One lucky resident, who will probably feature in a number of these posts, is Charles Patrick. Lucky or shrewd, you decide!

Patrick was born in Edmonton, Middlesex to a pretty well off middle class family. He rapidly disappears from the UK records and pops up in Canada, occupation as yet unknown (though I haven't looked hard!). He was found though as a volunteer in the Canadian mounted reserves which he later milked as constituting 'considerable active service abroad'. Mmm.

By 1855 he has popped up in Rochdale, Lancashire, as sub-inspector of factories. At this point he marries Mary Ann Ashworth, the spinster daughter of a local colliery owner and his main heiress. He moves into the house she inherited from her father and set about extending it. He also extended the staff, to a single female domestic servant were rapidly added a gardener, a groom and two further domestic servants. Have to keep up appearances, you know…

All the evidence is that they had a happy marriage. There was no issue, which is scarcely surprising since Mary Ann was in her mid 50s at the time of her marriage.