Ann’s Associates
Short biographies on those family, friends and professionals associated with Ann Walker
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Hannah Heap: not just a servant
Hannah Heap – you may have never heard of her, but she was a beloved servant to the Walker family. Mentioned in Anne Lister’s diaries, we explore who Hannah was and where she is referred to in the archives. Birth and early life As with many people without money in the 1800s, her early life and birth are harder to track down. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know exactly when. We can estimate that it was between 1791 and 1796. This is because she is recorded in the 1841 census as 50 years old and in this census they rounded adults’ ages down to the nearest multiple of 5 (1). Working…
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John Walker Jnr (1804 – 1830)
By Caroline Maillard, Martin Walker & Deb Woolson Family John Walker Jnr was born to John Walker and Mary Edwards in 1804, while they were living at Cliffe Hill in Lightcliffe, and was the youngest of the five Walker children. His elder siblings were William (died at 21 days in 1798), Mary (died a teenager in 1815), Elizabeth (b.1801), and Ann (b. 1803). John was baptised on 28th November 1804 at St. Matthews Church.1 The Walker family’s wealth was derived from land ownership, marriage settlements and textile manufacturing. John Walker Snr had inherited land & money from his father, William Walker Snr, in 1786. In 1809, upon the death of…
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(Aunt) Ann Walker
Family Ann Walker was the youngest of five children born to William & Elizabeth Walker in 1757. Her siblings were Mary (1747-1822), William (1749-1804), Elizabeth (1750-1829) and John (1753-1823). 1 The Walkers were wealthy wool merchants, owned stock and a vast amount of property that only grew over time. Ann, like her sister Mary and brother William never married. Her sister Elizabeth married John Priestley and brother John married Mary Edwards. John & Mary were the parents of Ann Walker of Crow Nest. Ann Walker Sr was Ann’s aunt. After Ann’s sister Mary died in 1822, she was referred to as Mrs. Ann Walker or Ann Walker Sr. In…
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William Walker, Junior
By Ashleigh Kobevko and Deb Woolson Birth & Family William Walker was born in Halifax in 1748 to William Walker and Elizabeth Caygill. He was baptised in Lightcliffe on 3rd March 17481. Elizabeth Caygill was William’s father’s second wife, as his father’s first wife, Mary Wainhouse of Pye Nest, died after 7 years of marriage. Elizabeth Caygill was the sister of John Caygill, who donated the land where the Piece Hall was built. William Walker Junior had siblings; Mary born 1747, Elizabeth born 1750, John born 1753 and Ann born 1757. He was Ann Walker’s uncle. His father William Walker Sr (1713 – 1786) was a wealthy merchant and owner…
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John Rawson Jr of Brockwell
By Bri Praslicka Early Life John Rawson was born 21 November 1813 in Sowerby. He was the sixth child and second son of William Henry (W.H.) Rawson and Mary Rawson (née Priestley). He is a cousin of Ann Walker’s as his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Priestley (née Walker), was John Walker’s sister, making her Ann Walker’s aunt. He was baptized the following year on 22 November 1814. 1 The family lived at Mill House for several years which W.H. Rawson took over from his uncle, William. Sometime between the 1851 and 1861 censuses, the majority of the family moved to (New) Haugh End, which was inherited from the Priestley Family. William…
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Frances Penfold Walker Clarke (1803-1838) A Consequential Life
By Caroline Maillard (updated 23/6/2022) Birth and Early Years Frances (Fanny) Esther Penfold was born 26 August 1803 in Steyning, Sussex in southern England. She was the second daughter of the Reverend John Penfold (1772-1840) and Charlotte Brooks Penfold (1770-1843). Reverend Penfold held multiple roles with the Church of England. He was the Vicar of Steyning and the rector of the neighboring community of Pyecombe, and also served as the domestic chaplain to the Duke of Sussex in the early 1800’s.1 To this day the Steyning Parish Office is housed in Penfold Hall. Fanny was one of twelve children in her family, which may explain why she left home when…
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Catherine Worsley née Rawson (1803-1885) : a short biography
By Ivana NikaTwitter: @Ivana_Nika Catherine Rawson and Ann Walker spent three weeks in each other’s company in September 1832. Their families were related but we don’t know when exactly they became friends; their joint trip to the Lake District is the only one we know of so far. Catherine’s father, Stansfeld Rawson, had in 1829 begun building Wasdale Hall, his residence in the isolated neighbourhood of Wastwater lake in the heart of today’s Lake District National Park. The two young women may have gone there to distract themselves from the sometimes monotonous lives they led at home. They were both 29 at the time. ***** This engraving of Wasdale Hall…
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Samuel Washington
By Deb Woolson Early Years Samuel was born and baptized in 1797, the youngest of the five children of Esther (née Mann) and James Washington. The Washington family were tenants in a home owned by Ann’s grandfather William Walker, which would have then passed on to Ann’s uncle, and James was the bookkeeper for the Walker business per his death notice in 1839. Sam’s mother, Esther, died in 1842. In 1822, prior to his marriage, Sam was mentioned in the History, Directory & Gazetteer of County of York with his occupation being listed as schoolmaster & land surveyor.1 Where he was schoolmaster is unknown to date. Marriage Sam married Hannah…
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Delia Elizabeth Rawson
If you’ve watched Sally Wainwright’s television drama Gentleman Jack, Season 1, episode 3, you would have seen Delia and her mother, Elizabeth Rawson, call on Ann Walker at Crownest while Anne Lister was there. Here’s the transcription of Anne’s recollection of that visit. Anne Lister Diary 27 September 1832 off to Lidgate at 7 ½ - along the high road and at Lidgate at 8 – Miss Walker ready to see me, and breakfast almost immediately – sat talking about an hour over the breakfast table then adjourned to the other, and were just going out about 12 ½ when Mrs Stansfield and Miss Delia Rawson called (from Gledholt near…
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Delia Priestley Edwards of Pye Nest
By Caroline Maillard Image above from Historic EnglandDate: 1900 – 1934 Location: Pye Nest, Sowerby Bridge, CalderdaleReference: BB71/02769 Type: Photograph (Negative)https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/item/BB71/02769 Birth and early Life Delia Priestley Edwards was born in Skircoat, West Yorkshire on 25th February, 1807. She was the eldest daughter of Henry Lees Edwards, a wealthy woollens manufacturer, and Lea Priestley (cousin of William Priestley). Delia and Ann Walker were first cousins; Ann’s mother Mary was the sister of Henry Lees Edwards.1 Henry Lees Edwards’ close connection to the Walker family resulted in his being named a joint trustee, along with William Priestley, of Ann Walker’s affairs after her brother John died.2 Delia had seven brothers and…