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.