The Roles of William and John Henry Royle in the Development of ...

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Alfred Royle, of 9 Gardner Street, Pendleton, Salford, later of 317 Broad Street,
Pendleton, Salford, a baker and confectioner, his cousin. The gross value of the estate
was £14,04 0s 11d, with the net value of the personal estate totalling £6,708 1s 5d.
Alfred was the son of James Royle of Pendleton, who was the brother of John Royle
Junior of Limehurst, Irlam Road, Flixton. They are discussed in Royle, Booth and
Walkden Connections in 19 th and Early 20 th Century Flixton, Part Two (Dickens. 2010
p. 331) which analyses a Statutory Declaration of William Royle, the son of John
Royle Junior and nephew of James Royle. This related to the ownership, financial and
business dealings of the Walkden estate, as well as listing in detail property and land
appended to Brook Farm, which was also sometimes referred to as Ashdene. This
consisted of Smithy Field (Arable); House, Buildings, Orchard, Road and Lane
(Walkden Lane); Fields in Western Road, or Front Fields, or Field Before the Houses
(Pasture); Nicker Field (Pasture); Tree Butts (Meadow); Wind Butts (Arable); Gales
(Meadow); Bones (Arable); Mountain (Arable); Moss Hey (Meadow); Black Acre and
Brundret. The whole area totalled 46 acres, 0 roods and 23 perches. Lands owned at the
time of the Tithe Apportionment of 1842 and not listed in the Statutory Declaration of
1919 were Whiteleach (Arable); Whiteleach (Pasture); Clack (Meadow); Mossfields
(Meadow); Far Smith Field, which later became part of Smithy Field (Arable); Mail
(Marl) Field (Arable); Low (Lower) Marsh (Meadow); Top Marsh (Meadow); and
Oultons (Meadow) These totalled approximately another 39 acres. There was also
further land listed as owned by the Walkden family, including a William Walkden,
which was farmed by members of the Booth and Barlow families, as the Walkden’s
tenants.
Another key will, detailing the link between the Royle and Walkden families, is
held at Greater Manchester County Record Office (E/18/53). Here they have listed the
appointment of new trustees of the will of John Royle Junior, dated the 1 st November
1937, in order to replace John Henry Royle, upon his death, on the 8 th August 1937.
William Royle, of Davyhulme; Anne Heywood, of Flixton; and Fanny Walkden, of
Bramhall, who are all children of John Royle Junior, are named as appointers. William
Royle remains an existing trustee. They name William Stansfield Royle, born in the
September quarter of 1893 and now of Buxton and Walter Fielden Royle, of Flixton,
born in the December quarter of 1901, both sons of William Royle; and Ruby Irene
Royle, of Flixton, born in the September quarter of 1911 and the daughter of John
Henry Royle, as new trustees. Fanny Royle, the daughter of John Royle Junior, married
William Walkden, the son of Peter John Walkden, in the September quarter of 1901.
The Tithe Apportionment Book for Flixton of 1842 provides us with further detail
on the business relationships between Royle tenant farmers and the landowners of
Flixton Village. James Harper, the son of William Harper, owns land known as Wind
Butts, which he himself farms. He is also the owner of land which is leased to John
Royle Senior and is named as Hemp Croft; Underhouses; and Treeley, also listed as
Teeley. Both Underhouses and Treeley (Teeley) are named in John Royle Junior’s will
of 1894, as his property and are detailed in ‘Part Three.’ This is yet another example of
a Harper and Royle business link, which was detailed in ‘Part Six,’ in relation to