Person:Rebecca Ward (10)

Rebecca Ward was born on 14th June 1826 at Great Hale in Lincolnshire, daughter of Ann Ward, formerly Allam, and her husband Luke Ward, a carpenter. The family were Baptists and Rebecca was not baptised until she was twenty years old. Rebecca's maternal grandfather, John Allam, was a deacon at the Baptist chapel in the neighbouring village of Heckington.

In 1841 John Allam died, leaving Rebecca a house at Great Hale in his will. Later that year the census finds Rebecca living with her parents and siblings on South Street in Great Hale. Rebecca's father died in 1844.

In 1851 Rebecca was still living on South Street with her mother, her brother Luke and his wife and family.

On 20th May 1852 Rebecca married Thomas Clark at Great Hale. He was originally from Ruskington, about six miles north-west of Great Hale, although he had been living at Little Hale immediately before there marriage, working as a farm servant in a household which also included Rebecca's nephew, Joseph Walton (son of Rebecca's sister Elizabeth).

They settled in Great Hale after their marriage. They do not appear to have had any children. Rebecca's mother died in 1857.

The 1861 census finds Rebecca and Thomas living at South Fen, when Thomas was described as a shepherd. In 1871 they were a couple of miles east of Great Hale at Gibbet Hill and Thomas was working as a farmer's foreman. By 1881 they had returned to Great Hale and were living on Poor's Row, with Thomas described as an agricultural labourer.

In 1891 Rebecca was still living in Great Hale, although Thomas was not at home on census night. The census notes that her home had three rooms. The 1901 census finds them together again in Great Hale, with Thomas described as being a retired farm labourer.

Thomas died at Great Hale in 1903, aged 77. Rebecca survived him by just over five years. She died on 22nd November 1908, aged 82. She left a will, which was administered by Tom Newton, who was Rebecca's sister Elizabeth's daughter Ann's husband.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Great Hale (Lincolnshire). Parish registers for Great Hale, ca.1568-1988. (Lincoln, England: Lincoln Archives Office, 1993-2002).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Hale Magna in the County of Lincoln in the Year 1847
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   1148	May 30th Born June 14th 1826	Rebecca D[aughte]r of	Luke & Ann	Ward	Great Hale	Carpenter	C.J. McCormick, Curate

   Baptised same day as siblings Edward, William, Luke, Elizabeth and Catherine.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 619; Book 4; Folio 12; Page 18, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: South Street, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Luke Ward, male, 60 [1776-81], Carpenter, born in county
   Ann Ward, female, 50 [1786-91], born in county
   Luke Ward, male, 20 [1816-21], Carpenter, born in county
   Rebecca Ward, female, 14 [1826/7], born in county
   Hannah Ward, female, 12 [1828/9], born in county
   Edward Ward, male, 10 [1830/1], born in county
   Thomas Rick, male, 15 [1821-26], Apprentice, born in county
   Michael Law, male, 15 [1821-26], Apprentice, born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 2101; Folio 244; Page 10, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: South Street, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Luke Ward, head, married, male, 34 [1816/7], Carpenter Master employing 1 man and 1 apprentice, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Mary Ward, wife, married, female, 29 [1821/2], Carpenters Wife, b. South Kyme, Lincolnshire
   Ann Ward, daughter, unmarried, female, 5mo [1850], Carpenters Dau[ghte]r, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Ann Ward, mother, widow, female, 62 [1788/9], Annuitant, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Rebecca Ward, sister, unmarried, female, 24 [1826/7], Carpenters Dau[ghte]r, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Ward, niece, unmarried, female, 17 [1833/4], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   William Fletcher, lodger, unmarried, male, 23 [1827/8], Carpenter (Journeyman), b. South Kyme, Lincolnshire
   William Housley, apprentice, unmarried, male, 19 [1831/2], Carpenters Apprentice, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Luke Walton, nephew, unmarried, male, 10 [1840/1], Errand Boy, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 2345; Folio 92; Page 1, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: South Fen, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Thomas Clark, head, married, male, 34 [1826/7], Shepard [sic], b. Ruskington, Lincolnshire
   Rebecca Clark, wife, married, female, 34 [1826/7], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

5. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 3345; Folio 53; Page 20, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Gibbet Hill, Lincolnshire
   Thomas Clarke, head, married, male, 44 [1826/7], Farmer's Foreman, b. Ruskington, Lincolnshire
   Rebecca Clarke, wife, married, female, 44 [1826/7], D[itt]o Wife, b. Hale Magna, Lincolnshire

   Gibbet Hill (or Gibbet Hills) had been an extra-parochial area until 1858 when it became a parish. The parish was abolished in 1891, being absorbed into the parish of Swineshead.

6. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 3225; Folio 104; Page 20, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Poor Row, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Thomas Clark, head, married, male, 54 [1826/7], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Ruskington, Lincolnshire
   Rebecca Clark, wife, married, female, 54 [1826/7], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

7. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 2579; Folio 78; Page 9, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Rebecca Clarke, head, married, female, 64 [1826/7], Agricultural Laborers Wife, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

8. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 3050; Folio 74; Page 16, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   3 rooms occupied
   Thomas Clark, head, married, male, 74 [1826/7], Retired Labourer on Farm, b. Hale Magna, Lincolnshire
   Rebecca Clark, wife, married, female, 74 [1826/7], b. Hale Magna, Lincolnshire

9. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Rebecca CLARKE, December Quarter 1908, Sleaford Registration District, Volume 7a, page 287, aged 82 [1825/6]

10. ↑ Boston Guardian, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 8, 5 Dec 1908.

    DEATHS.
    GREAT HALE.-Nov. 22nd, Rebecca Clarke, 82.

11. ↑ England. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations),1858 onwards. (Ancestry.com).

    1908
    CLARK Rebecca of Great Hale Lincolnshire widow died 22 November 1908 Probate London 19 December to Tom Newton threshing machine proprietor.
    Effects £158 11s. 8d.