WEEK 42

Henry Loukes

According to Henry’s marriage certificate, his father was a Farmer called John Loukes. However, this cannot be so.

John Loukes died on Sunday 6th December 1818 and was buried at All Saint’s Church, Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield on Tuesday 8th December 1818.

According to Census Returns and his marriage certificate, Henry was born circa 1824.

There is no mention of Henry in the Will of John Loukes:-

‘…..educating and bringing up my two sons, John Loukes and William Loukes during their respective minorities….’

Henry’s mother, Katherine Loukes (nee Crooks) possibly named John as his father due to conditions stipulated in the Will of John Loukes:-

‘…….respectively upon and in upon first to permit my wife to have the use of beds, six chairs, two tables and such other rents of my furniture at friends and my trustees may think necessary to furnish a small house during her (Katherine) natural life if she shall so long continue my widow and unmarried but not otherwise…’

So, clearly, should Katherine no longer remain John’s widow, she would have something to lose.

On the 1841 Census, Katherine appears to be married to William Allen. By 1881, Katherine is widowed but has retained the surname, Allen. Perhaps William Allen is the father of Henry. If this was the case and had Henry not been an illegitimate child, Henry Loukes would have been called Henry Allen. Subsequent descendants who held/hold the surname, Loukes, would have/would be, called Allen. The only person who would have known for sure the name of Henry’s father was would have been his mother, Katherine, who died in 1884/1885.

This is a revised version of a post which was originally published on my WordPress Blog on 12/12/2008 and republished on Mollekin Portalite on 21/04/2011.