The Barkworth family came to East Yorkshire from Lincolnshire in the latter years on the eighteenth century and has been traced back to the early decades of the seventeenth century. There is little mention of the family in the standard histories of the area, even though Allison[1] describes them as members of the old established merchant class. Another source claiming that the Barkworths were an old established Hessle family from the middle years of the eighteenth century differs from records showing that John Barkworth (b 1758) was still living in Lincolnshire in 1791 though in 1792 he was living in Dock Street in Hull.
John Barkworth’s family originated in Lincolnshire possibly around the villages, of similar name, which are now known as East and West Barkwith which nestle on the Lincolnshire Wolds about fourteen miles north east of Lincoln. The family also held land at Welton le Wold. Before settling in Hull the family also lived in Old Clee and Barton, and there are also connections with Grimsby and Nettleton. The family name is derived from the name of these villages and means a clearing or enclosure on a hill. The first recorded similar spellings of the name as Barkworth are in 1522 when an Agnes Barkworthe (sic) was christened at Brocklesby in Lincolnshire on February 18th and in the will of William Barkeworthe of Spilsby in 1534. William had a daughter named Agnes to who he left “iij quyes and one cowe, five yowes and vjlammys”. [2] Whether the two Agnes’ are the same person is as yet unknown.
John Elverson[3] has generously provided many details which take the family history back to 1644 when Simon Barkworth was born in Lincolnshire. Twenty five years later Simon married Anne Moore at Nettleton in Lincolnshire in 1683 and they had six children including John in 1684. Further research suggests that Anne was Simon’s third wife. He had previously married Elizabeth Taylor in 1664 and an Ann in 1669 with whom he had four children. John married Sarah Potts in 1712 (again at Nettleton) and they had a son, Simon, around 1725. In 1746 Simon married Ann Bradshaw at Clee[4] in Lincolnshire and in 1758 Ann gave birth to John who had Tranby House built in 1806. Simon and Ann had three other children: Thomas (1749), Mary (1753-1829), who married Moses Cook of Grimsby, and Ann (1755). They were all baptised at Old Clee.
At some stage between 1758 and 1781 the family moved to Barton on Humber where Simon and John established a cabinet making business. Unfortunately Ann died in 1781 and Simon in 1782 leaving John to continue the business. They were both buried at St Mary’s church in Barton, where there were memorials to them. John and his family moved to live in Hull around 1792 and from there to Hessle.
[1] K J Allison, Victoria County History, Hull. P216.
[2] Lincoln Wills 1532-1534. Provided by John Elverson.
[3] Barkworth Family History by John Barkworth (c 1960s) kindly provided by J Elverson.
[4] Now Cleethorpes.