Goosey Tyson
Some while ago I read an article concerning the court case of Goosey Tyson of Haile, who was found guilty of stealing 29 geese in October 1840. I was left wondering which Henry was the Goosey Tyson and whether he was a member of an established local family or a recent in-comer to the parish.
This story can be found in a book published by the Haile Local History Group which has the title “Now and then in Haile & Wilton,” although the story I read was found in the magazine Cumbria where it was first published in 1962.
There were several clues given in the extensive reports on the court case to be found in the Cumberland Pacquet dated 20 & 27 October 1840, including that Goosey had a son named Henry and that he had seven children - three sons & four daughters. All that was needed was to eliminate all the local Henry Tysons until only one was left who matched all the details given in the various reports. Having served his six months in prison Goosey returned to Haile and lived with his son Henry, then to Whitehaven where he lived with his daughter Hannah acting as housekeeper and finally Hensingham where he died before being buried in Haile churchyard. My conclusions are given below.
I wish to acknowledge the help received from Jill Coulthard because of her long established interest in all matters Mossop.
The initial trial took place in Whitehaven and was reported in the local papers on the 20 October 1840.
Cumberland Pacquet - Tuesday 20 October 1840
CHARGE OF GEESE STEALING
On Friday last, a case which excited considerable interest, was heard at the Public Office in this town, before the Rev.John Jenkins and R. Jefferson, Esq. The Case consisted of a felonious charge of geese stealing against Mr.Henry Tyson, of Wilton, in the neighbourhood of Egremont, a farmer and statesman, preferred by Mr.John Mossop, of Carleton Lodge, who charged the prisoner with having stolen from one of his fields seventeen geese, for the recovery of which a reward of £5 was offered in an advertisement which appeared in the Pacquet last week. The office was much crowded by persons anxious to hear the investigation of the affair. Both the prosecutor and prisoner had legal advisers; the former being attended by Mr.Perry in that capacity, and the latter by the Messrs. Atkinson.
According to the depositions the prosecutor had a flock of forty geese in a stubble field called Low Croft, in the parish of Saint John, Beckermont, on the evening of the 6th. inst. On taking some sheaves of corn to feed them on the following morning, 29 of them were missing. When he went home and told what had happened, he and his servants commenced a search in the neighbourhood, and they succeeded in discovering twelve of the geese about thee quarters of a mile from the field in which he had fed them.
They sought in vain, however, for the other seventeen; but in the consequence of a letter which had been put under the door, he came to Whitehaven and got a search warrant, which he put in the hands of Douglas, the police officer. After watching the premises of the prisoner during the great part of the night, the constable and his servants called him out of bed about three o’clock in the morning, and they discovered eight of the geese in an out-house belonging to the prisoner, about 120 yards from his premises; the other nine they discovered on the premises, partly concealed in the far stall of a stable. The prosecutor knew the geese to be his from the peculiar marks which they bore, and was able to identify some of them from a peculiarity belonging to themselves - namely, their having been bred from a Chinese goose, in consequence of which they are larger and longer in the neck than the common English goose. Six of the geese were produced in the court yard of the public office, to which the prosecutor swore most ditinctly; and it was likewise deposed, that when the geese found on Mr.Tyson’s premises were taken back to the field in which the others were depasturing, those which had been left in the field received their lost companions in so joyous a manner as to leave no doubt upon the minds of those who witnessed the happy meeting that they had recently been one common flock. There are no fowls which evince more interesting instinct in this way than geese. The geese in the out-house, it appears, were discovered by the police officer and others on watch hearing them cackle. Before making the discovery on the premises, the Police officer and one of Mr.Mossops servants saw the prisoners son, who immediately called up his father, to whom they told their errand, and requested to know the number of geese on his premises. The prisoner treated the affair with indifference, and was very reluctant in his answers. The prisoner was taken into custody, and on his way to Whitehaven became very garrulous, and affected to know nothing about his geese or sheep, saying he left such things entirely to his son. He further remarked that he always thought he could have lived without stealing geese, but it appeared he could not, and that “John Mossop might come to their house and take a pig and say it was his.”
During the examination of the witnesses, the prisoner became talkative and observed, that it was “all a made up story against hem etc”. The servants of the prosecutor were also examined, and swore distinctly to several of the geese being the property of their master, and had no doubt of the whole of them being his property.
The case against the prisoner being thus clearly made out to the satisfaction of the magistrates, he was immediately committed to take his trial, which in all probability will come on at the ensuing Quarter Sessions.
This case, was taken in Cockermouth, with the result that Tyson was found guilty, when he was sent to prison for 6 months. The trial was reported on the 27 October 1840.
The Family of Henry [Goosey] Tyson of Town End, Wilton, Haile
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First Generation
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1. Henry TYSON was born in 1700 (estimated). He married Hester SUDDART on 7 July 1723 in Haile. He died on 26 May 1763 in Wilton, Haile.
Hester SUDDART, daughter of Abraham SUTHERT ( - ), was born on 3 July 1701 in Haile. She and Henry TYSON had the following children:
+2 - Elizabeth TYSON (1725- )
+3 - Henry TYSON (1727-1815)
+4 - John TYSON (1730- )
+5 - Abraham TYSON (1732- )
+6 - Esther TYSON (1735- )
_________________________________________
Second Generation
_________________________________________
2. Elizabeth TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 27 March 1725 in Wilton, Haile.
3. Henry TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 11 December 1727 in Wilton. He married Sarah ATKINSON on 25 December 1763 in Ponsonby. He died on 9 January 1815 in Wilton.
Sarah ATKINSON was born in 1737. She died on 27 November 1819 in Wilton.
She was living in St.Bees parish when she died.
Sarah of Haile at the wedding.
Sarah ATKINSON and Henry TYSON had the following children:
+7 - Sarah TYSON (1765- )
+8 - Henry TYSON (1767-1831)
+9 - William TYSON (1770-1770)
+10 - Abraham TYSON (1771-1813)
+11 - Ann TYSON (1775- )
+12 - Mary TYSON (1776- )
+13 - Rachel TYSON (1781-1781)
4. John TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 2 October 1730 in Wilton.
5. Abraham TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 1 October 1732 in Wilton.
5. Abraham TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 1 October 1732 in Wilton. He married Mary HERBERT on 23 February 1756 in Cleator. He died on 11 March 1792 in Egremont.
Mary HERBERT and Abraham TYSON had the following children:
+14 - Esther TYSON (1759- )
+15 - Joseph TYSON (1762-1765)
+16 - Elizabeth TYSON (1764- )
+17 - Christian TYSON (1765- )
+18 - Dinah TYSON (1767- )
+19 - Mary TYSON (1770- )
+20 - Abraham TYSON (1772-1787)
+21 - Isaac TYSON (1775- )
+22 - Jacob TYSON (1778-1778)
Please note that Abraham married Mary Herbert at Cleator on 23.2.1756 and went on to have their first child Esther at Cleator on 7.4.1759. The other six children at Egremont 1762 to 1778. Isaac Tyson [1775] was the only surviving male child.
6. Esther TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Hester SUDDART, was born on 9 May 1735 in Wilton. She married William BENN on 26 May 1757 in Haile.
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Third Generation
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7. Sarah TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 19 February 1765 in Wilton, Haile. She married John BRAGG on 18 December 1791 in Haile.
John BRAGG and Sarah TYSON had the following children:
+14 - William BRAGG ( - )
8. Henry TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 25 July 1767 in Wilton. He was born in 1767 (estimated). He married Hannah RAWLING on 7 December 1789 in Lamplugh. He died on 19 April 1831 in Wilton.
Henry was from Haile at the time of his wedding.
Hannah RAWLING was born in 20 June1767 in Lamplugh. She died on 17 February 1849 in Wilton. She and Henry TYSON had the following children:
+15 - Henry TYSON (1790-1867)
+16 - William TYSON (1795- )
+17 - Hannah TYSON (1798-1798)
+18 - James TYSON (1805- )
9. William TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 22 April 1770 in Wilton. He died on 8 September 1770 in Wilton.
10. Abraham TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 15 September 1771 in Wilton. He married Mary BRAITHWAITE on 19 November 1797 in Haile. He died on 1 January 1813 in Wilton.
Abraham was living at Santon in Irton parish when he died.
Mary BRAITHWAITE and Abraham TYSON had the following children:
+19 - Jane TYSON (1798- )
+20 - Sarah TYSON (1800- )
+21 - Mary TYSON (1802- )
+22 - John TYSON (1804- )
+23 - Henry TYSON (1807- )
+24 - Jane TYSON (1810- )
11. Ann TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 15 March 1775 in Wilton. She married John WOOD on 25 December 1803 in Haile.
12. Mary TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 3 November 1776 in Wilton. She married Joseph DICKINSON on 29 December 1799 in Haile.
13. Rachel TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Sarah ATKINSON, was born on 12 July 1781 in Wilton. She died on 30 August 1781 in Wilton.
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Fourth Generation
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14. William BRAGG was the son of John BRAGG and Sarah TYSON.
15. Henry TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hannah RAWLING, was born on 12 April 1790 in Hollins, Lamplugh. He was born on 12 April 1790 in Lamplugh. He was a Farmer. He married Elizabeth BENSON on 2 September 1815 in St.James, Whitehaven. He died on 3 August 1867 in Wilton, Haile.
He was declared his fathers son & heir in the Will dated 1831.
*** He is the Henry Tyson who best fits the profile of Goosey Tyson. ***
He died at Hensingham in 1867 and was buried in Haile churchyard.
Elizabeth BENSON died on 2 January 1835 in Wilton. She and Henry TYSON had the following children:
15.Henry TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hannah RAWLING, was born on 12 April 1790 in Hollins, Lamplugh. He was born on 12 April 1790 in Lamplugh. He was a Farmer. He married Elizabeth BENSON on 2 September 1815 in St.James, Whitehaven. He died on 3 August 1867 in Wilton, Haile.
Elizabeth BENSON died on 2 January 1835 in Wilton. She and Henry TYSON had the following children:
25 - Henry TYSON (1815-1849). Henry was born on 21 November 1815 in St.Bees. He died on 8 November 1849 in Wilton.
26 - John TYSON (1817- ). John was born on 29 September 1817 in Wilton.
27 - Hannah TYSON (1819-1860). Hannah was born on 4 July 1819 in Wilton. She died on 4 January 1860 in Wilton.
28 - Elizabeth TYSON (1822-1845). Elizabeth was born on 19 March 1822 in Wilton. She died on 30 August 1845 in Wilton.
29 - William TYSON (1824- ). William was born on 2 May 1824 in Wilton.
30 - Sarah TYSON (1827- ). Sarah was born on 8 January 1827 in Wilton.
31 - Ann TYSON (1832- ). Ann was born on 15 December 1832 in Wilton.
16. William TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hannah RAWLING, was born on 17 November 1795 in Flosh, Cleator. He was a Farmer. He married Ann DIXON on 4 February 1821 in St.James.
Ann DIXON and William TYSON had the following children:
32 - Sarah TYSON (1821- ). Sarah was born on 26 May 1821 in Wilton.
33 - Isaac TYSON (1823- ). Isaac was born on 20 April 1823 in Brayshaw, Haile.
34 - Hannah TYSON (1826- ). Hannah was born on 6 February 1826 in Brayshaw.
17. Hannah TYSON, daughter of Henry TYSON and Hannah RAWLING, was born on 30 April 1798 in Flosh. She died on 3 May 1798 in Flosh.
18. James TYSON, son of Henry TYSON and Hannah RAWLING, was born on 6 February 1805 in Wilton. He was a Farmer. He married Mary STEELE on 12 December 1835 in Egremont.
Mary STEELE was born 4 October 1810 in Gosforth . She and James TYSON had the following children:
35 - Elizabeth TYSON (1836-1836). Elizabeth was born on 15 December 1836 in Yewtree, Haile. She died on 19 December 1836 in Yewtree.
36 - Rawling TYSON (1840- ). Rawling was born on 2 March 1840 in Haile.
37 - Anthony TYSON (1841- ). Anthony was born on 10 November 1841 in Haile.
19. Jane TYSON, daughter of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 22 April 1798 in Wilton.
20. Sarah TYSON, daughter of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 26 January 1800 in Tortola, Haile.
21. Mary TYSON, daughter of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 17 January 1802 in Egremont.
22. John TYSON, son of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 26 August 1804 in Egremont.
23. Henry TYSON, son of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 5 July 1807 in Irton.
24. Jane TYSON, daughter of Abraham TYSON and Mary BRAITHWAITE, was born on 11 November 1810 in Irton.
Nev.Ramsden January 2009