John Dickinson (1672-1755): children

IN PROGRESS

This is now getting beyond my specific research interests, so the information below is based on the Red How tree. Where the information gets detailed, it's because I've done research. Where there are just simple dates, it's because I've checked indexes. Where there is even less, it's because I've done no checks.

John's first five children all contracted smallpox, but got through it 'well'.

John's brother, Isaac, was already in Dublin. Many of John's children also settled there.

Daniel Dickinson of Streetgate (1704-1742)

Daniel was the eldest son and heir, but at his early death left a young family that were brought up by their grandparents. Perhaps the most significant thing about his life was that he married Abigail Wood of Woodend.

The Wood family were possibly Lamplugh's oldest. In 1582, John Wood of Woodend was described as 'bailiff'.

The hamlet of Woodend consisted of two tenements - that of the Wood family, to the south of the existing main road, and that of the Dickinson family to the north. Both were valuable farms.

Henry Wood of Woodend had married in 1696 and had five daughters, but no sons. The death of his only brother George in 1718, a joiner in London, with an unquantified inheritance for his nieces (under challenge in the Court of Chancery), may have triggered the courting process. it was clear that the farm was up for grabs - and that each daughter was due for a payout. The vultures began circling.

One potential problem was the legal status of the tenement itself. This was resolved in 1719/20 when Woodend was enfranchised (in other words, made into a freehold).

The first to make his move was John Sumpton of Wright Green in Dean (this was a neighbouring and substantial farm), a suitor for Mary the eldest daughter. The marriage contract gave half of Wright Green and another property as the dower, while Henry provided half of Woodend and £100 as the dowry. The marriage took place in June 1720, and the moiety of Woodend was formally transferred to Mary in 1726, with Henry to have occupation during his lifetime.

The next daughter, Elizabeth, was married to John Jackson of Arlecdon in 1725. The next, Sarah, to Richard Nicholson in 1730. The fourth daughter, Deborah, aged 21, married (between these two - in 1726/7) John Pearson of High Cross, aged 45. And this is where the Streetgate interest kicks in. John Pearson was Daniel's uncle.

There was a fifth and youngest daughter, Abigail, yet to be wed by 1730, aged 21, a year in which both her parents died. Henry Wood's 1730 will is highly revealing. He bequeathed the remaining half of Woodend to his daughter Mary Sumpton, but only on the condition that she pay her sister Abigail £200 within five days (!) of his death. This sounds like a long-prepared arrangement. Intriguingly, the witnesses were John Dickinson of Streetgate, John Dickinson of Woodend (John's brother-in-law) and Henry Dickinson of Redhow (son of John of Woodend and nephew of John of Streetgate). John Dickinson of Streetgate was appointed co-executor with Peter Peile, Henry's brother-in-law.

In 1732, Daniel Dickinson of Streetgate married Abigail Wood. At the time of her marriage she was described as of Loweswater - she was staying at High Cross with her sister, Deborah Pearson. The marriage was considered so significant that a two-handled loving cup of Irish silver was commissioned (engraved with the assumed arms of both parties).

Faith Williamson of Dublin (1706-)

Faith married William Williamson 03-09-1730 in Dean. At the time of his marriage, William was described as of Dublin. The Red How tree records that they had one child.

The Red How tree also (plausibly) suggests that William was the maker of the silver loving cup above. It bears a WW hallmark - which belongs to a William Williamson of Dublin. If the same man, then an example of his work can be seen here.

Joseph Dickinson of Dublin (1708-)

Joseph was born in 1708 in the Deanery of St Patrick's in Dublin. He married Ann Taylor of Dublin, and they had four children:  Jane, William, Ann and George. The last married Mary Littyn of Dublin, and they had children Catherine, John, Richard, William and George.

Jane Kirkbank of Beckside in Whicham (1710-1745)

Jane married in Dean 18-03-1741 to John Kirkbank of Beckside in Whicham.  They had two children: Faith, baptised 19-02-1742, buried 26-12-1750; and John, baptised 23-02-1744, buried 22-07-1745. Jane was buried 12-05-1745.

John Dickinson of Dublin (1712-1760)

John married Susan Kells of Dublin. They had children: Jane (married Ralph Wormald of Dublin), Joseph (married Jane Egan of Clara in Kings County), Susan and Isaac (married Ann Dobson).

William Dickinson of Whitehaven (1713-pre 1755)

William married Elinor Lows of Whitehaven. They had five children.

Isaac Dickinson of Dublin (1716-1769)

Isaac married Catherine Furlong of Dublin. They had four children:  Isaac (who married Susan Wormald of Dublin), Ann, Rebeccah and Elizabeth.

David Dickinson (1718- lost at sea)

David was lost off the west coast of Scotland while sailing in the 'Advice' coming from Virginia.

Elizabeth Kirkbank of Fellend in Whicham (1721-1766)

Elizabeth's twin brother, Thomas, died shortly after birth. She married in Dean 01-09-1744 to John Kirkbank of Fellend in Whicham. They had eight children, all baptised in Lamplugh:  John 27-01-1745, Ann 17-11-1747, Eleanor 18-11-1749, Robert 30-10-1751, William 04-09-1753, Isaac 18-06-1755, Elizabeth 06-08-1758 and Faith 08-03-1751. At the baptism of the last child, they were living at Lamplugh Hall. By 1766, they were living in Whicham, where Elizabeth was buried (18-07-1766).

The will of John Kirkbank of Kirkbank otherwise Fellend is dated 13 February 1783 and was witnessed by William Dickinson and Daniel Dickinson. The main heir of Kirkbank and property in Kirkby and Castle Sowerby was his son John Kirkbank. Other beneficiaries were his children William Kirkbank, Ann Askew, Elizabeth Kirkbank, Faith Kirkbank, Isaac Kirkbank and Eleanor Flin.

Richard Dickinson, Rector of Lamplugh (1723-1816)

Richard was educated at Trinity College, Dublin [page 227] where he was BA in 1734 and MA 1747. He was still resident in Dublin in 1757. By 1765 he was resident in Carlisle, where he remained for the rest of his life. In 1767 he paid £500 for the right to the living of Lamplugh parish, and was instituted there in 1768. In the same year he married Rosamund Birkett of Carlisle - I'm guessing that the £500 partly came from the marriage settlement. In 1778 he was also appointed Rector of Castle Carrock. He was also a Prebendary at York from 1780. In 1778 he had been awarded an MA at Emmanuel College Cambridge ('ad eundem' presumably).

However, this account from the Red How pedigree does not exactly match the Church of England Database. This includes a curacy at Stanwix from 1770 to 1780, but doesn't mention Lamplugh in his biography, though listing his appointment there in the parish account. He is also stated as resigning as a minor canon at Carlisle in 1781; and holding a position as private chaplain to John Dalrymple, 5th Earl of Stair in 1789 (the year of the earl's death).

In his parish appointments, he was non-resident as well as pluralist. He made deliberate efforts to recoup his outlay on the Lamplugh acquisition (and generally augment his revenue) by being fierce on tithes and other dues - this made him unpopular with his parishioners and drew criticism from his nephew John Dickinson of Streetgate. I assume that much the same thing happened at Castle Carrock.

There has also been criticism of him in the family as (apparently) family portraits were never returned, but sold off into the open market. He had no children.