Sunnybank is located at Greetland which is on the western outskirts of the town of Elland, just south of Halifax. The house was named ‘Sunnybank’ by Thomas Wilkinson, (1438 - 1480) the Vicar of Halifax, but was previously called Over Nabroyd.  

Sunnybank is believed to be the oldest house in Calderdale and dates back to 1290.

 

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Sunnybank   Source: Ancient Halls in and around Halifax     Arthur Comfort      Published by the ‘Halifax Courier’ about 1913

The house is associated with John de Elland who was killed in 1353 during the ‘Elland Feud’. In 1546 it was bought by Henry Saville of Bradley Hall and was rebuilt about 1577 by a member of the Saville family.

Externally it retains its original form as a half-timbered building although the wattle and daub panels have been replaced by stone. Internally the house has been greatly altered, converting it into two dwellings.

It is not clear who was the first of the Dysons to live at Sunnybank, nor how long it remained one of the Dyson family homes. The only Dyson occupants about whom we can be certain are Ely Dyson (1654 – 1706) and his son Abraham (1679 – 1747)

Ely Dyson was the grandson of Abraham Dyson (1563 – 1621) of Swifts Place. Ely’s father was Samuel Dyson (1604 – 1686) who married Maria Fielden on 22 August 1637 at Elland church. Ely married a Jennett Rooke and died at Sunnybank in January 1706.

Ely and Jennet had a large family: Abraham 1676- 1679, George 1677 – 1679,  Abraham 1679 – 1747, Mary  1681 – 1722,  Ely 1683 – 1734,  Samuel 1686 – 1710, Margaret 1688 – 1690, Jeremiah 1690 – 1729, John 1692 – 1694, George 1695 – 1697.

As the burial dates above show, many of these children died young.

Mary born 1681 married Richard Ramsden of Siddal Hall on 10 Dec 1705 at St Martin’s, York.

Ely born 1683  went to live at Clay House, Greetland  and is described in a later section.

Jeremiah born 1690 went to live in London where he had a house or an office in Bartholomew Close, West Smithfield. His son, another Jeremiah became a politician and was Clerk to the House of  Commons in the reign of George III.  Jeremiah the politician is described in a later section.

The second Abraham born 1679 continued to live at Sunnybank where he died in 1747. Abraham married Dorothy Hanson.

The known children of Abraham and Dorothy were Ely 1706, Samuel 1708, Abraham 1711 and Mary 1713.

Ely, the eldest son, went to live at Bartholomew Close, London where he died in 1776  and it is not known  whether his brother Samuel or his brother Abraham continued to live at Sunnybank,