Introduction

The Hoyle family was descended from a branch of the Fretwell family which settled in the Maltby area and which, for a number of generations, lived at Hooton Levitt Hall, the last occupier being William Fretwell Hoyle, whose profession (apart from landholder) was a solicitor whose practice was based at Rotherham.

Before looking at William and his descendents, mention should be made of one of his nephews, William Dickon Hoyle, who 1889 published a document entitled Historical Memorials of the Family of Fretwell, of Hooton Levett, from 1536 to 1750 descended from the Barons Frescheville of Staveley near Chesterfield.

I have obtained a photocopy of this manuscript and have attempted to transcribe it, which has been made difficult due to the poor quality of the copy and the author's idiosyncratic and often inconsistent spelling. I hope to be able to fill in the gaps when I have a chance to sight the original. To access the transcription in its current state click on the link - Historical Memorials

The Frescheville family is covered in a separate section of this website.

See also the Maltby Fretwells.

William Fretwell Hoyle

William Fretwell Hoyle, who lived from 1801 to 1886, was one of the 6 known, and the eldest, of the children born to William Hoyle Attorney and Gent of Hooton Levitt and Aughton Hall and his wife Mary (née Johnson).

William the younger, like his father, and some of his own sons, ran a successful legal practice. William married twice. The only child by his first wife, Hannah, was Fretwell William Hoyle. A further twelve (known) children were added to his 'dynasty' by his second wife Jane.

 I have been able to follow William and his second wife through the census records for 1841-1886 and, with the exception of Robert Parker Hoyle, who died in childhood, and also sons Henry, George, John and Samuel, I have, with varying degrees of success, been able to follow the fortunes of their children, all of whom married. I have also accessed the FreeBMD Birth, Marriage and Death Indices, but at this stage have not obtained any certificates to verify (or otherwise) my assumptions.

The following table records the identified surnames of the people who married into this Hoyle family group.

** The maiden names of both of William's wives was Walker

Click on the following link to access the document

William Fretwell Hoyle - 1801-1886- and Family