didn’t survive long and was buried at Hunmanby 9.12.1772.
Hannah
baptised on the 23rd June 1778.
Thomas senior died in 1810, aged 77 yrs old, and was buried at Hunmanby on the 4th July of that year.
THOMAS (born 1763):
(Thomas may have previously been married at Hunmanby 16.8.1785 to Mary (Marshall) – one of Thomas’ grandchildren was given the christian name Marshall).
On the 29th September 1789 Thomas was married at Hunmanby to MARY (Dodson), and they also settled in Hunmanby, where Thomas was a Cattle Dealer in North Street.
Thomas & Mary had six children, all born at Hunmanby:-
On the 11th January 1821 John was married at Rudston to ANN (Foster), (daughter of James and Mary Foster), who was born at Rudston 25.8.1796. John was a farm labourer at Reighton, where their first child was born:-
WILLIAM
baptised on the 1st July 1821.
The family subsequently settled at Speeton where John worked as a farm labourer.
John & Ann had a further four children, all daughters, all born at Speeton:-
Ruth
born c1827
Martha
born c1833
Frances
baptised on the 7th February 1836
Jane Dinah
born c1837 (baptised 25th May 1837)
WILLIAM (born 1821):
William married CATHERINE, born at North Burton c.1822.
In 1851 (census), they were living with William’s parents and their four children all born at Speeton:-
Thomas
born c1844
George
born c1847
Hannah
born c1848
JOHN
born c1850
By 1861 (census), John Snr had his own farm of 15 acres - Woodbine Farm, Speeton.
William was also a farm labourer. By 1861 William & Catherine'sfamily had increased by four, all born at Speeton:-
Dodson
born c1852 (baptised 4th July 1852)
Jane
born c1855
James
born c1856
William
born c1859
By 1871 (census), John Snr had died and Ann was living with William and Catherine at Speeton Farm. William (Snr) had taken over the family farm and he and Catherine had two more children, both born at Speeton:-
Charles
born c1862
Benjamin
born c1863 (baptised 20th December 1863)
This completed their family of ten children. At this time an ‘s’ had been added to the name becoming ‘Sellers’.
By 1881 (census), William had increased his holding to 45 acres at Woodbine Farm and was living there with William (Jnr) and Catherine. Also working on the family farm were sons Benjamin and JOHN
JOHN (born c1850):
JOHN had married EMMA (born at Barrow on Humber, Lincolnshire. c.1856), they had four children, all born at Speeton:-
Harry
born c1878
Anne
born c1879 (married at Speeton Church 10.2.1904 when she was 25 to John Henry Plewes (28).
By 1891, William and Catherine had retired and were still living in Speeton. At this time Benjamin was a widower and was working as a signalman on the railway at Speeton, he had a two year old daughter, Mabel, born at Gristhorpe c.1889.
John and Emma were still working the family farm and they had increased their family by six, all born at Speeton:-
Alice
born c1883
Kate
born c1885
George
born c1886
Charles
born c1888
John
born c1890
Thomas
born c1891
By 1901, John & Emma were still at Woodbine Farm, with Alice, Charles and Thomas, plus their eleventh child:-
Herbert
born c1892 at Speeton.
John & Emma’s son William (born 1880), was living at No.9 Speeton Village with his wife Rachel, (born at Rudston c.1878), and their daughter, Elsie born at Speeton c.1900. William’s grandmother, Catherine, was also living with them at this time.
William worked with his father on the family farm, part-timing elsewhere, and probably didn’t take the farm on when his father died. William kept a diary from 1910 to 1929 (when the diary, which gives a fascinating insight into their lives, ended somewhat abruptly).
To read the diary as an e-book please click on the link below labelled 'open publication'
John was probably a tenant at Woodbine Farm because in the diary we read that a Mr Appleby bought the farm in 1923, although John seems to have remained as tenant. John had already bought Cliff Cottage for £180 in 1918 and maybe he was unable to afford to buy the farm. William moved into the cottage in the same year.
ADA SELLERS (born c1881):
The church register at Hunmanby Church gives ADA SELLERS of Speeton as the parentof WILLIAM COWTON who was baptised there on the 5th August 1900. William’s birthday is believed to be the 19th July 1900.
On the 1st September 1906, ADAmarried MARK COWTON, (baptised at Hunmanby 3rd September 1879).
