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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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The Piece Hall – Halifax Landmark
By Deb Woolson A short blog on the events at the Piece Hall in Halifax and the connection to Ann Walker and Anne Lister. In 1779, the Piece Hall in Halifax was built on land donated by John Caygill, a wealthy merchant, replacing the original Cloth Hall of 1572. It was designed by Thomas Bradley with a large courtyard surrounded by over 315 small rooms on three sides, north, south and west. Due to the slope of the ground, there were three levels on the eastern side that taper to two levels to the west. Cloth piece trading, 30-yard length fabric, would take place every Saturday for two hours of…
