The Quaker Family of Yorkshire,
London and Lancashire

The earliest date to which this family has been traced so far is 22 December 1709 when Matthew Corbitt married Margaret Langdale at St Mary's church, Richmond, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Both were then of Gilling parish.

The name recorded for many of the family events varied between Corby, Corbitt and Corbett.
Matthew was buried on 9 July 1727 in Middleham in the same Riding. Margaret lived another 36 years until she died in September 1763 being buried at the same place on the 23rd of that month.
They had six children. Margaret Corby who was baptised on 7 October 1711 at St Agatha's church, at Gilling near Richmond. The second child was another Matthew Corby and he was baptised on 27 August 1713 at Melsonby, where the next three children were also baptised. Rebecca Corby was the third child and was baptised on 23 October 1715; the fourth was William Corby who was baptised on 27 April 1718; Moses was baptised on 8 May 1720. Aaron Corby was the last child and he was baptised on 6 January 1722/3 at Middleham.

Further details are only known about Moses Corby/Corbett. He married Mary Bacon at St Oswald's church, Thornton Steward in North Riding on 11 November 1762. He was a shoemaker and he was buried on 16 April 1799 aged about 79 years. Mary was to be buried 19 years later on 21 December 1818 at Manchester, having died a few days earlier on the 17th.

They had three children all baptised at Middleham, the eldest being Matthew, of whom more later.
The other two children were daughters. Mary baptised 15 February 1767 and she was married on 20 June 1796 at St Clement Danes, Westminster, London to Thomas Hunter. She died on April 4 1832 and was buried on the 9th at Rusholme Road Cemetery, Manchester.

Thomas, her husband, was a cabinet maker and had been born about 1756 probably in Kelso, Roxburghshire. He died on 6 December 1840 and was buried in the same cemetery as his wife on 11 December 1840. They had three children two of whom did not marry but son Thomas (1800-72) had a large family with his wife Henrietta Tateson.

The second daughter of Moses and and Mary was Ann who was baptised on 30 December 1768. She married William Plant on 19 December 1793 at St Mary le Bow, London. She died on 27 October 1825 at Pendleton, Lancs and was buried in the same cemetery as her later sister Mary, on 30 October 1825.
Matthew, the brother of Mary and Elizabeth was baptised on 8 May 1764 as Matthias. He became a cotton manufacturer, a builder and an architect and was a yeoman. He had fifteen children.

He was married three times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Atkinson on 19 April 1791 at the Friends Meeting House, Plaistow, Essex. She was the daughter of Nicholas and Anne Atkinson. Was she a Quaker, for she and Matthew were married at the Friends Meeting house, and this appears to be the first mention of the Quakers. All the children of Moses and Mary, including Matthew, had been baptised in the parish church. All his marriages took place at Friends Meeting houses.

Moses and Elizabeth Atkinson had five children: Ann born 14 March 1792; Maria born 15 November 1793 and died in 1888 at Levenshulme aged 94; Eliza born 12 March 1796, and died on 6 September the same year, being buried the following day, the 7th; Rachel was born on 18 February 1797 and Sarah on 13 February 1798. Elizabeth died on 13 May 1799 and was buried on the 16th at Manchester.

His second marriage took place at the Friends Meeting House, Lancaster, Lancs on 30 December 1802 to Mary Jepson who had been born about 1768 and was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Jepson. They had one child Elizabeth who was born on 7 November 1803 at Manchester. Mary died 54 days later, almost exactly one year after her marriage to Moses, on 31 December 1803 and was buried on 4 January 1804 at Manchester.

His third marriage was to Sarah Spurr on 30 October 1805 at the Friends Meeting House, Manchester, Lancs. She was the daughter of Peter and Hannah Spurr and was possibly born in about 1776. They had nine children and Sarah probably died at Hulme in 1848 aged 72 years.
Their children were Mary born 2 September 1806 who married a Mr Chancy; Joseph born 15 October 1807 and died 31 August 1824 at Manchester; Matthew born 18 July 1809 and died 30 March 1813; Hannah born 8 October 1810 and she married Henry Burlingham probably of Evesham, Worcestershire and had six children; Peter born 30 September 1811 and died 16 October 1811 and his twin Moses who died 12 October 1811; Edward of whom more later; Felix was born 21 February 1814 and died on 13th March the same year, being buried on the 16th at Manchester; Martha was born 20 March 1815 and died on 6 March 1879 at Swan Lane Cottage, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire. Her will was proved on 15 July 1879 at Chester.

Returning to Edward, their seventh child he was married on 19 September 1838 to Margaret Bentham at the Friends Meeting House, Manchester. She was the daughter of Christopher and Alice Bentham and had been born in about 1815. She died on 26 July 1892 and her Will was proved at London on 1 November 1892.

Edward was a Police Commissioner, architect, sanitary engineer and valuer. He and Margaret had twelve children. Rachel Maria who married a Mr Simpson; Sarah Bertha of whom more later; Joseph was born 8 May 1842 at Pendleton and was educated at Penketh School (Society of Friends) and at Stand Grammar School, Lancs. He was to become Borough Engineer of Salford, Lancs and was a member of the company Corbett and Raby, and E Corbett and Sons (sanitary engineers). He was living at Murray Street, Higher Broughton, Manchester on 27 April 1885. Margaret born in 1843 and remained unmarried. She died on 24 December 1927 at Bower House, Yealand Conyers, near Carnforth, Lancs. Her will was proved on 10 February 1928 at Bristol. Another child, who's name is unknown, was born after Margaret and before Edward who was born on 4 September 1846 at Salford. He was educated at Sidcot School, Somerset between 1858 and 1860 and was a chemical manufacturer. He never married and died on 11 December 1896 at Llangollen, Denbighshire.

The seventh child was Christopher George Bentham who was born on 24 June 1848, of whom more later. The eighth child was John Rooke Corbett born on 21 March 1850 at Salford. He was educated at Sidcot School between 1861 and 1864 and became a bank clerk. He was drowned in the River Irwell on 19 April 1869 aged 19. The next child was Alice Martha who was born 3 February 1852 at 13 Crescent, Salford, Lancs. She died the following year. The tenth child was Mary Elizabeth who was born in 1853. She died unmarried on 24 June 1933 at the same as her sister Margaret. Edith Jane was born in 1855 and also died unmarried on 3 October 1936 at Bower House. The last child was Herbert Henry who was born in 1856. The name of his wife is not known but he had three children. Jessie Capper Corbett, Emily Margaret Corbett and Mary Bentham Corbett. He died on 5 January 1921 at St George's Nursing Home, Doncaster, Yorkshire having lived at 3 Thorne Road, Doncaster.

Returning to Christopher Bentham Corbett who was born on 24 June 1848. He was educated at Sidcot School as were some of his brothers. He was married in 1875 to Sarah Woodhead at Manchester. She had been educated at Hitchin College. Christopher was an architect and surveyor and in conjunction with Dr Haydon Guest started Hulme Day Nursery for children of working mothers in about 1872. It was one of the first in the country.

Christopher and Sarah had two children. John Rooke born in 1876. He was a surveyor and Inland Revenue valuer; government land valuer and civil servant. He had various addresses. On 7 February 1907 at 9 Albert Square (which may just have been an office address); on 14 January 1919 at Range Road, Whalley Range, Manchester; on 30 May 1932 at 5 West Park, Bristol; on 26 January 1946 at Belvedere, 24 Woodland Grove, Coombe Dingle, Bristol. He died on 13 August 1949 at Bristol.

His sister was Catherine Louisa who was born in 1878 at Stockport. She and Catharine Chisholm started their anatomy and physiology studies at medical school in Manchester. Later both remembered with gratitude the kindnesses of their teachers including those who were opposed to the admission of women to the School and ' the particular kindness of the then Dean of the Medical School, Dr Young, who himself undertook a great part of the actual work of demonstrating anatomy to us'. She became a surgeon, working at Chelsea Infirmary, Cale Street, London on 7 February 1907. In 1915 her brother was making enquiries at the Foreign Office about her welfare. She was then a doctor with the Scottish Womens Hospital in Serbia. Later (30 May 1932) she was living at Park Lane, Burnley, Lancs and in 1946 with her brother in Bristol. Her last address was 1 Falcondale Rd, Westbury-on-Trym and her will was proved on 21 September 1960 at Bristol.

Lastly we return to Sarah Bertha, the daughter of Edward and Margaret (Bentham) Corbett. She was born on 31 January 1841 at Cheetham, Manchester. She was living at Grange Avenue, Levenshulme, Manchester on 27 April 1885 and later lived with her sisters Margaret, Mary Elizabeth and Edith Jane. She died on 10 May 1918 and her will was administered at London on 3 July 1918.

It was probably while she was living at Grange Avenue, Levenshulme that she completed the charming sketches of Rusholme and Burnage. The three places form a triangle and are about 3 miles from each other. Fallowfield is also about 3 miles from Levenshulme.

The sketches give us a pleasing glimpse of the area as it was over 105 years ago and Bertha appears to have been an accomplished artist.