Ann’s People
Short biographies on those family, friends and professionals associated with Ann Walker
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Elizabeth Sutherland’s Will
Elizabeth Sunderland, née Walker wrote her will in 1842; it can be found in her son-in-law’s (Stansfeld) family archive in Wakefield.1 Elizabeth Sutherland died on December 28, 1844, leaving husband George Mackay Sutherland and four surviving children: Mary (who would die the following year), Elizabeth (1832-1872), Ann Walker “Annie” (1837-1917), and Evan Charles (1835-1913), the eventual heir to the Walker Estates.She was buried on January 5, 1845 in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Wimbledon, then in Surrey, now in the London Borough of Merton. The church at St Mary’s was completed in 1843, and is the fourth to stand on the site; there has been a church there…
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Mary Sutherland
First Child George Mackay Sutherland and Elizabeth Walker welcomed their first born child, Mary, into the world on 27th September 1829. Mary was born in Ardeer, in the parish of Stevenston, Ayrshire, on the south west coast of Scotland. (1) She was the first of Ann Walker’s nieces and nephews. Based on a letter from William Priestley, addressed to George Sutherland at Ardeer House, we know they had recently moved in. “It afforded to myself and to my wife much satisfaction to learn from your kind and Friendly letter, that, you and Elizabeth are comfort-ably settled in your new abode, and that, you both enjoy the greatest of all earthly…
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Ann Walker Stansfeld (née Sutherland)
Ann Walker Stansfeld (née Sutherland) was Ann Walker’s niece, Elizabeth & George’s youngest daughter. She signed her name as Annie in letters and was identified as such in some other documents. So, I will be referring to her as Annie in this blog. Early Years Ann Walker Sutherland was the 6th child of Capt. George M and Elizabeth Sutherland (née Walker), was born on 17 September 1837 and baptized the following month in Scotland.1 Anne Lister first mentioned her in her diary entry of 1st October 1837, when Ann Walker received a letter from her sister Elizabeth announcing her birth: “…dinner at 6 ¾ – coffee read the newspaper –…
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Robert Parker, Esq
Robert Parker (1798-1856) had a long and successful law practice in Halifax. This is an overview of his life and some of the clients he worked for. Early Years Robert Parker was the second son born in 1798 to Alexander North and Margaret (née Butler) Parker at Houghton Park, Lancashire England.1 His brother Alexr North Parker was born in 17952 and died in 1807.3 On 9th June 1815, at 17 years of age, Robert Parker became an articled clerk (an apprentice) to attorney Richard Nicholson of Ripon for five years. The document reads in part: “And during the same term the said Richard Nicholson is to teach and instruct the…
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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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My Dear Miss Walker
Many of us have wondered if Ann Walker maintained contact with any of Anne Lister’s friends after Anne’s death. We have three letters from Mrs Mary Jane (Marsh) Duffin to Ann, written in 1842. Mary Jane Duffin (née Marsh) was baptised in York in 1770. She was Mr William Duffin’s second wife, marrying him in 1826. William Duffin, who died in 1839, was Eliza Raine’s guardian and a friend of Anne Lister’s. Mary Jane Duffin died in 1855.1 Some readers of this blog will recognize Miss Marsh/Mrs Duffin from many of Anne Lister’s early diary entries. Anne, Ann & Mrs Duffin In Anne Lister’s diary entry for 25th April 1839,…
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Remembering Ann’s Relatives
In remembrance of the relatives of Ann Walker who served in the two World Wars. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.” Descendants of Ann’s cousin Mary Priestley and William Henry Rawson Many of Ann’s Rawson relatives, all direct descendants of her first cousin Mary Priestley, served during both World Wars. And, as far as we know, all of them survived. Frederick Philip Selwyn Rawson (1891-1947) – Cousin 3x removed Son of of John Selwyn Rawson.Grandson of Frederick Edward Rawson.Great-grandson of Mary Priestley &…
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William Priestley Letters
Believe me to be My dear Sir Your’s [sic] most truly W. Priestley . Reading someone’s letters cannot only bring them to life, but also shed light on their personality as well as their relationships with other people. We will look at some excerpts of letters, written by William Priestley, that span from 1823 to 1834. His letters are interesting to the reader because they are quite detailed, with a touch of gossip. William and his wife Eliza Priestley played a significant role in Gentleman Jack series one, which portrayed them as rushing to Scotland to rescue Ann Walker and bring her back to Halifax. That storyline was for drama…
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John Walker Jnr (1804 – 1830)
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 his older brother, William, John Snr inherited the…
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“My dearest Elizabeth”
A workshop presented by Leila Straub, ALBW, Apr 4, 2022 Content 1. What letters do we have and what is Ann writing about? 2. What do the letters look like? 3. Ann’s style of writing 4. The process behind transcribing 5. Reading Ann’s handwriting 6. DIY Transcription 1. What letters do we have and what is Ann writing about? Ann Walker’s letters to her sister Elizabeth can be found in the Crow Nest papers, folder CN:103/4, in the West Yorkshire Archive. The collection contains letters written between 1832 and 1835. Most of the letters were written between Ann Walker and Elizabeth Sutherland but the folder also contains letters to/from…
