John the Shepherd of Farndale
c 1233 to c1315
The Medieval
Inhabitants of Farndale
A shepherd
of Farndale who was bailed for poaching in 1280
FAR00010
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1233
John might have been born
in about 1280. His parentage is unknown, but might his parents were
probably among those who cleared the dale for agriculture from about the 1220s
and likely came from the Kirkdale area (FAR00006A).
A number of local folk had taken
draught beasts into Pickering Forest in the reign of Edward III in 1310 or
1311, where the draught animals were forbidden to wander. Some pasturages were reserved for the use of the King where there
was no right in common and here, cattle were agisted
at a fixed price, to be paid to the bailiff. These sums were collected by the
agisters, of whom there were two in each ward, men of substance it seems by
their assessments in the Lay Subsidies.
Not the least of the profits
derived from the possession of a forest was that arising from the agistment of
cattle in waste grounds. (The Duchy of Lancaster Records, from the North Riding
Record Society, The Honour and Forest of Pickering, Edited by Robert
Bell Turton, Volume IV, 1897, page xxvii).
There was a lengthy list of those
individuals from Farndale found by the agisters in about 1310 with their cattle
in the forests. Thomas Wake, the Lord of Liddell, whose
tenants they were, said the price had already been paid and the tenants should
be discharged of the matter. Amongst
those fined were John the shepherd of Farndale (FAR00010) who had 9 oxen,
one cow and one stirk, worth 41s 8d agisted and Roger, the groom of John the shepherd of
Farndale (FAR00010) who had one
bullock, worth 4s agisted (North Riding Records Yorks Volume
III,
The Honour and Forest of Pickering, 1894, Edited Robert Bell Turton, page
61, The Great Cowcher of
the Duchy of Lancaster, The National Archives, DL42/1 Folio 273, 273v, DL 42/1/23/U64 folios 273 to 274v).
John
the Shepherd seems to have had nine oxen, a cow, a stirk (a stirk was a young
cow or bullock, typically between one and two years old) and a bullock and he
had a groom working for him, called Roger.
3
October 1334
1334 was the year
of the Eyre Court. It was therefore time to catch up with the Farndale
misbehaviour of the preceding years. A mainpernor was
a person who gave a guarantee that a prisoner would attend court. The folk of
Farndale had clearly been out in significant numbers to engaging in poaching.
The hearing dealt with offences of some antiquity, so these records were
catching up with many years of activity in the forest.
After John (WES00004), son of Richard de Westgille
of Farndale (WES00001) had trespassed and hunted in Pickering
Forest, others including William le Smyth of Farndale (FAR00037), Richard de Westgill (WES00001), John le Shepherd of Farndale (FAR00010),
John Alberd of the same (ALB00002), Nicholas (FAR00041A),
son of Walter of the same (FAR00014A), John del Heued of the same (HEU00001), and Robert de
Westgill (WES00005) mainperned (provided guarantees) for their
appearance (The Great Cowcher of the Duchy
of Lancaster, The National Archives, DL42/1 Folio 228v).
There are full
details of this hearing at another webpage.
As mainpernor (guarantor) for John (WES00004), son of Richard
de Westgill (WES00001), indicted of hunting, John le Shephirde of Farndale (FAR00010) was fined 40d because John did not turn up (The Great
Cowcher of the Duchy of Lancaster, The National Archives, DL42/1 Folio 336v).
A number of individuals from
Farndale were fined following prior indictments for poaching in 1334 and not
turning up at the Eyre. They paid bail or had bail paid for them (North Riding Records, Volume IV
by the North Yorkshire Record Society, the Honour and Forest of Pickering,
1897, page 23, 28, and 34 not on line but I have a physical copy).
|
Date of Hearing |
Notional date of Offence |
Payer |
Guarantor (malpernor) |
Poacher |
Amount of Fine |
|
3 October 1334 |
c 1319 |
Nicholas de Repyngale |
Nicholas de Repyngale |
John
Shepherd of Farndale (FAR00010) |
3s 4d |
There are further details of these offences at another
webpage.
1365
John might have lived until about 1365.