By the Rev. J. Wilkinson. 



13 



Harding. It appears lie was farmer of the tithes here, under a 

 lease from "William Hicks, Bector; and after various answers, re- 

 plies, rejoinders, examination of witnesses, hearing of counsel and 

 reading of proofs, the defendant was ordered " to account with and 

 pay to the plaintiff the value of his tithe fruit, his fallen and other 

 apples, the tithe hay of the half acre of land, the cock of hay taken 

 away, and 8d. each calf; the tithe lambs which had fallen, the tithe 

 wool which he shore," and various other titheable things. But 

 this William had other and more profitable pursuits than picking 

 up fallen apples. He was a clothier; and, like many others in this 

 neighbourhood at that time, by the cloth trade he rose, bought 

 land, and made a family. He is himself always described in deeds 

 as a clothier, and probably never aspired to be anything more dur- 

 ing a long life ; but his grandsons are called gentlemen and be- 

 longed to the " country party." His first purchase was from John 

 Long of Monkton in 1650, of various lands part of the Broughton 

 estate, for which he paid £440 only, seeing he had previous claims 

 on them. His next was from Agatha Curtis, widow of Thomas 

 Curtis, also part of the Broughton manor, a license for the aliena- 

 tion (1641) still existing. On this property another William, the 

 clothier's grandson, but himself a gentleman, built a great house. 

 He added to the family estates by purchasing from William Prior, 

 certain lands (the farm in the west of the parish) formerly alienated 

 from the Broughton manor by Sir John Horton (1632). He, and 

 two elder brothers, John and Thomas, were the sons of John and 

 Hannah. The father migrated to Hinton Charterhouse, and there 

 his eldest son John, described as of Symon's Inn, who married 

 another Hannah, succeeded him, purchasing and enlarging (1700) 

 the house in which his father lived, now called Hinton House, and 

 the present seat of the representatives of the family. The three 

 brothers seem to have been alike in their tastes, each of them built 

 a big house, John at Hinton, Thomas at Holt (I leave the historian 

 of that place to identify it), and William at Broughton. Our big 

 house is noticeable for its handsome stair-case, embossed ceilings, 

 and lofty, though small, rooms. It is now occupied by the tenant 

 of the farm. On the death of William in 1738, this, the younger, 



