David WALKER 1854 help please

[majm]

Re the re-marriage of his wife, with her status as widow.   The clergy recorded the status.  The options available to the clergy were either Spinster or Widow.  The sentence of transportation for seven years would give the clergy the reason for using the status as Widow.  Widow did not just mean that the spouse was deceased.  Its meaning in the 1850s and earlier was more extensive, it contracted to mean the spouse was deceased upon the widowhood of Queen Victoria.   The clergy would have formed the view that the marriage was over due to the sentence of transportation, thus the 'widow' status giving her the opportunity to re-marry, under the "seven years" consideration.  

The following link gives a Professor of Law's paper that may be of interest....

http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/seminars/finlay.html  

Cheers,  JM

[davidft]

Thank you for posting the link on the seminar - interesting reading.

I know clergymen used a great deal of discretion, whether it was right to or not, as in my tree there is a several times great uncle who was a clergymen. Let's just say he was a law unto himself on what he did and did not register and how.

The thing about whether David's wife was a widow or not is complicated by the fact that he had four children by her, the last one born three months to the day after his trial. so that begs the question would he voluntarily give up his family. Unfortunately the poor law records for the area do not survive. From census and other records his wife is always working, even when remarried, and family members take the children from time to time.

David Walker is elusive - been chasing him for several years. Think I will put him back on the back burner and see if I can go to North Yorks Archives next summer

Thank you for your help

[Jos Search]

Hello
I have just discovered this conversation and it seems that David Walker who was transported to New South Wales was my 3 x great grandfather. He was the father of my 2 x great grandfather James Walker who was baptized in Knaresborough in 1847. I have just started to research more about him and as yet haven't found details of his brothers/sisters but know that his father was David, a blacksmith of Ellingstring and his mother was Isabella Caygill. Fascinating to learn the details of his sentencing and transportation. I have a photograph of James Walker (attached) with his wife and some of their children. They had 10, 8 of whom survived to adulthood, including my great grandmother Maria Maude Walker. James was always a farm hind and spent his later years at Ketton Hall Farm in Brafferton, County Durham. He died in 1918 and is buried in Darlington. I wonder what became of David. What a tough life Isabella must have had. Really glad I found your posts. Jo.

[davidft]

Hello Jo

It was nice to receive your post. David Walker was by 3 X great grandfather too

Despite this thread being three years old I am still on the search that he actually went to Australia and I continue to look on and off to see if I can find out what actually happened.

I do not know how much you know about the family going back but if I can help I would be happy to share information, although I know some people like to research it themselves. Please let me know of any help I might be able to give.

Re the photo of James I stumbled across that photo a while ago and it was good to see as I have practically no photos of any of my ancestors. I draw on the photo to give an impression of what David may have looked like.

I do have one question if I may and that is do you have the marriage certificate of James Walker and Jane Anne Hodgson, and if so what does James say about his father including his name.

Thank you

David

[Jos Search]

Hello

Thanks for the reply, I realized that the post was quite a while ago. I have shared the photo publicly as I know how nice it is to actually see the faces of our ancestors. Also the original, which I have, is not in great condition so scanning it meant saving it. Any information you can share would be lovely, I've just started focusing on the Walker part of my family tree again after looking at other parts for a while. I think I have James' sisters as Mary and Deborah and his younger brother as William. I also think I have information that Isabella re-married to Thomas Oliver though I haven't researched the original documents to verify this yet. I have just checked and I don't have the marriage certificate of James Walker to Jane Ann Hodgson but think my mother may have it, so will find out. We have traced him through all census data and know that though he was baptized in Knaresborough he was at Ellingstring in 1851 aged 4, then at 14 he had left home to become a servant at Firby. I have found David as an apprentice blacksmith in 1841 though haven't gone back any further with him yet - If you know more and don't mind sharing that would be great. I believe Davids parents were David Walker and Mary Stott of Masham but don't know much about them so far. I don't live too far away from where they all lived, I'm in Yarm which was formerly the northern border of North Yorkshire and often (particualrly in the summer) go out to the Dales around Masham. Quite nice to know some of my roots are there!

Jo

[davidft]

Hi

I agree the details you have there. I will write some notes on David’s family and ancestors over the weekend. I can do the same for Isabella’s but that will probably not be until next weekend.

I have sent you a PM with a question to check things

David

[Rclg]

Hi
If in the meantime you have found what happened to David WALKER, b 1821 in Ellingstring, Blacksmith, who was sentenced to 7 years transportation in 1851 at Northallerton, then I hope that my public reply might help some others looking for answers.
I am as certain as I can be that the following is what happened to him.  He wasnt transported, but ended his days in Dartmoor Prison: 24th Feb 1854.
I have followed what happened to him in the prison records, obtained from a commercial family history site, and the records essentially all confirm that it is this David Walker (confirmed by his trial date and place and occupation and age).  I am descended from his half-brother William Vayro.  Thus we share a direct ancestor: Mary Stott (my 3X grand-mother).
He was in Northallerton prison till 3rd Oct 1851 when he was transferred to Millbank Prison.  On 8th Nov 1851 he was transferred to Pentonville. He was there till 2nd Aug 1852.  The record says he was transferred to Portsmouth, but I dont have any record of him there.  However shortly thereafter he appears in the Dartmoor Prison records from the quarter ending Sept 1852 and through to his death on 24th Feb 1854.  Whilst in Northallerton it says he was suffering from scrofula (tuberculosis of the neck lymph glands, often caught by drinking infected milk), and in fact was first rejected by the surgeon for transfer to Pentonville.  In the Dartmoor records he is described as scrofulous, and latterly "delicate".  My guess is therefore that his death registration record is: Name: David Walker, Registration Year: 1854, Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun, Registration district: Tavistock, County: Devonshire, Volume: 5b, Page: 213.
I hope this helps.
Liz

[davidft]

@Rclg

Hi

Thank you for posting what happened to David Walker I had never managed to find out although I have spent several years looking. On the plus side the date of death you give means that when his wife remarried (1856) she was actually free to do so.

I did have some records from Northallerton Prison (from the Northallerton Archives) but didn't get the 3 October details and so didn't know where he went or the details of the Scrofula he suffered from. My attempts at looking at other prison records came to nought too, so receiving your information is like gold dust. I also ruled out the possibility of getting death certificates on spec as there were too many David Walker's around.

If its not too much to ask may I ask how you found the Millbank, Pentonville and Dartmoor prison records as although I do not have anymore prisoners to search you never know what may turn up in future 

I do have a couple of photos of the gravestone of James Stott which I believe is where Mary is buried. (The hesitancy is because I have had computer problems and I am not sure at the moment what I can access. However if it is correct and you would like a copy and anything I may have on the Vayroh's then I would be happy to send it, but it may take a week or so).

Talking of James Stott I know who he married but not who his parents were or where he came from (still waiting for more Yorkshire parish records to be put online)

Once again thank you so much for posting the details

[Jos Search]

Thank you both for posting so much information. This update is very interesting, I wonder if David and poor Isabella were able to keep in touch. I am glad to hear she was free to marry again when she did. As I mentioned, David and Isabella were my 3x gt grandparents so I'm a direct descendant and fascinated by their lives, no matter how grim! I had hoped my mother had got a marriage certificate for their son James to Jane Ann Hodgson (my 2 x gt grandparents), however she hasn't so that's something else to pin down.
Thanks again
Jo