Email from Peter Dzik
  April 15, 2011

Subject: further rewriting improvement re: theory on your Norton ancestors

Hi jack,
am finding further details which seem to indicate strongly your ancestor James YARDLEY (1761 - 1815) originally came from edge of Norton in the Moors parish, where it meets rural Leek parish - in the area of Clay Lake, Endon. Leek PARISH Registers show marriage  of a John Yardley and Anne Boughey in 1752, and Anne BOUGHEY was a recorded land owner on edge of Longsdon/Endon.. In MAY 1761 baptism of James Eardley of John and Hannah Eardley recorded at Leek. This fits perfectly with the recorded age of death of  54 of your James Yardley in Norton in early 1815.  Records of chapel of Endon (then part Leek parish) show several births to John and Anne Yeardley after 1752, including John in March 1756. John Yardley of Closegate, Horton was to baptise a short lived son in 1795 as James. On this John's gravestone it gives his age at death on Oct. 13, 1798 as 42. This fits correctly with the previously mentioned baptism in 1756. Now this John (married to Ursula) has often been thought of as Solomon's son, baptised in 1752, as no other record of a John Yardley existed up to present, as these early Endon records up to 1805 are not on IGI.. Now a second John is in the area. A visit to Lichfield needed to find parents of the elder John in Horton parish. This explains your James's CONNECTIONS TO NORTON, with his known residence there after marriage to Amy Brindley. WILL send map showing close positions of these areas. It also means you are definitely related to the Yardleys of Bucks county and all the Quakers there, going back to Eardley Hall, and of course a distant relative of Robert E.Lee.
As Endon chapel was part of the larger Leek parish and only baptisms and burials could be separately recorded there; marriages recorded in Leek registers. However a few are in the endon records. What is curious are the spellings as Yeardley, not Yardley. Includes baptism of Phoebe in 1740 to John and Mary of Clay Lake, and death of Mary in Feb. 1751.
bye pete

Church of England Registers
The register of St Luke, Endon, commences in 1731. The original registers for the period 1731-1984 (Bapts), 1863-1966 (Mar) & 1731-1977 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1805-1862 (Bapts & Bur) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office. (Post 1812 listed under 'Leek, Chapelry of Endon')
The register of St Chad, Longsdon, commences in 1906. The original registers for the period 1906-1994 (Bapts) & 1906-1993 (Mar) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
 

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