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Mark’s History: Mystery of the Stanningley market gardener of 1885

I came across this gravestone in Whitkirk Cemetery the other day. It makes mention of the Whitwell family from Stanningley, writes Mark Stevenson.

stanningley gardener's grave 2

I started to look them up and this article from The London Gazette, September 14, 1886, caught my eye.

ELIJAH CECIL. WHITWELL, Deceased.

Pursuant to the Statute 22nd and, 23rd Victoria, cap. 35,

intituled ” An Act to further amend the Law of Property, and to relieve Trustees.”

NOTICE is hereby given, that all creditors and other

persons having any claims or demands against

the estate of Elijah Cecil Whitwell. late of Newlay, near

Leeds, in the county of York, Market Gardener (who

died on the 18th day of June 1885, and whose will was

proved in the District Registry attached to the Probate

Division of Her Majesty’s High Court of Justice at

Wakefield on the 30th day of August 1886, by John

Baren, of Parliament-street, in the city of York, Eating

House Keeper, and Arthur Edward Whitwell, of

Stanningley, near Leeds aforesaid, Market Gardener, the

executors therein named), are hereby required to send

the particulars, in writing, of their claims or demands to

us the undersigned, the Solicitors for the said executors,

on or before the 8th day of October 1886. after which

date the said executors will proceed to distribute the

assets of the said deceased amongst the persons entitled

thereto, having regard only to the claims and demands

of which they shall then have had notice, and they

will not be liable for the assets of the said deceased,

or any part thereof so distributed to any person or

persons of whose claims or demands they shall not then

have had notice.

—Dated this 8th day of September, 1886.

JONES and PIERCY, 17, Park-row, Leeds, Solicitors for the Executors.

The only Cedar House I know of in Stanningley is on Intake Lane and it was built around the 1880s.

cedar house stanningley
Cedar House in Stanningley

It says Elijah was a market gardener and where Half Mile Green is now there used to be allotment gardens. Perhaps some connection? Or as Stanningley Park was just fields back then their business may have been just on their doorstep.

Check out all of Mark Stevenson’s exploration of West Leeds history via his weekly Mark’s History posts here.

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