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Descendants of William [Gilstrap] Gelsthorpe

Created by Ron Gilstrap

Generation No. 3


4. William [Gilstrap]3 Gelsthorpe (John [Gilstrap]2, William [Gilstrap]1) was born September 09, 1800 in Nottingham, England, and died April 22, 1851 in Newark, Nottingham, England. He married Sarah Birkett October 03, 1839 in Newark, Nottingham, England. She was born Abt. 1816 in Muskham, England, and died Unknown.

Marriage Notes for William Gelsthorpe and Sarah Birkett:
William Gilstrap 1800 - 1851

A nephew of Joseph Gilstrap of The Hotel. On 3-10-1839, at Newark, he married Sarah Birkett of Muskham. He is then described as "of The Hotel Wine Vault", presumably the retail wine and spirit of his Uncle's business. He is described as "Book-keeper" and so was apparently the Accounts Clerk.

On 22-4-1851 William Gilstrap, nephew of Joseph Gilstrap died suddenly, aged 51, and was buried on the 26th at the Parish Church. An Inquest was held on the 23rd, when it was stated that he had for several years had serious attacks of erysipelas and other complaints of great suffering which caused fits of depression, during one of which he hanged himself. The verdict was "Temporary Insanity".

     
Child of William Gelsthorpe and Sarah Birkett is:
  i.   ELIZABETH4 GILSTRAP, b. August 1840, Newark, Nottingham, England; d. Unknown; m. HENRY SIMPSON, August 09, 1860, Newark, Nottingham, England; b. Nottingham, England; d. Unknown.


5. Martha [Gilstrap]3 Gelsthorpe (John [Gilstrap]2, William [Gilstrap]1) was born in Nottingham County, England, and died Unknown. She married Charles Merrick. He was born in Nottingham County, England, and died Unknown.
     
Child of Martha Gelsthorpe and Charles Merrick is:
  i.   CHARLES4 MERRICK, b. Nottinghamshire County, England; d. Unknown.


6. John [Gilstrap]3 Gelsthorpe (John [Gilstrap]2, William [Gilstrap]1) was born in Hucknall, Nottingham, England, and died Unknown. He married Grace Whyley October 02, 1848 in Gedling, Nottingham, England, daughter of Christopher Whyley and Ann Brittle. She was born July 1827 in Carlton, Nottingham, England, and died Unknown.
     
Children of John Gelsthorpe and Grace Whyley are:
  i.   CHRISTOPHER [GILSTRAP]4 GELSTHORPE, d. Unknown.
10. ii.   ANN [GILSTRAP] GELSTHORPE, d. Unknown.
11. iii.   ALICE [GILSTRAP] GELSTHORPE, b. February 26, 1856, Carlton, Nottingham, England; d. Unknown.
  iv.   MARY [GILSTRAP] GELSTHORPE, d. Unknown.
  v.   JANE GILSTRAP, d. Unknown.


7. Sir William3 Gilstrap (Joseph [Gilstrap]2 Gelsthorpe, William [Gilstrap]1) was born December 20, 1816 in Newark, Nottingham, England, and died February 15, 1896 in Fornham, Suffolk, England. He married Elizabeth Haigh June 02, 1847 in Newark, Nottingham, England. She was born September 23, 1822 in Huddersfield, England, and died February 12, 1891 in Fornham, Suffolk, England.

Marriage Notes for Sir Gilstrap and Elizabeth Haigh:
Sir William Gilstrap, bart 1816 - 1896

William Gilstrap was born in December 1816, the second son of Joseph Gilstrap of Gilstrap's Hotel on Kirkgate. After leaving school William began working in his father's wine and spirt importing business and also assisted in running the malting attached to the hotel. William saw that the advent of a rail network would mean that the market for commodities like malt would be opened up nationally, and that an expansion of the business to exploit these new markets could reap great rewards.

In 1842 Joseph and William Gilstrap took over the business of Messrs. Brodhurst who, at that time, had the largest malting establishment in Newark. Trading under William's energetic management, the Gilstrap's business flourished, becoming the principal malting concern in the town. Taking full advandage of the increased markets for malt the company expanded greatly and hired further maltings at Grantham, Lincoln, Retford and Wakefield.

The success of the business (now styled Joseph Gilstrap & Sons) seemed assured and in 1847 William married Elizabeth Haigh of Huddersfield and moved into one of the Regency - style houses on South Parade, Newark. By 1855 the family fortunes had increased sufficiently to allow him to buy a more prestigious property, Winthorpe House in Winthorpe, whilst 7 years later (in 1862) he moved yet again, this time to a large hunting estate at Fornham Park near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk. From this time onwards Fornham became his usual home, and it was here, in later years, that he twice played host to the Prince and Princess of Wales for weekend shooting parties. Sir William Gilstrap had several times entertained the Prince at Hordingswell but, January 23, 1895 was the first Royal visit of the Prince of Wales, Princess Alexandra and the Duke of York at Fornham Park.

In 1864, William and his wife travelled extensively in the Near East, visiting Constantinople, the Black Sea, Beyrouth, "living a tent life in the desert", and continuing to Nazareth and Jerusalem.

William's connections with his native town remained strong. Despite being appointed Sheriff of Suffolk in February 1866, he continued to personally direct the fortunes of the Newark malting business. In May of that year he laid the foundation stone of a new malting adjoining the Great Northern Railway in Newark. In 1880 he expanded the business still further by negotiating a merger with the rival firm of Harvey & Earp. With a combined strength of 12 kilns, the new business (styled Gilstrap, Earp & Company) accounted for more than one-third of the town's output of malt.

William's personal wealth was now considerable and he began to consider ways of giving something back to the town which had made possible his good fortune. In 1881 he informed the Mayor of Newark that he wished to present a Free Library to the town to support the education and enlightenment of the masses. Its opening on a site in the castle grounds in July 1883 proved to be immediately popular. William Gilstrap also presented a Free Library to the villages of Fornham and Hordingswell.

William was to show his philanthripic zeal in other areas too, offering financial support towards the establishment of the Imperial Institute in London and the erection of hospitals in Newark and Suffolk, as well as endowing a scholarship at the Royal College of Music. In 1887 his public spirited actions received official recognition when he was awarded a baronetcy in Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee honours list. But Sir William, (as he now became), did not allow his new found status to detract attention from the everyday affairs of business.

In 1892 he built another new malting in Newark, this time between Cow Lane Wharf and Northgate. It was to be his last great contribution to the malting business. Four years later Sir William Gilstrap, bart., died in his 80th year of "a severe chill" at his home in Fornham, Suffolk. One of his last acts, carried out only weeks before his death, was to bestow further funding to found a children's library to extend the service already offered by the Gilstrap Free Library. He is buried at the church of Fornham St Martin in Suffolk in a vault on the south side of the church immediately behind the family pew.

[The Gilstrap Library is now The Gilstrap Centre, Tourist Information Centre, Castlegate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1BG, Tel: Newark 01636 78962.]

     
Child of Sir Gilstrap and Elizabeth Haigh is:
  i.   NO4 CHILDREN, d. Unknown.


8. George3 Gilstrap (Joseph [Gilstrap]2 Gelsthorpe, William [Gilstrap]1) was born February 20, 1822 in Newark, Nottingham, England, and died December 26, 1864 in London, England. He married Jane Catherine Fothergill July 15, 1858 in Sunderland, England. She was born 1824 in Sunderland, England, and died February 04, 1904 in Winthorpe, England.

Marriage Notes for George Gilstrap and Jane Fothergill:
George Gilstrap 1822 - 1864

In April 1847 George was elected an Overseer of the poor for Newark.

The 1851 Newark Census includes, in Kirkgate: George Gilstrap, 28, Manufacter of Malt, 26 men, Merchant. Born Newark. On 15-7-1858, at St Paul's Church, Durham he married Jane Catherine Fothergill, only child of the late J. Fothergill.

On Monday 26-12-1864 he was waiting for a train at Calham Station, London, on the Victoria and Croydon Railway, when he was knocked down by an express and died two hours later, aged 42, in St George's Hospital. Before his train arrived, he left a little boy, who was with him, and went to the end of the platform. The driver of the express, when about 150 yards away, saw him standing on a line at the back of the platform, used by non-stop trains, and from the manner in which he was adjusting his dress believed that he had got down from the platform for a natural convenience.

The driver sounded his whistle, but was unable to stop the train in time, and before George Gilstrap could get out of the way he was struck by the buffer and dreadfully injured. He was placed in the guard's van of another train and taken to the hospital, where he died about 3-30 p.m. Sir William Gilstrap was in Egypt and so could not be present.







     
Children of George Gilstrap and Jane Fothergill are:
  i.   JOSEPHINE ELIZABETH4 GILSTRAP, b. April 28, 1859, Newark, Nottingham, England; d. July 09, 1943, Winthorpe, England.
12. ii.   ISABELLA MARY GILSTRAP, b. March 13, 1861, Newark, Nottingham, England; d. December 17, 1949, Eileen Donan Castle.
  iii.   ANNA SOPHIA GILSTRAP, b. November 1862, Newark, Nottingham, England; d. December 30, 1940; m. SIR GEORGE JOHN MANNERS, April 24, 1884, London, England; b. June 17, 1860; d. September 02, 1939.


9. Anna Amelia3 Gilstrap (Joseph [Gilstrap]2 Gelsthorpe, William [Gilstrap]1) was born December 30, 1823 in Newark, Nottingham, England, and died November 09, 1900 in Bournemouth, England. She married Arthur Soames May 27, 1852 in Newark, Nottingham, England. He was born February 13, 1816 in Stoke, Newington, England, and died June 28, 1894 in Wrexham, England.
     
Children of Anna Gilstrap and Arthur Soames are:
  i.   EDITH ANNIE4 SOAMES, b. March 14, 1853; d. 1893.
13. ii.   ARTHUR GILSTRAP SOAMES, b. March 23, 1854; d. July 22, 1934.
14. iii.   HAROLD SOAMES, b. August 13, 1855, Harlow, England; d. December 25, 1918, Bournemouth, England.
15. iv.   FREDERICK WILLIAM SOAMES, b. June 02, 1857; d. March 08, 1926.

The information on these pages has been reproduced from Ron Gilstrap's
Gilstrap Genealogy Home Page,
October 20th, 1999 with permission.

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[Last updated January 2007]