Timeline
- Born at Wetheral and baptised on 11th December 1791 the eldest of William and Margaret’s children.
- Marries Jane Harrington at St Mary’s Carlisle on 12 November 1807. William is 16 years old and Jane has just turned 20 years old.
- They have 8 children whose births are recorded between 1808 and 1827 at Ivegill, Carlisle and High Head.
- Jane does not appear in the 1841 Census (but does appear as a widow in the 1851 Census living at Ivegill and being the proprietor properties). In 1841 William appears at Wetheral with his mother and a young William Hoodless aged 15 (rounded) who may be their youngest son (no birth record).
- 1841 William is a quarryman.
- Died before 1851? No appearance in the census.
Marriage
William married Jane Harrington. at St Mary’s, Carlisle, which was the cathedral church shown in this old plate engraving. This roughly depicts what it looked like in the late 18th century.
It seems a daunting prospect for a 16 year old William arm in arm with Jane who had just turned 20 years. At the time there was no minimum age for marriage so no parental consent needed to be given. Banns had to be read aloud in the church three Sunday’s prior to the marriage. This was a type of public announcement allowing for any objections to be made as to why the marriage should not go ahead.