Hannah Lawton (c1810-1881)
Hannah Lawton was born c1810. It is most likely that she was the daughter of Charles Lawton, a collier, and Salome Colley who were married on 2 November 1880 at St Peter Ad Vincula in Stoke on Trent. They lived in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area, mostly in Wolstanton parish which included the townships of Tunstall, Newchapel, Rainscliff (also known as Ranscliff or Ravenscliff), and Oldcott.
Charles and Salome Lawton were the parents of at least seven children, the eldest two were baptised at St John the Baptist at Keele – Joseph born on 25 February 1802 and Mary born on 13 December 1803 – and the others were baptised at St James’s Newchapel – Theresa Anne on 22 May 1808, Hannah on 28 January 1810, Dinah on 27 February 1814, Enoch on 16 November 1815, and Louisa on 12 March 1820. (In the baptism records, the spelling of Salome varies appearing as Selome and Silome.)
On 9 November 1824, Charles Lawton aged 50 of Oldcot, son of Samuel and Mary Lawton, was buried at Newchapel.
On 14 February 1825, Loma Lawton, a widow, married Peter Chadwick, a collier and widower, at Wolstanton – they were living at Spout House in Ranscliff in 1841. (The record of the banns of marriage noted her name as “Lomey Laughton”.
Hannah was living at Ranscliff when her son Charles Lawton was baptised at Wolstanton at Tunstall in 1839 – his baptism record listed the father as unknown.
On 7 November 1843 Hannah Lawton, aged 34, married Thomas Cotton, aged 47 and a collier. They were both living at Talke o’th’ Hill. The marriage certificate stated that Hannah’s father was Charles Lawton, a collier.
Following Thomas’s death in early 1846, Hannah married again – to William Cotton, also a collier, who was aged 24 and originally from Manchester. They had a son, John, who was born in 1848 and baptised at St Martin’s Talke on 6 August 1848 – William’s occupation was labourer.
In 1851, Hannah and William were living at The Hollins at Butt Lane near Talke, with Charles listed as William’s stepson and also with their son John, aged 2. William was working as a forge man. They also had a lodger who was a mine worker.
In 1861, Hannah and William were living with their son, John, who was working as an assistant, at Cuckoo Lane in Talke
In 1871, Hannah’s family was living at Newtown in Talke, and William is described as a labourer. Their son John, a miner and married, lived next door. In 1881, they were living in Congleton Road in Talke, William was working as a labourer; their 4-year-old grandson, Herbert, was staying with them.
Hannah died (of abdominal cancer) aged 70 on 29 May 1881 at The Hollins and was buried on 1 June at St Martin’s in Talke. The informant was William Cotton, who was present at the death (the certificate has his mark rather than signature).
St Martin’s Church, Talke built originally as a chapel of ease. The current brick church dates from 1749, further work was carried in 1794. Enlarged in 1833, when the tower was rebuilt (later replaced with the current turret) and a stone chapel was added. The parish (comprising Talke and Butt Lane) was constituted in September 1859.
View looking south towards Bignall Hill (that colliery is just visible at the foot of the Hill on the left). The obelisk monument on the hill, erected in 1850 in memory of colliery owner John Wedgwood, was damaged in 1976 and reduced to a quarter of its size.