Scarborough Family
The family name is said to have originated in Yorkshire to describe a person from the Scarborough area who had gone to live somewhere else[1]. That said, my Scarborough line was first recorded in Lincolnshire so maybe they went there first!
My paternal great grandmother was Isabella Scarborough born in Ballymena 1873 and was the starting point for my research into the Scarborough family. Her parents have been described to me by my aunt as itinerate, moving frequently, first from Liverpool to Cork, then Ballymena and finally Belfast. Prior to this, the family was recorded in Lincolnshire, moving west to Lancashire and arriving in Liverpool in the early 1800s. The family also had links to the Glasgow and Portsea areas through marriage.
My paternal great grandmother was Isabella Scarborough born in Ballymena 1873 and was the starting point for my research into the Scarborough family. Her parents have been described to me by my aunt as itinerate, moving frequently, first from Liverpool to Cork, then Ballymena and finally Belfast. Prior to this, the family was recorded in Lincolnshire, moving west to Lancashire and arriving in Liverpool in the early 1800s. The family also had links to the Glasgow and Portsea areas through marriage.
Thomas Scarborough abt 1660 (my 8ggf)
He married Elizabeth but her maiden is unrecorded. Their children, all born in Glentham, were:
1680 John (my 7ggf)
1683 Thomas (he died in 1685)
1680 John (my 7ggf)
1683 Thomas (he died in 1685)
John Scarborough 1680 (my 7ggf)
Possibly from Binbrook, he married Ann Harrison in 1700 in Glentham, Lincolnshire. Given the locations of Binbrook and Glentham it seems reasonable to assume they could have met in Market Rasen. Their children, all born in Glentham, were:
1701 Jane
1703 Robert (my 6ggf)
1704 Ann (she died in the same year)
1705 Ann (she married William Needam in 1734)
1708 Edward
1710 Mary (she died after two weeks)
1711 Mary
1713 James
1716 Suzannah
1701 Jane
1703 Robert (my 6ggf)
1704 Ann (she died in the same year)
1705 Ann (she married William Needam in 1734)
1708 Edward
1710 Mary (she died after two weeks)
1711 Mary
1713 James
1716 Suzannah
Robert Scarborough 1703 (my 6ggf)
He married Ann Bransby in the neighbouring hamlet of Caenby in 1735. Their children, all recorded in Glentham, were:
1735 William (my 5ggf)
1735 John
1736 Mary
1735 William (my 5ggf)
1735 John
1736 Mary
William Scarborough 1735 (my 5ggf)
William was born in Glentham in the same year as his parent’s marriage in 1735. He was a carpenter and married Ann Radley in Glentham 1758. Ann, the daughter of Anthony and Ann Radley, was born in 1734 and was from Waddingham, 5 miles to the north. Their children, all recorded in Glentham, were as follows:
1759 Elizabeth
1764 Jane
1764 Ann
1767 David (my 4ggf)
1767 Joseph
1772 William
1774 Twins Mary (she died in 1776) and Frances
1777 Mary
1759 Elizabeth
1764 Jane
1764 Ann
1767 David (my 4ggf)
1767 Joseph
1772 William
1774 Twins Mary (she died in 1776) and Frances
1777 Mary
David Scarborough 1763 – 1816 (my 4ggf)
David’s age was recorded as 53 on his death record in 1816, and on that basis he was born about 1763. The names of his parents, and where he was born and grew up, were initially unclear as the only David Scarborough born in England in the 1760s was in Glentham, Lincolnshire, nearly 100 miles east of Bolton where he eventually lived.
On a number occasions, David is recorded as a clog maker or clogger. At that time the population of a busy town (with Manchester nearby) was probably great enough to attract a clog maker, even one from a small Lincolnshire village. If correct, then his parents would have been William Scarborough and Ann Radley of Glentham (as above). His father's woodworking occupation could have influenced David taking up clog making as this would have been a sideline between larger jobs.
David’s next recorded appearance is his marriage to Mary Ann Mathison at the church of St Peter’s Bolton-le-Moors[2] in July 1789. Mary Ann was the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Mathison of Portsea in Hampshire. How David came to meet a girl from Portsea is unknown, however there was almost certainly a family connection with the Portsmouth area since David’s son John (my 3ggf) married Sarah Bartholomew Lucas from the nearby Gosport. Given his relative proximity to Liverpool, which at that time was a thriving seaport, the connection may well have been naval.
David and Mary Ann had eight children.
1790 John (my 3ggf) was born in Bolton-le-Moors.
1793 Sarah is believed to have died at a young age on the basis that a second Sarah was born later.
1796 Sarah was born in Prescot, St Helens.
1797 James. He died in 1834 aged 37 and is buried in St Helens.
1799 David. When he was eight months old David was the first child in St Helens to receive the smallpox vaccine in 1799 from the Reverend Finch. His story is written up in the Medical and Physical Journal of 1800[2]. The liquid in the pustule that formed on David’s leg was then used to inoculate his older brother James. Finch remarked, “from his birth to the time he was inoculated, he was of a feeble habit of body, had not much desire for food, and little inclined to play; but since, he is grown a very robust active boy, and eats his meat with a good appetite”. David married Jane Patten in Liverpool. Their children were James, Mary Helen, Elizabeth and Edward. In 1841 he was a clogger, a hosier dealer in 1851 and a house inspector in 1861.
1802 Ann. She married George Hamilton in Manchester.
1802 Helen
1806 Mary
1810 Stephen married Jane Marsh and had four children. Between 1851 and 1871 he was landlord of the "Bird I'th Hand” in Four Lane End, Hindley, Wigan. His son, George became a mining engineer and was manager of two Wigan collieries – Newtown and Meadows [4].
David died in 1816 and is buried in Prescot, 4 miles southwest of St Helens. It is not known where or when Mary Ann died.
On a number occasions, David is recorded as a clog maker or clogger. At that time the population of a busy town (with Manchester nearby) was probably great enough to attract a clog maker, even one from a small Lincolnshire village. If correct, then his parents would have been William Scarborough and Ann Radley of Glentham (as above). His father's woodworking occupation could have influenced David taking up clog making as this would have been a sideline between larger jobs.
David’s next recorded appearance is his marriage to Mary Ann Mathison at the church of St Peter’s Bolton-le-Moors[2] in July 1789. Mary Ann was the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Mathison of Portsea in Hampshire. How David came to meet a girl from Portsea is unknown, however there was almost certainly a family connection with the Portsmouth area since David’s son John (my 3ggf) married Sarah Bartholomew Lucas from the nearby Gosport. Given his relative proximity to Liverpool, which at that time was a thriving seaport, the connection may well have been naval.
David and Mary Ann had eight children.
1790 John (my 3ggf) was born in Bolton-le-Moors.
1793 Sarah is believed to have died at a young age on the basis that a second Sarah was born later.
1796 Sarah was born in Prescot, St Helens.
1797 James. He died in 1834 aged 37 and is buried in St Helens.
1799 David. When he was eight months old David was the first child in St Helens to receive the smallpox vaccine in 1799 from the Reverend Finch. His story is written up in the Medical and Physical Journal of 1800[2]. The liquid in the pustule that formed on David’s leg was then used to inoculate his older brother James. Finch remarked, “from his birth to the time he was inoculated, he was of a feeble habit of body, had not much desire for food, and little inclined to play; but since, he is grown a very robust active boy, and eats his meat with a good appetite”. David married Jane Patten in Liverpool. Their children were James, Mary Helen, Elizabeth and Edward. In 1841 he was a clogger, a hosier dealer in 1851 and a house inspector in 1861.
1802 Ann. She married George Hamilton in Manchester.
1802 Helen
1806 Mary
1810 Stephen married Jane Marsh and had four children. Between 1851 and 1871 he was landlord of the "Bird I'th Hand” in Four Lane End, Hindley, Wigan. His son, George became a mining engineer and was manager of two Wigan collieries – Newtown and Meadows [4].
David died in 1816 and is buried in Prescot, 4 miles southwest of St Helens. It is not known where or when Mary Ann died.
John Scarborough 1790 - after 1851 (my 3ggf)
John was born in January 1790 in Bolton-le-Moors. He married Sarah Bartholomew Lucas (my 3ggm) from Gosport in September 1823 – the marriage took place in John’s home town of Bolton. Sarah was born in 1794 the daughter of William, a fisherman, and Fanny Lucas (nee Simmons) and was named after her grandmother Sarah Bartholomew.
In 1841 the Liverpool census records the family as living in the Hughes Buildings in Toxteth Park, Liverpool. John followed his father's profession and was a clog and patten[5] maker.
John and Sarah had six children, all born in Liverpool.
1825 John Vickers married Janet Davis in Glasgow in 1843. In that same year he was a clog maker living at 38 New Street. The origin of the Vickers middle name is unknown but became a family tradition with four subsequent generations[6]. When he died in 1861, John’s probate was recorded in County Antrim, which indicates he moved to Ireland, however earlier in the same year he had been living in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. Between about 1958 and 1860 (Griffith Valuation of Ireland), John is recorded as renting a house and workshops at 86 Hercules Street and 18 Ann Street, Belfast - confirmed in an earlier Belfast street directory of 1858. It would appear that an Irish link was previously in existence as the 1861 census of England indicates that one of his sons was born in Ireland in 1858. He was insolvent in 1866 (London Gazette pp 176 177)
1825 William Henry. He died in 1836 aged 11.
1827 Sarah
1829 David. He carried on the family occupation and was also a clog and patten maker. He was widowed by the age of 22.
1831 James. He survived two months and died in December of the same year. He is buried in Everton.
1832 George (my 3ggf – see below).
1834 James was named after his deceased brother. He was born at the family home on London Road and was also a clog and patten maker.
1836 Mary Ellen
1838 Edward
1842 William Lucas. He married twice, firstly in 1855 to Catherine “Kate” Harris in Belfast. He had one child with Kate: Edward in 1865. His second wife was Elizabeth of County Down. In 1901, they were living in Armagh where William was a clog maker. He died in Lurgan, Ireland, in 1905.
By 1851 the family had moved to 1 Norton Street in the Islington district of Liverpool; John was still recorded as a clog and patten maker, as were his sons David and James in the same year. His third son William Lucas also became a clog maker although this is recorded elsewhere.
There are no records for John or his wife Sarah after 1851.
In 1841 the Liverpool census records the family as living in the Hughes Buildings in Toxteth Park, Liverpool. John followed his father's profession and was a clog and patten[5] maker.
John and Sarah had six children, all born in Liverpool.
1825 John Vickers married Janet Davis in Glasgow in 1843. In that same year he was a clog maker living at 38 New Street. The origin of the Vickers middle name is unknown but became a family tradition with four subsequent generations[6]. When he died in 1861, John’s probate was recorded in County Antrim, which indicates he moved to Ireland, however earlier in the same year he had been living in Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. Between about 1958 and 1860 (Griffith Valuation of Ireland), John is recorded as renting a house and workshops at 86 Hercules Street and 18 Ann Street, Belfast - confirmed in an earlier Belfast street directory of 1858. It would appear that an Irish link was previously in existence as the 1861 census of England indicates that one of his sons was born in Ireland in 1858. He was insolvent in 1866 (London Gazette pp 176 177)
1825 William Henry. He died in 1836 aged 11.
1827 Sarah
1829 David. He carried on the family occupation and was also a clog and patten maker. He was widowed by the age of 22.
1831 James. He survived two months and died in December of the same year. He is buried in Everton.
1832 George (my 3ggf – see below).
1834 James was named after his deceased brother. He was born at the family home on London Road and was also a clog and patten maker.
1836 Mary Ellen
1838 Edward
1842 William Lucas. He married twice, firstly in 1855 to Catherine “Kate” Harris in Belfast. He had one child with Kate: Edward in 1865. His second wife was Elizabeth of County Down. In 1901, they were living in Armagh where William was a clog maker. He died in Lurgan, Ireland, in 1905.
By 1851 the family had moved to 1 Norton Street in the Islington district of Liverpool; John was still recorded as a clog and patten maker, as were his sons David and James in the same year. His third son William Lucas also became a clog maker although this is recorded elsewhere.
There are no records for John or his wife Sarah after 1851.
George Scarborough 1832 (my 2ggf)
George was a clog maker born in Liverpool in May 1832. In 1841, George was 9 and living with his parents in the Hughes Buildings, Liverpool. He married Elizabeth Boyd in Glasgow in February 1850. Elizabeth was born in 1833 in Irvine, Ayrshire. They had eleven children.
1851 John. He was born in Glasgow.
1852 Sarah Jane. She was christened at St. Peter’s on Church Street in Liverpool[7].
1851 John. He was born in Glasgow.
1852 Sarah Jane. She was christened at St. Peter’s on Church Street in Liverpool[7].
Margaret Scarborough
1854 Margaret (my great great aunt). She was christened at St. Simon’s in Liverpool. Margaret became a school teacher and married schoolteacher Thomas Smythe. They settled in Abbeyleix, Ireland, where they ran the small National School.
1856 George Vickers. He was born in Scotland but was baptised in Liverpool. He married Sarah Jane Jamison at the May Street Presbyterian church in Liverpool on 26th October 1875. She was the daughter of William Jamison, a gardener. By 1901, he was widowed and working as an assistant superintendant postal telegrapher. They lived at 7 Fitzroy Avenue.
1857 Edwin. He was christened at St. Peter’s in Liverpool.
1859 Clara Lucas was born in Cork, Ireland.
1864 Rebecca was born in Cork
1868 Edward Harrison was born in Cork. He died in 1894 in Belfast.
1871 David Boyd was born in Cork. He was a clogger and in 1901 and 1911 he was living in St Helens. He married Mary Alice Blundell in Belfast 1914.
1873 Isabella (my ggm) was born in Ballymena, Ireland.
1877 Robert John was born in Belfast, Ireland.
In 1851, George, Elizabeth and son John lived at 122 Main Street in Calton, Glasgow. Aged 18, George was a clog maker and John was just 3 months old.
1856 George Vickers. He was born in Scotland but was baptised in Liverpool. He married Sarah Jane Jamison at the May Street Presbyterian church in Liverpool on 26th October 1875. She was the daughter of William Jamison, a gardener. By 1901, he was widowed and working as an assistant superintendant postal telegrapher. They lived at 7 Fitzroy Avenue.
1857 Edwin. He was christened at St. Peter’s in Liverpool.
1859 Clara Lucas was born in Cork, Ireland.
1864 Rebecca was born in Cork
1868 Edward Harrison was born in Cork. He died in 1894 in Belfast.
1871 David Boyd was born in Cork. He was a clogger and in 1901 and 1911 he was living in St Helens. He married Mary Alice Blundell in Belfast 1914.
1873 Isabella (my ggm) was born in Ballymena, Ireland.
1877 Robert John was born in Belfast, Ireland.
In 1851, George, Elizabeth and son John lived at 122 Main Street in Calton, Glasgow. Aged 18, George was a clog maker and John was just 3 months old.
Between 1852 and 1857, George and family were living in Liverpool. They made a visit to Scotland in 1856 where their son George Vickers was born.
Between 1857 and 1859, based on christening records for their children Edwin and Clara, the family left England and moved to Cork, Ireland.
Some time between 1871 and 1873 the family moved to Ballymena, where my great grandmother Isabella was born. By 1877 they were living in Belfast.
By 1891, George and Elizabeth had returned to Liverpool. Both aged 58, George was the manager of a clog and shoe shop and living at 114 Widnes Road, Widnes near Liverpool.
By 1901 George was a widow and was boarding with his son David Boyd and employed as a clogger. He was still living with his son in 1911.
George died in 1913 in Prescot, Lancashire.
Between 1857 and 1859, based on christening records for their children Edwin and Clara, the family left England and moved to Cork, Ireland.
Some time between 1871 and 1873 the family moved to Ballymena, where my great grandmother Isabella was born. By 1877 they were living in Belfast.
By 1891, George and Elizabeth had returned to Liverpool. Both aged 58, George was the manager of a clog and shoe shop and living at 114 Widnes Road, Widnes near Liverpool.
By 1901 George was a widow and was boarding with his son David Boyd and employed as a clogger. He was still living with his son in 1911.
George died in 1913 in Prescot, Lancashire.
Isabella Scarborough 1873 – 1945 (my great grandmother)
Isabella was born in 1873 in Ballymena, County Antrim.
She married a carpenter named Robert McWilliams on 23 June 1893 in Belfast.
Isabella's post-marriage life is described in the McWilliams family webpage.
She married a carpenter named Robert McWilliams on 23 June 1893 in Belfast.
Isabella's post-marriage life is described in the McWilliams family webpage.
[1] http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Scarborough
[2] Bolton-le-Moors was an old Lancashire parish enclosing a number of small villages. Today they are enveloped by the town of Bolton, 11 miles northwest of
Manchester.
[3] Medical & Physical Journal, Volume 3, pp 415 – 420.
[4] http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/1896-78.htm
[5] A patten is a shoe with a wooden sole but unlike a clog has a fabric upper or strap.
[6] The use of Vicars/Vickers is unique and proved significant in linking the Scarborough and McWilliams families. It is thought that a McVicars was married into the family on Elizabeth Boyds side.
[7] St Peter’s was demolished in 1922 and no longer exists.
[2] Bolton-le-Moors was an old Lancashire parish enclosing a number of small villages. Today they are enveloped by the town of Bolton, 11 miles northwest of
Manchester.
[3] Medical & Physical Journal, Volume 3, pp 415 – 420.
[4] http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/1896-78.htm
[5] A patten is a shoe with a wooden sole but unlike a clog has a fabric upper or strap.
[6] The use of Vicars/Vickers is unique and proved significant in linking the Scarborough and McWilliams families. It is thought that a McVicars was married into the family on Elizabeth Boyds side.
[7] St Peter’s was demolished in 1922 and no longer exists.