Biography
Henry Barton, the son of Richard Barton and his wife Margaret, was born in Barton, Lancs on 11 December 1809. He was baptized on 29 December 1809 at “The Parochial Chapel of Broughton” now better known as St. John the Baptist Anglican church.
On 24 May 1838, Henry married Elizabeth Swarbrick at the church where he was baptized. According to the marriage register, Henry at the time was working as a brewer at the Shuttleworth Arms in Barton. Elizabeth was probably pregnant with first son Richard at the time of their marriage. The couple initially lived in Broughton; that is where second son Edward was born in 1839. Circa 1840, they relocated to Henry’s home town of Barton where Henry took up farming at a place called Crosses, or Almond’s Crosses. Like all couples of the day, Henry managed the farm while Elizabeth took care of the home and family.
The 1841 census records Henry, Elizabeth, and their first three children at Almond’s Crosses in Barton. The 1851 census records the family with six children at a farm simply called Crosses. One of their children, Elizabeth Barton (c. 1841–?), evidently died between the two census dates. The couple named another daughter Elizabeth in 1847.
The Barton family suffered a significant upheaval during the 1850s for reasons unknown. Circa 1852, the family moved from Barton to 5 Park Road in Preston. Henry got work as a labourer. In 1853, their youngest daughter, Dorothy Ann, died at the age of two. It is possible that the family’s move was connected to Dorothy Ann’s illness, which lasted for seven months before she died.
Within a few years of Dorothy Ann’s death, Henry appears to have died. Although his death record or burial location has not been located, there is no census record of Henry after 1851. He would have been about age 50 when he died. It appears that following his death, his family separated, with his older sons moving south to Wigan, and his wife and younger children moving north to Nether Wyersdale.
Research Notes
There are two churches in the area of Barton: St. Lawrence on Garstang Road, and St. John the Baptist in Broughton. A little further to the north are St. Thomas in Garstang and St. Michael in St. Michael-on-Wyre. Unfortunately the parish records for these four churches have not yet been indexed or are only partially indexed. As a result early records of Henry Barton and his family have been difficult to locate.
Further research may turn up more information about what became of Henry Barton.
Source Documents
Details
- Christening: 1809-12-27, The Parochial Chapel of Broughton, Broughton, Lancs;
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Residence:
1839-09-19, Broughton, Lancaster;
Henry & Elizabeth Barton family house.
Per Edward Barton’s Birth Certificate.
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Residence:
1842-06-07, Barton, Lancaster;
Henry & Elizabeth Barton family home.
Per Margaret’s Birth Certificate.
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Occupation:
1842-06-07 ;
Farmer.
Per Margaret Barton’s Birth Certificate.
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Residence:
1853-11-20, 5 Park Road, Preston;
Henry & Elizabeth Barton family home.
Location of Dorothy Ann’s death. Address may be in Barton or Preston. Needs some investigation.
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Occupation:
1853-11-20, 5 Park Road, Preston;
Labourer.
Per Dorothy Ann’s Death Certificate.
Footnotes