleanor is aged 21 and described as a milliner, Henry is aged 19 and an African merchant's clerk and William, aged 16, a shipping clerk.

In the 1911 census they have moved to 27 Macdonald Road, Wavertree, and Jesse is now described as retired. William, now aged 26. is still a shipping clerk, living at home.

My Great grandfather Jesse Varley (b 1842) died in the 3rd Qtr. 1918. at the age of 77 , his death is recorded at Prescot Vol.8b page 1489. Elizabeth had died a few months before in the 2nd Qtr. 1918 and her death is recorded at West Derby Vol.8b.page 436.

In 1881 about 27 Varleys lived in the St Helens area, in 6 family groups.  Nearly all “claim” to have been born locally. One, Henry Varley, occupation "Iron Foundry" , was a neighbour of Jesse's living at 45 Boundary Road, but he is too young to have been Jesse’s brother Henry. Another, James Varley, lived in an adjacent road, 22 Hall Street, and is described as being a "Master Iron Founder, employing 40 men and 6 boys."  Although no doubt of the same ilk neither however appear to be “closely” related, i.e. they were not brothers of Jesse.

Abstract covering  “ Varley” entries in Worrall's   directory of St Helens, 1876 :-

Jesse Varley (b 1870) and Family in the 1901 Census

Preliminary examination of the online UK 1901 Census reveal that my grandfather, Jesse Varley, was living at  Longleat , 151 Paget Road, Wolverhampton, Staffs. The Main details given are

Notes 

Jesse’s marriage to Katherine is registered at Toxteth Park (8b pg.490) Liverpool in (December) 1891.

Jesse (b. 1870) had two more children after 1901:-

Kathleen Gladys Varley, born  Wolverhampton (June) 1904, married Thomas Shaw ( MC, RFC), later a senior civil servant, of Wolverhampton circa 1923. Issue, information withheld.

Harold Arthur C Varley, born in Wolverhampton  (June) 1907, who married Christina Harmer of Warwickshire circa 1930. He was a pharmacist, and lived in and owned a shop in Coleshill near Birmingham after WW2. Issue, information withheld.

 Jesse Varley (b.1871) died of pneumonia on the 14^th July 1929 at 36 Sandheys Avenue, Waterloo, Waterloo with Seaforth UD, Nr Liverpool he is described as a “Master confectioner”. The reference on the Death Certificate is DYA443115 the register entry number is  West Derby District Registration District, sub District Crosby, No. 301.

NOTE - information on the descendants of the children of Jesse Varley (b 1871), who in some cases are still living, has been withheld so as not to infringe the privacy of their families.

Francis Gough and Family in 1901 UK Census
(My Mother's family )

Preliminary examination of  the UK 1901 Census reveals that my Mother's family was living in Sholing, Southampton, Hants, the main details given are:

Many of the early records are full of different spellings, particularly of first names, streets and houses.

Some small additions made on 18 October 2009. Complete revision being prepared.

For my personal details see homepage   - contact at  link  Varley_mike@yahoo.co.uk

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