When Joseph Bielby and his wife Elizabeth both passed away at Kirkburn, Yorkshire in 1709, our Peter Bielby was just a lad of 4. Along with his siblings, Peter was now an orphan and as such became a ‘ward’ of the parish of Kirkburn. Then in 1715 as a lad of ten, Peter was apprenticed to a shoemaker (cordwainer) named Richard Lamb of Malton, Yorkshire. This is a very interesting turn of events since a boy was typically ‘15’ years old upon entering an apprenticeship.
Historically, Peter eventually thrived as a shoemaker in Settrington, Yorkshire in his career and with his wife Mary Sampill, raised a fine family.
