John Collins (1782-1873)
John Collins was baptised on the 28th November 1782, presumably he was born within a few weeks of this date, in the hamlet of Newland, near Howden. He was the eldest son of James Collins and his wife Hannah. He married Hannah Singleton in Howden Parish Church on 2nd June 1805 when he was 22 years old. His occupation was given as a husbandman (farmer). So, within a few years of his father, James Collins, losing his farm, John became a farmer, though probably a tenant. Perhaps, James was incapable or incapacitated in some way and John took over his father’s land. But it does not explain why James lived with his brother in Eastrington, though it is possible that the farms adjoined as everybody was living within a few miles of each other.
The above is an entry from the Howden Parish Register for the marriage of John Collins and Hannah Singleton on 2nd June 1805, showing John’s signature and Hannah’s mark. It is interesting that his uncle Henry and his mother, Hannah, were the witnesses, and not his father, James. Henry Collins was clearly important in the welfare of James and his family.
John and Hannah Collins only had three children, making them a small family for the period. This was not necessarily a good thing at a time when children were expected to help out on the family farm. Robert, their first child, died within a month of his birth in 1809. Their second child was born three years later, and they also named him Robert. It was common for people to use the same name when a child of that name had already died. Robert is our direct ancestor and was baptised on 6th May 1812 - probably being born a few weeks previously. John’s youngest son, George, was born in 1817.
The baptism records of his three children give John Collins’s occupation as a labourer living in the hamlet of Balkholme, in the parish of Howden. Like his father, he had also lost his farm, so perhaps he was caught up in the upheaval caused by the slump following the Napoleonic Wars. He was not listed in the Yorkshire Directory of 1822, so must still have been a labourer at that time.
The next record of John was his registration to vote in 1837 so, sometime in the previous 15 years, he had worked himself back to being a farmer with property. It must have taken dedication, shear hard work, and persistence to accomplish this at a time of depression in agriculture, though it is likely that there would have been some help from within the family. In the April 1841 census, he was listed as a farmer of 50 acres in Balkholme employing a female servant and a live-in labourer. No doubt he also employed other local agricultural labourers, as many lived in the village. Clearly his fortunes had improved considerably.
This photograph of Balkholme was taken in early 1984. There was only one farm property in the hamlet and the buildings were fairly modern. There was no sign of activity. The village had eight farms in 1840 and 117 people lived there, so it was much more active. There is no indication now of any other houses, they were probably all ploughed in years ago. The scene in the picture is typical of the locality - flat, lonely and remote. What it doesn’t show is the cold wind that blew across the place making it feel most inhospitable. I could imagine our ancestors working in fields such as these, in all weathers, for years on end, with horse, hand-plough and scythe.
John Collins’s wife, Hannah, died of consumption on 9th February 1843 and was buried in Howden churchyard three days later. Her age was given as 56, though she was at least 60 years old. By the time of the April 1851 census, John had extended his farm to 70 acres. He had a female servant living with him, presumably to look after the household, and a labourer. The servant was Maria Hatfield, aged 38, the unmarried daughter of a farmer from the nearby village of Laxton.
On 1st October 1851, John Collins married Maria Hatfield in Howden church. There was a 30 year difference in their ages, and no doubt it caused a lot of discussion within both the family and the locality. Two years later, their only child, James, was born, by which time John was over 70 years old. He had outdone his grandfather, also called John Collins (ca1711-1775), who was a father a month before he died at the age of 64. John’s fecundity indicates that the reason for having a small family with his first wife, Hannah, was due to her lack of fertility.
In the census of April 1861, John and Maria were still living in Balkholme on their 70 acre farm. They were still living in the village in April 1871, but he was now listed as a retired farmer. Presumably, James and Maria were now managing the farm. John died of "old age" on 4th March 1873, and was buried in the Howden churchyard, though a gravestone has not survived. He had no medical attention at his death and probably just slipped away, as he was 90 years old, which was the same age as his father, James Collins (1756-1846), when he died. Living in the country must have helped them both live to an exceptionally old age for the period. Their descendants, who lived in the city, were to be less fortunate.