Lord Hiley

As far as I know there has never been a Hiley (or Highley) to be given the distinguished title of Lord, although there are one or two who have received knighthoods.

But there was a Lord Hiley who lived for only a short time in Walsden near Todmorden in 1873.

The Blog of 7th May 2019 included a story about Reuben Hiley ('Old Wraggs'). Reuben and his wife Betty had 5 children, including a son James. In 1857 James married Mary Ann Lord and the couple had 10 children. The eighth of these was Lord.

Lord was born on 16th April 1873. The family lived in Newbridge, Walsden and the occupation of Lord's father James was recorded on Lord's birth certificate as a 'Carter for Manufacturing Chemists'. The birth was not registered until 28th May. Lord's mother Mary Ann was the informant at the Register Office in Todmorden and, unable to sign her name, she made her mark on the form.

Lord, only six months old, passed away on 10th November the same year. This time his father James was the informant and he had been present at the death. He also made his mark on the form.

Lord had been seen only once by a doctor. The cause of death was given as pneumonitis. Pneumonitis is inflammation (swelling) of the tissues of the lungs. A dry cough and shortness of breath are symptoms of the illness.

Lord was buried in the graveyard of St Peter's Church in Walsden. In the same grave were buried four other children under 10 years old - his brother William (aged 8), his sister Mary Ann (aged 6 months), and two infant children (aged 2 and 9 months) of his sister Sarah Ellen and her husband Fred Smith. Lord's parents James and Mary Ann were buried with him.

There are 23 graves in the St Peter's churchyard where Hileys or people connected with Hiley families are buried.

The photo below shows part of the graveyard at St Peter's. The walking stick marks the grave of John and Mally Highley, distant relations of Lord and his family. Lord's grave has not yet been located.

St Peter's, Walsden graveyard

St Peter's Church, Walsden

Double dating

The last Blogpost (11th December 2019) mentioned the baptism of Agnes Hylyle on 24th February 1539/40.

Before 1752 the calendar year started on 25th March rather than on 1st January so the year used for dates between 1st January and 24th March was the same as for the preceding December.

Dates between 1st January and 24th March before 1752 are often recorded using a technique called 'double dating'. They are given as two years. So Agnes's baptism on 24th February took place in 1539 under the old style (Julian calendar) and 1540 under the new style (Gregorian calendar). 1539 was the year the baptism appears in the parish register and 1540 is the modern year equivalent. Hence 1539/40.

The Blogpost of 5th June 2019 showed the inventory of the goods and chattels of Henry Hyley of Warley. The date of the inventory is properly recorded as 23rd February 1732/3. The record of the entry for Henry's will in the Prerogative & Exchequer Courts of York Probate Index is shown below.
(1732/3 Martii (March), Hyley Henrici de Warley P (Parish) Hallifax).

Record of entry for Henry Hyley's will

Halifax Parish Church

Parish registers were formally introduced in England in 1538 following the split with the Roman Catholic Church, when Thomas Cromwell, minister to Henry VIII, issued an injunction requiring the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials to be kept.

The earliest available registers for West Yorkshire are the Parish registers of Halifax, 1538-1593. These cover baptisms, marriages and burials which took place in the Parish church of St John's, Halifax.

The ancient parish of Halifax was the largest parish in Yorkshire and one of the largest in England. The Blog of 6th November shows a map of the townships which were part of the Halifax parish.

Halifax Parish Church

During the years 1538-1593, there were 63 baptisms, 33 marriages and 48 burials recorded involving Hileys, but with a large number of different variant spellings of the surname. Most of these entries were given in Latin.

Nearly all the Hiley marriages up to the year 1800 took place in Halifax Parish Church, with just a small number elsewhere at Heptonstall, Elland, Luddenden and Todmorden.

The earliest Hiley record at Halifax is for the baptism of Agnes, daughter of George Hylyle of Sowerby on 24th of February 1539/40. The next Blogpost will explain this method of denoting the year.

The following excerpt is from the 1598 burial register. It shows Jane, daughter of Michael Hileley of Sowerby, buried on the 19th April, and the widow of Gilbert Hileley of Sowerby buried on the following day.

Part of April 1598 burial register for Halifax Parish Church
(Taken from Ancestry)

The Blogpost of 14th March 2019 showed the will of James Hilaleighe of Sowerby written in 1577. In common with all the other wills available from this time, he requested that he be buried at Halifax:

.............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...........

Pews in the Parish Church 2017

Roots of heaven

Today I am very pleased to include an article written by John Hiley of Ings near Windermere.

Please get in touch if you have the Hiley/Highley surname, or have an interest in it or a connection with it, and would like to support or contribute to this Blog.