Nat Gould

Thomas Dale 1821-1890

Thomas Dale was born on 8 April 1821 at Lea Hall in Derbyshire (1). He was the son of Thomas Dale 1799-1864 and his wife nee Elizabeth Dakin 1808-1849.

On 1 May 1849 he married Ann Wright by licence at Bradbourne. She was the eldest child of William Wright 1796-1882 of Bradbourne and his wife Elizabeth Gould 1802-1843. She was born on 15 August 1824 at Bradbourne. They lived at Lea Hall Upper House (Lea Cottage) where Thomas Dale farmed 124 acres and employed two farm workers.

They had the following children:

Mary Dale. She was born in 1852. At the time of the 1861 Census she was staying with her grandfather William Wright 1796-1882 at his home near Northop in north Wales. She died on 28 December 1869 aged 18 years and was buried at Bradbourne on 3 January 1870.

Annie Dale. She was born on 25 March 1856 at Lea Cottage. She died on 28 September 1876 aged 20 years and was buried at Bradbourne on 3 October 1876.

Frank Thomas Dale. He was born on 26 March 1863 at Lea Cottage. He died in 1957 and was buried at Bradbourne.

Their father Thomas Dale died at Gorse Hill in Lea Hall parish on 23 February 1890 aged 69 years, and was buried on 26 February 1890 at Bradbourne where there is a memorial gravestone.

His wife Ann Dale died aged 86 years on 27 August 1910 also at Gorse Hill in Lea Hall parish, where she was then living with her son Frank Thomas Dale who was farming there. She was also buried at Bradbourne, where there is a memorial gravestone.

(1) Lea Hall is a tiny civil parish situated between Bradbourne and Tissington, in the ecclesiastical parish of Bradbourne. It consists of only three farms: Lea Hall, Lea Cottage and Gorse Hill.