(627) Bill of Farley Hall and Storthes Hall

Bill of Farley Hall

Many landed families owe their status to one or two individuals who have brought the family game-changing wealth or power through their abilities in politics, the law, the armed services, or industry. Not so the Bills, whose rise into the Staffordshire county gentry was almost imperceptible, and was achieved by the patient acquisition of property through judicious marriages and purchases over a couple of centuries. It was a family with numerous junior branches around Staffordshire, the exact connections between whom it is beyond the scope of this project to disentangle, as many of them remained below the threshhold of gentility. Here I follow the upwardly mobile Bills of Farley Hall, whose story begins with Richard Bill (d. 1656). He came from Norbury (Derbys) and called himself a yeoman, but was the first of his family to acquire property at Farley (in 1607), and is said to have built the core of the present Farley Hall. He married Elizabeth Shenton, the heiress of the Shentons of Farley Hall, and continued to make small purchases of land in Farley and the surrounding parishes throughout his life. Richard and Elizabeth had three sons, of whom the youngest and the eventual heir was Robert Bill (c.1625-1710), who settled in his father's lifetime at Stanton in Ellastone parish, and seems to have continued living there after his father's death. Robert and his wife Joan Jefferson also had three sons, who each received a portion of his property, with the eldest, Richard Bill (1645-1716), being the heir to Farley Hall. Richard was for some 20 years bailiff of the Earl of Shrewsbury's Alton estate, which adjoined his own estate, and perhaps for that reason lived at Alton Lodge rather than Farley.

Richard's youngest son and eventual heir was Robert Bill (c.1684-1751), who was married twice and sired an eye-watering nineteen children, although all the six children of his first marriage seem to have died young. His second family was much more successful, with five sons and four daughters out of thirteen children achieving adulthood, and several of them living notably long lives. His eldest surviving son and chief heir was Robert Bill (1720-61), whose estates extended across the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border and also into Cheshire. He died aged forty, having already lost his wife, and leaving as his heir his only child, Robert Bill (1753-80). The young Robert was probably brought up in the household of one of his uncles, and when he came to adulthood chose a military career, dying during the siege of Gibraltar in 1780. The management of the Farley estate had been, throughout his minority, in the hands of his uncle Charles Bill (1721-1809), a London solicitor with chambers in the Temple, who acquired property at Marlborough (Wilts) and Sydenham (Kent), and on Robert's death in 1780 Charles came into ownership of the Farley estate. Soon afterwards, in 1782, Charles engaged Thomas Gardner (c.1737-1804) of Uttoxeter to remodel the house and build a new main front, but it is not clear how much he used the house, and at the end of his long life he handed the estate over to a nephew and retired to his house at Sydenham.

The beneficiary of this arrangement was Dr John Bill (1757-1847), who was one of the surgeons to Manchester Royal Infirmary from 1790-1804. He was the younger son of Charles' brother, the Rev. John Bill (1726-1806), the Cambridge-educated rector of Draycott-le-Moors (Staffs). On coming into the property, Dr Bill retired from his profession and took up residence at Farley Hall, which he enjoyed for more than forty years. When he died the estate passed to his only surviving son, John Bill (1795-1853), who qualified as a barrister but did not practice.  In 1827 he made a trip to America, of which in later years he published an account. He survived his father by only some six years, and at his death left two sons, the elder of whom died while a pupil at Harrow in 1856. The estate then devolved on the younger son, Charles Bill (1843-1915), who after Eton and Oxford went on to Lincoln's Inn and qualified as a barrister. In seeming contrast with his father, he had an active public life, serving as MP for Leek, 1892-1906, Colonel of the North Staffordshire militia, and a director of the North Staffordshire Railway Co. He married a daughter of the Fitzherberts of Somersal Herbert (Derbys), and they had two sons and a daughter (who became a Roman Catholic Sister of Mercy). The eldest son, Charles Fitzherbert Bill (1872-1955) was an engineer who had a career with the militia battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment that took him to the Boer War and the First World War. After the war, he gave up Farley Hall, which was advertised to let in 1920. For the next thirty years the house had a chequered existence, being tenanted as a school, a guest house and a youth hostel, before returning to private occupation. At his death, it passed to his niece, Pamela (1912-62), who occupied it for some years with her husband, Christopher Clifford (1910-86) and their four sons. In 1958, Clifford, who owned a pottery firm in Stoke-on-Trent, was appointed managing director of Royal Worcester Porcelain, and the family had to move south (eventually renting Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire). They let Farley Hall, hoping that one of their sons would choose to live there when they grew up, but in about 1970 the family took the decision to sell the estate, which was purchased by Anthony Bamford (b. 1945), now Lord Bamford.

One other branch of the family must be considered here. The elder son of Rev. John Bill (1726-1806) of Draycott-le-Moors was Robert Bill (1754-1806), who pursued a career as a merchant and East India Company official on the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). On his return to England, he married in 1791 Dorothy Horsfall, one of the daughters of William Horsfall (d. 1780) of Storthes Hall, Huddersfield (Yorks WR). Horsfall, who had no male heir, had left his property to his widow and daughters, who in the late 1780s came to a family agreement that they would rebuild Storthes Hall so that it could provide a home for such of the sisters as remained unmarried, and pass after their deaths to the children of the sisters who had married. As a result of this unusual arrangement, the house was occupied by two of Dorothy's sisters until 1818. They then moved out and handed the property over to Dorothy's son, Charles Horsfall Bill (1792-1863), who was the only child of any of the five sisters. He occupied the house until 1846, by which time he had inherited the freehold, but after that he let it, and it was occupied as a private school for some twenty years. His eldest son, Charles Horsfall Bill (1818-1908), who inherited in 1863, continued to let the house - this time to private tenants - and lived a curious peregrinating existence, taking houses from Dorset to Aberdeenshire for a few months or a few years at a time. He eventually acquired the town house (now an inn) called The Priory in Tetbury (Glos) as a more permanent base, although he seems to have continued to rent additional houses as well. In 1898 he sold Storthes Hall estate to a middle-man, who promptly resold it to the West Riding County Council, which developed a pauper lunatic asylum in the grounds. The house itself became a home for the mentally handicapped until 1991 when the whole hospital site was closed. 

Farley Hall, Staffordshire

The core of the house seems to be a 17th century building, three gables wide, which is said to have been erected after 1607 for Richard Bill. This had a stone ground floor and was timber-framed above, but the 17th century origins are now only really suggested by the north side, which has gables, a mix of smaller and larger casement windows, and a general irregularity which hints at a complex evolution.

Farley Hall: the north front c.1970. Image: Staffordshire Record Office C/P/65/7/1/15/8/1 (43/13593)

Farley Hall: the house from the south-east, 1929. Image: Country Life.

In 1784 the house was extensively remodelled by Thomas Gardner (c.1737-1804) for Charles Bill (1721-1809). He created a new south front, with two-storey canted bow windows at either end and classical fenestration with sash windows, above which the three gables of the older house float. He was probably also responsible for building the whitewashed stable block to the west of the house.  The tripartite window in the centre of the first floor of the south front may well be a later alteration, and a single-bay two-storey wing to the right of the south front may be of the same date, since it has similar fenestration. Running further east from the wing is a tall plain stone wall, from which projects a most attractive D-shaped greenhouse with a domed top and ashlar plinth. This must date from the mid 19th century, for it is the sort of decorative glasshouse popularised by J.C. Loudon. The wall continues to a later Gothic billiard room, erected by William Evans in 1866, which seems to have been designed with the qualities of both a lodge and a chapel in mind. It is a curious little building; detached billiard rooms were surely a rarity so perhaps it was also designed to be the smoking room of a household which detested tobacco fumes?

Farley Hall: the house from the south-west, c.1970. Image: Staffordshire Record Office C/P/65/7/1/15/5/1 (43/13597)

The last addition to the house of great significance was the application, sometime in the later 19th century, of nailed-on laths to suggest the semi-timbering which genuinely lay underneath. There have been 20th century changes too, involving some demolition on the north side, which altered the footprint of the house after the 1920s. Just before the Second World War, the house briefly became a youth hostel, but this closed on the outbreak of hostilities and it returned to private ownership. The house was restored for Sir Anthony (now Lord) Bamford, the managing director of JCB plc, who later bought Daylesford Park (Glos) and inherited nearby Wootton Lodge.

Descent: built 1607 for Richard Bill (d. 1656); to son, Robert Bill (c.1625-1710); to son, Richard Bill (1645-1716); to son, Robert Bill (c.1684-1751); to son, Robert Bill (1720-61); to son, Robert Bill (1753-80); to uncle, Charles Bill (1721-1809); to nephew, Dr. John Bill (1758-1848); to son, John Bill (1795-1853); to son, Charles Bill (1843-1915); to son, Charles Fitzherbert Bill (1872-1955); to niece, Pamela (1912-62), wife of John Bertram Christopher Clifford (1910-86); sold c.1970 to Sir Anthony Bamford (b. 1945), later Baron Bamford.

The house was advertised to let furnished in 1920; the contents were sold in 1921, and the property was let to Overdale School for Girls c.1922-27, and thereafter to Miss Gladys Hunt, who ran it as a guest house (bankrupt 1932); in 1936 it was let to the Youth Hostels Association, but closed at the beginning of the Second World War. It was let again from 1959 to Mr & Mrs John Goodwin (fl. 1968).

Storthes Hall, Kirkburton, Yorkshire (WR)

Storthes Hall: sketch by John Warburton, c.1720. 

Very little is known about the earlier house on this site, which is recorded in a crude sketch of about 1720 by John Warburton showing a gabled manor house. It seems likely that this was built in the early 17th century after Richard Horsfall had purchased the estate from the eponymous Storthes family.

The Jacobean house was cleared away before the present building was built in 1787-90 for the Misses Horsfall to the designs of William Lindley (1739-1818) of Doncaster (Yorks WR). This has a severely plain seven bay front of two-and-a-half storeys, with a pediment over the middle three bays, and a porch with Doric columns and a segmental pediment. A lower two-storey three-bay service wing adjoins the house on the left, recessed by almost the full depth of the house, from the end of which another wing projects forward. In the 19th century this was a four-bay two-storey block, slightly lower than the service wing, but it appears to have been replaced in the 20th century by a wing of similar proportions that has five windows on each floor that are not even spaced but rather clustered towards its outer end.

Storthes Hall: a Victorian engraving of the house before it became part of the Storthes Hall Hospital.

Storthes Hall: the house today.

In 1897 the house and grounds were acquired by the West Riding County Council as the site of the 4th West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, for which grand new hospital buildings were erected by Joseph Vickers Edwards, the West Riding County Architect, from 1902 onwards. The Georgian house was used as an institution for the mentally handicapped, and known as the 'Mansion Hospital'. The whole hospital site closed in 1991, after which most of the hospital buildings were demolished, except for the gabled administration building of 1902-17 and the Georgian house, which was returned to private ownership. Part of the hospital site was redeveloped c.2000 for Huddersfield University's student village, but these buildings were themselves demolished in 2025 ahead of a planned large housing development. The mansion house stood empty and boarded up for some years, but was subsequently restored and returned to private ownership.

Descent: Thomas Storthes (fl. 1603); sold after 1603 to Richard Horsfall; to son, Richard Horsfall (d. 1644); to son, Col. Richard Horsfall (1612-68); to son, William Horsfall (d. 1711); to son, John Horsfall (d. 1722); to son, Richard Horsfall (d. 1731); to son, William Horsfall (d. 1780); to his widow and five daughters who rebuilt the hall in 1787-90 and occupied until  1818, after which it passed to Charles Bill (1792-1863), the only son of Dorothy Horsfall (d. 1792); to son, Charles Horsfall Bill (1818-1908), who sold 1898 to Thomas Norton, who sold 1898 to West Riding County Council; transferred 1948 to National Health Service; sold 1991...  The house was let from 1846-65 to Peter Inchbald, who ran a boarding school for boys, and later by Benjamin Lockwood, woollen manufacturer, and Joseph Armitage Armitage (d. 1898).

Bill family of Farley Hall

Bill, Richard (d. 1656). Parentage unknown, born at Norbury (Derbys). Yeoman. He married Elizabeth Shenton of Farley Hall, and had issue:

(1) John Bill (fl. 1634); married and had issue one daughter; living in 1634;

(2) Richard Bill (d. 1649?); died without issue, and perhaps the man of this name whose will was proved at Lichfield in 1649;

(3) Robert Bill (c.1625-1711) (q.v.).

He settled at Farley Hall in 1607.

He died in about April 1656; his probate inventory was sworn 1 May 1656. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bill, Robert (c.1625-1711). Third and youngest son of Richard Bill (d. 1656) and his wife Elizabeth Shenton, born about 1625. He married, perhaps c.1642, Joan Jefferson, and had issue:

(1) Mary Bill (1643-1712?), baptised at Ellastone (Staffs), 24 August 1643; married, 8 August 1665 at Ellastone, Joseph alias Josias Whieldon of Ipstones (Staffs), and had issue; perhaps the woman of this name buried at St Werburgh, Derby, 14 July 1712;

(2) Richard Bill (1645-1716) (q.v.);

(3) William Bill (fl. 1676), of Stanton in Ellastone, yeoman; died without issue;

(4) John Bill (d. 1726), of Mayfield (Staffs); married, 1680 (licence 11 November), Dorothy Ensor (1658-1733) of Tissington (Derbys), and had issue two sons and three daughters (including John Bill (1686-1770), who was king's messenger to Hanover, and died a Poor Knight of Windsor); died 1 October 1726; will proved at Lichfield, 1726;

(5) Margaret Bill (fl. 1676); married, 1676 (settlement 10 June), John Smith of Stanton in Ellastone.

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1656, but may have lived at Stanton in Ellastone.

He was buried at Ellastone, 6 March 1710/11. His wife is said to have died in 1701, but I have not been able to trace a burial.

Bill, Richard (1645-1716). Eldest son of Robert Bill (c.1625-1710) and his wife Joan Jefferson, baptised at Ellastone (Staffs), 26 January 1644/5. Bailiff to the Earl of Shrewsbury's Alton estate in the late 17th and early 18th century. He was also involved in lead mining, leasing land on his estate to prospectors. He married 1st, c.1669 (settlement 17 December), Hannah Morris (1650-94) of Cotton Hall, Cheadle (Staffs), and 2nd, 3 May 1700 at Alton (Staffs), Mary Prince (1654-1719), and had issue:

(1.1) Jane Bill (c.1673-1703), born about 1673; married, by 1693, Thomas Masgreave of Alton, and had issue three sons; buried at Alton, 29 March 1703;

(1.2) Joan Bill (c.1675-1718), born about 1675; married, 16 November 1694 at Ipstones (Staffs), William Rushton (1673-1759), son of Anthony Rushton (1654-1734), and had issue six sons and four daughters; buried at Alton, 17 March 1717/8;

(1.3) Robert Bill (1677-78), baptised at Alton, 8 February 1676/7; died in infancy, 5 December 1678;

(1.4) Richard Bill (b. 1680), baptised at Alton, 12 August 1680; living in 1715; 

(1.5) Robert Bill (1684-1751) (q.v.);

(1.6) Hannah Bill (1685-1766), baptised at Alton, 4 November 1685; married, 27 December 1714 at Alton, Roger Sutton (1683-1752), husbandman, and had issue four sons and two daughters; buried at Alton, 6 March 1766.

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1710, and also owned Alton Lodge.

He was buried at Alton, 26 May 1716; his will was proved at Lichfield, 11 October 1716. His first wife was buried at Alton, 23 July 1694. His widow was buried at Alton, 12 November 1719.

Bill, Robert (c.1684-1751). Third, but second surviving, son of Richard Bill (1645-1716) and his wife Hannah Morris, born about 1684. Landowner and farmer. He married 1st, 23 February 1708 at Doveridge (Derbys), Winifred Adams (d. 1717) of Norbury (Derbys) and 2nd, 21 December 1718 at Rolleston (Staffs), Lydia (1692-1755), daughter of Robert Hurst of Cheadle Grange (Staffs), and had issue:

(1.1) Robert Bill (b. & d. 1710), baptised at Alton, 20 February 1709/10; probably the child of this name buried at Alton, 22 April 1710;

(1.2) Richard Bill (b. & d. 1711), baptised at Alton, 7 May 1711; died in infancy and was buried at Alton, 20 May 1711;

(1.3) Hannah Bill (b. 1712), baptised at Alton, 28 June 1712; probably died young;

(1.4) Christopher Bill (1713-14), baptised at Alton, 9 May 1713; died in infancy and was buried at Alton, 2 December 1714;

(1.5) Catherine Bill (b. & d. 1714), baptised at Alton, 12 July 1714; died in infancy and was buried at Alton, 21 July 1714;

(1.6) Winifred Bill (1715-17), baptised at Alton, 5 July 1715; died in infancy and was buried at Alton, 8 June 1717;

(2.1) Margaret Bill (1719-80), baptised at Alton, 11 November 1719; married, 23 December 1754 at Alton, Rev. Francis Ward (1731-83), perpetual curate of Croxden (Staffs), 1758-83 and rector of Stanford-on-Soar (Notts), 1771-75, and had issue at least two sons; died 18 April and was buried at Alton, 23 April 1780;

(2.2) Robert Bill (1720-61), baptised at Alton, 24 December 1720; farmer and landowner with property in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire; married, 17 December 1752 at Elvaston (Derbys), Alice (1727-57), daughter of William Storer of Manchester, and had issue one son (Lt. Robert Bill (1753-80) who died during the siege of Gibraltar, 1780); died 30 April 1761, and was buried at Alton, where he is commemorated on his father's monument; will proved in the PCC, 6 May 1761;

(2.3) Charles Bill (1721-1809) (q.v.); 

(2.4) Lydia Bill (1722-97), baptised at Alton, 14 November 1722; married, 3 January 1743 at Kingsley (Staffs), John Gilbert (1724-95) of Cotton Hall, Cheadle (Staffs) and later of Worsley Hall (Lancs), joint agent (with his brother Thomas) to the Marquess of Stafford and Duke of Bridgwater, canal-building pioneer, and had issue at least three sons and one daughter; died 22 November and was buried in the Egerton family vault at Eccles (Lancs), 25 November 1797; will proved at Lancaster, 21 December 1797;

(2.5) Francis Bill (1723-1813), baptised at Alton, 13 February 1723/4; married, 18 January 1757 at Alton, Dorothy (1735-1809), daughter of William Hall Walton, and had issue four sons and three daughters; died in London aged 90, and was buried at St George-in-the-East, London, 1 January 1814;

(2.6) Elizabeth Bill (1724-1809), baptised at Alton, 23 February 1724/5; married, 10 November 1754 at Alton, Michael Barbour (c.1719-82) of London and Stone (Staffs), and had issue two sons and three daughters; buried at Lewisham (Kent), 13 June 1809; will proved in the PCC, 13 June 1811;

(2.7) Rev. John Bill (1726-1806) (q.v.);

(2.8) William Bill (1727-84), baptised at Alton, 23 November 1727; married, 26 October 1752 at Draycott-le-Moors (Staffs), Mary (d. 1802), daughter of William Hall Walton, and had issue five sons and six daughters (including the inventor, Robert Bill (1754-1821)); died intestate, 18 November 1784; administration of goods granted 28 April 1785;

(2.9) Winifred Bill (b. & d. 1729), baptised at Alton, 6 January 1728/9; died in infancy and was buried at Alton, 2 February 1728/9;

(2.10) Mary Bill (b. 1730), baptised at Alton, 7 April 1730; perhaps died young;

(2.11) Rupert Bill (1731-49), baptised at Alton, 24 May 1731; apprenticed to Henry Cooper of London, feltmaker, 1747; said to have died unmarried, 20 or 22 September 1749;

(2.12) Ann Bill (b. & d. 1733), baptised at Alton, 17 March 1732/3; died in infancy, 28 August 1733;

(2.13) Penelope Bill (1735-61), baptised at Alton, 4 October 1735; married, 23 September 1755 at Alton, Edmund Smith (c.1730-77) of Underwood, Rochdale (Lancs), merchant, (who m2, 11 October 1762 at St Mary, Ousebridge (Yorks), Mary Rayner, and had further issue), and had issue two daughters; died 20 July and was buried 23 July 1761 at St Chad, Rochdale, where she is commemorated on her husband's monument.

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1716.

He died 22 February and was buried at Alton 25 February 1750/1, where he is commemorated on a monument. His first wife was buried at Alton, 8 June 1717. His widow died 18 September and was buried at Alton, 21 September 1769, where she is commemorated on her husband's monument.

Charles Bill (1721-1809) 

Bill, Charles (1721-1809). Second son of Robert Bill (c.1684-1751) and his second wife, Lydia, daughter of Robert Hurst of Cheadle (Staffs), baptised at Alton (Staffs), 5 December 1721. A solicitor with chambers in the Temple, London. JP for Staffordshire. He was unmarried and without issue.

He lived at Marlborough (Wilts) and inherited the Farley Hall estate from his nephew in 1780. At the end of his long life he seems to have handed over Farley Hall to his nephew, Dr John Bill, and moved to Sydenham (Kent). 

He died at Sydenham, 6 January, and was buried at Alton, 21 January 1809, where he is commemorated on the family monument; his will was proved 19 April 1809 (effects under £45,000).

Bill, Rev. John (1726-1806). Fourth son of Robert Bill (c.1684-1751) and his second wife Lydia, daughter of Robert Hurst of Cheadle (Staffs), baptised at Alton, 29 May 1726. Educated at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated 1745; BA 1749). Ordained deacon, 1749 and priest, 1750. Curate of Hatley St. George (Cambs), 1749-50 and rector of Draycott-le-Moors (Staffs), 1750-1806. He married, c.1750*, Mary (1723-1800), daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Harrison (1688-1749) of Dilhorne Hall (Staffs), and had issue:

(1) Maria Bill (1753-1847), baptised at Dilhorne, 8 April 1753; married, 7 April 1774 at Draycott-le-Moors, as his second wife, William Burton of Sheffield, surgeon, and had issue one son and one daughter; died at Bath (Som.), 14 April, and was buried at St Mary's Chapel, Bath, 22 April 1847; her will was proved in the PCC, 11 June 1847;

(2) Robert Bill (1754-1806) [for whom see below, Bill family of Storthes Hall];

(3) Dr. John Bill (1757-1847) (q.v.);

(4) Susannah Bill (1763-68), baptised at Draycott-le-Moors, 29 December 1763; died young and was buried at Draycott-le-Moors, 25 September 1768.

He died 25 May 1806, and was buried at Alton (Staffs), where he is commemorated on a family monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 10 June 1806. His wife died 29 December 1800 and was buried 5 January 1801 at Alton (Staffs), where she is commemorated on a family monument.

* The date and place of marriage have escaped me; it was not registered at either Dilhorne or Draycott-le-Moors.

Bill, Dr. John (1757-1847). Younger son of Rev. John Bill (1726-1806) and his wife Mary, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Harrison (1688-1749) of Dilhorne Hall (Staffs), born 13 April and baptised at Draycott-le-Moors (Staffs), 17 April 1757. A surgeon and apothecary, who practised at Manchester by 1788 and was surgeon to the Manchester Royal Infirmary, 1790-1804, when he retired and moved to Farley Hall. He became blind some years before his death. He married, 5 December 1785 at Bury (Lancs), Esther (1767-1833), daughter of Samuel Grundy of Lyme Field, Bury (Lancs), and had issue:

(1) John Bill (b. & d. 1787), born 5 May 1787; died in infancy and was buried at St Ann, Manchester, 25 May 1787;

(2) Robert Bill (1789-1823), born 15 August and baptised at St Ann, Manchester, 6 November 1789; educated at Macclesfield and Oriel College, Oxford (matriculated 1807; BA 1812; MA 1814) and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1811); lived at Blackheath Park (Kent); married, 4 January 1820 at St George, Bloomsbury (Middx), Louisa (1796-1870), daughter of Philip Dauncey KC, and had issue three daughters; died in the lifetime of his father, 12 October, and was buried at Cheshunt (Herts), 21 October 1823;

(3) Charles Bill (1790-91); born 23 August 1790; died in infancy, 12 January, and was buried at St Ann, Manchester, 14 January 1791;

(4) Mary Bill (1792-1854), baptised at St Ann, Manchester, 5 October 1792; married, 22 May 1823 at Alton (Staffs), Rev. Edward Whieldon (1787-1859) of Hales Hall (Staffs), and had issue two sons and one daughter; buried at Cheadle (Staffs), 22 May 1854;

(5) Lydia Bill (1794-1859), baptised at St Ann, Manchester, 25 April 1794; married, 28 November 1817 at Alton, Dr. Thomas Mayo MD FRS (1790-1871), physician to Marylebone Infirmary (FRCP, 1819; President of Royal College of Physicians, 1857-62); buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London, 1 February 1859;

(6) John Bill (1795-1853) (q.v.).

He inherited the Farley Hall estate from his uncle in 1809.

He died 6 April, and was buried at Alton (Staffs), 14 April 1847, where he is commemorated on the family monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 25 June 1847. His wife died 7 December 1833 and was buried at Alton (Staffs), where she is also commemorated on the family monument.

Bill, John (1795-1853). Fourth, but only surviving, son of Dr. John Bill (1757-1847) and his wife Esther, daughter of Samuel Grundy of Lyme Field, Bury (Lancs),  baptised at St Ann, Manchester, 24 July 1795. Educated at Manchester Grammar School (admitted 1806) and Grays Inn (admitted 1821). Barrister-at-law (but did not practise); JP for Staffordshire. In 1827 he visited America, and in 1849 Paris (France), and he wrote an account of his travels published as The English Party's Excursion To Paris In Easter-Week 1849, To Which Is Added A Trip To America (1850). He married, 8 September 1831 at Manchester Collegiate Church (now Cathedral), Sarah (1798-1878), daughter of Abel Humphrys of Philadelphia (USA), and had issue:

(1) Mary Louisa Bill (1836-1902), born 7 September and was baptised at Alton (Staffs), 25 October 1837; married, 12 June 1862 at Alton, Rowland Hugh Cotton (1833-87), of Etwall Hall (Derbys), and had issue one son and five daughters; died 5 March 1902 and was buried at Etwall, where she is commemorated by a monument in the churchyard; her will was proved 19 August 1902 (estate £3,239);

(2) John Bill (1839-56), born 22 August 1839; educated at Harrow (admitted 1853), where he died young, 2 February 1856;

(3) Charles Bill (1843-1915) (q.v.).

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1848.

He died 15 February and was buried at Alton (Staffs), 23 February 1853, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 13 May 1853. His widow died 2 July 1878; her will was proved 7 August 1878 (effects under £14,000).

Charles Bill MP (1843-1915) 

Bill, Charles (1843-1915). Second, but only surviving, son of John Bill (1795-1853) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Abel Humphrys of Philadelphia (USA), born 8 January and baptised at Alton (Staffs), 9 May 1843. Educated at Eton, University College, Oxford (matriculated 1861; BA 1866; MA 1869) and Lincoln's Inn (admitted 1864; called 1868). Barrister-at-law; JP for Staffordshire; Unionist MP for Leek, 1892-1906; Alderman of Staffordshire County Council. An officer in 4th Battn, North Staffordshire Militia (Lt-Col. commanding and later Hon. Col.), who served in Burma, 1886. He was a director of the North Staffordshire Railway Co., and was largely responsible for the construction of the Manifold Valley Light Railway, opened in 1904. He married, 3 May 1870 at Somersal Herbert (Derbys), Ellen Margaret Hepburn (1845-1926), second daughter of Lt-Col. Richard Henry Fitzherbert of Somersal Herbert, and had issue:

(1) Ida Helen de la Martelliere Bill (1871-1956), born 4 April and baptised at Alton, 28 May 1871; a Sister of Mercy and later Mother Superior of the Holy Cross Convent, Haywards Heath (Sussex); died Jan-Mar 1956;

(2) Charles Fitzherbert Bill (1872-1955) (q.v.);

(3) John Hugo Hepburn Bill (1877-1919) (q.v.).

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1853, and came of age in 1864.

He died 9 December 1915 and was buried at Alton; his will was proved 7 February 1916 (estate £49,592). His widow died 14 April 1926; her will was proved 27 July 1926 and 2 March 1927 (estate £5,064).

Bill, Charles Fitzherbert (1872-1955). Elder son of Charles Bill (1843-1915) and his wife Ellen Margaret Hepburn, daughter of Lt-Col. Richard Henry Fitzherbert of Somersal Herbert (Derbys), born 13 July and baptised at Alton (Staffs), 29 July 1872. Educated at Eton and New College, Oxford (matriculated 1891; BA 1894). An officer in 4th Battn, North Staffordshire Regiment (2nd Lt., 1892; Lt.; Capt. by 1905; returned to colours, 1914; Maj.), who served in Boer War and First World War. An engineer, he was briefly in partnership with Frederick Hugh Smith at Datchet (Bucks) in the manufacture of carburettors and other parts for motor cars (partnership dissolved 1905); and from 1919-27 he was a director of National Welsh Slate Quarries Ltd and it successor Hendre-ddu Slate Quarries Ltd., which operated the Hendre-ddu slate mine in Merionethshire. He married, 29 September 1909 at Hawarden (Flints.), Alice Violet (1881-1917), only daughter of Charles Bolton Toller of Aston Bank (Flints.), and had issue:

(1) Cynthia Margaret Bill (1910-85), born 18 July and baptised at Hawarden, 28 August 1910; married 1st, 3 March 1934 at Hawarden (div. c.1939), Percy Newton Butler Lusk RAF (1905-70) of Auckland (New Zealand), son of Robert Butler Lusk, barrister and solicitor; married 2nd, 1940 at Wingham, New South Wales (Australia), Lyell Edward John Cooper (1900-96), grazier, son of Edward Charles Cooper, and had issue; died 2 May 1985;

(2) Phyllis Elizabeth Bill (b. 1912), born 2 March 1912; emigrated to Malaya with her husband, 1946, but subsequently moved to Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), where he worked as a realtor (estate agent) and she was a secretary; married, 20 December 1945 at Kensington (Middx), Stuart Arthur Simpson (1906-97) of Ipswich (Suffk), but had no issue; death not traced;

(3) Violet Mary Bill (1917-2007), born 16 March 1917; actress under the name Ria Sohier, who had parts in television series in the 1950s and 1960s; died unmarried aged 89 at Kingsbridge (Devon), 23 November 2007.

He inherited Farley Hall from his father in 1915, but let it after 1920 and lived latterly at Cheltenham (Glos). At his death the house and lands passed to his niece, Pamela Clifford.

He died in Cheltenham, 1 March 1955; his will was proved 18 May 1955 (estate £2,483). His wife died of scarlet fever following childbirth, 22 March 1917; administration of her goods was granted 6 June 1917 (estate £636).

Bill, John Hugo Hepburn (1877-1919). Second son of Charles Bill (1843-1915) and his wife Ellen Margaret Hepburn, daughter of Lt-Col. Richard Henry Fitzherbert of Somersal Herbert (Derbys), born 24 November 1877 and baptised at Alton, 27 January 1878. Educated at Wellington College and New College, Oxford (BA 1899). An officer in the Indian Civil Service, who served on the North-West Frontier and in Nigeria, Persia and Mesopotamia. He married, 3 May 1911 at St Peter, Cranley Gardens, Kensington (Middx), Cicely Annie (1885-1973), daughter of Robert William Bill (1856-1941) of Ashtead (Surrey), and had issue:

(1) Pamela Bill (1912-62) (q.v.);

(2) Muriel Joan Bill (1915-17?), born 25 March and baptised at Ashtead, 14 June 1915; probably died in infancy in India, and perhaps the 'Joan Bill' buried at Kohat (Pakistan), 7 March 1917.

He was murdered by Kurdish tribesmen at Birzah Kaprah in Mesopotamia (now Iraq), 2 November 1919. His widow married 2nd, 1920, Maj-Gen. William Archibald Kenneth Fraser CB CBE DSO MVO (1886-1969), and died 23 November 1973; her will was proved 22 March 1974 (estate £15,525).

Bill, Pamela (1912-62). Only surviving child of John Hugo Hepburn Bill (1877-1919) and his wife Cicely Annie, daughter of Robert William Bill of Ashtead, born 26 March 1912 at Bushire (Iran). She married, 5 September 1938 at Alton (Staffs), (John Bertram) Christopher Clifford (1910-86), master potter; director of Palissy Pottery and later of Worcester Royal Porcelain Co., and had issue:

(1) Michael Hugo Clifford (b. 1939), born 17 October 1939;

(2) twin, Timothy Christopher Clifford (b. 1941), born 29 May 1941; company director; lives in Feock (Cornw.);

(3) twin, Anthony Charles Clifford (1941-2019), born 29 May 1941; died 10 December 2019;

(4) Robert J. Clifford (b. 1950), born Apr-Jun 1950.

She inherited Farley Hall from her uncle in 1955. It was let from 1959, with the explicit intention that the family might return at a later date, when her sons were old enough to decide to live there, but it was sold c.1970. Her widower lived for a time at Thornbury Castle (Glos) in the 1960s, before selling it for conversion into an hotel.

She died 28 October 1962; her will was proved 3 May 1963 (estate £9,157). Her husband married 2nd, 1964, Jane (1937-2022), daughter of Jack Gawthorpe Adamson Ellis (1904-57); he died at Whitwell (IoW), 1 May 1986.

Bill family of Storthes Hall

Bill, Robert (1754-1806). Elder son of Rev. John Bill (1726-1806) and his wife Mary, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Harrison (1688-1749) of Dilhorne Hall (Staffs), baptised at Draycott-le-Moors (Staffs), 4 May 1754. A merchant and civil servant in the East India Company's service, who lived for many years on the island of Sumatra (Indonesia), returning to England about 1790. DL for Staffordshire (from 1796). He married, 14 March 1791 at Kirkburton, Dorothy (d. 1792), daughter and co-heiress of William Horsfall of Storthes Hall, Kirkburton, and had issue:

(1) Charles Horsfall Bill (1792-1863) (q.v.).

He had previously had illegitimate children:

(X1) Robert Bill, born on the island of Sumatra; an adult in 1792;

(X2) Elizabeth Bill, born on the island of Sumatra; probably an adult in 1792, when she was living at Ealing (Middx).

His wife was co-heiress with her sisters to Storthes Hall. A family arrangement in 1791 allowed the unmarried sisters to live at the hall. and provided for the children of the married sisters to be co-heirs, but she was the only one of the sisters to leave issue.

He died 17 January and was buried at Alton (Staffs), 27 January 1806, where he is commemorated on a family monument; his will was proved in the PCC, 25 February 1806. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Bill, Charles Horsfall (1792-1863). Only recorded legitimate child of Robert Bill (1754-1806) and his wife Dorothy, daughter and co-heiress of William Horsfall of Storthes Hall, Kirkburton, born 15 January 1792 and baptised at Kirkburton the same day. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1810). JP for West Riding of Yorkshire (from 1828). He married, 13 July 1812 at Kildwick (Yorks), Emma (1791-1872), daughter of Richard Wainman of Carr Head Hall, Kildwick (Yorks WR), and had issue:

(1) Emma Bill (1814-90), born 13 November and baptised at St Martin, Coney St., York, 14 November 1814; married, 27 August 1844 at Great Malvern (Worcs), Rev. Edward Otto Trevelyan (1810-80), curate of Stogumber (Som.), 1841-80, who rented Ashwicke Hall, Marshfield (Glos) from about 1878, and had issue one son and four daughters; died 11 November 1890; will proved 22 December 1890 (effects £51,642);

(2) Charles Horsfall Bill (1818-1908) (q.v.);

(3) Robert William Bill (1820-44), born 28 March and baptised at Kirkburton, 30 March 1820 and again 25 June 1822; educated at Eton and Trinity College, Oxford (matriculated 1840); died unmarried and was buried at Great Malvern, 28 October 1844;

(4) Augustus Horsfall Bill (1823-74), born 2 August and baptised at Kirkburton, 7 October 1823; educated at Eton, Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 1842; BA 1847) and Lincolns Inn (admitted 1852); lived latterly at Kilmalieu (Argylls.); married, 9 December 1871 at St Margaret, Westminster (Middx), Helen Sarah, daughter of Henry Vernon; died without issue and was buried at Brompton Cemetery, 22 January 1874.

He was the only descendant of his mother and her four sisters, and as such was the heir presumptive to the Storthes Hall estate from his birth. Although his last surviving aunt did not die until 1843, he came into possession of the estate in 1818, when his aunts vacated the property. He let the house from about 1846 and lived latterly at 68 Queens Gardens, Paddington (Middx).

He died in London, 27 September, and was buried at Highgate Cemetery, 2 October 1863; administration of his goods was granted 16 November 1863 (effects under £70,000). His widow died at Bath (Som.), 17 March and was buried at St Mary, Bathwick, 23 March 1872; her will was proved 16 April 1872 (effects under £1,500).

Charles Horsfall Bill (1818-1908) 

Bill, Charles Horsfall (1818-1908). Eldest son of Charles Horsfall Bill (1792-1863) and his wife Emma, daughter of Richard Wainman of Carr Head Hall, Cowling (Yorks WR), born 14 May and baptised at Kirkburton, 18 May 1818. An officer in the 15th Hussars (Cornet, 1839; Lt., 1843; retired as Capt., 1849). JP for Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. He married, 30 March 1841 at All Souls, Langham Place, Marylebone (Middx), Anna Maria (1820-75), daughter of General Charles Middleton (1789-1854), and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Horsfall Bill (1847-1912), born at sea and baptised at Holy Trinity, Maidstone (Kent), 20 June 1847; married, 16 September 1873 at St James, Piccadilly, Westminster (Middx), Maj. Ralph William Caldwell (c.1836-1911) of Olivers, Stanway (Essex), son of Henry Berney Caldwell, and had issue one child, who died young; died 15 April and was buried at Shrub End (Essex), 19 April 1912; will proved 8 June 1912 (estate £18,037);

(2) Caroline Bill (b. 1849), baptised at Fritwell (Oxon), 28 July 1849; married, 3 August 1881 at St Mark, North Audley St., Westminster (Middx), as his second wife, Gen. John Alfred Street CB (1822-89), son of Capt. John Street RA, and had issue one son (the author Cecil John Charles Street (1884-1964)); death not traced;

(3) Charles Horsfall Bill (1853-1906), born 5 February and baptised at Maidstone, 31 March 1853; an officer in the West Yorkshire Rifle Militia (Lt., 1871; resigned 1877); married, Apr-Jun 1895, Lillian Alice Holmes (b. c.1869), but had no issue; lived latterly at Aberdovery (Merioneths.); drowned in Cardigan Bay, 22 May 1906 and was buried at Llanfihangel; administration of goods granted to his widow, 25 August 1906 (estate £155);

(4) Robert William Bill (1856-1941), born at Nigg (Ross & Cromarty), 8 January 1856; farmer; JP and DL for Parts of Lindsey in Lincolnshire; an officer in 3rd Battn, Lincolnshire Regiment (Capt.); married, 16 November 1883 at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster (Middx), Annie Cecilia (1859-1936), daughter of Rev. Richard William Bulmer, rector of Belleau (Lincs), and had issue two sons and two daughters (one of whom married her kinsman, John Hugo Heyburn Bill (1877-1919), for whom see above); died 7 November 1941; will proved 26 January 1942 (estate £485);

(5) Arthur Ingram Horsfall Bill (1859-1929), born at Elgin (Morays), 6 November 1859; emigrated to New Zealand, where he farmed; married, 2 July 1888 at Marton, Wanganui (NZ), Mary Ross (1862-1939), but had no issue; died at Marton, 21 September 1929; administration of goods granted 8 September 1932 (estate in England, £165);

(6) Emma Maria Bill (1862-1943), born at Elgin, 15 March 1862; accompanied her husband to incumbencies in Canada, 1892-1913; married, 7 June 1883 at St John, Croydon (Surrey), Rev. Charles Herbert Rich (1860-1933), son of Stiles Rich, accountant, and had issue two sons; died 14 August 1943; will proved 18 November 1943 (estate £9,157);

(7) Anne Horsfall Bill (1864-1942), born 10 October and baptised at Dauntsey (Wilts), 7 December 1864; married, 3 February 1891 at St John, Woking (Surrey), Rev. Henry George Constable Curtis (1865-1957), rector of Babworth (Notts), youngest son of Capt. Constable Curtis of The Hall, Great Berkhamstead (Herts), and had issue one daughter; died 17 March 1942; will proved 21 May 1942 (estate £968).

He inherited Storthes Hall from his father in 1863, but continued to let it. He occupied many properties around England and Scotland, but eventually settled at The Priory, Tetbury (Glos), which was sold after his death. He sold Storthes Hall in 1898 for £49,500.

He died aged 90 at Sidmouth (Devon), 6 November, and was buried at Sidmouth, 10 November 1908; his will was proved 28 January 1909 (estate £75,596). His wife died 4 January 1875.

Principal sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1952, p. 178; R. Harman & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Yorkshire West Riding - Sheffield and the south, 2017, p. 368; C. Wakeling & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Staffordshire, 2nd edn., 2024, p. 269.

Location of archives

Bill family of Farley Hall: deeds, estate and family papers, 1438-20th cent. [Staffordshire Record Office, D554]

Coat of arms

Bill of Farley Hall: Ermine, two bill-hooks in saltire proper, on a chief azure a pallet or, charged with a rose gules between two pelicans' heads erased argent.

Can you help?

• If anyone can provide additional information about the Clifford family and their decision to sell Farley Hall in c.1970, I would be most grateful.
• Can anyone provide photographs or portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from current owners or the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 22 February 2026.