Alice Mitton nee Hiley 1865-1967

David Hiley (1868-1961) featured in the post of 22nd August 2019. He lived to the age of 93 and was recorded as the longest lived of all the Hiley/Highley members in the family tree (where we know the years of birth and death.) I invited readers to get in touch if they knew of any Hileys who reached a more advanced age.

I am delighted to report that a reader has written to say that David's sister Alice lived to the age of 102, and so now takes over the title of longest lived member of the Hiley family.

Alice was born in Oldroyd, Langfield on 1st July 1865, the daughter of John Hiley and Hannah Crossley. The family lived at 8 Shade Street, Walsden and Alice worked as a Cotton Weaver. John was killed in the boiler explosion at Lord Bros. in Todmorden in 1875 (described in a previous post).

In 1894 Alice married John Thomas Mitton. The 1901 census showed them living in Major Street, Todmorden with Alice's mother Hannah. John Thomas was working as a Newsagent. The couple emigrated to Australia in 1910 but returned, disillusioned, the following year. They lived in Formby and in the 1921 census John Thomas was listed as a Farmer and Grocer and Alice as a Grocer's assistant. John Thomas died in 1926 aged 61 and was buried with Alice's parents in Christ Church graveyard in Todmorden. The couple had no children. 

Alice remained in Formby and looked after a shop there for many years. She died in 1967 aged 102.

Edward Highley (1866-1932)

Edward Highley was born in Todmorden in 1866, the son of James and Ruth (nee Kershaw). Two daughters, Ruth and Betsy, were born two years later but Ruth and both her daughters are all recorded as dying in July 1868 and are buried in the graveyard at Lumbutts near Todmorden. James remarried the year after - this time to Alice Roberts (nee Smith). 

Edward married Hannah Mary Ingham in 1896. A daughter Doris was born in 1898.

The family lived in Station Road in Cornholme. The 1921 census shows Edward working at Frostholme Mill in Cornholme as a Drawer-in and Twister (Cotton), Hannah Mary working in Vale Mill, Cornholme as a Cotton Weaver, and Doris working at Springwood Mill, Cornholme as a Cotton Weaver.

Edward played the B-flat tuba in the Todmorden Brass Band. He can be identified from the lists of names in the following photos.

Todmorden Brass Band 1921-22

Todmorden Brass Band 1923

Edward is buried along with Hannah Mary in the Mount Zion Methodist Chapel graveyard in Cornholme. His grave is situated right at the top of the graveyard but is currently inaccessible because of all the overgrown bushes and vegetation.

The graveyard at Cornholme

Admiral Sir Anthony Hiley Hoskins

Sir Anthony Hiley Hoskins (1828–1901) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. Born into a naval family, he entered the navy as a cadet while still young and spent many years serving at sea during the nineteenth century, a time when the fleet was changing from sail to steam-powered ships.

 
Over a long career he rose steadily through the ranks, holding important sea commands and senior administrative posts. In 1891 he was appointed First Naval Lord, the professional head of the navy and the senior naval adviser to the government, serving until 1893. He retired soon afterwards and died in 1901.

But where did the name Hiley come from?

Anthony's grandfather William Hoskins married Elizabeth Addington in London in 1782. Elizabeth was the sister of Henry Addington, the 1st Viscount Sidmouth, who was the British Prime Minister from 1801 to 1804. Elizabeth and Henry's parents were Anthony Addington and Mary Hiley (1722-1778).

So it seems that the Hiley part of Anthony Hiley Hoskins' name would have come from Mary Hiley .

Type 'Prime Minister' in the 'Search This Blog' box to learn more about Anthony, Mary and Henry.

A sister of Elizabeth and Henry was Charlotte Addington. She married Charles Bathurst and they had a  son William Hiley Bathurst.

Type 'William Hiley Bathurst' in the 'Search This Blog' box to learn more about him.

Lister Lane Cemetery (3) - graves 2908 and 2721

Grave no. 2908

Norris Highley, son of Harry Highley and Annie (nee Stapp).

Elizabeth Sunderland (nee Robinson), wife of William Sunderland, great great grandmother of Harry.

George Nutton, son-in-law of Elizabeth, and his wife Hannah. 

Harry Highley was an Iron Moulder who lived in Halifax. 

Grave no. 2721

John Highley

Matilda Jane Brooksbank and Sam Brooksbank, stepchildren of John

John was the third husband of Caroline Helliwell. Her first husband, William Brooksbank, was the father of Matilda and Sam, and her second husband was Thomas Eastwood.

John was a Labourer, born in Warley but later lived in Halifax.

There are several Hileys/Highleys listed in the burial records but buried in unmarked graves or unable to be located, along with a number of adults and children in public or infant vaults with no markings.

Lister Lane Cemetery (2) - graves 362, 3672 and 3932

In the next few posts we look at the Hiley graves in Lister Lane Cemetery, Halifax.

Grave no. 362

James Riley Highley.

Lucy Ann Highley, James's cousin and wife, daughter of John Highley.
Their children Lucy Annie, Kate, Ada Elizabeth and an infant son.

Hannah Highley (nee Bentley), wife of William Highley, James's brother.

James and Lucy Ann both lived in Halifax and married in 1854. James was a Clerk to the Commissioners of Taxes and Deputy Magistrates' Clerk in Halifax.

After Lucy Ann's death, James Riley Highley emigrated to New Zealand where he died and was buried.

Grave no. 3672

Thomas Hiley

Mary Hiley (nee Feather), wife of Thomas.

Nancy Ackroyd, widowed sister of Mary.

Thomas and Mary were both from Warley. They married in Halifax in 1813 and later moved to Northowram. Thomas was a Carpet Weaver. 

Thomas and Mary had 11 children. Two of them are buried in unmarked public graves at Lister Lane - Edward Feather Hiley (1833-1855), a dyer from Northowram, in grave no. 4307, and Thomas Hiley (1821-1848), a plasterer also from Northowram, in grave no. 4243. 

Grave no. 3932

Caroline Highley (nee Shaw), wife of John Highley.

Charles Highley, Caroline's son.

Joel Shaw, Caroline's father.

William Denton Shaw, Joel's son.

Mary Alice Shaw, Joel's granddaughter.

John Highley lived in Skircoat, Halifax and was a joiner and builder. He married Sabina Cooper in 1833 and the couple had 5 children. Sabina died in 1843 and five years later John married Caroline Shaw, with whom he had a further 7 children, including Charles, a Wool Sorter.

The burial records for Lister Lane show that Blanche Hiley, a daughter of Caroline and John, is also buried in this plot but she is not named on the headstone. The 1921 census shows Blanche and Charles, who remained single all their lives, living together in Halifax. Blanche died in 1951.

Lister Lane Cemetery (1)

Lister Lane Cemetery in Halifax contains the graves of a number of Hileys/Highleys. The next few posts will show photos of their gravestones and brief summaries of their lives.

An information board gives a history of the cemetery and mentions some of the notable people buried there. Remember to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Lister Lane cemetery

The ruined chapel

The cemetery contains a number of Hiley graves with their own headstones together with some Hileys in unmarked graves. There are also Hileys buried in public graves and infant vaults. These have no names, markings or memorial stones.

Public and infant vaults

Bolton Brow revisited

The post of 14th November 2025 described the graveyard at Bolton Brow in Sowerby Bridge which has two Hiley graves but is now completely overgrown.

I am grateful to a reader of the Blog for sending me some photos of the graveyard, including ones of the two graves, for which we only had transcriptions previously.

Graveyard in 2007

Graveyard in 2025

Graveyard in 2007