Anne Bramley (1841-1916), her family and ancestors

Anne was born on 9 May 1841 at Highfield House, Addington, Yorkshire. Her father, Henry Alcock Bramley was a property owner and owned at least one and probably more cotton mills in Colne.

On 6 September 1866, she married the Rev James Stewart Gammell at St Paul’s Church, Alverthorpe.   They seem to have met through James’ close friendship with Anne’s only brother, the Rev Henry Ramsden 

Bramley, but the fact that she was living in Alverthorpe, Wakefield, only 3 miles from his church at Outwood must also have had something to do with it. 

On his engagement to Anne, James wrote an undated and obviously excited tongue-in-cheek letter to his friend to tell him the good news.

My dear Bramley,

I saw your mother today and after relieving herself with a lecture on my ungracious way of proceeding, she gave in and consented that Annie shall marry me as she has the bad taste to be willing so to do.  So I hope that may be considered as settled.  The when and how and so forth are matters for future consideration.  In regard to money matters I would wish so far as lies in my powers to be guided by what you think right.

Your mother thinks she is too good for me or for anybody except some model sort of man who ought to be made to order, a proposition which I am not going to dispute.

She comes home tomorrow and as I understand she is going to Cheltenham forthwith, I shall not be able to waste much time in courting, this week at least. 

Your mother does not pretend to be gratified but she is resigned, and I am trying to look at myself as the least of a selection of evils, a novel but perhaps beneficial exercise.”

After their marriage, Anne moved from her home in Alverthorpe to Outwood, where James was the Rector and this was where their four children were born. 

After her husband’s retirement as the rector of Outwood in 1880, the family moved to Clifton in Bristol and then, in 1883, when he inherited the family estates, to Scotland.

Anne’s husband James, died on 2 November 1899 and following this, Anne decided to leave Scotland, and take up residence with her brother Henry Ramsden Bramley, who was Canon and Precentor of Lincoln Cathedral between 1895-1905. Initially they lived at Arncliffe in Yorkshire, but then moved to Nettleham Hall, just outside Lincoln.

Anne died at Nettleham on 26 July 1916.

Anne and James had four children as follows:

Henry Alcock Bramley (1790-1860) – Anne Bramley’s father

Henry Alcock Bramley was born on 14 January 1790 and baptised on 25 February 1790 at St John’s Church, Leeds, Yorkshire.  

In 1808 he was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge.

On 20 April 1826, he married Elizabeth Cooper.

Henry was a landowner with property in Leeds, Yorkshire, Colne, Lancashire and Addingham, Yorkshire, where he lived. With his brother, Thomas, he bought Skyreholme Mill in 1826 and built another in 1831. These mills stopped spinning cotton in about 1850.  He also owned or leased the Walk cotton mill in Colne.  In 1852 he sold the mill’s equipment, which included 157 steam looms and 12,000 mule and throstle spindles, and a steam engine of 14 horsepower. 

In the 1830s and 40s he served as a JP.

Though he retained the house at Addingham, in the 1951 census he was living in Ilkley and after that, the family is recorded as living at The Haugh, Silcoates, Wakefield, Yorkshire, where Henry died on 19 December 1860.

Elizabeth Cooper (1805-1870) – Anne Bramley’s mother

Elizabeth Cooper was born in Skipton, Yorkshire on 3 August 1805 and baptised on 20 October 1805. She was the daughter of Joseph Cooper of Skipton, a druggist (someone who made and sold medicines) and Sarah (née Lonsdale).

On 20 April 1826, she married Henry Alcock Bramley in Holy Trinity Church, Skipton.

After Henry’s death, the family remained at The Haugh, Alverthorpe, Wakefield, and Elizabeth died there on 20 July 1870.

Both Henry and Elizabeth were buried at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Outwood, where two stained glass windows were given to the church by their children in their parents’ memory.

Elizabeth and Henry had 4 children:

Richard Ramsden Bramley (1750-1809) – Anne Bramley’s Paternal Grandfather

Richard Ramsden Bramley was born in Leeds on 24 October 1750. He was the eldest of the 11 children of Christopher Bramley and Ann Ramsden (Bramley).

He married Elizabeth Alcock at Holy Trinity Church, Skipton, Yorkshire, on 10 May 1787.

Elizabeth died aged 33 on 8 October 1798 and he married Barbara Wigglesworth (1760-1811) at St Andrew’s Church, Slaidburn, Yorkshire on 10 May 1800.

Richard Ramsden Bramley lived at Grove House, Leeds and was a prominent citizen with substantial business interests in the city. He became an Alderman and was Mayor of Leeds in 1792 and again in 1806/7.  He was a keen road builder and in 1805 was the author of a book ‘The Road Makers Guide’.  Reportedly whilst in office, he paved Briggate, the main street in Leeds and laid out several roads around Leeds. He was one of those who had access to the revenues from Kettlewell Church in 1795.

Unfortunately, the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic War as well as modernisation had caused many problems for the cotton business.

In 1806 the Berlin Decrees and the Orders in Council resulted in Britain’s exports being entirely recast. It was, however, impossible to switch at once to a completely transatlantic trade and a very severe recession occurred. In Leeds and three small merchant houses collapsed in the autumn of 1807, providing a prelude to the failure of more important firms in the following years. In May 1808 Thomas Storey, ‘one of the many who have severely suffered by the Continental disturbances’, died in Amsterdam harassed by debt. Five months later reports ran like fire amongst the clothiers that R. R. Bramley and William Cookson, two of the largest merchants in the town and both former mayors, had failed.

Richard died 6 January 1809. There is a brass plaque to his memory in St John the Evangelist Church, Leeds. A family memoir suggest that his death may have been suicide, but if not, certainly brought on by the collapse of his businesses.

Elizabeth Alcock (1765-1798) – Anne Bramley’s Paternal Grandmother

Elizabeth was baptised on 8 April 1765 in Skipton, Yorkshire so was likely born in March or early April 1765.

On 10 May 1787 she married Richard Ramsden Bramley at Holy Trinity Church. Skipton. 

She died on 8 October 1798, aged only 33, only a month after she had given birth to her youngest son, Charles, so likely from the after-effects of childbirth? There is a brass plaque to her memory in St John the Evangelist Church, Leeds.

Richard and Elizabeth had four sons and a daughter.

Richard and Elizabeth had four sons and a daughter.

Joseph Cooper (1781-1837) – Anne Bramley’s Maternal Grandfather

He was born in about 1781 and on 2 June 1803 married Sarah Lonsdale at Skipton. 

He was a druggist (someone who made and sold medicines) in Skipton as well as an agent for the Phoenix fire insurance company. 

He died on 4 February 1837.

Sarah Lonsdale (1781-1856) – Anne Bramley’s Maternal Grandmother

Sarah was baptised at Skipton Church, Yorkshire, on 5 August 1781, so she was likely born in 1781.

On 2 June 1803 she married Joseph Cooper at Skipton.

Sarah died on 6 October 1856 at Embsay near Skipton, Yorkshire.

Joseph and Sarah had 9 children:

Christopher Bramley (about 1726-1802) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandfather

We are not sure who Christopher Bramley’s father was, nor when he was born.  According to information passed down from Christopher’s Great-Grandson, the Rev William Bramley (1833-1897), Christopher’s father was William Bramley born in 1693 and that Christopher was born at Melmerby, near Ripon.

We know that Christopher was 76 when he died in 1802 and therefore he must have been born in about 1726.  Research on Ancestry suggest either Thomas or John as possible fathers.  Thomas had a son, Christopher, who was baptised at Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire on 8 April 1727 and John also had a son Christopher baptised, also at Kirkby Malzeard, but on 4 June 1726! But there appear to be no records for a Christopher Bramley whose father was William, but it may be that the records have been lost.  So, we must conclude we cannot be sure who Christopher’s father was, nor where he grew up.

What we do know is that he went to Leeds and started in business and was very successful at it.

On 15 November 1749 he married Ann Ramsden at St Peter’s Church, Leeds.

For 40 years, up to 1788 when he sold his business, he ran a dry salting (chemicals such as dyes for the cloth industry) and oil business at the top of the marketplace in Leeds.  It appears that he also had properties elsewhere in Leeds and Bramleys Yard (off the Headrow) may well be so named because of his ownership of that area.  He was obviously very successful and built Carlton House (now no longer existing) and it was there that he died on 3 October 1802.  He was buried at St Peter’s, Leeds on 6 October 1802.

Ann Ramsden (about 1723-1797) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandmother

Ann was born in about 1723. The Rev William Bramley’s recollections say that she was the daughter of Sir Robert Ramsden, but since details of her birth are unknown this cannot be certain. 

On 15 November 1749 she married Christopher Bramley at St Peter’s Church, Leeds.

Ann died on 11 August 1797 at Carlton House, Leeds.

Christopher and Ann had 11 children.

Henry Alcock (1721-1769) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandfather

Henry was baptised on 30 March 1721 in Linton-on-Craven. 

He became a lawyer in Skipton and on 5 June 1764 he married Rosamond Swire in Skipton Church. 

He died on 8 December 1769 because of an infection caused by a cut from a stone.

Rosamond Swire (1733-1815) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandmother

Rosamond was baptised on 15 March 1733 in Kildwick in Craven.  Her father, Samuel Swire was described as “from Conondley” and a “Gent”. 

When she married Henry Alcock on 5 June 1764 she was described as “a most agreeable and accomplished young lady, with a Fortune of £5000”.

Rosamond died in Skipton on 20 May 1815.

Henry and Rosamond only had one child, Elizabeth.

William Cooper (unknown) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandfather

We know nothing about William Cooper beyond the fact that he came from Doncaster. 

Thomas Lonsdale (1751-unknown). Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandfather

On 6 August 1780 Thomas, who was described as a linen draper of Leeds, married Mary Chamberlain at Skipton Parish Church. This is probably the same Thomas Lonsdale that was baptised in Skipton on 25 May 1751, though we cannot be sure of this since he was described on his marriage as being from Leeds.  In fact, from contemporary newspaper advertisements, he seems to have conducted his drapery business in both Leeds and Skipton, winding up the former in 1785 and his Skipton shop in 1790. Assuming it was him who was baptised in Skipton in 1751, then his father was William, a Yeoman, so probably a farmer, and his mother was Sarah (Dixon).

We don’t know when he died, but it seems to have been before 1804, when the register record of his grandson’s christening describes him as “late”.

Mary Chamberlain (1754-1843) Anne Bramley’s Great-Grandmother

Mary was born in 1754 and baptised at Skipton Parish Church on 22 May 1754. Her father, Abraham, was an Ironmonger, and her mother was Mary (Currer).

She died in Skipton on 5 March 1843.