My great-great grandfather Joseph Blenkinsop 1807-1864 lived at Bute Hall with his wife Agness nee Matthewson 1811-1903. I would be very interested to know some further information about them and the link with the Methodists. My grandfather who was born in 1888 was a methodist all his life.

Sorry Joan, we don't have any information about your relatives. Perhaps someone can help?

I, too, am a gt, gt, grandchild of Joseph and Agnes through the line of their son Thomas. I know very little about them, but a fair bit about the family. One of your relatives, Joseph B Audas, put together the first Blenkinsop-related family tree in 1952, for, I believe, the Golden Wedding celebrations of Laura Blenkinsop, (Joseph and Agnes's granddaughter) and Eric Muhr. He is down as living in Bebington, Wirral. I have lived in the Wirral for 31 years and have been trying to track down my Blenkinsop contacts with little success.

I have a photo of Thomas who died young in his 50s and of Agnes, as an old lady. My mother Marjorie Raine who also died young was named Marjorie Matthewson after after Agnes.

The Family's involvement with Methodism continued. Thomas and others were the founders of one of the Methodist Churches in Hartlepool and I am fairly sure he was a local preacher. I have a copy of a document from 1989/90 detailing the Preachers' Plan for the Methodist New Connection churches' Hartlepool Circuit. Thomas is down as one of the preachers. So, to, is George Raine, whose son, also George, married one of Thomas' daughters and founded my line!

Ironically Marjorie's brother George Raine spent some time living in Marley Hill the 1950s, he worked at the radio station. His children, my cousins John and Judy, must have attended the local school.

Would love to make contact.

best wishes,

Gill Jackson