Christopher Leighton was born at Wakefield, Yorkshire, c.1835, and baptised at All Saint's Church on the 23rd of September 1835, the son of William Leighton, of Northgate, Wakefield, a Clothier, and his wife Jane.
1851 Census
38 Corporation Street, Leeds.
William Leighton, 41, Dyer.
Jane, 37, wife.
Six children are shown: George 17, Christopher 15 [Spinner], Richard 13, Ann 10, Mary 7, Elizabeth 4.
Enlisted at Leeds on the 11th of January 1855.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Blacksmith's-striker.
Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 19th of July 1855.
Discharged, "by purchase", from Dublin on the 7th of January 1857 upon payment of £30.
Served 1 year 361 days.
Conduct: "good".
Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
After his discharge from the Army he went to Leeds. He was married at Leeds Parish Church to Lucy Rogers (born at Leeds on the 3rd of August 1836) on the 26th of May 1859.
1861 Census
39 Christopher Street, Leeds.
Christopher Leighton, 25, Tin Plate worker, with 2 boys.
Lucy, 23.
George William, 1.
According to the Post Office Directory of 1861 he was in business as a "Tin Plate Worker" in Kirkstall Road, Leeds, and again in the Post Office Directory for 1867, but the White's Business Directory for 1866 shows, Leighton, Christopher, Ironmonger, 2 Adelphi Buildings, Kirkstall Road.
Nine children were born into the family, of whom the eldest son, George William, took over his father's business, shown in a Commercial Directory in 1892 and 1898, at No. 54 Kirkstall Road. All of these premises would appear to have been solely for business use, as no mention of anyone residing in them is shown in the relevant Census Returns.
His eldest daughter, Lilian Mary, was the grandmother of Mr. Elphick. At some time after this the business was taken over by a relative of some degree, Mr. Arthur Leighton, who, in the last available Trade Directory, was in business at 51, Kirkstall Road as a "Sheet Metal Engineer."
Nothing is known by the family of the date or whereabouts of Christopher Leighton's death, but he was most probably still alive in July 1877, when his last daughter was born.
1871 Census
Kirstall Road south side, Leeds.
Christopher Leighton, 35, tin plate worker : employing 2 men and 2 boys, Wakefield.
Lucy, 34.
Three children shown: Annie 8, John 6, and Laura 9 months.
1881 Census
Burley Road, Headingly cum Burley.
The 1881 Census Returns show him as aged 45, born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, a Master Tin Plate Worker employing two men and two boys, living with his wife Lucy, 44, born in Leeds, and 7 children aged from 21 years to 3 years (three sons and four daughters).
George, 21, Tinplate Worker; Annie, 18; John, 16, Draughtsman to an Engineer; Lewis, 13; Laura, 10; Maude, 7; Minnie, 3.
1891 Census
47, Millbank Road, Leeds.
Christopher Leighton, 55, married, lodger, Tin Worker, Wakefield.
Church View, Headingley cum Burley.
Lucy Leighton, widow [sic], 53, Leeds.
Ann, 27.
Laura, 20.
Maude, 19.
Minnie, 13.
1901 Census
7 Church View, Headingley with Burley.
Lucy Leighton, 63, married, born Leeds.
Ann 38.
Laura 30.
Maude 30.
Minnie 23.
1911 Census
Roseberry Street, Headingly, Leeds.
Christopher Leighton, 76, widower, born Wakefield.
Died at Leeds on the 23rd of September 1911.
Extracts from will:
"Christopher Leighton, of 6 Bodley Terrace, Leeds. Died 23rd September 1911. Probate to Arthur Whitehouse, Coach-builder. Effects, £28/17/-."
His father, William, 1808 to 21/03/1895, of 11, Rillbank View, Leeds, who died of "Natural decay," aged 87 years, and his mother, Jane, 1813 to 28/10/ 1891, who died of "Natural decay", aged 78 years, are buried together in Leeds Cemetery.
Christopher Leighton, who died of "Tuberculosis" at the age of 76 years, is buried with his wife, Lucy (who died on the 8th of February 1902, aged 65 years) as is a grand-daughter, aged 9, together in Grave No. 10882 in Leeds General Cemetery. The grave plot has a cross placed on it, but which only commemorates his wife, Lucy. (See photograph of this in the 17th Lancer file.)
The General Cemetery (St. George's Fields) Woodhouse, Leeds, was sold by the private company owning it in the 1960s as being required for an open space by the University, who promised relatives of those interred there that gravestones would not be interfered with, but about ten years later an Act of Parliament gave then permission to clear the whole cemetery, an avenue of rather "posh" stones and two pockets in the corners being permanently left as representative of the whole cemetery in its hey-day. The stones removed were smashed up and used as rubble to heap up and turfed over, thus "landscaping" the site.
In 1987 a Mr. Brian Elphick wrote to the then Regimental Secretary of the 17th Lancers, seeking information on his great-grand-father's military career. The letter being passed on [i.e. to EJB], all known information was sent. In return, Mr. Elphick provided a photograph of a man dressed in what appears to be a Yeomanry Cavalry uniform, and wearing two medals, both of which are obviously Crimean. This man is thought to be Christopher Leighton, but could be a great-uncle, named Fletcher.
According to the H.Q. of the present Yorkshire Yeomanry there was a Troop of Yeomanry stationed at Leeds about this time, (circa 1869) and where Christopher Leighton was living, but were said to be named as the Northern Yorkshire Regiment of West Riding Cavalry, the Troop consisting of about 60 men, commanded by a Captain. (See copy of this particular photograph in the 17th Lancer file.)
A copy of this picture was also sent to the Military Department of York Museum for possible identification, but the reply was that "All efforts to do so have proved un-availing..." With this reply was sent a full length picture of a man in seemingly identical uniform, but it, too, is said to be un-identifiable... (In this respect the uniforms differ from other known examples of photographs of men dressed in the uniform of the Yorkshire Hussars and serving around the same time.)
Census information for 1851, 1861, 1871, 1891, 1901 & 1911, and additional information for 1881, kindly provided by Chris Poole.