Events
Date of Birth: 21 December 1722.
Date of Baptism: 30 December 1722.
Place of Baptism: Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire.
The baptism is recorded in the parish register.
Date of Burial: 11 May 1805.
Place of Burial: St Thomas, Ashton in Makerfield.
The burial is recorded in the parish register and bishop’s transcripts. Her husband was buried there on 30 April of the same year.
Relationships
Father: Samuel Leyland.
Mother: Ann Chadwick.
See the Commentary section.
Spouse: David Williamson. Married 6 March 1753 in St Thomas, Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire.
The relationship is recorded in the parish register.
Children:
(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project.)
Betty Williamson (23 September 1753 - 1829) had relationships with Henry Hasleden and with Thomas Pilling. She married the latter in 1780.
Ellen Williamson (born 15 December 1754)
Martha Williamson (baptized 13 March 1756/7)
Margaret Williamson (baptized 7 September 1760 - buried 13 June 1761)
Margaret Williamson (baptized 15 August 1762 - buried 24 February 1776)
Evidence
(possible) Baptism (St Thomas, Ashton in Makerfield parish register; 1720):
Ellen Base Dau:r Eliza: Leyland born octo 30.th baptd Novr the 4th
(possible) Baptism (Bishop’s transcripts, Winwick; 1720):
Ellen Base Daughter of Elizabeth Leyland Born Octobr the 30
(possible) Baptism (St Thomas, Ashton in Makerfield parish register; 1722):
Ellen daughter of Sam: Leyland was born 21. and bap.d 30.th
[The mother of this Ellen was Ann Chadwick.]
Burial (St Thomas, Ashton in Makerfield parish register; 1805):
Ellen Williamson Buried [May] 11th
Burial (Bishop’s transcripts, burials in Ashton Chapel; May 1805):
[May] 11 Ellen Williamson
Commentary
There were two Ellens baptized in Ashton in the 1720s: one to Elizabeth Leyland in 1720 and the other to Samuel Leyland in 1722. I think that Samuel Leyland is more likely Ellen’s parent for these reasons:
Ellen married and was buried in Ashton, and Samuel’s family definitely remained in Ashton for several decades after the 1720s:
Samuel’s abode was Ashton at his 1742 burial.
Samuel’s widow’s abode was Ashton at her burial in the 1760s.
As far as is known, Samuel’s children remained in Ashton or close by:
His son William’s abode was Ashton at his 1808 burial.
His daughter Elizabeth was of Ashton at her 1747 marriage, and married an Ashton man.
His daughter Anne married an Ashton man and had children in Ashton.
His son Robert was buried in Ashton in 1815.
His son John’s abode was Ashton at his 1808 burial.
(I don’t know what became of his daughter Mary.)
On the other hand, I am not sure what became of the Elizabeth who had the daughter Ellen baptized in 1720.
Although Samuel was married in Ashton in 1718, not many Ashton Leylands were married there. Ellen’s 1753 marriage was one of only two other Leyland marriages in Ashton in the entire 1700s.
Ellen’s eldest daughter was named Betty. This could be evidence that Ellen’s mother was named Elizabeth and so could be support for the 1720 baptism, but on the other hand the eldest daughter of Samuel’s son Robert was named Betty (although that was not the name of Robert’s wife’s or her mother), and Samuel’s daughter Anne also had a daughter named Betty. I don’t know if there was a family significance to this name, but its appearance among Samuel’s grandchildren should probably carry enough weight to even the balance between the baptisms, on this point.
References
Lancashire Anglican Parish Registers. Preston, England: Lancashire Archives. [digital images on ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2016]
Wigan Anglican Parish Registers. Wigan Archives Services, Wigan, England. [digital images on ancestry.com, accessed 18 January 2016]