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Yorkshire Chess History |
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William Henry Bedford Tomlinson |
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William Henry Bedford Tomlinson was born 14th December 1831, to Edward and Jane Tomlinson of Pledwick, 3 miles south of the centre of Wakefield, in the parish of Sandal Magna which lies south of the river Calder. The central part of Wakefield lies north of the river.
He was baptised on 12/04/1832, at St.James, Chapelthorpe, in the parish of Sandal Magna, by T. B. Clarkson, perpetual curate. His father was described in the baptism register in the column for fathers’ occupations as “gent”.
The 1851 census found 19-year-old William Henry Bedford Tomlinson in Carleton, Pontefract, visiting his unmarried aunts Harriet Tomlinson and Sarah Smith Tomlinson and their brother Edward Tomlinson and their cousin Elizabeth Petch. Maybe it was somebody’s birthday/
On 16/06/1859, at St. Mary’s, Wakefield, William Henry Bedford Tomlinson, a 27-year-old unmarried solicitor, son of Edward Tomlinson, gent, married spinster Elizabeth Frances Teall, 22-year-old daughter of William Teall, ironfounder, who was, or was to become, a business partner. One of the witnesses appears to have been an E. S. Tomlinson.
The couple had only two children:
At some stage out man had joined the 5th West Riding of Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers (Wakefield). In connection with this, the Edinburgh Gazette of 31/08/1860, page 1084, carried a notice stating “William Henry Bedford Tomlinson, gent, to be Ensign, vice Alder, promoted. Dated 13th August 1860.” (That meant an Ensign called Alder had been promoted, and our man was to replace him. Ensign seem s to have been the entry-level rank.) Later in the London Gazette of 14/06/1861, page 2487, carried a notice stating “Ensign William Henry Bedford Tomlinson to be Lieutenant, vice Alder, promoted. Dated 5th June, 1861.” This appeared also in the Edinburgh Gazette of 18/06/1861, page 2487.
The 1861 census found our man and his wife, along with first-born 6-month-old Edward Teall Tomlinson, living on Ings Road, Wakefield, with the wife’s father, William Teall, a 51-year-old widower who was by occupation a mechanic and iron-founder. The household included three servants. William H. B. Tomlinson was an attorney and solicitor.
White’s Directory of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield &c, 1866, listed: Edward Tomlinson, gentleman, St John’s Terrace [on Bond Street], Wakefield – presumably our man’s father; Miss Harriett Tomlinson, St John’s Terrace, Wakefield – presumably our man’s sister; William Henry Bedford Tomlinson, solicitor, Navigation House, Wakefield. Also, it listed him as a councillor for Kirkgate Ward.
The Edinburgh Gazette of 28th July 1868, page 940, tells us, in connection with the 5th West Riding of Yorkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, that W. H. B. Tomlinson was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain, replacing a certain Kendall who had resigned. (At the same time, fellow chess player Joseph Addey Fawcett became an Ensign.)
In 1870, Wakefield was granted a Commission of the Peace. The first set of justices of the peace to be appointed consisted of Samuel Holdsworth, Edward Alexander Mackie, Joseph Rhodes, William Hartley Lee, William Statter, Joseph Tolson White, Isaac Briggs, Samuel Bruce, Alfred William Stansfield, William Henry Bedford Tomlinson and Richard Holdsworth. Thus our man was one of Wakefield’s very first set of JPs.
On 29/06/1870, William Henry Bedford Tomlinson, JP, of Cliffe Field House, Wakefield, was elected a governor of Wakefield Grammar School, which post he appears to have held at least to 1892. (History of Wakefield Grammar School, MH Peacock, 21st Headmaster; printed, 1892.)
The 1871 census found William Teall, William H. B. Tomlinson, Elizabeth F. Tomlinson 10-year-old Mary B. Tomlinson, with three servants, now living at Navigation Yard, presumably in what was later called Calder House. 11-year-old Edward Teall Tomlinson was perhaps away at school. William Teall was an engineer and iron-founder, employing 20 hands, and an oil and grease manufacturer, employing 200 hands. William H. B. Tomlinson was a solicitor and assisted at his father-in-law’s works.
In 1871, William Henry Bedford Tomlinson, JP, was Mayor of Wakefield.
At some time from 1871 to 1881, William Teall moved to Bridlington.
The 1881 census found 49-year-old William H.B. Tomlinson, 44-year-old wife Elizabeth F. Tomlinson, 20-year-old son Edward T. Tomlinson and two servants living at Calder House (which was on Kirkgate), Wakefield. Our man was described as a magistrate, an iron founder, and millwright, in Partnership with W. Teall (his father-in-law). Whether the partnership with William Teall included iron founding as well as “millwrighting” isn’t clear. Daughter Mary was not listed. 39-year-old Robina Robinson, apparently a cousin, was visiting at the time. The household included two servants.
72-year-old widower William Teall was listed in the 1881 census living in Blenheim Terrace (by inference number 3, as it followed the only other two addresses, which were 1 and 2), Bridlington, with 2 servants. He was still described as an iron-founder.
Kelly's Directory of West Riding of Yorkshire, 1881, listed both our man and William Teall as resident at Calder House. (This suggests William Teall moved to Bridlington in late 1880 or early 1881.) Our man was listed under borough magistrates and under governors of the Wakefield Charities.
William Teall, gent, of Bridlington Quay, as the coastal part of modern Bridlington used to be known, died there on 8th June 1882. His will was proved by Elizabeth Frances Tomlinson (his daughter), William Henry Bedford Tomlinson (son-in-law), gent, and William Whitton, bookkeeper. He left personal effects of £30,647 19s 9d.
1885 was not a good year for William Henry Bedford Tomlinson: firstly, his son Edward Teall Tomlinson died at Bridlington on 19th February 1885, aged 24; secondly, his daughter Mary Bedford Tomlinson died on 9th June 1885, aged 22. They were both interred in the Tomlinson grave at St. Peter’s, Warmfield, wherein their parents where in due course interred.
The London Gazette of 17th July, 1888, shows our man to have been one of the liquidators of Teall, Simpson, and Company Limited, of Navigation-yard, Wakefield.
At some time from 1881 to 1891 the Tomlinsons moved to North Meols, near Ormskirk, inland from Southport. Accordingly, the 1891 census found 59-year-old William H B Tomlinson and 54-year-old Elizabeth F. Tomlinson at 7 Duke Street, North Meols, Southport. The two were at the time being visited by William’s Sheffield-born unmarried cousin 49-year-old Robina Robinson and Leeds-born 57-year-old Emily Robinson who was presumably also a relative.
On 5th June 1897, William Henry Bedford Tomlinson’s wife died at the age of 60. She was interred with her children at Warmfield. William moved back to Wakefield, to Cliffe Field House.
Death
William Henry Bedford Tomlinson died exactly a year after his wife, on 5th June 1898, aged 66, and was in his turn interred at St. Peter’s, Warmfield, on 6th June 1898, in the grave of his wife and children, which was in the in the old burial ground around the church as opposed to the newer burial ground across the road.
The inscription on the gravestones read as follows: In Loving Memory of EDWARD TEALL TOMLINSON, WHO DIED AT BRIDLINGTON, FEB 19TH 1885, AGED 24 YEARS.
AND OF MARY BEDFORD TOMLINSON, WHO DIED JUNE 9TH 1885, AGED 22 YEARS. THE ONLY AND DEARLY LOVED CHILDREN OF WILLIAM HENRY BEDFORD AND ELIZABETH FRANCES TOMLINSON, OF WAKEFIELD.
AND OF THE SAID ELIZABETH FRANCES TOMLINSON, WHO DIED JUNE 5TH 1897, AGED 60 YEARS. ALSO THE ABOVE WILLIAM HENRY BEDFORD TOMLINSON, BORN DECEMBER 14TH 1831 DIED JUNE 5TH 1898.
(Click here for images of the Tomlinson grave.)
Probate was granted on 22/07/198, at Wakefield, to George Victor Ellerton, stock and share broker. His effects where declared as £27,813 11s 7d, resworn in Feb 1899 as £31,023 14s 1d.
Chess
He attended the 1856 Huddersfield Chess Club AGM.
He played for Huddersfield against Leeds in 1856.
He attended the West Yorkshire Chess Association meetings of 1856 to 1863, 1866 & 1867, 1870 to 1874, 1877 and 1879. In 1856 he was described as from Huddersfield, but thereafter from Wakefield.
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Created 22/08/2012 |
Copyright © 2012 Stephen John Mann Census information is copyright of The National Archive, see UK Census Information |
Last Updated 22/08/2012 |