PART THIRY-SIX

The Leeds Line - 1745 to 2008

This is the only section of the thirty-sixth part of the Collett family

Updated December 2008

This is the family line of Michael and Joan Collett of Wiltshire (Ref. 36S10)

It is also the line of Joyce Collett (Ref. 36S9) and Mark Collett (Ref. 36T3)

And it was Mark that was instrumental in contact being made with the

publisher of the magazine The Barwicker which recently ran two articles

on the Collett blacksmiths of Barwick-in-Elmet, the information from which

has been used in this update to extended this family line back by a generation

During this update there is one Collett family with a Barwick connection that

has remained unresolved due to the apparent early death of the male

head of the household. Therefore for completeness the details of his wife

and two known daughters are included in Appendix 1

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36M1	BENJAMIN COLLETT, who was very likely born around 1745, was a butcher in 1771 as confirmed by the registration of the birth of his son William Collett at Barwick-in-Elmet which lies approximately five miles to the east of Leeds.
	Although not proved, it would be realistic to assume that there were other children born to Benjamin and his wife and that one of these may have been Richard Collett who originally started this line when it was first compiled and Thomas Collett who appears in the 1841 Census.
	No other information about Benjamin or his wife, or any other children is available at this time.
	36N1	Thomas Collett		Born circa 1769
	36N2	William Collett		Born in 1771
	36N3	RICHARD COLLETT		Born circa 1775
36N1	Thomas Collett was born around 1769 and was living at Barwick-in-Elmet with his wife Martha in June 1841. That year’s census gave a rounded age of 70 for Thomas with his wife being slightly older at 75.
	The inclusion of the two boys below is purely an assumption at this time as no positive confirmation linking them to Thomas and Martha has yet been found, except that it is known both were born at Barwick-in-Elmet. It would also seem likely that there were other children born to the couple.
	3601	Thomas Collett		Born circa 1799
	3602	William Collett		Born circa 1810
36N2	William Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1771 and was the son of butcher Benjamin Collett. William did not follow into the trade of his father instead he became a blacksmith and was the first of many in the family. His occupation as a blacksmith was first confirmed in 1796 when he married Frances Pool who was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1761.
	After they were married William and Frances lived in Potterton Lane where their two sons were born. Frances died in 1846 at the age of 84 and William followed nine years later when he died at Barwick in 1855 aged 83. However no record of him has been found in the 1851 Census.
	In June 1841 William was aged 65 and living with him and his wife Frances was his grandson John Collett, the oldest son of William Collett and Elizabeth Dalby. Even though the house address was not stated in the census, it is thought their home was at what was later 70 Main Street close to where their son William was living at what was later 50 Main Street.
	William was affectionately referred to as William Collett the First (blacksmith of Barwick-in-Elmet) and was followed in the family business by his son William Collett (the Second), his grandson John Collett, and then by his great grandson William Richardson Collett (the Third).
	36O3	John Collett		Born in 1797
	36O4	William Collett		Born in 1799
36N3	RICHARD COLLETT was thought to have been born around 1775. What is known is that he married Mary Bulmer on 26.05.1800 at Saint Peter’s Church in Leeds where most of their children were born and baptised.
	36O5	Charles Collett		Born circa 1806
	36O6	JOHN SHEPHERD COLLETT		Born on 10.03.1808
	36O7	John Collett		Born on 07.03.1809
	36O8	Henry Collett		Born on 22.03.1810
	36O9	Eliza Mary Collett		Born on 05.12.1810
	36O10	Frederick Collett		Born circa 1812
	36O11	William Collett		Born in 1815
36N4	Thomas Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet around 1799 and at sometime in his life, possibly during the mid to late 1820s, he married Elizabeth. The couple were listed with a rounded age of 40 in June 1841 and their children were Mary 10, Mariah 8, Sarah 5, Emma 2, and Ellen who was not yet one year old.
	In 1851 Thomas was aged 52 and was living in the Barwick area at that time and by 1861 he was 61 and his wife Elizabeth was 67. Ten years later they were 71 and 77 respectively although Thomas’ wife was then referred to as Betty Collett.
	According to the census of 1881 agricultural labourer Thomas Collett, who was aged 81 and had been born at Barwick, was married to Elizabeth who was aged 87 and from Brotherton just north of Pontefract.
	At that time the couple were living at Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet.
	36O12	Mary Collett		Born in 1830 at Barwick-in-Elmet
	36O13	Maria Collett		Born in 1832
	36O14	Sarah Collett		Born in 1835
	36O15	Emma Collett		Born in 1838 at Barwick-in-Elmet
	36O16	Ellen Collett		Born in June 1840 at Barwick
36N5	William Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet around 1810. Sometime around the mid 1830s he married Sarah and together they appeared in the 1841 Census for Leeds, both aged 30 years. Listed with them was their first born child Joseph who was one year old.
	In 1851 William was aged 39 and was living in the Tadcaster & Appleton Roebuck district which included Barwick-in-Elmet although there appears to be no trace of his wife or his son at this time.
	No further record of the family has been located in either the 1861 or 1871 census records.
	However, by 1881 William, a former agricultural labourer, was a pauper and a widower aged 70 who was living at the Tadcaster Union in West Tadcaster about five miles north-east of Barwick.
	36O17	Joseph Collett		Born in 1839 at Leeds
36O3	John Collett was born at the family home in Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet in 1797. He was the eldest son of blacksmith William Collett and Frances Pool but it seems likely that he may not have survived beyond childhood as it was his younger brother that is known to have taken over the family blacksmith business.
36O4	William Collett was born at the family home in Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet in 1799. He was the son of blacksmith William Collett and Frances Pool. He married Elizabeth Dalby of Barwick-in-Elmet at the parish church during January 1821 and their first child was born in November that same year, but tragically did not survive and died in 1823.
	In addition to this child William and Elizabeth are known to have had eight further children and all of them were born and baptised at Barwick-in-Elmet.
	By 1841 the family was complete and comprised parents William and Elizabeth both aged 40 and living at Barwick-in-Elmet with six of their children. These were sons George aged 15, Joseph aged 13, Benjamin aged 5 and Thomas aged 2, and daughters Ann aged 11 and Emma aged 9.
	The couple’s eldest son John Collett was living in Barwick-in-Elmet at that time but with his grandfather William Collett perhaps because of overcrowding in his own home. Also missing from the family was their son William who was born in 1834 and who had died shortly after.
	Although this census, being the first national census, was rather vague in the exact location of dwellings, it is believed that the family at this time were living at 50 Main Street or very close thereto. William’s parents were also believed to be living just a few doors away at No 70.
	Just over two months after the census day in 1841 William’s wife Elizabeth died in the August of that year leaving forty-two years old William with a young family to look after. However, he wasn’t a lone parent for long as just two doors away was thirty-five years Isabella Groves who was working as a servant to the elderly couple of Edward and Jane Wales. And it was she that he married.
	The couple were married at the parish church in Leeds rather than at Barwick, and this may have been out of deference for his late wife and her family. Isabella was the daughter of linen weaver Joshua Groves and had been born in Northumberland.
	It seems more than likely that the marriage may have been made out of necessity and perhaps because of propriety or an attempt to protect the reputation of his new wife, the marriage does not appear to have produced any children for William and Isabella.
	Although William’s father William Collett did not die until 1855, in the census of 1851 William junior was living with his family at 70 Main Street the house previously occupied by his father. Living with William at the age of 51 was his wife Isabella aged 45 and their sons George 24, Joseph 21, Benjamin 15, and Thomas aged eleven.
	Living right next door in the adjoining cottage at 72 Main Street was William’s eldest son John aged 25 who was still a bachelor but who was married shortly thereafter.
	In early April in 1861 the family living at Barwick had reduced in size. William was aged 61 and Isabella 56, and still living with them was William’s youngest son Thomas aged 21. Also back living at the family home was William’s youngest daughter Emma aged 28.
	By the end of the next ten year period William aged 71 was recorded as being a retired blacksmith and was living alone with his wife Isabella, all of his children now having left to make their own way in the world.
	Isabella died in 1876 at the age of 74 leaving William as a widower for the second time in his life.
	The census of 1881 recorded William Collett as being aged 81 and was still living on Main Street in the Up Town part of Barwick-in-Elmet. His place of birth was simply stated as Potterton. The only other person listed with William on 3^rd April 1881 was his housekeeper, 66 years old Ann Dearlove from Huddersfield.
	And it was just two months later, in June 1881 that William died at the age of eighty-one years.
	During his life William was a staunch Methodist and played a very active role in the church. A typical Sunday would be spent at communion in the parish church, with Sunday School at 9.00 am followed by Chapel at 10.00, a further service at 1.30 in the afternoon, following by a second Sunday School session from 2 to 4 p.m.
	Such was William’s standing in the local community that the following obituary was written by the prominent Barwick Methodist minister William Varley and was printed in the Methodist 'Book of Obituaries' and quoted in Arthur Bantoft's 'A Greater Wonder - A History of Methodism in Barwick'.
	‘William Collett of Barwick was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Society for upwards of 60 years. He filled the office of class leader and Sunday School Superintendent and was regular and efficient in the discharge of his duties until compelled to resign on account of deafness and failing health. During his latter days in great suffering and weakness he gave clear testimony to the sustaining power of divine grace - in fact he lived in anxious expectation of the Master's coming and in constant readiness for it’
	36P1	John Collett		Baptised on 12.11.1821
	36P2	John Collett		Baptised on 21.01.1824
	36P3	George Dalby Collett		Born in 1826
	36P4	Joseph Collett		Born in 1828
	36P5	Ann Collett		Born in 1830
	36P6	Emma Collett		Born in 1832
	36P7	William Collett		Born in 1834
	36P8	Benjamin Collett		Born in 1836
	36P9	Thomas Collett		Born in 1838
36O5	Charles Collett was born at Leeds in 1806. His occupation was that of a missionary and at some stage during his travels he met and married Mary who was born at Littlebury near Saffron Walden in Essex around 1810.
	According to the 1881 Census, Mary was a well to do lady with her income coming from house property and at that time the couple were living at 7 Windsor Terrace in Ealing and employed a general servant, 17 years old Anne Slackwood also of Littlebury.
36O6	JOHN SHEPHERD COLLETT was born at Leeds on 10.03.1808 and was baptised ten months later at St Peter’s Church on 16.01.1809. It was also at St Peter’s Church in Leeds that he married Mary Robinson on 27.01.1828 and it was there that all of their children were baptised.
	36P10	William Collett		Born in 1828
	36P11	Mary Ann Collett		Born in 1829
	36P12	RICHARD ISAAC COLLETT twin		Born in 1830
	36P13	Henry Collett twin		Born in 1830
	36P14	Alfred Collett		Born in 1831
	36P15	John William Collett		Born in 1836
	36P16	Robert Collett		Born in 1839
36O7	John Collett was born at Leeds on 07.03.1809 and where he was baptised at St Peter’s Church on 24.06.1809.
36O8	Henry Collett was born at Leeds on 22.03.1810 and where he was baptised at St Peter’s Church on 18.04.1810.
36O9	Eliza Mary Collett was born at Leeds on 05.12.1810 where she was baptised at St Peter’s Church on 28.04.1811.
36O10	Frederick Collett who was born at Leeds around 1812 married Mary and they appear in the 1841 Census with their children Thomas aged 11, Burnett aged 9, Mary aged 6 and William aged 2.
	Frederick’s occupation was that of a tailor and in the later census of 1881 he was living at Wortley in Bramley, Leeds and gave his place of birth as Adwalton in Leeds.
	Wortley and Bramley are two districts within Leeds and both lie to the immediate west of the city centre, while Adwalton lies to the south-west of Leeds near Morley.
	Living with him at that time was his wife Mrs M Collett aged 69, his son Simeon Collett aged 33 and grandson Fred Collett aged 17. All of the couple’s sons, excluding Frederick who was born at Holbeck in Leeds, were born at Wortley in Leeds, as was their grandson.
	It seems very likely that the grandson was the child of their eldest son William, whose mother Lydia Collett was working as a housekeeper at the Wortley home of William Todner on the day of the census in 1881.
	36P17	Thomas Collett		Born in 1830
	36P18	Burnett Collett		Born in 1832
	36P19	Mary Collett		Born in 1835 at Leeds
	36P20	William Collett		Born in 1839
	36P21	Simeon Collett		Born in 1847
	36P22	Edmund Collett		Born in 1849
	36P23	Frederick Collett		Born in 1852
36O11	William Collett, who was born at Leeds in 1815, was aged 25 in the 1841 Census and was living in the Leeds-Otley-Pontefract & Tadcaster registration district at that time.
	Shortly after he married Mary who was born in 1817 or 1818 at Newbold near Chesterfield. All of their children listed below were born at Leeds.
	By 1881 Mary’s husband had died leaving her as a widow aged 63. At that time she was living with her married daughter Mary Lee and her family at 26 Grant Place in Leeds.
	36P24	Mary M Collett		Born in 1844
	36P25	Thomas W Collett		Born in 1846
	36P26	George Collett		Born in 1848
	36P27	Charles E Collett		Born in 1850
36O12	Maria Collett was born in 1832 and was listed as being aged 8 and living with her Barwick family in June 1841. No further census record for Maria has been found in either 1861 or 1871.
	It is possible that she married general labourer John Newton who was eleven years younger than Maria and was born at nearby Appleton Roebuck, although in the census of 1881 she gave Tadcaster as her place of birth. Maria and her family were living in Rockcliff Yard in West Tadcaster at that time close to where her uncle William Collett was recorded as living.
36O14	Sarah Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1835 and was aged 5 in the Barwick census of 1841. No further census record for Maria has been found in either 1861 or 1871.
	It is thought that she married either railway platelayer William Brown from Suffolk or agricultural labourer John Robinson of Askham Bryan near York, both men being the same age as Sarah.
	In 1881 Sarah and William Brown were living at 56 Grange Street at Wortley-in-Bramley, while Sarah and John Robinson were living at a farm house in Bilbrough near Askham Richard.
36P1	John Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet where he was baptised on 12.11.1821. Tragically he died in 1823 before reaching his second birthday.
36P2	John Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet and this most likely took place at the end of 1823 or very early in 1824, as it was there that he was baptised on 21.01.1824.
	At the time of the June census of 1841 John was 15 and was living with his grandparents William and Frances Collett at their home in Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet. It was probably while he was there that he was trained to be a blacksmith like his father and his grandfather.
	Ten years later John was aged 25 and was the sole occupant of 72 Main Street when living in the adjoining cottage to his father who lived at 70 Main Street at that time. However, within a year or so of the 1851 Census day he was no longer living alone.
	He married Elizabeth who was nine years younger than John, she having been born at Leeds in 1832. It would appear that the marriage took place when Elizabeth had just reached the legal age to do so, as their first child was born around 1853.
	The census of 1861 confirmed that John was married to Elizabeth and they were living at Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet. Blacksmith John was aged 36, his wife was 26, and living with them were their three children, William aged 4, Emma aged 2, and Ann who was not yet one year old.
	All of the couple’s eleven children listed below were born at Barwick-in-Elmet and by April 1871 the whole family was still living there in Potterton Lane. This comprised blacksmith John aged 45, his wife Elizabeth 35, with William 14, Emma 12, Ann 10, Albert 7, John 5, Benjamin 3, and one year old Charles.
	By 1881 the family had made the short move to Potterton, just one mile north of Barwick. This may have happened during the few months prior to the census day that year as all of John’s and Elizabeth’s children were confirmed as having been born at Barwick.
	John was aged 58 and his occupation was confirmed as being that of a blacksmith like his father William and also his brothers George and Thomas. And at least three of John’s sons also continued in that profession.
	The 1881 census also confirmed that John was born at Barwick-in-Elmet and that his wife Elizabeth aged 49 was born at Leeds. Since the previous census a further four children had been added to the family. The full list on that occasion was William aged 24 and a blacksmith, John 15, Benjamin 13, Charles 11, George 9, Fred 6, Mary 3, and one year old Ernest.
	In 1891 the family was reduced to John aged 68, Elizabeth aged 56, and living with them was sons John 25, Charles 21, and Ernest aged 11, and their daughter Mary aged 13.
	John Collett, a blacksmith of Barwick-in-Elmet, was listed in the 1893 edition of Kelly’s Directory. The house and blacksmith’s shop were situated at 70 Main Street, the house having been built by the Collett family some two hundred years earlier.
	Both John and Elizabeth were still living in Barwick at the turn of the century, John aged 77 and his wife 68. Even at the age of 77 John’s occupation was still recorded as being a blacksmith.
	When John eventually retired from the family blacksmith business in Barwick, it was his eldest son William took it over. He was supported by his much younger brother Frederick who worked under William as an apprentice. The boys father John Collett died sometime during his eighties in the first decade of the new century.
	36Q1	William Richard Collett		Born in 1856
	36Q2	Emma Collett		Born in 1858
	36Q3	Ann Elizabeth Collett		Born in 1860
	36Q4	Albert Batty Collett		Born in 1863
	36Q5	John Thomas Collett		Born in 1865
	36Q6	Benjamin Collett		Born in 1867
	36Q7	Charles Collett		Born in 1869
	36Q8	George H Collett		Born in 1871
	36Q9	Frederick Collett		Born in 1874
	36Q10	Mary H Collett		Born in 1877
	36Q11	Ernest Collett		Born in 1879
36P3	George Dalby Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1826 and his second name came from his mother’s maiden name. In 1841 he was aged 15 and was 24 years old at the time of the 1851 Census when he was working as a blacksmith while living with his father and mother, and his younger brothers at 70 Main Street in Barwick.
	A few years later towards the end of the 1850s George married Ada who was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1832. All of their children were born at Barwick-in-Elmet and the first two of these were present at the time of the 1861 Census. These were Edwin aged 2 and Henry who was under one year, while their parents were 34 and 28 respectively.
	Three more children were added to the family over the next decade, so by 1871 the family living at Potterton Lane in Barwick comprised blacksmith George 44 and his wife Ada 38, and their children Edwin 12, Henry 10, John 8, Joseph 6, and Alfred aged three.
	In 1881 the family was still living at Potterton Lane in Barwick-in-Elmet, where many other members of this branch of the Collett family also lived at that time. The family then was made up of blacksmith George aged 53, his wife Ada 48, and five of their seven children.
	These were Edwin aged 22 and John aged 18 who were both blacksmiths working with their father, Alfred aged 13, George 9, and six years old Kate.
	It has not been established where son Henry was at that time, but the couple’s other missing son Joseph was working as a farm servant in the Up Town part of Barwick on that occasion. A search of the 1881, 1891 and 1901 Census records has reveal no evidence that Henry was living in England, so it might be that he had left the country or had died between 1871 and 1881.
	Sometime in the 1880s it would appear that George’s wife Ada passed away, since by 1891 George was living alone in Keighley aged 63. In addition to this the census of 1901 also recorded 73 years old George of Barwick-in-Elmet living at Keighley where he was described as a farmer.
	Also living in Keighley in April 1901 was George’s nephew Richard Collett and his family. Richard was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1852 and was the oldest son of George’s brother Joseph (below).
	36Q12	Edwin Collett		Born in 1858
	36Q13	Henry Collett		Born in 1860 at Barwick-in-Elmet
	36Q14	John William Collett		Born in 1862
	36Q15	Joseph Collett		Born in 1865
	36Q16	Alfred Collett		Born in 1867
	36Q17	George Arthur Collett		Born in 1871 at Barwick-in-Elmet
	36Q18	Kate Collett		Born in 1874 at Barwick-in-Elmet
36P4	Joseph Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1828 as confirmed by the 1841 Census in which he was listed as being aged 13 years and living with his parents in Barwick. By 1851 he was aged 21 and was living at 70 Main Street in Barwick where he was working with his father in the family blacksmith business.
	Soon after the census day in 1851 Joseph married Catherine who was a dressmaker who was also born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1831. In the Barwick census ten years later Joseph was listed as being aged 32 while his wife Catherine was 30, and with them on that occasion were their children Richard aged 8 and Martha aged 7.
	No record of the family has been found in 1871 although it is assumed that Joseph died sometime during this phase of their family life.
	According to the census of 1881 Catherine was a widow aged 50 and was living alone at Potterton Lane in Barwick where she continued with her work as a dressmaker.
	Catherine was still living in Barwick in 1891 at the age of 60 but was missing from the 1901 Census so it must be assumed that she passed away during the 1890s.
	36Q19	Richard Collett		Born in 1852
	36Q20	Martha Collett		Born in 1854 at Barwick-in-Elmet
36P5	Ann Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1830. At the time of the first nation census in June 1841 Ann was living with her family in Barwick and was eleven years of age.
	Ten years late at the age of 21 Ann had left the family home and was working as a servant for Wesleyan minister Joseph Sawton at his home in Springfield Terrace in Leeds.
36P6	Emma Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1832 and was aged 9 at the time of the June census in 1841 when with her family at Barwick.
	Like her sister Ann (above), Emma also entered into domestic service and in 1851 she was aged 19 and was working at 5 Elmwood Grove in Leeds, the home of forty years old widow Mary Ann Scarthe.
	After working away from home for some years, Emma had returned to Barwick by April 1861 and at the age of 28 was once again living with her father and her stepmother.
36P7	William Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1834 but sadly died within a few weeks of being born.
36P8	Benjamin Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1836 and in June 1841 he was five years of age. Ten years later at the age of 15 Benjamin had left school and was working with his father and older brothers as an apprentice blacksmith from their home at 70 Main Street in Barwick.
	At some point in his life before the end of the 1850s he left Barwick and moved to Gomersal near Cleckheaton, south-west of Leeds where he married Mary who was born there in 1836. It was also at Gomersal that all of the couple’s children were born.
	All of this was confirmed in the 1861 Census for Gomersal when Benjamin of Barwick was aged 26 and was living with his wife Mary aged 24 and their first born child Joseph who was under twelve months old at that time.
	In addition to leaving the family home it would also appear that Benjamin stopped being a blacksmith and took up the trade of a painter and later in his life he became a master painter.
	By 1871 the family living at Gomersal comprised Benjamin aged 35, his wife Mary 34, and their five children Joseph A Collett 10, William H Collett 9, Alfred 7, George H Collett 4, and Charles who was under one year old.
	In the census of 1881 master painter Benjamin of Barwick was 45, Mary his wife of Gomersal was 44, and with them at Oxford Road in Gomersal were four of their five children. These were Joseph 20, Alfred 17, George Henry 15, and eleven years old Charles.
	Benjamin’s their eldest son Joseph was also a painter presumably working with his father. Their missing eighteen years old son William was living nearby in Oxford Road in Gomersal. At that time in 1881 the family employed a domestic servant Hannah Millner from Knaresborough who was aged 13.
	Ten years later Benjamin and Mary were still living at Gomersal where they were 55 and 54 respectively. Only two of their sons were still living with the couple and these were Joseph aged 30 and William aged 29.
	Just after the turn of the century Benjamin was 65 and was then working as a painter and paper-hanger. He was still living in Gomersal with his wife Mary aged 64 and still working with him was his son Joseph who was also a painter.
	Also living in Gomersal in 1901 was Benjamin’s nephew 33 years old Benjamin Collett of Barwick-in-Elmet the son of John Collett of Barwick and Benjamin’s older brother.
	36Q21	Joseph Arthur Collett		Born in 1860
	36Q22	William H Collett		Born in 1862
	36Q23	Alfred Collett		Born in 1863 at Gomersal
	36Q24	George Henry Collett		Born in 1865
	36Q25	Charles Henry Collett		Born in 1869
36P9	Thomas Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1838 and was two years old by June 1841. The census of 1851 recorded Thomas as being aged 11 and living at 70 Main Street in Barwick with his stepmother, and his father and older brothers who were all blacksmiths at that time.
	By April 1861 Thomas was aged 21 and was the only son still living at the family home in Barwick where he was still working in the family blacksmith business with his father William Collett.
	It was towards the end of the 1860s that he married Ann who was born in 1839 but at Gosberton north of Spalding in Lincolnshire. The records so far seem to reveal that Thomas and Ann only had the one son.
	It was in the census registration district of Leeds & Kirkstall that the family of three was living in 1871. Thomas was 31, Ann was 32 and baby son Walter was not yet one year old.
	Ten years later according to the census of 1881 Thomas and Ann were living at Burley Village in Headingley-cum-Burley, just north of Leeds city centre. Both were 40 years of age and living with them was their only son Walter who was born at Bramley in Leeds and who was ten years old.
	So far neither Thomas nor his wife Ann have bee identified in the census records for 1891 and 1901, although their son Walter aged 20 was living at Kirkstall & Leeds registration area in 1891.
	36Q26	Walter E Collett		Born in 1870
36P10	William Collett was born at Leeds in 1828 and was the first child of John and Mary Collett who were married at the start of that year. William appears to have moved south from Leeds, perhaps because of his work, where he met and married Ann.
	Ann was born in 1830 at Clanfield north of Faringdon in Berkshire. It is therefore possible that they were married at or near Faringdon as their only child was born at Little Coxwell less than a mile from Faringdon.
	Sometime after the birth of their son the family moved north of the River Thames to the nearby village of Kelmscott in Oxfordshire which lies to the east of Lechlade.
	This was confirmed by the 1871 Census in which the couple were recorded as living at Kelmscott with their son Frank aged 11.
	Ten years later in 1881 William and Ann had moved again, this time to Stanton St Quinton in Wiltshire where William, now aged 53 and from Leeds, was a farm bailiff living with his wife Ann aged 51 of Clanfield in Berkshire. Stanton St Quinton lies midway between Malmesbury and Chippenham.
	At that same time their son was working as a schoolmaster in Oxford and was a boarder at the home of John Irons at 52 James Street in the St Clements district of the city.
	Neither William, his wife, nor his son seem to be listed in the 1891. All that is known is that sometime between 1881 and 1901 William died.
	Just after the turn of the century William’s widow Ann was living at Sherington near Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire. The 1901 Census confirm that she was 71 and born at Clanfield and was a retired school mistress. Living with her was her son Frank aged 40.
	36Q27	Frank Collett		Born in 1860
36P11	Mary Ann Collett was born at Leeds in 1829 and was baptised there at St Peter’s Church on 02.10.1829.
36P12	RICHARD ISAAC COLLETT was one half of a pair of twins born at Leeds during 1830. In joint ceremony with his twin brother Henry he was baptised at St Peter’s Church in Leeds on 26.12.1830.
	Just like his older brother William, Richard moved south where, in December 1850 at Bath, he married Mary Ann Few who was born at Devizes in Wiltshire around 1831.
	Eleven years later the 1861 Census recorded Richard and Mary Ann as still living at Devizes with their first three children. These were John aged 10, Mary aged 8 and Richard J Collett aged 3 and all born at Devizes. Sadly Richard only survived until the summer of 1870 when he died aged 12.
	All of the couple’s first seven children were born while the family was living at Devizes, but by 1871 they had moved again to Winchester in Hampshire. At that time in early April 1871 Mary was expecting the birth of the couple’s eighth child which was born at Winchester later that year.
	Pregnant Mary was aged 40 and her husband Richard was 41. Their six children on that occasion were John aged 20, Mary 18, Charles 7, Annie 5, Alfred 4 and two years old Emily.
	Ten years later in 1881 the family was confirmed as living at 13 North Walls, in the St Bartholomew Hyde area of Winchester where 51 years old Richard was working as a wool sorter.
	Living with him and his wife Mary aged 50 were the couple’s three youngest children Alfred aged 14 an apprentice wool sorter, presumably working with his father, Emily aged 12 and Richard who was nine years old.
	36Q28	John Collett		Born in 1851
	36Q29	Mary Collett		Born in 1853 at Devizes
	36Q30	Richard James Collett		Born in 1857
	36Q31	Charles Collett		Born in 1863 at Devizes
	36Q32	Annie Collett		Born in 1865 at Devizes
	36Q33	Alfred Collett		Born in 1867 at Devizes
	36Q34	Emily Collett		Born in 1869 at Devizes
	36Q35	RICHARD JAMES COLLETT		Born in 1871
36P13	Henry Collett was one of a pair of twins born at Leeds during 1830. In joint ceremony with his twin brother Richard he was baptised at St Peter’s Church in Leeds on 26.12.1830.
36P14	Alfred Collett was born at Leeds in 1831 and may have been baptised on 17.03.1831*. Around 1855 he married Maria who was also born at Leeds in 1833 and it was there that their first two sons were born.
	By the time of the next census in 1861 the marriage had produced two sons for Alfred and Maria. The census for West Leeds recorded the family as Alfred aged 30, Maria 26, and their two sons Henry P Collett aged 3 and Charles aged 2, both having been born at Leeds.
	In 1871 the family was living within the North Leeds registration district where Alfred was 40, Maria was 36 and their three sons were Henry 12, Charles 11 and Arthur aged 2 who was born at Bradford.
	The family was still living in Leeds in 1881. The census that year recorded the family living at 10 Blundell Street in Leeds where fifty years old Alfred was listed as a plumber and a painter. Blundell Street is still there today and lies between the A58(M) Inner Ring Road and the General Infirmary.
	Maria was 47 and still living with them were two of their three sons Charles aged 21 and Arthur aged 12. Alfred’s two oldest sons also took up similar occupations to their father and perhaps even worked together.
	*The IGI listing includes the baptism of Alfred at St Peters in Leeds, as stated above, but curiously names his parents as Alfred and Elizabeth Collett so further work is required in this area to resolve this issue.
	36Q36	Henry P Collett		Born in 1857
	36Q37	Charles Collett		Born in 1859
	36Q38	Arthur E Collett		Born in 1868
36P15	John William Collett was born at Leeds in 1836. His occupation was that of a gold beater and like his older brother Richard he too left his home town of Leeds to seek his fortune in the south.
	He initially married Fanny who was born at Eatontown in Bedford after which the couple moved into London where their first three children were born. Around 1865 the family moved to Hampshire and it was at Southsea that their remaining children were born.
	By 1871 John aged 34 and Fanny also 34 had four of their five children living with them in the Portsea & Landport registration district of Southsea. These were John aged 10, Newton aged 9, Mary aged 5, and Harry aged 2. It is not known where son Joseph was at this time.
	By 1881 both brothers were living in Hampshire. However, prior to this John married Fanny who was also born circa 1836 but at Eatontown in Bedford. The couple’s first three children were born while they were living in London. The first and third at St Lukes and the second at St Pancras.
	By 1881 the family was living at 9 Castle Place in Portsea. Gold beater John was confirmed as being 45 and born at Leeds, while his wife Fanny was also 45 and from Bedford. All nine of their children, including Joseph who was absent ten years earlier, were still living with the couple at that time.
	These were sons John aged 21 and Joseph 17 both of whom had been born at St Lukes in London, Newton who was 19 and born at St Pancras, and Mary 15, Harry 12, Archie 10, Daisy 8, Willie 4, and May who was aged ten months, all of which had been born at Southsea.
	No trace of John and his wife have so far been found in 1891 although other older members of their family were still living in the area at that time. It might be that John and Fanny had left Hampshire or even the country with their four youngest children.
	36Q39	John William Collett		Born in 1860
	36Q40	Newton Collett		Born in 1862
	36Q41	Joseph Collett		Born in 1864
	36Q42	Mary Collett		Born in 1866 at Southsea
	36Q43	Harry Collett		Born in 1869
	36Q44	Archibald Collett		Born in 1871 at Southsea
	36Q45	Daisy Collett		Born in 1873 at Southsea
	36Q46	William Collett		Born in 1877 at Southsea
	36Q47	May Collett		Born in June 1880 at Southsea
36P16	Robert Collett was born at Leeds in 1839. He married Elizabeth Carr who was also born in Leeds around 1845. And it was at Leeds that all of their children were born.
	According to the 1881 Census Robert was an unemployed tinker living at 7 Scarsdale Street in Leeds with his wife and three children. Also listed living with them as a lodger was J P Hubershaw a widower aged 43 and of Sheffield, an unemployed spring forger.
	Twenty years later a Robert and Elizabeth B Collett were living at Wortley, although their ages were 54 and 52 respectively.
	36Q48	Mary Ann Collett		Born in 1865
	36Q49	Alice Collett		Born in 1867
	36Q50	Charles Carr Collett		Born in 1869
36P17	Thomas Collett was born in 1830 and sometime around 1850 he married Hannah who was born at Armley in Leeds in 1831. Between 1851 and 1876 the marriage produced seven children for the couple, all of whom were born at Wortley in Leeds except for the youngest who was born at Batley south of Leeds.
	However, it would appear that sometime after 1876 Thomas died or was killed perhaps while working as a coal miner like his brothers, because by April 1881 Hannah was married to George Funess of Gomersal and was living with all of her children at his home in Hill End Road at Armley in Leeds.
	36Q51	Robert Collett		Born in 1851
	36Q52	Kezia Collett		Born in 1855
	36Q53	Lavina Collett		Born in 1858
	36Q54	Albert Collett		Born in 1860
	36Q55	Ann Collett		Born in 1863
	36Q56	Flora Collett		Born in 1866
	36Q57	Rachel A Collett		Born in 1876
36P18	Burnett Collett was born at Wortley around 1832. His occupation was that of a clay miner and he was married to Elizabeth in the early 1850s. The census for the Hunslet & Wortley district of 1861 listed the family as being four members; Burnett aged 29, Elizabeth 27 and their children Frederick 4 and Lavinia aged one year.
	Ten years later the size of the family had been increased by a further two children. The 1871 Census for Bramley & Wortley listed the family as Burnett 39, Elizabeth 37, Frederick 14, Lavinia 11, and recent arrivals Annie aged 5 and Jonas aged 3.
	By 1881 Burnett was a widower living with his five children at Upper Wortley Road/Ashley Road in Wortley where all of the children were born.
	His son Frederick was also a clay miner, while younger son Jonas was a ‘putter’ at the clay pit. A putter was someone who took (put) into the mine an empty container to be filled by the clay miners and who job it was to remove the one that had been filled.
	Lavinia the older daughter was a ‘piecener’ at the local wool mill, meaning she was the person who supplied the rolls of wool for the slubbing machine. Her sister Anne may have been working with her at that time as her occupation was stated as a cloth burler.
	36Q58	Frederick Collett		Born in 1856
	36Q59	Lavinia A Collett		Born in 1859
	36Q60	Anne Collett		Born in 1865
	36Q61	Jonas Collett		Born in 1868
	36Q62	Esther Collett		Born in 1871
36P20	William Collett was born at Wortley in Leeds around 1839 and in 1859 he married Lydia Stead who was born in 1843 at Lower Wortley in Leeds. Their son Frederick was also born at Wortley and was named after his grandfather, while their son Simeon was named after William’s brother (below).
	There is a mystery surrounding coal miner William in that in 1881 he was living at 12 Canal Road in nearby Armley in Leeds with son Simeon and 40 years old spinster Jane Elwood, a flax spinner from Leeds.
	William’s wife Lydia was working as a housekeeper at the home of iron foundry model maker William Henry Todner of Sunderland at his home at 1 Hedley Street in Wortley in Bramley.
	In addition to her housekeeping duties, Lydia’s occupation was stated as being a dressmaker which was a similar occupation to that of her father-in-law. She may have been using her skills in this field to work with William Todner’s unmarried niece Eliza Pickard who was also living at 1 Hedley Street and who was described as a tailoress of Upper Wortley.
	It seems very likely that Lydia’s actual home was with her son Frederick who was listed as living with his grandparents at Wortley in Bramley in April 1881.
	It might therefore be assumed that the marriage of William and Lydia had broken down sometime after the birth of their son Frederick, and that Simeon born many years later at Holbeck in Leeds may have been the illegitimate child of William and Jane Elwood with whom he was living in 1881.
	By 1901 William was still living in the Wortley area of Leeds. He was aged 61 and was working as a clay miner with his two sons.
	36Q63	Frederick Collett		Born in 1862
	36Q64	Simeon Collett		Born in 1872
36P21	Simeon Collett was born at Wortley in Leeds in 1847. He was a coal miner like his brother William (above) and in 1881 was unmarried at the age of 33 and was still living with his parents at Wortley in Bramley.
36P22	Edmund Collett was born at Wortley in Leeds in 1849. Around 1870 he married Harriet who was born at Armley Leeds and who was also born around 1849. Wortley and Armley are two districts within Leeds to the west of the city centre.
	It would appear that the first few years of their married life was spent living at Armley where their first child was born. However one year later and the family had moved to Wortley where their remaining children were born.
	In April 1881 the family was living at Albion Street at Wortley in Bramley where Edmund was described as a clay miner and his wife Harriet as a cloth weaver. Edmund’s brother Burnett Collett (above) was also a clay miner as was one of his sons.
	Just after the turn of the century all of Edmund’s and Harriet’s children had left the family home and the couple were living in Wigton Entire in the West Riding. Edmund was aged 51 born at Wortley and employed as a pit deputy, while his wife was 49 of Armley.
	36Q65	Alfred Collett		Born in 1871
	36Q66	Amelia Collett		Born in 1872
	36Q67	Arthur Collett		Born in 1874
36P23	Frederick Collett was born at Holbeck in Leeds in 1852. He was a joiner and carpenter and he married Martha who was three or more years younger than her husband and born at Copley in County Durham.
	In 1881 the young couple were living at 3 Albert Street in Holbeck in Leeds but with no child at that time. Twenty years later Frederick and Martha had moved to Wortley where Fred was aged 48 and was working as a carpentry agent while Martha was listed as 42 and born at Durham.
36P24	Mary M Collett was born at Leeds in 1844. She married Allan Lee around 1868 with whom she had four children prior to 1881.
	According to that year’s census Alan her husband was born at Leeds in 1841 and was a glue boiler. Mary M Lee was listed as being a tailoress and all of their four children had been born at Leeds. It may be of interest that her father’s brother Fred Collett was a tailor.
	Living with the family at 26 Grant Place in Leeds on the day of the census on 3^rd April 1881 was Mary’s widowed mother Mary Collett aged 63 and born at Newbold near Chesterfield.
	By the turn of the century the family was living at Potternewton in Yorkshire and comprised Alan aged 59 who was then working as a shop keeper in a greengrocers, Mary (Maria) was 56, and their children were Joseph 28 a restaurant waiter, William 26 a general smith and millwright, and Christopher 22 who was working as a tailor’s cutter.
	36Q68	Jane E Lee		Born in 1869
	36Q69	Joseph R Lee		Born in 1872
	36Q70	William Oldroyd Lee		Born in 1874
	36Q71	Christopher G Lee		Born in 1878
36P25	Thomas W Collett was born at Leeds in 1846. He married Mary A who was also born around 1847 but at Ossett in Yorkshire.
	According to the 1881 Census Thomas was a cloth drawer living at 7 Oaks Road in Soothill near Leeds. Living with him and wife Mary were their three children all born in Yorkshire, the first at Earls Heaton, the second at Ossett and the third at Hanging Heaton
	Ten years later Thomas and Mary were both aged 44 and were living with their children in the Soothill, Dewsbury census registration district. Their son Joseph was aged 20 and their daughters Alice and Sarah were 16 and 11 respectively.
	According to the 1901 Census, the family was still together although daughter Alice had left home to be married. The family at that time was living at Soothill Upper and comprised Thomas and Mary both 54, Joseph 30 and Sarah 21. Thomas was listed as a cloth drawer.
	36Q72	Joseph A Collett		Born in 1870
	36Q73	Alice Collett		Born in 1874
	36Q74	Sarah A Collett		Born in 1879
36P26	George Collett was born at Leeds in 1848. He later married Mary who was born Gomersal in 1849.
	By 1881 the couple were living at Common Side in Soothill near to where George’s brother Thomas (above) was living at that time. It would appear from the census record that the family have only just moved to Soothill within the past year as all of their three children had been born at Heckmondwike.
	According to the census George was aged 32 and was employed as a woollen spinner overlooker (inspector), while his wife was 31, and his three children were James 8, Fred 6, and Betsy who was two years old.
	36Q75	James Collett		Born in 1872 at Heckmondwike
	36Q76	Frederick Collett		Born in 1874 at Heckmondwike
	36Q77	Betsy E Collett		Born in 1878 at Heckmondwike
36P27	Charles E Collett was born at Leeds in 1850. At the age of 30 years he was an unmarried school teacher living in Greasbrough near Rotherham. In 1881 he was a boarder at the home of blacksmith George P Whittington at Carlton House, 2 Greenside in Greasbrough.
	By the turn of the century Charles aged 50 and born at Leeds was living at Hunslet where he was working as a grocer and shop keeper.
36Q1	William Richard Collett, who was later referred to as Bill, was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1856 and was the eldest son of blacksmith John Collett.
	He was listed as William in the censuses of 1861 and 1871 when he was aged 4 and 14 respectively while living with his parents in Potterton Lane in Barwick.
	By 1881 and at the age of 24 he was a blacksmith like his father and his grandfather before him. He was not married and was still living at the family home which was now one mile north of Barwick in the village of Potterton.
	It is understood that shortly after the census day William married Mary Hannah Todd at Barwick and at some later date the couple left Potterton and settled at Roundhay on the outskirts of Leeds where William continued his trade as a blacksmith.
	After a few years living and working at Roundhay William and his family returned to Barwick where they were living in 1891 when William was aged 34.
	By 1901 William was 44 and his occupation at Barwick was confirmed by the census as being that of a blacksmith. His wife was listed in the census as Mary H Collett of Thorner aged 39. Living with them at that time were their daughters Ella 19, Hilda 11, Sara 10, Mabel 8, and their sons Albert 13, and William who was one year old. Daughter Lina had already left the family home.
	The marriage of William and Mary produced a total of eleven children for the couple, the last being son Leslie who was born in 1904. In addition to the blacksmith business William doubled as a horse doctor, while his wife Mary performed the role of a quack doctor for the village people. More information on this is provided in Appendix 4.
	William took over the family blacksmith business upon the death of his father in the first ten years of the twentieth century. In those early days William also employed his much younger brother Frederick as an apprentice blacksmith. This photograph was taken around 1909 and shows Bill Collett (on the right) outside the blacksmith’s shop with Sidney Plews who married Bill’s daughter Sally. The small boy in the picture is Bill’s youngest son Leslie Collett.
	YE OLDE SMITHY
	The building containing the blacksmith’s shop and smithy was originally built with a thatched roof (as seen in the photo above) and was attached to the back of two adjoining cottages that fronted Main Street. The two cottages were ‘Ye Attic Abode’ and ‘The Drop Inn’ – see previous article from the Leeds Mercury of June 1930.
	Early one morning in 1911 Bill Collett opened up the smithy in the usual way to light the forge for the day’s work, following which he returned to the house for his breakfast. All of a sudden the thatched roof collapsed and fell in on the smithy, but fortunately, under the weight of the thatch, the fire was smothered.
	However, the structure of the smithy suffered severe damage and had to be demolished and a new workshop was built on the site. The two adjoining cottages were also demolished shortly after and they too were rebuilt. At that time the artists occupying ‘Ye Attic Abode’ moved to alternative premises at The Boyle in Barwick.
	The replacement buildings are still there today and the workshop is now used as a garage by the present occupants of number 70 Main Street. And it was the dwelling today known as 70 Main Street that had been built by the Collett family over two hundred years earlier and had remained in their ownership until 1966 when Hilda, the last daughter of blacksmith Bill Collett, died there.
	Frederick Collett later left the family business in the capable hands of his brother Bill who continued to manage it until his death in 1936 at the age of eighty. At that time with no further male members of the family to take it over the business passed out of the Collett family after nearly one hundred and fifty years.
	In June 1930 the Leeds Mercury ran a story with the headline “Blacksmith of 76 – The Oldest in Yorkshire”. The full transcript of the article can be found in Appendix 2 at the end of this family line.
	In a later article in the same newspaper printed in April 1932, Bill Collett recalls earlier times in his life in the village of Barwick and a copy of this is provided in Appendix 3.
	An article in The Barwicker Magazine in 2008 written by Joyce Hidden nee Collett of Frinton-on-Sea referred to this William Collett as William the Third (Collett blacksmith). Joyce’s great great grandfather was William Collett the Second and her grandfather was the aforementioned apprentice blacksmith Frederick Collett.
	36R1	Ella Collett		Born in 1882
	36R2	Lina Collett		Born in 1884
	36R3	Annie J Collett		Born in 1886
	36R4	Albert V Collett		Born in 1887
	36R5	Hilda Collett		Born in 1889
	36R6	Sally Collett		Born in 1890
	36R7	Edith Mabel Collett		Born in 1892
	36R8	unknown Collett		infant death
	36R9	Olive I Collett		Born in 1897
	36R10	William Edward Collett		Born in 1899
	36R11	unknown Collett		infant death
	36R12	Leslie Collett		Born in 1904
36Q2	Emma Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1858. In the census records of 1861 and 1871 she was listed as being aged 2 and 12 and on both occasions was living with her family at Potterton Lane in Barwick.
	Ten years later in April 1881 Emma was aged 22 and of Barwick and was working as a domestic servant and housemaid at the home of the Reverend Vicar William H Elliot at Blue Bell Road in Stainton.
36Q3	Ann Elizabeth Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1860 and was one year old in 1861 when living at Potterton Lane in Barwick with her family and ten years old in 1871.
	In 1881 at the age of 20 years Ann was working as a kitchen maid at Potterton Hall in Barwick, the home of Justice of the Peace and landowner Bathurst E Wilkinson who was born in India.
36Q4	Albert Batty Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1863 and was aged 7 in the census of 1871, although no further record of him has been found in subsequent census listings.
36Q5	John Thomas Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1865 and was aged 5 in the census of 1871 and 15 in 1881.
	The 1881 Census confirmed that he was living with his family at Potterton just north of Barwick. Twenty years later aged 35 John was continuing to work in the family business and was a blacksmith still living in Barwick.
36Q6	Benjamin Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1867 and was aged 3 in 1871 and was 13 years of age by 1881 when he was living with his family at Potterton near Barwick.
	He married Lucy Ann of Huddersfield in the late 1880s with whom he is known to have had at least four children. After they were married the couple settled in Castleford where their first three children were born, before moving to Gomersal towards the end of the century where the fourth child was born.
	The Gomersal census of 1901 confirmed that Benjamin was 33 and Lucy Ann was 34, and their four children were Amy 11, John 9, Harry 7, and two years old George. Benjamin’s occupation at that time was stated as being a gas meter inspector.
	At the time of the announcement of the death of their son Harry Collett in May 1916 Benjamin and Lucy Ann were living at The Gasworks in Gomersal.
	36R13	Amy E Collett		Born in 1889
	36R14	John E Collett		Born in 1891
	36R15	Harry Collett		Born in 1893
	36R16	George A Collett		Born in 1898
36Q7	Charles Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet around 1869 and was one year old in 1871 and was aged 11 in 1881 when living with his family at Potterton near Barwick. At the age of thirty in 1901 Charles was still living at Barwick where he was a tracking engine driver.
36Q8	George H Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1871 and was aged nine in April 1881 when living with his family at Potterton Lane in Barwick. Whether he died over the next few years has not been established, except that not record of George has been found in any later census.
36Q9	Frederick Collett, who was referred to as Fred, was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1874 and was 6 years of age in April 1881. Upon leaving school Fred became an apprentice blacksmith working with his older brother William and his father John Collett in the family business at Potterton.
	In the Barwick census of 1891 he was referred to as Fred Collett and his age was confirmed as being sixteen.
	He later married Mary Burnett who was also born at Barwick and it is known that the marriage resulted in a number of children for Fred and Mary, although only the one listed below has been confirmed at this time.
	It was prior to the end of the century that Fred married Mary since they were recorded as man and wife in the 1901 Census for Barwick. He was aged 26 and was employed as a blacksmith, while Mary E Collett was 25 years of age.
	His father died during the first ten years of the new century, at which point Fred continued to work as a blacksmith at Potterton with his brother William. A little while later he left the family business and took up a blacksmith’s job at a local coal mine where he looked after the pit ponies.
	And it was at that time that the family blacksmith business passed solely into the hands of his brother.
	36R17	Jack Collett		Born in 1918
36Q10	Mary H Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1877 and was three years old in April 1881 and 13 in 1891. Just after the turn of the century she was not married and was still living with her parents at the family home in Barwick aged 23.
36Q11	Ernest Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1879 and was one year old in April 1881 and 11 years old in 1891. However ten years later at the age of 21 Ernest was living at Castleford where he was working as a general cart man.
	There was only one other Collett living in Castleford at the end of March in 1901 and that was 24 years old Lily Collett who seems very likely to have been Ernest’s wife. Lily was born at Castleford in 1876.
36Q12	Edwin Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1858 and was aged 2 in the 1861 Census. Twenty years later Edwin was aged 22 and was still living at the family home in Potterton Lane in Barwick where he was working as a blacksmith with his father and younger brother John (below).
36Q14	John William Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1862 and by the time of the 1881 Census he was still living there aged 18 and working as a blacksmith with his father and older brother Edwin (above) in the family business.
	Curiously at the time of the 1881 Census John was not married but it is possible that he had already fathered a child by then, since ten years later in 1891 he was married to Ada Collett aged 38 and had a daughter aged 11. John W Collett himself was aged 28.
	Just after the end of the century John was aged 38 and was still living at Barwick where he had given up being a blacksmith to become a general labourer. In addition to this information, no trace has been found of his wife Ada or his daughter Kate who would have been 21 in 1901 and may have been married.
	36R18	Kate Collett		Born in 1879 at Barwick
36Q15	Joseph Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1865 and was listed as being aged 6 in the census of 1871. By the time he was 15 years old in April 1881 he was employed as a farm servant on the 140 acre farm belonging to widow Sarah Wilkinson in the Up Town district in Barwick.
	In 1891 he would have been twenty-five years of age but so far no record of him has been found in the census for that year. It was sometime during the 1890s though that he married Mary who was born at Little Ribston just north of Wetherby
	Just after the turn of the century Joseph was recorded as being aged 35 and at that time he was living at Holbeck township in Leeds where his occupation was that of a flock mill drayman. The census confirmed that he was of Barwick and that he was married to Mary who was 36 and born at Little Ribston.
	Up until that time it would appear that their marriage had produced no children for the couple, but it is possible that there might have been children born during the following next few years.
36Q16	Alfred Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1867. In 1881 he was living at the family home in Potterton Lane in Barwick aged 13. Sometime during the later part of the 1880s he married Eliza who was born at Harewood seven miles from Barwick to the north of Leeds.
	It would appear that the first years of their married life was spent at Harewood where their children were born. By 1891 Eliza, who was aged 25, had presented Alfred with two daughters. Kate was 2 and Lucy one year old. The family of four at that time were living in the Wortley & Bramley registration district.
	However, no further children were added to the family possibly resulting from the death of Eliza a little while later and by 1901 Alfred was a widower living in the Armley area of Leeds with his two daughters.
	The census confirmed that Alfred was aged 33 and born at Barwick and that his occupation was that of a beer brewer. It also confirmed that his two daughters aged 12 and 11 were born at Harewood where their mother had been born.
	36R19	Kate Collett		Born in 1888 at Harewood
	36R20	Lucy Collett		Born in 1889 at Harewood
36Q19	Richard Collett was born at Barwick-in-Elmet in 1853. He married Ann around 1872 and they lived at Keighley where Ann and all of their children were born.
	In 1881 the family was living at 18 Orleans Street in Keighley where Richard’s occupation was that of a carter. He and his wife were both 28 and their children were Jane 8, Hiram 6 and Harry who was nine months old.
	Over the following years the marriage produced two more children, both born at Keighley and in 1891 the complete family comprised Richard 38, Ann 38, Jane 18, Hiram 16 (who was referred to as Edwin), Harry 10, John 7 and Willie 3.
	The family was still living at Keighley in 1901, the only change being that daughter Jane had left home and was married. Her father Richard was then working as a coal carter aged 48 and confirmed as born at Barwick. His wife was also 48 and the remaining children still living in the family home were Hiram 26, Harry 20, John 17 and 13 years old Willie.
	36R21	Jane Collett		Born in 1873
	36R22	Hiram Collett		Born in 1875
	36R23	Harry Collett		Born in July 1880
	36R24	John Collett		Born in 1883
	36R25	William Collett		Born in 1887
36Q21	Joseph Arthur Collett was born at Gomersal in 1860 and was aged 20 at the time of the 1881 Census. He was still living with his parents at Oxford Road in Gomersal from where he was working with his father as a painter.
	Joseph was 30 years old by 1891 and was still working with his father at Gomersal. It is possible, although not provide, that may have married and than the marriage produced two children before his wife died.
	Joseph was still living at Gomersal ten years later in 1901 aged 40 and was still employed by his father as a painter. Also living at Gomersal at that time were two children who have not been placed with another family and these may have been the children of Joseph.
	They were Lillie Collett aged 13 and born at Barnsley who was working as a domestic nurse, and George L Collett aged 12 of Wakefield who was still attending school.
	36R26	Lillie Collett		Born in 1887 at Barnsley
	36R27	George L Collett		Born in 1888 at Wakefield
36Q22	William H Collett was born at Gomersal in 1862. In 1881 he was aged 18 and working as a servant and butcher at the Oxford Road home in Gomersal of 23 years old butcher John Ellison also of Gomersal.
	This was very near to William’s own family who also lived in Oxford Road in Gomersal. John Ellison’s elderly father Joseph Ellison, a builder, lived in the adjacent property next door to the two young men.
36Q24	George Henry Collett was born at Gomersal in 1865 and was 5 and 15 in the censuses of 1871 and 1881 while living at Oxford Road in Gomersal with his family.
	By 1891 he had left the family home and was living in Pontefract aged 25. He was still a bachelor at that time.
	Ten years after George was still a bachelor living in Pontefract. The 1901 Census confirmed he was 34 years of age and born at Gomersal, and that he working as a colliery book-keeper.