Whatmore Family History

Until fairly recent times it was only the sons of wealthy men who had the privilege of attending University.  Women were not allowed to attend at all. Even when Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon helped to set up Girton College, Cambridge in 1870 - the first University College for women, it was not recognised by the authorities. In 1880 Newnham College was also established at Cambridge, but as late as 1910 women were still not allowed to take degrees.

The lists of alumini at Oxford (to 1886)  and Cambridge (to 1900), show there were 3 members of our family who attended Cambridge and 9 who attended Oxford. This post tells the story of one of the Oxford graduates.

John Hill Watmough was born in 1854 at Preston, Lancashire. His father was James Watmough who was baptised at Walton le Dale, Lancashire on 21 June 1829. James married Jane Bleardale from Chipping, Lancashire at Preston in 1852. They had six known children:

John Hill 1854, Mary Jane 1856 who died in 1886, Alice 1858, James William 1861, Eli 1863 and Margaret Ellen 1866.

James Watmough was a coal dealer who spent the whole of his married life in and about Preston. He was obviously a successful businessman as by 1871, when he was 41, he had already retired from business. He must also have been wealthy by this time as he was able to sent his son John Hill Watmough to St Mary’s Hall, Oxford, where John Hill matriculated  on 19 October 1874 aged 19 as a commoner. In the list of alumini, John Hill’s father is described as ‘James of Preston, gent.’

James Watmough died in 1900 at Preston.

John Hill Watmough transferred to Queen’s College Oxford in 1876 and he received his BA there in 1878 and his MA in 1882.

In 1881 John Hill Watmough, aged 26, was living as a boarder at Heaton Norris, near Stockport and is described as Curate of Christ Church, Heaton Norris. He must therefore have been ordained between 1878 and 1881.

In the June Quarter of 1883 in the Stockport Registration District, John Hill Watmough married Helen Maria Williamson of Heaton Horris. Their only known child, Cyril William Watmough, was born in 1884 at Ellen Brook, Lancashire.

By 1891, John Hill Watmough was at the Priory Church, Worksop, where he was curate. His wife and son were not with him, being on a visit to John and Emma Hamon at Bromley in Kent.

  Click to enlarge

Priory Church, Worksop      Photograph Copyright: Richard Croft          Source: Geograph website and reproduced here in accordance with the terms of the site licence which can be viewed at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

By 1901, John Hill Watmough was at Hawarden in Flintshire, where he was Priest. His son Cyril William Watmough was by this time at Public School, being shown in the 1901 census as a boarder at Shrewsbury School. Strangely, John Hill Watmough’s wife was again absent in the 1901 census. She was with her married sister  Eliza Nunn and brother in law – the Rev. Samuel Nunn, at the rectory at Church Lawton near Congleton. It seems likely that John Hill Watmough and his wife had separated as she was still at the rectory at Church Lawton at the time of the 1911 census. John Hill Watmough was in 1911 living at the Rectory at Aldford, Chester.

I have not been able to trace Cyril Watmough in the 1911 census, but the GRO shows that he married a Victoria M Crawley in the Barnet Registration District.

John Hill Watmough’s ancestors are of interest as they can be traced back to Blackrod, Lancashire, which was one of the earliest settlements of the Watmoughs in Lancashire.

John Hill Watmough’s grandfather was a John Watmough  who has baptised on 17 May 1783 at Haigh in Lancashire. He was a coal dealer which means that his son James, the father of John Hill Watmough, took over an established business which helps to explain why he was able to retire by the age of 41.

John Watmough baptised in 1783 married a Mary. They had four known children – Robert, born about 1820, William born about 1825 who was employed as a Cotton Weaver in 1841, Alice born about 1826 and James born 1829. It seems strange that it was James, the youngest son, who inherited the coal dealer business. James was already working with his father in 1841.

The father of John Watmough baptised in 1783 was a Peter Watmough who married Elizabeth Anderton on 26 November 1782 in Wigan. They had a large family of at least 12 children.

Peter Watmough was baptised on 29 June 1759 at Blackrod. He had at least nine siblings. His father was another Peter Watmough who was baptised on 8 April 1721 at Wigan and who married Jane Rosbotham on 22 Nov 1744 in Wigan. This Peter’s father was a Hugh.

If we look for a Hugh Watmough who is likely to have been the father of the Peter baptised in 1721, the only real candidate is the Hugh Watmough who was baptised on 29 Oct 1693 at Blackrod. If this Hugh is the correct one then we can take this line back a further four generations. (see chart below and also see the earlier post on the Watmough Family of Blackrod).