Ten years later, in 1891, George Horner lived with his married sister Elizabeth and her family, for the first time that we know of at 13 Duckett Street, Skipton [18] . This was a middle terraced house with a back yard and an outside lavatory. There were two bedrooms upstairs and downstairs a kitchen, and a living room. To George Horner this was probably palatial after living in Millfields in a back-to-back house. Although this was a four roomed house conditions would have been a little cramped as John and Elizabeth Geldard had four children in 1891; Susan aged ten, Edith aged six, John aged five, and Beatrice aged two. None of the children worked, the three eldest attending the nearest school, possibly the Trinity Methodist School [19] . Later Elizabeth and her husband had two more children, William and Fred [20] . At the time that George was living with his sister, she may have been pregnant with her next son. George’s wage would have come in handy in such a growing family.

John Geldard, aged thirty-three, was a joiner, and his brother-in-law George Horner, aged twenty-one, was a Mason’s Labourer. George may have worked for Bold Venture Quarries that were opened in 1866 in Skipton. Alternatively, George and John may have worked together on some of the same building projects. As Elizabeth did not work it would appear that with two wage earners in the house the family was quite comfortably off financially.

It is interesting that George did not follow his brother James and father Thomas into the Cotton factory industry in Skipton, nor did he follow George Bright and Harrison Horner into working with boats. George’s father Thomas had died when George had not reached his fifth birthday, and he may have not wanted to go into the Mills. He may also have not been on such good terms with George Bright, the boatman, and therefore refused to follow in the boat trade. George made his own way in the Masons trade and this may indicate that he was a fiercely independent man.

Brothers James and Harrison Horner

By this time, George’s eldest brother James had married his wife Annie and set up home at 18, Westgate Skipton [21] . This may have been close to the old Horner family home on Commercial Street, Westgate. Their early married life does not seem to have been easy, as they also looked after James’ mother Sarah Ann Horner (nee Harrison) [22] . James, aged twenty-nine, was a labourer and his wife Annie, aged twenty-five, did not work and may have taken care of her mother in law. To make ends meet the couple also had a lodger living with them. This lodger, Elizabeth Thompson, aged 32 was a ‘Sick Nurse’, which probably meant that she nursed the sick. If Sarah Ann were unwell, such a lodger would have been invaluable.

It is interesting that Sarah Ann was not taken in by her daughter Elizabeth Anne Geldard and her family, but by her eldest son James Horner. At a time when her daughter Elizabeth had four children under eleven and possibly a fifth on the way, Sarah may have been a great help in looking after the elder children and taking care of household chores. The fact that Sarah Ann is ‘Taken Care of’ by her eldest son James and his wife Annie, and that they had a sick nurse living with them is perhaps indicative of Sarah Ann’s health at this time. Sarah Ann was only fifty-three years old and could have still been working. It may also be indicative of the relationship between Sarah Ann and her daughter Elizabeth, the daughter she left behind when she married. By 1901, James and his wife Annie were living at 6 Victoria Street and James was working as a Mason’s Labourer [23] . They had four children, George, aged 2, James aged 3, Thomas aged 8, and Florence aged 9. Later they also had a daughter Lillian [24] .

Harrison Horner had also just married his wife Elizabeth Ann Thornton by 1891 [25] . Elizabeth was only nineteen in 1891, so I would think that the marriage probably took place in 1890 or 1891. Harrison and his young wife, being so recently married, may not have felt that they could have taken Harrison’s mother in to care for. In April 1891, aged twenty-four, Harrison had set up his own household at 70 Newmarket Street in Skipton [26] . Harrison was a barge captain on the canal boats in 1891. In 1901 Harrison and Elizabeth had four children, Lily, 8, Fred, 7, Eva, 3, and Doris 11 months [27] .

 In 1901, George Horner was still living at 61 Duckett Street with his sister Elizabeth and her family [28] . George was unemployed in April of that year and life cannot have been easy for the Geldards with one more mouth to feed. He may have helped his brother-in–law in his work as a carpenter, as did his fifteen-year-old nephew John. The household had been joined by William, aged 7 and Fred aged 3, and Beatrice, 12 and Edith, 16 were still scholars, or helped at home with their mother and their young brothers [29] . Of George’s niece, Susan there is no trace and she may have worked in domestic service.

Starting a Family with Harriet French

By this time, George Horner had met Harriet French from Gargrave and become the father of his eldest son George Leonard French, who was one month old in April 1901 [30] . George Horner married Harriet French on the 12th April 1902 in St Andrews Parish Church in Gargrave. George aged thirty-three was a Labourer and was probably still a Mason’s Labourer in 1902. Although resident in Skipton at the time of his marriage George soon moved to Gargrave to set up home with his new wife [31] . George may not have been on good terms with his family in Skipton as both of the witnesses to his marriage are his bride Harriet’s siblings, David French and Mary Jane Abbott.

Harriet French was eight years younger than George Horner and was twenty-five years old when she married him. She was born on 25th July 1876 in Gargrave, North Yorkshire, the daughter of John French and Sarah Ann Abbott [32] . In 1881, Harriet aged four, lived at 41 River Place, Gargrave, with her parents and her siblings Mary Jane Abbott, David French and George French [33] .

Although the house had four rooms, it would have been a little crowded with four children and two adults. In 1881, Mary Jane Abbott, aged six, and Harriet French, aged four, were at School in the village [34] . Their younger brother George, aged two, and David, aged one month at the time of the Census, remained at home with their mother who did not work. Harriet’s father John French, aged thirty-three, was a cotton spinner, probably working the Cotton Mill owned by Bracewell Brothers [35] .

By 1891, Sarah French (nee Abbott), Harriet’s mother, and her brother George had died [36] . Harriet’s youngest sister Maude died in 1885 when Harriet was twelve years old [37] . In 1891, Harriet French still lived at 41 River Place, with her father, her siblings Mary Jane and David. John French was a widower, still working as a cotton spinner at the age of forty-three [38] . Mary Jane aged sixteen, Harriet aged fourteen and David, aged ten all worked as cotton spinners. John may have taken his children into the factory to enable him to keep an eye on them initially [39] .

In 1901 Harriet was living at 41 River Place with her two young sons, Archibald, aged 2 and George Leonard, aged one month [40] . Harriet and her sons lived with her brother David, aged 20 who worked as a cotton piecer, and her sister Mary Jane Abbott, 26, who along with her father John French worked as Cotton Spinners [41] . Harriet was recorded as the housekeeper and probably looked after her two children. Archibald and George Leonard French did not share the family home when Harriet married George Horner. They lived with her sister Mary Jane Abbott who helped to care for them and raised them. Mary Jane lived to see both these boys married [42] .

Later Life in Gargrave

After their marriage, Harriet and George had three more children, two girls and one boy. Lillian, born about 1904, and Mary Elizabeth, born about 1906 [43] . Mary Elizabeth was named after George Horner’s sister Elizabeth Geldard, nee Harrison which shows that they were very close [44] . Seven years later, the last member of George Horner’s family arrived at Trees Terrace in Gargrave on 9th February 1913, John Stanley Horner [45] .

Harriet and George lived to see the marriages of all their children and the birth of their youngest grandchild Maureen Horner in 1942. Harriet died in the summer of 1943 in Gargrave and was buried on 30 June 1943, at 65 years of age [46] . George died in the winter of 1948 when he was living at 22 Water Street Skipton with his daughter Mary. He was buried on 31 January 1948 in Gargrave, at 78 years of age [47] .

Harriet’s eldest son Archibald French married Margaret Graham, whilst her youngest daughter Mary Elizabeth Horner married George Graham, brother to Archibald’s wife Margaret [48] . Mary’s husband George Graham died in December 1976 in Skipton. Mary Graham died in February 1994 in Gargrave, at 88 years of age. George and Harriet Horner’s oldest son, George Leonard French, later married Beatrice Hartley [49] . They had two children, Dennis and Keith French [50] . Leonard died February 1979 in Gargrave, aged 77. Lillian Horner married Walter Hutchins [51] . Walter died August 1974 in Skipton. Lillian died 1972 in Skipton, aged 68. Lillian had a daughter Iris who died young, and Lillian and Walter adopted Stuart Hutchins.

The youngest of George and Harriet Horner’s children, John Stanley Horner, was born in Gargrave, on 9 February 1913. He married Janet Holmes Dorn in Gargrave, on 4 June 1937. Janet was born in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham on 17 February 1907, the daughter of William Holmes and Elizabeth Dorn. Janet and Stanley had one daughter Maureen Horner who was born on 19 February 1942 in Skipton. Janet Horner died on 26 February 1984 in Gargrave, aged 77. Stanley died in April 1991 in Gargrave, aged 78.