Thomas Read was born in Shearsby and christened there on 20 November 1803. He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Read.
Thomas was 28 when he married Charlotte Elliott, in Shearsby, on 31 July 1831. A newspaper report of 1842 referred to him as Thomas Read Jnr. to distinguish him from his father who also worked in the same profession as a fellmonger. Thomas, Jnr. was involved in the dispute with John Clarke, a major Leicestershire landowner, about who had the right to tend the gardens on Bath Lane.
In 1841 he was living in High Street, Shearsby, with wife Charlotte and children Thomas (1834-), Susannah (1838-) and Mary (1840-).
By 1851 the family had moved to School Square in Shearsby. There was, by then, another addition to the family as son William, born in 1847 was also present. Thomas’ occupation was noted as fellmonger.
On 16 January 1858 the business partnership between John and Thomas Read was dissolved. Their enterprise had extended to all their activities as fellmongers, tanners, farmers and graziers (This John Read was not Thomas’ older brother, who had died in Lubenham in 1829, but a more distant cousin and son of Thomas and Elizabeth Read). John lived in Back Lane House in Shearsby and told the 1851 census-taker that he was a fellmonger. He died in 1855 leaving the business responsibilities in Thomas’ hands.
The census-taker of 1861 found the family re-united with visits from married daughters and in-laws Susannah and William Harrison and Mary and Samuel Kilworth. Susannah and William, a blacksmith from Frolesworth had married in December 1859. A grandchild, Susannah’s daughter Mary Read Harrison, born 24 October 1860, was also present, though logged by the census-taker simply as ‘R’.
Thomas died in 1865 and was buried in the village churchyard on 21 November that year.
Image
Illustration of a Fellmonger is from T. J. Watson’s 1857 book, An Illustrated Vocabulary for the use of the Deaf and Dumb, published by the S.P.C.K.
References
Thomas Read, born in Lubenham, 24 December 1804, son of William and Ann. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4M-S6YK : 6 June 2018), Thos Read, 12 Jan 1805; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Baptism, Lubenham, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 65, Citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
Thomas marries Charlotte Elliott, July 1831 in Shearsby. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4H-2NNY : 6 June 2018), Thomas Read and Charlotte Elliot, 31 Jul 1831; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Marriage Banns, Shearsby, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 12, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
1841 census. “England and Wales Census, 1841,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQYK-Y1R : 11 April 2019), Thomas Read and Thomas Read and Charlotte Read and Susanah Read and Mary Read, Knaptoft, Leicestershire, England; from “1841 England, Scotland and Wales census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
1851 Census. “England and Wales Census, 1851,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGFQ-N57 : 1 November 2017), Thomas Read, Knaptoft, Leicestershire, England; citing Knaptoft, Leicestershire, England, p. 14, from “1851 England, Scotland and Wales census,” database and images, findmypast(http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
1861 census. “England and Wales Census, 1861,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M75C-W5K : 19 April 2019), Thomas Read, Shearsby, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom; from “1861 England, Scotland and Wales census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
Burial. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4Q-PQDR : 6 June 2018), Thomas Read, 21 Nov 1865; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Burial, Shearsby, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 42, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
Parents: William Read married Ann Goude, November 1794. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4W-V94R : 6 June 2018), William Read and Anne Goude, 17 Nov 1794; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Marriage, Lubenham, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 84, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
Siblings: John Read, born 29 March 1795; George Read, born 16 December 1796; Thomas Read, born 24 January 1799 and buried 13 October 1800; Anne Read, born 4 December 1800; Elizabeth Reid, christened 24 December 1816 (all in Lubenham).
Birth of Charlotte Elliott. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPW1-XXNN : 6 June 2018), Charlotte Elliott Elliott, 2 May 1813; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Baptism, Shearsby, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 1, Citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
Death of Charlotte Read. “England, Leicestershire Parish Registers, 1533-1991,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP4Q-PQJC : 6 June 2018), Charlotte Read, 28 Jun 1897; records extracted by findmypast, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Burial, Shearsby, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom, page 59, citing the Record Office of Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland, Wigston, UK.
Shearsby History Notes 