Joseph Dalton and Jane Weightman were born in 1805.
Very little documented information is available on Joseph or Jane's upbringing or working conditions, however, some aspects of their early lives in England can be surmised from county records and histories concerning time periods relevant to our subjects at hand. They both appear in official records in the Dalston Parish in 1831. Research of marriage and baptism records, archived at the Carlisle Records Office in Cumbria England, revealed the following marriage:

Joseph Dalton of Wetheral parish married Jane Weightman of Dalston on 6 March 1831.

Either banns were not posted for this marriage or the record of such has not been discovered. Generally banns, or an announcement of the intention to marry, were posted three weeks prior to a marriage in both the Anglican and Catholic churches. If the couple were in a rush to be married they skipped the formalities and went over the line to Scotland where they could have a civil ceremony and no questions asked. If there was an impediment to a marriage, it generally surfaced during the three-week period. It is the "speak or forever hold your peace" clause. Sometimes a couple elected to acquire a marriage license that allowed them to be wed immediately. A license was generally expensive but some couples wanted to avoid the three-week waiting period required by banns. If a woman was pregnant, for example, the couple may wish to obtain a license and marry as quickly as possible.

In Joseph and Jane's case, one possible reason for not posting banns could be the imminent birth of their daughter. Ann Dalton arrived on 6 April 1831 and was baptized on 6 May 1831. Most family researchers find many firstborn children arrive extremely early. Now, would a woman in this era be accepted if she were very pregnant and unmarried? Probably not. A reasonable scenario as to Joseph and Jane's late wedding date is they simply crossed the Scottish border and married in Greta Green. There are many accountings of young couples marrying in Scotland and then having another wedding ceremony (months or years later) to accommodate the parents who were not previously included. Then again, they may have waited until Jane was eight months pregnant to be married, but I'll wager that isn't the case.

Baptismal records for Ann indicate the Daltons were living in Dalston parish. Several villages comprise the makeup of Dalston parish. It is divided into six townships: Buckhowbank, Cumdevock , Dalston, Hawkesdale, Ivegill, Raughton & Gatesgill. Of the six villages, Buckhowbank seems the most likely place for Joseph and Jane to have lived. Buckhowbank, both East and West, was a suburb of Dalston village. It is situated on the eastside of the Caldew River where there were two corn mills, a large flax mill, an iron forge, a sawmill, and three cotton mills.

In 1831 Joseph's profession is listed as a cotton spinner.
There were three possibilities of employment for Joseph Dalton. Most likely he worked at a mill in Buckhowbank (now called Buckabank) located on the River Caldew. This mill was founded in 1821 by J. Cowen and Sons . It has been closed for a very long time, however, the old mill wheels are still there, as well as the gates to stop and increase the flow of water. Another mill in Dalston was Stead McAlpine, which is still in business. The other cotton mill, the property of Col. Sowerby, is worked by Carrick, Blenkinsop & Co.

Joseph, Jane and Ann lived in Dalston parish possibly as late as 1833. The family moved to Burnrigg, in Wetheral parish, and lived at the "Cotton Works" sometime between the Winter of 1831 and September 1833. Joseph found employment as a cotton spinner. There were two cotton manufactories in Wetheral parish in this time period. The largest was at Warwick Bridge but there was a smaller one near Broadwath in the township of Great Corby. Again, it has not been ascertained in which mill Joseph worked, however, a reasonable deduction would be that his initial employment was at the larger mill at Warwick Bridge based on their residence information in baptismal records.

Since the marriage register stated Joseph was from Wetheral Parish, perhaps he decided to move his new family closer to his parents. Perhaps there was greater opportunity at the mills in his home parish. If the trend to follow in the father's line of work holds true then Joseph's father was also a mill worker and possibly assisted in gaining his son employment at one of the mills in Wetheral. How he ended up in Wetheral is speculation but it has been established the Dalton family did live and work in this parish.

Wetheral parish records confirm the baptism of their son Isaac on 15 September 1833 and state the family lived in Burnrigg. The closest cotton mill was Peter Dixon & Sons. This business no longer exists however, the old cotton mill at Warwick Bridge is still standing and now houses a number of small businesses. Utilizing the county archivist and baptismal records, you can follow the family's growth for the time they resided in northern England. The following are baptismal recordings housed at the Cumbria Archives in Carlisle:

1831 6 May - Anne d. of Joseph and Jane Dalton at Dalston.
1833 15 September - Isaac s. of Joseph Dalton and Jane Weightman at Wetheral.
1837 25 January - Elizabeth d. of Joseph Dalton and Jane Weightman at Wetheral.
1838 6 May - William s. of Joseph Dalton and Jane Weightman at Wetheral
1840 18 October - Joseph s. of Joseph Dalton and Jane Wheatman at Wetheral

In initial queries of county records, only the parish where the baptism occurred is noted. Further inquiries and correspondence revealed the village/town where the Dalton family lived. Sometime after the birth of Joseph Jr. the family moved to Great Corby. Joseph Jr's baptismal records disclose Joseph Sr. was employed as a cotton spinner and the family lived near Warwick Bridge, in Burnrigg. Joseph may have switched employment from Peter Dixon & Sons to the smaller mill in Broadwath as a change of residence is documented in the 1841 census. The reason for moving a short distance to a smaller mill may have been a better opportunity in regard to salary or perhaps better living quarters for the growing family. The following census record is the latest document (in regard to date) found for the Daltons in England.