Rebecca (Greenough) Ashall (1779 - bef. 1853)

Born 25 Jul 1779 in Prescot, Lancashire, England

Wife of William Ashall — married 27 Sep 1818 in St Mary's Church, Prescot, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Died before 29 Jul 1853 before age 74 in Warrington, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom

Biography

This profile is part of the St Helens, Lancashire One Place Study.

Rebecca Greenough was born on 25 Jul 1779, and christened on 8 Aug 1779 at the church of St Mary the Virgin in Prescot, Lancashire. She was the daughter of Mathias and Martha Greenough. Her father's occupation was recorded as collier, and the family's address as Prescot.

Rebecca married John White on 20 Apr 1800 at the church of St Mary the Virgin in Prescot, Lancashire. Both were of Parr, and neither had been married before; John was a collier. The witnesses were Robert Chatham and James Bradshaw. ^[1]

Rebecca married William Ashall on 27 Sep 1818 at the church of St Mary the Virgin in Prescot, Lancashire. Both were of Windle in the local parish; William was a labourer and hadn't been married before, Rebecca was a widow. The witnesses were John Slater and Elizabeth Towers. ^{[2] [3]}

By June 6th 1841, they were living in Ravenhead Passage, Eccleston in Prescot, Lancashire; William was a carter. ^[4]

William died in 1842 in Prescot district; his age was recorded as 50. ^[5]

By March 30th 1851, Rebecca was in Warrington, said to be 78, and described as a widowed coal miner born in St Helens. ^[6]

Rebecca died in 1853, and was buried on 29 Jul 1853 at St Paul's Church in Warrington, Lancashire. Her age was recorded as 81, and her address as Workhouse. ^[7]

Research Notes

This profile was created as Rebecca the spouse of William Ashall, based on the marriage and 1841 census records.

No evidence has yet been found that Rebecca had any children by either husband.

The Rebecca Ashall in Warrington's estimated birth year would be 1772-3, while the Rebecca Ashall in the 1841 census was born in about 1779. However since no death registrations for Rebecca were found between 1841 and 1851, and no marriage for an Ashall to a Rebecca was found between about 1790 and 1851 other than William Ashall and Rebecca White, it seems reasonable to conclude they were the same person.

As people got older the margin of error in their reported ages generally increased, so it's likely that the 1841 census gives a more accurate estimate of her birth year than the 1851. While adult's ages in 1841 were supposed to be rounded down to the nearest multiple of 5 as spelled out in the instructions, in cases like this where it wasn't done, it seems likely the recorded ages were intended as exact rather than rounded in any way.

Having said that, if the 1851 census is correct and it's the 1841 census age which is off, there's another possible baptism for Rebecca, in Warrington:

Baptism: 13 Feb 1774 St Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire Rebecca Greenough - Daughter of Gilbert Greenough & Sarah Occupation: Marriner Register: Baptisms 1760 - 1781, Page 126, Entry 29 Source: LDS Film 1562957

And no alternative marriage or death has been found for the Rebecca christened in 1774; so there's a chance this is the baptism of the subject of this profile.

Why would Rebecca have ended up in Warrington in old age if it wasn't her native parish? Possibly she may have had relatives there, or she may just have gone there for a work opportunity, since she seems to have been working in her old age. If she lived and worked there long enough, she may have qualified for poor relief in the local workhouse rather than being sent back to Prescot parish (if they were still sending people back to their parish of origin by the early 1850s.) Or they might have just not bothered sending her back, or she might have been so ill they didn't consider it reasonable to move her, or not had time to organize it before she died.

Census

1841: Ravenhead Passage, Eccleston

  William Ashall 52 Carter Y

  Rebecca Ashall 62 Y

  William Pool 20 Boiler M Y

  Ann Roberts 20 Transferer Y

  Hannah Roberts 3 months Y

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage (1): listed on Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - John White & Rebecca Greenall. Register: Marriages 1788 - 1812, Page 70, Entry 420. Source: LDS Film 1657584 item 10
2. ↑ Marriage (2) banns: listed on Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - William Ashall & Rebecca White. Register: Banns 1813 - 1837, Page 45, Entry 223. Source: LDS Film 1657598
3. ↑ Marriage (2): listed on Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - William Ashall & Rebecca White. Register: Marriages 1813 - 1830, Page 87, Entry 259. Source: LDS Film 1657584
4. ↑ 1841 census: "England and Wales Census, 1841", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQ2G-RVV : Thu Mar 07 09:23:19 UTC 2024), Entry for William Ashall and Rebecca Ashall, 1841. 1841 piece 516-07 folio 37 page 24 & 1841 piece 516-07 folio 37 page 25
5. ↑ Spouse (2)'s death registration: William Ashall, second quarter 1842, Prescot district, age 50. Accessed on GRO website - death registration search (free registration required)
6. ↑ 1851 census: "England and Wales Census, 1851", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGY2-QJD : Thu Mar 07 22:43:42 UTC 2024), Entry for Rebecca Ashall, 1851.
7. ↑ Burial: listed on Lancashire Online Parish Clerk - Rebecca Ashall. Register: Burials 1831 - 1985, Page 86, Entry 690. Source: Original Parish Register