Hudson Families in Longsleddale

Introduction

Information on Hudsons that have lived and farmed in the valley of Longsleddale is available from a number of sources.   These include the Parish Register for the Longsleddale Chapelry, Directories for the Counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, Census Records for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891, and a number of other historical documents.   Most are available at the Kendal Library and at the Record Office of the Archives Department of the Cumbria County Council at Kendal.   Copies of the Bishops Transcripts of Parish Registers have been obtained for a number of important records.   In addition, compilations of Parish Records have been made by the Morman Church and are available in microfiche form from the church libraries and genealogical libraries (IGI).   Copies of these records have also been consulted   A number of people have assisted in the extraction and compilation of the data, including Ted Davis, Lawrie Davidson, Geoff Hudson and Marian Charles.

 The Earliest Records of Hudsons in Longsleddale

 A search of records of Westmorland (Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society) by  Ted Davis suggested that there were no Hudsons in Longsleddale in the period 1229-1676.   However, in Noble, M.E (1901) "History of the Parish of Bampton", p. 187, the Hudsons of Butterwick appear as witnesses to a will in 1575, and a branch lived at Low Hullock How.   Parish records transcribed by the Morman Church (IGI) give Hudsons in Westmorland from 1539.

 The first records of Hudsons from Longsleddale date back to the early 1700's, and appear in Chapelry records transcribed from the register of the Longsleddale Chapel by Marian Charles.   The chapel was licensed as a place of burial in 1712 by William Dawes, Bishop of Chester, and the chapel was re-built in the same year.   The first minister was appointed in 1670.   The present church of St. Mary’s dates from 1815.

Some of the earliest records probably relate to Hudsons who were based at Wadshow where Thomas Hudson appears as a landowner in church records (see below). Others include:

Jane, wife of Edward Hudson, buried 22 December, 1713,

William, son of Edward and Jane Hudson, buried 29 December, 1713,

William, son of Thomas and Mary Hudson, buried 3 March, 1726,

Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Hudson baptised 10 March 1723,

Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hudson buried 3 February, 1729, and

Margaret Hudson, buried 5 December, 1729.

Another record indicates that Thomas Hudson, yeoman of Longsleddale, and others were ordered to repair a bridge in 1749/50:

"Presentment that Dale End Bridge on the Kings Highway for the township of Longsleddale to the market town of K. Kendale upon the River Sprint is in such decay for want of rebuilding the same, and further that Mary Gibson widow, Thomas Hudson yeoman, and three others from Longsleddale, and three others by reason of their tenure of certain lands adjoining the said highway should amend and rebuild the said bridge"   (Report 27 April, 1850, Records of Kendale, vol. 3 ed. J.F. ?Curmen)

Lists of Persons Eligible to Vote were studied by Ted Davis. He found that Thomas Hudson of Longsleddale voted in 1768 in a poll for Knights of the Shire, indicating he must have been a landowner or a substantial tenant.   At Bampton, William Hudson, freeholder also voted in this election (from Poll Book for Knights of the Shire, pp. 49 and 21, reported by Ted Davis).

Lists of Hudsons voters on the Westmorland Polls for 1820 and 1826 are as follows: 1820 Longsleddale electors included James Hudson, Thomas Hudson Sen. and Thomas Hudson Jun.;  1826 Longsleddale included Thomas Hudson, James Hudson and Thomas Hudson (in both cases their candidate came last).

Ted Davis suggested that the inclusion of the above three Hudsons on the list of voters indicated that at this time all were considered landowners. He also concluded that the absence of George Hudson  from the lists suggested that "George had already fallen by the wayside" (presumably George Hudson from Tillshole, see below in "Hudsons from the Tillshole Area").

Lists of Residents of Longsleddale were published in Directories and Gazetteers of Westmorland, and are summarised in the table below. The sources of data are as follows:  1829 - extracted from Parson and White, "History, Directory and Gazetteer of Cumberland and Westmorland, 1829", p 672, Kendal Ward and Parish;  1849 - extracted from P. J. Mannex, "History of Westmorland, 1849", p 304 description of Longsleddale, p 328, list of residents of Kendal Ward.   Note that 1851 edition is the same as for 1849;  1858 - extracted from Kelly's "Directory of Cumberland and Westmorland, 1858", p 37, Kendal;  1894 - extracted from Kelly's "Directory of Cumberland and Westmorland", p 128.   Data extracted at the Town Library, Kendal, September, 1993.   (Note that data on Colne was copied from the 1869 Directory of Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland, but I have no record of residents of Longsleddale from this directory).

Residents of Longsleddale (* indicates Yeoman)

It appears that two Hudson family groups lived in the valley of Longsleddale. One group was based at Wadshow, two-thirds of the way up the valley and beyond the church on the west side of the River Sprint. The other was based at Tillshole, and the neighbouring Sadgill, Stockdale and Tom’s How, near the head of the valley. My great grandfather William Hudson and his descendants are directly traceable to the Hudsons from Tillshole and the nearby hamlets. The relationship between the Hudson families at Tillshole and Wadshow is not firmly established, although it is probable they were related. Because of this uncertainty, the two Hudson groups are described separately below.

Hudson Families from Wadshow

Location of Wadshow and Early Records

Wadshow (Wad’s Howe) is on the west side of the valley of the River Sprint, and about a kilometre beyond St Mary’s Church and the old Longsleddale school. Middale (the home of the present owners is about 250 metres NNE of Wadshow, and on the east of the River Sprint and close to the road up the valley. Docker Nook (see below) is about 2 kilometres south of Wadshow and on the western side of the valley.

The earliest record of a Hudson at Wadshow is in 1732, when a Thomas Hudson was included, together with other residents of Longsleddale, in a list of contributors to the Chapel Salary.   The document states:

“For the Benefit of Posterity I have below mentioned how every Estate in Long Sleddale is charged with the Chappel Sallary.”   James Hodgson, Curate, 20 November, 1732.

  Yearly chapel salary payable by residents of Longsleddale in 1732

The residents of Longsleddale, listed in the Westmorland Directories for the years 1829, 1849, 1858 and 1894 (see the table above),  include the following Hudsons who were resident at Wadshow:

 1829 - Thomas Hudson, farmer;

1849 - Thomas Hudson, yeoman farmer;

1858 - Thomas Hudson,  farmer;

1894 - no entry for Wadshow.

Hudson Families from Wadshow

Lists of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials have been extracted from the IGI, original Longsleddale Parish records, and transcripts from Longsleddale Parish church.  These enable the following families to be delineated:

The Loss of the Wadshow Property

 In a visit to Wadshow in 1998, I was given the opportunity by Mr and Mrs Bennett of Middale (the owners of Wadshow) to examine a number of legal documents relating to the previous ownership of the property. Many of these records concerned the period during which the farm was owned by Thomas Hudson and his descendants.

 The records confirm that Hudsons occupied Wadshow from the early 1700’s, and the property passed from father to son along a line of Thomas Hudsons. On 14 March, 1882, Wadshow passed from Thomas Hudson the Older (~1797-~1882) to Thomas Hudson the Younger (~1855-). Thomas Hudson the Younger then borrowed against the property during the period 1882-1886, finally entering a mortgage contract with John Atkinson on 8 January, 1886. Itappears that he was unable to honour this indenture, and the property  passed to Atkinson. Sometime between acquiring the property in the late 1880’s and before the 1891 census, John Atkinson died, leaving the property in the hands of his widow Agnes and children James, Christopher, Jane and Jemima Atkinson.

 The following notes were prepared from my 1998 summaries of the legal documents:

20 January 1772.   Indenture Thomas Hudson and son William Hudson.

Indenture between William Hudson son of Thomas Hudson (Yeoman) on the one part, and the said Thomas Hudson on the other part.  In that William Hudson is indebted £33 for arrears of rent and cash lent by Thomas Hudson, and Thomas Hudson has agreed to pay all the debts of William Hudson except a debt of £40 and interest owing to John Fawcott (?Fawcett), County of York, then William Hudson in turn has agreed to assign all his goods, chattels, personal estates, etc. to the said Thomas Hudson, including horses, mares, geldings, cows, heifers, calves, sheep and all his other goods whatsoever. (Signed by William Hudson in the presence of George Hudson and William Wilson).

 31 July 1858.   Conveyance of land from James Atkinson to Thomas Hudson.

 The purchase price of £130 was agreed for the conveyance of the land known as “Helm Acre” from James Atkinson to Thomas Hudson.

 19 September 1871.   Summary of Last Will and Testament of Thomas Hudson.

 (Trustees:  John Taylor, Middle Swinklebank, yeoman;  Thomas Hudson, Sadgill, farmer).

 I leave my estate to my dear wife Ellen until my son Thomas shall attain the age of 21, or, should he die under that age, then until my daughter Jane shall attain the same age or marry under that age with the consent of her mother; she my said wife, in the meantime, maintaining and bringing up our children Jane and Thomas.  On my son Thomas reaching 21, the mother is to be paid an annuity of £30 by equal half-yearly payments, and the daughter Jane £500. And whereas there may be some doubt as to the validity of the marriage to my wife Ellen Hudson, formerly Brownrigg and afterward Ellen Nairn (?Navine), and the legitimacy of the issue of such marriage, I declare that the said wife and said son Thomas are alone intended to benefit from my estate.

14 March 1882.   Summary of a Statutory Declaration by Thomas Hudson.

I, Thomas Hudson, age >85 years declare that my father Thomas Hudson had two sons, William Hudson and Thomas Hudson, and that William Hudson died unmarried and intestate in 1815. My father Thomas Hudson died intestate about 1835 and administration of Wadshow was granted to his wife Jane Hudson on 16 January, 1836. The estate of Wadshow (together with a small parcel of land purchased from James Atkinson) descended to me Thomas Hudson and is occupied by me and my son Thomas Hudson.

14 March, 1882.   Settlement of Wadshow to Thomas Hudson Jr.

 The formal transfer of Wadshow from Thomas Hudson Senior to Thomas Hudson Junior was effected by a document signed (in a very shaky hand) by Thomas Hudson Senior (Witness:  K.N. Watson, Solicitor, Kendal).

 8 April, 1882.   Mortgage of Wadshow by Thomas Hudson Jr.

 Wadshow estate mortgaged to William Thompson in order to secure a loan of £1200 at 4% interest.

 13 June, 1883.   Summary of an Indenture of Mortgage.

 Statement that Thomas Hudson the Younger had fully discharged his mortgage of £1200 at 4% interest to the mortgagee William Thompson.

 8 January, 1886.   Indenture between Thomas Hudson and John Atkinson.

 This indenture recognises a previous indenture of the 14 June, 1883 between Thomas Hudson the Younger, on the one part, and Christopher Gibson, Joseph Airey and Richard Barrow, on the other part, for a loan of £1500 plus interest. This indenture is for payment of £450 plus 4% interest due to John Atkinson on demand, and is based on Wadshow for security.   There is also mention of a payment of £500 due to Thomas Hudson’s sister Jane (see the 1871 Will of Thomas Hudson Snr).

Transfer of Ownership of the Wadshow Property from the Hudson Family

The loss of Wadshow is confirmed in contrasting census records for the years 1881 and 1891.   In 1881 the farm was occupied by Thomas Hudson and Ellen Brownrigg/Hudson and their children, and some of the Brownrigg family. By 1891, Wadshow was occupied by the Atkinson family.

Census Records for the years 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891

(For a summary of census records for Wadshow see Table under Hudsons from Tillshole, below)

 The property of Wadshow was continuously occupied by families of Hudsons during the census years 1841,1851,1861,1871 and 1881, but passed out of the hands of Hudsons before the 1991 census. In 1841, Thomas Hudson (40) and his mother Jane Wharton/Hudson (70) were resident at Wadshow. They were also resident there in 1851, with his mother an “infirm” 82 year-old.   Thomas Hudson married about 1853 and by the time of the 1861 census was living at Wadshow with his wife Eleanor (44) and children Jane (7) and Thomas (5). In the 1871 census, Thomas (74) and Ellen Hudson (55) had been joined by Ellen’s mother, Ellen Brownrigg (80), and by 1881 the family had increased to Thomas Hudson (aged 84) and his wife Ellen Brownrigg/Hudson (65) together with their son Thomas Hudson (25), daughter-in-law Jane Hudson (24), grand-son Thomas Hudson (5), grand-daughter Elleanor Hudson (4), and grand-daughter Marion J. Hudson (10 months). There were also four other persons at Wadshow including Brownriggs.

 By 1891, the occupancy of Wadshow had changed to the widow Agnes Atkinson (56), her step-son James Atkinson (37), son Christopher Atkinson (30), daughter Jane Atkinson (16), and daughter Jemima Atkinson (13). Hudson families had virtually left the valley of Longsleddale. No adults remained, but the three children of Thomas and Jane Hudson (mentioned above) were living with other families. Thomas Hudson (15) was a servant in the home of Miles (a farmer) and Margaret E. Walker of Low Swinklebank, and his sister Eleanor Hudson (14) was a general domestic servant  in the home of William (Perpetual Curate of Longsleddale) and Annie Burrows and their two children. Eleanor Hudson's sister Marian (sic), age10 years, was also living with the Burrows family at the Parsonage in Longsleddale; she was described as a scholar.

An Eleanor Hudson (26), born in Longsleddale, is listed in the 1901 Census as a single lodger "living on means" in the home of James Francis Bullock and family, at 20 Lowther Street, Kendal.

Isaac Hudson from Dockernook

Longsleddale Chapel records contain an entry for Isaac Hudson, son of William and Elizabeth Hudson, who was baptised on 18 Jan 1776. He probably had a sister Jane Hudson, baptised 10 May 1779. It is possible that his father was the William Hudson who forfeited his estate to his father Thomas in 1772.   My brother, Geoff Hudson  reported on 04 March 1983 that: “(He) came across an interesting item in a book of monumental inscriptions from Heversham, near Grange-on-Sands, relating to an Isaac Hudson drowned on the Sands in 1792, aged 16 years.   He is reported as being from Longsleddale.   He died together with a John Hudson (aged 16) second son of Robert Hudson Esq. of Tadworth Court, Surrey.   Presumably the families are related”.

Hudsons from the Tillshole Area

The earliest record of Tillshole is that relating to the apportioning of the Chapel salary, whereby in 1732 "Richard Hall was required to provide a sum of 02s 08d for Tills Hole".

In addition to Tillshole, there are several other small farm houses at the northern end of Longsleddale. These include Tom’s Howe (on the west bank of the River Sprint, 200 metres SSW of Tillshole), Stockdale (on the east bank of the River Sprint, 600 metres ENE of Tillshole), and Sadgill (on the west bank of the River Sprint, 600 metres NNW of Tillshole).

 Hudsons farmed at Tillshole from at least as early as 1794, when the Parish Records contain the information that Edmund, son of George and Mary Hudson of Tillshole was baptised on 21 September, 1794. A previous record confirms that George and Mary Hudson were at Stockdale (across the valley from Tillshole) when their son William was baptised on 16 January, 1791.

The records do not record ownership of the Tillshole property, although the substantial occupancy of the farm from the time of marriage of Thomas Hudson and Isabella Green in 1815 through the birth of their ten children up to 1832 suggests that the Hudson family owned the property. Thomas Hudson was listed as a "farmer" in Parish Records up to 1818 and as a "yeoman" in later entries.

 The Westmorland Directories indicate the following occupancy of the farms near Tillshole in the period from 1829 to1894:

1829 - Thomas Hudson (1783-1846) was a yeoman farmer at Hill Sole (?Tillshole);

1849 - George Hudson (1815-) was Bailiff to Lady Howard at Sadgill;

1858 - George Hudson was a farmer at Tillshole and Thomas Hudson (1816-) was a farm bailiff at Middle Sadgill;

1894 - Thomas Park was a farmer at Tillshole, William Black was at Tom’s How, Mounsey Hoggarth was at Middle Sadgill, Hy Douthwaite was at High Sadgill, John Douthwaite was at Dale End, and John Fishwick was at Low Sadgill.

Hudson Families from Tillshole, Tom’s Howe, Stockdale and Sadgill

 The earliest records refer to George Hudson and wife Mary as residents of Stockdale (1791) and Tillshole (1794). Possible parents of of George Hudson were Thomas Hudson and Ann/Anna/Annas Hudson

Both George and Mary Hudson died before the first census was taken in 1841. However, a George Hudson appears as a witness on an indenture drawn up in 1772 between a Thomas Hudson (of Wadshow) and his son William Hudson (see the section "The Loss of the Wadshow Property", above). George and Mary Hudson were resident at Stockdale in 1791 for the birth of their son William, and at Tillshole in 1794 for the birth of their son Edmund. Their son James died at Wadshow.

Note: The death and burial of Thomas Hudson age 63 in July 1846, indicates he was born between July 1782 and July 1783. IGI records for Westmorland contain only one entry that seems to match, namely Thomas Hudson, son of John and Jane Hudson, baptised in Bampton on 17 Dec 1782. Other children from this marriage include Anne (b. 13 Aug 1780); Joseph (b. 22 Apr 1784); Richard (b. 11 Aug 1785); Mary (b. 10 Jan 1793); and Isaac (b. 06 Oct 1796).

For Lists of Descendants from the Children of Thomas Hudson and Isabella Green/Hudson click the link: Relatives.

Census Records for Tillshole and Sadgill (1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891)

 Census records, summarised below, confirm that Tillshole was being farmed in 1841 by Thomas Hudson and his wife Isabella, together with his children George, Thomas, Agnes, James, William, Robert and Joseph. His son Edmund was at the nearby farm of Thom’s How.

 Thomas died age 63 in 1846, so at the time of the 1851 census, his widow Isabella, was running the farm jointly with sons George and Thomas. The Longsleddale community at that time comprised 29 houses and 169 persons, 93 male and 76 female. Isabella Hudson (56, farmer of 300 acres), George Hudson (36, joint owner) and Thomas Hudson (34, joint owner) were at Tillshole, together with James (25), William (23), Robert (21) and Joseph Hudson (18). Mary (33) and Edmund Hudson (27) were at Middle Sadgill.

 In 1961, the eldest son George Hudson (45) was listed as the farmer. His mother Isabella (67), and brother Robert (31) remained at Tillshole, with Thomas (44) and his future wife Margaret Taylor (38) at Middle Sadgill, and Edmund (37) and his wife Eleanor (22) at Lower Sadgill.

 No Hudsons were listed at Tillshole for the 1871 census (presumably they were absent for a short period), but Thomas (54) and his wife Margaret (48) were still at Middle Sadgill, together with their two nephews Robert (17) and James (13), presumably the children of James and his wife Agnes, or, less likely, George Hudson. Edmund, listed as Edward (47) in the census, was still at Lower Sadgill, together with his wife Eleanor (32) and their children Agnes (9), Thomas (7), George (4) and Isabella (2).

 Robert Hudson (49) widower and farmer of 424 acres and his children Agnes Isabella (16), Thomas Kitching (13) and Mary Elizabeth (10) were at Tillshole for the 1881 census. Robert Hudson (27), presumed to be the son of James Hudson, together with his wife Isabella (34) and daughter Agnes Elizabeth (3), were at Thom’s How, and Thomas (64) and Margaret (58) were still at Middle Sadgill, this time looking after their nephew George (14) and neice Isabella (12), the younger children of Edmund and Eleanor Hudson, who were no longer at Lower Sadgill. Lower Sadgill was occupied by Susannah Green (75) widow, her son William Green (50) unmarried farmer of 497 acres, and her daughter Agnes Green (46) unmarried.

 The 1881 census is the last record of Hudsons at Tillshole, or the neighbouring properties, and this fact is supported by a statement by the present owner of Tillshole, Mr Fishwick, that "no Hudsons had lived in the valley for 70 or 80 years" (Ted Davis, personal communication, 1980).

The 1891 census shows that the Park family were at Tillshole, the Black family at Thomshow, the Hogarth family at Middle Sadgill and the Fishwick family at Lower Sadgill. The Fishwicks acquired Tillshole about 1915 and are the present owners of the group of farms at the head of the valley of Longsleddale.

The 1991 census lists the occupants of Tillshole as Thomas Park (39), his wife Hannah (35) and children Jane, Elisabeth and Isabella. William Black (39), his wife Annie (39), and children Michael and Susannah were at Thom’s How. John Hogarth (34), his wife Elizabeth (34) and children Thomas, George, and Mary Jane occupied Middle Sadgill. John Fishwick (60), his wife Cicely (34) and children Mary, Joseph, Agnes, Bridget, Isabel, and Miles were at Lower Sadgill. All of these properties are now owned by the Fishwicks, with Martin and Sylvia Fishwick resident at Tillshole.

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