The photograph of the "Young Men's Class" of Matlock Bank Primitive Methodist Church was taken round about 1904. Ray Ash and his father, whose photograph this is, have identified some of those in the picture, many of whom were related to their family.

Front row (seated on the ground)

Ist on left - Ernest Holmes (Builders Clerk at this time. He went on to become Secretary of John William Wildgoose's building firm. He was also Secretary of the Primitive Methodist Choir. He was a man who was universally well liked in the town.)
Ist on right - Wilfred Morton
2nd on right - ? Farnsworth (one of the very large Farnsworth family, christian name unknown)

Second row (from the front, seated on chairs)

2nd from left - John (Jack) Massey (The much younger half brother of Ray's great-grandfather William Ash. William's widowed mother, Eliza Ash, married Thomas Massey of Bonsall as her second husband. John was born in 1875. He was an ironmonger's assistant in 1901. A perfect gentleman!)
4th from left - Mr Bunting (first name not known)
5th from left - Davis Mark Wildgoose (His great-grandfather, William Davis, was Ray's 4 x great-grandfather. His grandfather was Thomas Davis of Oldham House and Prospect Place Hydro. He began his working life as a stone mason but later practised as an architect and surveyor. The Wildgoose family developed into quite an important dynasty in the town. John William Wildgoose, the founder of the well known building firm was one of Davis Mark's brothers, as was Lubin George Wildgoose (see below).)
7th from left - Francis Hey (Frankie) Wildgoose, a plumber (brother of John William, Davis Mark, and Lubin George (LG) Wildgoose. Their mother was Rachel Davis, a niece of Ray's great-great-great-grandmother, Fanny Ash (nee Davis), and daughter of Thomas Davis of Prospect Place Hydro. Rachel later ran the combined Oldham House and Prospect Place Hydro, as did LG.)

Third row (standing immediately behind the chairs)

1st left - Frederick Ash (son of Joseph, the Superintendent of the PM Sunday School, who was Ray's Great-grandfather William's brother. William was a Methodist lay preacher).
2nd from left - Thomas Ash (Ray's grandfather, Frederick's cousin)
4th from left - Ernest Farnsworth
5th from left - Lubin George Wildgoose (with his hand on his brother Davis Mark's shoulder. 'LG' was the organist and choir master at the Prims and, although trained as a joiner, went on to take over the management of Oldham House from his mother Rachel (nee Davis).
8th from left - 'Dazzle' Wildgoose (his proper name was John Henry Wildgoose)
9th from left - Edward Samuel (the blacksmith who ran the smithy behind the Horseshoe at Matlock Green, and the second of three generations of the Samuel family to carry out that role. He married Ray's grandfather's cousin - and Frederick Ash's half sister - Maud Lydia Ash.) See below

Back row

3rd from left - Charles W Lill (a joiner by trade)
8th from left - William (Billy) Wright
Extreme right: Percy Farnsworth

Below is another photograph of Edward Samuel (1878 - 1933) as a young man.

You may like to view more onsite information:

Oldham House Hydro, Prospect Place & Woodlands School (Miss White's) includes a little on the Davis family.
Board School Pupils, about 1901. There is more information about Thomas Ash.
Operatic Society There is information about one of the early programmes.
Matlock District Council Coronation Medal, 1937 - Lubin George Wildgoose is named on the medal.