Bingley, Yorkshire, before the railway arrived in 1846 William was aged five when the railway came.
william walbank, born 1840
boot mender
William Walbank, whose parents were both mill workers in Bingley, Yorkshire, was the sixth in a family of twelve. The family had to move when their house was demolished to make way for the railway’s arrival in 1846. His father had the half of an allotment and William describes how he and his brother Thomas would collect the horse droppings on the highway with a wheelbarrow of his father’s own make, to be used in the allotment. William left school at 13 to start work in the mill. A year later his father died, putting great financial pressure on the family. William chafed at the long hours (6 am to 8 pm) at the mill and joined his brother John in his shoe mending business. He later took over the business and made it his career. His son Albert became a teacher, and his grandson Frank a distinguished Professor of Ancient History.
Click below to view his life story:
Source: Provided to Lives Retold in 2020 by Christopher J. Walbank, William Walbank’s great grandson.
Connected life stories:
His son: Walbank, Albert. Born 1879. (16 pages) Teacher.
His grandson: Walbank, Frank. Born 1909. (205 pages). Professor of Ancient History.