John Lightfoot Walker [1851-1925] and Catherine Cowan Greenwood

Father: Thomas Walker [1821-1871]
Mother: Sarah Shaw Walker

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Lion Brewery

            1.1.7.2    John Lightfoot Walker
                        b: 29 May 1851, Chester
                        c: 7 Jan 1858, St John the Baptist Church, Chester
                        d: 30 Nov 1925, at home, 16 Dee Fords Ave, Chester (age 74)
                        b: 3 Dec 1925, Overleigh Cemetery, Chester
                              Link to Census records for this family from 1871 to 1911

                        m1: Catherine Cowan Greenwood, 17 Jul 1873, St John’s Church
                        c: 4 Mar 1849, St Peter’s Church, Liverpool
                        d: 8 Sep 1877, Chester (age 28)
                        b: 11 Sep 1877, Overleigh Cemetery, Chester

                                    Children of John Lightfoot Walker and Catherine Cowan Greenwood
                                    1.1.7.2.1 Maud Walker
                                             b: 17 May 1874, Chester
                                             c: 10 Jun 1874, St. Oswalds Church, Chester
                                             d: 12 Mar 1940, Clevedon, Somerset (age 66) [Never married]

   Notes for John Lightfoot Walker


•   John L Walker, age 9, Scholar, born in Chester
​ ​
John Lightfoot Walker attended a boarding school in the center of Tattenhall with his brother, Thomas H.W. Walker. In 1861 it was run by Richard Gray with approximately 19 pupils who seem to come mainly from the Liverpool and Chester areas. Some were as young as 8 but mostly they were in the 10-14 age range. Richard Gray and his wife had 2 sons, who attended the school, also 3 servants and two assistants.

Tattenhall
'Hope House' Tattenhall - a "preparatory School' for the education of boys below 12 years of age.


In the Street Directories of 1857 a “National School for Boys and Girls” in Tattenhall was described as “being held in a newly erected and spacious schoolroom. Also a subscription news and reading rooms and a savings bank were held in the same place. Also a Sunday School was held in the same place.” There is just a possibility that this could be the same school which Thomas H.W. and John L. Walker attended. However, in 1896 the Lord Bishop of Chester opened a Home for boys - “Waifs and Strays” on the High Street in Tattenhall (see the link). I wonder if this was the same building as the boarding school which the Walker Boys attended, in the likelihood that it closed some time after they had left?

Street Directories show JLW as follows:
1883: Coal Merchant (John Walker & Co.), 1 Allington Terrace, Hoole Road, Chester
1883: 13 Coal Exchange, Black Diamond Street, Chester


22 May 1926, Article in the Post: Mr. John Lightfoot Walker, of (8) Coal Exchange, Chester and Dee Fords Avenue, Chester, coal merchant, left one of his railway wagons, "to be selected by him", to Douglas Campbell, his clerk and traveller, "for faithful service".



John L and Hannah Walker
John Lightfoot Walker and
Hannah Dimelow Parker
[click to enlarge]


m 2: Hannah Dimelo(w) Parton, 31 Dec 1878,
Wellington, Shropshire
c: 28 Feb 1855, Wellington, Shropshire
d: 16 Sep 1939, Newton Lane, Hoole, Chester (age 84)
b: 19 Sep 1939, Overleigh Cemetery, Chester

Children of John Lightfoot Walker and Hannah Parton
            1.1.7.2.2. May Walker,
                        b: 2 Nov 1879, Chester
                        c: 21 Mar 1880, St.John Baptist, Chester

                        d: 21 Mar 1958, Chichester, Sussex
            1.1.7.2.3 Fred Lightfoot Walker
                        b: 20 Apr 1882, Chester
                        c: 1 Jun 1882, St. John Baptist, Chester
                        o: Engineer
                        d: 14 Aug 1936, Australia    

Children of Fred Lightfoot Walker and Margaret
                        1.1.7.2.3.1 John (Ian) Lightfoot Walker
                                   b: 1907 England
                                   d: 1963 Queensland, AU
                         1.1.7.2.3.2 Angus Lightfoot Walker
                         1.1.7.2.3.3 Jean Lightfoot Walker
                         1.1.7.2.3.4 Margaret Lightfoot Walker

            1.1.7.2.4 Kate Walker
                        b: 18 Sep 1883, St. John Baptist, Chester
                        m: Allen Byford, 9 Sep 1920, Upton
                        d: 6 Sep 1967, Grange-over-Sands,
                        Lancs (age 84)   

Grave of John Light Walker


The Lion Brewery was founded in 1642. 

Lion Brewery

"In 1871 there were 13 breweries in Chester, of which 7 appeared to be pub breweries.  All the latter finished trading by 1892.  Of the commercial breweries, the 3 biggest were Edward Russell Seller & Co., Foregate Street, the Lion Brewery in Pepper Street and the Chester Northgate Brewery. Between 1871 and 1892 the Lion Brewery passed through at least 4 hands before being acquired by Thomas Montgomery.  His business was incorporated as the Chester Lion Brewery Co. Ltd. in 1896 but was taken over by Bents Brewery of Liverpool in 1902.  It was closed soon afterwards."   The Lion Brewery was demolished iin 1969 and a multi-storey car park built on the site.  The stone lion sculpture depicting the brewery was saved and eventually was re-sited on the top of the 70 foot column of the Pepper Street car park buildings.