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'.

Hiley signatures

Going back in time to the 1800s and earlier centuries many people were illiterate and could not sign their own names. Documents like marriage certificates would often show the bride and bridegroom making their mark, usually a cross, next to their name as written down by the official.

On 8th June 1845 Thomas Highley and Sarah Jackson (and the two witnesses) both made their marks on the certificate when they were married in St Chad's Church in Rochdale.

Marriage of Thomas Highley and Sarah Jackson (Ancestry record)

The signatures of 6 generations of Hileys are shown below:

6 generations of Hileys, fathers and sons

John Highley, marriage to Grace Ogden in 1783

John Highley, marriage to Mally Unsworth in 1810

Charles Highley, marriage to Betty Harrison in 1844

Samuel Hiley, letter about his property in Walsden, 1931

Harold Hiley, marriage to Grace Annie Heyworth, 1925


Henry Hiley, document from Service Record, 1945






The Blogpost of 5th June 2019 showed the inventory of Henry Hyley of Warley from 1732/3. The inventory accompanied an 'admon', or letters of administration, which was issued if there was no valid will and was a formal permission allowing the administrator (usually a relative, appointed by the court) to deal with the deceased person's estate.

In this case, Henry's widow Sarah was the administrator. Her signature appears at the bottom of the document. Also witnessing the document is John Hily, referred to elsewhere as 'Johannes Hiley of Warley the Clothmaker'.

Excerpt from the will of Henry Hyley 1732/3

These are the earliest Hiley signatures so far found.

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

The Will of James Hilaleighe of Sowerby

This is the earliest Hiley will so far found, written on 27th June 1577. James died 3 weeks later and was buried on 21st July.

Will of James Hilaleighe of Sowerby 1577
(Click on the will to enlarge it)

Reproduced from an original in the Borthwick Institute, University of York, ref. Prob. Reg. 21 f.20.

The following translation was done by Michael Fitton:

In the name of God amen the 27 day of June in the year of our lord god 1577 I James Hilaleighe of the township of Sowerby and diocese of York Sick in body but of good and perfect remembrance praise be god Do make and ordain this my present testament containing herein my last will in manner and form following first and principally I commend my soul into the hands of almighty god my loving and merciful father assuredly believing to have remission of all my sins by the Death and passion of Jesus Christ his son my alone savior and redeemer 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. Item my will is that all debt and duties which I owe of right to any person or persons be well and truly contented and paid. Item I give and bequeath to Agnes the wife of Robert Ireland 40 shillings. Item I give and bequeath to William Gledhill of Warley all that which he owes to me and on and beside that 40 shillings. Item I give to five children of Margaret Ramsbotham deceased my sister to every one of them 10 shillings. Item I bequeath to Henry Perks 10 shillings to John Emmet 10 shillings and to Richard Dickson 10 shillings. Item I give and bequeath to Elizabeth Longbotham my daughter twenty marks to be paid within one year next after my decease upon condition that she the said Eliz and Edward Longbotham her husband do deliver one acquittance general under their seals to my executors hereafter to be named. The residue of all my goods chattels and debts after my funeral expense debt and payment are discharged I give and bequeath wholly to Margaret Hylaleighe and Isabell Hylaleighe my daughters equally to be divided between them and I appoint the said Margaret and Isabell Hylaleighe executrices of this my last will and testament. Witnesses hereof Adam Morris clerke, William Hilaleigh (next word looks like osk, perhaps means otherwise to denote a different spelling of surname) Hilaleighe George Hilaleighe Edmund Tatersall and Richard Denton.