Seeking help to locate the correct Betty Parkinson

[a chesters]

I have traced my wifes lineage back several generations, but have got to an interesting point.

If we start with James Pilling 1807-1861, baptised 20 Sep 1807 at Bury, Lancashire, with parents John Pilling and Betty Pilling.

On 30 May 1805, John Pilling married Betty Parkinson, at Bury, Lancashire.

John Pilling, as far as I can work out, was baptised 5 April 1784 at Bury, Lancashire with father John Pilling, no mother mentioned.

It is when I get to Betty Parkinson that I run into problems.

I have a burial record for Betty Pilling, 6 Mar 1842, at Bury, with husband John, so fairly certain that is the correct Betty Pilling. Her age on the burial record, and the GRO record is 54, making her birth about 1788.

The  one I thought was mine was Betty Parkinson, born 6 June 1781 at Liverpool, with a father of Thomas.

Just to add to the confusion, the 1841 census has John, and four of the 12 children. I cannot find Betty in the 1841 census at a different location.

When I check on Family Search, I find several Betty Parkinsons.

If anyone can sort out which of the several Betty’s in my one, I would be very grateful, as I now realise that based on the information from the burial record, the one I thought was correct, is almost certainly wrong

A Chesters

[Maiden Stone]

What are the names and ages of the children with John on 1841 census?
Do you have baptisms for all 12 children? Are you sure they are all children of the same couple? Any burials?
Were there no Betty/Elizabeth Pilling burials in the area before 1842?
Do you have John on 1851 census?

[Maiden Stone]

If we start with James Pilling 1807-1861, baptised 20 Sep 1807 at Bury, Lancashire, with parents John Pilling and Betty Pilling.

On 30 May 1805, John Pilling married Betty Parkinson, at Bury, Lancashire.

James was baptised at Tottington. (LANOPC)
Parents' marriage would have been at Bury because that was the parish church.
Were other baptisms at Tottington?

[Maiden Stone]

Were these their children?
Jesse born July 1805, bapt. Nov. 1805 at Emmanuel, Holcombe. Abode Affetside.
James 1807 baptised at St. Anne, Tottington.
William 1810   bapt.      St. Anne, Tott; abode Tott.
John born Dec. 1811, bapt. Jan. 1812 St. Anne, Tott., abode Tott.
Alice  1814  baptised St. Mary, Bury, abode Tottington
Cyrus 1815 bapt. St. Anne, Tott., abode Virgin's Inn, father's occupation weaver
Betty 1817 bapt. St. Anne, Tott., occ. weaver
Charles 1819 bapt. St. Mary, Bury, abode Tott., occ. weaver
Jethro 1821 bapt. St. Anne, Tott., abode Virgin's Inn,
Hannah 1823 bapt. St. Anne, Tott., abode Virgin's Inn, father's occupation pit sinker
Matty 1824 bapt. St. Anne, Tott., abode Virgin's Inn, occupation pit sinker
Where is/was Virgin's Inn?
Who is missing?
What was John's occupation on 1841 census?

Burials at Bury of Cyrus/Sirus (1817), Jethro (1823) and Hannah (1824) may be 3 of above children. Hannah's burial had Affetside for abode.

There was one or possibly more than one other John & Betty couple who had children baptised at Emmanuel, Holcombe in same period. Holcombe was in Bury parish, a few miles north of Tottington. Holcombe was in the Manor of Tottington. Abode for a John & Betty couple who had children baptised at Holcombe was Stubbins/Ramsbottom Lane (different ends of same road in Ramsbottom) and father's occupation was cutter. There was also a baptism at Edenfield of Ann Pilling in 1811, parents John & Betty, abode Edenfield. This is a couple of miles north-east of Holcombe so further away from Tottington.

               

[a chesters]

Thank you for all that information Maiden Stone. You posted just as i was about to

The children I have discovered are:

James   Bn 14 June 1807   Tottington   John & Betty
William   Bn 12 April 1810           Tottington   John & Betty
John      Bn 29 Dec 1811           Tottington   John & Betty
Alice      Bn 18 Jan 1814           Bury      John & Betty
Cyrus   Bn 25 Sept 1815   Tottington   John & Betty
Betty      Bn 6 Feb 1817      Tottington   John & Betty
Charles   Bn 3 April 1819           Bury      John & Betty
Jethro   Bn 26 Sept 1821   Tottington   John & Betty
Hannah   Bn 12 March 1823   Tottington   John & Betty
Matty      Bn 17 May 1824           Tottington   John & Betty
Charlotte   Bap 1 Oct 1826           Tottington   John & Betty
John      Bn 22 Jun 1830   Tottington   John & Betty

All but John (2) were from the records of Lancashire OPC   

Alice was baptised at:     St Mary the Virgin, Bury, Lancashire
Charles was baptised at: St Mary the Virgin, Bury, Lancashire
All those born at Tottington were baptised at St Anne's Tottington.

John's occupation in 1841 was a Carter.
In 1851 he was a coal carrier. Possibly more specific than 1841.

Th concept that there might be more than one John & Betty Pilling had not occurred to me

AC

[Maiden Stone]

Betty Pilling 1842 death was in Bury South sub district.
Burial register has Bury as her abode.
Have you considered Elizabeth Pilling whose death was registered in 1844 in Bury, sub district Walmersley. Age at death 55. Not much difference in age to Betty d. 1842.
 
Burials at St. Anne Tottington are on LANOPC 1799-1836.

[Maiden Stone]

John's occupation in 1841 was a Carter.
In 1851 he was a coal carrier. Possibly more specific than 1841.

Th concept that there might be more than one John & Betty Pilling had not occurred to me

I checked LANOPC 1815 +or-10 years which is how I missed the 2 youngest. If John born 1830 was your Betty's child she was less likely to have been born in 1781 imo unless it was a very late baby or was really a grandson. Did John 1811 die? Re Matty b. 1824. I noticed a Matty Pilling who had a child by a man who was not her husband, baptised Bury c1840; abode may have been Affetside. I wondered if she was John's sister.
Where precisely was John on 1841 census? Which township? Townships and registration sub-districts for area north of Bury changed because of burgeoning towns. Was he alive in 1851?

Pilling and Parkinson are common surnames. Betty was one of commonest female names.
The John who was a weaver before 1820 may have been a handloom weaver. This was a cottage industry which went into decline. Some handloom weavers resisted working in mills. An infamous repercussion of opposition locally was the Chatterton Riot of 1826 when several militants were shot dead by militia and others arrested and sentenced to death or transportation. John may have changed his occupation. John at Virgin's Inn was a weaver in 1815 and 1819 and a pit sinker 1823 & 1824. Was an occupation stated at baptisms of Charlotte and John2? Pit sinker to coal carrier may have been logical - there's only so many pits to be sunk in an area. There were plenty of pits within walking distance of Affetside.

[Maiden Stone]

John      Bn 22 Jun 1830   Tottington   John & Betty

All but John (2) were from the records of Lancashire OPC   

Alice was baptised at:     St Mary the Virgin, Bury, Lancashire
Charles was baptised at: St Mary the Virgin, Bury, Lancashire
All those born at Tottington were baptised at St Anne's Tottington.

John's occupation in 1841 was a Carter.
In 1851 he was a coal carrier. Possibly more specific than 1841.

Th concept that there might be more than one John & Betty Pilling had not occurred to me

I doubt that John, born 1830, was from same parents. Father's occupation was bookkeeper. Abode was "Wal. Lane" (probably Walshaw Lane, off Walshaw Road in Walshaw, just south of Tottington village and now merged with it). Information from LANOPC. I can't match him to a marriage in Bury parish of any other John & Betty. Unless bookkeeper was mistake or an incorrect transcription of "banksman" which was Affetside John's occupation at baptism of Charlotte 1826.

[Maiden Stone]

Re. John's occupation of pit sinker at baptisms of Hannah 1823 and Matty 1824 (reply #3). This was a skilled and dangerous job according to other threads on RootsChat and websites about mining. Pit sinkers would travel to other mining areas.