Lydia Holding was Tony’s matrilineal great great grandmother. Lydia was born in 1820 at Knapwell, Cambridgeshire. she was the daughter of John Holding and Elizabeth Lowe, residents of that village. John was born there in 1784 but Elizabeth was born at Great Paxton, Huntingdonshire in 1786. (See Titchmarsh for map of region).
John, who was an agricultural labourer, and Elizabeth married around 1815 and had probably five or six children, before John died in 1849. The children that we are aware of are Mary, John, Lydia and Phoebe. Lydia was named after her maternal grandmother Lydia Lowe.
In 1841 John and Elizabeth Holding were still living at Knapwell with children John and Phoebe also at home. Lydia and Mary were probably working in service and have not appeared on any records. In 1847 Lydia married William Titchmarsh, who was working in the area as an agricultural labourer. William was from Hemingford Abbots, Huntingdonshire and the same age as Lydia, 27 years. Lydia will continue her story and our family history as Lydia Titchmarsh.
Two years after Lydia married, 1849, father John died and is buried at Knapwell cemetery. In 1851 widow Elizabeth is still living at the Knapwell house with son John, who is now aged 33 years and unmarried. In 1863 Elizabeth dies and is buried with her husband John. That year her son John marries Mary Ann b1839, 20 years younger than John. In 1871 and 1881, John and Mary Ann continue living at the same Knapwell address. They have no children and John dies around 1885.