Page 22 - Gen Mag Online November 2020

22

INTERESTING FAMILIES

There are many interesting families which have produced some interesting individuals - some famous,
others infamous. Some downright dangerous. Some families have risen from humble beginnings to
dizzy political heights. One of these families is the Peel family.

The origins of the Peels or Peele as it was once written are shrouded in mystery. The earliest known
Peele was Thomas Peele who was born in Bolton by Bollan in Yorkshire (just over the border from
Lancashire) abt 1461. He and his forebears bought and sold land in the area so while not high up
in the social ladder of the times, were probably wealthy enough to be yeoman farmers.

During the Plantagent period, the term yeoman referred to a knight’s servant or his retainer. So far,
there is no evidence that any Peele living in Yorkshire was such a yeoman.
However over time, particularly during Tudor times, a group of freemen grew to be prosperous enough
to be called franklins. Franklins were basically free tenant farmers who in time were able to have
some influence in their local community, and so the term yeoman started to apply to them. The Peele
family were probably in this group.

By about the middle of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, members of such prosperous families probably
felt comfortable enough to start moving away from their original locations. Certainly one member of
the Peel family - Robert Peele crossed the border into Lancashire and settled in the Blackburn area.
It is said that Robert crossed into Lancashire with several other members of his family, but there are
no records surviving which prove this. The house the family lived in was called Hole House, the farm
being part of the Blackburn Rectory Glebe. This is known to have been leased by Robert’s son,
William. It is likely therefore that William moved away to plan his own future and his father, possibly
widowed by this time came with him to outlive his days with his son. Was William, Robert’s favourite
son?

In any event, Robert Peele, who was probably born about 1542 didn’t live in Hole House for long as
th
he died in 1608 and was buried in St. Mary’s Church in Blackburn on the 27 June 1608. His son
William continued to farm the land till his own demise in 1623.

Being named Robert or William appears to be consistent throughout the succeeding generations.
The above-mentioned William also had a son William who inherited the Hole House estate. This
th
particular William married Margaret Livesey on the 24 December 1619. The Livesey family were
another prominent and long established Lancashire family in the Blackburn area. However, to date
nothing can be found about her parents.

Blackburn Parish The couple had several children,
but it was another Robert Peele,
Church, Lancashire
who inherited. Interestingly,
(now demolished) according to his descendant, Sir

Lawrence Peel, this Robert Peele was not just a farmer but
a manufacturer of woollen cloths. This would be around the
year 1640. Nothing is currently known about whom he
married but he must have become somewhat prosperous as
according to his will, which was registered with the

Archdeaconry of Richmond in Yorkshire states that he left nine score pounds (£180) to his daughters
alone. A very significant sum of money for the time.

As well as the above-mentioned daughters, Robert had two sons - another Robert, who was the
eldest and heir, and Nicholas, who became a curate of Blackburn parish church. Nicholas died in
1677-8. Interestingly, as during the middle ages, younger sons seem to join the Church.