Ron Gosney's Response

Hi Vivian
Although the marriage of Thompson Rhodes and Hannah Pickersgill took place on 26 December 1876, I have no record of this in my Knottingley transcriptions. Do you have a marriage certificate and if so which church is it recorded in?

Let me first give details of children that I know of from this marriage:

Sarah Ann bapt 29 July 1877 at Christ Church
John born 18 October 1880 bap 2 January 1881 at Christ Church
William bapt 25 December 1881 at Christ Church
Joseph Thompson born 23 February 1885 bapt 22 March 1885 at St. Botolph's
Herbert born 5 November 1886 bap 25 November 1886 at Christ Church
Thomas born 19 February 1889 bap 14 March 1889 at Wesleyan Chapel
Mary Emma born 7 September 1891 bap 10 September 1891 at Christ Church
Charles born 12 August 1893 bap 12 December 1895 at St. Botolph's
Florence born 26 October 1895 bap 12 December 1895 at St. Botolph's

Thompson Rhodes  who married Hannah Pickersgill was son of John Rhodes a Wheelwright and Mary (or Maria) who was born in Wakefield. I have no details of the marriage, but it should not be difficult to find in PRO indexes (I reckon it would be about 1849) Children from this marriage all baptised at St. Botolph's:

Sarah Ann born 15 July 1849 bap 20 April 1851
John William bap 20 April 1851
Emma bap 22 August 1852
Mary Elizabeth bap 5 August 1855
Thompson bap 26 July 1857

This John Rhodes who married Mary was son of John Rhodes and Sarah Brayshaw who married 25 December 1821 at St. Botolph's. Children baptised at St. Botolph's were:

Anne bap 17 October 1822
Mary bap 25 April 1824
John bap 5 May 1826
William bap 27 July 1828
Sarah bap 3 September 1832

John Rhodes who married Mary Brayshaw was son of John Rhodes a Joiner Carpenter who married Mary Dickinson 20 January 1799 at St. Botolph's. John the carpenter was buried 21 August 1845 aged 80 and his wife Mary buried 2 June 1847 aged 71. Children:

John bap 1 December 1799 (marr Sarah Brayshaw)
Mary bap 7 June 1801
William bap 22 November 1802
Frances bap 26 May 1805
Sarah bap 31 July 1808 buried 27 June 1809 aged 1
Ann bap 4 June 1809 buried 31 August 1809 an infant
Charles born 28 December 1810 bap 28 July 1811
Martha bap 26 July 1812
Richard bap 12 June 1814 buried 26 March 1815
Anne bap 9 August 1815
Sarah bap 4 October 1817 buried 29 May 1818
David bap 18 July 1819

There is a possibility that this John was an illegitimate son of Elizabeth Rhodes, but the records show no detail though he is the only John baptised around the right time.

Going back to Thompson and Hannah this is how they appear in 1891 census:
Thompson 33 Agr labr; Hannah 32; Sarah Ann 14; John 11; Joseph T 6; Herbert 4; Thomas 2

1901 Census: Thompson 45; Hannah 43; Herbert 14; Thomas 13; Emma 11; Charles 9; Florence 7

Some of Rhodes family had a joiner and undertaker business in Knottingley for many years, and outside the chapel of rest the sign stated 'established 1729.' One lady a Mary Rhodes, a spinster (dead and gone now) once paid hundreds of pounds to a researcher and when her cousins cleared the house it all got dumped!!! Anyway I am sure you have plenty here to sort out.

Kindest regards

Ron Gosney
11 February 2005