The Blakeley's of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England

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From GAZETTE 38 January 2005

THE BLAKELEY’S OF HUDDERSFIELD, YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND.

By Marion Filby (28th September 2001)

My family history research takes me back to around the year 1553 when King Edward V1 died, he assigned his crown to the Lady Jane Grey who was Queen for just ten days before Mary was crowned Queen. Following her death, and when in 1580 Francis Drake successfully circumnavigated the globe, Queen Elizabeth 1 took the throne of England.

The village of Flockton in the township of Thornhill, Huddersfield where my history begins, is situated on the banks of the River Calder. Flockton is a chapelry containing a chapel of ease to Thornhill, and one for calvanists, here too are extensive coalmines. Though now only a manufacturing village, Thornhill was formerly a place of considerable importance; indications of which are still visible. Edward 11 granted to it a market and fair, which have long been discontinued. A free Grammar school was founded in 1642 by the Rev. Chas. Greenwood. There is besides another free school founded and endowed by Richard Walker, about 1712, and a Sunday school. By 1821 there were still only 1,932 in habitants in the township.

WILLIAM BLAKELEY married in 1570, had the birth of a son recorded in 1579 called WILLIAM after his father before him.

WILLIAM married in 1601 and had six children, three babies were stillborn, a daughter Mary lived for less than one month but two sons survived, Thomas1603 and CRISPUS 1605-1678.
(Pre 1600 females were not recorded by name in our Parish Records, they were merely wife, widow or daughter.)

CRISPUS married Hellen Bell in 1629, the first children that came along were Ann 1630 and William 1632-1679, followed by three stillbirths which were a common event during these early years. Then Crispus 1639-1699, JOHN 1640-1696, Elizabeth 1647-1668 and Mary 1650, she died at the age of two years.

JOHN Married Susan Eakrood in 1664 and nine children followed, Mary 1666, William 1669 who lived three years, Martha 1672 who died at birth, Sarah 1674, another Martha was Christened in 1675. RICHARD 1679-1730, John 1681 who died at birth, Jane 1683 who lived to be eleven and then another John was Christened in 1687.

RICHARD married Mary in 1704 they had eight children. William 1704-1716, John 1707-1709, Joseph 1708, Richard 1709-1770, Benjamin 1712, EDWARD 1717-1799, Mary 1718-1779 and Sarah 1721.

EDWARD married Ann about 1737 they had eleven children between 1738 and 1759, two of which died before they were ten and other deaths were not found in the Public Records. JOSEPH 1742-1789 fortunately was recorded.
(Edward died in Breistwisle Poor House at 81 years of age)

JOSEPH married Hanna Goldthorpe in 1764, they had eleven children between 1764 and 1788. Their first, Mary died at birth, two others George and Martha were recorded as living one year, another daughter Hannah died in her teens, JOHN 1775-1863 was their sixth child and the other deaths were not found.

JOHN married Sarah Haigh from Flockton in 1796. Their children were Nancy 1707-1708, James 1801-1880, John 1806, Mark1811-1874, GEORGE 1814-1867 and Martha 1817.
(John was 87 years old when he died at his home, Millcroft, South Crosland a village adjoining Flockton. Whilst he lived in Flockton he was known as a butcher, but later in the 1851 census he was classed as a farmer with 8 acres.)

GEORGE married Sarah Green from South Crosland in 1837 their children were GREEN 1838-1878, Anne 1839, Allen 1841-1868, Ruth 1844 and William 1847-1889.
(George lived and worked with his father on their smallholding until his death in 1867). GREEN took his mother’s maiden name as was the fashion then.
In the 1851 census GREEN was a twelve year old working as a servant/errand boy living in at a big house called ‘Greengate Knowle’.

GREEN married Lydia Tinsley from Oswestry, Shropshire in 1864 they lived in South Crosland. Both were unable to read or write and made their mark ‘X’ on the marriage certificate. They had four sons John William 1864-1904, Edward 1874-1954, Charles 1876-1937 and JAMES HENRY 1878-1945.
GREEN and his eldest son John William, then fourteen and already living in lodgings, were employed at the local quarry as ‘stone delver’s. He died at the age of forty from Tuberculosis just one month after his son JAMES HENRY was born. Green’s mother Sarah moved in to take care of the three young children whilst Lydia went out to work as a domestic. In 1882 Lydia re-married and took the children to live with her at the home of her new husband John Lunn, a labourer with three adult children all earning, aged 23, 25 and 27. In 1891 Lydia was yet again a widow, she died in 1896 leaving three unmarried sons to care for themselves. JAMES HENRY was 17 and worked in the quarry from where he became a dry stone waller.

JAMES HENRY married Minnie Holroyd in 1898 and moved to Queensbury not far away. They had Beatrice Alice 1898-1969, Clara Mildred 1901-1989, Harry 1903-1981, 1906-1908 a son who died from smallpox, STEPHEN HAROLD 1910-1991, Florence Hannah 1912-1990 and James Donald 1919.
In 1916 James Henry joined the Army during the First World War where he was taught to read and write by his friends. In 1918 he returned home and became a Road Foreman building dry stone walls but money was short, and so he became a bare knuckle boxer in his spare time. After Minnie’s parents had both died the family moved into their home at Meltham just a short distance away. James Henry enjoyed a drink and a laugh, he missed his wife Minnie greatly after her death in 1942, he died in 1945.

STEPHEN HAROLD married Gertrude Mary Gregory from Doncaster in 1934. He was the first to leave Meltham, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and move to South Yorkshire. They have two daughters Beryl Mary 1934, and MARION 1943 (yours truly)
This is the end of the WILLIAM Blakeley direct line down to my father, although our tree does continue through one of my second cousins with whom contact was made recently.
STEPHEN HAROLD was an athletic young man and won many trophies for cross-country running in the Holmfirth area. He was a choir-boy and retained a good voice, on occasion he was required to pump the organ pipes during which I am told there was much fun and games. He was an apprentice baker at Meltham Co-op from the age of fifteen, and worked in the bakery until he married and moved to Doncaster in 1934. Steve and Mary took over a business in Balby, Doncaster, being a house with shop and bakery. The business was an off licence and opened for long hours every day including Sunday mornings and evenings. Steve baked fresh bread and cakes daily for the shop until they left in 1958, except for a few years when he served in the Army during World War Two when Mary kept the business going. From 1958 until 1972 , Steve worked at a seed merchants shop and then at their garden centre. Following this he had many gardens, which he tended until the late 80’s. Sadly he died in 1991 after a short illness, he was 81 years old. His wife Mary is in good health and coming up to her 90th birthday in 2001.

MARION. I married Alan Filby, we have two sons and four grandchildren, three girls and one boy (to carry on the FILBY line)! We are both retired after long and enjoyable careers, I retired from the world of fashion due to redundancy at 52 and Alan retired from civil engineering early, due to ill health in 1999. I have done voluntary work, but now my time is spent on pleasurable interests including family research. Our other time is spent caring for our grandchildren whilst their parents work, which seems to be what grandparents are for in these present times…….life goes on..