WOODHEAD OF SHELF

 

The Halifax parish registers show the 1692 marriage of “Wm: Nowell & Martha Woodhead de Shelf”. This appears to be the marriage of William Newel of nearby Great Horton in the parish of Bradford as Martha Newel, widow, of Great Horton, was buried at Bradford in 1731.

 

The will of Joseph Woodhead of Shelf, written in 1709, names “Martha my Daughtr now wyfe of William Nowell”. The other children in the account below are also mentioned in Joseph’s will. There may have been additional children who died young but there seems to have been more than one Joseph Woodhead in the area, so the full details are not immediately clear.

 

Joseph, the testator of 1709, is stated to have been aged sixty-four at his death, giving a birth around 1645.[1] He was therefore apparently the one of that name baptised on 12 December 1647 at Halifax, son of Joseph Woodhead of Shelf.

 

A chancery case of 1731 relates to the Woodheads of Shelf. The plaintiff describes himself as “Joseph Woodhead of Shelf in the County of York Blacksmith Son and Heir of Joseph Woodhead late of Upper Brakenbed in Shelf aforesd in the said County Coleminer deceased which said Joseph Woodhead was Son and Heir of Joseph Woodhead late of Cow-wood in Shelf in the said County Coalminer deceased which said last named Joseph Woodhead was Son and Heir to Martin Woodhead late of Cow wood in Shelf in the said County Coalminer deceased which said Martin Woodhead was second son of Robert Woodhead of Cockhill in Shelf in the said County Clothier deceased”.[2] The testator of 1709 is described in his will as a yeoman but it is clear that he was involved with mining as his will includes multiple references to coal mines. Joseph is named first when the testator’s sons are listed, supporting the identification of the chancery complainant as the son and heir of the testator.

 

There was apparently another Joseph Woodhead in the area as there was a Martha, daughter of Joseph Woodhead of Shelf, baptised at Halifax on 4 June 1682. This Martha could not plausibly be the one married in 1692 and the date of her baptism is only about three months before that of John, son of Joseph Woodhead of Shelf, on 17 September 1682.[3]

 

I welcome comments on this page. My e-mail address is on my home page.

 

WOODHEAD

 

1          ROBERT WOODHEAD of Shelf, Yorkshire, clothier.

 

Children of Robert Woodhead:

i               NICHOLAS WOODHEAD of Shelf, bap 1588, Halifax,[4] bur 2 Jun 1633, Halifax;[5] m 20 Dec 1608, Dewsbury, DOROTHY WHEELWRIGHT.[6]

2              ii             MARTIN WOODHEAD (1590/91-1647); m MARY BROOKSBANK.

 

2          MARTIN WOODHEAD of Shelf, coal miner, was baptised on 21 February 1590/91 at Halifax[7] and buried on 1 June 1647 at Halifax.[8] He married on 5 July 1625 at Halifax, MARY BROOKSBANK.[9] She was buried on 4 June 1665 at Halifax.[10]

 

Children of Martin and Mary (Brooksbank) Woodhead:

3              i               JOSEPH WOODHEAD (1625-1686).

ii             JONAS WOODHEAD, bap 8 Apr 1627, Halifax.[11]

iii            ABRAHAM WOODHEAD, bap 22 Nov 1629, Halifax.[12]

iv            JOHN WOODHEAD, bap 22 Jul 1632, Halifax.[13]

v              ISAAC WOODHEAD, bap 14 Jun 1635, Halifax.[14]

 

3          JOSEPH WOODHEAD of Shelf, coal miner, was baptised on 25 December 1625 at Halifax[15] and buried on 19 August 1686 at Halifax.[16]

 

Children of Joseph Woodhead:

4              i               JOSEPH WOODHEAD (1647-1709); m SUSAN ROYDS.

ii             SUSANNA WOODHEAD, bap 14 Apr 1650, Halifax.[17]

iii            JOHN WOODHEAD, bap 8 Feb 1651/52, Halifax.[18]

iv            ISAAC WOODHEAD, bap 3 Feb 1655/56, Coley.[19]

v              ABRAHAM WOODHEAD, bap 14 Feb 1657/58, Coley.[20]

vi            SUSANNA WOODHEAD, bap 6 May 1660, Coley.[21]

vii           MARTIN WOODHEAD, bap 2 Feb 1661/62, Coley.[22]

viii          MICHAEL WOODHEAD, bap 22 Mar 1662/63, Halifax.[23]

ix            SYBIL WOODHEAD, bap 22 Jan 1664/65, Halifax,[24] bur 26 Dec 1730, Coley;[25] m 22 Jun 1692, Halifax, PETER AMBLER.[26]

x              DANIEL WOODHEAD, bap 30 Sep 1666, Halifax,[27] bur 4 Jun 1667, Halifax.[28]

 

4          JOSEPH WOODHEAD of Shelf, coal miner, was baptised on 12 December 1647 at Halifax[29] and buried on 9 December 1709 at Halifax.[30] He married on 7 May 1667 at Halifax, SUSAN ROYDS.[31] She was buried on 14 September 1720 at Halifax.[32]

 

Children of Joseph and Susan (Royds) Woodhead:

                i                          WOODHEAD, bur 22 Jan 1667/68, Halifax.[33]

ii             MARTHA WOODHEAD, bap 14 Nov 1669, Halifax,[34] bur 6 Sep 1731, Bradford;[35] m 6 Sep 1692, Halifax, WILLIAM NEWEL[36] (see here).

iii            ESTHER WOODHEAD, bap 1 Oct 1671, Halifax,[37] bur 3 Mar 1725/26, Coley;[38] m(1) 16 Apr 1688, Halifax, JOSEPH JAGGER;[39] m(2) 14 Jun 1692, Halifax, DANIEL STOCKS;[40] m(3) 22 Feb 1714/15, Halifax, JOHN TEASDALE;[41] m(4) 29 Sep 1719, Halifax, JONAS HEMINGWAY.[42]

iv            JOSEPH WOODHEAD, bap Sep 1673, Halifax,[43] bur 9 Mar 1675/76, Halifax.[44]

v              JONAS WOODHEAD, bap 21 Nov 1675, Halifax,[45] bur 6 Mar 1676/77, Halifax.[46]

vi            SUSAN WOODHEAD, bap 22 Jan 1677/78, Halifax;[47] m 29 Jul 1706, Bradford, JOHN SMITH.[48]

vii           JOSEPH WOODHEAD of Shelf, blacksmith, bap 2 Nov 1679, Halifax,[49] d 21 Jan 1736/37, bur 24 Jan 1736/37, Coley;[50] m 5 Jul 1704, Halifax, MARTHA SPENCER.[51]

viii          JOHN WOODHEAD, bap 17 Sep 1682, Halifax.[52]

ix            WILLIAM WOODHEAD.


[1] J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 249.

[2] National Archives, C 11/1814/23.

[3] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). There was also a “Js:”, child of Joseph Woodhead of Shelf, buried at Halifax on 13 May 1674.

[4] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The baptism of Nicholas, son of Robert Woodhead of Shelf, is given as an interlinear addition among those of Mar 1587/88 and again among those of Nov 1588.

[5] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[6] Dewsbury parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); Samuel Joseph Chadwick, ed., The Registers of Dewsbury, vol. 1 (Dewsbury, 1898), 76.

[7] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The entry is in a different hand from the others on the page and appears to have been added later.

[8] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[9] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The residence is given as “Harchet”, possibly referring to Hartshead. The nuncupative will of a Robert Brooksbank of Shelf, made in Jan 1615/16 and proved on 27 Aug 1616 (Borthwick Institute) mentions daughters Mary, Susan, Martha and Edith. The will of Robert’s widow Margaret Brooksbank of Hipperhome, dated 9 Dec 1628 and proved 12 Aug 1629 (Borthwick Institute) mentions Susan, Martha and Edith but not Mary. However, Mary may have been Robert’s daughter by an earlier wife.

[10] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[11] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[12] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[13] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); Halifax bishop’s transcripts (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).

[14] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[15] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[16] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). I have not found a marriage for Joseph Woodhead but the Sybil Woodhead of Shelf who was buried at Halifax on 4 Nov 1695 aged seventy-five could be his wife: Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 81.

[17] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[18] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[19] J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 24.

[20] J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 25.

[21] J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 26.

[22] J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 27.

[23] Halifax bishop’s transcripts (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).

[24] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[25] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[26] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). There was also a Sybil Woodhead of Northowram who married Isaac Starkey of Shelf at Halifax on 22 May 1683 (Halifax bishop’s transcripts, online at www.findmypast.co.uk). This latter Sybil can be identified through the will of Jonas Woodhead of Northowram, dated 22 Sep 1713 and proved 21 Dec 1713 (Borthwick Institute), which mentions “Samuell Starkey of Shelfe in the County aforesaid yeom[an] my nephew” and “Sybill Ingham his Mother”.

[27] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[28] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[29] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[30] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); will dated 25 Jun 1709, proved 2 Jan 1709/10 (Borthwick Institute). One of the witnesses to Joseph’s will was a Jonas Woodhead.

[31] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[32] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[33] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[34] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); Halifax bishop’s transcripts (online at www.findmypast.co.uk).

[35] Bradford parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[36] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[37] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[38] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); J. Horsfall Turner, ed., The Nonconformist Register (Brighouse, 1881), 295.

[39] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The abbreviation “Josh:” in the entry is interpreted here as Joseph but could possibly be Joshua or Josiah.

[40] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[41] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). John’s surname is given as “Tideswell” in the marriage entry (“Tiddeswell” in the bishop’s transcripts) but when Esther married Jonas Hemingway, she is called “Esther Teasdall of Shelf Widow”. The identity of the bride is confirmed by the will of Mary Stocks of Shelf, dated 21 Apr 1725 and proved 3 Jul 1725 (Borthwick Institute) which mentions “Esther Hemingway late Wife of my brother Daniell Stocks”.

[42] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); will of Mary Stocks of Shelf, dated 21 Apr 1725 and proved 3 Jul 1725 (Borthwick Institute).

[43] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[44] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[45] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[46] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[47] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[48] Bradford parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[49] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com); monumental inscription at Shibden Hall.

[50] Monumental inscription at Shibden Hall; Coley parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).

[51] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com). The will of Elizabeth Spencer of Shelf Hall, dated 9 Dec 1725 and proved 28 Mar 1727 (Borthwick Institute) mentions her sister “Martha wife of Joseph Woodhead of Shelfe Hall afore said Black smith”.

[52] Halifax parish registers (online at www.ancestry.com).