Updated 23 Mar 2014

WIRKSWORTH Parish Records 1600-1900

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Pitty Wood Farm before 1884, haymaking

Pitty Wood Farm c1915

Pitty Wood c1915

Sale notice 19 Mar 1884

Pitty Wood Farm <1884

Pitty Wood Farm is SW of Wirksworth. At the time of the 1851 census Pitty Wood Farm (or Pitty Farm as it was recorded then) was being worked by William Jessop and his Wife Ann. Whether they were owners or tenants I am not sure. The date of their arrival at the farm I am also unsure of. In 1841 the family was residing at Miller's Green. The family continued to work the farm until 1884 when William's surviving daughter, Rebecca Storer, sold up. We have a copy of the sale notice if you are interested detailing all the farm and personal effects that went under the auctioneer's hammer.
The photo was probably taken prior to 1884 by William Jessop's Grandson, William Jessop Storer, who had a great interest in photography, and members of the family would be in the picture.
On a personal family note, by the side of the door on the west elevation, there was/is a stone inscribed S.B.Storer, 1882. (Samuel Buckley Storer was my Gt.Grandfather).

-------from Bob & Sue Belfield

Taken 2007 by Maureen Griffiths

Dates:
Photo taken:before 1884
Size:
Source:Bob & Sue Belfield
Click on photo for enlargement (on CD only)
Have any more information about this photo? Please e-mail the author on:

JESSOP family

Sent by Susan Belfield on 22mar2014
updated: 4 Mar 2002

The first leaf on the branch is that of Elizabeth Jezop. She exists only as a name in the parish registers of Newark-upon-Trent bringing her son William(1) to be christened on the 22nd. August 1736. Whether she was a widow or a single mother we may never know, and whether the variation of the spelling of her name was due to her or the parish clerk again will remain a mystery. Though Shakespeare set a good precedent in varying the spelling of surnames!!

By the time William(1) married Mary Overing on 20th. October 1757 the spelling of the name had settled firmly into the form of Jessop. He was still living in Newark-upon-Trent and he and Mary had at least eight children.

Born during the reign of George II , William was living through a period of great social and economic upheaval. The enclosure of agricultural land was at its height and small land owners (peasants) were selling their few acres, willingly or by compulsory purchase, for a few guineas. The large landowners were improving their agricultural practice, following the example set by Coke and Townshend. Grain yields were up, and stock quality was improved and fresh meat was available all the year around. Consequently the health of the population improved with the result that there was a population explosion. Newark, in the fertile vale of Trent, was one of the first places to be enclosed during the 1700’s so it is conceivable that the Jessop family may have been affected by this. Peasant farmers at this time usually resorted to manufacturing to boost the family income. The term “manufacturer” did not equate with capitalist employer during this century but referred to handworkers. In the rural villages everything was produced locally, only the landed gentry could afford to send away to the towns and cities for goods. Woollen cloth, was still the chief item of home and foreign trade, and was manufactured in the countryside. Spinning and weaving was definitely a cottage industry. Even the growing cotton industry was conducted in the cottage. Towns and cities were chiefly distribution centres.

William’s children spread themselves out from Newark. Up until the 1700’s the population had remained fairly static but the rapid improvement of the roads lead to a dispersal of the population. Between 1700 and 1750 there had been 400 Road Acts passed allowing for the construction of Toll Roads but between 1751 and 1790 this number jumped to 1600.

Mary was William(1)’s eldest child, christened 23rd. or 28th. July 1762, and she married John Breffit on the 30th. November 1784 in Newark upon Trent. They moved to Balderton in Nottinghamshire and had at least two children, William in 1786, and John in 1788.

Walter (1764 – 1809), christened on the 27th. June 1764, found his way to Wirksworth , where he was buried on 20th September 1809, as did his sister Deborah (1775 – 1846) where she married Samuel Harley on the 18th. March 1803. Samuel was a plumber and glazier, and they later went on to run the George Inn in Coldwell Street, Wirksworth. They had at least six children, one of whom was called Samuel.

Walter may have been the father of Walter Jessop (2) whose slate memorial plaque is in Wirksworth Church reading as follows:
To the/memory of Walter Jessop/who/departed this life/the 17th.of September/1840/age 44 years
William (2)(1766- ?) is a bit of a mystery. William Jessop the engineer moved to Newark upon Trent with his family in about 1782 from Fairburn in Yorkshire, so great care must be taken in not confusing the two Jessop families.

Joseph (Josh), christened 1st. Feb 1771 in Newark upon Trent moved to South Normanton where he married Rebecca Bettison, daughter of William and Hannah Bettison of Pinxton, on 4th. April 1793. South Normanton is situated on the eastern border of Derbyshire, about 25 miles from Newark upon Trent. In 1801 the population was 719, in 1831 it had increased to 1154, and Bagshawe records that in 1846 it was 1288, of whom 641 were males, living in 270 houses. One of the main industries of the area was coal extraction. Joseph and Rebecca had three children that I have been able to trace. Elizabeth, christened on the 17th. February 1794 in Bolsover, Derbyshire; William (3), christened 24th. December 1797 in South Normanton; and Mary Ann(1), christened 29th. September 1805 in South Normanton. Bolsover had collieries and an ironworks which were the chief industries, which may explain why the family was there for a while.

William (1)’s wife Mary probably followed Deborah and Walter to Wirksworth when she was widowed and is the Mary Jessop buried in the cemetery on the 30th. October 1806.

Joseph ‘s son William (3) married an Ann, we know this from census returns, and this may be Ann Waters of Kirby in Ashfield on 22nd. April 1823. She was christened on 11th. November 1787 and this also ties in with some of the census returns. William and Ann were living in Wirksworth by the time their son William (4) was born, and christened on 11th. Oct 1825, and in the parish record William (3) describes his occupation as farmer. Their second child, Mary Ann (2) ( Marianne), was christened on 31st. May 1829, named after her aunt, and he again is recorded in the register as a Farmer. Thomas was christened on the 26th. June 1831.( Named after his great-uncle?) and Rebecca was christened on the 4th. July 1838, and named after her Grandmother . In the 1841 census the family is recorded as living at Miller’s Green, Wirksworth, and not until 1851 are the family shown as having moved to Pitty Wood Farm. William(3)’s wife, Ann, was buried on 6th. January 1868 in Wirksworth Cemetery, aged 80, and he died on 25th. January 1883 and was buried on the 30th. January, aged 85.

William(4) JESSOP was employed in 1841 at North End, Wirksworth, as a Baker's apprentice, and was living with James and Elizabeth Anable (Baker). He married Mary Wigley, daughter of James and Elizabeth Wigley. James was a master plasterer. Their son Walter was christened on 20th. June 1847. Was he named after his great-uncle who died in 1809 or for the Walter who died in 1840? He married Alice Slater and the 1881 census shows him living at 281 Shaw Road, Oldham and giving his occupation as “Manager of sanitary Works”. Living with him and Alice were their three children: Arthur (8), Annie (2) and Clara A.(1); and two lodgers, a Blacksmith and his 7 yr. old son. By 1851 William(4) and his family had moved out of the area but the 1861 census shows William (5) Jessop, aged 8, visiting his grandparents James and Elizabeth Wigley in Wirksworth. By the time of the 1881 census William(4) Jessop had died and his widow, Mary, was living at 46 Horsedge Street, Oldham, with their daughter Emily Matilda Jessop. Mary’s occupation was given as Milliner and dressmaker and Emily’s as dressmaker. Interestingly they were within 500 metres of his cousin William Jessop Storer’s house in Yorkshire Street. William (5) Jessop was also close by at 13 Siddall Street, Oldham and his occupation was given as Iron Turner. He was now married to Mary A (maiden name unknown at present) and they had a daughter Ethel. In 1881 they had a number of lodgers – all Jessops!!

Thomas married Ann from Farndon in Nottinghamshire, and by 1881 he was living at 14 Whitfield Place, Ardwick, Lancashire, and his occupation was Provision Dealer. They had two Children: Annie (13) and Lizzie (8).

Mary Ann(2) had a job as a waiting maid to Miss Frances Arkwright at Rock House in 1851, and on 22 April 1856 she married John Storer at Wirksworth Parish Church. Their witnesses were her sister Rebecca and her brother Thomas. They had six children and lived at Cromford Wharf. She died on the 19th. March 1872 and was buried in Wirksworth Cemetery, plot 755, on the 25th April 1872.

Rebecca does not show up on the Census in 1851 in Wirksworth, but she is present at Pitty Wood in 1861 as a spinster. After the death of her sister Mary Ann(2) she married her brother-in-law, John Storer, at Matlock Parish Church on the 31st. October 1872. The witnesses at their marriage were William (4) Jessop and Emma Wigley. Strangely it is recorded in the Matlock Parish register that Rebecca’s father was deceased but he wasn’t! He must have approved the marriage because they lived with him at Pitty Wood Farm. She continued living there with her Father after she was widowed on the 19th March 1878. and then stayed on after his death until she sold up at an auction on Wednesday 19th. March 1884. She moved to Oldham to join her two step-sons, William J. Storer and Samuel B. Storer, and died in 1906.

JESSOP tree

                        1797             1787
                    (3) William  1823    Ann
                        JESSOP=====v=====WATERS?
                        1883       |     1868
                                   |
            |--------|-------------|---------|--------|
            |        |                       |        |
            |        |                      1829      |
           1825 (4) 1827         1826       Mary     1831
Mary  1846 William  Rebecca 1872 John  1856 Ann      Thomas     Ann
WIGLEY==v==JESSOP   JESSOP====v==STORER==v==JESSOP   JESSOP==v==
        |  1876     1906         1878    |  1872             |
        |                                |                   |
 |------|-------|        |-------|-------|---------|     |---|--|
 |      |       |        |       |       |         |     |      |
1847   1850    1853     1857    1858    1861      1867  1868   1873
Walter Emily   William  William Samuel  Catherine EE    Annie  Lizzie
       Matilda  (5)

Wirksworth area Census

--------------------------------------------------
1841 Census
---Millers Green---[Wirksworth]---(p23, Wirksworth, district 3, HO 107/198/11)---
W443a     William        JESSOP         40  m  Y  Labourer
W443b     Ann            JESSOP         40  f  Y
W443c     Rebecca        JESSOP         14  f  Y
W443d     Mary           JESSOP         12  f  Y
W443e     Thomas         JESSOP         10  m  Y
--------------------------------------------------
1841 Census
---North end---[Wirksworth]------------
W866a     James          ANABLE         40  m  Y  Baker?
W866b     Elizabeth      ANABLE         50  f  Y
W866c     Job            POUNDALE       25  m  Y  Baker J
W866d     William        JESSOP         15  m  Y  Baker Ap
--------------------------------------------------
1851 Census
#104---Pitty Farm---[Wirksworth]---
W582a     William        JESSOP         Head         51  M   Farmer of 18 acres  Normanton
W582b     Ann            JESSOP         Wife         52  F                       Heage
--------------------------------------------------
1851 Census
#077---Rock House---[Cromford]---
Cm236a   Frances        ARKWRIGHT      Head      U  54  F   Annuitant           Matlock
Cm236b   Ann J          WILDEY         Visitor   U  44  F                       Lichfield STS
Cm236c   Mary           WALKER         Servant   U  33  F   House keeper        Wirksworth
Cm236d   Ann            PRICE          Servant   U  30  F   Ladys maid          Knighton? RAD
Cm236e   Mary           WIGLEY         Servant   U  50  F   Laundry maid        Bonsall
Cm236f   Mary Ann       JESSOP         Servant   U  21  F   Waiting maid        Wirksworth
Cm236g   Eliza          WALL           Servant   U  25  F   House maid          Smalley
Cm236h   Mary           WOOD           Servant   U  17  F   Laundry maid        Wirksworth
Cm236i   Elizabeth      YOUNG          Servant   U  21  F   Kitchen maid        Nottingham NTT
Cm236j   William        HOLE           Servant   U  24  M   Groom               Ashover
--------------------------------------------------
1861 Census
#114-------[Wirksworth]---
W595a    William      JESSOP       Head    M 63  M  Farming 18a of Land   Normington?
W595b    Ann          JESSOP       Wife    M 70  F                        Heage
W595c    Rebecca      JESSOP       Dau     U 34  F                        Wirksworth
W595d    Samuel B     STORER       Gson      2   M                        Cromford
--------------------------------------------------
1861 Census
#118---Hannage Road---[Wirksworth]---
W599a    James        WIGLEY       Head    M 58  M  Plasterer master      Wirksworth
W599b    Elizabeth    WIGLEY       Wife    M 58  F                        Wirksworth
W599c    Herbert      WIGLEY       Son     U 18  M  Plasterer             Wirksworth
W599d    Emma         WIGLEY       Dau     U 14  F  Dressmakers appr      Wirksworth
W599e    William      JESSOP       Gson      8   M  Scholar               Bollington CHS
--------------------------------------------------
1871 Census
#137---Pitty Farm---[Wirksworth]---
W624a     William      JESSOP       Head    W 74  M  Farmer of 18 acres    South Normanton
W624b     Rebecca      JESSOP       Dau     U 44  F  House keeper          Wirksworth
W624c     William J    STORER       Gson      14  M  Scholar               Cromford
W624d     Mary Rebecca STORER       Gdau      8   F  Scholar               Cromford
--------------------------------------------------
1881 Census
#126---Pitty Farm---[Wirksworth]---(RG11-3419-4-p24)
W595a      William       JESSOP       Head    W 83  M  Farmer 19 ac grass    South Normanton
W595b      Rebecca       STORER       Dau     W 53  F  House keeper          Wirksworth
W595c      Ann           STORER       Gdau    U 20  F  Cook dom servant      Cromford
W595d      Mary          STORER       Gdau    U 18  F  Milliner              Cromford
W595e      Edith         STORER       Gdau    U 14  F  Dress maker           Cromford
--------------------------------------------------
1881 Census
#30---North End---[Wirksworth]---(RG11-3419-1-p6)
W030a      Joseph        PICKARD      Head    M 57  M  Plumber 2 men 1 boy   Wirksworth
W030b      Ann           PICKARD      Wife    M 53  F                        Derby
W030c      William       JESSOP       Apprent   14  M  Apprentice            S Killington LIN
W030d      Ellen         LILLEY       Servant   13  F  Servant dom gen       Swanwick
--------------------------------------------------
1891 Census
#125---Millers Green Houses, Pitty Farm House---[Wirksworth]---
W577a      Thomas        TAYLOR       Head    M 47  M  Farmer                Bonsall
W577b      Elizabeth     TAYLOR       Wife    M 48  F                        Wirksworth
W577c      John          BOOTH        Servant   14  M  Farm servant          Hulland
--------------------------------------------------
1901 Census
#36---Pitty Farm---[Wirksworth]---
W481a      Thomas        TAYLOR       Head    M 57  M  Farmer, wheelwright   Bonsall
W481b      Elizabeth     TAYLOR       Wife    M 57  F                        Callow
W481c      Sarah Wood    JEBB         Niece   S 12  F                        Callow
--------------------------------------------------

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