‘MiddleYears’ Tree – Generations 02 & 03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oliver

1455-1507

Full name:

Oliver Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1455, Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

Ann Starkie (from Symondstone)

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / Landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Father:

John 1425-1490

 

 

 

Additional:

Died 1507 at Huncoat.

 

Inherited Huncoat hall from his father John in 1490. Ann, his wife, was the daughter of  Wiiliam Starkie who had arrived in the district from Cheshire and had married Whitaker of  Symondstone Hall. The Starkie family were to become important landowners in the district around Padiham and built Huntroyd Hall in 1575.

 

By the year 1500, the family at huncoat Hall ere becoming well established and it is recorded at the death of  Oliver in 1507 that he held Huncoat Hall and forty-two acres in Huncoat. He also probably still held the rights over 71 acres and the three cottages at Hapton, which had been acquired by Richard between 1420 and 1430.

 

The original house of 1300 AD would have been a barn-like type of structure, probably built with oak beams and a thatched roof. There would have been a fire in the centre around which the life of the family and any servants would revolve. By 1500, stone was being quarried in greater quantity and the Hall was rebuilt in stone with a substantial roof, hearth and new mullion windows on the south side.

 

Ann Birtwhistle, the widow of Oliver, and her son Richard were in dispute with Sir John Towneley over land at Hapton which was encroaching onto Birtwistle land at Huncoat. In 1525 the intrepid Ann took Sir John Towneley to court at Lancaster Assizes and won her case. There were also other disputes shortly after with Sir John Towneley but these were resolved by exchange of lands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John

1460-1486

Full name:

John Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

c1460, Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

 

 

 

 

Resident in:

 

 

 

 

Father:

John 1425-1490

 

 

 

Additional:

Died 1486

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piers

1465-1515

Full name:

Piers Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

c1465, Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

Alice c1490

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / land owner.

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat; Scaitcliffe

 

 

 

Father:

John 1425-1490

 

 

 

Additional:

Piers took land land along with Thomas Waddington at Scaitcliffe in 1507. He is the ‘founder’ of  the families of Birtwistle and Birtwell who settled on land in the Accrington New Improvements of 1507, and are later found at Friarhill and Oswaldtwistle. Piers Birtwhistle is mentioned several times at the Court of the Accrington Old Holdings before 1507, andt hen as Appraiser of the Accrington New Holdings in 1508.

 

Piers had two sons of whom there are records, John born about 1490 and a younger son Barnard, both of whom are involved with land at Scaitcliffe, Peneworth and Higher Antley in the Accrington New Holdings.

 

Died c1515.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas

1470-1538

Full name:

Thomas Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

c1470 in Huncoat

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / land owner.

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat & Goodshaw

 

 

 

Father:

?

 

 

 

Additional:

Thomas as amongst the first to rent land on the New Development at Goodshaw in 1507. He was probably directly descended from the Thomas Birtwistle who is recorded as a tenant of Huncoat village in 1443.

 

In addition to the lands he took over at Goodshaw and Wolfenden, he also retained the family holding of 20 acres at Huncoat. He is recorded, along with Oliver Birtwistle of Huncoat Hall, being on the jury at  the Accrington Manor Court from 1495 to 1507, and then again at the Manor Court representing Goodshaw in Rossendale in 1508 & 1509.

 

In 1514 he was elected Greave of Huncoat and died in 1538.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard

1465-1516

Full name:

Richard Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1465

 

 

 

Married:

Marjorie

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / land owner.

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat & Loveclough

 

 

 

Father:

?

 

 

 

Additional:

Richard was granted land at  Loveclough at the time of the Rossendale New Improvements in 1507. His immediate ancestors are not recorded. He could be a close relative of Thomas Birtwistle who settled on land at Goodshaw and is descended from the Birtwhistle family recorded at Huncoat Village in 1443, or possibly a descendant of the earlier family at Bridtwisell.

 

Richard &  Marjorie had two sons, John & Adam, who are later recorded on land at Loveclough. Richard is recorded as Greave of rossendale in 1514, and in the same year there is mention of him granting one-third share of a messuage and some land at Loveclough to his grandson Richard Birtwistle, son of Adam. There is another record in 1514 when Richard (senior) with his son Adam are before the Court for ‘not repairing the highway’.

 

Richard probably died in c1516 as there is no further mention of him in the Rossendale Manor courts after this date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard

1485-1543

Full name:

Richard Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1485, Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

Margaret Lowde (of Gisburn & Gargrave)

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / Landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Father:

Oliver 1455-1507

 

 

 

Additional:

Richard inherited from his father Oliver in 1507 and was active in the life of Huncoat after the death of his father. He was a juror in 1508, Constable of Huncoat in 1514 and Greave of Accrington in 1516. However, shortly after this he is in debt and before the court in 1521, 1523 & 1524. In 1531 he is recorded surrendering Huncoat hall and forty-one acres of land into the hands of the trustees on behalf of his son Oliver.

 

He was again before the Court in 1534 having been in conflict with the villagers on account of encroaching on their land at Town Gate & Hillhouses. The last mention of him is in 1540 when he is in dispute with Edmund Ashton over land at Hancockfield.

 

Died 1543 at Huncoat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John

1490-1555

Full name:

John Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1490, Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat

 

 

 

Father:

Oliver 1455-1507

 

 

 

Additional:

Recorded as constable of Huncoat in 1553.

 

Died in Huncoat c1555.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jane

Full name:

Jane Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

Huncoat Hall

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

 

 

 

 

Resident in:

 

 

 

 

Father:

Oliver 1455-1507

 

 

 

Additional:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oliver

1495-1555

Full name:

Oliver Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1495 Huncoat

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / Landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

Huncoat & Gildersome

 

 

 

Father:

John 1460-1486

 

 

 

Additional:

The first mention of the Birtwistle family at Bradford occurs when an Oliver Birtwhistle is recorded leaving two cottages at Bradford to Barbara and Leonard West in 1555 (see Yorkshire Fines), and then again in 1576 when ‘Old Thomas Birtwistle of Hunslett’ is recorded being in dispute with Thomas Rushton over land at Gildersome near Bradford.

 

The connection of this Oliver Birtwhistle with the Huncoat Hall family is not proven, but it is quite probable when it is considered that the Dunkenhalgh Deeds of 1617 record that the Birtwistle family at Huncoat Hall also held land at Bradford and Wakefield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John

1490-??

Full name:

John Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1490

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

 

 

 

 

Father:

Piers 1465-1515

 

 

 

Additional:

Records show involvement with land at Scaitcliffe, Peneworth and Higher Antley in the Accrington New Holdings, together with younger brother Barnard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George

1495-1556

Full name:

George Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1495

 

 

 

Married:

Margaret c1515

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

Accrington; Dewdenclough

 

 

 

Father:

Piers 1465-1515 (not proven)

 

 

 

Additional:

George Birtwhistle is recorded as being granted land at Dewdenclough in the forest of Rossendale by a John Birtwhistle in 1526. George may have come from the village of Huncoat, or have been a son of Piers – records are unclear. However it is Peter, the eldest son of George & Margaret, from whom the Birtwistle families at Dewdenclough, Rossendale and later at Haslingden and Bury are descended.

 

An Accrington Court entry of 1522 records George (and others) being in trouble ‘for keeping dogs and tracking hares in snowtime’. In 1539 and 1554 he is again recorded in trouble with the authorities ‘for leaving gates open’.

 

In 1535 he and John Ratcliffe are recorded as appraisers for the Court at Haslingden which, in the early days, covered the district of Dewdenclough.

 

He died in 1556, followed by Margaret his widow in 1558.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barnard

1500-??

Full name:

Barnard Birtwistle

 

 

Born:

1500

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

Farmer / landowner

 

 

 

Resident in:

 

 

 

 

Father:

Piers 1465-1515

 

 

 

Additional:

Records show involvement with land at Scaitcliffe, Peneworth and Higher Antley in the Accrington New Holdings, together with elder brother John.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full name:

 

 

 

Born:

 

 

 

 

Married:

 

 

 

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Occupation:

 

 

 

 

Resident in:

 

 

 

 

Father:

 

 

 

 

Additional: