Descendants of William and Sarah Ducksbury ~1785

Last updated 5-Aug-2008.

Note : All work and photgraphs on this site are Copyright protected © Paul Ducksbury, 2008 (unless otherwise noted), none of which may be reproduced without written permission of the owner.

These pages describe some of the numerous generations of Ducksbury's descended from William Ducksbury (Tombstone Inscription) who was born around 1785 near Penwortham/Preston Lancashire and then married Sarah Atkinson Docker from Kendal and lived in Kendal until his death in 1855. Sarah's family can be traced back to about 1650 in and around Kendal. Some of their descendants remained in Kendal whilst others packed their bags and emigrated to the big cities (Liverpool and Lancaster) whilst others went off to Derbyshire, Leicestershire and even Yorkshire !. Some also went off to little places like America and Australia. The Ducksbury name dates back over 1000 years and appears to be based around the "Ducksbury Triangle" delimited by Liverpool, Blackburn and Kendal, with its original epi-center near Chorely, Lancashire. The main clusters existed around Blackburn, Padiham, Preston and Ribchester with branches then moving outwards. A full Duxbury (including other spellings of the name) family website is available at Peter Duxbury's website.

Other related names of interest :- Cockroft (Kendal), Cookson (Lancashire (Lytham and Crosby area) back to 1660's), Docker/Dacre (Kendal/Crossthwaite), Harrison (Ulverston), Milcrest (Glenriding), Robinson (Kendal & Shap), Unsworth (Kendal), Winder (cumbria - see bottom of page)

Family tree

Ducksbury	Overview tree Updated 25 Apr 08	Fully indexed tree Updated 27 June 08	1901 census listing. Full Ducksbury list.
Cookson	Overview tree Updated 8 Sep 07	Fully indexed tree Updated 22 Sep 07 Thanks to Olive Cookson for help in assembling the older part of this tree which is greatly appreciated.	.
Dacre	Overview tree Updated 16 Apr 08	Fully indexed tree Updated 15 Apr 08	.

Ducksbury History from the 1300's

Some snippets of history about the Duxbury family and disputes dating back to the 13th Century are here and an overview of Ducksbury history for over 1100 years or so can be found here.

Photos of Cumbria

A collection of photos from around Cumbria, click the main photo album and then on the Cumbria sub-directory thumbnail.

The Elephant Inn (Photographs), Stricklandgate, Kendal

The Elephant Inn was run by William Ducksbury from about summer 1885 until November 1889 when it was auctioned after a dispute with the tax man followed by the refusal of magistrates to renew the license. The annual rent was £70 (~£5,700 at 2003 prices - (using Consumer Price Inflation since 1750) ). In December 1889 and August 1891 William Ducksbury received letters (letter 1, letter 2) from an uncle John Cockroft (who had left Kendal to go and work in Snohomish, Washington State) advising him to sell because of the 'dangers' of running a pub. He had already just sold the business and then made a failed attempt to obtain a pub licence in Liverpool, received a court summons and then went to sea as a steward. He sailed from Liverpool to Philadelphia on the 'SS Ohio', Ships discharge papers - page 1, page 2. He then dissappeared until about 1900 before reappearing back in Liverpool calling himself William John. In 1917 he inherited £300 from Henry Cockroft, (presscutting, will.) which was about £13160 in 2003 prices.
John Cockroft from Kendal was killed in a fall from scaffolding and died 2 July 1892 aged 61 he was buried in woodlawn cemetry, Snohomish county, presscutting )

Rent Receipts (November 1885 to June 1889, £35 twice a year)	First & Last 1885 - 1889
Publican's Licenses	1, 2, 3.
Auction Inventory from sale of the Elephant Inn	Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 , Page 4, Page 5.
Solicitors charges 1899,(7 pounds, 12 shillings and sixpence - about $11)	Page 1.

Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling

On Good Friday 1835 there is an account in the Whitehaven Herald of a William Ducksbury (from Carlisle) taking part in a wrestling contest organised for exiled people from Cumbria. This took palce in Manchester where he was working, he survived the first round but the overall contest was won by a Mr T Armstrong.
Extract taken from the Cumbria Family History Society (CFHS) newsletter 14, 1980.

Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry (Photographs) and J.H.Hogg, Photographer

William Ducksbury served in the Cumberland and Westmorland Yeomanry in the 1870 - 1880's, example photographs and story are here. J.H.HOGG was a photographer in Kendal during the 19th century. In the 1851 census he is listed as an apprentice to an artist whilst in the 1861 census he is a photographic artist. Then in the 1885 T. H. Bulmer Directory, he is listed as a photographer working at 71 Stricklandgate in Kendal, (and later listed in the Town & Country directory directory of 1908-9).

Ducksbury's and World War I

A number of Ducksbury's who originally came from from Kendal died in World War I and are listed as

William Ducksbury	Died 15-July-1916	The Somme, Details
John William Ducksbury	Born 1895, Died 12-Oct-1916	The Somme, Details
James Simpson Ducksbury	Died 30-April-1918	The Somme, Details.
Charles Ducksbury	Died 28-Sept-1918	Havrincourt, Details
John Henry Ducksbury	Died 24-Dec-1919	Perth Australia, Details

Others survived such as Lieutenant Orlando Harry Ducksbury and Capt. Gordon Hedley Ducksbury who had by then moved to Lancaster.

William Milcrest (Milcrest Hotel, Glenridding)

Obituary : William died on the 28/02/1935 from a seizure aged 79, at the Manor Park Hotel, Keswick. He and his wife celebrated their golden wedding in 1933 having been married on 17/11/1883 at St Andrews church, Penrith. He was born in Kendal and spent his early life at the County Hotel, Lancaster, with his Uncle Mr (Samuel) Ducksbury. Left Lancaster and moved to Penrith and for nine years was in the service of Mr Edward Parker, Carleton Hill, during which time he married.Then for approximately 9 years he was with the Ratcliffe family of Levens hall, who moved around. Returning to Westmorland, he worked for Mr Marshall of Patterdale hall and in March 1897, he took over the Glenridding hotel (calling it the Milcrest hotel - now the Best Western hotel) and ran it for 30 years, leaving shortly after Kepplecove tarn burst its banks and flooded the hotel. He then bought the Manor House at Keswick and ran it as a hotel. Whilst at Glenridding he was a keen follower of the Ullswater fox hounds and was a committee member of the Sheep dog trials.

William Milcrest was a cousin of William Ducksbury and their correspondance dates from the late 1800's/early 1900's, letter 1, 2, 3.

Nether Bridge, Kendal.

Water colour painting of Nether bridge from approximately the late 1800's by (possibly) George Ducksbury, water colour.

Old Postcards (South America, 1930's, North America, Egypt and Southport).

Old postcards

Ducksbury's in the news(19th century press).

Derby Mercury 28 October 1857, Wellington boots stolen from Johnathan Ducksbury
Daily News 6 September 1860, Jane Ducksbury fractures both legs in train crash
Preston Guardian 3 May 1884, Mr Ducksbury buys a horse in Lancaster
Liverpool Mercury 2 June 1887, William Ducksbury beaten to death in Tranmere (appears as Duxbury in death records, vol 8a p 329 Birkenhead))
Denbigh News 8 June 1887, Could be the fight in Tranmere but its in Welsh !
Manchester Times 25 May 1889, Eliza Ducksbury from Widnes dies in Ireland
Manchester Times 2 September 1898, Josiah Samuel Ducksbury and pubs in Morecambe
Glasgow Herald 22 Dec 1891, Orlando Ducksbury Graduating

Certificates

These are now no longer held online.

Miccellaneous - Letters

Fred Harrison (Ulverston) to an Uncle April 1900, letter. Fred was an accountant in April 1900 and in April 1903 was acting as an auctioneer (he's recorded as the auctioneer for 'The Whytarn Building Estate, Ulverston'). In 1935, F J Harrison & Sons (specialising in urban properties and antique furniture sales) was acquired by the Ulverston Auction Mart which today is now Harrison Corward.

William Cockroft, 1922 regarding the depression, Letter.

Ducksbury Art Studio

A variety of artwork for sale Art Studio

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