of Haworth.............
The earliest reference to Haworth dates back to a John Myggley in 1546
and William Midgley in 15811. See Haworth
Names
The Midgley's were part time Lords of the Manor of Haworth from
the 1500's, their names are to be found mentioned on the charity boards
at the rear of Haworth church1.
For example Joseph Midgley and children, Nathan, Helen (Ellen)
and Thomas4.
| Sacred to the memory
of4
Joseph Midgley Esq.
Also of Also of
Also of Also of |
| Haworth the village made famous by the Brontes (Prunty) gives testimony
to the land ownership which would have been inherited by various branches
of the family. Within Haworth church on a marble plaque high up on one wall it is recorded that the Lord of Oldfield manor in the 1800's was Joseph Midgley with children Nathan and Ellen. Did Emily Bronte base parts of her Wuthering Heights on this family? I think so. Both characters Joseph and Ellen appear in the book although old Joseph is given the part of Heathcliffe's servant! Top Withens at Haworth was owned by David Midgley. |
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The Genealogy of Wuthering Heights: |
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| No wonder the
novel is so complex! How would you like a family tree like this? |
Also we have:
Mr. Lockwood the tenant of "Thrushcross Grange"
Ellen Dean
Mrs. Nelly Dean -The housekeeper at "Thrushcross Grange"
Zillah- The houseservant at Heathcliffe's "Wuthering Heights"
Farm
Joseph- Heathcliffe's servant
The imaginary "Wuthering Heights" is really "Top Withens", Haworth,
once a residence of David Midgley.
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Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's only novel, exhibited a rebel spirit like its creator. The novel was a passionate and powerful study of the doomed love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliffe on the windswept moors of life, both were forces of nature, but tragically, there was no salvation. |
Memorials from the grounds of Haworth church have been recorded9 a
summary of which is:
| Joseph Midgley Esq. of Oldfield, Lord of the Manor of Haworth died 22nd February 1809 aged 50 years, daughter Mary who married William Rushworth of Mouldgreave [Mouldgrave] died 16th October 1848 aged 88 years. |
Earlier references from Midgleyana indicate that William Midgley Gent.of
Stanbury and his son, Joseph, purchased the Manor of
Haworth in 1671 from Nicholas Bladen. William had two sons, Joseph and
William (of Oldfield near Keighley). Joseph's son David bequeathed the
manor in 1724 to William of Oldfield's son, Joseph (will dated 5th March
1724). This Joseph is probably the same person as that mentioned in
the Charity board shown above5.
Manor records of Stanbury show the same William Midgley snr.
as "a resident of the Stanbury Manor outlier, 'the Oldfield' " in 1682.10
David Midgley devised a messuage of thirty acres of land at Withens* to trustees to the intent that they should yearly on Martinmas Day clothe ten poor children under the age of seven years out of the rents of the property which at that time were thirteen pounds. This Midgley charity was still running in 19689. (* Top Withens is the site of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", Emily came to Haworth with her father in 1820).
Top Withens today, once the residence of David Midgley of Haworth in the 1800's |
Top Withens "Wuthering Heights" as it may have appeared when it was the residence of the fictitious Heathcliffe. |
Top withens about 1926 when it was still occuppied. |
Top Withens from the air today |
|
Edmund
De Laci was granted a manor at Stanbury near Haworth. This
strategically connected the castles of Pontefract and Clitheroe in the
Honour of Pontefract. [with a feudal road running from Pontefract through
Bradford Dale, Haworth and over the Pennines through Colne Edge to Clitheroe
Castle another seat of the De Laci family.].
See photograph
of Stanbury road looking west above Stanbury
The manor or Stanbury was given a charter in 1234-1235 and with
5 other manors was granted to Edmund De Laci [November 1249]. David Midgley's
house, Top Withens is situated within the boundaries of the Manor
of Stanbury.10
Inscriptions have been recorded from gravestones at various sites
in Haworth9. The one above is more fully described by Fothergill9
as follows:
| "In memory of Mary, wife of Joseph? Rushworth of Mouldgreave and daughter of Joseph Midgley esq. of Oldfield, Lord of the Manor of Haworth, who died February 22nd 1809 aged 50 years. Also William? Rushworth of Mouldgreave, husband of the above Mary who died October 16th 1848 aged 88 years". |
Another inscription was found at West Lane Methodist Chapel for Nathan
Midgley who died 18th February 1856 aged 60.
Haworth Manor was sold to the trustees of Benjamin Ferrand in
1811 for four thousand one hundred pounds.
When the old Haworth church was demolished the "Lord's Pew",
which occupied a prominent and imposing enclosure and which belonged
to the Midgley family, was presented to Mary Rushworth of Mouldgreave
House, Oxenhope who was apparently the closest known descendant of the
branch of the family. Other members of the family moved to London, one becoming
a famous barrister. The manor was ultimately bought by the Keighley Corporation.9.
The Court Rolls for the Manor of Haworth are to be found
in the Keighley Library, they are prefaced with a Midgley family history
by Clifford Whone (1946)1.
By the time of the 1851 census for Haworth the following Midgley's
are recorded as residents:
| Living on the Main Street of Haworth: Nancy Midgley, head, widow, housekeeper, born Haworth. Children: Joseph Midgley, unmarried, 37 years of age Wool Comber, born Haworth. James Midgley, unmarried, 24 years of age, Wool Comber, born Haworth. |
Frank Feather, a former resident of nearby Oxenhope states that many of his forebears were baptised/married and buried at Haworth Church, some of them by Patrick Bronte.
Smith Midgley
The Late Smith Midgley, a former Lord Mayor of Bradford [died
1999] was an avid historian and writer for the Dalesman and Pennine
Magazine. He had made an extensive study of his family name. Smith
Midgley drew up his pedigree which dated from 1739 with some earlier information.
There had been an earlier Smith T. Midgley who appears as the Mayor of
Halifax for the years 1877-1879 and 1893-1894.
The name Smith Midgley appears regularly in records for the area. This
popular name was probably derived from a combination of two surnames.
In the Keighley Parish Church register we have:
Agnes Smith married William Midgley on the 31st December 1656
James Smith married Juliet Midgley on the 9th May 1667.
Mrs. Smith Midgley has kindly provided a copy of the pedigree drawn up
by Smith. Their daughter Judith was at one time the "Queen" of the
annual Keighley Gala and was by all accounts a real beauty2.
The basic pedigree is as follows:
John Midgley b. Oct. 1739 married Ann Holmes of Harwood Hill
& Slack. They had five children:
1. Mary b.1760
2. Nathan b. 1762, d. 1788
3. Joseph b. 1766, d. 22nd Nov.1847 married Priscilla Bailey,
Barcroft. They had 9 children:
i) John bap. 20th July 1789.
ii) Nathan b. 27th May 1792 woolcomber, died 1st
Jan.1873 married Betty of Bocking
b.1793, d. 8th Mar.1856.
They had 9 children:
a) John bap.1815, d.1882, married Alice.
b) Thomas bap.1817, d.1891, married Sarah.
c) Joseph b.1819 d.1899, woolcomber, married Betty Mitchell, b.1823,
d.1882.
They had at least seven children. [for details see zipped pedigree
file] one of whom
was Smith Midgley, b.1807, d.1916, married Emma Moore b.1860, d.1937.
They
had 7 children
d) Jesse b. 1821.
e) Barwick b.1833, d. 1908, Ingrow, married Martha_____b.1835, d. 1902
Ingrow.
f) Abraham [1842 census] married Martha, Four children.
g) Ann b.1830.
h) Nathan b.1834, d.1857.
i) Sarah, married William Mitchell.
iii) Sally b.1795
iv) Joseph b.1798 [census 1861]
v) Mary bap.1802
vi) Thomas bap. 804
vii) William bap.1806, d. 1855 Ingrow.
viii) John bap. 1809, d. 1836, Ingrow, married Martha.
ix) Ann bap.1812, d. 1823, Ingrow.
4. Sally b.1768
5. Holmes b.1776, d.1850.
Children of Smith Midgley [b.1807] and Emma Moore:
1. Arthur
2. Edith b. 1885 married Arthur Pickles, three children
3. Marion married J.H. Binns, one child.
4. Annie married Jack Peacock, two children.
5. Frank b. 1893 married Janet Williams, three children including
Smith Midgley d. 1999.
6. Hilda married W. Waterhouse, one child.
7. Percy married Nellie Wright, three children.
In Haworth Rhymes and Writings, Smith Midgley, who was a well
known character in the village, took "a light hearted look in verse and
prose [written in the local West Yorkshire dialect] at the residents and
visitors who flocked to Haworth".
Midgleyana has been cited as an
early reference to the origins of the Midgley families, compiled by
John Franklin Midgley in South Africa, printed by Mills and Litho Pty.
Ltd. in Cape Town, 19683. There is a similar coat of arms
to the one shown on the previous page,
but a different motto which was patented in South Africa. in 19603.
Whether this Smith Midgley was in some way related to the Gunsmith,
Smith Midgley is not yet known.
Donald Midgley
Hunt has connexions to the Smith Midgley of Haworth line and has
commonality with Joseph Midgley who was a brother to Holmes
Midgley.
Midgleys' of Harden
"Low Cliff House" was built by another local branch of the family.
Across the door is the inscription " H.M. R.M 1692 or 1592 (obscured).
David Midgley of Low Cliff married Martha Jenings of Streamhead, Thornton
and received from his father-in-law a farm at Thornton and 100 spade
guineas.
One of the family, John Midgley who lived at Ryecroft died in
1516. Above the barn at the picturesque farm of Ryecroft is an inscription
J.M. 1743.
Midgleys' of Wilsden
Here an allotment of sixty days work on wasteland originally
given to John Midgley as tenant of the Poors Estate, it was conveyed
in a deed of 2nd June 1702 from Richard Midgley, yeoman of Bradford
and his heir to among others, John Midgley, Gentleman of Horton, Bradford6.
Midgleys' of Cullingworth8
John Midgley born 25th Dec. 1778 married firstly Rebecca Driver,
May 1800, died 26th Feb. 1805
children:
Mary b. 29 May 1801
Martha b. 18 Dec 1802
Elizabeth b. 23 Sept. 1804, d. 20 Jan 1805
Married secondly to Martha Driver (sister to rebecca0 Dec. 1805.
Martha died 1819 aged 32.
children:
Susanna b. 14 Feb. 1806
William b. 21 Dec. 1807, d. 31 May 1833.
John b. 29 April 1811, d. 27 May 1816.
James b. 24 Feb. 1814 d. 28 May 1816
Rebecca b. 22 Oct. 1816.
John (b. 1778) died on the 18th April 1838 after a fall
from his gig at Idle near Bradford.
Many of these dates underlie a tragic tale of early deaths and
misadventure, indicating the harshness of life during these times.
References: 
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