Welcome to my Emmott Family Page
More Information about the Emmott Family History Wanted !!
EMMOTT FAMILY HISTORY
This page, when I first started it in January 2000, was all but empty because all the information I had culled over many months was turned into digital porridge by the failure of my previous computer. The earliest records of the Emmott family seem to indicate that they may have had noble origins which came over with William the Conqueror and founded a village or hamlet on the (now) Lancashire/Yorkshire borders, which was known as "Eamot" or some variation of that spelling. A quite substantial house, Emmott Hall, was subsequently built, rebuilt and eventually demolished in 1967. There is still a most interesting and attractive building, "Emmott House", which was once an outbuilding to the main hall and which dates back more than 260 years (date stone shows 1737) - well worth a visit. In the grounds of Emmott House there is also a well, locally known as the "Hullown" or Saint's Well, which seems to have considerable history, including being the alleged spot where the medieval Saxon King Athelstan, in A.D.926, took oaths of allegiance from his nobles. That's all I could remember off the top of my head - as and if I remember more I will edit this page to include it. I have added links wherever appropriate and will continue to add more as I discover them - perhaps you could help by sending me any information YOU have about the family ?
29th November 2001
I have inherited from my late father a book entitled "Cowling a Moorland Parish", written by the Cowling Local History Society and published in November 1980. There's not an awful lot about the Emmott family in this book but what there is is very interesting. I quote here a passage from the very beginning of the book, the full article can be accessed by clicking here
"The Norman regime influenced the area sometime after the Norman Conquest. Land was given to the Emmott brothers as a reward for military support to William the Conqueror. One had land from Laneshawbridge to Haworth, one Laneshawbridge to Blacklane Ends, hence the Emmott Halls at Haworth (which is now Haworth Old Hall) and Laneshawbridge.
The younger brother had the land in Cowling around Beckfoot and Cowling Hill, the Emmott family living at Becksfoot for 400 years, all the Emmotts in and around the village are descended from this branch, the younger brother being Lord of the Manor."
23rd August 2002
The Cowling and Wilsden Emmotts An extract
from an ancient book about the Emmott family and history of the area
The earliest
Emmott family dwelling we have been able to locate in Cowling is called Revel
Knoll (or similar) and was built around the end of the fifteenth century by
one of my (and possibly yours, too) very distant ancestors. In my late
father's account of the Emmotts of Revel Knoll he reports the times as
follows:-
"The first Emmott marriage recorded in Kildwick Parish Register
was that of John Emmott and Isabel Currer on 9th December, 1583. The Currer
family were to achieve greater fame than the Emmotts and their pedigree and
coat of arms appear in Whitakers 'History of Craven'. Isabel was the fourth
daughter of Henry Currer of Kildwick and Ann, daughter of Christopher Wade of
Addingham. Henry was second son of Hugh Currer. Whose son was John? We may
never know.
In 1584, Michaelmas Term, Feet of Fines
show John as the purchaser of the moiety of a messuage with lands in Cowling
from John WatKynson and his wife.
There are also further feet of fines
as follows: -
In 1586, Easter Term, along with 22 others John purchased
the Manors of Cowling and Cononly and 4 messuages with lands there.
In
1604 Easter Terms John and Isabel sold 3 messuages and lands in Cowling and a
20th part of the manor of Cowling and lands in Cowling, Okeworth and
Glusburn.
In 1608-9 Hilary Terms the Earl of Cumberland purchased from
John and others the manor of Cononly and lands and rent in Cononly, Okeworth,
Newsham and Fernyll.
We can only speculate as to whether John already
lived in Cowling or whether he settled there after his marriage. The Currers
would appear to have been a family of some consequence even in those days
although Isabel was only a fourth daughter.
On his death, 12.5.1628,
John is described as paterfamilias of Revel Knoll indicating that Revel Knoll
was a place of importance at a time when reference was largely confined to
Cowling and Stott Hill.
Revel Knoll is unknown to present day
inhabitants of Cowling but Knoll Hill is a feature of the landscape marred,
(alas) by a disused quarry at one end. Knoll Farmhouse sheltered from the
prevailing wind by the hill is undoubtedly Revel Knoll, the ancestral home
until the closing years of the 18th Century. Interestingly, it is
claimed that Knoll Hill Quarry stone was particularly noted for not being as
porous as that of other quarries in the area. Many of the houses in the
village were built with stone from Knoll Hill, as were houses in Colne. It is
also said that the foundation stone of Blackpool Tower came from Knoll Hill.
In spite of this quarry not being exhausted the journey along either Hill Ends
Road or Nan Scar and Winkholme became too steep for horses to move the stone.
In wills of 1716 it was Known as ReavieKnow and in 1780 as Know.
In the census of 1841 there is a Know and its position in the census route
confirms the position in the census route confirms the
position."
John was succeeded by his second son
Christopher (1585 - 1673) and he, in turn, was succeeded by his second son,
George Emmott (1620 - 1687) who, with his wife Mary, had James (1646), Sara
(1648), Daniel (1651), Mary (1654), Margaret (1659), Christopher (1662),
George (1664), Lydia (1668) and a couple of other children who did not survive
to baptism. James followed his father at Revel Knoll and died in 1716. A
transcript of his will can be seen here.
Daniel established himself at Windhill, Christopher built a house at Beckfoot
on which may be seen the date stone CEME 1693. He subsequently moved to
Thornton. George junior built the house at Stubbin, which
showed date stones GEME SE and GME 1700. Stubbin is now (2006) almost
completely gone, having obviously been used as a source of building stone.
Unfortunately, George did not leave a will when he died in January 1687,
paterfamilias Cowling.
I first saw Revel Knoll in 1961 when it was
still in a very primitive state. The floors were of uneven stone slabs and the
farmer wore clogs with horseshoes nailed to the soles. There was a very large
open fireplace and absolutely no mod-cons. You can see a photo of the house at
that time by clicking here.
This photo was taken from the Knoll at the back of the house, where you
understand "back" as being the side facing away from the road although, as was
the almost universal practice in Yorkshire, the most frequently used entrance
would be at the back. Over the years the occupier, who I believe was (possibly
George Wearmouth) in his nineties, died and the house has been gradually
improved, modernised and enlarged as you can see from this
set of pictures.
An early
Emmott family tree
The
earliest Emmott memorial I have found
A copy
of a 1967 newspaper cutting about the fate of Emmott Hall
Old Picture
of Emmott Hall (external link)
Exterior
wall of the "barn" wing of Emmott House, showing Initial and date plates
Hullown
Well, Summer 1999
Julie
Day's website on Emmott Hall, the Emmott Family history and Hullown Farm
Unfortunately I've lost contact with Julie and if anyone can put me in touch
with her I would be grateful
Information about accomodation at
Emmott House and nearby (external link but please note accomodation is
actually no longer available at Emmott House)
Emmott
Old Hall (now Haworth Old Hall) at Haworth
Nic
Wilson's superb Emmott Family Page on the Wharfegen website (external
link)
An
earlier version of the above Emmott Family Page
Wharfedale Family History
Group (follow the links)
Some
Emmotts of Wharfedale (copied, years ago, from Ann Davis's site, which is no longer
available)
Bradford
Timeline article on an Emmott building in Wilsden - built by my great, great,
great grandfather !! (external link)
Cowling Web A treasurehouse of old
pictures and information about the Cowling area of Yorkshire
Cowling MoonRakersHistorical links
and information about Cowling
Carr
Head EstateMany properties in Cowling were owned in 1923 y the Carr Head
Estate and were auctioned at Keighley - lots of details here.
One Guy from Barlick
Another veritable treasurehouse of information, this time from the past and
present of Pendle and West Craven. I have saved parts of one page
containing details of a payment in 1762, against the will of Richard Emmott,
and the seating allotment for Colne Church in 1635 - makes interesting reading
for the serious Emmott Family Historian. The original (long) page can be found
here
 Pendle on the Net |
Finally, something completely different !! I have a website on the Railways of Majorca which can be accessed here.