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Isabella Crosby [c.3]

Isabella Crosby was the third child of Thomas Crosby & Isabel Holborne, born at Bishop Middleham & christened on May 18th, 1777.

She married George White, who was born c1776 at Sedgefield. The entry in the Bishop Middleham parish records reads:

George White of this parish and Isabel Crosby of the same parish were married in this church by publication of Banns this first day of January in the year 1798 by me, Robert Waugh, vicar.
This marriage was solemnized between us George X White and Isable X Crosby in the presence of John Robinson, Margaret Legg, Robert Palmer, Eleanor Palmer and John Potts (X = their mark)

Isabella & George, a labourer, had 9 children including triplets! Eight of the children were boys!

Their first child, James, was born September 1798. Second son Thomas was christened March 7th, 1801 and then followed the birth of triplets in 1803, the parish record stating:

William Benjamin and John sons of one birth of George and Isabella baptized February 26th 1803

3 more boys followed – George (1806), Jacob (1808) & Joseph (1811). Finally in 1815, on December 7th they had a baby girl, Charlotte.

Father George died in 1820 (aged 44).

Son George married Catherine Gibbon in 1828 in Bishop Middleham & they were to have at least 3 daughters – Isabella born in 1829 & Eleanor born in 1832, Margaret born in 1840 & a son Benjamin in 1838 who sadly died in 1839. The 1841 census shows widowed Catherine working as an agricultural labourer in Bishop Middleham with her 3 daughters & with her was brother-in-law John White.

Daughter Charlotte married William Ridley in 1834 at St Michael & All Angels, Bishopwearmouth. 

In 1841 widowed Isabella was living with her son Benjamin at Bishop Middleham. She was described as a pauper & Benjamin was an agricultural labourer. Mary Ridley, aged 6, was living with them, the daughter of Charlotte & William Ridley who were living in Cassop.  Charlotte gave birth to another daughter, named Charlotte, soon after the census but sadly both mother & baby died. Next door to Isabella was her sister, Mary Crosby, with 2 of her children, Mary & Thomas.

 Son James was also living in Bishop Middleham & working as a schoolmaster in 1841.  On April 29th, 1843 James married Margaret Boville at Bishop Middleham.  Margaret, born 1812 in Great Ayton, was working as a servant for Elizabeth Miller, a farmer, in Bishop Middleham in 1841.  James & Margaret  had a son James in Oct-December 1843 & by 1849 they were living in Ferryhill, Co Durham where James  died.  A notice in the Durham Chronicle of May 30th, 1845 advertised an 8-roomed house for sale in Bishop Middleham to let belonging to James White of Ferryhill.  Another newspaper notice in 1848 named James White, innkeeper, Ferryhill.  Widowed Margaret & son James were still in Ferryhill in 1851 & Margaret was an innkeeper.  She was still living with son James, a railway station master, & family in 1871 in Billingham.

By the time of the 1851 census 73 year old Isabella was described as a pauper and was living at Bishop Middleham with 2 of the triplets, Benjamin (48) a turnpike labourer and John, an agricultural labourer. Two granddaughters were living with them, Isabel White (22) , an agricultural labourer, & Margaret White (12), a pauper (daughters of deceased son George).

Isabella died aged 78 & was buried on September 29th, 1855 at Bishop Middleham. In October 1855 brothers John & Benjamin were in trouble with the law for stealing 1 drake & 2 ducks valued at 4s.6d.  On visiting the house the police found 1 bird already in the pot cooking & the other 2 concealed.  Niece Margaret White said she had seen Uncle John put the duck in the pot & his explanation was that he had bought them from 3 navvies.  There was no case brought against Benjamin but John having pleaded not guilty was committed for 1 months hard labour. (Durham Chronicle October 12th, 1855)

In 1861 Benjamin & John, both labourers, were still unmarried & living together at Bishop Middleham and with them was niece Isabel Carr (32) & her family George (5) James (3) & Benjamin (2); also still with them was niece Margaret White (21), now housekeeper. The other triplet, William White had married Dorothy Toward in 1829 in Bishop Wearmouth and they were living in Bishop Middleham in 1861 & in 1871. William was a quarryman, his wife a dress maker. Another neighbour was brother Jacob, a quarryman and his wife Mary (nee Hall) and their 3 children. Son Joseph had married Mary Reynolds in 1837 & in 1861 they & their family were living in Station St, Coundon, Co Durham where Joseph was a colliery platelayer. By 1881 widowed Joseph had retired & was living in Shildon & with him was daughter Charlotte & husband William Wright & their family.

In 1881 Benjamin at the age of 78 had left Bishop Middleham and was living at Toadpool, West Auckland, with his niece Mary who had married a traveling pot hawker by the name of Sopworth Marley!! There were 6 Marley children present. Benjamin died in Oct-December 1887, aged 84.

The children of Isabella Crosby & George White were:

c.3.1 James White christened September 14th, 1798 at Bishop Middleham, died at Ferryhill & buried June 30th, 1849 at St Michael’s, Bishop Middleham
c.3.2 Thomas White christened March 7th, 1801 at Bishop Middleham
c.3.3 William White christened February 26th, 1803 at Bishop Middleham, buried June 19th, 1878 at Bishop Middleham
c.3.4 Benjamin White christened February 26th, 1803 at Bishop Middleham, died Oct-December 1887 (in the Union Workhouse?)
c.3.5 John White christened February 26th, 1803 at Bishop Middleham, died December 4th, 1864 at Bishop Middleham
c.3.6 George White born July 12th, 1806, ch. July 15th, 1806 at Bishop Middleham; died August 8th 1838 in Bishop Middleham
c.3.7 Jacob White born August 9th, 1808, ch. August 13th, 1808 at Bishop Middleham; buried February 22nd, 1890 in Bishop Middleham
c.3.8 Joseph White born June 5th, 1811, ch. June 15th, 1811 at Bishop Middleham; buried October 7th, 1886 at Auckland St Andrew
c.3.9 Charlotte White ch. December 7th, 1815 at Sedgefield; died April-June 1841 & buried at Bishop Middleham

 


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