George Dodsworth married Rebecca Fowler at Aldborough Parish Church on Thursday 2nd March 1905 [[1]]. George was aged 22. He gave his occupation as a labourer, declared his father to be Thomas Dodsworth a market gardener, and his residence as Minskip. Rebecca was aged 20. She did not give an occupation, declared her father to be James Fowler a shoemaker, and her residence as Boroughbridge [[2]]. The marriage was witnessed by Rebecca’s elder brother John Charles Fowler and her friend and cousin Lucy Ellis. George’s parents, Thomas and Sarah Dodsworth, were still alive and would presumably have been present at the ceremony, as may Rebecca’s father James Fowler. Unfortunately, Rebecca’s mother had died four months earlier.
The couple had 3 children :-
No records have been found of any other children born to George and Rebecca, either before or after marriage.
George became eligible to vote in 1904 when aged 21 years and between then and 1915 was sometimes at Minskip or Aldborough [[3]]. From his children’s birth certificates, it appears that George and Rebecca had moved from Minskip to Aldborough sometime after Sidney was born and before the birth of Eileen.
Note that George gave his occupation on the 1901 Census, his marriage certificate and his son Sydney’s birth certificate as an agricultural labourer. By the birth of his daughters Eileen and Viola he was a cordwainer or shoemaker. George’s grandfather, Thomas Dodsworth, and his great-grandfather, Christopher Dodsworth had both been shoemakers but both died before George was born. His father was variously an agricultural labourer, market gardener and farmer. James Fowler, George’s father-in-law was also a shoemaker. It seems likely that James taught his son-in-law shoemaking such that George was the last of a long line of Dodsworths who were shoemakers. [[4]]
[1] Rev. Edwin Evers officiated (Vicar of Aldborough 1901 – 1915).
[2] Note that Rebecca was not married from her father’s house at 34 Gray Street, Oatlands Harrogate. Whereas her younger sister Lucy was from 34 Gray Street at St. Mark’s Church Harrogate in 1909.
[3] Electoral Registers :- 1904 – 1906 Not at Aldborough or Minskip ; 1907 – 1908 at Minskip ; 1909 Not at Aldborough or Minskip ; 1910 – 1915 At Aldborough (no actual address given) ; No registers 1916 – 1917.
[4] A cordwainer was a shoe maker. In olden times the best leather originated from Cordoba in Spain and came to be called ‘Cordwan’. It is from this that the word cordwainer is thought to originate. Note the distinction between a cordwainer and a cobbler – a cordwainer made shoes and a cobbler repaired them. There was frequently contention between the two trades. Cordwainers were literate before most other craftsmen and were noted for their strong interest in politics. They were also noted for keeping caged birds since at least the middle ages. The York Cordwainer’s Company was a mediaeval guild and the book ’Records of the York Cordwainer’s Company’ details their records from 1395 until the guild was disbanded in 1808. Unfortunately in the few lists of names given, no surnames DODSWORTH or FOWLER were found.
