James YATES:
I had almost given up on finding any information on James Yates, of Church Street, who was buried in
St Wilfrid's Cemetery on 25 Oct 1825, aged 49 years. There was no death notice published, and he did not leave a Will, but I did find him listed in the 1807 Preston electoral rolls.
He was listed as a cabinet maker, living in Church Street.
I am confident that the man listed in the electoral rolls was the man buried in 1825, but cannot be certain about
the following information.
James Yates, the son of Frances Yates, was baptized on 2 Apr 1777 at Brownedge St Mary's Catholic Church in Bamber Bridge. His father was listed as
Thomas Mather, and the sponsors were Leonard Walmesley and Grace Longton. His mother's abode was listed as Walton Duddel. James may have been the man who was married in the same
church 26 years later.
James Yates and Sarah Townley were married in a Catholic ceremony on 8 Jan 1803 at Brownedge St Mary's Church. Due to the laws at the time, they also
had to be married in the Church of England. James Yates, a farmer, and Sarah Townley, a spinster, both of the Chapelry of Walton-le-Dale, were married on 14 Jan 1803 at St Leonard's
Chapel in Walton-le-Dale. They were married, by licence, by William Heaton, Officiating Minister, and the witnesses were John Tomlison and Thomas Martland. The bride and Thomas
Martland signed the marriage register with an X.
James and Sarah appear to have settled in the Ribbleton area of Preston but were not listed in the 1810 Catholic census of
Preston. It may be that St Wilfrid's Parish did not extend as far as Ribbleton at that time. A Sarah Yates, of Ribbleton, was buried on 12 Dec 1815 in the churchyard at St John's
Parish Church in Preston, aged 33 years. It was noted in the burial register that she was a Papist (Catholic).
The 1820 Catholic census lists James Yates, aged 43, living in
Ribbleton with Catherine, aged 15; (blank), aged 14; Mary, aged 13; Mark, aged 11; James, aged 8; and Thomas, aged 5. All but Thomas were born during the period for which the St
Wilfrid's Chapel records are missing, 22 Feb 1803 to 1 Jan 1813, but James and Sarah may have baptized one child at Brownedge St Mary's Church.
Mary Ann Yates, the daughter
of James and Sarah Yates, was baptized on 25 Mar 1807, with sponsors Felix and (blank) Fryer.
I can find no further records of the Yates family, unless the following two burials
were of the children listed in the 1820 census: Thomas Yates, of King Street, was buried on 9 Feb 1823 in the churchyard at St John's Parish Church in Preston, aged 9 years; and Mark
Yates, of Great Shaw Street, was buried on 4 Mar 1827 in the churchyard at St Peter's Church, aged 17 years. Both were listed as Papists in the burial register.
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