Ancestor Sketch – Isabella Atkinson

Darling-McAllister-Lamb-Atkinson Line
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Isabella is one of my most difficult researched individuals. Part of it may be my lack of experience in UK research. However, I am doing my best to follow my process and find the information pertinent to her life.

It appears that her father died while she was a child and was on her own by the time she was 16. She also died young, before she was 36, and her children were also on their own at early ages.

Darling Ancestor #55

List of Grandparents

    • Grandfather: Robert Harry Darling (1907-1969)
    • 1st Great-grandmother: Hannah McAllister Darling White (1886-1913)
    • 2nd Great-grandmother: Margaret Mary Lamb (1860-1929)
    • 3rd Great-grandmother: Isabella Atkinson (1835-before 1871)
    • 4th Great-grandfather: John Atkinson (c. 1800–1840)

Isabella (Atkinson) Lamb (1834 – Between 1864 & 1871)

Birth

Isabella Atkinson’s birth is unknown; however, she was christened on 16 November 1834 in Long Marton, Westmorland, England,[i] the sixth of eight children of John and Elizabeth Atkinson.

Children of John & Elizabeth Atkinson Date of Christening
Thomas Atkinson 8 December 1826
Lancelot Atkinson 22 December 1827
Richard Atkinson 20 February 1830
George Atkinson 21 January 1832
Lucy Atkinson 16 June 1832
Isabella Atkinson 15 November 1834
John Atkinson 25Mar 1837
Ann Atkinson (born) 1838

In the 1870s, Long Marton was described as a township and parish in East Ward district, Westmorland. It was 3½ NW by N of Appleby. The parish included the townships of Brampton and Knock. Its post town was Kirkby-Thore. The population of Long Marton has gone up and down. In 1801 it was only 432 and rose to 819 by 1831. It slowly decreased to 587 in 1911. After WWI, the population grew to be 619 in 1921.[ii]

Church of St Margaret and St James, Long Marton
– Photo by by Humphrey Bolton [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.

The Church of St. Margaret and St. James is where the Atkinson children were christened into the Anglican faith.

Today, Long Marton is a village and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England. In 2011, the population was 827. The area is mostly farmland. The postal office is Appleby in Westmorland. [iii]

Childhood – (Consider Potential Records for each of the following.)

The 1841 Census finds six-year-old Isabella living at home with her parents. Fourteen-year-old Brother Lancelot is missing in the Census, so I suspect he died young. The family was enumerated living in Knock.

Although I haven’t found direct evidence, it appears that Isabella’s father died between 1841 and 1851. He isn’t found in the 1851 Census, and the children are spread in several different locations.[iv] I found six-year-old Isabell working as a servant in the household of Elizabeth Wade in Bongate, Westmorland.[v] Bongate is in Appleby-in-Westmorland, about 3.6 miles south of Long Marton.

Marriage

Isabella married Edward Lamb on 27 November 1853 in Warcop, Westmorland, England. Warcop is about 5 miles southeast of Bongate (Appleby-in-Westmorland). Edward and Isabella had five children, namely:

Child Birth Marriage Death
Jane About 1852
Ann Before 1859
Margaret Mary 28 April 1860 22 August 1878
Peter McAllister
14 January 1929
James Cooper April or May 1862 20 April 1898
Edward April or May 1864

Residences

  • 1859   Sanford (in Warcop) When Daughter Ann was born.
  • 1861   Census – Lived at thFox & Hounds – Warcop, Carlisle (Ecclesiastical District).
    • Edward Lamb     29     Head    Mar      29     Victualler   Warcop*
    • Isabella Lamb     26     Wife     Mar      26                            Long Marton*
    • Margaret Lamb   11/12 Dau.    N/A       11 mos.                  Warcop*
    • Dorathy Bradley  77     Visitor  Widow  77      Landed Proprietor  Warcop*

* All birth locations are Westmorland.

[That neither Jane nor Ann appear in the 1861 Census suggests they passed.]

  • 1862   Warcop, Westmorland – When son James Cooper was born.
  • 1864   Kendal, Westmorland – When son Edward was born.

Death

I have been unsuccessful in finding Isabella in the 1871 England Census. Her husband, Edward Lamb, is living with his mother and two sisters[vi]. Her son James is living with his maternal grandfather, John Atkinson. I have also been unsuccessful finding her daughter, Margaret, or son, Edward, in the 1871 Census, although there are several candidates. I will need to research the candidates further to sort out the relationships to make sure which are most likely.

Events by Location – Google Earth

All locations are in Westmorland, England

  • Bongate (Appleby)    1851
  • Knock                         1841
  • Long Marton              Christening
  • Sanford                       1859, 1862,
  • Warcop                       Marriage

All locations are within five miles of Appleby in Westmorland.

Locations in Isabella Atkinson Lamb’s life – Image courtesy Google Earth.

Further Actions / Follow-up

  • Find John and Elizabeth Atkinson’s children during the 1851 Census.
  • Determine BMD information for all of Edward and Isabella (Atkinson) Lamb’s children.
  • Find Margaret and Edward Lamb in the 1871 Census

Sources

  • 1841 England and Wales Census – 6 June, Various, John Atkinson – Knock, Parish of Long Marton, Westmorland. Class: HO107; Piece: 1158; Book: 1; Civil Parish: Long Marton; County: Westmorland; Enumeration District: 10a; Page: 1; Line: 1; GSU roll: 464189.
  • 1851 England and Wales Census – 30 March, Ancestry, Isabella Atkinson (Servent) – Elizabeth Wade (Head) – Bongate, Westmorland, England. Class: HO107; Piece: 2439; Folio: 125; Page: 20; GSU roll: 87120. Description: Enumeration District: 7.
  • 1861 England and Wales Census – April 7, Ancestry, Edward Lamb – Class: RG 9; Piece: 3958; Folio: 8; Page: 9; GSU roll: 543213. Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/8767/records/13303817.
  • England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980, Ancestry, Isabella Atkinson – 16 November 1834. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/1351/records/5838538/.
  • England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005, Family Search, Edward Lamb & Isabella Atkinson Oct-Nov-Dec 1858. “England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2D78-XDF : 13 December 2014), Edward Lamb, 1858; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (https://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1858, quarter 4, vol. 10B, p. 838, East Ward, Westmorland, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
  • England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975, Family Search, Ann Lamb – Milburn, Westmorland, England. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3VJ-K4B : 11 February 2018, Isabella in an entry for Ann Lamb, 27 March 1859); citing, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 97,399. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3VJ-K4B.
  • England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975, Family Search, Edward Lamb – Kendal, Westmorland, England – 1864. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7FS-B8Y : 10 February 2018, Isabella in an entry for Edward Lamb, ); citing – 2:2ZKX01V, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,471,686. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7FS-B8R.
  • England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975, Family Search, James Cooper Lamb – Warcop, Westmorland, England. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NR9L-K8X : 11 February 2018, James Cooper Lamb, 18 May 1862); citing, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 97,420. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NR9L-K8X.
  • England Births and Christenings, 1538-­1975, Family Search, Margaret Lamb – Warcop, Westmorland, England. “England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7WF-BQQ : 11 February 2018, Margaret Lamb, 2 September 1860); citing, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 97,420. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7WF-BQQ.
  • England Marriages, 1538–1973, Family Search, Edward Lamb – Isabella Atkinson. “England Marriages, 1538–1973,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLDC-RL8 : 10 February 2018), Edward Lamb and Isabella Atkinson, 27 November 1853; citing Warcop, Westmorland, England, reference, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 0924744 IT 3, 97420. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLDC-RL8.
  • GRO – Entry of Death, General Register Office, Isabella Lamb – Death Registry, Kirkby Stephen, Westmorland 0 1917. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/login.asp.

Endnotes

[i] England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980, Ancestry, Isabella Atkinson – 16 Nov 1834. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/1351/records/5838538/.

[ii] Wikipedia – Long Marton – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Marton

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] I will investigate the locations of all the Atkinson children during the 1851 Census in a future post.

[v] 1851 England and Wales Census – March 30, Ancestry, Isabella Atkinson (Servent) – Elizabeth Wade (Head) – Bongate, Westmorland, England. Class: HO107; Piece: 2439; Folio: 125; Page: 20; GSU roll: 87120. Description: Enumeration District: 7.

[vi] 1871 England Census (April 2) (National Archives of the UK), Ancestry, Ann Lamb – Head – Sanford, Westmorland, England. “England and Wales Census, 1871”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V557-7BQ : 28 September 2019), Mary Lamb in entry for Ann Lamb, 1871. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V557-7B9.

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