The Minor Family of Somerset

HALIFAX Church M.I. Here lieth the body of John Wainhouse of Br
oadgates in skircoate who was buried the 7th Day of September 17
25 aged 41 years, also Mrs. Mary Wainhouse his wife who was buri
ed the 6th Day of May 1737 aged 45 years. Here lieth the body o
f Edward Wainhouse of the same place their son.
inthe footnotes By his will dated 12 aug 1725 he ordered that h
is wife Mary should have her full third out of his reall estat
e in lieu of dower. In case his wife should have a son after th
e date of his will, such son or sons to havea messuage in Warle
y called the Cliffe in the possession of Isaac Smith, andone ot
her messuage in Warley in the possession of john Crowther. If n
o such son be born, then he deivsed all the said messuages and a
ll other his messuages, as well copyhold as freehold (subject t
o certain charges), to his sonEdward. Wife Mary and brother-in
-law Thomas Oldfield, exors. If his son Edward and such after-b
ron son died before 21, then he devised his capital messuage cal
led Broadyates to his daughter Elizabeth; his messuage at Mear C
lough Bottom, the cottages and mills there, to his daughter mart
ha: Trimingham and Allon Gate to his daughter Anne; and all hi
s messuages in Warley to his daughter Mary for life, and after h
er decease to her eldest son.
PYENEST, OLD SKIRCOAT HOMESTEADS, HALIFAX ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY
The present mansion known as Pyenest takes its name from an anci
ent homestead which stood on or about the site in the early year
s of the 17th century. It is quite possible that thename goe
s back even further than this period, but in a rental of Skircoa
t,made in 1581, there is not mention of the place by that name
, although it may be included under the name of some tenant. Th
ere is also no mention of the name of Denton at that date, but
, in one of the Savile Court Rolls for 1608(6th James I.), we f
ind the owner is Richards Denton for one tenement called"Pyenes
tes."
There are so many men of this name to be found in local document
s of this period that it is quite impossible to identify this in
dividual.
Strange to say the next owner of the house is a member of a fami
ly which wemay class as a stranger to the parish. Where Richar
d Cockett came from to take up his residence at Darcey Hey i
s a question we cannot solve. He was adyer by trade and appear
s to have been a man of some substance in Skircoat township.
He also owned a large amount of property in different townships
, including Pyenest which was let to a tenant, by name John Wain
house, a clothier.
Richard Cockett had no son to follow him in his possesions, bu
t he had somedaughters, one of whom, Elizabeth, married the ten
ant of Pyenest, John Wainhouse.
I have sought in vain for the origin of this family of Wainhous
e whichappears to have migrated into our parish in the latter h
alf of the 16th century. The first mention of the name in the H
alifax Registers, which, as we all know, are amongst the earlies
t in England (commencing in 1538), is to be found under date Aug
ust 12th, 1565, when George Wenus" and Johanna Waterhouse are ma
rried. Two months afterwards we have the baptism of a son to th
e pair, and find they are living in the township of Warley.
In 1584 we have a William Waynhouse who has an infant buried o
n May 21.
Turning to the Elland Registers, the earliest mention of the nam
e there is in 1593-4 when Edmund, son ofRichard Waynhouse of Nr
land, is baptised. As time went on Norland and Skircoat becam
e the principal districts for the family and they rose to be on
e ofthe principal families which Halifax claims as her own. Th
e will of RichardCockett is dated Oct 20th, 1684, and I take fr
om it here only as much as refers to Pyenest, reserving the full
er abstract for the paper on Darcey Hey.
Testator devised Pyenest, then in the occupation of John Wainhou
se, also several other holdings, to John Wainhouse, of Pyenest