Henry and Sarah are my Great-Great-Grandparents.

Only one marriage of a Sarah Pickles or Pighills (or similar sounding name) to Henry Smith can be found in Yorkshire between 1838 and 1870, and that's the marriage between Henry Smith and Sarah Pickles on October 2nd 1848 at Calverley, Bradford.  The marriage was witnessed by Isaac Wood and John Kirk.  This is on the wrong side of Bradford, so may be the wrong marriage, although everything else fits!

Henry Smith (1822-1867)

Henry Smith was born in Bradford about 1822, clearly stated in the 1851 census.  There is a christening record for a Henry Smith, son of William and Jane Smith, born 25 May 1822 in Allerton, and christened a month later in Bingley.  This Henry was the youngest of four children; Ann Elizabeth (c. 5 Jun 1816), Mary (c. 17 Aug 1818), William (c. 6 Sep 1820), and Henry (c. 23 Jun 1822).  William Smith is descried as a Gentleman or Farmer.

Henry Smith had three children:  Traditionally, the first Daughter, Mary, was named after his wife's mother (Mary Pickles), and the other two named after Henry's parents (William and Jane).  A perfect match!

Allerton is about three miles south of Bingley, and about three miles WNW of Bradford, so it may not be surprising that he describes himself as from Bradford.

William Smith, born in Allerton, died aged 38, and was buried on 8 Feb 1822 in Bingley.  His wife Jane (possibly Jane Hudson, but no christening record to confirm) was born in Bingley about 1793.  The remainder of this family from Allerton cannot be found in the 1841 census records.

Henry's father died 3 months before Henry was born, so he and his siblings would have been brought up by his mother, who probably remarried and moved from Allerton after his death in 1822.

Henry didn't marry until he was 26 years old.

According to the only marriage certificate found, of 2-Oct-1848, Henry was a farmer.  Henry's father was William Smith, who was also a farmer.  At the time of the marriage both Henry and Sarah were living in Farsley, presumably where Henry Smith was working.  This is about 6 miles east of Bradford and less than a mile south of Calverley.  This may not be the correct marriage, as Farsley is quite a distance from Bingley.

It's difficult to read on the 1851 census, but this is "Marlow Brow", Bingley where after their marriage, Henry Smith (age 26) and Sarah (age 22) were at living with daughters Mary and Jane.  Henry was working as a labourer (probably agricultural, but not specified).  Marlow Brow is a small group of 3 to 5 houses, on the hill above Marlow/Marley.  Follow the links to see maps of Marlow in 1830, 1852 and 1870.

Also living in Marlow Brow in 1841 where Joseph Smith (b.1770) with son Joseph (b.~1801) and grandson (?) Aaron (b.~1821).  Next door where Samuel (b.~1811) and Mary Smith (b.~1816).  Next door again were Zacheus Smith (b.1809) with John (b.1832) and Rosehannah (b.1835).   All were worsted weavers.  Any of these families may have been related to Henry's family although Smith is a very common name.  Did he move to a family members house in Marlow Brow in 1851?  All of these Smith families were gone by 1851.

Living two doors away in 1851 where Michael and Mary Smith (both born in 1798) with three adult children; Isaac, Thomas and Jane.  Interestingly, Michael was a woodman and farmer of 9 acres, so this could well have been Henry's parental family, particularly as Henry was married to the daughter of Thomas Pickles, another woodman from Marlow.  Michael Smith (a woodcutter) and family were at Marlow Bank in 1841 with 7 children, all with christened records, but there was no Henry!

In 1861 they were shown to be living at Lime Kiln, near Crossflatts, Micklethwaite.  Their two daughters Mary Smith (age 11) and Jane Smith (age 10) were working as Cotton Spinners.  There were several cotton mills near Crossflatts at this time.  They also had a son William Smith (age 7).  In 1861, Henry was 40 and working as an agricultural labourer.

Henry must have died a most horrid death on 20 February 1867, aged just 44, a labourer.  He was recorded as having died at Morton, which is very close to Crossflatts and Micklethwaite.  At the time of his death he was living at Old Lime Kilns, Crossflatts.  The cause of death on the death certificate was "Poisoned by swallowing a quantity of Wilkinson's vermin killer -  died in half an hour after".  The inquest for Henry Smith was held on 22 February 1867 and the death registered the following day.

Sarah Amy Pickles (or Pighills)

Sarah Pickles is the mother of Jane Stocks (nee Smith), my great grandmother.

Sarah Pickles was born in Colne, and christened in the 5th November 1826 in Colne, Lancashire (although the IGI index shows her as Sarah Emma, not Sarah Amy).  Her parents where Mary and Thomas Pickles, a woodman.  She was one of a large family of about 10 or 11.

Mary and Thomas Pickles and family moved from Colne just after Sarah was born, so all her younger brothers and sisters were born in Bingley.  The 1851 and 1861 census returns shows Sarah married to Henry Smith, and was born in Bingley.  This is an easy mistake to make, as she came to Bingley when just a baby.  However, the later census records confirm she was from Colne, Lancashire.

In 1841 Thomas (a wood cutter, age 55), Mary Pickles (age 52) and family, including William Cockshot (age ~20), William Whitehead (age ~15), Sara Amy (age 12), Alice (age 12), Dineley (age 10), and Caroline (age 8) were all living together at Marlow, Bingley.

When she married in 1848, Sarah was 22.  The 1851 census shows Sarah as 25 and in 1861 as 36, all consistent with her being born in 1826.

Sarah's first daughter, Mary, was born in Bingley, in 1850.  They where at Marlow Brow during the 1851 and 1861 census.  The birth certificate for Jane Smith shows she was born in "Marlow near Bingley" on 16-Feb-1851.  Son William was born in 1854, also at Marlow.

After Henry's death in 1867, Sarah who was still in Crossflatts, re-married to a John Foulds, a widow, on 10-Nov-1869 in the Parish Church of Keighley.  Their witnesses were James Flattry and Israel Foulds.  John was a carter and is father, Thompson Foulds, a carrier (postman).  Sarah's father was confirmed as Thomas Pickles, a woodman.

In 1871, after their marriage, Sarah and John Foulds continued to live in Sarah's house in Lime Kiln Lane, Crossflatts.  For the first time in a census return, Sarah recorded her place of birth as Colne, actually as Colne Head, and not Bingley as before.  Jane had already left home, but Mary (21) and William (17) were still there, together with John Foulds's three youngest children.  John Foulds was now a carrier (like his father before him).

By 1881 there was only Sarah Foulds (formerly Sarah Smith) as head of the household and daughter Mary Smith living at Lime Kiln, Crossflatts, Bingley.  She was working as a Char Woman.  John Foulds is missing, but probably not deceased as the record shows Sarah as still married.

In 1891, Sarah is recorded as widow, living alone at 11 Canal Road, Crossflatts and working as a washer woman.  Her sister Caroline Medley and daughter Zilpha were living at 15 Well Street, Crossflatts.

Between 1891 and 1901 Sarah move to 9 Well Street, just 3 doors away from sister Caroline at number 15.  However, during this period Caroline also moved from Well Street to 2 Chapel Street, Crossflatts.

In 1901, Sarah is recorded as widowed and living alone at 9 Well Street, Crossflatts, working as a char woman again.  The census indicated she was now feeble minded (or other disability).  Sarah's younger sister, Caroline Medley (nee Pickles), was also living in Crossflatts at this time with her daughter Zilpha Medley, so they may have been helping Sarah as her dementia was starting to take effect.

When Sarah could no longer care for herself, she must have moved to live with her daughter Jane Stocks in Birkenhead.  This may have occurred in 1901, when she was pictured at John and Sarah Mather's wedding.

Sarah Amy Foulds, widow of John Foulds (a carrier of Tranmere), died aged 80 on 29th June 1907 at the Tranmere Union Infirmary, Birkenhead.  The cause of death was senile decay (certified by G. B. Brown MB).  The death was reported by her daughter Jane Stocks, of 45 Thompson Street, Tranmere.