Great Great Uncle of W.P.
'Bill' Richardson
John was the third (known) child of James Gilliland and his wife Elizabeth. He
was born in Comber, Co. Down, Ireland in about 1838.
On the 1851 census, John was recorded with his mother and brothers at West
Rainton, Co. Durham. He was 12 and the family had left Ireland for England, the
census says his mother was a widow and I assume his father had died in Ireland
as I can't find an English record of his death. John and his three brothers
James (21), David (14) and Hugh (10) were all working in the pit at West
Rainton.
On the 10th March 1860, John married Margaret Hindmarch at the parish
church in Pittington, Co. Durham. They were both 21 and John's occupation was
listed as Pitman. Neither of them signed the register, but both made their
mark.
Their witnesses were Margaret Fatherley, who was later to marry John's
brother Hugh, Edward Bell and David Gilliland, John's brother. Margaret and
Edward both signed the register and David made his mark.
A year later, on the 1861 census, John and his wife were living in West
Rainton along the row from his mother and brothers. They had a son, James, who
was just three weeks old. John was listed as a 23 year old coal miner.
John and Margaret had a son, Samuel, who was born in 1865. Sadly he died when
he was just ten days old.
In 1867 they had another son, Hugh, sadness again when he died just 2 days
after he was born.
By the time of the 1871 census, John was 33, still living in West Rainton
and working at the pit. He and Margaret now had three children. James was 10,
John was 8 and Anne was 2.
John and Margaret had two more children, Jane was born in 1871 and Margaret
was born in 1875, sadly she died in 1882.
John died in the last quarter of 1878, his death was registered in the
Houghton Registration District and his age at death was given as 42. He was
buried at West Rainton Parish Church on 14th October 1878.
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