PART TWENTY SEVEN

 

The Harewood Yorkshire Line – 1660 to 2008

 

Update October 2011

 

 

With the April 2011 update of this file and that of Part 36,

this family line can now be traced back to William Collett of Featherstone in 1496.

 

This is the family line of John Robert Collett (Ref. 27S7)

of New South Wales in Australia, whose family line is depicted in capitals,

and Christina Hammond nee Collitt (Ref. 27R11) of Hitchin in Hertfordshire

whose family line is identified by the names underlined

 

This family line has its origins in Part 36 – The Barwick-in-Elmet (Leeds line

and it was there that Richard Collett was born the eldest of three known

children of Richard Collett (Ref. 36J5)

 

It is also worth noting that some of the early records give the

spelling of the name as Collitt (or Collit) and one branch of the family has

retained this to the present day, as used by the ancestors of Christina Collitt

 

 

36K11

RICHARD COLLETT was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1667 where he was baptised at All Saints Church on 06.02.1668, the eldest of the three known children of Richard Collett.

 

 

 

In the early 1690s Richard married Hannah with whom he had eight children.  During his life he was known as Richard Collitt of Weeton, which was a hamlet midway between Harrogate to the north and Leeds to the south, lying within the parish of Harewood.  He was also known as Richard Collett of Harewood.

 

 

 

 

It was also at All Saints Church in Harewood (pictured on the right) that all of his children were baptised, although it is highly likely that they were born while the family was living at Weeton. 

 

This is because St Barnabas Church in Weeton was not built until 1851, when its construction was financed by the Earl of Harewood.

 

 

 

Hannah Collett died at Weeton, five miles east of Otley, in October 1710, and was followed fourteen years later by her husband Richard Collett, who died at Weeton during the first two weeks of April in 1724 and was buried in the grounds of All Saints Church in Harewood on 12.04.1724.

 

 

 

27L1

Ann Collett

Born in 1695

 

27L2

Ralph Collett

Born in 1696

 

27L3

Hannah Collett

Born in 1698

 

27L4

Richard Collett

Born in 1700

 

27L5

THOMAS COLLETT

Born in 1701

 

27L6

Margaret Collett

Born in 1703

 

27L7

John Collett

Born in 1705

 

27L8

Charles Collett

Born in 1707

 

 

 

 

27L1

Ann Collett was born at Weeton in 1695, the eldest of eight children of Richard and Hannah Collett.  She was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 20.09.1695, when her name was recorded as Ann Collett.  Sadly she was only a few days old when she died.

 

 

 

 

27L2

Ralph Collett was born at Weeton in 1696 and was the eldest son of Richard and Hannah Collett.  He was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 26.09.1695 when his name was recorded as Ralph Collett.

 

 

 

The only detail of Ralph’s life known at this time is that he died at Weeton on 06.06.1710, when he was around 15 years old.  His youngest brother Charles (below) died fifteen months later.

 

 

 

 

27L3

Hannah Collett was born at Weeton in 1698 and was baptised at All saints Church in Harewood on 24.06.1698 as Hannah Collett, the daughter of Richard Collett.  It is understood that she married John Vicars at St Peter’s Church in Leeds on 11.09.1718, and died at Dunkeswick near Harewood in February 1769.

 

 

 

 

27L4

Richard Collett was born at Weeton in 1700 and was baptised at All Saints in Harewood as Richard Collit on 19.01.1701, the son of Richard Collit.  Richard was another infant fatality, when he died at Weeton, either in January that same year, or the following year.

 

 

 

 

27L5

THOMAS COLLETT was born at Weeton in 1701 and was baptised at All Saints in Harewood as Thomas Collit on 12.03.1701, the son of Richard Collit.  He later married Priscilla Waite at All Saints Church in Kirkby Overflow on 27.05.1724, where Priscilla was born during 1703, the daughter of yeoman farmer Joseph Waite.

 

 

 

Just over four years after they were married, Priscilla’s father died, and his Will proved on 20th October 1729 included the following.  Joseph Waite, yeoman of Swindon, in the parish of Kirkby Overblow, do give to my son-in-law, Thomas Collitt and his wife Priscilla Collitt, 2s 6d each.  To my grandchildren Richard Collitt, Joseph Collitt, and Mary Collitt, 10s to be shared amongst them. Also £10 amongst them when they reach 21.  

 

 

 

The contents of the Will provide further confirmation that Thomas’ son John had died prior to that time, and that his daughter Hannah (Ann) was born between the making of the Will and the death of Joseph Waite, with no time to amend the document to include her name.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the baptism records for most of the children simply record the parents’ names as Thomas Collett and Mrs Thomas Collett.

 

 

 

Thomas Collett died at Weeton during the month of March in 1787, and was buried at All Saints Church in Harewood on 30.03.1787.  At the time of his death he was referred to as a farmer.  His wife Priscilla had died over twenty-four years earlier, when she passed away at Weeton in February 1763.

 

 

 

27M1

Richard Collett

Born in 1725

 

27M2

Joseph Collett

Born in 1726

 

27M3

John Collett

Born in 1727

 

27M4

Mary Collett

Born in 1728

 

27M5

Hannah Collett

Born in 1729

 

27M6

Anne Collett

Born in 1730

 

27M7

Margaret Collett

Born circa 1732

 

27M8

Thomas Collett

Born in 1734

 

27M9

Elizabeth Collett

Born in 1738

 

27M10

Hugh Collett                 twin

Born in 1740

 

27M11

Joshua Collett              twin

Born in 1740

 

27M12

JOHN COLLETT

Born circa 1742

 

 

 

 

27L6

Margaret Collett was born at Weeton in 1703, but was baptised as Margaret Collett at All Saints Church in Harewood on 30.03.1704, the daughter of Richard Collett.  She was around seven years of age when she died at Weeton on 07.03.1711.

 

 

 

 

27L7

John Collett was born at Weeton in 1705, the second youngest son and seventh child of Richard and Hannah Collitt.  It was as John Collett that he was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 07.02.1705, the son of Richard Collett.

 

 

 

It was also at All Saints Church that, as John Collett, he married Susan Mallory (Susannah Mallorie) on 30.08.1726.  The couple had eight children while they were living at Dunkeswick, and all of them were baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood.  See also Ref. 27M11 for another Collett/Mallory marriage.

 

 

 

John Collett was a farmer living at Dunkeswick near Harewood at the end of 1778 when he died, following which he was buried at All Saints Church in Harewood on 03.01.1779.  It was just a few weeks later that his wife Susan died at Dunkeswick during February 1779.

 

 

 

27M13

John Collett

Born in 1727

 

27M14

Ralph Collett

Born in 1729

 

27M15

Susannah Collett

Born in 1730

 

27M16

Ralph Collett

Born in 1731

 

27M17

Ellen Collett

Born in 1732

 

27M18

William Collett

Born in 1734

 

27M19

Thomas Collett

Born in 1737

 

27M20

Susannah Collett

Born in 1742

 

 

 

 

27L8

Charles Collett was born at Weeton in 1707, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood as Charles Collett on 23.03.1707, the youngest of the eight children of Richard and Hannah Collitt.  Charles was only four years old when he died on 03.11.1711.

 

 

 

 

27M1

Richard Collett was born at Weeton on 11.03.1725 and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 25.03.1725, the eldest son of Thomas Collett.  It was as Richard Collitt that he was a beneficiary under the terms of the 1729 Will of his maternal grandfather Joseph Waite, when he received one third share of ten shilling, and one third of ten pounds should he reach the age of twenty-one.

 

 

 

 

27M2

Joseph Collett was born at Weeton and baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 11.03.1726, the son of Thomas Collett.  It was as Joseph Collitt that he was a beneficiary under the terms of the 1729 Will of his maternal grandfather Joseph Waite, when he received one third share of ten shilling, and one third of ten pounds should he reach the age of twenty-one.

 

 

 

Joseph Collett was around twenty-four years of age when he died at Weeton on 21.06.1750.

 

 

 

 

27M3

John Collett was born at Weeton, but was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 06.05.1727, the son of Thomas Collett.  Sadly he only survived for eleven months, when he died at Weeton and was buried at All Saints Church on 30.03.1728, hence the reason why he was not mentioned in the 1729 Will of his grandfather maternal Joseph Waite.

 

 

27M4

Mary Collett was born at Weeton and possibly born during the first quarter of 1728, following which she was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 30.03.1728, the daughter of Thomas Collett.  It was as Mary Collitt that she was named as a beneficiary under the terms of the 1729 Will of her maternal grandfather Joseph Waite, when she received one third share of ten shilling, and a further one third of ten pounds, on condition that she reached the age of twenty-one.

 

 

 

 

27M5

Hannah Collett was born at Weeton in 1729, but was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 06.02.1729 as Ann Collett, the daughter of Thomas Collett.  It seems highly likely that she was born fairly close to the time of the death of her maternal grandfather Joseph Waite, whose Will was proved on 20th October 1729, but without any reference to Ann or Hannah, the daughter of his son-in-law Thomas Collett.

 

 

 

Ann Collett later married John Knapton at Harewood on 01.11.1750.  John may have been related to Elizabeth Knapton who married Benjamin Collett (Ref. 36M6) at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1768.

 

 

 

Hannah Knapton nee Collett had lived a relatively long life, when she died at Wescoe Hill in Weeton during November 1794.

 

 

 

It was during the following year that John Knapton died, after which his Will was proved on 12th August 1795.  The Will included the following instructions from John Knapton, farmer of Wescoe Hill in the parish of Harewood.  My half share of the copyhold estate, devised to me by my brother Richard Knapton, at Felliscliffe, to my two sons John Knapton and William Knapton.  To my son John I give £30. To my daughter Mary Taylor I give £150.  To my daughter Sarah Taylor I give £90. To my grandchildren Hannah Smith, Priscilla Smith, and William Smith, I give to each £5.  To my granddaughter Hannah I give a further £5 two years after my death.  The residue of my personal effects I give to my son William. 

 

 

 

The witnesses to the signing of the Will were J Barrett, John Collitt, and Elizabeth Smith.  It is therefore very likely that the witness John Collitt was in fact Hannah’s younger brother John Collett (below).

 

 

 

 

27M6

Ann Collett was born at Weeton on 06.04.1730, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 31.12.1731, the daughter of Thomas Collett.  Tragically she only survived for a few months, when she died at Weeton in March 1732.

 

 

 

 

27M7

Margaret Collett was born at Weeton, very likely during the first two months of 1732 or earlier, and was baptised on 09.03.1732 at All Saints Church in Harewood, the daughter of Thomas Collett.

 

 

 

 

27M8

Thomas Collett was born at Weeton in 1734 and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 23.03.1735, the son of Thomas Collett.  Thomas Collett was 33 when he died at Weeton during November 1768.

 

 

 

 

27M9

Elizabeth Collett was born at Weeton in 1738 but was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 19.01.1739, the daughter of Thomas Collett.  However, she died during the following year.

 

 

 

 

27M10

Hugh Collett was born at Weeton in 1740, the son of Thomas Collett.  He was baptised in a joint ceremony at All Saints Church in Harewood with his twin brother Joshua (below) on 22.05.1741.  What is known is that Hugh Collett died at Weeton during March 1765, when he would have been around 25 years of age, and was buried at All Saints Church in Harewood on 31.03.1765.

 

 

 

 

27M11

Joshua Collett was born at Weeton in 1740 and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 22.05.1741, the son of Thomas Collett, in a joint ceremony with his twin brother Hugh Collett (above). 

 

 

 

Joshua was around thirty-five years of age when he married Elizabeth Mallory (Mallorie) at Harewood on 12.09.1775, which raises the questions; (a) did he marry late in his life, (b) was that his second marriage, and (c) was Elizabeth related to Susan Mallory who married Joshua’s uncle John Collett (Ref. 27L7) in 1726.

 

 

 

Elizabeth Mallory (Mallorie) was born around 1754 and so was about fourteen years younger than Joshua.  It is possible that Joshua and Elizabeth settled in Weeton near Harewood where his father Thomas is known to have lived.  The first five children were born at Healthwaite Hill near Weeton, while the last two children were born at South Stainley, five miles north of Harrogate.

 

 

 

Details for six of the couple’s seven children are known, as they were born at Healthwaite Hill near Weeton, and baptised at Harewood.  However, nothing is known about the unnamed daughter, although the continuation of this family line is through their son John.  The only other detail so far known about Joshua Collett is that he died on 26.01.1826, and was buried at St Robert’s Church in Pannal, to the west of Harrogate.

 

 

 

John Sugdon, a stone-cutter of Pannal, near Harrogate, left a Will proved on 23rd February 1777 in which there is a reference to property with the name ‘The Garth’ which was purchased from Joshua Collitt, the property being inherited by his widow Grace Sugdon.

 

 

 

27N1

Sally Collett

Born in 1776

 

27N2

Elizabeth Collett

Born in 1777

 

27N3

a Collett daughter

Born circa 1779 at Healthwaite Hill

 

27N4

Priscilla Collett

Born in 1781

 

27N5

John Collitt

Born in 1782

 

27N6

Sarah Collett

Born in 1786

 

27N7

Hannah Collett

Born in 1790

 

 

 

 

27M12

JOHN COLLETT was born at Weeton after the end of May in 1741 and up to January 1742.  He was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 28.01.1742 and was the youngest child of Thomas Collett.  From the date of his marriage, it would be logical to assume that he was born during 1741 and not 1742, as he would have been only sixteen years old when he became a married man.

 

 

 

John Collett married Sarah Birks (or Bicks) of Leeds at St Peter’s Church in Leeds on 13.02.1758.  Since it is known that the first and the last child of the family were both born at Harewood, it seems very likely that all of the couple’s other children were also born there. 

 

 

 

John Collett died at Weeton in November 1811 when he was around 60 years of age, and he was followed nine years later by his wife Sarah who was nearing her eightieth birthday when she died in 1820.

 

 

 

During his life John was known as a farmer of Middlefield at Harewood and, what is interesting, is that according to the census of 1881, the farm at Middlefield was still being managed by a member of the Collett family – see Ref. 27O13.  It would therefore appear that John Collett passed the property onto one of his sons who, in turn, passed it on to a grandson.

 

 

 

It is highly likely that it was this John Collett who was listed as one of the three witnesses to the signing of the Will of John Knapton, the husband of John’s older sister Hannah (Ann) Collett (above), the Will being proved on 12th August 1795, when John would have been fifty-four.

 

 

 

27N8

William Collett

Born on 16.08.1761

 

27N9

John Collett

Born on 18.07.1763

 

27N10

Sally Collett

Born on 28.09.1764

 

27N11

Susannah Collett

Born on 03.07.1766

 

27N12

Mary Collett

Born on 15.12.1767

 

27N13

Edward Collett

Born on 25.10.1769

 

27N14

Ann Collett

Born on 15.01.1771

 

27N15

THOMAS COLLETT

Born on 12.10.1772

 

27N16

Robert Collett               twin

Born on 24.07.1774

 

27N17

Hannah Collett             twin

Born on 24.07.1774

 

 

 

 

27M13

John Collett was born at Dunkeswick in 1727, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 07.06.1727, the eldest child of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  It was sixty years later that farmer John Collett died at Middlefield in Harewood in February 1787.

 

 

 

 

27M14

Ralph Collett was born at Dunkeswick around 1729 and was baptised at Harewood on 01.05.1730, but sadly he died there the following day.

 

 

 

 

27M15

Susannah Collett was born at Dunkeswick in 1730, but was baptised as Susannah Collett at All Saints Church in Harewood on 20.03.1731, the eldest daughter of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  Susan only survived for less than nine months after that, when she died at Dunkeswick on 02.09.1731.

 

 

 

 

27M16

Ralph Collett was born at Dunkeswick 1731 and baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 01.05.1731, the son of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  Ralph was nearly thirty years of age he married Mary Nicholson at Harewood on 02.02.1761. 

 

 

 

It would appear that Ralph and Mary settled in Harewood where their five known children were born.

 

 

 

27N18

Beatrix Collett

Born on 30.09.1761

 

27N19

Thomas Collett

Born on 09.09.1764

 

27N20

William Collett

Born on 16.11.1766

 

27N21

Mary Collett

Born on 20.02.1770

 

27N22

John Collett

Born on 03.11.1781

 

 

 

 

27M17

Ellen Collett, who was Ellinge Collett, was born at Dunkeswick in 1732 at Harewood, the daughter of John Collett and Susan Mallory. It was as Ellen Collett that she was baptised at All Saints Church on 25.08.1732.  Ellen would appear to have lived all her life at Dunkeswick, where she died in September 1797.

 

 

 

 

27M18

William Collett was born at Dunkeswick around 1734 and it was at Harewood, in All Saints Church, that he was baptised on 09.07.1736, the son of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  It was also at Dunkeswick where William died in May 1779.

 

 

 

 

27M19

Thomas Collett was born at Dunkeswick around 1737, the youngest son of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  Like all of his siblings, Thomas was also baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood, and that took place on 09.02.1739.

 

 

 

 

27M20

Susannah Collett was born at Dunkeswick in 1742, the youngest and last child of John Collett and Susan Mallory.  She was baptised as Susannah Collett at All Saints Church in Harewood on 09.04.1742.  Susan Collett was around twenty-two years old when she married Elijah (?) Kershaw on 10.10.1764.

 

 

 

However, it was less than five years later, during April 1769, that Susan Kershaw died at Dunkeswick, possibly during childbirth.

 

 

 

 

27N1

Sally Collett was born at Healthwaite Hill on 25.09.1776, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 11.10.1776, the eldest child of Joshua and Elizabeth Collett.  Sally was in her very late forties when she married William Ware on 17.07.1825.

 

 

 

 

27N2

Elizabeth Collett was born at Healthwaite Hill on 07.10.1777, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 02.11.1777, the daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Collett.  Elizabeth married William Wright on 14.01.1805 at the Church of St Robert in Pannal, near Harrogate.

 

 

 

 

27N4

Priscilla Collett was born at Healthwaite Hill on 08.04.1781, and was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 02.05.1781, the daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Collett.  Priscilla was twenty-eight years old when she died on 03.05.1809.

 

 

 

 

27N5

John Collitt was born around 1782, the only son of Joshua Collitt and his wife Elizabeth Mallory.  Unlike his three known sisters, no baptism record has so far been found for him at All Saints Church in Harewood. 

 

 

 

It was also at Harewood that John married Hannah Atkinson on 05.12.1807, at a time when Hannah was already pregnant with John’s child, which was born less than five months after they were married.  The witnesses at the wedding ceremony were John Whitaker and C B Brooke, when the couple were both described as being ‘of this parish’.

 

 

 

John and Hannah had a total of eleven children over the years following their wedding.  The early ones, up to 1814 were born and baptised at Harewood, while the later ones were born after the family moved to Ainderby Steeple near Northallerton.  However, according to the parish record for the birth of their daughter Priscilla, they were living at Weeton.

 

 

 

At the time of the first national census in June 1841 John and his family were living at Swalefield House in Ainderby Steeple (Swahfield House, East Gilling).  John and Hannah were both recorded with a rounded age of 55, while still living with them were six of their children, the four eldest also having rounded ages.  Joshua Collitt and Thomas Collitt were both 30, Priscilla Collitt and John Collitt were both 25, Ralph Collitt was 15, and Sarah Collitt who was 14. 

 

 

 

The couple’s missing youngest child, Isabella Collitt, was recorded at Leake wthin the Thirsk & Knapton, living with John Meek, age 56 and from Morton-on-Swale, and his wife Elizabeth Meek who was 54.  So it seems highly likely that Isabella was either staying with relatives, or had already entered into domestic service.

 

 

 

It was also at Ainderby Steeple, nine months later that John Collitt died on 26.03.1842 and where he was buried.  Nine years later his widow Hannah Collitt was 65 when she was living in Morton-on-Swale near Northallerton with three of her children.  They were Ralph Collitt 27, Sarah Collitt 25, and Isabella Collitt who was 22.  Also listed as a visitor was Hannah’s older son William who was 29, together with four others; John Stapleton 30, Frances Peart 25, William Woodward 18, and Robert Dixon 17.

 

 

 

Hannah was still alive in 1861 at the age of 75, when she had living with her at Northallerton her granddaughter Sarah Jane Collitt who was 14.  She was the daughter of Hannah’s son John Collitt.  And still living with her and her granddaughter was her unmarried youngest son William Collitt.

 

 

 

It is understood that Hannah Collitt died during the 1860s, following which she was buried in the churchyard at Ainderby Steeple. 

 

 

 

27O1

Joshua Collitt

Born on 24.04.1808 at Harewood

 

27O2

Thomas Collitt

Born on 22.08.1810 at Harewood

 

27O3

Priscilla Collitt

Born on 02.10.1812 at Harewood

 

27O4

John Collitt

Born in 1814 at Harewood

 

27O5

Mary Collitt

Born in 1816 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O6

Hannah Collitt

Born in 1818 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O7

Richard Collitt

Born in 1820 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O8

William Collitt

Born on 10.08.1822 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O9

Ralph Collitt

Born in 1824 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O10

Sarah Collitt

Born in 1825 at Ainderby Steeple

 

27O11

Isabella Collitt

Born in 1828 at Ainderby Steeple

 

 

 

 

27N6

Sarah Collett was born at South Stainley, midway between Ripon and Harrogate in 1786, and it was there that she was baptised on 11.01.1787, the daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N7

Hannah Collett was born at South Stainley in 1790, and it was there that she was baptised on 04.04.1790, where she sister Sarah had been baptised less than three years earlier.  What is curious about the baptism record though, and different from Sarah’s, was that the parents were named as Joshua and Hannah Collitt, rather than Joshua and Elizabeth Collett, which may simply be a genuine error.

 

 

 

There may have been illness within the family around seventeen years later, since both Sarah and Hannah died in 1807 within five months of each other.  Hannah Collett died on 25.10.1807.

 

 

 

 

27N8

William Collett was born at Harewood on 16.08.1761 and was baptised there six days later 22.08.1761, the son of John and Sarah Collett.  William was thirty years old when he died in 1792.

 

 

 

 

27N9

John Collett was born at Harewood on 18.07.1763, where he was baptised on 19.08.1763, the son of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N10

Sally Collett was born at Harewood on 28.09.1764, and was baptised there on 02.11.1764 the daughter of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N11

Susannah Collett was born at Harewood on 03.07.1766.  Just over one month later she was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 13.08.1766, the daughter of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N12

Mary Collett was born at Harewood on 15.12.1767 where she was baptised on 20.01.1768, the daughter of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N13

Edward Collett was born at Harewood on 25.10.1769, and it was there that he was baptised on 06.12.1769, the son of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N14

Ann Collett was born at Harewood on 15.01.1771 and was baptised there on 20.02.1771, the daughter of John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N15

THOMAS COLLETT was born at Harewood on 12.10.1772, the son of John and Sarah Collett.  He married Alice Bickerdike at Harewood on 16.12.1802 and it is very likely that all of their children were born at Harewood.  Alice was baptised at Otley on 09.09.1778, the daughter of Robert Bickerdike.

 

 

 

By June 1841 Thomas and Alice were living in Harewood with six of their children.  Thomas Collett had a rounded age of sixty-five and his wife’s rounded age was sixty.  Their children on that occasion were Robert and Thomas who both had rounded ages of thirty, John 25, William 20, and Catherine who was eighteen.  Living nearby was their daughter Mary whose age had been rounded up to 25.

 

 

 

Ten months later, Thomas’ wife Alice Collett of Middlefield died on 21.04.1842 at the age of 64 and was buried in the grounds of All Saints Church in Harewood.

 

 

 

In 1851 William was a widower at the age of seventy-eight and this age also coincided with the year he was born.  The census return confirmed that he was living at Middlefield in Harewood with his unmarried sons Robert Collett, age 45, and William Collett, age 33, and his unmarried daughter Catherine Collett who was 29.

 

 

 

Thomas Collett was described as a farmer of 157 acres, employing four labourers.  Living with the family was seventeen years old William Mason from Newton in Yorkshire who was a servant and an agricultural labourer.

 

 

 

Thomas Collett of Middlefield died there during 1852 at the age of 80, and was buried with his wife Sarah in the churchyard of All Saints Church.  The single headstone that marks the plot is rather weathered and is difficult to read, although some parts of the inscription are clear enough to identify it as the grave of Thomas and Sarah Collett of Middlefield.

 

 

 

27O12

Hannah Collett

Born on 26.11.1803

 

27O13

Robert Collett

Born on 06.01.1806

 

27O14

Ann Collett

Born on 22.09.1807

 

27O15

Elizabeth Collett

Born on 13.05.1809

 

27O16

Thomas Collett

Born on 10.03.1811

 

27O17

JOHN SCARR COLLETT

Born in 1815

 

27O18

William Collett

Born in 1817

 

27O19

Mary Collett

Born in 1819

 

27O20

Catherine Collett

Born in 1821

 

 

 

 

27N16

Robert Collett was born at Harewood on 24.07.1774 and was one half of a set of twins born to farmer John Collett and his wife Sarah.  He was baptised at All Saints Church in Harewood on 05.10.1774 in a joint ceremony with his twin sister Hannah (below).

 

 

 

The only other fact known about Robert is that he died at Otley on 17.12.1838 at the age of sixty-three, following which he was buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church in Harewood.  The headstone that marks the grave contains only a reference to Robert, perhaps indicating that he never married.

 

 

 

 

27N17

Hannah Collett was born on 24.07.1774 at Harewood and was a twin sister to her brother Robert (above).  The twins were baptised together in a joint ceremony on 05.10.1774, when their parents were confirmed as John and Sarah Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N18

Beatrix Collett was born at Harewood on 30.09.1761, and was baptised there on 08.10.1761, the eldest daughter of Ralph and Mary Collett.  Beatrix (Beatrice) later married Martin Moore at Harewood on 29.10.1787.

 

 

 

 

27N19

Thomas Collett was born at Harewood on 09.09.1764, where he was baptised on 21.10.1764, the son of Ralph and Mary Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N20

William Collett was born at Harewood on 16.11.1766 and was baptised there a month later on 19.12.1766, the son of Ralph and Mary Collett.

 

 

 

 

27N21

Mary Collett was born at Harewood on 20.02.1770, daughter of Ralph and Mary Collett.  She later married Oswald Hanson.

 

 

 

 

27N22

John Collett was born at Harewood on 03.11.1781, where he was baptised on 30.11.1781, the youngest son of Ralph Collett and Mary Nicholson.  Although not proved, it seems likely that John married Sarah, since a very weathered gravestone in the churchyard of All Saints Church in Harewood bears the inscription ‘Sarah Collett wife of John Collett died ...... aged 65 years.

 

 

 

 

27O1

Joshua Collitt was born at Weeton, Harewood on 24.04.1808, where he was baptised on 22.05.1808, the eldest child of John Collitt and Hannah Atkinson.  Joshua was around five or six years old when his family moved to Northallerton, where they settled in the village of Ainderby Steeple.

 

 

 

Joshua Collitt died on 14.09.1844.  Just over three years earlier Joshua Collitt had been living with his parents at Swalefield House in Ainderby (Swahfield House, East Gilling).

 

 

 

 

27O2

Thomas Collitt was born at Weeton, or Morton-on-Swale, on 22.08.1810 and was baptised at All Saint Church in Harewood on 30.09.1810, the son of John Collitt and Hannah Atkinson.  By the time he was four years old he and his family were living at Ainderby Steeple, just outside Northallerton.

 

 

 

Thomas later married Mary Flower around 1850 and they had four children, all born at Ainderby Steeple.  Not long after they were married the childless couple were recorded in the 1851 Census, as Thomas Collitt age 40, and Mary Collitt age 34, when they were living in Morton-on-Swale at the home of 72 years old Mary Flower, Thomas’ mother-in-law.

 

 

 

Mary was with-child on the day of the census, and the couple’s first son was born almost exactly three months later.  During the next ten years Mary presented Thomas with their four known children, so by 1861, the family living at Morton-on-Swale comprised Thomas Collitt age 50, his wife Mary 44, and sons John Collitt 9, Thomas Collitt 8, and Joshua Collitt who was two years old.

 

 

 

The missing child, their daughter Mary Hannah who would have been six years old, had died just five days before the census that year, on her actual sixth birthday.  Still living with the family was Thomas’ mother-in-law Mary Flower who was 82.

 

 

 

The house must have been of a considerable size, because there were seven other people living there in 1861.  They were Thomas’ brother Ralph Collitt (below), who was 37, Louisa Wass 16, Ann Flower 14, Ann Dennis 24, William Johnson 19, James Bennison 21, and James Young 14.

 

 

 

In 1866 ‘Thomas Collitt’ was implicated in a bribery investigation concerning a general election scandal.  Apparently he was seen at The Harewood Arms, where his brother John Collett (below) was the publican, and his involvement resulted in the election being declared null and avoid.  The official statement issued following conclusion of the investigation determined "That Charles Henry Mills, Esq., is not duly elected a Burgess to serve in the present parliament for the Borough of Northallerton, and that the last Election for the said Borough, is a void Election".

 

 

 

By the time of the census in 1871, Joshua was the only child of Thomas and Mary still living with them.  The census return for Northallerton in 1871 listed the family as Thomas Collitt age 60, Mary Collitt 55, and son Joshua age 12.

 

 

 

Their son Thomas Collitt was 18 and was living nearby in Northallerton, but by then the couple’s eldest son John Collitt, who was 19, had left Northallerton and was recorded as living in the Richmond area of Yorkshire.  It was later that John made the big leap, when he moved to London where he was married.

 

 

 

With no record found for Mary Collitt in 1881, it must be assumed that she had died during the 1870s.  However, Thomas Collitt age 70 years, was listed as married and an inmate at the Northallerton Union Workhouse in the census in 1881.  Although not listed with any current occupation, the census return stated that he was formerly a farmer from Morton-on-Swale, the next village to Ainderby Steeple.

 

 

 

And it was while he was still at the Northallerton Union Workhouse that Thomas Collitt died on 02.03.1883 at the age of 72.

 

 

 

27P1

John Collitt

Born on 26.06.1851

 

27P2

Thomas Collitt

Born in 1852

 

27P3

Mary Hannah Collitt

Born on 02.04.1855

 

27P4

Joshua Collitt

Born in 1858

 

 

 

 

27O3

Priscilla Collitt was born at Harewood on 02.10.1812, the daughter of John Collitt and Hannah Atkinson.  It was also at Harewood that Priscilla was baptised on 01.12.1812, but by the time she was two years old her family was living at Ainderby Steeple.

 

 

 

 

27O4

John Collitt was born at Harewood on 03.03.1814, but was baptised at Ainderby Steeple, to the immediate west of Northallerton, on 03.07.1814, the son of John and Hannah Collitt.

 

 

 

In was during the third quarter of 1843 that John Collett married Isabella Fox, of Coxwold in Yorkshire, at Easingwold, midway between Thirsk and York.  The first of their children was born during the following year, and it was at the baptism of the children that the surname was recorded as Collitt.  The first two children were born at Morton-on-Swale and baptised at Ainderby Steeple, with the later children baptised at Northallerton.  A later record for their daughter Isabella suggests that she was born at Kirby Wiske, which lies five miles south of Northallerton.

 

 

 

According to the census in 1851, John and his family were living within the Thirsk registration area, which would have included Kirby Wiske.  John Collitt was 36, as was his wife Isabel, and their three children at that time were Mary H Collitt who was six, Sarah J Collitt who was four, and Isabel Collitt who was just one year old.

 

 

 

Three more children were added to the family during the 1850s, and it may have been a problem of over-crowding that resulted in John’s daughter Sarah Jane Collitt going to live with her widowed grandmother Hannah Collitt, nearby in Northallerton.  So by 1861 the family living at Northallerton included John and Isabella who were both 46, together with their five children Mary H Collitt 16, Isabella Collitt 11, John W Collitt who was nine, Joshua Collitt who was seven, and Priscilla Collitt who was four years old.

 

 

 

Just over four years later John Collitt died on 29.06.1865, so his widow Isabella Collitt, age 56, was living alone at Morton-on-Swale near Northallerton in 1871, with just her youngest child for company, that being 14 years old Priscilla A Collitt.  Isabella’s occupation at that time in her life was recorded as a licenced victualler.  Living not far away was her son Joshua Collitt who was 18.  It would also appear that Isabella died shortly after that, because no record of her has been found in the census of 1881.

 

 

 

Sadly it was later that same year that Isabelle Collitt died.  During his life John Collitt was a prominent character in Northallerton where he was the publican at The Harewood Arms public house, which still exists today but under its new name of The Tickle Toby Inn.

 

 

 

27P5

Mary Hannah Atkinson Collitt

Born in 1844

 

27P6

Sarah Jane Collitt

Born in 1846

 

27P7

Isabella Collitt

Born in 1849

 

27P8

John William Collitt

Born in 1851

 

27P9

Joshua Collitt

Born in 1853

 

27P10

Priscilla Anne Collitt

Born in 1856

 

 

 

 

27O5

Mary Collitt was born in 1816 and was baptised at Ainderby Steeple on 03.03.1816 as Mary Collet, the daughter of John and Hannah Collet.  Mary later married J Metcalfe.

 

 

 

 

27O6

Hannah Collitt was born in 1818, and it was at Ainderby Steeple that she was baptised on 03.06.1818 as Hannah Collet, the daughter of John and Hannah Collet.  It was around the time that Hannah was aged 21 that she died on 13.04.1839.

 

 

 

 

27O7

Richard Collitt was born in 1820 and was baptised at Ainderby Steeple on 15.05.1820, the son of John and Hannah Collitt.  Richard married Sarah, but at the age of 43, he died in 1863.  Two years earlier the childless couple were living in the Richmond area of Yorkshire was Richard was 41, and his wife Sarah was 40.

 

 

 

 

27O8

William Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple on 10.03.1822, the son of John Collitt and Hannah Atkinson, although he was baptised there on 28.03.1822 as William Collett.  His father died in 1842, and by 1851 he had left the family home, but on the occasion of the census that year he was recorded as a visit at his mother’s home in Morton-on-Swale near Northallerton, when he was 29 and described as a grocer not in business.

 

 

 

During the next ten years, William returned to live with his elderly mother in the Northallerton area, where he was 38 in the census of 1861.  Ten years later in 1871, William Collitt was 49 and was still living in Northallerton, but living with him on that occasion was his nephew Joshua Collitt (Ref. 27P9) who was 18.

 

 

 

He remained a bachelor for almost another four years until, in January 1875, he married Luciana Silvester.  By that time William was fifty-three and was twenty-seven years older than his bride, who had been born in 1849 at Barnby Dun, just north of Doncaster.

 

 

 

The marriage produced five daughters and one son for William and Luciana, and all of them born at Northallerton.  By the time of the census in 1881 the family was living at the High Street in Northallerton, where William was a grocer employing two apprentices.

 

 

 

On that occasion he was 59 and he gave his place of birth as Morton-on-Swale, which is near Bedale and ten miles south-west of Northallerton.  The rest of his family at that time comprised his wife Luciana 31, and their five children, the fifth child having just been born and had not been named on the day of the census on the third of April.

 

 

 

The other four children were Amy H Collitt who was 5, Luciana H Collitt 4, William S Collitt 3, and Mary G Collitt who was two.  The unnamed baby was two weeks old, and she was eventually given the names Florence Hannah.

 

 

 

The two apprentices that William employed also lodged with the family, and they were William Dawson who was 18 from Kirby Knowle, and Walker Rudd who was 15 and from Kirby Sigston.  In the addition to these the family also employed a general servant, Annie Dodds who was 15, and a monthly nurse, Mary Robson who was 45.

 

 

 

According to the Northallerton census in 1891 William Collitt was 69, his wife Luciana was 42, and living with the couple was their five children.  Ann H Collitt was 15, Luciana S Collett was 14, Mary G Collitt was 12, Florence H Collitt was 10, and Selina R E Collitt was just three years old.

 

 

 

William Collett died on 18.04.1892 and was buried at Northallerton Cemetery.  Just after the start of the new century his widow, Luciana Collitt from Barnby Dun, was 52 and was still living in Northallerton with all of her daughters.

 

 

 

Luciana was described as living on her own means, while her five unmarried daughters were Amy H Collitt 25, Luciana S Collitt 24, Mary G Collitt 22, Florence H Collitt 20, and Selina R V Collitt who was 13.  All of the girls were confirmed as born at Northallerton, but it was only Luciana and Florence who were in employment.  Luciana was a private school governess, while Florence was a draper’s cashier.

 

 

 

By the time of the Northallerton census in April 1911 Luciana still had three of her daughters living with her, having suffered the loss of Mary Gertrude who died in 1908.  Luciana was 62, while her daughter Luciana Sarah Collitt was 34, Florence Hannah Collitt was 29, and Selina Rose Victoria Collitt was 23 years old.  By then her eldest daughter was married.

 

 

 

It was nearly a further twenty-two years that Luciana Collitt survived, until her death on 26.02.1933.

 

 

 

The family’s headstone in the graveyard at Northallerton reads as follows: In loving memory of William Collitt, died 18th April 1892 aged 70 years.  Also Mary Gertrude, third daughter of the above died 19th October 1908.  Also Luciana Sarah, second daughter of the above died 24th November 1929.  Also Luciana, widow of the above died 26th February 1933.  Also Selina, youngest daughter of the above, died 18th August 1944.

 

 

 

27P11

Amy Helena Collitt

Born on 28.08.1875

 

27P12

Luciana Sarah Collitt

Born on 08.08.1876

 

27P13

William Silvester Collitt

Born on 10.08.1877

 

27P14

Mary Gertrude Collitt

Born in 1878

 

27P15

Florence Hannah Collitt

Born on 24.03.1881

 

27P16

Selina Rose Victoria Collitt

Born on 14.04.1887

 

 

 

 

27O9

Ralph Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple in 1824, where he was baptised on 15.11.1824 as Ralph Collett, the son of John and Hannah Collett.  In 1851 Ralph was 27 and was still living with his widowed mother, following the death of his father in 1842.

 

 

 

It would seem that Ralph never married and in 1861, when he was 37, he was living in Morton-on-Swale at the home of his older brother Thomas Collitt (above).  At the time of the next census in 1871, Ralph Collett, age 47, was living in the area of Yarm, to the south of Stockton.  It was six years later that Ralph Collett died on 02.06.1877.

 

 

 

 

27O10

Sarah Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple in 1825 and was baptised there on 04.12.1825 as Sarah Collett, the daughter of John and Hannah Collett.  Sarah was 25 and unmarried in 1851, when she was still living with her mother at Ainderby Steeple.  Just over seven years later Sarah Collett died on 04.12.1858.

 

 

 

 

27O11

Isabella Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple on 06.01.1829 and it was there also that she was baptised on 02.02.1829 as Isabella Collett, the youngest of eleven children of John and Hannah Collett.  Isabella was still living with her mother at Ainderby Steeple in 1861 when she was 22 years old.

 

 

 

Isabella Collitt was around 83 years of age when she died on 26.11.1912, although she has not been traced in any of the census returns after 1861.

 

 

 

 

27O12

Hannah Collett was born at Harewood on 26.11.1803 and was baptised there at All Saints Church on 22.01.1804, the eldest child of Thomas and Alice Collett.

 

 

 

 

27O13

Robert Collett was born at Harewood on 06.01.1806 and was baptised there on 16.02.1806, the eldest son of Thomas Collett and Alice Bickerdike.  Robert’s grandfather John Collett was a farmer at Middlefield in Harewood, and the property was inherited by Robert’s father at the time of the death of his grandfather.

 

 

 

The census of 1841 listed Robert living there with his parents and the rest of his family, when Robert had a rounded age of thirty, instead of his actual age of thirty-five.  During the next decade Robert’s mother died, so by 1851 he was still living at Middlefield in Harewood with his widowed elderly father.

 

 

 

The census that year listed Robert as an unmarried man at the age of forty-five, and still living at Middlefield was his brother William (below) and his sister Catherine (below).  Robert and William were described as farmer’s sons, and were very likely two of the four men employed by their father on the 157 acres farm.

 

 

 

With the death of his father happening during the 1850s, Robert eventually took over ownership of the farm at Middlefield.  It would also appear that he married Sarah during this time, since they were listed together in the census of 1861 when Robert Collett from Harewood was fifty-five and his wife Sarah was forty-eight.

 

 

 

By 1871 the childless couple were still living at Middlefield in Harewood which, by this time, was recorded within the Wetherby & Boston Spa registration district, when Robert Collett of Harewood was sixty-five and Sarah Collett from Bradford was fifty-eight.

 

 

 

The farm at Middlefield was described in the census return as being 197 acres and, for which Robert, with no sons of his own, needed to employ three men and two boys to help him manage it.

 

 

 

Living with the couple at this time were three farm servants, these being Joseph Brunton of Knaresborough aged 25, James Child aged 16 and John Lawson aged 15, both of them from East Keswick, and Margaret Bullock from East Keswick who was a general domestic servant.

 

 

 

Listed immediately after Robert and Sarah Collett in the 1871 census return were two further Collett families, these being the families of Robert’s younger brother John Scarr Collett at Burns Farm, and William Collett at Biggin Farm (below).

 

 

 

Ten years later, according to the census in 1881, Robert Collett was listed as being seventy-five and a farmer of 180 acres employing four labourers.  The census return confirmed that he was born at Harewood and that he was married to Sarah who was sixty-nine and from Little Horton, a district of Bradford.

 

 

 

The couple were still living at Middlefield Farm in Harewood in 1881 which had been previously owned by Robert’s grandfather John Collett.  In view of the age of Sarah when she married Robert it is highly unlikely that the marriage ever produced any children for the couple.  The only people listed with them in April 1881 were as follows.

 

 

 

Mary Hirst, an unmarried visitor and independent lady aged 55 and born at Seacroft to the east of Leeds; Harriet Smith, an 18 years old domestic servant from East Keswick and her younger sister Florie aged 13 of nearby East Rigton;  and two ‘indoors’ farm labourers Christopher Kemp 23 of Grimston in York, and Thomas Newland 15 of Harewood.

 

 

 

In the churchyard of All Saints Church in Harewood is the grave of Robert Collett and his wife Sarah.  The headstone provides the details that Robert died during 1884, while Sarah died on 25.03.1888 at the age of 75.

 

 

 

 

27O14

Ann Collett was born at Harewood on 22.09.1807 and was baptised there at All Saints Church on 08.11.1807, the daughter of Thomas and Alice Collett.  It would appear that she never married, since it was as Ann Collett that she died at Middlefield, four years after her mother and six years before her father.  The headstone that marks her grave in Harewood’s All Saints Church, states she was the daughter of Thomas and Alice Collett of Middlefield, and that she died on 11.11.1846 at the age of 39.

 

 

 

 

27O15

Elizabeth Collett was born at Harewood on 13.05.1809 where she was baptised on exactly three months later on 13.08.1809, the daughter of Thomas and Alice Collett.

 

 

 

 

27O16

Thomas Collett was born at Harewood on 10.03.1811, the son of Thomas Collett and Alice Bickerdike.  And it was at Harewood that he was baptised on 19.05.1811.  It would appear, although not yet proved, that he married around 1830 by which time he had left Yorkshire and was living in Lancashire.

 

 

 

It would also appear that in 1831 Thomas was presented with a daughter Alice who was born at Thornham (midway between Middleton and Rochdale) which, at that time, was part of the town of Middleton just north of Manchester.  By 1900 the township of Thornham had been dissolved and the name had disappeared from use altogether.

 

 

 

It is very likely that there were also other children born to the couple.

 

 

 

27P17

Alice Collett

Born in 1831

 

 

 

 

27O17

JOHN SCARR COLLETT was born at Harewood in 1815 where he was baptised on 03.09.1815, the son of Thomas and Alice Collett.  In the first census of 1841 John Collett was still living with his family in Harewood at the age of twenty-five.

 

 

 

He married Alice Hardcastle at Thorner, north of Barwick in Elmet, in 1845 and by the time of the census in 1851 their marriage had been blessed with three children.  The couple’s eldest daughter Alice was also given her grandmother’s maiden name. 

 

 

 

The Harewood census that year listed that family as John 35, his wife Alice 29, and their daughter Alice who was four, their son William who was two years old, and Ann who was not yet one year old.

 

 

 

Ten years later the family had been completed by the addition of a further five children, all of them born at Harewood.  In 1861 John S Collett was 45, his wife was 39, and their seven children were Alice 14, William 12, Annie 10, Catherine 8, Mary 5, Jane E Collett who was two years old, and Betsy who was under one year old.

 

 

 

It would appear that tragedy struck the family during the years after 1861 with the death of John’s wife Alice, and by the time of the census in 1871 it was just John and his five youngest daughters who continued to live at Harewood, within the Wetherby & Boston Spa registration district.

 

 

 

The Harewood census return for 1871 listed the family of John Scarr Collett as living in the property known as Burns, which was situated in the census return between the farm properties of Middlefield, owned by John’s older brother Robert, and Biggin owned by his younger brother William.

 

 

 

The census in 1871 described Burns as being a farm of 104 acres for which widower John Scarr Collett, aged fifty-five, employed one man and one boy.  Living there with him were his five daughters, Ann P Collett who was 20, Catherine Collett who was 18, Mary Collett who was 15, Jane E Collett who was 12, and Betsy Collett who was ten years old.

 

 

 

A possible error on the census form indicated that the whole family had been born at East Keswick, the family being part of a list of seven names dittoed from the name of James Child of East Keswick, a farm servant employed by William’s brother Robert Collett at Middlefield Farm.

 

 

 

Supporting William Collett and his family at Burns Farm was live-in farm servant, fifteen years old Francis Wells from Knaresborough.

 

 

 

John Scarr Collett was only fifty-seven when, eighteen months later, he died at Harewood on 29.07.1872, his death being recorded at Wetherby during September that year.  He was buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church, where a headstone marks the grave.  What became of his youngest daughters is not known, although there is every possibility that they were continued to be cared for by their older sisters.

 

 

 

What is known is that John’s eldest daughter Alice married James Young Teale around 1870 and, possibly under the terms of his Will, Alice and her husband took over ownership and management of the bulk of Burns Farm in Harewood, as confirmed by the census in 1881.

 

 

 

27P18

Alice Bickerdike Collett

Born in 1846

 

27P19

WILLIAM COLLETT

Born in 1848

 

27P20

Anne P Collett

Born in 1850

 

27P21

Catherine Collett

Born in 1852

 

27P22

Mary Collett

Born in 1855

 

27P23

Jane E Collett

Born in 1858

 

27P24

Betsy Collett

Born in 1860

 

 

 

 

27O18

William Collett was born at Harewood in 1817 and was baptised there on 15.06.1817, the son of Thomas and Alice Collett.  At the time of the June census in 1841, William had a rounded age of twenty when living with his family at Harewood.

 

 

 

Ten years later in 1851 William was thirty-three years old and was still a bachelor living with his widowed father Thomas at Middlefield in Harewood, together with his brother Robert (above), and his sister Catherine (below). The occupations of both William and Robert were that of a farmer’s son, presumably working on their father’s 157 acres farm.

 

 

 

So far no record of William has been found in the census return for 1861, although it must have been shortly after this that he married Betsy Smith of Harewood who was listed with him at Harewood in 1871, together with their only child.  William was fifty-three, Betsy was forty-three, and their daughter Alice Eliza was just six years old and had been born at nearby East Keswick.

 

 

 

It seems highly likely that William and Betsy had inherited Biggin Farm in Harewood, the property previously having been owned by Betsy’s late father.  Biggin Farm comprised 173.5 acres and William needed to employ two men and one boy to help with the running of it.  Living with the family of three at Biggin was William’s widowed mother-in-law, sixty-five years old Eliza Smith, a former farmer’s wife.

 

 

 

According to the Harewood census of 1881, William Collett was sixty-three, while his wife Betsy, also of Harewood, was fifty-three.  The census recorded the couple as living at Biggin Farm in Harewood where William was a farmer of the same 173 acres, but at this time employing one labourer and two boys. 

 

 

 

Living with them was their unmarried daughter Alice Eliza Collett who was sixteen, who had been born at East Keswick, the next village to the east of Harewood, and Betsy’s mother Eliza Smith aged seventy-five of Seacroft, who was listed as an annuitant. 

 

 

 

The family was support by sixteen years old Alice Dalby who was a domestic servant, and the two boys employed by William to work on the farm were John Wharvill aged eighteen from Leeds and Frederick Hodgson who was fourteen and from Shadwell.

 

 

 

27P25

Alice Eliza Collett

Born in 1865

 

 

 

 

27O19

Mary Collett was born at Harewood in 1819, the daughter of Thomas and Alice Collett.  On the occasion of the first national census in June 1841 Mary was still living in Harewood but not with her family who were living nearby.  Mary was unmarried at the rounded age of twenty-five, although she would have only actually been twenty-one or twenty-two.

 

 

 

 

27O20

Catherine Collett was born at Harewood in 1821, the youngest child of Thomas Collett and his wife Alice Bickerdike.  She was eighteen in the census of 1841, but at the age of twenty-nine in 1851, Catherine was unmarried and was living with her widowed father at Middlefield in Harewood and her two brothers Robert and William (above).

 

 

 

Following the death of her father, the farm at Middlefield was inherited by her brother Robert who also became a married man around the same time.  It was these changes that may have prompted Catherine to leave Harewood, because by the time of the census in 1861 she was still unmarried and was living in the Wetherby area.  The census confirmed she was from Harewood and that she was thirty-seven.

 

 

 

 

27P1

John Collitt was born on 26.06.1851 at Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, the son of Thomas Collitt and Mary Flower.  In the Northallerton census of 1861 John Collitt was nine years old, when living there with his family.  However, on leaving school, John left the family home and in 1871 he was 19 and living and working at Richmond in Yorkshire. 

 

 

 

Sometime after that he made the long journey down to London, where John Collitt married Jane Elizabeth Fine (Fyne) towards the end of that decade.  Jane was the daughter of Eliza Mary Fine of Wapping, where Jane was also born.  Their marriage produced five children for the couple, and all of them born while the family was living at Leyton, although the births were registered at Walthamstow.  The first of these was born just prior to the next census in 1881.

 

 

 

By that time John and his young family was living at Hoe Street in Leyton, in the West Ham district of London.  The house where they were staying was the home of Jane’s sixty-one years old widowed mother Mary Fine, who still had her daughter Margaret Fine, a 17 years old milliner, still living with her.

 

 

 

The Collitt family was listed as John Collitt age 29 and a commercial traveller from Steeple in Yorkshire, a reference to Ainderby Steeple near Northallerton, his wife Jane Collitt age 23 from Middlesex, and their daughter Mary Collitt who was born at Hoe Street in Leyton and who was only nine months old.

 

 

 

Living not far away, in the same West Ham area, was John’s younger brother Thomas who had also travelled down to London from Northallerton.

 

 

 

Over the next ten years a further three children were added to John’s and Jane’s family, and by 1891 they were still living in the Walthamstow registration area of London.  John Collitt was 39, Jane Elizabeth Collitt was 33, and their four children on that occasion were listed as May Eliza Collitt 10, John F Collitt 7, Stanley T Collitt 3, and Ernest H Collitt who was one year old.

 

 

 

On the day of the census in April 1891 Jane Collitt would have been expecting the couple’s fifth and final child, who was born later that same year.  However, just seven years after the birth, John Collitt died at Leyton during in 1899.

 

 

 

In March 1901 widow Jane was recorded in the census return as Jane E Collett age 43 from Wapping, and the only three of her children living with her at that time were her eldest daughter May E Collett, age 20, her eldest son John T Collett who was 17 and a junior commercial clerk, and her youngest son Percy F Collett who was nine years old.

 

 

 

Of the other members of her family, only son Ernest has been positively identified and he, at 11 years of age, was attending a boarding school somewhere in Surrey.

 

 

 

Also living with Jane and her three children 45 Warren Road in Leyton on that occasion, was her elderly mother Eliza M Fine, age 80, who was also from Wapping.  No apparent record of Jane or her son John has been found within the census of 1911.

 

 

 

27Q1

May Eliza Collitt

Born in 1880

 

27Q2

John F Collitt

Born in 1883

 

27Q3

Stanley Thomas Collitt

Born in 1887

 

27Q4

Ernest Harold Collitt

Born on 18.10.1889

 

27Q5

Percy Frank Collitt

Born in 1891

 

 

 

 

27P2

Thomas Collitt was born at either Ainderby Steeple or Morton-on-Swale near Northallerton on 24.10.1852, the second son of Thomas Collett and Mary Flower.  In the Northallerton census of 1861 Thomas Collitt was 8 years old and living there with his family.  He had left the family home by 1871, but was living nearby his parents in Northallerton when he was 18.

 

 

 

By 1881 he was still a bachelor at the age of 27, by which time he had moved south to Oxfordshire, where he was living and working in the picturesque Cotswold town of Burford.  At that time in his life Thomas Collett was a draper and an outfitter living on the main High Street through the centre of the town.  On that occasion his gave his place of birth as Morton-on-Swale.

 

 

 

No record of Thomas Collitt or Collett from Northallerton has been found in any of the census returns for 1891, 1901 and 1911, so unless he died a young man, he is likely to have moved abroad.

 

 

 

 

27P3

Mary Hannah Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple or Morton-on-Swale on 02.04.1855, the only daughter of Thomas Collett and Mary Flower.  By the time of the census in 1861, which was conducted on the seventh April, Mary Hannah Collitt had been dead for five days, she having died on 02.04.1861.

 

 

 

 

27P4

Joshua Collitt was born at Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton on 24.07.1858, the youngest child of Thomas Collett and Mary Flower.  In the Northallerton census of 1861 he was two years old, and by 1871 he was 12 years of age and still living with his family in Northallerton.

 

 

 

By 1881 Joshua had made his way south to London, following in the footsteps of his older brother John (above).  According to the census in 1881 he was working as a draper’s assistant at the age of 23, when he was living at the home of his employer, draper William Cheyne from Scotland, at Bay Lodge on The Green in West Ham.  His place of birth was simply given as Yorkshire.

 

 

 

Joshua’s time in London seems to have been short lived, since by 1891 he was back living in the Northallerton area of Yorkshire, where he was married, and where his two children were born.

 

 

 

From the census in 1891 it would appear that Joshua Collitt had returned from London a single man, but that it was in Northallerton that he married Mary Ann who was born there.  The census return listed the Northallerton family as Joshua Collitt 31, Mary Ann Collitt 32, and their two children Sydney Thomas Collitt age 2 years, and Mary R Collitt who was one year old.

 

 

 

The couple still had just the two children ten years later, when they were still living in Northallerton.  The March 1901 census recorded the family was Joshua Collitt age 42, who occupation was a draper, his wife Mary Ann Collitt age 42, a milliner, and their children Sydney T Collitt 12, and Mary R Collitt who was 10.  All four of them were confirmed as having been born at Northallerton.

 

 

 

The complete family was still together ten years later in 1911, but by which time they had moved to Chorlton in Lancashire, that is Chorlton-cum-Hardy south-west of Manchester.  Joshua Collitt was 53, Mary Ann Collitt was 50, Sydney Thomas Collitt was 22, and Mary Rebecca Collitt was 20.

 

 

 

27Q6

Sydney Thomas Collitt

Born in 1888 at Northallerton

 

27Q7

Mary Rebecca Collitt

Born in 1890 at Northallerton

 

 

 

 

27P5

Mary Hannah Atkinson Collitt was born at Morton-on-Swale during the first half of 1844 and was baptised at nearby Ainderby Steeple on 11.06.1844, the eldest child of John and Isabella Collitt.

 

 

 

 

27P6

Sarah Jane Collitt was born at Morton-on-Swale in 1846 and was baptised at Ainderby Steeple on 27.07.1846, the daughter of John and Isabella Collett.  Sarah was four years old in the Thirsk census of 1851, and with three further children added to her family during the next tens years, it was Sarah who made room by living with her grandmother Hannah Collitt, nearby in Northallerton.

 

 

 

Sarah Jane Collitt was 14 by the time of the census in 1861, when it was confirmed she was living with seventy-five years old Hannah Collitt and her son William at Northallerton.

 

 

 

When Sarah Jane was around twenty years old she married John Handley who was a butcher from Middleham in Yorkshire, where he was born in 1843.  By the end of the century, Sarah and her family were living in Middleham within the Leyburn registration district as recorded in the March census of 1901.  John Handley, age 57, was a butcher with his own account, his wife Sarah J Handley was 54, and living with them were seven of their children.

 

 

 

They were Mary H Handley, age 34, who was a milliner, Fred Handley, age 27, who was a butcher, Harry Handley, age 23, who was a Post Office assistant, Priscilla Handley age 22, Alfred Handley, age 19, who was a solicitor's law clerk, George Handley who was 16, and Edith Handley who was 13.

 

 

 

The next census in 1911 confirmed that John Handley, age 67, and his wife Sarah Jane Handley, age 64 and from Morton-on-Swale, had been married for forty-five years.  John from Middleham, was described as a retired and living on his private means.  Still living with the couple was their son unmarried Harry, age 34, and their unmarried daughter Edith who was 23, both having been born at Middleham.

 

 

 

It was just over one year later that John Handley died during the second quarter of 1912, his death being recorded at the Leyburn Register Office.

 

 

 

The extension of this family line leads to Jim Woollison of Stagsden in Bedford who, in 2010, kindly provided details of his family from his great grandmother Sarah Jane Collitt to the present day.

 

 

 

 

27P7

Isabella Collitt was possibly born at Kirby Wiske, five miles south of Northallerton, since that was given as her place of birth at the time of her marriage.  However, no birth or baptism record has been located for her, so it is the census information which has determined when she was born, that being 1849.

 

 

 

She was the daughter of John and Isabella Collitt, and was one year old in the Thirsk census of 1851.  Ten years later she was living with her family in Northallerton when she was 11.  By the time of the census in 1871 her father had died and Isabel Collitt was 21 and living and working in nearby Ripon.

 

 

 

It was four years later during 1875, that Isabella Collitt married Chilton Fawcett at Stockton-on-Tees, the son of William and Elizabeth Fawcett.  Chilton was born at Thirsk in 1852, where he was baptised on 13.06.1852, the son of William and Elizabeth Fawcett.  By 1881, joiner and inn keeper Chilton Fawcett was living with his family at The Masons Arms in Northallerton.  Isabel was 31 and her place of birth was then given as Thirsk, the same as her husband. 

 

 

 

At that time Isabel had two young children, Chilton Fawcett who was one years old, and Harold Fawcett who was only one month old.  Supporting the family was nurse Mary Middleton 67, and Lily Fowler who was a servant age 15 and from Northallerton, as was the nurse.  On that occasion Isabella’s first born child, Bessie Fawcett age three years, was living at Whitworth with Isabella’s younger married sister Priscilla A Milner nee Collett (below), while she cared for her new born son.

 

 

 

Also living with the family, was Polly Fawcett age 24 and a dressmaker, who was Chilton’s cousin from Morton-on-Swale.

 

Chilton Fawcett died just over ten years later on 02.06.1892 and was buried at Northallerton Cemetery.

 

Isabel Fawcett died much later on 22.11.1932 and was buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church in Northallerton, as pictured here.

 

 

 

Members of the family of Isabella Fawcett nee Collitt are listed on a headstone as follows:  In memory of Robert Fawcett who was killed in action in France on 22nd August 1918 aged 33 years.  In loving memory of Isabel, wife of Chilton Fawcett, died 11th November 1932 aged 83 years.  In loving memory of Isabel Collitt, daughter of Chilton and Isabel Fawcett of Northallerton, born 15th July 1887, died May 1889.  Also Tom, their son, born 4th March 1890, died April 8 1893.

 

 

 

In the same graveyard is the headstone marking the grave of Chilton Fawcett and his parents.  The epitaph reads as follows:  In affectionate remembrance of Elizabeth, wife of William Fawcett of Northallerton who died 18th January 1879 aged 59 years.  Her end was peace.  Also Chilton FAWCETT, son of the above who died 2nd June 1892 aged 40 years.  Also the above named William FAWCETT who died 20th January 1894 aged 73 years.  Also Eliza Jackson, widow of the above William FAWCETT who died 10th July 1914 aged 80 years.

 

 

 

 

27P8

John William Collitt was born at Northallerton in 1851, where he was baptised on 09.11.1851, the son of John and Isabel Collitt.  In 1861 John was 9 years old when living with his family at Northallerton, but it is not known where he was in 1871, when he would have been 19.  Perhaps he was in military service with the army or the navy.

 

 

 

When he was 30 years old, John W Collitt was a bachelor and a boarder at the home of labourer Robert Hare at 5 Golden (Colden) Street in Stockton-on-Tees.  His place of birth was confirmed as Northallerton and his occupation was that of a grocer’s assistant.

 

 

 

Also living in Stockton-on-Tees at that time was John’s married younger brother Joshua Collitt (below).  However, sadly after this time no positive record of John William Collitt or Collett has been found within the census returns for 1891, 1901 and 1911.  So it is possible that he moved abroad.

 

 

 

 

27P9

Joshua Collitt was born at Northallerton in 1853 and was baptised there on 14.08.1853 the youngest son of John and Isabella Collitt.  Joshua was seven years old in the Northallerton census of 1861, when he was living there with his family.  Joshua was still in Northallerton in 1871, when he was 18 and living with his uncle William Collitt (Ref. 27O8), not far from where his widowed mother Isabella and his youngest sister Priscilla were living at that time.

 

 

 

During the middle of the 1870s, Joshua became a married man in Stockton-on-Tees.  According to the census in 1881, he was recorded as Joshua Collett, head of the house and married, while living at 3 Mill Lane in Stockton-on-Tees, by which time he was a general shop manager at the age of 27.

 

 

 

Joshua’s wife was Eleanor Collett age 30 and from Stockton, and by that time the marriage had produced three children for the couple.  They were Eleanor A Collett who was four, Joshua R Collett who was three, and Miriam Collett who was one year old, all three having been born at Stockton.

 

 

 

The Collett family was supported by two servants, and they were Ellen Mitchell 18, and Margaret A Mellanby 17 who was a cook.  It was later revealed that the R is their sons name was for Rose, which may have been Eleanor’s maiden name.

 

 

 

Something happened during the 1880s which resulted in the couple’s three oldest children being absent from the Stockton family in 1891.  So it is possible that they had been sent away to boarding school.  Instead, in their place in the census of 1891 were four new younger children making up the Collett family.

 

 

 

The full family listing that year comprised Joshua 37, Eleanor 40, with Florence H Collett 9, Lilian Collett 5, James Ed. Collett 3, and William Hy Collett who was one year old.  No record of son Joshua has been found, but daughters Eleanor and Miriam were recorded together in the Aysgarth & Hawes area of North Yorkshire.  However, all three children missing from their home in Stockton in 1891, were back there in the census in 1901, when they are once again all living with their parents.

 

 

 

By that time in March 1901, the family was living at East Hartburn within the Stockton-on-Tees area.  Joshua Collett was 47 and from Northallerton and was a general merchant in fancy goods, his wife Eleanor was 50, and their six children were Eleanor A Collett 24, an artist and musician, Joshua R collett 23 an assistant general merchant working with his father, Miriam Collett 21 a dressmaker, Florence Collett 18 a clerk working for her father, Lillian 14, and James 12, both still at school.

 

 

 

From this it would appear that the couple’s youngest son William Henry Collett had suffered an infant death, since he would have been ten years old in 1901.

 

 

 

Ten years later in April 1911, the family still living in the Stockton area was made up of Joshua 57, Eleanor 60, plus three of their children, they being Florence Isabella Collett 28, Lillian Collett 24, and James Edwin Collett 23.

 

 

 

Also living with Joshua and Eleanor, was their grandson Stanley Rose Collet who was five years old and born at Stockton-on-Tees.  Since their son Joshua was married by then, with a family of his own, it is possible the child was the base-born son of their daughter Lillian.  Also by that time their daughter Miriam was married, while it is likely that Eleanor was as well.

 

 

 

27Q8

Eleanor A Collett

Born in 1876

 

27Q9

Joshua Rose Collett

Born in 1877

 

27Q10

Miriam Collett

Born in 1879

 

27Q11

Florence Isabella Collett

Born in 1881

 

27Q12

Lillian Collett

Born in 1885

 

27Q13

James Edwin Collett

Born in 1887 at Stockton

 

27Q14

William Henry Collett

Born in 1890 at Stockton; infant death

 

 

 

 

27P10

Priscilla Anne Collitt was born at Northallerton in 1856, the youngest child of John and Isabella Collitt, although no birth or baptism record for her has been found.  She was four years old in 1861 when she was living with her parents at Northallerton and, following the death of her father, she was 14 in 1871 when she was Priscilla A Collitt, the only child still living with her widowed mother.

 

 

 

During the first quarter of 1881 Priscilla Annie Collitt married Christopher Milner at Bishop Auckland.  So, just a few weeks later, at the time of the census that year, the couple were living at 18 Clyde Terrace in Whitworth, Durham.  Priscilla A. Milner, age 24 and from Northallerton, was a dressmaker, while her husband Christopher Milner was 28 with no stated occupation.  Staying with the couple was Frances Johnson 19, and Bessie Fawcett who was three years old, a likely relative of Chilton Fawcett who married Isabella Collitt, Priscilla’s older sister (above).

 

 

 

 

27P11

Amy Helena Collitt was born at Northallerton on 28.08.1875, following the marriage of her parents William Collitt and Luciana Silvester at the start of that same year.  In 1881 Amy was 5 years old when living at the High Street in Northallerton with her grocer father and the rest of her family.  Ten years later she was recorded in error as Ann H Collitt 15, and the following year her father died in 1892.

 

 

 

Nine years after that, in March 1901, she was still unmarried at 25 and was still living with, and supporting her widowed mother with her four sisters. However, during the following year she married James Rust Sturdy with whom she had had two children by the time of the census in 1911.

 

 

 

The family at that time was still living in Northallerton and was made up of James Rust Sturdy 35, Amy Helene Sturdy 35, Marjorie Silvester Sturdy 7, and Amy Eileen Sturdy who was five.

 

 

 

It was on 10.08.1969 at the age of 84, that Amy Helena Sturdy nee Collitt passed away.

 

 

 

 

27P12

Luciana Sarah Collitt was born at Northallerton on 08.08.1876, the second child of William and Luciana.  It was as Luciana H Collitt, age 4, that she was recorded in the census of 1881, but was correctly shown as Luciana S Collitt age 14 and 24 respectively, in the Northallerton census returns for 1891, and 1901.

 

 

 

She was still unmarried in April 1911, when she was one of three sisters still living with her widowed mother at Northallerton.  On that occasion she was recorded as Luciana Sarah Collitt at the age of 34.  Luciana was only 53 when she died on 24.11.1929.

 

 

 

 

27P13

William Silvester Collitt was born at Northallerton on 10.08.1877, the only son of William Collitt and Luciana Silvester.  When he was three years old, and as William S Collitt, he was living with his family at the High Street in Northallerton where his father ran a grocer’s shop.

 

 

 

Ten years later his family was still living in Northallerton, while 13 years old William S Collitt was a chorister attending Ripon Cathedral School, fourteen miles to the south of Northallerton.  During the following year his father died at Northallerton in 1892.

 

 

 

Around the end of the century William travelled to London from Yorkshire when he initially settled in the Chelsea area, where he worked as a chemist’s assistant.  He later left London and when he moved to Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, although it was at Tendering, just north of Clacton, that he married Elsie Agate Harris.

 

 

 

The marriage took place during March 1906 and produced three children before the census in 1911.  By that time the family was living at Clacton, within the Tendring registration district, where the youngest of the couple’s three children had been born. 

 

 

 

The census return listed the family of five as William Silvester Collitt, age 33 and from Northallerton, his wife Elsie Agate Collitt, age 27 and from London, their sons Stanley Silvester Collitt, who was four, and Kenneth William, who was three years old, and their daughter Phyllis Mary Collitt, who was just one month old.

 

 

 

William Collitt died on 10.01.1955.

 

 

 

27Q15

Stanley Silvester Collitt

Born on 09.07.1906

 

27Q16

Kenneth William Collitt

Born on 29.09.1907

 

27Q17

Phyllis Mary Collitt

Born on 06.03.1911 at Clacton

 

 

 

 

27P14

Mary Gertrude Collitt was born at Northallerton in 1878 and was two years old in the census of 1881, when she was living with her parents in the High Street in Northallerton.  At the age of 13, in 1892, her grocer father William Collitt died, so in 1901 Mary G Collitt age 22, was one of four daughters of the widow Luciana Collitt still living with her mother.

 

 

 

Tragically on 19.10.1908, at the age of 29, Mary Gertrude Collitt died at Northallerton where she was buried in the family grave with her father.

 

 

 

 

27P15

Florence Hannah Collitt was born at Northallerton on 24.03.1881.  On the third of April in 1881, the day of the national census, the daughter of William and Luciana Collitt had not been named, and was simply recorded in the census return as unnamed daughter of two weeks, when she was actually only ten days old.

 

 

 

Florence H Collitt was ten years old in 1891, and sadly the following year her father died.  As a result of this Florence was recorded as living with her widowed mother in 1901, at the age of 20, and again in 1911, when she was 29.

 

 

 

It was after that time, and possibly following the death of her mother, that Florence married Wilf (Wilfred) Burton to become Florence Hannah Burton.

 

 

 

 

27P16

Selina Rose Victoria Collitt was born at Northallerton on 14.04.1887, the youngest child of William Collitt and Lucian Silvester.  Selina was just four years old when her father died at Northallerton in 1892.

 

 

 

Over the following two decades Selina remained living with her mother at Northallerton.  In 1901 she was 13, and in 1911 she was 23.  Although not confirmed, it is likely that she never married, since Selina Rose Victoria Collitt died on 18.08.1944 at the age of 57, following which she was buried in the family grave at Northallerton.

 

 

 

 

27P17

Alice Collett was born in 1831 in the civil parish of Thornham.  Alice married George Firth of Pilsworth