Low Sprintgill
Low Sprintgill - The Present
Nathan Burton owns Low Sprintgill.
Low Sprintgill - The Past
before 1717 - WILLIAM FAWCETT
William Fawcett owned Low Sprintgill at the beginning of the 18th century.
He had married Janet Todd in 1698, but she died on 31 August 1717.
Soon after this William sold the farm to his neighbour, Thomas Hunter, and moved to Ash Pot.
1717-1729 - THOMAS HUNTER
Thomas Hunter was at High Sprintgill and his brother was at Bowberhead.
Some time before his death, aged 57, in February 1730, he had also bought Low Sprintgill from his neighbour, William Fawcett.
His sons were all young, so it is not clear who occupied Low Sprintgill.
On his death, he bequeathed the farm to his nine-year-old son.
1729-1789 - WILLIAM HUNTER
William Hunter, who had been born in 1720, was nine when his father died.
In January 1742 he was charged by George Tiniswood of Cautley with the theft of some gimmer hoggs from Baugh Fell.
They had been marked with a "G", and William had added his own mark.
His neighbours James Balif from Murthwaite and John Robinson of Dovengill stood recognizance.
William confessed, but there is no record of his punishment.
He later married, and a son, Thomas, died in infancy and was buried on 12 December 1753.
He remained at Low Sprintgill until his death, on 30 October 1789.
His brother, Robert Hunter, farmed High Sprintgill.
Eleanor, his stepmother presumably moved to Low Sprintgill.
She survived her husband by 46 years.
1824-1837 JOHN HUNTER
John Hunter owned and occupied Low Sprintgill in 1824, and continued to do so until his death in 1837 (what happened between 1790 and 1820 is not yet clear).
He does not seem to have been particularly wealthy: after his death, the appraisers mentioned only his clock, a cupboard, chairs and tables, chests, pots and pans.
He had hay valued at £16 (this was on 25 February), five cows, valued at £8 each, a horse, a pig, wool to the value of £3/4/-, and sheep worth £20/10/- (perhaps 30 or 40 in-lamb ewes).
In 1829, the Land Tax assessment for the farm was £1/14/-, a very large sum - the average was about 9/-.
1837-1864 - MARGARET HUNTER
Margaret Hunter took over the farm.
She was John's daughter, born in 1799.
She was a spinster, and lived at High Sprintgill with Robert Furness, 'servant', who presumably worked the farm, and later also with Joshua Furness 'labourer' and Nancy Thompson, a servant girl.
She died in 1864.
1872 - ROBERT THEXTON
Robert Thexton, William's younger brother, seems to have inherited the freehold, as he appears as freeholder on a voters' list of 1872.
He was born about 1820, and had gone to London in 1855 to work for Thomas Hewetson in his upholstery business at 204 Tottenham Court Road.
(HWITH (Henry William John Thomas Humphrey - was built in 1868 with the profits).
On July 26, 1887, the business was amalgamated as Hewetson, Milner and Thexton Ltd.)
1871-1881 - THOMAS THEXTON
Thomas Thexton was at Low Sprintgill in 1871.
Born in Sedbergh in 1810, he had been farming in Brough, and had come to join relatives farming at High Sprintgill.
1897-1916 - WILLIAM THEXTON
William Thexton, born in 1843, had lived at High Sprintgill with his brother Thomas.
In the 1870's, he had moved to Murthwaite, but at some time after 1881, he and his wife moved down to Low Sprintgill.
He lived on there until his death on 22 May 1916.
His widow, Mary Ann Thexton, survived him, dying in 1919.
This page was last modified on 9 September 2008 by Hector Davie.
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