HENRY HEMSWORTH and FAMILY - BRISTOL

Henry Hemsworth was my great grandfather ALONZO's elder brother -

1861 Census for Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The image is unclear but the reference is 2408/44 Workhouse Yard (?). Four years earlier on 13th January 1857, my great grandfather ALONZO was born in Hiley's Yard off Church Street, Gainsborough - this ties in with the details on the census. His mother Ann was formerly known as NUNNINGTON. This was confirmed when it was found that in the March quarter of 1841 for Gainsborough, Lincs, a marriage took place between WILLIAM HUNSWORTH and ANN MUMMINGTON (PRO Ref Vol 14 Page 404). As for HENRY he was born in the June quarter of 1852 in the Gainsborough district of Lincolnshire (PRO Ref Volume 7a Page 611)

The 1871 Census adds to the information found ten years earlier. Charles and Ann have left the family, Ann to marry a Thomas Holding. 

Henry's apprenticeship certificate is below - he followed his father WILLIAM into the tanning trade

In September 2008, I found the following entry in the marriage register of St Philips Church, Shalesmoor, Sheffield 

"HEMSWORTH, Henry (Bachelor, age Full, Currier?, residing at Granville Street). Married Ann HAGUE, on February 13, 1878, by C J Parmenter (Banns) at  St Philips Church, Shalesmoor. Father's name is William Hemsworth (Currier?). Married in the presence of Alonzo Hemsworth, Annie Olerenshaw.

which is confirmed in the FreeBMD Index - Marriages March 1878 Hague Ann Sheffield 9c 502 Hemsworth Henry Sheffield 9c 502. The "Annie Olerenshaw" mentioned as a witness is Henry's sister. She was previously married to a Thomas Holding but he died in Sheffield in the September quarter of 1872 at the young age of 28. (GRO Reference Vol 9C Page 271) Annie re-married a JAMES HENRY OLLERENSHAW three years later in 1875 (GRO Reference Rotherham Volume 9C Page 754)

This is the last record I can find of HENRY until thirty years later when he appears in the 1901 Census in the Ashton Gate district of Bristol - Ref RG13/2360 Page 12 Entry 71 - 1 TANNERY COTTAGES which lie in between 251 - 252 Coronation Road in the Southville district of Bristol. On the face of it it looks as though he remarried 

The census reveals that HENRY must have lived in the area for twenty years of more - his daughter Gertrude was born in Bristol and she is 18 years old in 1901. She would have been born circa 1883

But there is a mystery here. In the 1881 Census Henry's wife Ann Hemsworth (nee Hague) is living with her parents Benjamin and Harriet Hague as was her 2 year old daughter also called Harriet. Her status is Married. Harriet Ann was baptised on 23 February 1879 at St John's Church Owlerton Sheffield and her parents are Henry and Ann Hemsworth

The 1881 census that shows Henry is not living with his wife and daughter 

Ten years later in 1891 she is still living with her widowed father Benjamin and her daughter Harriet who is now 12 years old. Again her status is Married

But that was the last time Ann was to appear in a UK Census. She was admitted to the South Yorkshire Asylum on 24th August 1994 and died there on 9th February 1895.

As for her husband Henry he does not appear on either the 1881 census or the 1891 census but does on the 1901 census - see above. And with him is his wife MARY and 18 year old daughter GERTRUDE. It is clear that something is amiss here.

The 1911 census adds some more information

Name Henry Hemsworth
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Condition Married
Gender Male
Age 59 Estimated Year of Birth 1852
Occupation Tanner Flesher On Hides
Employed Yes Working at Home No
Industry Tannery Clift House
Place of Birth Gainsboro
Enumerator Information Address 1 Tannery Cottages Coronation Road Bedminster Parish Bristol Town Bedminster Type of Building Private House Number of Rooms House 5 Rooms Inhabited Yes
Reference RG14PN14921 RG78PN903 RD319 SD3 ED37 SN60 Registration Sub District Bedminster Enumeration District 37

 It states quite clearly that HENRY and MARY have been married for 30 years which would have put the marriage date circa 1881. But ANN HEMSWORTH was also married to HENRY at that time. The clear inference is that HENRY abandoned his family ANN and his daughter HARRIET and moved to Bristol and set up home there. I have not found any evidence of a Hemsworth connection in the Bristol area before then and since then for that matter.  It could be argued that he went there in search of work and/or a better paid job and Ann refused to join him but this is unlikely. The most telling two factors for me is that HENRY and MARY do not appear in either the 1881 census and 1891 census but more importantly I can find no record of a marriage between HENRY and MARY. If they had have been one it would have in all probability been a bigamous one. And surely he would have been able to pick up work a little nearer to Sheffield. He was after all a skilled artisan,

As for HARRIET HEMSWORTH life seems to have gone downhill - he mother was admitted to an asylum in 1894 but the previous year 1893 Harriet was brought before the Sheffield magistrates for stealing a purse and sentenced for 21 days plus 2 years in a Reformatory for the offence

The next record I can find is the 1901 Census

Harriet does appear in the 1901 Census. She is listed as a 25 year old housekeeper for a 26 year old dock labourer EDWARD HUNT. Both EDWARD and HARRIET are single. Also living with them is a 2 month old DAUGHTER, EMMA HEMWORTH. The other point to note is that EMMA was born in Scotland rather than GOOLE. What was HARRIET in Scotland for?

But I can find no trace of HARRIET in the 1911 Census but her 10 year old daughter EMMA is listed. She is living with a WILLIAM and MARTHA CLARK and is listed as either a step daughter or adopted daughter. I cannot make it out but I feel that the latter is correct   

The next record is from the BMD registers and refers to the birth of a JULIA HEMSWORTH on 27th February 1919. There is no father given on the birth certificate. The assumption is that the mother is HARRIET HEMSWORTH who would have been nigh on 40 years old when Julia was born. The other possibility is that JULIA may be the daughter of EMMA HEMSWORTH and the granddaughter of HARRIET but without access to a birth certificate there is no way of knowing. JULIA married an ERIC CURTIS in 1942 and together they had 3 children 

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page 
Births Mar 1919 Hemsworth Julia Hemsworth Goole 9c 1356
Marriages Jun 1942 Hemsworth Julia Curtis Goole 9c 2606 

HARRIET died in 1927 at the age of 48 - it looks as though she never remarried

Name: Harriet Hemsworth
Death Age: 48
Birth Date: abt 1879
Registration Date: Oct 1927 [Nov 1927] [Dec 1927] 
Registration Quarter: Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration District: Goole Inferred County: Yorkshire West Riding Volume: 9c Page: 889 

As for her daughter EMMA HEMSWORTH the 1939 National Register has her located in the County Poor Law Institution at 65 Boothferry Road in Goole East Yorkshire. She is single and her occupation is given like all the others in the institution as retired. EMMA was just 38 years old 

The next reference to the family I have to date is the marriage of their daughter GERTRUDE in the Long Ashton district of Bristol in the September quarter of 1903 ((PRO Ref Volume 5c Page 1177). She married a SAMUEL JOHN HALFYARD who was 3 years older than GERTRUDE  

And then HENRY and his wife MARY appear in the 1911 UK Census

1921 Census

Death Record - Name Henry Hemsworth
Year of Registration 1922 Quarter of Registration Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration District Bristol Registration County Gloucestershire Age at Death: 70 Volume Number 6A

Death Record - Name: Mary Hemsworth
Death Age: 64 Birth Date: abt 1860
Registration Date: Jan 1924 [Feb 1924] [Mar 1924] 
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration District: Bristol Inferred County: Gloucestershire Volume: 6a Page: 49

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This page was last updated on 26/02/25 08:44