Anne Reddish1 was married to William Kendall (1490 – 1547) of Smisby and they had one son, George Kendall (1527-1566). In William Wryley’s 1592 copy of the visitation of Warwickshire 1569 she is recorded as “Ann dau. of Redishe of Redishe, co. lancs.” There is no further information readily available in other pedigree works, such as the Harleian, Nichols or Fletcher. At the time, Reddish was to the south east of Manchester in the County of Lancashire and although there is a pedigree for the family of that name with the armorial bearings of argent a lion rampant gules collared or, there was no obvious candidate for Anne, or mention of the Kendalls in the Reddish pedigree.
In the last will and testament of George Kendall, written in 1566, he makes reference to a Thomas Reddish occupying his property in Alton, Leicestershire2, to whom he bequeaths a trotting gelding3. George leaves a three year old “hotser” (old English for horse) to his sister in law, Dorothy Lisley4. He also leaves a bey gelding to his “brother” Alex Barlowe and also leaves items to his two “brothers” John and Richard Reppington5. Included in George’s executors are Alex Barlowe and Thomas Raddish, the former being referred to as “well loved”6.
There was an inquest post mortum relating to Otes Reddish in 13 Henry VIII (1522 – 1523) which confirms his pedigree. Otes was the son of John Reddish and Elizabeth, the daughter of Thurstan Holland of Denton. Otes was succeeded by his son John, by his wife Lucy, the daughter of John Duckenfield of Portwood7. In John Reddish’s will of 1557 he makes one Thomas Reddish an executor and refers to him as “my bastard brother” and “my cosin (sic)” Alex Barlow to oversee the executors8. Otes also had a daughter Anne who married Ellis Barlow of Barlow, now Chorlton cum Hardy. They had a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Margaret.
According to his record as a Member of Parliament Alexander was a ward of his mother, Anne, in 1525 with Ellis Barlow passing away before this date9. It is believed that following Ellis Barlow’s death Anne Barlow nee Reddish married William Kendall. This is supported by George Kendall’s year of birth being 1527, the comments in his will and evidence of the Kendalls at Barlow Hall.
In 1574 Alexander Barlow had Barlow Hall, the seat of the Barlows, rebuilt. This included creating a number of stained glass armorial bearings presented in an oriel bay window. The panes to the left hold the arms of Barlow and an empty lozenge. The centre panes hold the arms of Holland and the Knight Garter surrounding the Stanley quarterings impaling Barlow. Elizabeth Holland was Ann Reddish’s paternal grandmother and the Barlow’s pedigree also includes the Hollands. Alexander’s sister Margaret married Edward Stanley, the 3rd Earl of Derby. The right panes are the arms of Reddish and some of the quarterings of the Kendalls of Smisby10.
Ann’s son Alexander was imprisoned for his catholic beliefs but at the time of his arrest was quite ill to the extent that he could not ride a horse. He was taken as a prisoner to Manchester but released into the custody of a local gentleman where he died shortly after on 26 August 158411. Alexander Barlow’s grandson, Edward, was executed on 10 September 1641 for his catholic faith by being hung drawn and quartered he was later canonised and became St Ambrose12.
1. Reddish is now part of Greater Manchester but was historically in Lancashire. It has been known by various names: Redich, Redych, Radich, Radish, Rediche, Redditch, Redwyche, Redishe, Radishe and Reddishe.
2. George Kendall, Last will and testament 1566 p.1 ln. 8
3. George Kendall, Last will and testament 1566 p.2 ln. 19
4. George Kendall, Last will and testament 1566 p.2 ln. 18
5. George Kendall, Last will and testament 1566 p.2 ln. 22-24
6. George Kendall, Last will and testament 1566 p.2 ln. 43-44
7. A History of the Ancient Chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton, in Manchester Parish, Rev. John Booker (Chetham Society) 1855 p.203
8. A History of the Ancient Chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton, in Manchester Parish, Rev. John Booker (Chetham Society) 1855 p.206
9. The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff (Boydell and Brewer) 1982 available online at http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/barlow-alexander-1525-84
10. There are various comments on the shields, Farrer and Brownbill claim that the Reddish and Kendall windows were missing in 1911, however they are still in situ. Booker gives a move descriptive account in his 1857 work.
A History of the Ancient Chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton, in Manchester Parish, Rev. John Booker (Chetham Society) 1857 p.293
A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. William Farrer and J Brownbill(Victoria County History, London) 1911 pp.297-302 accessed online at http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp297-302
11. A History of the Ancient Chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton, in Manchester Parish, Rev. John Booker (Chetham Society) 1855 p.253
12. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Fifth Edition Revised, David Farmer (Oxford University Press) 2011 p.36
How interesting – I have discovered that Pates Reddish (Anne’s father was my 14th great grandfather so I am keen to learn more about the history
son and heir of Sir Thomas Stanley, h Bt., of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster (by his first wife Elizabeth Patten, only dau. and hrss. of Thomas Patten, of Preston, co. Lancaster), son and heir of Sir Edward Stanley, d Bt., of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster (by his wife Elizabeth Bosville, dau. and cohrss. of Thomas Bosville, of Warmsworth, co. York), son and heir of Sir Thomas Stanley, d Bt., of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster (by his wife Mary Egerton, dau. of Peter Egerton, of Shaw, co. Lancaster), son and heir of Sir Edward Stanley, t Bt., of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster (by his second wife Isabel Warburton, dau. and cohrss. of Sir Peter Warburton, of Arley, co. Lancaster), son and heir of Henry Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster (by his wife Mary Stanley, dau. and hrss. of Peter Stanley, of Bickerstaffe, co. Lancaster), d son of Sir James Stanley, of Crosshall, co. Lancaster (by his wife Anne Hart, dau. of John Hart, of Lullingstone Castle, co. Kent), d son of Hon Sir George Stanley KG,