A ‘Chapel of Ease’ was constructed at Billinge on the site of the present church, around 1534.
There is a record of James Roby, a churchwarden at St Aidan’s Billinge, wrongfully detaining £7 from
money collected from the worshipers in 1539. There is a recording of Lawrence Roby of Billinge
marrying Ann Wilson of Winstanley 3rd February 1698 in the registry of St. Thomas at UpHolland.
The earliest reference to a Roby in the surviving registry of Billinge Church is of Catran Roby,
who died 2nd November 1702. The next mention of a Roby in the St Aidan’s registry is of James, son of
John, born 29th November 1705, no other record pertaining to this John Roby other than a Margaret,
buried 13th April 1733, whose parent is recorded as John Roby, and the death of a John Roby buried
5th September 1749, which is probably him. Margaret may have been James’ sister. John, the father,
would have had brothers and sisters - single child families were most uncommon in those days. There’s
a record of another John Roby, the son of Michael, born 1st January 1721. and he is most probably
John’s brother. There are records of a Francis Roby, whose wife, Mary, had at least four children
between 1720 and 1728. These dates suggest that Francis, John & Michael were brothers. Francis is
recorded as buried 10th November 1728 and his profession is given as nailer. The making of nails, a
trade long practised in Billinge, would for years be a source of Roby income.
Henry, the son of Jane Roby was born 18th February 1738. Maybe Jane was another sister of James.
Two years later, 5th July 1740, Richard Roby, described as a husband, was buried. His wife is a mystery,
but he could also have been a brother to James or indeed to James’ father, John. What is almost for
certain is that Roby children, born in Longshaw, would all be descendants of the same family.
Two years after the Battle of Culloden and the end of Bonnie Price Charlie’s aspirations to the throne,
Rachel, the daughter of John and Ellen Roby, was baptised 14th October 1748 at St Aidan’s. This
John Roby must be the John Roby born 1st January 1721, the son of Michael. He probably married Ellen
around 1748 because Rachel is the first child recorded to these parents. There were others. Jane was
baptised 13th May 1750. Michael is recorded 19th April 1752, John 30th October 1757, James 17th
November 1754, Betty 12th February 1764. The third recorded child. There were other Roby children
baptised at St Aidan’s shortly afterwards but these are the children of Henry and Elizabeth, Betty and
Peter and Peggy. On the thirteenth day of July 1783 Ann Roby gave birth to a son, shortly to be
christened Henry. Her husband was Michael Roby. They had at least two other children, Betty born 6th
March 1786 and Anne born 21st December 1788. Michael is recorded as being witness of at least eight
weddings between 1793 and 1799. There is a record of a Michael Roby buried at St. Aiden’s 20th
December 1875 aged 86, which may have been another of their children. Henry, however, married Ann,
a weaver born 21st September 1783. Their family included sons Darius, born 3rd September 1820, and
Michael, born 10th November 1822 and at least one other child, a girl, Mary Ann, born 9th September
1826. From these two sons an explosion of Robys occurred in Longshaw.

Henry carried on the connection to St. Aidan’s as he starts to appear in the registry as a regular
witness at weddings from 1800. He died blind on 17th October 1866 aged 83. In the 1841 census he is
living with his wife, Ann, both aged 55, Darius, 20, Michael, 15 and Ann 14. In 1851 he was still
living with his wife, Ann, in Longshaw. They were both aged 67 at that time.
There were only two girls named Ann recorded as born the same year as Henry; Ann, daughter of Edmund
and Ann Wilson, and Ann, daughter of John and Hester Waterworth. As the name Hester does not appear
in successive generations it is more probable that Ann Wilson was Henry’s wife. In 1851 the children
recorded as living with their parents are Darius and his wife Sarah aged 30 and 29 respectively,
Michael and his wife Elizabeth aged 25 and 25, Ann, a granddaughter aged 2, Thomas a grandson aged 10
months and Thomas, a lodger, aged 69. This lodger, Thomas, may have been Henry’s elder brother. Ann
did not survive the next ten years. Her son Darius must have remarried between 1851 and 1861.

The 1861 census shows as follows - Longshaw Village.
I think that Darius and family were living at 6 Park Road because when his son Henry
married Sarah Rigby 11th June 1894, the address given is 6 Park Road.
This was Henry’s second marriage, he first being to Jane Ann Anderton 23rd April 1888.

Darius Roby aged 40 (can't read occupation) born Winstanley.
Maria Roby, wife aged 32 born Billinge (died 28th April 1873, aged 44).
Ann Roby aged 12, daughter, nail maker born Windle.
Michael Roby aged 9 son, flag quarry, born Billinge.
Rachel Roby daughter aged 4, born Billinge.
Henry Roby son aged 1, born Billinge.

Henry Roby, father, widowed, aged 77, formerly farm labourer, born Billinge, Blind. When Henry died
17th October 1866 at the age of 83 he’d outlived his son Darius, who died 8th August 1865 aged 44, by
just over one year. I think that Darius and family were living at 6 Park Road because when his son
Henry married Sarah Rigby 11th June 1894, the address given is 6 Park Road. This was Henry’s second
marriage, the first being to Jane Ann Anderton 23rd April 1888.

The same1861 census for Longshaw village shows.
Michael Roby aged 38, stone mason, born Billinge.
Elizabeth Roby aged 35 wife, born Billinge.
Thomas Roby aged 10, stone quarry, born Billinge.
James Roby aged 7, scholar born Billinge.
Ann Roby aged 5, scholar born Billinge.
John Roby aged 1 born Billinge (25/9/1859).

The 1871 Census Longshaw village shows.
Michael Roby aged 48, stone mason, born Billinge.
Elizabeth Roby aged 45, born Billinge.
Thomas aged 20, a miner, born Billinge.
James aged 17, a miner, born Billinge.
Ann aged 15, a factory cleaner, born Billinge.
John aged 11 nail-maker, born Billinge (25/9/1859).
Mary aged 9, born Billinge (15/9/1864).
Richard aged 7, born Billinge (17/1/1866).
Edward aged 7, born Billinge (17/1/1866).

Thomas is the first Roby mentioned as being a miner. In the 1861 census he is listed as a ten-year-old,
working at the stone quarry. Ten years later he is working down the pit. The record shows that he died
2nd February 1877 aged 26. It’s almost certain he was killed at work; mining was a dangerous occupation.
Thomas didn’t die without issue however. He married Elizabeth Barker 21st October 1873. His two sons
were William, 6th January 1874, and Alfred, 12th January 1876. William died at the age of four, 2nd
October 1878. Alfred married Eva Emily Collard, 6th October 1900 and they raised five children; Elizabeth,
Thomas, Amelia, Ellen and Alfred. The second child, Thomas, named for his grandfather, was the father of
Keith Roby.
At the Bolton football disaster, March 9th 1946, a barrier collapsed, causing thirty-three deaths and
over five hundred injuries. Among the dead were Tom Roby and his son Richard. Tom was the son of James,
the second of Michael and Elizabeth’s sons. James married a girl called Jane, sometime around 1876.
James was a collier. His wife Jane gave birth to at least three boys and two girls. The third child,
Thomas, married Ellen Chorlton 29th August 1908 and served on active duty in the First World War.
John Roby was to follow his elder brothers, Thomas and James, down the pit. John died 5th May 1908
at the age of 48.

The 1881 census shows Elizabeth Roby as a widow 56, living in Longshaw, with John 21, Richard &
Edward 17. All three boys are miners, as Thomas, the eldest brother, had been before his death.
Elizabeth’s husband, Michael, died 13th March 1875, at the age of fifty-two. James was working down
the pit, married with two children by that time. Ann must have married or was living at another address.
Darius’ eldest son, Michael, also married a girl called Elizabeth. Their first child, Joseph, 8th August
1871, must have died young because they named their second son Joseph also. He was born 27th April 1878.

In 1891 census shows John Roby 31, Mary Elizabeth Roby (nee Ratcliffe) 19 and daughter Ann 7 months.
Mary Elizabeth Ratcliff was born 11th June 1871. Ann was the first of at least five children. She was
born 18th August 1890. The second child was James, born 16th July 1891. The other children were Emily,
born 1st April 1893, Michael born 25th October 1894 and John born 4th October 1908. All these children
were born at 4 Park Rd. John, like his brother Richard, died from a lung disease, five months before
the birth of John, the child named after him.