Person:Eleanor Armitage (1)

Eleanor (or Ellen) Ann Armitage was baptised on 23rd June 1834 at Kirton in Lincolnshire. She was baptised as "Ellen Reynolds Armitage", and was described as the illegitimate daughter of Ann Armitage, although a crossed out entry alongside her baptism record implies that her father's name was Thomas. It would appear that Eleanor's mother went on to marry a man called Thomas Reynolds in 1837. Given the middle name and crossed-out father's name from Eleanor's baptism, it would seem reasonably likely that Thomas Reynolds was Eleanor's father. However, when she married she used the surname Armitage, and gave Armitage as her maiden name on all her children's birth records. In childhood her first name was generally given as Ellen, whilst as an adult she tended to use the name Eleanor.

Eleanor appears in the 1841 census with her mother and siblings at Kirton. By 1851 she was working as a house servant for a farmer at nearby Wigtoft.

On 1st December 1857, Eleanor married Joseph Walton at Heckington, a few miles west of Kirton. He was from the neighbouring village of Great Hale, and they settled at Great Hale after their marriage. It would appear that they had at least eight children there between 1858 and 1872, although at least four of them died as babies.

The 1861 census finds Eleanor and Joseph living in Great Hale village, at 17 High Street. They later moved to Great Hale Fen, to the east of Great Hale village, appearing there in the 1861 and 1881 censuses. Joseph worked as a shepherd. In 1891 they had a grandson living with them at Great Hale.

Eleanor died at Great Hale Fen on 23rd September 1892, aged 58. Joseph survived her by nearly 27 years.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Kirton (Lincolnshire). Parish registers, 1561-1949. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949, 1994).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Kirton in Holland in the County of Lincoln in the Year 1834
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   1055	June 23rd	Ellen Reynolds illegitimate daughter of	Anne	Armitage	Kirton		W. Braithwaite, Curate

   The previous (incomplete) entry has been crossed out but can still be read - it had said "Ellen Reynolds daughter of Thomas & Anne Armitage".

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 608; Book 6; Folio 7; Page 6, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Town, Kirton, Lincolnshire
   Ann Reynolds, female, 30 [1806-11], born in county
   Joseph Reynolds, male, 8 [1832/3], born in county
   Ellen S. Reynolds, female, 6 [1834/5], born in county
   Mary Reynolds, female, 4 [1836/7], born in county
   Maria Reynolds, female, 1 month [1841], born in county
   Frances Armitage, female, 55 [1781-6], 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 2099; Folio 676; Page 8, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Asperton Road, Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   William Rayson, head, married, male, 36 [1814/15], Farmer of 43 Acres 1 Out door Laborer, b. Holbeach, Lincolnshire
   Francis Rayson, wife, married, female, 47 [1803/4], b. Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire
   Mary Ann Rayson, daughter, unmarried, female, 7 [1843/4], b. Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   Thomas Rayson, son, male, 5 [1845/6], b. Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   Francis Rayson, daughter, female, 4 [1846/7], b. Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   William Morris, son in law, unmarried, male, 20 [1830/1], Work on Land, b. Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Overton Morris, daughter, unmarried, female, 10 [1840/1], b. Wigtoft, Lincolnshire
   Thomas Rayson, brother, unmarried, male, 43 [1807/8], Indoor Laborer, b. Alderkirk, Lincolnshire
   Ellen Reynolds, servant, servant, unmarried, female, 17 [1833/4], House servant, b. Kirton, 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 103; Page 24, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: 17 High Street, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Joseph Walton, head, married, male, 24 [1836/7], Ag[ricultura]l Lab[ourer], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Elenor Ann Walton, wife, married, female, 26 [1834/5], b. Kirton, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Walton, daughter, female, 3 [1857/8], 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 3352; Folio 116; Page 23, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: The Fen, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Joseph Walton, head, married, male, 34 [1836/7], Agr[icultural] Lab[ourer], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Eleanor A. Walton, wife, married, female, 36 [1834/5], b. Kirton, Lincolnshire
   Elizabeth Walton, daughter, unmarried, female, 13 [1857/8], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Rose H. Walton, daughter, female, 9 [1861/2], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Mary Ann Walton, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire

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 105; Page 21, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Fen, Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Joseph Walton, head, married, male, 44 [1836/7], Shepherd, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Ann Walton, wife, married, female, 47 [1833/4], b. Kirton, Lincolnshire
   Mary A. Walton, daughter, female, 12 [1868/9], Scholar, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Fanny Walton, daughter, female, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, 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 77; Page 6, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Joseph Walton, head, married, male, 54 [1836/7], Shepherd, employed, b. Great Hale, Lincolnshire
   Eleanor A. Walton, wife, married, female, 56 [1834/5], b. Kirton, Lincolnshire
   Mary A. Walton, daughter, single, female, 23 [1867/8], General Servant, b. Great Hale Fen, Lincolnshire
   John Walton, grandson, male, 4 [1886/7], b. Sleaford, Lincolnshire

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

   d. Eleanor Ann WALTON, September Quarter 1892, Sleaford Registration District, Volume 7a, page 249, aged 59 [1832/3]

9. ↑ Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 4, 30 Sep 1892.

   Deaths.
   GREAT HALE FEN.-Sept. 23, Eleanor Ann Walton, 59.

10. ↑ Burials 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).

    BURIALS in the Parish of Hale Magna in the County of Lincoln in the Year 1892
    No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
    1391	Eleanor Ann Walton	Great Hale Fen	September 26	59 y[ea]rs	E.J. Turckheim, Vicar