Born at Coxbench in Derbyshire towards the end of 1815, Ann was the third child of Thomas Knifton and his wife Mary (née Slater). She was baptised at St Clement’s Church, Horsley, on Sunday 10th December 1815.
Ann grew up at Coxbench where her father worked as a butcher.
On 23rd April 1835, Ann witnessed the marriage of her brother John to Mary Annable at Horsley Church, and on 6th May 1839 she was a witness to the marriage of her brother George to Sarah Middleton, also at Horsley.
At the time of the 1841 census, Ann was living with her parents, her younger sister Mary, and her brothers William and Thomas at Coxbench Lane. The 1844 Tithe map of Horsley Parish shows that the family were living at Coxbench in the plot marked as number 167, described as ‘four houses gardens outbuildings &c.’.
Extract from the 1844 Tithe Map of Coxbench
Between 1841 and 1851, Ann became the housekeeper for Selina Sitwell, who lived at Moor Street in Spondon. In 1841 her brother Francis was a servant for Selina and her brother Charles John Sitwell at Horsley House in Horsley Woodhouse. Selina’s housemaid, Elizabeth Hollingworth, was Ann’s cousin. Ann continued to work as Selina Sitwell’s housekeeper, moving with her from Spondon to Quarndon, Duffield, between 1861 and 1871.
On 6th May 1863, Ann was one of the witnesses to the marriage of her sister Mary to her cousin Enoch Knifton at Horsley Church.
Ann’s father died on 4th November 1870 and in his Will he bequeathed to Ann, her sister Mary and her brother Francis, equal shares in ‘the four dwelling houses, croft, gardens and all the appurtenances thereto belonging’ in Coxbench Lane, which in 1861 were occupied by Ann Whelton, Thomas Annable, her father Thomas, and her brother Thomas.
Ann’s employer Selina Sitwell wrote her Last Will and Testament on 23rd February 1872. Although she bequeathed most of her £40,000 estate to her relatives, she also wrote ‘I give to my faithful servant Ann Knifton any wearing apparel, having previously provided for her’. On the same day, Selina also added a codicil in which she bequeathed several legacies to her servants, including ‘to my housemaid ten pounds’. Ann was one of the witnesses to this codicil. Selina Sitwell died at Quarndon the following day, and Ann retired shortly afterwards.
At the time of the 1881 census, Ann was living back at Coxbench Lane. She lived in a house which she had built in one of the gardens to the four houses she jointly owned by copyhold, and employed a domestic servant.
Ann wrote her Last Will and Testament on 6th January 1883. Her health may have been failing since both witnesses, requested by Ann, were surgeons of Derby who signed that the Will ‘was in our presence read over to the said Testatrix Ann Knifton, who appeared perfectly to understand the same, and the said Ann Knifton afterward in our presence made her mark to the said Will’.
Between 1883 and 1886, Ann moved to Horsley Grange to live with her married sister Mary and Enoch Knifton.
Ann Knifton died on the 6th March 1886 at Horsley Grange, aged 70.
Derby Mercury, 10th March 1886
The funeral service for Ann was held at St Clement’s Church, Horsley, on 11th March 1886.
Ann was buried close to the grave of her brother Thomas in Horsley Churchyard.
‘In affectionate remembrance of Ann Knifton, late of Coxbench, who died March 6, 1886, aged 70 years. Blessed are the dead which died on the Lord.’
Ann appointed Enoch Knifton and her nephew William Knifton to be the Executors of her Will, to whom she left £10 each ‘as a slight acknowledgement for the trouble he will have in acting under this my Will’. Her estate was valued at £2,957 7s. which she mostly bequeathed to her sister Mary, including her one-third share in the four other ‘messuages or dwelling houses, croft and garden’ on Coxbench Lane which had been left to her by her father. She also bequeathed to Mary her former house which had been built in one of the gardens to these four houses, her shares in the Derby Gas Light and Coke Company, and all of her household furniture, plates, linen, china, glass, liquor fuel & housekeeping stores.
Ann also bequeathed to her widowed sister-in-laws Sarah Knifton and Emma Knifton £200 each, to the four surviving children of her sister Mary Knifton £100 each, and to 14 of her other nephews and neices £50 each.
Ann Knifton was my first cousin four times removed.