CORT 1700-
Lancashire, England |
My CORTs were reasonably
successful Lancashire families from the district of Turton, near Bolton during the late 18th and
early 19th Centuries. One relative moved to Chorley, and later ones
moved to Manchester both places being in Lancashire.
Due to this
There were of course other CORT communities in Lancashire,
particularly around Lancaster. and Blackburn.
Naturally I would love to hear from anyone else researching the name in
Lancashire or has any information about their CORT background
.
There was also a large CORT presence in
Leicestershire, but again there is no apparent connection.
These
web pages were originally restricted to the CORTs descended from my Turton,
Bolton families, but now include some details of Chorley and Manchester
families also descended from my John CORT.
A general idea of the
distribution of the families can be seen on this Chart
At the top of each Chart there is a link to the
list of Cort names appearing on this
site together with the Charts where they are found. The "Top of Tree" is
John CORT who married Ann Ainsworth at Bolton in 1768 and my main line from
John is shown here, with links to the other families
leading off from it.
However you may also go direct to the relevant
branch from these links and work upwards to John.
My records start in Bolton in 1768 with the
marriage of John Cort and Ann Ainsworth. Due to
information from Family Trees provided by other researchers I am able to
provide several distinct lines of Descent from John and Ann.
To return here from any Chart just click
on CORT in the Menu panel
Page Layout For
a general outline of their children's later movements see
Chart and for more details of early
descendant lines see (General
Descendant Chart) |
GENERAL
My CORT story probably starts around 1749 when
it is believed that John Cort was born. I strongly believe this was in
Tatham Fells, Lancahire on the north side of the Forest of Bowland. As a young
man John travelled the 40 miles across the fells to Bolton where he met and
married Ann Ainsworth, from the Ainsworth family of Bleachers, in
1768.(see AINSWORTHs). For
the CORT connection to the AINSWORTHs see
Chart.)
As
Anns father became a very influential person the couple would have had an
interesting life. In later years, Ann's brother, Peter, was to purchase the
wonderful old mansion known as Smithills Hall, which is now open to the
public. John Cort was a Butcher in Mealhouse Lane, Great Bolton but one
source suggests he became a bleacher himself, probably working for James
Ainsworth at Horrobin Mill, Turton.
Their son Peter married Priscilla
Wraith and grandson Peter married Elizabeth Spencer. |
Turton was a widespread, mostly rural area of moors
and small valleys each having a fast flowing river of clean water. This water
led to the local development of Bleaching, which at first was a crofting
industry and one croft was Horrobin Mill.
Later photograph over Horrobin
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John and Ann CORT had 4 children, all baptised in
Bolton:
Edward |
1769 |
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Moved to
Chorley |
Peter |
1772 |
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Stayed in Bolton |
Ann Ainsworth |
1779 |
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No information |
Thomas |
1780 |
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Stayed in Bolton |
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BOLTON FAMILIES
The second son, Peter, married Priscilla Wraith,
daughter of the Rev.James Wraith at Bolton in 1795 and they had 4 children at
Bolton: Mary Ann 1798, Peter 1801, James Wraith 1803-1821, and Caroline 1806
who died aged 5 weeks. (See Peter's Descendant
Chart) By 1821 Peter CORT had become the tenant of Horrobin Mill
bleachworks operating as Peter Cort & Co.
From about 1820 until 1828 Peter CORT (snr) ran the
Horrobin Bleachworks. At first he may
have used traditional open air Bleaching
methods but later certainly mechanised the process. He was succeeeded by
his son Peter CORT (jnr) who extended his interests to also run the bleachworks
at Bradshaw and Turton. Peter married Elizabeth Spencer at Bolton in 1833 and
the couple had 5 children: Mary 1835, Thomas 1838, Peter Henry 1840, William
1842, and Thomas 1843.
Peter died in 1850 and later his widow and children
later moved to Manchester. Two of the sons, William and Edward went and
fought in the US Civil War. Both survived the war. Edward stayed over the water
but unfortunately was drowned aged 23 in Lake Eyrie Canada. William returned to
marry Mary Jane Armitage in Manchester in 1872. Peter Henry married Elizabeth
McStocker at Manchester in 1870 and later became a Manufacturer of Mineral
water in Manchester. Thomas married Elizabeth Midgeley in his city of birth,
Bolton in 1863. Their sister Mary married Thomas Smith in Manchester 1865 and
later became the mother of my grandmother in Stockport. (Mary's Story)
Amazingly I have made contact
with 3 other researchers, descendants of Peter CORT (Bolton 1801). This page is
under constant revision due to information gratefully received from them and it
is hoped to be able to produce extended details of this
family. |
CHORLEY FAMILIES
Edward, the eldest son of John and Ann Cort, moved to
Chorley between 1796 and 1798, where he and his wife Mary ( nee Hardy) began
several generations of CORTs in that area of Lancashire.
(See Edward's Descendant
Chart)
Most of the male descendants seem to have moved back to
Bolton within 2 generations. One family
moved to live near Burnley before 1860 and a son became a Ropemaker in
Harpurley, Manchester.
I know very little about
the Chorley families other than what I have picked up from Censuses and false
leads while researching my Bolton line.Therefore information will of course
be welcomed from ANY descendants of the Chorley CORTs or in fact ANYONE whose
family was known to be from the Bolton area. I do have some limited
information but need more to complete the jig-saw.
|
BLACKBURN FAMILIES
Another group of CORTs (i.e. Blackburn) is
actively being researched by Jane CORT, whom interested
researchers can
contact. However no link has yet been firmly
established between the Blackburn and Bolton families. |
BURY FAMILIES
John Cort (1827) from Chorley moved to Bolton with his
parents before 1840 and married Martha Crompton there in 1854
(See Descendant Chart). The births
of their 1st few children were registered at Bolton and in 1861 the family were
living at Little Bolton. All their remaining children were registered at Bury.
There are many further registrations of CORT events at Bury after 1865, but
they have not been researched. |
MANCHESTER FAMILIES
My information is limited to records of my relations
who moved to Manchester after 1850 and their descendants. Those persons can be
found by scrolling down the following list. It is believed there was also at
least one CORT family already living there but I have no further
details.
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List of Cort names appearing on this
site
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