Exley Family History

Victor Exley Article Full PDF

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Description

Full PDF (73 MB, 5 scanned pages) of Victor Exley’s article “The Exley Family of Rawdon”, published in a Yorkshire historical journal, pp. 88-96. This is a companion piece to his shorter article “The Exleys: A Genealogical Study” (published in Old West Riding, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 32-33). While the shorter article focuses on the family’s single origin at Southowram, this longer article traces the Rawdon branch in detail with three pedigree tables.

Content

Page 1 (pp. 88-89)

TABLE 1: Pedigree from family bible, 1840.

Victor’s own descent:

John Exley m. Hannah Maria Dobby (1861)
├── Emily (1864)
├── Polly/Ann (1866, d. 1867)
├── Alfred/Harry (1868)
├── James Edward (1870, m. Eleanor Jackson 1905, d. 1871 [sic])
├── Ann (1873, d. 1875)
├── John Wm. (1878)
├── Elizabeth (1881)
├── John Thos. (1883)
└── Arthur (1885)
    Grandchildren of James Edward:
    ├── Ernest (1889)
    ├── John Wm. (1891)
    ├── James Edward Jr. m. Florence J. Stowell (1911)
    │   └── Victor (1912, m. Dorothy Isle 1937)
    ├── Daniel (1893)
    ├── Gladys (1895)
    └── Alice (1898)

This establishes Victor’s own line: his grandfather was John Exley (b. 1840), who married Hannah Maria Dobby in 1861. Victor’s father was James Edward Exley (m. Florence J. Stowell 1911). Victor was born 1912 and married Dorothy Isle in 1937.

Article text begins below the table, discussing the Rawdon branch history. Victor traces the family through Samuel Exley of Rawdon and his connections to the Halifax and Manningham branches.

Pages 2-3 (pp. 90-93)

TABLE 2: The pedigree from John Exley (b. 1840).

Shows Victor’s descent from John (b. 1840) back through the Manningham/Rawdon line with places of residence noted:

  • Halifax, Manningham, Rawdon, Calverley, Bradford
  • Handwritten annotations on the table (details unclear at scan resolution)

Article text discusses:

  • Samuel Exley of Rawdon’s connections
  • The Bradford Registers as a source
  • The will of John Exley (m. Eliz. Tonge, 1555) as the key connecting document
  • The Rawdon branch’s spread through cloth-making and wool-stapling
  • Reference to the Borthwick Institute, York, for Exley probate material

The text provides detail on how the Rawdon Exleys were connected to the Manningham branch, and how Victor traced the links.

At the bottom of page 2/top of page 3, the article discusses:

  1. The Public Library records
  2. Bradford Registers
  3. Details from settlements and indentures

Pages 3-4 (pp. 92-95)

TABLE 3: The Exley family of Exley Hall, Southowram.

Shows the medieval descent line with approximate dates and sources:

William de Dewsbury (c.1245)
└── William (c.1270, m. Alice)
    └── Robert/John (c.1300)
        └── John (1379, Poll Tax)
            └── John (c.1420)
                └── Robert (c.1450)
                    └── Robert (c.1500, m. Mary)
                        └── Francis
                            └── John (m. Eliz. Tonge, 1555)
                                ├── Robert (m. Mary Lister, 1588) → Rawdon line
                                └── Francis (m. Sybil Oates) → Liversedge/Victor's line

Places noted: Halifax, Rawdon, Calverley, Manningham, Bradford, Birstall, Liversedge.

Map of Exley locations in Yorkshire showing dots marking:

  • Exley Hall, Southowram (origin)
  • Rawdon
  • Halifax
  • Bradford/Manningham
  • Other locations including Birstall, Liversedge
  • River valleys (Aire, Calder)

Article text discusses John Lister’s research at the Halifax Antiquarian Society and the conclusion that the family had a single origin at Southowram.

Page 5 (p. 96)

Final page with:

  • Discussion of visiting Cragg Top Farm where Samuel had lived
  • A list of succession at the farm: 1681 John Exley, 1717 Samuel Exley, 1732 Thomas Exley, 1777 John Exley, 1777 William Exley. “Still in residence in 1811, according to Miss [?], the farmhouse is now still there.”
  • Discussion of American Exley families: one in Delaware (Wakefield ancestor to Philadelphia), the other in San Clemente (Heckmondwike ancestor to California), both emigrating in the 1820s.
  • Full references (numbered 1-9):
    1. W. E. [?] (1914, pp. [?])
    2. Land of [?] 3-4. [Details at scan resolution unclear]
    3. A. H. Smith, [?] (1961-63) 6-7. [References to specific deeds and records]
    4. G. Redmonds (Yorkshire Surnames, 1973)
    5. ibid., p. 121

New Information Beyond the 2-Page Article

This full article adds:

  1. Victor’s own pedigree (TABLE 1): establishes his descent from John Exley (b. 1840) via James Edward Exley
  2. The Rawdon branch pedigree (TABLE 2): visual tree connecting Victor’s line back through Manningham to Rawdon
  3. The Southowram pedigree (TABLE 3): visual tree of the medieval descent, with approximate dates and sources for each generation
  4. Map of Exley locations across Yorkshire
  5. Cragg Top Farm succession: names and dates for farm occupants 1681-1811
  6. American branches: confirms two emigrations in the 1820s (Delaware and San Clemente)
  7. Additional references: G. Redmonds’ Yorkshire Surnames and other sources

See Also

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