Looking for That Blessed Hope, Even the Glorious Appearing of the Great God and Our Saviour Jesus Christ
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John Smith, (c1820 – 11th September 1882) Land agent / steward on the Crow Nest Estate This memorial inscription makes sombre reading as it details the deaths of three Smith children on consecutive days at the very beginning of 1864. They were buried together in plot JJ*5 of St. Matthew’s churchyard on 5th January 1864. The memorial inscription continues with two Bible verses: - Looking for that blessed hope, Even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided They were not infants so what caused their deaths? Who were they, who were their parents and why were they living at Lidgate, Lightcliffe? 1 All three children were born in Scotland; John William Manson Smith in 1853, Johana Janet Angus Smith on 7th September 1855 in Farnell, Angus and Margaret Manson Smith on 18th October 1857 in Edinburgh. So that gives us some idea of the family’s movements after John Smith married Johana Levack Manson on 12th July 1853 at Wick, Caithness, Scotland. It is very difficult to track John Smith’s early years. The English censuses record his place of birth as just Scotland which is not very helpful! Neither are his non consistent ages. All we can deduce is that he was born about 1820 somewhere in Scotland. Johana Levack Manson is easier to trace. She was born on 25th January 1832 in Wick, Caithness and was baptised there on 24th February 1832. She was the third child of William Innes Manson and his wife Margaret Manson nee Gunn. In 1841 the Manson family resided at Grant Street, Wick. But by the 1851 census 18-year-old Johana was a “House Servant” for a Margaret Levack – possibly a relative - in the High Street, Wick. John and Johana’s fourth child James Smith Smith – yes this is how it appears in the parish register and when his birth was registered Q3 1859 in the Halifax district - had his private baptism on 12th September 1859 recorded in the St. Matthew’s Church records. His father John Smith was a “Land steward” and their address was Lidgate, Lightcliffe. It appears that Scotsman John Smith had moved to Lightcliffe to be the land agent or steward for fellow Scotsman Evan Charles Sutherland Walker after he inherited the Crow Nest estate from his aunt Ann Walker. The previous Crow Nest land agent Samuel Washington – also land steward to Anne Lister on the Shibden Hall estate - had died on 4th November 1857. Read the write ups about him and his family. Samuel Washington – land agent & steward to Ann Walker & Anne Lister Presumably Evan Charles Sutherland Walker – remember he had to add the name Walker in order to inherit from his aunt Ann Walker – engaged this fellow Scot to be his land agent/steward sometime around 1858. The 1861 census confirms the Smith residence at Lidgate. 1861 census John Smith Head 41 Land Steward born Scotland Johanna Levack Smith Wife 29 born Scotland John William Manson Smith Son 7 Scholar born Scotland Johanna Janet Angus Smith Dau 5 ditto born Scotland Margaret Manson Smith Dau 3 ditto born Scotland James Smith Smith Son 1 born Lightcliffe Margaret Innes Manson Sister in law 26 born Scotland Address Lidgate, Hipperholme The Lightcliffe records show another private baptism on 10th July 1862 for “Alexander Smith” parents John and Johana Levack Smith of Lidgate, father’s occupation “Steward. Again, Alexander Smith Smith does appear to have been his name and was how his birth was registered in Halifax Q3 1862. But some census recorders had trouble with the duplication. 2 Then as already noted the three eldest children died early January 1864 and were buried in a plot JJ*5 (yellow) very close to George Mackay Sutherland’s plot, II*4 (red) The two plots are now separated by a rhododendron bush. The baptism of the next Smith child, Anne Millar Smith, was not a private affair. In fact, it was probably quite a grand occasion as the Rev. Charles Musgrave, Vicar of Halifax, officiated. This was almost certainly because on the same day 28th May 1865 Evan Charles Sutherland Walker and his wife Alice Sophia Sutherland Walker nee Tudor also brought their daughter Alice Sutherland Walker for baptism. The third baptism that day was for William Frederick Liddiard, the son of Edwin James and Janette Liddiard. Edwin James Liddiard just happened to be the Sutherland Walkers’ “Butler”. Was this after Evan Charles Sutherland Walker had had the old church refurbished? The refurbishment included the moving of the sexton’s cottage and the installing of various memorials to his family. It was back to a private baptism conducted by the Rev. William Gurney for David Millar Smith on 27th March 1867 when John Smith was a “Land Steward” of Lightcliffe. It was in 1867 that Evan Charles Sutherland Walker put the entire Crow Nest estate up for sale. John Smith’s name appears on the documentation as the person to whom enquiries should be made especially regarding the viewing of the three Walker residences namely Cliffe Hill, Crow Nest and Lidgate. Had the Smiths occupied Lidgate house – Ann Walker’s home when Anne Lister visited - or another residence in Lidgate? Were they still there when their sixth child was baptised early 1867? They were not there when Benjamin George William Thomas Smith was baptised at St. Matthew’s Church on 5th March 1869. By then “Land Agent” John Smith and family were living at Lower Crow Nest Farm on the Crow Nest estate. This was where they were on the night of the 1871 census. 3 1871 census John Smith Head 56 Farmer of 72 acres 3 labourers Johanna Levack Smith Wife 38 Margaret Manson Sister in law 36 James Smith Son 11 Alexander Manson Smith Son 9 Anne Millar Smith Dau 6 David Smith Son 4 Benjamin G W T Smith Son 2 John Smith Nephew 12 Address Lower Crow Nest, Hipperholme cum Brighouse Susan Jane Smith, the ninth child of John and Johana Levack Smith, completed the family. She was baptised at St. Matthew’s Church on 13th June 1873 when her father was a “Farmer” of Lower Crow Nest, Lightcliffe. 1881 census John Smith Head 69 Farmer farms 122 acres employs 2 men Johana Levack Smith Wife 49 Margaret Innes Manson Sister in law 47 Domestic servant John Smith Nephew 22 Brass finisher James Smith Son 20 Farmer’s Son Alexander Smith Son 18 Farmer’s Son Ann Millar Smith Dau 15 Scholar David Millar Smith Son 14 Scholar Benjamin George William Thomas Smith Son 12 Scholar Susan Jane Smith Dau 8 Scholar Address Lower Crow Nest, Hipperholme John Smith died on 11th September 1882 at Lower Crow Nest. He was buried with his three young children in plot JJ*5 of St.Matthew’s churchyard on 15th September 1882. Also of JOHN SMITH father of the above children who died at Lower Crow Nest Lightcliffe on the 11th day of September 1882 aged 71 years. 4 His obituary appeared on page 5 of the Halifax Weekly Courier on 16th September 1882 DEATH of MR. JOHN SMITH ---- One of the leading and best-known farmers of this district, Mr John Smith, of Lower Crow Nest, has passed away this week, at the age of 71 years. He has been ailing for more than 12 months and his death occurred on Monday, at his home. For about 24 years he has resided here, coming from Scotland to this farm, and during nearly all that period he has acted as agent or steward for Mr. Sutherland-Walker, a large owner of property in this district, and on whose farm Mr. Smith lived. Mr Smith was much more intelligent than the ordinary run of farmers and used his knowledge to good purpose. He possessed some skill as a draughtsman, introduced improvements in roofing, drainage, and in the general construction of buildings, sought also to apply modern appliances in the tillage of his land, and was altogether an advanced and successful farmer. He never became alienated however, from the smaller farmers around him, but by his straightforward conduct and genial manners won their good opinion. For several years he served on the Hipperholme Local Board, and was, during that time, a very active and valuable member. The funeral took place at Lightcliffe Church yesterday. The service was conducted by the Rev. G. Bagot, the vicar. The procession was a very representative one; it included almost every farmer in the district, and among other influential gentlemen present were Mr. G. E. Emmet (Messrs. Emmet and Walker. Solicitors, Halifax) Mr Joshua Smithson, Mr. Frederick Ripley, Mr. Henry Buckton, Mr. Edwin Greenwood, the Rev. S. Pearson, &c.—indeed, the funeral is said to have been the most influential in this neighbourhood since that of Mr. Jonas Foster. Mr Sutherland- Walker would probably have been present but had gone from home when the telegram announcing the death was sent. Mr. Smith was Non-conformist, attended Bramley-lane Church, and has been visited frequently during his illness by the Rev. S. Pearson. The obituary reports that John Smith was a draughtsman as well as a farmer and in the subsequent marriages of some of his children his stated occupation was “Architect”. We now need to back track to 1866 when John Smith was listed as an ‘Architect & Surveyor’ in the White’s Trade Directory. It was about this time that he drew up the plans for Lightcliffe School which his employer Evan Charles Sutherland Walker had built in the mid-1860s John Smith’s English probate record of 25th October 1882 reads: - The Will with Codicil of John Smith late of Lower Crow Nest in Lightcliffe in the Parish of Halifax in the County of York Land Steward and Farmer who died 11 September 1882 at Lower Crow Nest domiciled in England was proved at the Principal Registry by Johana Levack Smith of Lower Crow Nest Widow the Relict Joshua Smithson of Lydgate in Lightcliffe Gentleman and George Edward Emmet of Halifax Gentleman the Executors.