A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



lands of John de Hyde in Denton and Romiley were 

 to reroain to Richard, the son of John, and Maud his 

 wife, daughter of Roger de Vernon.'' Richard and 

 Maud in 1366 agreed to make no alienation of the 

 estate," and two years later John, the father, made a 

 grant to Richard, the son of Richard." In 1320 the 

 rent was paid to the lord of Manchester ; but William 

 Hyde, who died in 1560, was stated to hold his mes- 

 suages and lands in Denton of Robert Hyde of Nor- 

 bury in socage by the rent of I</." Richard Hyde, 

 the son and heir of William, having died a month 

 after his father, without issue, was succeeded by his 

 brother Robert, thirty-two years of age.'° William 

 son of Robert died in 1639 holding the same estate, 

 and leaving as heir his son Robert, thirty-five years of 

 age." 



Robert Hyde was a zealous Puritan and took part 

 in the defence of Manchester in 1642.'' He died in 

 1684,°' and his son and heir Robert in 1699, leaving 

 as sole heiress a daughter Mary, who married Sir 

 Ralph Assheton of Middleton, but had no issue. The 

 Denton estate, however, was retained by her husband, 

 and fell to the lot of Katherine, his daughter by a 

 previous marriage ; by her husband, Thomas Lister 

 of Arnoldsbiggin, she had a son Thomas, after whose 

 death in 1 761 the Denton estate was sold to William 

 Hulton of Hulton. It was again sold in 18 13 to 

 Francis Woodiwiss of Manchester,'" whose daughter. 



Mary Woodiwiss, owned it in 1856." The estate 

 was afterwards acquired by Charles Lowe, whose 

 executors in 1 90 1 sold it to Mr. James Watts of 

 Abney Hall, Cheadle, a descendant (through his 

 mother) of the Hydes. 



The situation of Hyde Hall is one of natural 

 defence on rising ground, about a quarter of a mile 

 from the north bank of the River Tame. The front 

 of the house is towards the river, and faces south- 

 east. It is a two-story building of timber and 

 plaster on a stone base originally of the 1 6th cen- 

 tury, but added to and altered in the 17th, when 

 it was pardy faced with brick. It appears to have 

 had the usual H type of plan, with central great 

 hall and east and west wings. The east wing, how- 

 ever, has disappeared, and that at the west has been 

 remodelled to suit modern requirements and a new 

 building added on its west side. 



The house is entered on the north side through an 

 open porch with stone seats at each side, built in brick 

 with stone dressings, and with the date 1625 and 

 the arms of Hyde on the door head. The porch, which 

 has a segmental opening and moulded jambs, goes up 

 two stories, and has a chamber over lit by a five-light 

 mullioned and transomed window with two lights on 

 each return,*'' and terminates in a square parapet with 

 moulded coping above a plain string-course. There 

 is a sundial over the window. The whole of the 



Gotesbuyth, Milesaundes riddings, Lydiate 

 hursts, Salefield (except in Struyndeley), 

 Brockwalhurst, Dene Evese, Newfield, 

 and ' Stoblade ' (except the Dedych dale) ; 

 also half his waste within and without 

 the bounds of Denton (except in the Dene- 

 croft) ; Lord Wilton's D. 



The grantee was no doubt the Adam 

 surnamed * de Denton,* who gave his 

 lands to Ellis de Botham and Maud his 

 wife (probably daughter of Adam) in 

 1304.; and in 1317 (11 Edw. I appears 

 in the transcript for II Edw. II) Ellis 

 granted the same to John son of Alexan- 

 der de Hyde ; Harl. MS. 21 12, fol. 153-4. 

 Maud, as widow of Ellis, released her 

 claim in 1333 ; from her deed it appears 

 that there had been an exchange of lands be- 

 tween Botham and Hyde;ibid.fol.i54.. The 

 land exchanged may have been the oxgang 

 which Hugh son of Richard de Moston 

 had demised to John son of Alexander de 

 Hyde in 1308-9, and which Richard, the 

 brother and heir of Hugh, appears to have 

 released to John ; ibid. fol. 153. 



52 Ibid. fol. 154. 



5^ Ibid. ; the declaration was made in 

 Stockport Church, perhaps on the be- 

 trothal of Richard son of Richard. 



" Ibid. ; the grant was of all his mes- 

 suages and lands in Denton in the vill of 

 Withington. From the same charters it 

 appears that Richard de Hyde, probably 

 the younger Richard, granted lands in 

 Romiley to his son John and heirs in 

 1395-6 ; ibid. fol. 154. 



There is little notice of the Hydes in 

 the public records. The writ of Dieyn 

 dausit extr, after the death of Nicholas 

 Hyde of Denton was issued on 20 Nov. 

 1420 i-Df/). Keeper^ s Rep. xxxiii, App. 19. 

 In 1429 Robert de Hyde (of Norbury) 

 complained that Geoffrey de Shakerley 

 and Isabel his wife, widow of Nicholas de 

 Hyde, had taken away Ralph, the son 

 and heir of Nicholas, whose marriage be- 

 longed to the plaintiif in virtue of a mes- 

 suage and lands in Denton heW by the 

 deceased. The defence was a grant made 



by Nicholas ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 2, 

 m. 19. 



Ralph son and heir apparent of Nicholas 

 de Hyde in 1428 agreed to marry Mar- 

 garet daughter of Robert de Dukinfield ; 

 Harl. MS. 2112, fol. 155. This Ralph 

 Hyde of Denton was still living in 147 1, 

 when he granted all his goods, &c., to 

 trustees ; but he seems to have died 

 shortly afterwards, and Margaret his widow 

 is named in 1479 ; ibid, fol, 156, 



Nicholas son and heir apparent of 

 Ralph was in 1457 contracted to marry 

 Margery daughter of Thurstan Holland, 

 lands in Denton and a rent of 1 35. 4^/. 

 from Reddish Mill being settled on the 

 bride ; ibid. fol. 156. In 1468 Ralph, the 

 son and heir of Nicholas, was contracted to 

 marry Agnes daughter of John Arderne ; 

 ibid. fol. 154. Ralph probably died, for in 

 1479 William, the son and heir apparent 

 of Nicholas, was to marry Ellen daughter 

 of Richard Moston ; fol. 154. In 1525 

 William Hyde of Denton, being over 

 seventy years of age, was excused from 

 attendance on assizes, &c. ; ibid. fol. 155. 

 The age must have been overstated. Two 

 years before this it had been agreed be- 

 tween William Hyde and Alexander 

 Elcock of Heaton Norris, merchant, that 

 the former's * cousin and heir' (probably 

 grandson) William should marry the 

 latter's daughter Katherine ; lands in 

 Denton of the yearly value of ,^4 were 

 assigned to Katherine for her life, a similar 

 estate being held by Ellen, wife of the 

 elder William, and by Margaret, then wife 

 of Thomas Browne; fol. 155. It appears 

 that Margaret was the mother of the 

 younger William ; she was living in 1 546, 

 but died before 1552 ; fol. 157. 



" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 51. 



5° Ibid, Pedigrees were recorded in 

 1567 and 1613 ; Robert was still alive in 

 the latter year ; Visit. (Chet. Soc), 17 

 (i567)tand 52 (1613). In 1598 a mar- 

 riage was made between William son 

 and heir apparent of Robert Hyde and 

 Eleanor daughter of John Molyneux of 



316 



West Derby, reserving the dowry of 

 Anne wife of Robert Hyde and sister of 

 Ralph Arderne of Harden ; in 1608 a 

 remainder to Edward, second son of 

 Robert, was agreed upon ; Harl. MS. 

 2112, fol. 155. 



"" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxx, 89 ; 

 Hamnet Hyde of Norbury was the superior 

 lord. The will of William Hyde is printed 

 in Booker's Denton, 27-8 ; the inventory 

 amounted to ^^898, and he left his Bible 

 in two volumes, Mr. Hildersam's works, 

 the clock in his parlour, and other things 

 to Alice his daughter-in-law. A settle- 

 ment of their estates was made in 1630 

 by William Hyde of Denton, Robert his 

 son and heir apparent, and Alice wife of 

 Robert and one of the daughters and co- 

 heirs of Thomas Crompton of Crompton, 

 on the one part, and Robert Dukinfield 

 of Dukinfield and Robert Ashton of 

 Shepley on the other part; Harl. MS. 

 2112, foL 155. 



'8 He was a D.L. of the county in 1642; 

 Ci-vil War Tracts (Chet. Soc), 2. For his 

 presence at the attack on Manchester see 

 ibid. 45, 52 ; he opposed the surrender ; 

 ibid. 333. He was a member of the 

 Presbyterian Classis ; Shaw, Mancb. 

 Classis (Chet. Soc). 



*' His will is printed in Booker, op. cit. 

 30-3. A pedigree was recorded in 1665; 

 Dugdale, Visit. 161. 



^ He was a currier in Fennel Street, 

 of penurious habits, and died in 1830. 

 having amassed a great fortune ; Ajcon, 

 Manch. Annals, 179. 



'1 This part of the descent is taken 

 from Booker's work, 33-5. The field 

 names in 1782 included the Pingot, 

 RosliflFe, Holt, and Warth. Two closes 

 called the Chapel Fields were sold to 

 William Bromiley. 



There is a monument to Dame Asshe- 

 ton in Denton Church ; she died in Lon- 

 don on 16 June 1 721, and was brought 

 to Denton for burial, 



^'^ The bottom lights, howerer, are 

 built up all round. 



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