 His father died young and his mother took over the business to provide for her young children, William and his four sisters.William showed an early aptitude for drawing and his mother, following advice, placed him with the drawing school recently opened by S. Crosthwaite in the Market Place house recently occupied by Mrs Jackson Harrison.His studies were interrupted when he was about fifteen as his mother died and he took over responsibility for providing for, and educating his sisters, continuing the hosiery business and trying to sort out his father’s affairs.