Nat Gould

William Bennington 1860-1923

William Bennington was born on 8 June 1860 in Milldale in Alstonefield parish, the son of John Murrell Bennington 1828-1901 and his wife née Hannah Austin 1832-1899 of Milldale.

Ann Bennington

On 9 December 1878 he married Ann Gould at Grindon in Staffordshire. She was born on 11 January 1857 at Waterfall in Staffordshire, the daughter of William Smith Gould and his wife née Rachel Smith. Their children were:

Ellen Bennington Gould. She was born on 20 November 1878 at Grove Cottage in Grindon, and was baptised at Grindon on 29 December 1878.

Mary Bennington. She was born at Grindon on 7 November 1882.

Arthur Bennington Born 1897 and died aged only twelve days. He was buried on 14 May 1897 at Alstonefield.

Ann Bennington née Gould separated twice from her husband. In 1881 she was living at Lane End Farm in Warslow and Elkstone parish working as housekeeper to William Edge, a farmer of sixty acres. Later in the 1880s she moved with her parents to Dunge Bottom farm in Alstonefield, where she lived for the rest of her life. She died in 1923, and was buried at Grindon.

William Bennington led a wandering life, finding seasonal work on farms up and down the countryside. Already by the age of 10 he was working and living away from home as a farmer’s boy.

He died at Alstonefield on 22 August 1923.