Early references to High Lee

The Blogpost of 10th February 2019 discussed the origin of the Hiley surname.

The first reference to High Lee as an actual location in Sowerby was in the will of Michaell Hilleley who died in 1588. His will begins:
In the name of god Amen the thirtieth day of January Ann Dm 1588. I Michaell Hilleley of the Hilleley in the township of Sowerby and diocese of York sick in body but of good and perfect remembrance...…………….

Five years later, John Hileley of Tyrvin made his will and bequeathed:
…..all the household stuff within the house and parlour to Elizabeth Hileleye the wife of Gilbert Hileley of the Hileley.

The West Yorkshire Archives contain a number of records describing various land transactions in Sowerby. Mentioned in some of these are:
Edmond Hylyley of Hileley in Sowerby, yeoman (1596)
James Hylilee of Hylilee (1608)
James Hileley of Hiley in Sorby, co. York, clothier (1624)

In the Publications of the Surtees Society, Yorkshire Diaries & Autobiographies include 'some memoirs concerning the family of the Priestleys', written by Jonathan Priestley in 1696. He refers to:
….one Highlee of Highlee in Sowerby.....; this man was the richest man in Sowerby.....having sixty houses and farms....
This was James Highlee who died in 1643.

In 1664 James Hileley of Hathershelfe, son of the James mentioned above, transferred his farm of Hileleigh in Sowerby to his eldest son Henry, but made provision that if he should outlive his son he might freely use a cooking room and a room above the cellar, together with a rent charge of £12 a year.

This transaction is recorded in the Wakefield Court Rolls 1664-5 (Yorkshire Archaeological Society).

James Hileley transfers his farm to his son Henry

It seems that there were no Hileys occupying the High Lee property after the end of the 1600s.