Gledhill Odds & Ends from Around the World (and beyond)

Let me have your contribution to Gledhill trivia.

Gledhill Library of the Santa Barbara Historical Society - dedicated 1967. The minutes of the Society provided "That in view of the long and dedicated service of W. Edwin and Andriette Gledhill, the library should be known as the 'Gledhill Library'". William Edwin Gledhill b 29 Nov 1888 was a native of Toronto, Canada, and went to Santa Barbara, California, as a teenager. He married Carolyn Even and they had son Keith (see below) and operated a prominent photographic business. After Carolyn's death in 1935 he married Andriette Bowen and became interested in historic preservation. They owned the baronial manorhouse "Glendessary", a sprawling Tudor mansion located in Mission Canyon which was later designated an official historical landmark. His mission in life became to protect the Spanish heritage of Santa Barbara and his efforts were eventually rewarded with the city's enactment of a protective ordinance creating two "El Pueblo Viejo Landmark Districts". This enabled the City to enforce the use of Hispanic architectural styles and to preserve and control the remodeling of the older buildings. He was for some years curator and museum director of the Historical Society. Edwin also claimed to have water divining powers. He died in 1976.

Keith Gledhill (1911-1999), son of the above W. Edwin Gledhill, was a prominent American tennis player who competed in the Davis Cup in the 1930's. He won the U.S. Open Doubles Championship in 1932 and the Australian Open Doubles Championship in 1933, each time partnering Ellsworth Vines.  He took up tennis after his retirement and in 1986 won the National Senior Hardcourt Doubles Tournament which won him a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest span of time (60 years) between his first National championship in 1926, the National Boys Doubles Championship, and his last (1986).  Keith's son David has contributed the tree of this family.

Percy W. Gledhill (1890-1962), the author of the article on the origins of the Gledhills and their name, was a prominent local historian in Sydney, Australia. A park, a lookout and a waterfall, the Upper Gledhill Falls, in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney are named after him.  Visit Ken Duncan's magnificent Gallery Online to view a photo of  Upper Gledhill Falls (click Waterfalls hyperlink and scroll down to "Upper Gledhill Falls").

Gledhill Crater on Mars - named after a British astronomer named Joseph Gledhill who lived from 1836 to 1906.

The Gledhill Museum of Jerseyville, Illinois, which is operated by the Jersey County Historical Society, was named in honor of the Gledhill family of Jerseyville.  The museum is located in the former home of the Gledhill family and sets on Lots 1 & 2 in the original Town of Jerseyville.  This property came into the hands of  Dr. H.R. Gledhill and Cornelia W. Gledhill in 1908.  With the Gledhills occupying the 14 room house, it soon became the center of social activity for the town.  The Gledhills were very gracious hosts and, if they were not entertaining their friends, the Medical Association, or local business people, Mrs. Gledhill would have a group from their church there working on a project.  In those days it was usually a money-making project for something needed at the church.  The heirs of Dorothy Gledhill, the last surviving Gledhill, gave the house to the Jersey County Historical Society in 1991 to be used as a museum. (These details have been kindly provided by the Society).

Joseph Gledhill, grandfather of the above-mentioned Dr. H.R. Gledhill of Jerseyville, Illinois, and five of his brothers were members of the famous Black Horse Cavalry of the Battle of Waterloo of 1815.  Click here for fuller family tree details of  this Gledhill family.

Ruth Gledhill is the Religion Correspondent for "The Times" of London.  She was Highly Commended in the John Templeton  European Religion Writer of the Year award for 1997.  Ruth and her partner Andrew Daniels are dedicated and accomplished dance sport competitors.  See her impressive website at http://www.ruthgledhill.com  for more information on this most versatile and talented Gledhill.

Laurence Gledhill, expert on lion-tailed macaques:  Laurence Gordon Gledhill, a bus driver and former drill-team coach, parlayed his love for animals into a career as an expert on lion-tailed macaques. 
After becoming a keeper at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo in 1964, he rose to senior primate keeper, sharpening his computer research skills until he became knowledgeable about the macaques indigenous to India's Western Ghats Mountains. 
For more than 20 years he was an international stud book keeper and international species coordinator for the Species Survival Plan, a captive-breeding project of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.  He appeared on the television show "Nova" and was invited to India and Iran to work with zoos and breeding programs. 
" 'Laurie' was like a solitary, lovable uncle or grandpa to everybody," said zoo director David Towne.  He said Mr. Gledhill "loved the idea of breeding macaques and getting them back into the wild in India and Tibet.  Animals break down some barriers that people can't." 
Mr. Gledhill died  June 27 1998, aged 65.  
He retired [from Woodland Park Zoo] in 1996 but was hired back as a consultant.  Early on he volunteered to keep the stud book for every lion-tailed macaque in zoos in North America, developing programs detailing the animals' ages and relationships, improving the gene pool. 
"He is totally revered by wildlife people," said Towne.  "For an animal keeper, he became quite a well-known figure around the world.  He was diligent, and he was devoted." 
(Excerpt from obituary in the Seattle Times of Saturday, July 4, 1998.  Laurence Gledhill was Jeff Gledhill of Seattle 's father's cousin..  Through this website Jeff found he was a distant relative of the Santa Barbara Gledhill family in the first item on this page).

Sir Samuel E Gledhill, born 1677, lieutenant-colonel of foot and lieutenant-governor of Placentia, Newfoundland 1719-1727 had a colourful career ( for memoirs of his life see E.R. Yerburgh "Some Notes on our Family History" 1912 p.127). He was one of the sons of Robert Gledhill of Haigh Hall near Wakefield and afterwards of Horbury who served in the Parliamentary army, had 13 children, died 1703, and was buried at Tingley near Morley.

Roger Gledhill has been undertaking a One Name Study on the Gledhills. He has compiled a large database of Gledhill births, marriages, deaths and wills for the UK up to 1900, with 30,000 records at this stage. Roger is willing to do searches over, say, 10 years for a Christian name or location. He would appreciate any help with this work in UK or overseas. Contact Roger at Roger_Gledhill@tesco.net

In the October 1997 journal of the Huddersfield and District Family History Society an article entitled "Nineteenth Century Coal Miners in Kirklees" refers to a Report of the Royal Commission on the Employment of Children (Mines) of 1842. It includes a summary of Medical Examinations of Children in Dewsbury Colliery which lists the following Gledhills:
Henry Gledhill (age 10, already worked in colliery 4 years 3 months, Stature: 3 feet 9.25 inches, Health: respiration impeded),
James Gladhill (age 11, already worked 2 months, 4 feet 2", healthy)
Joshua Gledhill (age 12, already worked for 6 years, 4 feet 1", chicken-breasted),
Sarah Gledhill (age 8, already worked for 2 weeks, 3 feet 5.25", dwarf, but healthy),
Martha Gledhill (age 14, already worked 8 years 6 months, 4 feet 3.5", head affected considerably with the damp) and
Mary Gledhill (age 16, already worked 10 years 6 months, 4 feet 6.5", has been rendered insensible with the damp and her head is bad at times).
[Notes: The height of the works from the floor to the roof where the children "hurry" the coals is 28 inches. Kirklees is a district of Huddersield]

Gleadalls in Trouble  -  Yorkshire Lent Assizes, Castle of York 19 March 1814:
Joseph Gleadall (aged 28), late of Tickhill, in the west riding (Yorkshire), committed the 17 day of January 1814, charged upon the oath of James Rhodes, of the parish of Sprotbrough, in the said riding, carpenter, with having feloniously robbed him of a new pocket knife, one key, and a quantity of silver coin, yo the amount of about eighteen shillings, ...on Saturday evening, the 8 day of January instant, upon the highway.
Gervas Gleadall (aged 25), late of Awkley, in the west riding, labourer, committed the 18 day of January 1814, charged upon the oath of Joseph Tweedale of the parish of Tickhill, in the west riding, with having been concerned in a burglary, committed by him upon the property of the said Joseph Tweedale, and for divers other offences.
Gervas (Jarvis) Gleadall was sentenced to 7 years and was transported as a convict to New South Wales.  He arrived 25 April 1815 on the "Indefatigable".    His age then was 27, and he was described as 5' 10 1/2" tall, ruddy complexion, light brown hair and blue eyes. He was eventually granted Ticket of Leave 1792 and settled at Baulkham Hills near Sydney.

George Gledhill born Leeds 1819 - highwayman in England, transported as convict to New South Wales where he was convicted of bushranging (=highwayman), later freed, changed his name to Gleadhill, married and produced a respectable family of Gleadhill descendants.  See his family tree.

William Gledhill received a 7 year sentence in Yorkshire and was sent as a convict to New South Wales on the "Neptune" in the notorious Second Fleet in 1790 i.e. two years after the new penal colony was established.  Six ships were in the fleet and the convicts endured terrible suffering on the voyage, with 278 dying.  We have yet to search the records to determine if William was one of the survivors.

From the 1787 Directory of Sheffield:- "A LIST OF THE CARRIERS (SHEFFIELD TO) GAINSBRO' From the ROYAL OAK, KING-STREET, GLEDDALL's CART, through Tickhill and Retford, every Tuesday and Saturday. Returns on the same Days."

Elland Parish Registers - Keith Pitchforth is transcribing these registers. Elland is the heart of Gledhill country. If you want to know more about your Gledhills of Elland and nearby for the period 1555-1650 approx, contact Keith at keith@harbottle.demon.co.uk

The crook in the 1945 movie "Along Came Jones" starring Gary Cooper bore the noble name of Gledhill.  The review of the film by Leonard Malin in Cinemania reads "Three stars are most ingratiating in very low-key, leisurely Western spoof, with Cooper (who also produced) mistaken for a notorious outlaw".

Mr Keith A Gledhill MBE CStJ DL was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1992. Armorial Bearings were created prior to this appointment and the shield forming part of these Bearings was hung in the Shield Hall of Lancaster Castle by The Earl of Derby in June 1992,taking its place alongside the shields of High Sheriffs and Monarchs which date back in that Hall to the year 1109. The Shield Hall at Lancaster Castle is open to the public.  Keith Gledhill is President of Gledhill Water Storage Ltd of Blackpool, UK, his brother Houghton is Chairman and sister Norma a Director, with another six members of the family currently active in the day-to-day running of the company which has been a leader in thermal water storage since 1926. Their family hails from Slaithwaite and Halifax in Yorkshire.

Oliver Gledhill, born 1966, is a distinguished English cellist.

Julius Oliver Horatio Napoleon Sydney Percy Gled-Hill left an endowment to the Adelaide Central Methodist Mission (South Australia) in the 1970s.  [I have searched for, but never found, another example of this spelling of the surname Gledhill and I have not been able to trace JOHNSP Gled-Hill's origins- LRG]

Thomas S Gleadhill, a Scotsman, wrote one of the tunes for the Scottish ballad "Thou bonnie wood of Craigie-lea" in about 1851.  This air was the basis of the tune later used for the much-loved Australian national song "Waltzing Matilda".

Are all Gledhills descended from just one Gledhill ancestor?
George Redmonds in his 1973 book "Yorkshire West Riding" argued that many of the distinctive names of the West Riding - such as Ackroyd, Barraclough, GLEDHILL, Murgatroyd and Sykes - each started with just one man in the Middle Ages.  

I'd love some more contributions to this page. Send them to me at Contact Details.

Lloyd R Gledhill

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