Person:Luke Ward (6)

Luke Ward was baptised on 7th March 1779 at Belton (near Grantham) in Lincolnshire, son of Sarah Ward, formerly Lister, and her husband William Ward, a labourer. By 1783 the family had moved seventeen miles east to Great Hale, where Luke's father died aged 37. Luke's mother subsequently remarried in 1786 to a William Burks, who thus became Luke's stepfather. William Burks died in 1792.

On 2nd May 1805, aged 26, Luke married Ann Allam, who was from Great Hale and was sixteen when they married - Luke was nearly ten years older than her. The couple appear to have had twelve children between 1806 and 1831, but only the first two were baptised as infants. Most of the others were not baptised until after Luke's death. It would appear that Luke's father-in-law John Allam became deacon of Heckington Baptist Church from about 1810, suggesting that Luke and Ann presumably became Baptists around the same time.

In 1808 Luke's now twice-widowed mother married Luke's father-in-law, John Allam. Luke was one of the witnesses to their marriage. Luke's mother Sarah died in 1823 and was buried at Great Hale.

Luke's eldest daughter married in 1826, and his first grandchild was born the following year.

In 1835 Luke was mentioned in his father-in-law John Allam's will; his father-in-law died in January 1841.

In the 1841 census, Luke and his family were living on South Street in Great Hale and Luke was working as a carpenter.

Luke died on 4th June 1844, aged 65. He had lived to see at least 26 grandchildren born in his lifetime, and all 12 of his children survived him. At the time of his death his youngest child, Edward, was only 13. Luke's widow Ann continued to live at South Street. She outlived him by nearly thirteen years and died in 1857.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of Belton (near Grantham, Lincolnshire). Parish registers, 1538-1836. (Lincoln, England: Lincoln Archives Office, 1993).

   1779 Baptisms / Luke the Son of William & Sarah Ward Bapt[ised] March 7th

   This baptism has been linked to the Luke Ward who married Ann Allam on the basis that it is at the right time to match the age quoted at Luke's burial, in Lincolnshire (where he said he had been born in the 1841 census) and Luke and Ann's son John gave one of his sons the distinctive middle name of Lister, which was the maiden name of the mother of the Luke baptised in 1779 at Belton.

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

   d. Luke WARD, June Quarter 1844, Sleaford Registration District, Volume 14, page 348, aged 64 [1779/80]

4. ↑ 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 1844
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   573	Luke Ward	Great Hale	June 7th	65	W. Grice, Off[iciatin]g Minister

5. ↑ Stamford Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Friday 7 Jun 1844.

   DIED
   At Great Hale, on the 4th inst., Luke Ward, aged 67.