Sarah Ann Gaunt was from Bramley, Leeds and her father was called William Henry Gaunt. This much we know from her marriage certificate. I identified a possible mother as Susannah Holliday. I am now much surer of this because we have the sampler produced by Sarah Holliday in 1826 and we know that Susannah's mother was called Sarah because she is staying with them in the 1851 census.
William Gaunt - which was the right one?
I cannot trace any of the family in 1861 or in 1871. I thought at one point that Susannah had died young and that William then married a lady called Esther and had more children. However when I obtained the will of the that William Gaunt there was no mention of a daughter called Sarah Ann Evatt. Also I got the death record of the Susan Gaunt who died in 1851 and it was not our Susannah Gaunt at all - but a child. So there are still many unanswered questions.
1851 Census Susannah
In the 1851 census William Gaunt is a mule spinner, living with his daughter Sarah, his wife Susannah and his mother in law Sarah Holiday. Susannah was born in Bramley and aged 31. Her mother Sarah was born in Headingley and was aged 69.
1841 Census Susannah and Sarah
In 1841 Susannah and Sarah are living together with Ann Holliday. Ann is older than Susannah (in the 1841 census ages were rounded up to the nearest 5 years) and they were both Cloth Weavers. There are other Hollidays and also Haleys on the same page.
Marriage
On 22 Oct 1873 Sarah Ann Gaunt married William Henry Royle Evatt at St Peter(Leeds Parish Church.) I am told this is the nearest thing Leeds has to a cathedral. The marriage was witnessed by William and Alice Gaunt.
Historic Context
Bramley
Write something about Bramley here
Gaunts and Hollidays
There seem to have been a lot of William Gaunts in Bramley in the mid 19th Century as well as a lot of families with the name Holliday