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Samuel Kirkby of Grove House


Milicent

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I’m trying to trace information about my 4x great-grandfather Samuel Kirkby (or Kirby) who lived at Grove House in the early 1800s. He is listed as a merchant (or gentlemen) and had a son, Edward (b. 1809) and five daughters: Marianne (b.1793), Sarah (b.1799), Eliza (b.1808), Emily (b.1813) and Eleanor (b. after 1914). Marianne married Samuel Lightfoot (b.1785), Sarah married Charles Appleby (b. 1791), Eleanor married a Henry Roberts and Eliza and Emily married two brothers of the Alexander family. My understanding is either he or his wife were widowed and living at Grove House until the 1820’s sometime. I’d love to be able to track down who his wife was and his heritage.
Does anyone happen to have any information about this family or the Kirkby (Kirby) family in Sheffield? There seems to have been another Samuel Kirkby, who was a younger silversmith/pen knife manufacturer who also lived in Sheffield around the time and married Sarah Hodgson, as well as the Kirkby & Co. manufacturers but they are of no known relation. Information about Samuel has eluded me for years so I’d be ever so grateful if anyone could help. Many thanks.

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Samuel was dead by 1828 when his eldest daughter married.  His wife (unfortunately only referred to as Mrs Kirkby) died in 1832 at Askern, near Doncaster, where she had gone to benefit from the mineral springs.

1482828627_MrsKirkbydeath1832.png.34e772c31f6f2c36b0bb80bdd6043ce6.png

Their eldest daughter was Marianne, who married Samuel Scholefield of Spring Head Hall, Hull, by licence on 28th December 1828 at St Peters, Sheffield. The licence stated that she was 21.

441946414_MarianneKirkbyWedding1828.png.3264dd6915d3a5de7199210441ebf193.png

Their 2nd daughter was Sarah, who married Charles Appleby (of the firm Walker, Wilde & Co, steel converters) by licence at St Peters on 24th April 1828. In 1841 they were living at "The Mount" Broomhill.

1784340332_SarahKirkbymarriage1828.png.7400f6c76536e179eda2a11c9b6db099.png

Their daughter Emily married William Alexander Esq. M.D. on 4th October 1837 by licence at Scalby near Scarborough. In 1851 they were living with her sister Eliza and husband in Halifax. William died aged 81 in April 1888 at Blackwall, Halifax.

1535562313_EmilyKirkbymarriage1837.png.bca2f592ddf68ec45ee58cf4d4631ddf.png

Their daughter Eliza married Gervase Alexander M.D. by licence at St Luke's, Liverpool on 13th October 1838. The Alexanders were a Scottish family with claims to the Barony of Burgh and the Barony of Strabolgi. In 1851 they were living at Blackwall, Halifax with sister Emily and her husband. Eliza died on 10th January 1882, by then the widow of Gervase, at Victoria Road, Sheffield.

20516837_ElizaKirkbymarriage1838.png.4718ccb6e93f490c86ddcf901912b242.png

Their youngest daughter Ellinor (or Eleanor) married Henry Roberts M.D. of Paradise Street Birmingham, by licence at Scalby near Scarborough on 13th October 1835. She was stated to be 23.

1891234314_EleanorKirkbymarriage1835.png.e0ffa65fbf3a1c8a06836a30bedc55bd.png

Samuel's youngest son Edward, living in Manchester, married Anne Holwell, the daughter of the Reverend Laurence Short, rector of Ashbourne. They married on 7th May 1836 at Bishop's Court, Kirk Michael on the Isle of Man (his name is mistranscribed as Kirkley). In 1851 they were living at East View, Broomhill Sheffield where Edward was a 42 year old wine and spirit merchant.

Samuel's other son, also Samuel, born about 1795, married Sophia (possibly Whitehead, at St Mary's Lambeth on 30th August or 2nd September 1837, Samuel was stated to reside at "The Elm" Sheffield. Sophia was the 3rd surviving daughter of Alexander Whitehead, Secretary to his Majesty's Transport Board.) In 1851 Samuel and Sophia were living at Ballagh, IoM, Samuel was a 56 year old "gentleman by annuity". Samuel died on the Isle of Man aged 61 on 8th December 1855. Sophia died the widow of Samuel late of Grove House, Sheffield at Osborne Terrace, Douglas, Isle of Man on 23rd January 1872 aged 69.

228371702_SophiaKirkbyprobate.png.a6e0861011b6aa9545821b579efb4bdc.png

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1 hour ago, Edmund said:

Samuel was dead by 1828 when his eldest daughter married.  His wife (unfortunately only referred to as Mrs Kirkby) died in 1832 at Askern, near Doncaster, where she had gone to benefit from the mineral springs.

This is wonderful, can’t thank you enough for all the sources and details!
Going on from that newspaper article, it would mean she died on July 13, 1832 which links her to the Sarah Kirkby listed on findagrave.com, who is listed as dying on that very date and was buried alongside a Samuel Kirkby (b. 1761 d. 1812). No doubt this is them!

1305C149-A2A8-46DD-A04E-69C8F02F3403.thumb.jpeg.86462588932fbb3a7f6b5d35a7b561bc.jpeg

I’m trying to track down more details about them and there appears to be a Samuel Kirkby who married a Sarah Hodgson and left her widowed after he was killed after being thrown from a horse at Upper Chapel. This is mentioned in the thread/book reference Bayleaf created here: 

944E13B6-FC84-4CF9-992A-A15300716B1B.jpeg.6d1929c40987a90b30d7edb1d6c9b9d7.jpeg

As I mentioned though, there was also a knife manufacturer called Samuel Kirkby around Sheffield about the same time who, along with his brother James were the co-owners of Kirkby and Co. and who’re mentioned in the book Reminiscences of Old Sheffield: Its Streets and Its People by Robert Eadon Leader, published in 1876. It refers to Samuel having been killed by a horse but without a date. Here’s the reference:
E39A998C-FDEA-44C2-B744-AA5A733C1A36.thumb.jpeg.2a397c0d904999dd1011026c62f0df1e.jpeg

This must mean that there were either 2 Samuel Kirkbys who were both killed by falling from horses in the early 1800s or that they’re the same person? One was mentioned as being killed at a service at Upper Chapel (incidentally where a Samuel Kirkby is buried) and one at Waingate. Even though the locations named are slightly different, it seems too much of a co-incidence although I’m not sure how common these incidences were at this time?
It seems impossible to track down further given there doesn’t seem to be any birth records of any Samuel Kirkby in the 1700s, but if there was any evidence that Samuel Kirkby of Grove House was also a pen knife manufacturer, that would settle it.

 

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Is anyone able to track down any information about a Joseph Kirkby or James Kirkby? It seems there was a James Kirkby who was the brother of Samuel Kirkby of Grove House. Together they set up Samuel Kirkby & Co. and registered a silver mark in the 1780’s. 
Joseph also ran a similar silversmith business with his sons in Sheffield a few decades after but I can’t seem to work out the connection between these two branches of the Kirkby family.

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I'd suggest that you download the History of Old Sheffield Plate by Frederick Bradbury 1912 (especially pages 434 onwards). Available here:

History of Old Sheffield Plate

A James and Samuel Kirkby were on the Committee of the Lancasterian School in 1822 (the school was much associated with Upper Chapel)

A Joseph Kirkby, merchant died aged 57 in December 1824

Joseph Kirkby and Co. vacated their works at Portobello Street (opposite St Georges) in 1832

In October 1829 at Sheffield, James Kirkby aged 40 of St Dunstan's London, and of Messrs Kirkby and Co, silver platers, married Eliza Kirkby aged 30, eldest daughter of James Kirkby plated goods manufacturer of Sheffield

James Kirkby, plater of Little Sheffield, was involved in the Sheffield Book Society

1053788989_KirkbyReminiscences.png.79d9773e5e2493fb1a562559b0fbbb39.png

The premises at Button Lane were dated 1705 but as at 1875, the site was partly occupied by shops and partly by the Blacksmith's Cottage public House.

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The area of Grove House where Samuel Kirkby resided isn't identified. 

Wondered if this was the property? No Owner /Tennant named

Plan of the freehold estate at Grove House [Pitsmoor Road] as divided for sale. 1831

https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;arc04197&pos=10&action=zoom&id=105073

Shows turnpike road from Leeds to Sheffield, also [property of] William Howard, late Joseph Coulson, and Jonathan Marshall. Also Grove House, garden, pond, Birley’s charity land, and Far Close.

 

https://maps.nls.uk/view/102345217#zoom=7&lat=8314&lon=11684&layers=BT

 

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