Herlingshaw Family Website

The Herlingshaw family

Earlier Herling People

The earliest connected Herling known is James Milward Herling, a military man who was born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire 1837. He married Mary Kerr, born 1846 in Bengal while stationed in India with the army in 1862. By 1881, shortly before his death on September 29th, he had retired from the army and was a "Nuisance Inspector and Farmer of 3 acres" living in Ivy Cottage, Barton-in-Preston, Lancashire *. James and Mary had about nine children. He was employed in his inspection role by the Preston Rural Sanitary District with a stipend of 120 shillings a year and was also a school attendance officer. He had been a Quarter Master Sergeant in the 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) and was severely injured at Sebastopol in 1855 during the Crimean War (although recorded there incorrectly by the London Gazette as Corporal 3536 of the 90th Regiment of Foot which was the Perthshire Light Infantry). The Connaught Rangers might indicate Irish origins. He was awarded the Sebastopol clasp. He probably had had a relative called Edward Perry Herling who lived in Chorlton and married Winifred Theresa Brady in 1887. Edward died in 1917 aged 52 and Winifred in 1896 aged 33.

Their children were:

James Louis Milward Herling, born and died in 1864 in Colchester

James Milward Herling, born 1866 in Newbridge & Kildare, Ireland, perhaps m. Charlotte H Wheatley on 12th April 1921

Maude Mary Milward Herling, born 1868 in Peshewar, India, married William Charnley Harding (born 1867) in 1888 at St Thomas The Apostle in Garstang

Edward John Milward Herling, born 1870 in Agra, West Bengal, died 1939 in Preston. He married Elizabeth Berry in 1896 at St Bartholomew in Chipping.

Jessie Milward Herling, born 1872 in Aldershot, married Albert Farrar on 8th April 1896 at St Andrews, Ashton-on-Ribble

George Henry Milward Herling, born 1873 or 1874, died 1914 in Preston

Thomas Milward Herling, born 1875 in Preston, died 1877 in Preston

Frances Jane Milward Herling, born 1877 in India, died 1944, married George Henry Walmsley at St Jude with St Paul in Preston. However, she was baptised at Christ Church in Fulwood on 16 December 1877 and her father at the time was an Inspector of Nuisances living in Fulwood.

Ernest Milward Herling, born 1880 in Preston, baptised at St John the Baptist, Broughton on 25 January 1880. He died in 1881 in Preston. (transcribed as Ernest Millwood Sterling). Parents lived at Ivy Cottage, Broughton, father's occupation was "Inspector".

On 13th March 1883, eighteen months after James Milward Herling died, his wife Mary (now describing herself as Mary Millward Herling) remarried to William Dewhurst, born 1822 (son of Thomas, then deceased), a farmer from Ribchester who became a publican after his first wife died, then managing the "Golden Ball" in Garstang, north of Preston. The marriage was in St Annes on Sea. This is a photograph from the Whitsun parade in 1907 showing the original establishment on the right. By the 1950s the site had become a petrol station / car dealership and a new Golden Ball establishment had been built elsewhere in the town.

By 1901 Mary was living alone in Fulwood, William Dewhurst had died in 1894. She was the daughter of James (or John) Kerr and Susan Senior. It seems likely that her late soldier father was from Scotland, perhaps also her mother as Mary described herself as "Scottish". Mary died on 30 March 1913.

A retired builder and decorator called James Melward Herling Kerr Whitecross died in Ramsgate in June 2003. He was born on 11 October 1927. An interesting combination of middle names ! It seems that he was born in Dundee and spent at least part of his life in Australia. In July 1952 he spent a year in the Royal Australian Regiment and some of that was in Korea.

Jessie Milward Herling lived at 30 Bank Place, Preston and Albert Farrar was a 35 year old cabinet maker from 2 Wood Parade, Halifax when they married, his father was Jonathan. Albert probably died in 1951 in Halifax, Jessie in Leeds in 1958.

Frances Jane Milward Herling and George Walmsley had at least eight children, James Milward in 1902, Bernard Milward in 1904, Mary Milward in 1906, Albert George Milward in 1907, Jessie Milward in 1909, Gertrude A in 1913, Edward M in 1914 and Betty M in 1921, all born in Preston. Frances EM born 1911 in Preston might have been another child. Many of the Walmsleys in the Preston area were publicans.

William Charnley Harding's father was John Lawrenson Harding, Manager of Harding & Co who ran livery stables and a furniture removal and storage business in Preston. The marriage witnesses were Edward Milward-Herling and Ellen Parker, the ceremony was by GB Stones, vicar of St Thomas, Garstang. The Harding business still exists today in Preston but deals in cars. John Lawrenson Harding was at some time a Councillor in Preston. One of their children was Sarah born in 1889. At that time William Charnley Harding was a hotel keeper living in Garstang. Another child was Maud Charnley Harding born in 1896. In 1891 William Charnley was a grocer living at 178 Havelock Street, Preston but by 1901 he was a tram car driver and the family lived at 63 Knowsley Street, Preston. He died in 1907.

James Millward Herling and his wife Mary (Kerr, later Dewhurst) were buried at St John the Baptist in Broughton. Mary died on 30th March 1913 aged 69. This is their headstone which also includes Annie, a daughter of George Millward Herling and his wife Mary Jane:

These other Herling births are probably related, all in the Manchester area:

Nellie 1887

Gertrude 1890

Thomas A 1890

John 1891

Charles Edward 1894

The first Edward James Millward Herling was a member of The Royal Preston Lodge of the Freemasons from 1899, listed in their records as a "Public House Manager". His father James Millwood Herling was a member of The United Lodge in Colchester from 1964 to 1874. Initially he was listed as "Company Sergeant, 88 Regt" and later as "Quarter Master Sergeant". James obviously moved north after leaving the Army in about 1875 and joined The Royal Preston Lodge in 1876, described as "Inspector". He was last listed in 1879.

Given the Herling family's persistent use of Millward, Milward or Millwood as a middle name it seems probable that there is some connection to John Milward who fought on the royalist side in the English civil war. A further coincidence is that John lived in Snitterton, very close to Darley and Oker.

* Nowadays Ivy Cottage, Barton-in-Preston would probably be described as in Broughton. The cottage may still exist and was adjacent to the "Shuttleworth Arms" in Whittingham Lane, perhaps just plain "number 5" now.