Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Ok? I have a problem with "Molly Bushell" the Everton Toffee lady. Now according to folklore Molly Bushell started the Everton Toffee sweet in 1771. She was alleged to have died in 1818 and was buried in Walton on the Hill. Her husband was supposed to have been a James Bushell. Well the only Bushell buried in 1818 at St. Mary's was a Mary Bushell, wife of James Bushell and she was aged 36. The earliest reference to Everton toffee appears in the 1810 Gores for a Mary Cooper, 1, Brow Side Everton. In 1860 notices appeared in the Liverpool Mercury from descendants of the Coopers stating they are the original Everton Toffee lot. Meanwhile we have a W. H. Wignall who states he is the grandson of Molly Bushell and he was in Business in London Road. Confused? I am. I have done the google on Everton toffee. Any one want to take up the quest and sort out the Coopers and the Bushell's.

What I would like is to see what is the Bushell Connection?

The burial of 1818, Walton on the Hill,

Mary Bushell, aged 36, wife of James Bushell, Currier, 15Feb, 1818.

James Bushell, Currier, married Mary Harrison, 1803, St Thomas, Liverpool.

The Parkgate fisherman mentioned in the Mersey Times, http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/mollybushell.html


James Bushell, bn 1812, married Elizabeth Peers, 1838, St Nicholas, Liverpool,
Father, James Bushell, Currier.

?
Burial at Walton on the Hill, 4 June 1818

Mary Bushell, Everton, bn 1736, 82 years old.

http://www.toffeetalk.com/index.php?/to ... -nickname/


Copied from link,



MOLLY BUSHELL OF EVERTON (1746 - 1818)

Molly was born in Everon, in 1746, daughter of John Johnson and Anne Cooper and was baptized in April of that year in Walton Parish Church. She married James Bushell in 1761 when she was only fifteen or sixteen years of age, and they made their home in the cottage in which she had been born. Despite her youth, her diligence and care of her family was noticed with admiration by a local doctor.

When he was attending her family professionally, he was further struck with her industry and her way of making slender means go a long way in the rearing of her family and that she was barely rewarded with a sufficiency. He gave her a recipe for a soothing toffee for the children and suggested that she make larger quantities which she could sell. The kindly doctor recommended the toffee to his patients as a cure for sore throats but the public soon found it out and voted it a very good sweet for those well in health!

Molly then, at the open air oven behind the cottage (which was discovered when the cottage was demolished), alone, and in secret, commenced to practice the Art of Toffee Making. Residents from bordering villages began to arrive and take back with them a packet of Everton Toffee and Molly's business flourished. As time went on there was not sufficient space in her premises and she moved across the road to a larger place and there continued the manufacture and sale of her toffee.

The fame of Molly Busshell's Everton Toffee spread and it became fashionable for people from greater distances to drive to Everton in their carriages to sample and take home this sweetmeat. Everton, in the late 1700's was a beautiful and picturesque district, as we can imagine it could be from its situation on the slope of a steep hill with the River Mersey at its base and with the extensive views of the Welsh mountains. So the tourists not only took back the confectionaery but also the memory of a very pleasand district that they had never heard of before, and EVERTON was 'Put on the Map'.

After twenty years hard work, first alone, then with the help of her daughter, Esther Bushell, Molly enlisted the extra help of a cousin, Mrs. Sarah Cooper, in the 1780's, and they worked happily together for a further thirty years. In the time Molly Bushell's daughter, Esther, had married but had returned to continue helping her mother. In fact, she took over the business legally, though being a married woman, it had to be in the name of her husband, ROBERT SANDIFORD.

Likewise, Sarah Cooper's son had married Mary Atherton in 1811.

* * * * * * * * * *





Molly Bushell's Original Toffee Shop, Everton A.D. 1758.

Then, in their old age, Molly Bushell and cousin, Sarah Cooper, parted company, for Sarah joined her new daughter-in-law, MARY COOPER, in setting up a similar toffee business at No.1 BROWSIDE, a charming little shop which was much admired by artists. MARY COOPER ran it until her death in 1867. In 1884 it was demolished by the Improvement Committee.

In the 1830's Mary Cooper's daughter, (Sarah's granddaughter) CHARLOTTE COOPER, had married a Robert Sampson and she opened a third toffee shop in Everton at NETHERFIELD ROAD.

Kathy and I were talking about this after the Help Desk yesterday afternoon, we said you'd enjoy getting your teeth into it, but so speedy Bert!!

Everything seems to explain the mixes of the names, and the mention of Ormskirk gingerbread certainly brought back memories, mum used to take us on the bus in the 1960's on a Thursday when it was market day and always brought some of it home, I never knew it was made by the same family.

Bertieone wrote:The burial of 1818, Walton on the Hill,

Mary Bushell, aged 36, wife of James Bushell, Currier, 15Feb, 1818.

Bertieone wrote: ?
Burial at Walton on the Hill, 4 June 1818

Mary Bushell, Everton, bn 1736, 82 years old.

Seems to confirm that there were two burials that year, where did you find the second entry please Bert? I have copies of the MI's for the graveyard but neither seem to be mentioned in it.

Quote: "we said you'd enjoy getting your teeth into it"

Just right for a toffee topic!
D

daggers wrote: Just right for a toffee topic!
D

That's a groaner!

MaryA wrote:Kathy and I were talking about this after the Help Desk yesterday afternoon, we said you'd enjoy getting your teeth into it, but so speedy Bert!!

Everything seems to explain the mixes of the names, and the mention of Ormskirk gingerbread certainly brought back memories, mum used to take us on the bus in the 1960's on a Thursday when it was market day and always brought some of it home, I never knew it was made by the same family.

Bertieone wrote:The burial of 1818, Walton on the Hill,

Mary Bushell, aged 36, wife of James Bushell, Currier, 15Feb, 1818.

Bertieone wrote: ?
Burial at Walton on the Hill, 4 June 1818

Mary Bushell, Everton, bn 1736, 82 years old.

Seems to confirm that there were two burials that year, where did you find the second entry please Bert? I have copies of the MI's for the graveyard but neither seem to be mentioned in it.

Bishops Transcripts,
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... &ml_rpos=1

No excuse now, make your own.

Bertieone wrote: Bishops Transcripts,
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss ... &ml_rpos=1

Thank you

Found a sugar free recipe by any chance ?

I was quite excited to read the posts on Molly Bushell/Everton Toffee. My Auntie Kath (known well to Katie and Mary ) has always maintained that my grandmother, Sarah Francis, nee SANDIFORD, was adamant the family were the real originators of Everton Toffee. I have a large folder of newspaper articles from the Porcupine and other publications relating to the history of the toffee, unfortunately, as several subscribers to this forum know, I'm recovering from fairly major surgery on my foot and am confined to a wheelchair and banned from using the stairs, you've guessed it, the folder is in the attic so that will have to wait until I've recovered. At least I can use my enforced confinement to the house to pursue the family connections and maybe tie in the COOPER branch as well, watch this space !!!

Interesting stuff and complicated by the different shops.


Blue

We all wish you a speedy recovery Joe, not least of all so that you can get up to the attic to retrieve your research and update this post for us.

Love also to Auntie Kath who has been adopted by us

I have come across newspaper articles which mention Sandiford. According to some newspaper articles Molly Bushell had a headstone I will have to look at monumental Inscription for Walton Church. According to other reports Molly was supposed to have left a will. Their is a will for a Margaret Bushell. 1819 might be worth checking that.

Aaaaahhhh "Toffee"

Hello everyone.... I found this thread due to my investigation regarding Molly Bushell.

My surname is Bradley, and over the years I had heard that there was an ancestor who was known for a candy or a popular sweet shop in Liverpool. Last night I discovered my great grandfather's marriage announcement "BRADLEY / SMITH, Jan 10th St. Peter's Everton, John BRADLEY Jnr, great grandson of Molly BRUSHELL, to Miss Mary Alice SMITH, both of Everton" (1864)

I had a feeling that Molly Bushell must have been important enough to have her name listed in his announcement.

I am now trying to make the connection from her down to John Bradley, who I know once lived on Beatrice St when his son (John) was born, who is my grandfather. Later, they lived on Dyke as I have a census showing them there with my grandfather's brothers and sister.

If anyone has any clue... or suggestions on where I can dig a little further, I would love to hear about them! Thank you so much.... Stacey (Toronto, Ontario Canada... hoping to visit Everton / Liverpool one day)

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As has been said above Everton Toffee is famous in Liverpool Perhaps I shouldn't advertise a site, but this is what they look like http://www.retrosweets.co.uk/everton-mi ... AmpU8P8HAQ

and a bit of information together with a picture of what the house looked like http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/mollybushell.html

Hopefully Katie will come along shortly and she will know more about the relationship and whether it was sorted out than anyone.

Stacey wrote:Hello everyone.... I found this thread due to my investigation regarding Molly Bushell.

My surname is Bradley, and over the years I had heard that there was an ancestor who was known for a candy or a popular sweet shop in Liverpool. Last night I discovered my great grandfather's marriage announcement "BRADLEY / SMITH, Jan 10th St. Peter's Everton, John BRADLEY Jnr, great grandson of Molly BRUSHELL, to Miss Mary Alice SMITH, both of Everton" (1864)

I had a feeling that Molly Bushell must have been important enough to have her name listed in his announcement.

I am now trying to make the connection from her down to John Bradley, who I know once lived on Beatrice St when his son (John) was born, who is my grandfather. Later, they lived on Dyke as I have a census showing them there with my grandfather's brothers and sister.

If anyone has any clue... or suggestions on where I can dig a little further, I would love to hear about them! Thank you so much.... Stacey (Toronto, Ontario Canada... hoping to visit Everton / Liverpool one day)

Was that John Bradley a twin? His sister Elizabeth was the same age and there was a John and Elizabeth Bradley born in Liverpool in Jan/Feb/Mar 1840, volume 20 page 404. I can't find any baptisms for them how far back have you gone?


Blue

There seems to be quite a lot who are related to Molly Bushell. I have not come across Bradley before. The Liverpool History Society had an article in one of their Journals regarding Molly Bushell. I was unable to locate an MI for the Mary Bushell who was buried in St. Mary's, Walton on the Hill, now was I able to locate a Will.

It's very tempting to work back to a marriage, Thomas Bradley/Nancy Bushell, 1799, St Nicholas, Liverpool.

The father of John Bradley/Mary Alice Smith was also a John Bradley, Joiner, Born about 1802, married Ann Jones,

Name:
John Bradley, Joiner
Marriage
21 Dec 1828
Parish:
Liverpool, St Peter
Spouse
Anne Jones

Coincidental perhaps, they named their first born, Thomas.

Need to find what children Bradley/Bushell had, if any.