SOWDEN OF CALVERLEY

 

In the 1871 census returns, Sarah Sowden is recorded as the “Mother” of James Greenwood,[1] and as his mother-in-law in 1881.[2] The marriage certificate for Ann Sowden’s marriage to James Greenwood identifies her father as Joseph Sowden, a weaver. The death of Sarah Sowden was registered by James Greenwood, her son-in-law, and the certificate describes her as the widow of Joseph Sowden, a woollen cloth weaver. There was more than one couple named Joseph and Sarah Sowden married in the relevant time period and general area.[3] However, the will of Samuel Wilcock of Dewsbury mentions “my Nephews and Nieces herinafter mentioned, namely To George Carter of Sheffield, Stone Mason, Mary the wife of William Wilcock of Stanningley near Leeds Slubber, Joshua Wilcock of Rickardshaw in the township of Pudsey, Innkeeper, David Wilcock of Humannbee near Burlington, Tanner, Ann the wife of the said James Greenwood of New Wortley near Leeds aforesaid, William Sowden of Dewsbury aforesaid, Weaver[,] John Sowden Son of Joseph Sowden, New Wortley near Leeds aforesaid...”.[4] This confirms that Ann (Sowden) Greenwood was a daughter of the Joseph Sowden and Sarah Wilcock who were married at St Peter, Leeds, in 1826.

 

Joseph Sowden is recorded in the 1851 census returns as aged fifty-one and born at Calverley,[5] and in the 1861 returns to have been aged sixty and born at Rodley,[6] which was in the parish of Calverley. These give an approximate date of birth of 1799 to 1801. The only Joseph Sowden found in the relevant area and period was born on 12 October 1798 and baptised on 11 November 1798, son of Thomas Sowden of Rodley.[7]

 

The large gaps in the births of the known children of Joseph and Sarah (Wilcock) Sowden after their marriage in 1826, along with the lack of any obvious DNA matches my father has through the Sowden family, suggests the possibility that Joseph was not the biological father of Sarah’s daughter Ann (Sowden) Greenwood. My father has a group of DNA matches with descendants of William Marshall of Leeds, a carter, who married Elizabeth Riding at Tong in 1834. There are matches with descendants of at least four of William and Elizabeth’s children, including one of 31 cM and another of 30 cM. Based on shared matches, the connection with my father seems to be through either Ann Sowden or James Greenwood. A possibility is that William Marshall or one of his close relatives was the father of Ann.

 

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SOWDEN

 

1          JOHN SOWDEN of Bagley, Yorkshire, clothier, was buried on 10 February 1786 at Calverley.[8] He married on 20 December 1730 at Calverley, ESTHER HAINWORTH,[9] daughter of Abraham and Susan (Berry) (Booth) Hainworth. Esther was baptised on 28 December 1704 at Calverley and buried on 2 April 1766 at Calverley.[10]

 

                Children of John and Esther (Hainworth) Sowden:

                2              i               THOMAS SOWDEN (1731-1798); m HANNAH RYDER.

                                ii              HANNAH SOWDEN, b 16 May 1735.[11]

 

2          THOMAS SOWDEN of Priesthorpe, clothier, was born on 15 October 1731,[12] and buried on 24 June 1798 at Calverley.[13] He married on 20 Oct 1751 at Guiseley, HANNAH RYDER.[14] Hannah was born ca 1731[15] and buried on 31 July 1802 at Calverley.[16]

 

                Children of Thomas and Hannah (Ryder) Sowden:

                                i               HANNAH SOWDEN, bap 2 Oct 1754, Calverley.[17]

                                ii              SALLY SOWDEN, bur 15 Jul 1759, Calverley.[18]

                3              iii             THOMAS SOWDEN (bap 1761); m CHRISTIANA PARKER.

                                iv             JOHN SOWDEN, bap 14 Sep 1766, Calverley.[19]

                                v              WILLIAM SOWDEN, bap 4 Feb 1770, Calverley.[20]

                                vi             SARAH SOWDEN, bap 19 Nov 1775, Calverley.[21]

                                vii            JAMES SOWDEN, bap 2 Apr 1779, Calverley.[22]

 

3          THOMAS SOWDEN of Rodley, clothier, was baptised on 5 July 1761 at Calverley.[23] He married on 18 August 1783 at Calverley, CHRISTIANA PARKER,[24] daughter of William Parker (see here). Christiana was baptised on 28 January 1759 at Tong and buried on 25 March 1812 at Calverley.

 

                Children of Thomas and Christiana (Parker) Sowden:

                                i               WILLIAM SOWDEN of Rodley, clothier, bap 20 Jun 1784, Calverley, bur 16 Jul 1808, Calverley;[25] m 2 Apr 1804, St Peter, Leeds, HANNAH WILCOCK.[26]

                                ii              CHRISTIANA SOWDEN, bap 17 Jul 1785, Calverley, bur 12 Mar 1787, Calverley.[27]

                                iii             HANNAH SOWDEN, b 8 Aug 1787, bap 2 Sep 1787, Calverley.[28]

                                iv             THOMAS SOWDEN, bap 12 Jun 1791, Calverley.[29]

v             ABRAHAM SOWDEN of Woodhouse, clothier, b 12 May 1792, bap 24 Jun 1792, Calverley,[30] bur 15 Oct 1846, St Peter, Leeds;[31] m(1) 24 Sep 1815, Bradford, ELIZABETH BARRACLOUGH;[32] m(2) 7 May 1838, Rothwell, MARTHA (GREAVES) PICKERSGILL;[33] m(3) 20 Mar 1843, St Peter, Leeds, ELIZABETH (STOWE) GARBUTT.[34]

                                vi             SARAH SOWDEN, b 8 Mar 1795, bap 30 Aug 1795, Calverley.[35]

                4              vii            JOSEPH SOWDEN (1798-1862); m SARAH WILCOCK.

 

4          JOSEPH SOWDEN of Wortley, woollen cloth weaver, was born on 12 October 1798 at Rodley[36] and died on 9 June 1862 at Holbeck.[37] He married on 21 August 1826 at St Peter, Leeds, SARAH WILCOCK,[38] daughter of John and Hannah Wilcock (see here). Sarah was born on 26 April 1804 at Stanningley and died on 13 February 1883 at New Wortley.

 

                Children of Joseph and Sarah (Wilcock) Sowden:

                                i               ANN SOWDEN, b 30 Mar 1836, Stanningley,[39] d 15 Mar 1875, New Wortley;[40] m 18 Sep 1858, St Peter, Leeds, JAMES GREENWOOD[41] (see here).

                                ii              JOHN SOWDEN of Holbeck, sawyer, b 29 Dec 1840, Wortley;[42] m(1) 16 Aug 1862, St Peter, Leeds, SARAH ANN HOLGATE;[43] m(2) 26 Nov 1894, New Wortley, LOUISA (FISHER) CLIFF.[44]

                                iii             JANE SOWDEN, b 28 Apr 1843, Stanningley.[45]


[1] 1871 census returns, Wortley (National Archives, RG 10/4534, fols. 69-70).

[2] 1881 census returns, New Wortley (National Archives, RG 11/4505, fol. 106).

[3] Joseph Sowden and Sarah Walker married at St Peter, Leeds, in 1825 (St Peter, Leeds, parish registers, West Yorkshire Archive Service, RDP68/4/17) and the Bradford parish registers include the marriages of Joseph and Sarah (Firth) Sowden and Joseph and Sarah (Holdsworth) Sowden, both in 1821 (West Yorkshire Archive Service, BDP14/1/3/10, BDP14/1/3/11).

[4] Will dated 27 Nov 1861, proved 4 Sep 1867 at Wakefield.

[5] 1851 census returns, Wortley (National Archives, HO 107/2314, fol. 322).

[6] 1861 census returns, Holbeck (National Archives, RG 9/3364, fol. 57).

[7] A Joseph Snowden was baptised in 1802 (Calverley parish registers, West Yorkshire Archive Service, BDP17/1/4) but that seems to be a genuinely distinct surname in this case rather than a mistake for Sowden, as there are other entries in the parish registers for the Snowden family. It can also be noted that a Joseph Snowden aged 46 and born at Calverley is recorded in the 1851 census returns for Southcoates (National Archives, HO 107/2360, fol. 716).

[8] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[9] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[10] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[11] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[12] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[13] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). His age is given as 66. His will was dated 9 May 1792 and proved on 9 Nov 1799 (Borthwick Institute, York).

[14] The marriage is recorded in the Guiseley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com) under the date 20 Oct 1751 and with Thomas “Snowden” said to be of the parish of Calverley and Hannah Ryder of the parish of Guiseley. The marriage entries in the Calverley bishops’ transcripts (online at www.findmypast.co.uk) also include Thomas Sowden and Hannah Ridar on 15 Sep 1751.

[15] Hannah’s burial entry gives her age as 73, suggesting a date of birth around 1729. However, this would make her about 50 at the baptism of her youngest child James, so a slightly later date is perhaps more likely. Hannah’s parentage is unclear. Hannah, daughter of John Rider, was baptised at Horsforth in 1731, and Hannah, daughter of Thomas Ryder of Little Woodhouse, in 1731/32 at Call Lane chapel, Leeds (National Archives, RG 4/3674). The Guiseley parish registers also record the marriage of Joseph Brogden and Hannah Ryder in 1751.

[16] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[17] Calverley bishops’ transcripts (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).

[18] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[19] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[20] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[21] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[22] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[23] Calverley parish registers (West Yorkshire Archive Service, BDP17/1/3).

[24] Calverley parish registers (West Yorkshire Archive Service, BDP17/3/4). One of the witnesses was Thomas Sowden.

[25] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[26] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[27] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[28] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[29] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[30] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[31] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[32] Bradford parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); 1841 census returns, Leeds (National Archives, HO 107/1346/2, fol. 24).

[33] Rothwell parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[34] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[35] Calverley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[36] Calverley parish registers (West Yorkshire Archive Service, BDP17/1/4); 1861 census returns, Holbeck (National Archives, RG 9/3364, fol. 57).

[37] Death certificate. The census returns show that Joseph was living in 1861 (Holbeck, National Archives, RG 9/3364, fol. 57) but evidently had died by 1871 when Sarah (Wilcock) Sowden was described as a widow (Wortley, National Archives, RG 10/4534, fol. 70).

[38] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (West Yorkshire Archive Service, RDP68/4/17). One of the witnesses was Thomas “Sardin”.

[39] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); 1851 census returns, Wortley (National Archives, HO 107/2314, fol. 322).

[40] Death certificate.

[41] Marriage certificate.

[42] Birth certificate; 1851 census returns, Wortley (National Archives, HO 107/2314, fol. 322).

[43] St Peter, Leeds, parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[44] New Wortley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). John was then said to be 48 and a bachelor. However, his father is given as Joseph Sowden, deceased, a weaver, and the witnesses were Mary Ann Johnson and Sidney Hearn Johnson, who were the daughter and son-in-law of Ann (Sowden) Greenwood, the sister of John Sowden, so the marriage does seem to relate to the same John. He may be the John Sowden, “formerly a Saw Sharpener” who died on 23 Apr 1912 at Bramley Union Workhouse Infirmary, Armley (death certificate).

[45] Birth certificate.