Bible
A Bible was presented to Robert Harger in 1865 by members of the Wesleyan Sunday school in Settle. The Bible is of interest because it contains the "Family Register" in the central pages with details of family births, deaths and marriages
Robert Harger was born on 7 Jan 1844 in Settle to Joseph Harger and Margaret née Baldwin. He married Mary Isabella née Harvey in 1868 but she died within 18 months of the marriage (possibly during child birth: there is a memorial headstone for Mary in the Zion chapel graveyard in Settle which mentions the death of an infant daughter although the headstone wording is now sadly incomplete as the headstone is delaminating).. Robert then married Anne née Kirkby in 1870 and had two daughters, Sarah Agnes Harger (known as Sally/Sallie) in 1876 and Margaret Annie Kirkby Harger (sometimes known as Madge or Maggie) in 1881. Robert was Clerk of Works at Lancaster Asylum from 1868 until 1875, then from 1875 was Sanitary Inspector / Inspector of Nuisances (what a great job title, but it doesn't refer to nuisances as we think of today, but more the definition of something harmful) / Public Health Inspector in Skipton until death. He died 25 Nov 1885 in Skipton, and is buried at Waltonwrays cemetary in Skipton*1.
Below is a scan of the first page of the central "Family Register" pages (click on the image below for a larger image of all 5 pages), and then a transcript. NB: there are some inconsistencies in some of the dates when compared to other sources.
Click on image above to open larger image
of all 5 pages (11Mb, JPG)
Transcription of above pages from Robert Harger's Bible
Inscription on front page of Bible:
Presented to Robert Harger by the teachers and friends of the Wesleyan Sunday School Settle as a token of esteem January 21 1865
The inner "Family Register" pages:
Robert Harger born Jan 7 1844
Mary Isabella Harvey born July 29 1844
Anne Harger born July 6 1844
Joseph Harger father of Robert Harger born Dec 19 1809
Margaret wife of Joseph Harger born Feb 13 1817
William Kirkby, father of Anne Harger, born Oct 10 1802
Ann, wife of William Kirkby, born March 31 1802, died Aug 2 1868
John Vincent, brother of Robert Harger, born Mar 2 1846
Thos, brother ... born Dec 31 1848
Joseph William, do, born Sep 15 1850, died April 1869 *2
Ann Agnes, sister of Rob Harger, born Nov 14 1852, died Oct 1859*2
Margaret Catherine sister of Robert Harger born April 15 1855
Mary Ellen sister of Robert Harger born May 16 1858
Margaret Agnes sister of Robert Harger born Dec 8 1842 died Feb 1846
BIRTHS
Sarah Agnes Harger born Nov 3 1876*3
MARRIAGES
Robert Harger and Mary Isabella Harvey married Jan 8 1868
Robert Harger & Ann Kirkby married Nov 23 1870
DEATHS
Mary Isabella Harvey wife of Robert Harger May 1869
Footnotes:
- 1: It is noteworthy that Robert is buried in Waltonwrays cemetary in Skipton, as a lone Harger in that cemetary. Robert did die in Skipton; he was the Public Health Inspector at Skipton at his death, and Waltonwrays had recently been opened (1877), so maybe there was a connection there. However, every other sibling of his generation was buried in Settle or Giggleswick. His wife and parents are buried together in the same plot (Old A11) near the lych gate in Settle churchyard. It took a long time to find out where Robert was buried, confused by the fact that he is comemorated on the headstone at A11 in Settle, but is not buried in the plot, which was confusing enough, but compounded by the fact that Settle sexton at the time, William Perkins, did not keep good burial records and was formally censored for such, so dis/proving Robert's presence in the plot using burial records was not watertight, but happily Robert's "In Memoriam" burial card has by chance recently come to light. Around the time Robert died, Settle old churchyard had filled up, and was closed to new burials and the new churchyard had not yet been opened. It is possible that they did not want to transport Robert's body from Skipton to Settle. There was no contagious disease involved (he died of enteritis and a weak heart), but transport was probably not a factor as his wife died in Morecambe but was buried back in Settle (with her parents-in-law!), and Robert's headstone in Skipton may have been carved by a Settle stonemason (Hardy, Settle), so transport didn't seem to be an issue.
- 2: discrepancy on dates compared to other sources.
- 3: The last entry in the "Family Register" pages by date seems to be the birth of Robert's daughter Sarah Agnes Harger in 1876; the birth of her sister Margaret Annie Kirkby Harger in 1881 does not seem to be recorded in the Bible.