The Tindale Sister's life in 1840
I found the sister samplers back in September of 2022 at an Auction house in Buckinghamshire in the UK.
This was about 3 hours from where the sisters were born in Elvington, Yorkshire, UK. I love that the samplers are so similar and stitched in the same year, which tells us that they worked together on them. At first glance they almost look identical, but Roseannah had a longer verse and a few less motifs. I picture them “trading” motifs and deciding what to stitch on the sampler whenever they had some time. As farmer’s daughters they would have had to help a lot on the farm with little time to stitch. They did such a fantastic job; the samplers are simple with frugal materials and yet they are so pleasing to they eye. I can only imagine what they would have stitched if they had the means to buy better materials.
Early life:
Their parents were born in 1798ish, with no real history to document the birth. The earliest record of their age was the 1851 census. Here they listed themselves as 53 years old. Robert as a Farmer occupying 135 acres with two laborers employed. I learned a lot on how inaccurate the census records often were, with large discrepancies in the age of the people listed. I think filling out the form was quite an annoyance and age was often estimated – I am sure there were no birth records of the children present. I am also assuming that math skills may not have always been that great. Robert Tindale is mentioned as farmer in the Elvington Directory of Trades and Professions for 1857.
Below some images of where they lived
Above the image of the "Hall" mentioned in the image below
In the 1851 and 1861 Roseannah birth year would once have been 1830, in the 1861 census her birth year 1833. It varies in many records but I also found it correct in several. The same goes for many of the other birth dates.
I am so grateful that we have samplers to give us a more accurate record. So back to the sisters…
Robert and Mary had 4 or 5 children, four girls and one boy. They were in order, Roseannah (1828), Elizabeth (1831), Mary (~1834), George (~1837) and Harriet (1838). Harriet passed away early in life, at age 31. Her burial was in Elvington under the name Harriet Tindale. She was never married.
I found Daughter Mary in only one census record, so I do not know any more about her. She also could be the same person as Mary Jennings, maybe a girl they helped raise. She was listed in Robert Tindale's will, along with all their other children. No daughter Mary Tindale. There was some mention of a promissory note dated 1866, from a Thomas Jennings in Robert’s will. A Jane Jennings was listed as a visitor on the 1871 census. It could be that this Mary was a cousin to their kids and they listed her as one of theirs because it made life easier on the census. Who knows….
Robert passed away in 1875 and his wife Mary in 1890. They were burried at the Holy Trinity Church of Elvington alongside their daughter Harriet.
Roseannah: Baptism 5 November 1828, South Cave, Yorkshire East Riding, England
Roseannah is often spelled without the “h” at the end of her name, including by her own family, so this added to the confusion during research. Roseannah lived at home all her life, in her old age she lived at Elvington House (see image above), a beautiful cottage, which was part of the estate they owned. Roseannah just like Harriet never married.
She had enough money to live very comfortably. In the 1911 Census her income states “private means”. In her will in 1917 it reads she died a spinster and she left a sum of £1200, in today’s money £104,329.05 ($135215.-) to Elizabeth’s daughter Mary Dorothy and her son Charles Knapton. Oddly nothing for Anna, Elizabeth's other child.
Roseannah was also burried at the beautiful Holy trinity Church in Elvington. Her grave a bit lichen covered, but it shows her birthyear to be 1829 (when doing the math) which matches the sampler, depending on what month the completed the stitch.
Roseannah's Grave
Elizabeth: Baptism 6 March 1831
Elizabeth married Charles Francis Henry Knapton in 1869 at the parish church in Elvington. He was a farmer just like his father and his wife’s father. Roseannah and her brother George were the witnesses at Elizabeth’s wedding. At 38 she certainly was not young to marry for the time. I'm surprised she still had 3 kids.
Charles was born in 1831 the same year as his wife. They had two daughters and a son. Mary Dorothy Knapton (1871), Anna Elizabeth Knapton (1873) and Charles Knapton (1875). The girls were born at Bowthorpe Hall, Bowthorpe, Yorkshire. A rather fancy place, but I assumed they lived at one of the cottages attached to the hall and farmed the land there. When her son was born, they were living in Leven, Yorkshire. Her husband Charles passed away in 1908 and Elizabeth on December 5th 1919. She was 88. They were buried together at the Holy Trinity Church in Leven.
Bowthorpe Hall below was quite fancy
It ends in Australia
Somewhere around 1875, when Robert Tindale passed away, George must have taken over the farm for a while. In the 1881 Census George was still listed at home with his mom Mary Tindale as the head of household. Rosannah was also with them. In 1891 it shows George was married to a woman 33 years younger than him. They also had one son age one listed on that census. In 1892 in the Elvington history, it shows George the owner of Elvington house and Glebe Farm.
George Senior had passed away in February 1900. In 1901 it shows their son George jr. as a boarder in Harrogate. It could have been a school as there were 20 other children listed. Little George was only 11! He became an Engineer and by 1918 he enlisted in Australian Imperial Force. As next of kin only his mother was listed also now living in Australia.
When George Sr. passed away, he left his wife Grace the handsome sum of £13633 - about 2.7 million USD in today’s money! I guess her and little George used taht to make a new life in Australia.
What's left of Glebe Farm today...a quaint little cottage. It is a listed building in the UK.
Little George's military papers:
I find it quite interesting how things went for this family. I am so very grateful for those two beautiful samplers as they exude joy. I like to picture those two young ladies having a happy childhood.
I hope you enjoyed this little insight into their family life. I wish I had more to share, but this is more information than I usually find ❤️
Hugs,
Birgit
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2 comments
That was sssooooo interesting!! Thank you for taking the time to research these samplers.
Thank-you for sharing with us, so amazing, such a piece of history to share.