Early Life
Thomas Walton was born in 1766, and baptised on the 7
th of September that year in
Alston, Cumbria. He was the first son of
John Walton and
Mary Coulthard.
Family Life
Aged 22, Thomas married
Margaret Walton (no doubt a cousin, though I haven't traced the connection) at
St Augustine of Canterbury in
Alston, on the 5
th of April 1788. Over the next 15 years they had at least seven children:
- Maria, born around 1792 and who married Joseph Millican
- Hannah, who married ___ Hilton
- Phoebe, born 1796 and who married the renowned chemist Hugh Lee Pattinson
- Jonathan, born Dec 1798 and who died the next year aged just 11 months
- Ruth, b. 1800 and who married James Dixon
- Thomas, born April 1803 and who died aged 6 months in December that year
- Elizabeth, likely born 1801 or 1802 who died aged 6 some time before 1810
There is also a baptismal record for a Sarah Walton (31 May 1790), whose parents are also named Thomas and Margaret, but who was baptised in Garrigill, rather than in Alston, so I'm not certain that she was a daughter of this couple.
Death
Thomas died on the 2
nd of September 1803 aged just 37. A memorial from
St Augustine's in Alston reads:
In memory of THOMAS
son of JOHN WALTON, Nest,
who died September 2nd 1803 aged 37 years,
Also JONATHAN WALTON
who died November 17th 1799 aged 11 months.
Likewise THOMAS
who died December 4th 1803 aged 11 months both sons of the above Thos WALTON,
and ELIZABETH his daughter
who departed this life the ___ th day of March 18__ aged 6 years.