THE SIBLINGS OF MARY BENSON part 2

My 3xgreat-grandmother Mary Wright (nee Benson) had three younger brothers that survived until adulthood. This post describes what I have found out about their lives – each of them led very interesting lives in 3 different places – Newcastle, York and Acomb.

Click here for a family tree showing Mary & her siblings

George Gowland Benson - the railway worker

George Gowland Benson was born in York in 1849 just before his parents George & Eliza moved back to George’s family parish of Acomb. George’s middle name “Gowland” comes from his mother Eliza’s maiden name. It is possible he was baptized on 29 Apr 1849 at All Saint’s Pavement, York ( this record appears in the ancestry.com database but not in the familysearch.org database – I will need to consult the original records).

In 1871 George was still living with his parents and was described as a farmer’s son. I do not know what George was doing until 1880 when he married Mary Bristow in Jan-Mar 1880 in Newcastle. Mary Bristow was born in Fridaythorpe in 1862 and so was 14 years the junior of George. It is likely that the wedding was a quickly arranged affair as their first daughter Eliza E. Benson was also born in mid 1880.

In the 1881 census, George and Mary were living with Mary’s parents James & Elizabeth Bristow in Pottery Lane, Westgate, Newcastle. I do not know if George Benson knew the Bristow family before coming to Newcastle, though it is interesting to note that James was born in Escrick and Elizabeth in Fridaythorpe, so it is possible he did.

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In 1881, George’s occupation is given as a ‘checker for N.E.R’ (North Eastern Railways). This is the same occupation as he held in 1891 whilst living at 48 Brussel St., Gateshead. In the 1901 and 1911 censuses George is still employed in the railways but is called a “rolly loader” or “loader on railway co”. Throughout this time, George and Mary are living at 10 Dale St., Pottery Lane, Newcastle with Mary’s brother Thomas Gray Bristow (b.Jul-Aug 1866 Newcastle) and widowed father James Bristow.

1911 census

George Gowland and Mary Benson had a total of 12 children together, with 9 of these being still alive in 1911 (according to that census). The following is a list of these children & their birthdates:

1. b1880 Eliza E.
2. b1881 Elizabeth
3. b1882 Mary E
4. b1885 George
5. b1886 Lilly
6. b1889 Christiana
7. b1892 John Thomas
8. b1894 Jane Ann
9. b1901 Hannah
10. b1904 Frederick John

All were born in Newcastle except for John Thomas and Jane Ann who were born in Gateshead. I cannot find the last two children – they may have been born any time between 1880-1911. Nor am I sure that Eliza E. and Elizabeth are two separate children or different spellings of the same daughter.

From the index of wills and administrations, it seems that George Gowland Benson died on 15^th July 1922. Interestingly, he died whilst living at Poplar Grove, Acomb – the same house that his elder sister (my 3xgreat grandmother Mary Wright nee Benson) was still living in. I do not know why George Gowland Benson moved back to Acomb. The majority of his will was left to “George Benson, railway clerk”. I presume that this is his son George b1885.

William Benson - the butcher

William Benson was born on 27^th September 1851 along with his twin sister Martha Emma Benson in Acomb. William seems to have left home in the late 1860s to go and start an apprenticeship with John Shilleto (b1842) as a butcher. John Shilleto’s butcher’s shop was at 27 Micklegate, York.

1871 census

In the 1881 census, William is now living at 36 Micklegate (which is today called the Micklegate takeaway!) in his own butcher’s shop. He is living with his wife Fanny (b1851) and son George A. Benson (b1880). An older son William Herbert (b1877) was spending the night of the census with his cousin John George Wright and grandparents George and Eliza Benson in Acomb.

1881 census

An investigation of the marriage indexes suggests that William Benson married Fanny Flower between Apr-Jun 1876 in York. Fanny was the daughter of George and Jane Flower, both of whom were from York. They appear to have been fairly well-to-do as they were living in 1871 at 18 The Mount, an elegant street just off Micklegate, and George Flower was a ‘coach proprietor’.

In 1891, William Benson has moved back to 27 Micklegate, York to take over the butcher’s shop where he served as an apprentice. Living with him is his wife Fanny and children William Herbert, George A., Frederick (b1882), and Fanny (b1886).

1891 census

By 1901, William Benson, his wife and daughter Fanny had moved to the other side of York – to 9 De Grey Terrace. William is still employed as a butcher and interestingly has 5 lodgers including four ‘actresses’. Three of these are sisters Norah (22), Flora (21) & Emma Stewart (18) from Blackpool. The other is Nellie Freeman (22) from London.

1901 census

In the last census we have available in 1911, William is now a widowed retired butcher and is living with Chistopher Cawood and family as a lodger at 23 De Grey Terrace. This is only four doors down from William’s previous address and it seems the families knew each other for some time as the Cawoods were also living there in 1901. Fanny Benson appears to have died between Oct-Dec 1908 whereas William Benson seems to have died between Jul-Sep 1917 (according to the death indexes).

More information about their deaths and that of another daughter is available from a monumental inscription in St. Stephen's Church, Acomb:

"In loving memory of Florence Muriel, the dearly loved child of William and Fanny Benson of York b July 13 1883, d July 22 1884.

Also Fanny Benson who died at York, Oct 29 1908 in her 59th year.

Also William Benson husband of the above who died Aug 21 1917 in his 87th year.

Also George Alfred, 2nd son of the above and beloved husband of Annie Violet Benson who died Jan 14 1922 aged 42 years."

Frederick Thomas Benson - the innkeeper

Frederick Thomas Benson was the youngest son of George and Eliza Benson and was born in Acomb on 9^th May 1861. He was the only son to remain in Acomb all of his life.

At the age of 19 in 1881, Frederick was still living at home with his parents and working as a farmer’s son. He married Sarah Hardcastle between Apr-Jun 1885 in Acomb. Sarah Hardcastle was born in 1865 in Hessay to Thomas (b1829) and Mary Ann Hardcastle (b1839). Mary Ann was originally from Hessay, but Thomas Hardcastle was himself born in Acomb. In 1881, prior to the marriage of Frederick Thomas Benson and Sarah Hardcastle, Thomas Hardcastle had become widowed and had moved back to Acomb and became the innkeeper of the Sun Inn, which looks out on the village green. At this time, Sarah was working as a barmaid and it’s probable that this is where she met her future husband. . Their marriage may also have been prompted by the death of Thomas Hardcastle in late 1884, as by 1891 the couple were now running the Sun Inn. Interestingly, Frederick’s eldest sister Mary Wright (my 3great grandmother) was at this time running the Marcia Inn also in Acomb.

The couple continued to operate the Sun Inn at least until 1901 as they were living at the Sun Inn in both the 1891 and 1901 censuses. The couple had at least 7 children - Walter (b1886), Rose (b1887), Eliza Mary (b1889), George Frederick (b1890), Florence (b1892), Annie (b1893) and Amy (b1895). Also living with them in both censuses were two of Sarah’s younger brothers - William (b1862) and David (b1868).

1901 census

Frederick Thomas Benson died in 1902. His wife went on to live for 51 years more than her husband. Their monumental inscription in St. Stephen’s Churchyard also contains details of one of their sons and reads:

"In affectionate remembrance of Frederick Thomas BENSON, died Dec 20 1902 aged 41 years. Also George Frederick BENSON son of the above died June 4 1946 aged 55 years. Also Sarah BENSON, wife of Frederick Thomas, died March 9, 1953 aged 88 years."

Apparently there is an obituary of Frederick in the Yorkshire Gazette dated 27 Dec 1902, though I have not had a chance to see this yet (available at York Reference Library).

The last piece of information I have regarding Sarah Benson (nee Hardcastle) is that in the 1911 census she is living in a 6 roomed house at "The Green, Acomb". She is living with her out of work son George, and her two youngest daughters Annie (a confectionary maker) and Amy (a box labeler). Her unmarried brother William Hardcastle is also living with her still. Interestingly she also has another son – Fred Benson (b1904), whose father is obviously a mystery.

1911 census

The Sun Inn meanwhile was by 1911 being run by Robert and Ada Barnett who had previously lived at Ash St., Holgate.

The Benson grandchildren of George & Eliza Benson

Finally, in this entry discussing the lives of the brothers of Mary Wright (nee Benson), I have not gone on to trace much about the lives of the children of the brothers. However, in the next post I shall discuss a bit more about the life of George Frederick Benson, (1890-1946) the son of Frederick Thomas and Sarah Benson – specifically, his service during WW1.

THE SIBLINGS OF MARY BENSON part 1

Introduction

In the previous post, I wrote about how I found out that my 3xgreat grandmother Mary Wright was born Mary Benson and that she was the eldest daughter of George and Eliza Benson. George & Eliza had (as far as I can tell) 9 children, with three dying in infancy. I do not know why each of the three died, though it would be possible to get their death certificates to find out. This entry will follow what I have found out about the two younger sisters of Mary that went on to live to adulthood. Most of this material has come from the census and parish records as well as monumental inscriptions and newspapers. The next post will deal with the three brothers of Mary Benson that went on to have children.

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Elizabeth Benson

Elizabeth was baptized on the 6^th January 1845 at St. Michael’s Spurriergate, York. She was younger than her elder sister Mary Benson by three years. She was living at home with her parents in Acomb in 1851 and 1861. By 1871 she is living in nearby Holgate (which is a sub-parish squeezed between Acomb and York itself). In 1871 Elizabeth is working as a parlour maid in the house belonging to two elderly sisters - Sarah & Elizabeth Backhouse - who both appear to have been born in Darlington and are said to be ‘living off dividends’. They also live with their widowed nephew a Joseph Cranfield who is a tea merchant.

In 1879 she had a daughter Florence Anne Benson (named after her youngest sister who had died in Feb 1878 aged 12). This daughter was born out of wedlock as Elizabeth does not appear to have ever married (at least not by 1911). I believe Florence Anne was born in Filey (according to 1901 and 1911 censuses, though the 1891 census gives Acomb as Florence’s birthplace). If she was indeed born in Filey, this would suggest that Elizabeth went there to secretly give birth. Interestingly, I cannot find either Elizabeth or her daughter in the 1881 census – finding her may shed some light on to who the father was?

Elizabeth is living with her daughter in the house of her parents (1891) and her widowed mother Eliza (1901) in Acomb. By 1911, she is living in Long Marston (which is about five miles from Acomb) with her now married daughter. Florence Anne married James Hields (b. 1880 Acomb) who was a farmer. Their marriage certificate (Jul-Sep 1903) would also glean possible information as to the father of Florence Anne. Interestingly, on the marriage index she is listed as Florence Anne C Benson, but I have no knowledge as to what the ‘C’ stands for. It is possible that it could be the surname of her father as illegitimate children often were given their father’s name as a middle name. In 1911, James and Florence Hields had already had four children, all of who were still living (Harold James b1907/d1980, Wilfred George b1908-9/d1968, Lilian Alice b1909-10, Frederick Thomas b1910/d1978).

I'm not sure when Elizabeth Benson died as there are far too many matches for that name in the death registers, even when taking birth date and location into account. However, I have found Florence’s death in Jan-Mar 1963 in Hull. She is registered as Florence A. C. Hields. Florence's husband James Hields is registered as having died in Holderness in 1938.

Martha Emma Benson

Martha Emma was born on the 27^th September 1851 along with her twin brother William Benson (more about him in the next post). Both were baptized at St. Stephen’s Church, Acomb on 2 November 1851. Martha lived with her parents in Acomb until 1881 when she married Alfred Ballans (b.1854, son of George Ballans) on 21 Nov 1881 at Acomb. Alfred was born to George and Mary Ballans in North Stainley near Ripon, the 3^rd of 6 children. The Ballans family moved to Ulleskelf from North Stainley around 1857 and came to Acomb by 1871. The family lived at Parks Farm in 1871 and in 1881 at Hambleton Farm, Carr Grange.

The wedding of Martha Emma and Alfred Ballans was announced in the Yorkshire Gazette of 26 Nov 1881:

"BALLANS-BENSON - On the 21st instant, at St. Stephen's Church, Acomb, by the Rev R P T Tennant, vicar, Alfred, eldest son of Mr Ballans, Carr Grange, to Martha Emma (Pattie), youngest daughter of Mr George Benson, all of Acomb"

Martha and Alfred Ballans had two children both of whom survived. Cecil Benson Ballans was born in 1884 (bp. 17 Sep, Acomb) and Linda Mary Ballans was born in 1895, also in Acomb.

In 1891 Alfred and Martha are living at West Field Villas, Acomb, next door to Martha’s parents James and Mary Wright who are living at the Marcia Inn. Alfred is listed as being a cattle dealer and having been born in Tanfield (this is less than a mile from North Stainley). In this census, his surname is mis-spelled as ‘Ballance’.

In 1901 Alfred Ballans is living at Green Lane, Acomb and is a ‘manager on a farm’. Perhaps this was the farm of his recently deceased father-in-law George Benson?

In 1911 Alfred and Martha Ballans are living at ‘Glenholm’, Acomb. This is probably the name of the house, though I’m not sure where in Acomb it is. Alfred is now a labourer in a warehouse, which I believe is named as ““Rly Co Warehouse” which is likely short for “railway company”.

According to the death register index, Martha died in Aug-Sep 1918 and Alfred died in Jan-Mar 1916.

Their son Cecil was training to be a cabinet maker in 1901 but by 1911 was a worker at the N.E. Carriage works in Acomb. By this time, Cecil was married to Annie J Ballans and had one child – George B. Ballans. The family are living at Grange Lane, Acomb. Cecil signed the census return as “Cecil Benson Ballans”.

The early life & parents of Mary Benson 1843-1931

Introduction

Mary Wright (nee Benson) was the wife of James Wright and they were my 3xgreat grandparents. It took me quite a while to locate the marriage record of James and Mary in the Yorkshire Gazette (1861), as I could not find a record in the parish records of parishes that I thought they may have married in. This newspaper record told me that they were married at St. Olave's Marygate, York - I have yet to look through this parish's records to see if there is any extra information about this marriage e.g. who were the witnesses? Also, when I started this research in 1999, I was not accustomed to ordering marriage certificates - I also have not yet got this certificate though I do know its reference number. This may give me some extra interesting information.

The first clue that Mary Wright was born Mary Benson came when looking through the Acomb Census records - in the old fashioned way of scrolling through microfilm at York Library. Here I found in the 1881 census that John George Wright, the eldest son of James and Mary Wright was living in Acomb with his grandparents George and Eliza Benson. This showed me that Mary Wright was the daughter of George and Eliza Benson.

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John George Wright seems to have been close to the Benson family as he named one of his children "Benson". Unfortunately he died in infancy:

From the baptismal register of Edward-the-Confessor Church, Dringhouses: bp. Jan 1 1885, Benson Herbert, son of John George & Annie Elizabeth Wright, North Lane Dringhouses, builder.

Yorkshire Gazeette 22/12/1888:

Death of John George Wright's son Benson Herbert aged 4.

The children of George & Eliza Benson

Mary Benson was the eldest child of George & Eliza Benson. I was able to piece together their family details from parish records, the IGI, census records and the newspaper indexes at York library. It appears that George and Eliza had 9 children, with 3 dying in infancy. The remaining 6 children all had children (issue) of their own (I will detail these descendants in the next post). What's also notable from this pedigree is that Eliza's maiden name is GOWLAND - this was first evident to me when I saw that George and Eliza had used this name as a middle name for two of their sons.

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From what I can gather (more info to come in later posts), George Benson was born in 1818 in Acomb but left at some point prior to 1841 to apprentice as a baker in York (this was with his future wife Eliza's father). George and Eliza married in York between Oct-Dec 1841 and had five children in York:

IGI search on Familysearch.org

bp. 18 Dec 1842, Mary, daughter of George & Eliza Benson, St. Michael's Spurriergate, York.

bp. 6 Jan 1845 Thomas Gowland, son of George & Eliza Benson, St. Michael's Spurriergate, York

bp. 6 Jan 1845 Elizabeth, daughter of George & Eliza Benson, St. Michael's Spurriergate, York

bp. 17 Jan 1847 Eliza, daughter of George & Eliza Benson, All Saint's Pavement, York.

George Gowland Benson - known to have been born in 1849 from census records, but I cannot find his baptism in either parish records or the IGI. They then moved around 1851 to Acomb and had four more children:

baptisms MF 624 Acomb Parish Registers

bp 2 Nov (b 27 Sept) 1851 - William Benson, son of Geo. & Eliza, Acomb, farmer.

bp 2 Nov (b 27 Sept) 1851 - Martha Emma Benson, son of Geo. & Eliza, Acomb, farmer.

bp 3 June (b 9 May) 1861 - Frederick Thomas Benson, son of Geo. & Eliza, Acomb, farmer.

bp 5 Oct (b 19 Aug) 1866 - Florence Anne Eliza Benson, son of Geo. & Eliza, Acomb, farmer.

The deaths of Eliza and Florence Anne were confirmed from death records in the York newspaper index. Thomas Gowland is presumed to have died by 1851 as he no longer appear in the census.

What did George Benson do after returning to Acomb?

The census records show that George Benson worked as a farmer after returning to Acomb in 1851 until his death in Acomb in 1897 (according to the York newspaper index). Between 1851-1881 he and his family lived on front street apparently at the corner of gayle/gale lane. This is what each census record says (I won't post each of these images just yet as they will take up too much space):

1851 - farmer of 87 acres,

1861 - farmer of 120 acres

1871 - farmer of 100 acres employing 2 men

1881 - farmer

1891 - now living on gale lane at the corner with front st, still a farmer

In 1901, Eliza Benson is now a widow and living at 21 albert street, Acomb. She is living with her second eldest daughter Elizabeth who appears never to have married. She is also living with her grand-daughter Florence Anne Benson, named after her youngest daughter who died in infancy. This grand-daughter was born in Filey and I have now found out from the 1911 census that she is the daughter of Elizabeth. I'll write more about that in the next post.

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Eliza Benson died on the 8th August 1906 (again, according to the York newspaper index) - 7 years to the day after husband.

some extra background on the Bensons of Acomb

The next few posts will be about the Benson family of Acomb - both their ancestors and descendants (as far as I can trace both). The majority of people with the name "BENSON" living in Acomb throughout the nineteenth century are related to one another and are descended from one man - William Benson who was born in Whixley in February 1722. One year after he was born, his parents and siblings all died within one month of each other and he moved to Acomb. Presumably William was the only survivor of an infectious disease that came through Whixley and was sent to live in Acomb with a relative.

William Benson's two sons, William (b1752) and John (b1754), went on to become the progenitors of two large branches of the Benson family. There are many interesting individuals in this family including historians, architects, emigrants, publicans, farmers and many others. It's amazing to think that all of these descendants owe their lives to one male Benson baby suriviving a pox or some other disease that swept through Whixley in the early 18th century.

In addition to the usual sources of evidence, I have additional information about the Bensons of Acomb from other contemporary researchers such as Mr Brian Kingston. Interestingly, one of the Benson family - a George Benson - was a local historian who also left several notes about his (and by extension my) family history. I will write more about this George Benson later. He has several published volumes (some of which I own) as well as having left some personal notes to the York City Archives (Acc108 - also available as a copy on microfilm at the London Family History Centre.

The next post will detail the first Benson to whom I'm related - my 3xgreat grandmother Mary Wright (nee Benson) b. 1843.