Genealogy & Family History

Mounteney of Shirecliffe, Cowley and Rotherham

Shiercliffe Hall was an ancient estate of the inheritance of the Mounteney family. Sir Robert Mounteney was grandson of Maud de Lovetot in the time of Henry III. By marriage with an heiress of de Reneville they acquired the Manor of Cowley where it is recorded there were great woods and abundance of red deer, and a stately castle-like moated house which was pulled down by the Earl of Shropshire when he purchased the land.His son Robert died 5th August, 1519 and his heir was John his son, aged eleven.

In 1379 Baroness Johanna, the widow of Sir Thomas Furnival was living in Whiston. Her son, Sir John Mounteney was Lord of the Manor of Whiston

Sir John Mounteney has a license from the Crown to enclose 200 acres of land, 300 acres of wood and 20 acres of his demesne land in Shiercliffe to make a park. He also had a charter of free warren in all his lands at Cowley and Shiercliffe.

The Mounteney's continued to reside at Shiercliffe and Cowley until the eldest line ended in female heiresses, in the reign of Henry VIII.

Nicholas Mounteney of Rotherham married Ellen, daughter of Richard (Burrows) Boroughs of Rotherham in 1591. Their son Richard Mounteney,a barrister, supported Charles I during the Civil War. He was in action in Rotherham and Tickhill.

Describing St. Mary's Church, Ecclesfield '... has the most superb display of the effigies and arms of the Mounteneys, in the east window of the south aisle, where was a complete series of the chiefs of this house commencing with Arnold Mounteney who married the daughter of De Furnival, and extending to Robert who married the sister of Sir Thomas Wortley. Their effigies were all represented in a kneeling posture, as were also the wives, on whose mantles the arms of their respective families were depicted.
ARNOLD MOUNTENEY: on his own surcoat the arms of MOUNTENEY; and on his lady's, MOUNTENEY impaling FURNIVAL the effigies of their saint with his name in Argent
... MOUNTENEY. On his lady's mantle MOUNTENEY impaling Ermine three bars gemelles gules.
THOMAS MOUNTENEY. The impaled coat on his lady's mantle, paly of six argent and azure. THOMAS MOUNTENEY. The impalement azure, two bars rehulee argent, a bend vaire or and gules.
JOHN MOUNTENEY. The impalement argent, three chaplets gules. THOMAS MOUNTENEY. The impalement ROCKLEY, Lozengy argent and gules, a fess sable. ROBERT MOUNTENEY. The impalement WORTLEY, argent, on a bend between six martlets gules three bezants.'