William Welbank

Male 1779 - 1854  (~ 75 years)


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  • Name William Welbank 
    Christening 2 Jul 1779  Northallerton, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Occupation 1795  linen-draper? Find all individuals with events at this location 
    March 1789 The same day was married, Mr. Thomas Mitchell, wholesale linen-draper, to Miss Welbank, eldest daughter of Christopher Welbank, Esq; of Mount Pleasant, near Northallerton.
    1795 William Welbank is apprenticed to Thomas Mitchell, linen-draper. He would have been 16.
    18 Aug 1803 John Westoby Palmer has declined his retail business as a linen draper in York in favour of William Welbank.
    WILLIAM WELBANK
    Linen-draper and Haberdasher
    Near the Minster-Gates, York,
    BEGS permission to acquaint his Friends and the Public, that he has ENTERED to the Shop lately occupied by Mr J.W.Palmer. From the experience he has had in the first houses in London, hopes for a CONTINUANCE of the same patronage and support with which Mr. PALMER has been favoured.
    WILLIAM WELBANK has laid in a NEW and COMPLETE ASSORTMENT of LINEN DRAPERY and HABERDASHERY GOODS of every description.
    1804 William Welbank, linen-draper, has an apprentice.
    1822 William Welbank of York, linen-draper, requires an apprentice. 
    Note 1801 
    Appears on A List of the Ordinary Members of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne 
    Note 1804  [1
    testified in sensational trial Dighton v Watts involving his future brother-in-law Godfrey's wife.

    Mrs Godfrey Hirst and her sister Mrs Dighton were in the habit of scandalously going to theatre alone, and had met two soldiers and eloped to Ripon with them. Mr Dighton sued Mr Watts for alienation of affections, asking for damages of £5000, but the defendant's lawyer argued that Mrs Dighton already had a poor reputation so Mr Watts had not been the one to cause damage to her husband. "I understand they [Mrs Godfrey Hirst and Mrs Dighton] are now following a life of direful infamy" Numerous witnesses testify to Mrs Dighton's and Mrs Hirst's scandalous ways. William Welbank esq testified in the trial on behalf of Mr Dighton, who he said had always shown affectionate regard to his wife. The jury awarded damages of £1,100. The trial was written up in Sporting Magazine: or, Monthly Calendar of the transactions of the Turf, the Chase, and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the Man of Pleasure, Enterprize, and Spirit, (Volume 24, Rogerson & Tuxford, 1804) so probably was widely read about with great fascination.

    John Gough Nichols describes them as "the unfortunate Hirst family" and says they have lost all pretensions to respectability by mixing with plebian blood and low persons. Mary Anne also had a brother Francis who inherited the Golden Lion Inn and partnered with a "low person" and had eight illegitimate children with her before eventually being persuaded to marry her in his demented final years. 
    Occupation 1806 
    1806 Notice that a partnership between William Welbank, Richard Hirst and Richard Barker, under the name of Welbank and company, merchants, Kingston-on-Hull, is dissolved. Richard was one of Mary Anne's brothers. 
    Occupation 1811  Northallerton, Yorks Find all individuals with events at this location 
    wine merchant? William Welbank, wine and spirit merchant, of Northallerton, in London and Country Directory, 1811. The same directory has William Welbank as a draper in York. He could be dealing in wine as an extra hustle. 
    Note 1812 
    1812 Thimbleby coursing Meeting has Welbank's and Hirst's dogs competing (Sporting Magazine: or, Monthly Calendar of the transactions of the Turf, the Chase, and Every Other Diversion Interesting to thre Man of Pleasure, Enterprize, and Spirit, Vol 39 (Rogerson & Tuxford, 1812)) 
    Note 23 Mar 1818  New Times (London) Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Partnership dissolved - H Hirst, F Hirst, W Welbank, R Hirst, and J Horner, Lead Hills Mines, Lanark. 
    Note 24 Mar 1821  Yorkshire Lent Assizes Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Lord Mayor of York v Welbank

    Welbank is carrying out trade in a house on the corner of Makestreet and Petergate, but refuses tp pay to become a freeman, arguing that the house is not part of York. 
    Occupation 23 Sep 1822  Leeds Intelligencer Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Northallerton agent for Coutts and Messrs Martin, Stone and Martin, bankers. 
    Occupation 1823  Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Fire and Life Insurance Offices,

    Globe, William, Wailes
    London Guardian, William, Wellbank
    Norwich Union, Thomas, Dixon
    Royal Exchange Thomas, Watson
    Union, Jas. Langdale, stationer

    Pigots Directory 
    Note Aug 1824  York Find all individuals with events at this location 
    York Herald 28/8/1824 announces the death of Miss Welbank, sister to Mr Welbank, linen-draper of this city. However, this doesn't correspond to the death of any of William Welbank's sisters. Only Jane was unmarried at her death and she died in 1852. Evidence that William Welbank, draper of York, was a different man?  
    Occupation 1829  Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Welbank William, esq. Northallerton.
    Savings Bank secretary 
    Note 1832 
    Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of King's ...
    Great Britain. Court of King's Bench, Richard Vaughan Barnewall, Sir Cresswell Cresswell · 1832 · Law reports, digests, etc
    R. C. PEASE, J. K. WATson, H. PEASE, and T. B. Locke, who have survived R. HARRIson, their late Partner, deceased, against JoNATHAN HIRST, EDw1N HIRST, FRANCIs HIRST, and WILLIAM WELBANK. A ...

    The latter three acted as guarantors for Jonathan Hirst in 1817 on a promissory note for £300. The Hirsts were brothers of William's wife Mary Anne. Francis Hirst was the landlord of the Golden Lion in Northallerton. Another brother Henry was a solicitor in Northallerton, Jonathan was in business in Hull, Edwin was a farmer. (the Topographer and Genealogist Vol 1, John Gough Nichols, 1846, which says that Francis had eight illegitimate children by a "low person" and brought the family into disrepute).

    An ironmonger in Hull, Jonathan Hirst, was a bankrupt in 1829 (the Gazette) and had changed address several times. 
    Note 1839 
    Member of the Newcastle-upon Tyne Literary and Philosophical Society, follower of the Rev William Turner. who founded it. Together with his wife, subscribed to a book of sermons published 1839. Mrs Gaskell was also a follower and mentions Mrs Welbank as a friend in one of her letters. (She may be referring to William's sister Jane who was also known as Mrs Welbank).

    HIs brother-in-law Thomas Mitchell, nephew Edward Dawson Welbank Mitchell, niece Janetta Bishop Mitchell, and sister Jane seem also to have been followers of Rev Turner, lived in Newcastle where he was based and moved to Manchester where he moved when he retired, and were all buried in the Unitarian Chapel in Manchester where he was also buried. 
    Note 1840 
    bankruptcy. Contents of house were sold off, including a valuable library of 600 books, telescopes and a pair of globes, several dozens of port, sherry and claret, a quantity of home-made wines and of pickles and preserves, a four-wheel carriage with a single harness. 
    Note 1840  Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location 
    White's Directory, Gent 
    Residence 1841  Northumberland Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Find all individuals with events at this location 
    William (60) and Mary (55) are here on census night , staying with Dorothy Hirst. 
    Note 12 Aug 1843  Yorkshire Gazette Find all individuals with events at this location 
    William Welbank has sold land to the Great North of England Railway Company and they owe him (actually his assignees) £1733 which they have yet to pay. 
    Residence 1851  3 Oxford Street, St Andrew, Newcastle Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Boarder, corn merchant. Thomas Hirst, 32, bank agent, is visiting. 
    Note 1854 
    Probate to Mary Fowle, effects under £20 
    Death Nov 1854  Croft, Durham, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial 16 Nov 1854  All Saints, Hurworth, Durham Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I544  Welbank1
    Last Modified 26 Feb 2023 

    Father Christopher Welbank,   b. 1720, Northallerton, Yorkshire Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1793 (Age 73 years) 
    Mother Mary Dawson,   b. 1741, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Feb 1798, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 57 years) 
    Marriage 1 Nov 1765  Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Mary Dawson was Christopher's cousin once removed, the granddaughter of his father's sister Ann. She was 24 and he was 45. She was the only living child of her father and due to inherit quite a lot of property. Her father was a witness to the wedding, so presumably approved of the groom.
      Her father, grandfather and brother had all been called Edward Dawson; her brother had died in childhood. Her first son was Edward Dawson Welbank and a grandson was Edward Dawson Welbank Mitchell.
    Family ID F175  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Mary-Ann Hirst   d. 8 Jul 1843, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage Mar 1805  Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Mary Welbank,   b. 11 Mar 1806, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location
     2. Jane Welbank,   b. 1808, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 30 Nov 1808, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
     3. William Christopher Welbank,   b. 26 Jul 1811, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Aug 1811, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
     4. Anne Welbank,   b. 1813, Mount Pleasant, Northallerton Find all individuals with events at this location
    Family ID F12  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 12 Aug 2020 

  • Sources 
    1. [S4] John Gough Nichols, The Topographer and Genealogist, Vol 2, (John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1853).