RICHARD’S BIRTH
Richard Shellaker was born on Sunday 25th April 1830 in the village of Tugby in East Leicestershire. He was the third child of William and Sarah Shellaker and was subsequently baptised around 5 weeks later on Tuesday 8th June 1830 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Oakham in Rutland.
On the record of the baptism Richard’s father William is recorded as a ‘Shoemaker’ – he is now 41 years of age and his wife Sarah is recorded as ‘the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester’. She is approaching the age of 36 years. The young baby boy was given the same Christian name as his paternal Grandfather and he was my Great-Grandfather.
Richard the Son of William Shillaker of Tugby in the Parish of Tugby in the County of Leicester Shoemaker and of Sarah his wife, who was the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester was born on the Twenty fifth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Thirty. And solemnly baptized with water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, on the Eight day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Thirty. By me William Mourat
[LRO – R46 Not MF46 Record No. 192]
Although Richard was the third child of William and Sarah, only one child was alive at the time of his birth.
THE FIRSTBORN CHILD OF WILLIAM & SARAH
Their first child was a daughter born on Saturday 13th May 1826 and baptised on Saturday 27th May 1826 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Oakham.
The girl was named MARY SHELLAKER and she is recorded as being the daughter of William & Sarah (née Hester) Shellaker. On this record William is also recorded as a ‘Shoemaker’ and his wife Sarah as being ‘the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester’. The Minister conducting the baptism was Richard Eland. At this time William was 37 years old – his wife Sarah was 31 years.
Mary the Daughter of William Shillaker of [Tugby crossed out] Lyndon in the Parish of Lyndon in the County of Rutland, Shoemaker, and of Sarah his wife, who was the daughter or Robert and Ann Hester was born on the Thirteenth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Twenty-Six. And solemnly baptized with water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, on the Twenty Seventh day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Twenty-Six. By me [Unknown].
LRO – R46 Not MF46 Record No. 123
On this record of Mary Shellaker’s birth and baptism is a clue as to the date the Shellaker family moved from Lyndon to Tugby. The entry starts ‘Mary, the daughter of William Shellaker of…‘ at this point the village name is required – the first entry was ‘Tugby’ but name was crossed out and replaced with the word ‘Lyndon’ and continues with ‘….in the Parish of Lyndon in the County of Rutland’.
It is conjecture that in May 1826 the family may have been in the process of moving from Lyndon to Tugby or had not long moved, so maybe they decided Lyndon should be the village to appear on this official document.
WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH – DEAN STREET OAKHAM
In the mid-nineteenth century there were Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist Churches in Oakham. The Wesleyan Church, which was probably built in 1811, was in Dean Street behind the site of the present church – it has long since been demolished. The image on the right shows the Dean Street Wesleyan Methodist church. However this picture was taken around 1920 and consequently is not contemporary with the baptism of the children of William and Sarah Shellaker.
Incidentally this baptism in 1826 in the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel is the very first evidence of religious non-conformity within the Shellaker family which continues to this day.
A Nonconformist in England is one who does not belong to the Established Church – The Church of England. These include Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, Unitarians and Plymouth Brethren all of whom are considered Nonconformists.
DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN
However, by the spring of following year their firstborn baby daughter had died. Mary Shellaker, the daughter of William & Sarah (née Esther) Shellaker died on Saturday April 28th 1827 aged 11 ½ Months and around two weeks short of her first birthday. Mary was buried in the graveyard of Tugby church. At this time William was now 38 – his wife Sarah 32 years.
A copperplate engraving of Tugby Church c.1804. The gravestone of Mary Shellaker onto which I have overlaid the inscription
A SECOND DAUGHTER
Just under a year after the death of her baby daughter, Sarah gave birth to a second daughter on Tuesday 1st April 1828 and was named MARY JANE SHELLAKER. She was baptised on Tuesday 29th April 1828 also at the same Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Oakham as their first child
As on the previous baptism the document shows she was daughter of William Shellaker a ‘Shoemaker’ and Sarah Shellaker ‘the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester’. At this time William was 39 years old – his wife Sarah was approaching 31 years of age.
Mary Jane the Daughter of William Shillaker of Tugby in the Parish of Tugby in the County of Leicester Shoe Maker and of Sarah his wife, who was the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester was born on the First day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Twenty Eight. And was solemnly baptized with water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, on the Twenty Ninth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Twenty Eight. By me Daniel Kirby Shufflebotham
[LRO – R46 Not MF46 Record No. 148]
THE FAMILY AT THE TIME OF RICHARD’S BIRTH
The Shellaker Family of Tugby in 1830
Richard’s paternal grandparents were also alive at the time of Richard’s birth. His grandfather, Richard Shellaker of Lyndon, was 68 years old and lived for a further four year after his grandson’s birth. Richard’s grandmother, Mary Shellaker (née Gibbons), was also 68 years. She lived until May 1843, accordingly she would have seen her grandson reach his twelve birthday. I have no fuirther details of the parents of Richard’s mother, Sarah Hester
On the wedding day in 1815 in the village of Exton, William was 27 years old – his wife Sarah was 21. Theres is a perplexing I gap of over a decade between the marriage of William & Sarah and the record of their firstborn in 1830.
A BROTHER FOR RICHARD
Three years after Richard’s birth, his parents, Richard and William & Sarah have a fourth child – a second son born on Christmas Day – Wednesday 25th December 1833. He was given the name of his Father , WILLIAM and was baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Oakham. The date of his baptism was Tuesday 11th February 1834 and as before, the father William was recorded as a ‘Shoemaker’ and the child mother Sarah as ‘the daughter of Robert and Ann Hester’.
William the Son of William Shillaker of Tugby in the Parish of Tugby in the County of Leicester Shoemaker and of Sarah his wife, who was the daughter or Robert and Ann Hester was born on the Twenty Fifth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Thirty Three. And solemnly baptized with water, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, on the Eleventh day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and Twenty-Six. By me Richard Pattison
[LRO – R46 Not MF46 Record No. 162]
In the spring of 1834 William & Sarah Shellaker have three children; their new born son William, Mary Jane who had now reached the age of 6 years and Richard aged 4 years.
ANOTHER DEATH IN THE FAMILY
Eighteen months pass and sadly their youngest child William dies at the age of 20 months on 1st October 1835. As was his sister, he was buried in the churchyard at Tugby. At this time William is around 45 years old and wife Sarah is approximately 39 years old.
1841 CENSUS – RICHARD SHELLAKER IN TUGBY – AGE 10
In this Census William and Sarah and their two surviving children remain in Tugby. Also in their house are two other people, a boy aged 15 years old named Henry Sewell and a man, Isaac Sumpter who was aged 25 years who appear to be apprentices of William Shellaker.
The ages of William and Sarah are recorded as being 50 years and 45 years respectively. Their daughter MARY recorded as being 12 years old and son RICHARD 10 years. However this is not an accurate record of their ages at this time. William was actually 52; Sarah was 46.
NB – This is not an error, in this Census the ages of people up to 15 years old are listed exactly as reported but ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5 years (i.e. William’s aged of 52 years would be listed on the census as age 50 years). However the children whose ages should have been recorded accurately are both apparently incorrect by one year. Mary, being born on the 1st April 1828, would have been 13 years old on the day of the Census- 6th June 1841. Likewise her brother Richard, who was born on 25th April 1830, would have been 11 years old at this time.
1841 Census – William & Sarah Shellaker in Tugby
Tugby RG number: HO107 Piece: 593 Book/Folio: 23/6 Page: 10
Although the information on this Census is relatively clear I have reprinted the details below:
| Name | Age | Occupation | Whether Born in same County |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Shellaker | 50 | Shoemaker | Yes |
| Sarah Shellaker | 45 | No | |
| Mary Shellaker | 12 | Yes | |
| Richard Shellaker | 10 | Yes | |
| Henry Sewell | 15 | Shoemaker App | No |
| Isaac Sumpter | 25 | " | No |
FURTHER DEATHS IN THE FAMILY
The year after the 1841 Census, Richard’s sister Mary Jane Shellaker, the daughter of William & Sarah, dies on Thursday 6th October 1842 at the age of 14 years old. When their daughter Mary Jane died, William was 53 years old, his wife Sarah was 47 years old. Mary was buried in Tugby churchyard, sharing the same grave her infant brother William who died some seven years before.
FAMILY BIBLE
Within a Bible which belonged to William Shellaker, I found a page, shown on the right, which details the baptism dates of three of the four children of William & Sarah Shellaker.
Mary Jane. The Daughter of William Shellaker and Sarah his wife was born on the 1st Day of April 1828.
Baptised the 29th April 1828
By Daniel Kirby Shufflebotham
Richard was born the 25th day of April 1830.
Baptised the 8th day of June
By William Mourat
William was born the 25th day of December 1833.
Baptised the 11th day of February 1834
By Richard Pattison
Mary Ann Shellaker. Died the 6th October 1842
There are two unexplained items to mention;
Their first child, named ‘Mary’ and was born in May 1826 but died in April 1827 is not listed and
Secondly the daughter born in 1828 is named ‘Mary Jane’ on this list and on the official record on her baptism but at the bottom of the list her death is written as ‘Mary Ann’ and not ‘Mary Jane’, which is puzzling.
THE ONE SURVIVING CHILD
Of William & Sarah’s four children now only one child survives. The continuation of this Shellaker line is now entirely reliant upon the survival of their 12 year old son, Richard…
The Shellaker Family of Tugby in 1842
Next Page: Richard become an Apprentice