The earliest I have managed to trace back so far is to about 1820-ish when a WILLIAM CALVERT would have been born. It is a little frustrating as it is less than 200 years and I am struggling to find his actual birth in parish records and even the date of his death. I do know that he died some time around 1855 which would have made him about 35 or younger when he died. A young age indeed. He was a collier and, according to the census, born outside of Lancashire (presumably Yorkshire).

His widow was GRACE WILKINSON born 1816 in Marsden.
From various census returns, it would seem that there might have been some sort of pit accident or ill health. Certainly William worked as a collier and then by 1851 he became a pauper hawker and then died around 1855.
Grace and William would have married around 1834 and went about producing 7 children in Old Holme, Ightenhill, Burnley.

ISABELLA came first in 1836, followed by JAMES (1838), ANN (1840), WILLIAM (1843), ELIZABETH (1845),JOHN (1848)& GEORGE (1853.)

by the 1860s, James had moved to the Durham area and married a lass called Mary. His children were James, David H, John D & Thomas, all born in the wider Durham area.

William married Margaret Rushton of Barrowford, had four children (Joseph, Willie, Alice & Henry) all born Burnley and ended up with his family farming in Oldham.

George remained in Burnley and married Harriet Bennett. His eight children were Sarah Jane, Smith, James, John Thomas, Mary Ann, Grace & Arthur.

JOHN CALVERT, my great-great grandfather, was born 30th April, 1848 in Ightenhill, Burnley and his birth certificate gives the time of his birth as 11.05am. I have heard that a time is only given when twins are born but I have not found any sign of a twin brother or sister.
John and was a labourer twenty years later, when he married in 1868, though his occupation seems to have moved between collier and labourer. His wife was FANNY HOLDEN the daughter of SAGAR HOLDEN of Accrington. Fanny and John’s marriage certificate shows that John was illiterate and Fanny had enough schooling to at least sign her name.
At the time of their marriage, John was living at the Ridge in Burnley, close to one of the large coal mines, whilst Fanny was living at Greenhill in Habergham Eaves. She was a weaver. By 1881 they were living at 7 Greenhill Yard, Habergham Eaves and John had become a collier and would have been working at one of the other local mines.

They had, by then, five children - William (b1869), Alice Ann (b1871), Mary Ellen (b 1874), James Arthur (born 1877) and George H Calvert (born in 1879).

The Calverts have probably been one of the most frustrating families in my tree. Not only have I struggled to find records of them before 1841 but I have struggled all the way through in finding details of them at all in census returns etc.

Mary Ellen Calvert was my great grandmother. She married MORPETH GARRARD JACKSON in 1893. James Arthur was a witness at this wedding.

James Arthur (a cotton weaver) married in 1894 to a Hetty Hawe and by 1901 they were living in Lower House, Burnley with their three year old son Walter.

John and Fanny died sometime after 1881 and I have a suspicion that there was some sort of epidemic at the time.
Alice Ann had married by 1891 to John Ridiough who has been known in family stories as "Little Johnny Ridiough", presumably because he was vertically challenged. Johnny Ridiough was supposed to be of gypsy origins and a horse trader. The 1901 census bears out the latter bit of family lore but his family originated in Carlton, Lothersdale and seemed to be more a case of a family of itinerant workers rather than actual gypsies.
Alice Ann and Johnny were childless but a caring couple if the stories of my grandmother were anything to go by. She would have been my grandmother's great aunt and cared for her when she had a long childhood illness. One of my grandmothers memories of her stay was of Aunt Alice giving her an egg to drink in a glass of port wine every morning to build up her strength.

William also disappeared very suddenly and may have possibly died in 1889.

George & Walter were, by 1901, living with their aunt Alice Whittaker(Fanny Holden's sister)at 5 St Johns Road, round the corner from their sister Mary Ellen and just up the road from their Holden cousins. George had become a cotton weaver whilst Walter had taken up the occupation of pentographer. This, I believe, was in the cotton industry and something to do with the printing of the fabrics. Whether George or Walter eventually married and had children I have no idea.

Great grandmother Mary Ellen died quite young of pernicious anaemia sometime around 1810, but again I have not managed to find her actual date of death yet but looking for Jacksons (her married name) is a bit like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.