William Williamson

William Williamson - 'labourer' named in the register for Joseph Swindale's marriage.

Possible ancestry

Northumberland

From IGI

i)    (Williamson Williamson) Son of Sarah Williamson, baptised 25 January 1792 in Hexham
        Sarah Williamson married Joseph Hall 17 Oct 1793 Hexham
        Sarah Williamson d.of William Williamson baptised 27 Jul 1768, Hexham
ii)    Son of William Williamson, baptised 1 Sep 1775 Norham
iii)    Son of William Williamson and Mary, baptised 14th August 1791, Wallsend
iv)    Son of George Williamson and Jane, baptised 17th June 1792, Lucker,
v)     Son of William Williamson and Julia, baptised 22nd September 1793, All Saints, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
vi)    Son of George Williamson, baptised 6 February 1800, Warrenford, Presbyterian
vii)   Son of Thomas Williamson and Eleanor McKenzie, baptised 26 December 1803 Bedlington, Newcastle
viii)   Son of Richard Williamson and Frances Richardson baptised 30 December 1803 Newcastle

ix) William Williamson, Quaker?

From 1841 census

Six William Williamsons resident in Northumberland in the 1841 census transcript- but one is actually a Wilkinson.

i)    William Williamson (b 1801-1806) at All Saints is a miner - possible
The remainder are unlikely
ii)    William Williamson (b 1771 - 1776 in Ireland) - too old
i)    William Williamson at Warkworth is a journeyman baker - unlikely to have been described as labourer
ii)    William Williamson at Tynemouth is a Keelman - unlikely to have been a labourer at Allendale
iii)    William Williamson at Gosforth is 'of independent means

Note the failure to match with the IGI!

Westmorland

i) William Williamson b c1800 died 1840, married Margaret born c1800 died Jan 7 1885, Heversham ('owner' H. Best, Bradford)

Cumberland -

From 1841 census

i) William Williamson; Brampton; labourer; born 1801-06
ii) William Williamson; Langwathby; ag. lab.; born 1791-96

(William Williamson from Bromfield is a) too old (born 1776-1781) b) probably was a farmer. Other William Williamson are too remote to be significant posdsibilities).

From IGI

i)    William Williamson, son of John Williamson and Ann Bell, baptised 30th June 1791 at Langwathy - see above
ii)    William Williamson, son of Joseph Williamson and Elizabeth Hogg, baptised on the 3rd of February 1798 in Penrith
iii)    William Williamson, son of Thomas Williamson and Mary Elliot, baptised on the 8th of October 1786 at Bewcastle.

Children

Joseph Swindle, baptised 7th January 1821 in Ninebanks, Northumberland (mother Sarah Swindle baptised 27 May 1799)

Another ruled out candidate:

Elizabeth wrote:

> Hello Chris, Nev and List,
> Remember that I was searching for the birth place of Rev William
Williamson late Rector of Westbere, Kent and Rev. Matthew Williamson,
> late Vicar of ?Swine. Well, it seems that Cleator was their birthplace.

Aha, I've rather forgotten the details of the correspondence, so please excuse if I'm repeating things.

>From the researcher at the Archives I have received a report which >states that

<snip>
The Cumberland Pacquet 16 Oct 1804 printed the following:
The 3rd inst. After a short illness, at Westbere, in Kent, of which place he was rector, the Rev William Williamson, aged 49, a native of Cleator, near this town.
<snip>
>Mystery solved, except that we now need to trace the family back in Cumberland.

In that case, I think that the research of Caesar Caine, former Vicar of Cleator, in his book "Cleator and Cleator Moor Past and Present" is very relevant.
He has a William Williamson baptised in 1754. Well now, add 49 years and we get very conveniently to 1803/4 as above. As your William was a 'native' of Cleator (which I take to mean born there) and unless Nev. has another candidate from the baptismal records, I would assume the two Williams to be the same.

According to Caine: William, baptised 1754, was a younger sibling of John (1742), Joseph (1745) and Matthew (1747). They were the children of Ephraim Williamson of Flosh and his wife Frances [baptised 1715, daughter of John Robertson of Flosh. {I'm not clear from the book whether Ephraim had his own separate property at Flosh, or whether he simply took over his wife's property - probably the latter} {IGI gives the marriage at 5 November 1741}].

Cain also mentions that an Ephraim Williamson had a moiety of the tenement of Stampers in 1778 - this property got its name from the Stamper family (two of whom were parsons at Irthington & Kirklinton far to the north). Mary Stamper was sister of William Williamson of Cleator Maines - a bunch of my ancestors. Whether this Williamson and clerical connection is relevant or just coincidental, I don't know.

Nev. will be better able to comment on Ephraim's origins and perhaps has done so previously. The IGI has a baptism of an Ephraim Williamson in 1707 in Egremont as son of John Williamson and Rachel Haile, but this isn't an extracted record.

An earlier William Williamson of Cleator Mains mentioned in his will (proved 1697), sons Thomas, John and Shadrach. Ephraim sounds in the same vein, and so may have been a grandson.

If your William Williamson is from this family then we are cousins. The Williamsons of Cleator Mains go back into the sixteenth century.

Chris