Exley Family History

Pedigree Connections

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Pedigree Connections

This note documents how the two main pedigree sheets connect, as explained by Victor Exley in his July and September/October 1990 letters to Angela.

The Problem

The Exley genealogy exists in two main documentary traditions:

  1. Victor Exley’s research (published 1983): Traces the family from William de Dewsbury (c.1245) at Exley Hall, Southowram, through to the 18th century
  2. The NZ pedigree (compiled by Edith Ellen Exley c.1941): Starts with Robert Exley of Halifax (d.1647) and traces his descendants through to the modern NZ family

Edith Ellen “didn’t know enough to link the two parts of the pedigree together.”

The Solution

Victor Exley found proof in the will of John Exley (m. Eliz. Tonge, 1555) (who married Elizabeth Tonge in 1555) that his third son Robert was the same Robert whose son Samuel founded the Rawdon branch. This will names both Robert and Francis as John’s sons.

The Connection Point

John Exley (m. Eliz. Tonge, 1555)
├── Robert (m. Mary Lister, 1588) → Samuel of Rawdon → Rawdon line
│   ├── via William (b.1727) → Victor Exley
│   └── via Thomas (b.1732) → NZ line → Andrew
└── Francis (m. Sybil Oates) → Liversedge Hall line (separate branch)

Note: Victor explicitly states in his Sept/Oct 1990 letter: “The Rawdon line from which Lionel & I are both descended.” Both Victor and the NZ family descend from the Rawdon branch (via Robert m. Mary Lister), diverging at William (b.1727, Victor’s line) and Thomas (b.1732, Lionel’s/NZ line). The Liversedge Hall line (via Francis m. Sybil Oates) is a separate branch that Victor identified and connected to Exley Hall, but it is not his own line of descent.

Two Routes Through the Early Pedigree

Victor and the NZ researchers chose different sons of William de Dewsbury as their main line:

  • Victor’s line: Via William (m. Alice), son of Wm de Dewsbury
  • NZ pedigree: Via Richard, the second son of Wm de Dewsbury

Both routes converge at the same family, and Victor states “A combination of both may even be more correct.”

Specific Differences (Now Visible from Both Pedigrees)

With the NZ Pedigree Sheets (Typed) now fully catalogued, the specific differences can be detailed:

1. Pre-Dewsbury ancestry

2. Route through the medieval period

  • Victor’s line: William de Dewsbury > William (c.1270) > John (c.1320, m. Ann de Copley) > John (1379, Poll Tax) > John (1404) > John (1420) > Robert (1450) > Robert (1500) > Robert (1518) > Francis (1539) > John (m. Eliz. Tonge)
  • NZ line: William de Dewsbury > Richard (1277) > William (1284) > Richard (killed 1317) > (name missing) > Robert of Exley Hall (1424) > Robert of Bankhouse (1456) > James of Wortley (1481) > Thomas (1501) > James (1516) > Thomas (d. 1553) > John de S. (d. 1566, m. Eliz. Tonge)

3. Paternity of John (m. Eliz. Tonge)

4. Francis/James m. Sybil/Sebell Oates

5. The Richard of Burton branch

The NZ pedigree shows a branch not in Victor’s work: John (liv. 1455) > Richard of Burton (d. prior 1501) > Robert Exley (d. prior 1519) > James Exley (d. prior 1601) > Francis/William/Margaret “de S.” (de Southowram). This branch parallels the Bankhouse descent but through different intermediate ancestors.

Victor’s Response to the NZ Pedigree

In his undated letter, Victor wrote: “I received your offering! It varies slightly from my work but is essentially the same result, & has the same origin.” He was “now doubly at ease that family continuity must be accepted and that all the present Exley branches, wherever they are now, all are descended from the first Exley, William son of William de Dewsbury.”

The Full Article’s Pedigree Tables

The Victor Exley Article Full PDF (5 pages, pp. 88-96) contains three pedigree tables that make Victor’s arguments explicit:

  1. TABLE 1: Victor’s own descent from John Exley (b.1840) via James Edward Exley to Victor (b.1912)
  2. TABLE 2: The pedigree from John Exley (b.1840) back through the Manningham/Rawdon line
  3. TABLE 3: The medieval descent at Exley Hall, Southowram — William de Dewsbury (c.1245) through to John (m. Eliz. Tonge, 1555) and the split into the Rawdon and Liversedge lines

The article also includes a map of Exley locations across Yorkshire and confirms the Cragg Top Farm succession: 1681 John Exley, 1717 Samuel Exley, 1732 Thomas Exley, 1777 John Exley, 1777 William Exley.

Key Sources

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