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« on: Wednesday 23 April 14 17:07 BST (UK) »
Firstly, Colin, thanks to your query, I've managed to finally sort out the Nelsons! Thanks.
At the time that William was there, Leetside was part of the Blackadder Estate, owned by Sir George L.H. Boswall. The tenant had been James Herriot for a long time, by the mid 1880s it's shown as tenanted by "the heirs of the late James Herriot". As JH died in 1872, they were certainly taking their time about sorting out the estate! It was a middle-sized farm at that time, with a farmhouse and cottages for 5 workmen and their families (only Heads of Household shown on the Valuation Rolls, none of them were called Spark). Alison (William's mother) must have been fairly new to Leetside when he was born as the 1881 census shows her as being in Foulden.