Re: Hindley Family, Leigh, England
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In reply to:
Re: Hindley Family, Leigh, England
6/26/01
Hi, Philip,
The Hindley families have descended from the mainstream Hindley family who lived for the most part in Hindley Hall near the village of Hindley in South Lancashire. The English feudal system ensured that the elder son became the heir and any other sons and daughters and their offspring in time became merged in the ranks of the peasantry. For the first 400 or 500 years these peasant families spread mainly over a distance of some 20 or 30 miles from, what was then, Hindley village to such villages as Winwick, Culcheth, Abram, Over Hutton, Lostock, Aspull, Haigh, Pennington, West Leigh, Bedford, Astley, Tyldesley & Atherton. These last six were in the parish of Leigh. Apart from the mainstream family there were hundreds of Hindley families most of them with the same first names. It is almost impossible to link these families with the main family because apart from the heir the names of other children were not recorded or have become lost with the passage of time. The first ever mention of the Hindleys occurs in the 12th century where there is a record of Adam, Roger & Richard who had given land to religious charities, quoted in Testa de Neville fol.406. It is not known who these were or if they were part of the very early mainstream family. The first names of all these early Hindleys were amongst those used in William the Conqueror's army. (Perhaps it can be assumed that these Hindleys have been descended from one of his French soldiers who was rewarded by being made Lord of the Manor of the village of Hindley.)
The names of the main Hindley family members appear to have been-
Hughementioned as far back as 1258-1259
Adamalive 1302
Robertealive 1322
Robertealive 1365
Hughealive 1398
Robertealive 1447
Hughealive 1472
Robertealive 1489
Hughdied 1531
Gilbertdied about 1550
Roger
Robertdied 1621
Rogerdied 1651
Hughdied 1661
Hughdied 1683.
Robert had 4 sons- Roger (d 1651) Hugh (d 1661). His 4th son was John of Pennington & West Leigh who died 1672 and in turn had a son Peter of Pennington bap 1627 & d 1664. In the Protestation Rolls for Pennington 24/2/1641 there is only one Hindley (John) & he could be the first Hindley in Pennington.
There were over 50 baptisms of Hindleys from 1560 to 1600 in Leigh parish church registers but no reference to the villages in which people lived.
As an aside, the name Hindley comes from Old English Hind-leah meaning hind clearing so called from the animal.
Shall be glad to give further information that we have but it might take some time due to pressure of work.
Regards from two Hindleys to another,
Arnold and John Hindley (North of England) 3rd August 2001