52 residents #34 John Piccoppe

We have met John Piccoppe before in this series. In week 22 I considered the speculation that Johannes Kippax resigned his living in 1662 to lead the dissenting congregation in Rossendale.
John Piccoppe owned the barn in which this congregation was granted a licence to meet in 1672.

It was probably, but not absolutely certainly, the barn at Lodge Fold Farm which stood in the centre of Higher Cloughfold on the southern boundary of Springhill. Lodge Fold Farm was built in 1629 and rebuilt in 1854.

lodge fold farm 2

It stood until 1936 when it was sadly demolished for road widening, being replaced by a grassed area, a bus stop and a set of public toilets. Given the speeds at which cars traverse the village, many wished it had been retained for traffic calming…

lodge fold datestone

The 1629 datestone was removed when the farm was demolished and set in a 'history wall' in the grounds of Whitaker Museum in Rawtenstall, from which it was removed one night with the 'assistance' of a JCB. It was the only stone taken.

So much for the barn, what of the man?

John Piccop of Deadwenclough received wages in 1672 'for the graveship of the Forest of Rossendale' from John Ormerod
(LRO NCHa/71/2. Quite why they are filed with the records of the National Coal Board I'm not sure…it is under 'Miscellaneous'…) This is not on the list of Greaves in Newbigging's 'History of the Forest of Rossendale'.

John s James Piccop was baptised May 1630 Newchurch St Nicholas (LDS Film 1040340) This John would be age 42 in 1672 so plausible, indeed he is the only plausible candidate baptised at Newchurch. However there is no guarantee he was baptised there or, given his later nonconformist sympathies, baptised at all.

Putative marriages, all St Nicholas:
Elizabeth Mills 22 Nov 1663 (bur 30 Jan 1668/9)
Dorothy Hamar 8 Jul 1669 (bur 9 Jul 1680)
Alice Whittaker 19 April 1676 (poss bur 6 Oct 1688 abode 'Wainyate', or 11 June 1680)
Jana Heyworth 5 Nov 1671
Alice of Wainyate is an interesting candidate given his interests in the area.

Johannes Piccop bur 20 Jun 1691 St Nicholas, abode Dewinclough. Sion was still meeting in private property and didn't have a graveyard at that time. He is not listed in the register of interments for the Rossendale
Quaker burial grounds. Again, these are speculative.

So actual facts are scanty. However, if he was the Greave in 1672, we may have his
signature

receipt John Piccop scan



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