William Irwin was born in Keswick, Cumberland, where his father was a shoe-maker and baker. His mother was an Iveson from Carlisle. William was apprenticed to a cooper (barrel maker); and he was also taught to play the fiddle by Gillespie, an eminent North Cumbrian fiddler. At the age of 16 years, he played in the Grapes Inn, Keswick, on May 18, 1839. He was paid ten shillings; this was much more than a week's wages for a lad at that time, and all for playing a few fiddle tunes. In 1844, at the age of 21, he moved fifteen miles south from Keswick to Langdale, and started work as a cooper for the Elterwater Gunpowder Company. The music work continued, long-standing connections with various pubs in the Langdale, Grasmere, Ambleside and Hawkshead regions. He courted a widow, Dorothy Greenup (nee Birkett) of Bayesbrown House by Chapel Stile. His courtship involved writing her a tune, called "Mrs Greenup's Reel". They married shortly after in Grasmere church. From then on Dorothy must have been pretty busy, as she bore seven sons and four daughters, and at least eight of them reached adulthood. Irwin also was music teaching. By his own death in 1889 he had saved £100. Not only were the debts paid off, and money saved, but he was also buying expensive astronomical equipment. He started building telescopes, and with his last one he managed to see the planet Mercury a few weeks before he died.
William Irwin was born in Keswick, Cumberland, where his father was a shoe-maker and baker. His mother was an Iveson from Carlisle. William was apprenticed to a cooper (barrel maker); and he was also taught to play the fiddle by Gillespie, an eminent North Cumbrian fiddler. At the age of 16 years, he played in the Grapes Inn, Keswick, on May 18, 1839. He was paid ten shillings; this was much more than a week's wages for a lad at that time, and all for playing a few fiddle tunes. In 1844, at the age of 21, he moved fifteen miles south from Keswick to Langdale, and started work as a cooper for the Elterwater Gunpowder Company. The music work continued, long-standing connections with various pubs in the Langdale, Grasmere, Ambleside and Hawkshead regions. He courted a widow, Dorothy Greenup (nee Birkett) of Bayesbrown House by Chapel Stile. His courtship involved writing her a tune, called "Mrs Greenup's Reel". They married shortly after in Grasmere church. From then on Dorothy must have been pretty busy, as she bore seven sons and four daughters, and at least eight of them reached adulthood. Irwin also was music teaching. By his own death in 1889 he had saved £100. Not only were the debts paid off, and money saved, but he was also buying expensive astronomical equipment. He started building telescopes, and with his last one he managed to see the planet Mercury a few weeks before he died.
Inscription
IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM IRWIN
WHO DIED AT ELTERWATER
JUNE 2ND 1889 AGED 66 YEARS
ALSO OF DOROTHY
HIS BELOVED WIFE
WHO DIED MAY 4TH 1877
AGED 51 YEARS
ALSO OF MARY
BELOVED DAUGHTER
WHO DIED MARCH 18TH 1878
AGED 27 YEARS
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