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TUDOR RECTORS OF HIGH HOYLAND
Although there are very many names of previous rectors on the board in All Saints Church by no means all of
them died in the parish and of; those who did few have left a will behind them for us to discover how they lived.
Two rectors died within six years of each other, one in January 1545 and the other in January 1550. The
first one describes himself as Sir Edward Boyne, 'half parson of hie hulland'. This meant he had one half the living for this was a parish of two rectors until 1810 when both were united. As was
the custom at the time he was a bachelor and left his goods to his relatives and friends.
Having bequeathed his soul to Almighty God, he asks that his body shall be buried 'within the Quire of
All Hallows in the church of hie hulland'. The body is still there in an unmarked grave which was found during the restoration in 1908. Edward Boyne had but little money for the value of his share of
the living was £5:5:9 per year. He left eight shillings to the church, forty shillings to his brother-in-law, Thomas Copley, and six shillings to his nephew, Stephen Boyne. To Elizabeth Woodcock he left twelve
pence and the same to Janet Garfit and Janet Walton. To his servant Elizabeth Hollingworth he bequeathed a 'hole years wages'.
A peculiar bequest was one of five shillings to Henry Longley, 'being a debt his father doth owe me'
so one assumes that Henry had to claim this from his father. What is surprising to us today is the custom of leaving bequests in animals. To Elizabeth Copley, the daughter of Thomas Copley, eight sheep;
Edward and Thomas Copley the two sons of Edward each received 'one heifer with cawffe'. He also left twelve pence to the 'mending of the highway in hie hulland' so he could have a steady journey
in his coffin.
His household goods were few namely a bed with all bedding he left to Edward Bollinge. His clothing he
shared out leaving to Elizabeth Sharpe his best gowne, to Grace Oxley a gown and Janet Hollingworth a cloak. His leather doublet he left to Henry Longley and his old jacket to Agnes Presse. There is
no mention of any furniture or cooking utensils so one assumes that these were left as furnishings for his
successor or to be sold by his executors, Henry Oxley and Richard Paslewe.
John Sowtell, his fellow rector, also a 'half parson' asked that his body be buried on the south side of
the sanctuary: in 'high Holland church'. He left neither beds nor bedding except two harding sheets which are rough coarse sheets.
To his friend Robert Broadly, vicar of Cawthorne, he left his gown, cloak and ten shillings. To the
wife of William Kryndall he left a froack and a pair of sheets. He grew rye upon his glebe land as is evident from his bequest of one bushel to Edward Carringhall. He also left hive of bees for the sone of
William Kryndal.
Whereas Edward Byne made no provision for the poor John Sowtell did. He left forty shillings for the
poor in the parish of High Hoyland, which then included Scissett, Leake Hall and part of Cumberworth. To the poor in Emley parish he left thirteen shillings and a similar amount to the poor in Cawthorne in the
hope that these recipients would remember him in their prayers.
His stock of Rye he left to be distributed to the poor in High Hoyland so that they could grind it and make
it into bread which is dark in colour. Whatever he had in household goods he left to his two executors to dispose of as they wished. One was Robert Broadley of Cawthorne and the other William Kryndal.
John Sowtell would be the first rector to use the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 when services were held in
English instead of Latin. One wishes we could have had some record of his reactions to that book for many people, especially the laity disliked the English service and called it a Christmas game.
It is clear that poverty was endemic among the country clergy in Yorkshire and this was not helped by the
galloping rate of inflation that was current at the time. As late a 1530, some 60% of Yorkshire clergy were living on a stipend of less than six pounds a year.
Dr John Addy
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