By 1871 Ann had died and James lived with another granddaughter Anne Bull, aged 18, at 62 The Downs. His income came from property in Cheshire and land in Lancashire. James Royle died on 27 Feb 1874 aged 80 at 62 The Downs. He left under £600 (equivalent to £27,000 today) including leaseholds to "My son Samuel and the children of my late daughter Elizabeth Slater. Amelia Slater one of the children of my deceased sister Elizabeth Slater"
James and Ann’s children were:
Samuel [2] Royle was born in 1817 being baptised on 21 Sept in Bowdon. He married Annie Amelia Crisp (a solicitor’s daughter, born in 1824 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk). Census returns show Samuel was residing at the Downs Hotel, Railway St., Altrincham, in 1851 and 1861. In 1861 his occupation is described at ‘hotel keeper, post master, hirer of horses and cabs and farmer of 16 acres
who employs 7 men’. He is mentioned in
His father’s will in 1874 and described at
His son’s wedding in 1880 as a ‘Gentleman’
(i.e. a man of independent means). He
died in 1886. Samuel and Annie had five
children:
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Charles Cousland |
Born 1858 |
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Mary Crisp |
Born 1851 |
|
Frederick Nelson |
Born 1855 |
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Fanny Kate |
Born 1856 |
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James E |
Born 1861 |
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Samuel |
Born 1817 |
Amelia |
Born 1830 |
|
Elizabeth |
Born 1821 |
Nelson |
Born 1833 |
|
Ann |
Born 1825 |
Mary |
Born 1835 |
|
Mary |
Born 1827 |
Clara |
Born 1835 |
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Leased: |
A strip of land adjacent to Ashley Road known Barn Field and a house and garden at the end of this strip |
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Land known as "Furthest Field", "Dirty Meadow" and "Further Dirty Meadow". These are now mostly covered by ‘King George V Pool’ |
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Owned: |
Two large fields around where Sainsbury's has now been built. Adjacent land was owned by his brother William. |
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A house and garden at the junction of the Downs and Pinfold Brow (now known as Lloyd Street) tenanted by one Ann Pickstone. |
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James Royle remained as victualler of the Woolpack until 1849 when he became publican of the newly built Axe and Cleaver Inn which was approximately on the present site of Rackham's. In July 1845 Parliament gave assent to a Railway between Manchester and Altrincham with Bowdon station directly opposite James's property on the Downs. This was a cottage housing a tenant, Ann Pickstone (born c.1791) and her husband John (born c.1776); according to the 1841 census John.was a ‘husbandsman’ (an archaic term for a farmer). There is no trace of either John or Ann in the 1851 census so it is assumed that they had left, died or been evicted by then because James built the Downs hotel on the site during the 1850s. James remained as publican of the Axe and Cleaver and installed his son, Samuel, as landlord of the Downs. The shop next door was occupied by John Royle who was James's brother. Records describe John as "grocer, British wine, ale & porter dealer, seedsman & corn & tea merchant". James, in association with John, was also an omnibus and cab proprietor. Being directly opposite Bowdon Railway Station they were ideally sited.
In 1861 James retired from the Axe and Cleaver and moved to 3 The Downs. His wife, Ann, his son Nelson and his granddaughter lived with him. In the 1860's as well as retiring James sold the Downs Hotel. His son Samuel ceased to be the landlord and his grandson Charles Cousland had to leave his school, Sherborne in Dorset (this intriguing aspect is still under investigation). No further reference to them can be found in Altrincham. |
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Current (2009) map centred on the Downs Hotel
(Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-
Tithe map 1835 centred on the site to be of the Downs Hotel
(Image reproduced with the kind permission of the Senior Archivist of the Cheshire and Chester Archives and Local Studies. Map reference EDT 13/2. For URL see enlarged version.)