The Helpston Blacksmith
The Dolbys set up home in Helpston.
Arrival in the 1800s
On 23 December 1817 Hannah Hudson married William Dolby at St. Leonard’s in Glapthorne. William was working in Glapthorne as a farm labourer. Some time later, they moved to Helpston, where they raised their family. The Helpston parish records from 1819 to 1833 for St Botolph’s, record the only Dolby’s being baptised during that period were all the children of William and Hannah.
William Dec 1819
Thomas Dec 1821
Elizabeth April 1824
John March 1826
Edmund June 1828
Joseph July 1831
George July 1833
On the night of the 1841 Census, there is only one Dolby family registered in Helpston. They were William and his sons, William, Thomas, Edward and George all recorded as (farm) Labourers. His wife Hannah was lodging in the village at the Seymour family home, the wife having had a baby son William, recorded as 1 week old.
Late in 1848 Hannah died, followed by her husband, in 1850. They were buried in St Botolph’s churchyard, Helpston. There are no legible gravestones in the churchyard bearing the name Dolby.
The next generations of Dolby
On 7 November 1848, William their eldest son married a spinster by the name of Mary Utteridge at St Botolph’s in Helpston. William’s profession was recorded as (farm) Labourer. Parish records show that the newly married couple went on to have a large family of 11 children.
On 8 August 1875 William’s son Thomas born 1852, married a spinster Hannah Dolby at St Botolph’s in Helpston.
The 1881 and 1891 Census records Thomas as a Farm labourer. On the 1901 Census Thomas’s occupation was recorded as Labourer on Railway.
Thomas the Blacksmith
Thomas and Hannah had a son, also named Thomas born 12 August 1879. At the age of 21 on 25th September 1900 he married Esther Andrews aged 18 at St Botolph’s in Helpston. On the 1901 Census, they are living on Woodgate and his occupation is recorded as a Blacksmith worker. By 1911 they had moved to The Nook and he was a Blacksmith – own account (now running his own business). On the 1921 Census and the 1939 National Register, the family are recorded as living on West Street, and his occupation was a Blacksmith – own account.
Thomas died in 1952 and is buried in the graveyard on Maxey Road alongside his wife Esther who died in 1964.
(To see the full story of the Dolby family – download the attachment)
Sources –
1841-1911 Census and 1939 National Register – Ancestry.co.uk
Helpston Parish Records from The National Archives on Ancestry.co.uk
1921 Census – Find my past
Comments about this page
My great great great great grandmother was a Dolby or Dalby and her birth is recorded as being at Bullock, Northants according to the 1851 census. By this time she was married to John Edward Hill and settled in Spratton Northants. The marriage took place in 1842 at Spratton Church. This seems to be unusual in that a wedding was usually conducted in the brides parish but this one was took place in Spratton. Again the census tells us that she was born in about 1822. I’m guessing that her family were dead or had disowned her. Interestingly, there is someone of the same name living in an all female house in Minster Precincts at Peterborough Cathedral (1841 census).
If anyone knows more, please help me out on this! Thanks.
I am the great-grandson of James Dolby. James was the son of Thomas Dolby born 1821 and grandson of William Dolby born in Bulwick in 1795 and Hannah Hudson from Glapthorne. William moved to Helpston to work for Lord Fitzwilliam. I was of course very interested to read all the material about the Helpston Blacksmith and the Dolby family. It seems that the Dolby’s ceased to be agricultural labourers and took to working on the railways with the east coast mainline running through Helpston village.
James went north to Sheffield then eloped with the daughter of the manager of a file factory, Jane Hannah Taylor. They married in Ilkley and settled at Menston with James becoming a signalman at Ilkley. He died in 1912 with Jane dying in the 1930s and they are both buried at Menston. Their son, John Thomas, my grandfather, was the railway clerk at Oxenhope. My father James was born there in 1909, a wood engraver who captured the last days of steam in wood engravings.
With the help of Northamptonshire Record Office, I have traced the Dolby’s back to Bulwick with William Dawby, born I believe in 1510.
Another William Dolby was the last chantry priest in Bulwick. In the 17th century they were rich tanners and there was a Dolby House in nearby Deene. The name Hudson was carried down the family as a first name.
There is a mention in the article named “The Blacksmiths Story” of the arrival into Helpston village of the Dolby family around 1818 from nearby village of Glapthorne. Two of William Dolby and Hannah Hudson’s sons have a strange family connection and I am not sure if you are aware of this.
Son, John Dolby (1826-1869) married Susannah (Susan) Hudson (1820-1869), as you know and they had a daughter, Elizabeth Dolby (1856-1926), baptised 1 Jun 1856 in St. Botolph’s. She, Elizabeth married Robert Close (1854-1919), He was baptised in St. Botolph’s on 30 Dec 1855. Their daughter Ellen Close was born 16 Apr 1878 who in turn married Frederick Dolby (1871-1955). He was from Helpston of course, and was baptised on 19 Mar 1871 in St. Botolph’s. His parents were William Dolby (1819-1886) and Mary Utteridge (1827-1897), William being the brother of the earlier mentioned John Dolby (1826-1869). Just shows how small the communities were in those days.
I am a keen amateur family historian and I am currently working on a family tree on behalf of a family friend who is a granddaughter of one of the children, Violet of Frederick Dolby and Ellen Close. So in turn, William Dolby (1795-1851) and wife, Hannah Hudson (1798-1848) are both 2 x Great grandparent and 3 x Great Grandparents to my friend. Unusual!
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