Thomas Robert Ashman was born to Thomas and Hannah Ashman in about 1839 in Wapping in Middlesex. He was baptised on 25 April 1830 at St George in the East, Cannon Street Road in Tower Hamlets.

I next found him in the 1851 Census at Woolley Hall near Wakefield, Yorkshire where he was aged 21 and working as a groom, one of 17 servants serving Godfrey Wentworth.

Thomas married Elizabeth Price in Southwell, Nottinghamshire in 1855 and they had the following children:

The 1861 Census shows that Thomas, Elizabeth and George were living on Oxford Road in Halifax very close to the Vicar of Halifax. Thomas was 31 years old and working as a Coachman, possibly to the vicar.

By the time of the 1871 Census, Thomas and family had moved to Warley near Sowerby Bridge. Thomas was 40 and still working as a coachman and his son, George, aged 14, was working as a carriage painter.

Thomas’ wife, Elizabeth, died in June 1875 in the Halifax area.

Thomas remarried to Mary Ann Holroyd (nee Green) at Christ Church in Sowerby Bridge on 15 March 1876. Thomas was living at Skircoat and working as a coachman. At some point they moved to Chapel Allerton to live at 4 Club Row as seen in the 1881 Census. Club Row seems to be where the current Coop store is off School Lane. Thomas was now 50 years old and still working as a coachman.

The 1891 Census shows that Thomas was living at 1 Club Row with his son George and his wife and children. Thomas was 60 years old, a domestic coachman and still married but Mary Ann wasn’t at home.

Thomas died in May 1895 and was buried in the churchyard in Chapel Allerton on 29 May 1895.

THOMAS ROBERT ASHMAN
AGED 65 YEARS
ALSO MARY ANN ASHMAN
WIFE OF THE ABOVE AGED 73 YEARS
HER ??? WAS PEACE