Hubbersteys at Samlesbury (Part 2.) - Updated March 25, 2009

Taking the information from the previous post (Hubbersteys at Samlesbury Part 1.) and from the Parish records for Samlesbury and Brindle allows us to build the base of the tree that eventually leads to me. It also leads to at least 3 different lines of current Hubbersteys.

Note: The parish records that I have used can be found here in a "Flip Book" format. This is a great format for reading books on line. You simply flip pages by using the arrows, or by clicking on the page edges. You can also use the search function to find the records you are looking for (it gives you nice yellow sticky notes to identify the pages). It is important to realise that in these records there are at least 15 variations on the spelling of Hubberstey. Although most of these are recognisable, one of them, "Huberche" is somewhat unusual (and particular to Brindle). I also found one, "Hubbishy" which is not identified, but is quite likely a Hubberstey variant. The introduction to the registers talks about these variations in a footnote on the first page. There is a surname index at the back of the records as well.

In this post I would like to look at the first three generations mentioned in the previous post. Obviously there is more information to fill in, if we can find it. I will post updates directly to this post if I find more.

Generation 1: Robert Hubberstey marries Mary Cucheth.

We only know Robert's date of death (October 10, 1727) and Mary's date of Death (1764 - at extreme old age). As we go forward we see that "Robert" is a first name carried on by many Hubbersteys in this line.

There were 6 children (William, John, Dorothy, James, Elizabeth (1716?) and Ann)

Generation 2:

a) William marries Mary Eccles on December 2, 1732. William lived until 1771, but Mary died Jan 23, 1745, quite likely due to complications of childbirth.

William and Mary had 4 children, 2 of which we have birth dates for (Robert, Elizabeth (1742), Dorothy, and Mary (Jan 6, 1745)). It is the proximity of the death of Mary Eccles to the birth of her daughter Mary that suggest childbirth complications (17 days later).

b) John marries Elizabeth. They have either 5 or 9 children. The records show Mary (1745), Robert (1746), Joanna (1750), John (1752), James (1756). In addition there are another 4 children listed as being the offspring of John and Elizabeth Hubbishy, Anna (1759), Catherine (1761), Elizabeth (1764) and Dorothy (1767). The use of the names Anna, Dorothy, and Elizabeth, which are the same as the names for the daughters of Robert and Mary Culcheth, would tend to support the idea that these are also Hubbersteys.

c) Dorothy marries Petrus Wuerden in 1734 (still to confirm).

d) James - no records so far.

e) Elizabeth - no records of marriage

f) Ann - d. Jan 19, 1755

I should mention that there is one "unsolved" birth from this era at Brindle. There is the birth of a William Huberche (Hubberstey) on Oct 11, 1754 to a William and Elizabeth Huberche. One theory is that William (married to Mary Eccles) remarried after Mary's death and had another son William.

Generation 3:

William's offspring:

a) Robert (d. 1794) married Mary Watson (Feb 12, 1767). They had 8 children (William, John (1774), Thomas (1778), James (1780), Edmund (1782), Richard (1788), Robert, and Catherine). Of these 8 children we can trace descendants to current times for at least 3 so far (William, Thomas and Robert).

b) Elizabeth married John Wilcock in Feb 11, 1767, one day before her brother Robert married Mary Watson.

c) Dorothy married Edward Simpson in 1760

d) Mary married George Turner of Goosnargh, Nov 24, 1756

e) William (?)

John's offspring:

a) Mary (b.1745)

b) Robert - (b.1746) possible marriage to Frances Southworth with children John (b.1772), Joannes (b. 1777) and Anna (b.1775)

c) Joanna - (b.1750)

d) John - (b.1752) - this one is interesting. It originally looked like John married a Margarite and had two daughters - Elizabeth (b.1776) and Margarite (b.1777). But there is also evidence that John married Isabel Eaton (or Weaton or Waiton) in 1780 (possibly as a second marriage?). This relationship I originally thought was another Hubberstey line so I discussed it in two parts under Waiton and Weaton . It now looks though as this is in fact another branch of the Samlesbury line.

e) James - (b.1756) possible marriage to Joanna Whittle with children James (1780), Maria (b.1784), Alice (b1782), Briggita (b.1788) and Joannum (b.1797).

f) *Anna (as Hubbishy)

g) *Catarina (as Hubbischy)

h) *Elizabeth (as Hubbisy)

i) *Dorothy (as Hubbisty)


As you can see we have a fair bit of information on the William Hubberstey/Mary Eccles line, but much less on the other lines. It would be interesting to see if there were any links to the other cluster of Hubbersteys at the time around Fernhalgh, just down the road from Samlesbury.

In the next post I will look at what we know about the 8 children of Robert Hubberstey and Mary Watson.

Hubbersteys at Samlesbury (Part 1.)

The census of 1841, the first modern census in the UK, showed a total of only about 90 Hubbersteys. Of those, 76 were in Lancashire, 2 in Yorkshire, 9 in Derbyshire and 3 in Middlesex.

The vast majority then were in Lancashire, and the vast majority of those in Lancashire lived in the Preston/Blackburn area. The baptismal records from just before this time show concentrations in places like Samlesbury, Brindle, Fernyhalgh, Fulwood, Goosnargh, Newsham and Ribchester.

One of the lines of Hubbersteys goes back to Samlesbury and more specifically Sorbrose House and Sowerbutts Green. Samlesbury is located between Preston and Blackburn.

Sowerbutts Green is mentioned in a History of the County of Lancaster Volume 6.

Sowerbutts Green (fn. 78) has been for more than two centuries the property of the Culcheth family of this place and of the Hubberstys as heirs-general of the Culcheths. In 1877 Mr. Robert Hubbersty was owner.

In A history of Blackburn, town and parish we have an even fuller description of the Hubberstey families in the 1700s around Samlesbury. We start with the Culcheths:

CULCHETH OF SOWERBUTTS GREEN.

Hector Culcheth, yeoman, occurs as a freeholder in Samlesbury between 1695 and 1710. An indenture dated July 1 6th, 1695, witnesses that in consideration of 35 O paid to Christopher Moire of Hathbushes, Co. Durham, gent., and his brother John Moire of Preston, gent. , by Hector Culcheth of Samlesbury, yeoman, the first parties sell to Hector Culcheth a tenement upon Sarbrose Green, in Samlesbury, containing 32 acres customary measure. Hector Culcheth had two daughters, Isabel, and Mary. Mary Culcheth married Robert Hubberstey, yeoman. A deed dated Jan. 7th, 1709, witnesses that Hector Culcheth, in performance of articles of agreement dated the 23rd June last past, between Hector Culcheth and Robert Hubberstey and Mary his wife and Isabel Culcheth, for securing the payment of a rent charge of 8 IDS. yearly to Hector Culcheth for his life, releases, &c., to Robert and Mary Hubberstey, Isabel Culcheth, Roger Eastham and Thomas Lawrenson, the messuage on SarbroseGreen ; Isabel Culcheth to receive a moiety of the rents thereof, and her sister Mary's husband to receive the other moiety. Hector Culcheth was dead before 1 727. His daughter, Isabel Culcheth, died in 1730 ; and by her Will, dated Jan. 2nd, 1729-30, Isabel Culcheth, of Samlesbury, spinster, gives her estate called Haydock tenement to her nephew William Hubberstey ; with bequests to her nephews John and James Hubberstey, and nieces, Dorothy, Anne, and Elizabeth ; sister Mary Hubberstey, and nephew William, executors.

and then continue on to the Hubbersteys (pictured below is Sarbrose House)

HUBBERSTEY OF SOWERBUTTS GREEN.

Robert Hubberstey, yeoman, by his wife Mary, daughter of Hector Culcheth, had issue, sons, William ; John (who had issue, by his wife Elizabeth, Robert, James, John, Mary, and Joane); and James ; and daughters, Dorothy, Ann, and Elizabeth. Robert Hubberstey acquired, as stated above, the estate on Sowerbutts Green ; and he died Oct. loth, 1727, and was buried at Brindle Catholic Chapel. By his Will, dated Jan. 2Oth, 1727, testator gives each of his six children 20 a piece on attaining the age of 21 years; the residue of his goods to his wife Mary. Will proved at Chester, March 2Oth, 1727-8. Mary Hubberstey, widow of Robert, died in extreme old age, Nov. 22nd, 1766.

William Hubberstey of Samlesbury, yeoman, married, Dec. 2nd, 1732, Mary Eccles of Alston, and by her (who died in 1745) had a son Robert ; and daughters, Elizabeth, married John Wilcock ; Mary, married Turner ; and Dorothy, married, in 1760, Edward Simpson of Simpson Fold, Wheelton. William Hubberstey settled his estate by deed dated Feb. I3th, 1771, and died soon afterwards.

Robert Hubberstey, yeoman, son of William, married, in 1 767, Mary, daughter of William Watson of Preston. He had sons, William ; John ; Robert, married Cicely Fazackerley; Thomas, James, Edward and Richard; and a daughter Catherine. Robert Hubberstey sold an estate he had in Brindle (Denham Hall estate), in 1776, to William Morris of Up-Holland, gent., for ^"584. He had on lease the estate of Over Brockholes. By his Will, dated Jan. 7th, 1794, Robert Hubberstey gives his estate at Sarbrose Green, Samlesbury, to his son William, subject to an annuity to testator's wife Mary ; and the lease of Haydock's tenement, held under Edward Lord Petre, to
his son John ; to his younger children, each 200. Robert Hubberstey died June 8th, 1794.

William Hubberstey, yeoman, son of Robert, sold his estate in Samlesbury, in 1818, to Henry Sudell, Esq., for ^,'4000 ; but Mr. Sudell became a bankrupt in 1827, before the purchase money had been paid, and so the estate came back to Mr. Hubberstey. He married Deborah Whittle, by whom he had two sons and a daughter. He died Jan. 2Oth, 1838.

Robert Hubberstey, gent. , son of William, now owns the estate, to which he has made additions, and resides at Sowerbutts Green. He is unmarried. His lands in Samlesbury are returned as 106%, statute acres, with a rental of ^170 per annum

There is some interesting information on Denham Hall (at one time owned by Robert Hubberstey in Brindle) Here and Here.