Samuel Hiley - soap agent for Lancashire

Samuel Hiley, a great grandfather, has appeared in a number of posts already. Type 'Samuel Hiley' into the Search This Blog box to read them.

The advert below appeared in The Todmorden & Hebden Bridge Historical Almanack for 1876. 

Samuel married Elizabeth Taylor in 1874, two years before this advert appeared. He was a Cotton Weaver living at 9 Alma Street in Walsden. At the time of the 1881 census he was living at 32 Hollins Mount with Elizabeth and children Frank, Annie and Agnes. By 1891 the family (now joined by Harold) were living at 54 Lord Street and Samuel was the Manager of the Walsden Co-operative Store. In 1891 they were living at 172 Hollins Mount.

All these addresses are within a stone's throw of each other. The road names Hollins Mount and the Hollins Terrace in the advert no longer exist. Hollins Mount was the old name for part of Hollins Road. Hollins Terrace may have been what is now called Wharf Street (connecting Hollins Road to Alma Street).

Hollins Mill was situated between Hollins Road, Rochdale Road and the Rochdale Canal. This may have been the mill where Samuel worked as a Cotton Weaver. His venture as agent for Rawson & Bartle's soap could have been a part-time job before he moved on to become the Co-op Store manager.

Samuel Hiley

A musical family

The following report appeared in the Todmorden Advertiser and Hebden Bridge Newsletter on 28th September 1906. 

Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved. 

With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive 

(www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)

The Highley family lived in the same road as Mr and Mrs Craven - Maitland Street in Walsden. Jackson Thomas (J.T.) and Emma had 3 sons, Frank (F.), Walter and Albert (A.) and 2 daughters, Sarah Ann and Edith. At the time of the article Jackson Thomas and his three sons all worked as Cotton Weavers. 

Jackson Thomas, Frank and Albert were all well-known in the Walsden district. Jackson Thomas was an organist at the Methodist chapel at Inchfield Bottom and also a cricketer and later club umpire for the Walsden Cricket Club. Frank was Bandmaster for the Walsden Temperance Brass Band and Albert played the cornet in the Band, often appearing as a soloist in concerts. They both served in the First World War.

The Walsden Temperance Brass Band
No names are available but perhaps Albert is the man holding a cornet on the front row

On this day...Baptism of Michaell Hileley

Michaell Hileley son of William Hileley of Sowerby was baptised on this day 11 September 1554.

The entry in the Parish Registers of Halifax 1538-1593 is: 

Michaell fili Willi Hilyley de Sourby xi Septebr 1554

Michael's forename and surname are spelt in many different ways in the various records where he is mentioned. For example:

Forename: Mychaell, Mychael, Michaell, Michael

Surname: Hilyley, Hileley, Hyleylighe, Hilleley, Highley, Hyleyly

In this post I have used the modern day spelling Michael for the forename and Hileley for the surname.

Michael's father William married Isabell Opkenson in Halifax on 2nd October 1552. They had one son Michael in 1554. Isabell died in 1557 and William then married Elena Norcleff in 1564. He died in 1579.

William left a will. In it he requested that after his debts were paid, the rest should be divided equally into two parts. His wife Elena was to receive one part which was to be made up to £40 if less than that sum. The rest was to go to Michael. Elena and Michael were made executors.

Michael married Isabell Hileley on 16 September 1577. It is not clear whether Isabell was a widow who had previously been married to a Hileley, or whether she was a spinster. She may have been the daughter of James Hileley. In James's will of 1577 (see post of 14 March 2019) he leaves the residue of his estate to his daughters Margaret and Isabell. James married Alice Tatsall in 1542 and they had children George in 1544 and Elizabeth in 1546 so Isabell and Margaret may have been the younger unmarried daughters born around 1550.

Marriage of Michael and Isabell
Michaell Hyleylighe and Isabell Hyleylighe were married on the 16th day of September 1577

(with the permission of West Yorkshire Archive Service)
www.wyjs.org.uk/archives

In 1579 Michael served as the Sowerby Constable. The post of 6 November 2019 describes the role of the Constable and lists the Hileys who served in this position. It is likely that Michael was a man of some standing in the Sowerby community.

Michael and Isabell had three children - Susan (b 1578), James (b 1582) and Grace (b 1585). The family tree below shows Michael and his descendants. Some assumptions have been made in constructing this tree because there are not enough surviving records to confirm all the relationships. In time it may be possible to extend this tree and connect it to other Hiley trees from the 16th and 17th centuries and later ones.

 

Michael died in 1589 and left a will. He describes himself as 'Michaell Hilleley of the Hilleley in the township of Sowerby'. He made provision for his wife and three children and made Edmond Hilleley responsible for implementing his wishes. Edmond was probably his cousin.

Michael's son James became a rich man. In 'Yorkshire Diaries & Autobiographies in the 17th and 18th centuries - Some memoirs concerning the family of the Priestleys' Jonathan Priestley writes that 'Highlee of Highlee, in Sowerby.........was the richest man in Sowerby, when Sowerby chapel was built, having sixty houses and farms'.