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Anne Elizabeth Armishaw



Anne Elizabeth Armishaw, the daughter of Thomas Armishaw was born in 1862 in Stone, Staffordshire. She was appointed as a teacher in Barwick-in-Elmet in 1881.

The society's publication "Barwick School. Education in a Yorkshire Village" notes:
"Help however was at hand and at the end of October Miss Annie Armishaw, ex-pupil teacher at Fulford National School, started her duties at Barwick as assistant teacher until Christmas. Her teaching was clearly satisfactory as she continued in the school after that date. She taught the infants and standard 1." (page 39)

The book states that in 1884:
"In May, Miss Armishaw left for "a better post" in Brixworth, Northants." (page 31).

We have no information on this stage of her life during the next two years. Anne was married in Altrincham Cheshire in Jul-Sep 1886 to William Lawn. William was born in Barwick. He was age 8 in 1871, son of a wheelwright also born in Barwick. In the 1881 census his father was dead and he and his mother, Harriet Lawn, are both listed as a "Wheelwright Beer Seller" in the William IV in Aberford Road. Sarah Perkin, age 8, is listed as a cousin and is also resident there. In 1901 William Lawn died aged 38 and was buried in Barwick on 2nd April.

In the 1901 census Ann E Lawn is listed as living in Town Street (Main St.) Barwick, aged 38 "Living on her own means" with daughters Edith age 11, Nellie age 8, Harriet age 5, and Grace age 1. Her married sister, Mary Blane was resident with her. Burial records show that in 1888 a Thomas Lawn, aged 15 hours, was buried and then in 1897 a Clara Lawn, aged 3 was also buried. We know that at least one of her children had died. It is possible that the very new-born boy, Thomas, also was hers. What the census does not tell us is that at the time of William's death Anne was expecting a further child. Gertrude was born in early 1902.

In the 1901 census it is recorded that Anne's married sister, Mary, was staying with her presumably to help her at time when she would need help with her young family. There is an account which has been passed down by Anne's family that, by selling such items as three grandfather clocks and other items of her husband, Anne was able to put together a sum of money to help her during a time when she was not in a position to earn any money. It is said that Anne received investment advice from the Rector, Revd. F S Colman. She followed his advice and bought shares which provided her with income and grew sufficiently to be passed on to her family in later life. At some stage between 1902 and 1911, Anne remarried.

She appears in the 1911 census as the wife of Harry Tomlinson born in Barwick, aged 49, a year older than her. Harry was a horse-man on a farm. Two of her daughters Grace (age 11) and Gertrude (age 9) lived with them. They lived in a cottage on High Gipton Farm, Harehills. It is understood that at some time before 1911, the family had moved to Manchester to open a shop. This venture failed and they returned to Yorkshire to High Gipton Farm. Later the family moved to Adel to the area now known as Holt Park where they had a small plot of land. When she was 29 Gertrude married Richard Robert Perkin, who was born in Barwick in 1900. We are grateful to Richard Perkin their son who loaned us the sampler sewn by his grandmother, which set the whole of this project in motion.


HAROLD SMITH


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