Two weddings in Marple - 5 Wedding list finally complete

Monday Jan 15

Hollins House

I had a long discussion with Thomas about the wedding. He has decided that he will invite three units of his Union Army to come (I think there are 20 in each unit) - and then they will parade up and down the town afterwards. He says it will be good publicity for the group. When I mentioned that it was planned for a Thursday, and they would be at work that day, he declared that he would give the whole plant a holiday. He says he will announce it on Monday. I suppose we will have to invite their wives too, but perhaps we could get by with just inviting them to the reception, and not the wedding itself. I won't put them down on my list just yet.

I don't know. He thinks more of the Union Hall and his Army than he does of his own family. No need to worry about what he will wear - it will be his General's uniform with the gold braid. Not that I don't think he looks very smart in it, but the whole thing does seem a bit of an obsession.

Mary knows more about their honeymoon. Frank has booked them in at the Aster House Hotel in Shanghai.(pictured above)

It apparently has the latest modern conveniences, including electric lights. When Shanghai lit its first fifteen electric street lamps a few months ago, seven were installed in the Astor House Hotel, making it the first building in China to be lit by electricity. They also are the first city in China to provide piped water to its residents. We will be lucky around here if just Marple Hall has its own piped water. Mary says the accommodation will cost $3 a night.

They are hoping that they will be there when a circus is on. Last year, the Astor House hosted the first Western circus in China, and it really is very like the best of American cities in the things it offers its guests.

We can now be more precise on the wedding invitation list, now we have the date and the venue for the wedding and the reception.

Here are some more for my list, which is already at 60.

Kate Armitage and her parents, William and Mary, and also, we should invite her brother, Joseph. Kate is engaged to our son Oswald, and they will marry next year, if all goes well. Her father is a cotton merchant. They have the most wonderful house in Altrincham called Townfield House. We've been to dinner with them.

And I suppose it would be polite to include Ernest's friend Frances Devereaux Greaves and her family. I think they anticipate getting married too. They are from Chapel en le Frith. Her parents are Henry and Mary and she has a brother called William and a sister called Mary Catherine.

That makes another 9 - bringing it to 69.

And here is a list of neighbours and friends to include:

Henry and Charlotte Slater from Ley Hey Oakley.

Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, from Springfield House, although she is so old and feeble, she may not want to come. But we must include her son, Robert Jones, who is a Manilla Merchant and good contact, and we can hardly invite him without including her.

I suppose we must invite the other mill owners from Marple. William Turner, for instance from the Shepley Mill and Wright and Honor Bowers, who manage one of the cotton mills, I forget which one. He has six children I think. I expect we will need to find out their names.

And the Brocklehursts from the Lime Works. I think Gerald, John and James should all be invited.

William and Eliza Osbaldiston from the Aquaduct should be invited too. He is the manager of the sizeworks and we deal with him a lot. I believe they have a stepson living with them, and their own son Robert is working at Ley Hey Farm at the moment.

And then Thomas Johnson from the Hollies, who is a solicitor. His brother Charles has just qualified as well, and their mother, Sarah must be included. They live at the Hollies.

Then there is Doctor James Bailey from Hill Crest, off Church Lane.

That makes roughly another 20 in that category.

John Sherratt can drive the coach to the church and reception. He and his wife Elizabeth live at the Lodge. I expect she will help with serving the refreshments at the tea.

William and Margaret Walmsley must be included. He is our main cashier at the mill. And I expect we should mention their children in the invitation too, Margaret is 13, but the other children are really too young.

Mary was insistent that we include Eleanor Horridge, our old nanny. I am sure she will help with the tea as well, as she has been very useful to me in my get-togethers with the workers' wives. That makes another 6.

Then from the women that I know through the Women's Institute - whose husbands work at the Mill, who will help with the tea and refreshments at the Union Hall. It would be nice to invite them to the wedding as well.

Mary and Betty Higgenbotham and Mary and John Bowden, both live on Hollins Lane.

Elizabeth and Reuben Fielding , from Ley Hey Farm, their daughter Fanny, and Robert Osbaldiston, who helps on the farm, as we have already decided to invite his parents.

Mrs. McCabe - that widow from Portugal, with has boarding with her Mr. Irving, who is a chemical merchant. They are on Station Road.

William and Sarah Turne

William and Margaret Walmsle

John and Jane Higginbotham 

Robert and Hannah Bennett (He's the grocer from the Coop.)

Henry Wild and his wife  

William says we must invite the Overlookers and their wives.

William and Margaret Austin  

Arthur Bancroft

Thomas and Eliza Getliffe  

Joshua and Sarah Graham

Thomas and Mary Hambleton

Henry and Sarah Wild

That makes another 57 but I will have to check with William that that includes all his band members. I'm sure there will be some that I have left out. We are getting pretty close to that 200 maximum number that we were working on. But hopefully, many of those invited will not be able to come, especially with it being on a Thursday.

We must inform the policeman, Mr. Evan Jones, I think he is called. He needn't be invited as such, but it would be good if he could keep an eye on the proceedings, as we are having so many of the workers around. Some of them drink far to excess, despite them knowing our disregard for anyone who does that. I hope the nice police sergeant Neal is around, but I have heard he is not very well lately. Depression, I think it is.

On a happy note, we have just heard that Prince Arthur was born on 13 January at   Winsdsor Castle. His father is Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, third son of Queen Victoria and Price Albert. His mother is Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia.  .