Daniel Davenport (1801- 1845) & Rachel Davenport (1811-1883)   Farmers of Lower Withington.

Daniel Davenport was born in Marton in 1801, just as his father James Davenport was settling his family in Marton. In April 1830, at age 29, he married Rachel Davenport at Astbury Church, she being10 years his younger. Her family had lived at Somerford Booths since at least 1758 - since 1800 at Shanwick farm, however they were not close relations of our Davenport family. In May 1830, Daniel's younger brother Charles married Rachel's sister Judith.

The period 1828 to 1833 was turbulent in the life of Daniel and Rachel - his father died in 1833, her mother died in 1828, her father in 1833, and her grandfather in 1830. At the death of her father in 1833, Rachel was aged 22 and her sister Judith was aged 23, and they had six younger siblings aged 9 to 21. Her father Richard had left a will, leaving his brother Jonathon Davenport and his eldest son William as Trustees with the farm to be held in trust for the benefit of the children. Daniel and Rachel were at living nearby her family at Somerford Booth in this period with the birth of their first two children (1830 and 1832). However by 1833, and prior to the death of both of their fathers, they had moved to Eaton where their third child was born in 1834. In Daniel's father's will (1834) Daniel is recorded as living at Eaton. By 1836, Daniel and Rachel had settled their family in Lower Withington for the birth of their last four children. In the 1841 census they were recorded as farmers.

Daniel and Rachel had seven children, Elizabeth (1830), Hannah (1832- 99), Richard (1834- 1901), Ann (1837), Edna (1839-1915), Charles (1841-96) and Harriet (1844). However, when the youngest child was aged 10 months, Daniel aged 44 died  (June 1845) and was buried at Marton. After four years - in 1849- Rachel aged 38, remarried a widower - William Norbury, a tailor and farmer from the neighboring village of Blackden. In the 1851 census, William had two children from his first marriage living at home and Rachel had her three youngest children from her marriage with Daniel - Edna, Charles, and Harriet. The 1851 census shows that Rachels' daughters Elizabeth (22) and Ann (14) were together as house servants on a farm in Gawsworth, Hannah was a house servant in Goostrey.  There was one child from Rachel's second marriage -Eliza Norbury born in 1852. In the 1861 census, William and Rachel were living on a farm of 16 acres in Blackden where they lived for the remainder of their life - Blackden Barn - Edna and Harriet were still living with their mother in the 1861 census. Rachel died in 1883 aged 72, and was buried at Marton alongside her husband Daniel Davenport. Four of the children remained in the area - Hannah and Richard married and Edna and Charles remained single, whilst Harriet and Elizabeth each married and moved to Congleton. According to our research there are no male issue surviving from Daniel and Rachel Davenport.

The eldest daughter, Elizabeth Davenport (1830-1900) married David Hall in 1853 and raised nine children in Congleton where she and her husband ran a grocer shop. Elizabeth's first child William Hall was born at Blackden, presumably where Rachel could assist.

Hannah Davenport (1832- 1899) lived her life in Lower Withington - marrying  Thomas Davies (1832 - 1900) an Agricultural laborer - at Swettenham in 1851. They raised a family of seven children in Lower Withington. In the 1881 census they were living at the "School House" Lower Withington with their three youngest children -Sarah Ellen, Alice and Arthur. Hannah and her husband were buried at the Chapel, Lower Withington. Their eldest son William married Mary Robinson (sister of Harry Robinson below) and raised a family in Kermincham. Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth Davies (1859 -1925) married John Gregory (1856 - 1941) a farmer from Hurdsfield, Macclesfield in 1878 at Prestbury. They lived at Long House farm in Kermincham raising a family of nine children all of whom married. Their great grandchildren include John Gregory (bn 1932) of Swettenham and Marjory Leath of Yorkshire. 

Richard Davenport (1834 - 1901) married Martha Mottershead (1834 - 1916) at Swettenham in 1861. Richard was a farmer of 52 acres in Kermincham in the 1881 census where they raised four children. By the 1901 census they were living in the Swettenham village where their son Thomas Mottershead Davenport was a grocer - he married Lottie about 1905 and they moved to Fallowfield, Lancashire where they had two children Martha and Thomas, neither of whom had children. Richard and Martha's eldest daughter - Sarah (1862-1953) married Thomas Moston and they had two daughters - Martha and Elizabeth. Elizabeth married Henry Whitehurst at St Peters, Swettenham in 1906 and they raised five children, four of whom survived to adulthood and married. Richard's middle daughter MaryAnn Davenport (1871-1952) married Henry George Yoxall at Swettenham in 1906. They raised three daughters in Swettenham - all of whom married and had children. One of the daughters Ann Yoxall (1911-1993) married their cousin John Thomas Gregory (1911-1993) and their only child was John Gregory. Richard's youngest daughter Harriet Davenport (1874-1908) married Harry Robinson at Swettenham in 1902. They raised three children in Swettenham all of whom married and had families. The eldest daughter, Edith Robinson (bn 1903- ) and married Wilfred Worth at Hulme Walfield in 1932 and one of their children - George Worth has just retired and lives at Somerford.

Harriet Davenport (1844) married Peter Bailey (1844) at Congleton in 1869. They raised their family in Congleton where Peter was recorded in the 1881 census as a goods porter. Peter was living with his parents in Congleton for the 1891 census, - Harriet was not living with Peter in both the 1891 and 1901 census - she possibly died after the birth of her daughter in 1884.

Edna Davenport and Charles Davenport remained single. They were living with their mother (Edna 1851/61 census, Charles 1851 census) and brother Richard Davenport on his farm in Kermincham at various times (Edna 1871/81 census and Charles 1881). They were both buried at Marton with their parents Daniel and Rachel.

Ann Davenport (bn 1834) was listed in the 1851 census with her sister Elizabeth residing with a family at Gawsworth as House servants. No further research.

This is truly a story about Rachel, and how the children remained around her as a family community. This is seen in part by Richard providing lodgings for his siblings Edna and Charles, and their burial with their parents at Marton.