The Tildesleys of Staffordshire — DNA Project

It has long been thought that the Tildesleys of Staffordshire are descended from the Tyldesleys of Lancashire and a DNA project is now under way in an attempt to prove this connection conclusively.

If you are a male line Tildesley and would like to take part all that is required is a cheek swab and payment of the relevant fee direct to Family Tree DNA.  

For these purposes the Y-DNA37 test should be regarded as a minimum standard.

The Tildesleys of Staffordshire were documented by Norman W Tildesley in his book A History of The Family of Tildesley of Staffordshire published in 1968.  Norman's family has kindly permitted me to make an electronic copy of the book available.  It may be downloaded here as 10.8MB .pdf file:

Download link for A History of The Family of Tildesley of Staffordshire

A good deal of useful information about the Staffordshire Tildesleys is available at ShareHistory.

When John Lunn published his book The Tyldesleys of Lancashire in 1966 he drew on the work of Norman W Tildesley. Lunn noted on page 161 that "details about the Staffordshire Tyldesleys have been supplied by Norman Tildesley from a work not yet published".  Only a brief summary of the Staffordshire Tyldesleys is provided by Lunn however:

THE TYLDESLEYS OF STAFFORDSHIRE

There is evidence today that Tyldesleys were in Staffordshire in the fourteenth century, for there is mention of Thomas Tyldesley in 1379; he was one of the retinue of William Windsor. A few years later Adam Tyldesley was described as esquire and Raulyn Tyldesley was an archer in the service of the earl of Stafford. The many places where these Tyldesleys in Staffordshire held land and are traceable include Aspley, Adbaston, Mucklestone, Stafford, Madeley, Eccleshall, Horslee, Aquilott, Meire, Forton, Sutton, Norby and High Offley. One John Tyldesley was parson of Norbury; his will was proved at Lichfield January 17, 1556. These Staffordshire Tyldesleys were Protestant, with the sole exception of the Eccleshall branch, which was Catholic and recusant about the period 1680.

The Eccleshall Tyldesleys are well documented and their estates were connected with the Lancashire Tyldesleys. Thurstan Tyldesley of the house of Wardley in 1571 brought a complaint of perjury, the properties in issue were in Bolton, Middleton and Lichfield. One member of this Eccleshall branch entered the church; he was Richard Tyldesley. He was at Balliol College January 20, 1589 and later migrated to St. John's. He became M.A. June 26, 1607 and B.D. November 22, 1613 and doctor of divinity July 7, 1617. He was son of Thomas Tyldesley of Eccleshall and was instituted rector of Cuxton in 1614 and later in 1648 was expelled by the parliamentary visitors because of his Royalist sympathies. Edmund was father of Richard, who entered St. John's Oxford July 2, 1675, when it is said that he went to Merchant Taylors school and that his father lived at Northmoor, Oxford. He became curate of St. Sepulchre London in 1672, married Anne Wotton daughter of Thomas, surgeon. In 1711 he was vicar of Heston, Middlesex and died in 1712. His son Thomas entered the same college at Oxford June 28, 1710, then aged 16 and became B.C.L. in 1718.