Sir William Turner was a very succesful Blackburn mill owner who lived at Shrigley Hall. 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 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.
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
