William Leedham and Mary Smith
As seen earlier in the Census records of Mary Leedham is recorded as a ‘widow’ in 1861 and 1851 when she was 56 and 45 years old respectively. In the 1851 Census her youngest child, Jebez, is four years old so fair to assume her husband was alive around 1846 and consequently can be found on the Census of 1841.
1841 CENSUS
Road /Street | Name | Age | Occupation | Born in the County |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black Friars (Street?) | WILLIAM LEEDHAM | 38 | FWK (Frame Work Kitter) | Yes |
Mary Leedham | 35 | Yes | ||
Elizabeth Leedham | 9 | Yes | ||
Maria (Mary Ann?) Leedham | 7 | Yes | ||
Sarah Leedham | 5 | |||
Thomas Leedham | 3 | |||
Emma Leedham | 1 | |||
Mary Smith | 60 | No |
As can be seen 35 year old William Leedham is a Framework Knitter, living with his wife Mary and their 5 children, in Black Friars Street, Leicester. With the family is a ‘Mary Smith’ age 60 years old. Her relationship to the family will be revealed soon…
WILLIAM’S BIRTH – 1802
William’s age on the 1841 is recorded as 38 years which places his year of birth around 1802 or 1803.
There is a record for the baptism of William Leedham on 29th August 1802 at All Saints Church, Leicester which also show William’s birth date as 14th August 1802.
All Saints’ Church is a redundant Anglican church in High Cross Street.
The baptish record also indcaites his William’s parents were John & Elizabeth Leedham
LEICESTER RECORDS OFFICE: Check Parish Records for All Saints parish
A MARRIAGE – 1830
Their first child, Elizabeth, as born around 1832, so I will seek the marriage of the couple around the years 1830 / 1831, and a record is found at the end of 1830.
LEICESTER RECORDS OFFICE: Check Parish Records for St. Nicholas parish
St Nicholas Church is probably the oldest place of worship in Leicester, with a history dating back to the Saxon period. It shares a common boundary wall with the Roman bath complex known as the Jewry Wall, and there are Roman columns in the churchyard. The church incorporates Roman bricks into its walls, and retains examples of Saxon stonework.
The church was built on a pre-Christian sacred site. The Roman columns in the churchyard came from the basilica, or town hall, which stood near this site (or it may possibly lie directly under the church). Leicester served as the seat of a bishopric from the 7th-9th century, and it is believed that St Nicholas was the cathedral of the Saxon bishops.
By 1825 the church was in an extremely poor condition, and plans were made for its demolition. Instead, it was extensively renovated between 1875 and 1884.
WILLIAM’S DEATH – 1846
There is a record to indicate he died in Q2 1846 and another entry, with a unconfirmed source , that gives the date of his death as 1st June of that year, 1846. His abode is recorded as Jewry Wall Street, St Mary, Leicester.
A SUMMARY
William Leedham’s life based on records found to date:
Interestingly the record of Elizabeth’s baptism is within the records of Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers not the Church of England. It appears in the records for the George Street Chapel. Leicester. (Primitive Methodists). (1813-1834 Piece 2325)
“Elizabeth Leedham, Daughter of William Leedham
and Mary, his wife of Friars in the Town and County
of Leicester, was born May 12th 1832 and Baptised Aug 16th.
Father is a Frame work knitter. Mother maiden name
Mary Smith”
Primitive Methodism came to Leicester in 1818. The first Chapel erected was in George Street, which opened in 1819, and could seat 900 people. The baptism above took place in 1832, 14 years after the chapel opened. By 1858, the trustees of George Street realised that the growing industrial expansion of Leicester meant there was a need for a new church in the as yet undeveloped area around Curzon Street, where the streets were planned but not built. I cannot locate any photographs or drawing of the chapel,
Back another generation…
Next Page: The Parents of William Smith Leedham