John Lewtas was baptised in St Chad’s in November 1732, the second child and second son of Thomas Lewtas & Ellen Bamber. He married Margaret Clegg at St Chad’s on 18th July 1754 aged 22. Margaret Clegg was baptised in St Chad’s in 1736 and died in 1784 aged 48. Because Margaret was only 18 when she married, her mother had to agree to the marriage. In the Lancaster Marriage Bonds is one for John Lewtas flax dresser aged 21 and Margaret Clegg aged 17 both of Poulton, with the consent of her mother Ellen Clegg dated July 18th 1754. Margaret was the daughter of George Clegg and Ellen Cowerd who married in St Chad’s on May 1st 1729.
A Doctor’s book in Lancashire Archives includes references to John Lewtas
John Lewtas flax dresser –
To delivery of his wife a boy 5/6d 29 October 1758 (This is Thomas)
NB he began to attend my horse and black my shoes etc.
19 September 1760 To delivery his wife of a boy (This is George)
10 July 1763 John Lewtas flax dresser landlord of Plough to delivery his wife of a girl 9/6d
To cutting his child’s hare lip and attending it afterwards 10/6d (This is Ellen)
June 1768 To attending his wife in a fever 5/-
4 July 1769 Boy 10/6d This is William
November 1770 Applications & attendance on account of his son Thomas’s leg
John and Margaret Clegg had 7 children:
1. Ellen daughter 26th September 1756
2. Thomas son 12th November 1758
3. George son 5th October 1760 died 1839 aged 79
4. Ellen daughter 24th July 1763
5. John son 11th September 1765
6. Richard son 3rd May 1767
7. William son 26th July 1769
Two years after the death of his first wife in 1784, John married Ellen Eaves, a widow, at St Chad’s on 19th August 1786. The wedding was witnessed by J Jump. Ellen died in 1793. John died 1810 and was buried at St Chad’s on Sept 22nd