Person:William Pettitt (2)

William was the Son of a National schoolmaster and Schoolmistress, at a National School in Leicestershire in the 1871 Census. [See Wikipedia for the definition of a "National School".]

1880 - 1881 William Pettit was the schoolmaster of Holme school at Meal Hill, the first master of the new school. Previously 'day' classes were taken in the Holme Sunday School. In "The Three R's Through Three centuries" Jennifer Lewis (Head teacher in 1994) quotes William's entry in the School Log:

"I find the children very backward. Some of them over seven years of age do not even know their alphabet, and the reading and spelling of the elder ones is very bad, though they seem very sharp and intelligent" Sound familiar ?

In 1881 census, William was boarding at the house of James Clough, farmer at Upper Lydgett. William is 22. Occupation; certified Board School Teacher.

In 1884, he married Lucy Garlick, daughter of Henry Garlick of Shaw Top, Holme. Both were worsted weavers.

In 1887, son Harry was born in Wales, presumably on holiday, because, in 1888, daughter Florence was born in Cartworth.

By 1890, they have moved to Wooldale. In the 1891 census, William was head teacher at the elementary school and was living at "Croft".

After that, the families fortunes took a turn for the worse. I found a death entry in FreeBMD for son Harry in 1894 aged 7, confirmed by being remembered on his grandfather's headstone in Holmbridge churchyard. In 1897 there was a death record for his wife Lucy in Huddersfield District BMD (age 37) and then an entry for William himself in 1899 in Northamptonshire (age 40)

Daughters Florence and Hilda are found in institutions in Sheffield in the 1901 census. We still need to find what happened to them after that, but there is a possible marriage for Florence to Harry F Croft in 1814 in Huddersfield BMD.

I am a descendent of Henry Garlick, Lucy's father. I have been talking to my Uncle Stanley (Garlick) about the Pettitts and the Garlicks. His sister Barbara is my mother. They also had a sister, (my Auntie) Betty, who moved to Doncaster from Holmfirth on her marriage in the late 40s/early 50s. Barbara and Stanley still reside in the Holme Valley. Their father, my grandfather, was Jack Garlick, who died in 1929 aged 34, and who is listed on the Wallace Garlick gravestone. Anyway, to get to the point, we know about William Pettitt and his wife Lucy (nee Garlick). William was the first incumbent at the (new) Holme School. As far as we know, William must have had a post in Wales, where Harry was born, before moving back to the Holme Valley. William is also recorded as being Head Master at Choppards School, in the Ribbleden valley, above Holmfirth. When the girls, Florence and Hilda, were orphaned, they did indeed become residents at an orphanage specifically funded for the offspring of teachers, in the Pitsmoor area of Sheffield. The buildings are still there, and Stanley has some details about the place kindly sent by Sheffield City Libraries. There was another orphaned daughter, Maggie Pettitt, who was too young to be put in the orphanage and she was brought up by Garlick relatives at Laithe, Dobb, above Holmbridge, and in later life, Maggie lived at Edgerton, Huddersfield. Whilst a family tragedy, all the girls at least were relatively well cared for it seems, and we know that Hilda went on to be a teacher herself, and must have been quite successful. Like my Auntie Betty, she too resided in the Doncaster area and lived in a "very nice house": clearly independent and one would think comfortably off. Hilda married "late", to a Head Teacher, and as far as we know, continued living in Doncaster until late in life, before moving to the Exeter area, to live with one of the sisters. Which one we do not know.

The nice bit about the story (and why we know all this) is that Hilda and my Aunty Betty "found each other", as it were, being of the same line: according to Stanley, this was because, in casual conversation about Betty's residence in Doncaster, Maggie Pettit said "oh, my sister lives in Doncaster", and thus Hilda's number was passed on to Betty. There was then quite a bit of contact between Betty and Hilda thereafter. Betty passed away quite of few years ago but her daughters, Anne and Jane (my cousins) live in Doncaster/Rotherham areas: they knew Hilda as "Auntie Hilda". Anne and Jane will know more about Hilda I should think.

I will need to ask Stanley again about Florence. He recalls that she married (confirmed above to Harry Croft) but we do not know any more. Graham Sykes 30.9.12

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census. (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from the National)
   Class: RG9; Piece: 2280; Folio: 108; Page: 11; GSU roll: 542947.

   Birth date: abt 1859
   Birth place: Whaddon, Buckinghamshire, England
   Residence date: 1861
   Residence place: Woodhouse, Leicestershire, England

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census. (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. Data imaged from the National)
   Class: RG10; Piece: 3264; Folio: 71; Page: 13; GSU roll: 839280.

   Birth date: abt 1859
   Birth place: Whaddon, Buckinghamshire, England
   Residence date: 1871
   Residence place: Woodhouse, Leicestershire, England

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census. (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. 1881 British Isles Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the)
   Class: RG11; Piece: 4370; Folio: 115; Page: 8; Line: ; GSU roll: 1342043.

   Birth date: abt 1859
   Birth place: Whaddon, Buckinghamshire, England
   Residence date: 1881
   Residence place: Holme in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England

4. ↑ Betty22/1881 England Census.

   Boarder with Lydia Clough (widow of Henry) and family.

5. ↑ 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.)
   Reg'n dist: Huddersfield, Sub-reg'n dist: Holmfirth, Enum Dist 11
   (Class: RG12; Piece: 3558; Folio 48; Page 1; GSU roll: 6098668).

   Household Schedule 2: Cross, Wooldale
   William Pettitt, head, mar, 32, head teacher of elementary school, born Buckinghamshire, Whaddon
   Lucy Pettitt, wife, mar, 31, born Yorkshire, Austonley
   Harry Pettitt, son, 4, born Denbighshire, Llangcowun
   Florence Pettit, daur, 3, born Yorkshire, Cartworth
   Hilda Pettit, daur, 1, born Yorkshire, Wooldale