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Hello Marie. Have just returned to Rootschat after moving to NZ.

The John Rit Dobson you refer to was my g-grandfather (see my post 10 Nov 10.  While he and some of his brothers were born in Hosforth (IGI ref).  Johnny boy has that pretty right. They were from Thornton and had returned there by 1822 at least as John was inducted into the army (51st Foot) then.  He had sisters Mercy and Maria and I think some more brothers born in Thornton.  A photo of a grave stone earlier in this thread appears to be Gilbert's (John's father) and 1841 Census shows him living there.

What wondrous and serendipitous things can be found on the Web.  Thank you Northernsearcher for the info about Thornton.  The gravestone from the Bell Chapel graveyard is almost certainly that of my g-g-grandfather Gilbert and my g-grandfather's brother and sister.  My grandfather was John Dobson who I think was born in Horsforth (near Leeds) in 1806 to Gilbert and Hannah Dobson. They were from Thornton, though, and had moved back there sometime before 1822 when John's army records show he was attested in 1822 in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (51st Foot) with which he served until 1848 when he left for Auckland, New Zealand with the NZ Fencible Regiment (pensioners/territorials).  My grandfather Joseph was born in Onehunga (near Auckland) in 1852.

Like you and Johnnyboy (who seems to be related to me), I have found the Dobson's in Thornton very confusing.  There are 2 Gilbert Dobsons born there abt 1777 (IGI), one with father John and the other with father Timothy.  I have not been able to sort out which is my Gilbert, who I think died in 1848.

The other puzzle is the maiden name of Hannah.  Her maiden name given in John's death entry in NZ is Brucebank.  I think that is a variant of Brooksbank and while there are plenty of Brooksbanks from Thornton and other places nearby, none seem to fit.  There was a marriage of a Hannah Brook and Gilbert Dobson in 1805 which would fit nicely.  It is quite possible that the info in John's death entry is wrong, as the informant in the NZ family may have had little knowledge of the people in Yorkshire, whom they never met.  Interestingly, 1 of the 1777 Gilberts may have had a mother with name of Brooksbank, as there is a record of a Timothy marrying a Brooksbank that would fit.

Anyway, enough for now.

Dobbie