c
1258 to c 1325
The Medieval
Inhabitants of Farndale
FAR00008A
|
Return to the Home
Page of the Farndale Family Website |
The story of one
family’s journey through two thousand years of British History |
The 83 family lines
into which the family is divided. Meet the whole family and how the wider
family is related |
Members of the
historical family ordered by date of birth |
Links to other pages
with historical research and related material |
The story of the
Bakers of Highfields, the Chapmans, and other related families |
Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages
are in dark blue.
Headlines are in brown.
References and citations
are in turquoise.
Context and local history
are in purple.
1240s
and 1250s (before Alfred was born)
Farndale was
first cleared for agriculture from perhaps about 1220 (FAR00004A). So although we
don’t know about Alfred’s parents, it might be supposed that they were the hard
grafters who first broke up the forest in the dale and started farming. As
Farndale was an extension of the existing estate of Kirkbymoorside, Alfred’s
grandparents and his ancestors before them, were likely to have come from the
land at the northern edge of the Vale of York, perhaps in the ancient
agricultural lands around Kirkdale. These lands were part of the same
landholdings and estate as Farndale.
1258
Alfred Farndale
might have been born in about 1258.
By 1276, at the
time of the death of Joan Stuteville, about 545 acres of Farndale was under
cultivation (see FAR00017). The bonded tenants paid a standard
rent of 1s per acre. By that time there were seven cottars in Farndale and
further occupation at Duthenwayt, probably in the
area of the Duffin Stone today, up the western side of the dale. Alfred’s parents
were likely to have been part of a community of villeins, tilling the land, and
paying high rents to the Stuteville landowners.
1280
His son,
Roger de Farndale (FAR00011A) might
have been his son born in about 1280.
By 1282, on the
death of Joan’s son, Baldwin Wake, the cultivated acreage in Farndale had risen
to 768 acres in only six years (FAR000020). There were 90
bondmen by this time in Farndale. This must have represented a planned campaign
of settlement and activity in the dale must have been noisy and
constant at this time. Activity at the mill must have been hectic.
1301
Alfred did not
appear in Farndale in the Lay Subsidy of 1301 (FAR00029). He may not
have been in the dale at that time. He may not have been living in Farndale at
all until after 1301.
Alfred might have
lived to say 1325 and the
later reference to Roger as son of Alfred might have been to a person by then
deceased.
3 October 1334
The Hearing of the Eyre
An eyre hearing picking up cases from 1288 to
1334 took place at Pickering on 3 October 1334.
Under medieval forest law, mainpernors were individuals who acted as guarantors for
others, ensuring they appeared in court to answer for alleged offenses against
forest law. These offenses primarily involved the king's hunting rights and the
protection of forest resources like timber and vegetation. Mainpernors
essentially vouched for the accused's future appearance in court, preventing
them from fleeing justice within the forest jurisdiction.
John (ADA00003) son of Abba (ADA00002) had trespassed and hunted in Pickering
Forest, others including Roger (FAR00011A), son of Alfred de Farndale (FAR0008A), Roger
(FAR00013A), son of Gilbert of Farndale (FAR00018), Richard de Beverley of Farndale (BEV00001), William Kyng of Farndale (KYN00001), John de Hoton
of Farndale (HOT00003), mainperned (provided guarantees) for their
appearance. Roger, son of Gilbert, John de Hoton, had
paid the fine due. Roger, son of Alfred of Farndale, Richard de Beverley
of Farndale, and William Kyng of Farndale had since died. (The Great Cowcher of the Duchy of Lancaster, The National
Archives, DL42/1 Folio 229v, DL 42/1/23/U30 folios
229 to 230v).