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George (1) Livesey was born in 1815 to parents Richard (1) Livesey and his wife Ellen Walmesley. He was born on December 21st and was christened - with sponsors John Rigby and Helen Poulton - on December 31st of the same year at St. John's Roman Catholic Church in Wigan [St. John's Register of Baptisms 1811-1821]. The register names his parents as "Richard and Helen Livsy".
The 1841 Census finds him living with his parents and siblings in Vauxhall Gardens in the St. George district of Manchester, and occupied as a labourer.
He married Bridget Grimes at Manchester Cathedral on May 28th 1843 [IGI: Batch M097891]. The marriage certificate [Marriage Index: Manchester XX 466, 1843 (June)] spells his surname as "Livesay" and describes him as a bachelor of full age, occupied as a dyer and living at Collyhurst. Bridget is described as a spinster of full age residing at 34, Yorkshire Street in Salford. His father is described as a labourer and hers, Richard Grimes, as a weaver. The witnesses were James White and Mary Ann Smith, whose connections are unknown.
Richard Grimes had died by the time Bridget married. The 1841 Census finds his widow Mary (nee O'Neill) living in Yorkshire Street, where she was occupied as a lodging house keeper, together with Bridget and four sons. She had evidently changed the family's surname to "Graham", apparently preferring this to "Grimes". On March 4th 1844 she remarried (as Mary Grimes) at Manchester Cathedral [IGI: Batch M097891] to a widowed cordwainer (shoemaker) Thomas Atkinson [Marriage Index: Manchester 20 463, 1844 (March)]. The marriage register gives their joint address as 4, Yorkshire Street. Thomas' father is named as a shoemaker William Atkinson and Mary's as Arthur O'Neill. The witnesses were Thomas Moore and Rebecca Mills whose connections are unknown. The 1851 Census finds Mary living with Thomas at 9, Quay Street with three of her sons - still bearing their adopted "Graham" surname - and numerous lodgers. Her birthplace is given as Liverpool and her age as "54".
Bridget's precise date and place of birth are currently unknown. When she married George (1) she was already about six months pregnant with their first child Mary Ann (4). This child, born in September 1843, appears to have died almost immediately afterwards.
George (1) was living at 11, Quay Street in Holy Trinity Parish, Salford in November 1850 when he served as the informant of his father's death.
The 1851 Census finds George (1) with Bridget [but named erroneously in the schedule as "Elizabeth"] and three children living at 11, Quay Street. It describes him as a "fustian dyer" aged "33" with birthplace Manchester, and Bridget as aged "31" with birthplace Salford.
The 1861 Census finds him with his family living at 11, Spaw Street in Holy Trinity Parish, Salford. It describes him as a dyer aged "40" with birthplace Wigan, and Bridget as aged 40 with birthplace Salford.
George (1) was occupied as a coal dealer when his daughter Mary (1) married in 1870.
The 1871 Census finds him with his family living at 22, Wood Street in Salford. He is described as a coal dealer aged "50" with birthplace Wigan. The record gives Bridget's age also as "50", her birthplace as Salford and her occupation as silk winder. Also present was Mary (1) - now married to John Thomas (1) Bedale - and their widowed son George (2).
Wood Street, Quay Street and Spaw Street lay within a small area of Salford in which many members of the family seem to have lived over a period of some decades. It was bounded on its south-eastern side by Worsley Street and on its north-western side by Chapel Street, today's A6. It was situated just a few hundred yards north-east of today's Salford railway station, and some of its streets had railway lines running overhead. The whole area has since been radically redeveloped, sweeping away all the original housing and many of the original street names.
George (1) was described as a brickmaker in September 1871 on the certificate of George (2)'s second marriage.
He was described as a hawker in December 1880 on the certificate of his son John (5)'s marriage.
The 1881 Census finds him at age "60" with his family still living at 22, Wood Street, and now occupied as a carter. Also there was his widowed son Joseph (1) and the latter's three young children together with four lodgers, all members of a Collins family. Bridget's age is given here as 57.
He was described as a carter in June 1881 on the certificate of his son Joseph (1)'s marriage.
He was described as a coal dealer in December 1882 on the certificate of his daughter Mary Ann (1)'s marriage.
He died at 22, Wood Street on January 10th 1885. The death certificate [Death Index: Salford 8d 78, 1885 (March)] spells his surname as "Livsey" and describes him as "formerly a provision dealer" and as aged "72" (but he was actually 70). The cause of death was chronic bronchitis and the informant, present at the death, was Bridget.
The 1891 Census finds Bridget at age "72", now widowed and still living at 22, Wood Street. She was described as a shopkeeper. John Thomas (1) Bedale's family was also there.
Bridget died at 22, Wood Street on January 14th 1897. The death certificate [Death Index: Salford 8d 71, 1897 (March)] describes her as the widow of "George Livesey a coal heaver" and as aged "75". The cause of death was herpes zoster [shingles] and the informant, present at the death, was Mary (1). His recorded occupation was probably intended as "coal dealer" but, for one reason or another, misconveyed.
It is perhaps slightly odd that the last daughter was assigned the principal forename "Mary" given that she had an older living sister already named Mary (1). Maybe their parents considered the age gap large enough to avoid confusions within the family.