Descendants of the Turnbull family of Sparrow Hill, Coleford (General)

by rookancestrybest , United Kingdom, Monday, September 17, 2018, 14:15 (2266 days ago) @ Jefff

I am sure I have the right Turnbulls as it appears the two children's graves are/were next to each other.

My great, great grandfather, Thomas Rook was transferred by Mr Mushet along with five others in about 1879. I know he was in Sheffield in December 1879 but that his family came to join him after that date, probably some time in early 1880. He was 61 at the time so it must have been a big thing to be uprooted at that age. He had small children as he married late in life. He died in 1883 not long after they got here. Thomas Rook was the son of another Thomas Rook who was also a blacksmith and who worked in the Forest of Dean all his life.

I need to check which Mushet but a Mr Mushet who he worked for in Coleford developed an enterprise with Samuel Osborn in Sheffield for making crucible steel, a very significant part of Sheffield's history. This was why they were transferred. The names of the other men I found in a book, written by a member of the Osborn family: Fred Osborn called: The Story of the Mushets, which was published in 1952. The names cited were:
George Hancox,
George Tomlinson,
William Phelps,
Tom Brookfield,
Louis Joseph Turton,
On page 34 of the book it states: "It was necessary to have a competent smith to make tools. A man named Rook was such a blacksmith and well able to make the hammers and chisels required for topping and dressing ingots." -I spent time reading this book in Sheffield Archives.

My family stayed in Sheffield. Thomas Rook's son, born in the Forest of Dean, also went on to work for Osborn Mushet (later it was called Samuel Osborn's) and worked there for the whole of his working life. I also have, in my possession, an invitation to the wedding of a member of the Osborn family, so it does appear that my family was held in high esteem by the firm.

The firm went on to produce steel for many decades but sadly closed a few years ago. Part of the building is still there though used for other purposes now. I think Osborn Mushet had more than one works but the one where my family worked was the one on Rutland Road, Sheffield,3. Which is very close to Kelham Island where there is a museum about Sheffield's steel industry. There is a road quite a distance from there but in another steel making part of Sheffield (Sheffield 9) called Coleford Road which I assume probably got this name due to the Mushet Osborn link but I have not yet managed to find out if this assumption is correct.