©2001 Gillian Waters 2008 |
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Seventh
Generation - Edward Heelis
Edward
Heelis, the father of Mary Heelis,
was a yeoman farmer at Skibeden
[1]
. He married Leah Catterson, daughter
of Stephen and Grace Catterson, on 18 December 1719 in Kildwick
[2]
. Leah was about twenty two years old when they
married, and Edward would probably have been the same age, if not
older. Although
this particular Edward was of the wrong generation, and farmed in
the wrong place, to be our Edward Heelis, he or his brothers were
of the right generation to be the father of our Edward Heelis. Unfortunately,
Edward Heelis, son of John ‘of Addingham’, did not have a son named
Edward; but he did have a younger brother William, born in 1652
[7]
. This William Heelis farmed at Skibeden, and
was of the right generation to be the father of our Edward Heelis
[8]
. However, this William also did not have a son
named Edward that I can find. His only surviving son, John Heelis,
did not follow in his father’s footsteps and farm at Skibeden though;
he was a Chandler
[9]
. This is interesting as it may indicate that
William had an older son who continued to farm at Skibeden, which
may have been our Edward Heelis. John Heelis, the Chandler, and
our Edward Heelis, both marry Cattersons
[10]
. It is therefore highly probable that Edward
Heelis, and John Heelis were brothers, but this is as yet unproven.
Other
properties in Skipton may have come to our Edward Heelis of Skibeden,
or his children, in the late eighteenth century. His uncle, Edward
Heelis of Halton, had three children, two daughters and one son.
His two daughters Anne and Margaret died as young children and only
the son John Heelis survived to adulthood
[28]
. This John Heelis had three children,
Anne, Emmanuel and Thomas
[29]
. As Anne Heelis was born after the death of her
father in 1732, and their grandfather Edward Heelis had died in
1730 it is highly probable that these children were cared for by
the Skipton Heelis line, perhaps even in the family of our Edward
Heelis of Skibeden
[30]
. I would think that it was highly probable that
close connections were kept between the Heelis line of Halton and
the Heelis line of Skibeden. John Heelis of Halton’s daughter, Anne
Heelis, survived both her brothers, Emmanuel and Thomas. In 1777,
Anne Heelis’s was described as the sole heir of her brother
Thomas Heelis
[31]
. This indicates that neither her brother Thomas
or Emmanuel Heelis had surviving children to inherit their estates
[32]
. Anne Heelis is described in the parish Registers
as a ‘maiden lady’ and this would imply that she had not married
and therefore also had no issue. Anne Heelis is reputed to have
left the majority of her estate to a Robert Dyneley which was valued
at four thousand pounds
[33]
. At present it is unclear what the relationship
was between the Heelis family and the Dyneleys, and it is possible
that most of the estate did fall to Robert. However, I think it
highly probable that some of the lands, including Skipton Ings,
reverted back to the Heelis line of Skibeden, either through inheritance
or sale. As Anne and her brothers were the only children of John
Heelis, yeoman farmer of Halton, and John was the only surviving
child of Edward Heelis, farmer of Halton, the only likely line to
inherit any lands would have been that of Edward’s younger brother
William Heelis, farmer of Skibeden. William’s eldest surviving son
and his heirs would have inherited these lands, which would appear
to be our Edward Heelis and his sons
[34]
. I
think that the connection between our Edward Heelis and those of
Skibeden are fairly certain. His father William Heelis farmed at
Skibeden, and Edward and his children may have gained lands from
William’s elder brother Edward Heelis of Halton. Today,
the ‘Close House’ is a farm to the south of the village of Skibeden,
to the east of Skipton. There is evidence that the Morehouse
family had farmed the lands there since the late fifteenth century
[39]
. In 1473, a William Morehouse held ‘one
messuage with a bovate of land and a toft with forland’ in Skipton
as a Free Tenant of Bolton Priory. Although the vill of Skibeden
was assessed separately from Skipton in 1334 and 1522, it was quite
common for the vill to be assessed as part of the Burg of Skipton
[40]
. It is therefore highly likely that the toft
which this William Heelis held was one of the two recorded in Skibeden
1612. I would contend that this was the ‘Close House’. As a Free
Tenant William Heelis was a leaseholder of the land rather than
a copyholder, and whilst he still paid rent to the monks of Bolton
Priory, his position as a leaseholder was protected in law. He also
held lands at ‘Kyrkhill’ in Eastby, as a copyholder. The ‘kyrkhill’
may be identified with ‘Embsay kirk’ a small hamlet lying between
Embsay and Eastby, today. For these lands William paid an annual
rent of six shillings and eight pence. In the fifteenth century,
leases of lands were fairly new, the ancient right of copyhold being
the usual customary way of holding land. This would perhaps indicate
that William Morehouse had only recently acquired the Freehold of
the Close House from the monks at Bolton, and had moved to the Close
House with his family. There
are also Heelis’s recorded in the villages of Stirton
and Thorlby in the sixteenth century. In 1543, a John Heles
was valued at Ten pounds in goods or lands and paid a subsidy to
the King of six shillings and eight pence. In 1547, his lands or
goods were valued at six pounds, and he paid a tax of four shillings.
This does not necessarily mean that his lands had been devalued,
but that the commissioners were aware of the dangers of collecting
taxes and had altered the values accordingly. Still it gives us
a good idea of the standing of this John Heelis. This John Heelis
may be the same John as that recorded in Skipton in 1543, owning
lands in Skipton and Stirton. The two lines of Heelis’s may be ultimately
linked, but at present that is unproven. Stirton and Thorlby lie
to the North and west of Skipton and it is possible that the Heelis’s
of Thorlby were ultimately related to the Heelis’s of Cracoe and
Burnsall
[43]
. Edward
Heelis, father of our John Heelis, married Tomazina Wilson on
18 July 1586 in Kildwick
[51]
. He was christened on the same day as he was
married and was the son of another Edward Heelis, of Glusburn.
Little further is known at present about the origin of this Edward
Heelis, but it is possible that he may be connected with the line
of Heelis’s from Cracoe, from which the Barker line descends.
It
is interesting that the name Edward remains popular from the Glusburn
in the sixteenth century down to the eighteenth century in this
particular line of Heelis’s. Wherever he was christened, Edward
Heelis of Skibeden certainly profited from his marriage to Leah
Catterson. In 1729, Edward’s father in law Stephen Catterson
transferred a substantial property in Skipton to Edward, comprising
a ‘day house with cellar, parlour and shop chambers, and garrets
above the parlour’. There were also gardens and yards at the front
and the back and half a Garth
[52]
. At present, it is not certain where this property
was, but it appears to have had extensive lands attached to it.
It may have originally been one dwelling, that had been split into
two separate houses by 1729. Although the property was large enough
to raise a family in, Edward and his wife Leah do not appear to
have lived in this house. They probably lived in the farmhouse at
Skibeden and leased the property out. This is confirmed by his inclusion
in the list of Skipton voters in 1741. In 1741 ‘Edward Halas’, of
Skibeden voted for Fox in the election and is recorded as an ‘Outliving
Freeholder’
[53]
. This would indicate that Edward Heelis held
the freeholds of his lands and had property worth at least ???.
In 1742, Edward Heelis received the other half of the tenement in
Skipton from Mary Paley, his sister in law. A Catherine Parker tenanted
this property, so it appears that the property transfer was a transfer
of the lease
[54]
. A year later Edward Heelis appears to have leased
this property along with several other messuages to a Samuel Whaley
of St. Ives, Bingley
[55]
. This was a short-term lease as these tenements
were amongst those that Edward later transferred to his son Thomas
Heelis of Skipton Castle in 1757
[56]
. Edward’s
married daughter Leah Jennings was one of the sitting tenants
[57]
. Edward’s son-in-law, Samuel Jennings had leased
a ‘barn, croft and garden and buildings’ in Newmarket Street in
1751, and it would appear that this was the same property that Leah
inhabited in 1757. Her husband Samuel had probably died by this
date. What is interesting however is the fact that Samuel did not
take the lease from Edward Heelis, but from a Thomas Heelis, of
Halton
[58]
. In
1751, the ‘Thomas Heelis of Halton’ referred to may have been the
grandson of ‘Edward Heelis of Halton’ who left all his goods to
his sister Anne Heelis, discussed above. If this were so, and Samuel
Jennings had rented a property from this particular Thomas Heelis,
then it is highly probable that this Thomas died sometime between
1751 and 1757. If so, it would appear that he then left the tenements
in Newmarket Street to his cousin Edward Heelis of Skibeden. Thomas
Heelis, of Halton, may have lived with Edward Heelis ‘of Skibeden
as a young man, and may have felt an affinity to the Heelis’s of
Skipton. Alternatively, the Thomas Heelis ‘of Halton’ referred to
in the 1751 lease may have been the son of our Edward Heelis of
Skibeden. At present the matter is unclear.
However, the properties came into the hands of Edward Heelis,
by 1757 the properties were definitely in the hands of the Skibeden
Heelis’s and Edward transferred the properties to his son in 1757.
The transfer of these lands to his third son Thomas would indicate
that Edward was attempting to provide for his son, but did not divide
the family patrimony too greatly.
In 1733, Edward also gained
an interest in properties in Lamberts Hill in Skipton from his father
in law Stephen Catterson. Edward Heelis, ‘yeoman’, and his brother
in law, Francys Catterson, ‘gentleman’, eldest son of Stephen Catterson,
were joint tenants, or lessees, of the property
[59]
. In January 1742, Edward leased part of this
land to John Heelis, Tallow Chandler, his brother in Law
[60]
. This may have been in accordance with the terms
of Stephen Catterson’s will, in which John Heelis was left land
or ‘closes’ on Lamberts Hill. In December 1742, John Heelis again
transferred his share in these tenements to Edward Heelis
[61]
. The death of Stephen Catterson’s eldest son
Francys Catterson, in 1744, split the ownership of Lamberts Hills
again, but Edward retained a share in the tenements
[62]
. Edward
Heelis was certainly wealthy enough to employ men to work on his
farm. On 27 March 1738, 3d was paid by the parish of Skipton for
‘going to Skibeden with Edward Heelis’ apprentice’
[69]
. It is not known who this apprentice was, or
the trade that he was apprenticed in, or even why he needed to be
accompanied to Skibeden from Skipton. It may be the case that this
particular apprentice had tried to leave his place of employment
and was being taken back again by the constabulary. Alternatively,
the apprentice may have been one of the forty children of Skipton
Parish who were apprenticed through a charitable trust
[70]
. In this case, Edward Heelis may have received
money for taking on the apprentice. Further examination of the churchwardens’
accounts and apprentice records may reveal more details. Edward Heelis died on 22 February 1772, and was buried in Holy Trinity Parish Church in Skipton, in the same grave as his daughter Margaret Heelis [71] . His wife Leah died in 1780, aged 83, and his youngest daughter Elizabeth died in 1796, aged thirty-six [72] . They were also buried in the same grave. Edward left his lands to be divided equally between his sons William Heelis, Butcher, of Bolton in Moors, Lancashire and John Heelis of Skipton Castle, gentleman [73] .
[1]
Edward is repeatedly referred to as a yeoman farmer in
the baptismal entries of hic children in Skipton Parish Registers.
[2]
Kildwick Parish registers.
[3]
Skipton Parish Registers.
[4]
See above in the discussion of the Barker/Heelis connections.
[5]
Edward Heelis is buried on 8 March 1730 in Skipton. Skipton
parish registers.
[6]
John Heelis was christened on 1 May 1688 in Skipton.
He is described as a yeoman farmer of Halton in the baptism
entries of his children Anne, christened 15 January 1732, and
Thomas, christened 4 June 1723. Skipton Parish registers.
[7]
William was christened on 8 September 1652 in Skipton.
[8]
William Heelis is repeatedly described in the baptismal
entries of his children as a farmer of Skibeden.
[9]
John Heelis is described as a Chandler in the baptism
entries of his children, Edwards, christened 25 September 1730,
Edward, christened 2 September, 1734, Thomas, christened 11
June 1744 and Grace christened 16 November 1745. Skipton Parish
registers. [10] John Heelis married grace Catterson on 26 February 1733 in Giggleswick. Grace Catterson was christened on 14 August 1711 in Skipton. IGI. [11] William Heelis was born on 19 May 1695 the son of William Heelis and Anne Slater. William Heelis married Anne Slater. IGI. [12] Alice Heelis was christened on 18 June 1697. Skipton Parish Registers. [13] Alice Heelis, daughter of William Heelis was buried on 28 September 1698. Skipton Parish Registers. [14] John Heelis was christened on 10 November 1701. Skipton Parish Registers. [15] Skipton Parish Registers. [16] William Heelis was buried on 15 July 1719. Skipton Parish Registers. [17] Edward Heelis was christened on 26 February 1649. Skipton Parish Registers. [18] John Heelis was christened on 6 April 1633 and was buried on 10 July 1650. Skipton Parish Registers. [19] Thomas Heelis was christened on 26 February 1636. A young child of John Heelis was buried in Skipton on 15 Decemeber 1639. It is highly proable that this child was the son of John Heelis as no further references are found to him. See Skipton Parish registers. [20] Charles was christened on 30 January 1643. Anne was christened on 14 December 1634. See Skipton Parish Registers. [21] Eliza was christened on 29 June 1641 and was buried on 16 June 1648. Skipton Parish Registers. [22] Charles is described as being of Carlton on the births and baptism of his two children. [23] See Skipton Parish Registers. Charles’s wife Margaret was buried on 8 April 1678 having died in childbirth. See Skipton Parish Registers. [24] I have searched in vain for the marriage of Edward Heelis, but have not been able to find it. The Alis Smith who marries Emmanuel heelis in 1681 is not our Edward Heelis, as Emmanuel was an illegitimate child of Elizabeth Heelis of Skipton. See Skipton Parish Registers. [25] For the following see West Yorkshire Deeds pp. 155-156. [26] See below. [27] Edward heelis, farmer of Halton was buried on 8 March 1730. Skipton Parish Registers. [28] Anne Heelis was christened on 26 May 1689 and buried on 15 Augut 1701. Margaret was christened on 3 November 1690 and was buried on 18 June 1698. John Heelis was christened on 1 May 1688. See Skipton Parish Registers. [29] Thomas Heelis was christened on 4 June 1723. Anne Heelis was christened on 15 January 1732. Emmanuel Heelis was christened on 4 July 1726. [30] William Heelis farmer of Skibeden was buried in 1726. Skipton Parish Registers. [31] See Rowley Archive. The will was executed on 20 Decemeber 1777. Anne Heelis was buried on 14 February 1777. [32] Thomas Heelis had married Susan Crofte in Gargrave in 1741. Emmanuel had married Ann Whittaker on 18 Febriary 1750 in Gargrave. Gargrave Parish Registers. [33] Skipton Parish Registers, [34] Further research and getting a copy of the will of Anne Heelis will help to prove or disprove this theory. [35] Skipton Parish Registers. [36] Skipton Parish Registers. [37] Skipton Parish registers. [38] Whittaker, p. 301. [39] The Moorhouse family originated from Rhylstone and Cracoe, where 3 families of that name are recorded in 1378-9. They later became principal tenants of Skipton Castle and lived at Embsay and Skibeden. William Moorhouse who died in 1813 aged 81 was a well-known physician and married Henry Currer of Skipton. His son Henry Moorhouse took his degree at Edinburgh in 1785. John Moorhouse who was born at Skibeden in 1729 removed to Elslack at the time of the Jacobite rebellion in 1645 and had a son Thomas who died there in 1863 aged eighty- eight. John, another son settled at Broughton and had a daughter Anne. Brian Moorhouse removed to the Washburn valley to Norwood. He was either the son of William Moorhouse of Eastby born 1609 in Skipton, or the son of John Moorhouse of Woodend Burnsall baptized at Burnsall on 12 November 1612. He purchased the farm at Gill Bottom from a Fairfax. From this branch are descended the Moorhouses of Birstwith. See Speight, Garden p. 394-5. [40] Apparently the village of Skibeden was depopulated between 1367 and 1437 when the lands of the vill were in the hands of only three teneants. See British Library manuscript, Egerton. TODO! [41] See Tudor Vraven. [42] For the Following see Tudor Craven, pp. 65, 68, 72, 75-6, 78, 97, 99. [43] See below, under Barker line, [44] The only other John Heelis I have found was christened on 18 June 1583, in Burnsall son of Anthony Heelis. This man was related to the Heelis’s of Cracoe and Burnsall, not the Heelis line of Skipton and Skibeden. See above, pp?? [45] See Kildwick Parish registers. [46] William was christened on 12 March 1587 in Kildwick. He married Magdalene Currer on 2 February 1605 in Skipton. [47] A Thomas Heelis of Draughton, paid forty pence for lands worth forty shillings in 1543. See Tudor Craven. [48] Margaret Heelis was christened on 23 August 1606 and buried on 27 March 1611, Anne Heelis was christened on 11 November 1608, Thomas Heelis was christened on 20 January 1611 and buried on 10 March 1611, Isabel Heelis was christened on 4 October 1612 and married Barnabee Wallbank , she died on 24 Febryuery 1664, Elizabeth was christened on 20 April 615 and was buried on 14 March 1617, Chrristopher was christened on 10 January 1618 and later married Elizabeth Sillson on 25 November 1635, Richard Heelis was christened on 4 November 1621. Skipton Parish Registers [49] Edward Heelis was christened on 22 March 1590. He was buried in 1665. Kildwick Parish Registers. [50] Jonathan Gathis was christened on 18 August 1627. William Smith was christned on 3 March 1633, Anna Heelis was christened in 1634 and buried in 1673, an unnamed infant was buried in 1647, Maria Heelis was christened in 1637, Tomazina was christened in 1639, twins John and Edward heelis were christened on 22 May 1642, John Heelis was chridtened in 1644 and Agnes was christened in 1649. Kildwick Parish Rehgisters. Of theses the last son John stayed in Kildwick and produced a family in the 1670s. [51] Kildwick Parich registers. [52] This had been inherited by Stephen Catterson from Sylvester Petyt. See below pp??? From Rowley, West Riding Deeds, 20/21 February 1729. See also Rowley, Old Skipton, 1969, p.42 where he says that the three storey building with a pointed gable I Wallers print of Skipton was owned by the Heelis family and rented by John King, baker, flour and corn dealer. This proerty had once been owned by Slvester heelis. [53] See Dawson, History, p. 362. [54] Mary Paley was a widow and lived in Giggleswick in 1742. She had been given the property by her father Stephen Catterson in his will. See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 29/30 April 1742. [55] These were occupied by Katherine Parker, Thomas Watson, Edward Hartley, Margaret Lambert and John Bowlch See Rowley, Yorkshire Deeds 1 July 1743. [56] These tenements again had sitting tenants, Catherine Parker, John Brown, Jos. Jennings and Leah Jennings as tenants. See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds 29/30 January 1757. [57] It is possible that the other tenants may also have been related to Edward. [58] Samuel Jennings had taken a lease from William Bawden of Stonegapp, gentleman and a Thomas Heelis ‘of Halton Gentleman’. See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 10 September 1751. [59] See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 20/21 February 1733. [60] John Heelis had married Grace Catterson, sister of Leah. [61] See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 28 December 1742. [62] The owners included Francys’ brother and heir, Sylvester Catterson, and John Heelis and Thomas Alcock as well as Edward Heelis See Rowley West Yorkshire Deeds, 21/2/1744, 16 May 1745 and 28 January 1742. [63] See Rowley, Yorkshire Deeds, 12 February 1744. [64] See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds 16/17 May 1745. [65] See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 8 May 1749. [66] Emmanuel Heelis christened on 4 July 1726 was indeed the son of John Heelis, farmer of Halton. See Rowley, West Yorkshire Deeds, 3 April 1751. [67] This Emmanuel gave lands on the North side of Newmarket Street to a George Stead of Skipton, Blacksmith. [68] See Dawson, History, p. 362.
[69]
Churchwardens accounts for Skipton, as reproduced in
Dawson’s Loose Leafs of Skipton History, PP???.
[70]
This may have been the Petyt Trust. See below for further
details. [71] Monumental Inscriptions. [72] Leah Heelis died 23 August 1780, aged 83, and Elizabeth Heelis died on 11 September 1796, aged 36. It would appear that Elizabeth Heelis did not marry. Monumental Inscriptions. [73] See Rowley, Yorkshire Deeds, 2 July 1778. |