Ancestors

More decluttering today and came across this photo of my Mother's Father's Mother's Father, Great great grandfather Haslam with his second wife outside the Bungalow he built in his seventies unaided at the bottom of his garden at Euclid House, Ilkeston Derbyshire. He was an Architect by trade and had 14 children with his first wife, the eldest of whom was Elizabeth Haslam who married Edgar T Slack who had my maternal Grandfather George E Slack known as Edgar.

My brother called in on his way to see my Mum, she had her new mobile up her sleeve and dropped it down the loo today and now it doesn't work......

Notes found by helpful blipper Cowgirl!

April 11th… On the Good Friday night of 1884, about one am., architect and surveyor George Haslam was sleeping lightly in his bedroom at No. 5 East Street when he was awakened by a noise. Looking out his window and seeing nothing amiss, he was reassured to return to bed and to his slumbers. Had he investigated further he would have discovered the broken pane in his shop window and the absence of several pairs of the family’s footwear.
On that same night, about an hour later, PC. Payne was patrolling his path down Bath Street when who should he meet but James Noon. Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour which aroused the policeman’s suspicions, or, more likely, the 15 pairs of boots and slippers he was carrying under his arm. Recognising James as a returned convict he took him into custody. And later, architect George was reunited with his missing property.
Thus his craving for other folk’s footwear led to another appearance at the Assizes for James where he pleaded guilty and was back ‘inside’ — now for five years penal servitude.
(At this trial an alias of ‘James Alexander’ was mentioned though its source is not clear to me).
 
Post script. At this time George Haslam was building a new house and shop in South Street and only a couple of months after the break-in his son, six-year old George Edward, was on site, walking on the scaffolding around the building, when a plank lifted and sent him falling nearly 30 feet from the top of the building into the cellar. The lad fell on his head and injured his skull, such that it was feared ‘the worst consequences may ensue’.
They didn’t!
Their new South Street home was Euclid House — named after the Greek ‘Father of Geometry’ — at the southern corner of South Street and Queen Street.

And now I have done some digging, here is a church he or maybe his son designed

Seemsthe family were Council members!

Also mentioned in This book which I may find time to read..... (probably not)