The Story of Robert William Kirkby
The Story of Robert William Kirkby
Updated 2nd September 2025
The bustling industrial town of Burnley, Lancashire served as the backdrop for the early life of Robert William Kirkby, who was born on 5th July 1841. He was the first child from the union of Robert Kirkby and Emily Ells.
Burnley was renowned for its thriving cotton mills and its role as a coal mining town. But the town's economic vitality came at a cost, with thick smog from coal-fired factories filling the air and a stark divide between the wealthy mill owners and the struggling labourers who toiled long hours in dangerous conditions. Roberts early life would have been immersed in the relentless rhythm of millife. Each morning, the clanging of factory bells signalled the start of long shifts, with workers rushing to their posts amidst the smoky haze. Inside the mills, young children darted between che towering looms, cleaning debris from machinery, while women and men toiled under the deafening roar of spinning wheels.
Roberts father Robert Kirkby Sr was born in Kendal, Westmorland in 1810. According to Kirkby family history, Robert Kirkby Sr. stature was that of a gentleman (a person who owns land), but he lost his wealth before 1841. His father, Isaac Kirkby was also a gentleman from Kendal and a skilled tradesman in the trades of glazing and plumbing. A fact recorded on his headstone. The original name for Kendal was called Kirkby Kendal. Kirkby is a name of Scandinavian origin that means "church town" or "settlement by a church". Robert Kirkby Sr. had two children to his first wife Hannah (or Anna) Whittaker. Samuel (b. 1831) and Hannah (b. 1834) but she died in 1836.
Robert Mothers name was Emilla or Emilly Ellis and she was born in Harleston, Norfolk in 1815. She also had children from a previous marriage, Mary Ann Massey born in 1836 Dublin, Ireland and Joseph born in 1838, Burnley. Her first husband, the children’s father was William Massey, and it appears that they came across from Ireland to Burnley together but it is not known where or when he died exactly.
The Kirkbys resided on Rodney Street, a neighbourhood near the infamous Irish Park, an area where Irish migrants escaping Ireland due to the Great Irish Famine had settled. Many houses in this area were overcrowded, with some hosting multiple families and even different family members having to share the same bed. This location underscored the struggles of families grappling with harsh economic realities.
Growing up in the heart of England’s textile industry, Robert William Kirkby, would have been immersed in the relentless rhythm of mill life. Each morning, the clanging of factory bells signalled the start of long shifts, with workers rushing to their posts amidst the smoky haze. Inside the mills, young children darted between the towering looms, cleaning debris from machinery, while women and men toiled under the deafening roar of spinning wheels.
For Robert, the sights and sounds of these mills were an indelible part of his childhood, shaping his understanding of labour and endurance. The clanging of factory bells dictated daily routines, and the sight of towering chimneys belching smoke into the sky was omnipresent. For families like the Kirkbys, survival depended on labouring in the mills or supplementing their incomes through other manual work. As a young boy, Robert likely witnessed his older step-siblings heading to work at an early age. Census records from 1851 indicate that Joseph Massey, his stepbrother, was employed in a cotton mill at just 13 years old. Such realities shaped the family’s resilience and work ethic. Robert himself may have taken on small jobs, though formal schooling would have been limited to basic literacy and numeracy, often taught in Sunday schools.
Sometime between 1846 and 1847, the Kirkby family’s fortunes started to look up as Robert Sr. relocated his family to Bury, Lancashire where he started working for the East Lancashire Railway based at Bury Bolton St station as a railway clerk, a position he would hold for many years.
By 1851, Robert Kirkby, now 42 years old, had moved his family to 54 Little Bridge Road. Robert Kirkby was also the Vice President of the Bridge Hall Lyceum, an institution for public lectures or discussions.
According to the 1851 census, the children in the household, listed by age, were as follows: Samuel, aged 19, employed as a brush maker; Mary Ann Massey, aged 15, working as a power loom weaver; Joseph Massey, aged 13, working in a cotton mill; Robert William Kirkby, aged 9, attending school; Elizabeth, aged 7, attending school; Emily, aged 6, attending school; George, aged 3, attending school; Frederick, aged 1; and Anne, aged 2 months, who both remained at home.
Between 1851 and 1859 Robert and Emily had 4 more children: Richard (born in 1853), Sarah Jane (born in 1855), Walter (born in 1857), and Edward (born in 1859).
But on the 16th of February 1859, Emilla died at the age of 44. According to family history, it was as a result of complications from giving birth to Edward. She was buried at Brunswick Chapel Cemetery in Bury, which is now the location of the Woodfields Retail Park.