Hill Family | familydixon

The Hill Family of Mexborough and Darfield, South Yorks

Written by Barbara Severn

Gen 1 John Hill & Mary Biltcliff

The earliest record of the Hill family I have found is that of my five times great grandfather Joseph Hill born 1749 in Penistone Yorkshire. Penistone is a small market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire. It lies 8 miles (13 km) west of the town of Barnsley in the foothills of the Pennines.

The history of Penistone can be dated back to 1066 when it was known to be owned by Ailric. However, following the Norman Conquest it was razed to the ground in 1069 in what became known as the Harrying of the North; the Domesday Book described the settlement in 1089 as 'wasted'. The town remained small until the coming of the railway in 1845, although several pre-19th Century buildings survive. The oldest still standing is St John the Baptist Church

St John the Baptist Church early 1900

Penistone High Street

The following records were given to me by a distant relative Philip Steadman found in the parish records at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone. Joseph was baptized on the 15 February 1749 at the above named church, his father is recorded as also being named Joseph but I can't find any record of him. Joseph married Mary Biltcliff at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone on the 20 April 1772.

Mary Biltcliff was baptized on the 12 April 1744 at St John's Church, she is the daughter of Thomas Biltcliff.

Biltcliff is such an unusual name so I thought I would try and trace its origin. Bilcliff is a locative name, in other words it derives from a place. Its origin is generally accepted to be the farmstead of Bilcliff in the Penistone area of the West Riding of Yorkshire, near Langsett.. This farmstead is mentioned in the records from 1208, but it may well have existed long before that, and it is suggested that the name Bilcliff is of Saxon origin, meaning Billa's cliff, derived from the Old English word bil, which originally referred to a sword or halberd.

I can only find records of one child born to Joseph and Mary, a son, John Hill born 1778 (my great great great great grandfather) and no other siblings. The only other record I can find of Joseph is that of his burial on the 3 February 1825 when he was 75 years old. He is buried at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone. I can find no other record of his wife Mary.

Gen 2 John Hill and Susannah Downing

John Hill, my great great great great grandfather, was born in 1778 and baptized at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone, Yorkshire on the 1 January 1779. He was the son of Joseph Hill and Mary Biltcliff. John married Susan or Susannah Downing at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone on the 9 October 1809. One of the witnesses at the wedding was Susan's brother John Downing.

Very little is known of John and Susan until they appear on the 1841 census when it shows that John is aged 60 and Susan 55. As the ages on the 1841 census are rounded to the nearest 5 years it is not possible at that time to see their exact ages. John and Susan at the time of the census were living at High Bank House, Thurlstone, Yorkshire, where John worked as a labourer. Thurlstone is a village near Penistone,Yorkshire. Originally it was a small farming community. Some industries developed using water power from the River Don (corn milling, wire drawing and various wool/cloth processes). Most of these are now gone.

Thurlstone, with a name that demonstrates its Anglo-Saxon and Danish Viking roots, is the most southerly of the old West Riding textile villages. For many years it was a more important centre than Penistone itself largely because of the early textile activities. Like other West Riding mill towns and villages the mills were in the valley bottoms utilising the water power and the weavers cottages were clustered together on the sides of the hills. In Thurlstone’s case most of the weavers cottages were built in the early years of the nineteenth century at a time when although the mills had begun to turn out vast quantities of yarn, weaving was still an un-mechanised process carried out in the local cottages. While women and children tended the new machines in the mills, the menfolk worked at home on their looms.

Thurlston Village: In the pictures below it is easy to see where the weavers lived .,.. the windows are much larger to let in as light as possible..

The older parts of Thurlstone contain a substantial number of late 17th and early 18th century houses (and a few with Tudor origins) some with extensions to accommodate 19th century weavers windows. The oldest area still referred to by some as ‘the Top o’ the town’ could possibly have been the original settlement with the once predominantly rural Town Gate stretching out below towards what is now the main road out of Penistone towards Millhouse Green. In this area is the fine old Thurlstone House built by James Walton in the middle of the 18th century and now occupied by John Gledhill Smith a well-known member of a local business family.

John’s wife Susan was born in Bradfield, Sheffield which is about 12 miles south of Thurlstone.

Bradfield, Yorkshire nineteenth century

Bradfield, Yorkshire today

Church of St Nicholas, Bradfield

The most striking feature of the village is the Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield, a Grade One Listed building originally dating from 1109. Our ancestors would have worshipped there.

The name Bradfield translates from the Old English language as “Broad stretch of open countryside and the area around the village is predominately grazing land with dairy and sheep farming dominating. High Bradfield has a sister village, Low Bradfield which lies less than a kilometre to the south west but at a considerably lower altitude down in the upper Loxley valley. The two villages are linked by the steep Woodfall Lane

Woodfall Lane, Bradfield, Yorkshire

John and Susan had 12 children. John died on the 24 January 1848 in Thurlstone, he was 69 years old and the cause of death was water in the chest. His son Benjamin was present at the death. He was buried on the 26 January 1848. In the 1851 census Susan, now a widow, was living at Robin Row, Thurlstone, her occupation was listed as pauper. By 1861 she was still living with her daughter Mary and family but now they were living at Crane Moor Nook, Thurgoland, Susan died on the 31 July 1866 at Robin Row Thurlstone age 77. The cause of death was decay of nature and her daughter Mary Wainwright (nee Hill) of Cranmoor, Thurgoland was present at the death. Susan was buried on the 2 August 1866. Yorkshire which is about 6 miles from Thurlstone.

John and Susan had the 12 children:

Gen 3.1 George Hill 1809 - 1854

Gen 3.2 Mary Hill b 1811 – 1868. See Below

Gen 3.3 Joseph Hill was baptized on the 26 December 1813 at St James Church Midhope. Joe appears on the 1841 census living with his parents at High Bank House, Thurlstone, but I haven't been able to find another records of Joseph to date. The only possible record for Joseph could be a death in 1848.

Gen 3.4 John Hill baptized at St James Church, Midhope on the 28 January 1816 and other than this one record I have been unable to find any more information about John.

Gen 3.5 Ann Hill born on the 10 February 1818, baptized on the 27 February 1818 and buried on the 20 March 1818, such a short life. She is buried at the St John the Baptist Church, Penistone, Yorkshire

Gen 3.6 Hannah Hill born on the 8 July 1819 and baptized on the 26 September 1819 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone, Yorkshire. Hannah died and was buried on the 29 March 1834 when she was 14 years old at St John the Baptist Church.

Gen 3.7 William Hill born on the 13 May 1821 and baptized on the 2 June 1821. No more is known of William.

Gen 3.8 Benjamin Hill baptized on the 13 November 1825. Benjamin worked as a farm labourer at the home of Mary Bradley in Langsett a few miles from Penistone

Gen 3.9Samuel Hill 1828 – 1836

Gen 3.10 Ira Hill 1830 – 1891

Gen 3.11 Ann Hill 1833

Gen 3.12 Hannah Hill 1836

At the time of the 1851 census Mary and William were living with Mary's mother Susan, who was a widow and a pauper, and her brother Ira at Robin Row, Thurlstone, Yorkshire. William was listed as a a railway miner. William and Mary have three children at this stage, George age 5. Mary's illegitimate son, who was born almost two years before William and Mary married, John age 3 and Joseph 1 year old. George has adopted the surname of Wainwright, but whether William is the father I don't know.

Gen 3.1 George Hill 1809 - 1854

Gen 3.2 Mary Hill

Mary Hill was baptized on the 27 October 1811 at St James Church, Midhope, Yorkshire. On the 22 August 1835 Mary gave birth to an illegitimate child named Ann Hill.

Gen 4.1 Ann was baptized on the 15 October 1835 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone. Ann was brought up by Mary's parents, John and Susan, and appears on the 1841 census as their daughter. She also adopted the name Hannah as John and Susan already had a daughter named Ann who was three years older than Hannah.

Mary was missing from the 1841 census and didn't appear again until 1845 when she gave birth to a second illegitimate child on the 23 July 1845, a son named George.

Gen 4.2 George Hill wasn't baptized until the 9 April 1846 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone. He later adopted the surname Wainwright.

Mary finally found a husband and married William Wainwright on the 12 April 1847, at St John the Baptist. At the time of their marriage Mary was 35 years old and William 32. Mary and William's first child John was born on the 28 July 1847 three months after their wedding. He was baptized on the 3 September 1847 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone.

St John the Baptist Church, Penistone, Yorkshire

Mary and William's children:

Gen 4.3 John Wainwright was born on the 28 July 1847 three months after their wedding. He was baptized on the 3 September 1847 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone. He was a coal miner.

Gen 4.4 Joseph Hill was born on the 4 May 1849 and baptized on the 15 May 1849 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone. He was a coal miner.

Gen 4.5 Ann Wainwright born on the 25 September 1851 and baptized on the 2 October 1851 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone.

Gen 4.6 Eliza Wainwright was born on the 4 November 1853 and baptized on the 8 December 1853 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone

Gen 4.7 Dick Wainwright Dick was baptized on the 24 February 1855. At this stage the family had moved from Penistone to Crane Moor, Thurgoland and the curate didn't 't record the date of birth at the Holy Trinity Church, where he was baptized. He was a coal miner.

By 1861 William and Mary were living at Crane Moor Nook, Thurgoland, Yorkshire. They had five children living with them.

William died in 1865 and was buried at the Holy Trinity Church, Thurgoland, on the 7 August. He was 50 years old. Mary died in 1868 age 56 and was also also buried at the Holy Trinity Church 31 December 1868.

Gen 3.8 Benjamin Hill

Benjamin Hill baptized on the 13 November 1825. Benjamin worked as a farm labourer at the home of Mary Bradley in Langsett a few miles from Penistone. At the end of 1849 Benjamin's life began to get rather complicated. He met a lady called Charlotte Balm, a widow. Her maiden name was Charlotte Beever born 4 April 1818 and baptized on the 25 April 1818 in Penistone, probably at St John the Baptist Church. She was the daughter of Benjamin Beever and Maria Swallow. Charlotte married Henry Balm or Balne (several spellings have appeared for this name) on the 29 June 1842. Twochildren

Gen 4.8 Martha Hill born on the 21 November 1843 and baptized on the 24 December 1843 at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone.
Gen 4.9 Susannah Hill born on the 8 March 1846 and baptized on the 27 May 1846. Susannah was born 5 months after her father Henry died.

In November 1849 banns were read for the marriage of Benjamin Hill to Charlotte Balm nee Beever at St John the Baptist Church, Penistone

1. George Hill & Sarah Dearnley

George Hill was born around 1811 but to date no record of his birth has been determined. He was probably born in Yorkshire. He married Sarah Dearnley from Penistone on the 11 June 1832 in Cawthorne by Barnsley. Sarah was the daughter of Joseph Dearnley and Hannah Whiteley, she was born on the 3 March 1814 and christened on the 10 April 1814 in Penistone, Yorkshire

The following records were given to me by a distant relative Philip Steadman found in the parish records at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone.

Joseph was baptized on the 15 February 1749 at the above named church, his father is recorded as also being named Joseph but I can't find any record of him. Joseph married Mary Biltcliff at St John the Baptist Church in Penistone on the 20 April 1772. Together George and Sarah had 12 children. At the time of their marriage George's occupation was a blacksmith.

picture of cawthorne church (to be added later)

Some time between 1832 and 1841 it is believed that George owned three quarries on Adwick Road, Mexborough, Yorkshire and built the first houses and the Sportsman Inn on Adwick Road.

The Sportsman Inn was rebuilt around 1900, but whether this was rebuilt from scratch or renovated I am not sure. The picture of the above is of the rebuilt Sportsman Inn on Adwick Road.

picture of sportsman inn (to be added later)

By 1841 George and Sarah were living in Millhouses, Darfield and his occupation at this time is listed as a stone cutter. There were a number of quarries in Darfield and George either owned or worked in one of these. In 1851 George and Sarah are living at Clubhouses, Darfield and his occupation is now listed as a stone quarryman, an occupation also shared with his son Joseph.

It is probable that George died in December 1854 shortly after the birth of his daughter Martha Jane.

Sarah probably died in December 1855.

2.1 Joseph Hill 1832 - 1889

2.2 Henry Hill 1834 -

2.3 Ann Hill 1836 -

2.4 Martha Hill 1839 - 1854

2.5 George Hill 1840 - 1892

2.6 John Hill 1843 -

2.7 Isaac Hill 1845 - 1876

2.8 Emma Hill 1847 -

2.9 Zilpha Hill 1849 -

2.10 Maria Hill 1851 -

2.11 Catherine Hill 1852 -

2.12 Martha Jane Hill 1854 - 1901

2.1 Joseph Hill & Emma Birkenshaw

Joseph Hill, the eldest son of George and Sarah was born in Darfield in 1832. He was christened on the 9 September 1832 at All Saints Church, Darfield.

(picture of church) (to be added later)

In 1841 at the age of 8 he was living at Millhouses, Darfield with his parents and siblings. His father George was a stone cutter and probably worked in the quarry at Snape Hill. By 1851 the family now lived at Clubhouses, Darfield where Joseph was now employed as a stone quarryman probably working alongside his father who was also a stone quarryman.

In 1852 Joseph met and married Emma Birkinshaw a spinster from Billingley, Yorkshire. They were married on the 2 December 1852 at All Saints Church, Darfield and the witnesses at their wedding were Emma's brother Charles Birkinshaw and Joseph's brother and sister Ann and Henry Hill. Both Joseph and Emma were 20 years of age when they married.

By 1861 Joseph and Emma were living at Snape Hill, Darfield with their family, where Joseph was employed as a fire clay miner. Also living with them was Joseph's younger brother John who was 18 years of age in 1861. The 1871 census tells us that Joseph and Emma are still at Snape Hill, but his occupation now is a bricklayer. This was obviously a useful occupation for him, because in 1876 he built and became the Innkeeper of the Rising Sun Inn on New Street, Darfield. He probably built and owned the adjacent houses to the Rising Sun also. Joseph remained at the Rising Sun as Innkeeper until his death on the 3 March 1889. The cause of death was chronic bronchitis and phthisis (tuberculosis). He was 56 years old. Emma continued to live in New Street until her death on the 1 November 1905 at the age of 70. Cause of death senile decay.

Joseph and Emma had 10 children.

3.1 Elizabeth Ann Hill 1853 - 1876

3.2 George Hill 1856 -

3.3 Arthur Hill 1857 -

3.4 Martha Birkinshaw Hill 1859 - 1952

3.5 Harriet Hill 1861 -

3.6 Sarah Hill 1865 -

3.7 Joseph Hill 1867 -

3.8 Fred Hill 1870 -

3.9 John Hill 1873 -

3.10 Ada Hill 1875 -

2.2 Henry Hill

Henry Hill b 1834 - Other than living at Millhouses on the 1841 census when he was age 7, nothing further has been found for Henry at present. There are numerous Henry Hill's on subsequent census records but none are conclusive as to being the correct one.

2.3 Ann Hill & Henry Haigh

Ann Hill 1836. Ann is the third child of George and Sarah. She was christened on the 25 September 1836 at All Saints Church, Darfield, Yorkshire. At the age of 15 she had left home and was working as a servant at the home of William and Margaret Foster in Clayton West, about 3 miles from Darfield. William's occupation was a Grocer who employed two men. In March 1856 at the age of 20, Ann married Henry Haigh in Sheffield. At the time of their marriage Henry was employed as a labourer. They lived at Moorfields, Sheffield. By 1871 Ann and Henry had moved to 99 Gower Street, Brightside Bierlow, Sheffield, where Henry worked as a Pork Butcher. At the time of the 1881 census they had moved to 103 Gower Street, Brightside Bierlow, Sheffield. Henry probably has a shop there as he is still employed as a butcher, employing his son Jonas, who is was butcher, and two apprentice butchers, one of which was Ann's nephew Joseph (her brother Joseph's son). Joseph Jnr was 13 years old. By 1891 the Haigh family have moved to 63 Harrington Road, Workington, Cumberland. Ann and Henry had 6 children, one of which, a daughter, Frances Jane later married her cousin Joseph Hill who had been living with them since he was 13 years old. On the 1901 census Ann and Henry, now in their 60's are living at 2 & 4 Curwen Street, Workington where Henry is still employed as a Pork Butcher. Ann died in the September quarter of 1909 age 72 and Henry died shortly after in December of 1909, he was 74. Ann and Henry's Children

3.11 Sarah Ann Hill b 1850

3.12 Jonas Henry Hill b 1860

3.13 Nomia Hill b 1863

3.14 Kate Hill b 1870

3.15 Ada Hill b 1872

3.16 Frances Hill b 187

2.4 Martha Hill

b 1839 - 1854. Martha, the fourth child of George and Sarah was born in December1838 and christened at All Saints Church, Darfield, Yorkshire, on the 13 January 1839. Martha's life was a short one and she died in Darfield during the first quarter of 1854. She was 15 years old.

2.5 George Hill & Ann Hepworth

George Hill was born around 1811 but to date no record of his birth has been determined. He was probably born in Yorkshire.

He married Sarah Dearnley from Penistone on the 11 June 1832 in Cawthorne by Barnsley. Sarah was the daughter of Joseph Dearnley and Hannah Whiteley, she was born on the 3 March 1814 and christened on the 10 April 1814 in Penistone, Yorkshire (See Dearnley file for more information)

picture of cawthorne church (to be added later)

Together George and Sarah had 12 children. At the time of their marriage George's occupation was a blacksmith.

Some time between 1832 and 1841 it is believed that George owned three quarries on Adwick Road, Mexborough, Yorkshire and built the first houses and the Sportsman Inn on Adwick Road.

picture of sportsman inn (to be added later)

The Sportsman Inn was rebuilt around 1900, but whether this was rebuilt from scratch or renovated I am not sure. The picture of the above is of the rebuilt Sportsman Inn on Adwick Road.

In 1851 George and Sarah are living at Clubhouses, Darfield and his occupation is now listed as a stone quarryman, an occupation also shared with his son Joseph.

It is probable that George died in December 1854 shortly after the birth of his daughter Martha Jane.

Sarah probably died in December 1855. I will have to get the death certificates to confirm this though.

Children of George and Sarah:

Joseph 1832 - 1889

Henry 1834 -

Ann 1836 -

Martha 1839 - 1854

George 1840 - 1892

John 1843 -

Isaac 1845 - 1876

Emma 1847 -

Zilpha 1849 -

Maria 1851 -

Catherine 1852 -

Martha Jane 1854 - 1901

John Hill 1843 -

Isaac Hill 1845 - 1876\

Emma Hill 1847 -

Zilpha Hill 1849 -

Maria Hill 1851 -

Catherine Hill 1852 -

Martha Jane Hill 1854 - 1901

Joseph Hill 1832-1889- & Sarah Dearnley 1814

Joseph Hill, the eldest son of George and Sarah was born in Darfield in 1832. He was christened on the 9 September 1832 at All Saints Church, Darfield.

(picture of church) (to be added later)

In 1852 Joseph met and married Emma Birkinshaw a spinster from Billingley, Yorkshire. Martha B had the middle name Birkinshaw because her mother's maiden name was Birkinshaw. Her parents were Joseph Hill and Emma Birkinshaw. They were married on the 2 December 1852 at All Saints Church, Darfield and the witnesses at their wedding were Emma's brother Charles Birkinshaw and Joseph's brother and sister Ann and Henry Hill. Both Joseph and Emma were 20 years of age when they married.

Joseph and Emma had 10 children.

Elizabeth Ann Hill 1853 - 1876
George Hill 1856 -
Arthur Hill 1857 -
Martha Birkinshaw Hill 1859 - 1952
Harriet Hill 1861 -
Sarah Hill 1865 -
Joseph Hill 1867 -
Fred Hill 1870 -
John Hill 1873 -
Ada Hill 1875 -