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The Descendants of George Washington Hoskinson l
& Lucy Burlingame Bosworth
 

John Hodgkinson, Jr.

Our John Hodgkinson, Jr. was a Butcher by trade. He was married to Mary Birchall on 13 April 1678 in St. Johns Parish, in the town of Preston, Lancashire County, England. John and Mary had three children: Our ancestor Thomas, who was born on 1 February 1679, James, born on 14 August 1681 and Elizabeth, born on 26 October 1683. Unfortunately, James and Elizabeth died very young and at nearly the same time, James on 26 October 1689 and Elizabeth on 1 November 1689, just 5 days apart. Their deaths occurring so close together could certainly suggest that some type of plague or other catastrophe was loose in the community, which was not uncommon in those times.

Preston is located along the Irish Sea coast, near the mouth of the River Ribble, on the northwest side of England, 25 miles north of Liverpool. Preston was already a very old town when Thomas was born. It was named at sometime during the dark ages, just after the Romans left and before 500 A.D. The name PRESTON, which means “Priest Town” is said to come from its being owned at one time by Monks. In this area’s lifetime, it has survived the Roman Legions, Normans, Saxons, the Medieval times, Cavaliers, Roundheads, Royalists, Rebels and other groups that have fought and battled for its control over the centuries. Those battles had been fought with bow and arrow, sword and shield, spear and mace and many other ancient types of weapons, up to the gunpowder era. In 1322, the Scots army of Robert Bruce set fire to the town and later the town was a major battlefield in the Civil war between the Royalists and Parliamentarian forces.

Its history, the town has enjoyed many good times along with the bad and has survived into the present time in a peaceful and prosperous manner. Linen spinning and cloth making was its earliest trade, going back before the 12th and 13th centuries. A petition given in 1704 stated “linen cloth making had been a settled trade in that area for many ages”. Later years brought in all types of industrial and commercial enterprises, which has allowed the town to develop into an important modern center.

Many Hodgkinsons lived in and around Preston in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It is not known from where they originated, but given the history of Preston, there’s no doubt bet that they came from central to northern Europe. Some have said they came from Norway, but no specifics to that has turned up in any research, so far. A number of Hodgkinsons are mentioned in the history of the area.

Some were active in the history of Preston in both its political and Industrial Revolution. Starting in 1572, a James Hodgkinson and George Horsey ran for Parliamentary election. Later, several Hodgkinsons were elected and held posts as Mayors and bailiffs: 1564 Luke Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1572 T. Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1599 H. Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1604 R. Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1607 H. Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1660 Jas. Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1662 Richard Hodgkinson, Bailiff; 1674 Luke Hodgkinson, Mayor; 1677 L. Hodgkinson, Mayor; in 1680, the last of the Hodgkinson Mayors was T. Hodgkinson; 1688 Wm. Hodgkinson, Bailiff; there were others who were Aldermen, etc., including a Thomas Hodgkinson of Preston in 1678.

In 1662, James Hodgkinson was Mayor during a Guild meeting and celebration, which was a big event lasting several weeks and was held every 20 years. The Guild represented and controlled the working people, businesses and trades, something on the order of a Department of Labor. In the 16th century the inner walls of the parish Church were encrusted with monuments of every age and style. The names of those who flourished in this ancient borough were placed on tablets, cut most curiously from marble, to the memory of the following persons who had ruled and respected the laws of this kingdom in their time. Hodgkinson was one of the many names inscribed there. In the mid-1600’s a J.B. Hodgkinson provided for and presented the new museum at Preston, a large collection of mounted birds of the British Islands.

At the time that Thomas migrated to the plantations in Maryland, the Preston area was under going some difficult and hard times, something that had plagued its people off and on for generations. This no doubt had some influence and bearing on why and when Thomas left for America.  Read more in the book. . .

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