Thierens Grave - A History
Recently, the Team did some work on the Thierens grave - one of the vaults located in the Chantry. Pictures of before and after will be shown on a separate post.
We are lucky to have a history of the people interred which was shared by Christine O'Neill who has researched the family as part of her family history. We are very grateful to Christine for sharing her work and allowing it to be posted here on our website.
The burial place numbered as 630 on the site plan of Windleshaw Chantry is a vault. Six persons are named on the headstone and another name is inscribed on a border stone above the floor stone marked ENTRANCE.
This grave is the burial place of people from two families – the GLOVER and THIERENS families linked by a marriage of two of the named people. However the story behind these families came to light over recognition of the name and date of death of JOSEPH THIERENS and its link to a house sale in 2017.
JOSEPH is the last name on the gravestone and in 1924 he lived in Windle Street with his son Joseph Glover Thierens and family, but purchased a plot of land to build a house on Hartington Road, Dentons Green. He named the house ELVERSELE, which is the name of a village alongside the R. Durme, which flows into the R. Scheldt and on into Antwerp.This along with his name gave a clue to his possible ancestral heritage. His occupation is listed on various Census Returns and travel documents as a Corn Merchant and he had been a widower since 1896. JOSEPH died at Hartington Rd on 10.07.1945 and the house was bought by James Henshall, a local Haulage Contractor.James Henshall then sold the house in 1962 to Dr J O'Neill and it remained the family home until it was sold in 2017. The details of the house deeds were recorded at this time and some initial research on JOSEPH THIERENS was started in 2017, but it wasn't until a visit to the Chantry cemetery in MARCH 2021, when researching other family graves, that the name Joseph Thierens was noticed and sounded familiar – and here is the story.
MARY GLOVER is the first name inscribed and she was a Spinster, born around 1804 in the township of Parr. She died in 1877 aged 73 years. Her place of death in Probate documents is given as Whitby. In the 1841 – 1871 Census returns she is listed as a Grocer/Tea Dealer and had various shops over this time at addresses in Parr. Mary had a brother Joseph Glover, born 1810, who was a Rates Collector for the city of Liverpool and is mentioned in 1851 Census for Field St Everton as husband of Ann Glover, but visiting his sister Mary in Parr. He is listed on the 1851 returns as a visitor to his sister at her shop in Pocket Nook, Parr.Joseph Glover married Ann Pearson on 24.04.1839 at St Peter's Priory, Liverpool and they had 3 children who survived into adulthood. Joseph and Ann are mentioned on the gravestone.Their 3 children, named below, are buried in the vault.
* JAMES GLOVER – b.01.11.1840 Liverpool – d.1918, Horsforth, Leeds. Age 77. RC Priest whose inscription is on the long side border stone.
ELIZABETH MARGARET GLOVER – b. 13.02.1845 Liverpool – d. 08.10.1923 St Helens, age 78
FRANCES MARY GLOVER – b. Jan 1858 Liverpool – d. 23.10.1896 Burscough
When MARY GLOVER died in 1877 she left her property to her nephew Fr James Glover and niece Elizabeth Margaret Glover.
FRANCES MARY GLOVER is the second name on the gravestone and she married JOSEPH THIERENS in 1888.
Joseph and Ann Glover lived in Liverpool for 1841/1851/1861 Census but research on them is incomplete at present for 1871 Census and dates of death. Joseph's sister MARY GLOVER's Probate details namedElizabeth Margaret Glover living at 9 Sackville Street Liverpool in 1877. However in 1881 Census for Square Lane, Lathom, Ann Glover is listed as a widow with 2 daughters – ELIZABETH and FRANCES. Here is where the two families are linked and are listed on the same page at Lathom in this 1881 Census
JOSEPH THIERENS was the 4th child of at least 10 surviving children of Cornelius Thierens b. Belgium and Catherine McColl b. Scotland. Cornelius and Catherine were married in Patrington, N. Yorkshire in 1854 but had moved to Lathom before Joseph was born around 1860. In 1861 and 1871 Census at Flax Lane Lathom, Cornelius is listed as a Flax Draper. In 1891 Census he is a Provision Dealer, and now a British Subject at Square Lane, Lathom.
They were neighbours and JOSEPH THIERENS married FRANCES MARY Glover in 1888. They had 3 children – Joseph Glover Thierens b. 1889 Burscough, James Pearson Thierens b. 1890 Burscough and OSWALD AUSTIN THIERENSb. April 1896 d. 1909. Their son OSWALD is the third name on the gravestone.
The next name is ELIZABETH MARGARET (BETTY) who was the daughter of Joseph Glover Thierens and Louisa (Boardman). She died at Windle Street aged 3 in 1922.
The fifth name is ELIZABETH MARGARET GLOVER who died in 1923. She is described on the headstone as devoted sister of Frances Mary (Thierens) and in 1911 Census she was head of household at Cowley Mount, Cowley Hill Lane along with her brother in law Joseph and his surviving two sons. The Census details give the house as having 10 rooms and there are 2 female servants.
The final name is Joseph Thierens, whose details are at the beginning of this story.
*There is a further inscription for Fr James Glover on a side stone.
"The Right Rev. James Glover, son of Joseph and Ann Glover. Domestic Prelate of His Holiness Benedict XV. Provost of the Jesuit chapter. Ordained Priest 27.08.1865
After a life of varied activity for the Church, in spite of many years of suffering borne with good cheer and fortitude, he died 16.03.1918"
Census details for 1871 show him as a boarder, age 30, in Harrogate with a Church benefactor, as he was working to start a Mission. The Church was opened in 1873. In 1875 he was appointed to St Patrick's Leeds. In 1881 he is listed at Bingley Rd Presbytery age 40. In 1891 he is listed at Shorham Street Presbytery, central Sheffield, age 50.In 1901 census he is listed at The Manse presbytery, Ackworth Grange, Yorkshire, age 60.He was appointed Provost of the Diocesan Chapter and died at Horsforth, Leeds age 77.