The Minor Family of Somerset

Note "Pedigrees of Halifax Families" Hopkinsons MsS Vol 1 "d(wa
s eldest) of Rich Symmes esq" Yorkshire Pedigrees" by William Pa
ver &....of Sich Sumes. Visitations of Yorkshire in 1584/5 an
d 1612 eldest daughter and heir of RichardSymes "Yorkshire Deed
s. Vol L).; Yorks Arch. Soc 1913 pp.20-22 Alice is oldes dau. an
d Grandfather is Richard Symmes
Halifax Antiquarian Society, 1924 "Dove House" page 159
The Symmes family were not, as our local historian, Mr. Watson
, mistakenly supposed, of Halifax origin, but arose and prospere
d at,or near, Barnsley.
They were for their time, great people in the cloth trade.Rich
ard Symmes, the grandfather of Mistress Gerard Lacy, one of th
e principal merchants of cloth, accounted to the ulnager of Kin
g Edward IV, in 1470,on behalf of all the clothiers of Barnsle
y district for 48 3/4 cloths sealedthere before being exposed t
o sale, the sum of 33s 4d., and he and Thomas Bene, and the othe
r men of the town of Barnsley in 1473, for subsidy and ulnageo
n 176 1/2 cloths produced or sold there paid 66s 63/4.....I fea
r I am responsible in the account given by Mr. Tom Sutcliffe reg
arding this family of Symmes, in his paper, in the transaction
s of the Halifax Antiquarian Society, relating to the Lacys an
d Brearley Hall [Vol for 1922-3] The reader will findit ther
e recorded that Gerard Lacy married Joan, the daughter of Richar
d Symmes, whereas in truth, her name was Alice, and she was th
e dauther of William Symmes, son of the above Richard. Richar
d who was her grandfather died in1492 and William, his son, Ali
ce's father, in 1483 predeceasing his father.My mistake was du
e to taking on trust a statement made by Mr. Watson in hisHisto
ry.
Alice Lacy, of the maiden name of Symmes, had as her mother, Mar
garet, daughter of Thomas Bosvile, alias Boswell of Edderthorpe
. This accounts for the circumstance that Hugh Boswell, clerk
, Alice's uncle was one of thefeoffees to uses, i.e., trustees
, in a charter-deeds were in those Days known as charters--deali
ng with this estate made in February 1503-4. Hugh Boswell clerk
, was evidently the son of Thomas Boswell, who, it may be mentio
nedwas appointed we are told, Rector of Darfield in 1472, and R
ector of Hemsworth in 1492 and he held both livings until his de
ath in 1520.