Sir William Turner was a very successful Blackburn mill owner
who lived at Shrigley Hall, indeed, he built the present hall,
replacing the original house recently vacated by the Downes family.
He was a generous man who gave land from his estates for the betterment
of the local community. He gave land around Church Street and Ingersley
Road for the construction of both St. John's church and the original St.
Gregory's church in Chapel Street. The Turner's
Arms Inn was built on his land and named in his honour -
it's just a shame the name has been changed in recent times (late
1990s). Perhaps we should name the area in front of the pub Turner
Square. At least the refurbished toilet block in this area is
to be called Turner's Eco Lodge by the Bollington Carbon Revolution
who are planning to use it to promoted the green way of life!
The Turner family came to prominence in 1827 when their 16 year old daughter, Ellen, was abducted from boarding school in Liverpool and hauled off to Gretna Green to be married. The subsequent court case was the talk of the nation for months. A tale of anguish, deceit and violation of the domestic hearth, this gripping story is expertly told in the book, The Shrigley Abduction.
Acknowledgements | Your historic documents
