The Barlow Family

[Peter]

Quite right, a slip of the keyboard, I did of course mean to say it was William Herbert who was killed.

Hmmm - Well, yes, Alfred's son did die as you say but he was called William Herbert. We did a sweep of the Churchyard last March trying to find the Chaney grave but must've missed it! Mind you, its not difficult with all the headstone-tipping and 'tidying-up' that's been going on '>

[Peter]

Just a couple of interesting bits, did you know the Chaney family grave is only about 10 feet from the Barlow grave and that both lost sons in the first world war. Alfred Chaney was killed during the German Spring Offensive in March 1918 with the Royal irish Rifles and Harold Barlow died in June 1917 when the plane in which he was an observer was shot down by The Red Baron. Niether have a known grave. There is more information on these and the other 139 men of Marple who lost their lives in the Great War in the book 'Remembered' a few copies of which are still available through The Marple Website. Any photos you have of interest relating to Marple would make a most welcome addition to the galleries.

Have any of you estimable local historians done any research into the Barlow Family? I know Frank Barlow was an India Tea Merchant who married into the Carvers via Mary, and that they lived in Woodville. But they obviously had poodles of money, other houses, etc. There's a big memorial-grave in All Saints' churchyard which amazingly is still standing :-(

The reason I ask is that my Great-Grandad Alfred Chaney was their Coachman/Household head at the turn of the last (19th-20th) Century. Family lore has it that he was the first person in Marple to drive a motor car but he definitely took loads of photos including some on your galleries page. I'm trying to fill in details of his life - such as just how he got to marry a Welsh-speaking Jones fom Flint!

And as my nickname reveals, I'm a bit distant from Marple these days!