Holdsworth Vick White Arnot Anderson

Clayton, Yorkshire, England

John and Joseph baptised on same date according to baptismal register but records on different pages and records not in chronological order. Delayed recording probably the reason for 2 different birth dates.

@Married by banns. According to banns notice in Bingley Mary was from Bingley and Joseph from "the Parish of Litchfield & County of Staffordshire". The parish register recorded Joseph as being from Weeford in the County of Stafford.@

On census night Joseph HOLDSWORTH, identified as a male servant, was living in the house with two 20 year old female servants. Another entry for Newton Hall identified three 20 year old agricultural labourers.

John HOLDSWORTH's death certificate and family lore state that Joseph HOLDSWORTH was a land agent. John was the informant for his brother Edward's 1864 Melbourne death certificate where Joseph was described as an "agent". Joseph's occupation at time of marriage and the parish registers of his childrens's baptisms state he was a butler. It ranged from "Butler" to "Butler at the hall" for Staffordshire entries to "Butler to Thomas Fairfax Esq" once he moved to Yorkshire. The 1841 Census identified him as "M S" ie male servant.

Joseph Holdsworth was employed as a butler by the Fairfax family from at least some time in 1820 until his death in 1846. His first child was not baptised in Newton Kyme until 1826 with earlier baptisms performed elsewhere. The register of baptisms in Newton Kyme shows a number of children baptised between 1820 and 1826. The most likely reason for Holdsworth baptisms in Tadcaster would appear to be a lack of housing in the tiny hamlet of Newton Kyme. Both places were about 2 miles from each other thus allowing Joseph to live at the hall when necessary and to visit family, especially if he had access to a horse. Given the 1826 baptism in Newton Kyme is is evident the family moved from Tadcaster to Newton Kyme sometime between June 1823 and September 1826.

The widowed Mary Holdsworth is recorded in the 1846 tithe records as living in a small house on the corner of Croft Lane and Main St. It is not impossible that it was always the family home.

Wife Mary was present at the death and reported it to the registry.

Joseph Holdsworth is buried in a cul de sac in the Newton Kyme churchyard. The question I've had is whether it was like that at time of burial and if there was a reason for the placement and if so whether choice existed. The answer is inconclusive due to proximity of critical events and lack of documentation about the date of the wall constructed between Fairfax property and churchyard from the church. Finalization of the 1846 tithe maps and Joseph's burial occurred within a few weeks of each other. The map showed that what had originally been a straight line boundary dipped down in the 1846 map so that the boundary between church land and Fairfax land followed the line of church wall whereas it had previously been quite a few meters out providing greater churchyard land. A document written by a church rector claimed the change occurred during the term of one of his predecessors.