B24 - Robert Walker & family, 1717

see cht. 7-0

Robert Walker was born in the small Hamlet of Staincliffe, in Batley Parish, in Yorkshire, England on 17 Mar. 1717, the 2nd child of John (1689) and Sarah (born Chappell) Walker.

On 25 Oct. 1743, at age 26, Robert married Hannah Firth at Liversedge Friends Meeting House in the parish of Birstall, Yorkshire. Hannah was a daughter of Jacob Firth of Liversedge. Robert is described in the Quaker Marriage digest of Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting as a Clothier of Batley. The events concerning Robert and Hannah’s marriage were reported as follows in the Monthly Meeting “Minute Books”:-

On the 23 Sept. 1743 the Bradford Monthly Meeting Minute Book entry reads:-

“Robert Walker and Hannah Firth, both of Brighouse Meeting, laid before us their intentions of marriage with each other. He says he proceeded orderly and has consent of parents as by a note from his mother, and the verbal assurance of her father appears. So Robert Crosland and Zepha Smith are appointed to inquire into his clearness against next meeting”

On 21 Oct. 1743 the Brighouse Monthly Meeting Minute Book entry reads:-

“Robert Walker and Hannah Firth appear a second time, declared their continued intentions of marriage with each other, and by accounts of the persons appointed to inquire finding nothing but his clearness from all others, and the women signifying the like on her behalf, they are left at liberty to accomplish their intentions of marriage when they and Friends see next. And Moses Green and Zepha Smith appointed to see it be decently accomplished and give account next Monthly Meeting”

On 25 Nov. 1743 the Harewood Well Monthly Meeting Minute Book entry reads:-

“Zepha Smith informs us that the marriage of Robert Walker and Hannah Firth was decently accomplished at Liversedge Meeting House on 25 Oct.1743”.

As Robert’s father died about a year previous to his marriage he and Hannah took up residence at Staincliffe with his mother and sisters. It was here that their 3 children were born:-

John b. 30-10-1744 died 17-6-1779

Mary b. 26-9-1747 died

Hannah b. 4-3-1752 died 2-4-1752

John died at Greenhouses, near Huddersfield, at age 34. He was buried at Gildersome in the Quaker Burial Ground there.

Mary married Thomas Horsfall of Fartown on 7 Nov. 1771. Thomas was the son of William (deceased) and Mary Horsfall of Gildersome. For some unknown reason Mary did not attend her half brother Robert’s (1755) wedding in 1779, though her husband, Thomas did, as indicated by his signature on the wedding certificate. It is not known when or where Mary and Thomas died.

Hannah died just a month following her birth and was buried in the Quaker Burial Ground in Liversdge.

Hannah Firth, Robert’s first wife, died on 5 Mar. 1752, the day following the birth of her daughter, Hannah. She also was buried in the Quaker Burial Ground in Liversedge.

In 1750 Robert started attending Meeting at the Gildersome Meeting House. By 1751 he had been called to the Ministry. However he appeared with few words and mostly in his home neighbourhood until 1756, when, with the unity of Friends he visited most parts of England and once went to Ireland. In the early days of Quakerism, Friends who spoke at Meeting were known as a “Publick Friend”, later those who spoke were regarded as “Being called to the Ministry”. Robert’s position as a minister for Gildersome Friends gave him various duties and responsibilities, some of which are recorded in the Brighouse Monthly Meeting Minutes. He regularly represented Gildersome at both Monthly and Quarterly Meeting. The latter was always held at York, some 30 miles away, whilst the former were held in rotation at Bradford, Leeds, Halifax and Sherbroad near Todmorden. He would have travelled on horseback to all these Meetings and in winter months was often necessary to stay overnight at the home of another Quaker. He was responsible for the collection of monies raised for Monthly Meeting and Gildersome School. He also looked into the “clearness” of couples wishing to marry and into the “worthiness” of those asking to become Friends. In 1768 he was requested to ”inquire into Daniel Lees who has been married by a priest to a woman not of our Society”. Robert reported that Daniel could not “give a satisfactory account of himself” and was therefore later “disowned by the Friends”.

On 31 Oct. 1753 Robert married his second wife, Hannah Hopkins of Thornhill Briggs in Heppersholme-with-Brighouse at the Quaker Meeting House in Liversedge. The Minute Book of Bradford Monthly Meeting of 21 Sept. 1753 reports:-

Robert Walker of Guildersome Meeting & Hannah Hopkins of Brigghouse Meeting, laid before us their intentions of marriage with each other and have consent of Parents as appears by the declaration of his mother and notes from the rest of them, but he being a widower and having children, Joseph Dickenson and Jno. Jowet are appointed to see if anything is necessary to be done for them. The said Friends to inquire of his clearness and give account at next Monthly Meeting.”

Quakers were quite concerned about the future welfare of children involved in a second marriage and so they would investigate to ensure that the new parent was prepared and willing to take on a ready made family.

The 2nd report concerning Robert and Hannah’s marriage, from the Minute Book of Oct. 1753.

“Robert Walker and Hannah Hopkins appearing a second time declared their continued intentions of Marriage with each other and Jno. Jowet informs us that upon inquiry they find nothing but he’s Clear in that Relation and that they are satisfied as to his children, the women also giving acc’t (account) of her clearness, they are at Liberty to accomplish their marriage when they and Friends next meet, and Zepha Smith and Wm. Rathmell ordered to see it be decently done and give acc’t to next Meeting.”

This is the 3rd Report, as written in the Minute Book of the Monthly Meeting held at Sherbroad on the 30 Nov. 1753, concerning the marriage of Robert Walker and Hannah Hopkins.

“William Rathmell gives acc’t (account) that the marriage of Robt. Walker and Hannah Hopkins was recently accomplished”

In their Marriage Certificate, (see below for a typescript copy) Robert is described as “a Clothier of Sunnybank in Batley, in the County of York”. Hannah is described as a “single woman”, born on 15 Jan. 1720, the daughter of Zaccharias and Rachel Hopkins of Hunslet near Leeds. Robert and Hannah had 5 children:-

Robert b. 22-5-1755 died 2-11-1820

Joseph b. 8-11-1757 died 19-9-1814

Sarah b. 8-6-1760 died -1822

Thomas b. 10-3-1763 died

Benjamin b. 12-6-1765 died 27-7-1766

Robert was born in the Township of Bately, probably at Sunnybank. The remaining children were born in Driglington, a small village in the Parish of Birstall, where the family moved to in 1757.

Benjamin was buried in the Friends Burial Ground at Gildersome.

See separate biographies for Robert (Biog-30), Joseph and Thomas.

Robert, like his father before him, refused to pay tythe and thus had various produce such as wheat. oats, barley and peas sequestrated, often at one and a half or more times their true value. A written record was kept by Quarterly Meeting of all the tythe payments, fines and loses incurred by Quakers, which later became known as “The Book of Sufferings” . Included in these books are records concerning Robert and his Mother, Sarah, from 1744 to 1771, as follows:-

The "said persons" were Isaac Brooks, warden and James Booth baliff and a warant from Samual Lister and William Lamplugh, Justices. The priest was Thomas Coley of Birstall and the demand was for a mortuary so called.

The summer record of 1753 shows Robert at Sunnybank in Batley for the first time. It would seem reasonable to believe that with his second marriage pending he and his mother moved to a new farm, so that Robert’s new wife, Hannah Hopkins could come to a new home. This is confirmed by the 1754 record which shows both Robert and his mother, Sarah, at Sunnybank. As their second son, Joseph, was born in Nov. 1757 in Driglington of Birstall Parish, Robert and Hannah must have moved in 1756 or early 1757. The tythe record places them at Driglington in 1757.

In addition to his activities in the Ministry, Robert was very concerned about education for Quaker children. It was early 1772 when John Elam and John Jowitt reported to Gildersome Monthly Meeting that they had taken a farm near Gildersome, which appeared to them to be a likely place to establish a school, and so they offered it to the Monthly Meeting. The offer was accepted and the farm was leased. Eleven other Friends were appointed to form a Committee to oversee the farm and the school. Robert Walker was one of these. The school opened on 21 Sept 1772, with John Ellis as Headmaster. On 24 May, 1773 Ellis presented the school’s accounts to Monthly Meeting. Among the entries was a line, which read:- “Robert Walker for rent…. 19 shillings & 10 pence”.From this evidence it seems quite sure that Robert and his family moved from Driglington to Gildersome in late 1772 or early 1773 and rented the house near the school. Robert’s daughter, Mary was appointed “Housekeeper” at the new school, where she remained until 1774 when John Ellis married and his wife became the housekeeper.

Further evidence of Robert’s move to Gildersome is provided by a diary, written in 1779 by one Robert Jenkins, which read:-

“I arrived at Gildersome about noon and had the pleasure of finding my dear friend, John Ellis and his family well. Gildersome is a pretty little village about one mile and a half from Bradford Road, and John Ellis’ house, a school, is in a lonely situation a little beyond it. Here I was shown the little cottage in which that excellent man Robert Walker and his family lived, and with their own hands weaved woollen cloth for Leeds Market”.

On an 1848 map of the Gildersome area, the school, and a house in an adjacent field to the north-west now known as Gilead Farm, are identifiable. The name “Gilead Farm” still applies today (2002), and a house, though relatively modern, exists on the same site. In the summer of 1995 Richard Walker of England and Bud Walker of Canada, (both direct descendents of Robert Walker) visited Gildersome Meeting House with its Burial Ground, the Quaker School House and the site where, as stated above, “that excellent man Robert Walker and his family lived”.

On 25 May, 1773 Robert left his wife and family to visit Quaker Meetings in North America. He took a coach to London with his wife’s brothers, William and Joseph Hopkins. They arrived in London two days later, where they were provided lodging by a Friend, Joseph Row. While in London Robert wrote a letter on the 15th July to his son Robert. A copy of this letter is included in this biography and is designated as Biog-24-B. On 17 July he travelled to Lands End and boarded a ship the next day and set sail the morning of July 19th.

Robert spent 2 years in North America, travelling extensively to warn the people and even the Delegates of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, of the approaching troubles in that part of the world. During his travels he kept a Journal, a copy of which is part of these “Walker Records”. An associated biography (24-C), which follows this one, is a copy of a letter written by Robert to his wife, while in America. He departed America on 1 May 1775, sailing down the Delaware river aboard a Brig, very aptly named “The Two Friends”. The brig’s hull was sheathed in copper, 170 tons with a single deck, 68 feet long, built in Philadelphia for Craig & Co. In that year (1775) it was surveyed in Liverpool and registered at Lloyds of London in England for journeys between England and Philadelphia. The Captain was Peter Brewster. The ship was listed as E-1. The “E” designation was for ships in perfect repair that appear to have no defects and are calculated to carry dry cargo with safety. The “1” designation was for ships in which the material was found well. An “A1” ship was first class and first quality. Robert’s ship sighted England on 6 June, 1775, arriving in Dover on the 15th. After travelling to London Robert then journeyed north to Gildersome, where he rejoined his wife and children and resumed his life in the Clothier trade, and as an Elder of Gildersome Meeting.

It was some 10 years later in 1785 that Robert, with a Certificate from Brighouse Monthly Meeting, visited Friends in London. While there his health began to deteriorate, so he went to the house of Thomas Philips at Tottenham where he died on 24 Sept. 1785, at age 69. He was carried to Devonshire House where a Meeting was held on the occasion and later was interred in the Friends Burial Ground at Whitechapel on 29 September, a large concourse of Friends accompanying. Some time later a “Memorial of Robert Walker” was written and signed by approximately 90 Friends, in and on behalf of Brighouse Monthly Meeting, held at Bradford the 24th day of the 3rd month, 1786. A copy of the Memorial is a part of this Biography as section 24-D. One paragraph of this section which appears to depict this very exceptional ancestor of our Walker family is quoted here;-

“He was much devoted to the Lord’s service, of an humble mind and exemplary upright conversation, accompanied with innocent cheerfulness, was properly concerned that his outward affairs might be conducted reputably, and was greatly esteemed”.

Robert Spence, who was a grandson of Robert and Hannah Walker (via their daughter Sarah) wrote in his diary in 1809, the following:-

“My grandmother (Hannah) survived him (Robert Walker) about six years and continued to reside at the house where they had previously lived for many years, situated in a field just adjoining to the school taught by John Ellis at or near Gildersome, a village distant about 3 miles from Leeds, in the West Riding of the County of York. My uncle, Thomas Walker (his mother Sarah’s brother) carried forward the business of Cloth Manufacturing on his own and his mother’s account”.

So, it would seem from this that Hannah lived with her son, Thomas, until her death on 29 May, 1792, at age 71. She was buried in the Friends Burial Ground at the Meeting House in Gildersome.

Note:- All dates prior to 1752 are “Old Calendar” dates (1.e. March was the first month of the year.)

A typescript copy of Robert Walker and Hannah Hopkin's marriage certificate of 1753.

A typescript copy of Mary Walker and Thomas Horsfall's marriage certificate of 1771.

Associated Records:- Robert Walker's diary of 1773-1775.

Link articles;- 1-pg-2; pag-3;page-5-1 & page-16

Sources:-Friends Digests at Brotherton Lib. Leeds University. Eng.

:-Society of Friends Library, London, Eng

:-Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, Pa. U.S.A.td>

:-Donald Finlay, deceased) London, Eng.

:-C.T.Walker, Bexhill-on-sea, Sussex, Eng.

:-Friends Digests at Brotherton Lib. Leeds University. Eng.

:-Borthwick Institute, York University, York, Eng.

:-Richard Ellis.

By:- R.B. Walker , Eng & H.L.Walker, Can.

Rev:- 10 August, 2003.