Sorton Family (2)
We originally thought that my direct ancestor Richard Sorton belonged to the branch of the Sorton family shown on this page, but have since found conclusive evidence indicating otherwise. However, like Richard's branch, the "other" Sortons migrated between Cheshire and Manchester, and as they are doubtless related in some way, I have decided to leave the results of our earlier research here for the benefit of others related to this family, and in the hope of making a connection between the two branches in the future.
First generation
First generation
Thomas Sorton
The starting point of this line at present is Thomas Sorton and his wife Mary (born about 1764), who had strong connections to the village of Over Tabley, near Lymm. They had at least six children, all born in Manchester; however those who died as infants are buried at St Mary's Church, Rostherne (the parish church for Over Tabley) and Mary probably moved back to the village after her husband died.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Elizabeth Sorton
Elizabeth Sorton
Thomas Sorton
William Sorton
Margaret Sorton
George William Sorton
(1790-1791)
(1792-?)
(1794-1867)
(1796-1797)
(1800-1801)
(1805-1875)
m. Hannah Gallimore, 1818
m. Elizabeth Collins, 1832
Mary died at the age of 57 and was buried at St Mary's Church, Rostherne on 11 September 1821. Thomas probably died in Manchester in 1815 at the age of 45.
First generation
Second generation
Thomas Sorton
Thomas Sorton, oldest known son of Thomas Sorton and Mary, was born in Manchester and baptised at St Clement's Church there on 28 June 1795. He worked as an agricultural labourer, becoming a gardener at Tabley Hall. He married Hannah Gallimore at St Mary's Church, Rostherne on 25 March 1818 and the couple settled in Over Tabley. Hannah was born in Mere, Cheshire on 14 August 1791 and was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Gallimore.
Thomas and Hannah had eight children, all born in Over Tabley:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
William Sorton
Thomas Sorton
Hannah Sorton
Joseph Sorton
Sarah Ann Sorton
Sarah Sorton
Emma Sorton
George Sorton
(1819-1846)
(1824-1848)
(1827-1878)
(1829-1886)
(1831-?)
(1832-?)
(1834-1896)
(1837-1859)
m. Eliza Walton, 1861
m. George Robinson, 1863
Thomas died in Over Tabley and was buried at St Mary's Church, Rostherne on 11 September 1867. Hannah died in Knutsford on 8 January 1879.
George William Sorton
George William Sorton, son of Thomas Sorton and Mary, was baptised at St George's Church Manchester on 7 July 1805 and spent his adult life in Warburton, Cheshire as an agricultural labourer. He married Elizabeth Collins at St Elphin's Church, Warrington on 9 April 1832 and had one son:
1.
(1837-1919)
m. Mary Ann Cooper, 1858
Elizabeth was buried at St Werbugh's Church, Warburton on 5 January 1873 and George on 9 January 1875.
First generation
Third generation
Hannah Sorton
Hannah Sorton, daughter of Thomas Sorton and Hannah Gallimore, was born in Over Tabley and baptised at St John the Baptist's Church , Knutsford on 4 March 1827. She married George Valentine, a sawyer, at St Mary's Church, Eccles on 17 March 1851 and the couple spent their married life in the Hulme area of Manchester. George, the son of George Valentine and his wife Hannah Royle, was born in Worsley and baptised at St Mary's Church, Eccles on 7 September 1828.
Hannah had a son about a year before her marriage who was registered with the surname Sorton, but who was subsequently known as Valentine; his true relation to George is unknown. Eight more children were born after the marriage:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Thomas Sorton /Valentine
Hannah Valentine
Elizabeth Valentine
Mary Jane Valentine
Eleanor Valentine
(1850-?)
(1851-?)
(1854-1893)
(1856-1894)
(1858-1887)
(1861-?)
(1863-?)
(1866-1867)
(1869-?)
m. William James Sewell, 1869
m. Richard Harper, 1878
m. Richard Ainscow, 1875
m. Mary Jane Leech, 1880
Hannah died in Hulme in 1878 and George died in Withington Workhouse on 10 February 1893
Joseph Sorton
Joseph Sorton, son of Thomas Sorton and Hannah Gallimore, was born in Over Tabley and baptised at St John the Baptist's Church , Knutsford on 3 May 1829. He worked as an agricultural labourer and later as a gardener, and married Eliza Walton at St Paul's Church, Over Tabley on 30 December 1861. Eliza was baptised in Shurlach, Cheshire on 20 May 1841 and was the daughter of Thomas Walton and his wife Ann Drinkwater.
Joseph and Eliza had seven children, all born in Over Tabley:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ann Sorton
Thomas Sorton
Mary Sorton
Eliza Sorton
Sarah Hannah Sorton
William Henry Sorton
Fanny Sorton
(1862-1898)
(1864-1902)
(1866-1929)
(1868-?)
(1872-1896)
(1877-1878)
(1879-1956)
m. Mary Fletcher, 1888
m. George Edmund Wright, 1884
m. Samuel Green Walker, 1895
m. Ernest Tom Ollier, 1893
Joseph died in Over Tabley in 1886 and Eliza married Joseph Mather in Toft on 13 September 1901. She died in Runcorn in 1915.
Emma Sorton
Emma Sorton, daughter of Thomas Sorton and Hannah Gallimore, was baptised in Over Tabley on 27 July 1834 and married George Jones Robinson in St John's Church, Manchester on 12 January 1863. The couple had four children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Thomas George Sorton Robinson
Margaret Hannah Jones Robinson
John James Robinson
Herbert William Jones Robinson
(1864-1933)
(1867-1868)
(1870-1912)
(1874-1929)
m. Mary Ellen Southern, 1887
m. Mary Ann Murgatroyd, 1899
Although George and Emma spent virtually all their married life in Manchester and Salford, two of their children were born in Tabley and all four were christened at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington.
Emma died in Salford in 1896.
Samuel Sorton
Samuel Sorton, only son of George William Sorton and Elizabeth Collins, was baptised at St Werbugh's Church, Warburton on June 1836 and married Mary Ann Cooper at St Mary's Church, Great Budworth on 20 December 1858. Mary Ann was baptised in Ludlow, Shropshire on 24 December 1838 and was the daughter of Eliza Cooper. Samuel worked as a wheelwright and the couple had eight children, all born in Warburton:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Eliza Ann Sorton
Sarah Ann Sorton
Elizabeth Sorton
Frances Adelaide Sorton
Harriett Rose Sorton
George Thomas Sorton
Agnes Jane Sorton
Jessie Sorton
(1859-1944)
(1861-?)
(1863-1927)
(1866-1948)
(1869-1951)
(1872-1947)
(1874-1927)
(1879-1959)
m. George Edward Jackson, 1881
m. Francis Tarry, 1884
m. Walter Charles Douthwaite, 1897
m. Alice Brown, 1898
m. James Castle, 1906
m. William Percival, 1907
Mary Ann died in Warburton in 1917 and Samuel in 1919.
First generation
Fourth generation
Emma Valentine
Emma Valentine, oldest daughter of George Valentine and Hannah Sorton, was born in Manchester on 11 December 1851 and was just 17 years old when she married William James Sewell, an elastic weaver, at Manchester Cathedral on 22 August 1869. The couple lived in Hulme and had four children, at least two of whom died at a young age:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Alice Sewell
Mary Jane Sewell
Female Sewell
Thomas Sewell
(1870-1873)
(1872-?)
(1873-?)
(1877-1880)
It is unclear what happened to William, but by 1880 Emma was living as the wife of James Proudlove, a widowed boatman, although no record of their marriage has been found. Their two children both died in infancy:
5.
6.
Henry Proudlove
James Proudlove
(1880-1880)
(1882-1883)
James was in Belle Vue Gaol when the 1881 census was taken, while Emma was living in Salford with her daughter Mary, stepdaughter Martha Proudlove, her father and her youngest sister Eleanor ("Ellen"). In 1891 Emma is recorded as a widow in Salford Infirmary, but there are no obvious further records for her or either of her husbands.
Sarah Ann Valentine
Sarah Ann Valentine, daughter of George Valentine and Hannah Sorton, was born in Hulme on 8 December 1854 and married Richard Harper, a boatman, at St Mark's Church, Hulme on Christmas Day 1878. The couple lived in Manchester and had six children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
(1879-?)
(1881-?)
(1882-1884)
(1884-1885)
(1886-?)
(1889-?)
m. Edward Pope, 1914
Sarah died in Hulme in 1893 and the following year Richard married Annie Edwards at St Mark's Church, Hulme on 8 December 1894. He had six children with his second wife and died in Manchester in 1916.
Frances Valentine
Frances Valentine, daughter of George Valentine and Hannah Sorton, was born in Hulme on 6 May 1856 and married Richard Ainscow, a carter, at Manchester Cathedral on 18 November 1875. The couple lived in Manchester and had ten children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Robert Ainscow
Robert Ainscow
Samuel Ainscow
Thomas Ainscow
Frances Ainscow
Margaret Ainscow
William Ainscow
Jane Ainscow
(1876-1951)
(1878-1879)
(1880-1899)
(1882-1899)
(1884-1904)
(1885-1970)
(1888-1888)
(1889-1891)
(1891-1927)
(1893-1893)
m. Eliza Ann Jackson, 1896
m. Alice Harrison, 1919
Frances died in Hulme in 1894 and Richard in 1896. It is not known what happened to most of the younger children at this point apart from John, who was adopted by a couple named Williams who lived in Northwich: the others may have lived briefly with their married brother Richard but were all working by 1901.
Richard Jr. emigrated to Australia in 1908 along with his wife and three oldest children, and he was later joined there by his two surviving siblings, Frances and John.
Stanley Valentine
Stanley Valentine, son of George Valentine and Hannah Sorton, was born in Hulme on 30 May 1858 and married Mary Jane Leech at St Mark's Church, Hulme on 16 February 1880. The couple lived in Salford and had two children:
1.
2.
George Valentine
(1881-1882)
(1884-1971)
m. John Thomas Nurtney, 1903
Life was not always easy for the young family, and Stanley, Mary and George spent two weeks in Chorlton Workhouse in December 1881. Stanley died in Salford in early 1888 aged just 28 and it is possible that Mary remarried, as there appears to be no further record of her or Jane with the surname Valentine until Jane's marriage in 1903.
Thomas Sorton
Thomas Sorton, son of Joseph Sorton and Eliza Walton, was born in Over Tabley on 30 March 1864 and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington six weeks later on 15 May He became a blacksmith, and married Mary Fletcher at Holy Innocents' Church, Fallowfield in 1888. They had four children, born at Tabley and Lostock Gralam:
1.
2.
3.
4.
(1889-1969)
(1891-1971)
(1895-1980)
(1900-1951)
m. William Thomas Groombridge, 1917
m. Annie Birtwistle, 1926
m. James Percival Ferguson, 1919
Thomas died in Toxteth Park in 1902 and Mary probably died around the same time, as in 1911 the two youngest children were recorded in orphan institutions.
Clarice Sorton emigrated to Australia with her husband
Mary Sorton
Mary Sorton, daughter of Joseph Sorton and Eliza Walton, was born in Over Tabley on 19 March 1866 and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington six weeks later on 29 April. She married George Edmund Wright, a farmer, at St Paul's Church, Over Tabley on 12 June 1884 at the age of 18. George was born in High Legh, Cheshire on 18 January 1864, and was the son of Henry Wright, a farmer, and his wife Margaret Povey. The couple had four children, all born in High Legh:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Annie Wright
Walter Wright
(1885-1967)
(1886-1977)
(1888-1975)
(1896-1971)
m. James Wright, 1915
m. Alice May Hulme, 1926
m. Georgina Powell, 1917
m. Peter Cook, 1919
At different times the family farmed Crows Nest Farm, Legh Oaks Farm and Hobbs Hill Farm in High Legh.
Mary died in High Legh on 12 October 1919 and George on 4 December 1933.
Eliza Sorton
Eliza Sorton, daughter of Joseph Sorton and Eliza Walton, was born in Over Tabley on 8 May 1868 and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington on 14 June 1868. She married Samuel Green Walker, a sawyer, at St Mary's Church, Bowdon on 4 June 1895 and after a brief period in Manchester the couple settled in Sheffield. They had five children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
George Thomas Walker
Elizabeth Florence Walker
William Henry Walker
Ethel May Walker
Violet Ellen Walker
(1896-1897)
(1897-1951)
(1899-?)
(1901-?)
(1904-1965)
m. Herbert Vickers, 1920
m. William Scholey, 1923
Samuel died in West Ashby, Lincolnshire on 15 November 1931 and Eliza in 1955.
Sarah Hannah Sorton
Sarah Hannah Sorton, daughter of Joseph Sorton and Eliza Walton, was born in Over Tabley on 25 November 1872 and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington on 12 January 1873. She married Ernest Tom Ollier, a labourer, in Altrincham in 1893. Ernest was born in Bowdon in 1872, and was the oldest son of Thomas Ollier and his wife, Margaret Hayman. They had two children, both born in Bowdon:
1.
2.
Frederick Ollier
William Hayman Ollier
(1894-1927)
(1896-1917)
m. Elizabeth Ann Dodd, 1919
Sarah died in Bowdon at the age of 23, when her younger son was just a few months old, and was buried at St Mary's Church on 2 September 1896. Ernest moved to Liverpool with the children and subsequently married Charlotte Davies in Everton in 1902. He had eight more children with his second wife and moved back to Cheshire in about 1912.
During the First World War, William Hayman Ollier attested for deferred military service under the Group Scheme on 11 December 1915 and was mobilised for service with the Cheshire Regiment on 1 February 1916. He was taken prisoner of war in Turkey in April 1917 and died six months later: his death was not officially confirmed until March 1919.
Ernest died in Knutsford in 1953.
Thomas George Sorton Robinson
Thomas George Sorton Robinson, oldest child of George Jones Robinson and Emma Sorton, was born in Tabley and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington on 5 May 1864. He worked in various labouring jobs, and according to the 1891 census was blind in one eye from childhood. He married Mary Ellen Southern at St Clement's Church, Salford on 5 August 1887 and the couple spent their married life in Salford.
Thomas and Mary had nine children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
George Jones Robinson
Thomas Herbert Robinson
John William Robinson
Mary Emma Robinson
Henry Robinson
James Robinson
Albert Edward Robinson
Alice May Robinson
Robert Robinson
(1887-?)
(1889-1933)
(1892-1943)
(1894-1969)
(1896-?)
(1898-?)
(1901-?)
(1904-1979)
(1907-?)
m. Margaret Dodd, 1912
m. Annie Alma Archer, 1910
m. George Webb, 1920
Thomas died in Salford in 1933 and Mary in 1953.
Herbert William Jones Robinson
Herbert William Jones Robinson, youngest son of George Jones Robinson and Emma Sorton, was born in Tabley and baptised at St Peter's Church, Oughtrington on 4 October 1874. He worked as a labourer and married Mary Ann Murgatroyd at St Clement's Church, Salford on 30 September 1899. The couple spent their married life in Salford and had six children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
John William Robinson
George Robinson
Fred Robinson
Herbert William Robinson
Emma Robinson
James Robinson
(1900-?)
(1903-1985)
(1906-?)
(1909-1988)
(1912-1987)
(1916-?)
m. Alice Robinson, 1931
Herbert and Mary's fourth son Herbert married his first cousin once removed.
Herbert died in Salford in 1929.
Eliza Ann Sorton
Eliza Ann Sorton, oldest child of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton on 3 July 1859, and married George Edward Jackson in Altrincham in 1881. George was a railway porter, born in Altrincham in 1855.
Eliza and George had seven children, all born in Salford:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Frank Harold Jackson
Arthur Jackson
Agnes Mary Jackson
Elsie Maude Jackson
Mabel Jackson
Jessie Jackson
Walter Jackson
(1882-1958)
(1884-?)
(1886-1961)
(1888-1960)
(1890-1980)
(1892-1962)
(1896-1972)
m. Abigail Cavanagh, 1910
m. Mary Alice Smith, 1908
m. Joseph Francis Sloane, 1907
m. James Henry Wroe, 1939
m. Wilfred Wakefield, 1917
m. Annie Dunn, 1924
George died in Salford in 1927 and Eliza in 1944.
Elizabeth Sorton
Elizabeth Sorton, daughter of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton and baptised at St Werbugh's Church there on 16 August 1863. She worked as a housemaid before her marriage to Francis Tarry at St George's Church, Altrincham on 27 January 1884. Francis was born in Woolley, Huntingdonshire on 25 March 1859, a year prior to the marriage of his parents, and his birth was registered under his mother's maiden name of Carter. He worked as a groom and the couple lived first in Altrincham, then in Davenham.
Francis and Elizabeth had ten children, two of whom died young:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Herbert Tarry
Florence TarryFred Tarry
Edith Tarry
Sidney Tarry
Percy Tarry
Leonard Tarry
Willie Tarry
Annie Tarry
Ellen Tarry
(1884-1961)
(1886-1965)
(1888-1962)
(1889-1892)
(1891-1979)
(1893-?)
(1895-1895)
(1896-1975)
(1900-?)
(1902-1979)
m. Leah Cross, 1913
m. James Frederick Heeson, 1921
m. Ellen Rimmer, 1929
m. Sallie Challinor, 1919
m. Agnes Lena Davies Williams, 1924
m. Fred Whitlow, 1929
Percy Tarry enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment on 10 May 1915, but in spite of passing the intitial cursory medical examination, he was rapidly found unfit for service because of his flat feet and was discharged after less than a week.
Elizabeth died in Davenham in 1927 and Francis died in Enniskillen on 4 June 1930, although his probate record specifies that his home address was in Davenham.
Frances Adelaide Sorton
Frances Adelaide Sorton, daughter of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton on 15 February 1866 and worked as a domestic servant before her marriage. On 5 April 1897 she married Walter Charles Douthwaite, a butcher, at St Clement's Church, Salford, and the couple lived in Cheadle for a while before returning to Salford. Walter was born in Kirkby Moorside in 1872 and was the son of Charles Douthwaite and his wife Jane Wright.
Frances and Walter had one daughter:
1.
Mary Jane Douthwaite
(1908-1972)
m. Paul Telco, 1933
Walter died in Salford in 1921 and by the eve of the Second World War Frances had moved to Hampstead, where her married daughter was living. She died in Hampstead in 1948.
Harriett Rose Sorton
Harriett Rose Sorton, daughter of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton on 12 December 1868 and worked as a domestic cook and later as a hospital nurse. On the 1911 census, she had returned to live with (and keep house for) her parents, and stated that she was married, although her husband was not with her. She had one daughter:
1.
Evelyn Eaton
(1909-1999)
m. Marian Vernon, 1950
There appears to be no record either of Harriett's marriage or of Evelyn's birth, but the 1920 electoral roll for Nottingham shows Harriett living at the same address as Henry George Eaton, who died there the following year at the age of 57. Henry was possibly born in Ireland in 1864, the son of a soldier.
Harriett died in Nottingham in 1951 and her death is indexed under both Eaton and Sorton, implying that although she used the surname Eaton, there was probably no marriage.
George Thomas Sorton
George Thomas Sorton, sixth child and only son of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton on 22 June 1872. He worked as a saddler as a young man, but later became a railway carter or drayman in Salford. He married Alice Brown in Altrincham in 1898, only to find himself a widower with a baby son a few short months later when Alice died in childbirth aged just 22. Their child survived, and was brought up by George's parents.
1.
(1898-1973)
m. Eveline Mary Kerfoot, 1925
George never remarried, and died in Lymm in 1947.
Agnes Jane Sorton
Agnes Jane Sorton, daughter of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was baptised in Warburton on 1 November 1874 and worked as a domestic servant before her marriage. She married James Castle, a butcher from Manchester, in Altrincham in 1906, and the couple had one son:
1.
Ernest Castle
(1906-?)
m. Bertha Cecilia Williams, 1928
Agnes died in Northenden in 1927 and James possibly died in Warrington in 1936.
Jessie Sorton
Jessie Sorton, youngest child of Samuel Sorton and Mary Ann Cooper, was born in Warburton on 24 September 1879 and became a schoolmistress. She married William Percival in Warburton in 1907 and had two daughters:
1.
2.
Una Mary Percival
Nora Percival
(1908-1999)
(1911-2003)
m. Sidney Jackson, 1940
m. Albert Horton, 1936
William joined the Army Service Corps as a motor driver on 11 October 1915, drawing on his civilian experience as a domestic chauffeur. However, he did not leave England before he was discharged from the army on 12 February 1917 on account of defective vision - one official described him as "practically blind" at night without his glasses.
Jessie died in Southport in 1959.
First generation
Fifth generation
Mary Jane Harper
Mary Jane Harper, daughter of Richard Harper and Sarah Ann Valentine, was born in Manchester on 8 June 1886 and worked as a domestic servant as a young woman: in 1911 she was employed at Henshaw's Blind Asylum in Old Trafford. She married Edward Pope, a labourer, at All Saints' Church, Chorlton on Medlock on 8 November 1914. Edward was born in Manchester on 28 May 1883 and was the son of Thomas William Pope and his wife, Ann Pinder.
Edward and Mary had eight children, four of whom died in infancy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Edward Pope
Ann Pope
John Pope
Violet Pope
Rose Pope
Muriel Pope
(possibly living)
(possibly living)
(1915-2004)
(1917-1984)
(1919-1919)
(1919-1919)
(1921-1921)
(1922-1922)
m. Harold Pickup Mawdsley, 1942
Edward had served in the Navy from 1901-1913, but does not appear to have been recalled during World War I, although he was presumably a reservist at the time.
The couple spent the first few years of their marriage in West Derby, returning to Manchester in about 1918.
When the 1939 Register was compiled, shortly after the beginning of World War II, Edward was working as a balloon barrage rigger.
Richard Ainscow
Richard Ainscow, oldest child of Richard Ainscow and Frances Valentine, was born in Manchester in 1876 and by the age of 14 was working as a carter. He later became a delivery driver and married Eliza Ann Jackson at St Silas' Church, Ardwick on 5 July 1896. The couple had four children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ernest Austin Ainscow
Lucretia Ainscow
Lois May Ainscow
Gilbert Kay Ainscow
(1897-1917)
(1898-?)
(1905-?)
(1910-1942)
m. George William Laverick Spence, 1935
m. Peter Stevenson Cochrane, 1935
m. Dorothy Ellen Margaret Alcorn, 1941
The family emigrated to Australia, arriving in Brisbane on 27 March 1908, and made their home in Edmonton, near Cairns, where Richard worked as an engine driver at the Colonial Sugar Refining Company for the rest of his working life.
Richard and Eliza's oldest son Ernest joined the Australian Imperial Force on 24 May 1916 and embarked for England six months later on 17 November. He arrived in England on 30 January 1917 and was drafted to France on 19 June 1917. Less than two months later, on 12 August 1917, he suffered multiple shell wounds to his arms and legs, and died of these wounds later the same day. He is buried in Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck, near Lille.
Richard died in Cairns on 24 January 1951 and Eliza on 14 September 1952.
John Ainscow
John Ainscow, youngest surviving child of Richard Ainscow and Frances Valentine, was born in Manchester on 18 February 1891 and baptised at St Stephen's Church, Hulme exactly one week later. He lost both his parents before he was six years old, and was adopted by John Willams, a labourer in the local alkali industry, and his wife, Elizabeth Powell, who lived in Northwich. John also worked as an alkali labourer before emigrating to Australia, where he joined his older brother in Queensland.
John joined the Australian Imperial Force on 14 December 1916 and embarked for England on 24 January 1917. He arrived there on 12 April 1917 and was drafted to France on 2 July 1917. He was seriously wounded in the left arm on 12 October 1917, and was invalided to England, where he was hospitalised in Edmonton Military Hospital - a coincidence which the "Cairns Post" pointed out when they reported that his family in Edmonton, Queensland had received news of his injury. John was discharged from the army as a result of his wound, embarking home to Australia on 20 December 1917.
John married Alice Harrison in Brisbane on 19 December 1919 and had one known son, who died of illness as a child:
1.
John Ainscow
(?-1934)
John died in Brisbane on 3 September 1937 and Alice died in Stanthorpe on 28 October 1942.
Jane Valentine
Jane Valentine, only surviving child of Stanley Valentine and Mary Jane Leech, was born in Salford on 21 August 1884 and baptised at St Bartholomew's Church there on the following 5 November. Her father died when she was less than three years old, and her mother probably remarried, as there is no further sign of her until her marriage to John Thomas Nurtney in Salford in 1903. (It was common for children to listed with their step-father's surname on census returns.) Thomas (as he was usually known) was born in Manchester on 14 August 1879 and worked as a labourer.
Thomas and Jane had ten children, three of whom died at a young age:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Thomas Nurtney
James Nurtney
Joseph Nurtney
Helena Nurtney
Mary Nurtney
Elsie Nurtney
Edna Nurtney
Francis Nurtney
Irene Nurtney
(possibly living)
(1904-1954)
(1906-1986)
(1909-1910)
(1911-1977)
(1913-1914)
(1915-1980)
(1915-1916)
(1918-1980)
(1921-1945)
Thomas joined the East Lancashire Regiment on 3 September 1914, a month after the outbreak of war, and after training was drafted to France on 5 September 1915. His service record has not survived, but at some point he was seriously wounded, resulting in his discharge from the army on 31 December 1917.
Thomas died in Salford in 1951 and Jane in 1971.
Ethel Sorton
Ethel Sorton, oldest child of Thomas Sorton and Mary Fletcher, was born in Tabley, Cheshire on 30 December 1888 and baptised in Frodsham on 3 February 1889. She was a domestic servant before her marriage to William Thomas Groombridge, a gardener, in St Mark's Church, Broadwater Down on 9 June 1917. William was born in Mayfield, Sussex on 28 May 1888, and was the son of Joseph Groombridge, a coachman, and his wife Annie Piper: at the time of his marriage, William was serving in the Royal Fusiliers.
William had enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers on 2 August 1915 and was drafted to France on 24 December 1915. He was wounded in action on 16 July 1916, and also suffered from shell shock, but following treatment in a field hospital he was able to rejoin his unit a short time later. However, he was hospitalised again on 19 October 1916 with chronic colitis, and invalided to England on 21 November. Although he recovered to some extent, he was unable to return to the front, and spent the rest of the war on lighter duties in England. He was transferred to the Essex Regiment on 22 July 1918 and to the Royal Army Service Corps on 4 December 1918.
Following the war, Ethel and William spent their married life in Tonbridge and had two children
1.
2.
Joan Groombridge
John Groombridge
(1919-1969)
(1926-1975)
m. Eric John Loosley, 1942
William died in Tonbridge in 1968 and Ethel in 1969.
Clarice Sorton
Clarice Sorton, daughter of Thomas Sorton and Mary Fletcher, was born on 19 September 1895 in Lostock Gralam, and after the death of her parents was recorded as a boarder at the Blue Coat School in Warrington in 1911. She worked as a domestic cook and married James Percival Ferguson, an Australian serviceman, in Tonbridge on 8 February 1919, returning with him to New South Wales. James was born in Chiltern, Victoria on 14 May 1887 and had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 26 July 1915.
The couple had one son:
1.
Roy Arthur Ferguson
(1924-1989)
m. Beryl Margaret Steer
James died in Culcairn on 4 March 1933 and Clarice died in Wagga Wagga in 1980.
Annie Wright
Annie Wright, oldest child of George Edmund Wright and Mary Sorton, was born on 31 May 1885 in High Legh and helped in the dairy on the family farm. She married James Wright (no relation) at St Mary's Church, Rostherne on 28 April 1915. James was born in High Legh on 30 June 1878, and was the son of Thomas Wright and his wife Sarah Cooper, who farmed Sworton Heath Farm,.
James and Annie had one child:
1.
Eileen Mary Wright
(1916-1989)
m. John Denis Percival, 1943
James died in Stretford Hospital on 23 December 1943 and Annie died in Warrington on 6 February 1967.
Walter Wright
Walter Wright, son of George Edmund Wright and Mary Sorton, was born in High Legh on 8 November 1886 and from a young age helped his father and brother to farm Legh Oaks Farm in Mere. He married Alice May Hulme at St Mary's Church, Rostherne in 1926 and had two children:
1.
2.
Joyce Mary Wright
(possibly living)
(1928-1991)
After their marriage, Walter and Alice farmed Yew Tree Farm in Mere.
Alice died in Mere on 12 October 1972 and Walter on 7 August 1977.
Edmund Wright
Edmund Wright, son of George Edmund Wright and Mary Sorton, was born in High Legh on 12 October 1888 and like his older brother helped to farm Legh Oaks Farm in Mere. He married Georgina Powell at St Michael & St Mary's Church, Burleydam in 1917 and had three children:
1.
2.
3.
Frederick Walter Wright
(possibly living)
Constance Edna Wright
(1922-1995)
(1929-1994)
m. John W Broad, 1957
Edmund remained at Legh Oaks Farm after his marriage, and later took the farm over on his own account.
Edmund died in Grappenhall on 16 August 1975 and Georgina on 6 July 1976.
Gertrude Mary Wright
Gertrude Mary Wright, youngest child of George Edmund Wright and Mary Sorton, was born in High Legh on 12 April 1896 and like her older sister helped with dairy work on the family farm She married Peter Cook, a farmer, at St Mary's Church, Rostherne in 1919 and had two daughters:
1.
2.
Muriel Joan Cook
Jillian Mary Cook
(1921-2006)
(1926-1998)
m. Frederick Gordon Himsworth, 1966
The couple farmed Hobbs Hill Farm in High Legh.
Gertrude died in High Legh on 31 May 1971 and Peter died in Bramhall on 15 June 1975.
Elizabeth Florence Walker
Elizabeth Florence Walker, oldest surviving child of Samuel Green Walker and Eliza Sorton, was born in Sheffield on 25 April 1897 and apprenticed to a dressmaker as a young woman. She married Herbert Vickers in Sheffield in 1920 and had one son:
1.
Hedley William Vickers
(1922-1989)
m. Bertha Ibbotson, 1959
Herbert worked on the railways, rising from a carriage cleaner in 1911 to a wagon examiner by 1939.
The couple spent their married life in Rotherham, where Elizabeth died on 15 March 1951 and Herbert on 20 January 1960.
Violet Ellen Walker
Violet Ellen Walker, youngest child of Samuel Green Walker and Eliza Sorton, was born in Sheffield on 17 September 1904 and married William Scholey, an electrician, at Holy Trinity Church, Sheffield on 30 June 1923. The couple lived in Sheffield and had four children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Violet Scholey
William Scholey
Albert Edward Scholey
Susie Scholey
(1923-2013)
(1925-1982)
(1932-1998)
(1935-1936)
m. Vincent Harry Critchley, 1944
William died in Sheffield in 1940 and Violet died in Wortley in 1965.
Thomas Herbert Robinson
Thomas Herbert Robinson, son of Thomas George Sorton Robinson and Mary Ellen Southern, was born in Salford on 15 September 1889 and was baptised at St Clement's Church ten days later. He worked in a flour mill and married Margaret Dodd at St Ambrose's Church, Pendleton on 11 May 1912. The couple lived in Salford and had four children:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Alice Robinson
Thomas Robinson
Charles Robinson,
Marjorie Robinson
(1913-1984)
(1918-1996)
(1922-1927)
(1929-2011)
m. Herbert William Robinson, 1931
Thomas attested for military service in June 1916, but was not mobilised until 7 November 1917: possibly his work in food production was considered a priority. He served as a driver in the Royal Field Artillery and was drafted to France in mid-1918. Towards the end of his military service he was transferred to the Labour Corps.
Thomas and Mary's oldest daughter Alice married her first cousin once removed.
Thomas died in Salford in 1933 and Margaret in 1971.
John William Robinson
John William Robinson, son of Thomas George Sorton Robinson and Mary Ellen Southern, was born in Salford on 4 Secember 1891 and worked as an electric crane driver. He married Annie Alma Archer at St Cyprian's Church, Salford on 24 September 1910. The couple had seven children, all born in Salford, but most of them died before adulthood:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
William Thomas Robinson
James Joseph Robinson
Norah Robinson
Irene Robinson
Henry Robinson
(possibly living)
Margaret Mary Robinson
(1910-?)
(1912-1931)
(1915-1915)
(1918-1931)
(1919-1924)
(1924-1943)
John was described as "incapacitated" on the 1939 Register and died in Salford in 1943.
Frank Harold Jackson
Frank Harold Jackson, oldest son of George Edward Jackson and Eliza Ann Sorton, was born in Salford on 10 March 1882 and baptised at St Clement's Church on 16 April. He married Abigail Cavanagh in the same church on 29 January 1910. Abigail was born in Salford on 28 April 1884, and was the daughter of Thomas Cavanagh and his wife Abigail Nuttall. As a young man, Frank worked in a dye works, but he later became a motor car fitter.
Frank and Abigail had four children, and moved from Manchester to Derby after their first child was born:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Joseph Harold Jackson
James Edward Jackson
Elsie Mabel Jackson
Mary Winifred Jackson
(1910-1980)
(1914-1989)
(1917-?)
(1920-?)
m. Hilda Beardsley, 1937
m. Sylvia Eveline Annie Tilling, 1936
m. Raymond Clifford Harrison, 1943
m. Joseph Michael Wilson, 1942
Frank died in Derby in 1958 and Abigail in 1967.
Agnes Mary Jackson
Agnes Mary Jackson, daughter of George Edward Jackson and Eliza Ann Sorton, was born in Salford on 28 November 1885 and baptised at St Clement's Church on 10 January 1886. She married Joseph Francis Sloane, a store keeper, in the same church on Christmas Day 1907. The couple lived in Salford and Patricroft, and had three children:
1.
2.
3.
Walter Harold Sloane
Elsie May Sloane
Cecil Sloane
(1908-1966)
(1910-1995)
(1912-1990)
m. Edna Mary Ralph, 1931
m. William James Gordon, 1928
m. Elsie Whiting, 1948
Joseph enlisted in the Army Service Corps on 9 August 1914, less than a week after war was declared. He gave his occupation as "motor driver", and was drafted to France two months later on 5 October 1914. By the end of the war he had been promoted to Acting Sergeant, and although his service record is incomplete, it is known that he was one of the many who contracted trench fever (caused by infected insect bites, and prior to the discovery of antibiotics difficult to treat.) He was invalided to England in August 1918, and when he was discharged from the army in July 1919 he was awarded a temporary disability pension.
Joseph died in Salford in 1956 and Agnes in 1961.
Jessie Jackson
Jessie Jackson, daughter of George Edward Jackson and Eliza Ann Sorton, was born in Salford on 23 September 1892 and baptised at St Bartholomew's Church on 19 October. She worked as a book binder as a young woman and married Wilfred Wakefield, an iron driller, at Stowell Memorial Church, Salford on 22 December 1917. The couple had five children, all born in Salford:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Winifred Mabel Wakefield
George Wakefield
John Eric Wakefield
Raymond Wilfred Wakefield
Frank Malcolm Wakefield
(1918-1979)
(1919-1920)
(1921-1994)
(1926-1987)
(1935-2006)
m. John Cain, 1939
m. Doreen Monaghan, 1953
Wilfred worked as an insurance agent for a time in the 1920s and by 1935 had become a commercial motor driver.
Wilfred died in Salford in 1956 and Jessie died in Barton in 1962.
Walter Jackson
Walter Jackson, youngest child of George Edward Jackson and Eliza Ann Sorton, was born in Salford on 8 April 1896 and baptised at St Clement's Church two weeks later on 22 April. He worked as a machine fitter and married Annie Dunn at Stowell Memorial Church, Salford on 9 June 1924. The couple had two children:
1.
2.
(possibly living)
Marjorie Jackson
(1928-1996)
m. Patrick J Daly, 1949
Annie died in Salford in 1946 and Walter in 1972.
Herbert Tarry
Herbert Tarry, oldest son of Francis Tarry and Elizabeth Sorton, was born in Altrincham on 16 April 1884 and christened in St George's Church there on 11 June. He worked as a labourer and married Leah Cross at St Wilfrid's Church, Davenham on 15 September 1913. The couple had one child:
1.
Bernard Harry Tarry
(1914-?)
m. Elizabeth Holt, 1937
Herbert enlisted in the Cheshire Regiment in the early months of the First World War and after training was drafted to France on 26 September 1915. He was later transferred to the South Wales Borderers, but his full service record has not survived, so there are no further details of his service.
Herbert died in Knutsford on 11 January 1961 and Leah in 1967.
Florence Tarry
Florence Tarry, second child and oldest daughter of Francis Tarry and Elizabeth Sorton, was born in Altrincham on 9 February 1886 and baptised in St George's Church there on the following 12 May. She married James Frederick Heeson, an assurance agent from Sheffield, at St Wilfrid's Church, Davenham in 1921 and had one son:
1.
James William Heeson
(1922-1991)
Florence died in Crewe in 1965 and James in 1967.
Sidney Tarry
Sidney Tarry, son of Francis Tarry and Elizabeth Sorton, was born in Davenham on 22 July 1891 and baptised in St Wilfrid's Church on 3 January 1892. Fred Tarry enlisted in the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 31 August 1914, less than a month after war was declared, and participated in the Gallipoli campaign. During this time he was hospitalised in Basrah for malaria and dysentery, but was later able to rejoin his unit and survived the war without serious injury or further illness.
On his return, he married Sallie Challinor at St Barnabas' Church, Crewe in 1919, and the couple had three children:
1.
2.
3.
Francis Ralph Tarry
Sidney Edward Tarry
(possibly living)
(1920-2005)
(1923-2009)
m. Joan Patricia Bricker, 1947
m. Marian Venables, 1944
Florence died in Crewe in 1965 and James in 1967.
Willie Tarry
Willie Tarry, son of Francis Tarry and Elizabeth Sorton, was born in Davenham on 11 December 1896 and baptised in St Wilfrid's Church on 12 January 1897. He joined the Cheshire Regiment as a Terrorial in March 1914 and was mobilised immediately at the outbreak of World War I. He was drafted to France on 18 December 1914, but was seriously wounded in action after less than three weeks at the front on 6 January 1915. He was invalided home to England, hospitalised, and finally discharged from the army as unfit for further service on 18 April 1916.
Willie married Agnes Lena Davies Williams at St Michael's Church, Coppenhall in 1924 and had two children:
1.
2.
Reginald Tarry
Olive Tarry
(1925-1986)
(1927-?)
Agnes died in Crewe on 13 February 1967 and Willie on 11 June 1975.
Arthur Sorton
Arthur Sorton, only son of George Thomas Sorton and Alice Brown, was born in Lymm on 12 December 1898 and married Eveline Mary Kerfoot there in 1925. Eveline was born in Lymm on 20 November 1901 and was the daughter of Joseph Kerfoot, a fustian cutter, and his wife Elizabeth Dyer.
Arthur and Eveline had one son:
1.
Arthur Sorton
(1927-1994)
m. Edna May Horne, 1950
Arthur died in Warrington in 1973 and Eveline in 1987.