Joseph Slack
Joseph Slack
born 1705 in Newbiggin by Appleby, Westmorland.
died.
married.
Frances Jackson
John Slack
John Slack
born 1738 in Westmorland.
died.
married.
Mary Swinbank
William Slack
William Slack
born 1778 in Newbiggin by Appleby, Westmorland.
died 1860.
married.
Mary Turner
born 1786.
died 1852.
Extracts from the Census Records.
| Census records 1841. Dwelling :- Bolton, Westmorland. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Age | Occupation | Born in County |
| William Slack | 65 | Farmer | Yes |
| Mary Slack | 55 | 0 | Yes |
| Sarah Slack | 30 | 0 | Yes |
| William Slack | 24 | 0 | Yes |
| Frances Slack | 16 | 0 | Yes |
| Thomas Slack | 4 | 0 | Yes |
William Slacks four children.
| Sarah Slack | born 1811. |
| William Slack | born July 1814 in Bolton, Westmorland married Rachel Goodburn . |
| Frances Slack | born 1825. |
| Thomas Slack | born 1837. |
William Slack
William Slack
born July 1814 Bolton, Westmorland.
died 12th March 1880 Philadelphia County Durham.
buried March 16th 1880.
married 14th Jan 1843 in Bolton.
Rachel Goodburn
born Feb 12th 1810.
died August 17th 1891.
William Slack was named after his father and he was born in Sedburgh in Yorkshire according to the 1851 census records although after this census he is stated as born in Bolton, Westmorland. By 1861 he has left his farm in Knipe, Westmorland and moved to County Durham with his wife and family. The 1861 Census also shows he has two daughters Frances and Grace who appear to be twins.
Unfortunateley and for some unknown reason William committed suicide on 12th March 1880. He was living in Wellington Row, Philadelphia in County Durham at this time aged 67 and still working as a Railway Labourer.
William and Rachel's five children.
| Mary Slack | born 1844 in Bolton, Westmorland. |
| Thomas Slack | born 1846 in Bolton Westmorland. |
| William Slack | born 1848 in Bolton Westmorland. |
| Frances Slack | born 1852 in Bolton Westmorland. |
| Grace Slack | born 1852 in Bolton Westmorland. |
Extracts from the Census Records.
| Census reords 1851. Dwelling :- Knipe, Bampton, Westmorland. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 35 | Married | Farmer of 46 acres | Yorkshire, Sedburgh |
| Rachel Slack | Wife | 45 | Married | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Mary Slack | Dau | 7 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Thomas Slack | Son | 5 | 0 | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| William Slack | Son | 3 | 0 | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Census records 1861. Dwelling :- 80 Wellingon Row, Philadelphia, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 45 | Mar | Labourer | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Rachel Slack | Wife | 48 | Mar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Mary Slack | Dau | 17 | Unmar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Thomas Slack | Son | 15 | 0 | Labourer | Westmorland, Bolton |
| William Slack | Son | 13 | 0 | Labourer | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Frances Slack | Dau | 9 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 9 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Census records 1871. Dwelling :- Newbottle, 114 Wellington Row. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 57 | Mar | Labourer Railway | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Rachel Slack | Wife | 61 | Mar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Thomas Slack | Son | 25 | Unmar | Mine Engine Driver | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Frances Slack | Dau | 19 | Unmar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 19 | Unmar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Census records 1881. Dwelling :- 36 Wellington Row, Philadelphia, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| Rachel Slack | Head | 72 | W | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton, Bampton |
| William Slack | Son | 33 | Unmarried | Rail Engine Driver Locom | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 29 | Unmarried | 0 | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Census records 1891. Dwelling :- 35 George Street East, New Herrington, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 43 | M | Railway Engine Driver | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Mary Jane Slack | Wife | 42 | M | 0 | Durham, Hylton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 2 | 0 | 0 | Durham, New Herrington |
| Robert Wm Slack | Son | 1 | 0 | 0 | Durham, New Herrington |
| Rachel Slack | Mother | 81 | W | Living on her own means | Westmorland, Bolton |
The 1881 census returns see Rachel as a widow.
The 1891 census sees Rachel with her son William and family.
William Slack
William Slack
born 14th November 1847 at Low Knipe, Bampton, Westmorland.
died December 10th 1923.
married 2nd April 1882.
Mary Jane Graham
born 16th December 1848 in Hylton, Durham.
died 6th July 1934 in New Herrington.
William Slack
William and Mary Jane's Marriage Certificate.
William Slack's Death Certificate.
William and Mary Jane's five children.
| Louisa Slack | born 27 August 1884 in West Herrington, Durham and died 18 Sep 1884 in West Herrington, Durham. |
| Thomas Slack | born 13 May 1887 in West Herrington, Durham and died 19 Aug 1887. |
| Grace Slack | born 12 Jun 1888 in West Herrington, Durham and died 29 Mar 1973. |
| Robert William Slack | born 15 Jan 1890 in West Herrington, Durham and died 21 Jun 1975 in Sunderland. Married Ada Horn in 1913 in Easington, Durham. |
| John Slack | born 12 Jun 1891 in West Herrington, Durham and died 13 Jul 1968 in Sunderland. Married Hilda Margaret Johnson Ryhope in 1920. |
William Slack was named after his father, and was born in Westmorland, in what is now Cumbria.
William Slack was born on the 14th November 1847 at Bampton, south of Penrith and not far from Hawswater in the Lake District. The census returns between 1851 and 1911, together with public and family records make it possible to complile a reasonable thumb - nail sketch of his life. The third of five children, his father also called William, is described in the 1851 census as a farmer with 49 acres at Knipe, just north of Bampton, and married to Rachel , a farmers wife. But William found the little farm could not support his family and he sold out; by 1861 they were living at New Lampton , near Houghton-Le-Spring in Durham, and in 1871 when they were living a few miles away at 36 Wellington Row, Newbottle, William is described as a railway labourer, working on the Earl of Durham's Lampton Railway, whose engine works and Locomotive sheds at Philadelphia lay only a few yards from his home. By this date the younger William had left home to lodge at Bolivar Place in Gateshead with Mrs Elanor Shotton , a 44 year old widow with three children (including Robert (15) a hotel worker, and John (13) a fitter ) She had four lodgers all in their twenties, comprising a labourer, a tobacconist and two stokers, one of whom was William.
The North Eastern Railway (NER) had a sizable locomotive shed at Gateshead, and oral tradition in the family avers that he was first a fireman there then a driver, but was dismissed when it was discovered that he was colour blind and could not distinguish red and green signals. However, tragedy struck the family in the 1870's. In March 1871 his oldest sister, Mary died (26), followed two months later by his sister Frances (18). His brother Thomas (27) died in 1873 and in February 1880 his father committed suicide. So it may well be because of all this that William moved back to live with his elderly mother and younger sister Grace in the family home at Newbottle by 1881. This would have prevented him from continuing to work for the NER at Gateshead, and so he sought work at the Earl of Durham's Lampton Railway locomotive sheds at Philadelphia, only a few yards from his home. Curiously, the tender locomotives from here worked over the North Eastern between Pensher North and Deptford in Sunderland - with their NER signals.
On 2nd April 1882 William married Mary Jane Graham of Hylton, near Sunderland. Her early life had not been straightforward either, as for much of it she had been brought up by cousins of her mother near Pensher. At the time of their marriage both William and Mary were living in Sunderland. Mary was only five feet tall, and family tradition says that she is the lady, possibly carrying a white enamel drinking can, who is standing to the left of the tender No 11, waiting to give William his lunch, and so the photograph may well have been taken in 1882.
Having moved back to Philadelphia William and Mary's first child Louisa , died there in September 1884, only two months old. The couple, with Williams mother, Rachel, next moved to 35, George Street East at New Herrington - a new address, but in fact only a few yards from their old home in Wellington Row. Their next child, Thomas died there in August 1887, only three months old, and Rachel herself died four years later aged 81, but not before seeing the birth of her grandchildren Grace (June 1888) and Robert William (January 1890), who were followed by John in 1891. William remained a Lampton Railway driver for the rest of his working life and died on 10th December 1923 aged 76, followed by his wife on 6th July 1934 aged 85.
The above text was taken from an article written in Archive (issue 53).The information was supplied from photo's and research done by my wife's father.
The arcticle entitled Lambton Men was written by Colin E Mountford .
Extracts from the Census Records.
| Census reords 1851. Dwelling :- Knipe, Bampton, Westmorland. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 35 | Married | Farmer of 46 acres | Yorkshire, Sedburgh |
| Rachel Slack | Wife | 45 | Married | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Mary Slack | Dau | 7 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Thomas Slack | Son | 5 | 0 | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| William Slack | Son | 3 | 0 | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
William first appears aged 3 living with his parents in Knipe, on the 1851 census records.
| Census records 1861. Dwelling :- 80 Wellingon Row, Philadelphia, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 45 | Mar | Labourer | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Rachel Slack | Wife | 48 | Mar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Mary Slack | Dau | 17 | Unmar | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Thomas Slack | Son | 15 | 0 | Labourer | Westmorland, Bolton |
| William Slack | Son | 13 | 0 | Labourer | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Frances Slack | Dau | 9 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 9 | 0 | Scholar | Westmorland, Bolton |
The 1871 census records show William living as a boarder with the Shotton family in Gateshead, he is aged 24 and working as a stoker. Born in Bampton, Westmorland and is unmarried.
| Census records 1881. Dwelling :- 36 Wellington Row, Philadelphia, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| Rachel Slack | Head | 72 | W | 0 | Westmorland, Bolton, Bampton |
| William Slack | Son | 33 | Unmarried | Rail Engine Driver Locom | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 29 | Unmarried | 0 | Westmorland, Bampton |
From the 1881 census we can see that William has died.
| Census records 1891. Dwelling :- 35 George Street East, New Herrington, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 43 | M | Railway Engine Driver | Westmorland, Bampton |
| Mary Jane Slack | Wife | 42 | M | 0 | Durham, Hylton |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 2 | 0 | 0 | Durham, New Herrington |
| Robert Wm Slack | Son | 1 | 0 | 0 | Durham, New Herrington |
| Rachel Slack | Mother | 81 | W | Living on her own means | Westmorland, Bolton |
From he 1891 census record we can see that Rachel is now living with her son William
| Census records 1901. Dwelling :- 35 Geoge Street East, New Herrington, Durham | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 53 | Yes | Railway Engine Driver | Bampton, Westmorland |
| Mary J Slack | Wife | 52 | Yes | 0 | Hylton, Durham |
| Grace Slack | Dau | 12 | Single | 0 | Herrington, Duham |
| Robert W Slack | Son | 11 | Single | 0 | Herrington, Duham |
| John Slack | Son | 9 | Single | 0 | Herrington, Duham |
| Census records 1911. Dwelling :- 35 George Street East, New Herrington, Durham. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Relation | Age | Married | Occupation | Where born |
| William Slack | Head | 63 | Yes | Railway Engine Driver | Westmorland, Brampton |
| Mary Jane Slack | Wife | 62 | Yes | 0 | Durham, S Hylton |
| Grace Slack | Daughter | 22 | Single | School Teacher | Durham, West Herrington |
| Robert William Slack | Son | 21 | Single | Joiner | Durham, West Herrington |
| John Slack | Son | 19 | Single | Joiner | Durham, West Herrington |
Two photographs of William Slack by his Engine's. In the bottom photograph it may show Mary who was only five feet tall, and family tradition says that she is the lady, possibly carrying a white enamel drinking can, who is standing to the left of the tender No 11, waiting to give William his lunch, and so the photograph may well have been taken in 1882.