Irene Preston's Historical Writing
Norbury Parish Church by kind permission of David Scott.
NORBURY
Norbury means a northern bur or fortification, dating from 900 AD it is
now incorporated into Hazel Grove, Cheshire but in 1086 Norbury included
Offerton and Torkington. A family took the name of Norbury and in
1220-30, Agnes, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Norbury, married
Robert de Hyde and the Hyde family held Norbury for 500 years. In the
14th century Sir John Hyde was a rough soldier who, with his archers,
served with the Black Prince. He took bribes from those wishing to avoid
recruitment and was found guilty of mutilating a servant. He and his son
murdered Geofrey de Hondford over a legal dispute. He was pardoned as he
was a good leader of archers and needed by the Prince. Many crimes were
pardoned if the guilty offered their services to the King and Prince to
fight in the many wars in Wales, France and Scotland.
Edward Hyde, who was created the Earl of Clarendon by Charles II in
1661, was the grandson of Lawrence, a younger son of Robert of Hyde Hall
and Norbury. It was Edward's daughter, Ann, who was seduced by the
King's brother, James the Duke of York, while she was acting as a maid
of honour to his sister Mary. Ann became pregnant and they were married
in secret in 1660 but the baby died. She had nine children of which only
two girls survived, Mary and Anne, who later became Queens of England.
Ann was Duchess of York but she died in 1671 before James became King
James II.
Frances Jenyns became maid of honour to the Duchess in 1663 and her
sister Sarah, later Duchess of Marlborough, also became part of the
royal household hence her influence with Queen Anne.
Edward Hyde of Norbury, not to be confused with Earl of Clarendon, sold
Norbury and the coal pits to Lord Newton, Peter Legh of Lyme Hall, in
the 17th century. In 1712 Edward Hyde joined the religious exodus to the
Americas and was appointed the first Governor of the new province of
Carolina. The male line of this family died out and a daughter married
George Clarke of Bath and took the name of Hyde-Clarke and went to New
York as Governor. A later member of this family made a fortune in
Jamaica and another was a friend of Napoleon III.
Queen Anne's Bounty is the name given to an act of parliament in 1704.
The Queen requested that the tithe money, a 10th she received as head of
the church, should be used to augment the incomes of the impoverished
clergy.