The Hissem-Montague Family

This page begins the story of the family in the town of Lancaster. The first who I can show with any certainty to have lived there was John de Hesham of Lancaster, who was born in Heysham circa 1270. He was probably the great-grandson of Thomas Gernet, Lord of the manor of Heysham from 1202 to 1221. His grandfather and father, Robert and Adam de Hesham, were a cadet branch of the family who held land in the Black Greaves section of Nether Heysham. John de Hesham, a younger son of Adam, moved to Lancaster to make his fortune. As I show it, his line was the only one to survive in Lancashire.

The Medieval Warm Period From approximately 800 to 1300 AD the climate of Northern Europe and the north Atlantic was warmer than today. Warm weather crops, such as grapes, could be grown in England and Northern Germany, and areas considered today too brutal, like Greenland, were settled and supported flourishing colonies. Most significantly however, in those areas of present settlement the mild climate encouraged a signficant increase in the population, which foretold hard times when the warm period finally came to an end.

The descent shown below is not necessarily that from father to son, but may include the occasional uncle or nephew and clearly misses some generations. The records from this era are scanty and the best that can be cobbled together is a "snapshot" each generation or so of a member of the family that somehow rose to the notice of authority, usually through a court action. Importantly, the family did possess enough property to sue and be sued over its ownership. That is, they were not serfs working another man's land.

In the 19th century George Lissant wrote a genealogy of the family for his friend, Henry Sherman Heysham, of India; I founded much of my research on this document. Carefully, Lissant made no attempt to create a father-to-son descent between the period of the early Gernet's of Heysham and the rise of the family to prominence in the 16th century. Someone, probably Henry Sherman, was not satisfied with this and created his own descent which differs from what I present. We both agree on John de Hesham of Lancaster, and that Adam was his father. Where we differ is on the interpretation of George Lissant's following comment,

"The Pipe Rolls for Lancaster, 1226-7, mention Richard de Hesham. In 1249 occurs the name of Thomas de Hesaym and in 1280 and afterwards the names appear of Adam de Hesam, Catherine his wife and John his son. It is not possible to place these persons, nor those named below, with any degree of certainty."

The Pipe Rolls for Lancaster, 1226-27. "Richard de Heisham and Richard son of Fulc rendered account of 1/2 mark for the same [surety]; in the Treasury 40d., etc." - from "A Calendar of the Lancashire Assize Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office, London" by John William Robinson Parker

For Thomas de Hesaym the reference was,

"Inquest made at Lancaster, on Monday next after the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, 33 Henry III. (May 17th, 1249), by Symon, son of Michael, Adam de Boelton, Roger, son of Alward, Richard de Dalton, clerk, Thomas de Hesaym, Ralph de Bolrun, William de Heste, Jordan de Ellale, Adam de Midilton, Henry, son of Gilbert, Thomas Roud, and Adam Gernet of Caton, who say that the said Elyas de Boelton held in chief of the King 2 bovates of land in the vill of Boelton . . ." - from page 175 "Lancashire Inquests, Extents, and Feudal Aids ..." by William Farrer

I have found numerous records of Adam de Hesham, a landowner in Heysham & Bolton, dated from 1262 to 1292. He was identified as "Adam filius Roberti de Hesham dedi." Robert de Hesham, who would have been born circa 1200 and for whom I have no records, I place as a possible son of Thomas Gernet, lord of the manor of Heysham.

Conveniently for my interpretation, Adam de Hesham had a son and heir, Thomas, "Thomas filius et heres Ade de parva Hesham. [parva=little]" That is, John de Hesham was a younger son, not inheriting, who moved to Lancaster to make his fortune as a tradesman or merchant. His father's relative wealth gave him a good start such that he was holding an important municipal position in Lancaster in 1310.

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings 1272-1307 Edward I Called Longshanks for his great height, Edward was, unlike his feckless father, Henry III, a strong King and excellent administrator. He conquered Wales and fought many long battles for control of Scotland. While he was called the "Hammer of the Scots," and conquered Scotland at one point, he never fulfilled his ambition to make that country part of a United Kingdom. He defeated William Wallace (Mel Gibson). By 1300 the population of England and Wales had climbed to 5 million, or approximately what it had been during Roman times.

Of Lancaster. If the story I'm telling is true, then he was born around Heysham, a younger son of Adam de Hesham. When his elder brother, Thomas, inherited the family lands in Little Heysham, John moved to Lancaster. He was the first of the family on record as living there. The Pipe Rolls for Lancaster for 1280 mention Adam de Hesam, Catherine, his wife, and John his son.

John married Christina, who was born in about 1280 and died in 1323. The following references for John cover a long period of time so they may be for two John de Hesham's, one the son of Adam, the second his grandson via John Sr.

The Town of Lancaster. The town is named for its location on the Lune river, Lun, and the remnants of Roman fortications, caestre, that so impressed the Saxons. The town got its start when its first Norman lord, Roger of Poitou, moved the administration of the county from Halton to this more easily defensible position. Lancaster Castle, and the Priory, were built on the top of a high rise within a loop of the Lune river. The town grew up along the southern edge of the river, in the gentle hollow between Castle Hill on the west and the higher moor-lands to the east. The hamlet of Aldcliffe is to the west of Castle Hill. The town received its first charter from John Count of Mortain [Prince John] in 1193. "Count John gave 'his burgesses of Lancaster'—already there were burgesses and therefore a borough—all the customs he had granted to Bristol, including freedom from suit of mill, from ploughing, reaping and other servile customs. He also gave pasture right in the forest and liberty to take wood for burning and building by view of the foresters . . . In 1212 it was recorded that the burgesses held one plough-land in Lancaster of the king in free burgage, rendering 20 marks yearly. One Nicholas had granted two burgages in alms, and the burgesses held seven burgages for which they rendered no service to the king. In 1297 the burgesses were recorded as holding the borough in fee, paying the earl 20 marks yearly." - from "British History Online" The town grew into a successful market center. Temp. Edward III the mayor and bailiffs were granted the privilege of having the pleas and sessions held here, to the exclusion of every other place in the county. In 1322 and 1389, the town was burnt and plundered by the Scots. In the wars of York and Lancaster it was nearly depopulated. During the Civil War it suffered severely, and, in 1698, an accidental fire destroyed a considerable portion of the town. The rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 also affected the town. While we speak of a "city" of Lancaster, it should not be assumed that in these early years its population exceeded a few thousands. Even as late as 1900 its population was only 36,000 and this was noted to have been a doubling in the last 30-years. Speed's map of 1610 1 - Green Ayre, or area, a place subject to inundation by the river; originally an island 2 - Weary Wall, a vestige of the old Roman wall, from the Celtic, Caer Werid, the green town 3 - The Free Grammar School, which was in existence by 1235. Giles Heysham taught there. 4 - The Priory/Church of St. Mary 5 - The Castle, on a promontory, the land north and west fell away steeply 8 - St. Mary Street, now Church street, it contains houses dated 1683 and 1684 as well as some of the mansions of the 18th-century merchants 9 - The water mill; the mill stream ran between the town and the Green Ayre 10 - The Fish market 11 - Stone Well 12 - St. Leonard's Gate, beyond which was the Leper's Hospital 13 - Moor Lane, the gallows were here 14 - Butchers Street, later Pudding Lane 15 - Kiln Lane 16 - Market Street 17 - St. Nicholas Street 18 - The Domican Friary, it covered most of this quadrant 19 - Chennel Lane, later Back & Kemps Lane, now King Street. It leads to the castle. 20 - Penny Street, the main entrance to the town from the south, it leads directly to the town and river The medieval bridge that crossed the Lune was built before 1215 and taken down in 1802; St. George's quay was built in this area in 1750. The path across the Green Ayre became Cable street. The field to the right, between numbers 12 and 13, was known as Highfield. South of the town were arable fields. See Virtual Tour for a panoramic tour of historic sites around the town.

In "Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire," page 174, is a list of officials of Lancaster.

"Date . . . . . . . . Mayor . . . . . . . Baliffs
1246 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roger son of Fulk, "reeve." [30-31 Henry III]
Later. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lambert Dispenser.
. . .
1310 ( ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert de Catherton, William de Slene.
1310 (April) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (? Robert de Catherton), John le Keu, John de Heysham.
1310-11 (Jan.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . John de Heysham, John le Keu.
[1312?] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert de Catherton, Roger le Mason
1313 (28 Oct.)
1314 (May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John (or Julian) le Keu, Robert de Skerton
1316-17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard (?Robert) de Catherton, Adam son of Simon
1317 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert de Catherton, Adam son of Simon
. . .
[1318. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .William Lawrence - per "Remains, Historical . . ."]
1323 (April) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert de Catherton, Adam son of Simon
1338 (Nov.). . Robert de Bolron. . . William son of Adam son of Simon, John de Ludlow
1341 . . . . . . John le Keu . . . . . . William son of Adam, John . . ."

Robert de Catherton, who had been bailiff before John's first term, was a witness on several Lancashire documents between 1310 and 1319. William de Slene owned the Highfield [Hefeld] in Lancaster. This was not the series of three farming communites, Lower, Middle and Far Highfield, lying between Halton and Aughton, but the field just east of the town - to the right is a map of 1736 showing its location. John le Keu [the cook] comes up several times more in association with John de Heysham in the citations below.

The early mayors of Lancaster:

1338 Robert de Bolrun
1341 John le Keu
1342 Robert de Bolrun
1345 Robert de Bolrun
1346 Robert de Bolrun
1347 Robert de Bolrun
1349 Robert de Bolrun
1350 John de Catherton
1362 John de Skerton
1363 John de Skerton
1371 John de Skerton
1372 John de Skerton
1373 John de Catheron
1381 John de Catherton
1382 Edmund Frere
1386 John de Eslak
1391 John de Eslak
1403 John Stanlow

The Little Ice Age In the middle of the 13th century the weather in Northern Europe turned generally cooler; pack ice began advancing southwards in the North Atlantic, as did glaciers in Greenland, which put an end to the great voyages of the Viking era in that region. The worst impact of this cooling trend occurred in the first two centuries after the peak of the warm period, before adjustments to worsening farming conditions could be put in place. By 1500, even though average temperatures continued to drop, most people had insulated themselves [pun intended] from further hardship. The temperature probably reached its nadir in 1650 when Englishmen could ice-skate on the Thames, though extremely low temperatures were also recorded in 1770 and 1850. This unfavorable climate earned the epoch the sobriquet of Little Ice Age.

John was the member of a jury in an inquest.

15 Edward II [1322]. "Inquest taken at Lancastre on the morrow of Pentecost 15 Edward II [31 May, 1322], before John Trauers [Travers], keeper of the castles, lands and tenemants which belonged to Thomas, earl of Lancastre, and other enemies and rebels of the king in the county of Lancashire, in the king's hands by foreiture, by John le Keu, Robert de Skerton, John de Hesham, Alan le Meystersone, Robert de Bolerun, . . . who say that Nicholas du Lee held one messuage with the appurtenances in Lancastre of Geoffrey, formerly prior of Lancastre, predecessor of the present prior . . . Afterwards the messuage came to the hands of Thomas, earl of Lancastre, by purchase; . . ." - from "Lancashire Inquests, Extents, and Feudal Aids ..." by William Farrer.

In 1323 Edmund de Dacre said "that he and a certain Robert, son of Thomas of Heysham [Robertus filius Thome de Hesham], are lords of the vill of Heysham . . .," that is, Robert was an heir of the Gernet's of Heysham. I've proposed that Thomas was John de Hesham's elder brother. So, at this time some members of the family still lived in Heysham and the surronding villages of Overton and Middleton, while John's line had settled in Lancaster.

The Roll of the Rental of Lancastre was gathered in 17 Edward II [1323].

"William le Gentyll [6a], John Laurence [6a], Alice Laurence [2a], Alan son of the Master [2a], Simon de Baldreston [1a], Robert de Bolleron [1a], the prior of Lancastre [1/2a], John de Heghsham [Hesham, 1/2a] and John le Keu [1/2a] hold in Lancastre 20a. of land called Le Milnfeld [Milnefeld], and render yearly 5s." - from "Lancashire Inquests, Extents, and Feudal Aids ..." by William Farrer.

"Gerard the Chaplain's land and the royal highway leading to Gargotra. The Milne stood in the reign of Elizabeth at no great distance from the bank; Gargotra was probably Garth Gutter, the weir stream, and the highway, leading to Damside street." - from "The History and Antiquities of the Town of Lancaster."

"Lancaster Marsh, beside the Lune [I assume this is the Green Ayre], was vested in the corporation from ancient times and the freemen had right of pasturage there. It became the custom to divide the area and assign portions to the senior freemen living in the town." - from "British History Online"

At about this time, circa 1323, Henry de Tunstall held the manor of Halton, rendering 26s., and the manors of Fishwick, Eccleston, Gerston, Speke, Wiston and Parr by being the master forester of the forests of Quernmoor, Wyresdale, Blesedale, Fullwood, etc. On the other hand the same inquest said that Ranulf de Dacre, Joan Gernet's son, held Halton and the other manors by the same terms. Both of these citations are from the same page of the "Lancashire Inquests, Extents, . . . "

I've culled the following snippets from a reference about the period, circa 1324-1345:

". . . William son of Adam son of Simon de Lancastre, John le Mercer the elder, John le Mercer the younger, John Laurence of Lancaster, John de Catherton, John son of Henry son of Matthew, Robert his brother, . . . special protection, John le Keu of Lancaster, . . . John his son, William le Sadeler [saddler], John his son, John de Hesham, Ralph le . . . John de Cokes-Langleyford, mayor of Bishop's Lynn, and Geoffrey . . . John son of William le Keu of Tarnworth, Master John de Somervill, parson of the church of Benton, Ralph de Burton Annoys, Alexander his brother, Richard de Elton, . . . William atte Scone, Nicholas de Hulton and others assaulted him at St. Helens in the Isle of Wight, and took away a horse, 2 mares . . . and others assaulted and imprisoned him at . . . Stafford, took away his seal and forged in his name charters, writings and other deeds of lands, whereby they might disinherit him of these, and carried . . . By fine of 1 mark at the instance of the earl of Lancaster. Lancaster. MEMBRANE Qd. Nov. 16. Commission of oyer and terminer to William de . . . Standene and Wode, in the same island, and carried away his goods. Dec. 6. The like to Henry, earl of Lancaster, Thomas Wake of . . ." - from "Calendar of the Patent Rolls," 1973, page 367

I'm not sure what the following proves, other than that several families lived in close proximity, but, circa 1347, a John Travers and Thomas de Gentill were witnesses, along with Nicholas, the son of Thomas de Heysham, of a grant made in the vill of Heysham.

31 December, 21 Edward III [1347]. "Grant from Thomas, son of Orm Travers, to Adam Skylyngcorne, clerk, of land in the vill of Overheysham, sometime held by John Edonsesone . . . Witnesses: Thomas de Gentill, Will de Burgh de Middleton, John Travers of Heysham, John de Heaton, William le Harpersone, Nicholas, son of Thomas de Heysham. At Heysham, on Monday the Eve of the Circumcision (31 December), 21 Edw. III." - from the "Annual Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records"

In 1323, a Suit "[b]etween Hugh, son of Constantine de Lancaster, and Margery his wife, plaintiffs, and John de Hesham, of Lancaster deforcient of a messuage in Lancaster. John and Cristina [his wife] acknowledged the said messuage to be the right of Hugh, to have and to hold of the said Hugh and Margery and the heirs of Hugh, for which Hugh and Margery gave them 40s." - from the Feet of Fines, in "British History Online." Remember, such suits were not necessarily antagonistic. This was probably an unforced sale.

18-19 Edward II [1324].

"Perquisites of the Wapentake of Lonesdale, held at the same place [Lancastre], on Tuesday next after the feast of St. Nicholas, in the year aforesaid [10th December 1324].
. . .
[Of] John Godhyue, for breach of the peace upon John de Hesham . . . 4d." - from "Publications" by the Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings 1327-1377 Edward III He was another powerful King. Because his mother was a daughter of the French King, when that throne became vacant Edward pressed his claim. Not surprisingly the French nobles could not bear the idea of an English King on their throne and, instead, picked one of their own number to take the crown. This began the 100 Years War with France. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter, still one of England’s most renowned orders of knighthood. He had many sons, including the Black Prince, the most renowned warrior of his age.

In September 1332 [6 Edward III] Parliament granted a subsidy of a fifteenth and a tenth. The tenth was on boroughs and towns, and the fifteenth on persons not living in boroughs.

"1332. Midelton [Middleton]. Subsidy of a fifteenth. John de Hesham. 30s." - from "British History Online."

The issue here is, was this our John de Hesham of Lancaster? Perhaps. As I've described this, John was the son of Adam de Hesham, and therefore the younger, non-inheriting, brother of Thomas de Hesham, who later settled in Overton, near Middleton. Thomas and Nicholas de Hesham were also mentioned in the Subsidy of 1332.

"Thom de Hesham of Overton, 12d.
Nicho de Hesham of Heysham, 4s. 10d. ob. qa." - from "Exchequer Lay Subsidy Roll, Lancashire, A. D. 1332"

The Subsidy of 1332 was collected by Sir Robert de Shireburn and Sir John de Radcliffe, the chief Taxers and Collectors for Lancashire. The money to be raised was chiefly to enable the King to prosecute his war in Scotland. It appears as if the 30s., above, was not the tax John paid, but the value of his goods, so his tax would have been 4s. 6d. As a comparison, John le Keu of Lancaster paid 5s. and Robert de Bolrun paid 6s. The whole sum raised for Lancashire was only £298, 17s., 4d. The two taxers were paid 20s. each for their efforts.

It is at about this point that I think a John de Heysham Jr. would be appropriate.

I propose a John de Hesham Jr. here for two reasons. First, there are references to a John de Heysham in 1365 and 1377 which could not be John Sr., and, second, the next reference seems a bit rambunctious for a fifty year old man.

On 18 November 1339, the Prior of the church of St. Mary’s, Lancaster [Emery de Argenteles 1337-1344], complained that, while he was under the King’s protection, John de Hesham and many others broke his closes and palings while thus under protection at Neuton [Newton] by Lancaster, cut the palings into little bits and depastured his grass with beasts - Patent Rolls. The root of this issue may be illegal enclosures, that is the Prior fenced in land for private use that the community had long regarded as for common use. Enclosures would continue to be an area of dispute into the 19th century. Neuton [Newton] was to the east of Lancaster, on a series of moors and open pastures.

The following makes clear that a previous Prior of St. Mary's, Nigel, had indeed enclosed land in Newton.

"In 1318 Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and Leicester, Seneschal of England, granted to the Prior of our Lady of Lancaster [Nigel 1315-1326] and the monks there serving God that they might enclose sixty acres of the Waste adjoing to their close of the Ridge in the vill of Newton, within the forest of Lancaster."

"At the Assize at Preston in 1318, Nigel, Prior of Lancaster, complained that John, son of Robert le Kene of Lancaster, and Ralph le Foulour had disseised the Prior of five acres of his free tenement in Newton by Lancaster. They, by William Lawrence, who appeared for them as their bailiff, raised a number of technical pleas and alleged that the tenements in question were in Lancaster and not in Newton and that they were common of pasture of John and Ralph. The jurors decided that Newton was a hamlet of Bulk and that the tenements were in Newton and not in Bulk, and that Roger the Poietevin gave to the priory the hamlet of Newton, a gift that was confirmed by King John, who afterwards made the vill of Lancaster free burgage and granted to the burgesses common of pasture for their cattle in his forest of Quernmore . . . The jurors further said that the tenements referred to are between the vill of Lancaster and the forest of Quernmore, and that John and Ralph and other men of the vill of Lancaster exercised their rights of pasturage under colour of the grant from King John, and not by reason of common pertaining to any free tenement in Lancaster . . ." - from "Remains, Historical . . ."

There was a grant of land to John le Keu, witnessed by John de Hesham of Lancaster.

1343. "Grant: Robert son of Thomas of Stodagh to John Keu of Lancastre -- a messuage and 8½ ac. land in Stodagh -- Witn. William of Bolron, Thomas of Walton [Halton?], John of Stodagh, Robert of Bolron, John de Hesham of Lancaster. Given at Stodagh, Wed. before Epiphany, 16 E.3. [16 Edward III]" - from the British Archives

The next references show that John de Heysham continued to own land in Middleton. Remember that his father, John Sr., paid a "subsidy of a fifteenth" for property in Middleton in 1332.

"1351 John de Hoseham [Heseham?] and Thomas son of Adam son of Mariota held of William de Coucy, deceased, a messuage and three bovates in Middelton by cornage of 4s. 4d., wardship and relief and they still hold them of the king."

"In 1365 Edmund de Heaton claimed 3 oxgangs of land [in Middleton] against William de Nevill, 1 oxgang each against John son of Roger de Middleton and John de Heysham and 1 acre against Thomas son of Roger de Middleton." - from "British History Online."

"William de Middleton and Alice his wife in 1377 gave two messuages [in Middleton], &c., to John de Heysham." - from "British History Online."

12 March 1354. "John del Castel [of the castle] acknowledges that he owes to Adam de Hesham 20 marks, to be levied, etc., in the city of London." - from the Close Rolls. 20 marks would be a lot of money, equal to the fee the burgesses of Lancaster paid for the borough for the year. I can not tell if this document relates to Lancaster or not. The name John del Castel is too common and various to be tracked. At this time there was a John del Castel who was Capitan of Brest in Brittany and another who was jailed in York. See also Adam de Hesham, a tinctor, or dyer, who lived at this time in York. Another version of this reference in the National Archives has it as,

"Debtor: John Castle {del Castel}. Creditor: David de Hesham. Amount: 20m. Before whom: Chancery. When taken: 12/03/1354 First term: 01/06/1354 Last term: 01/06/1354 Writ to: Sheriff of London Sent by: Chancery. Endorsement: The reply of John Little and Date: 1354."

"At Westminster, at one month from Easter Day, 36 Edward III [15 May 1362]. Between Edmund de Wasshyngton, plaintiff, and David de Hesham, deforciant of a messuage in Lancastre. David acknowledged the said messuage to be the right of Edmund; to have and to hold to him and his heirs, for which Edmund gave him 30£." - from Feet of Fines, in "British History Online." While this sounds like a forced sale, it was probably a transaction desired by both parties. The Washington family of Warton, George Washington's ancestors, held lands in Heysham as well. 30£ sounds like a lot of money for this era. The source actually says 30li - Is that something different?

The record of the family's descent after this point grows indistinct with few father-to-son links, which is perhaps not so surprising considering that this was an era of famine, war and plague that cut the population of England in half, if not more. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were a common image of this time. They were the forces of man's destruction, described in the Book of Revelation: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death.

The horsemen would ride during the end-time when the seven seals of the book of life were opened, resulting in death and destruction on a world-wide scale. War rode a red horse, Famine's was black, Pestilence (or the anti-Christ) was astride a white, and Death rode a pale horse. Ingmar Bergman's film, "The Seventh Seal," was about the journey of a medieval knight across a plague ridden landscape and, famously, playing chess with death. Albrecht Durer's etching of the horsemen is to the left.

The people, desperate in their fear, sought any means to ward off doom. Flagellants wandered the countryside, beating themselves with flails, in hopes of assuaging God's anger through their pain and humiliation. Old women were burned as witches to remove the source of sin and contagion. Corrupt clergy sold salvation for gold.

Things became so bad that a cult of death arose, manifested in the "memento mori," gruesome images of skeltons and decomposition on tombs and in churches, and the celebration of the Danse Macabre.

"The dance of death is an endless round dance, in which the dead alternate with the living. The dead lead the dance, in fact, they are the only ones to dance. Each couple consists of a naked, rotting, sexless and very active corpse and a man or a woman, dressed according to their social positions, and astounded. Death reaches out his hand towards the living that he is going to drag to the grave, but who have not yet complied with his invitation. The artistic contrast is between the rhythm of the dead and the paralysis of the living. The moral lesson is to remind men of the uncertainty of the hour of death and to stress that they will all die. All ages and all social positions file in front of us in strict hierarchical order." - from "Man and Death," by Philippe Ariès.
"I Joined the "danse Macabré"
Drawing everyone into its round dance
And leading them to the grave,
Which is their last home."

The de Hesham family would have been affected as badly as any other in those precarious times. The multiple lines of descent outlined in the "Gernets of Heysham" web page would have been winnowed down as the family staggered through 200 years of dearth to finally blossom in the England of the Tudor Kings. The following are, at best, representatives of each generation, images of a family of survivors.

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings 1377-1399 King Richard II He was the son of the Black Prince, who had predeceased his father, Edward III. His frivolous manners reminded too many of Edward II. The 100 Years War continued, but at a slackened pace. In 1377 a census of principal towns in the kingdom was taken. No Lancashire towns were shown. The census stated, "that Lancashire contains no town thought worthy of particular mention." That probably meant that Lancaster's population had fallen below 800 by this time. In 1381 John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and the King's uncle, advised him to triple the tax. Watt Tyler led 60,000 people in a 'Peasants' Revolt'. Rebels converged on London and pillaged the Savoy palace – John of Gaunt's London home. The Mayor of London killed Watt Tyler when he becomes abusive in a confrontation with the young King and the Rebellion collapsed. In 1389 Robert Bruce again raided Lancashire and pillaged the town of Lancaster. Richard was deposed by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, in 1399.

Thomas is problematic because his ties are to Northumberland, a county in the far northeast of England, not Lancashire. Hesham may be a mistake for Hexham. The following is for a Thomas de Hexham associated with Henry Percy of Northumberland:

1374, Westminster. "The like [a commission to take inquisition in the county] to Thomas de Ingelby, Ralph de Hastynges, Robert de Boynton, Roger de Fulthorp, William de Nessefeld, John de Ask, Thomas de Hexham and Thomas Lovell, on complaint by Henry lord of Percy that, whereas the king took him and his men, lands, rents and possessions into his protection, Robert de Stanyford of Craven, William de Rouceby, John de Rouceby, Richard Cholleman, William de Semer of Scardeburgh and others entered his free chace at Langstrothe and his free warren at Semer, Naffreton, Lekyngfeld, Pokelyngton, Catton, Spofford, Topclif and Tadecastre, co. York, hunted therein without licence, took away deer from the chace and hares, conies, pheasants and partridges from the warren, killed 60 sheep of his, worth 10 marks, at Semer, and assaulted his men and servants there and at Malton. For 20s. paid in the hanaper." - from the "Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III"

22 Richard II, 28 November 1398, at Westminster. "Commission to Thomas Hesham, William de Charton and the sheriff of Northumberland, on information that goods and chattels of Robert del Hall of Tyndale in that county, are forfeited to the king, to enquire and certify what goods and chattels he had on the day of forfeiture, and take and keep them until further order." - from the "Patent Rolls"

Thomas Hesham was murdered at just about this time, while under commission. Was Thomas serving the interest of Richard or of Henry, that is, whose man was he?

10 November 1399. “Whereas Mary, late the wife of Robert del Hall, has shown the King that the said Robert lately appealed on Robert Dode with treason before the King’s kinsman the Earl of Northumberland, then warden of the East March towards Scotland, and pursued the appeal to a duel in which he was killed and his goods were forfeited to Richard II, who by Letters patent granted them to one Thomas de Hesham and the said Mary [late wife of Robert del Hall] and because the Sheriff of Northumberland, William Charleton and the said Thomas by inquisition taken by virtue of letters patent of the present King found in whose hands the goods were the occupiers of the same lay in ambush and murdered the said Thomas; the King grants the goods to her.” - from the "Patent Rolls"

In a last attempt to "save" Thomas Hesham as a member of the family is a snippet,

". . . HEYSHAM, Thomas HEYSHAM, Thomas HEYSHAM, . . ." - from "An Index of Persons Named in Early Chancery Proceedings, Richard II (1385) to Edward II (1467)"

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings - House of Lancaster 1399-1413 Henry IV He was called Henry Bolingbroke, for the place of his birth. The son of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster. He rebelled against Richard II when the King attempted to seize his inheritance upon John of Gaunt's death. The 100 Years War in France continued, but Henry was forced to spend all of his energies holding on to his throne. Richard II's supporters revolted upon his deposition in 1400. In Wales, Owen Glendower led a national uprising that lasted until 1408. The Scots waged continual warfare throughout the reign. The powerful families of Percy and Mortimer, who possessed a stronger claim to the throne than Henry himself, revolted from 1403 to 1408. Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, proclaimed his opposition to the Lancastrian claim in 1405. 1413-1422 Henry V Living a dissipated life as a young man, as famously depicted in Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Parts I and II, he became one of England's greatest martial Kings upon assuming the throne. He returned to France and the 100 Years War with new vigor. The victor of the battle of Agincourt in which the longbow, as at Crecy, decimated the French knighthood. Cannon finally became effective weapons, knocking downs the walls of fortified cities. Henry conquered France and married the daughter of the deposed French King, but he died young. The French King, unfortunately, was subject to fits of madness, a trait passed down to Henry’s son, the new King Henry VI.

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings - House of Lancaster 1422-1461, 1470-1471 Henry VI Henry became King while still a child. During his minority his uncles ran the war in France, and lost the country to Joan d'Arc. Henry VI was subject to fits of madness, as was his grandfather, the King of France. During his reign, upset by his mismanagement, the House of York rebelled, starting the War of the Roses. Returning soldiers from the defeat in France turned to robbery to survive. In 1453 Constantinople, the last vestige of the Roman Empire, fell to the Turks. Scholars fled to Europe where they helped fuel the start of the Renaissance. Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings - House of York 1461-1470, 1471-1483 Edward IV The grandson of King Edward III and, as Duke of York, the head of the House of York. He rebelled against Henry VI and was victorious. He confined Henry to the Tower of London. Henry was later murdered and his son and heir was killed in battle. Edward caused dissension in the royal family by marrying a woman of lower birth.

A yeoman of the town of Lancaster. The inquisition post mortem on William de Bolleran, dated 9 August 1460, named "William Hesam de Lancaster, Yeoman." - per George Lissant. I suspect this meant as a member of the inquisition jury. This is important because such juries were composed of freemen who were consequential members of their community. Note that in 1460 Henry VI was taken prisoner by Richard, Duke of York, and Richard made Protector of England. All men, supporters of York and Lancaster alike, would be uncertain what the future held.

I have finally found this inquistion and William was indeed a juror:

"Willimus de Bolleron, Armiger
39 Henry Vi. (9th August 1460)
Inquisitio capta apud Lancr die Sabbati in vigilia Sti. Laurentii anno Henrici sexti tricesimo octavo coram Willi'mo Tunstall Excaetore p. sacramentum Henrici Halsall Armigeri Johannis Botiller de Rawcliffe Armgeri Nicholai Rigmaden Armigeri Jacobi Standissche de Dokesburye Armigeri Johannis Holcroft Armigeri Roberti Wessington Armigeri Oliveri Anderton Armigeri Ricardi Catterall de Catterall Jun Armigeri Henrici Croft de Claghton Armigeri Johannis Haryngton de Hyton Armigeri Utredi Dokesbury Armigeri Thome Curwen Willimi Brokholes Willimi Plesyngton Roberti Preston Thome Blakeburne Hugonis Chaffer gent et Willimi Hesham de Lancr yeoman qui dicunt quod Willimus de Bolleron Armiger fuit seisitus de uno messuagio et 60 acr. terre in Bolleron et 59 acr. demid. terre et 13 acr. et 1 rod prati in villa de Lancr et de uno burgagio et tribus grangiis cum garinis in villa predict in quodam loco vocat Penystreete . . ." - from "Abstracts of Inquistions Post Mortem," page 68-70, by Christopher Towneley, Roger Dodsworth and William Langon

The Bolron's had anciently been of Skerton, a village on the north bank of the Lune river, across from Lancaster. Their name derived from the manor of Bolron which they held by the petty serjeanty of obtaining a mason to work at the castle when required. Robert de Bolron was mayor of Lancaster a number of times between 1338 and 1349. He was mentioned in a number of legal documents along side John de Hesham. A William de Bolron, circa 1320-1346, held one messuage and sixty acres in Bolron by serjeanty. Our William Bolron was living circa 1450:

28 Henry VI [18 August 1450]. "Writ of redisseisin for Robert, abbot of Cockersand, against William Bolron, Nicholas Bolron, Richard Brame, chaplain, and William Brockholes of the moiety of an acre of land lying on either side of Bowerham Brook which runs to Scotforth Moor [south of Lancaster], a rood of land in Bowerham Dale between land of the said William Bolron on both sides, another rood there lying by itself, the moiety of an acre with a toft and the appurtenances in Bowerham Dale, three roods lying below the Wythyns in Old Lancaster . . . [and on and on]" - from "Remains, Historical . . . (1905)"

I have a number of quick exerpts from a text of the Lancashire Fines that describe William and his associates:

Page 220
". . . John de Brokholes, Nicholas de Croft, Robert de Bolron,' Robert de . . . Robert de Brokholes, William Ambrose, . . . Thomas de Bolton, John de Kellet, Thomas de Curwen, John de . . . William de Hudleston,4 John de . . . Laurence del Knoll,8 Edmund de . . . William de Bolron, Thomas del Burgh of Bolton, Thomas del Grene of Gressingham . . . ,11 Giles . . . ,18 Edmund de Kendale.19 . . . APPENDIX B William de Haryngton of Hornby kt., Nicholas Botiller esq., . . .
. . . William de Hesam,13 John de . . .
. . . family held lands in Tatham,
. . . May 1436 appointed a collector of a tenth and fifteenth ; March 1444 an annuity of £20 from the duchy was henceforth to be divided between himself and Henry Garstang, a clerk of the palatine Chancery. . . .
. . . 1 Of Broughton in Furness. His son and successor. Sir Thomas [Stanley?], was a staunch Yorkist. In November 1431 John B. was a juror of assessment of land and rental tax for Lonsdale hundred ; sworn to the peace in 1434. I [the roman numeral I] Attested the indenture of 1442; of Bolron, Lancaster; 1423 was enjoying an annuity of £10 which he had held at the receipt of the county since 1413.
. . . 3 Attested the indentures of 1442, November 1449; the . . .
. . . 4 Attested the indenture of 1459 ; of Whittington ; in 1423 in receipt of an annuity of 10 marks at the hands of the . . .
. . . Of Chipping ; February 1438, collector of a tenth and fifteenth. 5 Attested the indentures of 1442, 1447, 1455, 1459. 7 Attested the indentures of January and November 1449 ; held the manor of Ireby (Lonsdale) ; in 1445 acquitted of the charge of mortally wounding Richard Tunstall. . .
. . . 8 Of Chipping. * Attested the indenture of November 1449 ; probably of Claughton (Lonsdale). 10 Probably of Skerton. II Attested the indentures of 1442, 1447, 1455, 1459 (?) ; probably of Oxcliffe, Lancaster. 15 Probably of Lancaster. 13 Attested the indentures of 1442, 1455, 1459 ; when serving as juror at the inquest post mortem on William Bolron in 1460 described as "of Lancaster, yeoman." 14 Attested the indenture of 1442; 1436 appointed clerk of recognisances of debt at Lancaster (authority first granted in 1432) ; died in or before 1445. 16 Father-in-law of John . . .
. . . 18 Attested the indenture of January 1449 ; December 1431 juror of tax . . .

Page 225
. . . Of Little Walton, Walton-le-Dale. " Probably of Leigh. If Of Bedford Hall near Leigh, " gentleman. . . Succeeded his father Ellis in the manor of Pleasington about 1460. 7 Attested the indenture of 1459 ; of Bank, . . . 1446-47 stood surety for Sir Thomas Stanley in lease of the turbary in Toxteth park. . . Robert Le,» John Kellet, William Hesam, Thomas . . . " - from "Remains, Historical . . . (1947)"

There is also a reference to a William Hesham (vice Hesam), also of Lancashire, in "Remains, Historical . . . (1947)," apparently here he was at most a witness with no further comments (that is, no reference number).

Page 221
". . . EXTANT INDENTURES OF ELECTION assessment in hundred of Amounderness ; of Middleton near . . .
. . . Parliament of 25 January 1442. Knights elected : Thomas de . . .
. . . Sheriff : John Byron kt. Place of election : Lancaster. Date : 15 January. . .
. . . Thomas Laurence, Robert Laurans, Nicholas Croft, . . .
. . . Thomas Grene, Edmund Laurence,* Thamas . . .
. . . William Hesham. . . .
. . . of Thurland, Tunstall in Lonsdale. C 219.15.4. Parliament of 10 February 1447. Knights elected : Thomas Stanley kt., Thomas Haryngton esq. Sheriff : Nicholas Byron. Place of election : Lancaster. Date: 6 February. . .
. . . 1 Receiver for the county palatine under the duchy of Lancaster. • Attested the indentures of 1447, January 1449 ; of Oxcliffe, Lancaster. 3 Attested the indentures of 1450, 1455, 1459 ; held a moiety of the manor of Ribbleton, Preston. I Attested the indenture of January 1449 ; died holding lands and messuages in Garstang as of the duchy of Lancaster and in . . .
. . . resident at the manor of Heaton, near Lancaster. 4 Attested the indentures of November 1449, 1459 ; of Claughton, Garstang. • Probably of Capernwray, Bolton-le-Sands, just north of Lancaster. 7 Attested . . .
. . . Probably of Kellet in Whittington parish, Lonsdale. • Probably of Middleton, across the Lune estuary from Lancaster. 10 Attested the indenture of 1459 ; of Cartmell. II Attested the indenture of 1455. 11 Attested the election of January 1449; either of Kellet immediately north of Lancaster, or of Little Urswick in Furness; in 1423 in receipt of an annuity of 5 marks from the issues of the county palatine. IS Obscure but possibly of Lindeth in the parish of Warton (Lonsdale).
. . . 14 Attested the indenture of 1459; probably the same who was clerk of the peace for the county palatine in July 1439 (Lanes. Official List) and who was a . . .
. . . the same who was clerk of the peace for the county palatine in July 1439 (Lanes. Official List) and who was a benefactor of Lancaster Grammar School. 15 . . .
. . . 19 Attested the indentures of 1442, 1459 ; possibly of Ribbleton, Preston ; or Chatburn, near Clitheroe. C 219.15.2. Parliament of 25 January 1442."

Another item which may not fit here, but I must include is,

"William Lawrence.
Not dated. [fo. 39.]
To be buried in St. Paul's, Wooborne, before the great cross.
My brother, executor.
Debt to John Bugg.
Bequests to Ric. de ly Pantrye, Thomas de ly Chambr, John de ly Warderob, Roger West, Ric. Hawdon, Wm. Hysam, &c.
Proved at Woborne Episcopi, in aula ibidem, 18 Oct. 1442." - brom "Early Lincoln Wills"

A stray, William was recorded as one of the seven minstrels of Edward IV, though some documents read his surname as Maysham.

"Even before the war [of the Roses] began, the King's Minstrels had petitioned the King, complaining of the abusive and unauthorized use of the king's livery, to which the official response (of an uncertain date between 1446 and 1452) was as follows:

Whereas many rude husbandmen and artificers of England feigning to be minstrels and some of them wearing the King's livery and so pretending to be the King's Minstrels collect in certain parts of the realm great exactions of money of the king's lieges by virtue of their livery and art and though they be unskilled therein and use divers arts on working days and receive sufficient money thence, they fare from place to place on festivals and take the profits from the King's Minstrels and others skilled in the art of music whereby they using no other labours or mysteries should live.

The King has appointed William Langton (Marshal), Walter Haliday, William Haysham, Thomas Radcliff, Robert Marshall, William Wykes, and John Clyff King's minstrels to enquire throughout the realm except the County of Chester touching all such and so punish them holding the said inquisition themselves or by deputies."

- from the Patent Rolls of Henry VI & "Apollo's Swan and Lyre: Five Hundred Years of the Musicians' Company" by Richard Crewdson.

Heysham's Who Took Holy Orders The following were several priests who may have been relatives, but who had no progeny. (13) William Hesham (c1420) William Hesham (vicar 1454—1476) was before the court for omitting to say Mass between February 4th and the first Sunday in Lent, 1461. - from "Life in a Medieval College: The Story of the Vicars-Choral of York Minster" by Frederick Harrison. "1490 William Hesham (Hessham), Wetheryngset, All Sts., clerk 96 Wolman." - from "Wills Proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, county of Norfolk." Probably a priest-clerk and therefore unmarried. (13) Nicholas Hesham (c1435) In 1468 Nicholas Hysham was the Rector of Fishley, in the county of Norfolk. 26 January 8 Henry VII [1493]. "Grant from Nicholas Heysham, "clericus," Robert Horsman, of Wedryngsete [Wetheringsett, co. Suff.], and Thomas Poole, of Nacton [co. Suff.], to Katherine Andrewd, of Wederyngsete, of land in Wederyngsete." - from "Catalogue of the Stowe Manuscripts in the British Museum" Wills Proved in the Consistory Court of Norwich, county of Norfolk: 1496 Nicholas Hesham, Ippswych, priest 122 Typpes. A priest and therefore unmarried. Consistory Court - A bishop's court for ecclesiastical causes and offences, formerly having wider jurisdiction in matters of moral discipline. Thomas Heysham (c1500) A Thomas Heysham cleric of Conishead priory in Ulverston, Cumbria. When Henry VIII founded his new church he did so in part as a way at getting at the wealth of the clergy. He sent agents to look for, and find, irregularities in the operation of churches, monasteries and convents that would allow him to dissolve them and sell their lands to his friends. "The great visitation of monasteries was commenced in the autumn of 1535, when Cromwell, chancellor of the exchequer, and first secretary of the king, filled the office of viceregent and vicar-general. The visitation of Lancashire monasteries was made by Dr. Thomas Legh and Dr. Richard Layton . . . The questions proposed by the royal commissioners on the Lancashire visitation were reduced to the following heads:-- 1. As to the incontinence of the heads of each monastery: 2. The name of the founder: 3. The estate of the convents: 4. The superstitions practiced in them: 5. The debts they had incurred: And, 6. The names of the votaries who wished to be discharged from their vows. On which the following report was made by the commissioners:-- . . . Conished. Incontinentia. Christopherus Peerson, cum sex foeminis. Georgius Cornefurth, cum decem foeminis. Thomas Backhouse, cum soluts. Goergius Hardy, cum duabus solutis. Thomas Heysham, cum una conjugata, et altera soluta [with one in wedlock, and the second one loosening]" - from the "History of the county palatine ... of Lancaster. The biographical department ..." by Edward Baines, William Robert Whatton It was a scandal of the church that many clergy married. When Henry VIII dissolved the monastries Conishead Priory was included. Thomas and the other brothers of Conishead would have been put out, to find a new life outside the church. The lands were then leased to Thomas Stanley, 2nd Baron Monteagle, of Heysham manor. The present building was built in the 19th century. Thomas Hessham (c1525) A Thomas Hessham was admitted to King’s College, Cambridge c1545. He was later the Vicar of Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire in 1554. I don’t know how Thomas was related to the family, but as a Vicar in this early period I assume he had no heirs. King’s College, Cambridge The young Henry VI laid the first stone of the King's College of Our Lady and St. Nicholas in Cambridge on Passion Sunday, 1441. Scholarships were restricted to Etonians, but a few pensioners and Fellow commoners from other schools were admitted from the middle of the sixteenth century.

George Lissant felt that Nicholas was probably the son of William Hesam. From a list of fines paid for various writs:

23 Henry VII, 1507-08.
"Thomas Hesketh, esq., de ingressu in le post against John Hentworth (sic), and the same against Gilbert Cunclif; Thomas Botiller, kt., the same against Thomas Midelton and Joan, his wife; Miles Gerard, esq., the same against Robert Worsely and Ellen his wife; Nicholas Hesham, novel disseisin against Thomas Blackburn; . . ." - from the Lancaster Fines in "Final Concords of the County of Lancaster" by William Farrer.

The next generation of Heyshams in the northwest of England were,
(14) John Hesham (c1500) of Lancaster
(14) William Heysham (c1520-1530) of Lancaster
(14) Thomas Heysham (c1500) of Staffordshire, which is just south of Cheshire.
(14) Roger Heysham (c1500) of Staffordshire, Thomas' brother
(14) Henry Heysham (c1500) of Staffordshire, Thomas' brother

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings - House of York 1483 Edward V The Two Princes, young Edward and his brother, were killed in the Tower of London, supposedly by their uncle, Richard, who later became King. 1483-1485 Richard III Called Crookback. While Shakespeare famously made him out to be a villain and a hunchback, modern opinion is that he was a man of his time and no more ruthless than his brothers, or the Lancaster family. He was probably also not a hunchback. However, his base of power was in the north of England and when the Lancaster family, in the person of Henry Tudor, Duke of Richmond, landed in Wales with an army, he was unable to raise a sufficiently loyal force to resist him.

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings - House of Tudor 1485-1509 Henry VII Henry Tudor, last heir of the House of Lancaster, defeated and killed Richard at the battle of Bosworth. He married Elizabeth of York, reuniting the two families. Known to be tight with money, after sixty years of bitter civil war he left his son a peaceful kingdom and a full treasury. 1492 America discovered by Christopher Columbus. 1496 John Cabot maps the coast of North America under commission to Henry VII. Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings 1509-1547 Henry VIII Henry made England a great nation that could deal on an even level with France and the Empire. However, he broke with the Catholic Church over his divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, the aunt of the Empereor. He then established the Church of England with himself as its head. Importantly, the north and west of England, being much more conservative than the cosmopolitan southeast, remained strongly Catholic in attitude and practice. Henry eventually married, and made Queens of, six women. Catherine of Aragon (the mother of Queen Mary), Ann Boleyn (the mother of Queen Elizabeth), Jane Seymour (the mother of King Edward VI), Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Paar. The following rhyme tracks their individual fates: Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.

In 1500 "Henry VII warned the townsmen of Lancaster against adopting the liveries of noblemen or gentlemen of the district, a practice which led to many disorders." - from British History Online." Amongst others, this could have been an admonition against the Heysham family. In the 18th century we know the family claimed the arms of Benedict Gernet (see William Heysham of Greenwich and the sundial of Lt. James Heysham). This claim undoubtedly had its origin in family lore of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Another generation seems to be missing here. John died before 1592 - per George Lissant, but I don't know what that's based on. The will of (14) Thomas Heysham (c1500) of Staffordshire, proved in 1565, does mention a brother, John Hessam, who was made executor.

I also have "1610 Haysham, John, yeoman . . ." - from "The Index of Wills Proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury." The latter, however, may be for the Dorset/Somerset area where the Haysham name is common.

"Cattle-Stealing in Somerset and Dorset in 1537.
. . . That John and Harry Harris, with others to the number of 8 persons, took the said John Haysham in Christmas time and bound him, with a bowstring tied about his head, led him to Richard Applin's house, and made him call the said Richard Appllin out of bed to make good cheer, and, as soon as he opened the door, entered and robbed the house. And the said Richard and John be in such fear of their adherents that they dare not complain." - from "Notes & Queries of Somerset and Dorset"

I also have an odd reference from a novel of 1927.

"The title of Hambourne is an ancient one. The first Lord Hambourne, son of a rich King's Lynn merchant under Edward IV., married into the Cavells. His son died without issue.

The title was revived by Henry VIII towards the end of his reign, for the ennobling of John Heysham, who had carried out a great part of the confiscations in the north, and kept a sufficient proportion for himself. He had no heir, but his only daughter married a younger son of the Park-[ington's?] . . . " - from "The Haunted House" by Hilaire Belloc

If this man existed, he would have been the brother or cousin of (14) John Hesham (c1500). I assume that the man recorded in the next reference must be between the ages of 20 and 50, that is born between 1510 and 1540, and more likely between the ages of 30 and 40. That is, he seems just a bit early to be (15) William Hyshame (c1550), who died in 1614.

"On January 19th [1562] a Lancaster man and his colleague were attacked in Newby by a crowd from Newby and Keasden. The two men, Richard Forster and William Heysham, were set upon by a crowd of women and children as they tried to serve Court writs. They were assaulted and their writs were trodden into the mud. The two men escaped injury but further riotous behaviour occurred the next day when Thomas Procter, a local bailiff, led sixty men to the Skew area where they broke down hedges and ditches, took wood and drove off cattle, claiming that Forster had trespassed on Procter's land . . . Richard Forsters was clerk of the courts in Furness and well connected with the Duchy of Lancaster. He used his position and influence to encloe land at Skew . . . [Forster] was granted a writ of subpoena to compel the Newby bailiff and seven other men to appear in court." - from a June 2006 newsletter of the Clapham-Newby Parish Council.

Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings 1547-1553 Edward VI The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife. He was a sickly boy who died young. 1553-1558 Mary The elder sister of Edward VI, she was the daughter of Henry VII and Catherine of Aragon. Known as Bloody Mary, she made many martyrs in her attempt to re-establish the Catholic Church in England. She married King Philip of Spain, but they had no children. Calais, the last English possession in France, was lost during her reign. In this defeat England was finally forced to turn away from her dreams of an empire in Europe to that of a empire of the sea.

After John and William the family comes back into the light, mirroring the stability and prosperity of England during Henry VIII's & Elizabeth's reigns. The following Heysham's of generation (15) may be John's or William's children. At least two fathers must have existed to account for both William of Highfield and William of Lancaster.
(15) Jane Heisham (c1539), of Highfield
(15) William Heysham (c1540), of Highfield
(15) Gyles Hyshame (c1540), of Lancaster
(15) Unknown Heysham (c1540), of Warton
(15) William Hyshame (c1550), of Lancaster
(15) Edmund Heysam (c1560), of Lancaster

It is about this time that records first become plentiful and true father-to-son relationships can be determined. In 1538, Thomas Cromwell, the Vicar General, had ordered that every parish in the country should keep a register of baptisms, weddings and burials. The main reason for this instruction was that the recording of this information would provide more reliable evidence of descent in legal proceedings, but it was also rumoured at the time that it was to provide a means of introducing new taxation.

As time passed, it became clear that registers recorded on paper were deteriorating rapidly. This was mainly because the paper of the time was of poor quality and the documents were often stored in damp cupboards or chests where they rotted away. There were also cases where the registers were lost or destroyed through negligence. In order to preserve the early information which still remained intact in the surviving registers, in 1597 the clergy were instructed to make parchment copies of all the old paper registers dating from the beginning of Elizabeth's reign. At the same time, they were instructed to make another copy of all past and future entries, to be deposited in the diocesan registry. These were known as Bishop's Transcripts.

It is in this period that we begin to see substantial numbers of people with Hessam-variant surnames living outside Lancashire. In the wake of famine and plague in the 14th century the old ties to family, land and lord had broken down. Over 3,000 marginal villages were abandoned and laborers felt free to move to where the jobs, and greater oppurtunity, lay. This usually meant in the south and east of the country. While many of them may be descendents of the Gernets of Heysham, I believe some were were probably serfs or peasants who had once lived in the area around Heysham and used the name to indicate where they were from. It is probabable as well that some of the variant-names are corruptions not of Heysham, but of other localities and surnames, such as Hexham or Heigham.

On the other hand, I think those people with Hessam-variant surnames living inside Lancashire were descendents of the Gernets. I don't have any hard evidence to back up this assertion, but it feels right. That is, that a family of the minor aristocracy of the 14th century should, through the ups and downs in family fortune, be found amongst the minor gentry of the 16th century. If so, they may well have carried the memory of their former position as lords of the manor. The Heyshams of the 18th century certainly claimed as much.

I also think it is important to track the Heysham spelling itself. The first contemporary use was in the mid-16th century; (14) Thomas Heysham (c1500) of Staffordshire in his will of 1565; (15) William Heysham (c1530) of Highfield in a lawsuit in 1568. My contention is that after about 1700 the standard spelling for the village and for the people around the village known as Heesom, etc., became Heysham. This was due to the fame of Robert and William Heysham, Lancaster boys who became M.P.'s and wealthy sugar merchants in London. Before that time, however, Heysham was the spelling favored, though not exclusively used, by just one family, that of Highfield and its descendents. I believe that any record using the Heysham spelling before 1700 "probably" connoits a specific family relationship. Those "Heesom's, etc." living outside Lancashire were not within the influence of the village or the brothers' fame and kept their old surname spellings.

In trying to pick out the lines of our family I've started by assuming that those that live in proximity to each other are related as a close family group. So we have, in Lancashire, four branches:
1st - the Highfield Branch.
2nd - the Lancaster Branch.
3rd - the Warton Parish Branch.
4th - the South Lancashire Branch.

The village of Highfield is between Halton and Aughton, in Lancashire. Note that there are two Aughton's in Lancashire, one near Ormskirk and the other near Halton. The latter is the one we are concerned with. Aughton was known as 'Actun' in the 1086 Domesday Book, which meant a place where oak trees grow. It is located 7 miles northeast of Lancaster. Highfield is today divided into, moving from southwest to northeast, Lower Highfield, Middle Highfield, and Far Highfield. I'm not really sure which of these was the Highfield of William Heysham.