The Gentleman's Daughter

by Amanda Vickery

  Miss Fanny Walker, Whitley, Yorkshire

  This woman shared many northern friends and acquaintances with Elizabeth Parker. She writes while a house-guest in a substantial Yorkshire household, talking of the bell ringing for dinner, fine London company staying (‘three of the longest chinned familys that ever was seen’), dancing every night and be-diamonded guests. However, the source of her family's money is unclear.

  MS: LRO, DDB Ac 7886/280 (MS span: 1749).

  Dr R. Walmsley, Carlisle, Cumberland

  An army doctor, stationed near the border during the 1745 rebellion, whose flirtatious tone suggests he was an admirer of Elizabeth Parker.

  MS: LRO, DDB Ac 7886/86 (MS span: 1745).

  Mrs Jane Walton, Skipwith hall, Yorkshire

  A gentlewoman and heiress. Jane was the only child and heir of Elizabeth Parker of Browsholme and George Toulson of Skipwith. She was married to Banastre Walton of Marsden Hall, Lanes. Eventually, without surviving children of their own, they made Elizabeth Shackleton's second son, John Parker, their heir, and he took the name of Toulson Parker. The Waltons were taxed on eight male servants in 1780, and patronized Gillows of Lancaster.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB Ac 7886/57, and land deeds in Hull University

  Manuscripts, e.g. DDFA/1/2).

  E. Webster, Croston, Lancashire

  The status of this married woman is unknown.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB Ac 7886/311 (MS span: 1749).

  *Thomas Whitaker of Simonestone Hall, Lancashire (1701–66)

  The Whitakers of Simonstone were an ancient gentry family.

  MS: LRO, DDB Ac 7886/228 (MS span: 1748).

  *Henry Wiglesworth of Townhead, Slaidburn, Yorkshire (b. 1724)

  Son and heir of Henry Wiglesworth of Slaidburn, Yorks. He was born at Colne, his mother's home. Educated at Slaidburn School and Cambridge, he was admitted to the Middle Temple on 6 May 1741. The Wiglesworths were well-acquainted with the polite families of north-east Lancashire and owned land in the area through the female line. Henry corresponded with Robert Parker regarding livestock. The Wiglesworths were taxed on two male servants in 1780.

  MS: two letters LRO, DDB/72/482, LRO, DDB Ac 7886/244 (MS span: 1748–9).

  Mrs Mary Witton (née Assheton), Chapel Thorp, Wakefield, Yorkshire One of the Asshetons of Downham and Cuerdale, whose first husband was the Revd John Witton of Lupet Hall (1691–1754). John Witton was the son of a Wakefield barrister, educated at Wakefield School and Cambridge. He was ordained priest in 1722, was Rector of Houghton in Huntingdonshire, 1726–32, Vicar of Throcking Northumberland 1740–54, and Prebendary of York 1743–52. Despite the limited financial rewards of a clerical career, this family still appeared one of social substance. They possessed a coach, were friends of the Listers of Gisburn Park, escorted the unmarried Miss Parker to the Wakefield races and were seen about town in York in the 1740s. They also had the wherewithal to undertake building work on a new house, Birthwaite Hall, in the same decade. Mary Witton's second husband was Peregrine Wentworth of Tolston Lodge.

  MS: three letters LRO, DDB Ac 7886/307–8, 310 (MS span: 1749).

  BARCROFT CORRESPONDENCE NETWORK, 1785–1826

  Correspondents of five sisters: Miss Martha Barcroft (b. 1757), Miss Mary Barcroft (b. 1766), Miss Barbara Barcroft (b. 1762), Mrs Ellen Moon and Mrs Elizabeth Reynolds.

  Captain Ambrose Barcroft (1759–95)

  Brother of Barbara, Ellen, Elizabeth, Mary and Martha. Married Eleanor Duffy, of whom nothing is known. He died by shipwreck leaving a daughter Ellen. Curiously, his will of 1793 makes no mention of a wife or daughter. As a young man he was known to Elizabeth Shackleton.

  MS: four letters he wrote to his sister ‘my dear Beth’, LRO, DDB/61/34, and LRO, DDB/72/1486–8. Financial information can be gleaned from LRO, DDB/70/8 (1793), Will, and LRO, DDB/252 (1793–4), Account of Captain Barcroft's rents. His majority and military career are mentioned in Elizabeth Shackleton's diary, LRO, DDB/81/37 (1780), f. 34 (MS span: 1785).

  Mrs Mary Barcroft, Bradford, Yorkshire

  This woman was sister-in-law to the Miss Barcrofts, the widow of John Barcroft (1764–99), who died at Bradford. Although, by his father's will, John Barcroft inherited an interest in his mother's land in Trawden, Lancashire, how or whether he supplemented his landed income is unknown.

  MS: four letters LRO, DDB/72/1500–3 (MS span: c.1803).

  Joseph Bateman, Lancaster, Lancashire

  Bateman communicated information to the sisters about a legal dispute they were embroiled in. Unfortunately, no data as to his occupation can be found.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1417 (MS span: 1819).

  Mary Cunliffe (née Oldham) Wycoller, Lancashire

  ‘Molly’ was the daughter of a wealthy hat-manufacturer, Adam Oldham of Manchester, and was reportedly an heiress. In August 1775 she married Henry Owen Cunliffe (1752–1818) at the collegiate and parish church of Manchester. The Sheffield-born Henry Owen had inherited Wycoller Hall and its estate from his uncle Henry Cunliffe in June 1773. He was educated at Bolton Abbey School and for a time at Oxford. Upon his sudden promotion, he took his uncle's name, joined the Lancashire militia and set about rebuilding the hall. Despite extensive renovations and the purchase of mahogany furniture from Gillows of Lancaster, Wycoller could not throw off the nickname of the ‘haunted house’. Cunliffe made abortive efforts to lease Ackworth Park near Pontefract and later a house near Addingham, but eventually in 1802 he rented Chapel House in Wharfedale, Yorkshire. Thereafter, he only returned to collect rents, shoot grouse and explore the possibilities of mining the coal on his estate. Mary Cunliffe may have been a Methodist, she was certainly accused of being such in Elizabeth Shackleton's diary. Moreover, it was the Cunliffes who rented out land in Colne upon which the first Methodist congregation built their chapel. They had no children.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1363. For examples of Henry's penmanship, see his letters to Thomas Parker LRO, DDB/72/836, 861, 933 (MS span: 1814).

  Miss Charlotte Dickson, Berwick upon Tweed

  This doctor's daughter met the Miss Barcrofts at Otley. When her father retired from practice in the 1790s, she and her sister removed with him to the borders. Charlotte, however, continued to regret the loss of ‘the amiable ladies at Manor House’, filling her letters with queries about the West Riding social scene. MS: five letters LRO, DDB/72/1489–91, 1495, 1499 (MS span: 1795–1801).

  J. Hartley, Colne, Lancashire

  This correspondent aided the Miss Barcrofts in the procurement of lodgings in the Colne area when they left Otley. He was certainly an able writer and businessman in the loosest sense. He may have been the superior cotton-manufacturer John Hartley of Colne or the gentleman-merchant Joseph Hartley of Colne, both of whom appear in local parish registers.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1494. See also Spencer, Baptism Register 1790–1812 (MS span: 1800).

  Thomas Johnson, Eshton, Gargrave, Yorkshire

  His son was named as executor to the Miss Barcrofts' estates along with Edward Parker of Selby and Captain Thomas Parker of Alkincoats. By his associations, he is believed to have been a gentleman.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1418 (MS span: 1822).

  Anna Kendall, Leathley, Yorkshire

  This woman befriended the unmarried Barcroft sisters during their residence at Otley. Her status is unknown.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1485 (MS span: 1784).

  Mr E. King and Mrs Henrietta King, Leyland/Chorley, Lancashire The one surviving letter from this woman was addressed from holiday accommodation, in Sydenham, London, but she was almost certainly a Lancashire resident. Her husband did not want occupation, but whether his labours were commercial or professional is not stated. The husband's letter announces her death and relates his attempts to re-establish a smooth-running household. MS: two letters LRO, DDB/72/1504 and 1492 (MS span: 1786–96).

  D. Lang, London

  An ardent friend of Miss Martha Barcroft. Her
social background cannot be ascertained.

  MS: single letter to Martha Barcroft LRO, DDB/72/1407 (MS span: 1785).

  Edward Parker, Selby, Yorkshire (1786–1865)

  Second son of Thomas Parker of Alkincoats. He practised as a solicitor in Selby and lived there with his wife, Ellen, until 1832, when he inherited Alkincoats and Browsholme through his elder childless brother Captain Thomas Parker. His four surviving sons all took up a profession; one became a barrister, one a solicitor, one an infantry officer and one a clergyman. Meanwhile, of his three surviving daughters, one remained a spinster, one married an infantry officer and one a Colne gentleman.

  MS: six letters LRO, DDB/72/1199, 1203, 1375, 1419, 1509, 1532. See also LRO, DDB/71/4 (1803), Apprenticeship to Richard Swallow of Selby. In addition, ten letters survive written by Edward's sister Eliza Parker to their father Thomas Parker of Alkincoats and Newton, see below (MS span: 1823–26).

  Ellen Parker (née Barcroft), Selby, Yorkshire (c.1794–1866)

  Daughter of Eleanor Duffy and Captain Ambrose Barcroft. After the death of her father in 1795, Ellen was raised by her aunts, the Miss Barcrofts. She attended school at Avenham, Preston, in the 1800s. In 1816 she married Edward Parker (see above, p. 366) and set up home in Selby. She bore eleven children, of whom seven survived: Ambrose, Thomas-Goulbourne, Edward, Robert, Elizabeth, Ellen and Barbara.

  MS: forty letters LRO, DDB/72/1191–8, 1200–2, 1204–9, 1365–74, 1376–80, 1415, 1505–8, 1527–9. It also appears that Ellen wrote the journal LRO, DDB/64/14 (c.1808), whose authoress is styled simply ‘Miss Barcroft’ (MS span: 1808–25).

  Thomas and Ambrose Parker, Selby, Yorkshire

  Children of the solicitor above, these were great-nephews of the Miss Barcrofts. MS: LRO, DDB/72/1420, 1530–31 (MS span: 1823–6).

  Revd Samuel Payne, Weymouth, Dorset

  Rector of Weymouth, writing an account of Ambrose Barcroft's funeral.

  MS: single letter to ‘Miss Barcroft’ LRO, DDB/61/42 (MS span: 1795).

  Mr B. Reynolds, London

  Husband of Elizabeth Reynolds (née Barcroft), he wrote to his sisters-in-law from Newington, London. Because of his considerable leisure and prosperity, combined with an absence of any mention of professional commitments, he is assumed to have been a gentleman.

  MS: letters LRO, DDB/72/1413 (MS span: 1807).

  Mrs D. Ridsdale (née Wiglesworth) Park Gate, Leeds, Yorkshire

  The sister of Barbara Wiglesworth. When the Miss Barcrofts moved back to Lancashire, Mrs Ridsdale felt bitterly ‘the loss of so many social hours and friendship dish of chat’. Although Mrs Ridsdale was gentle by birth, her husband was a scion of the mercantile family of Ridsdale. Ridsdale and Company of Leeds were registered in national directories, see UBD, III, p. 540. Interestingly, this woman also appears in the Dawson–Greene network. However, the letters preserved in the Dawson–Greene collection record a later period after her husband's Leeds business had failed (c.1813), when they had retired to a small farm in Winsley near Ripley loaned by Wiglesworth kin.

  MS: two letters to the Barcrofts LRO, DDB/72/1362, 1497 (MS span: 1800–5).

  Surgeon-Lieutenant W. E. Sharpnell, Weymouth, Dorset

  Fellow-officer of the late Ambrose Barcroft.

  MS: twelve letters LRO, DDB/61/41, 43–53 (MS span: 1795–6).

  Mr John Tennant Esq., Chapelhouse, Leeds, Yorkshire

  John Tennant was distantly related to the Miss Barcrofts by marriage. His sister, a Miss Jane Tennant of Grassington, Yorkshire, married the elderly John Barcroft of Clitheroe Castle in 1774, thereby becoming stepmother to the Miss Barcrofts. Mr Tennant was almost certainly a merchant, a John Tennant, tea-man, was registered in the UBD, III, p. 540.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDB/72/1409. See also the Barcroft–Tennant marriage settlement, LRO, DDB/62/211, to which John Tennant was a signatory, guaranteeing his sister an annuity of thirty pounds per annum. (MS span: 1789).

  Miss Barbara Wiglesworth of Townhead, Yorkshire

  Almost certainly the daughter of James (1725–1807) and Barbara Wiglesworth (1733–1802), a couple who were particularly close to the Parkers of Browsholme. Barbara Wiglesworth was named a witness to the will of Edward Parker of Browsholme in January 1790, while James Wiglesworth was named trustee. Miss Barbara Wiglesworth married a Mr Bromley of Leeds, c.1800. While betrothed, she wrote of the reduced circumstances and quiet social life she envisaged after marriage, which suggests that Bromley was a struggling businessman or impoverished professional. Unfortunately, he fails to surface in any local directories.

  MS: four letters LRO, DDB/72/1408, 1493, 1496, 1498 (MS span: 1797–1800).

  Miss Ellen Wilson, Otley, Yorkshire

  This gentlewoman was the Miss Barcrofts' first cousin. She was the daughter of Martha Barcroft of Foulridge (d. 1819) and Matthew Wilson of Manor House, Otley (d. 1826), only son of Revd Roger Wilson (1711–89), the curate of Colne parish church. Matthew Wilson was a captain in the 4th Royal Lancashire Militia, and served as a Deputy-Lieutenant for both Lancashire and Yorkshire. The Wilsons were a substantial family, related by marriage to the Butlers of Kirkland Hall, Lancashire, the Tennants of Chapelhouse, Yorkshire, and the Wiglesworths of Townhead, Yorkshire.

  MS: single letter to Barbara Barcroft, LRO, DDB/72/1381 (MS span: 1826)

  Miss Martha Wilson, Otley, Yorkshire

  Sister to Ellen Wilson and a cousin to Miss Barcrofts. Martha and Ellen Wilson jointly executed their father's will of 1815, by which the unmarried sisters inherited substantial real estate in Otley, Burley, and Newall with Clifton, Yorkshire. MS: two letters to Martha Barcroft LRO, DDB/72/1414, 1416. See also LRO, DDB/70/9, Will of Matthew Wilson of Otley (MS span: 1812).

  WHITAKER CORRESPONDENCE NETWORK, 1812–21

  Correspondents of Eliza Whitaker (1790–1860) and Charles Whitaker (1790–1843) of Roefield, Clitheroe, and later Simonstone Hall, Padiham, Lancashire.

  Elizabeth Addison (?née Aspinall), Lodge Lane, Liverpool, Lancashire Almost certainly the wife of merchant Richard Addison of 14 Lodge Lane, Toxteth Park, Liverpool, and later 19 Nile Street. Listed in Liverpool directories for 1805, 1823 and 1825. The Addisons made bulk purchases of provisions (wine and sugar) on behalf of the Whitaker's direct from the ships. They were probably related to the Addison family of Preston. Eliza Parker of Alkincoats recorded attending a ‘hop’ given by the Addisons in the 1814 Preston season. John Addison Esq., 8 Winckley St, was registered as a notable inhabitant of Preston in 1824.

  MS: seven letters LRO, DDWh/4/40, 49, 56, 64, 72, 89, 124 (MS span: 1814).

  Alice Ainsworth, Moss Bank, Bolton, Lancashire

  By 1824 this correspondent was registered in Baines's Directory as a notable inhabitant of Preston, probably widowed, living at 68 Fishergate. She had married into a Bolton family of gentleman farmers. The Ainsworths were known to the children of Thomas and Betty Parker of Alkincoats and Newton.

  MS: two letters LRO, DDWh/4/78, 120 (MS span: 1816).

  N. Aspinall, Liverpool, Lanashire

  Probably a relative of Nicholas Aspinall of Liverpool, younger son of John Aspinall Esq. of Standen Hall, Clitheroe.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/37 (MS span: 1814).

  Mrs AB, Preston, Lancashire

  A young matron who wrote of her babies and book society, though sadly mentioned nothing of her husband or her income.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/74 (MS span: 1814).

  N. Bishop, Roby, near Liverpool, Lancashire

  Because this woman wrote of estate management and inhabited the genteel residence of Roby Hall, it is assumed that she belonged to the lesser gentry.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/23 (MS span: 1812).

  Mrs D. Bowyer, Bedford Row, London

  Little is known of this London correspondent, but that she was a friend of Eliza Whitaker's aunt, Anne Eliza Robbins. After Robert Robbins's sudden death, Mrs Bowyer supervised the Robbins children, while their mother was prostrate with grief. Mr Bowyer's profe
ssion is not revealed, though it seems likely that he was a lawyer, like Robert Robbins. In any case, the families were on warm terms and their children were playmates, as an affectionate note to the ‘dunce’ Percy Robbins from his ‘dear little sweetheart’ Ann Bowyer confirms.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/68. Ann Bowyer's letter is LRO, DDWh/4/129 (MS span: 1814).

  Mrs E. Daunsey, Bashall Lodge, Lancashire

  Although this woman wrote from her sister's home in Lancashire, she had her own house in London. Like her sister Mrs Johnson, Mrs Daunsey was a widow. She was clearly on friendly terms with east Lancashire families such as the Whitakers and St Clares, but unfortunately, her late husband's occupation is unknown. MS: three letters LRO, DDWh/4/47, 63, 133 (MS span: 1814).

  S. Greaves, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London

  Another friend of Anne Elizabeth Robbins, perhaps like Ann, the wife of a lawyer. She was closely involved in the drama surrounding Robert Robbins's premature death in 1814. Her own husband's occupation is unknown.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/42 (MS span: 1814).

  C. Harrison, ‘Penrose’, Lancashire

  Since this woman wrote of relaying servants and messages, she was undoubtedly a Lancashire neighbour of the Whitakers. She was obviously an employer, though further information about her status cannot be found.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/93 (MS span: 1817).

  Alice Horrocks, Shenstone, Worcestershire (b. 1799)

  Fifth daughter of Samuel and Alice Horrocks. At the time of writing she was unmarried, although she subsequently wed the Revd James Streynsham, rector and canon of Chorley, rural dean. They were married at the parish church of St John's, Preston, in 1825 by the bridegroom's uncle Revd Robert Masters. At her father's death in 1842 she inherited eight hundred pounds cash and, with her husband, ten thousand pounds in trust.

  MS: single letter LRO, DDWh/4/84 (MS span: 1816).

  Jane Horrocks, Lark Hill, Preston, Lancashire (b. 1795)

  Third daughter of Samuel and Alice Horrocks. At the time of writing she was unmarried. Her first husband was Thomas Monkhouse, who died in 1825, leaving one daughter Mary Elizabeth (b. 1822); she married secondly Paris Dick MD.