Thomas was born on 25th November 1820 and baptised on 31st December 1821 at Halifax Parish Church. His parents are Thomas and Sarah. Thomas Snr was an ironmonger.
He probably grew up in Crown Street (his parents were living there in 1841 although he was living in Leeds in a lodging house). He spent his adult life living at Hazelwood in Skircoat with various family members. He does not appear to have ever married or had children, and neither did his older brother Joshua. They had a sister Catherine who was widowed and living with them in 1851.
Photograph of Thomas Perkington held in Calderdale Libraries Portrait photograph collection
Both Joshua and Thomas appear to have been well educated and successful. At age 20 (in 1841) Thomas’s occupation was a land surveyor. From the mid 1850s he appears to be working as an architect and land surveyor, firstly in a partnership - Perkinton and Craven, and later on his own. He is credited as architect for several houses in Halifax, mostly in the area around Gibbet Street/Hopwood Lane. Perkinton and Craven acted as surveyors and provided drawings for several projects around Halifax including the building of temporary shops and division of land for sale on the site of the Northgate Hotel estate.
He was a freemason where he appears to have been well respected. In his book, the 'History of the Lodge of Probity', Herbert Crossley says:
“During the year 1862 Bro. Thomas Perkington, a past master in St James’s Lodge, was elected Worshipful Master. The esteem in which this brother was held by members, cannot be better shewn than by quoting a minute in the records dated 27th November 1878 “Bro. John Fisher, P.M. presented to Bro. Thos. Perkington P.M. his portrait which had been subscribed for by the brethren, as a token of their esteem and their appreciation of the invaluable services he had rendered to this lodge in particular and free masonry in general. In making the presentation Bro. Fisher referred in feeling and most appropriate terms to the respect in which Bro. Perkington was held by all the brethren both of this lodge and of the province” (pg 246/247). A copy of the portrait referenced can also be found in this book.
Lodge of Probity by Herbert Crossley. Published 1888. From Calderdale Libraries collection
Thomas could have inherited a lot of money from his father and brother but does not appear to have accessed the money, instead it was inherited by their younger sister Catherine. Both wills were left unproved by Thomas, resulting in administration being granted to Catherine upon Thomas Jnr’s death in 1882. It amounted to over £19,000 which is the equivalent of about £2million today.
There is some correspondence in the Perkinton family papers held by West Yorkshire Archive Service that talk about Catherine being wronged in some way by their father but it is unclear what happened.
Thomas died in June 1882 at Hazlewood.
Illustration by Christal Tillett
To find out more about Thomas's family see these profiles:
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Researched by Sarah Rose