1 August 26
The Blackburn Side
The piece I wrote on rhoticity in the northwest of England has had me pondering a bit about my father’s origins, origins he was so eager to leave behind. His father and grandfather were freemasons, which I imagine isn’t especially high among the reasons he wanted to leave (the weather, narrow-mindedness and lack of modern conveniences such as showers and central heating were certainly much higher on the list), but he was well educated in this old mill town and to his death he loved Blackburn Rovers, living to see them become Premier League champions in 1995.
Over the next few days I’m going to be focusing on his family of origin. What was life in this bleak town like in 1931, the date on this certificate? What was life like for my grandmother, who I last saw in the Blackburn Royal Infirmary in Blackburn in 1965? And how does the city make its way now, in the post-cotton mill era?
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