Sparks Ancestry

Reproduction for the purpose of financial gain is prohibited. Redistribution of this material, in part or in its entirety, to a genealogical website/service which resells or charges for access is strictly prohibited. The data contained herein is for the most part either public domain or copyright of various statutary authorities, unless specified otherwise in the sources, and cannot, by international copyright law ("Intellectual Rights") be copyrighted by a third party. I make no claim regarding the accuracy of this chart; the original sources are not free from error and transcriptions may contain errors. Printing instructions: This document contains formatting which is incompatible with printing. To print use a text editor (eg: notepad) to remove all occurrences of "<fieldset>" and "</fieldset>" & then print, or email for a printable pdf. Layout & charts © 2010, David Powell, <roots-boots @ hotmail.com> http://roots-boots.net/bilton/.

Charting the descendants of Abraham Sparks of Birtsmorton & Welland, Co Worcester, England, in Co Worcester & Co Surrey, England, the USA & Australia. Abraham was the only Sparkes in the Birtsmorton & Welland district in the 1700s so it is likely that he arrived there from elsewhere. Attempts to find where he came from and the identity of his parents has, to date, been unsuccessful, both by myself and other researchers.. References to Abraham Sparkes in the IGI prior to 1720 can be found in Counties Warwick, Sussex, Suffolk, Somerset, Hampshire, Kent, Gloucester, Durham & Devon, although most consist of just a single reference. There are no references to the name in Co Worcester prior to Abraham's marriage there in 1743. Birtsmorton & Welland lie in the Malvern Hills, close to where Counties Hereford, Worcester & Gloucester meet. The IGI has only two records for Sparkes in Co Herefordshire prior to 1750, two female baptisms in the early 1700s. Co Gloucester has a large Sparkes population prior to the mid 1700s, including two Abraham Sparkes in the late 1600s, one born in Uley and the other in Cirencester, both about 35km from Birtsmorton. This was not an impossibly large distance and it is suggestive that Abraham of Birtsmorton was originally from Co Gloucester. Perhaps the son of Abraham of Uley or Abraham of Cirencester? It is very interesting to note that a Hester Sparkes, d/o Abraham & Sarah was baptised 1733 in Ulney, Co Gloucester. Was Abraham of Birtsmorton an older son of Abraham & Sarah of Ulney? Abraham of Ulney appears to have been the s/o Solomon Sparkes Jr or Ulney, who'se ancestry goes back several generations in Ulney to the early 1600s, if not earlier. With real no evidence of a connection between the two families any such suggestion must, for now at least, remain speculation.

1. Abraham Sparks,[396,413] born about 1720.[397] Died 1752 & buried 31/3/1752, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[397,401,413] Married Anne Bunn,[396,413] 3/1/1743, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[397] Ann born c.1720, died 1769 & buried 1/7/1769, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,401,413]

Children of Abraham Sparks & Anne Bunn:

*	i.		Abraham Sparkes,[394,395,413] born c.1746, baptised 29/9/1747, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[396,397]
	ii.		Esther Sparks, baptised 23/10/1749, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[397] Died 1749 & buried 4/11/1749, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[397]

St Peter and St Paul, Birtsmorton
Photograph © James Murray [Churches of UK & Ireland]

Cottage, Birt St, Birtsmorton
Photograph © Philip Laney & Jolly

The Farmer's Arms, Birtsmorton
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Brittesmorton, Brettesmorton, Bruttesmorton, Morton Brec (13th century); Morton Brut (14th century); Morton Bird (15th century); Byrchmorton, Bruchmorton (16th century). Birtsmorton is a small agricultural parish lying between Castlemorton on the north and Berrow on the south in the Malvern Hills of Worcestershire, England. Its southern boundary is formed by a brook which flows from Birtsmorton to Longdon. The parish has a total area of 1,291 acres, of which 240 acres are arable land, 871 acres pasture and 14 acres woodland. Birtsmorton is also the name of the chief village in the parish. The east of the parish, adjoining Longdon, is low and marshy, but the land rises gently to the west to a height of 307 ft. near Coombe Green Common, which is continued into Castlemorton as Hollybed Common. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 250. Birtsmorton is not mentioned by name in the Domesday Survey, but it is probably to be identified with the 2½ hides of land previously held by Alwi then held by William Fitz Baderon of the Abbot of Westminster's manor of Longdon. 1868: "Birts Morton, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, in the county of Worcester, 6 miles to the S.W. of Upton-on-Severn. Ledbury is its post town. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester, of the value of £430, in the patronage of C. Pilson, Esq. The church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, and contains some old monuments. There is a small free school founded in 1703, having an income from endowment of £14 a year. The ancient manor-house, called Birts Morton Court, is still standing, and is occupied as a farm house. The moat which surrounds it is in good preservation. This ancient residence was the birthplace (1770) of the Right Hon. William Huskisson." In the 1800s the population was chiefly agricultural, with the women employed in glove-sewing. The parish possessed a mill in the 1340s and a wind-mill and a water cornmill existed in 1713. By the early 1900s there were no longer any mills in the parish. The church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, a crucifrom building consisting of chancel, aisleless nave, north and south transepts, south porch and west tower. With the exception of the porch, which is a modern timber structure on a stone base, the whole of the building is of 14th-century date, the original plan having remained unaltered and the fabric itself having undergone little change except by way of restoration. Internally, however, it appears to have passed through the usual alterations of the 17th and 18th centuries, and before the restoration of 1877 was filled with square pews and had a tall, narrow semicircular plastered chancel arch and square-headed openings to the transepts. In the restoration some portions of the walls of the south transept and at the east end of the nave and chancel were taken down and rebuilt, a new chancel arch and arches to the transepts were inserted, and many of the windows were renewed. The old roofs were also removed, new open-timbered roofs of pitch pine being substituted and the porch was erected. The tower was restored in 1895. The church is built throughout of grey rubble masonry with red stone dressings and the roofs are covered with modern red tiles overhanging at the eaves. The font is ancient and consists of a circular stone basin chamfered on the under side standing on a circular stem and chamfered plinth, and is probably of late 12th or early 13th-century date. There is a large manor house, Birtsmorton Court, which is used today as a wedding venue.[Wikipedia, GenUKI, British History Online] Birtsmorton Court is a medieval moated manor house near Malvern in Worcestershire, in the former woodlands of Malvern Chase. The English place name element birt-, which often signifies the birches such as grow in this low-lying site, in this particular case may be a transformation of de Brute, holding the manor under Edward I. The manor was mentioned in Domesday; the present house, partly half-timbered built on a courtyard plan, is in part of the 13th century. In 1424-1425 Birtsmorton became the seat of John Nanfan, who demolished most of the earlier structure before his death, c.1447. The house was remodelled for Giles Nanfan, c.1572. The last male heir, Bridges Nanfan, left the estate to his daughter Catherine. The present appearance of the house is in part due to antiquarian restoration and emendation by Frederick S. Waller, 1871-1872. The east range, destroyed by fire in the 18th century, was restored in 1929-1930 by A. Hill Parker & Son, in what Pevsner called a 'successful pastiche'. Birtsmorton Court is a fine example of a moated grange, much of which was built in the 15th Century. Some of the original foundations laid in 1241 forms part of the Court today. In the 15th century the Court was home to the Nanfans for some 300 years, and their connections with the Royal House of Tudor is recorded in the oak and plaster carvings in the Banqueting Hall. There are today fewer than 10 moated sites in Britain occupied by private owners, and Birtsmorton Court is exceptional in that it has a rare double moat. This second moat was intended as a night time animal sanctuary to protect livestock from wild boar. A stone boar now sits defiantly in the centre of the second moat as a humorous reminder of the past. The Court consists of an Elizabethan Banqueting Hall, a Medieval Great Hall, Council Chamber and a 17th century dining room along with a sympathetic extension, which was built in the early part of the 20th century. The oldest structure is the main gate which dates back to the 13th century.[Wikipedia, Birtsmorton Court]

1.1. Abraham Sparkes (s/o Abraham),[394,395,413] born c.1746, baptised 29/9/1747, St Peter & St Paul, Birtsmorton, Co Worcester, England.[396,397,405] Died 1823 & buried 25/6/1823, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England (77yo).[396,397,401] {Some secondary sources give a DOD or burial of 31/10/1823, I have gone with the date from the National Burial Index} Married Elizabeth Burford,[395,405] 7/3/1770, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[396,397] Elizabeth born c.1746, died 1804 & buried 22/12/1804, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England (58yo).[397,401,413] Married 2nd Elizabeth Gorum, 12/11/1809, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[396] By banns.[396] Elizabeth baptised 5/11/1745, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England,[395]

Children of Abraham Sparkes & Elizabeth Burford:

Sarah Sparks, baptised 1/7/1770, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397]

ii.

Samuel Spark, born 1771, Welland,[390,413] baptised 20/8/1771, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397]

iii.

William Sparks, born 1771, Co Worcester,[388] baptised 9/5/1773, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397]

iv.

Ann Sparks, baptised 18/12/1774, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397,405] Married William Gunnell, 6/8/1797, St Peter, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395,405] William, s/o William Gunnell & Elizabeth King, born 1769, Castlemorton, Co Worcester, England.[405]

Children: (a)

William Gunnell, born 1797, Castlemoreton, Co Worcester, England.[405] Married Phoebe Young.[405] Phoebe, d/o William Young & Elizabeth Hudson, born 1798, Castlemorton, Co Worcester, England.[405]

Frances 'Fanny' Sparks, born 1773/1775, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[397,407,411]

vi.

Elizabeth Sparks, baptised 23/7/1777, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[397]

vii.

James Sparks, baptised 7/1/1781, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Married Hannah Bradley, 9/7/1805, Saint Michael Bedwardine, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395]

Children: (a)		Janetta Sparkes, baptised 13/4/1806, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394]
(b)		Anna Maria Sparkes, baptised 27/3/1807, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394]
(c)		Ann Sparkes, baptised 3/11/1811, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394]

viii.

Mary Sparks, baptised 20/7/1783, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Married John Evans, 16/5/1812, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394]

ix.

Thomas Sparkes, baptised 28/5/1786, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Married Susanna Mole, 22/10/1810, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395]

Benjamin Sparkes,[408] baptised 10/5/1789, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,395,397]

xi.

Hannah Sparkes, baptised 24/11/1793, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394] Died 1794 & buried 20/6/1794, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[397,401]

St James, Welland
Photograph © Beryl Allcoat [Geograph]

Cottage, 'Micklefield', Welland
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Mill Cottage, Welland
Photograph © The Cider Press

Wenlond (9th century); Weneland (12th century); Wentlande, Wenlond (13th century). Welland is a village and (with Little Malvern) a civil parish in the administrative District of Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the town of Malvern and 15 miles from the city of Worcester. It is surrounded by farms and common land, and is part of the informal region referred to as The Malverns. Welland is a crossroads village in south Worcestershire situated almost mid-way on a minor alternative route between the cities of Worcester and Gloucester. The village is adjacent to Castlemorton Common and lies beneath the southern end of the Malvern Hills. The parish of Welland lies in the south-west of the county. It has an area of 1,888 acres, of which in 1905 498 were arable land, 1,068 permanent grass and 17½ wood. The parish was formerly part of Malvern Chase. The soil is loam, and the subsoil Keuper Marl. The numerous old claypits in the parish indicate that clay was worked for manure. The land rises from about 100 ft. above the ordnance datum on the eastern border of the parish to a height of 276 ft. on the western boundary near Marl Bank. The high road from Upton-on-Severn to Malvern Wells, which passes through the village, is here called Drake Street, and is continued through Marl Bank, a district to the north-west of the village. Mere Brook, running east into the River Severn, near Upton-on-Severn, forms the northern boundary of the parish. A stream runs through the village of Welland, which is situated in the centre of the parish, at the foot of the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills, upon the main road, about 2 miles west of Upton-on-Severn. Upon the south side of the road is the modern church of St. James. The original church stood upon a by-road, about half a mile to the eastward, a little to the south of the main road. Only the gravestones in the surrounding churchyard mark the site of the original building, no vestige of which is now left. On the north is the old vicarage, a half-timber building covered with rough-cast, and on the south Welland Court, a good brick house of the early 18th century. At the junction of this by-road with the main road is a fine half-timber farm-house with later brick additions. The houses here are mainly modern, though one or two are of half-timber, modernized and cased with brick. At the centre of the village community is the the Pheasant Inn, a traditional village pub located between the church and the village green. Adjacent to the Village Hall is Welland Primary School founded in 1876 with a capacity for up to 150 children. 1868: "Wellend, a parish in the lower division of Oswaldslow hundred, county Worcester, 3 miles S.W. of Upton-on-Severn. The village is situated near the Malvern hills. The parish, which is partly in common, is a meet for the Ledbury hounds. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester, value £380, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church is dedicated to St. James. The charities consist of poor's land, let for about £16 per annum. Races take place in July." There has been a Church of Saint James at Welland since 1300. The old church was situated at the end of Welland Court Lane, off the Upton Road and about a mile or so from the present Church. Due to an increase in the population of the village in the late 1800s and the deterioration of the old church, it was decided to look for another site. Abraham Watkins, the churchwarden, donated the land on which the new Church of Saint James was built. The work was commenced in 1873 and the foundation stone was laid on St. James' Day, July 25th of that year. The new church was consecrated on 2nd April 1875. The architect was J. West Hugnall of Worcester, the builders were Wall and Hook, of Brimscombe, Gloucestershire and the cost was approximately £4000, raised by private donations and small grants from the Worcestershire Church Extensions Society and the Incorporated Church Building Society. The tower has a wooden spire and houses six bells. The structure is of Malvern Stone, taken from the Gullet Quarry, Castlemorton and faced with Bath stone. The nave is 61 feet by 25 feet, has four bays resting on round piers with alternating bands of blue and white stone. It is in the early decorated style of the 13th century. The church plate consists of a handsome silver-gilt chalice with a high spire-like cover, both of elaborate repousse work, with the hall marks for 1613; a blown glass flagon with a silver-gilt lid, neck-band and foot, with the hall marks of 1582, both bearing the Taylor arms. There are also a silver cup of the usual type dated 1571 and a modern silver-gilt cup, flagon and paten. Electric lighting was added in 1930, previously having been lit by oil lamps suspended on chains between the columns.[Wikipedia, GenUKI, St James, British History Online]

St Gregory, Castlemorton
Photograph © Rosemary Lockie [GenUKI]

Cottage, Castle Morton
Photograph © Francis Frith

Nott's Farm, Drugger's End Lane, Castlemorton
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Moreton, Mortun, Morton Folet or Castel Morton. Castlemorton is a village and civil parish close to Malvern in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. 1868: "Castle Morton, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, in the county of Worcester, 5 miles to the S.W. of Upton-on-Severn, its post town. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the vicarage of Longdon, in the diocese of Worcester. The church, which is of very ancient date, is dedicated to St. Gregory. The charitable endowments for the poor, consisting of the produce of church and poor's lands, are worth about £40 per annum. Near the church is a moat surrounding a mound, supposed to be the site of an ancient castle belonging to the De Moutes." Castlemorton is a large parish comprising 3,701 acres, more than half of which is pasture. It was formerly very well wooded, part of it lying within the forest of Malvern; by 1924 there was only about 26 acres of woodland remaining. The soil is loam and clay and the subsoil Keuper Marl. In the east, near Longdon, the surface is rather flat, but the land rises rapidly towards the Malvern Hills, which form the western boundary of the parish. The highest point is Swinyard Hill, about 800 ft. above the ordnance datum. The west of the parish is occupied by about 600 acres of uninclosed common land, knows as Castlemorton Common and Hollybed Common,' the last remnant of the once extensive Malvern chase.' On the commons are various quarries and gravel-pits; near Hollybed Common is a corn-mill, worked by a brook which drains the parish and flows through Longdon into the Severn. Castlemorton was known more frequently till the 14th century as Morton Folliott or Folet, taking its name from its early owner. The castle was probably erected in the 12th century, possibly during the 'anarchy' of Stephen's reign by a member of the Folliott family. Its position is marked by 'Castle Tump' and its surrounding ditches in the village to the south of the church. Its defences were probably of timber, as was frequent in this type of castle; and being raised possibly for a temporary purpose, it apparently has no history. The castle was bought by Richard de Berkyng, Abbot of Westminster (1222–1246), from some of the members of the Folliott family. It was probably this Abbot Richard who appointed a chaplain to celebrate divine service daily in the chapel of his castle. Early in the reign of Edward I the abbot 'appropriated a carucate of land to his castle of Morton. No other references to the castle have been found. Hillend Court is situated about a mile east of the village, near the Longdon boundary. It was in the 18th century the home of the Bartlett family, who had, however, lived at Castlemorton for many years before they purchased Hillend. On 21 September 1642 a force of 150 soldiers under Captain Scriven plundered the house of Mr. Rowland Bartlett of Castlemorton, 'a man so well beloved, for his hospitality so dear to all sorts of people, that had not the rebels taken the opportunity of his neighbours being at Ledbury Fair, the force had been too weak to have plundered his house.'They took away much money and linen, but ' scattered Mrs. Bartlett's sweetmeats on the ground, not daring to taste them for fear of poison.' Mr. Bartlett had his house plundered five or six times during the Civil War. Some traces of this house were left in 1854. In 1609–1610 there was a serious outbreak of the plague in Castlemorton. Prior to the early 1900s the men are employed in agriculture; some of the women were formerly glove-sewers. Castlemorton is not mentioned by name in the Domesday Survey; it was then included in the manor of Longdon. 'The mill of Morton' is mentioned in 1277–1278. At that date there were two mills in Longdon and Castlemorton. A mill is mentioned again in 1314– 1315 and a mill and water-mill in 1329–1330. The 'mill of Newenmill' and the 'mill of Boddyhull' occur in 1374. A mill is mentioned in 1416–1417 nd Windmillfield in 1707. In 1924 there was a corn-mill near Hollybed Common. The parish church is dedicated to St Gregory, consisting of chancel, nave, south aisle, a transeptal chapel at the east end, a porch and a tower surmounted by a stone spire. The north porch dates from the 15th century, and was constructed from the timbers of a lych-gate which once stood at the entrance to the south of the church. The church dates from the 12th century, possibly built on what may have been the site of an earlier Saxon church. The tower was an early addition, being built in 1387; however the spire was not added until about 500 years later, in the 17th century. It has two diagonal stepped buttresses, with a niche in each, and 4 gargoyles, 2 each on the north-west and south-west walls. Unusually, St Gregory's church has 2 original Norman doorways, dating from the 12th century. The chancel and nave probably represent an early 12th-century chapel, to which an aisle and chapel were apparently added about 1200. In 1387 a reconstruction probably took place and the tower was added or rebuilt, the church and churchyard being at this date rededicated. In 1647 the church was restored, possibly owing to a threatened or actual ruin of the building. The church was again restored, in sections, between 1879-1908. The church throughout is built of rubble masonry and the roofs are eaved and covered with modern red tiles. The chancel roof is lower than that of the nave, and the east window is modern and of three cinquefoiled lights under a straight-sided arch, probably a copy of a former window inserted in the 15th century. Two 12th-century windows on the north side were replaced stone for stone in their original positions when the chancel was rebuilt.[Wikipedia, GenUKI, GenUKI, British History Online]

1.1.1. Sarah Sparks (d/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), baptised 1/7/1770, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Married Thomas Hill, 1/1/1793, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Witness was Abraham Sparks (presumably her father).[414] Thomas the s/o James Hill, farmer.[414] Sarah & Thomas resided Colwall at the time of their marriage.[414]

Children of Sarah Sparks:

*	i.	Joseph Sparkes, born 1786, Welland, Co Worcester, England,[388,389,390]
*	ii.	William Sparkes, born 1786/1787/1791, Welland, Co Worcester,[388,389,390] baptised 6/3/1791, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394]
	iii.	Thomas Hill, baptised 22/2/1795, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414]
	iv.	Ann Hill, baptised 23/10/1803, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414]

St James, Colwall
Photograph © Julian Guffogg [Geograph]

Colwall Village, 1960
Photograph © Francis Frith

Park Farm, Colwall (1530)
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Colwall is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England on the border with Worcestershire, nestling into the side of the Malvern Hills. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall and Colwall Green along over a mile of the B4218 road. A feature of Colwall is the view of the Iron Age British Camp (Herefordshire Beacon), which forms part of the Malvern Hills. Although neither administered by the nearby town of Malvern nor the Malvern Hills District, Colwall is often included in the informal region referred to as The Malverns for the hills, and the towns and villages that surround them. The village is served by a railway station, just one platform, on the single track line between Great Malvern and Ledbury railway station at Ledbury, which passes through the Colwall Tunnels dug under the Malvern Hills between 1856 and 1860. Colwall has a state primary school, and two independent preparatory schools in the village, The Downs, Malvern College Prep. and The Elms, founded in 1614. Colwall has expanded since the early 1990s with the development of "Pedler's Field" and other parts of the village. 1868: "Colwall, a parish in the hundred of Radlow, in the county of Hereford, 4 miles S.W. of Malvern, its, post town, and the same distance N.E. of Ledbury. It has a station on the West Midland branch of the Great Western railway. It is situated on the western side of the Malvern hills, under the Herefordshire Beacon. Part of the parish is in hops. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Hereford, value £540, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. James, is an ancient structure in the early English style, with tower and several ancient monuments. The charities amount to £33 per annum, and there are free schools for both sexes. The bishop of the diocese and H. Bright, Esq., are lords of the manor. Many brass coins and a gold ornament were found a few years back in the neighbourhood." The parish population in 1861 was 1,628; in 1871, 1,349; inhabited houses, 293; families or separate occupiers, 343; area of parish, 3,511 acres. Walm's well and Moorall's well are springs in this parish, which for a long series of years have enjoyed a high repute for curative properties. The Royal Malvern well was discovered in the 1860s, near the Wyche pass. On the summit of one of the highest ridges of the Malvern hills, and on the borders of Worcestershire, are the immense works of the Herefordshire Beacon, formerly one of the strongest and most important hill-fortresses in this island, of Brition origins. The Church, dedicated to St. James, is an ancient edifice chiefly in the Norman and Early English styles of architecture. It consists of a nave with side aisle, chancel, and square castellated tower at the west end containing six bells & is just over a mile south west of the present village centre, the village having grown away from the church as a result of the arrival in the area of the railway in 1860. The tower is in a good state of preservation, and is connected with the nave in a curious way, as if originally it had been separate from the church, as many Herefordshire towers are. The structure and growth of the parish changed dramatically in the second half of the 19th century when the previous essentially rural village became a bustling, vibrant community established around the station. Apart from the railway Colwall also benefitted from its position on the western side of the Malvern Hills and its nearness to Malvern which at that time was a very fashionable spa and water cure centre. A church has been on this site since Saxon times servicing a farming community where agricultural activities included hunting on the local chase. The first Rector listed was Gerard de Eugines in 1275 and at that time the church would have consisted of a chancel, the nave and the south aisle. Entry to the existing church is through a late Norman south doorway. The south aisle with a 5 bay arcade is 13th century and projecting south from the west end of the aisle is the tower began in the 14th century with a 15th century top. There is a handsome nave roof which was significantly repaired around 1675 when the great tie beam was positioned to strengthen the leaning pillars. On the half-pillar in the west wall the central figure has raised arms and probably represents a fertility symbol which country folk felt important even after they became Christians.[Wikipedia, GenUKI, St James]

1.1.2. Samuel Spark (s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1771, Welland,[390,413] baptised 20/8/1771, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Died 1854 & buried 28/5/1854, St Peter, Malvern Wells, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Shoe mender, 1841.[413] Married Mary Clifton, 13/5/1793, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Mary died 1842 & buried 28/4/1842, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,401,413] Resided 1841,1851, Hanley Castle, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[388,390,413]

Children of Samuel Spark & Mary Clifton:

Abraham Samuel Sparkes, baptised 20/4/1794, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Died 1794 & buried 23/12/1794, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,401,413]

ii.

Frances Sparkes, baptised 20/12/1795, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Died infancy.

iii.

Harriott Sparkes, baptised 25/2/1798, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413]

iv.

George Sparkes, born 12/8/1800, Hanley Castle,[388,389,390,413] baptised 17/8/1800, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died September quarter, 1873, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Labourer, 1824, 1826, 1827, 1829, 1832.[414] Married Elizabeth Davis,[413] 18/11/1823, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[395,413,414] Married with consent of the parents.[414] Both resided Colwall at the time.[414] Witness was Jonathan Lucy.[414] Elizabeth born 1804, Co Worcester, England,[388] died 1847 & buried 8/12/1847, St Mary & St Michael, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[387,395,401,413] Married 2nd Charlotte Compton, 5/11/1848, St Mary & St Michael, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[395] Charlotte born 1801, Hanley, Co Worcester, England,[390] died September quarter, 1851, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 27/8/1851, St Mary & St Michael, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[401] Resided 1824, Malvern Hill, Co Worcester, England.[414] Resided 1826, 1827, 1829, 1832, The Woods, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Resided 1840, Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[388,390,413] Resided 1841,1851,1861,1871, Great Malvern, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390,398,413]

Children: (a)

James Sparkes, born 1824, Malvern Hill, Co Worcester, England,[388,389,390,413,414] baptised 13/6/1824, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841.[388,390] With father, 1861, Hanley Castle, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[389]

(b)

Mary Sparks, born 1826, The Woods, Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[413,414] baptised 2/4/1826, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Died 1827 & buried 15/3/1827, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England (1yo).[414]

(c)

Ann Sparkes, born 1827, The Woods, Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,413,414] & baptised 30/9/1827, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841.[388] Died 1861, Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413] Married James Field, 27/5/1849, St Mary, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413] James died 1858.[413] Resided 1851, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[413]

Children: (1)		Emma Louisa Field, born 1849, Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413]
(2)		Charles Field, born 1851, Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413]
(3)		Jane Elizabeth Field, born 1852, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413] Married John Whittaker.[413]
(4)		James Field, born 1859, Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[413]

(d)

Harriot Sparkes, born 1829, The Woods, Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,390,413] & baptised 20/9/1829, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Married John Slack, December quarter, 1858, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387]

(e)

Hannah Sparks, born 1830, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[413]

(f)

Elizabeth Sparkes, born 1832, The Woods, Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,413,414] & baptised 12/2/1832, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Died 1843 & buried 22/10/1843, St Mary & St Michael, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England (12yo).[401] With parents, 1841.[388]

(g)

Jane Sparks, born 1840, Malvern,[388,390,413] baptised 27/12/1840, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1841.[388]

(h)

Allen Sparkes, born December quarter, 1847, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Died March quarter, 1848, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 12/3/1848, St Mary & St Michael, Great Malvern, Co Worcester, England (4mo).[401]

Abraham Sparkes, born 1803, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester,[388,390,413] baptised 29/5/1803, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died December quarter, 1851, Birmingham, Co Warwickshire, England.[387] Married Maria Leighton, 12/6/1822, St Peter the Great, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] Maria born 1808, Worcester, Co Worcester, England,[388] died December quarter, Aston district, Co Warwickshire, England.[387] Resided 1841, Leigh, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388] Resided 1851, St Martin in the Bull Ring, Birmingham, Co Warwickshire, England.[390]

Children: (a)		Mary Ann Sparks, baptised 28/5/1829, St Edburga, Leigh With Bransford, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395]
(b)		James Sparks, born 1832, Malvern, Co Worcester,[388,390] baptised 23/4/1832, St Edburga, Leigh With Bransford, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390]
(c)		Elizabeth Sparks, born 1834, Malvern, Co Worcester,[388,390] baptised 21/9/1834, St Edburga, Leigh With Bransford, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390]
(d)		Jane Sparks, born 1836, Malvern, Co Worcester,[388,390] baptised 27/12/1836, St Edburga, Leigh With Bransford, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390]
(e)		Louisa Sparks, born December quarter, 1842, Malvern, Co Worcester,[387,388,390] baptised 25/11/1842, St Edburga, Leigh With Bransford, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1851.[390]

vi.

Frances Sparkes, baptised 30/6/1805, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] {According to [395] died 1899, but this was likely her younger cousin who also married an Adams. The younger cousin was in the 1881 census whilst Frances, above, was not} Married James Adams, 16/12/1832, St Helens, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395]

vii.

Elizabeth Sparkes, baptised 30/6/1805, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Married John Bough, 4/5/1823, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395]

viii.

Charles Sparkes, born 1805, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester,[129,388,389,390,398,404] baptised 7/2/1808, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395,413] Died March quarter, 1897, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Labourer, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1834, 1835.[414] Agricultural labourer, 1861.[404] General labourer, 1881.[129] Married Margaret Powlen, 11/9/1828, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] Margaret born 1806, Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,389,390,404] died December quarter, 1878, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] On 4/5/1831 Margaret & Charles were witnesses at the marriage of John Walker of Stretton Gransome & Ann Preece of Colwall at St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Resided 1829, 1830, 1831, Colwall Stone, near Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Resided 1834, 1835, Malvern Wells, Co Worcester, England.[414] Resided 1838, 1841,1851, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[388,390] Resided 1861, 8 Meer Brook, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[389,404] Resided 1871, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, No.2 Church Cottages, Lower Road, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[129] Resided 1891, 'Cottage', Hanley Castle, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[399,404]

Children: (a)		John Sparkes, born 1829, Colwall Stone, near Colwell, Co Hereford, England,[129,388,390,399,400,414] & baptised 8/3/1829, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] Died September quarter, 1912, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England (85yo).[387] Resided, 1841, with John Grundy, butcher, Woodbine Cottage, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[388,404] Resided 1851, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[390] Butcher, 1881,1901.[129,400] Married Caroline Hamblin, 20/10/1851, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Caroline born 1825, Ledbury, Co Hereford, England,[129,398,399,400] died September quarter, 1920, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England (94yo).[387] Resided 1871, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, Lower Assarts, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[129] Resided 1891, Hanley Castle, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[399] Resided 1901, Malvern Wells, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[400]
(b)		Ann Sparks, born 1830, Colwall Stone, near Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,414] & baptised 4/9/1830, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841.[388]
(c)		Mary Sparks, born 1831, Colwall Stone, near Colwall, Co Hereford, England,[388,414] & baptised 13/11/1831, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841.[388] Married James Baldwin, 20/9/1853, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395]
(d)		Frances 'Fanny' Sparkes, born 1834, Malvern Wells, Co Worcester, England,[388,390,414] & baptised 29/6/1834, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Resided 1861, Upton On Severn, Co Worcester, England.[389]
(e)		Emma Sparkes, born 1835, Malvern Wells, Co Worcester, England,[388,390,404,414] & baptised 18/10/1835, St James the Great, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[414] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Resided 1891 with father, Hanley Castle, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[399,404] Resided 1901, Malvern Wells, Co Worcester, England.[400] Cook, 1891.[404]
(f)		Eliza Sparkes, born 1838, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England,[388,390] baptised 17/6/1838, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 25/5/1851.[395] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390]
(g)		Samuel Sparks, born 26/2/1843, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[129,387,390,389,395,398,404] Died September quarter, 1886, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] With parents, 1851,1861.[389,390,404] Shoemaker, 1861.[404] Married Elizabeth Cox, September quarter, 1867, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Elizabeth born 1832, Ashton Under Hill, Co Gloucester, England,[129,398] & died March quarter, 1889, Upton Upon Severn district, Co Worcester, England (58yo).[387] Resided 1871, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, Lower Assarts, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[129] Living with them, 1881, was William Stallard (10yo), nephew.[129]

ix.

Samuel Sparkes, born 1811, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester,[388,413] baptised 17/2/1811, St Mary, Hanley Castle, Co Worcester, England.[395] Married Jane.[388] Jane born 1811, Co Worcester, England.[388] Resided 1841, Eckington, Co Worcester, England.[388]

St Peter, Malvern Wells
Photograph © Peter Morgan [Churches UK & Ireland]

Malvern Wells, 1904
Photograph © Francis Frith

Cottage, King Road, Malvern Wells
Photograph © Zoopla

Malvern Wells is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. The parish of Malvern Wells, once known as South Malvern, was formed in 1894 from parts of the civil parishes of Hanley Castle, Welland, and the former parish of Great Malvern, and owes its development to Malvern's 19th century boom years as a spa town. It lies on the eastern slopes of the Malvern Hills south of Great Malvern (the town centre of Malvern) and takes its name from the Malvern water issuing from springs on the hills, principally from the Holy Well and the Eye Well. Its northern end also includes the Wyche Cutting, the historic salt route pass through the hills forming the border between the counties of Herefordshire on the western side of the Malvern Hills at the village of Upper Colwall and the Worcestershire side in the east. The actual cutting through the granite hill face is at a height of 856 feet above sea level. In 1558 Queen Elizabeth I granted the land to John Hornyold, lord of the manor, under the premise that any pilgrim or traveller should be able to draw rest and refreshment from the Holy Well. This covenant still stands today. 1622 is the first record of spring water ever being bottled in the UK. This took place at the Holy Well which later became the site where Malvern Water was first drawn for sale by the Schweppes Company at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Great Malvern is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Positioned at the foot, and partly on the sides, of the Malvern Hills, it is the original main urban of the area of Malvern, Worcestershire that began with the founding of an 11th century priory. During the 19th century, it became a popular centre for hydroptherapy and swelled to ìnclude the bordering settlements of Barnards Green, Little Malvern, Malvern Link with Link Top, Malvern Wells, North Malvern, and West Malvern, and often referred to collectively - along with the hills - as The Malverns. In 1900 the former urban districts and towns of Great Malvern and Malvern Link were merged. Great Malvern Priory. The large, magnificent priory and parish church of Malvern also occupies a large part of the very centre of the town with its main gate in Church Street. It dates from 1085, with extensions in the years between 1450 and 1500. Great Malvern is graced by many examples of Victorian and Edwardian villas and hotels. Many of the houses were built during the Industrial Revolution, and Malvern's boom years as a spa town, by wealthy families from the nearby Birmingham area. Many of the villas have since been converted to apartments, while some of the smaller hotels are now retirement homes. Much architecture and statuary in the town centre is dedicated to Malvern water, including the St. Ann's Well, Malvern, which is housed in a building dating from 1815. The Malvern water became famous for containing "nothing at all". It was the main reason for Malvern becoming a spa town and has formed a part of both local and national culture since Queen Elizabeth I made a point of drinking it in public in the 16th century, and Queen Victoria refused to travel without it. It is the only bottled water used by Queen Elizabeth II, which she takes on her travels around the world. Millions of litres of Malvern water are bottled annually by Schweppes in a factory near Malvern and distributed worldwide. 1868: "Little Malvern, a parish in the hundred of Lower Oswaldslow, county Worcester, 4 miles S. of Great Malvern, its post town, and 1 mile S. of the Malvern-Wells stations, on the Worcester and Malvern and Tewkesbury and Malvern branch railways. The village, which is small and wholly agricultural, is situated under the Malvern Hills, on the roads from Ledbury to Worcester and Upton. It formerly had a Benedictine cell to Worcester Abbey, founded in 1171 by the two brothers Joceline and Eldred, in a gloomy cavity under the Herefordshire Beacon, which is partly in this parish. From the summit of this hill, which is 1,444 feet above the sea-level, a most extensive view is commanded over the rich plains of Worcester, Gloucester, and Hereford, with the hills of South Wales in the distance. Great Malvern, a parish and post town in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, county Worcester, 5 miles N. of Upton-on- Severn, and 8 W. of Worcester. It is a station on the Worcester and Hereford line of railway, and the junction station of the Tewkesbury and Malvern branch line. It is a watering-place, situated on the eastern declivity of the Malvern hills, which here separate the counties of Worcester and Hereford. The parish contains the hamlets of Barnard's Green and Newland, besides the town of Malvern, which has recently become a place of considerable importance." 1887: "Malvern Wells, eccl. district and railway station, Hanley Castle par., Worcestershire, 2 miles S. of Great Malvern, pop. 1112; P.O., T.O.; has a healthy situation, with picturesque and beautiful scenery, and shares with Great Malvern the character of a watering-place. The wells are remarkable for their almost absolute purity, and are used by well-known makers of mineral waters, several of whom have manufactories in the neighbourhood." In 1865 a chapel was established at the Wyche Cutting, Great Malvern. In early 1900s All Saints, the present day parish church, was built by a local builder, William Porter, and consecrated in 1903. In 1987 the parish was united with St. Peter’s Malvern Wells. However, due to the close proximity of both churches and the numbers attending church, St Peter’s closed in 1994. From that point on All Saints has become the sole church for the parish of Malvern Wells & Wyche.[Wikipedia, Vision of Britain, GenUKI, GenUKI, Wikipedia, AllSaints]

St Mary, Hanley Castle (1904)
Photograph © Francis Frith

Church Cottages, Hanley Castle
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Hanley Castle (before 1900)
Image - Google Earth

Hanley Castle is a village in Worcestershire, England, between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and a short distance from the River Severn. It lies in the administrative area of Malvern Hills District, and is part of the informal region known as The Malverns. The village population together with that of the nearby village of Hanley Swan was around 1500 in 2001. The village has also been known as Hanlie (11th century), Hanlega, Hanlegam, & Hanlea (12th century) and Hanlegh (13th century). The name Hanley comes from the old English han leah, meaning a high clearing, the first settlement developing along what is now Church End. There is some evidence of a Roman fort by the river at the end of Quay Lane, where there used to be an important wharf, and of a Roman temple on the site of St Mary’s church. But the first direct references to Hanley are found in two charters dated 962 and 972, which refer to the northern and southern boundaries of Hanlee, indicating that there was an Anglo-Saxon estate in this area. The Saxon chief Brictric, who built a manor that later formed the basis of the castle, came to a sad end. In 1045 he had been sent by Edward the Confessor as ambassador to the Count of Flanders, whose daughter Matilda fell in love with him. But he rejected her. Twenty-one years later, as William the Conqueror’s consort, she used her authority to confiscate Brictric’s lands and throw him into prison, where he died, it is said William personally marched to Hanley after the Battle of Hastings to arrest him. At the time of the Norman Conquest the area was so desolate and overrun with wood that the historian William of Malmesbury described it as a wilderness. But within 50 years, Hanley had grown into a thriving community, the Doomsday Book indicating a population of around 200. In medieval times the parish of Hanley Castle extended from the river Severn to the Malvern Hills and from Powick in the north to Upton and Welland in the south, an area of around 6000 acres (2400 hectares). Since most of the area was a forest, it automatically belonged to the king, who had exclusive hunting rights. When he gave these rights to a subject, the forest became known as a chase. This happened to Malvern in the 12th century, when Henry I gave the hunting rights to his illegitimate son, Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester. It was at this time that the two main routes through the parish were named: Gilberts End, after Gilbert de Hanley, chief forester in 1147-1165, and Roberts End, after his son. An ‘End’ was a linear settlement lined with dwellings and enclosures. Until the late 15th century, the de Hanley family lived at Hanley Hall, which still exists although rebuilt in the 17th century, off Gilberts End. The prestige of Hanley was strengthened at the beginning of the 13th century when King John built a castle to serve more as a hunting lodge, with deer park and fishponds, than a fortress. According to Nash’s History of Worcestershire, 1781, it was a large square structure with four towers surrounded by a moat, with a keep located in the north-west corner, but no engraving of it was ever made. The castle survived for 300 years, but by the early 16th century it had fallen into decay. Much of it became a source of local building material and its last remnants were used to rebuild the bridge at Upton in the late 18th century. However, a few traces still remain including a dry moat and a mound. Because of the wide availability of good clay in the area and a plentiful supply of trees for charcoal, Hanley developed a flourishing pottery industry, mainly along Roberts End, from the 12th to the early 17th century. Some 8000 shards of pottery dating from the 15th to the early 17th century have been recovered from just two fields on the north side of Roberts End, including bowls, fish dishes and jugs. Hanley Castle was one of the first parishes to be enclosed under the Enclosure Act of 1797. The poor received some compensation for losing their rights to graze sheep and cattle on common land, but it was little compared to the benefits gained by the two major landowners, the Lechmeres and Hornyolds. The Enclosure Act provided the first detailed map of the parish, in which over 1000 plots of land were identified. Although the original settlement of Hanley Castle had grown up around Church End and Quay Lane, little further development was possible since the surrounding land largely belonged to the Lechmere estate. Instead the parish grew along the main route towards Herefordshire, Roberts End, and around the crossroads at Hanley Green. By the mid-19th century this had become the most populated part of the parish. When the post office was established at the grocer’s shop opposite the pond in the mid-1890s, the area variously known as Roberts End Street, Swan Green, Hanley Green and Hanley Swan. From a population of around 200 in the early 12th century, the parish grew slowly to accommodate 700 by 1540 and 1000 at the time of the first census in 1801. During the 19th century the increase was more marked, reaching 1653 in 1831 and 2167 in 1871. In 1894 the parish was split in two and half the population found itself in the new parish of Malvern Wells. As a result, Hanley Castle’s population dropped to 1100, a figure that remained fairly constant for the next 70 years. The main features of Hanley Castle are its village green dominated by a huge Cedar of Lebanon tree that is reputed to be 900 years old, the unspoiled 15th-century red-brick and timbered pub and other listed buildings. 1868: "Hanley Castle, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, county Worcester, 1½ mile N.W. of Upton, its post town, 6 miles W. of Defford railway station, and 9 S.W. of Worcester. The parish, which is extensive, is situated on the river Severn, and includes the chapelry of Malvern Wells. The tithes were commuted for land and money payments under an Enclosure Act in 1795. It was successively possessed by the Nevilles, earls of Warwick, the Despensers, and the Lechmeres, who had a castle here on the banks of the Severn." 1872: "Hanley Castle, a village, a parish, and a subdistrict, in Upton-on-Severn district, Worcester. The village stands on the West side of the river Severn, 1½ mile NW of Upton-on-Severn r. station, and 6 W of Defford; and has a post office ‡ under Worcester. The parish includes also the village of Malvern Wells, and the hamlets of Blackmore End, Hanley-Quay, and Gilberts-End. Acres, 5, 630. Real property, £14, 308. Pop., 1,733. Houses, 367. A castle here, some remains of which exist, belonged to Brictic who refused the hand of Maud, afterwards the wife of William the Conqueror; passed to the Earls of Warwick; was the death place of Henry-de-Beauchamp; and passed to the Despencers, the Savages, the Arles, the Lechmeres, and the Charltons. Hanley Castle mansion is now the seat of Thomas Gee, Esq.; Blackmore Park is the seat of John V. Hornyold, Esq.; Rhydd Court is the property of Sir Edmund A. H. Lechmere, Bart.; and Severn End is the ancient seat of the Lechmere family. Invalids resort to Malvern Wells; and there is a wharf on the Severn at Hanley-Quay. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £650. Patron, Sir E. A. H. Lechmere, Bart. The church is partly decorated English, partly brickwork of 1674; has a tower; was restored in 1858; and has two recent memorial windows. The p. curacy of Malvern Wells is a separate benefice. There are a Roman Catholic chapel, an endowed grammar school, rebuilt in 1869, a national school, and a working men's institute. -The sub-district includes five other parishes. Acres, 20,007. Pop., 11, 377. Houses, 2,011." A Roman temple is believed to have been the first building on the site of St Mary’s church in Hanley Castle, followed by a Saxon church, although nothing remains of these early buildings except archaeological footprints revealed by dowsing surveys. There is evidence of a Saxon church in the form of the Lechmere stone, an ancient tombstone dated between the 9th and 11th centuries, and of graves uncovered beneath the existing path to the church during widening work some years ago. The original path led in from the eastern boundary of the churchyard, which used to form part of the main track from the castle to the village and on more or less parallel to the existing road towards Worcester. The present church was founded in the 12th century using Roman bricks and Saxon stone in its construction, but the only remaining Norman feature is the south doorway. Extended soon after 1300, it retains 14th century nave windows and the north aisle. The original tower was damaged during the Civil War and was replaced by a massive brick tower with battlements in 1674, when the east end was rebuilt under the patronage of the Lechmere family of Severn End. They again rescued the church from decay in 1858 by funding a major restoration, including the installation of stained glass and Minton tiles. The three almshouses at the entrance to the churchyard date from around 1600 and are recorded on the 18th century charities board in the church; they are owned by the parish and administered by the Charity Commissioners.[Wikipedia, GenUKI, Vision of Britain, Hanleys]

St Peter, Worcester (1835)
Image - Worcester City Museums

St Edburga, Leigh
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Leigh Village
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Several buildings have occupied the site of St Peter the Great, Worcester, at the corner of King & St Peter's Streets, Sidbury, Worcester City. The earliest mention of the church was in 969, when it was dedicated to the saints Perpetua and Felicity. The Medieval church, dedicated to St Peter the Great, was demolished in 1835 The church had a perpendicular style tower adjacent to a timber-framed north aisle. Before the 19th century there were substantial amounts of timber-framing in Worcestershire churches. The 1836 building, built by J. Mills, eventually became structurally unsound and was demolished in 1976. The parish was merged with the neighbouring daughter parish of St Martin's (established in 1909), to form the combined parish of St. Martin with St. Peter in 1974.[Worcester City Museums, St Martin's] Leigh is a village and civil parish (with Bransford) in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. With just a few hundred inhabitants the parish lies on the A4103, the main Worcester to Hereford road, about 5 miles out of Worcester, whilst Malvern is also about 5 miles away. It comprises the village of Bransford, and the hamlets of Brockamin, Leigh Sinton, Sandlin & Smith End Green. Due largely to the significant reduction of the hop industry in the area, Leigh, like many local villages, declined in the late 20th century; it lost its pub, its police station and its railway station. A stone axe and a flint arrow head are evidence of human activity in the parish for several thousand years. There have been very few archeological findings for the period between this Neolithic age and the Roman occupation, when there are an abundance of pottery, coins, military uniform pieces and a silver bracelet, as well as a brick & tile kiln. Both Leigh and Bransford parishes have a Domesday book entry, whilst the remains of a Motte & Bailey castle shows evidence of the lawlessness which followed later. During the Civil wars in the 1600s, both Leigh and Bransford were strategically important, because they commanded crossings over the River Teme. Leigh Court was a Royalist stronghold, facing a Commonwealth household at Cotheridge, across the Teme. The history of the parish after the Civil Wars is similar to that of many rural parishes. Change was slow until the start of the Industrial Revolution, in the late 1700s, when the countryside had to feed the growing populations of the new industrial towns. In the early 1800s also came increasing local specialisation in growing hops and fruit. These crops dominated farming in the area until the 1970s, when entry into the European Common market changed the face of both local & UK agriculture. The coming of the railway in the 1870s meant that fresh produce could be sent easily to the large towns. It also meant that thousands of seasonal workers could come from the Black Country and South Wales for hop & fruit picking. Indeed, the arrival of the hop-pickers was an eagerly awaited event, when the parish population more than doubled. Extra police were drafted in an a whole range of special facilities were laid on 1868: "Leigh, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Pershore, county Worcester, 5 miles S.W. of Worcester, and 9 N.W. of Upton. The parish, which is very extensive, is situated on the river Teme. The surface is varied. The land is partly in hop-ground. The principal residence is Leigh Court. The inhabitants are wholly engaged in agricultural pursuits. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent charge of £695, and the rectorial for £330." Leigh's Norman church, dedicated to St. Edburga, was built in 1100 by Benedictine monks from Pershore Abbey.[Wikipedia, Leigh History, GenUKI]

Birmingham (1886)
Image - W. H. Brewer [Wikipedia]

St Martin in Bull Ring, Birmingham
Photograph © Birmingham Mail

Watery Lane, Lower Assarts
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. It is the most populous British city outside London with a population of 1,016,800 (2008 estimate). Birmingham was the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England, a fact which led to it being known as "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades". Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre. Some of the earliest evidence of settlement in Birmingham are artefacts dating back 10,400 years discovered near Curzon Street in the city centre. In the early 7th century, Birmingham was an Anglo-Saxon farming hamlet on the banks of the River Rea. It is commonly believed that the name 'Birmingham' comes from "Beorma inga ham", meaning farmstead of the sons (or descendants) of Beorma. Birmingham was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings. As early as the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. By the time of the English Civil War in the 17th century, Birmingham had become an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms. During the Industrial Revolution (from the mid-18th century onwards), Birmingham grew rapidly into a major industrial centre and the town prospered. Birmingham’s population grew from 15,000 in the late 17th century to 70,000 a century later. By the 1820s, an extensive canal system had been constructed, giving greater access to natural resources to fuel to industries. Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837 with the arrival of the Grand Junction Railway, and a year later, the London and Birmingham Railway. During the Victorian era, the population of Birmingham grew rapidly to well over half a million and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in England.[Wikipedia] The most ancient of Birmingham's churches, St. Martin has been the focal point of the markets area since the 12th century. Inside is the oldest monument in the city, a 1325 effigy of the Lord of the Manor Sir William de Bermingham. The present building was built in 1873 and is an example of gothic Victorian architecture, designed by Alfred Chatwin, from Birmingham, who also worked on the houses of parliament. But St Martin's is much older than that. There has been a church on this site since 1290 and may well have been a simple place of worship here in Saxon times.[St Martin, Birmingham Heritage] Upper Welland is a small settled area within the civil parish of Malvern Wells, in Worcestershire, England. Lying close to the county boundaries of Herefordshire, many consider it a village in its own right, but the boundaries are somewhat vague. It was formed when the upper part of Welland parish joined the newly created Malvern Hills Urban District. Welland Parish once stretched to the ridge of the Malvern Hills. The village of Upper Welland did not exist before the 1851 Welland Inclosure Act. Before then this area, now built upon. was Lower Assarts common, on which there was less than half a dozen cottages. Though well separated from Welland village, it used to be within the parish (which extended upto the ridge of the hills) until 1898 when the upper part of Welland parish broke away and joined the recently created Malvern Urban District.[Wikipedia, Geograph]

1.1.3. William Sparks (s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1771, Co Worcester,[388] baptised 9/5/1773, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,397] Died 1850, Welland, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387,397] & buried 3/12/1850, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (80yo).[401] On Easter 1823, William Sparkes of Hallow was convicted of racing on the turnpike and fined 10s.[403] {This may have been William's son, William Jr, although he would have been 17yo at the time} Married Sarah[388] Austin, 26/3/1807, Co Worcester, England.[395] Sarah born 1782/1786/1791, Tenbury, Co Worcester, England,[388,390,398] died December quarter, 1868, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (80yo),[387] & buried 17/12/1868, St Bartholomew, Grimley, Co Worcester, England (80yo).[401] Resided 1841, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388] Sarah resided 1851,1861,1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388,390,398]

Children of William Sparks & Sarah:

William Sparks, born 1806, Co Worcester, England.[388] Died between 1846-1851. Died June quarter, 1852, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Married Sarah.[388] Sarah born 1811, Ludlow, Co Worcester, England,[388,390] Resided 1841,1851, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388,390]

Children: (a)

Harriot Sparks, born 1835, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390] With parents, 1841.[388] With mother, 1851.[390] Resided 1861, Eckington, Pershore district, Co Worcester, England.[389]

(b)

James Sparks, born June quarter, 1839, Grimley/Gresley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[387,388,389,390,399,400] Died September quarter, 1921, Worcester, Co Worcester, England (84yo).[387] Horse driver (carter), 1881.[129] General labourer, 1901.[400] With parents, 1841.[388] With mother, 1851.[390] Resided 1861, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[389] Married Charlotte Stokes,[129,398] 29/8/1870, St Swithin, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395] Charlotte born 1836, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[129,398,399,400] died March quarter, 1926, Worcester, Co Worcester, England (91yo).[387] Resided 1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, Comer Gardens, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] Living with them in 1881 was Henry Wilson, lodger, and Alfred (23yo) & William Stokes (17yo), Charlotte's children to a previous marriage.[129] Resided 1891,1901, North Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[399,400]

Children: (1)		James Sparkes, born 1869, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129,398] With parents, 1871,1881.[129,398]
(2)		Mary Jane Sparkes, born March quarter, 1871, Hallow, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[129,387,398] baptised 28/5/1871, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1871,1881.[129,398]
(3)		Alice Sparkes, born December quarter, 1872, Hallow, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[129,387] baptised 8/10/1872, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1881.[129]
(4)		Frank Henry Sparkes, born 1875, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[129] baptised 30/8/1874, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1881,1891.[129,399] Married Frances Ann Jones or Alice Smith, December quarter, 1891, Worcester, Co Worcester, England,[387]
(5)		Florence Sparkes, born March quarter, 1878, Hallow, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[129,387] With parents, 1881,1891.[129,399]

ii.

James Sparks, born 1813, Hallow, Co Worcester,[129,388,390] baptised 8/5/1813, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died September quarter, 1882, Worcester, Co Worcester, England (65yo).[387] General labourer, 1881.[129] Did not marry.[129] Resided 1841,1851, Great Whitley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388,390] Resided 1861, Martley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[389] Resided 1871, Whitley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, with sister, Frances, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129]

iii.

Frances 'Fanny' Sparks, born 1814, Hallow, Co Worcester,[129] baptised 14/3/1819, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1899, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Retired laundress, 1881.[129] Married Mr Adams.[129] Resided 1881, Hallow Road, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] Living with Fanny in 1881 was brother, James, & grand-daughter Frances, born 1878, Ombersley, Co Worcester, England.[129]

Children: (a)

Annie Adams, born 1857, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With mother, 1881.[129] Gloveress, 1881.[129]

iv.

Abraham Sparks, born 1819, Hallow, Co Worcester,[129,388,390,398,399,406] baptised 14/3/1819, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died September quarter, 1903, Hallow, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (84yo).[387,406] Labourer, 1881.[129] Married Mary Chambers,[406] 28/5/1838, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Mary born 1821, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[129,388,390,398,399,406] died March quarter, 1899, Hallow, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (81yo).[387,406] Resided 1841,1851,1861,1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390,398] Resided 1881, The Green, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] Resided 1891, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[399]

Children: (a)

Jane Sparks, born March quarter, 1839, Hallow, Co Worcester,[387,388,390] baptised 29/1/1839, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Resided 1861, Tardebigg, Bromsgrove district, Co Worcester, England.[389] Married Samuel Fowkes, 5/9/1864, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[387,395]

(b)

John Sparks, born March quarter, 1841, Hallow, Co Worcester,[387,388,390] baptised 14/3/1841, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1859, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] & buried 13/7/1859, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (18yo).[401] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390]

(c)

Charlotte Sparks, born December quarter, 1842, Hallow, Co Worcester,[387,388,389,390] baptised 4/6/1843, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1851.[390] Resided 1861, West Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[389] Married James Withey, March quarter, 1867, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[387]

(d)

Henry Sparks, born March quarter, 1845, Hallow, Co Worcester,[387,388,389,390] baptised 23/2/1845, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died March quarter, 1876, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (30yo).[387] With parents, 1851,1861.[389,390]

(e)

Anna Sparks, born March quarter, 1847, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387] baptised 2/3/1847, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1860, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[387,395] & buried 6/9/1860, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (14yo).[401]

(f)

Sarah Sparks, born December quarter, 1849, Hallow, Co Worcester,[387,388,389,390] baptised 4/11/1849, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1851,1861.[389,390] Married James Glover, 1/10/1868, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] James born 1848, Stoulton, Co Worcester, England.[129] Railway carrier.[129] Resided 1881, The Green, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129]

Children: (1)		Herbert Glover, born 1871, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(2)		William Glover, born 1873, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(3)		May Glover, born 1876, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(4)		Henry Glover, born 1878, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(5)		Alfred Glover, born 1880, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]

(g)

William Sparks, born September quarter, 1851, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387] baptised 24/8/1851, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1852, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[395] & buried 4/4/1852, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (8mo).[401]

(h)

Emma Sparks, born June quarter, 1853, Hallow, Martley district,[129,387,389,398,406] baptised 22/5/1853, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1861,1871.[389,398] Married Charles Mylam,[406] 9/5/1871, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Charles, s/o John Mylam & Hannah Sarah Vincent,[406] born 1851, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England,[129,406] & died 1928.[406] Gardener, 1881.[129] Resided 1881, 1 Aberdeen Road, South Stoneham, Co Hampshire, England.[129]

Children: (1)		Constance Mylam, born 1872, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With grandparents, Abraham & Mary Sparkes, 1881, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129]
(2)		Mary A. Mylam, born 1874, Presteigne, Co Radnorshire, Wales.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(3)		Elizabeth Mylam, born June quarter, 1875, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[406]
(4)		Emma C. Mylam, born 1878, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(5)		Edward H. Mylam, born 1881, St Denys, Co Hampshire, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]

(i)

William Sparks, born June quarter, 1856, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387] baptised 16/6/1856, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 13/5/1857, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[387,395] & buried 18/5/1857, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (11mo).[401]

(j)

George Sparks, born December quarter, 1857, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387,389] baptised 31/1/1858, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1865, Hallow, Co Worcester, England,[387,395] & buried 29/6/1865, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (8+yo).[401] With parents, 1861.[389]

(k)

Elizabeth Sparkes, born June quarter, 1864, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387,398] baptised 26/6/1864, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1871.[398]

Benjamin Sparks, born 1822, Holt, Co Worcester,[129,388,389,390,398,399] baptised 4/9/1822, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died December quarter, 1903, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England (84yo).[401] Resided 1841 with parents, Holt, Co Worcester, England.[388] Ostler, 1881.[129] Married Elizabeth.[390] Elizabeth born 1821, Holt, Co Worcester, England,[129,389,390,398,399] died September quarter, 1899, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England (75yo).[401] Resided 1851, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[390] Resided 1861, Bathwick, Bath district, Co Somerset, England.[389] Resided 1871, Huntspill, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[398] Resided 1881, Eastover, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[129] Resided 1891, Bridgewater, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[399]

Children: (a)

George Sparks, born September quarter, 1846, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[129,387,390,399] Died March quarter, 1921, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England (76yo).[387] With parents, 1851,1861,1871.[389,390,398] Coachman (6/1), 1881.[129] Married Mary Ann Davis, June quarter, 1872, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[387] Mary born 1846, Middlezoy, Co Somerset, England,[129] died December quarter, 1890, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England (45yo).[387] Resided 1881, Cossington, Co Somerset, England.[129] Resided 1891, Huntspill, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[399]

Children: (1)		Kate Sparks, born September quarter, 1875, Whatley, Co Somerset, England.[129,387] With parents, 1881.[129] Married Gilbert Mogg, June quarter, 1899, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[387]
(2)		Eliza May Sparks, born June quarter, 1876, Whatley, Co Somerset, England.[129,387,] With parents, 1881.[129] Married Richard John Lock or Harry Atwell, December quarter, 1900, Bridgewater district, Co Somerset, England.[387]

vi.

Elizabeth Sparks, born 1826, Holt, Co Worcester, England.[388,390] Resided 1841 with parents, Holt, Co Worcester, England.[388] Resided 1851, with mother, Holt, Co Worcester, England.[390]

Hallow Green (1911)
Photograph © Francis Frith

Cottage, The Green, Hallow
Photograph © Worcester Property

Church Lane, Hallow Green (2010)
Image - Google Earth

Hallow is a village and civil parish beside the River Severn, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Worcester in Worcestershire. The village is on the A433 road that links Worcester with Holt Heath. In the 9th century the name was recorded as Halhegan, Heallingan and Halnegan. In the 11th century it was recorded as Halhegan and Hallhagan, while in the 13th century it was Hallawe, Hallaye or Hallag. The earliest record of the manor of Hallow is from AD 816, during the reign of Coenwulf of Mercia, when Hallow evidently belonged to Worcester Cathedral, and by the 10th century Hallow belonged to the Benedictine priory attached to the cathedral. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries around 1540 the cathedral retained Hallow, and in 1913 the manor was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. By the middle of the 11th century Worcester Priory had fishponds at Hallow and in 1256 permission was granted for a warren as well. Both were still in use in 1346. The Domesday Book records that in 1086 Hallow had two mills for grinding grain: presumably watermills on the River Severn. Hallow Mill was still in use in 1913. The Saxon name ‘Halhegan’, meaning ‘a nook between two streams’, still describes Hallow today, a ridge between the Severn and Laugherne Brook. On a fertile ridge above the flood plain of a great tidal and navigable river once known as ‘ The King’s high stream of Severn’ at a crossing point to Worcester, this was an obvious place for an early settlement. In Saxon times Hallow was part of the sub-kingdom of Wiccia centred around Worcester in the kingdom of Mercia. In 680AD King Ethelred made Worcester the seat of the Bishop of the diocese. Hallow was given to the ’Church at Worcester’ by King Kenulph. It was much prized by the monks as a health resort and for fishing. The River Severn was at that time tidal and could be crossed at low tide at Hallow Ford. The arable land bordering the river abounded in the finest meadows and pasture. The Monastery had a dovecote at Park Farm, well stocked fisheries and a swannery and there was a vineyard until the thirteenth century. Until the railways, the River Severn was the major highway and Worcester an important inland port. It could be crossed at either end of the village boundaries by ferries at the Camp Inn to the north and at Kepax ferry to the South as well as Hallow Ford at low tide. Hallow was therefore a popular destination for a rural Sunday stroll for the people of Worcester. On the western boundary Laugherne Brook powered a number of watermills. ‘Hallow Mill’ ceased grinding corn some 75 years ago and is now an Equestrian Centre on Shoulton Lane. The main road through the village, the A443 was probably a drovers’ road, used to avoid paying tolls at turnpikes by drovers herding cattle, sheep, pigs and geese to markets as far afield as London. Both the river and road were well served by local hostelries. The Royal Oak is relatively recent – opened by licensee Harry Pratt in late Victorian times. The Crown Inn, however, dates back to the 17th century and it is claimed that King Charles addressed his troops where the carpark now stands. Gone is the Barley Mow that once stood on the Green. The thatched Post Office between Cleggs and Westfield opposite The Crown was replaced by the Post Office and store in Moseley Road. Ladygo Stores meet day to day needs admirably but the village has gradually lost butchers, bakers, a tailor, blacksmith, coal merchant, cobbler and public garages. Hallow has a public house, a post office and a Church of England primary school. 1868: "Hallow, a parochial chapelry in the lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, county Worcester, 3 miles N.W. of Worcester, its post town, and 5 S.E. of Martley. It is situated on the river Severn, which describes its eastern boundary. The parish is extensive, and wholly agricultural. It contains the hamlets of Shoulton and Broadheath. The land is fertile and chiefly arable. The living is a curacy annexed to the vicarage of Grimley, in the diocese of Worcester. The church is a modern structure built on the site of the old one in 1830. In the interior are several monuments. The charities produce about £60 per annum. At Broadheath there is a chapel belonging to the Countess of Huntingdon's persuasion, also a school endowed with £100 for the same purpose. There is a free school. Hallow Park, the principal residence, is situated on a lofty eminence commanding a view of the river Severn. The Bishop of Worcester is lord of the manor."[Wikipedia, GenUKI, Hallow Parish, Brief History of Hallow]

Chapel of Ease, Hallow (794)
Drawing - Edward Francis Burney

Chapel, Hallow (1830-1869)
Painting - St Phillip & St James

St Philip & St James, Hallow
Photograph - Worcestershire County Council

The ecclesiastical parish of Hallow was originally part of the much larger parish of Grimley. In 1877 it was separated from Grimley, in 1910 Broadheath, then part of Hallow became a separate parish and in 1940 Comer Gardens District detached from Hallow to become part of the parish of St Clements. The earliest church in Hallow was a small stone building on the bank of the river at the end of Church Lane. The church had Saxon masonry over the North Door. It is recorded in 1552 that the old church had ‘one steeple bell, a little sacrynge bell’ and a little lynch bell’. The old Hallow church fell into decay and was demolished in 1830. All that remains are some flat stones surrounded by railings to mark its position in the old churchyard. The old church was replaced by a modest Georgian chapel on a new site about 270 metres south-east of the old one. 1869. In 1867 the second chapel was demolished and building began of the present Church of England parish church of Saint Philip and Saint James. It was designed by W.J. Hopkins and completed in 1869. It is a good example of Victorian Gothic style. It is built of sandstone quarried locally at Holt. The foundation stone was laid by Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl of Beauchamp on March 5th 1867 and the church was consecrated two years later by the Bishop of Worcester. The flying buttresses that support the roof are a notable feature of the design but proved so costly to construct that the addition of the tower was delayed until 1879.[Wikipedia, Brief History of Hallow, Hallow Church]

St Bartholomew's Church, Grimley (1784)
Painting - Edward Francis Burney

St Martin, Holt
Photograph © Andy Dolman [Geograph]

Rowley Farm, Holt
Photograph © Peter Hancock

The parish of Grimley lies on the right bank of the Severn to the north of Hallow & covers an area of 2,471 acres. The land near the river is very low-lying and liable to floods, being only 48 ft. above ordnance datum. The village itself stands about 70 ft. above the ordnance datum. To the west the ground rises, reaching a height of 200 ft. at Oakhall Green near Monk Wood. The village of Grimley is situated on the right bank of the Severn to the east of the road from Stourport to Worcester. The church stands at the north end of the short street which constitutes the village. In 1238 there was a free chapel at Grimley. It was appropriated to the priory in 1268 under the title of 'church,' and to it was attached the chapelry of Hallow. The church of St Bartholomew, built of red sandstone, consists of a chancel, north vestry, nave, north aisle, south porch, and a western tower. The only remains of the 12th-century church are the south doorway and the lower part of the south wall of the nave. The chancel appears to have been rebuilt in the 13th century. The south wall of the nave was partly rebuilt in the 14th century, when the three existing windows were inserted, and a larger window was inserted in the east wall of the chancel in the 15th century. The tower was probably erected at the same time. The north aisle and vestry were added in 1886, and at the same time the rest of the building underwent a drastic restoration.[Romanesque Sculpture, British History Online] The Parish of Holt is situated about 7 miles north of Worcester adjacent to the river Severn in The Malvern Hills District Council area. The village of Holt Heath is the main residential part of the parish. The land around the village it rises slightly to the west, to the East the land falls slightly. Holt parish has an approximate population of 593 and 221 habitable properties. It is a mixed rural community with farming, fruit growing and market gardening on land around the village. There is also a small light industrial estate in converted farm buildings. There has been a settlement at Holt since Saxon times, when a village grew up around the castle and church. The name 'Holt' comes from the Saxon word meaning 'wood'. The location was well chosen for its defensive position against Welsh marauders. Nothing remains of the original buildings, nor is there any documentation to provide precise dates when the church was built, however it is thought that work was begun shortly after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book records that the village then had a population of 12 villeins and 24 bordars. The church and castle, once the centre of village life, has now become a separate hamlet. The building of the Telford bridge at Holt Fleet in 1826 resulted in a population shift to present day Holt Heath. 1868: "Holt, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, county Worcester, 6½ miles N.W. of Worcester, its post town, and 6 W. of Droitwich railway station. It is a small parish, situated near Holt Fleet Bridge, on the river Severn, and contains the chapelry of Little Witley. Here are the remains of a castle, built by Urso d'Abitot in the reign of William the Conqueror, which was afterwards rebuilt by Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and for some time continued to be the residence of that family. The land is partly in hops, and good building-stone is quarried." The Church of St Martin is a mid 12th Century (restored in the 19th Century) building built of sandstone situated three quarters of a mile from the centre of the village. Opposite the church is Holt Castle. Elsewhere in the village and surronding area there are examples of farm buildings and cottages dating from the 17th century. The church is built from local sandstone. The tower is considered the oldest part of the church (11th-12th Century). The church was apparently in an extremely dilapidated state before its 19th Century restoration. Major repair work was undertaken in the church between 1932 and 1943.[Holt, St Martin's, GenUKI, Hancocks]

St Michael & All Angels, Great Whitley
Photograph © Great Whitley Church

St Swithin, Worcester
Photograph © Peter Morgan

1 Aberdeen Rd, South Stoneham, Hampshire
Image - Google Earth

Great Witley is a village and civil parish (with Hillhampton) in the Malvern Hills District in the northwest of the county of Worcestershire, England. There has been a settlement in the area since before the Norman Conquest. The village is home to Witley Court, a Jacobean country house extended on a number of occasions throughout its history, but which became derelict after a spectacular fire in 1937. The mansion, formerly one of Europe's largest and richest Victorian palaces, is now in the care of English Heritage, who describe it as their number one ruin. They have restored the extensive gardens leaving the impressive skeletal ruin of the building overlooking them in a poignant and thought provoking way. Adjoining Witley Court is the 18th century church of Saint Michael and All Angels, which is one of the finest Italian Baroque churches in Britain. It incorporates a richly gilded ceiling with a number of paintings by Antonio Bellucci. Nearby is Woodbury Hill commanding extensive views south to the Malvern Hills and over the River Teme valley to the west. On the summit is an Iron Age hillfort. Owain Glyndwr's army of Welsh and French camped here for eight days in the summer of 1405 facing an army of King Henry IV at Abberley Hill. Skirmishes took place but neither large force initiated full scale battle and the Welsh withdrew under nightfall back to Wales. The location was also used as a meeting place during the English Civil War by Clubmen from the local farms and cottages. 1868: "Great Witley, a parish in the lower division of Doddingtree hundred, county Worcester, 5 miles S.W. of Stourport, and 10 N.W. of Worcester. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Redmarley, is intersected by the roads from Worcester to Ludlow, and from Staffordshire into Herefordshire. An abundant supply of water is obtained from the Abberley and Woodbury hills, on the latter of which are traces of an ancient British encampment, also said to have been occupied by Owen Glendower in his war with Henry IV. Limestone is abundant, containing various descriptions of fossils, and some bivalves are found in the argillaceous stratum."[Wikipedia,Whitley Church, GenUKI] Rebuilt except for its Tudor tower in 1734-1736, St Swithun’s is, inside and out, a stylish and almost unaltered example of early Georgian church architecture, with few equals in the country. It has all the furnishings of its time including font, organ, box pews and altar; but most notable are an elegant three-decker pulpit, under its wonderful tester surmounted by a gilded pelican feeding her young, and the mayor’s pew. Nothing is incongruous and high quality workmanship prevails throughout. Worcester St Swithun was a parish in its own right. In 1905, following Ecclesiastical parish changes, it gained Worcester St Martin's Church, in the Cornmarket as a chapel of ease. This St Martin's Church, previously the parish church, became known as Worcester Old St Martin Church to distinguish it from the new Worcester St Martin's Church in London Road, Worcester. St Swithun ceased to be a parish in 1978. The parish then became Worcester St Martin in the Cornmarket. St Swithun was abolished civilly in 1898 to help create Worcester Civil Parish.[St Swithin]

Bathwick, Bath, Co Somerset
Photograph © Ian & Jackie

Polden Street, Eastover, Bridgwater
Photograph © Derek Harper [Geograph]

St Mary, Cossington
Photograph © Ian Rix [Geograph]

Bathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre. The district became part of the Bath urban area with the 18th century development of the Pulteney estate and the building of Pulteney Bridge. Following various Georgian streets were built including Sydney Place, Great Pulteney Street and Laura Place, with Bathwick Hill leading up to Claverton Down and the University of Bath. Bathwick has two churches, St Mary the Virgin (consecrated 1820) and St John the Baptist.[Wikipedia] West Huntspill and East Huntspill are villages and civil parishes on the Huntspill Level, near Highbridge, Somerset, West of England. The civil parish of West Huntspill contains the hamlet of Alstone, and East Huntspill includes Cote. In 2001 the parish of East Huntspill had a population of 1,179 and West Huntspill 1,480. The first mention of Huntspill is around 796 AD, when the area was granted to Glastonbury Abbey by Aethelmund, a nobleman under King Offa of Mercia. Huntspill was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Honspil, meaning 'Huna's creek' possibly from the Old English personal name Huna and from the Celtic pwll. The mouth of the River Brue had an extensive harbour in Roman and Saxon times, before silting up in the medieval period. The Anglican parish Church of All Saints in East Huntspill was built in 1839. The Church of St Peter in West Huntspill is much older having been established by 1208, rebuilt around 1400, and extended in the early to mid 15th century. It was gutted by fire in 1878 and restored over the next two years.[Wikipedia] Cossington is a village and civil parish close to Woolavington and 5 miles (8 km) north of Bridgwater, in the Sedgemoor district in Somerset, England. The village lies on the north side of the Polden Hills. It was probably part of the ancient Polden estate of Glastonbury Abbey. The abbey retained an interest as chief lord of the manor until 1508. Cossington is a compact village on the north side of the Poldens, formerly surrounded by open fields which remained substantially intact until the earlier 19th century. In the 17th century there were said to be 26 households in the parish and in the 1780s c. 33 houses. In 1801 the population was 237. It rose each decade to a total of 280 in 1831, fell to 248 by 1841 and after 1861 fell gradually to 200 in 1921. The original settlement seems to have been on both sides of the valley which runs northwards to the moors. Church and manor house stand on its west side, and a number of farmhouses on the east and north-east in Walnut Lane, Bell Lane, Farm Lane, and Millmoot Lane date from the later 16th and the earlier 17th century including Old Dairy House and Millmoot Farm. Cossington Park, on the south-eastern edge of the village, originated in the later 16th century.[Wikipedia, British History Online] Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 33,698. Bridgwater is situated, on the edge of the Somerset Levels, in a level and well-wooded country, having to the north the Mendip range and on the west the Quantock hills. The town lies along both sides of the River Parrett, 10 miles (16 km) from its mouth, has been a major port and trading centre and maintains a large industrial base. It is linked to Taunton by the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal. Bridgwater is located between two junctions of the M5 motorway and Bridgwater railway station is on the main railway line between Bristol and Taunton.[Wikipedia]

1.1.4. Frances 'Fanny' Sparks (d/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1773/1775, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[397,407,411] Died 8/4/1854 & buried 11/4/1854, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[397,406,411] Married William Hill,[410] 26/3/1807, St Bartholomew, Grimley, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406] {Some family trees state Frances married William Smith, however this clashes with the actual marriage record and her burial as Frances Hill, not Smith} William born 1771, baptised 23/9/1781, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406] William died 10/11/1847 & buried 15/11/1847, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406]

Children of Frances Sparks & William Hill:

George Sparks, born 9/8/1805 & baptised 25/8/1805, Colwall, Co Hereford, England.[397,406,409,410,411] Died 1/5/1869, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[397,406,409,410,411] Married Hannah Leek, 19/4/1831, Saint Michael Bedwardine, Worcester, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,409,410,411] Hannah, d/o Andrew & Eleanor,[409,411] born 24/5/1807, Castle Morton, Co Worcester,[388,390,397,409,410,411] baptised 29/5/1809, Castlemorton, Co Worcester, England,[397,406] & died 1/6/1857, Philadelphia, Pensylvania, USA.[395,397,406,409,411] Married Jane Mears.[406,410] Married Fullerton Stewart.[406,410] Resided 1841, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388] Resided 1851, Ombersley & Hartlebury, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[390] In 1853 George & his family emigrated to the USA, settling in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, converting to the Mormon religion.[406]) Resided 1860, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[409]

Children: (a)

Charles Sparkes, born 1832, Co Worcester, England.[388] Died December quarter, 1849, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 7/10/1849, St Bartholomew, Grimley, Co Worcester, England (17yo).[401] With parents, 1841.[388]

(b)

Mary Ann Sparks, born 10/12/1833 & baptised 15/12/1833, Grimley, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406,409,410,411] Died 2/7/1905, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[395,397,406,409,410,411] Buried Brigham City Cemetery, Box Elder, Utah, USA.[411] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Married George Davis, 27/12/1853, Claines, Co Worcester, England.[387,395,409,410,411] George born 8/12/1833, Norchard, Hartlebury, Co Worcester, England & died 14/6/1903, Perry, Box Elder Co, Utah, USA.[409,411]

Children: (1)		Margaret Caroline Davis, born 1/7/1854, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.[411] Died c.10/7/1854, Missouri, USA.[411]
(2)		George James Davis, born 25/11/1855, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 14/11/1928, Bell, Los Angeles, California, USA.[411]
(3)		Hannah Elizabeth Davies, born 15/11/1857, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 3/12/1903, Clarkson Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(4)		Alfred William Davis, born 3/10/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 11/10/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(5)		male Davis, born 3/10/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 3/10/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(6)		Nelson Franklin Davis, born 15/10/1860, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 6/2/1931, Ogden Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(7)		Orson Charles Davis, born 15/3/1863, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 10/2/1865, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(8)		Vinson Frederick Davis, born 8/2/1865, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 2/8/1928, Bear River Duck Club, Box Elder Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(9)		Mary Laura Davis, born 1/2/1867, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 12/6/1885.[411]
(10)		Olivia Fullerton Rebecca Davis, born 6/5/1872, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 13/6/1938, Perry, Box Elder Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(11)		Benjamin Ephraim Davis, born 15/5/1872, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411] Died 1/8/1875, Utah, USA.[411]
(12)		Arthur Nephi Davis, born 10/9/1876, Three Mile Cross, Utah, USA.[411] Died 17/10/1894.[411]

(c)

Alfred Sparks, born 7/3/1835, baptised 14/3/1835, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406,409,410,411] Died 15/8/1914, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[397,406,409,410,411] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390,409] Married Jane Ann Fowler,[411] 30/1/1853, at sea on the 'Ellen Maria'.[406,409,410] Jane born 27/11/1835, Baughton, Co Worcester, England.[409,410] Married Ruth Slater, 21/3/1863, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.[395,406] Ruth, d/o James & Hannah, baptised 4/1/1838, Clifton, Co Bedfordshire, England,[395] died 31/7/1901, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA & buried 2/8/1901, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Resided 1880, Dingle Dell, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[409]

Children: (1)		Hannah Elizabeth Sparks, born 28/3/1864, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[410] Died 12/2/1909, Moreland, Bighorn Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Married William Thomas Lindsay, 22/9/1881, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah, USA.[410]
(2)		James Alexander Sparks, born 21/9/1865, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[410] Died 10/7/1922, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA & buried 15/7/1922, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Married Rosina Margaret Nate, 3/10/1888, Logan, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[410] Rosina, d/o Samson & Mary Ann, born 19/6/1870, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA, died 29/8/1922, Montpelier, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA & buried 3/9/1922, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410]
(3)		Frances Mary Sparks, born 10/5/1868, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Died 3/2/1943, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Married Franklin Eaton Smedley, 1/10/1885, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410]
(4)		Joseph Sparks, born 10/5/1869, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Died 10/5/1869.[410]
(5)		Frederick William, born 13/8/1870, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Died 1/10/1872, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410]
(6)		Henry Edward Sparks, born 11/6/1872, Paris, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410] Died 29/5/1888, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[410]

(d)

Caroline Sparks, born September quarter, 1837, Hallow, Martley district,[387] and baptised 7/8/1837, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406,409,410,411] Died December quarter, 1838, Martley district,[387] & buried 15/10/1838, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England (14mo).[395,397,401,410,411]

(e)

George Sparks, born 22/2/1840, Hallow, Martley district,[387,395,397,406,409,410,411] baptised 22/3/1840, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406,410] Died 18/4/1871, Clarkston, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[395,397,406,409,410,411] With parents, 1841,1851.[388,390] Married Hannah Davis, 14/2/1859, Iowa City, Johnson Co, Iowa, USA.[395,406,410] Hannah, d/o William & Mary, baptised 26/3/1841, Garnoach, Co Monmouth, Wales, died 11/2/1918, Carey, Blaine Co, Idaho, USA.[395,409] Resided 1859, Idaho, USA.[409] Resided 1859,1860, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[409] Resided 1863,1870, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409]

Children: (1)		George Henry Sparks, born 14/12/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 14/12/1859, Lehi, Utah Co, Utah, USA.[409]
(2)		Alfred William Sparks, born 2/1/1861, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 15/3/1931, Nampa, Canyon Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Married Martha Ann Godfrey.[409] Martha born 22/10/1866, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA & died 25/3/1941, Nampa, Canyon Co, Idaho, USA.[409]
(3)		Mary Jane Sparks, born 16/4/1863, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 8/12/1869, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409]
(4)		John Albert Sparks, born 11/5/1865, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 25/5/1925, Montana, USA.[409] Married Annie Esterholdt, 26/2/1890, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Annie born 22/6/1871, Copenhagen, Denmark & died 30/4/1937, Montpelier, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[409]
(5)		Hyrum Morgan Waters Sparks, born 12/3/1867, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 1/11/1944, Carey, Blaine Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Married Charlotte Goddard, 24/1/1887, Samaria, Oneida Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Charlotte, d/o Eli & Amelia, born 12/6/1869, Malad, Oneida Co, Ohio, USA & died 14/5/1935, Carey, Blaine Co, Idaho, USA.[409]
(6)		George Wilfred Sparks, born 29/7/1869, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Died 30/7/1954, Carey, Blaine Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Married Harriett Esterholdt, 20/10/1890, Dingle, Bear Lake Co, Idaho, USA.[409] Harriett born 17/2/1873, Copenhagen, Denmark, & died 16/7/1955, Hailey, Blaine Co, Idaho, USA.[409]

(f)

William Sparks, born 11/7/1846,[387,395,397,406,409,410] & baptised 12/8/1846, St Andrew, Ombersley, Co Worcester, England.[395,397,406,410,411] Died 14/6/1930, Smithfield, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[397,406,409,410,411] With parents, 1851.[390] Married Bethea Buttars, 15/12/1868, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah, USA.[395,406,409,410] Bethea, d/o David & Margaret, born 25/6/1851, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland, & died 12/2/1880, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409,410] Married Elizabeth Jane Clark,[395,406] 27/1/1882.[410] Married Clara Fanny White,[395] 16/9/1898, Logan, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[406,410] Clara born 28/2/1868, Smithfield, Cache Co, Utah, USA, died 8/10/1954, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Resided 1870, Newtown, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409] Resided 1880,1900, Clarkson, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[409]

Children: (1)		William Sparks, born 1870, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(2)		Margaret Sparks, born 1873, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(3)		David Sparks, born 1875, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411]
(4)		George A. Sparks, born 1879, Cache Co, Utah, USA.[411]

ii.

John Hill, baptised 3/4/1809, St Philip & St James, Hallow, Co Worcester, England.[397]

iii.

William Hill, born 1812, Ombersley, Co Worcester, England.[397] Married Mary.[397]

Hallow Village (1955)
Photograph © Francis Frith

St John in Bedwardine, Worcester
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

St Andrew, Ombersley
Photograph © Sally Lloyd [Flickr]

St John in Bedwardine dates from about 1165. Originally it was one of two chapels on the west bank of the Severn, the other being at Lower Wick. By 1371, after the Black Death, it was decided to close the Lower Wick church as it was in a neglected state and very poorly attended. On the other hand, St John’s was a flourishing community. The church building is of some interest as the comparable city churches of Worcester were nearly all rebuilt in the 18th century, so St John’s is the only one today that gives some impression of what the features of a ‘town’ church in Worcester might have been. The oldest part is the Norman arcade on the North side of the nave - these grey pillars are the only surviving part of the original 1165 chapel; the arches above them are Victorian. The tower was built in about 1481, and apart from leaning slightly backwards once carried a ‘lofty leaden steeple’ which was shot off by cannon fire during the Civil War. The church suffered very badly during the Civil War, being plundered and set on firen. The 19th century saw the church extended, first with the building of a new and spacious North Aisle, Vestry and Porch, and then with the extension of the Chancel and organ chamber. The part of Worcester known as St John’s was originally an independent township. It has only been part of Worcester since 1837. It was allowed its own Fayre, and served the nearby city by providing lodging houses for Welsh people (who were not allowed to sleep in the city at one time).[St John]

Cottages, Ombersley
Photograph © David Stowell [Geograph]

Lehi, Utah, late 1800s
Photograph - George and Lou Haedicke

Lehi Valley
Photograph © Loopnet

The first recorded mention of the village was in 706 AD as 'Ambreslege' which is thought to mean a clearing in the forest where buntings nest, but it was probably inhabited long before that. Originally the land at Ombersley was one of the many manors belonging to Evesham Abbey. The village has always been at an important crossroads. Originally the roads were only packhorse routes which were used to take goods to the most important transport routes of the time which was the River Severn. The salt produced in Droitwich was a very important commodity and so the packhorses took it to the river at Holt to be transported deep into Wales. Many of the buildings in the core of the village are of 16th to 18th Century date. The village saw quite a bit of action during the civil war era. Its crops and livestock looted and alehouses drunk dry by the Scottish Army (then supporting Cromwell). 1870: "Ombersley, a village, a parish, and a sub-districtin Droitwich district, Worcester. The village stands 1.25 mile E of the river Severn, and 3.75 W of Droitwich railway station; is a pretty place; was once a market town; and has a post-office under Droitwich. The parish contains also the hamlets of Borley, Chatley, Cumhampton, Dunhampton, Hadlay, Holt Fleet, Lineholt, Old field-Powers, Suddington, Sytchampton, and Uphampton. Acres, 6, 962. Real property, £17,085. Pop. in 1851, 2,364; in 1861, 2,463 with 250 houses. The property is much subdivided. The manor belonged to Evesham abbey; passed to the Mores and to Archbishop Sandys; and, with Ombersley Court and much of the land, belongs now to Lord Sandys. O. Court was built about 1740; is a pleasant mansion, in a beautiful wooded park; contains some interesting portraits and other paintings; and was visited, in 1807, by the Prince Regentand the Duke of Sussex. Fruit and potatoes are extensively grown. The parish is a meet for the Worcestershire hounds. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £400. Patron, Lord Sandys. The church was built in 1829, at a cost of £1, 600; is in the decorated English style; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and lofty spire; and contains about 900 sittings. The chancel of the old church stillstands, and is used as the Sandys burial-place. The churchyard contains an ancient cross. There are endowed schools with £112 a year, and charities £82. - The sub-district contains also four other parishes, and an extra-parochial tract. Acres, 18,867. Pop., 5,181. Houses, 1,093." A church was the first substantial building in the parish. There is a record of its transfer to the Abbot of Evesham from the Bishop of Worcester in 1207, and its dedication to Saint Andrew in 1269. Most of the building was demolished when the present church was constructed in 1825 but part of the old chancel was retained (with some 19th centuary modifications) as a mortuary chapel for the Sandys family. The present church of Saint Andrew, replacing the old one, was completed in 1828. It is arguable one of the best built by Thomas Rickman. The construction copies 14th cenrury style notably in its high vaulted ceiling. Of other buildings still standing in the village the oldest date to the 15th century. This includes part of the King's Arms Inn opposite the church yard. Other buildings, including Ombersley Court, date from the 17th century.[Wikipedia, Ombersley, Vision of Britain, St Andrew's] Lehi is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, 23 miles south of Salt Lake City. It is named after Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon. The population was 19,028 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Utah is located in Lehi. A group of Mormon pioneers settled the area now known as Lehi in the fall of 1850, at a place called Dry Creek, in the northernmost part of Utah Valley, near the head of Utah Lake. It was renamed Evansville in 1851, after David Evans, a Mormon bishop. Other historical names include Sulphur Springs, Snow’s Springs, and Dry Creek. The land was organized into parcels of 40 acres, and new settlers received a plat of this size until the entire tract was exhausted. There was little water to irrigate the rich soil, so it became necessary to divert a portion of American Fork Creek. The settlement grew so rapidly that in early 1852 Lehi City was incorporated. Lehi is Utah’s sixth oldest town and the northernmost community in Utah Valley. Agriculture (producing wheat, oats, barley, and alfalfa) and animal industries (cattle ranching, sheep raising, dairying, poultry raising, fisheries, and mink ranching) have made a profound impact on the economic history of the community. With the establishment of the Utah Sugar Company's first plant in Lehi in 1890, the sugar beet became the town's most important cash crop and remained so until after World War I.[Wikipedia, Lehi City]

Cottage, Dingle, Idaho
Photograph - History of Dingle, Idaho

Dingle, Idaho, USA
Photograph © Town & Country Realty

Cottage, Smithfield, Utah, 1904
Image - Alonzo Raymond: Mormon Pioneer

Dingle is an unincorporated community in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. Located at an altitude of 5,955 feet (1,8km). Although Dingle is unincorporated, it has a post office. Bear Lake County is a county located in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 6,411. The county is named after Bear Lake, a 20-mile-long (32 km) alpine lake at an elevation of 5924 feet (1806 m) above sea level. The northern half of the lake is in Idaho, the southern half in Utah. Peg-Leg Smith established and operated a trading post on the Oregon Trail from 1848-1850 near Dingle. The first settlement in the Bear Lake Valley was Paris, which was settled by Mormon pioneers led by Charles Rich in 1863. Thirty families comprised the original settlement. In the spring of 1864, Montpelier was settled on the other side of the valley on the Oregon Trail. Bear Lake County was established in 1875.[Wikipedia, Wikipedia, History of Dingle] Clarkston is a town in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 688 at the 2000 census. Clarkston is most noted for being the last home of Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He is buried in Clarkston and every other year a pageant commemorates his life. The townsite of Clarkston was laid out in 1864. It was named for Israel Clark, who was an early settler and the first branch president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Clarkston. In 1930 Clarkston had a population of 570.[Wikipedia] Smithfield is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 7,261 at the 2000 census, and 9,535 as of the 2008 estimates. Originally known as Summit Creek, Smithfield was founded in 1857 by Robert Thornley and his cousin Seth Langdon who were sent north from Salt Lake City by Brigham Young to found a settlement on Summit Creek. After a preliminary scouting, Robert returned with his new wife Annie Brighton. The first winter was spent in a wagon box. By the next summer, with more settlers arriving, a small fort was built on the edge of the creek, one cabin of which remains. As the settlement grew, a Bishop was named and the town took his name. By 1917 the town had planted trees on both sides of its Main Street and had acquired a Carnegie Library and a Rotary Club. Dependent for many years on dairying, a DelMonte canning factory, and the sugar beet industry, the town is now essentially a bedroom community for Logan and its Utah State University.[Wikipedia]

The 1851 & 1861 census' both indicate that Benjamin was from Co Worcester, although the location within the county was not specified. Sparkes is not a coomon surname in Co Worcester, England. Among the handful of Sparkes families in the county only one used the forname Benjamin between 1700 and the mid 1850s and that family has a Benjamin baptised 1789 for whom there is no further trace in the county. The death certificate of one of Benjamin of Wandsworth's children, George, erronously names his father 'Abraham' (George's middle name was also Abraham), a name that also only appears amongst the Welland area Sparkes of Co Worcester, England. George's death certificate, 1895, gives his parents as Abraham & Elizabeth, however the informant was a younger son from his second marriage and conflicts with the details given by George on his passenger listing when he emigrated to Australia with his first wife. Note that Abraham & Elizabeth are the parents of Benjamin, below, that is, George's grandparents. In the 1870s a grandaughter of one of Benjamin's brothers married a Wandsworth native, indicating there was still some connection between the two branches at that date. Unfortunately Benjamin's wife died before 1851 so at this stage it is unknown where she was born and where the couple married. Baptisms for Benjamin's children have not, to date, been found. One of Benjamin's daughters emigrated to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and her husband's death is mentioned in an obituary written by a daughter of George.

1.1.5. Benjamin Sparks (s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham),[13,180,393,408] born 1786/1787,[181,189,389] Co Worcester, England,[389] baptised 10/5/1789, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394,395,397] Died September quarter, 1869, Wandsworth registration district, Co Surrey, England.[181] Gardener.[380] Gardener (agricultural labourer).[380] Married Elizabeth[13,18,408] Hodnet[393]/Houton[13]/Outan,[408], about 1810.[393] Elizabeth born 1781,[189] Co Worcester, England,[408] & died March quarter, 1845, Wandsworth registration district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Resided, 1841,1855, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[180,189] Resided, 1861, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[389]

Children of Benjamin Sparks & Elizabeth:

Henry Sparkes,[408] born 1810,[129,189,390] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,390]

ii.

Benjamin Sparks, born Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408] Not in England, 1841, died or emigrated before that date.[388]

iii.

Isaac Thomas Sparks, born 5/3/1813,[388,395] Herne Hill,[395] Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[388,408] Resided 1841, Kennington, Lambeth district, London, England.[388]

iv.

Ann Sparks, born Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408]

Frances Sparks, born Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408]

vi.

George Benjamin Sparks,[4,393,408,412] born 1819,[11,181] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[180,380]

vii.

James Sparks,[408] born 1819,[129,386,388,389,392] Wandsworth,[129,386,389,390] Co Surrey, England.[388]

viii.

Elizabeth 'Betsy' Sparks,[13] born 28/2/1823, Garret Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408] Died 1903, Preston, Victoria, Australia (81yo).[13] Married Thomas Reynolds,[13] 10/9/1843, Streatham, Co Surrey, England.[408] Thomas, s/o Thomas Reynolds & Elizabeth Strong, born 31/5/1822, Hammal St Brumley, Co Surrey, England,[408] died 1891, Preston, Victoria, Australia (69yo).[13]

Children: (a)

Elizabeth Reynolds, born 17/3/1843, Garret Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408] Married Charles James Attwood, 1860, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Charles born c.1816 & died 13/8/1872, Beckhouse, Embleton, England.[408]

(b)

Thomas Reynolds, born 9/1/1845, Garret Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408] Married Frances 'Fanny' Ellingsworth,[408] 1868, Victoria, Australia.[13]

Children: (1)		Thomas Benjamin Sparks Reynolds,[408] born 1869, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(2)		Elizabeth Reynolds.[408]
(3)		Charles James Attwood Reynolds,[408] born 1871, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(4)		Edith Reynolds.[408]
(5)		Clara Beatrice Reynolds,[408] born 1875, Dimboola, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(6)		Arthur Francis Reynolds,[408] born 1884, Katamatite, Victoria, Australia.[13]

(c)

Louisa Reynolds, born 17/11/1848, Garret Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[408] Married James Arthur Saunders, 1870, Victoria, Australia.[13,408]

Children: (1)		Louisa Rosena Saunders, born 1870, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(2)		Lily Alice Saunders, born 1871, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(3)		Benjamin James Saunders, born 1873, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(4)		Emily Elizabeth Saunders, born 1875, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(5)		Walter Saunders, born 1876, Footscray, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(6)		Charles Arthur Saunders, born 1878, Footscray, Victoria, Australia.[13]
(7)		Selina Ada Saunders, born 1880, Footscray, Victoria, Australia.[13]

(d)

Benjamin Reynolds, born 26/5/1850, South Preston, Victoria, Australia,[408] baptised 1852, St Stephen's, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.[13] Died 26/12/1874, Richmond, Victoria, Australia (25yo).[13,408]

(e)

Selina Reynolds, born 1851, Victoria, Australia,[408] baptised 1852, St Stephen's, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.[13] Died 1854, Prahran, Victoria, Australia (1yo).[13,408]

(f)

Joseph Reynolds, born 26/7/1853, Prahran, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Died 1864, Prahran, Victoria, Australia (11yo).[13,408]

(g)

James Arthur Reynolds, born 14/6/1855, High Street, Prahran, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Married Frances Lowe, 24/3/1881, South Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Frances born Longford, Tasmania, Australia.[408]

Children: (1)

Rosina Emmeline Reynolds, born 17/1/1882, Prahran, Victoria, Australia.[13,408]

(h)

Selina Reynolds, born 19/8/1857, Darebin Creek, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Married George Henry Jamison,[408] 1888, Victoria, Australia.[13]

(i)

Walter Ivey Reynolds, born 4/3/1859, Victoria, Australia.[408] Died 1861, Victoria, Australia (2yo).[13]

(j)

Clara Reynolds, born 10/9/1860, Northcote, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Died 1861, Preston, Victoria, Australia (1yo).[13]

(k)

Emily Maria Reynolds, born 4/6/1862, Hotham Street, South Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Married Thomas Mitchell.[408]

(l)

Lilly Frances Reynolds, born 17/3/1867, South Preston, Victoria, Australia.[13,408] Died 11/5/1945, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[408] Married William Russell Porteous, 22/10/1891.[408] William, s/o William & Isabella, born 1/4/1861.[408]

Children: (1)		Isobel Helen Porteous.[408]
(2)		Louisa Porteous.[408] Married William Henry Kummer.[408]
(3)		Alexander Russell Porteous, born 1/10/1901, Oak Over Road, Preston, Victoria, Australia.[408] Died 10/3/1945, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[408] Married Dorothy Eva Ramsdale, 6/7/1929, "The Manse", Preston, Victoria, Australia.[408] Dorothy, d/o Joseph Henry & Gertrude Harriet Anne, born 8/3/1909, Middle Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia & died 11/5/1980, Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[408]

St Ann's, Wandsworth
Photograph - Wandsworth Heritage Service

All Saints, Wandsworth
Photograph © A Church Near You

Terraces, Garratt Lane, Wandsworth
Image - Google Earth

Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth, originally in Co Surrey. Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth. Worth, in the Saxon language, signifies either a village, or a shore. Wandsworth appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Wandesorde and Wendelesorde. This means 'enclosure of (a man named) Waendel', whose name is also lent to the River Wandle. Since at least the early 16th century, Wandsworth has offered accommodation to consecutive waves of immigration; from Protestant Dutch metalworkers fleeing persecution in the 1590s, to recent Eastern European members of the European Union. An influx of French Huguenot refugees in the early 17th century is remembered in many local street names. There is a band of small and expensive terraced housing (known as The Tonsleys) behind Old York Road - the former centre of old Wandsworth - rising to an area of grander, terraced, semi-detached and detached housing along the roads bounded by West Side Wandsworth Common, Earlsfield Road and East Hill. In contrast, at the base of East Hill is a collection of high-rise council blocks. 1887: "Wandsworth, parl. bor. and par., Surrey, on river Wandle, at its influx into the Thames, 5 miles SW. of Waterloo Station, London, by rail - parish, 2433 acres, pop. 28,004; borough (including also the parish of Tooting-Graveney, Streatham, and Putney), 8148 acres, pop. 68,792. Wandsworth is mentioned in Domesday Book, and became a seat of several important manufactures introduced by refugee Frenchmen after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes; the present industries include oil-mills, dye-works, paper-works, calico printing, hat making, corn mills, brewing, vinegar making, &c. There are 3 ry. stations - Wandsworth, Wandsworth Common, and Wandsworth Road. The Surrey County Lunatic Asylum, the Royal Hospital for Incurables, and the Boys' Home Reformatory, are here. Wandsworth returns 1 member to Parliament; it was made a parlimentary borough in 1885." The area of the civil parish of Wandsworth covers not quite 2,445 acres. Nearly 232 of these were listed in 1905 as permanent grass, whilst there were 8.5 acres of woodland and 5 still cultivated as arable land. The soil is the alluvium of the Thames and Wandle, a gravel terrace originally deposited by the river forming the higher ground. The River Wandle enters it from the south and flows northwards into the Thames. By the close of the 18th century some 500 persons were employed in factories and mills in Wandsworth village. Outside the village most of the land was used in almost equal proportions for agriculture and pasture, including 218 acres of market gardens at Garratt. In 1831, when there were 6,879 residents in the parish, 909 families were engaged in trade and only 164 in agriculture. It is probable that many of the remaining 497 were the families of the gentry and citizens of London who had suburban residences on the East and West Hills. As late as 1864 Wandsworth was described as a small old-fashioned town with country lanes and by-ways branching off from its quaint High Street, but its rural characteristics had vanished by the early 1900s, along with most of the old houses. By the Local Government Act of 1888 the parish, previously in Co Surrey, was included in the County of London, and under the London Government Act of 1899 the metropolitan borough of Wandsworth, which includes the civil parishes of Clapham, Putney, Streatham and Tooting Graveney, was formed. In 1891 the population numbered 113,244 persons, and ten years later it had increased to 179,877. Some prehistoric and Roman remains have been found in Wandworth. In the south-east corner of the parish, where till recent times was the hamlet of Garratt, was by the early 1900s a network of new streets, preserving some rural characteristics. In the High Street, which connects the East and West Hills, stands the parish church of All Saints, a short distance west of the Wandle. The name survives in Garratt Lane. The parish church, which stands nearly in the centre of the parish, is dedicated to All Saints. It is a brick structure, and consists of a nave, chancel, and two aisles. At the west end is a square tower, which was built in the year 1630, before which time there was a leaded steeple. With the exception of the north aisle and tower the church was entirely rebuilt in 1780, in the classic Renaissance style. The north aisle, which was added to the old building in 1724, being incorporated in the new design, and the tower - a rebuilding of 1630 left standing. This tower was 'repaired and heightened' in 1841, but the repairing was of such a drastic character that the tower now has the appearance of one erected early in the Victorian era. It has been supposed that the parish church dates from before the Norman Conquest. It seems to have belonged to Westminster Abbey with that part of Wandsworth which was included in the manor of Battersea, but no record of it earlier than the second half of the 12th century survives. Summers Town was formed as an ecclesiastical district from the ancient parish in 1845. The church of St Mary, in Garratt Lane, is built in a free treatment of the style of the end of the 15th century; it has a chancel, north and south vestries connected by a passage east of the chancel, nave, north and south aisles, about half of a south-east tower, and west porches with a baptistery between. The walls are of red brick with stone dressings, the roofs are covered with slates. The church of St Anne was built as a chapel of ease to the parish church in 1824, but had a parish assigned to it in 1847. It occupies a large rectangular site with roads on three sides of it in St. Anne's Hill. It is of classic design, having a small apsidal chancel with a round chancel arch, vestries, etc, and a large square nave with galleries on three sides supported on square pilasters, above which fluted columns standing on square pedestals are carried up to the flat ceiling. The gallery fronts are open balustrades. At the west end is a large portico with four Ionic pillars supporting a stone frieze and pediment, over which rises a circular tower. The walls are of stock brick with stone dressings. The nave was probably erected at the beginning of the 19th century; the chancel and vestries were rebuilt in 1896. The church of Holy Trinity, West Hill, which is a chapel of ease to All Saints, is a large building of rag and Bath stone in the style of the 14th century. It consists of a chancel, nave with clearstory, low aisles, north and south transepts, vestries, porches, &c., and a north-west porch-tower of three stages surmounted by an octagonal stone spire. The south aisle and transept are dated 1872 and the tower 1887.[Wikipedia, Vision of Britain, British History Online, British History Online, St Anne's]

Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, 1823
Painting - D. Walther, 1823

Terrace, Hotham Street, Preston
Photograph © Realestate.com

8 High Street, Prahran
Photograph © Realestate.com

Herne Hill is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. There is a road of the same name which continues the A215 north of Norwood Road and was called Herne Hill Road. The name Herne Hill initially appeared in 1798, when the area was farms and woodland. It has been suggested that it derives from previously being called Heron's Hill, as the River Effra attracted a large number of herons, but other explanations have also been suggested. Herne Hill is situated between the more well-known areas of Brixton, Dulwich and Camberwell. It also straddles two boroughs, and is a today community of just under 12,000 people, with a range of independent shops, art galleries, bars and restaurants. The area is home to Brockwell Park. Near a hilltop in Brockwell Park stands Brockwell Hall, which was built in 1831. Situated in a park off Burbage Road, the Herne Hill Velodrome was built in 1891, is the only remaining cycle racing track in London. St Paul's church on Herne Hill was originally built by G Alexander in 1843-1844, but dramatically rebuilt after a destructive fire by the gothic architect G E Street in 1858.[Wikipedia] Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892. The area where Preston now resides was first surveyed by Robert Hoddle in 1837 for sub-division. In 1850, Edward Wood, a settler from Sussex, England, opened a store at the corner of High Street and Wood Street. The original name for Preston was Irishtown. Meeting at the Wood store, members of the Ebenezer Church, Particular Baptist from Brighton, England met to change the name. They wanted to name the town after their former home in Sussex, but Brighton was already taken. Instead they named it after Preston, a small village also in Sussex. The first church was accompanied by a growing number of hotels and other stores, which had emerged some 2 kilometres south of Wood's store at the junction of Plenty Road and High Street, the latter of which served as a route to Sydney. Throughout the 1880s the area between Wood's Store and the junction would be known as "Gowerville". 1854 saw the establishment of the area's first primary schools. The first state school opened in 1866. During its formative years, Preston was heavily reliant on an abundance of fertile land for farming, dairying and market gardens. Areas that were not productive however, yielded clay for pottery and bricks. The 1860s saw the development of Preston's industrial capacity, with a bacon-curing factory opening in 1862, followed by a tannery in 1865. These original establishments would be followed by several larger factories. 1889 saw the opening of a rail line passing through Preston. Throughout the 1880s, Preston with its abundance of land and newly built rail stations was marketed as a residential area, capable of supporting 20,000 inhabitants. Between 1887 and 1891 Preston's population nearly doubled from 2,000 to 3,600. The majority of residential development took place within the corridor contained by Plenty and High Streets, however there was also limited development in the west of the town, along Gilbert Road. These areas would remain areas of growth well into the 20th Century. Urban growth accelerated in Preston during the 1920s, thanks largely to the establishment of a direct rail link between Collingwood and Flinders Street in 1904, and a building of a tram line linking Melbourne and the city in 1920. By 1922, Preston had been formally recognised as a borough, two months later it had become a town, and finally by 1915, Preston had been proclaimed a city. With the 1930s and the Great Depression came economic hardship for Preston. However, capital works projects-which included the designation of new parks and reserves and the paving of roads, helped attract new residents to the area. Preston bucked the economic status quo by recording rapid growth between the period 1933 and 1947, with the population growing by some 40%. Between 1947 and 1954 the population grew by 37% topping 64,000, with 11% of the population living in government housing. Preston's census populations have been 623 (1861), 3,563 (1891) and 6,555 (1921). The three postwar decades saw an influx of European immigrants into the Preston area, later followed by Asian refugees in the 1980s. By 1986 some 30% of the population was foreign born.[Wikipedia] Prahran, also known colloquially as "Pran", is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. At the 2006 Census, Prahran had a population of 10,651. It is a part of Melbourne with many shops, restaurants and cafes. Prahran takes its name from Pur-ra-ran, a compound of two aboriginal words, meaning "land partially surrounded by water" in 1837 by George Langhorne. The proximity of the Yarra River and a swamp to the southwest (Albert Park Lake is the remnant) explains that description. In 1837 George Langhorne named the area Pur-ra-ran, a compound of two aboriginal words, meaning "land partially surrounded by water". When he informed the Surveyor-General Robert Hoddle of the name, it was written as "Prahran". Between the 1890s and 1930s, Prahran built up a huge shopping centre which by the 1920s had rivalled the Melbourne Central Business District. Large emporiums (department stores) sprang up along Chapel Street. Prahran also became a major entertainment area. The Lyric theatre (also known as the fleahouse), built on the corner of Victoria Street in 1911, burnt down in the 1940s. The Royal was the second old theatre built. The Empress (also known as the flea palace), another popular theatre on Chapel Street was destroyed by fire in 1971. In the 1960s, in an effort to boost the slowly growing local population and inject new life into the suburb, the Victorian government opened the Prahran Housing Commission estate just off Chapel Street, together with a larger estate, located just north in South Yarra. Further complementing the high rise developments was a low density development between Bangs and Bendigo Streets. In the 1970s, the suburb began to gentrify, with much of the remaining old housing stock being renovated and restored. The area had a substantial Greek population and many took advantage of the rise in property values during the 1980s, paving the way for further development and a subsequent shift in demographics. During the 1990s, the population increased markedly, with demand for inner-city living fuelling a medium-density housing boom. Residential Prahran consists of mostly single storey Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses, with some larger double storey terraces closer to the main shopping strips. A public housing high rise estate is located on King Street, adjoining Princes Gardens.[Wikipedia]

1.1.1.1. Joseph Sparkes (s/o Sarah, d/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1786, Welland, Co Worcester, England,[388,389,390] baptised 23/11/1788, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394] Died March quarter, 1857, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Married Elizabeth Baylis, 21/11/1816, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Elizabeth born 1786, Co Worcester, England,[388] died June quarter, 1842, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 23/4/1842, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England (56yo).[401] Resided 1821-1826, Conderton, Co Worcester, England.[129,388,390] Resided 1841,1851,1861, Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390]

Children of Joseph Sparkes & Elizabeth Baylis:

Mary Sparks, born 1818, Co Worcester, England.[388] With parents, 1841.[388]

ii.

Joseph Sparks, born 1821, Conderton, Co Worcester, England.[129,388,390] Died March quarter, 1888, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (66yo).[387] With parents, 1841.[388] Grocer, 1881.[129] Married Ann Best, 6/7/1843, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Ann died September quarter, 1877, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (65yo).[387] Resided 1851,1861,1871,1881, Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[129,389,390,398]

Children: (a)		Elizabeth Sparkes, born 1844, Conderton, Co Worcester, England,[129,390] baptised 26/5/1844, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Grocer shopkeeper, 1901.[400] With father, 1851,1861,1871,1881.[129,389,390,398] Resided 1891, Pershore, Pershore district, Co Worcester, England.[399] Resided 1901, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[400]
(b)		Sarah Sparkes, born 1847, Conderton, Co Worcester, England,[129,390] baptised 7/3/1847, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died December quarter, 1928, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (82yo).[387] Dressmaker, 1881.[129] Grocer shopkeeper, 1901.[400] With father, 1851,1861,1871,1881.[129,389,390,398] Resided 1891, Pershore, Pershore district, Co Worcester, England.[399] Resided 1901, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[400]

iii.

John Sparks, born 1821, Conderton, Co Worcester, England,[129,388,390], baptised 14/4/1822, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Carter, 1881.[129] Died 1880s. With parents, 1841.[388] With father, 1851.[390] Resided 1881, with Elizabeth Carter, widow, Ashton Under Hill, Co Gloucester, England.[129] Did not marry.[129]

iv.

James Baylis Sparks, born 1826, Conderton, Co Worcester, England,[129,388,389,390,398] baptised 23/4/1826, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died March quarter, 1891, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (65yo).[387] With parents, 1841.[388] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] With father, 1851.[390] Married Elizabeth.[395] Elizabeth born 1828, Didbrook, Co Gloucester, England.[129] Resided 1861,1871, Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[389,398] Resided 1881, 'Top of Village', Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[129]

Children: (a)

Joseph Sparkes, born June quarter, 1854, Conderton, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[129,387,389,398,399] With parents, 1861,1871,1881.[129,389,398] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] Carter on farm, 1901.[400] Married Sarah Ann Baldwyn, 25/12/1882, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] Sarah born 1856, Conderton, Co Worcester,[399] & died December quarter, 1912, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (57yo).[387] Resided 1891, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[399] Resided 1901, Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[400]

Children: (1)		Charles Arthur Sparkes, born September quarter, 1884, Overbury, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400] Agricultural labourer, 1901.[400]
(2)		Elsie Amelia Sparkes, born December quarter, 1886, Conderton, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400]

(b)

Ann Elizabeth Sparkes, born March quarter, 1856, Conderton, Co Worcester, England,[387,389,398] baptised 9/3/1856, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1861,1871.[389,398] Married George Pugh, 31/10/1876, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395]

(c)

Charles Sparkes, born June quarter, 1857, Conderton, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[387,389,398] With parents, 1861,1871.[389,398]

(d)

Emily Frances Sparkes, born December quarter, 1858, Conderton, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England.[387,389] Died December quarter, 1866, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England (8yo).[387] With parents, 1861.[389]

(e)

Agnes Amelia Sparkes, born June quarter, 1873, Conderton, Tewkesbury district, Co Worcester, England,[129,387] baptised 1/6/1873, St Faith, Overbury, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1881.[129]

St Faith's, Overbury
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Cottages, Overbury
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Track down Bredon Hill, Conderton
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

Overbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Worcestershire. Situated at the base of the 300m Bredon Hill, midway between the Malverns and the Cotswolds, and close to the towns of Tewkesbury, Evesham and Cheltenham. The traditional agriculture of the area, the main activity of those who have lived and worked in Overbury over the centuries, is still a major part of the community, and the villages have successfully evolved with the times and are still adapting. "Overbury" is often used to describe both the villages of Conderton and Overbury. The history of Overbury can be traced back to some years before the Roman conquest. Excavations in 1938 on the summit of Bredon Hill revealed that the site had been the basis of a large settlement for about 500 years up to 100 BC. It is likely that the settlement on Bredon Hill was a large and flourishing one. However, it appears to have been sacked and abandoned after a bloody battle for possession shortly before the Roman arrival in the area. With the break up of the Roman Empire and the eventual collapse of Roman authority in England in the 4th and 5th centuries, Overbury was settled gradually by Anglo-Saxon farmers. The name "Overbury" is a Saxon name meaning upper or higher habitation, and it is under this name that the village makes its first appearance in written history in AD 875. The name "Conderton", being "Cantuoretun", means the settlement of the men of Kent. From 1641 onwards the manor and lands were leased to the Parsons family, who retained their connection with the village until the death of the last holder of the lease in 1723. The Parsons lived at the original Overbury Court which appears to have been a gabled Elizabethan manor house, surrounded by farm buildings. Throughout the middle ages, until the late 18th century, the working life of the village was based almost entirely on agriculture. Sheep grazed the Hill, and the Vale was under the plough, or planted with orchards. In 1723 John Martin, a London banker, came to live in Overbury Court. The Elizabethan house burnt down in 1738, and a new house was begun shortly afterwards. The house is constructed of golden, ashlar-faced Cotswold stone and has a fine Georgian façade looking south. The village today consists of a number of cottages, generally of Cotswold stone, interspaced with larger houses, mainly dating from the 18th century, which must have housed the well-to-do millers the village attracted at that time. There is plentiful evidence from the 1700s onwards of the industrial activities in Overbury. At one time, at least six mills, driven by the water power of the stream, were producing flour, paper and silk threads. The village was, in the early 19th century, far from being just an agricultural community. In the middle of the 18th century the numbers in the two villages was around 350. Then there is a steep rise up to about 800 at the turn of the century, and as late as 1870, the census records 650. In addition to the main mills, there was also a malt house in Church Row to malt local barley for brewing beer at The Old Brew House. Many of the mills have been converted to houses. With the decline of the mills, Overbury once more reverted to its agricultural roots and the population fell. 1868: "Overbury, a parish in the middle division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, county Worcester, 5 miles N.E. of Tewkesbury. It is situated under Bredon Hill, and includes the chapelries of Alstone, Teddington, and Little Washbourne, and the hamlet of Conderton. There are stone-quarries, malt kilns, and a paper mill. The tithes were commuted for land and a money payment under an Enclosure Act in 1811. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Worcester, value with the above curacies, £450, in the patronage of the dean and chapter. The church, dedicated to St. Faith, is an ancient structure, containing a monument to W. Dowdeswell, with an epitaph by Burke. There are chapels-of-ease at Alstone, Teddington, and Little Washbourne. Elizabeth Wood, in 1824, bequeathed £200, of which the interest is distributed to the poor."[Wikipedia, GenUKI, Overbury Estate]

The Yew Tree Inn, Conderton
Photograph © John Phillips [Geograph]

Bridge Street, Pershore (c.1955)
Photograph © Francis Frith Photography

Ashton-under-hill, 1920s
Photograph - Ashton Village Website

Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Avon. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304. The town is best known for Pershore Abbey & Pershore College. The district is rich in fruit and vegetable production. The town has been designated as a place of major architectural importance by the Council for British Archaeology, and listed as an outstanding conservation area. Parts of the abbey, which stand in an expanse of public grassland close to the centre of the town, date from the 11th century. The current structure is far smaller than the original building, which was plundered during the reign of Henry VIII at the Dissolution. The original nave was destroyed. The north transept collapsed later. The present nave occupies the western part of what would originally have been the choir. The town also contains much elegant Georgian architecture. 1868: "Pershore, partly comprises the parishes of St. Andrew's and Holy Cross, and is a post and market town, in the upper division of the hundred of Pershore, county Worcester, 9 miles S.E. of Worcester, and 102 W. by N. of London. It is a station on the West Midland railway. It is situated under-Aylesborough and Bredon hills, and on the western bank of the Avon, which is here navigable, and is crossed by a bridge on the South. In the Saxon times its name was spelt Perscora, and subsequently Pearshore and Persore, in allusion to the numerous pear trees which grew in the vicinity."[Wikipedia, GenUKI] Ashton under Hill, formerly in the county of Gloucestershire, is a village and civil parish in Co Worcestershire, England. It is situated at the foot of Bredon Hill. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 743. The village has a long history with evidence of Roman occupation. The earliest surviving building is the parish church of St. Barbara which is entered through a Norman doorway. The church has been extended and reconstructed over the years and has a neat pinnacled tower of the 14th century and a chancel rebuilt in 1624. By the lych gate at the entrance to the churchyard is a 15th century stone cross with thatched cottages dating back to the 17th century on either side of the road. The village church, St Barbara's is reputedly the only church in England dedicated to St Barbara who is alleged to afford protection from lightning strikes. In 2005, villagers celebrated the 900th anniversary of the church. In addition to timber-framed and stone cottages there is a black and white farmhouse dating back to the 15th century, an elegant stone manor house built before 1700, tall brick houses from around 1800, also many red-brick Victorian cottages and a scattering of 20th century houses in a variety of styles. The non-conformist chapel was built in the 1920s. The village also has two schools; the old Village school in the centre built in the 1860s with the more modern village hall attached, and at the north end the 1960s Middle School. Ashton under Hill once had a railway station situated on a lengthy loop line, branching off the Bristol to Birmingham line. The loop was closed in 1962 due to the poor condition of the track. In earlier times Ashton was celebrated for its orchards and market gardening. Very little now remains. 1868: "Ashton-Under-Hill, a parish in the hundred of Tibaldstone, in the county of Gloucester, 5 miles to the S. W. of Evesham, its post town. It lies in a fair valley, bounded on the N. by Bredon Hill, nearly 1,000 feet high, and commanding fine views over Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Tewkesbury. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the vicarage of Beckford, in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. The church is dedicated to St. Barbara."[Wikipedia, Ashton-under-hill]

1.1.1.2. William Sparkes (s/o Sarah, d/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1786/1787/1791, Welland, Co Worcester,[388,389,390] baptised 6/3/1791, St James, Welland, Co Worcester, England.[394] Died March quarter, 1872, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (85yo).[387] Married Sarah Austin, 3/12/1813,[395,397] St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Sarah born 1786,[388] Astley, Co Worcester, England,[390] died June quarter, 1855, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 21/4/1855, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (71yo).[401] Resided 1841,1851,1861, Great Witley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390] Resided 1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[398]

Children of William Sparkes & Sarah Austin:

John Sparkes, baptised 10/7/1814, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1831 & buried 27/3/1831, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (16yo).[401]

ii.

Sarah Sparkes, baptised 17/3/1816, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395]

iii.

Mary Sparks, baptised 11/1/1818, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Married Joseph Nash, 30/10/1844, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[387,395]

iv.

William Sparkes, born 1819, Astley, Co Worcester,[129,389,390,398], baptised 24/10/1819, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died June quarter, 1886, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England (66yo).[387] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1841,1851,1861, Great Witley, Co Worcester, England.[388,389,390] Resided 1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, with brother Joseph, Chadwick, nr Hartlebury, Co Worcester, England.[129] Did not marry.

Henry Sparks, born 1821, Astley, Co Worcester,[129,389,390,398], baptised 23/9/1821, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died September quarter, 1882, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (60yo).[387] With parents, 1841.[388] Labourer, 1881.[129] Married Ann Bullock, 23/12/1845, St Peter, Astley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Ann born 1813, Great Shelsley, Co Worcester, England,[129,389,390,398] died March quarter, 1890, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (77yo).[387] Resided 1851,1861,1871, Great Witley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[389,390,398] Resided 1881, Astley Cross, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[129] No issue.

vi.

Joseph Sparks, born 1827, Astley, Co Worcester,[389,390,398] baptised 16/12/1827, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died March quarter, 1890, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England (62yo).[387] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1841,1851, Great Witley, Co Worcester, England.[388,390] Married Mary Ann Nash, 21/5/1855, St Peter, Astley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[387,395] Mary born 1834, Hampton Loade (Lovett), Co Worcester, England.[129,389,398] Resided 1861, Great Witley, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[389] Resided 1871, Holt, Martley district, Co Worcester, England.[398] Resided 1881, Chadwick, nr Hartlebury, Co Worcester, England.[129] Mary resided 1891, Ombersley, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[399]

Children: (a)

Sarah Elizabeth Sparkes, born September quarter, 1855, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] baptised 8/9/1855, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died March quarter, 1856, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 7/1/1856, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (4mo).[401]

(b)

Thomas Sparke, born March quarter, 1856, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] baptised 26/12/1856, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died 1857 & buried 18/3/1857, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (3mo).[401]

(c)

William Sparks, born June quarter, 1858, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] baptised 13/6/1858, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died September quater, 1858, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 3/7/1858, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (6wo).[401]

(d)

John Sparke, born September quarter, 1860, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] baptised 23/7/1860, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died December quarter, 1860, Martley district, Co Worcester, England,[387] & buried 2/11/1860, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England (15wo).[401]

(e)

Mary Sparkes, born March quarter, 1862, Astley, Co Worcester,[129,387,398,399] baptised 23/3/1862, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] With parents, 1871,1881.[129,398] General servant, 1881.[129] Resided 1891, Belbroughton, Bromsgrove district, Co Worcester, England.[399]

Children: (1)		Henry Thomas Sparks, born March quarter, 1881, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[129,387] With mother, 1881.[129] With grandmother, Mary Sparkes, 1891, Ombersley, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[399]
(2)		George Cyril T. Sparkes, born March quarter, 1887, Hartlebury, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[387,399] With grandmother, Mary Sparkes, 1891, Ombersley, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[399]

(f)

Alfred Sparkes, born June quarter, 1866, Astley, Co Worcester,[129,387,398,399] baptised 13/5/1866, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died December quarter, 1935, Kidderminster district, Co Worcester, England (69yo).[387] With parents, 1871,1881.[129,398] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] Farm labourer, 1901.[400] Resided 1891, Belbroughton, Bromsgrove district, Co Worcester, England.[399] Married Mary Jane Ward, December quarter. 1890, Kidderminster district, Co Worcester, England.[387] Resided 1901, Hartlebury, Co Worcester, England.[400]

Children: (1)

Joseph Sparkes, born September quarter, 1897, Hartlebury, Droitwich district, Co Worcester, England.[387,400] With parents, 1901.[400]

(g)

Joseph Sparkes, born March quarter, 1871, Martley district, Co Worcester,[387] baptised 12/2/1871, St Peter, Astley, Co Worcester, England.[395] Died March quarter, 1871, Martley district, Co Worcester, England (0yo).[387]

Upper Welland Road, Welland
Photograph © Bob Embleton [Geograph]

St Peter, Astley
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Longmore Hill Farm, Astley Cross
Photograph © Philip Halling [Geograph]

Astley is a village, and a civil parish in Co Worcestershire, England. Settlement in the area dates back to at least 2500BC with evidence the Beaker People (Bronze Age) lived in the area. Archaelogical evidence indicates a continious occupation of the area since then through the Iron age, the Roman period and to the present. There is evidence in the village of Norman heritage. The house Astley Towne has a Norman cellar. There was formerly an estate at Glasshampton with the seat of the Winford family. The house no longer exists but the stables accommodate an Anglican Franciscan monastery. 1894: "Astley, a parish in Worcestershire, on the river Severn, 8 miles SW by S of Stourport, which is the post town. Acreage, 3031; population, 828. A Benedictine priory, subordinate to the abbey of St Taurinus in France, was founded here in the time of Henry I. by Ralph de Todeni; suffered frequent seizure by the Crown during the wars with France; passed, in the time of Richard II. to John Beauchamp, and in that of Edward IV. to the college of Westbury, and was given by Henry VII. to Sir Ralph Sadleir, the compiler of the state papers. A well, known as the Prior's well, near the churchyard, is the only relic. Woodhampton and Oakhampton are-the chief residences. A hermitage was cut out of the solid. rock at Astley Cliff, near Eedstone ferry; it was, in pre-Reformation days, a place of great resort for devotees, and is assigned by tradition as a residence of Layamon, the chronicler and poet; later, it was turned into an alehouse, and is now used for farm purposes. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester; value, £530. The church stands, on an eminence, and is a fine specimen of Early Norman architecture; it contains a Norman font, some good altar-tombs to the Blount family, and a replica by Bacon of his memorial to Mrs Mason in Bristol Cathedral. In the churchyard is a monument to Miss Frances Eidley Havergal, whose father was rector of this parish." The parish church is dedicated to Saint Peter. Although there was a church in Saxon times, the earliest remains now date from the time of the Normans. In was not dedicated until 1289, soon after Lady Petronilla's people had invaded the monastery. It was largely rebuilt in the 1400's when under the care of Master Henry Sampson, Dean of the church of Holy Trinity, Westbury Gloucester. Astley Cross is a village in Worcestershire, England, located on the outskirts of Stourport-on-Severn. The village lies 1 mile south of the centre of Stourport. The locality of Astley Cross was mentioned at least as early as 1854. In 1900, the Incorporated Church Building Society granted the village of Astley Cross moneys to build a mission church.[Wikipedia, Wikipedia, UK Genealogy, Astley Village]

Witley Court
Photograph © Enjoy Ludlow

Saint Michael & All Angels, Great Whitley
Photograph © St Michael & All Saints

Holt Mill Farm, Holt (1990)
Photograph © Peter Hancocks

Great Witley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills in the northwest of Co Worcestershire. There has been a settlement in the area since before the Norman Conquest. The village is home to Witley Court, a Jacobean country house extended on a number of occasions throughout its history, but which became derelict after a spectacular fire in 1937. The mansion, formerly one of the finest in England, is now in the care of English Heritage. Adjoining Witley Court is the 18th century church of Saint Michael & All Angels, which is one of the finest Italian Baroque churches in Britain. It incorporates a richly gilded ceiling with a number of paintings by Antonio Bellucci. Nearby is Woodbury Hill commanding extensive views south to the Malvern Hills and over the River Teme valley to the west. On the summit is an Iron Age hillfort. Owain Glyndwr's army of Welsh and French camped here for eight days in the summer of 1405 facing an army of King Henry IV at Abberley Hill. Skirmishes took place but neither large force initiated full scale battle and the Welsh withdrew under nightfall back to Wales. 1868: "Great Witley, a parish in the lower division of Doddingtree hundred, county Worcester, 5 miles S.W. of Stourport, and 10 N.W. of Worcester. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Redmarley, is intersected by the roads from Worcester to Ludlow, and from Staffordshire into Herefordshire. An abundant supply of water is obtained from the Abberley and Woodbury hills, on the latter of which are traces of an ancient British encampment, also said to have been occupied by Owen Glendower in his war with Henry IV. Limestone is abundant, containing various descriptions of fossils, and some bivalves are found in the argillaceous stratum."[GenUKI, Wikipedia, St Michael & All Angels] The Parish of Holt is situated about 7 miles north of Worcester adjacent to the river Severn in the Malvern Hills area. The village of Holt Heath is the main residential part of the parish. Holt parish has an approximate population of 593 and 221 habitable properties. It is a mixed rural community with farming, fruit growing and market gardening on land around the village. The Church of St Martin is a mid 12th Century (restored in the 19th Century) building built of sandstone situated three quarters of a mile from the centre of the village. Opposite the church is Holt Castle. Elsewhere in the village and surronding area there are examples of farm buildings and cottages dating from the 17th century. Shrawley brook has two old Mills along its path, neither now working, one is Hollingshead Mill and the other is Holt Mill, this mill is probably the one mentioned in the Doomsday Book. 1868: "Holt, a parish in the lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow, county Worcester, 6.5 miles N.W. of Worcester, its post town, and 6 W. of Droitwich railway station. It is a small parish, situated near Holt Fleet Bridge, on the river Severn, and contains the chapelry of Little Witley. Here are the remains of a castle, built by Urso d'Abitot in the reign of William the Conqueror, which was afterwards rebuilt by Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and for some time continued to be the residence of that family. The land is partly in hops, and good building-stone is quarried." There has been a settlement at Holt since Saxon times, when a village grew up around the castle and church. The name 'Holt' comes from the Saxon word meaning 'wood'. The Domesday Book records that the village then had a population of 12 villeins. The church and castle, once the centre of village life, has now become a separate hamlet. The building of the Telford bridge at Holt Fleet in 1826 resulted in a population shift to present day Holt Heath.[GenUKI, Holt Parish, St Martin's, Peter Hancock]

Cottage, Stourport Rd, Chadwick
Image - Google Earth

Church Lane, Belbroughton
Photograph © Geoff Gartside [Geograph]

Old cottages, Inn Lane, Hartlebury
Photograph © P L Chadwick [Geograph]

Chadwick is a hamlet in the parish of Bromsgrove, in the county of Worcester. 1868: "a parish and market town, 11 miles to the N.E. of Worcester, and 116 miles from London by road, or 127 miles by the London and North Western railway. It has a station on the Bristol and Birmingham section of the Midland railway, the station itself being situated in the adjoining parish of Stoke Prior. This place was a royal demesne for some time after the Norman Conquest, and was anciently called Bremesgrave. In the reign of Edward I. the town sent two members to parliament. Burcot, the Rock, and Sidemoor, are hamlets of this parish. Bromsgrove is situated in a rich and beautiful valley at the southern foot of the Lickey hills, on the banks of the river Salwarp, which, with several small streams, has its source in the neighbourhood. The Lickey range, which is of considerable elevation, and commands extensive and diversified prospects, consists chiefly of quartzose sandstone. The great gravel-beds of Oxfordshire are believed to have been derived from these hills. One of the springs on the Lickey supplies two streams, one of which, joining the Rea, falls with the Trent into the North Sea, and the other, joining the Stour, falls with the Severn into the Irish Sea. On the hills are found the cranberry and the purple cinquefoil. The town consists chiefly of one long street, with others branching off right and left. The High-street is spacious, containing many well-built houses and shops, interspersed with a few ancient wood-framed houses of divers colours, giving a picturesque appearance to the place. The town has been much improved since 1846, under an Act passed for that purpose, and is now well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with abundance of water by means of pumps. Near the middle of the town is the townhall, erected in 1832, beneath which is a market-house, principally used for butter and poultry. The principal trade of the town is the manufacture of nails, needles, and buttons. In the neighbourhood are extensive beds of salt and a brine spring, the discovery of which led to the establishment of the great works in the adjoining parish of Stoke-Prior. The linen manufacture is no longer carried on at Bromsgrove, nor is the clothing trade mentioned by Leland; but there are coach factories for building railway carriages, and some malting establishments. The church, which stands on high ground, is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It is very old, having been built in the reign of Henry I., and is partly in the Norman and partly in the perpendicular styles of architecture. It has a very fine tower and spire, rising to the height of 189 feet, and contains some good stained windows and monuments. It underwent an entire restoration in 1858. Three miles from the town, on the N. side of the Lickey hills, is Hawkesley House, which was garrisoned by the parliament during the Civil War, and besieged and taken by the king in 1645. Bromsgrove was on that occasion the head-quarters of the royalist troops. There is a mineral spring at Barnet Green."[GenUKI] Belbroughton is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,380. The ancient village, first mentioned in a Saxon Charter of 817AD, was recorded in the famous Doomsday Book. Belboughton was at the core of the north Worcestershire scythe-making district. Many of the mills of the area were formerly blade mills used for sharpening them, after a scythesmith had forged them from iron, with a thin strip of steel along the cutting edge. From the late 18th century until about 1870, the Waldron family of Field House Clent were the leading manufacturers. They were succeeded by Isaac Nash, whose business finally closed in about 1970. Scythes were formerly not just made in Belbroughton, but also several adjacent parishes, including Chaddesley Corbett. Prior to 817AD there was a Pagan settlement in what is now Belbroughton. Sometime around 650-700AD the first missionaries arrived from Oswestry. The present Churchyard is the site of the early Pagan religious ceremonies. The base of the existing Woodgate memorial is believed to be a Pagan preaching stone. After conversion to Christianity, it is thought a wooden Church was erected, to be replaced in Norman times with a substantial stone structure. Little of this remains but there is a Norman Chapel in the grounds of Bell Hall. The present Church was built at the beginning of the 14th Century.[Wikipedia, Belbroughton] Hartlebury is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is a few miles south of Kidderminster. The village had a population of 2,549 in the 2001 census. The parish is formed from a collection of scattered hamlets with an historic village centre, bordered on the west by the River Severn and Hartlebury Common. The surrounding area is comprised mainly of fertile arable farmland. The hamlets include Charlton, Chadwick, Whitlenge, Torton, Norchard, Crossway Green and Lincomb. In 817AD the village was recorded with the name 'Heortlabyrig', stemming from ’heortla’ meaning hart, as in deer, and ’byrig’ meaning an enclosed or fortified place, in effect 'The Hill of the Deer'. The land was granted by Burghred, King of Mercia, to the Bishops of Worcester in 850AD. There was an extensive deer park at Hartlebury Castle, which for centuries was the home of the Bishops of Worcester. Hartlebury Castle, built in the mid-13th century as a fortified manor house, is the residence of the Bishop of Worcester, and two-thirds of the building is leased out to Worcestershire County Council as the Worcestershire County Museum. It is about a mile to the west of the village and half a mile to the west of the church. Hartlebury has grown considerably and is now very much a dormitory village for surrounding industrial areas and modern houses have been built in and around the old village centre. 1872: "Hartlebury, a village and a parish in Droitwich district, Worcester. The village stands 1 mile W by N of the junction of the West Midland and Severn Valley railways, 1½ E of the river Severn, and 3¾ S by E of Kidderminster; and has a station at the railway junction, and a post office letter box under Kidderminster. The parish contains also the hamlets of Upper Mitton, Crossway-Green, Norchard, Waresley, Chadwick, Titton, Lincomb, Charlton, Wilden, Torton, and Low Hill. Acres, 5,493. Real property, £14,583. Pop. in 1851, 2,047; in 1861, 2,115. Houses, 452. The property is subdivided. The manor was given to the Bishops of Worcester by King Buhred. Hartlebury Castle, the seat of the bishops, was built, in the time of Henry III., by Bishop Cantelupe; was seized and destroyed, in 1646, by the parliamentarian force; was rebuilt, of brick, by Bishop Hough; and stands in a park to the W of the village. Ironworks are in Wilden hamlet, near the Worcester and Stafford canal. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Worcester. Value, £1,765. Patron, the Bishop of Worcester. The church was rebuilt in 1836; and is a handsome edifice in the Gothic style, with a tower. There are a recent Independent chapel, a free grammar school, founded in 1400, with endowed income of £467, and other charities with £67." The present church was consecrated in 1837 but the first mention of a resident priest can be found in the Domesday Survey of 1086 which would suggest that there was some form of church in Hartlebury at that time. The church was rebuilt again in the 13th century, and in the 14th century it was temporarily closed following a murder. Various parts of the church were added through the centuries and in 1818 the rector restored the chancel at his own expense saying that the church was ‘ruinous and unseemly and the most unfitted for its purpose of any within 20 miles’. The present church was built on the foundations of the 13th century building. There are portions of the earlier buildings still visible in the fabric of the present church.[Wikipedia, Vision of Britain, Hartlebury]

1.1.5.1. Henry Sparkes (s/o Benjamin, s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1810,[129,189,390] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,390] Died March quarter, 1894, Richmond district, Co Surrey, England (84yo).[387] General labourer, 1881.[129] Married Susan.[189] Susan born 1811,[129,189,390] Mitcham, Co Surrey, England,[129,390] died December quarter, 1892, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England (83yo).[387] Resided 1841, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[189] Resided 1851,1871, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390,392] Resided 1881, No.7 Littlers Cottages, Merton, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[129]

Children of Henry Sparkes & Susan:

George Sparkes, born 1834,[129,189,389] Wandsworth,[129,389] Co Surrey, England.[189] Died September quarter, 1883, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England (49yo).[387] Bricklayer's labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1841, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[189,388] With parents, 1851, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390] Married Caroline Wheeler.[129,389] Caroline born 1834, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey,[129,389,400] died December quarter, 1912, Paddington district, Co Surrey, England (77yo).[387] Resided 1861,1871, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[389,392] Resided 1881, No.17 Smiths Building, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] Resided 1891, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Resided 1901, Willesden, Co Surrey, England.[400]

Children: (a)

Sarah Sparks, born 1855, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[129,389,399] With parents, 1861,1871.[389,392] Married William Woollacott, December quarter, 1873, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[387] William born 1850, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] General labourer, 1881.[129] Resided 1881, No.18 Smiths Buildings, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[129] Resided 1891, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[399]

Children: (1)		William Woollacott, born 1874, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(2)		Richard Woollacott, born 1876, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(3)		Emily Woollacott, born 1877, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(4)		Henry Woollacott, born 1880, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]

(b)

Eliza Sparks, born 1862, Co Surrey, England.[392,399] With parents, 1871.[392] Married George Henry Davey, March quarter, 1881, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Resided 1891, Poplar Bow, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[399]

(c)

George Sparks, born 1864, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[129,392,399] General labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1871,1881.[129,392] Married Ellen Tanner, December quarter, 1889, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Ellen born 1858, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Resided 1891, St George Camberwell, Co Surrey, England.[399]

Children: (1)

Kathleen Sparkes, born 1891, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[399] With parents, 1891.[399]

ii.

Henry Sparkes, born 1837, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,189] Coal miner, 1881.[129] With parents, 1841, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[189,388] With parents, 1851, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390] Married Elizabeth.[129] Elizabeth born 1849, West Auckland, Co Durham, England.[129] Resided 1881, 43 Engine Row, Sherburn, Co Durham, England.[129]

Children: (a)		George Henry Sparks, born 1863, Seaham, Co Durham, England.[129] Coal miner, 1881.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]
(b)		John James Sparks, born 1881, Seaham, Co Durham, England.[129] With parents, 1881.[129]

iii.

Benjamin Sparkes, born March quarter,[190] 1839, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[189,190] With parents, 1841, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[189,388] With parents, 1851, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390]

iv.

Mary Ann Sparkes, born March quarter, 1842, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387,390] With parents, 1851, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390] Married John Dyer, September quarter, 1863, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[387] John born 1834, Corsley, Co Surrey, England.[129] Resided 1871,1881, Battersea, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[129,398]

James Sparkes, born 1850, Morden, Co Surrey, England.[390] With parents, 1851, Mitcham, Croydon district, Co Surrey, England.[390]

Garratt Lane, Wandsworth (1890)
Photograph © Wandsworth Heritage

Mitcham is a district in South London, in the London Borough of Merton. The area is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. The River Wandle bounds the town to the southwest. The original village lies in the west, although expansion has pushed the eastern boundary the furthest. The name "Mitcham" is Anglo-Saxon in origin and is believed to mean big settlement. Even before the Romans, there was a Celtic settlement in the area, with evidence of a fort being located in the Pollards Hill area. The discovery of Roman-era graves and a well evince Roman settlement. The Saxon graveyard, located on the North bank of the Wandle is the largest discovered to date, and many of the finds therein are on display in the British Museum. The area is a possible location for the Battle of Merton, 871. The parish church of St Peter and St Paul dates back to the Saxon era. Although it was mostly rebuilt in 1819–1821, the current building still incorporates the original Saxon tower. Mitcham was listed in the Domesday Book as Michelham, a small farming community with 250 people living in two hamlets; Mitcham, an area known today as Upper Mitcham; and Whitford, today known as the Lower Green area. During her reign Queen Elizabeth I made at least five visits to the area. John Donne and Sir Walter Raleigh also had residences here in this era. It was at this time that Mitcham became gentrified, as due to the abundance of lavender fields Mitcham became renowned for its soothing air. This air also led people to settle in the area during times of plague. When industrialisation occurred, Mitcham quickly grew to become a town, and most of the farms were swallowed up in the expansion. The industrialisation of Mitcham occurred first along the banks of the Wandle, where snuff, copper, flour, iron and dye were all worked. Mitcham, along with nearby Merton Abbey, became the calico cloth printing centres of England by 1750. The activity along the Wandle led to the construction of the Surrey Iron Railway, the world's first public railway in 1803. The collapse of the railway in the 1840s also heralded a change in industry, as horticulture gradually gave way to manufacturing, with paint, varnish, linoleum and firework manufacturers moving into the area. The work provided and migratory patterns eventually resulted in a doubling of the population between the years 1900 and 1910.[Wikipedia]

Cottages, Phipps Bridge Road, Merton
Image - Google Earth

Frances Street, Durham (1950)
Photograph - East Durham

Front Street, Sherburn
Photograph - Anonymous [Geograph]

The parish of Merton contributed its name to the London Borough of Merton, although Merton itself is no longer a clearly defined area. The historic parish was located in the Brixton Hundred of Surrey and was bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden to the south and Kingston upon Thames to the west. In 1871 its area was 1,765 acres. The parish is centred around the 12th century parish church, St. Mary's in Merton Park. A church has stood on the site of St Mary's since before the Domesday Book. It was founded by the Augustinian Canons who also founded Merton Priory. Parts of the present building date back to 1115. The roof of the nave is nearly 900 years old and that of the chancel dates from 1400. Until the 20th century, most of the parish remained rural in character and the main residential and commercial centres were at Merton Park and along Merton High Street. The village of Merton was located on the Roman road Stane Street which connected London to Chichester. The name dates back at least to the 7th century when documents record its use. The translation of the name is usually given as "Farm by the Pond" or "Maera's homestead". Merton appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Meretone and was held by William the Conqueror. Despite the industrial development along the Wandle, Merton was, at the beginning of the 19th century, still primarily a rural farming community. By the 1860s the parish boasted a several mills, a flour works and a copper rolling mill, a railway line also passed through the parish. Throughout the remainder of the 19th century the character of the area gradually changed as industry developed around the Wandle and residential development began in the late Victorian period, however in 1894 the parish was still deemed rural.[Wikipedia, St Mary's] Seaham, formerly Seaham Harbour, is a small town in County Durham, situated 21 km east of Durham. It has a small parish church, St Mary the Virgin, with a late 7th century Anglo Saxon nave. St Mary the Virgin is regarded as one of the 20 oldest surviving churches in the UK. Until the early years of the 19th century Seaham was a small rural agricultural farming community. In 1828 a harbour was built to facilitate transport of goods from the industries locally encouraged (the first coal mine was begun in 1845). However, this harbour later proved inadequate and it was enlarged in the early 1900s. In 1928 production started at the last town colliery to be opened, Vane Tempest. By 1992, however, all three pits (Dawdon Colliery, Vane Tempest Colliery and Seaham Colliery - known locally as "the Knack") had closed. Today, the town has a population of around 22,000.[Wikipedia] Sherburn Village is situated 3.5 miles east of Durham in the north east of England. The name Sherburn comes from the Old English meaning 'Bright Stream', and was first recorded in 1170. Neolithic remains have been found. A settlement has existed in this location for some considerable time. Until the 19th century Sherburn was a farming village, but with the Industrial Revolution came the sinking of mines to provide coal to fuel the industries and railways to ensure its distribution. By the 1930s the two pits that were within the Parish boundaries were closed and with the demise of neighbouring collieries in the 1960s the railway lines also became redundant. In the late 19th century Sherburn Colliery was founded. It was first worked in 1896 and only operated until around 1914. It employed around 500 men and boys. A colliery were also established at Sherburn Hill (1835). This was a much larger affair employing over 1000 men before it was closed in 1965. Coke was manufactured here from coals supplied from the Hutton seam of Sherburn House and Sherburn Hill collieries. It had electric lighting from as early as the late 19th century. The Lady Durham pit, which had been sunk in 1873, closed in 1919. The remaining pits had all closed by the end of the 1960s. Because the railway lines no longer served their purpose, they too disappeared. {Engine Row, Sherburn no longer exists by that name. A search on google for Engine Row indicates that in the 1800s addresses on that street in Sherburn reached well into the 100s. Only one street in Sherburn today is long enough to have over 100 residences and that is the main street, Front Street}.[Wikipedia, Sherburn History, Sherburn Village]

There is some confusion about where George & his family arrived in Australia. According to the NSW State Archives online indices, the Conrad, with George & his family listed as being on board, arrived Moreton Bay (Brisbane), Queensland in 1855.[11] The Queensland State Archives does not list George & his family in their online indices, even tho' it has assisted immigrant records back to 1848. Other sources indicate the Conrad arrived at Botany Bay, NSW on the stated arrival date (15/11/1855).[Migrant Ships to NSW, Convictions Ozships] A secondary source gives the arrival at Moreton Bay as 20/11/1855,[Rootsweb-Cavan] and evidence contained in another source confirms the arrival at Moreton Bay on 15/11/1855.[62] It is planned to eventually order the actual passenger records (Reels 2137, 2469). Whether the ship travelled to Moreton Bay and thence to Sydney (or stopped at Sydney prior to Moreton Bay) or whether George & his family arrived at Moreton Bay and shortly afterwards moved to Sydney has yet to be determined. Since George & his family arrived as assisted immigrants it is highly doubtful that they immediately moved to another colony - the agent who paid for their passage from England would have dictated what colony they settled in, whether it was a colonial government or a private agent. At this stage I am assuming they arrived at Moreton Bay on 15/11/1855. Most likely the ship then sailed to Sydney where they disembarked. Within 4 years of their arrival in Australia, the family was living in Sydney, as evidenced by Margaret's death. There is no trace of the family in the Queensland BMD indices so the family cannot have stayed there long, if at all. To further complicate the Sparks story, their passenger record indicates that George's wife and their children were born in Gibraltar, however George's marriage and the births of his first four children all occured in Wandsworth, Co Surrey. Was the 5th child born in Gibraltar or was the Gibraltar connection an error? Note that the father of one of his daughter-in-laws was a sergeant in the 49th Regiment based at Gibraltar for some time.[379]

1.1.5.2. George Benjamin Sparks (s/o Benjamin, s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham),[4,393,408,412] born 1819,[11,181] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[180,380] Died 26/1/1895 (73yo),[361,380] at home, No.82, Barcom Avenue, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia (formerly Great Barcom Street).[370,380] {The death certificate lists his parents as George Abraham & Ellen, however this conflicts with information from George's immigration record which lists his parents as Benjamin &

Catherine Summers
(nee Sparks)
Photograph - Phil Skinner

Elizabeth.[180]} Cause of death was heart disease (mitral stenous) of many years duration, bronchitis of 14 days duration and asthenia, W. Shells the medical attendant.[380] Informant was James Sparks, son.[380] Buried 28/1/1895, Church of England Section, Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[380] Gardener (death certificate).[380,412]

"The friends of Mr and Mrs James Keys, Mr and Mrs Joseph Pelletier, Mrs Catherine Summers, and John Gorman are kindly invited to attend the funeral of their dearly-beloved father, George Sparks, and also the dearly beloved brother of Mr Thomas Reynolds, of Melbourne, to move from his residence, 82 Barcom street, Darlinghurst, at 1:30 this (monday) afternoon, for the Necroplois. Henry Hart and Sons, Undertakers, 186 Devonshire street, Ashfield and Burwood. (SMH 28/1/1895)"[370]
"Sparkes. In sad but loving memory of our dearly beloved father, George Sparkes, who died 26th January, 1895. Eternal rest unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him! Inserted by his loving daughters and son-in-law, Katherine Summers, Alice and Joseph Pelletier."[361] " Sparkes. In sad but loving remembrance of our dear father George Sparkes who departed this life 26th January 1895. Inserted by his loving daughters and son-in-law, Catherine Summers, Alice and Joseph Pelletier. RIP Dead but not forgotten."[362]

Married Margaret[4,11] Jackson,[180,182,380,412] 31/8/1840,[182,380,382] St Mary the Virgin, Putney,[382] Wandsworth Registration District, Co Surrey, England.[182,380] Margaret born c.1815,[11,369,381] Gibraltar,[180,369,381] died 31/8/1859, Newtown, Glebe district, Sydney, NSW (46yo),[4,369,381] Australia & buried 1/9/1859, Camperdown Church of England Cemetery, Church Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW, Australia,[4,381] by Rev. C. C. Kemp.[381] Cause of death was 'disease of the lungs', of three weeks duration, Dr Barker the medical attendant.[381] Informant was George Sparkes, husband.[381] Margaret the daughter of Sergeant Samuel Jackson & Catherine[4,180,369,379,381] Calvin,[381] both deceased by 11/1855.[180] Samuel, formerly of the 49th Regiment in the Battle of Waterloo,[379] was a printer.[381]

"Sparkes - In sad and loving memory of my dear mother Margaret Sparkes, born in Gibraltar, 1815, during Battle of Waterloo, died August 28, 1859, daughter of late Sergeant Samuel Jackson of 49th Regiment, and C Jackson, and sister of Father Samuel Jackson, parish priest of Cork, and granddaughter of the late Mr and Mrs. Callinane, of Cork, niece of Mrs Lamb, of Dublin. Inserted by her only surviving daughter, Catherine Summers."[369] {Note that this obituary, published in 1912, 54 years after her death, states a slightly different DOD than that listed on her death certificate}

George & his family emigrated to Australia, arriving Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 1855 on the "Conrad".[11] The "Conrad" departed Plymouth, England 25/6/1855 & arrived Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia 15/11/1855.[62,180] George, a labourer, was illiterate and Church of England, s/o Benjamin & Elizabeth, Margaret, d/o Samuel & Catherine Jackson, could read (but not write) & Church of England.[180] They had no relatives in the Australian colonies, arrived in a good state of bodily health, strength & probable usefulness and had no complaints about treatment on voyage.[180] According to George's death certificate, the family arrived in Australia 1855 and he spent a year living in Victoria (there is no reference to Victoria on the death certificate of his first wife, indicating his residence there was after 1859.[381]).[380]
Married 2nd Jane Simpson nee McKerracher, 1863, Parramatta, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,380] Jane, d/o James,[5] born 1829, Glasgow, Scotland,[363] died 18/8/1918, Auburn, Sydney, NSW (89yo),[5,363] & buried Presbyterian Section, Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, NSW.[363] "Sparks. Jane Sparks, died August 18, 1918, interred Presbyterian Section Rookwood, the relict of late George Sparks, sen., and beloved mother of James and George, in her 89th year, of Glasgow, Scotland. At rest."[363] Resided 1842-1850, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[183,184,185,186] Resided 1864, 1868, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Resided 1859, Newtown, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,369] Resided 1895, No.82, Barcom Avenue, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[370] Resided 1918, Auburn, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5,363] {The passenger listing for George & his family gives the place of birth for all of his children as Gibraltar, however according to the UK BMD indices, at least the first 4 were born in Wandsworth, Co Surrey. The birth of the 5th child, Margaret, is not in the English BMD indices under Wandsworth. Did the family move to Gibraltar c.1851 where the 5th child was born and thence emigrated to Australia?}

Children of George Sparks & Margaret:

*	i.	Catherine Sparks,[5,31,361] born September quarter, 1842,[11,61,180,186,191,380,412] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[186,412] Immigrated to Australia with parents, arriving 15/11/1855 (listed separately as a single adult (over 14yo) female).[180,412] Could read (but not write), Church of England.[180] Married Joseph William Summers. Refer to Summers family for further generations
*	ii.	Ellen Sparks, born June quarter, 1845,[4,11,180,183] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[183]
	iii.	Alice Sparks,[361,365] born June quarter, 1847,[11,180,184,380] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[184] Died 11/1905, No.279 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia,[4,367] & buried 27/11/1905, Roman Catholic Section, Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[367] "Pelletier - The Friends of the late Mrs. Alice Pelletier are kindly invited to attend her Funeral; to move from her late residence, 279 Liverpool-street, Darlinghurst, this (Monday) afternoon, at 2.30, for Waverley Cemetery. Reuben W. Thomas,Undertaker, York-street, city. Pelletier - The Friends of Mr. and Mrs. J. Cooke, Mr. and Mrs. W. Kerr, Mr. and Mrs. J. Peattie, Jun., are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of their late dearly beloved aunt, Mrs. Alice Pelletier; to move from her late residence, 279 Liverpool-street, this (Monday) afternoon, at 2.30, for Waverley Cemetery. Pelletier -The Friends of Mrs. K. Summers are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of their dearly beloved sister and aunt, Mrs. Alice Pelletier; to move from her late residence, 279 Liverpool street, this (Monday) afternoon, at 2.30, for Waverley Cemetery. Pelletier - The friends of Mrs Alfred Stainton are kindly invited to attend the funeral of her late dearly beloved aunt, Mrs. Alice Pelletier; to move from her late residence, 279 Liverpool-street, Darlinghurst, this afternoon, at half-past 2 o'clock, for R.C. Waverley Cemetery.(SMH 27/11/1905)"[367] "Pelletier - In sad but loving memory of my dear sister and aunt, Alice, who departed this life November 25, 1905, widow of the late Joseph Pelletier of Mauritius. Gone but not forgotten. Inserted by her sister Catherine Summers, and niece, A. Beattie.(SMH 27/11/1915).[378] "Pelletier - In loving memory of my dear sister Alice, who departed this life November 25, 1905, aged 56, granddaughter of Sergeant Samuel Jackson, of the 49th Regiment in the Battle of Waterloo. Inserted by her only sister, Catherine Summers. Pelletier - In sad but loving memory of my dear uncle, Joseph, who died January 9 1900, aged 62 years, also my dear aunt, Alice, wife of the above, who died November 25 1905, aged 56, daughter of late George and Margaret Sparkes of Surrey, England. Sweet heart of Mary be their salvation. Inserted by their loving niece, Annie Peattie.(SMH 9/1/1908)"[379] Alice emigrated to Australia with her parents, arriving 15/11/1855.[180] Illiterate, Church of England.[180] Married Joseph Pelletier,[361] 1869, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Joseph, s/o Joseph, born 1848, Mauritius, Indian Ocean, & died 9/1/1901, 24 Little Bourke Street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,365,379] No issue. "Pelletier - January 9, at his residence, 24 Little-Bourke Street, Surrey Hills, Joseph Pelletier, after suffering eight months with paralysis and dropsy, which he bore with Christian fortitude, aged 62 years. Beloved husband of Alice Pelletier, and son of the late Joseph Pelletier, of Mauritius. Also, John Gorman, who died January 15, 1900, brother-in-law of the above. Their end was peace. They loved sweet Jesus, and sweet Jesus loved them. Sweet heart of Mary, be their salvation. Inserted by his lonely wife, Alice Pelletier."[365] "Pelletier - In loving memory of my dear husband, Joseph Pelletier, who departed this life January 9th, 1900, aged 62. Inserted by his loving wife, Alice Pelletier, and sister in law, Katherine Summers."[366] In 1877 Joseph appeared before the Water Police Court, charged with wife desertion and was ordered to pay the sum of 15s per week, for twelve months, for the support of his wife.[364] Resided 1880, Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[383] Resided 1901, No.24 Little Bourke Street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[365] Resided 1905, No.279 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[367]
	iv.	Samuel Sparks, born March quarter, 1850,[11,180,185] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[185] Immigrated to Australia with parents, arriving 15/11/1855.[180] Illiterate, Church of England.[180] Died 1873, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
*	v.	Margaret Sparks, born 1852,[11,180,380] Gibraltar.[180] Immigrated to Australia with parents, arriving 15/11/1855.[180] Illiterate, Church of England.[180]

Children of George Sparks & Jane Simpson:

vi.

James Sparks,[363] born 1864, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,380] Died 6/4/1956, Campsie, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,148] Buried Section 13, Row 19 (grave 791), Anglican Section, Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, NSW, Australia (92yo).[148] Married Mary Ann Burney, 1892, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Mary Ann born 1863, died 27/7/1941,[148,368] at home, 19 Pelman Avenue, Lakemba, Sydney, NSW (78yo),[368] & buried with her husband.[148] "Sparks.- July 27 1941, at her residence, 19 Pelman Avenue, Lakemba. Mary Ann Sparks, beloved wife of James, and mother of George, Edmund and William, aged 78 years."[368] Resided 1895, No.45 Crown Street, Wollooomoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[380] Resided 1941, 19 Pelman Avenue, Lakemba, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[368] Resided 1956, Campsie, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[148]

Children: (a)		Alice Sparks, born 1893, Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1894, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(b)		George Sparks,[368] born 1894, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(c)		William Sparks,[368] born 1899, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1901, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(d)		Edmund William Sparks,[368] born 1902, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1970, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Lara Catherine Quintal, 1924, Auburn, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Lara, d/o Edmund Joseph & Margaret Elizabeth, died 1977, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

vii.

George Sparks,[363] born 1868, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,380] Died after 1905.[4] Married Alice Mary McGurren, 1897, Glebe, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Children: (a)		George Albert Sparks, born 1897, Glebe, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1974, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Gertrude P. Crump, 1918, Balmain North, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(b)		Alice Mary Sparks, born 1901, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Charles F. Foster, 1919, Balmain North, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(c)		Elsie G. Sparks, born 1902, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(d)		Violet Sparks, born 1905, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married John M. Verrinder, 1928, Petersham, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

High Street, Putney, Surrey (1837)
Image - Heritage Images

St Mary, Putney, London (1797)
Painting - Putney Debates Exhibition

St Mary's & surrounding houses, Putney (1796)
Painting - E. Dayes [Wimbleton Museum]

Putney is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Putney appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Putelei. It was noted that it was not a manor, but obtained 20s from the ferry or market toll at Putney belonging to Mortlake. The first bridge between Fulham (on the north side of the Thames) and Putney was completed in 1729, and was the second bridge to be built across the Thames in London (after London Bridge). Until then the ferry remained the only means to cross the Thames, dating back to at least the 11th century. The bridge was a wooden structure and lasted for 150 years, when in 1886 it was replaced by the stone bridge that stands today. Putney, which is South of the Thames has always had close associations with the parish of Fulham, which is immediately North of the Thames. Today there is a bridge linking the two parishes together, at either end of the bridge is the respective parish church, and close to the Fulham side of the bridge is Fulham Palace which has been used for centuries as the home for the Bishop of London. Prior to the industrialisation of London Putney was famous for its salmon fishery, the quality of which was deemed the highest available. Sturgeon & porpoise were also caught. Commercial fishing ceased in 1786 however fishing continued until the early 19th century. Fishing today at Putney is not recommended! Putney in 1787 was a town of about 2000 people and 347 dwellings. It was heavily influenced by the proximity of London just six miles away and easily accessible by coach. Examples of London's influence included the many merchants' and gentlemens' houses, the inns serving travellers, and the many market gardens producing vegetables and fruit for the city.[Wikipedia, History of Putney] St. Mary the Virgin, Putney is an Anglican church in Putney, London sited next to the river Thames, beside the southern approach to Putney Bridge. There has been a centre of Christian worship on this site from at least the 13th century, and the church is still very active today. It is also noteworthy because in 1647, during the English Civil War, the church was the site of the Putney Debates on the English constitution. The building itself has seen many changes; parts of the existing church have survived from medieval times, such as the 15th century tower and some of the nave arcading, and the early 16th century Bishop West Chapel, built by Bishop Nicholas West. Most of the building, however, dates from the substantial re-build of 1836. Some of the pillars and arches in the nave are medieval, but both the north and the south arcades were widened in the 1836 rebuilding.[Wikipedia, St Mary's]

Richard Wingfield - Plymouth Harbor, c.1870

Plymouth Harbor, England c.1870
Painting - Richard Wingfield (National Library Australia)

South Brisbane, from a 1855 sketch
Painting - Thomas Baines (National Library Australia)

The settlement of Moreton Bay was founded in 1824 and had a reputation as one of the cruellest penal settlements in the British Empire. In 1825 the settlement, in what was then New South Wales, was formally called Brisbane, and in 1842 Moreton Bay proper was declared a free settlement. In 1859 Queen Victoria signed Letters Patent making Queensland into a separate colony, with Brisbane as its capital city. Moreton Bay was both the name of the district and the bay enclosed by the shoreline and Moreton Island. The 1825 settlement was located at what is today Brisbane's CBD.

Early cottage, Australia Street, Newtown (1953)

Parramatta Road, Newtown (1860)
Photograph - State Library NSW

Newtown from Sydney Town Hall (1878)
Photograph - Nicholas Caire [Museum Victoria]

Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. King Street is the main street of Newtown and centre of commercial and entertainment activity. The street follows the spine of a long ridge that rises up near Sydney University and extends to the south, becoming the Princes Highway at its southern end. The main shopping strip of Newtown is the longest and most complete commercial precinct of the late Victorian and Federation period in Australia. King street, Newtown's main street, reputedly follows an ancient Aboriginal track that branched out from the main western track, now beneath Broadway and Parramatta Road, and which continued all the way to the coastal plains around Botany Bay. Newtown was established as a residential and farming area in the early 19th century. The area took its name from a grocery store opened there by John and Eliza Webster in 1832, at a site close to where the Newtown railway station stands today. They placed a sign atop their store that read "New Town Stores". The name New Town was adopted, at first unofficially, with the space disappearing to form the name Newtown. The part of Newtown lying south of King Street was a portion of the two estates granted by Governor Phillip to the Superintendent of Convicts, Nicholas Devine, in 1794 and 1799. In 1827, when Devine was aged about 90, this land was acquired from him by a convict, Bernard Rochford, who sold it to many of Sydney's wealthiest and most influential inhabitants including the mayor. Devine's heir, John Devine, challenged the will, which was blatantly fraudulent. The "Newtown Ejectment Case" was eventually settled out of court by the payment to Devine of an unknown sum of money said to have been "considerable". The land was further divided into the housing that is now evidenced by the rows of terrace houses and commercial and industrial premises. Part of the area now falling within the present boundaries of Newtown, north of King Street, was originally part of Camperdown. This area was named by Governor William Bligh who received it as a land grant in 1806 and who passed it to his daughter and son-in-law on his return to England in 1810. In 1848 part of this land was acquired by the Sydney Church of England Cemetery Company to create a general cemetery beyond the boundary of the City of Sydney. From 1845, when the first Anglican church was built on the site of the present Community Centre on Stephen Street, by Edmund Blacket, a number of churches were established, including St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in the 1850s, the Methodist Church on King Street, now Newtown Mission, and the Baptist Church in Church Street. The present St Stephen's Anglican Church, a fine example of Victorian Gothic architecture, was also designed by Blacket, and built in the grounds of cemetery between 1871 and 1880. Although there are a few earlier buildings in Newtown, the most rapid development came in the late 19th century, with many former farms and other large properties being subdivided and developed as row-houses, known popularly as "terrace houses". From about 1870 onwards, Newtown had a large proportion of its residents living in terrace houses of the cheapest possible construction, much of which was "two-up two-down", with rear kitchen, some having adjoining walls only one brick thick and a continuous shared roofspace. Hundreds of these terrace houses still remain, generally just 4 metres wide. This preponderance of small houses is indicative of the working-class employment of most of the Newtown residents, many of whom worked in the city or at local shops, factories, warehouses, brickyards and at the nearby Eveleigh Railway Workshops. From the late 19th century onwards, the Newtown area became a major commercial and industrial centre. King Street developed into a thriving retail precinct and the Newtown area was soon dotted with factories, workshops, warehouses and commercial and retail premises of all kinds and sizes. Several major industries were established in the greater Newtown area from the late 19th century, including the Eveleigh rail workshops, the IXL jam and preserves factory in North Newtown/Darlington, the St Peters brickworks and the Fowler Potteries in Camperdown.[Wikipedia]

72-78 Barcom Ave, Darlinghurst
Image - Google Earth

St Stephen's, Camperdown (1928)
Etching - Stephen Long [Nat Gallery Australia]

{Barcom Street, Darlinghurst, is now known as Barcom Avenue. No's 80-84 have been demolished and replaced by a modern apartment block. No.82 possibly resembled the one storeyed terraces shown above at No's.72-78} Barcom Avenue, Darlinghurst, commemorated Barcom Glen, the residence of Thomas West, who milled flour on nearby Lacrozier Creek. In 1810 Governor Macquarie granted land in what is today Darlinghurst to former convict Thomas West. He had decided to build a water mill using the streams which ran down into Rushcutters Bay, and named it Barcom Glen after the well-known complex of water mills at Barcombe in his native Sussex, England.[Barcom Avenue Reserve] Camperdown Cemetery is located on Church Street, Newtown, Sydney. Founded in 1848, for 20 years it was the main general cemetery for Sydney, with the total number of burials being about 18,000. It is the only one of Sydney's three main early cemeteries that still exists. It was founded as an Anglican General Cemetery, accepting the dead of all denominations, but burying them with the rites of the Church of England. Previous cemeteries in Sydney were the Old Burial Ground of 1792, George Street, and the New Burial Ground (1819-1868) in Devonshire Street, Sydney. In 1868, Camperdown Cemetery was closed against the sale of any further plots, although the cemetery continued in use until the 1940's. The majority of the burials were done by the Rev Charles Kemp, first rector of St Stephen's, Newtown, who performed 16,000 burials from 1848 to 1870. Camperdown Cemetery is today a walled 4 acre portion of the original cemetery, originally of nearly 13 acres, much of which was resumed for greenspace in the 1940's after the body of a murdered girl was found there. Camperdown Cemetery is associated with numerous sensational stories, several reputed ghosts and a murder. In 1871, the small Church of St Stephen's Newtown, built by Edmund Blacket in 1844, could no longer contain the congregation. A new, larger building was erected within the grounds of the Camperdown Cemetery and the first service held in 1874. St Stephen's was previously located on Stephen Street, at the site of the present Community Centre.[Wikipedia] Woolloomooloo is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located in a low-lying, former docklands area at the head of Woolloomooloo Bay, on Sydney Harbour. The Domain sits to the west, the locality of East Sydney is near the south-west corner of the suburb and the locality of Kings Cross is near the south-east corner. Potts Point sits immediately to the East. The suburb has historically been a poorer working class district of Sydney. This has changed only recently with recent gentrification of the inner city areas of Sydney. The current spelling of Woolloomooloo is derived from the name of the first homestead in area, Wolloomooloo House, built by the first landowner John Palmer. The origin of the name is unknown. Originally the area saw affluent residents building grand houses, many with spectacular gardens, attracted by the bay and close proximity to the city and Government House. The area slowly started to change after expensive houses were built in Elizabeth Bay and further east. Woolloomooloo is home to the Finger Wharf building which, at 400metres long by 63 metres wide and standing on 3600 piles, is according to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest wooden structure in the world.[Wikipedia]

Cnr Little Bourke & Bloomfield Streets, Surry Hills

Cnr Little Bourke & Bloomfield, Surry Hills
Image - Google Earth

19 Pelman Ave, Lakemba, Sydney
Image - Google Earth

Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district. Surry Hills is surrounded by the suburbs of Darlinghurst to the north, Chippendale and Haymarket to the west, Moore Park and Paddington to the east and Redfern to the south. The first land grants in Surry Hills were made in the 1790s. Major Joseph Foveaux received 105 acres. His property was known as Surry Hills Farm, after the Surrey Hills in Surrey, England. In 1814 the estate was subdivided. Due to the hilly terrain, much of the suburb was considered remote and 'inhospitable'. The suburb remained one of contrasts for much of the nineteenth century, with the homes of wealthy merchants mixed with that of the commercial and working classes. Terrace houses and workers' cottages were built in Surry Hills from the 1850s. Light industry became established in the area, particularly in the rag trade (clothing industry). It became a working class suburb, predominately inhabited by Irish immigrants. The suburb developed a reputation for crime and vices. Surry Hills was favoured by newly arrived families after World War II when property values were low and accommodation was inexpensive. From the 1980s, the area was gentrified, with many of the area's older houses and building restored and many new upper middle-class residents enjoying the benefits of inner-city living. Surry Hills has a mixture of residential, commercial and light industrial areas. It remains Sydney's main centre for fashion wholesale activities.[Wikipedia] Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park. Darlinghurst is a densely-populated suburb with the majority of residents living in apartments or terraced houses. From a slum and red-light prostitution districts, Darlinghurst has undergone urban renewal since the 1980's to become a rather upmarket, cosmopolitan and diverse area. The suburb was originally known as Eastern Hill and then Henrietta Town, after Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife, whose second name was Henrietta. The loyalties changed with the change of governors and the suburb became Darlinghurst in honour of Elizabeth Darling, the popular wife of Governor Ralph Darling, during the early 19th century. The 'hurst' is an old English word for a wooded area.[Wikipedia] Lakemba is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lakemba is located 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury. Lakemba is in the Cooks River watershed. This river is tidal up to the edge of Lakemba. The area was at an early time in its colonial history originally known as Potato Hill because potatoes were cropped here. Land grants by the new colonial government began in Lakemba about 1810. Samuel Hockley was granted 50 acres, which he called Essex Hill Farm, after his home county in England. The suburb was known as Belmore South until 1910. Benjamin Taylor had a 22 hectare property in the 1880s. He named his property "Lakeba" (pronounced Lakemba) after the Lakeba island in the Lau Islands group of Fiji, where his second wife's grandparents, Rev and Mrs Cross, were missionaries from 1835. One of the original streets is Oneata Street, named after another small Fijian Island, close to Lakeba. Benjamin Taylor was variously an entomologist, town clerk, Alderman and Mayor of Canterbury Council. The railway line was built to the neighbouring suburb of Belmore in 1895 and extended to Lakemba and beyond, in 1909. The station was built on Benjamin Taylor's property and was named after his ‘Lakemba Cottage’. Lakemba has had a diverse demographic history. Like most of the rest of Australia, its first non-Aboriginal inhabitants in the nineteenth century were British and Irish settlers. By the mid-twentieth century, the suburb had absorbed large numbers of Greek and Italian arrivals. From the mid-1970s, Lakemba became very popular with migrants from Lebanon and by the mid-1990s the area was considered a centre of Lebanese Australian life.[Wikipedia]

1.1.5.3. James Sparks,[415,416] born 1819 (s/o Benjamin, s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham),[129,386,388,389,392] Wandsworth,[129,386,389,390] Co Surrey, England.[388] Died September quarter, 1884, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England (66yo).[387] Labourer, 1845, 1865.[415,416] Farm labourer, 1861.[386] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1841, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[388] Married Mary Spong,[415,417] September quarter, 1845, Epsom district, Co Surrey, England.[386] Mary born 1816, Merton, Co Surrey, England.[129,386,389,390,392] Mary was illiterate, signing with a mark on the birth certificate of her son, Thomas.[415] Mary resided, 1841, with the Sparkes family, prior to her marriage.[417] Resided 1845, Garrett Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[415] Resided 1851,1861,1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[389,390,392] {James was also listed with his father in the 1861 census at Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[389] presumably James was visiting his father} Resided 1881, 4 Bowmans Cottages, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129]

Children of James Sparks & Mary Ann Chamberlain:

Thomas Sparks, born 15/8/1845, Garrett Lane, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,387,389,390,391,392,399,415] Died 1930, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia (87yo).[4] With parents, 1851,1861, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,390] Labourer, 1861, 1865.[386,416] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[391] {Thomas emigrated to NSW, Australia sometime between 1891-1901, leaving his wife & family behind in London} Married Lavinia Sarah 'Cripps' Rawding,[387,391] 11/11/1865, parish church, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,416] By banns, William Palmer, curate, officiating.[416] Both single & residing Wandsworth, Thomas 20yo, Lavinia 21yo.[416] Witnesses were Mary Ann Rawding & Thomas Slater.[416] Lavinia, illegitimate d/o Lavinia Rawding[417] & Charles Richard Cripps, born 27/2/1843, No,.16 Swan Yard, Hollywell & Moorfields, Shoreditch, Co Middlesex, England,[391,392,399,402,415] died 5/6/1931, No.46, Leusday Road, Balham, Battlesea, London, England (88yo).[416] Cause of death was carcinoma of the gall bladder.[416] {At the time Lavinia was born her mother was living with Charles Cripps, whom she later married in 1854} Resided 1866-1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[392,399] Resided 1875-1881, Mitcham Road, Tooting Graveney, Co Surrey, England.[391,399] Resided 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Lavinia resided 1911, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[417] Lavinia resided 1931, No.10, Aldio Street, Tooting, London, England.[416]

Children: (a)

Charles James Sparks, born June quarter, 1866, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,391,392,399] With parents, 1871,1881, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[391,392] Plumber's apprentice, 1881.[391] House painter, 1901.[400] Married Catherine Spence, December quarter, 1888, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Catherine born 1867, Budock, Co Surrey, England.[399,400] Resided 1891,1901, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399,400]

Children: (1)		Charles Thomas H. Sparkes, born December quarter 1889, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400]
(2)		Benjamin William Sparkes, born June quarter 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400]

(b)

Thomas Sparks, born 31/7/1868, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,391,392,417] Died 20/11/1958, St James' Hospital, Balham, London, England.[416] "Worked on the Tooting farms. A man whose memory of Tooting went back to the days when it was a tiny village surrounded by farms, died last week. He was Mr Thomas Sparks (aged 90), Kenlor Road. Mr Sparks was born in a cottage at Garratt Lane and worked on the farms delivering milk in his spare time when he was six. He attended the village school at the Parochial Hall, Church Lane, for a halfpenny a day. As the farms and countryside gave way to shops and buildings he gave up work on the land and worked at Pain's firework factory, Mitcham. Later he became a master builder and decorator, with his own business at Sellincourt Road. He retired from this 28 years ago. He married a Wolverhampton girl he met at Pain's factory, and has been a widower for 26 years. They hd three children and there are two surviving - a son and a daughter. Mr Sparks had lived at Kenlor Road for 54 years. He was a member of Tooting Constitutional Club for 50 years. He died in St James' Hospital, Balham, on Thursday last week following a fall at his home. The funeral was at Streatham Cemetery.(25/11/1958)"[416] With parents, 1871,1881, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[391,392] Milkboy, 1881.[391] Resided 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[399] Married Alice Chadwick, December quarter, 1894, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Alice born 25/09/1870 & died 22/6/1932.[417] Resided 1958, Kenlor Road, Tooting, London, England.[416]

Children: (1)		Rosa Sparks, born 30/09/1895.[417] Died 11/5/1985 (89yo), Southsea, Hants.[417] Served in the Civil Defence during second world war in Report and Control.[417] Married Herbert Sexton, 14/8/1921.[417]
(2)		Alfred Sparks, born 29/6/1897.[417] Died 15/91957, St Peter Hospital, Chertsy.[417] Served in the Merchant Navy in WWI.[417] Married Grace Griffin, 22/11/1923, Westham.[417]
(3)		Percival Sparks, born 31/1/1899.[417] Died 20/5/1979, Portsmouth.[417] Married Ellen Sylvester, 24/91927.[417]

(c)

Benjamin Sparks, born June quarter, 1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,391,399,417] Died September quarter, 1928, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England (57yo).[387] With parents, 1881, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[391] Paper hanger, 1901.[400] Married Eliza Burge, December quarter, 1889, Croydon, Co Surrey, England.[387] Eliza born 1869, Peckham, Co Surrey, England.[399,400] Resided 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Resided 1901, Sutton, Co Surrey, England.[400]

Children: (1)		Vernon A. Sparks, born 1891, Sutton, Co Surrey, England.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]
(2)		Hugh A. Sparks, born 1892, Sutton, Co Surrey, England.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]
(3)		Mary K. Sparks, born 1895, Sutton, Co Surrey, England.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]
(4)		Esther Mead Sparks, born 1900, Sutton, Co Surrey, England.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]

(d)

George William Sparks, born 1875, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[391,400] With parents, 1881, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[391] With parents, 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Boer war veteran, enlisted 1893, regimental No.3691.[391] Married Lizzie Lovegrove, March quarter, 1898, Brentford district, London, England.[391,417] Lizzie born 1878, Greenwich, Co Kent, England.[391,400] George resided 1901, Co Kent, England.[391,400] Lizzie resided 1901, Lewisham, London, England.[400]

Children: (1)

Lizzie Sparks, born 1898, Shoreham, Co Kent, England.[400] With mother, 1901.[400]

(e)

James Henry Sparks, born 1880, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[391] With parents, 1881, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[391] With parents, 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399] Labourer, 1911.[417] Married Emily Hannah Davis, June quarter, 1902, Croydon, Co Surrey, England.[417] Emily born 1879, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[417] Resided 1911, No.25 Phipps Terrace, Church Road, Merton Abbey, Mitcham district, Co Surrey, England.[417]

Children: (1)		Lavinia Sparks, born 1903, Hounslow, Co Middlesex, England.[417] With parents, 1911.[417]
(2)		Edith Sparks, born 1905, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[417] With parents, 1911.[417]
(3)		Emily Sparks, born 1907, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[417] With parents, 1911.[417]
(4)		Florence Sparks, born 1909, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[417] With parents, 1911.[417]
(5)		James Sparkes, born 1910, Mitcham, Co Surrey, England.[417] With parents, 1911 (5mo).[417]

(f)

Henry Adam Sparks, born 1883, Tooting, Co Surrey, England.[399,417] With parents, 1891, Streatham, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399]

ii.

Sarah Sparks, born March quarter, 1848, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,387,389,390] With parents, 1851,1861, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,390] Servant, 1861.[386]

iii.

James George Sparks, born September quarter, 1850, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,390,392] Died March quarter, 1920, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England (67yo).[387] With parents, 1851,1861,1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,390,392] Plough boy, 1861.[386] Agricultural labourer, 1881.[129] Silversmith, 1901.[400] Married Elizabeth Ann Faulkner, September quarter, 1873, Lambeth, Co Surrey, England.[387] Elizabeth born 1849, Brixton, Co Surrey, England.[129,399,400] Resided 1881, 4 Bowmans Cottages, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129] Resided 1891,1901, Wandsworth, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[399,400]

Children: (a)		Mary Amy Sparkes, born June quarter, 1876, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387,399] With parents, 1881,1891.[129,399]
(b)		William James Sparks, born September quarter, 1876, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387,399] With parents, 1881,1891.[129,399]
(c)		Phillip Jones Sparks, born December quarter, 1878, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387,399] With parents, 1881,1891,1901.[129,399,400] Drayman, 1901.[400]
(d)		Frederick John Sparkes, born June quarter, 1879, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387] Died December quarter, 1900, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England (21yo).[387] With parents, 1881.[129]
(e)		Grace Elizabeth Sparkes, born March quarter, 1883, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400]
(f)		Lucy Rosam Sparkes, born March quarter, 1883, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891.[399]
(g)		Elizabeth Ann Sparkes, born September quarter, 1888, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,399] With parents, 1891,1901.[399,400]

iv.

Mary Ann Sparks, born September quarter, 1853, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,387,389,392] With parents, 1861,1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,392]

Emanuel Sparks, born December quarter, 1854, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,386,389,392,400] Bricklayer's labourer, 1881.[129] With parents, 1861,1871, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389,392] Married Fanny Maria Dyson, December quarter, 1878, Camberwell district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Fanny born 1860, Clare, Co Suffolk, England.[129,400] Resided 1881, 27 Albert Terrace, Streatham, Co Surrey, England.[129] Resided 1901, Streatham district, London.[400]

Children: (a)		James Emmanuel Sparks, born June quarter, 1880, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[129,387,400] With parents, 1881.[129] Milk carrier, 1901.[400] Married Ann Elizabeth Smith, December quarter, 1900, Wandsworth district, Co Surrey, England.[387] Ann born 1882, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[400] Resided 1901, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[400]
(b)		George Sparks, born March quarter, 1885, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,400] Labourer, 1901.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]
(c)		Florence Sparks, born June quarter, 1886, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,400] Iron washer, 1901.[400] With parents, 1901.[400]
(d)		Emmanuel Harry Sparks, born December quarter, 1896, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[387,400] With parents, 1901.[400]

vi.

Eliza Sparks, born December quarter, 1857, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,387,389] With parents, 1861, Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[386,389]

Streatham Common (1870)
Painting - A History of Suburban Streatham

Hyde Farm, Tooting, 1860
Photograph - A History of Suburban Streatham

High Road, Streatham, 1895
Photograph - A History of Suburban Streatham

Streatham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. Streatham means "the hamlet on the street". The street in question, the London to Brighton Way, was the Roman Road from the capital Londinium to the coast near Portslade. After the departure of the Romans, the main road through Streatham remained an important trackway. From the seventeenth century it was adopted as the main coach road to Croydon and East Grinstead, and then on to Newhaven and Lewes. In 1780 it then became the route of the turnpike road from London to Brighton, and subsequently became the basis for the modern A23. This road (and its traffic) have shaped Streatham's development. Streatham's first parish church, St Leonard's, dates back to Saxon times, although only the mediaeval tower remains in the present church. The mediaeval parish covered an extensive area, including most of modern Balham and parts of Tooting. Streatham appears in Domesday Book. The village remained largely unchanged until the 18th century, when the village's natural springs, known as Streatham Wells, were first celebrated for their health giving properties. The reputation of the spa, and improved turnpike roads, attracted wealthy City of London merchants and others to lay out their country residences in Streatham. Few of these large houses still remain, as the area was rapidly urbanised as London expanded.[Wikipedia] While there is evidence of earlier Roman & Celtic settlements, the continious settlement of Streatham can be dated back to Saxon times. The first Saxon settlements in Streatham consisted of a number of families living alongside the old Roman road. Collectively they became known as the settlement by the street, "strat-ham", thus giving the origin of the place-name Streatham. Similar settlement also occurred at Tooting. Here a number of farming estates were established by the River Graveney and close to the Roman Road, which later became known as Stane Street. In this area settled the followers or the people of "tota", an individual who may have been a Saxon headman or warband leader. Streatham & Tooting are both mentioned in the Domesday Book, by which time there was already a chapel at Streatham. By 1230 a parish church had been established, dedicated to St Leonard. By the early Middle Ages the scattered Saxon settlements had coalesced into the four villages of Streatham: Streatham, South Streatham, Tooting Bec and Balham. The period of 1780 to 1830 marked the initial stages in the transition of Streatham from a rural parish to a London suburb. During this period an estimated 250 houses were built across the parish. Many of these were put up during the 1820s, and although the number was small it was sufficient to herald the eventual demise of old Streatham. Although farming was still an integral part of parish life, signs of decline were becoming evident during the late 18th century. Land previously farmed for root crops or grain was now being landscaped or used for pasture. Large mansions had gradually replaced the old farming estates. Agricultural land not taken up for building or parkland was being used for market gardening or dairy farming. Produce from these concerns found ready markets in London as well as supplying local demands. Nevertheless, such was the loss of local farmland, by 1840 only 720 acres of arable land remained within the parish. By the mid 1890s suburban building was beginning to overtake the parish, especially with the construction of large housing estates and by WW1 the urbanisation of the parish was essentially complete.[History of Suburban Streatham]

Cottages, Greyhound Lane, Streatham, 1904
Painting - A History of Suburban Streatham

Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times, and its name, of Anglo-Saxon derivation, means "the people of the look-out post or possibly the people of Tota". The Romans built a road, which was later named Stane Street by the English, from London to Chichester, and which passed through Tooting. Tooting High Street is built on this road. Tooting appears in the Domesday Book as Totinges, the parish already possessing a church. In 1912 the area of the civil parish of Tooting Graveney was about 565 acres. In the 18th century the land was chiefly arable, and a considerable proportion of the inhabitants were engaged in agriculture in 1831. Since that time the parish has been entirely transformed from a village into a London suburb. By 1912 no arable land remained and there was only 21 acres of permanent grass. As with many of South London's suburbs, Tooting developed during the late Victorian years. Some development occurred in the Edwardian years but another large spurt in growth happened during the 1920s and '30s. 1870: "Tooting (Lower), or Tooting-Graveney, a parish, with a village, in Wandsworth district, Surrey; 1¼ mile WSW of Streatham r. station, and 6½ SSW of St. Pauls, London. It has a post-office under London S, and a metropolitan police station. Acres, 561. Real property, £11,503. Pop., 2,055. Houses, 367. The property is much subdivided. There are many elegant seats and villas, and some extensive nursery grounds. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £600. Patron, the Rev. J. Congreve. The church was rebuilt in 1833. There are Independent and Wesleyan chapels, endowed national schools, and charities £39."[Wikipedia, 1870 Wilson's Gazetteer, British History Online] Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England. The town was connected to central London by rail in 1847. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Sutton significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough 1934, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. Sutton is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudtone, possessing two churches. It is formed from Old English 'suth' and 'tun', meaning 'the south farm'. Archaeological finds in the region date back over ten thousand years, but the first substantial evidence of habitation comes from the excavation of a Roman villa in Beddington. Sutton railway station was opened in 1847. Sutton's population more than doubled between in the next 10 years and again in the following decade.[Wikipedia]

Thomas Sparks & family (1898)
Photograph - Adam Dennis

Thomas Sparks & family (1908)
Photograph - Adam Dennis

George William Sparks & family
Photograph - Adam Dennis

Henry Adam (C) & Benjamin
Sparks (R), 1925
Photograph - Adam Dennis

1.1.5.2.1. Ellen Sparks (d/o George Benjamin, s/o Benjamin, s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born June quarter, 1845,[4,11,180,183] Wandsworth, Co Surrey, England.[183] Immigrated to Australia with parents, arriving 15/11/1855.[180] Could read (but not write), Church of England.[180] Died at home, 20/8/1880, North Shore, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,385] "Gorman. August 20, at her residence, North Shore, the dearly beloved wife of John Gorman, Walker-street, North Shore. Deeply regretted by all who knew her.(SMH 23/8/1880)"[385] Married (as Ellan Sparks) John Gorman, 1865, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] John, s/o William & Caroline,[4] died 15/1/1900,[5,366] Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Children of Ellen Sparks & John Gorman:

Sydney J. Gorman, born 1864, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1916, Tamworth, NSW, Australia.[4]

ii.

Margaret C. Gorman, born 1866, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1867, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

iii.

Ellen T. Gorman, born 1866, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1957, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Walter Thomas Kerr, 1901, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Walter, s/o John & Eliza, died 1948, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

Children: (a)		Dorothy M. J. Kerr, born 1902, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(b)		Nance J. Kerr, born 1908, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

iv.

Francis E. Gorman, born 1869, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1869, Glebe, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Caroline E. Gorman, born 1869, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married John Joseph Cooke, 1890, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] John, s/o John & Marian, died 1945, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Children: (a)		John Joseph Cooke, born 1890, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1971, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Mary M. Jefferson, 1922, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(b)		Ellen Mary Cooke, born 1891, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1971, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Sydney D. Canavan, 1919, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(c)		Ernest Cooke, born 1893, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(d)		Ambrose Lawrence Cooke, born 1895, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1974, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Mary E. Jones, 1918, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married 2nd Edna Minnie Lasbury, 1936, Five Dock, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(e)		Francis Thomas Cooke, born 1898, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1967, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Beryl E. B. Smith, 1928, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(f)		Urban Basil Cooke, born 1901, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1952, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Minnie A. B. Kentwell, 1927, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(g)		Roger B. Cooke, born 1904, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Reece L. Ferguson, 1935, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(h)		Mary N. Cooke, born 1906, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(i)		Allan Paul Cooke, born 1909, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1974, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Muriel Marjorie Fuller, 1959, Noerth Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]
(j)		Marcia Ann Cooke, born 1912, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Frederick George Long, 1941, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

vi.

Florence Hannah Gorman, born 1871, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1947, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Charles Olaf Anderson, 1891, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Charles, s/o Charles & Nellie, died 1948, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

Children: (a)		Olive Laura Anderson, born 1892, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1964 St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Did not marry.[5]
(b)		Lillian Inga Anderson, born 1894, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1973, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Did not marry.[5]
(c)		Ellen Eileen Anderson, born 1900, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1959, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Did not marry.[5]
(d)		Florence G. Anderson, born 1908, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1934, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Did not marry.[4]
(e)		Eileen O. Anderson, born 1908, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1971, Balmain, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Did not marry.[5]

vii.

William J. Gorman, born 1873, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1938, Granville, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Catherine Theresa Foley, 1901, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Catherine, d/o Michael & Margaret, died 1961, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

Children: (a)		Sarah Catherine Gorman, born 1901, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Eric James Orman, 1928, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Eric, s/o William & Sarah Rose, died 1967, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]
(b)		Eileen Veronica Gorman, born 1904, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1967, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Wallace A. Ferguson, 1931, Tumut, NSW, Australia.[4]
(c)		Rose Ann Gorman, born 1906, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1976, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Cecil K. Jacobs, 1929, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(d)		William A. Gorman, born 1908, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(e)		Mary Thelma Gorman, born 1911, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Herbert Pearson, 1938, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

viii.

Joseph John Gorman, born 1875, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1877, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

ix.

Ann 'Annie' Philomena Gorman,[379] born 1878, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 7/7/1953, Mater Hospital, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5,384] "Peattie. Annie Phllomena -July 7 1953, at the Mater Hospital, relict of John Hamilton, loving mother, mother ln-law and grandmother of John and Hilda and John and Mary, aged 74 years. Requieseat in peace.(SMH 8/7/1953)"[384] Married John Hamilton Peattie,[378] 1899, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] John, s/o James Christie & Eleanor, died 1944, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Children: (a)

John Christie Joseph H. Peattie, born 1900, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1961, Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Hilda May Philomena McCarthy, 1940, North Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

Jane Pelletier Gorman, born 17/8/1880, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,385] Died 16/11/1880, Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,383] "Gorman - November 16, at her uncle's residence. Phillip-street, Jane Pelletier, aged 3 months, the beloved daughter of John and Ellen Gorman, of Walker-street, North Shore, also the dearly-beloved niece of Joseph and Alice Pelletier. "Suffer Little children to come unto me. (SMH 17/11/1880)"[383]

North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district. The first name used by European settlers was Hunterhill, named after a property owned by Thomas Muir (1765–1799), a Scottish political reformer. He purchased land in 1794 near the location of north pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is now located, and built a house which he named after his childhood home. This area north to Gore Hill became known as St Leonards. The township of St Leonards was laid out in 1836 in what is now North Sydney, bounded by what is now Miller, Walker, Lavender and Berry Streets. By 1846 there were 106 houses here and by 1859, the commercial centre had extended from Milsons Point to Miller Street. A bus service operated by Jeremiah Wall ran between Milsons Point and North Sydney Shops, and North Sydney thus developed its own identity. The North Sydney municipality was incorporated in 1890 and after naming disputes, North Sydney was settled upon. The post office which opened in 1854 as St Leonards was changed to North Sydney in 1890. The first public school which opened in 1874 as St Leonards was renamed North Sydney in 1910.[Wikipedia]

1.1.5.2.2. Margaret Sparks (d/o George Benjamin, s/o Benjamin, s/o Abraham, s/o Abraham), born 1852,[11,180] Gibraltar.[180] Immigrated from Gibraltar to Australia with parents, arriving 15/11/1855 (listed separately as a single adult (over 14yo) female).[180] Illiterate, Church of England.[180] Died 10/6/1895, Sydney, NSW, Australia (d/o George & Margaret).[4]

"Keys - In loving remembrance of our beloved wife and mother, Margaret Keys, who departed this life 10th June 1895, age 40 years. A precious one from us is gone, a voice we loved is stilled. Inserted by her loving husband and children, Johnny, Alice, and Alfred Stainton.(SMH 10/6/1897) Keys- In loving remembrance of our dear mother, Margaret Keys, who departed this life June 10 1895. Dead, but not forgotten. Inserted by her loving daughter and son-in-law Alice and Alfred Stainton.(SMH 11/6/1901) Keys - In sad but loving remembrance of my dear wife and our mother, Margaret Keys, who departed this life June 10, 1895. Dead, but not forgotten. Inserted by her loving husband and children, John and James Keys. Keys -In loving remembrance of our dear mother, Margaret Keys, who died June 10, 1895. Though lost to sight to memory dear. Inserted by her daughter and son-in law, Alice and Alfred Stainton.(SMH 10/6/1901) Keys -A tribute of everlasting love to the memory of our beloved mother, Margaret Keys, who departed this life June 10, 1895. Her memory dwells within the hearts of those who knew her worth. Inserted by her loving and only daughter and son in-law, Alice and Alfred Stainton.(SMH 9/6/1906)"[375]

Married James Keys, 1869, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] James born 1851 & died 1940, Redfern, Sydney, NSW, Australia (89yo).[4] Resided 1877, No.599 Crown Street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, NSW.[373] Resided 1895, No.569 Crown Street, Surrey Hills, Sydney, NSW.[371] Resided 1905, No.2, Scouller Street, Marrickville, Sydney, NSW.[372]

Children of Margaret Sparks & James Keys:

Alice M. G. Keyes, born 1870, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 13/7/1911, "Cecilville", Fairview Street, Arncliffe, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,376]

"Stainton - In fond memory of my dear wife, Alice Stainton, who departed this life at Fairview-street, Arncliffe, July 13, 1911. Inserted by her loving husband, Alfred Stainton. Stainton - In sad but ever loving memory of our dear sister, Alice M. Stainton, who departed this life July 13, 1911, Cecil, Fairview street, Arncliffe; also my dear mother. Margaret Keys, who died June 19, 1895. 'She bore her pain, bore it well, And what she suffered none can tell.' Inserted by her loving brothers, Henry and Cecil Keys; also Aunt Kate Summers.(SMH 12/7/1913)"[377]
"Stainton - In loving memory of my dear wife, Alice Stainton, who departed this life, at Fairview-street, Arncliffe, July 13, 1911. Inserted by her loving husband Alfred Stainton. Stainton - In sad but loving memory of our dear sister, Alice M. G., who departed this life, at Cecilville, Fairview-street, Arncliffe, July 13, 1911; also our dear mother, Margaret Keys, who died June 10, 1895. 'The love for you who lay beneath, Will never fade away.' Inserted by her loving brothers, Henry and Cecil Keys; also her loving auntie, Kate Summers.(SMH 13/7/1914)"[376]

Married Alfred G. Stainton, 1891, Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Alfred, s/o Samuel & Eliza, died 1934, Canterbury, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Resided 1911, "Cecilville", Fairview Street, Arncliffe, Sydney, NSW.[376,377]

Children: (a)

Herbert Stainton, born 1892, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1892, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

ii.

James Samuel Keys, born 1872, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1872, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

iii.

Henry Joseph Keys, born 1873, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 8/1937, Sacred Heart Hospice, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5,374] "Keys - The Relatives and Friends of the late Henry Jospeph Keys are Invited to attend his Funeral; to leave the Sacred Heart Hospice, Darlinghurst. This afternoon, at 3.15 o'clock, for the Church of England Cemetery. Randwick.(SMH 16/8/1937)"[374] Married Caroline Thoroughgood, 1900, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Caroline, born 1871, Sydney, NSW, Australia, d/o Phillip Thoroughgood & Caroline Moore,[4] died 1954, Redfern, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

Children: (a)

Gladys Keys, born 1901, Albion Park, NSW, Australia.[4]

iv.

Margaret Jane Keys, born 1875, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1/1877, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,373] Buried 26/1/1877.[373] "The friends of Mr. James Keys are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of his deceased daughter, to move at 2 o'olock, from 599 Crown Street, Surrey Hills.(SMH 26/1/1877)"[373]

George James Keyes, born 1878, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1878, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

vi.

William Samuel Keys, born 1879, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1880, Sydney, NSW, Australia (death listed as Samuel W. Keys).[4]

vii.

John Victor Keys, born 1881, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1944, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Judith Mona Victoria Robertson, 1910, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Judith, d/o David Clement, died 1958, Burwood, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

Children: (a)		Thelma M. Keys, born 1911, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married John E. France, 1935, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]
(b)		John Victor Keys, born 1912, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Married Grace Albion, 1952, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]
(c)		Albert Keys, born 1913, Rockdale, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1973, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5] Married Edith Lillian Wakefield, 1940, North Sydney, NSW, Australia.[5]

viii.

Violet P. Keys, born 1884, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1884, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4]

ix.

James Keys, born 1885, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 9/3/1905, No.2, Scouller Street, Marrickville, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4,372] "Keys - In loving, memory of our clear brother, James Keys, the son of the late Margaret Keys, who departed this life at No. 2 Scouller-street, Marrickville, March 9th, 1905. Not dead to us; we love him still. Inserted by his loving sister and brother-in-law, Alice and Alfred Stainton."(SMH 9/3/1909) "Keys - In loving memory of our dear brother, James Keys, the son of the late Margaret Keys, who departed this life March 9, 1905, No 2 Scouller-street Marrickville. Dead, but not forgotten. Inserted by his loving sister and brother in law, Alice and Alfred Stainton.(SMH 10/3/1911)"[372]

Alfred Keys, born 1887, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] No further record, presumably either left the state or killed in action overseas.

xi.

Eva Mary Keys, born 1890, Sydney, NSW, Australia.[4] Died 1895, Surrey Hills, Sydney, NSW.[371] Buried 3/5/1895, Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, NSW.[371] "The friends of Mr. and Mrs James Keys are kindly invited to attend the Funeral of their late beloved daughter, Eva May; to move from their residence, 569 Crown-street, Surrey Hills, this (Friday) afternoon, at half-past 2 o'clock, to Waverley Cemetery. The friends of Mrs and Mr Alfred Stainton are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of their late beloved sister, Eva May Keys; to move from her late residence, 569 Crown-street, Surrey Hills, this (Friday) afternoon, at half-past 2 o'clock, for Waverley Cemetery.(SMH 3/5/1895)"[371]

Crown St, Surry Hills - No.569 on left (1936)

2 Scouller Street, Marrickville
Image - Google Earth

Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Marrickville sits on the northern bank of the Cooks River, opposite the suburbs of Earlwood and Undercliffe and shares borders with Stanmore, Enmore, Newtown, St Peters, Sydenham, Tempe, Dulwich Hill and Petersham. The southern part of the suburb, near the river, is known as Marrickville South and includes the historical locality called The Warren. Marrickville is a diverse suburb consisting of both low and high density residential, commercial and light industrial areas. The name Marrickville comes from the 60 acre 'Marrick' estate of Thomas Chalder, which was subdivided in 1855. He named it after his native village Marrick, North Yorkshire, England. The estate centred on the intersection of Victoria Road and Chapel Street. William Dean, the publican of the Marrick Hotel, in Illawarra Road is credited with adding the “ville” to Marrick when it was gazetted in 1861. Marrickville became a municipality in 1861. In 1948, it merged with neighbouring municipalities of St Peters and Petersham to form Marrickville Municipal Council. The first school opened in August 1864 and the post office opened in 1865. The railway line to Bankstown opened in 1895. The station was known as Illawarra Road during construction. Later, when it was decided that Marrickville was a more appropriate name, the original Marrickville station was renamed Sydenham.[Wikipedia] Arncliffe is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Arncliffe is located 11 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. Arncliffe is located south of the Cooks River and Wolli Creek, close to Sydney Airport. Arncliffe is a mostly residential area featuring low density detached and semi-detached houses and some medium density town houses and blocks of flats. There are also some areas of commercial and light industrial developments. Arncliffe's name comes from a small village called Arncliffe in North Yorkshire, England. The name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, as 'Arneclif', meaning Eagle Cliff. William Hirst, an early land speculator, created a subdivision in 1840 named The Village of Arncliffe Estate. Hirst was a native of the Arncliffe area in Yorkshire. Arncliffe was settled by people from a variety of backgrounds. Original settlers in the area included British, Irish, Chinese from the goldfields and Germans who tended their vegetable gardens. In the early days, Germans represented the largest non-Anglo-Celtic migrant group in Australia. From the 1960s Arncliffe has become home to many immigrants from around the world. The first wave included Greeks and Italians who began moving south from Sydney's inner-city suburbs. Sixty percent of Arncliffe's residents now come from backgrounds other than the predominantly Anglo-Saxon and Irish origins of the earlier immigrants.[Wikipedia]