Mary (Nichols) Knighton (1785 - 1875)

Born 1785 in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England

Ancestors

Wife of John Knighton — married 1 May 1804 in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 2 May 1875 at about age 90 in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: James Knighton [send private message]

Biography

Mary (Nichols) Knighton was born in Lincolnshire, England.

Mary Nichols was baptised on February 13, 1785 at the Church of St Nicholas in Lutton, Lincolnshire. She was the youngest child of Thomas Nichols and Elizabeth Farris. Both her parents had been married before.

Her father died when Mary was a year old. She may have grown up with financial support from her older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage.

On May 1, 1804 Mary married John Knighton, a labourer from Holme, Huntingdonshire. Shortly after, she and John moved to Holme where they had at least nine children.

John died in 1828 and Mary never remarried. Her brother-in-law William Knighton was a publican in Holme and had no children of his own, so he probably provided financial support. In the 1841 and 1851 censuses, she was the head of her household and was living with her son Samuel and his family. Some of her other grandchildren also lived with her, and even her niece Elizabeth Knighton is living with her in 1841. Her occupation in 1851 is given as "agricultural employment".

It seems Mary kept in contact with her relatives in Lutton. By 1861, she had returned to her home village and was living with her nephew William Whitfield who she worked for as a housekeeper. William's daughter, Faith Whitfield, was married to John Cunnington and when Faith died he remarried to Mary's daughter Ruth. Mary then lived with John and Ruth.

On May 2, 1875 Mary died at the grand old age of 90. She was buried in Lutton on May 6, 1875.

Sources

• Baptism: "England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
  Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 505751
  Ancestry uk Record 9841 #150897731 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Nichols baptism on 13 Feb 1785, daughter of Thos Nichols & Elizabeth, in Sutton Saint Nicholas, Lincoln, England.
• Marriage: Free UK Genealogy, "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58180b08e93790eb7f17e6d9 : viewed 21 Apr 2021), marriage of John Knighton to Mary Nichols, Lutton, Lincolnshire, 1 May 1804; citing Lutton St Nicholas parish registers.
• 1841 Census: "1841 England Census"
  Class: HO107; Piece: 452; Book: 10; Civil Parish: Holme; County: Hertfordshire; Enumeration District: 11; Folio: 4; Page: 1; Line: 14; GSU roll: 288838
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8978 #16615990 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Knighton (56) in Holme in Huntingdon registration district in Hertfordshire, England. Born in Hertfordshire, England.
• 1851 Census: "1851 England Census"
  Class: HO107; Piece: 1747; Folio: 75; Page: 8; GSU roll: 87702-87703; ED, institution, or vessel: 11a; Household schedule number: 22
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8860 #4326212 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Knighton (66) head of household in Holme in Peterborough registration district in Huntingdonshire, England. Born in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England.
• 1861 Census: "1861 England Census"
  Class: Rg 9; Piece: 2328; Folio: 22; Page: 8; GSU roll: 542954; ED, institution, or vessel: 12d; Household schedule number: 48
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8767 #21744778 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Knighton (76) housekeeper in household of William Whitfield (67) in Sutton St Nicholas Or Lutton Bourne in Holbeach registration district in Lincolnshire, England. Born in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England.
• 1871 Census: "1871 England Census"
  The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 3329; Folio: 15; Page: 5; GSU roll: 839351; ED, institution, or vessel: 13; Household schedule number: 27
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 7619 #29263315 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Ann Knighton (86) mother-in-law in household of John Cunnington (53) in Sutton St Nicholas alias Lutton in Holbeach registration district in Lincolnshire, England. Born in Lutton, Lincolnshire, England.
• Death Registration: "England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915"
  Original data: England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office; Volume: 7a; Page: 235
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 8914 #20008792 (accessed 20 September 2023)
  Mary Knighton death registered Apr-May-Jun 1875 in Holbeach (age 90).
• Burial: Free UK Genealogy, "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58184a39e93790ec75ff5b62 : viewed 21 Apr 2021), burial of Mary Knighton, Lutton, Lincolnshire, 06 May 1875; citing Lutton St Nicholas parish registers.

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to James Knighton for creating WikiTree profile Nichols-2508 through the import of Knighton_Tweedie Family Tree.ged on May 2, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by James and others.