Tuesday 31 July 2012

James Tyldesley 1703


James Tyldesley was christened at Astley on 23 May 1703, this being recorded in the Leigh register.


Assuming that the age at death is correct, he would have to have been born prior to 24 October 1702.  His christening would therefore be later than typical, though still within reasonable bounds.

Monday 30 July 2012

Charles Tyldesley 1770


In 1770 Charles Varley (also known as Varlo) published A New System of Husbandry. Varley is an interesting character, famous both for his agricultural innovations and for an apparently spurious claim he made to the Governorship of New Jersey.

One of the subscribers to A New System of Husbandry was "Charles Tyldesley, Gent. Ollerton":


Could this be Charles Tyldesley, great-grandson of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715? Charles Tyldesley was never traced by John Lunn, who said "He was a party to the sale of Holcroft hall on July 27, 1770, and then he disappears silently into darkness" [FN1]. Ollerton in Cheshire is a mere 15 miles from Holcroft Hall.

As will be seen in later postings, Charles Tyldesley was to marry and have children.

1. The Tyldesleys of Lancashire, John Lunn, 1966, page 136

Sunday 29 July 2012

Ralph Tyldesley 1840-1913


A report from the Manchester Evening Chronicle of 19 September 1907:
Mr. RALPH TYLDESLEY
Has been co-opted a member of the Atherton and Tyldesley Local Education Sub-Committee on his retirement after 24 years' service as school attendance officer, which event the teachers of the Tyldesley schools, together with the District Council officials, have celebrated by the presentation to him of a gold watch. Mr. Tyldesley was one of the founders in 1876 of the Tyldesley club, and for 31 years has taken an active part in its management. The club is one of the oldest in Lancashire.
Ralph Tyldesley has many descendants in England, Canada and the USA, and was the father of Addin Tyldesley 1877-1962 who represented Great Britain as a swimmer in the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

A report of Ralph Tyldesley's death in 1913 appears in a later post.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820

Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820 has previously been thought to be the son of James Tyldesley 1702-1800. As a baptism record has not been traced there is little evidence to support this suggestion other than the fact that they were buried in the same grave [FN1]. Whilst this may reasonably be regarded as establishing that they were related it is not conclusive proof that the relationship was that of father/son.

1,800 descendants of Ralph Tyldesley have been identified around the world—in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kindom and the United States.

Some limited family details are contained in Ralph Tyldesley's will:
In the Name of God Amen I Ralph Tyldesley of Tyldesley with Shakerley in the County of Lancaster Yeoman being of sound perfect and disposing memory and understanding to make and publish this my last Will and Testament as follows namely I do hereby direct my Trustees and Exors hereinafter named to pay off and discharge all such sun and Sons of money which I shall stand indebted and justly owe at the time of my decease together with my funeral expenses and the charge of the Probate of this my Will within Twelve months after my decease Then I give devise and bequeath all those my four Messuages Cottages or Dwellinghouses with every appurtenance thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining situate in Tyldesley with Shakerley aforesaid and all and singular other my real and personal estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever and of what nature kind or quality soever the same may be Unto my son James Tyldesley of Tyldesley with Shakerley aforesaid Weaver and Thomas Radcliffe of the same Township Shopkeeper their Heirs Exors and Admors Upon the trusts and to and for the intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned that is to say in trust to permit and suffer my Granddaughters Sarah and Mary (the daughters of my late daughter Mary deceased) to select and take to their own use and benefit the following parts of my household goods and furniture namely Sarah to take one pair of six fourth looms with every implement thereunto belonging or generally used therewith one Oak Chest or Dresser and Two pictures containing two quarters of the Globe And also to suffer and permit Mary to take one pair of nine eight looms with every implement thereunto belonging or generally used therewith and one Large Box And upon further trust with all convenient speed after my decease to make sale of and absolutely fell the whole of my household furniture save and except such parts as all before mentioned and given to my fate to granddaughters And I do hereby declare that my said Trustees and the survivor of them and the Heirs Exors and Admons of such survivor shall stand seized and possessed of and interested in all and every the said premises and hereditaments and the rents issues and profits thereof and of and in all and every the monies which shall arise from the sale as before directed to be made upon the several trusts and to and for the several end intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned That is to say in trust in the first place that they shall convey assign and transfer unto my said son James Tyldesley his Exors Admors and assigns all those two Messuages Cottages or Dwellinghouses with the appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining situate as aforesaid and now in my own possession and in the possession or occupation of David Brobbin Nevertheless that my said son James shall well and truly pay into the hands of my other Executor the full sum of Twenty pounds of lawfull British Money with lawful interest for the same from the day of the date of my decease until all my just debts shall be paid and duly and fully discharged And as for and concerning all that Cottage Messuage or Dwellinghouse with the appurtenances thereunto belonging situate as aforesaid and now in the possession or occupation of my son in law James Hampson that my said Trustees and the survivors of them and the Exors and Admors of such survivor shall stand seized and possessed thereof and interested therein for and during the term of the natural life of my daughter Ellen wife of the said James Hampson nevertheless she shall be permitted and suffered to take and receive the clear yearly rents and profits after payment of all charges taxes and impositions that may in anywise be imposed upon the said premises or any part thereof and also that she shall from time to time and at all times pay an equal share and proportion of the chief rent that is made payable off the said premises And after the defeat of my said daughter Ellen Then that my said Trustees shall as soon as conveniently may be divide the said premises or the value thereof equally between and amongst all and every the surviving children of my said daughter Ellen share and share alike and to their respective Exors and Admors And as for and concerning all that Messuage Cottage or Dwellinghouse with the appurtenances thereunto belonging situate as aforesaid and now in the possession or occupation of Moses Baxter That my said Trustees and the survivor of them and the Exors and Admors of such survivor shall stand seized and possessed thereof and interested therein until the youngest daughter (of my late daughter Mary deceased) shall obtain the full age of twenty one years And that then my said Trustees shall convey assigns and transfer unto my said granddaughters (the daughters of my late daughter Mary deceased) namely Sarah and Mary Tyldesley all and every the same premises with the appurtenances thereunto belonging and that now are in the possession or occupation of the said Moses Baxter equally between and amongst the said to granddaughters namely Sarah and Mary Tyldesley their Exors and Admors and also the rents profits and interest that may become due from time to time until the younger arrives to the full age of twenty one years as aforesaid and if it so happens that the younger does not arrive at twenty one years of age and the other be then living to the survivor solely anything hearing contained to the contrary notwithstanding And I hereby also declare that it shall be lawful for my said Trustees and the survivor of them his Exors and Admors to reimburse themselves and himself all such costs charges and expenses as they or he shall sustain or be put onto in the Execution of all or any of the trusts of this my Will And that one of them shall not be answerable or accountable for the other or others of them nor the Acts receipts or wilful default of the other or others of them that each of them for his own Acts and receipts and wilful default only and by no means for in voluntary losses And here by revoking all former Will or Wheels by me at any time heretofore made I declared this only to be and contain my true last Wheel and Testament And thereof to nominate constitute and appoint my said son James Tyldesley and Thomas Radcliffe aforesaid Executors

In witness whereof I the said Ralph Tyldesley the Testator have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand and seal this first day of October One thousand eight hundred and seventeen, 1817.

Ralph Tildsley

Signed sealed published and declared by the said Ralph Tyldesley the Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other have here and to subscribed our names as witnesses:George Partington (his mark) of Tyldesley Weaver
Peter Mitchel of Tyldesley Weaver
John Hope of Shakerley
Proved in the Consistory Court of Chester on 22nd March 1820 by James Tildsley one of the Executors
Power being reserved to Thomas Radcliffe the other executor
Testator died the 28th day of January 1820
Effects under £50

1. See also the rather less than definitive newsclipping from 1889.

Friday 27 July 2012

Edward Tyldesley 1622

Edward Tyldesley 1582-1622 was the son of Thomas Tyldesley and Elizabeth Anderton. He married Elizabeth Preston and they had two children: Thomas Tyldesley born in 1612 and a younger son, Edward Tyldesley, who died in infancy.

It is clear from Edward Tyldesley's will that his marriage to Elizabeth Preston was not a happy one:
THE WILL OF EDWARD TILDESLEY OF MORLEYS, CO. LANC., ESQUIRE. 1622[FN1]
MARCH 23, 54 James [1620-1]. Edward Tildesley of Morleyes, co. Lancaster, esquier. To be buried in my owne chappell in the church of Leighe. Whereas I have made choice of a match for my sonne Thomas Tildesley according to my desire and likeing, and haveing accordingly married him to Anne, daughter of Edmond Breres, Esq., who hath paid me £600 for the portion of the said Anne, I require my said sonne at his yeares of consent to accept of the said marriage, as well for that out of my love unto him I have made choice thereof, as also to avoide the paiement of those great somes of money which I have charged him to paie if he refuse to consumate the 
said marriage, and I do hereby charge my said sonne that he do not suffer himself to be withdrawne from the said marriage by his unkinde mother, whoe by herself and others hath drawne from me contrarie to my meaneing an estate of £200 per annum dureing her widowhood, for my purpose therein was that she should have the same, being Poulton tythes, dureing her widowhood, if I happned to dye without issue male, haveing then none, and not otherwise. Besides she hath so neglected me and her children, myself being sicklie and they young, therein manifesting her litle regard of us ; and my minde and will is that she shall have nothing to do with either of them by tuicion or otherwise, and as far as in me lyeth, and I give the marriage and wardshippe of my sonne Thomas to Edmond Breres. I ratifie the deed of gift of all my goods that I have made to Edmond Breres and Robert Dewhurst. I give them also all such goods as are not given by the said deed, in trust, for Edward Tildesley my younger sonne. My herbage of Mierscough and my lands, &c., in co. Lancaster to my sonne Thomas. I make Edmond Breres gardian of my sonne Thomas (and of my sonne Edward) to the ende that he maie be matched and married to some of his daughters. James Massey, Esq., and Christopher Anderton of Lostock, gent., executors, and Roger Bradshawe, Esq., my unckle, and John Poole, Esq., my brother in lawe, overseers. To my servants two yeares wages. To my executor Christopher Anderton £60.
[Proved at York, 3 October, 1622.]
Edward's son, Thomas Tyldesley, was to become the famous Cavalier, Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651. Instead of marrying Anne Breres, as his father had wished, Thomas Tyldesley married Frances Standish, probably around 1634.  

After Edward Tyldesley's death in 1622, Elizabeth Preston was to remarry twice—first to Thomas Lathom of Parbold and second to Thomas Westby of Bourne Hall. The Preston descent is given in The Preston Genealogy [FN2]:
Christopher Preston, Esq.,
who inherited from his father Holker Park, married first, Margaret Southworth, and second, Miss Jephson, and died on the 27th of May 1594. By his first wife he had issue:
i John Preston ; his successor.
ii Thomas Preston, who married the Lady Wandesworth, of Kirklington, but died without issue,
iii Ann Preston, who married Charles Laton, Esq., of Sexey, in Cleveland, and who also died without issue.
By his second wife Christopher Preston had issue
iv Elizabeth Preston, who married first, Thomas Tildesley, Esq., of Morley,by whom she had two sons, one of whom was the renowned Sir Thomas Tildesley, the celebrated loyalist,who lost his life at the battle of Wigan Lane. She married second, Thomas Latham, Esq., of Parbold; she married third, Thomas Westby, Esq., of Mowbreck, and had children by each husband, but of her issue no further account is given.
At his death Christopher Preston was buried at Cartmel Church, being the first of a long line of notable Prestons there entombed.

1. Chetham Society
2. The Preston Genealogy, L A Wilson, 1900

Thursday 26 July 2012

Thurstan Tyldesley MP 1554

In 1935 the Chetham Society published biographical sketches of Members of Parliament for Lancashire from 1290 to 1550 [FN1], including Thurstan Tyldesley:
S. and h. of Thomas T. (died 1495) of Tyldesley in West Derby hundred and Wardley in Salford hundred.1 Underkeeper of Myerscough park in Amounderness in 1531.2 Had land in Kellamergh 3 ; and was custodian of Greenhalgh castle, park, profits, etc.4 Receiver-general of Isle of Man 1532.5 Had grant from crown, 1540, in consideration of 326/. 13s. 4d.f of lands in Swinton, Hoghton, Westlakes, Kitepool, Westwood, and Morland in Worsley, part of the possessions of the dissolved monastery of Whalley.6 Acquired lands in Gt. Sankey, West Derby hundred in 1551.7 Returned as M.P. for co. Lanes. 24(F) Oct. 1547.8 His will dated 1547.9 Died 4 July 1554, his s. and h., by his first wife, Thomas, being aged 43 years.10

1. Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. iii, 96 : Homage Roll. (R.S. L. & S. xii, pt. i), 18-20.
2. Duchy Pleadings i, 228. >
3. Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, 44. 
4. Shirburne Abstract Bk. at Leagram. 
5. L. & P. Hen. VIII. 
6. P.R. : Towneley MS., DD. 958. 
7. Pal.of Lane. Feet of Fines, bdle 14, m. 238. 
8. Parliaments of England. 
9. Lancs, and Ches. Wills and Inventories, etc., G. J. Piccope (C.S.) i, 97-114. 
10. Duchy of Lanc.Inq. p.m. x, 44.

1. Biographical Sketches of the Members of Parliament of Lancashire 1290-1550, Henry Hornyold-Strickland, Chetham Society, 1935 Vol 93
2. Taken from The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982

Wednesday 25 July 2012

James Tyldesley 1808-1889

In the papers of Helga Tyldesley 1910-1995 was a photocopy of a newspaper article from 1889 which gives a rather confused history of the Tyldesley family:
THE TYLDESLEY FAMILY
On Monday afternoon the remains of James Tyldesley, of Alexandra Street, Tyldesley were consigned to their last resting place in Tyldesley Chapel Yard. Deceased, who was in his 82nd year, is a descendant of the once mighty Tyldesley family, whose history dates back to the twelfth century. From the twelfth century there are records showing that the Tyldesley were Lords of the Manor of Tyldesley, and not only of Tyldesley, but the greater part of Lancashire. The names of some of the old historic buildings which the Tyldesley's possessed still remain with us, amongst them being Morleys Hall, Bedford, Garrett Hall, Grave Oaks, Light Oaks, Cleworth Hall, Culcheth Hall, Hurst Hall and the Dam House, Astley, but the original buildings have long ago become victims to the hand of the demolisher, so that little or nothing of them is left as a monument of that family's greatness. The Tyldesleys have also been noted for their gallantry, and the later generation embrace with great pride, the name of the Thomas Tyldesley who died fighting in 1651, for the King's cause, at Wigan under James Seventh, the Earl of Derby. At that period the civil rebellion was going on, in the time of Oliver Cromwell, and of the Commonwealth. At Wigan the Royalists were defeated; and in Wigan Lane, there stands a monument perpetuating the memory of Sir Thomas, where he fell. His body was interred at Leigh Parish Church, at the east end, under the heating chamber. The following inscription on brass is placed in the vicinity of the grave "At the east end of the north aisle, formerly the Tyldesley Chantry of St Nicholas within this ancient Parish Church, resteth the body of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, of Tyldesley, Morley Hall and Myerscough in this county, Knight and Major in his Majesty's Army, and Gov ernor of Lichfield, who was slain fighting gallantly for his Royal Master under James, Seventh Earl of Derby, in the Battle of Wigan, near this place, on the twenty-fifth of August 1651." Of the next link of the Tyldesley family, there can be found no record at all, though time after time diligent searches have been made through the registers of Parish Churches—Leigh for one—but those searches reveal nothing as to Sir Thomas's offspring, but in the latter part of the seventeenth, and the early part of the eighteenth century, Thomas Tyldesley, grandson of Sir Thomas, comes to light. His “personal records” for the years 17-12-13-14 were published in the Preston Chronicle of 1872. In the grave where James Tyldesley was interred on Monday afternoon, the body of one Thomas Tyldesley was interred, and the inscription on the tomb stone sheweth that "Thomas Tyldesley departed this life October 24th, 1800, in the 99th year of his age. It is believed that this person is the son of Thomas Tyldesley, the grandson of Sir Thomas, but there is a lack of documentary evidence to this effect. He, however, was the grandfather of James Tyldesley, whose death we record this week, James Tyldesley the father of the latter also being one whose life existed about threescore and ten years. There are also, in the same grave the remains of Ralph Tyldesley who died in the year 1820, aged 75 years, he being a brother to James Tyldesley, the elder. The present generations are descendants mostly of Thos Tyldesley a brother of James Tyldesley the younger, just deceased, James’s two sons having died while young. There are also several children of George Tyldesley, another venerable liver, and then lastly the children's children. There were over 60 at the funeral on Monday, who claim a descendancy from Sir Thomas, the Royalist, and that number only represent those who are of mature years; the younger ones being almost innumerable.
The newspaper in which this report appeared has not yet been identified. In the past it has been suggested that the report provides support for the notion that Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820 is the son of James Tyldesley 1702-1800.  This is crucial as the baptism record of Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820 has not been located.
  

However, not only does the report not suggest that James/Ralph are father/son, but in addition it contains four major errors in its short description of the latter history of the Tyldesleys:
  1. It is James Tyldesley not Thomas Tyldesley who died on 24 October 1800.
  2. James Tyldesley 1702-1800 could not have been the grandfather of James Tyldesley who died in 1889. His grandfather is undoubtedly Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820. James Tyldesley 1702-1800 may be his great-grandfather—but this assumes the unproven father/son relationship between James Tyldesley 1702-1800 and Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820.
  3. Ralph Tyldesley who died in 1820 was 83 not 75 (this error may have arisen because the gravestone records the death of another Ralph Tyldesley at the age of 75—but that was in 1870 not 1820).
  4. Ralph Tyldesley who died in 1820 is also unlikely to have been "brother to James , the elder". We know that their respective years of birth are approximately 1737 and 1702, and the 35 year gap makes it highly improbable that they share a mother. They could be step-brothers but there is simply no evidence whatsoever to suggest this—it seems more likely that the report is simply a muddle. 
It may be added that the report is quite wrong to suggest that there are no traces of the link between Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651 and Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715, the Diarist. The writer was clearly aware of the publication in 1873 of the Tyldesley Diary 1712-1714, and that volume contains the Tyldesley pedigree produced by Joseph Gillow and Anthony Hewitson along with further details of the link—Edward Tyldesley 1635-1685. And, in any event, Edward Tyldesley is a well-known figure.

In short, it seems unwise to rely on this report for details of the family relationships.


The two brothers of James Tyldesley 1808-1889 were Thomas Tyldesley 1801-1877 who married Esther Lythgoe 1806-1875 and George Tyldesley 1804-1871 who married Alice Blackly 1802-1881.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

The Battle of Wigan Lane 1651

Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651 was slain at the Battle of Wigan Lane on Monday 25 August 1651. A monument to Sir Thomas was later erected on the spot by his former Cornet, Alexander Rigby. The battle was described by Ernest Broxap in The Great Civil War in Lancashire [FN1]:
It was a gallant company of royalists who rode out of Wigan that August afternoon to make their last stand for the King in Lancashire. In command was the Earl of Derby, the uncompromising enemy of the Parliament; and with him were Sir Thomas Tyldesley, the hero of many fights, the perfect exponent of all the cavalier virtues; Lord Widdrington, "one of the most goodly persons of that age, being near the head higher than most tall men, and a gentleman of the best and most ancient extraction"(1) ; Sir William Throgmorton, who had been Major-General in Newcastle's Yorkshire army; Colonel Boynton, some time Governor of Scarborough for the Parliament, and their chief instrument in the discovery of the Hothams' plot to betray Hull; with many others of equal bravery but of less note. Opposed to them were the stern, well disciplined cavalry of the Cromwellian army. The two forces were absolutely typical of the opposing armies of the Civil War. It is said that when Lilburne's men saw that they must fight they turned on the country people who had come out to see their march and dispersed them with harsh words.

The two forces were nearly equal in cavalry, for the Earl of Derby had by now 600, and Lilburne his own regiment, which would be 600 if the ranks were full; and Lilburne also had about 60 horse and dragoons which Birch had mounted for him from the Liverpool garrison. The royalists were superior in foot, having 800 to the Cromwellians 300; but the advantage was not so great as it appeared, for the Manxmen whom Derby had brought over with him were poor fighters; and moreover the battle was essentially a cavalry engagement, in which infantry played only a subordinate part. Wigan Lane was then a broad sandy lane bordered by hedges, and was thus as unsuitable a position for manoeuvring cavalry as could be imagined; but the time was too short for Lilburne to choose any other ground. Placing his musketeers behind the hedges, he awaited the royalist onset. The place had other memories for him, and perhaps for some of his men; for it was here that he had driven in Hamilton's rearguard in the campaign of 1648.
Difficult as the ground was, the combat which ensued was the fiercest of all the 10 years fighting in Lancashire. So furious was the royalist charge that they drove back the Cromwellians far along the lane. In the confined space no manoeuvring was possible, and for nearly an hour the cavalry fought at close quarters. At length at the third charge Lilburne brought up a small reserve, and the superior steadiness of the veterans of the new Model prevailed over the impetuous bravery of the cavaliers. The royalists wavered and began to give ground; Widdrington fell dead, Tyldesley was unhorsed and shot down as he attempted to extricate himself from the press, Derby himself was wounded, and Lilburne's men chased the now broken royalist squadrons down the hill into Wigan. The pursuit and slaughter continued through the streets and town. The rout was complete; Throgmorton and Boynton were also among the slain which numbered 300; 400 prisoners were taken, and the rest of the force melted away. In an hour the hopes of the royalists in Lancashire had been destroyed.
The Earl of Derby, who had fought with his accustomed bravery, was surrounded by six of his men and succeeded in reaching the town, where he slipped in through an open door of a house in the Market Place and lay concealed until nightfall. He had a number of slight wounds about the arms and shoulders, and his beaver which he wore over a steel cap was picked up afterwards in the Lane with thirteen sword cuts upon it. In the middle of the night he left his place of refuge disguised in a trooper's old coat, and accompanied only by Colonel Roscarrock and two servants, made his way out of the town and rode away to join the King.

1. The Great Civil War in Lancashire, Ernest Broxap, 1973 (2nd edition)

Monday 23 July 2012

Ambrose Barlow 1585–1641


Ambrose Barlow was canonized by Pope Paul VI and is one the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Ordained as a priest in 1617, Barlow returned to England and took up residence with the Tyldesley family at Morleys Hall. He benefited from a pension left by Elizabeth Tyldesley née Anderton—grandmother of Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651—to enable him to take charge of poor Catholics in the area.

Barlow was seized at Morleys Hall as described by H V Hart-Davis [FN1]:
Morleys being in the Parish of Leigh, it is possible that this unchristian action was attributable to the then vicar the Rev. James Gottley, in his fanatical zeal for the reformed religion. Whoever this minister may have been, he suggested to his congregation that they should, in lieu of the usual prayers and sermon, embark in work more worthy of their zeal for the Gospel and go along with him to apprehend the noted Popish Priest Barlow, whom they would be sure to find in the midst of his flock at that time. 
Relishing the proposition, the congregation to the number of some 400, armed with clubs and swords, followed the minister to the house where Mr. Barlow, having finished Mass, was making an exhortation to his people, about 100 in number, on the subject of 'Patience.' Though acting without a warrant, the minister ransacked the mansion at Morleys and arrested the Priest, carrying him before a neighbouring Justice of the Peace named 'Risley' probably a member of the family of that name seated at Risley Hall in the Parish of Winwick. By him the martyr was sent under an escort of 60 armed men to Lancaster. Information of the capture was dispatched to the Council, and on Friday, May 20, 1641, the following resolution was passed by the Lords :—

'Whereas this House was informed that a Romish Priest was apprehended on Easter Day last past, at the Hall of Morleys in the County of Lancaster, called by the name of Edward Barlow; who, upon his examination, confessed himself a Romish Priest, and has received orders at Arras, he being now committed to the Common Jail at Lancaster; it is ordered that the said Edward Barlow shall be proceeded against at the next Assizes, for the said County, according to Law.'

In accordance therewith Father Barlow was brought to trial, at the next Assizes, on September 7th, before Sir Robert Heath, who had received instructions from the Puritan Parliament to see that the extreme penalty of the Law was executed upon any Priest convicted at Lancaster 'for a terror to the Catholics, who were numerous in that County.'
As Father Barlow freely acknowledged himself to be a Priest, the Judge directed the Jury to bring him in 'guilty' and on the following day he sentenced him to death in the usual barbarous form. On September 10th the martyr was drawn on a hurdle to the .place of execution at Lancaster, and there hanged, cut down, and butchered, his quarters being parboiled in a cauldron of tar as was customary in such cases, in the 55th year of his age and the 24th of his priesthood.

1. History of Wardley Hall, H V Hart-Davis, 1908

Sunday 22 July 2012

Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651


As yet the newspaper in which this piece appeared has not been identified—if you recognise it please let me know!
Notes and Queries
A Famous Lancashire Soldier

Sir T Tyldesley

Myerscough Lodge,
Near Preston
It was the beginning of the Civil War, the breach between the King and his Parliament gradually became widened, and early in 1642 Charles had removed his Court to York. Here he received a petition from Lancashire signed by numerous knights, divines, and some 7,000 freeholders, in which they expressed their satisfaction in the measures taken by the King, but regretting " the distance and misunderstanding between Your Majesty and Your Parliament."

The King having made a last attempt to come to terms with the House of Commons, and failing in this, Parliament ceased to ask for the Royal Assent to their Bills, and by order of their own took full command of the militia. Negotiations having come to an end. Charles raised his standard at Nottingham, August 22nd, 1642.

This great civil strife was not one war but many wars, and the trouble had begun in Lancashire before the King had declared war at Nottingham. The first outburst took place at Preston, when the High Sheriff called a meeting and had read the King's reply to the petition already mentioned. This meeting broke up in great confusion, the greater number of people rallying round the opposition.

This same High Sheriff, having surprised the garrison at Preston and seized all the powder in the magazine, and Lord Strange, soon after to become the seventh Earl of Derby, having done the same thing at Liverpool, they both repaired to Bury. This so alarmed tne people of Manchester that they immediately took up arms, to the number of some 7,000 men.

Here it is that the subject of this short sketch comes into prominence, Sir Thomas Tyldesley, of Myerscough Lodge, near Preston. He, along with Lord Strange, paid a visit to Manchester, ostensibly to attend a banquet. During the dinner a Parliamentary force entered the town, and beat to arms. Tyldesley and Strange, with a small retinue, turned out, and a riot ensued, then the long struggle between the Monarchy and the Parliament may be said to have begun.

Tyldesley took an active part on the side of the King, raising at his own charge regiments of horse, foot, and dragoons, in command of which he served with distinction at the battle of Edgehill. His next notable exploit was the storming of the town of Burton-on-Trent, and for this he received the honour of knighthood, and was made a brigadier.

Later he was in command of a division of the army besieging Lancaster with the expectation of a quick surrender of the place when the Royal forces were totally defeated at Preston. August 17th, 1648. Obliged to retreat to the North, Tyldesley joined others of the Royalists at Appleby. Here, finding defence impossible, he along with others surrendered on October 9th, 1648, on terms which required the officers to go beyond the seas, and meanwhile to observe all ordinances and orders of Parliament.

Passing over to Ireland, he later returned with troops to join Charles II in his advance into England. The King sent word for him to hasten to him in the summer of 1651, when he, the King, was actually quartered at Myrescough Lodge, Tyldesley's home.

In that same year, Tyldesley was killed in a desparate engagement at Wigan Lane, the Royal army losing nearly half its officers and men, and was totally defeated.

The illustration reproduced here, is from a steel engraving, dated 1836, kindly lent by Mr. David Watt, of Hutton. It is taken from a picture in the possession of Sir William Hulton of Hulton Park, near Bolton.

In order to visualise what the Civil War meant, I will just mention what took place near home. The Parliamentary forces being at one time in possession of almost the whole of the county, much plundering took place in the Fylde district cattle being taken and houses sacked, and sometimes burnt, and I need hardlv mention the memorable siege of Lathom House. Greenhalgh Castle, near Garstang, or the part that Clitheroe Castle, etc., played during this terrible time.

Nothing now remains of the original structure of Myerscough Lodge except a few moulded stones built into the fabric of the present building of that name, which stands on the same site as the original.It will perhaps be of interest, to some of my readers, to know that Sir Thomas Tyldesley was buried in his own chapel of St. Nicholas in the Church of Leigh—where a monument covers his remains.—A.W.

Saturday 21 July 2012

Thurstan Tyldesley MP 1554

The Parliamentary Representation of Lancashire (County and Borough) 1258-1885 published in 1889  [FN1] gives a short biography of Thurstan Tyldesley:
Edward VI.
1547. Nov. 8. THURSTAN TYLDESLEY
Thurstan Tyldesley, of Tyldesley, in the Parish of Leigh, and of Wardley, in Eccles. The Tyldesleys were identified with the manor of that name at a very early date, their first recorded ancestor, Henry de Tyldesley, holding the tenth part of a Knight's fee, apparently of the Botelers Lords of Warrington, in the reign of Henry III. Wardley was acquired three generations later by the marriage of Thurstan de Tyldesley with the daughter and co-heiress of Jordan de Workesley, of Wardley.
Fifth in descent from the last-named Thurstan was Thomas de Tyldesley, Receiver-General of the Isle-of-Man under the first Earl of Derby. He was the father of the member for the County who likewise held the office of Receiver-General in 1532 and died in 1553. Of his two sons the elder, Thomas, continued the family at Wardley Hall, while Edward, the younger, acquiring the estate of Morley's Hall, in Astley, by marriage with the daughter and heiress of Thomas Leyland, Esq., founded the branch of Tyldesley of Morleys and Myerscough. Sir Thomas Tyldesley, Attorney-General for the County, and one of the Council of the North temp., James I, was of the elder branch, being grandson of the last-named Thomas. He died in 1635, leaving an only son, Richard Tyldesley, of Tyldesley and Wardley, at whose death, s. p., in 1632, the Wardley Hall line failed. His sisters and co-heiresses were Elizabeth, wife of Edmund Breres, of Brockhall, and Anne, married to Thomas Southworth, of Samlesbury. At the extinction of the senior line the Manor of Tyldesley passed to the younger branch then represented by the grandson of the before-named Edward, the celebrated Sir Thomas Tyldesley, of Morleys and Myerscough, Major-General in the Royal Army during the Civil War and Governer of Lichfield, who lost his life in the conflict at Wigan Lane in 1651. Descendants of this well-known cavalier officer were living at the close of the last century, though without estate, and it is not unlikely that representatives of this ancient Lancashire family still exist in comparative poverty and obscurity.

Arms of Tyldesley of Tyldesley : Argent, three mole-hills vert.
Thurstan Tyldesley was married twice and the two sons mentioned, Thomas and Edward, were half-brothers.. Thurstan's first wife was Parnell Shakerley and his second wife was Jane Langton, daughter of Ralph Langton, Baron of Newton.


A further biographical note—though with fewer family details—was published by the Chetham Society in 1935. There is also a more detailed sketch on the History of Parliament website

1. The Parliamentary Representation of Lancashire (County and Borough) 1258-1885, W Duncombe Pink and the Reverend Alfred B Beavan, 1889

Friday 20 July 2012

The Bleasdell Boulder

As noted in a previous posting, Agatha Tyldesley, daughter of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715, married John Bleasdell of Goosnargh and had a son, also John Bleasdell.

Betty Savich of Ontario, Canada, the great-great-great-granddaughter of this younger John Bleasdell, has recorded her descent as follows:
  1. John Bleasdell, son of John Bleasdell and Agatha Tyldesley
  2. James Bleasdell 1767-1830 married Mary Hodson
  3. William Bleasdell 1817-1889 married Agnes Cowell 1816-1894 in 1838 and emigrated to Canada in 1848
  4. William Henry Bleasdell 1848-1910 married Agnes McCuaig 1859-1926 in 1879
  5. Douglas Ralph Bleasdell 1893-1958 married Katherine Margaret McClement 1903-1927 in 1921
  6. Betty Nona Bleasdell 1926- married John Savich 1917-1999 in 1953
A short biography of William Bleasdell 1817-1889 has been published by the Canadian Archival Information Network:
William Bleasdell, Anglican clergyman, was born in England in 1817, the son of James Bleasdell and Mary Hodson, and died in 1889. He was ordained deacon in 1845 and priest in 1846. He came to Canada in 1848 and became priest of St. George's Church in Trenton, Upper Canada. In 1862 he became examining chaplain of the Diocese of Ontario and in 1874 senior canon of St. George's Cathedral in Kingston. He wrote on historical and scientific subjects and in 1876 the University of Trinity College, Toronto, awarded him the degree of D.C.L.He and his wife Agnes had eleven children, three of whom died in infancy.
William Bleasdell took a particular interest in the geology of the Trenton area, and a granite boulder—argued to be the largest glacial erratic in North America—bears his name. It measures 13.4 metres long, 7.3 metres wide and 6.7 metres high and is now part of a conservation area managed by Lower Trent Conservation.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Agatha Tyldesley


Agatha Tyldesley was the daughter of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715 by his second wife Agatha Winckley.  She is mentioned in the Tyldesley Diary 1712-1714, which was published by Joseph Gillow and Anthony Hewitson in 1873.  However, the 1873 edition of the diary did not include the later notes in a different hand which appear in the manuscript.  

It seems clear that these are notes by Agatha Winckley—widowed by the death of Thomas Tyldesley in 1715.  For example, in March 1724, Agatha records a visit from her daughter:
Aggey came from Sunderland
On Munday the March fair day
It was the beast faire
passion week
Sunderland is likely to be Sunderland Point, Overton—north along the coast from Fox Hall.

Agatha Tyldesley married John Bleasdell, who later died in a hunting accident on Ribbleton Moor. She had one son, also John Bleasdell.  From this son there are many descendants including a major branch of the Bleasdell family in Canada.

Gillow and Hewitson [FN1] recount a Bleasdell family tradition that it is after the death of her husband that Agatha Tyldesley renounced the Roman Catholic faith:
Agatha married John Bleasdell, a Roman Catholic, who was killed by a fall from his horse while hunting on Ribbleton Moor. There is a tradition in the Bleasdell family that after her husband's death, she was in the habit of resorting to Broughton Church-yard, with her only son, to visit his grave, and that whilst sitting amongst the tombs during the time of service, she was attracted by the music and services within the Church. At first, says the tradition, she paid no attention to these services, then she listened at the windows, afterwards at the porch, and eventually she went into the Church, and embraced the Reformed Faith. The consequence of this step was, all her father's friends and relations, with the exception of her sister, were alienated from her. After her father's death, Winifred, who was never married, resided with her sister Agatha until her marriage, at Myerscough Planks, a small enclosure of land, with cottage and garden, a remnant of the Diarist's estate. This small estate (on the Preston side of the Ree-Buck Inn) was sold by the executors of the late James Bleasdell (the son of John Bleasdell, the grandson of the Diarist), whose son, the Rev. William Bleasdell [FN2], of the Rectory, Trenton, Canada, is the present representative of the family.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651


Edward Hyde, the first Earl of Clarendon, held a high opinion of Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651. In The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, he described his character thus:
Sir Thomas Tildesley was a gentleman of a good family, and a good fortune, who had raised men at his own charge at the beginning of the war, and had served in the command of them till the very end of it, with great courage; and refusing to make any composition after the murder of the king, he found means to transport himself into Ireland to the marquis of Ormond; with whom he stayed, till he was, with the rest of the English officers, dismissed, to satisfy the barbarous jealousy of the Irish; and then got over into Scotland a little before the king marched from thence, and was desired by the earl of Derby to remain with him. The names of the other persons of quality who were killed in that encounter (FN1), and those who were taken prisoners, and afterwards put to death, ought to be discovered, and mentioned honourably, by any who shall propose to himself to communicate those transactions to the view of posterity.
The portrait is an early 19th century stipple engraving by Robert Cooper. This is supposedly based on the Hulton portrait, but the resemblance seems limited—in particular the jawline and the shape of the face are quite different.

1. The Battle of Wigan Lane, 25 August 1651.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

James Tildsley 1702-1800

Was James Tyldesley who died on 24 October 1800 a son of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715, the Diarist?

It seems clear that they were related, and some researchers and writers have stated unequivocally that they were father and son:
Some people have wondered where Thomas Tyldesley, grandson of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, the royalist, lived when he came to Lancaster, about 1712. I may remark that he lived in a large house, formerly belonging to the Gibson family at the Stonewell end of St. Leonard Gate. He was buried at Churchtown, Garstang, prior to 1715, according to the Churchtown registers. He left a son, James, who lived to be 99 years old, and who died October 24th, 1800 (FN1).
The difficulties with this theory are twofold:

First, the only documentary evidence we have of the birth of a son James to the Diarist is the birth recorded in the Newchurch registers. This is clearly not the James who died at the age of 98 in 1800, since he was born in 1690. It has therefore been suggested that the James born in 1690 died when a child and that there was a second son named James Tyldesley. To be born in 1702, he would have to be a son of Agatha Winckley. It is known that a James Tyldesley, son of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1714, was alive in 1755 when he was mentioned in the probate papers of his aunt, Anna Maria Tyldesley. However to date no evidence has been produced to show that James Tyldesley who was born in 1690 died prior to 1702, or indeed that Agatha Winckley had a son of that name.

Second, the baptism of a James Tyldesley at Astley was recorded at Leigh on 23 May 1703—his father being Ralph Tyldesley of Astley. One of the Tyldesleys' homes at this time was Morleys Hall in Astley. On the face of it, it seems more likely that this is the James who died in 1800, but can we be sure?

There is a further uncertainty. Was James Tyldesley 1702-1800 the father of Ralph Tyldesley 1737-1820? Most have assumed this to be the case since they were buried in the same grave. However whilst this establishes they were related it is not conclusive evidence that the relationship was that of father/son.

1. Historic Notes on the Ancient Borough of Lancaster, Cross Fleury, 1891.

Monday 16 July 2012

James Tildsley 1702-1800


Leigh Journal 16 February 2012
Peter seeks to preserve family history
By BRIAN GOMM
AN interesting relic of the descendants of Sir Thomas Tyldesley (1612·1651), the famous Cavalier, has been rediscovered and preserved.
Much is known of the Cavalier's grandson, Thomas Tyldesley, since he left a diary for the years 1712 to 1714.
However, by 1765 most of the family estates had been sold, and the family had fallen from prominence. Those descendants remaining locally lived in straitened circumstances.
With the arrival of Lady Huntingdon's Connexion in Tyldesley, the family gave up its adherence to Roman Catholicism, the faith to which it had been true for so long.
Ralph Tyldesley, 1737 to 1820, became the first warden at Tyldesley Top Chapel when it opened in 1789, and from 1793 the family burial plot was in the chapel graveyard.
For many years the earliest surviving Tyldesley gravestone could be seen there, recording, among others, the death of James Tyldesley in 1800, at what for the time was the extraordinary age of 98.
In 1947 the Top Chapel graveyard was reduced in size by Tyldesley Urban District Council to allow the widening of Astley Street, and the Tyldesley gravestone was one of a group moved and laid flat in Tyldesley Cemetery. 
Unfortunately, the ground was not adequately prepared, and over the years most of these relocated gravestones have suffered significant damage.
Indeed, by 2011 the Tyldesley gravestone had been shattered into 14 pieces, was partially buried and had a small tree growing through it. 
Although the gravestone was irreparable, a descendant of the family, Peter J Tyldesley, has paid for the pieces to be preserved, and for an exact replica of the original to be cut by Bates, Master Masons of Leigh.
The replica, recently installed at Tyldesley Cemetery, will preserve the information it carries for future generations.
Mr Tyldesley, an academic at the University of Manchester, owns the manuscript of the Tyldesley Diary, and is conducting a DNA study to trace male line descendants of the Tyldesleys.

Sunday 15 July 2012

The Bispham registers

Bispham Church—rebuilt 1883

In the latter part of his life, Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715, the Diarist, appears to have spent much of his time at Myerscough Lodge or Fox HallIt may be that his eldest son, Edward Tyldesley had been given the use of Holcroft Hall.

The closest church to Fox Hall was the Parish Church of All Saints in Bispham. This fell into disrepair, was demolished in 1883 and replaced. However the registers survive and were published in (FN1).  They contain two entries of interest.  

First, there is a note recording the birth of a daughter to Thomas Tyldesley and his second wife Agatha Winckley. It confirms the antipathy which existed towards the family's religious convictions:
Winifrid d. of Tho: Tildsley of Blackpoole within Layton cu Warbrecke was borne the 8th & Baptised as they say by a Roman Prist the—11 October 1701.
Second, a burial is recorded:
Charles s. of Thomas Tildeslay of Blackpoole within Layton cu Warbrecke—9 11 May 1705
For the burial, two dates are given. The first is the date of the burial and the second is the date of the affidavit required under the Burial in Woollen Acts 1666-80—legislation which provided that the dead other than plague victims should be buried in pure English wool shrouds. No indication is given of the age of Charles Tyldesley at death. It seems likely that he was young and therefore a son of Agatha Winckley, but from this entry alone it is impossible to be certain.

Entries in the Tyldesley Diary 1712-1714 indicate that there was a second daughter of the marriage with Agatha Winckley. On 1 May 1712 Thomas Tyldesley met his creditors. This led to an argument with Dick Stanley, who objected to an allowance for the two daughters of his second marriage:
the referrys al mett at dick Jackson's, but did not complete the sedull, because all the debts were nott comen in, and partly because my good cos germond Dick Stanley would not consent my 2 2nd doughrs tho theyr mothr brought above £700, which made us all in confusion...
The name of the second daughter was Agatha Tyldesley.  Agatha is mentioned by name later in the diary on 28 September 1712 after her father had taken her with him on horseback to Aldcliffe:  
In the morning tucke Aggy behind mee to Aldcliffe, to payrs, and the remaindr off the day att home...
It is Agatha Tyldesley who married John Bleasdell and whose descendants can now be found in Canada and the USA.

With the information from the Tyldesley Diary 1712-1714 and the registers from Garstang, Newchurch and Bispham it is possible to start to put together a list of the children of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715. First, however, there is a question to be addressed regarding James Tyldesley.

1. Lancashire Parish Register Society, Vol 33, 1908.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Fox Hall, Blackpool


Fox Hall was built in the latter part of the 17th century by Edward Tyldesley 1635-1685. His son, Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1714, is frequently to be found living there during the period for which his diary survives. The location at Blackpool—then largely a deserted coastline—has inevitably led to speculation that it was chosen to allow the Tyldesleys to practise their religion and pursue their political interests away from the public gaze.

A nearby "black pool" draining dark water from Marton Moss gave the area its name (FN1):
The peaty coloured pool, which gives name to the place, is at the south end of Blackpool, near the house called Fox Hall, once a sequestered residence of the gallant family of the Tyldesley but now a farm house.
Baines states that the property gained its name from the fact that the Tyldesleys kept a fox chained near the door (FN2). This may well be true—certainly Thomas Tyldesley records the purchase of a fox cub in his diary (FN3). Fishwick briefly described the property in 1887 (FN4):
Fox Hall

This house is not so old as has been generally supposed. It was erected by Edward Tyldesley of Morley (the son of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, slain at Wigan, Lancashire, in 1651) in the time of Charles II. It was originally a small three-gabled building, with a small tower at one side of it. The walls were made of sea-shore cobble stones, and were of great thickness. Over the main entrance was engraved " Seris factura nepotibus," a motto which Edward Tyldesley expected would be his own, as his name was down on the list of " Knights of the Royal Oak," which Charles II at one time proposed to create as a means of rewarding the faithful supporters of the Stuarts. Over the south gateway was inserted a stone on which was chiselled a pelican feeding her young, round which was inscribed “Tantum valet amor regiae et patriae." Inside the hall was a priest's hiding place, long known as the "king's cupboard," tradition saying that it was erected for King James (who, however, never came there) during the plots of 1690 and 1694. During the rebellion of 1715 Fox Hall was a private rendezvous for Popish recusants.
After its sale by the Tyldesleys in the early 18th century Fox Hall was used as a farm house, a hotel and a pub. Until the late 1980s some parts of the property survived. However, permission was granted for clearance of the site and the erection of this hideous building, which was completed in 1991.  All traces of the oldest habitation in Blackpool were thus lost.

1.  History, Directory and Gazetteer of the County Palatine of Lancaster, Edward Baines, 1824
2. 
3.  The Tyldesley Diary 1712-1714, Joseph Gillow and Anthony Hewitson, 1873 
4. The History of the Parish of Bispham in the County of Lancaster, Henry Fishwick, 1887.

Friday 13 July 2012

The Newchurch registers


Newchurch—before the fire of 1903

As has been noted, the Tyldesley pedigree produced by Gillow and Hewitson in 1873 incorrectly names the second wife of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1714 as Mary Rigby, rather than Agatha Winckley. It also fails to identify all of the children of the two marriages—and appears to place certain children with the wrong mother.

These may seem odd errors given that Gillow and Hewitson were editing the diary of Thomas Tyldesley. In fairness, however, it must be borne in mind that many of the records now available had not been published in 1873, and that the diary contains only limited information relating to members of Thomas Tyldesley's family.

Gillow and Hewitson concluded that Thomas Tyldesley had ten children:

Eleanor Holcroft
1.   Edward Tyldesley
2.   Francis
3.   Elizabeth
4.   Eleanor
5.   Mary

Mary Rigby
6.   Charles
7.   Fleetwood
8.   James
9.   Agatha
10. Winifrid

In looking for the children of Eleanor Holcroft the relevant time frame is from 1679 when she married Thomas Tyldesley to 1693 when she died. It was by this marriage that the Tyldesleys gained Holcroft Hall (FN1) where Thomas and Eleanor lived until her death. In 1903, the nearby parish church of Newchurch in Culcheth, was destroyed by fire (FN2). Fortunately the registers survived.  Published in 1905 (FN3) they include the following entries:
Edward s. of Mr Thomas Tilselie of Houlcraft Esquire—27 November 1679
ffleetwood s. of Mr Thomas Tilsely of Houlcraft Esquire—2 feberuarie 1682
Marie d. of Mr Thomas Tilsely of houlcraft Esquire—25 March 1684

Ann: d. of Mr Thomas Tilsely of houlcraft Esquire—18 Jully 1685

Eleanor Tilsley borne the 15 of November 1686

Ann Tilsley born the 14 of November 1687

Thomas Tilsley born the 10 of January 1688

James Tilsley born the 4 of May 1690
It follows that Gillow and Hewitson omitted three children altogether—Thomas and the two daughters named Ann. In addition, they appear to have allocated Fleetwood and James to the wrong mother.  The other possibility, of course, is that Fleetwood and James died in infancy, and later sons were given the same names.  It can be seen, for example, that the name Ann was given to two daughters. From the Garstang registers 1660-1734 we can see the reason for this, the first Ann sadly died and was buried on 21 June 1686.

At least one daughter, Frances, does not appear in the Newchurch register.  Frances was later to join the Benedictines at Ghent where she was clothed aged 29 on 4 November 1721 and professed aged 34 on 21 November 1725.  If we regard these details as accurate the implication is that she was born between 5 and 21 November 1691 inclusive.  She was therefore a daughter of Eleanor Holcroft.


There appears to be a reference to a further daughter in the diary of Thomas Tyldesley 1657-1715 on 21 July 1713:
...then doughr Betty and I went towards Preston...
John Lunn took this to mean that there was a daughter Elizabeth (FN4).

1. By this marriage the Tyldesleys also gained a connection to the notorious Colonel Blood who attempted to steal the Crown jewels. Colonel Blood was married to Eleanor's aunt, Mary Holcroft.
2. After the fire on 19 April 1903, the church was swiftly rebuilt and opened again in 1905. More information is available from its website.  
3. Lancashire Parish Register Society, Volume 22, 1905.
4. History of the Tyldesleys of Lancashire, John Lunn, 1966 (page 100).