Thomas Hiley and his son Herbert

Remembrance Sunday. We remember a father and son who lost their lives in WW1.

Thomas Edward Hiley was born in Southowram, Halifax in 1857. He married Mary Ann Gibson in Hull in 1880 but Mary died the following year. The 1881 Census showed Thomas as working aboard the vessel ‘Liberator’. He remarried in 1887 to Annie Edwards and by 1901 the couple had 5 children, including Herbert. At this time they were living in Boston, Lincolnshire and Thomas was described as a Fisherman. Annie died in 1908 and in 1911 Herbert, described as a Dock Labourer (Fish) was living independently in Skirbeck Quarter, Boston with his three younger siblings. Living close by was the Tann family, including Mary Ann, Herbert’s future wife. Thomas may well have been away at sea at the time of this Census.

On 16th October 1915 Thomas was a Deck Hand aboard the Steam Trawler ‘Fijian’ (Boston). The vessel was reported missing on that day. Given the location and date, it is likely that she struck a mine. There were no survivors.

Thomas's name is inscribed at the Tower Hill Memorial in London. The Memorial commemorates the men of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who have no grave but the sea.

At age 57, Thomas was the oldest of all the Hileys/Highleys to be killed during WW1.

Thomas Edward Hiley - Tower Hill Memorial

Included courtesy of Brian Watson, Vessels lost in WW1

http://www.benjidog.co.uk/Tower%20Hill/WW1%20Farraline%20to%20Firth.html

Fishing trawler The Holland - lost without trace in WW1

This would have been a similar vessel to Fijian

(from Old Boston, Boston's trawler fleet in WW1)

Herbert, born in 1893, married Mary Ann Tann in the Spring of 1914 in Boston, Lincolnshire.

He was a Stoker for the Royal Naval Reserve aboard H.M.S. Cressy. On 22nd September 1914. H.M.S. Cressy, along with H.M.S. Hogue and H.M.S. Aboukir, were ambushed by a German U Boat while on patrol off the Dutch coast. All three ships were torpedoed and sunk with the Cressy losing 560 of her crew, including Herbert.

The War was not yet two months old and Herbert had been married for only a few months. His name is remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent.

Stoker Herbert Hiley - Chatham Naval Memorial

Included with the permission of Brad Evans at Find A Grave

H.M.S.Cressy

Henry Hileley, Sowerby Constable

A number of articles have been written giving summaries of sections of the Sowerby Constables' Accounts over the years.

The only mention of a Hiley Constable is that of Henry :

Henry Hileley, Constable, 1677-8, busied himself with the repair of the roads. The travellers he had to relieve were of no moment.
To James Bankcroft , when he went to get stones for stocks...……………………..0  1  6
For repayre of stocks ………………………………………………………………………..…....0  6  0
To Jno: Willman for leading 2 stones for stocks ………………………………………..0  0  9
                                                                        
In 1645-6 the Constables were Richard Houlgate and John Hopkinson. There are two entries in the Accounts which mention Edm. (Edmund) Hileley.

Paid to Edm. Hileley, James Sladen and Peter Mawde for makeinge a Watchehouse att Sowerby Bridge, the 13th of Novem. ……………………………………………………………………………………………........0  0
Paid to Edm. Hileley for theakinge the watchhouse att Sowerby Bridge, 
the 6th day of Dec. (1645) ………………………………………………………………………. 0  1  0
Paid for a load of coles which the watch had …………………………………………….0  0  6

(From Sowerby Constables' Accounts Parts II and IV. Lectures by Mr H P Kendall)

A theaking-rake was a small rake used by thatchers.

W B Crump wrote an article in 1928 for the Halifax Antiquarian Society on Sowerby Highways. He provided examples of work carried out in the summer of 1689 including the following:

29th July: Pd. to Henry Hiley for a man and horse 3 daies and leading stones with a sled to Sowerby Townegate.

He wrote: Certainly too much praise cannot be given to the Constables of Sowerby for their systematic repair of the highways. Year by year from 1629 to 1691 they kept men employed on the work

Sowerby Towngate with the Church (centre) and the Hall (left)

(with the permission of David Greaves)

Sowerby Constables

The Yorkshire Hileys came from the township of Sowerby in the ancient parish of Halifax. The map below shows Sowerby and all the other townships.

Map of the Parish of Halifax, showing the townships, church and chapels

(Sowerby Probate Records, Hebden Bridge Local History Society)

Each township had a Constable, serving for one year.

Peter Crabtree, in his book ‘Crabtree – Dweller by the Wild Apple Tree’ writes that:
‘The constable was responsible for the maintenance of law and order, for apprehending those suspected of crimes, and for bringing them before the manor or assize court for trial. The position, which was unpaid, was filled on a rotation basis and confirmed by the manor court. Fulfilling the office of township constable was one of the obligations of service of both bond and free tenant.' 

There are four Hileys listed in the records of the Constables for the township of Sowerby. The details below are taken from 'The Sowerby Constables', a lecture by Mr H P Kendall in 1906. A catalogue of the names of all the Constables is given by Mr Kendall, starting at the beginning of the reign of King Henry the Eighth in 1509. Years are given as the number of years since the start of a monarch's reign.

The table gives the name of the Hiley Constable, the name of the monarch at the time, the number of years since the start of that monarch's reign, and thus the year in which the Hiley Constable served.

Name                            In the reign of       Start of reign     Years since start of reign      Year

Gilbert Hyleley       Henry VIII             1509                    23                                             1532 

Michaell Hileley     Elizabeth I             1558                    21                                              1579 

Edward Hileley       Elizabeth I             1558                    29                                             1587 

Henry Hilley            Charles II               1660                    18                                             1678

The next Blogpost will give some brief details of Henry Hilley's year as Constable. 

Boiler Explosion at Todmorden

The following article appeared in The Liverpool Mercury on Friday, 22nd January, 1875.

This content is included courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Boiler explosion at Lord Brothers, Todmorden

The following extracts come from Linda Briggs's Todmorden and Walsden website. They were taken from The Halifax Guardian and extracted and transcribed by John Alan Longbottom.

After the jury had viewed the bodies - Hannah Hiley was the 1st witness. She said she saw her husband that day the first time after the accident had happened. Her husband's name was George, and he was 38 years of age. They lived in Shade Street. He was a "stretcher" at Messrs. Lord's. She last saw him alive on Thursday morning at half past five, when he left home to go to his work. At that time he was quite well and hearty.

On Wednesday a seventh death occurred, that of James Sutcliffe of Oldroyd. Several of the deceased have already been buried, Hiley and Hodgins were members of the Todmorden Brass Band, and members of the band attended their funerals. Hiley was buried on Tuesday and Hodgins on Wednesday. Large numbers of people assembled on the way to the churches. Several others are not expected to survive. The inquest on Sutcliffe was opened by Mr. Bairstow on Thursday and adjourned until Monday next, along with the one on those killed at the time of the explosion. 

John (not George as reported above) was the father of David Hiley who appeared in the last Blogpost on 22nd October 2019. He was born in Langfield, Todmorden in 1827. John had 3 children, Elizabeth Ann, Mary Hannah and Tom, with his first wife Alice (nee Haigh), and 4 children, Tom, John Edward, Alice and David, with his second wife Hannah (nee Crossley).