THE LEACH FAMILY OF FLINT

The post celebrates four years of this blog, Pieces of Me and the twenty-first story of my family history.

Flintshire was home to my maternal forebears the Leach and Ellis families who lived in Wales from at least the 18th century. Hawarden (pronounced Harden) lies in the north of Wales in Flintshire. After years of conflict, Edward I proclaimed in 1284 the Statute of Wales at Rhuddlan and the County of Flint was established. Wales was incorporated into England following the passing of the Act of Union by Henry VIII in 1536.

In the 18th century Flint contained about 160000 acres with about 28 parishes and just over 3000 houses. The area produced corn, wheat, barley, oats, butter, cheese and honey. Flint was also known for its lead, millstones and pit-coal.  Coal has been used by man for centuries as an energy source. Underground mining of coal was developed in Britain and by the late 1700s and early 1800s was a large scaled industry fueling the Industrial Revolution.

Historic Hawarden is only a village, little more than a main street with shops and houses situated along the way. The other townships close to Hawarden include Ewloe and Pentrobin known for their potteries and production of earthenware.

Main street in Hawarden, Flint. Photo M. Nichols, 2007.

John Leach was born in Pentrobin on 2 March 1819. He was the second son of William and Anne Leach. William was born in Hawarden in about 1789 and was a collier and married Anne Ellis who was born about 1792 also from Hawarden. The couple had at least three children, Joseph born 21 March 1816 and John, both baptised in Hawarden. The youngest child was a daughter Mary who was born circa 1826.

Baptism of John Leach in 1819. Courtesy Cheshire Public Records.

John followed his father William into the coal pits and became a collier during the early 1800s more than likely employed around Hawarden in Wales. There was a huge demand for coal and productivity increased due to the Industrial Revolution and many Welsh miners migrated eastwards to the coal producing counties of Northumberland and Durham.

The eldest son Joseph was a shoemaker and in 1838 married Hannah Bennett making their home in Pentrobin. They were married 11 years before they were blessed children. They included John 1838, William 1841, Ellis 1843 and Sarah Ann 1849. By 1851 they were living at Knowll Hill Lane in Pentrobin, with parents William & Hannah living next door.

Of Joseph and Hannah’s children, John their firstborn who had attended school was also recorded as being blind. Ellis became a gardener and married and had a large family of four sons and daughters moving to Great Boughton in Cheshire. The youngest child, Sarah married Edward Nixon a Mining Colliery Engineer and they had at least one daughter and for a time they lived with Joseph and Hannah in Ewloe Town in Hawarden.

Joseph continued with his profession of shoemaking and both he and Hannah were still alive in 1881, both aged 65 years living in Buckley. It is not known when Joseph and John’s parents died but they were still alive at the time of the 1851 Census living at “Drury” in Pentrobin, William aged 62 and Anne aged 59. Descendants still lived in Hawarden today and a street called Leach Close commemorates the family.

Marriage certificate of John Leach and Ann Moore. Courtesy Nichols Family Archives.

Our ancestor, John Leach, joined the migration and by the late 1840s was living in Hougton Le Hole in Durham and was employed as a Pitman. In 1849 and aged 30, he married Ann Moore. At the time he was living at Brick Garth, Hougton Le Hole. The couple had two children in Durham, William Thomas born 21 February 1854 and Mary Ann born 17 December 1855 in Brick Garth, Hetton le hole.

Several years later, the couple migrated to Australia sometime between 1855 and 1858 with their children Mary Ann and William, settling in Tasmania for several years where Ann gave birth to two daughters, Rebecca born 18 April 1858 and Sarah born 4 May 1860 at Port Sorrell, west of Devonport.

By the end of 1861 the Leach family had moved north, this time settling in the Newcastle area in NSW, renowned for its coal deposits. Ann, in particular, would have felt at home here with the names of localities such as Pit Town, Newcastle, Wallsend names of towns in her native Durham. Soon after settling at Wallsend, son William Thomas died 8 April 1861, Wallsend, aged seven from "scald and irritative fever from the effects of scald on the constitution."  Three more sons were born in Wallsend, John William born 27 July 1862, Ellis named after his father’s maternal family, born 19 November 1864 and Thomas born 19 November 1867.

Tragedy struck the family when three of the Leach children died in the early 1860s and you can read more about the deaths of William Thomas Leach who died in 1861, seven months later, Sarah succumbed to illness. Mary Ann died in a tragic accident in 1864 and you can read about this in a post titled Childhood deaths in Wallsend.

John Leach died before reaching his fiftieth birthday. His death was recorded on 23 October 1868 at Wallsend, and the cause was pyaemia, a miner's lung disease. A further tragedy struck the family when 19 year old, Thomas Leach was involved in a colliery accident in 1886 at the Wallsend Colliery. More about this tragedy in an earlier post.

Following the death of her husband, Ann Leach another miner, Thomas Sinclair, in 1871 at the Registry Office, Newcastle. Thomas Sinclair was about seven years younger than Ann. The couple extended their family with four more children, including triplets Samuel George, Thomas and William Arthur born 27 March 1871. William died a few weeks after he was born and there is no birth certificate registered for him however he was aged three weeks at his death on the 17 April 1871. Samuel is listed on his birth as "elder born of twins" and Thomas as "younger born of  twins" registered on 4 May 1871 after William Arthur's death

John William Leach 1862-1920. Courtesy Nichols family archives

When she was aged 48 years old, Anne gave birth to her last child, on 31 January 1874, whom she named Arthur.

The “old” cemetery in Wallsend which was used by the Leach family closed in 1896 and it was apparently converted to parkland in the 1950s. Information from the headstones were recorded before removal. The first burial at the “new” Wallsend Cemetery was in 1896 and this cemetery is still use today. It is situated on Sandgate Road. See Newcastle City Council for more information.

John William continued to live with his mother Ann and stepfather, Thomas Sinclair at Pit Town, Wallsend. Anne Sinclair formerly Leach nee Moor(e) aged 80 years died on the 19 November 1907 at Pit Town in Wallsend. She died as a result of a cerebral haemorrhage and was buried the following day in the Methodist Section of the “new” Wallsend Cemetery.

The story of John William Leach 1862-1920 will continue in a future post, the Leach family from Wallsend.

FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT OF THOMAS LEACH 1886

John Leach, who was born in Hawarden Flint,Wales married Ann Moore in 1849 Brick Garth, Hougton Le Hole, Durham. John, a coal miner, had moved there for work. A few years later they migrated to Australia, sometime between 1855-1858, with their children Mary Ann and William. They stayed in Tasmania for several years where daughters, Rebecca and Sarah were born.

By the end of 1861 the Leach family had moved to the Newcastle area of NSW, renowned for its coal deposits and made their home in Wallsend. Four more sons were born William Thomas, my Great Grandfather John William, Ellis and Thomas (1867) named for his maternal grandfather. Tragedy struck the family when three of the Leach children died in the early 1860s and you can read more about their deaths in an earlier post. Sadly the patriarch John Leach, passed away on 23 October 1868 from the miner's lung disease, pyaemia. At the time Thomas was just over 18 months old.

West Wallsend Colliery, 1888. Courtesy State Records NSW

Another tragedy struck the family when 19 year old, Thomas was involved in a fatal colliery accident at the Wallsend Colliery on 23 October 1868.  Thomas had just knocked off work for the day and was coming out of the tunnel, leading his horse. It was reported in the Department of Mines, Annual report 1886 that he “was employed as a brakesman on a self acting incline in the Wallsend Colliery” and “was engaged in bringing some damaged skips up on the no. 1 tunnel to the surface" but was hit by some skips. The accident killed Thomas and Dr Tomlin who examined him, advised the death was caused by a "fracture of the skull, and must have been instantaneous." Numerous accounts of the accident appeared in Trove newspapers all over the country. The most in-depth coverage was from the Newcastle Morning Herald and the Maitland Mercury. 

Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, 3 August 1886 p. 6 

The consequence was a collision and the infliction of a fatal injuries to the unfortunate young man. Thomas was killed instantly, as was his horse and another. Maitland District Coroner gave a verdict of ‘accidental’ to the death of Thomas Leach. 

Wallsend Colliery, Newcastle from the Australian Town & Country Journal 18 January 1890, p. 24

According to the Newcastle Morning Herald The jury considered all of the facts surrounding the incident and reported the following verdict:

That Thomas Leach died at the Wallsend Colliery on the 29 day of July 1886. We are of opinion that his death was accidentally caused by a collision between skips being driven by the deceased and several loaded skips coming in a contrary direction.We desire to express our opinion that sufficient care has not been used heretofore in the lowering of these loaded skips, and recommended that more stringent rules should be adopted by the colliery authorities in order to avoid future accidents.

Thomas was buried the same day at the Old Wallsend Cemetery and a headstone once marked his grave. This was possibly paid for by the colliery or a subscription from the local community. The inscription on his headstone was recorded, and states "What partings here we have. How hard they seem to come, but we have to part no more when we get safe at home."  Sadly the headstone no longer stands as this cemetery closed in 1896 and was apparently converted to parkland in the 1950s. Fortunately information from the headstones were recorded before removal. 

TROVE TUESDAY ~ CHILDHOOD DEATHS IN WALLSEND

My Great Grandfather John William Leach (1862-1920) was one of seven children born to Welshman John Leach and his wife, Ann Moore who came from Durham. The family migrated to Australia in the mid-1850s and first settled in Tasmania for several years before moving to Wallsend near Newcastle, NSW by 1861. Three of John and Anne’s children lost their lives in early childhood in Wallsend and up until recently little was known of the details. Searching the historic newspapers on Trove has provided more information. 

The eldest child of John and Ann, William Thomas Leach died 8 April 1861 as a result of “Scald and Irritative Fever from the Effects of Scald on the constitution” according to the Coroner. He was seven years old and was buried in the Christ Church Burial Ground at Newcastle. 

Just over six months later, tragedy struck again. Eighteen month old Sarah suffered for two days with pneumonia before succumbing, on 30 November 1861 at Wallsend. She was buried the following day at Christ Church cemetery in Newcastle as the cemetery in Wallsend was not established until 1864.  

The Newcastle Chronicle 3 August 1864 p. 3 

Mary Ann Leach was born 17 December 1855 Brick Garth, Hetton-Le-Hole in Durham and travelled to the other side of the world with her parents. On 30 July 1864 Mary Ann was helping her mother Ann, with washing and hanging out the clothes. Her father, John Leach provided the following information at the inquest: He stated he was a miner living at Wallsend:

on Saturday, the day preceding, he saw the child on his return from work ; she was assisting her mother hanging out clothes. Afterwards deceased went to the creek to get some water, and he heard, ten or fifteen minutes afterwards, that deceased had fallen in. He went down to the creek, and with the assistance of a clothes prop managed to secure the body and bring it home.

She went to the nearby creek to collect water and accidentally fell in. Her little friend raised the alarm several minutes after and despite being rescued from the muddy water she passed away. The creek was about 9-10 feet in depth and a child’s hair net was found floating on arrival. Dr Pierce who arrived at the scene tried every method to “restore animation but without success” and he gave his opinion at the inquest that death was caused by phyxia from accidental drowning.  Mary Ann was only eight years old. She was buried at what is now called the old Wallsend. The children lay in unmarked graves. 

Death certificate of Mary Ann Leach 1864

Very sad circumstances for the family. But sadly there was more to come.