For details of the book written by Jan Kuplis on the Gerrard family click here.

Gerrard Family History

Last updated 27 Feb 2007

William Gerrard
Weaver
c.24 April 1753
Westhoughton (Dean/Bolton)
m.31 Dec 1780
Wigan


d.19 Aug1802 (49)
Gripes

Betty Prescott
c.9 Mar 1745
m.31 Dec 1780
Wigan
John Gerrard
b.8 April 1781
c.22 April 1781


d.3 June 1781
Hindley
Jane Gerrard
b.9 June 1782
c.23 June 1782



Hindley
John Gerrard
b.16 May 1783
c.1 June 1783
Hindley


m. Mary Brighouse
Ann Gerrard
b.22 Apr 1785
c.6 May 1785
Hindley
May Gerrard
b.28 Apr 1787
c.7 May 1787
Hindley
Mary Gerrard
b. 1788
buried. 6 June 1789
1 year
Small Pox
Hindley
Peter Gerrard
b.13 August 1789
c.30 August 1789
Hindley
Richard Gerrard
b.15 January 1792
c.29 January 1792
Hindley
Alice Gerrard
c.27 Oct 1793
Hindley
James Gerrard
b.24 April 1796
c.15 May 1796
Hindley


buried.17 July 1796 (13 weeks)
Emy Gerrard
b.24 April 1796
c.15 May 1796
Hindley
Betty Gerrard
b. April 1798
buried 17 May 1798 (one month)
Hindley


William Gerrard
c.2 June 1799
Hindley
Mary Gerrard
c.31 Aug 1800
Hindley
Gerrad Gerrard (Gerard Gerrard)
b.8 Mar 1803
c.27 Mar 1803
Paletter / Coal Filler
Chapel Green Hindley
Sources: Parish register transcripts, 1626-1852 Church of England. Parish Church of Wigan (Lancashire)
31 DEC 1780 Wigan, Lancashire, England William Gerrard married Betty Prescott.
Source: Parish registers, 1698-1948 Church of England. Chapelry of Hindley (Lancashire)
27 March 1803 Gerard Gerard christened at Hindley parents William Gerard and Betty Prescott.

Source: FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0 459184
6 May 1785 christening of Ann Gerrard, mother Betty father William
7 May 1787 christening of May Gerrard, mother Betty father William

There have been some comments that this Betty Precott would have been to old to have given birth to the later children, being 32 at marriage and 58 when the last child was born. However, Joan Harrison searched through over 200 potential Betty Prescotts, and there were only two possible matches for the Betty Prescott that married William Gerrard. Betty Prescott who was christened on the 9 Mar 1745 in Westhoughton (Ref I.G.I) father Jas Presscott, and Betty Prescott born 21 Oct 1758 at Newchurch, Lancashire, father Ralph Prescott. ( ref: I.G.I.), this latter Betty Prescott is ten year younger and therefore would have been 48 when the last child was born.

There is also - Thomas Gerrard who married a Betty Prescott 11 Sept. 1859 Hindley. He was aged 35 at marriage, she was aged 32 at marriage.

Regs. of Hindley - LPRS Book 128 (1644 - 1814).

1. NO marriage of William Gerrard and Betty Prescott took place there. Or of any Wm Gerrard.

2. BURIALS -

a) June 6th. 1788 MARY age 1 year smallpox, daughter of William Gerrard, weaver of Hindley, and Betty his wife. ( this is a new one )

b) July 17th. 1796 JAMES age 13 weeks decay, son of William Gerrard, weaver of Hindley and Betty his wife.

c) May 17th. 1798 BETTY age 1 month decay, daur of William Gerrard, weaver of Hindley and Betty his wife. ( this is a new one ).

d) August 19th. 1802 William Gerrard age 49, cause of death Gripes, weaver of Hindley ( also entered in Christening Register and deleted ). Thus 1802 minus age 49/50 would give birth year as approx: 1752 / 1753, which fits in with info we have.

3. CHILDREN

Children of William and Betty, from 1792 to 1803 were found on I.G.I. batch number C019951 Baptisms at Hindley. Search criteria were : surname Gerrard, father William Gerrard and mother Betty (no surname).

Searches by David Welch

Peter Gerrard 1789

1861 Census

Peter Gerrard, aged 75 (therefore born abt.1789) a former cotton weaver, is at Bridge House, 118 Bridge Street, Hindley. He is tha father of Ann, who is the wife of Edward Molyneaux, they gave a daughter Elizabeth aged 1.

BMD 1870

Death of Peter Gerrard, aged 81, born about 1789, 4th quarter 1870. {Wigan, vol 8c Page 49}.

On the same page (i.e. in just 3 months) for the whole country there are also the following Gerrard deaths :-

Peter Gerrard

1841 Census

Peter Gerrard, aged 50 (abt.1791), a Carter, is living at the first house in Castle ?Ragg? (after Mill Lane). - two years younger than our Richard born 1789, who would be 52
With him are,
  1. Elizabeth Gerrard 45 (abt.1796)
  2. Thomas Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
  3. John Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
Peter Gerrard, aged 50 (abt.1791), two years younger than our Richard born 1789, who would be 52
With him are,
  1. Elizabeth Gerrard 45 (abt.1796)
  2. Thomas Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
  3. John Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
Peter Gerrard, aged 50 (abt.1791), a cotton Weaver, is living at Chapel Lane, two years younger than our Richard born 1789, who would be 52
With him are,
  1. Betty Gerrard 45 (abt.1796)
  2. Elizabeth Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
  3. Mary Gerrard 14 (abt.1827), a Throstle Piecer.
  4. William Gerrard 12 (abt.1829), a Throstle Piecer.

Richard Gerrard 1792

1841 Census

Richard Gerrard, aged 51 (about 1790), farmer, is living with Margaret Gerrard, 52, Pheobe Gerrard 12 and Elizabeth Gerrard 10.

Richard Gerrard, aged 40 ( rounded - abt.1801) is living at Platt Lane?, Hindley. - too young to be our Richard born 1792, who would be 49?
With him are,

  1. Ellen Gerrard 40 (abt.1801)
  2. Ellen Gerrard 15
  3. Gerrard Gerrard 14
  4. Sarah Gerrard 12
  5. Richard Gerrard 10
  6. James Gerrard 8
  7. Louisa Gerrard 2

William Gerrard 1799

www.familysearch.org [IGI].

William Gerrard, born Hindley about 1759, , wife Betty born about 1763, children :-
unknown
6 May 1785 Ann Gerrard, Hindley, Wigan, Lancashire, England
7 May 1787 Mary Gerrard, Hindley, Wigan, Lancashire, England

If we associate our William Gerrard who married Betty Prescott, with the William Gerrard (born 1759) married to Betty (born 1759), then we have our William's place of birth and approximate date of birth.

1841 Census

William Gerrard, aged 50 (abt.1791), a Farmer, is living at Landside Leigh. With him are,
  1. Mariah Gerrard 45 (abt.1801)
  2. Elizabeth Gerrard 20 (abt.1821)
  3. Mary Gerrard 15 (abt.1826)
  4. William Gerrard 10 (abt.1831)
  5. John Gerrard 8 (abt.1833)
  6. Thomas Gerrard 8 (abt.1838)
  7. James Gerrard 1 (abt.1840)

John Gerrard 1783

1841 Census

John Gerrard, aged 66 (abt.1777), a flour dealer, ?born in Scotland?, is living in Scotland Road, Liverpool. With him 15,
  1. Elizabeth Gerrard 64 (abt.1777)
Note on place names: Hindley, Leigh and Westhoughton are in a triangle, Hindley and Leigh are about 5 miles appart, Hindley and Westhoughton 3.25 miles appart, Leigh and Westhoughton 5 miles. These place would be villages in Lancashire in the 18th and 19th centuries (Wigan was a town, Leigh, Hindley and Westhoughton villages, Leigh only became a town in 1899]. Today Leigh and Wigan are towns within Wigan Metro, Hindley village has become a suburb of Wigan. For civil registration and church parish purposes Hindley was part of Wigan, Westhoughton part of Bolton (Dean parish), and Leigh under Leigh.
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