Eric Joy on the banks of the River Wharfe. (circa. 1950) © Dave Joy
The Joy family has its roots in and around Hebden, located in the beautiful Upper Wharfedale Valley; their lives and times are described in my book, Liverpool Cowkeepers. However, the Joys were not the only cowkeeping family in Liverpool to originate from Wharfedale. Listed below are details of some of these others. [Information about the Tennant and Thwaite families was kindly provided by Nicola Thwaite – thanks, Nicola].
BERESFORD - Henry Beresford was born in 1838 to George and Mary who were farming at Raisgill, Buckden. By 1871 he was married to Alice and working for Elisabeth Foster as a Farm Manager at Beckermonds, Buckden. When their second child was born, in 1874, the family were living at 57 Poplar Street in the Liverpool district of Everton and Henry’s occupation is given as Cowkeeper. They had five children at their Everton address and were still living there in 1891. However, by the time of the 1901 census, Henry and his wife had moved to Blackburn, where he was working as a Grocer.
BROWN – George Brown was born in Arncliffe in 1839 and was the son of farmer John Brown and his wife Nanny (nee Ibbotson). In 1870 he was a Cowkeeper living at 2 Lully Street in Liverpool, when he married Hannah Maria Joy. Hannah Maria was born in Hebden in 1834 and was one of seven children of Anthony Joy and Maria Bowdin. In 1861, Hannah Maria was living in Liverpool at 78 Sawney Pope Street, Vauxhall, working for Marmaduke Drake, a Victualler from Kettlewell (who was married to Sarah Bailey Eglin, from Grassington). However, at the time of her marriage to George, Hannah Maria was staying with her sister, Margaret Metcalfe, who had also married a Cowkeeper and was living at 20 Luke Street, Liverpool. By 1881, George and Hannah Maria had moved out of the city and were farming at North Meols, near Ormskirk. But, by 1891 they had returned to Yorkshire and were farming near Silsden. They never had children.
CALVERT - Harriet Calvert was born in 1821 into a farming family from Yokenthwaite. In 1842 she married Allan Layfield, whose family farmed at Gouthwaite Hall, Pately Bridge. They farmed at Yarnet House, Denton (1851) and also at Gouthwaite Hall (1861) before relocating to Liverpool with their five children to become cowkeepers. In 1871 they were living at 42 Almond Street near the city centre. Although Allan died in 1877, Harriet continued to keep cows at Almond Street. When she died in 1882, her son, Matthias, succeeded her and continued the cowkeeping tradition.
DAGGETT - the son of Aaron and Betty Daggett, John William was born in 1856 at Rams Close, Hartlington, Burnsall. In 1877 he married Ann Hawley (Hullah) from Burnsall and soon afterwards their first child was born. However, their next six children, born between 1879 and 1890, were all born in Liverpool as John and his family had set up a cowkeeping business at 20 Duke Street in the district of Garston. By the time of the 1891 census, John had returned to Yorkshire and was farming at Heaver Close in Upper Stonebeck. Later, he returned to Wharfedale to farm at Grimwith House, Appletreewick.
ENGLAND – Arthur Widdop (b. 1869) and Harry (b. 1871) England were two of twelve children born to John and Phoebe England of Addingham. In 1895 Harry married Mary Eleanor Holmes and by the time she had given birth to the first of three children, in 1897, they were living at 57 Waterworks Street in the Liverpool district of Bootle working as Cowkeepers. In the meantime, Arthur married Ann Elizabeth Summerscale of Addingham. The birth details of their ten children suggest that Arthur followed his brother to Liverpool sometime during 1904-05. He also became a cowkeeper and his family lived at 22 Rugby Road (1911 census) in the Aintree district. The two England brothers remained in Liverpool until the end of their days; Arthur died in 1939 and Harry in 1935.
HARKER – James Harker, the son of James and Martha, was born in 1857. Originally, his family farmed near Grassington but later were farming at Ramsgill, Stonebeck Down (1891). In 1895 he married Mary Alice Suttill. By the time of the 1911 census they were living 3 Poynty Street in the Kirkdale district of Liverpool where James was working as a cowkeeper. They had five children, all girls; the youngest two were born in Liverpool.
METCALFE – John Metcalfe, (b. 1846) was one of eight children of James (Jas) and Nancy Metcalfe who farmed in Hebden. In 1868 he married Margaret Joy, daughter of Anthony and Maria (nee Bowdin). Their first daughter, Annie Maria, was born a year later and by that time the couple had already moved to Liverpool. John was a Cowkeeper and the family were living at 20 Luke Street; also living with them was John’s younger brother, Jeremiah (age 14). In 1881 the family were living in the Wavertree district at 2a Ash Grove - the opposite end of the street from Margaret’s cousin, George Joy, who also kept cows! By 1891 the family’s given address was 8 Ash Grove, though it is possible they were still using the business address at 2A. John and Margaret remained at 8 Ash Grove as cowkeepers (assisted by daughter Emily and son John) until their deaths in 1917 and 1918, respectively. Both are buried at All Saints Church, Wavertree.
METCALFE – James Metcalfe (b. 1853) was a younger brother of John (above). At the time of the 1881 census (3rd April), James was living at 73 Peach Street in the Mount Pleasant district of Liverpool. His occupation was given as ‘Cow Keeper (Dairyman)’ and he was living with his sisters Annie and Ellen and his eleven-year-old nephew, John Beck. However, on 8th August of that year James married a local girl, Catherine Forster. The couple went on to have three children, all born in Liverpool: Nancy (b. 1883), James (b.1888) and John (b.1892). In 1891, James and his family were living at 6 Sunningdale Road - not far from his brother’s house, in Wavertree. His occupation at that time was still given as ‘Cowkeeper’, but he was later to specialize in supplying stock to the cowkeeping community – he became a Cattle Dealer; firstly at 3 Sheil Place (1901) and then at 168 Brownlow Hill (1911).
PAWSON – John Pawson was born in 1850, the son of Joseph and Sara Pawson who were farming at Lane House, Buckden. In 1871 he married Ann Coates and they went on to have seven children together. They moved to Lancashire and farmed at Higher Folds, Sharples (1881) and Top o’ th’ Rake, Tottington Higher End, Bury (1891) before relocating to Liverpool. In 1901 John was working as a cowkeeper, living at 25 Sandy Lane in Bootle. Later, in 1911 the family had moved their business to 11 Cross Street, also in the district of Bootle.
SWINBANK – Jane Swinbank was born in 1860 in Hawkswick and was one of nine children of Septimus Robert Swinbank and his wife Isabella (nee Fawcett). The family farmed in various locations around the Pennine Dales before moving to Liverpool in 1872. Following the death of Septimus Robert, in 1875, the family continued with the cowkeeping business. The censuses of 1881 and 1891 record them keeping cows at 64 Albion Street in the Everton district. By the time of the 1901 census the family had moved to 3 The Willows, also in Everton. Isabella had retired and Jane was running the business with her brother Christopher and sister Alice. After the deaths of their mother (1906) and brother (1911), Jane and Alice continued to live at 3 The Willows. For the 1911 census they both gave their occupation as ‘Retired Cowkeeper’. Jane died in Liverpool in January 1934.
TENNANT - Christopher Tennant (b. 1869) was born in Foxup, the son of farmer, Christopher and his wife Ann. When his mother died, nine-year-old Christopher went to live with his maternal uncle, Richard Haythornthwaite, who was a Cowkeeper in Liverpool. Christopher grew up living and working at his uncle’s cowhouse at 5 Victoria Place, Whitefield Road, Everton. When, in 1900, he married Mary Jane Preston, he was living and working as a ‘Dairyman’ at 45 Back Lane - a dairy run by Isabella Harrison, widow, originally from Mossdale Head, Wensleydale. But, a year later, he and his wife were living at 81 Whitefield Road. Here, Christopher remained, working as a Cowkeeper, until the end of his days. He died in 1933, age 63.
THWAITE - Thomas Thwaite was born in Kettlewell in 1842 and was the son of Richard and Elizabeth (nee Heseltine). In 1864 he married Jane Sandham [also known as Jane Durham]. Although their first child was born in Kettlewell, in 1866, by the time their second child was born, in November 1870, the family had relocated to Sandy Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill, Liverpool and Thomas was working as a Cowkeeper. Thomas subsequently traded from at least two further addresses in Liverpool: 2A Whitefield Lane, Everton (1878) and 2 Parkinson Road, Walton-on-the-Hill (1880). After a number of unsuccessful business ventures, Thomas eventually returned to the farming way of life - first, at Chapel Green in Walden (1901) and then at Middle Cross, Lumb, in Rossendale (1911). He died in 1925, age 83.