The Brownhill Family of Yorkshire.

At first glance there would appear to be four  Brownhill families in Yorkshire; the Brownhills of Stannington, the Brownhills of Ecclesfield, the Brownhills of Rotherham, and the Brownhills of Norton, which is just in Derbyshire, south of Sheffield. However, closer scrutiny indicates that the first three are, in fact, three parts of the same family, whilst the Brownhills of Norton may be a fourth part or a separate family. The Parish Map of the West Riding of Yorkshire shows that Stannington is in fact situated within the Parish of Ecclesfield, not far from Bradfield and, therefore, there can be little or no doubt that the Brownhills of Stannington and Ecclesfield are simply different generations of the same family. The Parish of Rotherham shares a boundary with Ecclesfield and thus is next door. Evidence exists that shows that some of the Brownhills were associated with both parishes and consequently it is reasonable to assume that the Rotherham Brownhills were a branch of the Ecclesfield Brownhills, and, therefore, descended from the Stannington Brownhills - possibly its junior line.   All  the early Brownhills living in Yorkshire or the eastern half of Derbyshire would appear to be members of one or other of these families.

Some years ago S. O. Addy, M.A.,   researched his ancestry,  which included the Brownells of  Ecclesfield, and published his results in the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal, volume 45  pages 91 to 109. He wrote a very good short history of the Brownhill families living within the environs of Sheffield. I have compared his conclusions with my own and find that we are generally in agreement. Therefore, I have no hesitation in accepting that the pedigrees compiled by him  are basically correct.

He, quite rightly, starts the family tree with Adam Brownell of Stannington, who is known to have been living on the 4th. November 1441. Adam held lands in Stannington and was clearly an adult. Consequently, he must have been born at or before 1420. Where did he come from?  At that time the Brownhills lived in Northenden, Cheshire, and in Edinburgh.  Both, in the previous century had used the christian name 'Adam'. Harold Brownhill of Nova Scotia, who belonged to the Ecclesfield family, always believed that the Yorkshire Brownhills were descended from the Scottish Brownhills but offered no evidence to support this. When James Brownhill of  Denby Dale applied for a Coat of Arms in 19l8 he adopted the ancient  motto of the Scottish Brownhills as his own. In doing this was he aware of some  ancient family tradition or did he just simply  learn of the Scottish motto and take a liking to it? I do not know. My  feeling is that Adam Brownell of Stannington was a scion of the Brownhill Family of Northenden and simply crossed the Pennines to make his fortune. I have no evidence to support this view but it sits better with my understanding of history and the local topography. The family, as has been shown, was also associated with Coventry and it is possible that Adam came from that town, but I do not think so. However, we cannot rule out a possible link as will be observed when we consider The Brownhill Family of Derbyshire.

With regard to Ecclesfield,  Addy wrote  'The earliest Ecclesfield baptisms have perished, and there are many imperfections in the Register.'    My records show very little prior to 1621 and I suspect that the family came from nearby Bradfield. Ecclesfield and Rotherham are  next door to each other and the marriage of  Thomas Brownhill with Margaret Gilberthorpe in1559(1560) is mentioned in the registers of both parishes, thus establishing a connexion between the two. The family remained in Rotherham for many generations. Through her mother, HRH Diana, Princess of Wales, is descended from this family, according to an article that appeared in the Genealogists' Magazine, published by the Society of Genealogists, many years ago.

Down through the centuries Sheffield was home to many of the Brownhills and their names appear in its records. However, they can all be traced back to one or other of the four families mentioned above. Many of them were members of the Cutlers Company and some were educated at Cambridge University. There is no doubt that they played their part in the every-day life of the town and doubtless its records have yet to yield  the fullness of their involvement. The most endearing story that I have come across appears on page 188 of Reminiscences of Old Sheffield, which I found at the Society of Genealogists, and refers to a conversation that took place about 1873 between six men. One of these, a Mr. Wragg, told the following story: "At the top of the Hollis Croft was an extensive table knife manufacturer, named Brownhill, who had the premises now occupied by Mr. Stephen Bacon. He had the character of being ready to second anything at the meetings of the Masters' committee; so on one occasion it was moved that all the table-blade grinders should be hung. Mr. Brownhill, either unintentionally or for the sake of the joke, maintained his character by seconding it, and he got in consequence a cognomen of  'Second-the-Motion Brownhill'  to distinguish him from his brother Jonathan, at the Red Hill works. That name stuck to him until his death."  One wonders how many more such stories are to be found in the records of Sheffield.

There would appear to be little doubt that the Brownhills of Stannington, Ecclesfield and Rotherham are all members of one and the same family. Addy has produced a very good pedigree showing the Brownhills of  Stannington, Bradfield and Hope Woodlands from 1441 to 1684. It appears to have been well researched and so far I have been unable to fault it. The connexion between Ecclesfield and Rotherham is established by the marriage of  Thomas Brownhill and Margaret Gilberthorpe in 1559.  Christopher Brownhill of Ecclesfield and his kin are doubtless a junior branch of the earlier Brownhills of Ecclesfield, but this should not be taken for granted until confirming evidence is found.  But what of the Brownhills of Norton?

I have come across a website hosted by rootsweb which covers a line of the Yorkshire Brownells that emigrated to America. It has been constructed by Bill Brownell and is called History of the Brownell Family. It is worth looking at so I have put in a link to it.

The Brownell Family of Stannington.                   Compiled by S. O. Addy

The Brownhill Family of Ecclesfield. (Part 1)      Compiled by F. C. Brownhill

The Brownhill Family of Ecclesfield (Part 2)       Submitted by Harold Brownhill