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Warwickshire

The earliest and main group of Holliers are those in Warwickshire, which also gave us the Coventry Hollyers. Indeed, a wide variety of spellings can be found in the parish registers. Thanks to the diligent researches of Harry Duckworth, it is now possible to describe many of the fragments of families and even connect some together across parish boundaries. His work has created pedigrees or fragments of pedigrees over more than 47 parishes or groups of parishes in Warwickshire, Staffordshire and parts of Worcestershire and Leicestershire. The main groups are described below.

The Shustoke Holliers

Shustoke is thought to be the origin of the Hollier name in the North Warwickshire area. By the time that parish registers started in the mid-16th century, the name had spread to many surrounding towns and counties. But what of the Holliers in Shustoke in the 1530s? There are several pedigree fragments but many lines of descent seem to lead nowhere, but there is one line that can be traced from Roberte Hollyer of Shustoke, through nearby Fillongley, Kingsbury and Tamworth. From there, in the 1830s, the family of William Hollier and Elizabeth Brooks moved to Stratford in East London, where several family members were connected with Silk Printing. At least one line has descendants down to the present day, but this line has surprisingly returned to the East Staffs area.

Little Packington Holliers

Another of the many Hollier families from Warwickshire was that of Robert Hollier and Judith Chatterton who married at Aston in 1724 and had a family at Little Packington. Several lines of descent can be traced and like the Shustoke line, many seem to die out, but one line goes via Meriden and Gaydon. From there, Walter Hollier came to London as an Auctioneer and descendants stayed in the North London area into the mid 20th century.

The Astley Holliers

A line starting with John and Alice Hollier; John died at Astley c1578. Notably, their great grandson was Thomas Hollier (1609-1690) was the surgeon at St Thomas's Hospital in London who operated on Samuel Pepys. Branches of this family were at Corley, Nuneaton and Sutton Coldfield.

The Studley Holliers

A Hollier family that were at Studley, Warks in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, connected with Alcester, Redditch and Tardebigge (WOR). The line seems to start with John Hollier who married first to Elizabeth Butler in 1795 and had 5 children and then seems to have remarried to an Elizabeth Hollier in 1809. From this second marriage I think Thomas (born c.1814) must belong: Thomas & Harriet and their family were all connected with the Needle Making industry. Descendants of this family never seem to have strayed far from their West Midlands roots, although one branch is later found in Watford.

Coventry

Alongside the Coventry Hollyer family (see under Hollyer), there was a second, apparently unconnected Hollier family, several of whom were parchment makers. The progenitor of this line, Thomas Hollier, was Sheriff of Coventry in 1698.

Kingsbury

As well as the family at Kingsbury which was noted above as being descendants of one of the Shustoke families, there was another large family at Kingsbury in the 16th and 17th century. It was notable for using the forename Gabriel. After 4 generations, it disappears from Kingsbury, but may have become founders of the Hollier families found at Bulkington, Sheldon and had connections to Stoke Golding (LEI)

Nether Whitacre

Another important Hollier family. It begins with John Hollier who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidies of 1524 and 1544. Families over 6 generations can be traced but the line fades out in the mid-18th century, but with suggestions that the Hollier lines at Stoke Golding, Wolverhampton and Aston Juxta Birmingham may be descended from this group.

Sheldon, Solihull and Bickenhill

There were several Hollier families living in the parishes to the south-east of Birmingham in the 18th century and their connections are bound to be somewhat speculative. It seems likely that the family at Bickenhill gave rise to the Hollier family at Sharnford, LEI.

Birmingham (1)

A line starting with Thomas Hollier who married Elizabeth Symonds in Birmingham in 1766. Several lines of descent have been researched, especially the descent of George Hollier and Julia Spencer who married in Birmingham in 1825 and had a family of 9 children at Old Swinford and Stourbridge (WOR).

Birmingham (2)

A line starting with Joseph born c1804 in Birmingham; a Smith Striker who married Catherine Mawby and had 8 children. Some descendants live in the Liverpool area.

Birmingham (3)

A line starting with Thomas Hollier who married Mary Bedford in 1829. A small family - the line survived until 1971.

Birmingham (4)

This family starts with William Hollier who was born c1801 at Handsworth and married Sophia Buffery in 1820. Because of the Handsworth connection, this family may be part of the Birmingham (1) family above.

Bickenhill

See under Leicestershire.

Other pedigrees

Smaller pedigree fragments have been found at Aston Juxta Birmingham, Berkswell, Bulkington, Exhall, Middleton, Weddington, Wilnecote and Wyken.