The Walton's of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire

This Blog is to gather and share information regarding the Walton family from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire, England who immigrated to America in the late 19th century. They are my ancestors. In the search for my roots, I am also discovering new cousins, and hope this will help me discover even more. I hope this will become a forum for sharing information about our mutual ancestors and a place to preserve their memories for future generations.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Appleby-Magna Parish, Leicestershire St Michael & All Angels' Church Registers, 1572 to 1906

In 1934, A William Read Esq of Leicester undertook a transcription of the Baptism, Marriage and Burial records at Appleby church. These have now been digitized, page by page, thanks to Chris Bee, who did the scanning and conversion to searchable text and additional research, and the kind permission of the Appleby Group Parochial Church Council.

The original registers are held at the Leicestershire Record Office, and there is a microfiche copy at Coalville library. A copy of the typed transcript is held by the Parochial Church Council in Appleby.

The records do not cover all the births and deaths in Appleby during these years, only the baptisms, weddings and burials that were recorded at St Michael's church, although this would include the majority of these events in the village.

Volume 2 Index

Marriages 1754 - 1783 Pages 1 to 15

Baptisms & Burials 1805 - 1812 “ 16 to 33

Banns 1784 - 1823 “ 34 to 48

Marriages 1784 - 1812 “ 49 to 67

Marriages 1813 - 1837 “ 68 to 86

Baptisms 1813 - 1862 “ 87 to 187

Burials 1813 - 1906 “ 188 to 267

Walton Family Historian, Rick Walton of Raleigh, NC, has, on 15 Nov. 2010, extracted the records pertaining to the Walton Family.

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The Walton Records Found

Banns

The First record found was in Volume 2 Page 47, which makes it a Marriage Bann¹

Page 34- BANNS.

N.B. All parties of the parish of Appleby unless otherwise described.

No. Pub

1821. 237. John Walton & Jane Waterson. “ 31 Dec. 7-14 Jan. Page 47

Note: December 31, 1820 was a Sunday as was Sunday January 7, 1821 and Sunday January 14, 1821. These would be the 3 consecutive Sundays that the Marriage Banns were “published” or read to the congregation. Since no other descriptor is included, we can conclude both parties were residents of the Parish of Appleby

The Second record found was in Volume 2 Page 74, which makes it a Marriage record (Marriages 1813 - 1837 pages 68 to 86)

Page 68 - MARRIAGES.

N.B. All parties are of the parish of Appleby unless otherwise described.

1821.

No. 66. John Walton & Jane Worterson. B.

Wit. James Hatton, Mary Walton or Watton. Jan. 15.

Notes: Worterson is a misspelling of Waterson which is found consistently in the other records. The B. following her name stands for Banns of Marriage, the other option being Lic. for Marriage License.

Cousin Gayle Walton Judd of Saratoga, California examined the record in person and states:

“MARRIAGE: In the parish register, the marriage entry reads: "John Walton of Appleby Parish and Jane Worterson of Appleby Parish were married in this church by banns this 15 of January, 1821, in the presence of James Walton and Mary Walton." I assume Mary Walton was his sister, but I don't know the relationship of James. (There was a James Walton who was buried in Appleby, 10 Apr. 1853, age 69. In the IGI, there is a James Hulm Walton, son of Henry Walton, christened 14 Apr 1784, at St.Mary, Lichfield, Stafford. Any connection would be pure conjecture.)”

Baptisms

The 12 entries are found on page 106-185, which makes them Baptisms (Baptisms, 1813 - 1862, pages 87 to 187)

Page 87- BAPTISMS.

When Child’s Parents Surname Abode Quality (page)

Baptd. Chris Christian trade or

Name Name Profession

1822. (Page 106)

Jan. 6, 1822 Thomas John Walton Appleby laborer (106)

No. 299. Jane

1823. (Page 108)

Aug. 18, 1823 William John Walton Appleby laborer (110)

No. 357. Jane

1825. (Page 113)

Dec. 1, 1825 Elizabeth John Walton Appleby laborer (115)

No. 449. Jane

1828. (Page 120)

Aug. 25, 1828 John John Walton Appleby laborer (121)

No. 540. Jane

1832. (Page 127)

Dec. 5, 1832 Joseph John Walton Appleby laborer (129)

No. 669. Jane

1834. (Page 131)

Jul. 13, 1834 Ann John Walton Appleby laborer (133)

No. 731. Jane

When Child’s Parents Surname Abode Quality (page)

Baptd. Chris Christian trade or

Name Name Profession

1837. (Page 138)

Oct. 22, 1837 Charles John Walton Appleby laborer (139)

No. 828. Jane

Note- New Parents:

When Child’s Parents Surname Abode Quality (page)

Baptd. Chris Christian trade or

Name Name Profession

1853. (Page 170)

Oct. 30, 1853 Emily John Walton Appleby laborer (172)

No. 1350. Eliza

1855. (Page 174)

Mar. 13, 1855 Elizabeth John Walton Appleby laborer (175)

No. 1393. Eliza

1857. (Page 178)

Apl. 5, 1857 Jane Anne John Walton Appleby laborer (178)

No. 1453. Eliza

1859. (Page 182)

Mar. 29, 1859 Mary John Walton Appleby Groom (182)

No. 1515. Eliza

1860. (Page 183)

Nov. 7, 1860 John Joseph John Walton Appleby laborer (185)

No. 1565. Eliza

Burials

The 5 entries are found on page 188, which makes them Burials (Burials 1813-906, pages 188 to 267)

Burials in the Parish of Appleby in the County of Leicester

Name. Abode When buried. Age. (Page)

469. Thomas, s. of John Appleby Mar. 23, 1836 14 (213)

& Jane Walton

963. John Joseph Walton Appleby Nov. 25, 1860 13 weeks (236)

Note: Nov 25, 1860 Was a Sunday. Exactly 13 weeks would be Sept 2, 1860.

972. Elizabeth Walton Appleby Apl. 3, 1861 6 (236)

1151. Jane Walton Appleby Dec. 30, 1870 69 (245)

1193. John Walton Appleby Mar. 2, 1874 74 (247)

Important Note: The Parish Records include over 30 instances of Waterson and should be researched separately

Notes:

What is a Bann?- The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as "the banns" (from an Old English word meaning "to summon"), are the public announcement in a Christian parish church that a marriage is going to take place between two specified persons. It is commonly associated with the Church of England and with other denominations whose traditions are similar.

The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise any canonical or civil legal impediment to the marriage, so as to prevent marriages that are invalid. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage that has been neither dissolved nor annulled, a vow of celibacy, lack of consent, or the couple's being related within the prohibited degrees of kinship.

In England, under the provisions of Lord Hardwicke's Act of 1753, a marriage was only legally valid if the banns had been called or a marriage licence had been obtained, codifying earlier practice within the Church of England. By this statute, 26 Geo. II, c.33, the banns were required to be read aloud on three Sundays before the wedding ceremony, in the home parish churches of both parties. Omission of this formality rendered the marriage void, unless the bishop's licence (a common licence) or the special licence of the Archbishop of Canterbury had been obtained. This statutory requirement had the effect of requiring Roman Catholics and other non-conformists to be married in the Church of England, a requirement lifted by legislation in 1836. The present legislation relating to banns of marriage is contained in the Marriage Act 1949.

The wording of banns according to the rites of the Church of England is as follows:

* I publish the banns of marriage between NN of … and NN of …

o This is the first / second / third time of asking. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it. (Book of Common Prayer 1662)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banns_of_marriage

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Grave Matters- John Walton (1830-1890)

Copyright (C) 2016 by Frederick Walton

Recently, while reviewing my English Walton ancestors, I came across a Death Certificate and probated Will for John Walton, father of George and my Great-Great Grandfather, causing me to wonder where, in England, he is buried.

Death Certificate:

GRO Death Certificate for John Walton (1830-1890) Courtesy of Gayle Judd

Back in 2012 I had the pleasure of visiting cousin Gayle (Walton) Judd in California. She was kind enough to share several British certificates she has obtained over her years of research, including the Death Certificate for John Walton[1]. (I am happy to share copies with my Walton relatives upon request)

Rick Walton and Gayle Judd, May 2012

How do I know this death certificate is for our John Walton? If we jump ahead to the 1891 British Census[2] we see John's wife, Eliza, and daughter Rose Walton Williams (born in Cheddleton) listed in the household of son-in-law Daniel Williams of 65 Nelson Street in Bradford, Manchester. This corresponds to the data on the Death Certificate

except from 1891 England Census

Trusting this is the correct death certificate, we can be confident that John Walton died in Manchester on 14 January 1890 which conforms to the data in the probated Will I found on Ancestry.com[3].

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966

From this record we learn several things about John Walton. He was formally "OF" the "Midland Hotel, Gorton Road, Openshaw near Manchester. Its not clear from this if he was a Publican or desk clerk. Perhaps he continued to practice his trade as "Coachman", as listed on his death certificate, and cared for hotel guest's horses. More investigation will be need to identify his position. We can match his widow and executrix to Eliza, his wife. His estate was worth 91 pounds. (This to will require additional investigation to determine the relative worth of 91 pounds in 1890)

Gayle's earlier research led me to John's probable burial place in Manchester at Phillips Park Cemetery. I was hoping to find his grave listed on Find-A-Grave and actually found several John Walton's listed but only one who died in 1890. I sent in a request for a volunteer to photograph his grave. A helpful researcher in England looked up the details of the individual I had picked and this turned out not be be our John Walton because his age and death date didn't match. My new friend, MikeBerrell in Manchester, England did some further research on my behalf and found the following record[4]:

Philips Park, Consecrated section
18 January 1890 John WALTON, 61 yrs, Wagon Bldr, Nelson Street, Bradford [Manchester] Single M 1008
(Single indicates a single interment in a common grave)

The 18 January 1890 burial date lines up logically with the 14 Jan 1890 death date and the address is a match. Depending on the source, John was either born in 1829 or 1830, but since we do not have a specific birth or baptism record, age 61 at death is in the ballpark. His occupation is listed as "Wagon Bldr" which may tie into his previous well document occupation of Coachman. In short this appears to be a good match as confirmed when searching the Manchester City Council Burial Records Search[5] which returned:

Burial Date Deceased Cemetery Grave Number
18/01/1890 John Walton Philips Park Cemetery MConsecrated 1008

The cheapest and most popular type of graves were the public or paupers grave. These types of graves were cheap because the plot of land is not owned by one family and there could be as many as 30 interments into the same plot. Public graves were usually dug to a depth of 12 feet. The number of bodies that could be interred into a plot was at the discretion of the Registrar. The mismanagement of graves caused concern to the living relatives of those buried in them. Once a public grave was full, and subsequently closed, an inscription stone was fixed over the top of it, but only after four people had subscribed towards its erection. The stone covering the public grave was flat and contained only the briefest details of the deceased. Relatives could pay for a single line inscription of name, date of death and age. It is unknown at this time if there is any marker or inscription for John Walton's grave. [6]

Plot Map of Phillips Park Cemetery, Manchester England

Google satellite Map of Phillips Park Cemetery, Manchester England

"Philips Park Cemetery is adjacent to Philips Park, on the northern side of the River Medlock which separates them. Like Philips Park, it has been listed by English Heritage as a grade II site on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England – it was added to the register in July 2002, one year after its neighbour.

Philips Park Cemetery was Manchester's first municipal public cemetery when it opened in 1866, though work was in fact not completed on its grounds and structures until the following year. Manchester Corporation had held an open competition in 1863 for the design of a cemetery to the north of the River Medlock; from forty entries submitted, Manchester architects Paull and Ayliffe's designs for the buildings and William Gay of Bradford's designs for the grounds were chosen. Manchester Corporation recruited unemployed cotton mill workers to carry out the laying out and planting work.

The site was divided into separate areas for different denominations, with the largest portion (8 hectares) at the western end, nearest to town and the main entrance, for the Church of England. Dissenters, or non-conformists, had the 5.5 hectare centre portion, and Roman Catholics a 3 hectare portion at the eastern end. Each portion had its own mortuary chapel, all built in the gothic revival style but to different designs. Of the four mortuary chapels, only the Anglican chapel now remains. "[7]

Phillips Park Cemetery Section M Courtesy of Mike Berrell

John Walton's World

John Walton lived and died in 19th century, Victorian England. His world was probably lived out within these markers on the map of central England. Born in Appleby-Magna, married in Market Bosworth, raised a family in Cheddleton, died in Manchester. His whole life lived within a 100 mile radius.

His children carried the Walton name and genes beyond the boundaries of John Walton's world to far away places like America and Australia. We're here because of him.

John Walton's world in Central England

Notes:

1. John Walton, 1890; Death, Prestwich, Lancashire, England, General Register Office, Somerset House, London, England.

2. Eliza Walton in household of Daniel Williams, Bradford, Lancashire, England; from "1891 England, Scotland and Wales census, citing PRO RG 12, Lancashire county, subdistrict, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey."England and Wales Census, 1891," database with images, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/6598/LANRG12_3257_3259-0167/26709332?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/19477394/person/807702544/facts/citation/860038223957/edit/record).

3. John Walton; Probate Date 12 Apr 1890; Manchester, England; Death Date-14 Jan 1890; Lancashire, England; England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966; http://interactive.ancestry.com/1904/31874_221830-00506/2635116?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/19477394/person/807702625/facts/citation/157569262103/edit/record

4. Walton, John burial, 18 January 1890, The Burial Register - on film at Manchester Central Library.
burial receipts for Philips Park Cemetery on microfilm: Church of England, 1867-1901 (MFPR 767-784)

5. Walton, John burial, 18 January 1890; Manchester City Council Burial Records Search; http://www.burialrecords.manchester.gov.uk

6. Phillips Park Cemetery History, http://www.philipsparkcemetery.com/developing-the-municipal-cemetery/ (includes Phillips Park Plot Map)

7. Phillips Cemetery description found on "find-A-Grave" website, July 2, 2016, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=638759 see also http://www.foppc.com

Google satellite and John Walton's word Map created on Google Maps by Rick Walton 7/2/2016

A Special THANKS to Mike Berrell of Manchester England for his local research and photograph.