Ancestry of Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate

I am just starting to research the ancestry of Ted Hughes, the former
Poet Laureate, and would appreciate any information anyone may have
regarding his family or ancestors. Even better, is anyone on the list
connected to him directly? I have scoured the Internet but have found
little about his ancestry having been done before - if anyone knows
better, I would be grateful to know, especially if anything concrete
or extensive has appeared in biographies, etc.

Let me, firstly, tell you why I am doing this. It is NOT a commercial
project for one of my magazine articles but, hopefully, will be my
gift to the proposed Ted Hughes Centre which is to be established in
the poet's birthplace, Mytholmroyd, in the Calder Valley, where I too
spent some of my early years. You can read all about the proposed
centre, as well as several features by myself and my time in the
village, at the following website...

[Look closely at the older photos on the site and you will even find
pictures of me as a handsome young lad of about 14 or 15 when I was in
the local Boy Scouts and appeared in plays and Gang Shows!]

Pat...

Front row on left with paper bag on head and face next door to a lantern?
Though I think that one looks younger than 14 or 15 - can't bear the
suspense!

Edward James Hughes was born at No. 1 Aspinall Street, Mytholmroyd, on
17 August 1930, the youngest of three children of William Henry Hughes
and Edith Farrar, who were married in the Todmorden RD (very probably
at Hebden Bridge) in the June quarter of 1920. The father, William,
was born at Hebden Bridge in 1894 and mother, Edith, also at Hebden
Bridge in 1898. William Hughes was apparently a survivor of the
Gallipoli campaign in WWI.

I have only just begun to research, so have not yet acquired any
certificates, but from FreeBMD, 1837online and the Yorkshire censuses,
etc, I believe Ted Hughes' paternal grandfather was John Hughes, born
in Manchester circa 1853/4, maternal grandmother Mary A Hughes
(surname not yet known); the maternal grandparents, I believe were

Brian Pears...

Could this be them:

June 1874 Hughes, John / Scarth, Mary Ann Guisbro' 9d 812

roy...

Thanks, Brian. It's one to consider - however, according to the 1901
census for Hebden Bridge, both John Hughes and his wife were born in
Manchester, so it seems unlikely they'd be marrying at Guisbrough.
There are lord-knows-how many John Hughes marrying in the 1870s, so I
doubt I'll pin them down until I get the son William's birth
certificate and discover the mother's maiden name.

Roy Stockdill

"There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about,
and that is not being talked about."

Oscar Wilde

(From FreeBMD)

Mitchell Farrar, born 1865 at Sowerby, and Annie Smith, born 1867 at
Halifax. One great-grandfather may have been Thomas Farrar, born about
1831 at Sowerby, according to census returns. I've found a Thomas
Mitchell Farrar, baptised at Sowerby in 1829 - who may be the right
man in view of the fact that a son was given the first name, Mitchell.
However, this has still to be checked and confirmed.

Any data, contributions, thoughts, gratefully received. As I
mentioned earlier, when I have completed the research it will be
presented to the proposed Ted Hughes Centre in Mytholmroyd.

Roy Stockdill

"We are all omnibuses in which our ancestors ride, and every now and then
one of them sticks his head out and embarrasses us."
Oliver Wendell Holmes