SHIBDEN GRANGE.

This ancient house, situated just outside the ancestral park of Mr. Lister, who is now the owner of it, having purchased it in 1857, was formerly called Godley Grange, in the township of Northowram.

The Antiquarian Society of Bradford paid a visit here in 1890, and Mr. Lister, who was the President, read an interesting account of it, in which he endeavoured to trace the owners of this ancient place of habitation from the days of King Edward II to those of Victoria.

"How many generations had that roof-tree sheltered! How many scenes of domestic bliss and sorrow had those ivy-clad walls harboured !" Originally, a timber structure, Alice de Godelay, a widow, lived here, temp. Edward II, and her name and that of her son appears at the court-leets held at Brighouse for the graveship of Hipperholme, which was part and parcel of the great lordship and honour of Wakefield.

In 1330 there was living, here, William de Sunderland (of this family more anon), and John Drake of Horley Green. Gilbert Saltonstall was owner in 1516. He was descended from Robert de Saltonstall, who was entered in the local court-rolls, as holding lands in Saltonstall, in the township of Warley, near Halifax, in 1274.

In the Subsidy Roll for Northowram, dated 1524, Richard Saltonstall, of Godley, was assessed for forty shillings in lands, his value being two-thirds of that of Richard Sunderland, the latter being the wealthiest man in the township.

Richard Saltonstall was a clothier, and, like his neighbour, Richard Sunderland, of High Sunderland, was guilty of the practice of putting "such deceivable things" as flocks and thrums in the cloth that he manufactured at Godley.

Human nature has always been the same, and, as I am very fond of saying, is a profound study. In the present day, these two models of traders, Messrs. Saltonstall and Sunderland, would be called very sharp

men of business, looking out for Number One, which

is considered very respectable in these days of extensive advertising.

In 1587, Gilbert Saltonstall lived here.

He was

son and heir of Richard Saltonstall, of High Saltonstall, in Warley. Of this family was Sir Richard Saltonstall, Knt., a "skynner" and merchant by trade, who was Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1598.

He was a son of Gilbert Saltonstall, of Halifax, who bought Rookes in Hipperholme (where the ancient family of Rookes spring from), and other lands in the parish of Halifax.

Sir Richard had copyhold lands in Hipperholme, which were surrendered, at his death, to his son and heir, Richard Saltonstall, of the Middle Temple, London. Sir Richard's mansions were at "Mynchenlane", London, and South Ockenden, near Romford, in Essex.

His descendants were those of London, Essex, and Hertfordshire; and some settled in America.

Of this family we have the following notes from Morant's History of Essex :

Thomas Pointz, Esq., of South Ockendon, living in 1530, had a daughter, Susannah, who married Sir Richard Saltonstall, Knt., of South Ockenden.

"Sir John Harleston, Knt., Lord of the manor of Groves, in South Ockenden, had a daughter, Mary, who married Gilbert Saltonstall, Esq. (eldest son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, Lord Mayor of London), who died in 1585. Half the manor of Ockenden went to his heirs.

He died

"The Lord Mayor had seven sons and nine danghters. in 1601, aged 80 years. His descendants continued at South Ockenden till the beginning of the eighteenth century."

For some time previous to 1672, according to Mr. Lister, the Godley estate belonged to John Kershaw, supposed to have been of Norwood Green, near Halifax.

"About 1672 John Kershaw was succeeded in ownership by Richard Hoyle, probably a well-to-do clothier. He and his wife Martha had three daughters, co-heirs, of whom Phoebe married, in 1679, Thomas, son of Richard Rayner, gent., of Milne Bridge, Heckmondwike.

"Thomas Rayner succeeded to the Godley estate. From him it came to his son Richard, and he conveyed it to his younger son Richard, who, by his will, dated September 21, 1781, left the property to Sarah Wilson, who died in 1816, and who was succeeded by her son and heir, Richard Rayner Wilson. He sold this estate to a Mr. Carr, of whom it was purchased by Mr. John Lister, of Shibden Hall, in 1857."

NOEL HALL, OR HIGH SUNderland.

This is a large and curious house, situated on a hill overlooking the Vale of Shibden, and within a mile from the town of Halifax. The land here was held by Matthew de Sonderland till 1285, when he died, and by Wm. de Sunderland in 1306, as stated in the Brighouse Court Rolls. The house at High Sunderland was either the work of Richard Sunderland, who married Susan Saltonstall, and who died about 1576, or of his son Abraham, who married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of Peter Langdale Esq., as mentioned before (and sister of Marmaduke, Lord Langdale); probably of the latter, as there are the arms of Saltonstall and Langdale, impaled with Sunderland, on the windows. They also contain the shield of six quarterings of Sunderland, which belong mostly to the Langdales, as the shield of Sunderland, as far as I know, ought to be, simply, Sunderland-" Per pale or and azure, three lioncels passant, counterchanged (a very pretty coat), quartering Langdale sable, a chevron between three estoiles of six points wavy argent."

This shield of six quarterings, surmounted by the family crest, "a goat's head", is repeated over the entrance doorway, to the left of the building. On the front of the house are Latin inscriptions sounding the praises of the family.

They had a town house at Delft, in Holland, and one at Glasgow, in Scotland, bearing similar inscriptions to those sculptured on this Yorkshire mansion; yet, in spite of their self-glorification, their estate was soon alienated, for the son of Abraham Sunderland and Elizabeth Langdale, Langdale Sunderland, who raised and maintained, at his own expense, a troop of horse for the service of his King in the great rebellion, sold all his estates. He died at Aketon Hall, and was buried in Featherstone church, near Pontefract, in 1698.

The family is still represented in the parish of Halifax, at Coley Hall, in Hipperholme township, by a younger