Wharfedale & Craven Genealogical Study

In 1816 a James Marchbank married Mary Holt in Burnley. He is described on the "certificate" as a cotton comber. I think the same James Marchbank appears in the 1841 & 1851 Bradford censuses described as a comber. In 1838 the daughter of James Marchbank married James Marsden in Shipley. This daughter, Sarah, was born in Burnley in 1819, hence my assupmtion that they are the same person. Does anyone have any info that shows James Marchbank migrating to Burnley? He came from a family of woolcombers. father Bernard was a woolcomber.

Russell Thomas

I think it is quite safe to assume that these James Marchbanks are one and the same - as it looks likely that James would have moved with his parents (and siblings) to Burnley between 1804 and 1807 as the IGI (Parish Register Program Batch No. P005202) records the baptism of "Robert Marchbank son of Bernard Marchbank & Margaret" at Burnley on 3 May 1807.

In addition, on moving to Bradford, sometime between 1821 and 1823, James had two twin daughters, Mary and Martha, baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Kirkgate, Bradford in 1823 (IGI Batch No. C079701), the record of which records his wife's maiden name, Holt.

Additional, circumstantial evidence also has his eldest son, John (who was baptised in Burnley in 1816), living the same street (Fountain Street) at the time of the 1841 and 1851 censuses.

A fuller exposition of the family will be on the website at the end of this month (Mar.)