John Nicholson
Son of Isaac Nicholson and Sarah Dickinson, baptised on the 9th of September 1791 in Eskdale Chapel, Cumberland
Married Hannah Wilson on the 4th of November 1815 in Eskdale Chapel, Cumberland
Children
Sarah, baptised on the 13th of October 1816 in Irton, Cumberland
Mary, baptised on the 17th of April 1820 in Eskdale (died 1872) from Foarge
Jane, baptised on the 8th of March 1823 in Eskdale, Cumberland from Sword House
John, baptised on the 21st of January 1826 in Irton, Cumberland from Seedhill5
Wilson, baptised on the 22nd of September 1829 in Seathwaite, Lancashire
Isaac, baptised on the 25th of May 1833 in Seathwaite, Lancashire
Hannah, baptised on the 30th of April 1837 in Seathwaite, Lancashire
Died 1860?1866?8
In 1820 John described himself as a labourer at Foarge but by 1823 he was farming at Sword House5, with his brother Joseph working for him. John and Joseph then both moved to Santon Bridge where Joseph was to remain for the rest of his long life but John moved on to farm at Undercragge near Seathwaite in the Duddon Valley (1829). He then gave up farming to become a slate quarryman - presumably at the Walna Scar quarries above Undercragge, living at Low Mosshouse (1833, 1837) and Holinghouse (1841) and then, by 1851 returning to agricultural labouring. In 1851 the family is living at Catbank at Coniston (though on the day of the census John is visiting his niece Dinah at Gatehouse, Eskdale).
Notes
1 Marriage witnessed by Lanty Wilson, Hannah's older brother.
2 ? How do I know that the John who married Hannah Wilson is the son of Isaac? Are there two John Nicholson's in Eskdale? Quite possibly!
3 A trust agreement of 1820 implies that John Nicholson of Randlehow was about to marry a Hannah Tyson of Netherwasdale. I have not yet found a record of the marriage, nor of the death of Hannah Nicholson née Wilson. Hannah Tyson died a spinster in 1840, so the marriage did not take place. The proposed marriage was probably to John Nicholson.
4 In 1851 John is visiting Gatehouse where Dinah Nicholson (born 1831, probably his niece) is working as a servant.
5 Probably Seed Hill, Santon Bridge
6 Presumably following the premature death at 22 of Joseph Jackson of Sword House in September 1822
7 Nicholson, Nicolson p 377 has Thomas, born about 1831 at Seathwaite, Lancashire living at Lamplugh, Cumberland, a widower with three children at time of 1881 census . Not mentioned in 1841 census with John Nicholson. More likely to be Thomas, son of William and Elizabeth Nicholson, baptised on the 27th of May 1829 at Seathwaite.
8 On Hannah's death certificate of 1865 she is described as wife of John Nicholson, John Nicholson was the informant. Hannah's husband John died in 1860 according to Joan Shrewsbury but I have not yet traced the death or burial. The informant could be her son but the wording would imply her husband.
Some entries in the GRO index from 1860 onwards are
| Jun 1860 | Ulverstone | 8e | 415 |
| Dec 1860 | Virtually unreadable | ||
| Mar 1861 | Ulverstone | 8e | 486 |
| Mar 1862 | Whitehaven | 10 | 378 |
| Sep 1865* | Ulverstone | 8e | 163 |
* Copy ordered 13/9/05