Skelton Family 1700's In Handsworth

[philkai]

Hi All

Thanks to information from a previous post I have so far managed to trace my ancestry back to the baptism of my Gt Gt Gt grandfather in 1779 at St Mary's, Handsworth. His Father was a John Skelton who shows as a weaver in Handsworth.

Can anyone shed any further light on him or indeed what life was like in Handsworth at this time.

Thanks

[Unitedite Returns]

Would seem that John married twice, Mary Longden, at St Mary's, 20-07-1747 and also Esther, but not at Handsworth, but it could be two different, but connected family groups though.

SKELTON BAPTISMS - HANDSWORTH

Surname Child forenames Father Mother Date baptised Birth date Fathers occupation Abode

SKELTON Charles John Esther 24/06/1792 29/05/1792 Commonside

SKELTON James John 26/12/1779 Weaver Commonside

SKELTON James John Esther 01/04/1802 31/03/1802 Gleadless Commonside

SKELTON John John Esther 01/04/1802 31/03/1802 Gleadless Commonside

SKELTON Joseph John 13/06/1773 Woodthorpe Common

SKELTON William John Mary 16/04/1784 Weaver Commonside

SKELTON BURIALS - HANDSWORTH

Surname Forename Ceremony Day Month Year Aged Abode Status Relative Occupation

SKELLTON Elizabeth Burial 11 Mar 1612 wife Nicholas

SKELLTON Nicholas Burial 24 Feb 1626

SKELTON Charles Burial 9 Oct 1793 1 Paddock son John & Esther

SKELTON Esther Burial 16 Apr 1840 12w Gleadless

SKELTON George Burial 11 Apr 1811 17 Gleadless Common Side son John & Esther

SKELTON James Burial 11 Apr 1821 8m Gleadless son James & Sarah

SKELTON Jane Burial 21 May 1809 5m Woodhouse dau Thomas & Ann

SKELTON John Burial 27 Aug 1819 81 Gleadless Weaver

SKELTON John Burial 3 Sep 1819 50 Gleadless

SKELTON John Burial 26 Mar 1839 36 Gleadless

SKELTON Joseph Burial 8 Nov 1835 7w Gleadless

SKELTON Mary Burial 23 Mar 1809 72 Hollins End wife John

SKELTON Thomas Burial 10 Mar 1819 44 Woodhouse

SKELTON William Burial 23 Apr 1784 7d Common Side son John & Mary Weaver

SKELTON William Burial 1 Sep 1824 24 Gleadless

[History dude]

I can shed some light about Handsworth the place. It was mostly a rural village that was not part of Sheffield. In fact it didn't become part of Sheffield till 1921. The parish stretched all the way to Gleadless Town End and over to Woodhouse. It even even had an Urban District Council. Apart from farming the other main industry was coal. There was also a plant nursery and metal working trades. The places reported in my friends above post reported as "Common" were common land used by everyone to graze sheep etc. These would be enclosed by the land owners of places such as Woodthorpe Hall, within twenty or so years of 1800 creating the pattern feilds and hedgerows. But this made it much harder for those connected with farming to make a living so many found work in the new industries of steel etc.

There are several books which show photographs of the area done by Sandra Gilliot.

[philkai]

Thanks for the info I will delve into more deeply after christmas. John was the first to show doing something other than associated with farming, extended parts of the family farming lands of 60 acres in the 1800's before moving into pubs and mining later in the century.

What was the population in mid 1700's? The "Skeltons" must have been quite numerous in the area around that time and what was the attraction to moving there? when I find where they came from that is.

[Unitedite Returns]

There is a Skelton Lane, in Woodhouse, which at that time, was part of Handworth Parish and there is a Skelton Lane, in Beighton, which is an adjoining Parish.

As to whether these two places have any relevance to your own family history however, is anybodies' guess.

[History dude]

Thanks for the info I will delve into more deeply after christmas. John was the first to show doing something other than associated with farming, extended parts of the family farming lands of 60 acres in the 1800's before moving into pubs and mining later in the century.

What was the population in mid 1700's? The "Skeltons" must have been quite numerous in the area around that time and what was the attraction to moving there? when I find where they came from that is.

There's a little phamlet called "Handsworth Annals" it gives dates for events. The first population figure is for 1811 as 1,424. Baines Yorkshire lists it at 2,173 in 1823, so going on that just under a 1,000.

There might be a clue to why the Skelton family might be in that area. As there is an Elizabeth Skelton in Harrison's Survey of 1632. She was the widdow of one of the Park Keepers and lived in the Park Keepers Lodge near the Intake Gate. The Lodge was most likely on the site of Hurlfield School. It's intresting to note that she also had some land in connection with this office. As well as Berrystorth Wood, which later became known as Buck Wood.

There's no mention of her family or if she had any sons. But that doesn't mean she didn't. After the Park was dissparked, the family could well have taken up residence in the Gleadless area, because in 1800 there's a John Skelton holding land not a stones throw away from where that lodge was!

[philkai]

The dates are tricky to figure out. The " SKELTON James John 26/12/1779 Weaver Commonside" ties in closly with the James who shows as aged 60 in 1841 census. But if John married twice why name two of your sons James? abeit with a 23 year gap (if my maths are correct) or was that a common thing at the time?

Also Mary Skelton was 72 when she died showing as "wife of John" but if they married in 1747 she would only have been ten or eleven years old???

Oh dear my head hurts, dont know if its the days alcohol intake or the constant banging my head against the wall (sigh)

[Matthew Wilde]

Hello. Not certain what you were quoting from there, but don't forget that the 1841 census usually rounds adults' ages to the nearest five - which gives one a few years leeway, when trying to work out people's ages. But - moving on - here's a quotation from the will of the half-brother of my fourth-great-grandfather that might interest you!

"I give and bequeath unto Henry Thorp Skelton and John Kenyon Skelton the two sons of my partner Joseph Dixon Skelton at their respective ages of twenty three years the legacy or Sum of Five hundred pounds apiece". (The historic currency converter on the National Archives website says that "In 1830, £500 0s 0d would have the same spending worth of 2005's £24,745.00".)

The testator was Thomas Wilde (1747-1827), and his will was proved in York and Canterbury in 1828. Thomas had married Mary Scholey (1753-1830), and the couple were childless. (Very useful, the wills of childless rich uncles!) I've found Thomas's jobs as Collier, then Filesmith, then "Merchant and Manufacturer". He left his house at Red Hill to his wife, for her life, and then to his nephew Samuel Gardner (one of the three executors). Financial bequests totalled over twenty thousand pounds, as well as land including "Close of Land situtate near Jerich [sic - presumably Jericho] in Sheffield aforesaid which I purchased of his Grace the Duke of Norfolk".

Also mentioned are interests in three concerns: John Kenyon & Co, Walker & Wilde, and Appleby, Walker & Co - all at Renishaw. Also: "the mark 'J. K' held by me of the Corporation of Cutlers in Hallamshire". Reading between the lines, I'm thinking that the Kenyons were no longer involved in John Kenyon & Co, and their mark had passed to Thomas Wilde; and that the Kenyon and Skelton families had intermarried. Can you shed further light on any of these people?

Matthew Wilde.

[Guest clifforda1]

hi abit of info for you. in 1925 William skelton was living at spa lane woodhouse. he was the district registrar for handsworth and woodhouse. the house where he held his registrar duties is on tannery street woodhouse and has just been sold. the house at handsworth where he worked is/was somewhere near the Christian center opposite lidl on handsworth road.. by the way when I looked at the estate agents website they haD a picture of the board with Williams name and opening times for the woodhouse office.