CROWTHER OF
SOWERBY
The
father of Ann (Crowther) Greenwood is identified in the 1816 administration
record of John Crowther of Halifax, stone mason. The parties were James Greenwood
of Leeds, weaver, Isaac Crowther of Stockport, yeoman, and James Haigh Crowther
of Stockport, cotton manufacturer. Administration was granted to Ann, wife of
James Greenwood and daughter of John Crowther. The record states that John
Crowther died on 9 January 1807 and he seems to be the John Crowther of
Northowram who was buried at Sowerby on 25 January 1807, aged fifty-nine.
The
burial entry for Ann shows that she was born about 1774 and at the time of her
marriage to James Greenwood, she was stated to be of Sowerby. It therefore
appears that she was the Ann, daughter of John Crowther of Sowerby, who was
baptised at Ripponden in 1774. The surname Crowther was very common in the
area, with many cases of multiple individuals with the same name living at the
same time. The probate documents for John Crowther (as mentioned above) and Ely
Crowther of Stockport (will proved 1803) shed some light on this family,
although the available information is still fragmentary. The will of Ely
Crowther mentions his wife Ann; brother John Crowther; sister Mary Welch, wife
of Samuel Welch of Sowerby; sister Sarah Welch, wife of John Welch of Warley;
and nephews Ely Crowther and James Crowther of Stcokport. These nephews would
be James Haigh Crowther (born 1792) and Ely Crowther (born 1794), sons of Isaac
and Sarah Crowther.
The
residence given in the Halifax banns register for Isaac Crowther in 1786 is
Shaws Clough, which is also the residence given at the burial of John Crowther
in 1777, supporting the identification of the latter as the John who was the
father of Isaac and his siblings. The occupier of Shaws Clough is listed in
land tax records as “Sar Crowther” in 1782 and as “Widw Crowther” in
1788, indicating that John’s widow was named Sarah.[1]
They appear to be the John Crowther and Sarah Holden of Sowerby, spinster, who
were married at Halifax on 3 June 1738. This is corroborated by the 1769
marriage entry for Samuel and Mary (Crowther) Walsh, where one of the witnesses
is Daniel Holden.
As
for the younger John Crowther (1747-1807), his probate record indicates that
his widow died between 1807 and 1816, but unfortunately it does not give her
name. One possible marriage is John Crowther, weaver, and Sarah Simpson,
spinster, both of Sowerby, at Halifax on 22 December 1770. One of the witnesses
was Joshua Tattersall, and Joshua Tattersall married Susey Simpson of
Barkisland at Elland in 1769. This suggests that Sarah was the one baptised at
Ripponden on 19 February 1750/51, daughter of John Simpson of Barkisland.
I welcome comments on this
page. My e-mail address is on my home page.
CROWTHER
1 JOHN CROWTHER of Shaws Clough,
Sowerby, Yorkshire, weaver, was born ca 1707 and buried on 3 June 1777 at
Sowerby.[2]
He married on 3 June 1738 at Halifax, SARAH HOLDEN,[3]
daughter of Daniel Holden. She was baptised on 18 January 1718/19 at Ripponden[4]
and buried on 14 June 1797 at Sowerby.[5]
Children of John and Sarah (Holden) Crowther:
i MARY CROWTHER, bap 25 Jul 1739,
Sowerby,[6]
bur 13 Jul 1803, Sowerby;[7]
m 9 Aug 1769, Halifax, SAMUEL WALSH.[8]
ii SARAH CROWTHER; m JOHN WELCH.[9]
2 iii JOHN CROWTHER (1747-1807).
iv ELY CROWTHER of Stockport, wool
comber, bap 18 Sep 1749, Sowerby,[10]
d May 1803;[11] m
3 Mar 1778, Manchester, ANN FOUND.[12]
v ISAAC CROWTHER of Sowerby and
Stockport, painter, bap 29 Aug 1756, Sowerby,[13]
bur 10 Mar 1836, Stockport;[14]
m 16 May 1786, Halifax, SARAH HAIGH.[15]
2 JOHN CROWTHER of Sowerby, stone mason,
was baptised on 8 June 1747 at Sowerby,[16]
died on 9 January 1807,[17]
and was buried on 25 January 1807 at Sowerby.[18]
Children of John Crowther:
i SUSY CROWTHER, bap 17 Feb 1771,
Ripponden.[19]
ii DANIEL CROWTHER, bap 13 Mar 1772,
Ripponden.[20]
iii ANN CROWTHER, bap 13 Nov 1774,
Ripponden,[21]
bur 7 Oct 1834, St Mary, Leeds;[22]
m 4 Jan 1796, Halifax, JAMES GREENWOOD[23]
(see here).
[1] West Yorkshire Archive Service, QE13/7/45.
[2] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[3] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[4] Ripponden parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[5] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The entry refers to her as “Widow Crowther”, aged 80.
[6] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[7] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[8] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[9] The will of Ely Crowther mentions “my Sister Sarah Welch Wife of John Welch of Warley”. The will also refers to his sister Mary by the surname “Welch” so it is possible that John was a Walsh.
[10] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[11] Ely’s will was dated 7 Dec 1802 and proved on 16 May 1803 (Cheshire Archives, WS 1803). I have not found a burial record for him but an abstract of a monumental inscription at Stockport shows a Crowther (no forename noted) who died in May 1803 aged 53 (N Cheshire Memorial Inscriptions, online at www.findmypast.co.uk).
[12] Manchester parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). It may be noted that Ely Crowther, Isaac Crowther and Ann Crowther were witnesses to the will of John Cartwright of Cheadle, written in 1785 and proved in 1789.
[13] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[14] Stockport parish registers (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).
[15] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[16] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[17] Administration for John Crowther (Cheshire Archives, WS 1816).
[18] Sowerby parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[19] Ripponden parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[20] Ripponden parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[21] Ripponden parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[22] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).
[23] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).