Thomas del Helileghe

The first references to the Hiley name appear in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield.

These Rolls documented the business of the manor of Wakefield from 1274 to 1925. The manor was one of the largest in England and covered not just Wakefield, but a huge area of the West Riding including Halifax and Sowerby. The Court Rolls recorded the business of the court baron (held every three weeks at Wakefield) which dealt with enforcing manorial dues and transfers of land, and the court leet or tourn (held twice yearly at a number of locations including Halifax) which dealt with law and order and common agriculture. (Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society)

One of the first references concerns Thomas del Helileghe.


Court held at Halifax on the Tuesday next after the Feast of All Saints, 6 Edward III, 3 November 1332:

Sowerby:
Amerced (fined) 3d each for grazing a sow without right: Thomas le Priest, John del Rediker, Adam Culpon, Thomas del Helileghe, Adam de Coventre, Juliana de Blackwod, Roger de Bentileyrode, John de Longeley, Richard del Longebothem.

"Harvesting acorns to feed swine"

Queen Mary Psalter 1310-1320

Image in the Public Domain

The sad end of Jim Highley

The following article appeared in the Todmorden & District News on 28th August 1891.

The death of Jim Highley

This content is included courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Jim was a grandson of Reuben and Betty Highley, and the sixth of their son John’s nine children. He was born in 1866 while the family were living in Millwood, an area of Todmorden beside the Halifax Road. In the 1881 Census, the family’s address was given as 94 Roomfield Lane, Todmorden. Father John, now a widower, was a Carter in a Corn Mill and Jim worked as a Corn Miller. Five of the children were still living at home.

By April 1891 Jim had been living in the Todmorden Union Workhouse for three  years. The Census record showed Jim as one of over a hundred ‘paupers’ in the Workhouse at the time.

Todmorden Union Workhouse c. 1906

Seen from the west. Stoodley Pike in the background

Jim was buried at Cross Stone Cemetery in Todmorden in the same grave as his parents and some of his brothers and sisters.

Highley Hall

The earliest references to Hileys in Yorkshire were all from the township of Sowerby. At the end of the 1390s a branch of the family moved from Sowerby to Clifton, a village about 10 miles east near Brighouse.

There are several references to the Clifton Hileys in J Horsfall Turner's book 'The History of Brighouse, Rastrick and Hipperholme', first published in 1893. One of them describes an incident in 1391:

John Cockcroft of Wadsworth stabbed Adam s. William of Marsden, at Christmas, 1379. He was a fugitive till Candlemas, 1391, when Thos. s. Thos. de Hylelegh of Sowerby shot him with an arrow, which was valued at 1d. The said Thos. of Hilelegh, junr. shot with an arrow, at Hylelegh Place, John Hardery of Bingley shortly before, for which he was indicted.

From this time we find a branch of the Hileleghs at Hilelegh or Hiley Hall, Clifton.

Margaret Sharp includes a chapter on Highley Hall in her book 'Down the Acres'. She writes:

The Highleys became very important in the village and the Hall became known by their family name. Family members were listed in the court records as jurors and Constables from 1391 to 1587.

Highley Hall in Clifton

Initials over the front door may be those of Robert Hilileigh

More on the Clifton Hilileighs in a future blog.

The Will of James Hilaleighe of Sowerby

This is the earliest Hiley will so far found, written on 27th June 1577. James died 3 weeks later and was buried on 21st July.

Will of James Hilaleighe of Sowerby 1577
(Click on the will to enlarge it)

Reproduced from an original in the Borthwick Institute, University of York, ref. Prob. Reg. 21 f.20.

The following translation was done by Michael Fitton:

In the name of God amen the 27 day of June in the year of our lord god 1577 I James Hilaleighe of the township of Sowerby and diocese of York Sick in body but of good and perfect remembrance praise be god Do make and ordain this my present testament containing herein my last will in manner and form following first and principally I commend my soul into the hands of almighty god my loving and merciful father assuredly believing to have remission of all my sins by the Death and passion of Jesus Christ his son my alone savior and redeemer and my body to be buried in the churchyard of Halifax among the bodies of the faithful there buried expecting with them to have a joyful resurrection. Item my will is that all debt and duties which I owe of right to any person or persons be well and truly contented and paid. Item I give and bequeath to Agnes the wife of Robert Ireland 40 shillings. Item I give and bequeath to William Gledhill of Warley all that which he owes to me and on and beside that 40 shillings. Item I give to five children of Margaret Ramsbotham deceased my sister to every one of them 10 shillings. Item I bequeath to Henry Perks 10 shillings to John Emmet 10 shillings and to Richard Dickson 10 shillings. Item I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Longbotham my daughter twenty marks to be paid within one year next after my decease upon condition that she the said Eliz and Edward Longbotham her husband do deliver one acquittance general under their seals to my executors hereafter to be named. The residue of all my goods chattels and debts after my funeral expense debt and payment are discharged I give and bequeath wholly to Margaret Hylaleighe and Isabell Hylaleighe my daughters equally to be divided between them and I appoint the said Margaret and Isabell Hylaleighe executrices of this my last will and testament. Witnesses hereof Adam Morris clerke, William Hilaleigh (next word looks like osk, perhaps means otherwise to denote a different spelling of surname) Hilaleighe George Hilaleighe Edmund Tatersall and Richard Denton.

The Clog Iron Shop at Walsden

This is a photo of workers outside the Clog Iron Shop in Walsden, taken around 1902. It is included with the permission of Ann Kilbey, Pennine Horizons Digital Archive.

This photo was not one of the family's collection but I believe the young man on the middle row third from the left is my grandfather Harold Hiley. The date given for this photo is 1902. Harold is shown as working as a Clog Iron Maker in both the 1901 Census and on his marriage certificate in 1903. He lived with his family on Hollins Road, Walsden at the time and was aged 19 in 1902. Harold later moved to Littleborough and became a Baker and Confectioner.

Clog Iron Shop workers in Walsden