2008 International reunion

     On August 9, 2008, the Richard Brough Family Organization sponsored an International Brough Reunion that was held in Staffordshire, England.  The following information and pictures shows reunion-related events that took place between August 6-10, 2008.

Pre-Reunion Sites Visited by Brough Family Members

Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

St. Peter's Chuch in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England 

St. Peters church, Stoke-on-Trent is located on Glebe Street, Stoke (opposite the Town Hall). The church has Saxon roots, but was rebuilt in 1829. Many famous Potters of Stoke--including Wedgwood and Spode--are buried at the church. (Postal Code for GPS: ST3 4QJ)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

Dresden Church of the Resurrection, Dresden, Staffordshire, England

Dresden Church of the Resurrection is located on Red Bank road, Dresden. The church was built in 1853 and modified in 1902. The Dresden Church has now been closed (as of 2008) and is in poor condition. (Postal Code for GPS: ST3 3DU)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

St. James the Less & St. John's Church in Longton, Staffordshire, England

St. James the Less church is located on Uttoxeter Road, Longton. It was built in 1834.(Postal Code for GPS: ST3 1EH) 

Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

General Areas of Blurton, Longton and Trenthan, Staffordshire, England

     In the 1911 Census, Ann Jane Daniels (nee Brough, age 56) is listed as living with her widowed mother, Charlotte Brough (age 86), on Brough Lane (shown below) in Trentham, Staffordshire, England.  Ann was born in Trentham in 1854 and died in Stone in 1914.  In 1871, Ann married Hugh Henry Duggans (1842-1881) and they had three children.  After Hugh's death (in 1881), Ann married George Daniels (1860-1918) in 1884.  Ann's parents were William Brough (1819-1902) and Charlotte Myatt (1824-1915), and she is a "7th cousin 3 times removed" to Richard Brough (1786-1873) who married Mary Horleston in 1825. 

Some of Richard Brough (who the RBFO is named after) and Mary Horleston's children and grandchildren worked in the Staffordshire potteries during the 1860's and 1870's. For example, Richard Brough's daughter, Mary Ann Brough (1836-1891)--who married Robert Evans--worked at times as a "Potters Transferer" in Longton from about 1861 to 1881.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008:

Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England 

Thursday, August 7, 2008:

All Saints Church in Ranton, Staffordshire, England

Thursday, August 7, 2008:

Brough Hall near Ranton, Staffordshire, England

According to the Gnosall Parish Register published by the Staffordshire Parish Registers Society, "the present building [of Brough Hall] would appear to date from the first years of the eighteenth century."

Thursday, August 7, 2008:

St. Lawrence Church, Gnosall, Staffordshire, England

Thursday, August 7, 2008:

Stafford City and the Staffordshire Record Office (SRO) in

Stafford, Staffordshire, England 

     The Staffordshire Record Office (SRO) in Stafford was an excellent place to conduct genealogical and historical research, and SRO officials kindly and expertly provided RBFO officers and members with a beautiful and well-documented display of many old and valuable Brough family documents--which was greatly appreciated by everyone in attendance. The RBFO wishes to acknowledge and thank Thea Randall, Archivist for Staffordshire County, and Rebecca Jackson of the SRO, for providing Brough family members with the opportunity to view and enjoy many historical Brough documents at the Staffordshire Record Office.

Thursday, August 7, 2008:

St. Chad's, Seighford, Staffordshire, England 

Friday, August 8, 2008:

St. Mary Church, Astbury, Cheshire, England

Friday, August 8, 2008:

St. Lawrence Church, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire, England

On 26 June 1700/1701, Ralph Brough (Burke) was christened at St. Lawrence the Martyr parish church in Rushton Spencer.

Friday, August 8, 2008:

St. Lawrence, Biddulph, Staffordshire, England

On 7 June 1730, Ralph Brough was christened at St. Lawrence parish church in Biddulph.

Friday, August 8, 2008:

The Talbot Pub, Biddulph, Staffordshire, England

Friday, August 8, 2008:

Little Moreton Hall, border of Cheshire and Staffordshire, England 

Friday, August 8, 2008:

Three Horseshoes Inn, Blackshaw Moor, Leek, Staffordshire, England

Saturday, August 9, 2008:

St. Edward The Confessor, Leek, Staffordshire, England

St. Edward the Confessor church is located on Church Street (opposite the Market Place) in Leek. It was built in the 1300's.

Saturday, August 9, 2008:

Windygates Hall Farm, Windygates, Leek, Staffordshire, England

Saturday, August 9, 2008:

Middle Hulme Hall, Middle Hulme, Leek, Staffordshire, England

Saturday, August 9, 2008:

St. Matthews, Meerbrook, Staffordshire, England

St. Matthew's church in Meerbrook was built in 1564.

International Brough Reunion

Saturday evening, August 9, 2008

Meerbrook Village Hall, Meerbrook, Staffordshire, England

     The International Brough Reunion was held on Saturday evening, August 9, 2008, at the Meerbrook Village Hall, under the direction of the RBFO, Catharine Ann Brough Hind, and Jim and Rosemary Brough. Over one-hundred Brough family members, relatives and friends attended this event.

FAMILY PHOTO: Top Photo, Top Row: James Harvey Brough (Kaysville, Utah); Rosemary Rigby Brough (Alsager, Staffordshire); James Henry Brough (Alsager, Staffordshire); Audrey Brough Alcock (Cheddleton, Staffordshire); Robert Clayton Brough (West Jordan, Utah); Philip Brough (Cheadle, Staffordshire); Richard Lyle Brough (Kaysville, Utah). Top Photo, Bottom Row: Catharine Ann Brough Hind (Carleton, West Yorkshire); Rebecca Ann Hind Slingsby (Dorchester, Oxfordshire); Ethel Mickelson Brough (West Jordan, Utah); Beryl Coxon Brough (Cheadle, Staffordshire). Bottom Photos: Richard Lyle Brough (Kaysville, Utah); James Henry Brough (Alsager, Staffordshire); Geoffrey and Rose Robinson (Windygates, Staffordshire); Andrea Moeller Dean and her two children (Voorschoten, Netherlands).

Brough Family Documents were displayed at the International Brough Reunion in Meerbrook in 2008. Some of these documents are shown below.

Post-Reunion Meetings

Sunday, August 10, 2008

The Brough Genealogical Records of Elspeth Mary Lomas Johnson

Market Drayton, Shropshire, England

Sunday, August 10, 2008:

Brough Reunion Evaluation Meeting, at the Home of

James (Jim) and Rosemary Brough, Alsager, Staffordshire, England

100 Members of Family at Reunion

Leek Post & Times newspaper article written by Danielle Harrison, August 13, 2008

GENERATIONS of Leek's Brough family have been reunited for the first time with relatives from around the world joining the celebration.

More than 100 Brough descendants spanning four continents came together during a special gathering at the weekend, from as far afield as Canada, the United States, Denmark, France and Malaysia.

The relatives were treated to a tour of their Moorlands heritage starting from St Edward's Church, in Church Street, taking in the sights of the Potteries and ancient Brough households at Windygates and Middlehulme.

Speaking at the reunion, Clayton Brough, who lives in America where he works as a television weather broadcaster, told Your Leek Paper: "This is one of the largest international family gatherings of related individuals from across the world.

"The Brough family network has its own database with more than 22,000 linked individuals.

"This event is so incredible and we plan to hold yet another big reunion back home in the USA in 2010 and then we hope to host something in Australia."

Catherine Ann Hind, who has been tracing the Brough family history through Your Leek Paper's Times Gone By magazine, said: "The atmosphere has been fantastic and it's so rewarding to see so many people have found their way to our reunion with relatives they were unaware they had.

"Many have been found via the Brough family website and others via Your Leek Paper's history page and then through Times Gone By."

The relatives were given the chance to talk and share stories during the gathering at Meerbrook Village Hall on Saturday evening.

Andrea Dean, a Brough descendant now living in Holland, attended the reunion with her children Dominic, 13, and 15-year-old Elisabeth.

She said: "We've had a great time. We've had the opportunity to study our family tree and meet our relatives here in England face to face.

"It's been lovely to retrace our heritage in Leek and well worth the trip over here. We have toured the Potteries, the Pottery Museum, Stafford Record Office, Brough Hall at Ronton, Gnossall and other places of family interest."