At present the relationship between Henry Petty, above and William Petty of Otley is unclear, but Whittaker asserts that Henry Petyt is descended from a William Petyt, esquire who was Lord of the manor of ‘Sharlesteane’ in West Yorkshire and also had lands in Otley [1] . I have yet to discover where those lands were, or where indeed ‘Sharlesteane’ was. William was apparently a Justice of the Peace in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1435. As the earliest date at which Henry Petty could be born is about 1438, William Petty could be Henry’s father or even his grandfather. The connection is, as yet, unproved.

It is possible that there may also be a connection with a ‘William Pettyte’ recorded in Worcester in 1467. This William Petty was a minor, son of William Pettyte, gentleman, deceased, and in the care of Robert Clarenger, yeoman of the crown who had paid twenty shillings to the king for the wardship [2] . However, I have not as yet found any reason to suppose a family connection with Worcestershire.

Other Pettits active in the fifteenth century that I can trace, include the Pettits of the Isle of Thanet, one of whom was an alderman of London. These Pettits ultimately owe their descent to a Valentin Pettit who is recorded as a citizen of London in 1441 [3] . However their arms are ‘Argent a chevron gules between three lions head erased sable, crowned or, as many bezants, in the first and fourth quarters, and sable with h three lions rampant in fess between 2 bars dancetty argent’. This is completely different to the arms of our Yorkshire Pettits.