SARAH ANN SCOTT, WILLIAM PEEL AND ALEXANDER

Sarah Ann Scott was born in 1831, the eldest daughter of Alexander and Mary Scott. William Peel was born in 1832, one of 10 children born to Samuel and Mary Peel. Both families lived at Gillroyds, Morley, West Yorkshire. This was a row of houses at the side of Wide Lane that housed the mill workers of the Gillroyds Mill so it can be assumed that this was where both families worked and it probably means that this is how Sarah and William met each other.

Sarah Ann Scott and William Peel were married in 1851 and the census return of that year shows them as staying with Sarah's family. At that time William is listed as 'Cloth Fuller' (cloth cleaner). By the time of the 1861 census the family has moved into Valley Mill Cottages. Nothing remains to show where these houses stood although we can see from the census that there were six of them, one of which housed a family of 10, and the name suggests that they were close to the Valley Mill which was owned by Sarah's father Alexander and her brother Thomas.

The move (and marriage) certainly seems to have seen good fortune for William as he is no longer a humble Cloth Fuller but is listed as 'Wool Cloth Manufacturer' and it seems likely that he was working for the family at the Valley Mill. The mid 1800's saw huge fortune for the Valley Mills enterprise with a large workforce and medals awarded worldwide in recognition of the superior production and quality of cloth. William and Sarah's second child Walter Thomas Peel, born in 1855, was educated at Pannal House Boarding School, Pannal.

I cannot find a listing for the family in the 1871 census. This was the year that both Thomas and Alexander died and presumably Valley Mill was sold. This sudden change of events must have had a big impact on the family and in the 1881 census William is listed as a Commission Agent (a salesman paid on a commission only basis) and the family is living at 4 Brookdale Terrace, Holbeck, Leeds and in 1891 they have moved to 88a Beeston Road, Holbeck, Leeds with William still listed as Commission Agent with children William Arthur Peel working as Cloth Merchant and George Henry Peel a Cabinet Maker.

Strangely Sarah and William's first child, Alexander Scott Peel, never appears to have lived with the family. Born in 1852 he lived with his grandparents, Alexander and Mary Scott until Alexander's death in 1871. Between 1871 and the census of 1881 Alexander has left Yorkshire and met and married Fanny Sayer. Fanny was 4 years older than Alexander being born in 1848 in Asholt in Somerset. In 1871 she was working as a servant and parlour maid at Kilve Court, Somerset, a large country house and home of Henry Walters, a retired army officer.

Alexander and Fanny were married in 1878 and their twin sons Edward Sayer Peel and Alexander Scott Peel were born on 1 February 1879. Sadly baby Alexander died on 13 February 1879 aged just 12 days old.

The 1881 census lists the family living at South Bank, Marylebone, London with Alexander working as a Commercial Traveller (clothing). The family's addresses in 1891 and 1901 suggest that Alexander was a very successful man (or maybe he had inherited a fair amount of his grandfather's fortune) as both 32 Aberdeen Road, Islington, London and 39 Sotheby Road, Islington, London are very grand houses. In the 1901 census Alexander is listed as the manager of a wholesale clothiers.

Alexander Scott Peel died on 29 August 1905 at Hugh Town on the Isles of Scilly.