January 1, 1970

Early Goldthorpe spellings in the Kirkburton Registers.

By Bill Goldthorp

Early Goldthorpe spellings in the Kirkburton Registers.
Originally the parish of the kirk (church) at Burton

1540 to January 15th 1654.

www.archive.org/details/parishregisterso01kirk

Parish clerks were only partly literate, word spellings not finalised and they often just wrote down what they heard. In fact a surname can be spelt two different ways in the same sentence.

Browsing the family histories which intertwine on the red1st.com website, I appear to be related to half the families in the Isle of Axholme, following the Tills of Crowle, Haxey and Owston Ferry, I reached via his daughter Anne, Anthony Kitchen, born Isle of Axholme, probably Belton in 1585. Annie Elizabeth Till born Owston 1830 was my great-grandmother. Using the information to tease the wife of a childhood friend, he declared it can’t be me, my name is spelt differently, Kitching.

Well you cannot use that excuse.

1540.Robertus Goldthrop filius Johis Goldthrop
1541.September. Arturis filius Thome Goldthorpe bapt xix die mensis eiusdem.
( same month)
1544 June. Dorothea Golthorpe filia Thome Goldthrope.
July Willm Goldthorpe generosis fuit sepultus die euisdem mensis.
William Goldthorpe buried the same day, 29th July.

Lord of five Manors, Shepley, Goldthorpe, Billingley, Bolton on Deane, and Barnborough. He was the last Goldthorpe Lord of Shepley, which started with the marriage in 1361 of Robin, Robin de Goldthorpe’s son to Esabul, half heiress with her sister Dionyssia to William de Shepley.

He only had a daughter Joan, the manor was entailed and inherited by his nephew, Thomas, who sold up and left the area.

All other Goldthorp’s are descended from younger sons. William Goldthorpes appear frequently amongst their descendants.

1546. Johis filius Johis Golthorp baptizat primo die June 1551. He was buried 91 days later.

1552. Rycardus filius Johis Goldthorp bapitzat fuit die Octobris .
1558. Radulphus Golthorp baptizat fuit iii die mensis Januarie.( 3rd day month of January)
Spelt differently below son of William Goldthorpe
1561. Gervacious filius Willmi Golthrope bapt fuit xvi die March.
1565. Alicia filia Wylhelmi Goldthroppe bapt erat xxv die Februarie.
1565 Septmebris. Radulphus Goldethroppes et Elizabetham Hocchinson nupt fuerent xvi die Septmebris 1565.
1565. November. Elizabet filia Radulphi Goldthrope bapt xvii die Nuebris.
They only just made it.
Elizabat filia Wilhelmi Goldethroppe bapt erat eodem die and eodem mensis. (same day and month.)

William and his son Rauffe(Radolphus) Goldthorpe are my direct ancestors, 12th and 11th generations. As a yeoman, (One who owns and works his own small estate, to the value of 40 shillings per annum, which allowed him to sit on a jury and vote for the County Sheriff), William would be considered well-to-do. Yet even his son Rauffe ensured fertility before marriage.

Derbyshire hill farmers had a saying with regard to marriage.
“You do not buy a heifer until it is in calf.”
It is not sexist no potential farmer’s wife would want a sterile bull.

The crude Latin now moves onto English.
Aprell 1569. The same day (3rd) Jan Golthorp baptysed doghter to Raufee Goltthorp
May 1569. The same day(6th) Jhon Goltroph baptysed son to Wylm Goltrop
Buried 5 months later. The xxii day of November Jhon Golthorpe buryed.
Aprell 1571 Fyrst day
The sam day was Roberd Golthorp bap son to Rauf Golthorph.
August `1573. The sam day (2nd) Nycles ( Nicholas) bapty son to Vylm Goldthorp. ( The yeoman)
Menziz Augusti 1577.
Seplaye (Shepley). Elizabeth Goulthroppe filia Jacobi Goulthroppe baptizata fuit vigesimu, priomo die. (1st Day)

1578. Burton. Raphus Gouldthroppe et Margerye Creppes de Hartes head matrimonium solemizuvere apad harted head undecimo huius. (18th May)

July 1578. Joanis Hepworth parochial de Darton (Burton) et Isabel Beardall matrimonium in aedibus Guilemi Gouldthroppi solemizavere vigesima Septimo die debitores xv.
27th July 1578 John Hepworth of this parish and Isabel Beardsall (probably daughter of Henry Beardsall) were married in the house of William Goldthorpe de Shepley (the Yeoman.)
This is recorded in English in the appendixes to the Registers.
July 1578. Thomas Goulthorpe sepultus fuit the xxvth daye.
Aprell1579 vth day.
Alyce Gouldthorpe filia Ralphe Gouldthorpe baptizatus the same day.
10 Jan. 1583 Willym Goldthorpe buried. My direct ancestor the yeoman.

I cannot however claim the Goldthorpe Y (male) chromosome. Thanks to an adventurous lady Mary Goldthorp of Shelley in Kirkburton parish born 1759 who had five children by five different males and neglected to marry any of them. At least I know, there will no doubt be several men reading this who have not got the Y chromosome that they think they have got. In fact it shows how modern the current Goldthorps are.

1583. 16th May.
Raphe Goldthorppe Buried.
November 1589.
Willm Gowldthorppe son of Raufe Gowldthorppe was baptysed xxviii day.
June 1591 Raufee Clayton and Alice Gowldthorpp were married the viii day.
30th November 1594.
Robert Tomeson married Jennet Gowldthorp.
2nd March 1595.
John Gowldthorpe son of Rauffe bapt.
21st May 1601
James Gowldthorpee Buried.
3rd May 1635.
Richard son of William Gouldthorpe bapt.
21st February 1653.
Edward Gouldthorp and Sara Kay were married the same day.
William the yeoman’s great grandson, my direct ancestor 9 generations.

This last William Goldthorpe born 1589, wife unknown. Probably married in another parish in 1615.
First child baptised John Gowldthorppe son of William Gowldthroppe 10 March 1616.
Kirkburton Registers for 26th March 1617 to 25th March 1627 are missing.
Joseph who married Alice Booth in 1652 , Edward who married Sarah Kaye in 1653 and Thomas have been located through wills.
A crissom child was born in October 1627.
Elizabeth baptised 15th February 1629.
Richard baptised 3rd March 1635.

The registers record John, William’s oldest child being buried 22nd February 1648. Age 32.
Also William son of William being buried 16th November 1643 and James son of William on 25th April 1646. When were they born, if between 1617 and 1627, they would be young men.

There is a six year gap in William’s family, 1629 to 1635, where was he?

Three of his sons die in early adulthood, very unusual, usually deaths occur in childhood.
This is the time of the English Civil wars ending with the execution of Charles 1st in 1649. Were they soldiers?