B38 - Thomas Walker Family, 1795

homas Walker was born in Darley, Yorkshire, England on 6 Apr. 1795, the 9th child of Robert and Rachel (born Spence) Walker.

It is not known if Thomas attended a formal school, but it is known that he did not attend the Quaker Ackworth Boarding School, as has previously been suggested. This is confirmed in The Ackworth Old Scholars Association Report (dated 1911) which states that neither Thomas nor his wife, Ann, attended. He did, however, become a weaver and later a Yeoman Farmer. It should be pointed out here that a Yeoman was defined as; "A member of a class of small Free-Holders of common birth who cultivated their own land. "Hence Yeoman Farmer".

During his early years Thomas lived with his parents in a thatched roof cottage located in Darley where he apparently remained at least until his father died in 1820 and most likely for some time after. It is believed that he may have rented property from his elder brother, Joseph, as his brother, Benjamin, had inherited the home estate. However this has not been confirmed.

On 16 May, 1827 Thomas married Ann Swale at Kirby Malzeard, near Ripon, in the County of York. Ann, born 23 Dec. 1805, was of the Swale family originally from Swale Dale and more recently, in the latter part of 1700s, from Nidderdale. At the time of their marriage Ann was not a member of the Society of Friends, which meant that Thomas had Married Out, an act which was an infringement of the Society regulations. Thus he was Disowned (expelled from the Society). The following are extracts from the Knaresborough Monthly Meeting Minute book dated 1811 to 1834.

"6th month 1827 :- Complaint being made that Thomas Walker of Darley Meeting has got married by a priest, this Meeting appoint Joseph Smith and James Tatham to visit him there upon and report to our next meeting.

7th month 1827 :- Report is made that Thomas Walker has been visited and that he gave no cause for to expect his appearance here. this meeting therefore appoint Edward and William Spence to draw up a testimony of disownment against him and produce the same at a future meeting.

9th month 1827 ;- A few lines are prepared as a testimony of disownment of Thomas Walker, and William Spence is delegated to have them read in Darley meeting, hand him a copy thereof, and bring the original to file.

10th month 1827 :- Account is given that the testimony of Thomas Walker was read in Darley Preparative Meeting, a copy handed to him and the original returned to file.

7th month 1833 :- Thomas Walker and his wife have sent a written request to be received into membership with our religious Society with their infant children, Robert, Rachel, and Thomas. A committee was appointed to visit them and a report was submitted which proved satisfactory for them to be admitted to the society. Joseph Spence is requested to inform them therof."

Benjamin Claude Walker (1906) in a talk to Knaresborough, Harrogate and Darley Friends at a Meeting held in Darley Meeting House in July, 1929, said about the disownment;-

Thomas, undaunted by his disownment continued, with his wife, to attend the Meetings at Darley and he was later re-admitted, together with his wife and children. It is said that he emphatically declared that he was a Friend, that he had never been anything else but a Friend.

Thomas and Ann had 11 children. As result of Thomas disownment the births of the first 3 children are not recorded in the Knaresborough Monthly Meeting Birth Digests. The children, all born in Darley were:-

Robert attended Ackworth Boarding School from 1838 to 1842.

To Biography-60. Joseph Walker (1843) and family of Darley, Knaresborough & Australia.

See separate biographies for all the remaining children.

In 1835, Thomas eldest brother, Joseph (1791) died very suddenly without leaving a Will. His estate was divided equally amongst 6 of his brother and sisters. Thomas inherited:-

A house, garth & quarry at Menwith Hill valued at £100.

Estates at Darley of Wilkes, Petty & Downs valued at £6,400.

Hanging Slade farm valued at £1,750.

Pony, saddle & brilde valued at £14.

The Wilks property contained a semi-detached cottage (house) which later became known as Walker House (on the west side) and Walker Farm House (on the east side). Also farm buildings across Darley Road in Walker Lane identified on the 1896 map as Walker Farm. The west side cottage, as of this writing, is still known as Walker House. It was built by Jacob Wilkes in 1777, as indicated by the lintel above the front entrance, and was sold to Joseph Walker, Thomas older brother, in 1815. As indicated on the 1841 Census Return records, Thomas lived in Walker Farm House (see photo below) and his sister Elizabeth (1791) lived in Walker House. By the 1851 census Thomas son, Robert, was living with his Aunt Elizabeth in Walker House. Shortly after Thomas death in late 1851, Elizabeth was living in Walker Farm House, and Robert with his mother and the remaining family, lived in Walker House.

Thomas was a very prominent resident of Darley. He became a magistrate of the village, whose advice was sought from all sides. His wagons took the Liberals to Pateley Bridge to vote. Mary Helen Burtt, a granddaughter of Thomas writes in her family history:-

"As a small child I remember going with my mother (Mary Ann Walker) to call on various old people in Darley and mother was astonished because there was a bull in a field with a pathway through it. The old man to whom she was talking said, Aye, it would never have happened in thy father's time, he saw that right was done".

On 21 Nov. 1851, Thomas was called on by a neighbouring farmer in the night and asked if he could attend a prize beast that was ill. His wife, Ann, suggested that he send the foreman, but Thomas knew his neighbour was not well off and the loss of a valuable animal would be a great loss, so he rose and went, taking his foreman with him. He doctored and advised as to the animal, which recovered, but on his way back he suffered a bad heart attack and died before reaching home. Thomas was buried in Row 2, Plot 2 of the Friends Burial Ground in Darley, located at the Friends Meeting House. The Meeting House was sold by The Friends in 1950, however, the Burial Ground is still maintained by the Quakers of the City of York, though in rather dire need of attention. (Now sold 2006).

At the time of Thomas' death two of his sons, Thomas and Spence, were out on apprenticeship, Mary Ann was at work with the Fletcher family in York, Sarah was at Ackworth School and Robert, Rachel, Charles, Joseph, Maria and Samuel were all at home. Elizabeth was not yet born. Robert, who was just 23 years of age, inherited Walker House & Farm House with approximately 70 acres of land and all the responsibilities associated with now being "Head of the Family". Shortly after the 1861 Census was taken Robert had a plan of his Estate drawn up, a copy of which is included with this Collection. Following this, in early 1862, he sold the entire Estate at Darley and with his mother and sister, Rachel (the only other child remaining at home), moved to an Estate called Ellenthorpe Hall, near Boroughbridge, Yorkshire. According to a family history written by Jessie Walker of Norwich, Ontario, Canada, in 1939:- "Uncle Robert was the first in the neighbourhood to serve hot coffee, instead of the usual beer, to the harvesters in the field. Today, we can hardly imagine the opposition that this act must have aroused".

On 8 Apr. 1874 Ann Swale died at Ellenthorpe Hall, at age 68. Her estate was valued at under £3200. She was buried beside her husband in Row 2, Plot 3 of the Friends Burial Ground in Darley. At the time of her death just 4 of her children, Robert, Rachel, Maria and Elizabeth were still at home. Although Maria had been away as a temporary Housekeeper at the Quaker girl's school, The Mount, in the city of York, she had recently returned home when her mother became ill.

On 24 May 1876 Robert Walker died at Ellenthorpe Hall, just prior to his 48th birthday. He was buried at Darley Friends Burial Ground in Row 10, Plot 1. Apparently the sisters, Rachel, Maria and Elizabeth remained at Ellenthorpe Hall until 1877, when they went to live in Holgate, York, near their sister, Mary Ann Burtt. This is substantiated by a sale catalogue dated the 5th & 6th of Oct. 1877, when the farm stock and effects were sold at auction. A copy of the catalogue is presently held by D. R. Watkins of Australia, and one is enclosed with this biography.

Rev. by; Richard Walker, Eng & H. L. Walker, Can. - Rev.- 14-August-07.

Thomas Walker's Will

A summary of Thomas Walker's Will

Return to Walker descent chart