Abraham Verity

1798 – 1868

✓ Validated against records · 2026-07-09

Abraham Verity was baptised at Kettlewell, high in Upper Wharfedale, on 18 November 1798 — a son of the village cartwright William Verity and his wife Jane Calvert. He was a cordwainer, a shoemaker, and it was in his lifetime that this family came down out of the Dales.

He married twice. Mary Holliday he married at Otley in 1818, both of full age; he signed the register where she made her mark. Their eldest, Frederick, was baptised up the dale at Burnsall the next year — but the family did not stay in the hills. By the 1820s they were at Bradford, where the younger children were christened, and by 1841 the census finds Abraham a cordwainer at Bridgesfield Row, Leeds, with Mary and four of the children still at home.

Mary died in the 1840s, and in 1850 he married again — Sarah Bentley, at St Philip's, Leeds. That marriage reaches back a generation: it names his father William Verity, cartwright — the man at the head of this line, whom Mum had already read on her copy of the certificate, and whom the parish register confirms at the image. Abraham kept to the shoemaker's bench to the last, at Burley in 1851 with Sarah and a young grandson in the house, and at Baildon in 1861, and died in 1868 in his seventieth year. Above him the record is Mum's wall; but his own hand, on the certificate of 1850, carries the line one generation further — to William the cartwright of Kettlewell.

Composed from validated records · 2026-07-09

Baptism: November 18th 1798 Kettlewell, Yorkshire
Marriages: 1 .November 20th 1818, Otley to Mary Holliday 2. March 5th 1850, St. Philips Leeds to Sarah Bentley
Death: January 9th 1868 aged 69 years
Parents: William Verity and Jane Calvert
Siblings: John Verity baptised October 16th 1791, Kettlewell Mary Verity baptised March 2nd 1794, Kettlewell William Verity baptised November 27th 1796, Kettlewell Abraham Verity baptised November 18th 1798, Kettlewell Jacob Verity baptised March 13th 1802, Kettlewell David Verity baptised November 18th 1810, Kirkby Malham
Children: Frederick Verity baptised October 27th 1819 Burnsall, Yorkshire Sarah Ann Verity baptised August 26th 1821 Burnsall, Yorkshire Calvert Verity born 1826 Bridget Mary Verity baptised October 28th 1831 St. Peter, Bradford Esther Verity baptised September12th 1834, St. Peter, Bradford Susannah Verity born 1837
1818: Marries Mary Holliday in All Saints church, Ottley Abraham Verity, Cordwainer, and Mary Holliday, Spinster, were married in this church by banns, both parties 21 years, this twentieth day of November, 1818, in the presence of Miles Rhodes(?) and Stephen Longfield Abraham signed his name; Mary made her mark(x)
1841c: Living in Leeds Abraham Verity aged 40, not born Yorkshire Mary Verity aged 45, born Yorkshire Sarah Verity aged 20, born Yorkshire Calvert Verity aged 16, born Yorkshire Bridget Verity aged 10, born Yorkshire Susannah Verity aged 4, born Yorkshire John Shaw aged 5 months, born Yorkshire Occupation of Abraham Verity: Cordwainer Address: Bridgesfield Row, Leeds
1845: Death of a Maria Verity born about 1795. Burial November 13th 1845, St. Paul, Alverthorpe
1850: March 5th marries Sarah Bentley in St. Philip's church, Leeds Abraham Verity aged 49, Widower, Shoemaker, of Leeds, and Sarah Bentley aged 41, spinster, of Leeds were married after banns in the presence of William Senior and Ann Senior Fathers: William Verity, Cartwright and Benjamin Bentley, Clothier
1851c: Living in Headingly, New District of Burley, Leeds Abraham Verity, Head, aged 51 born 1800 Kettlewell Sarah Verity, wife aged 42 born 1809 Unsworth, Boot Binder Sarah A Verity, daughter, aged 30 born Baildon, Boot Binder James Verity, grandson aged 5, born Leeds Address: Stansfield Row, Kirkstall Road, Leeds Occupation: Cordwainer
1861c: Living in Baildon, Abraham Verity, Head, aged 64, born Kettlewell Sarah Verity, wife, aged 54, born Unsworth Address: West Lane Occupation: Shoemaker
1868: Death of Abraham on the 9th January aged 69 years

In your grandmother’s words · from her notebook

Family

Parents

WVFatherWilliam Verity1760–1825 JCMotherJane Calvert1768–1827

The children of William & Jane

· · · Abraham Verity b. 1798this page · · ·

Marriages

The children of Abraham & Mary Holliday

FVChild · the line continuesFrederick William Veritymain line1819–1874

The children of Abraham & Sarah Bentley

Life

Confirmed — anchored to a recordEstimated — inferred

1798

Baptised at Kettlewell — Upper Wharfedale

18 November 1798 at Yorkshire

Abraham Verity — baptism 18 November 1798, Kettlewell — parents William Verity & Jane Calvert.— Baptism — Kettlewell (18 November 1798)

Confirmed in index record Evidence

Found in an index or transcript — the original page not yet read:

Baptism — Kettlewell (18 November 1798) — England, Yorkshire, Parish Registers 1538–2016 / England Births & Christenings (FamilySearch), read 9 July 2026 — Abraham Verity baptised 18 November 1798, Kettlewell, and confirmed in the FamilySearch family record as a child of William Verity & Jane Calvert (with his siblings John, Mary, William, Jacob and David). The NYCRO register image is not viewable online; this is the transcription. Independent of the 1850 marriage certificate, which names the same father. index entry — original not yet seen

1818

Married Mary Holliday

20 November 1818

Abraham Verity, Cordwainer, and Mary Holliday, Spinster, were married in this church by banns, both parties 21 years, this twentieth day of November, 1818, in the presence of Miles Rhodes(?) and Stephen Longfield. — Abraham signed his name; Mary made her mark.— First marriage — Mary Holliday, Otley (20 November 1818)

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research, cited — not yet re-verified at the image:

First marriage — Mary Holliday, Otley (20 November 1818) — Otley (All Saints) marriage register — Mum's reading (the register image, NYCRO, not re-read by us this pass). from Mum’s research

1841

Census · 1841

1841

Abm Verity — 40 [1841 rounds adult ages]; Mary Verity — 45 [= Mary Holliday]; Sarah — 20; Calbert [Calvert] — 15; Bridget — 10; Sushannah [Susannah] — 4; John Shaw — 5 months. Bridgesfield Row, Leeds. (Abraham a cordwainer.)— 1841 census — Bridgesfield Row, Leeds (Mary Holliday's household)

Confirmed in index record Evidence

Found in an index or transcript — the original page not yet read:

1841 census — Bridgesfield Row, Leeds (Mary Holliday's household) — 1841 Census — TNA HO107/1343/1, folio 17, page 27; Leeds, Kirkgate sub-district. Ancestry structured record, read 9 July 2026. The one census with Mary Holliday alive — the family already down from the Dales to Leeds. index entry — original not yet seen

1845

In 1845

1845

Death of a Maria Verity born about 1795. Burial November 13th 1845, St. Paul, Alverthorpe— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1850

In 1850

1850

March 5th marries Sarah Bentley in St. Philip's church, Leeds Abraham Verity aged 49, Widower, Shoemaker, of Leeds, and Sarah Bentley aged 41, spinster, of Leeds were married after banns in the presence of William Senior and Ann Senior Fathers: William Verity, Cartwright and Benjamin Bentley, Clothier
— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1850

Married Sarah Bentley

5 March 1850

No. 38 —
March 5th 1850 — Abraham Verity, aged 49, widower, Shoe Maker, of Leeds; father William Verity, Cart Wright. And Sarah Bentley, aged 41, spinster, of Leeds; father Benjamin Bentley, Clothier. Married by me, Daniel [Ho—], Curate of St Philip's Leeds. Solemnized between us: Abraham Verity [signed]; Sarah Bentley [signed]. In the presence of: Wm Senior; Ann Senior.
— Second marriage — Sarah Bentley, St Philip's, Leeds (5 March 1850)

The record image is with the family — family sign-in

Read at the image record Evidence

Confirmed against the original record, read at the image:

Second marriage — Sarah Bentley, St Philip's, Leeds (5 March 1850) — West Yorkshire, Church of England Marriages & Banns — Leeds, St Philip; page 19, entry No. 38; West Yorkshire Archive Service RDP62/21/3. Ancestry image, read at full resolution 9 July 2026. This is the load-bearing record of the line: it names Abraham's father, William Verity, cartwright — matching William Verity of Kettlewell (1760–1825), whose own trade was cartwright and carpenter. read at the image

1851

Census · 1851

1851

Abram Verity — head — 51 — born Kettlewell (cordwainer); Sarah — wife — 42 — born Unsworth; Sarah A. — daughter — 30 — born Baildon; James Verity — grandson — 5 — born Leeds. Stansfield Row, Kirkstall Road, Burley.— 1851 census — Stansfield Row, Burley, Leeds

Confirmed in index record Evidence

Found in an index or transcript — the original page not yet read:

1851 census — Stansfield Row, Burley, Leeds — 1851 Census — TNA HO107/2315, folio 382, page 15; Headingley/Burley, Hunslet district; schedule 63. Ancestry structured record, read 9 July 2026. index entry — original not yet seen

1861

Census · 1861

1861

Abraham Verity — head — 64 — born Kettlewell — Shoemaker; Sarah — wife — 54 — born Unsworth. West Lane, Baildon.— 1861 census — West Lane, Baildon

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research, cited — not yet re-verified at the image:

1861 census — West Lane, Baildon — 1861 Census — Mum's record (not re-read at the image this pass). from Mum’s research

1868

In 1868

1868

Death of Abraham on the 9th January aged 69 years— From Janet Brock’s research

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research notebook.

1868

Died a shoemaker — 1868

9 January 1868

Died 9 January 1868, aged 69.— Death — 1868, in his seventieth year

Mum’s record Evidence

From Janet Brock’s research, cited — not yet re-verified at the image:

Death — 1868, in his seventieth year — Death of Abraham Verity — Mum's record (the GRO death index remains as round-two corroboration). from Mum’s research

Our research

Abraham, the shoemaker who came down from the Dales

Research · Kettlewell → Bradford → Leeds

The 1850 Leeds marriage — the record that names his father, William Verity, cartwright — is read at the register image this pass; the 1841 (with Mary Holliday) and 1851 households are read in the Ancestry records; his Kettlewell baptism is confirmed in the FamilySearch family record as a child of William & Jane Calvert. His first marriage (Otley 1818), the 1861 Baildon census and his 1868 death rest on Mum's research. To do: read the Kettlewell baptism leaf itself (NYCRO, offline — an archive visit) for his abode; pin the death and burial of his first wife Mary Holliday (1841×1850 — Mum flags a “Maria Verity” buried at St Paul, Alverthorpe, in 1845, as a candidate only); and trace the grandson James Verity (b.~1846, Leeds) in the 1851 household, most likely daughter Sarah Ann's son.