John Lupton Snr. was born around 1766. On 1st Feb 1790 he married Hannah Oakes at Halifax Parish Church. He was a cooper by trade (someone who made wooden casks, barrels etc).
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In their marriage banns they are both living at Northgate in Halifax. John was not literate; he signed his name with an X.
Hannah Oakes was born in 1768 and was baptised on 6th June that year at Halifax Parish Church. Her father was called David. He was a sheargrinder (somebody who sharpened shears) and he lived in Skircoat.
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John and Hannah had five children - John (b 1791), Thomas (b 1795) Joseph (b 1805), Ann (b 1810) and Benjamin (b 1812 but not baptised until 1818).
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John Lupton Jnr. was also a cooper. He never married and died young aged 26 years. His death notice read:
“On Tuesday last, after a lingering illness, in the prime of life, Mr J Lupton, cooper of Halifax”. He is buried with his parents.
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We are not sure where the other siblings were buried but they all lead interesting lives. Thomas, the second eldest son, born 1795 and baptised at Halifax Parish Church also became a cooper and appeared to take over his father’s business on Northgate.
Illustration by J R Smith showing Lupton Coopers and Milliners on Northgate. Calderdale Libraries
He married Elizabeth Gregory 10th July 1828 at Halifax Parish Church. Elizabeth’s parents and some siblings are also buried at Square Chapel in grave no SCG234.
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Unusually for the time Elizabeth had her own business which she continued to run after she married.
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In 1843 she appears in the local paper three times. An advert for her drapery business tells us she was based at Northgate and boasted of her “return from London with one of the choicest selections of drapery goods, millinery and baby linen”. It also describes a “valuable assortment of evening dresses, in pekins, ducapes, brocades” and a “splendid assortment of French flowers, feathers, stays and English stays”.
Halifax Guardian 28th October 1843
Pekins were striped Chinese fabric, ducapes, heavy corded silk dress fabric, and brocades, a heavy fabric with a raised pattern and gold or silver threads.
Later that year Elizabeth and Thomas Lupton took Pickford & Co to court to recover the value of damaged goods. Pickford’s were responsible for transporting muslins from London to Halifax for sale in Elizabeth’s shop. However they placed a can of naphtha (a liquid made from gas tar) next to the cloth which spilled and ruined the cloth. She was awarded damages as well as the cost of the ruined material.
Finally in November, Elizabeth Lupton appeared in court in defence of her father, William Gregory, who was accused and found guilty of keeping money from his son Robert’s probate instead of paying off his debts.
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Thomas and Elizabeth had three children, Elizabeth, John and William. The family lived at Northgate next door to Elizabeth’s father William who was a stay maker. Thomas died in 1851 and Elizabeth in 1854. Thomas’s death notice describes his death as ‘sudden’.
Thomas and Elizabeth were buried at Sion Congregational Chapel, Wade Street. Most of the burials from this church were moved to Stoney Royd when the bus station was built.
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Joseph Lupton (third son of John and Hannah) was born in 1805. He died in 1813 and was interred at Square Chapel on 29th March. However there is no monumental inscription for him, so he either didn’t have a headstone or it was unreadable/damaged/hidden.
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John and Hannah had a daughter Ann in 1810. We can’t find any further records for her so it’s not clear whether she died or married.
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Their youngest son, Benjamin Lupton, was born or 7th Feb 1812 but not baptised until 5th June 1818 at Halifax Parish Church. He does not appear to have married and lived with Thomas and Elizabeth and their children. He also worked as a journeyman cooper, presumably for his brother.
​He had a rather dramatic death in 1853. The Leeds Mercury reads:
“Sudden Death on the Halifax Race Ground - At the races on Tuesday, during the height of excitement, Mr Benjamin Lupton, cooper, Northgate was seized with a fit, and in a very few minutes expired. The deceased was not at all subject to sudden attacks, and was considered a healthy man”.
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Benjamin, is buried along with his parents at Sion Congregational Chapel, Wade Street.
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Research by Heather Neilson Cox
Photograph of gravestone made for exhibition