The Warrior Family from the West & North Ridings of Yorkshire
Ellen Maria Warrior
Left & Centre ~ a young Ellen Warrior... Right ~ on her marriage to Thomas Alva Hymas 21 September 1940. They married at St Mary's, Wath ~ a beautiful medieval parish church... strangely, and perhaps due to the war, no photo's were taken at the church.
My Nan was a very pragmatic woman with an extremely down to earth attitude. She loved to play cards or board games and many a happy hour was spent playing Canasta or Spite & Malice which Nan usually won because she had that killer instinct that both my Mom and me lacked. One of my Nan's favourite sayings when playing was "Oh well, sh*t or bust!".
Before and after marriage, my Nan worked. In Yorkshire during the war she worked for the Ministry of Food, in the 50s, she worked as a School Dinner Lady in Bishop Monkton and after her move to Birmingham, I only ever remember her doing factory work for Crypto Peeless (later Kenwood) in the Factory Centre off Lifford Lane where she would cycle to on an old black bike.
Not many photo's exist of my nan in her youth, or indeed of her family; the few mementos I do have are reproduced on this site. I don't know why there is a lack of photographic evidence on this side of the family... perhaps my great grandmother Alice Hayton had the pragmatic traits that my nan inherited, or perhaps any formal portraiture just got lost; most likely the expense of photography, formal or otherwise was beyond their means. This, I'll probably never know.
What I do know is that my great grandmother did endure great hardships. I recall the stories that my nan used to tell of her mother going out to the fields at 4.00 a.m. to pick nettles to make a 'nettle tea' that was 'good for the blood', and of her baking vast quantities of bread loaves every morning.
My great grandmother Alice Warrior (nee Hayton) was widowed in 1929... her husband, my nan's father Thomas Warrior worked on 'the railway's'. He was apparently deaf and was hit by a train and killed on 2 January 1929 whilst working on the tracks. At the time they occupied a tied Railway Cottage in Melmerby which they were subsequently evicted from... they then moved into one of the new council houses in Melmerby.
Above left to right ~ Thomas Warrior, Alice Warrior nee Hayton (cropped version) and the Grave of Thomas's parents ~ George Warrior and Jane Warrior (nee Pratt) who are buried in the Churchyard of St Mary in Wath.
It was believed that no photo's existed of my Great Grandfather Thomas; my Nan Ellen certainly never possessed one and my Mom had never seen a photo of her maternal Grandfather so she hadn't a clue what he looked like, then on a visit to my Nan's only remaining sibling in July, she announced that she had something for me! Lo and behold, it was a photo of her father - the only surviving photo of him that we are aware of. I can't describe the elation I felt, not only upon seeing it, but on her gift to me. We were similarly surprised a year previously when my Aunt dug out the photo of her mother Alice. My Mom remembers Alice but I had never seen a photo as my Nan did not possess one of her mother either. This photo of Alice is a cropped version of the larger one of her with fellow potato pickers.
The Warrior Brothers
My nan had three brothers - George, Cyril and John (Jack).
My mom remembers George as being a lovely, happy, friendly, man and a great uncle. He was in the Home Guard in WW2 and a photo of him can be viewed in the Warrior Photo's Album.
Cyril (Sid) was also highly thought of; his funeral was related in a local paper in 1977 -
"The death of Mr Cyril (Sid) Warrior at the age of 67 has removed a popular personality from the village of Dishforth where he had lived for nearly 40 years. Born at Melmerby near Ripon, his schooldays were spent at Wath and on leaving school, went into what was then known as farm service. His first job was on a farm at South Kilvington near Thirsk. He then moved to Southfield Farm, Dishforth where he was employed by the late Mr Fred Cawthorne. For a time, he lived at Sharrow where he started married life and worked on Ripon Camp. He also had a spell on RAF Dishforth during its construction years but then went back to farm work at Carthorpe. In 1942, he came back to Dishforth into the employment of the late Mr Richard Dearlove, at The Gables, and stayed there for the rest of his working life, later with Mr John Dearlove. The esteem in which he was held was shown by the large number attending the funeral in Christ Church, Dishforth. A collection for Cancer Research amounted to nearly £50. The funeral sevice was conducted by the vicar, the Rev. B.O. Allen and Mrs G Snow played the organ".
Family Mourners of Cyril were - Mrs E Warrior, widow: Mr & Mrs R Warrior, son and daughter-in-law (Ainderby Quernhow); Mr & Mrs F Jackson, daughter and son-in-law (Dishforth); Mr & Mrs J Warrior, brother and sister-in-law (Melmerby); Miss D Warrior, sister (Settle); Mrs L Warrior, sister-in-law (Whixley); Mr C Lord, brother-in-law, and Mr H Lord, nephew (Settle); Mr & Mrs J Ainsley, brother-in-law & sister-in-law (Kirby Malzeard), Mr R M Ayton(sic?), uncle (Nosterfield). The general mourners numbered some 96 plus friends and colleagues present. My Nan never went to Cyril's funeral; I imagine one of the reasons was that my Grandad was taken very ill at the start of 1977 and so all of her spare time was spent going to and fro the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. After my Grandad died in the May, my Nan was not herself for quite some time... She was hard on the outside but very soft on the inside and the death of my Grandad affected her greatlly.
Perhaps the old adage 'best not speak ill of the dead' could be advised here.... but...
My nan's other brother Jack, was er... someone we didn't speak of. Family lore has it that when my great gran Alice Warrior (Hayton) died, her will stated that the house (which was, when all's said and done - a council house), could be taken over by the first among her remaining single offspring to be wed. Everybody in the family assumed that this would be George who had been courting for a long time and was engaged, however soon after her death, her elder (and very much single) son Jack had gone off, joined a dating agency and reappeared with a bride, evicting his siblings from the house. My nan never forgave this, and never spoke to Jack again... we know how to hold a grudge in our family!
Generation No. 1 ~ Paternal
1. Ellen Maria Warrior was born 4 OCT 1919 in Melmerby Yorks, England. Ellen died 29 APR 1986 in Birmingham. She was 66.
On 21 Sept 1940 when Ellen was 20, she married Thomas Alva Hymas
Generation No. 2 Paternal
2. Thomas WARRIOR. Born in 1868 in North Stainley Yorks, England. Thomas died on 2 January 1929 in Melmerby; he was 61.
In 1907, when Thomas was 39, he married Alice HAYTON.
They had the following children ...
i. Mabel HAYTON (b.1906)
ii. John WARRIOR (b.1907)
iii. Cyril WARRIOR (b.1910)
iv. Phyllis WARRIOR (b.1913)
v. Henrietta WARRIOR (b.1916)
1 vi. Ellen Maria WARRIOR (1919 - 1986)
vii. George Frederick WARRIOR (b.1922)
viii. Dorothy WARRIOR (b.1925)
3. Alice HAYTON. Born on Sep 21 1882 in Wath Yorks, England. Alice died in Melmerby.
Generation No. 3 ~ Paternal
4. George WARRIOR. Born in 1832 in Nth Stainley/ West Tanfield, Yorkshire,. George died on 23 August 1909 in Reg. Ripon; he was 77 and is buried in the churchyard of St Mary in Wath.
On Apr 13 1865, when George was 33, he married Jane PRATT.
They had the following children ...
i. John WARRIOR, b.1867 (b.1867)
2 ii. Thomas WARRIOR (1868 - 1929)
iii. William WARRIOR (1870- 1943)
iv. Emma WARRIOR (b.1872)
v. George WARRIOR (b.1874)
vi. Herbert WARRIOR (b.1879)
5. Jane PRATT. Born in 1835 in Hampsthwaite Yorks and died on 17 January 1912; she is buried in the churchyard of St Mary in Wath.
Generation No. 4 ~ Paternal
8. Thomas WARRIOR, b.1801. Born in 1801 in West Tanfield, Yorkshire. Thomas died on Jul 06 1874 in North Stainley, Ripon; he was 73.
In 1825, when Thomas was 24, he married Elizabeth UMPLEBY.
They had the following children ...
i. Richard WARRIOR (1825 - 1889)
ii. Ann WARRIOR (b.1828)
iii. John WARRIOR (1829 - 1864)
iv. William WARRIOR (1830 - 1897)
4 v. George WARRIOR (1832 - 1909)
vi. Mary WARRIOR (b.1836)
vii. Bessy WARRIOR (b.1837)
viii. Jane WARRIOR (b.1840)
ix. Margaret WARRIOR (b.1841)
x. Sarah WARRIOR (b.1844)
xi. Thomas WARRIOR, b.1845 (b.1845)
xii. Maria WARRIOR (b.1847)
xiii. Thomas WARRIOR (b.1849)
9. Elizabeth UMPLEBY. Born in 1805 in Nosterfield / Stainley. Elizabeth died on Jul 21 1882 in Red Row, Nth Stainley, Ripon; she was 77.
10. John PRATT. Born on Jan 14 1792 in Melmerby, Yorks, England. John died in 1871 (reg. at Ripon); he was 78.
On Jan 23 1816, when John was 24, he married Mary GILL.
They had the following children ...
i. William PRATT (b.1817)
ii. John PRATT, b.1818 (b.1818)
iii. Thomas PRATT (b.1819)
iv. Mary PRATT (b.1823)
v. Sarah PRATT (b.1831)
vi. Robert PRATT (b.1832)
5 vii. Jane PRATT (b.1835)
11. Mary GILL. Born in 1794 in Hampsthwaite, Yorkshire, England. Mary died in 1884 (reg. at Ripon); she was 90.
Generation No. 5 ~ Paternal
16. Unknown UNKNOWN, 7. Born in Yorkshire, England.Unknown is not believed to have married Mary? WARRIOR.
They had one known child ...
8 i. Thomas WARRIOR (1801 - 1874)
17. Mary? WARRIOR. Born in West Tanfield, Yorkshire, England.
18. Thomas UMPLEBY. Born in 1767 in West Tanfield, Yorks.
On Jun 26 1787, when Thomas was 20, he married Margaret NICHOLSON.
They had the following children ...
9 i. Elizabeth UMPLEBY (1805 - 1882)
19. Margaret NICHOLSON. Born in 1763 in Well, Yorks.
20. William PRATT, b.1769. Born in 1769 in Yorkshire, England. His death was registered in Ripon, Qtr December 1843
William married Jemima BARKER.
They had the following children ...
10 i. John PRATT (1792 - 1871)
ii. Ann PRATT (b.1794)
iii. William PRATT, b.1796 (1796 - 1805)
iv. William PRATT, b.1806 (b.1806)
21. Jemima BARKER. Born in 1772 in Hampsthwaite, Yorkshire, England. Her death was registered in Ripon, Qtr September 1843
Generation No. 6 ~ Paternal
36. William UMPLEBY. Born in 1745 in West Tanfield, Yorks.William married Mary UNKNOWN.
They had one known child ...
18 i. Thomas UMPLEBY (b.1767)
37. Mary UNKNOWN. Born in 1745 in Yorks.
38. Richard NICHOLSON. Born in 1735 in Well, Yorks.
On Nov 10 1760, when Richard was 25, he married Margaret HAWKSWELL.
They had one known child ...
19 i. Margaret NICHOLSON (b.1763)
39. Margaret HAWKSWELL. Born in 1738 in Well, Yorks.
40. John PRATT, b.1740. Born in 1740 in Yorkshire, England.
John married Ann COULTMAN.
They had the following children ...
i. Henry PRATT b.1760
ii. John PRATT, b.1765
20 iii. William PRATT, 1769-1843
iv. John PRATT, b.1770
41. Ann COULTMAN. Born in 1740 in Yorkshire, England.
42. James BARKER. Born in 1744 in Yorkshire, England.
In 1767, when James was 23, he married Hannah DONSLAND?, b.1750.
They had one known child ...
21 i. Jemima BARKER, 1772-1843
43. Hannah DONSLAND?, b.1750. Born in 1746 in Levencliffe, Yorks.
Generation No. 7 ~ Paternal
78. Christopher HAWKSWELL. Born in 1705 in Well, Yorks.
Christopher married Frances SMITH.
They had one known child ...
39 i. Margaret HAWKSWELL (b.1738)
79. Frances SMITH. Born in 1705 in Yorks.
80. unknown (FATHER).
unknown (FATHER) married unknown(MOTHER).
They had the following known children ...
i. Thomas PRATT, b.1735 (b.1735)
40 ii. John PRATT, b.1740 (b.1740)
81. unknown (MOTHER).
84. John BARKER. Born in 1714 in Yorkshire, England.
John married Ann MESSENGER.
They had the following children ...
i. Thomas BARKER (1740 - 1749)
42 ii. James BARKER (b.1744)
iii. John BARKER, b.1749 (1749 - 1749)
85. Ann MESSENGER. Born in 1716 in Hampsthwaith, Yorkshire, England. Ann died in 1767; she was 51.