Birstwith House

The house was built around 1797-99 by Joseph Spence (1775-1850) who married Rachel Sutcliffe (1773-1830) in 1797. The name Birstwith House was not used until very much later.

Birstwith House, its land and buildings was bought from Joseph Spence by Spence Walker. The “Surrender” of the title was made in August 1846.

Joseph Spence continued to live in and rent the property until his death in 1850. Rent payments in various years between 1846 and 1850 exist.

First;-

Birstwith Apri18th 1846,

May 13^th 1846. Rent due from J. Spence to Mr Walker……12sh-0d. Joseph Spence.

Last;-

1851 Property Tax receipt from Spence Walker to Thomas Snow (collector of Taxes) Late Joseph Spence..11sh-8d.

Spence Walker and his wife Mary lived in Hirst Grove, Birstwith from 1842. In 1859 he removed to Birstwith House where he lived until his death in 1870. His wife continued to live in the same house until her death in 1876.

In the 1871 CR the house is occupied by Mary Walker, widow and the house is named as “East View. This could be explained by the fact that the OS map of 1846 shows only two houses in this area, one Birstwith Cottage on the site of a building later and now known as New Bridge Cottage and the second, shown as East View on the site of the present Birstwith House. By 1896 the OS maps record the houses as Birstwith House, Laurel Bank, East View and New Bridge Cottage. The first time I have seen all these names written together is in the 1881 CR.

Laurel Bank was built about 1862/63. “Elizabeth Walker left Walker House in Darley and went to live near her younger brother Spence Walker and his wife Mary in Birstwith. She moved to a new house called Laurel Bank”. Charles Walker’s note books written at the time.

In Jan 1880 Priscilla Walker, widow is at Birstwith House. The 1881 CR confirms this and names the property as Birstwith House.

1891 CR shows Priscilla Walker, widow, at Birstwith House.

In August 1900 Priscilla was dead but a son Richard and daughter Priscilla were living at Birstwith House.

There were four children in all, the youngest, Thomas, a farmer, married and had a son Douglas Thompson Walker (1892-1958) he lived at Birstwith House until his death in 1958. His head stone is in Birstwith Church Yard along side about 10 of his family.

Some relevant notes.

“John and Ann Vipond Spence lived in a house close by my Uncle Spence. My father died young – he was a linen manufacturer. It was a dear old place, facing up the hill with its old gables at the end and covered with a large vine. At the bottom of the garden is a broad river.” (so wrote Emily Spence 1827-1904 the granddaughter of J & A).

“…..close by my uncle Spence.”

This refers to Joseph Spence 1775-1850 who married in 1797 Rachel Sutcliffe 1773-1830.

A house and bridge painted in 1864 inscribed “The house in which we were all born and the bridge just below over the (river) Nidd.” is that of Birstwith House which is adjacent to New Bridge Cottage. The writer was Grace Spence born “born 1805” one of the ten children of Joseph Spence and Rachel Sutcliffe. The first child to this marriage was William born 1799. These facts if correct would point to Birstwith House being built before 1799.

“My father’s eldest brother was Joseph Spence. He built a comfortable house near the old cottage at Birstwith and married Rachel Sutcliffe of Todmorton in 1797”. So wrote Emily Spence.

Emily also wrote “When I was 16 I toured Scotland…..following…..we went to Birstwith and spent three days at the Old Cottage. Spence Walker lived in Uncle Joseph’s house”

This sentence upon first reading would seem to indicate that Spence Walker 1803-1870 and his wife Mary Sharp 1800-1876, married 1827, were living in Birstwith House in 1843, Emily being born in 1827. However this would not seem likely. Joseph Spence didn’t die until 1850, though Mary died in 1830. The following, copied from an existing document makes this point:-

“Received this day of April 1846 of Mr Spence Walker the sum of seven hundred pounds, the purchase money of all my copy hold lands and houses in Birstwith the remainder of such purchase money being to be paid an the month of August next when I shall undertake that a marketable Title to the property free from all encumbrances shall be made out and that I and all necessary parties will duly pass proper Surrender to the said Spence Walker of the same property. Joseph Spence.

This shows that Joseph Spence retained Birstwith House and properties associated with it until 1846. After that date the ownership would have passed to Spence Walker.

Letters and bills exist which record Spence Walker at Hirst Grove until August 1857.

A letter from Charles Walker records, “In 1842 Spence Walker left Leeds for Hirst Grove near Birstwith where he had a farm. In 1859 he removed to Birstwith House where he lived until his death in 1870. His wife Mary died in the same house on 1876”

If Joseph Spence died in 1850 and Spence Walker didn’t move in until August 1859 there is a nine year gap in the occupancy of Birstwith House. It is reasonable that one or more of Joseph’s children live there. But by April 1851 (CR) John Walker Cash is known to have lived there, travelling to Leeds to work in his father’s business, a cloth merchant who later made “Cash’s tapes”. Knaresbrough M M Quaker records. All my Ackworth School clothes were named with these tapes though I knew not the family connection at that time!

A letter written in Aug 1900 by Louisa Walker says after walking from Darley “At last we passed Uncle Spence’s (Birstwith House) looking into the garden. Cousin Richard’s wife Priscilla died last spring; their son and daughter live there now. Across the road live Thompson Walker’s family. His widow is at point of death”.

RBW. Formby Sept. 2003.