John Besford was the son of Robert Besford (1752-1837) and his second wife, Ann Besford (née Goodfellow). John was baptised on 3^rd May 1789 at the parish church of St. John of Beverley, St. John Lee, Northumberland. St. John Lee is about 10 miles south of Hallington, where Robert and Ann were living at the time. Robert was employed as an agricultural labourer at Cheviot Farm, Hallington.

At some point between May 1789 and January 1792, Robert and Ann moved with John to Garrett Lee Farm, about 3 miles north-west of Longhorsley, Northumberland. John’s brother Robert Besford (1792-1844) was born at Garrett Lee and baptised on 10^th January 1792.

The next record we have of John and his brother is an entry in the parish register of the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Mitford, Northumberland. This records the marriage of Robert Besford to his first wife, Isabella Robson on 18^th April 1818. Robert would have been 26 at the time. John was a witness to his brother’s marriage and would have been 28 or 29 depending upon his precise date of birth which is not known. It is noteworthy that both John and Robert signed the parish register (a lot of people at this time could not write and had to “make their mark” – a cross- instead). John Besford also acted as a witness to a further marriage that day, between a Robert Mitcheson and Ann Blackburn. He was presumably either a friend of the couple or was pressed into service as a witness as he was already there on that day.

John Besford married Isabella Wright on 24^th November 1819 at the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stannington, Northumberland. Both John  and Isabella were recorded as living in the parish of Stannington at the time of their marriage.

On 17^th September 1920 John and Isabella’s first child, a son, was baptised John at the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stannington. The parish register entry also records that John and Isabella were living at Stannington Bridge, where John was working as a labourer. This son John Besford (1820-1875) would come to a sad end and is buried in the graveyard at St. Nicholas Parish Church, Cramlington.

John and Isabella had a second son, William Besford, who was baptised on 27^th April 1823 at the church of St. Mary the Virgin, Stannington. John and Isabella were recorded as living in Stannington where John was still working as a labourer (almost certainly an agricultural labourer).

The next record of John Besford is, sadly, that of his burial. This took place on 26^th June 1825 at St. Mary the Virgin, Stannington. He had died at the age of 36, leaving his wife Isabella Besford with two young sons, John (4) and William (2). 

We also know that Isabella was pregnant when John died, as their son Thomas Besford was baptised on 4^th December 1825, not quite 6 months after John’s death.