Our Wakefield and Lytollis / Ward Ancestors
Several sources say that Wakefield is a derivation of a locational name given to a person from an area of the same name. Possibly from the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, and perhaps also from a place of the same name in Northamptonshire. The location in Yorkshire is recorded as “Wachefeld” in the Doomsday Book of 1086 while the Northamptonshire location appears as “Wacafeld” in the Doomsday Book. Our oldest ancestor is Thomas Wakefield (c.1737-1818). We don't know anything about his birth but he lived, married and died in Cambridgeshire.
The Lytollis surname was founded in Carlisle in the county of Cumberland at the start of the 19th century. It began when Robert Lighttallars arrived in Carlisle from, possibly, Lancashire or Yorkshire. He married local girl Jane Mason in 1803. They had two children – John and Joseph, but John Lightallers died in 1806. It’s thought that Robert died in 1807 while serving in the Lancaster Militia. He left behind a wife and child, Joseph Lightallers, who carried forward the line of ‘Lytollis’ in it’s many written forms. After Robert died, Jane married Michael Ward in 1808 in Carlisle. Her marriage to Michael Ward began a Ward / Lytollis confusion.
~Billy Wakefield 2025
This site began in 2010 using information gathered by Janice Gardner (nee Wakefield) that she originally published on her 'Wakefield Family tree' hosted on Ancestry. Since then, many people have have been helpful in the collection of data during the growth of the project.
It all started when we received contact from our, then unknown, cousin once removed, Heather (Bell) Young & her niece Linda Satchell, both from Canada. They were researching the family of Austin William Wakefield & Lucy Emma Gray and their direct descendants. Much of what we now know came from their original work.
The initial information about the Ward-Lytollis families was given to Janice by our cousin, Margaret Dodds (daughter of David & Margaret Ellen Ward), from her own research and has been invaluable to us. Another excellent source was the web site 'The Lytollis Family Name' - and Linda Lytollis in particular - who provided an amazing amount of detail about the Lytollis line.
For more information, see our Acknowledgment Page.
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The Wakefield Calendar
Heather Young & Linda Satchell produced a Year 2000, Calendar of the Wakefields after a visit to the UK. It includes info about her mother's family and contains photos of current relatives.
We're Janice Gardner & Billy Wakefield, owners of this site. We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labour. Send us an email if you have something to add or just to say, 'Hello'.
It could be said that the original spark for our project was ignited by our great aunt, Laura Wakefield. This is best captured by her daughter, Heather (Bell) Young, who shared the story in the Year 2000, Calendar of the Wakefield's, after her own visit to the UK.
"Laura Wakefield was born in 1904 in Bethnal Green, the youngest and last child. When her mother died she was eight years old and was, with her sister Jane, in the Gray's Cottage Homes. In 1920 she emigrated to Canada and in 1928 married David Bell and had three daughters, Helen, Margaret & Heather.
Until the 2nd WW she was in contact with Jane & William Walter (siblings), but unfortunately during the war all contact was lost. Laura was very saddened that she had lost touch with her family and tried to find them up until her death in 1959."
Thomas Wakefield
Thomas Wakefield is our 5 x great grandfather. He was born about 1733/34, possibly in Upwell, Cambridgeshire, but we have no proof of that. He married Susan Gaylor (Gayler, Galer) on 3 May 1757 at Manea, Cambridgeshire. As far as we have discovered they had nine children, five died as infants. William, a former Tailor, died 26 July 1818 at March, Cambridgeshire.
(No photo available)
Austin Wm Wakefield
Austin William Wakefield is our paternal grandfather. He was born 3 Movember 1887 in Baxendale Street, Bethnal Green, London. In February 1906 he enlisted with the Royal Fusiliers. He was wounded at the Battle of Loos, in France and was sent to Ireland to recuperate. He met and married Margaret Lily Wilson in 1918. Margaret died in 1927 and Austin married Mary Anne Masterson in 1930. He died at Crossdrum, Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland in November 1950.
(The photo is damaged and the only one we possess)
Irving Lytollis / Ward
Irving Lytollis / Ward is our maternal 2 x great grandfather. He was born 26 Jan 1847 in Tarraby, Carlisle, Cumberland - his birth was registered as Irving LYTALLOUS & baptised as Irving LITHOLIS but used the Ward surname. He was a Cotton Weaver when he married Mary Noble In Carlisle on 12 November 1864. They had four children but two died in infancy. He was up before the bench several times and was sentenced to 7 years penal servitude in 1873. After Mary died in 1915 he married Margaret Cooper Meloy. Irving was buried 21 March 1924 at St. John's Church, Houghton, Cumberland.
(Photo from prison records-1879)
William H. Hutton
William Hornel Hutton was born 16 Oct 1893 in Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He married Helena McLeary in 1917 at Colchester, Essex, England. They had a son, William Hutti=on, who died September 1941 in the MIddle East. Also two daughters, Iris & Jean. In 1947 they left their home in Birmingham, Warwickshire and sailed (on SS Ascania) to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They lived in Essec County, Ontarioa, Canada. William died sometime after 1968 and his wife, Helena, died in 1998.
Photo supplied Margaret [Ward] Brown
James Bell
James Bell was probably born in Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland. He married Catherine Kilgour in 1772 at Inverkeithing, Fife and they had three children. The middle child, David Bell born 1775, carried on the Bell line until John Bell (1865-1940) and wife Martha Clark emigrated to Canada in 1923. Their son David Spence Bell married Laura Wakefield (1904-1959). They had three daughters, the youngest, Heather Bell, was born in 1935. She married William Henry Young and went on to carry out her mother's wishes to find her lost relatives in England.
(No photo available)
Samuel Satchell
Samuel Satchell, son of James Satchell & Sarah Gillingham, was born about 1805 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. In 1839 he was sentenced for nine months, at Warwickshire Assizes, for stealing a lamb. Two years later he was sentenced for stealing a basket containing sugar & sundry articles but was given 15 years Transportation. He was kept in the Prison Hulk ship, Leviathan, at Portsmouth Docks until April 1942. With 250 other prisoners he was put aboard the vessel Candahar which set sail for Tasmania. On 21 July 1842 he arrived at Hobart, Tasmania. He died in Hobart on 19 June 1884.
(No photo available)
William Mason
William Mason was born about 1841 in the parish of St Luke within the district of Shoreditch, Middlesex, England. His actual birth year has been muddied as he probably lied about his age when joining the Navy, aged 12 or 13 years old. He possibly adopted his 'new birth year' during his remaining life. He married Mary Ann Hillman in 1859 at Bethnal Green, London. There were no children and she died in 1883. In August 1885 he married Sarah Moore and they had four children. The eldest was William Henry Mason who married Lucy Emma Wakefield in 1909. William Henry & Lucy Emma had a son who died in infancy in 1910 and after emigrating to Canada they had two daughters.
(Photo supplied by Lois [Johnson] Howard)
A small selection of images showing various People & Places chosen at random from our database.
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