Photo supplied by Leigh Robinson – “A Short History of LOCKES FURNISHERS”
The earliest confirmed record of John Lock is his baptism at Essendine, Rutland, on 26 February 1793. The parish register records him as the son of William and Jane Lock, establishing both his parentage and his approximate year of birth.
John next appears in the records on 26 October 1830, when he married Sarah Burton at St John the Evangelist Church, Ryhall, Rutland. Following their marriage, the couple settled in Ryhall, where they raised their family and where John remained for the rest of his life.
The first census to record the family was taken on 6 June 1841. John was living in Ryhall with his wife Sarah and their children William, John, Thomas, Alexander, Sarah and the infant Susan, who was only one month old. John’s age was recorded as 47 and his birthplace simply as Rutland. As was customary in the 1841 census, the ages of adults were rounded down to the nearest five years, making the recorded age an approximation rather than an exact statement of his birth year.
By the time of the 1851 census, John was described as a carpenter and wheelwright, demonstrating that he had established himself as a skilled village craftsman. His surname was recorded as Lacke, one of several spelling variations found throughout the surviving records. Aged 59, he was listed as head of the household, with his wife Sarah and their children John, Sarah Jane, Susan, James, Henry and Mary Ann still living at home. Although the census gives his birthplace as Ryhall rather than Essendine, such discrepancies are not uncommon in nineteenth-century records and do not detract from the overall continuity of the evidence.
John’s standing within the local community is reinforced by Slater’s Directory of Rutland published in 1858, which lists him as a wheelwright in Ryhall. Trade directories of this period generally included established tradesmen and provide valuable confirmation of his occupation between census years.
The 1861 census again records John in Ryhall, this time describing him as a Master Carpenter and Wheelwright, indicating that he was no longer simply practising his trade but was likely employing others or operating his own business. Recorded once more under the surname Lacke, John was aged 68 and remained head of the household. Living with him were his wife Sarah, their youngest children Henry and Mary Ann, and a lodger, Mary Ullett. This is the final census in which John appears.
John died at Ryhall on 3 January 1866, aged 73. His death certificate records his occupation as carpenter and wheelwright, confirming the trade by which he had earned his living for many years. The cause of death was given as “softening of the brain, two years certified,” indicating that he had suffered from a prolonged illness. His wife, Sarah Lock, was present at his death and registered the event, while John Glazier acted as the Deputy Registrar.
His death was registered in the Stamford Registration District during the March Quarter of 1866, the civil registration index recording his age as 73, entirely consistent with his baptism in 1793.
John was buried four days later, on 7 January 1866, in the churchyard of St John the Evangelist, Ryhall. The burial register also records his age as 73 years, providing a final confirmation of his identity.
Taken together, the parish registers, census returns, trade directory, civil registration index, death certificate and burial register provide a well-documented account of John Lock’s life. They portray a respected Rutland tradesman who spent more than thirty years in Ryhall, where he worked as a carpenter and wheelwright, rose to become a master craftsman, raised a large family with his wife Sarah, and remained a familiar figure in the parish until his death in 1866.
Wayne and Sandra's Family History 