Ann’s People
Short biographies on those family, friends and professionals associated with Ann Walker
Joseph “George” Booth
Joseph Booth, a servant associated with Anne Lister and Ann Walker, sought employment in a 1842 letter after his marriage. His early life and education were supported by Lister, who valued his family. The blog details their relationship while exploring his later challenges, reflecting on Lister's kindness and guidance.
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
Mary (née Edwards) Walker of Crow Nest
Who was Ann Walker's mother? Read about Mary Walker through the eyes of others in Halifax society.
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
“Marian Left Us” The Story of Marian Lister
Authors Note Many have a preconceived idea of who Marian Lister was because of what little is known of her from the television drama Gentleman Jack and from Anne Lister’s perspective. Anne Lister and her younger and only sister Marian had a contentious relationship. Anne often wrote very critically about Marian in her journal yet at other times somewhat affectionately. Marian lived another 42 years after her sister’s death. Reading letters written by Marian gives a glimpse into her personality. This blog will shed some light on her relationship with her sister, sister-in-law Ann Walker and her Inman cousins. Early Life Marian Lister was born and baptized in October 1797…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
John Walker, Senior
Early Family Ann Walker’s father, John, was the fourth child born to William and Elizabeth (née Caygill) Walker and was baptized in 1753.1 His siblings were Mary (1747-1822),2 William (1749-1804),3 Elizabeth (1750-1829)4 and Ann (1757-1847).5 William Walker was a wealthy worsted manufacturer and also served as a Justice of the Peace for West Riding.6 John’s mother Elizabeth died in 17677 and his father William many years later in 1786.8 Marriage & Children John married Mary Edwards in 1795 at St. John the Baptist Church in Halifax.1 Mary was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (née Lees) Edwards of Halifax. John lived at Crownest, his family’s estate and Mary at Pyenest.…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
“…some little whispers…”
Robert Parker, the Halifax-based solicitor for both Ann Walker and Anne Lister, maintained a regular correspondence spanning 17 years with his father, Alexander North Parker, who lived at Heaning, Lancashire. During this letter-writing exchange, Robert was residing in the centre of Halifax. Amongst numerous business and legal exchanges, current affairs, health and family matters, the letters reveal some fascinating and amusing anecdotes of life in Halifax in the 1820s to 1830s, mentioning many notable families and the goings on in their lives. These letters can be found at the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Calderdale. This article will cover the portions of letters that include links to the Walker and…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
(Aunt) Mary Walker
A look into the life of the lesser known of Ann Walker’s paternal unmarried aunts, Mary Walker. She spent her life living at Crownest and Cliff Hill. In this blog, we separate the two Ann Walker’s (niece and aunt) by using the names Ann Walker and Aunt Ann Walker. Family Mary was the oldest child of William & Elizabeth Walker, born in 1747. Her siblings were :1 Her brother, John, was Ann Walker’s father. She was baptized 17 September 1747 at St Matthew’s Church in Lightcliffe.2. The Walker family were wealthy wool merchants and owned a vast amount of property. Elizabeth, Mary’s mother, was born a Caygill. Her brother…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
Elizabeth, Evan Charles and Annie Sutherland
Author’s note: Sometimes, if you are very fortunate, you can glean a lot of information from old newspaper articles. The quality of the copy isn’t always great, as you will see, but they do help fill out a story. Here are some interesting bits about Ann Walker’s nieces and nephew, Elizabeth and George Sutherland’s surviving children – Elizabeth, Evan Charles and Annie. Elizabeth, Ann and brother John Walker shared the sad experience of losing their parents in 1823 at the ages of 22, 20 and 19 years respectively. They lived together, travelled together, and then with the death of John in 1830, Elizabeth and Ann became the last of their…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
Eliza Ainsworth (née Bentley)
Reproduced with permission from Lancashire Archives, Lancashire County CouncilWCW/Supra/C950/7 / Signature on Eliza Ainsworth’s Will The name Mrs Ainsworth will be familiar to those who have seen the television series “Gentleman Jack”, as the wife of Rev Thomas Ainsworth. This blog will fill in some of the blanks surrounding Eliza and her friendship with Ann Walker. Family Eliza was the fifth and youngest child of Michael and Sarah Bentley. She was baptised on 4 August 1786 in Manchester.1 Sarah’s father was a Justice of the Peace in the County of Lancaster. 24 July 1787 Manchester Mercury ©The British Library Board Listed in The Admission Register of the Manchester School Vol…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
West Yorkshire Archives, Calderdale WYC: 1150/74/38 Elizabeth Wemyss signature The Middle Child Elizabeth Mackay was the third child of George and Elizabeth Sutherland. She was born on 21 October 1832 in Resolis, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. (1) Early Life and in Ann’s Letters Elizabeth was christened in November 1832 and there is a sense in a letter to Elizabeth, her sister, that Ann is slighted that she did not know about the christening in time: “I am rather disappointed that I did not hear of the christening in time to send you some lines which I copied some months ago, with the intention of presenting on the baptism of your…
The Sinking of the Comet
In 1835 Anne Lister made an oblique reference to the “Comet steamer” in her journal:1 “[…] A- had letter from Captain Sutherland this evening – good account of her sister & the little boy (born on the 13th) to be called Ewen Charles after Captain S-‘s 2 brothers one lost at sea one in the Comet steamer & another has probably just experienced the same fate, lost in coming home from the West Indies“ Intrigued, we decided to look into the sinking of the Comet, and in the process came across many fascinating stories, including tales of shipwrecks, slavery, hurricanes and a dodgy baronetcy. The Comet The paddle steamer in…
You May Also Like
Elizabeth Mackay Sinclair Wemyss (née Sutherland)
