A man who was to be an integral part of Mountsorrel life in the late 19th and early 20th century, William Harrington, was born in 1846 in Melton Mowbray. The woman who was subsequently to be his wife and bear his many children, Mary Ann Louth Allam was born in Market Deeping in 1848.
William and Mary Ann were married in June 1869 in Barrow on Soar and in 1871 were registered as living in Queniborough; eventually moving to Mountsorrel once William had taken a position as clerk with the Mountsorrel Granite Company.
By 1891 William Harrington was employed as the Commercial Clerk responsible for all outside sales of Mountsorrel’s quarried stone countrywide. This was a ‘golden period’ for the quarry business as business boomed in Victorian Britain.
Along the way William and Mary had 14 children, George Allam, (grandfather of Norman Harrington of Rothley) prospective Liberal Candidate for Parliament in the 1930’s who sadly died before the General Election, Mary Eleanor, Edith Rebecca, Frederick, Francis Lucy, Charles Harrington who married Ellen Preston in 1895 thus connecting with another interesting Mountsorrel family, Gertrude May, Arthur who sadly died at the age of 3 years, Edwin, Frank, Herbert, Alec, Mabel Elsie and finally Winifred in December 1893. Twelve children survived, all having successful lives.
During William’s life in Mountsorrel he was an active member of the Baptist Church and Temperance Society; and with his background as a member of the Mountsorrel Granite Company’s senior staff he was a natural choice to become Secretary of the Baptist Church, a position he held for 45 years.
His son Charles became Secretary of the fund-raising group of people who wanted to build a Temperance Hall for the village; this building was completed and opened in 1899 with donations from all over the country. A list of all the people who supported this project along with donations is in the Mountsorrel Archive in a handwritten document audited by Charles Harrington.
The next task that William, together with his family and friends, was involved in was to raise funds for the purchase of an organ for the Baptist Church. They organised a Sale of Work in the new Temperance Hall on the 26th and 27th of December 1900. A programme for this event listing all stalls and people helping on the stalls together with a list of shops and businesses who supported this event is also held in the Mountsorrel Archive.
William was employed at the Mountsorrel Granite Company for 51 years and was also a Director of the Quorn Gas Company for many years
The Harrington family home was on what is now called the Loughborough Road in the largest house in the block of Roecliffe Cottages
In 1905 Charles Harrington as mentioned earlier married Ellen Preston, daughter of Benjamin Preston who ran a grocers shop on Main Street Mountsorrel for many years.
Charles and Ellen set up home at Dolce Donum Villa, a house on the corner of Danvers Road and Rothley Road.
Charles took over as Commercial Clerk at the Mountsorrel Granite Company from his father, William, who in the meantime had moved from Roecliffe Cottages to Temperance Villa on Rothley Road (now on the corner of Rockhill Drive and Rothley Road, and currently occupied by an accountancy company).
In the 1911 Census William is listed as retired with his wife Mary and daughters Edith and Mabel all alive and well.
In 1912 Charles and Ellen together with their two daughters Olive and Jessie moved to a new house in 23 Halstead Road named The Homestead’. The house is still there opposite Linden Grove. In the Mountsorrel Archive we have several photographs of the family in the gardens.
Mary Harrington, Williams wife died on March 9th 1915 whilst living at Temperance Villa at the age of 67 years. William and his two daughters remained there until his death on November 3rd 1917. His death notice in The Loughborough Monitor dated 15th November 1917 as well as listing 13 family mourners also listed notables Lieut. Col. R. E Martin, Major C. H. Martin, Drs Strachan and Skipworth, members of the office staff, Messrs A & C Wilson, Brooks and Miss Heggs representing the Baptist Chapel and Sunday School plus representatives from the Wesleyan Chapel, Quorn Gas Co and the Thornton & Hickling Charity. The Mountsorrel Quarry was closed for an hour so the workmen could pay their respects. The death notice is also in the Mountsorrel Archive. William and Mary were interred in Mountsorrel Cemetery. The headstones are located to the left of the Cemetery Chapel.
Charles, still employed at the Mountsorrel Quarry until his retirement, and his family remained at The Homestead’. On his death on 13th March 1948 the continuous link from 1870 between the Harrington family and the Mountsorrel Quarry was severed. His wife Ellen died in 1953 and they were both interred in Mountsorrel Cemetery.
The two daughters Olive and Jessie who were both teachers remained at The Homestead until August 1973 and then moved to Windmill Rise in Woodhouse Eaves. Jessie died in 1976 leaving Olive on her own until her demise in the early 1980’s.
There are a series of letters written by Olive Harrington to her relatives in Canada in the 1960’s and 1970’s which are held in the Mountsorrel Archive.
Was particularly interested in the Harrington Family item. Within the article it mentioned the Temperance Hall and its origins and a document of subscribers. Where do I find this? Please.
I remember Miss Harrington, whom we nicknamed Kipper Feet as she walked with her feet pointing out. She taught at Leeds Girls’ High School, art. She was quite strict and always insisted on us having a paint rag. Low betide anyone who did not. She was always keen that her artroom was clean and tidy. She was a very tall lady with her hair curled up. Not sure if it was long or not.