There were eleven children in total born to Joseph Stewart and his wife ‘Fanny’ (Merinda) (née Audley from Newcastle-under-Lyme). Some were born in Church street, Bollington before the family moved to Rock Cottage, Beeston Mount, Bollington (between 1895 and 1900). Two children died as infants: Alice at four months and George at three years. Two sons died in WW1 defending their country: Gordon and Hedley Stewart.

Alice Margaret Stewart 1882- died aged four months; Robert Stewart (Bert)1883- 1976. Worked at Ingersley Clough Mill Bleach works; William Audley Stewart  1885- 1920. Worked at Ingersley Clough Mill Bleach works;     Hedley Stewart  1888- 1916.  Worked at Oak Bank Mill. Agnes Constance Stewart (Connie) 1890- 1942. Worked at Oak Bank Mill; Norman Audley Stewart  1893- 1974. Worked at Oak Bank Mill; George Douglas Stewart 1894- 1897. Died aged three yrs; Doris Lillian Stewart 1897-1988. Worked at Ingersley Clough Mill Bleach works and later a machinist at a local textile firm; Gordon Audley Stewart 1898-1917. Worked at Ingersley Clough Mill Bleach works; Alice Beatrice Stewart (Beattie)  1900- 1979. Donald Audley Stewart 1902-1987. Worked at Oak Bank Mill

Refer to other pages for Hedley, Gordon and Donald.

Robert Stewart

`Bert` the eldest of the Stewart sons worked at Ingersley Clough Mill Bleach Works.

He was thirty one years old when WW1 broke out. Conscription was compulsory from 1916 for unmarried men between the ages of eighteen and forty one years one. Bert didn`t fight in the war presumably as he married in 1911. His wife was Flora Belle Aked (1887-1938) from Handforth, Florrie was a very tall lady whereas Bert was rather short. In about 1911 he moved out of his childhood home Rock Cottage to start his married life at 64 High Street Bollington with his new wife Florrie, and they were registered as living there in 1919 according to the Kelly`s Directory.

Bert is listed in the Kelly`s Directory again in 1923 as being the secretary for the Bollington and Pott Shrigley Conservative Club, something his father Joseph had always done. His father had probably retired from this duty by now as he would have been in his mid seventies.

Bert lived in High Street for sixty five years until he died. He and ‘Florrie’ had one child Dorothy Audley Stewart who married Philip G Norton. Dorothy died suddenly in November 1994, she was a widow aged eighty four years and was living in Ivy Lane, Macclesfield at this time.

Here is Bert`s school attendance record for Bollington National School, later St John’s school on Church Street, (click on image to enlarge).

William Audley Stewart

William was affectionately called ‘Billy’. This is his lengthy obituary (click on it to enlarge) which describes him as a funny happy go lucky man. He was refused entry to fight in the war due to health reasons. He died at just thirty five years at home with his mother Fanny nursing him. She had earlier nursed him back to health after he had peritonitis! He had never married.

Agnes Constance Stewart

‘Connie’ never married, she died of cancer in 1942 in Bollington and buried in St Johns Cemetery. This photo of Connie was taken outside Rock Cottage around 1930. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Norman Audley Stewart

Norman never fought in WW1 for reasons unknown, possibly because he was too small although he was registered as a soldier from 1914 to 1920. He did go to France during the war and played the piano for the YMCA for concert parties (see the form, dated 17th March 1917, left). He worked for Oak Bank Mill  before the war and also when he came home , before moving south and marrying Gertrude Walker in Aston, Warwickshire in 1921 when he was twenty five years old. They had one daughter Beryl born 1922, who died in 2009. This picture is of Norman with his daughter Beryl at fourteen years of age (click on photo to enlarge).

Norman married again after his first wife died, to Helen S. Rennie in Birmingham in 1954 and a third marriage to Lillian Gaines when he was sixty four years old. He died in Bristol when he was eighty one years old.

George Douglas Stewart

George died as an infant aged just three years. We know this grave (in St John’s church cemetery) is that of George Stewart (Douglas was his middle name) because further along this stone is the name of his brother William Audley Stewart. The engraving on the stone indicates that he died in November 1897, aged three years (click on photo to enlarge). However, other records indicate that he was only sixteen months old, and buried on the 11th March 1896. The baby photo is believed to be that of George.

Doris Lillian Stewart

‘Doris’ was the only child of the Stewarts who lived all her life at Rock Cottage, she never married. From 1942 (when her sister Connie died) Doris lived on her own there until shortly before her death in 1988 aged ninety one. After living her whole life at Rock Cottage with no electricity she was reluctantly placed in a residential home, possibly Mount Hall on Flash lane, and died three months later whilst sitting at the dining table with the other residents.

She was the longest surviving child of Joseph and Fanny Stewart.

Doris had a few adventures later in life, she collected signatures of famous people all over the world and then sold them.It is believed she sold her brothers` war medals which is a great shame.

She used the money to go on trips abroad on her own. She was quite a solitary soul.

The following images show a newspaper clipping about Doris’s `hobby`, and of Doris on a float at Bollington Carnival in 1955. In the close-up Doris is on the left, with Mary Nolan, Joyce Hayman, Joan Walker, Cathleen ? and two others.

	Doris Stewart on the left with friends, situated on Beeston Mount, year unknown.

The photo on the left is of Doris sitting on a bench on Beeston Mount in the 1970’s. The photo above of five figures sitting in the sea probably at Blackpool is of (left to right) Doris, sister Beattie, brother Donald Audley Stewart, Stella Ogden (later to be Donald’s wife) and sister Connie (click on photo to enlarge).

Alice Beatrice Stewart

‘Beattie’ was the youngest daughter of Joseph and Fanny Stewart. She worked at Ingersley Vale Bleachworks and later married Fred Bamford 1894-1962 from Grimshaw Lane, Bollington. They moved to Dialstone Lane, Stockport and had one son Frederick Gordon Bamford 1922-1988. Beattie died in 1979 at the age of seventy nine. The following photos are of Beattie with brother Donald and sister Doris (click on photo to enlarge), and Beattie when she was in her twenties.

Alice Margaret Stewart

Alice Margaret Stewart died aged just four months. Below is her death certificate (click to enlarge):

U.S.D. on the birth certificate stands for Urban Sanitary District.

Follow the family tree, start with Joseph Stewart.

I am indebted to Linda Stewart (grand-daughter of Donald) for this fascinating account and photo collection of the Stewart family of Bollington.