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
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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.
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