Illegitamite or not??

[grace bc]

My great grandfather Thomas Binns ATKINSON was an innkeeper in the Black Bull, Horsforth, Leeds when he died aged 43 in May 1879. Thomas's death was registered by his sister Jane Ellen - cause of death - Fatty degeneration of Heart. His wife, Elizabeth had four children by then, the eldest aged 9 and the youngest aged 3. By the 1881 census Elizabeth is down as a widow and they are living in in Newall with Clifton, Otley.

Now comes the problem - my grandfather was born in 1883, Headlingly, Leeds, Elizabeth is the informant living in Bradford and the name of the father on the birth certificate is Thomas Atkinson, occupation a retired innkeeper. My grandfather always said was "was brought up by his older sister" which if Elizabeth was struggling to keep the family together would probably have been true. On the 1891 census Elizabeth is still a widow with the two younger children with her in Burley. The middle son, James, is a butchers apprentice in Tutbury Lincs. (Elizabeth originally came from Lincs.) By 1901 Elizabeth is living with James now a butcher in Guiseley, Yorks - so he'd come back home, where my grandfather is a boot finisher.

Soo... was my grandfather illigitimate (which I'm sure he never knew) or am I missing something? Anyone any other suggestions as to what might have been?

[Geoffers]

My great grandfather Thomas Binns ATKINSON was an innkeeper in the Black Bull, Horsforth, Leeds when he died aged 43 in May 1879......my grandfather was born in 1883, Headlingly, Leeds, Elizabeth is the informant living in Bradford and the name of the father on the birth certificate is Thomas Atkinson, occupation a retired innkeeper.

If you are certain that you have the correct death, then either this was the world's longest pregnancy, or Elizabeth told bit of a fib.........unless of course there was someone else who was called Thomas Atkinson, who was a retired inkeeper.

[grace bc]

Thanks, just wanted to check. The death was registered by a sister with the correct name. Would you still consider him an "Atkinson" and follow the family back or does the line end here as I'm unlikely to discover an un-named father when his "father's" name is on the birth cert.? I know there are a lot of Atkinsons on the Addingham parish records which connect up to Thomas, his "father".

[Geoffers]

Finding the father of an illegitimate child needs some luck - it depends on how much work you want or are able to put into it.

Some things you might try:

1. Did she obtain relief, are there local records surviving in which there was any examination and do these hint at a father?

2. Did she turn up in later census returns living with anyone, possibly as a housekeeper to a single/widowed male?

3. Did she make any application to the court for the father to be ordered to pay any form of maintenance?

4. Was the child christened and does the parish register just record him as illegitimate, or does it name the father?

[grace bc]

Thanks for the info Geoffers,
Sorry to be a bit thick but what sort of "local records" am I looking for and what sort of court would she apply to. She's a widow on next census and on the 1901 she's with her eldest son. Grandfather was born in Headingly, Leeds, the birth was registered at Kirkstall, Leeds and his mother's address was Burley-in Wharfdale.

[grace bc]

Hi, its me again
I decided to try and find where Burley records were held and found a great website www.burleycensus.net which has clear census transcripts and I found Henry Atkinson who was gr. grandfather's brother, an innkeeper. Looks like Eliz. left the Horsforth pub when her husband died, went to stay with her brother-in-law and possibly he fathered my grandfather. Its amazing what turns up on websites you never knew existed,thanks for the "nudge in the right direction"

[Geoffers]

Sorry to be a bit thick but what sort of "local records" am I looking for and what sort of court would she apply to.

It's always worth checking parish registers for baptisms, in case the loacl cleric added some note about the father. These later parish registers usually just contain the basic tabulated information, but just occasionally you find that a really helpful Vicar included some really helpful notes.

Check workhouse records and those where the Poor Law Union granted relief (financial assistance). Court records are those of the Quarter Sessions, held by the local record office.


I found Henry Atkinson who was gr. grandfather's brother, an innkeeper. Looks like Eliz. left the Horsforth pub when her husband died, went to stay with her brother-in-law and possibly he fathered my grandfather

Stranger things have happened - is she shown as staying with this chap over a coupld of census returns, or just in the one entry?

[grace bc]

Hi again
On the 1881 census she's in Newall with Clifton near Otley which is about 4 miles from Burley where her brother-in-law lived. By 1883 she was in Burley (address given on birth cert.) so I was putting 2+2 together. When i'm next up in the area i'll check out the parish registers - I see that Otley ones are held in Harrogate library. Thanks again for your help