The Crossley Baronets

This family is descended from CROSSLEY of Scaitcliffe, Lancashire, which is said to have been settled at  Todmorden, Yorkshire, during the reign of EDWARD III.

JOHN CROSSELEY, of Stansfield in Rochdale, born 1474; living in 1524, was succeeded by his son,

RICHARD CROSSLEY, of Scaitcliffe, who died in 1548, leaving, by his wife Alice, a second son,

RICHARD CROSSLEY (1537-88), of Scaitcliffe, who left, by Elizabeth his wife,

ANTHONY CROSSLEY, of Scaitcliffe, who purchased Hollinrake Holme in 1586; he died in 1624, leaving, with other issue by Mary his wife, an eldest son,

JOHN CROSSLEY, of Scaitcliffe, who married, in 1615, Dorothea, daughter of Richard Lorde, of Hundersfield, and had, with other issue,

JOHN CROSSLEY (1620-46),  of Frailcroft in Todmorden, who wedded, in 1640, Mary, daughter of Cæsar Jackson, of Worsthorne, Lancashire, and dvp 1646, having had, with other issue,

ANTHONY CROSSLEY, of Scaitcliffe, Lancashire, married firstly, in 1664, Anne Eastwood; and secondly, in 1702, Grace _______.

He died in 1707, and by his first wife he had issue,

ANTHONY CROSSLEY (-1757), of Further Scaitcliffe, and of Dromore, County Down, the first of the family to move to Ulster, who fought at the battle of the Boyne, 1690, and was father of

ANTHONY CROSSLEY, who married the daughter of  _______ Brown, and had issue,

William, of Lisburn, born in 1745;

JOHN, of whom presently.

The younger son,

JOHN CROSSLEY (1746-1830), of Lisburn, County Antrim, wedded Elizabeth Alcott, and had a younger son,

FRANCIS CROSSLEY (1787-1846), of Glenburn, Dunmurry, County Antrim, a Major in the East India Company, Governor of the Andaman Islands, who espoused firstly, Miss Stewart, of Lisburn; and secondly, in 1837, Elizabeth Helen, daughter of William Irwin, of Mount Irwin, County Armagh, by whom he had issue,

Francis William, of Annagola, near Middletown, Co Armagh;

WILLIAM JOHN, of whom we treat;

Thomas Hastings Henry (1846-1926), Professor of Greek, QUB;

Emmeline.

The second son,

WILLIAM JOHN CROSSLEY JP (1844-1911), MP for Altrincham, 1906-10, married, in 1876, Mabel Gordon, daughter of Francis Anderson, and had issue,

KENNETH IRWIN, his heir;

Eric, OBE; grandfather of the 3rd and 6th Baronets;

Brian;

Lettice; Cicely.

Mr Crossley was created a baronet in 1909, designated of Glenfield, Dunham Massey, Cheshire.

Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR KENNETH IRWIN CROSSLEY, 2nd Baronet (1877-1957), JP, High Sheriff of Cheshire, 1919, who wedded firstly, in 1901, Florence Josephine, daughter of Joseph Nash Field, and had issue,

ANTHONY CROMMELIN, his heir;

Fidelia Josephine; Ruth Irwin; Catherine Pamela Field.

He espoused secondly, in 1954, Elizabeth Joyce, daughter of Enoch Shenton, without further issue.

Sir Kenneth's only son and heir,

ANTHONY CROMMELIN CROSSLEY (1903-39), MP for Oldham, 1931-35, Stretford, 1935-39, married, in 1927, Clare, daughter of Brigadier A F Thomson, and had issue,

FRANCIS PATRICK IRWIN;

Penelope Georgina; Virginia Charlotte Theresa.

Mr Crossley was accidentally killed in an air crash on the 15th August, 1939.

His only son and heir,

FRANCIS PATRICK IRWIN CROSSLEY (1929-53), Lieutenant, Grenadier Guards, died unmarried, when the title reverted to his cousin,

SIR CHRISTOPHER JOHN CROSSLEY, 3rd Baronet (1931-89), grandson of Eric Crossley OBE (see above), Lieutenant-Commander RN, who wedded firstly, in 1959, Carolyne Louise, daughter of Lesoie Grey Sykes, and had issue,

NICHOLAS JOHN;

JULIAN CHARLES.

He married secondly, in 1977, Lesley, daughter of Dr K A J Chamberlain.

Sir Christopher was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR NICHOLAS JOHN CROSSLEY, 4th Baronet (1962-2000), who died unmarried, when the title devolved upon his brother,

SIR JULIAN CHARLES CROSSLEY, 5th Baronet (1964-2003), who died unmarried, when the baronetcy reverted to his cousin,

SIR SLOAN NICHOLAS CROSSLEY, 6th Baronet (1958-), grandson of Eric Crossley OBE (see above), who wedded, in 1999, Jane Elizabeth, daughter of Harold Tyycross.

Glenburn House: entrance front to the south (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

GLENBURN HOUSE, Dunmurry, Belfast, is a two-storey, five-bay Georgian house of ca 1745.

Owners and Tenants of Glenburn

• Wolfenden
• Hogg
• Darby
• Curtis
• Crossley
• McConnell
• Murphy
• Clarke
• Richardson
• Belfast Bible College

The Glenburn demesne, including the house and bleach green, was established by John Wolfenden; and subsequently Mr Hogg; followed by Mr Darby.

Glenburn House was thereafter extended by Mr Darby, and is thought to have been further enlarged by Edward Curtis about 1811.

Glenburn House: west elevation (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

It became Major Francis Crossley's residence in 1835, and his son, Sir William John Crossley, 1st Baronet, appears to have been born at Glenburn.

The house was occupied in the early 1850s by James McConnell, of McConnell & Kennedy, Flax and Tow Spinners. 

Entrance portico with paired columns (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

In an auction sales brochure of 1861 Glenburn House and demesne was described thus:

"Being suitable in every respect for a gentleman's country seat, having a demesne of 75 acres, and a tastefully laid-out garden which was well stocked with fruit trees. On the south side of the house was a water damn which had been ornamented by the planting of shrubs and nearby a tea house surrounded by a garden.”

Between 1862-65 the owner is recorded as being the Liverpool Borough Bank, with Issac J Murphy, of John Murphy & Co, flax spinners, residing at Glenburn.

Glenburn became vacant in 1884, and five years later, in 1889, it was purchased by the Northern Banking Company, and a Major-General Clarke lived there until 1889.

Glenburn: east elevation  (Timothy Ferres, 2022)

George Richardson occupied the house in 1893.

In 1983 the Belfast Bible College moved to Glenburn, and the original Georgian mansion serves as administrative offices.

Former Crossley residence ~ Combermere Abbey, Whitechurch, Shropshire.

First published in July, 2022.