Historical Footnote
| Jul 2010 Historical Footnote by Roger Bingham I have been having a look at Dalton just beyond living memory - mainly from the 1901 Census. Many of the house and farm names are the same but others are not mentioned by name and are just listed as a ’ cottage’ with a number. According to the 1906 Kelly’ s Directory ’ Dalton is a township in the Parish of Burton, about one mile south-east of the village, and formerly in the county of Lancaster, but added to Westmorland for civil purposes in 1896.’ The area included the outlying farms of Deerslet, Court Green, Cragg House, Henridding and Dalton Old Hall. Dalton Hall and the Home Farm were not included in the 1901 Census as they were assessed with Burton. The Directory describes Dalton Hall as ’ a noble mansion pleasantly situated in its own well timbered grounds of considerable extent, is the seat of Edmund Geoffrey Stanley Hornby esq. D.L., J.P. The principal landowners are E.G.S. Hornby esq., and Alfred Atkinson esq. The area is 2,170 acres and the rateable value £ 2,710.’ The population of 106: 46 males and 50 females, was about twice the current number of residents. There were 27 inhabitants under the age of 18. The youngest was Thomas William Cornthwaite of Deerslet who was one month old. Only one child, Robert Dixon aged 13 of Coat Green Cottage, was described as a scholar although all children between 5 and 12 would be compelled to attend the elementary school. Only 27 adults were married. Jane Brockbank aged 62 of Cottage number 12 and Alice Wilson aged 84 of Cottage number 15 were described as widows. Mrs Wilson was the oldest inhabitant, followed by 74 year old Frances Paxton of cottage number 10. Her husband William, at 73, was the oldest man. James Bibby, aged 63 of Dalton Old Hall, was a widower with a large family of five bachelor sons and two servants, Elizabeth and Mary Tugman, living in the house. The largest household was that of 44 year old James Dixon, famer, of Dalton Old Hall, which was home to 13 people including his 42 year old wife Sarah, five sons and three daughters; William Davidson, 21, ’ horseman and farm worker“ ; Robert Hayton, 19, ’ cattleman and farm worker’ and Ruth Mason, 21, ’ servant (domestic).’ At Cragg House the family of William Riding, 51, comprised his wife Sarah Jane, 48 and three daughters and a son; while at Deerslet the family of Farmer William Jackson Cornthwaite, aged 27, consisted of his wife Helena Frances, the new baby, his cousin and ’ horseman’ Harry Jackson aged 19, Dorothy Walker ’ servant domestic’ and Thomas Edward Knowles from Milnthorpe who, although only 13 years old, was employed as a ’yards man-cattle.’ Other farming families included those of widower William Wilkinson of Henridding who had two sons, a daughter and two servants living with him. William Bownass, 38, of Keer Holme had a wife, two sons and three daughters but no live-in servants. At Bell House Thomas Wildman, 62, and his wife Margaret had two daughters, of spaced out ages, Mary, 32, and Margaret, 16, but no resident servants. Down the road at Russells Farm lived Anthony Dixon, 35, his wife Hannah, 23, a one year old baby son Thomas, his brother in law William Wilson, 20, ’ horseman on farm’ and Robert Charnley, 15, ’ a cowman’ . At cottage number 12 George Middleton, 27, a living-out agricultural labourer was supporting his wife Margaret, 28, Aunt Jane Brockbank and two years old daughter Isabella. Other occupations recorded on the census included William Paxton, whom at 73, was still working as an ’ Estate Carpenter’ as was his 49 year old son Robert. John Atkinson, 31, of Henridding was the Estate Gamekeeper while William Dixon, 36, was ’living on his own means’ and keeping his wife Eliza Jane and his scholar brother Robert. Contrary to the assumption that our ancestors rarely roamed from home, only 15 Dalton inhabitants in 1901 had been born in the hamlet and they were mainly children. Of the adults, 11 were born at Burton, and 12 at Holme. The rest came from neighbouring parishes including six born at Borwick and four at Priest Hutton and Hutton Roof. Residents born from further away included Dorothy Walker, farm servant at Deerslet, who came from Marton, Lancashire. William Crayston of cottage 11 came from Silverdale and his wife Elizabeth from Bolton-le-Sands, John Wilson from cottage number 1 hailed from Crosthwaite, his mother Alice from Heversham and Robert Hayton, 19, servant at Old Hall, from Swarthmore. Some families like the Cornthwaites and the Ridings seem to have left the area; others have stayed and even multiplied. Hence on the 2010 Electoral Roll for Burton there are 11 Craystons and, also, 8 Wilsons, 7 Masons, 4 Atkinsons, 4 Bibbys and 3 Dixons. I wonder how many of these families are descended from their namesakes who were living in Dalton a hundred years ago? |
