Casa Rosales

Casa Rosales

Thursday 2 January 2014

Going Backwards...

I've been watching a BBC series via You Tube recently called 'Who do you think you are?' It had already started before we left the UK and I'd quite enjoyed seeing a 'celebrity' tracing their ancestry back - either a few generations or sometimes several. I was always quite surprised by how moved the people were to discover what had happened to their distant and quite unknown relatives. Many a tear falls in many shows and for many different reasons - and there have been a lot of episodes as it's been running for around 6 or even 7 series. I've lost count of the number of people who have all expressed a similar sense of having made a connection, of feeling more grounded, of being much more aware of a sense of family.

I know that Janice has done a lot of research into her family history and has uncovered a lot of amazing information, particularly about her bigamist (twice over, as I remember) grandfather. My sister has done some digging into our own family and a couple of years ago, we went through some old photographs that I hadn't seen before and tried to piece together a few odd bits of information that we had.

Our mother is an only child and her mother, my Granny, is also an only child. Sticking with this side of the family to start with, I have taken things a little further than Judy did. And discovered something quite interesting...

We had always been told that the family of my great-grandfather, William Gillbanks, who died in 1917 in the First World War (and who is buried in northern France) came from Kendal in Westmoreland. Kendal was the little town we would come to on our way to the Lake District when we were children. Now the motorway bypasses the town but I remember it with interest and have wondered why anyone would leave there to come to Bradford. In the first half of the 19th Century, a young William Gillbanks set up on his own in the family business of Rope and Twine making. He worked out of a shop on All Hallow's Lane, a street that is still central to Kendal. He married a girl whose surname was Bolton but whose first name I don't know. They had four daughters together, though one, Isabella, died after a long and painful illness at the age of six - and her mother not long after. In 1854, William then married his wife's sister - Mary Bolton. His two eldest daughters moved away from home and worked as milliners but Elizabeth, the youngest stayed on at home and showed up on the 1861 census. By this time, my great-great grandfather had been born - John Wilson - and when he was just eight years old, a dreadful thing took place in All Hallow's Lane.

I found reference to it on the FindmyPast website and although there's a free 14 day trial, I had to pay to access the newpaper cutting that held the vital information. It was worth it though!

Sir Henry was not impressed with
my great-great grandfather
for a number of reasons...

In all the local papers at this time, there was reference to the death of Mary, John Wilson's mother and William Gillbanks' second wife. (A wife, which although a marriage had taken place, was not reckoned to be a 'legal' one by Sir Henry Singer Keating, who merits a mention and a photo on Wikipedia no less and who presided over proceedings this day. Apparently one should not marry one's wife's sister....I suppose there's little difference between one's sister's husband and one's brother's wife when you stop to think about it.)

On the Saturday 20th February, 1863, Elizabeth, then 18 and step-daughter to Mary, stood accused of her manslaughter no less!


There's a very full account of the trial and what happened on the day in the Gillbanks household. Mary, according to her husband, had started drinking a couple of years after their marriage and for about 8 weeks prior to her death had rarely been sober. Obviously we don't hear Mary's side to this! Apparently, she often became violent, was known to the police and had attacked William a couple of times - permanently blinding him in one eye on one occasion! On the day in question, William and his son, John (who at 8 was also called to stand witness in the trial) had been out to buy some buns, (curiously called 'wigs' in Kendal at this time) and when they returned, both Mary and Elizabeth went to pick up the basket at the same time. A struggle ensued during which Mary threatened to hit Elizabeth with a watering can which she had in her hand. William took the can from his wife but then Mary picked up a heavy lead pipe and to Elizabeth, she threatened to 'split her skull' with it. She didn't but turned away and as she did so, Elizabeth picked up and threw a piece of earthenware pot at her - which cut her above and just behind her left ear - a cut not quite an inch in length. Still carrying the pipe, Mary went out of the house and to a neighbours where the wound was bathed. This all happened at about 12 o'clock. At 1.30, Mary returned to the neighbours, still bleeding, where further attempts were made to stop it. William came in and one of the neighbours told him he should fetch a doctor, which William refused to do. He also told the neighbour to mind her own business. Mary didn't ask for a doctor and appeared to make light of the wound. She returned home and went up to her bed.

By 6 o'clock, she had bled to death.

William's halting and unwilling attitude as a witness almost tipped things against Elizabeth and twice, the judge had to speak severely to him. He did not escape considerable criticism for not sending for a doctor and allowing his wife to reach her death without proper medical care. But in the end, Elizabeth was acquitted of the charge of manslaughter. She, her father and her two older sisters all continued to live together in the same house until William's death in 1872. After that I could find no further trace of the Gillbanks sisters, they disappear from all records. I know they never married because my Great Grandma always said that Granny inherited her 'prudish' nature from her husband's Great Aunts, who remained spinsters ....I guess my Great Grandma didn't know what they had been through.

And the effect of this knowledge on me? Well, it has been incredibly interesting and I have looked at All Hallow's Lane in Kendal on Google Maps where it appears perfectly respectable when the photos were taken. I have been very conscious of imagining the setting and the scene on the day of the crime and find myself very sympathetic towards Elizabeth - described as 'the prisoner' in the newspaper. I wonder if she had spent Christmas and New Year in prison as the incident happened on 22nd December, whilst the trial didn't happen for another two months. And I think I understand a little better now why John Wilson might have been moved to leave Kendal and make his way to Thornton in Bradford at the earliest possible opportunity.

All of that is another story though.

Having two hundred years of my family history set out in front of me hasn't made a huge difference to the way I think now but it is rather satisfying to know that I know it, if that makes sense. I suspect that if I were still living in England, I would be making a few visits to places I wouldn't otherwise visit, Kendal included, looking for a few more clues. What skeletons do you have in your cupboard, I wonder?




24 comments:

  1. I'm from a linage of vagabonds and rogues, a couple of which were sent to Australia.... but I read the details of their crimes.... they truly were starving when they stole a pig, so I don't really blame them.
    Family history is fascinating, be careful though, I found out something about my Grandmother that came as something of a surprise to my Mum. Best to avoid recent history!
    Sx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was rooting for Elizabeth as I read the account - so glad she got off! Dreadful to think that people suffered dreadful punishment for trying to survive - be proud! I know some of the more recent stuff but I agree, best left out of print for the time being!
      Axxx

      Delete
  2. Well. That was riveting.
    I always find family stories... esp the secrets and intrigue, are an amazing lesson in empathy, compassion, and forgiveness. I felt very deeply for some of the dark sheep in our family tree, and think how they must have suffered at the time, when in retrospect it all seems so ~human~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Natalie. I'm sure most families have things that have been kept secret or at least not bragged about! As you say, there are always important lessons to be learned. And there always seems to have been some suffering somewhere along the line - it makes me feel rather more grateful for my own life and circumstances.
      Axxx

      Delete
  3. I've no curiosity about my ancestors whatsoever....I'm interested in the family members I knew and in their lives and those of their families but no more than that, though I would like to know a great deal more about my father's life than I do.
    He rarely spoke about his life until his last years and even then there was more hidden than revealed: other peoples' secrets he used sometimes to say.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, Helen. I used to love listening to my great-grandma's stories of her family but we only ever heard what she wanted to tell us. I loved hearing about how competitive my granny was too - and how quick to rise to a challenge!
      I'm also pretty sure those that say least know most too!
      Axxx

      Delete
  4. I watch that programme too , and sometimes I am so surprised at how far they have to travel , sometimes from one country to another ,. sometimes get a great shock too, when say for instance they think the family all came form one area , and wham ,, something else is found out. I know that my great great grandfather came from Edinburgh , but ended up in Malta.. He was in the Royal Engineers , travelled to Nova Scotia , then Corsica , and then Malta, where my dad and family were all born. My great great grandfather had two wives, first one died with 6/7 children and then he remarried then 6/7 more children. My dads family comes from the second part .. trying to find out more about the wives .. or at least the second wife . so huge family history. and that is just my dads side. The Maltese side draws me more than the Irish side ,, not sure why . I was born in Northern Ireland but left when I was two , never been back.

    YOu certainly have a tale to tell ,, and there could be a lot more. :-) take Care Anne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that sounds very interesting, Anne, although a bit more daunting in knowing exactly where to start. It was quite easy for me - and although we never ventured very far afield on either side of the family (til now!) at least we know we're not Bradfordians for centuries. Axxx

      Delete
  5. I haven't ever been tempted to delve into my past. A second cousin of my late father has and ended up self-publishing a book off over 400 pages!
    As with Anne there was a connection with Malta and Canada. This came as a surprise as I'd always assumed that I was a Welsh thoroughbred!!
    Your story is interesting, but sad. At least the ending was happpier than it might have been. Good luck with further searches. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't been particularly curious either, Gaynor. It was prompted by the programme and the need to fill the gap Darwin had left in a way..
      I hadn't expected to find much of interest to be honest and yes, the story is very sad. I was rooting for Elizabeth as I read all the detail but it's from the 'wicked' stepmother that my mother's family descended....
      All searches are finished, although I obviously have more information. The rest is very prosaic in comparison and certainly wouldn't even fill much more than 4 pages, never mind 400! Gosh!!
      Axxx

      Delete
  6. What an interesting story. I was rivited and very pleased that Elizabeth was freed. I really enjoy learning all about the social history of families and enjoy the series too. I have been researching my family, managing to go back several hundred years and was very surprised to learn of ancestors living in Dunster castle, Somerset. Like you I used to love listening to my grandparents stories and managed to persuade them to write about their lives and rellies, so now have quite a collection of first hand accounts. We have a few skeletons but that just makes it all the more interesting to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that sounds pretty impressive, Chrissie. I could possibly go a bit further back if I paid for access but even so, I am pretty sure there would be no castle-dwellers in our past! I did always believe I was from a small family but now I know it was just not a very close one...
      As for Elizabeth and her step-mother, I was very glad of the outcome at the trial but as I said to Gaynor, it is the step-mother that is my great-great-great grandmother....I'd better lay off the booze from now on!

      Delete
  7. I was completely hooked on this tale as soon as I started reading. As you know, I have become completely fascinated in family history research. Tracking down cousins, sharing a grandfather with people on the other side of the world, and not knowing that I had 2 uncles, all because of my grandfather's 3 simultaneous " marriages" had me desperate to find out more. Now I find I need to delve deeper into the kind of life various characters in our family's story had. Great grandmother Florence, mother of the bigamist grandfather is my real passion. I think its a bug that can really get a grip Annie, and this incredible story could be just the start of all sorts of adventures with the past for you. You may find that checking what exactly happened....and when....might become more important to you.
    Lots of love J. xxxxxx
    PS. Love the header picture....with Darwin, quietly in position......unassuming, but always and forever, an important part of the picture x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've drawn a blank now, Janice. I don't want to start asking for marriage certificates and things like that but I can't check anything else online and there are still big gaps - especially in the more recent past. Any pointers?
      Yes, I say hello to Darwin each time I scroll down from the header. And tell him off everytime I pass his grave. He should never have gone out on his own and he knew it. Too late now.
      Axxx

      Delete
  8. I love this program too - It's taught me more about the history of the UK than years at school. Your tale is fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely enjoyed the history part - it wasn't the celebrities that drew me but the lives of real people in the past. I am glad you enjoyed my tale! Axxx

      Delete
  9. Wow - that's a fascinating story, Annie! (You probably know that I am a family history geek/bore.) Among the rogues & ruffians I've found (Mr N's lot are much more respectable) I'm particularly keen on my Welsh gg grandmother who often appeared in the local newspaper, dubbed "the fair pugilist"!
    And on my father's side one ggg grandfather was transported to the Bahamas for stealing some boards. Apparently strong men were needed to build a naval fortress, so men were sentenced to transportation according to their physique! Records (on ancestry.co.uk) note what sort of prisoner they were - well-behaved or otherwise. Mine was difficult despite the fact that he could have had his sentence reduced if he'd behaved better - but then, they were well fed with good medical treatment. Better than home, perhaps!
    I have shed a few tears over my discoveries too, I'm afraid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I shared here the one interesting thing I could find out, Nilly - I don't have anymore! Your family finds sound fascinating. I was impressed at the amount of information you could access IF there was something to discover...but sadly, only my ggg grandparents managed to hit newsprint - and very sadly at that.
      I haven't wept but I do find myself imagining how it must all have been back then...not jolly, in some cases! I'd love to hear more about that feisty Welsh gg grandma!
      Axxx

      Delete
  10. We have a version of the show here, Annie, and I enjoy watching it as well. I find family history fascinating, even with the skeletons in the closets, and I do think most families have at least one. It must have been quite a feeling to discover this part of your family history. You've shared it so wonderfully here on your blog, keeping me curious as your tale played out. Well done, Annie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I noticed a few American versions on YouTube, Penny - I may visit them too. I think if I could easily access more recent history, I would find a bit more out about my great grandmother, who I remember as a real character and who definitely had some skeletons - but that data isn't yet available online.
      My jaw literally dropped when I found the headlines about the manslaughter!! I guess we can't guess what things might have been like but I do now feel I have a slightly better idea. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Penny!
      Axxx

      Delete
  11. The past hold such tremendous secrets doesn't it ... until we unlock them!

    We have a 'marriage' to the 'housekeeper' after a wife's death ... but all the children in the house were the 'housekeepers'. a menage a trois if ever there was one. And a couple of Victorian cross dressers ... one, a misfortune, but two ... looks like carelessness ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's wonderful, Annie! There have been a few 'marriages' to 'housekeepers' in my family too - but haven't found a cross dresser...yet! If you have two, then I'd like at least one or reference to one!
      Axxx

      Delete
  12. This was so interesting, Annie, especially as my dear mother-in-law comes from Kendal and some of the family still live there. I feel sorry for poor Mary as well as Elizabeth, as people probably didn't realise just how much even minor head wounds can bleed.

    My next-to-youngest sister is our family historian and has found out all sorts of fascinating information about a couple of branches of the family ion both sides. One minor scandal resulted in my maiden name being Jepson, instead of Pomfret. Apparently my paternal great-great-grandfather was a bit of a lad and got two girls pregnant at the same time. Sadly my great-grandmother wasn't the girl he chose to marry, so she had an illegitimate child - my grandfather, whom I never knew as he died quite young.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting that you have links, albeit through your husband's side, in Kendal. As my ggg grandfather's rope-making business was right in the very centre, he must have been quite well known...
      I should feel sorry for Mary, especially as she's the direct blood relative to me, but I did feel for Elizabeth when I read all the newspaper reports...and poor young JW, my gg grandfather!
      We have similar scandals in my family too - in fact Janice is helping me to uncover the truth about one that has been kept very vague for a long time. That will be interesting and as all parties are well gone now, I don't feel it's prying unnecessarily - it just helps to tie bits of information together more exactly. If it's any consolation, I prefer the name Jepson to Pomfret! Axxx

      Delete

I welcome your comments - it makes blogging even more fun to know someone is reading!