Harriet Matilda Horton [h.1.4.10.3]

Thanks go to Roger Worton, grandson of Harriet Matilda Horton for providing information on Harriet's children.

Harriet Matilda Horton was the third child of Samuel Horton & Ann Maria Oakley born December 2nd, 1878 at Musk Lane, Lower Gornall & christened December 18th, 1878 at St James, Lower Gornall, Sedgley, Staffs.

In 1881 Matilda was living with her parents, & 2 brothers at 36 Musk Lane, Lower Gornall, Sedgley.

Matilda, listed as Harriet M, was still living at home in 1891, now at 15 Barr St, Lower Gornall with her 5 brothers & a sister.

Matilda married John Worton on August 27th, 1899 at St James, Lower Gornall, Staffs. John’s address at the time of the wedding was 26 Windmill St, Upper Gornall & he was a bricklayer. John was born c1877 in Sedgley, Staffs, the son of Sarah Ann & William H Worton, a bricklayer. Matilda was living at 33 Barr St, Lower Gornall. Witnesses at the wedding were Joseph & Hannah Oakley. Joseph was Matilda’s older half brother, the son of Ann Maria Oakley, who had married Hannah O’Leary.

Marriage of Matilda & John Worton

In 1901 Matilda & John were living at 33 Windmill St, Upper Gornall, Sedgley & John was a bricklayer. They had 2 children – Sarah (18 months) & William (3 Months). They were living with Isiah Smith, a 71 year old widower. (Census suggests Isiah is Matilda’s father!)

Matilda & John were at 39 Gospel End St, Sedgley in 1911 & John was now a bricklayer & house builder having his own account. They had 4 children with them on census night (April 2nd ) – Sarah Jane (known as Jinny), Thomas (known as Tom) (10), Leonard (known as Len) (4) & Harold (1). Son Samuel (known as Sam) was visiting his grandparents at Kingswinford. It was noted on the census that they had had a daughter, Precilla, who had died at the age of 6.

In August 1916 John enlisted with the Durham Light Infantry giving his address as 59 High St, Sedgley. He served in the Labour Corps until the end of WW1. His physical description revealed he was 5ft 2inches tall & of good build!

Daughter Sarah Jane married Frederick Priest in 1922 in Dudley & in 1939 they & 2 daughters were living in Sedgley where Frederick was a builders labourer & Sarah was a brick loader.

Son William Thomas married Margaret H Poole in 1924 in Dudley. Margaret & 7 children were living in Wednesbury at the time of the 1939 register & William was living with his mother in Sedgley.

Son Charles Leonard married Dorothy Russon in 1928 in Dudley. The 1939 register shows Charles, a window cleaner, with his mother in Sedgley & Dorothy with her widowed father, Thomas Russon, in Dudley with 3 children.

Son William Samuel married Dorothy A Loat in 1931 at Stourbridge. They & their family were living at Brierley Hill, Staffs in 1939 & William was an assistant pikeman at the colliery.

Son Harold Austin married Lily Potts in 1935 in Rowley Regis. In 1939 Harold was working as a market gardener in Sedgley. Daughter Matilda (Hilda) married Frank Hollis, a sheet mill worker, in 1935 in Rowley Regis.

The 1939 register shows Matilda living at 13 Beacon Lane, Sedgley. With her were sons William, a bricklayer, Charles, a window cleaner, James, a gardener & daughter Florence, a mattress assembler. It is not known where John was at this time but Matilda was listed as married. Daughter Virginia was doing bar work in 1939 in Sedgley for the Elizabeth & James Benton, licensed victuallers. She was to marry Samuel S Humphreys in 1941 in Rowley Regis.

In 1946 daughter Florence married Albert G Bate at Rowley Regis. Son James married Evelyn J Brown in 1950 at Rowley Regis.

Matilda died on January 16th, 1971, aged 92, her death being registered at Dudley, Staffs.

The children of Harriet Matilda Horton & John Worton were:

h.1.4.10.3.1 Sarah Jane Worton born September 18th, 1899 at Gornall, Staffs; died March 21st, 1992 & buried in Gornal Wood Cemetery

h.1.4.10.3.2 William Thomas Worton born January 4th, 1901 at Gornall, Staffs; died Oct-December 1982 in Edgbaston

h.1.4.10.3.3 Priscilla May Worton born Oct-December 1902 at Gornall, Staffs; died April-June 1908 at Gornall

h.1.4.10.3.4 William Samuel Worton born November 6th, 1904 at Gornall, Staffs; died March 11th 2004 & cremated at Gornal Wood Cemetery & Crematorium

h.1.4.10.3.5 Charles Leonard Worton born October 12th, 1906 at Gornall, Staffs; died October 7th,1992 in Sedgley

h.1.4.10.3.6 Harold Austin Worton born December 3rd, 1909 at Gornall, Staffs; died January 12th, 1990 at The Willows, Wodehouse Lane, Gospel End, Sedgley

h.1.4.10.3.7 Matilda May Worton born April 1st, 1913 at Sedgley, Staffs; died January 15th, 2001 & buried at Gornal Wood Cemetery, Sedgley

h.1.4.10.3.8 Ernest John Worton born November 11th, 1915 at Sedgley, Staffs; died Jan-March 1920 in Sedgley

h.1.4.10.3.9 Virginia E Worton born December 26th 1919 in Dudley; died February 17th, 2017 in Guildford, Surrey

h.1.4.10.3.10 James Leslie Worton born May 10th, 1922; died November 22nd, 1992

h.1.4.10.3.11 Florence B Worton born June 16th, 1925 in Dudley;