The earliest reference to Haworth dates back to a John Myggley in 1546 and William Midgley in 1581¹. See Midgley names of Haworth
The Midgley's were part time lords of the manor of Haworth from the 1500's, their names are to be found mentioned on the charity boards at the rear of Haworth church¹.
For example Joseph Midgley and children, Nathan, Helen (Ellen) and Thomas⁴.

The Genealogy of Wuthering Heights:

No wonder the novel is so complex! How would you like a family tree like this?

The only brother to the Bronte sisters was Patrick Branwell Bronte more commonly known as Branwell to distinguish him from his father's name. He composed a poem whilst lodging at Brearley Hall, parish of Midgley  where he was lodging in 1841.¹³

Also we have:
Mr. Lockwood the tenant of "Thrushcross Grange".
Ellen Dean.
Mrs. Nelly Dean -The housekeeper at "Thrushcross Grange".
Zillah- The houseservant at Heathcliffe's "Wuthering Heights" Farm.
Joseph- Heathcliffe's servant.
The imaginary "Wuthering Heights" is really "Top Withens", Haworth, once a residence of  David Midgley. 

David Midgley's Will 1723 to his cousin Joseph

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte's only novel, exhibited a rebel spirit like its creator. The novel was a passionate and powerful study of the doomed love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliffe on the windswept moors of life, both were forces of nature, but tragically, there was no salvation.

                                        Watch for Sladen Beck valley at 0.19, the castellated  'Wuthering Heights' house depicted is a very romanticised version of the reality.

Memorials from the grounds of Haworth church have been recorded⁹ a summary of which is:

Earlier references from Midgleyana indicate that William Midgley Gent.of Stanbury and his son, Joseph, purchased the manor of Haworth in 1671 from Nicholas Sladen. William had two sons, Joseph and William (of Oldfield near Keighley). Joseph's son David bequeathed the manor in 1724 to William of Oldfield's son, Joseph (will dated 5th March 1724). This Joseph is probably the same person as that mentioned in the Charity board shown above⁵.
Manor records of Stanbury show the same William Midgley snr. as "a resident of the manor of Stanbury outlier, 'the Oldfield' " in 1682.¹⁰ 

David Midgley devised a messuage of thirty acres of land at Withens* to trustees to the intent that they should yearly on Martinmas Day clothe ten poor children under the age of seven years out of the rents of the property which at that time were thirteen pounds. This Midgley charity was still running in 1968⁹. (* Top Withens is the site of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", Emily came to Haworth with her father in 1820).

Top Withens today, once the residence of David Midgley of Haworth in the 1800's

Top Withens "Wuthering Heights" as it may have  appeared  when it was the residence of the fictitious  Heathcliffe.

                                                                                                Another view of Top Withens

Top withens about 1926 when it was still occuppied.

Top Withens from the air today

                                                                                                              Cathy's theme from the film Wuthering Heights1939

Edmund de Laci was granted  a manor at Stanbury near Haworth. This strategically connected the castles of Pontefract and Clitheroe in the Honour of Pontefract. [with a feudal road running from Pontefract through Bradford Dale, Haworth and over the Pennines through Colne Edge to Clitheroe Castle another seat of the De Laci family.] See photograph of Stanbury road looking west above Stanbury
The manor or Stanbury was given a charter in 1234-1235 and with 5 other manors was granted to Edmund De Laci [November 1249]. David Midgley's house, Top Withens is situated within the boundaries of the Manor of Stanbury.¹⁰
Inscriptions have been recorded from gravestones at various sites in Haworth⁹. The one above is more fully described by Fothergill⁹ as follows:

Another inscription was found at West Lane Methodist Chapel  for Nathan Midgley who died 18th February 1856 aged 60.
Haworth Manor was sold to the trustees of Benjamin Ferrand in 1811 for four thousand one hundred pounds.
When the old Haworth church was demolished the "Lord's Pew", which occupied a prominent and imposing enclosure and which belonged to the Midgley family, was presented to Mary Rushworth of Mouldgreave House, Oxenhope who was apparently the closest known descendant of the branch of the family. Other members of the family moved to London, one becoming a famous barrister. The manor was ultimately bought by the Keighley Corporation.⁹.
The Court Rolls for the Manor of Haworth  are to be found in the Keighley Library, they are prefaced with a Midgley family history by Clifford Whone (1946)¹.

By the time of the  1851 census for Haworth  the following Midgley's are recorded as residents:
 

Frank Feather, a former resident of nearby Oxenhope states that many of his forebears were baptised/married and buried at Haworth Church, some of them by Patrick Bronte.

Smith Midgley
The Late Smith Midgley, a former Lord Mayor of Bradford [died 1999] was an avid historian and writer for the Dalesman and Pennine Magazine. He had made an extensive study of his family name. Smith Midgley drew up his pedigree which dated from 1739 with some earlier information. There had been an earlier Smith T. Midgley who appears as the Mayor of Halifax for the years 1877-1879 and 1893-1894.

The name Smith Midgley appears regularly in records for the area. This popular name was probably derived from a combination of two surnames. In  the Keighley Parish Church register we have:
Agnes Smith married William Midgley on the 31st December 1656
James Smith married Juliet Midgley on the 9th May 1667.

Mrs. Smith Midgley has kindly provided a copy of the pedigree drawn up by Smith. Their daughter Judith was at one time the "Queen" of the annual Keighley Gala and was by all accounts a real beauty².
The basic pedigree is as follows:
John Midgley b. Oct. 1739 married Ann Holmes of Harwood Hill & Slack. They had five children:
1. Mary b.1760
2. Nathan b. 1762, d. 1788
3. Joseph b. 1766, d. 22nd Nov.1847 married Priscilla Bailey, Barcroft. They had 9 children:
    i) John bap. 20th July 1789.
   ii) Nathan b. 27th May 1792 woolcomber, died 1st Jan.1873 married Betty of Bocking
       b.1793, d. 8th Mar.1856.  They had 9 children:
           a) John bap.1815, d.1882, married Alice.
           b) Thomas bap.1817, d.1891, married Sarah.
           c) Joseph b.1819 d.1899, woolcomber, married Betty Mitchell, b.1823, d.1882.
               They had at least seven children. [for details see zipped pedigree  file] one of whom
               was Smith Midgley, b.1807, d.1916, married Emma Moore b.1860, d.1937. They
               had 7 children
           d) Jesse b. 1821.
           e) Barwick b.1833, d. 1908, Ingrow, married Martha_____b.1835, d. 1902 Ingrow.
           f) Abraham [1842 census] married Martha, Four children.
           g) Ann b.1830.
           h) Nathan b.1834, d.1857.
           i) Sarah, married William Mitchell.

   iii) Sally b.1795
   iv) Joseph b.1798 [census 1861]
   v) Mary bap.1802
  vi) Thomas bap. 804
  vii) William bap.1806, d. 1855 Ingrow.
 viii) John bap. 1809, d. 1836, Ingrow, married Martha.
  ix)  Ann bap.1812, d. 1823, Ingrow.

4. Sally b.1768
5. Holmes b.1776, d.1850.

Children of Smith Midgley [b.1807] and Emma Moore:
1. Arthur
2. Edith b. 1885 married Arthur Pickles, three children
3. Marion married J.H. Binns, one child.
4. Annie married Jack Peacock, two children.
5. Frank b. 1893 married Janet Williams, three children including Smith Midgley d. 1999.
6. Hilda married W. Waterhouse, one child.
7. Percy married Nellie Wright, three children.

In Haworth Rhymes and Writings, Smith Midgley, who was a well known character in the village, took "a light hearted look in verse and prose [written in the local West Yorkshire dialect] at the residents and visitors who flocked to Haworth".
Midgleyana has been cited as an early reference to the origins of the Midgley families, compiled by John Franklin Midgley in South Africa, printed by Mills and Litho Pty. Ltd. in Cape Town, 1968³. There is a similar coat of arms to the one shown on the previous page, but a different motto which was patented in South Africa. in 1960³.
Whether this Smith Midgley was in some way related to the Gunsmith, Smith Midgley is not yet known.
Donald Midgley Hunt has connexions to the Smith Midgley of Haworth line and has commonality with Joseph Midgley who was a brother to Holmes Midgley.

Midgleys' of  Harden
"Low Cliff House" was built by another local branch of the family. Across the door is the inscription " H.M.  R.M 1692 or 1592 (obscured). David Midgley of Low Cliff married Martha Jenings of Streamhead, Thornton and received from his father-in-law a farm at Thornton and 100 spade guineas.
One of the family, John Midgley who lived at Ryecroft died in 1516. Above the barn at the picturesque farm of Ryecroft is an inscription J.M. 1743.

Midgleys' of Wilsden
Here an allotment of sixty days work on wasteland originally given to John Midgley as tenant of the Poors Estate, it was conveyed in a deed of 2nd June 1702 from Richard Midgley, yeoman of Bradford and his heir to among others, John Midgley, Gentleman of Horton, Bradford⁶.

Midgleys' of Cullingworth⁸
John Midgley born 25th Dec. 1778 married firstly Rebecca Driver, May 1800, died 26th Feb. 1805
children:
              Mary b. 29 May 1801
              Martha b. 18 Dec 1802
              Elizabeth b. 23 Sept. 1804, d. 20 Jan 1805
Married secondly to Martha Driver (sister to rebecca0 Dec. 1805. Martha died 1819 aged 32.
children:
             Susanna b. 14 Feb. 1806
            William b. 21 Dec. 1807, d. 31 May 1833.
             John b. 29 April 1811, d. 27 May 1816.
             James b. 24 Feb. 1814 d. 28 May 1816
             Rebecca b. 22 Oct. 1816.
John (b. 1778) died  on the 18th April 1838 after a fall from his gig at Idle near Bradford.
Many of these dates underlie a tragic tale of early deaths and misadventure, indicating the harshness of  life during these times.

12.  Horsfall Turner, J. (Joseph Horsfall). Haworth: Past and Present: a History of Haworth, Stanbury & Oxenhope (1879)
13. Barker. Juliet. The Brontes. 2010; 1841 census.

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