Cotton Grass Walk

Photograph: Copyright: Stephen Routledge

Led by Janet Canning of Natural England

Monday 28 May, 6:30pm

Meet at new Car Park on Crowle Moor

Follow brown signs through Newbigg and across the commons to the T Junction.

For further information and to confirm details please phone Angus on 01724 711191 / angus@townley.com or

Janet on 07766 420290 / janet.canning@naturalengland.org.uk

-o-o-o-o-

Future walks,

Thurs 5 July – Nightjar walk Crowle Moors 8.30pm

Sat 6 Oct – Deer Walk Thorne Moors 6pm

I have summarised the close names below.

The 1738 Manorial Plan and Survey give an excellent insight into the fields at Crowle pre-enclosure.

The open field system had been the method of farming since medieval times. The large open fields were split up into strip which were farmed by different people. The land was owned, mostly as Copyhold, thought some, the Demesne Lands, were owned by the Lord of the Manor  and rented out. A very small amount of land in Crowle in 1738 was freehold.

The two large open fields were subdivided into smaller sections which were referred to as Furlongs and each of these furlongs consisted of a number of strips — all varying in length and width. In the survey the owner for each strip is indicated with its area and the rent due to the Manor of Crowle.

In the survey each of the Furlongs is referred to by a different name. The spellings of the different furlongs varies from source to source. I have used the spellings from the Terrier – the book that lists each of the strips in numerical order.

Are there any areas still referred to by the original furlongs names? I suspect not, as in 1822 once the enclosure awards were completed the open fields were completely enclosed – though I note that on the enclosure plan Field Road is labelled as Caugars Road, which harks back to the original furlong name on the 1738 manorial survey.

In addition to the open fields there were a large number of enclosed fields which were referred to as  Closes – a separate Post is being prepared to look at these.

Edward Peacock’s “Glossary of Words Used in the Wappentakes of manley and Corringham, Lincolnshire” (Published by the the English Dialect Society, 1889) provides some exlanation for the terms used in the names of furlongs.

Butt-hills - Mounds which have been used for butts in archery.

Butts – The ends of ridges in an open field which abutted on other ridges that were at right angles to them.

Close - As enclosure, whether grass or under plough, as distinguished from a field, which is unenclosed land under plough.

Croft - A small plot of enclosed land adjoining a homestead.

Field - The correct meaning of this is unenclosed land under plough.

Furlong – (1) The boundary upon which the separate lots abut in an open field.
(2) The separate lots in an unenclosed field.

 Gare, Gareing - A term used in ploughing to denote a triangular piece of ground in a field or close which has to be ploughed with furrows of differing length.

Hale - (1) A gareing in an enclosure or open field, that is an angular piece that has to be ploughed separately.
(2) A bank or strip of grass which separates two persons’ land in an open field

Headland – The part of an open field or enclosure where the horses turn round, and which is consequently ploughed the last and in transverse direction to the rest of the land. In open fields these headlands are often boundaries of property, and therefore headland is sometimes, though rarely, used as an equivalent for boundary.

Home-yard, Home Close, Home field – A croft, garden, paddock or grass close near a homestead.

Ley, Leases – Unenclosed grass land. It seems to mean land that has once been ploughed and afterwards laid down to grass.

Lidyate – A gate between ploughed land and meadow, or pasture and meadow, in an open field. A gate at the entrance of a village used to hinder cattle from straying from the unenclosed fields or commons amongst the houses.

Meer – A mark or boundary of any kind between one person’s land and another’s or between one manor, parish, or township and another.

Piece - (4) A portion of land in an open field, sometimes a small enclosure.

Pinder - A manorial or parochial officer whose duty it is to empound cattle.

Stinted – A common is said to be stinted when the manor court has put a limit to the number of cattle which may be depastured on the common by each common-right holder.

Swathe – (1) The width covered by a scythe in mowing.
(2) The row or stretch of grass or corn left by the mower.
(3) A measure of grass land in open pasture. Such a piece is commonly 6.5 feet wide.

Toft, Toftstead –  A piece of land on which a cottage, having a common-right, stands or has stood.

An Account of the Stints of Croul Commons

The Yorkshire Common, North End Common, Marsh Common, Nuthill Common, are those which are called the Cow Commons or Stinted Commons and are stocked by the several persons that inhabit the Common Right Houses, which are Explained in the forgoing survey. Notwithstanding many of the Copyhold Tennants have several messuages or Cottages, that each of them have a Right of Common thereto belonging, yet by custom they can stock for no other than the House which he or she lives in only, tho their several undertenants which inhabited those houses, have a Right to Stock, the said Commons according to the stint underwritten.

Note also, that there are some Toftsteads in this Manor that have a right of Common thereto belonging, but no right to Stock or Feed any Cattle on the above mentioned Commons in right of the said Toftsteads, unless a House be Builded thereon and Inhabited.

The Stints as Follows:-

Each messuage or cottage that hath Common Right, to stock and feed on the said stinted commons, from the first day of May till Michaelmas, Five Cows, and four Yearling Calves, Six Horses or mares, and three yearling Colts, and from Michaelmas till Lady Day, the said Commons are Commons at large, and are stocked with sheep or other catell without stint, and then laid up till Lady Day aforesaid.

The Small Tenements or Cottages on the wast are indulged with the feeding of two cows to each house, if they can buy them but are not allowed to take in any joists nor is any of the others to feed any other catell than their own. No one is allowed to let his right of common to another.

Eland common and the moors, are not stinted but are commons at Large.

Extracted from the survey taken for the Citizens of London then owners of the Lordship, Michaelmas 1629

The bounder of the whole Lordship of Croule

Beginning at Durtness Wash and down Callen Dyke to the Ellers in Star Car, From the Ellers in Star Car to the Hurst Sike, From the Hurst Sike to the Monk Stone, & so to the Cross in the Ellers, From the Cross in the Ellers to the Cross of the Moors. From the Cross of the Moors to Middle Moor Dyke, and down Middle Moor Dyke to Prescho Dyke Head and so along the River of Trent to old Dunn Head, and so down old Dunn to Nutt Hill & from Nutt Hill to Curf Hill gap, and from Curf Hill gap up old Dunn to the Tack and between Bouthe Hill and Barfoote, to Coy Garth, and from thence up Coy Garth Sike, to the edge of the Englishe  Moor, and so Linially to the Willow in the Hope, and from thence to Dunn Stathe, and from thence to Lax garth, and so to Ducklin Lodge, and thence to Swallow Lodge Hill, and thence to Durtness Wathe where we began.

Starting 16th April 2012

When: Monday Evenings 6-7:30pm

Where: Crowle Community Hall

Who: Age range 8-11

What: Drama, games, improvisation, character work, stagecraft and much more….

Price: £2 per session

Places Limited – BOOKING ESSSENTIAL

Call Gill on 01427 873947 for more details and to book.

All session leaders are CRB checked. 

Extract of the grant of Crowle Manor to the Earl of Kingston, 14th Nov 1634

All that the Manor of Crowle in the sayd County of Lincolne with all and singular the rights members and appurtaeynances thereof. And all Lands Tenements Rents & Hereditaments whatsoever in the aforesayd County of Lincolne called or knowne by the name of the mannor or  mannors of Luddington and Eastoft And also all those Rents of Assize of the free Tenaments in Butterwick in the sayd County of Lincolne amounting to three pounds three shillings and eight pence per annum. And also all those rents of assize of the free Tenaments in Luddington and Eastoft aforesayd amounting to eleven pounds nyne shillings and sixpence per annum And also those rents of assize of customary Tenants in Crowle aforesayd amounting to twenty nyne pounds ten shillings two pence and one farthing per annum And also those rents of assize of customary Tenants in woodhouse on the sayd County of Lincolne amounting to Fower Pounds fowerteen shillings and eight pence per annum And also all those rents of assize of customary Tenants in Garthorpe in the Sayd County of Lincolne aounting to thirty fower pounds two shillings two pence and one farthing per annum And also all those rents of assize of customary tenants in Luddington and Eastoft aforesayd amounting to thirty three Pounds Seaven shillings and one half penny per annum And all that messuage with appurteynances in Butterwicke aforesayd now or late in the tenure or occupation of Thomas Whittingham or his Assignes of teh yearly Rent or value of three shillings and fower pence And also all those Lands and Pastures in Butterwicke aforesayd

[end page]

aforesayd with the Appurteynances now or late in the tenure or occupation of John Longbotham or is Assignes  of the yearly Rent or value of tenn shillings And also all that seyte of the manor of Crowle aforesayd and all buildings barnes stables and gardens to the same beonging  And all that one moore and all    those two acres of Land lying in the Alcham Carre called the Kitchen Carre there with appurteynances nowe or late in the occupation of Roger Tildesley or his assignes of the yearely rent or value of tenn shillings And also all those arrable Lands in Crowle aforesayd called the Balland conteyning by estimation three score and ten acres And all that Close there called the Redcarre conteyning by esstimation three score and eight acres And all that close called Swallowhirne there with appurteynances of the yearly Rent or value of three Poundstenn shillings and fower pence And also all that messuage and Tenement called the Leame neere Crowle aforesayd and all Houses and Building to the same belonging And all those seaven acres of meadowe near Leame hedge called Parrockes And all those closes called Crame Close Angarst close Rye Close Sand Close and West Carre And all those two Hemp Garthes And all those the tythes of  Hay from milne dike to Leame Hedge  And all Comons Meadowes Pastures Moores woode underwoode and other Profitts and Comodityes whatsoever to the same belonging late in the tenure or occupation of Nicholas Crosier or his assignes of the yearely Rent or value of fower pounds six shillings and eight pence And also all the marsh or Pasture there called Alcham Carre within the mannor of Crowle aforesayd with the apputennaces now or late in the tenure or occupation of Henry Savile Knyght or his assignes of the yearely rent or value of tenn shillings And also all that messuage and one oxgange of land with the apputeynances in Garthorpe Parcel of the mannor of Crowle aforesayd now or late in the tenure or occupayion of William Kiddall or his assignes of the yearly rent or value of thirty shillings And also all

[end page]

all that Piece of pasture called Raynsbut lying and being in Eastoft and Crowle aforesayd or in one of them of the yearly rent or value of siz shillings and eight pence And also all those woods and underwoods and woodgrounds xalled or knowne by the name or names of Mossewood Cutlehall Crowlehall and Crowlewoods in the Isle of Axholme and all the soyle or ground of the same woods and underwoods And all Profits Commodityes and Emoluments of teh same comeing growing or arising now or late in the tenure or occupation of Thomas St Poole Kn’ or his assignes of the tearely rent or value of eight pounds and tenn shillings And also all that wood in Crowle aforesayd called Overwath Wood late in the tenure or occupation  of Roger Tildesley or his assignes or the yearely rent or value of thirty shillings And also all and singular Perquisites of Courts of the sayd mannors of Crowle Luddington and Eastofte And all and singular Farmes messuages Cottages Mylle Houses Edifices Buyldings Barnes Stables Dove Houses Orchyards Gardens Tofts Curtilages Lands Tenements Ponds Pooles Meadowes Fieldings Pastures Seasures Commons Demeasne Lands Customary Lands Gleab Lands ………………………. moores marshes way voyd grounds pathes Easements Woods Underwoods Coppicewoods Wood grounds and Trees – whatsoever And all the Land Soyle and Ground of the same woods Underwoods and dTrees Tythes of Sheaves Corne Grayne and Hay Wooll Flax Hemp and Lambes and all other Tythes whatsoever as well greater or lesser and also all Oblacons Obveneons Fruyts Profits Commodityes Banks Rivers Waters Watercourses Fishings Piscarres Fowlings Huntings Treefaldage Turbaryes hiyles soks multures free warrens mynes Quarryes Pencons Porcons Rents Revenues Y Services as wll of free as customary Tenants yearly works or Tenant Rents Rents of encrease Farme Rents fee Fermes ….. nuntyes Escheats Beliefes Heriotts Fynes Amercyrnts Rents certen Common Fynes Courts Leets and Views of Frank pledge Hundred Courts Perquisites and Profits of Courts and Leets and all Things which to Courts hundred Courts Leetsand Views of Frankpledge doo belongor hereafter may or ought to belong Goods and Chattells wayved Goods and Chattels of Felons as well of them selves as of other Felons Fugitives Outlawes Persons attaynted condemned and put in exigent estrayes Deo dands natives and villeynes with their sequells estovers

[end page]

=vers and comon of Estovers Faires and marketts Y fines of Fayres and marketts Courts of Pipowder Hallage Tolles Customes Picage Emoluments Immunityes aaquyttances and hereditaments whatsoever with all and singular their rights members and appurteynancesof what kynd nature or species soever they bee or by what names soever they bee knowne called reputed or named seytuate lying and being comeing growing renewing happening or arisingin or within the Lordships or mannors Townes Places Fields Parishes or Hamletts aforesayd or in or within any of them or elswhere soever to the aforesayd Lordshipps or mannors messauges Lands Tenements and Hereditaments and other the Premises by these presents before granted or mentioned to bee graunted or to any of them or to any Part or Parcell thereof in any wise belonging perteyning incident appendant or incumbent or as member Part or Parcell of the same Lordshipps or mannors Lands Tenements Hereditaments and other the the Premises by these Presents befpre graunted or mentioned to be graunted or of any of them heretofore knowne accepted occupied lett settdemised or reputed And aslo ………………….. maynders whatsoever & c. & c.

—————————–

My modern summary

Extract of the grant of Crowle Manor to the Earl of Kingston, 14th Nov 1634

All the Manor of Crowle in Lincolnshire including all  rights and attachments

All Lands Tenements Rents & Hereditaments whatsoever in the Manors of Luddingtin & Eastoft, Lincolnshire

All Rents of Assize of the free Tenaments in Butterwick, Lincolnshire £3/3/8 per annum.

All rents of assize of the free Tenaments in Luddington and Eastoft £11/9/6 per annum

All rents of assize of customary Tenants in Crowle £20/10/2 annum

All rents of assize of customary Tenants in Woodhouse, Lincolnshire £4/14/8 per annum

All rents of assize of customary Tenants in Garthorpe, Lincolnshire £34/2/2 peer annum

All rents of assize of customary tenants in Luddington and Eastoft  £33/7/ 1/2 per annum

The messuage with appurteynances in Butterwick,  occupied by Thomas Whittingham  at an annual rent of 3/4

Lands and Pastures in Butterwick with the Appurteynances occupied by John Longbotham at an annual rent of 10/=

Seat of the manor of Crowle including all buildings, barns, stables and gardens. Including one moor and two acres of land lying in the Alcham Carr called the Kitchen Carre there with appurteynances occupied by  Roger Tildesley at an annual rent of 10/=

Arable Lands in Crowle called the Balland 70 acres in size

Close called the Redcarre 68 acres in size

Close called Swallowhirne

Annual rent of £3/10/4

Messuage and Tenement called the Leame near Crowlincluding all Houses and Buildings

Seven acres meadowenear Leame hedge called Parrockes

Closes called Crame Close, Angarst close, Rye Close, Sand Close and West Carre

Two Hemp Garthes

Tythes of  Hay from milne dike to Leame Hedge  And all Common,s Meadows Pastures, Moors, Woods,  underwood and other Profits and Comodityes whatsoever to the same.

Occupied by Nicholas Crosier at annual rent of £4/6/8

Marsh or Pasture called Alcham Carre at Crowle with the apputennances

Occupied by Henry Savile Knyghtat annual rent of 10/=

Messuage and one oxgange of land with the apputeynances in Garthorpe parcel of Crowle Manor

Occupied by William Kiddall at annual rent of 30/=

Pasture called Raynsbut being in both Eastoft and Crowle

Annual rent 6/8

Woods and underwoods and woodgrounds called Mossewood, Cutlehall, Crowlehall and Crowlewoods in the Isle of Axholme including the ground of these woods and underwoods, and all Profits Commodityes and Emoluments of the same comeing growing or arising.

Occupied by Thomas St Poole Kn’

Annual rent £8/10/=

Overwath Wood in Crowle

Occupied by Roger Tildesley o

Annual rent 30/=

[Still to finish!]

And also all and singular Perquisites of Courts of the sayd mannors of Crowle Luddington and Eastofte And all and singular Farmes messuages Cottages Mylle Houses Edifices Buyldings Barnes Stables Dove Houses Orchyards Gardens Tofts Curtilages Lands Tenements Ponds Pooles Meadowes Fieldings Pastures Seasures Commons Demeasne Lands Customary Lands Gleab Lands ………………………. moores marshes way voyd grounds pathes Easements Woods Underwoods Coppicewoods Wood grounds and Trees – whatsoever And all the Land Soyle and Ground of the same woods Underwoods and dTrees Tythes of Sheaves Corne Grayne and Hay Wooll Flax Hemp and Lambes and all other Tythes whatsoever as well greater or lesser and also all Oblacons Obveneons Fruyts Profits Commodityes Banks Rivers Waters Watercourses Fishings Piscarres Fowlings Huntings Treefaldage Turbaryes hiyles soks multures free warrens mynes Quarryes Pencons Porcons Rents Revenues Y Services as wll of free as customary Tenants yearly works or Tenant Rents Rents of encrease Farme Rents fee Fermes ….. nuntyes Escheats Beliefes Heriotts Fynes Amercyrnts Rents certen Common Fynes Courts Leets and Views of Frank pledge Hundred Courts Perquisites and Profits of Courts and Leets and all Things which to Courts hundred Courts Leetsand Views of Frankpledge doo belongor hereafter may or ought to belong Goods and Chattells wayved Goods and Chattels of Felons as well of them selves as of other Felons Fugitives Outlawes Persons attaynted condemned and put in exigent estrayes Deo dands natives and villeynes with their sequells estovers

[end page]

=vers and comon of Estovers Faires and marketts Y fines of Fayres and marketts Courts of Pipowder Hallage Tolles Customes Picage Emoluments Immunityes aaquyttances and hereditaments whatsoever with all and singular their rights members and appurteynancesof what kynd nature or species soever they bee or by what names soever they bee knowne called reputed or named seytuate lying and being comeing growing renewing happening or arisingin or within the Lordships or mannors Townes Places Fields Parishes or Hamletts aforesayd or in or within any of them or elswhere soever to the aforesayd Lordshipps or mannors messauges Lands Tenements and Hereditaments and other the Premises by these presents before granted or mentioned to bee graunted or to any of them or to any Part or Parcell thereof in any wise belonging perteyning incident appendant or incumbent or as member Part or Parcell of the same Lordshipps or mannors Lands Tenements Hereditaments and other the the Premises by these Presents befpre graunted or mentioned to be graunted or of any of them heretofore knowne accepted occupied lett settdemised or reputed And aslo ………………….. maynders whatsoever & c. & c.

The Yorkshire Arcaeological and Topographical Journal

VOL. VII.

1882

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

Communicated by CHARLES JACKSON, Doncaster.

George Stovin, the writer of the manuscript of which the following notices are presented in these pages, was the eldest son of James Stovin, esq., of Tetley, in the parish of Crowle, in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and was born about 1695 or 1696. Before the death of his father in 1735, he married Sarah, daughter and heiress of James Empson, esq. of Gowle, or Goole, in the former county. We are toldthat he appears not to have been brought up to any profession, but to have led the life of a country gentleman, which afforded him abundant leisure to prosecute the topographical and antiquarian researches to ^hich from early life he was addicted. He took a considerable interest in the drainage and other general affairs of the Level of Hatfield Chase, in and about the neighbourhood of which he had inherited, on the decease of his father, a good patrimonial estate. The adjustment of those affairs of the drainage, under circumstances of complication and diflBculty of no ordinary kind, as will be seen hereafter, had occupied the attention of Mr. Stovin’s predecessors ever since their commencement by the celebrated Sir Cornelius Verrauyden, in the beginning of the reign of King Charles the first, and he continued to perform the onerous duties to which he had succeeded, and which his position entitled him to fulfil, both as an assiduous commissioner of sewers and a no less active justice of the peace.

Mr. Stovin would, no doubt, derive from his father and his other older relations many curious and interesting stories about the previous state of the Levels, when the greater

* See memoir of him by Hunter in is no particular jurisdiction prevailing South- Yorkshire, vol. 1, page 181. throughout them, nor can their limits be 2 Mr. Hunter says, “When we speak accurately defined. But when we speak of the Levels we are using a term which of the Level of Hatfield Chase, we detach is mearly a common colloquialism. There from the whole level land a portion the  boundaries of which we can define/’ &o.

(South’Yorkshire, voL 1, p. 150.)

quoting the story as given in De la Pryme’s MS.’ Hunter, South’Yorkshire I.

portion of that country consisted largely of extensive meres, turf-moors, bogs, and swamps, and when the unrestrained overflowings of the Trent, the Aire, the Ouse, and the Went, rendered the district thereabouts almost unfit for the residence or the labours of man. We can imagine him, arrectis auribiis adstans, listening with no small interest to the popular and traditionary stories communicated to him by the ancient regarders and keepers in the Chase, who, in their turn, would have received the like from their forefathers.

Especially exciting and amusing to him, we can fancy, would be, for instance, such an account as we have of the semiaquatic deer hunt in these levels, when Henry Prince of Wales is stated to have visited that part of Yorkshire in 1609, whereat his royal highness and his retinue turned out at Tudworth, for the chase, not on sprightly steeds, with hound and horn, but attended by a numerous assemblage, they embarked themselves in about one hundred boats, and having had driven from out the neighbouring woods and grounds some five hundred deer, which took to the waters, the little navy of sportsmen pursued their game into Thorne Mere, and there some of the party going into the water, and feeling such and such that were the fattest, either instantly cut their throats, or drew them by ropes to land and killed them. With a day’s work such as this (the last time that there was any royal sporting in this Chase), the prince is said to have been ” very merry and well pleased”.3Mr. Stovin would learn also from the older class of his acquaintance various anecdotes respecting Sir Cornelius Vermuyden and his Dutch and French partners, or participants as they were usually termed,^ in the grand scheme of drainage for which they left their native country to engage in ; and he would be told of the ill blood that their proceed ings stirred up, and the serious disturbances thereby provoked, terminating frequently in loss of life and property to many. There being in those times no local newspapers or periodical magazines, the stirring events of the period had to be recorded, as best they might be, in the memories of the inhabitants, and by them handed down, either verbally or in written memoranda, to their posterity. The observant Abraliam De la Pryme, who died when Mr. Stovin was about nine years old, left behind him a good store of local information regarding those levels, and of these written collections Mr. Stovin afterwards availed himself much, as he has acknowledged.

It is related of Mr. Stovin that he scarcely ever left the Levels, living in Crowle and its vicinity, and with the true feeling of a native antiquary thinking no part of England comparable to the Isle of Axholme, and no town equal to Crowle. In the latter part of his life, however, he crossed the Trent, and fixed his residence at Winterton.^ There he spent the concluding years of his long life, living, as one who knew him well informed Mr. Hunter, in a little cottage which he had made Arcadian with honeysuckles and other flowers, where he was to be seen with his pipe every morning at five, and where he was accustomed to amuse his neighbours with the variety of anecdote with which his memory supplied him. He died in May, 1780, aged about 85 years, and was buried in the chancel of Winterton church.

Mr. Stovin contributed to the Gerdleman’s Magazine an account of Lindholme, a remarkable isolated place in the turf-moor of Hatfield ; and to the Royal Society he made several communications of an antiquarian sort that were printed in their Transactions. Besides these, he left in manuscript many notes of Roman roads and stations in the counties of York and Lincoln, the result of his personal observation. But perhaps the most important of his topo graphical collections is the manuscript now brought before us. This is a quarto volume, in size about eight by seven inches, bound in rough calf, containing 458 pages, closely written, consisting chiefly of transcripts of all documents he could obtain which in any way related to the drainage, together with extracts from law books detailing the powers and duties of Courts of Sewers, &c. To these Mr. Stovin prefixed the brief account of Vermuyden’s costly proceedings in the drainage of the Level of Hatfield Chase, which, by the favour of this Society, is now printed in the writer s own style and language, and thus, it is hoped, rendered secure from the risk of loss to which manuscripts of importance are too frequently exposed.

* In the preface to South- Yorkshire. Mr. Hunter pays a passing compliment to both these worthy antiquaries of the Levels, by saying : ** De la Pryme’s notes are admirable for the history of Hatfield Chase ; but that portion of the ensuing work would not have been so complete as I flatter myself it may be found, if I had not had the benefit of the labours of another gentleman, who fifty years after the time of De la Pryme, employed himself in collecting materials for the history of that Level. This was George Stovin, esq., of Crowle, grandfather of the rev. Dr. Stovin, the rector of Rossington, who, in the most obliging manner) acceded to the request of a friend, and allowed me the unrestricted use of a well-mied volume.*’ (The MS.
now under our notice.)

^ A small market town, about 8 miles W.S.AV. from Barton-upon-Humber, and a place where Roman antiquities have been met with.

^ No gravestone remains to mark the exact spot of his interment At one time it was thought likely that it might be under one of two pews, but when these were removed nothing was found ; nor does the record of any monumental remembrance of the deceased antiquary exist. In front of the old hall at Winterton is a shield carved in stone with the arms of Stovin, viz. : — Barry of six or and gules, in chief a label of five points ; impaling Empson, Azure a chevron between three crosses form^e argent. Crest, over the helmet, a bow with the string drawn emd the arrow ready to be discharged. Buried, a.d. 1780, May 14, Mr. Qeorge Stovin {Par, Beg.). Ex. inform. Rev. J. T. Fowler.)

7 January, 1747, page 23. See Peck, 197

The contents of this volume, probably in some better digested and more carefiilly arranged form, it seems to have been Mr. Stovin’s intention to give to the public, for at the end of the manuscript he has sketched out a summary of the contents of it, with ” Proposals for printing by subscription, in one volume, folio, with marginal notes. The History of the Drainage of the Great Level of Hatfield Chase, in the counties of York, Lincoln, and Nottingham ; by George Stovin, Esq., near forty years an acting Commissioner of Sewers in the said Level.” The price was to be a guinea, in sheets, or handsomely bound and lettered ; but the design was abandoned, probably for want of encouragement. The ground-work and main outline of the history, however, was in after years taken up and enlarged upon by the learned historian of ” South Yorkshire,” with that ability of composition and clearness of construction for which his works are so justly remarkable, and which will accord him a place in the front rank of topographical writers to the end of time.^

^ In 1880, the MS. was accidentally discovered behind some books in the office of a solicitor at Doncaster much connected with the legal affairs of the Level of Hatfield Chase. From whence it came, or how long it had been lying there, could not be explained,

^ Peck, Wainwright, and Stonehouse also derived information from this MS.

HATFIELD CHASE

A Brief account of the Drainage of the Level of Hatfield Chase in the Countys of York Lincoln, and Nottingham, WITH THE Country adjacent.

This famous Chase of Hatfield was the greatest Chase of red deer the Kings of England had, containing in all limits above one hundred and eighty thousand acres ; and was formerly the estate of the Earls of Warren and Surry.

William the first gave the church to the Priory of Lewes, and William the second gave the tyth of all the eels taken out of the fisheries here to the abby of Roch.

The manor of Hatfield continued in the Warren family for many generations, and came at last to John Earl of Warren and Surry, who died possessed of it. He settled it upon Maud de Bereford, his concubine, and two children, John and Thomas ; but it came, soon after, to Edmond de Langley, fifth son of Edward the third, and continued in the Crown till King Charles the first granted it to S’ Cornelius Vermuyden.

This church is only a vicaridge, and but of small income, but the inpropriate tyths are lett for above eight hundred pounds a year, and are now the property of the Duke of Portmore ; but for many years they was the property of the Cavendish family.

The town of Hatfield is in the West Kiding of Yorkshire, and is one of the cleanest and pleasantest vilages in those parts, being a fine gravelly soil, and most of the buildings new, and built of brick and tyle. It stands about twenty-five computed miles almost south of York, and five computed miles almost north-east of Doncaster.

It is a very large and extensive parish, and the manor is copyhold, at a fine certain, and a very small one. The copyhold tenants having the priviledge of felling their wood and timber without the consent of the lord of the manor.

To which manor belongs the several towns or hamlets of Thome, Stainford, Woodhouse, Dunscroft, Tudworth, Fishlake, &c.

At this town of Hatfield, the Kings of England had a royal seat (now called the Manor House), at which place Queen Philipa, consort to King Edward the third, being there to take the deversion of hunting, was brought to bed of a prince (called from thence), William de Hatfield, who died there, and was hurried in the cathedral church of St. Peter in York, where his effigie is to be seen cut in white marble on the north side the quire in the said church.

His mother gave five marks yearly to the Abbot of Roch, and five nobles to the monks there, for the saying mass for the repose of his soul ; which said sum was transfered, and is now yearly paid out of the impropriate tyths of Hatfield to the archbishop and dean and chapter of York.

This town of Hatfield is famous in history for a great battle fought there between Penda King of Mercia and Cadwala King of Wales, who fought Edwin King of Northumberland ; in which battle Edwin and his eldest son Offred was both slain. Edwin was hurried at Dervento, now

Aldby/° six miles east from York, upon the river Derwent. This estate of Aldby now belongs to Henry Brewster Darley, esq. There are many Koman antiquities found at this place.

In the parish of Hatfield is a large mooras, about fifteen miles in circumference, a rank moor, and so light and boggy that you may thrust a pole down to the length of ten, twelve, or fifteen foot ; this place is called Hatfield Waste, and is where the inhabitants digg their turff for burning. But what is most admireable, in the very center of this mooras is about sixty acres of firm land, sandy, and full of blue cobble stones, much like those got in great plenty at the Spurn Head, at the mouth of the Humber. Upon this ground is a farm-house, and a spring of fine fresh water, though the water in the mooras is very bad, and of the colour of coffee. This place is called Lindham, where dwelt an hermit, called William de Lindham,” of whom the people of Hatfield, Wroot, Finingley, Thome, Blackston, &c,, tell incredible stories, and some things more than wonderful.

This great Levil hass the river Trent and the Humber to the east, and south-east ; and the river Ouse to the north and north-west ; and had several natural rivers running through it, which emptied themselves into the two rivers of Trent and Ouse. The river Ay re arises in the western hills nere Skipton in Craven, and hass many fine seats and towns upon it, as Leeds, a famous town of trade for fine broad cloths, tamys, stuffs, (fee. Temple- Newsom, now the seat of the Honble. Lord Irwin ; this manor belonged to the Knights Templars, but was given by Edward 3rd to John Lord D’arcy. Thomas Lord D’arcy forfeited this by rebellion, 1544, 35th Hen : 8th, who gave it to Matthew Earl of Lenox and Margrett his wife. Henry Lord Darnley, father of King James the first, was born in this house.

Upon the banks of the said river stands Swillington, the seat of Sir William Lowther, Barrt. Also Kipax, the seat of Sir John Bland ; and Castleford, a Roman station, where I have met with several Roman coins. Through this place is the famous Roman road leading from the watering place north of Lincoln, over Littlebrough Ferry, over the Trent to Doncaster, and from Castleford to AJdborrough, Catrick,

^^ See Drake’s Eboracumy p. 33.

^^ Liodholme. John Symsoii, of Fish-
lake, by his will 23rd March, 1407, aud
proved at York 28th July following, be-
queathed “Id to the Hermit of Lindholme
(Item lego viirf. heremite de lyndholm.)
Dr. Johnston’s MSS. at Campsall, contain
some notices of this place and its occupant,
which have been followed by other writers.
See Diary of Abraham De la Prymey
Surtees Soc. pub. vol. 64, 146. Hunter’s
SotUh- Yorkshire I. 196. Stonehouse’s
Isle of Axholme, 394. In 1747, Mr.
Stovin communicated to the Gentleman’s
Magazine an account, with a small wood-
out of the hermitage or cell said to have
been the abode of William of Lindholm,
which Dr. Miller reproduced in his His-
tory of Doncaster, page 300. John Bland,
of Lindholme, gent., made his will 28th
August, 1629 ; mentions his sisters Ann
and Johan— his wife Sarah — leaves to
John West his hanger or his peece, which
he shall choose— 40^ each to the poor of
Haitefield and Haitefield Woodhouse —

12d. each to persons named Ashley —
desires to be buried at Haitefield — John
West and Wm. Woodcock supervisors.
About the year 1837, Mr. John Hatfeild
Gossip purcnased between 3000 and 4000
acres of ]and on the Lindholme moor or
waste, with the intention of converting
the property into one of great value by
the process of ‘ * dry warping.” For want
of sufficient funds, however, to enable
him to prosecute the works successfully,
it is believed that the property passed
into the hands of Messrs. Charles and
Robert Wright, of Anston, who had ad-
vanced money upon it. The Rev. N.
Greenwell suggests the meaning of the
word Lindholme to be the linden or lime-
tree island. Lindi, Danish for a linden
or tell, and holme an island or low-lying
level, alluvial land. The limetree is said
to succeed best in low, deep, subhumed
loams. Another derivation may probably
be from ‘ling* and * holme,’ the ling
(heath) island.

Near this famous road, and adjoining Kipax, is Loadstone, now the estate of the Honble. the Earl of Huntington. At the conquest it was the estate of Edwin Earl of Mercia ; afterwards belonged to Harboard, esq. ‘^ then to S’. Ric. Saltonstall ; then to S”^ John Lewes ; and then to Lady Betty Hastings. Below this is Biram, the seat of Sir John Ramsden. Also Ferry-Bridge, upon the great road from London to Edinburgh. Then Carlton, the seat of Sir Miles Stapleton ; and Cowick, the seat of the Lord Viscount Down. Near which is Suaith, a market town, formerly the estate of Laceys, Earls of Lincoln, with tlie soak of Snaith, containing all Marshland, &c. Then Rawcliff, late the seat of S”" John Boynton ; and then Ayremin, where the river falls into the Ouse, and now the estate of the Rt. Honbl. Hugh Earl of Northumberland. N.B. This river was made navigable up to Leeds, and in my memory the lock dues of this river was let to one Mr. Clark for £800 per annum ; but by the increase of trade up that river, the lock dues are lett at £3,500 per annum, and has been lett at that rent for several years, and it is supposed they will now be let for £4000 per annum.

The next river which came in a more particular manner through this Levil is the Don, which rises in the black mountains near Penniston in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and comes nere Sheffield, a noted place for cutlers, and glides down to Rotherham, where it takes in the Rother out of Derbyshire, and many other small rivulets. It then comes by Oldwork, the estate of Francis Foljamb, esq. ; then by Tribourgh, Coningsburgh, Strafford ; takes in the Dare” at Darefield; then by Sprotburgh, and so to Doncaster, a Roman station upon the military road ; then to Wheatley, the seat of S”^ Geo. Cook ; Sandal, Bamby-super-Don, Staiuford, and Fishlake, below which place, and near Thome, this river divided itself into two branches, the one running north into the river Ayre, and the other east into the river Trent.^^ On this branch stands Croul, an antient market town, and formerly part of the possessions of the Abbey of Selby, in Yorkeshire ; below which stands Eastoft, divided by the river Don, one part in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the other in Lincolnshire. The Yorkshire part was lately the estate and residence of Francis Eastoft, esq., and the Lincolnshire part the estate of Sir John Lister, and his seat (tho* their is some other owners in the place). This estate was part of the possessions of the Abbey of Selby, and is now the estate of Thomas Lister, esq., of Geresby, near Louth, in the comity of Lincoln.

*2 Harebred. See Thoreaby’s Ducatus’
Leod. 235.

*’ Deame.

*^ This branch having been stopped up
by Sir C. Vermuyden, at the drainage, it
may be as well to notice Mr. Stovin’s
memorandum of “The course of old
Donn from Eastofte to Stainford. Going
by Micklemash Hill and Barefoot Bill, and
so along between Raynsbutt on the north
side and Blackwater to the Qarth on the
north side the Hazell-ends, and so by the

Garths called the Land-Garths almost by
Took with to Saunder-Garth, and so up
the south syde of Reeder-Wath to the
Crooke; and so through a Garth called
Wrymouthto Lamer- Rack, and so through
a wath called Booth-Eye to Ellen-Tree-
Hill, and from thence by to

Tud worth; and so by Sea- Bank up the
closes late Thomas Darling’s, of Thome,
and so on Stainford Inge up Fyll-pitt
against My dleinch-Nooke, and to Stainford.

Below this, in Lincolnshire, and upon the banks of this river, is Ludington, part of the man nor of Croul, and below it stands Haldeuby, formerly the seat of Sir Francis Haldenby, and below that Folkerby, the estate of . . . . Skeme, esq., now of Eliz. Ramsden, a widow lady. Below this, and near Don-month, where it emptied itself into the river Trent, stands Aethlingfleet, now called Adlingfleet, which took its name and being from Edgar AEthling, who was heir to Harold (slain by William the Conqueror) and also to the crown of England, who having fled into Denmark with many English noblemen for refuge, prevail’d with Swain, King of Denmark, to send his son Knut with a fleet of 300 sail of ships, and a great number of men to assist him in recovering his crown, who came into the Humber in the third year of William the first, and having ruined and plundered the country on both sides that famous river, pass’d on to York, took that city, and got therein a great booty. But William the Conqueror having raised a large army, and upon the march to give them battle, they returned to their fleet that then lay between the Trent and the Ouse, in the river Don (where the tides before the drainage of Hatfield Chase ebbed and flowed up beyond Doncaster). Here the Danish army encamped all winter, and in the spring Knut came to an agreement with the Conqueror for a large sum of money, and with the great riches he had got at York, and in the country, he quitted the nation, taking those spoils along with him, and left Edgar AEthling to shift for himself, who fled into Scotland to the king his kinsman, by which means William the Conqueror was left in peaceable possession of the kingdom of England.

This camp was strongly scituated, having part of the Humber and the Trent to the east, the Ouse to the north, and the river Don to the south, and covered with a deep mooras (twenty five miles in circumference, to the west), so that a few forces would defend it against the Norman duke, as the Danes by their fleet were masters of all the above named rivers.

The river Don is at this place, and for many miles upwards, the antient bouudrie between the counties of York and Lincoln.

Swain, King of Denmai’k, came into the said rivers, the next year, with a large fleet and army, plundered the country, got a vast booty, and made all the people swear fealty to him, thinking to secure his possession ; but, upon more mature thoughts, he conceived it best for him to gett off with his booty, and, sailing home, the Danes never came more to disturb this nation.

This lordship of Adlingfleet was given by William the Conqueror to one of his followers in his expedition against England, called John D’avill, and anno. Dom. 1080, William Ellerker of Ellerker, esq., lord of Holdenshire, married Marrian the daughter and heiress of John D’avill, lord of Adlingfleet. She bears Or, on a chevron betunxt four Jhwer de litces sable two Jlower de luce, William Ellerker, his great great grandson, married the daughter and coheiress of Sir Amias Ludlow, of Scrivleby, in Lincolnshire.”

i< In another part of the MS., Mr. Stovin writes: — “Anno Dom. 1080, William Elerker of Elerker, esq., married Marrian, the daughter and heiress of John D’avill, lord of Athlingfleet.

I take it that John D’avill came over with William  the Norman, as a soldjer, and as Edgar Athling, (from whom this town had its name) with the Danes, invaded  England soon after William was pro-

The third river that run through this Levil was the Idle, which

takes its rise nere Idleton, in Nottinghamshire, and took in inumerable
brooks and rivulets in its passage, even to the boarders of Derbyshire,
and runing past Bawtrey to Missen, fell into this Levil, and was a large
and very crooked river, as most natural rivers are. At Sandtoft (before
the drainage of this Levil), there was a ferry over this river into the Isle of Axholm, from Thorne, Hatfield, &c., and about a mile north-east of this ferry it fell into the river Don.

claimed king, went up as fair as York
and burnt and sack’d that city, they
returned to their fleet, which they left at
this place, in the autumn, and with the
army encamped in the grounds betwixt
the rivers Trent and Ouse, and having
their fleet at hand wintered there. In
the spring following, the Conqueror at-
tempted to dislodge them, but their camp
being suiTOunded with large rivers and
moorasses, he was forced to come to terms
with the Danish general, and by a shower
of gold divert the storm that hung over
his head ; upon which they sett sail, and
returned to their own country.

A.D. 1101. John Ellerker, son of Wil-
liam, by Marrian D’avill, built the chapel
of Ellerker (nere South Cave, in the East
Hiding of Yorkshire about eight miles
from Athlingfleet, and within one mile
north of the Humber) and covered it with
lead, which was enjoy ned his father to
have performed by King William Ruffus,
and gave the bells.

A.D. 1241. John Ellerker, his great
grandson, repaired the chancel of Ellerker,
being casualy buried in the year 1241 ;

and being lord of Holdenshire in the time
of Nevile Frisney lord bishop of Durham
(by the help of Joceline earl of North-
umberland, who gave the timber), the
said John undertook the repair of the
same, and gave lands to the maintenance
of the chantry ; wherefore the bishop
gave him and his heirs for ever the grant-
ship of Ellerker, with a certain fee there-
to belonging. William, liis son, married
the daughter and co-heiress of S’ Amias
Ludlow of Scriyelby, in com. Lincoln.
N. B. The owner of the manner of Scrivel-
by is Champion of England, S’ Amias
Ludlow was Champion then. It hass
been for many years in the hands of
Dimock, Champion of England.

N.B. I take it that John D’avill, lord
of Athlingfleet, was a chief officer in the
Conqueror’s army, and for the good ser-
vices he did the Norman Prince in treat-
ing with the Danes to quit the kingdom,
and this peece of ground whereon they
encamped in particular, he gave him a
grant of it. This was a strong place to
encamp in, as may be seen by the short
feketch below.”

The fourth river is the Tome,’ a small brooke which brought great quantities of water into this Levil from Tickhill river, and St Catherine’s Well, near Loversall ; and several other brooks fell into the Idle near Wroot.

The fifth and last river is Went, which rises near Nostell, the seat formerly of …. Gargrave,knight, but now of Sir Rowland Winn Bart., which takes in many streams, and fell into the north branch of the river Don nere Cowick, the seat of Lord Down.

The reader may form an idea of what a watery country this must be before the drainage. Five rivers runing through it, and frequently overflowing their banks ; besides the tides comeing into the two branches of the Don every twelve hours, and no artificial banks to confine the waters in their proper channels; and he will be, I hope, agreeably surprised when he finds, in this history, that all those waste lands, by the management of the undertakers of this great work, are now become dry land.

I cannot omitt giving some account of Thome, within the manor of Hatfield, now become a handsome market-town. It stands about two measured miles almost north from Hatfield, in a point just between the before mentioned branches of the river Don.

On the north side the church at Thorne stood a castle, which was the prison for offenders in Hatfield Chase. This castle hass a large ditch round it ; the mount where the castle stood is very high ; but the castle is long since demolished ; the dungeon is yet in being, and was used for a celler by the late Mr. Thomas Canby of Thom. The castle hill was planted with ash trees, which was a great ornament to the town, but they was lately sold and cutt down. The hill is now called Peel Hill, being a corruption of Pile Hill, from the word Pile (among architects) signifying a mass or stack of buildings.’”

By the drainage this town was greatly inriched, and their turbary’^ has for above a century employed their poor, and will do the same for ages to come. The labouring people digg their turff” in the summer, and their wives and children makes them ready for sale. When the harvest is over, the men brings them in small boats from the moors, down the canals and drains made by the undertakers of the drainage, into the river Don, through Thorne Sluice, and puts them on board keels and other small vessels, which carry them to market to York, Selby, Leeds, Wakefield, Hull, Gainsbrough, Lincoln, &C where they have ready sale  for them. There is scarce a boatman in Thorne but what has built a new house of brick and tile, and maintain their famalys exceeding well.

^® The river Torne is stated in a pre-
sentment of a jury of the court of sewers,
2nd Oct., 1668, to have been “antiently
a navigable river, and so continued to be
till Mr. Francis Childers erected a dam or
weare, about 20 years agoe, upon the said
river, below Rosington bridge, whereby
the same is dam’d upp and become un-
navigable.”

(Court records, vol. 2, p. 362).

^ The place being used as a ** prison
for offenders/’ may it not be called a peel
from the French word pilleTf to rob or
plunder ?

^^ From turha^ an obsolete Latin word
for turf ; turbary is a right to dig turfd
on a common or in another man’s
grounds. **C. E. K.” in Notes and
Queries, 6 N.S. Ill, 457, states that at
Tolpuddle church, Dorset, the three
bells are supposed to ring, “My turfs
out, my turf’s done.” Turf being the
principal fuel of the peasants, when
their firing was done, he says, they re-
paired to the belfry to keep themselves
warm by ringing.

These moors, or Thorne Waste, is of great extent, being twenty five miles round ; in the midst of which hass been a Lodge for one of the keepers of this famous chase. It affords turbary to Croul in Lincolnshire, Eastoft, Haldenby, Folkerby, Adlingfleet, Ousefleet, Goule, Hooke, Ayremin, Rawcliff in Marshland, Snaith, Sykehouse, Fishlake, &c., in the county of York. And upon this waste is plenty of game, as hares, partridge, black moor-game, ducks, geese, curlews, snipes, foxes, &c. It affords plenty of cranberries, and an odoreferous shrub called Gale ; some call it Sweet willow, or Dutch myrtle.

And here I cannot ommit to mention that the inhabitants of Thome far exceed all their neighbours in their care and industry, for they have had the art to get estates out of fish-ponds ; to make terra firma of pools and stagnated waters ; to plow with horses, where a man, a hundred years ago, could not walk nor stand. In short, to get good corn, meadow, and pasture land, where there was none before.

As a confirmation of this countiy being nothing but water, there was, in the parish and liberty of Thome only, fifty-three copiehold fishings held of the lord of the manor of Hatfield by certain rents, and also many copiehold fishings held of the lords of the manor of Epworth, Croul, and Wroot. None of the inhabitants of the other towns who have a right upon this Waste could or would as yett follow so good an example as the Thome people have sett them. It is chiefly the inhabitants of Thome that hass changed the face of the country, and that has got estates out of the deepest pools of water ; converted moor and moss into dry land, and out of quagmires and bottomless pitts raised meadows, pastures, and cornfields. And as it may be natural for the reader to enquire how all this was perfected, I shall inform him as well as I can. This was their method and industrious care, viz., every inhabitant that had right of comon and turbary in this parish, by agreement had the moor measured in breadth next to Thorne common, and they computed how many yards broad would fall to each common-right house. When this was done, every person had his equal breadth next Thorne common to the west, and so was to cutt to the east (each man as far as he could) ; then they begun to cutt drains betwixt each others moor ; the turff that came out paying for the labour, and betwixt those dykes they graved their turff. But they graved it to the very bottom, untill they came to the natural soil, which in many places is good strong clay, sand, &c. ; and so every year clear’d as much of it as they could sell or bum for fuel. So that now they have gott from twenty to forty and fifty acres each of good firm land, and in all above acres, and above …. miles from west to east, and still pursues the game.

And upon this new found land is planted oaks, elm, ash, willows, thorns, &c., which grow exceeding well. I queshtion their is such an improvement made in any part of Great Britain. They are every year improving and draining this Waste, that in the same number of years that is past since the first drainage to this time, they may and possibly will gain as much more land as they have already gotten, and so on for some ages to come ; for there is no other town that opposes them, or makes any improvement. And they having no known bounds between them, the Thome people will go on until their spades clash against the spades of the inhabitants of the towns above mentioned, almost at their own doors.

This great Waste is of the same nature with that called Hatfield Waste, and both of them, as also all the low grounds and commons in Hatfield Chase, is a sort of subterranious forrest which is dugg up daily, as oak, fiirr, &c. I have known an oak tree taken up that afforded a thousand pales five foot and a half long, and from six to seaven inches broad, for which I paid ten shillings a hundred, besides several loads of firewood.

N.B. — In the year 1100, all Belton, Ep worth, Crowle, Haxey, and Owston commons, part of this Levil, were cover’d with a great old decaying forrest, or wood, and all down from Crowle Causey to Althorp upon Trent. Philo Transactions Vol 1st Part 3rd pa:218

Firr trees have been found underground above thirty yards long, and yet wanting many yards at the small end, and have been sold for masts for ships from 4, 8, 10, to 15 pounds a peece. Some have been found chop’d and squared, some bored through ; some bum’d through, or on one side ; some half riven with great wooden wedges in them, and broken axe heads, somewhat like sacrificeing axes in shape. Under a tree near Hatfield was found 8 or 9 Koman coins.

Mr. Edward Canby, father to the late Mr. Thomas Canby, of Thome, found an oak tree 40 yards long, 4 yards in diameter at the great end, 3 yards one foot in the middle, two yards over at the small end ; so that the tree seems to have been as long again ; for which he was offered twenty pounds.

A man was found in Thorn moors lyeiug at his length with his head upon his arm, as in a common posture of sleep, whose skin being tanned, as it were, with the moor water, preserved his shape intire. (Do. part 2nd, pa: 212.)

About sixty years ago, or seaventy, the servants of Mr. James Empson, of Gowle, was digging turff in this great Waste, and one of them cutt a man’s arm off by the shoulder, which he carried home to his master, who took the bone out and stuff ‘d it, and made a present of it to Dr. Johnson,** of York, an antiquarian. This was the very hand and arm mentioned by Dr. Gibson, late bishop of London in his Translation of Cambden’s Britania, in the additions to the West Rideing of Yorkshire. And in June 1747, in the neighbouring moors, and on the said Levil, in the moors belonging to Amcotts, was found by John Tate of Amcotts, who was digging turff”, the intire body of a woman. He first cutt of one of her feet with his spade, on which was a sandall ; but being frighted, left it. I being informed of it, went with Thomas Perfect, my gardener, and others, and we took up the whole body ; there was a sandal on the other foot ; the skin was like a peece of tannd leather, and it stretcht like a fine doe skin ; the hair was fresh about the head and privy parts, which distinguished the sex ; the teeth firm ; the bones was raled black ; the flesh consumed ; and she lay upon her side in a bending posture, with her head and toes almost together, which looks as tho’ she had been hurl’d down by the force of some strong current of water ; and tho’ a great part of this moor had been formerly graved of she lay seven foot deep from the present surface. I took the skin of

” Probably Nathaoiel Johnston.

one arm, from the elbow to the hand, and shakeiug the bones out, it would have made a ladies’ muff. The other hand not being cutt with the spade, as we dugg for it, I preserved it, and stufift it, first takeing out the bones, which ray son, James Stovin,”" now hass in his possession, at Doncaster. And what is very remarkable, the nails are firm and fast on the fingers. He also hass one of the sandals, which was made of one whole peece of a raw hide, and only one short seam at the heei, sowed with a thong of the same leather. The sandals had ten loops cut in the whole leather on each side, and ten small loops at the toe, which caused to the toe of the sandal to draw up like the mouth of a purse. They was laced on, upon the top of the foot, with a thong of the same leather. This lady’s skin and the sandals were both tann’d by the same tanner (to witt) by the black water of these moors ; for there being such great quantities of oak, firs, and other wood hurried in these moors, the water is by them tinctured and made exactly of the collour of the modern tann fatt water, and the firr haveing so much resenous matter in it, no doubt that helps to preserve these bodies for so many ages, for that they have laid some liundreds of years. I have the assent of that learned body, the Royal Society, for in September 1747, I sent the hand and sandal above mentioned to that learned body with the same account (or to the same purpose I have here given),and when they returned it, I was honour’d with their thanks by letter, and their opinion was that ** they must have laid there many hundred years ; for the sandals were worn in England about the conquest, yet they could not find they was of the make or shape of this above mentioned, but concluded it must be much antienter than that period.” I hurried the remains of this lady in Amcots chapel yard. I showed the hand and sandal to my worthy friend Thomas Whiohcot, of Harpswell, esq. knight of the shire for the county of Lincoln in parliament, who was pleased to put the sandal on before I sent them to the Royal Society.

At Thome, in these moors, about ten years ago, as one William Biddy, of Thorne, was digging turft*, he found the intire body of a man with his teeth firm in his head ; the hair of his head firm and fast on, and of a yellowish collour, either natuarly so or dyed by the water of this moor. His skin like a peece of tannd leather. He took the body up intire, after having lay there some hundred years. N.B. — I had this account from the man himself.

I also think proper to mention that the servants of Mr. George Healey, of Burringham, on the east side Trent, and near this Levil, was digging up firewood in a large moor belonging to Burringham, and at the bottom of a firr tree root they found (as tho’ laid together) a British spear, a British axe, and two short swords or durks, all of brass, which Mr. Healey made me a present off, and which I now have by me.

^ James Stovin, elected Clerk of the  Court of Sewers for Hatfield Chase 5thFeb., 1757 : resigned in 1775. Elected town-clerk of Doncaster, 11 Dec., 1771: resigned 12th Jan., 1778 : became of Whitgift, also a commissioner of sewers  and a justice of peace for the West-Riding co. York and for Lincolnshire. He built the house in the parish of Rossington, formerly called Shooter’s Hill, and died at Sprotborough Hall» where he then resided, 26th July, 1789, and was buried at Rossington.

In these moors is found yew in plenty, which the country people call wire thorue, and it is very evident that all this wood grew upon the place, for you find the roots in their natural position, and when they fell is unknown. Some will have it that thsy have lay in the ground ever since Noah’s flood ; others that this great forrest was destroyed by the Romans, which last is the opinion of Abram de la Pryme, a native of this Levil and F.R.S., who writes that, ” he supposes it was destroyed, and sett on fire by the antient Romans, under Ostorius, the Roman general, who had a pitch’d battle with the Britons, at a place now called Osterfield, near Bawtrey, upon the confines of this great Levil ; that the Romans being victorious, the Britons fled to these woods and fastnesses ; that he pursued them with his victorious army, and, in order to destroy them, sett fire to the woods, &c/’ -^

This seems possible, but I want to know if this battle was fought in autumn ? for it is evident to me that these trees, whenever they fell, it was in autumn, and when the fruits of them was at maturity ; for I have taken out of the places, when they was digging these trees, hazel nutts, in great quantities, also firr apples or the cones, all very fair and at full perfection. When I have laid the hazel nutts in the sun for some time they would moulder to dust in one’s fingers ; but the cones of the firr grows tough and hard. The nutts have the kernnel left in them.

Dr. Shuckford makes Noah’s flood to be in autumn, but it’s observable that all the tops of the trees, in general, when found, lye towards the east, which is the course of the rivers running through this Levil into the river Trent, that it’s very probable, the woods being destroyed by the Romans, that those rivers overflowing frequently and by several inundations from the west and south-west, with the leaves, dirt, and sludge brought down for several ages, these large moors was formed, and those trees covered ; for this Levil was the receptacle of all the waters from the south-west of Yorkshire, a great part of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

King Charles the first, being lord of Hatfield, Epworth, Croul, Misterton, and thirteen other contiguous manors, the demeans whereof consisted of a Levil of above seventy thousand acres of overflowed wastes, whereupon he and his progenitors had an extensive chase of red deer, for the ease of his tennants (from the destruction made by the deer in the adjacent inclosures and cornfields), and for the good of all his subjects, he contracted with Sir Cornelius Vermuyden and his Participants, in the 2nd year of his reign, to dischase and drain the same, reserving to himself one third part of the said Levil, as lord of the soil, allowing the drainers one third part for their charges, and of meer grace granted the remainder to the respective tennants for their common.^

Vermuyden was to agree with the commoners about their several allotments, yett he mett with unaccountable and unforseen trouble and vexation from the commoners. But, by several commissions directed to several noblemen, all the allotments was settled by consent of parties, and soon after confirmed by decrees in the Exchequer.

But the tennants and commoners of Epworth manor in the Isle of

2* See letters from De la Pryme to Dean Qale, Surtees Soc. pub. vol. 54, p. 221.

^ A copy of this agreement dated 24th  May, 2d Car. 1626, is printed in Peck’s Isle of Axholme, 1815, Appendix No. 2: and an abstract of it in Hunter’s South Yorkshire f vol. 1, page 160. Mr. Stovin also gives a copy of it in the MS.

Axholm,^ in the towns of Haxey, Owston, Bumhara, Epworth, and Belton, claiming under an old deed of John de Mowbray, once lord of the whole island, dated the 31st of May, 1359,^^ gave- great obstruction to this laudable and great undertaking.

N.B. Roger de Mowbray forfieted the fine estate by rebellion against Hen. the …. See Rapin.

The said Levil was dischased and drained at the expence of above four hundred thousand pounds, Vemiuyden and his Participants being obliged to stop up the old natural rivers, and to cutt new and spacious canals, rivers, and drains for some hundred of miles in all.

The river Idle^ was stopt up near Haxey, and the waters conveyed into the Trent at West Stockwith.

The first Commission of Sewers for this Levil was granted a.d. 1630 ; and in the year 1632 another was granted in order to compel Vermuyden to stop up the branch of the Don that run east through the Levil into the Trent, and to cutt a new drain from the northern branch of Don nere Cowick to Gowle, into the river Ouse, which cutt being four or five miles long, and very wide, cost the undertakers thirty thousand pounds, and the since into the Ouse cost above three thousand pounds.

The King, in the fourth year of his reign,^ sold his manor of Hatfield to Sir Cornelius Vermuyden under the old rent of £195 3*. 4c?., and a red rose, and an increased rent of £425 per annum, to be paid to the Crown for ever. Also, part of the manor of Brampton, with his premisses in Wroot, under the old rent of £8 6a %d, and a pair of gloves, or four- pence, and an increas’d rent of £60 per annum.

His majesty also sold his third part of the drained lands to John
Gibbon and John Corsellis esquires, under the fee farm rent of one thou-
sand two hundred twenty eight pounds seaventeen shillings per anmim,
payable to the Crown.

But soon after this, the king granted the above mentioned rents to
Katherine, Duchess Dowager of Buckingham, and George, Earl of Rut-
land, in trust for George, Duke of Buckingham, son of the said duchess
and the late Duke of Buckingham, who was stab’d by Felton, at Ports-
mouth.

Sir Cornelius Vermuyden had brought over a great number of Dutch-
men and French Protestants, with their famalys and their whole
substance, amongst whom were several gentlemen of famaly and great
fortune. These gentlemen came over to participate in this Levil, as may
be seen in page . . . and where you have an account of the numbers of
acres they severaly purchased of S*” Cornelius Vermuyden.

23 Dela Pryme, in one of his manuscripts,
says the Isle of Axholme ” was a mighty
rude place before the drainage, the people
being little better than heathens; but
since that ways have been made access-
ible unto them by land, their converse
and familiarity with the country round
about them ; they have become mightily
civilized.”

2* A copy of this deed, stated to be
translated from the French by Wm.
Ryley, keeper of the records in the Tower
of London, is printed in Peck’s Isle of

AxholmCy Appendix No. 1. Mr. Stovin
also gives a copy of it in the MS.

2* Some notes concerning the river
Idle are printed in Peck’s Hist, of Bawtry
and TJiome, 1813, Appendix No. I.

* Mr. Stovin gives in the MS. a Latin
copy of this grant, dated 31st January,
4th Charles. Peck furnishes a translated
copy which he dates ** the fifth day of
February,” without any year, and styles
it in the heading as ” made in the second
year of his (the King’s) reign.”

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

^o:)

These undertakers had many difficuilties to encounter with, hiivlnpj
houses to build for themselves and their tennants, who they had brought
along with them, to keep them from the inclemency of tlie weather; and
S” Cornelius Verm uy den built a noble house, according to the fashion of
those days. It was stud-bound (and I have heani all the wood w^ork
was framed in Holland). It was a great pile of building, with a square
court in the midle of it, with barns, stables, graineries, ic, to the north-
east and west, and the south front was the dwelling-house. These
buildings are still standing, but the dwelling-house almost new built of
brick and tyle by . . . . Harvey, esq., of . . . . , in Bedfordshiro, the
present owner.

S^ Matthew Vanvalkenburgh also built a good house upon the banks
of the Don, in this Levil, which was lately the estate of S^ John Boy n ton,
then of Boynton Boynton, esq., who left it to two daughters.

S^ Philibert Vernatti also built a good house near the banks of the
Idle, in this Levil ; also the De Witts, two brothers ; and many more.

They also built a church at Sandtoft, in Bel ton parish, for the
use of the Dutch and French Protestants inhabiting this Levil, and
had several ministei*s that succeeded each other, who preach’d to the
Dutch everv Lord’s Dav in the forenoon, and to the French Protestants
in the afternoon, in their several languages ; as will more fully appear
hereafter.*^

The people of the manor of Epworth claimed right of common upon
thirteen thousand four hundred acres ; and at the division of the lands
between the drainers and the commoners they had six thousand acres
allotted thenj. But some of them not being content therewith, in the
twelfth year of the said king, their differences was by consent of the Par-
ticipants and commoners refferr’d to S*”. John Banks, the then Attorney
General, who allotted the commoners one thousand acres more out of the
Participant’s part (which, at the first allotment, I find, was seaven thou-
sand four hundred acres), also Epworth south moor and Butterwick
moor. And considering that the poor of Epworth, Owston, and Beltou
parishes would be great sufferers by their loss of fishing and fowling, he
awarded that the Participants should pay four hundred pounds for a
stock to employ the poor people in the making of sackcloth, cordage, kc.
N.B. This manufactory of makeing sackcloth is still carried on in this
island, and employs numbers of i)Oor people, they having ready sale
for it.

These lands was at the fii-st peaceably and quietly enjoy’d. Great
numbers of Dutch and French Protestants being planted there, as is
above mentioned. A house was erected for their minister, and a hand-
some sallery, fixed for him, paid by the owners of this Levil. But the
people of Epworth manor and Misterton did, at the breaking out of the
civil warr between King Charles the first and the Parliament, take up

^ Roger de Mowbray, in the reign of
Henry II f, by a charter of wbieh an ex-
emplification is given in the Monasticon^
and copied from thence by VVainwright in
hia *’ Strafford and Tickbill,” p.ige Ixxviii,
pranted certain lanHa and fisheries at
Sandtoft to the Abbey of St. Alary, at
York ; for the sustentatiou of a recluse.

VOL. Tii.

It was then an i island, formed by the river
Idle dividing into two streams near its
junction with the Don. There was a
ferry over the Idle from Hatfield and
Thorne. The situation fe
in court. There was great emiuiry for it, but no person would own
they knew anything of it. Upon which I informed the court that I see

a certain gentleman (W d, then clerk of assize fur the Northern

circuit), as wee was setting down to dinner, hand a parchment out of the
ctiseraent into the street to M”". John Arthur the former clerk. This
alarmed the commissioners, and they very justly resented this treatment,
when they sent for the gentleman, and charged him with conveying the
commission, which he absolutely denied. But the commissioners threaten-
ing to commit him to York castle if he did not produce it, he, in a
sneaking, dirty manner, fetch’t it from Arthur, and delivered it into
court. This base action lost their election ; many of their friends being
angry at this proceeding, and M*”. Robert I^anks was elected clerk.*^

There is also an Expenditor for this Levil, with a sallery of fifty
pounds a year paid by the Participants. This officer receives all the
scotts or asscsmcnts laid anualy upon t\\e lands in this great Levil, at so
much the acre, for the maintaining and supporting the drainage of the
same, repairing of bridges, banks, sluces, navigable sasses, cleansing the
drains and watercourses. lie also pays the clerk, the surveyor, and
other officers their salleries, buys wood for stay thing and banking, stone,
timber, tkc, which these great works may want. Mr. Francis Simpson,^*
of Fishlock, is the present expenditor.

They have also a Surveyor,’*” with a sallery of fifty pounds a year.
His business is to survey the drains, sluces, sasses, bridges, banks, ifcc,
and to sett on workmen to dyke, scour, bank, and repair, as occasion
requires. When money is wanted for the workmen, «fcc., lie makes out
his warrant under his hand, directed to the expenditor, to pay so much
money to the paity, or parties, who have done such or such a peece of
work relating to the said levil, which warrant is a sufficient voucher to
the expenditor when he passeth his accounts, which he does once every
year, about tlie month of October, before the Commissioners of Sewers

** These were the members of the
court who were more especially interested
in what were formerly known as the
‘* High Lever’ and the ” Low Level, ” which
from their position received different
degrees of benefit from the operations of
the drainage. Under a more equalized
system of taxation, however, tfiere is
now practically little or no distinction
known between them.

^* Mr. Arthur was elected clerk 24th
Aug., 1724, but on the 17th Sept. follow-
ing his appointment was revoked, and

Mr. Banks was elected. He was a son of
the Hev. Kobert Banks, of Hull. Of this
family was afterwards the Right Hon.
Sir Joseph Banks, Bart., 1781, who died
8.p. in 1820.

^ Either the father or the brother of
Sir Edward Simpson, LL.D., M.P. for
Dover, Master of Trinity Hall, Cam-
bridge.

^^ Mr. Abraham De la Pryme, nephew
of the Rev. Abraham De la Pryme, the
antiquary, was elected surveyor ISth
December, 1724. Died in 1740.

216 THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

and as many of the participants as please to attend at a court of sewers
held for that purpose within the limits of the said commission, the
surveyor always attending such court. This officer has also a power
to lett any dyeking, scouring, banking, stoue, (fee, fur repairs ; but mostly has the advice and assistance of the
expenditor in matters of moment, and frequently the approbation of
some of the chief participants, as lately in a breach on the south side
Gowle dyke or Dutch river, which cost the participants 1700 pounds to
take again and secure the country.

They have also a Bailiff attendant upon this court, whose business it
is to call the court, summons the several juries, to serve all warrants or
orders made by the commissiouerti ; to publish their laws and decrees in
open markett ; to levy fines and forfietures ; to make distresses for rents,
scotts, or assessments ; to adjourn the courts by proclamation, sallery is small, but his perquisites very good, having certain fees fur
executing wan*ants, summons, orders, laws, decrees,

They have a Sluice Keeper at Thorne, with a sallery and a house to
live in. Another at Althorp ;^^ another at Ferry ; another at Misterton
Siisse ; one who looks after the Dutch river ; and workmen employed
in and about it ; besides several under-masters who look after the
workmen.

N.B. The fee- farm rents of this Levil now belong to Edward
Wharton, esq., of London.

S*” Cornelius Vermuyden and his Participants met with great opposi-
tion from the people of Hatfield, Fishlake, Sjkehouse, Snaith, and other
places in Yorkshire, as well as from the people of Epworth manor,
Misterton and Gringley : so that it is much to be wonder’d at that they
ever brought this great undertaking to perfection. For the people uf
thoise places rise against him, pull down his works several times ; and
when that would not do they burned all his airts and barrows by night,
in great heaps ; upon which S”^ Cornelius purchased lands of the antient
owners to make such drains as would satisfie the common people, and
gave those people exterordinary wages in his employment, that they r.id
not care to disturb him or his works any more.

But his stoping up the Don that ran through the Levils into Trent,
by which the surcharge of water was carried away from the antient lands
in the last mentioned places, and raising a mighty bank from where ho
stop’d up this branch of Don to Turn-Bridge, six miles long, and o^
an exterordinary hieght and thickness, threw the water ujjou the lands
of Sykehouse, Fislake, Stainford, Bain, and Pulington, and uther place-,
into their very houses. And now this part of the country rise again,
cutt the banks, and destroy all before them, so that the Attorney General,
in his majesty’s behalf, and S*” Cornelius Vermuyden, on his own behalr’,
set forth before the Councel Board the lijtuus carriage of Robert Pui t-
ington, esq. and others in beating, wounding, and killing divers of their
wurkmen employed in this undertaking, and for spoiling of the walls and
bunks made lor the defence of the Levil. This business was heard at

**’ Sic in MS. apparently. stone sluces at Althorpe, of brick and

built a handsome new house between the (MS.)

Double Kivers, and between the two

THE STOVIN MANUSCRirT. 217

the Board, both partys present, fully debated by their counsel, in the
presence of the King. Mr. Portington and others were bound to their
good behaviour and left to S” Cornelius his liberty to prosecute. But
S’ Conielius was to secure, at his own charge, the banks of Fislake and
Sykehouse in what was requisite for their safety more then the usual
charge before the undertaking of the drainage. And whereas it was
moved against Robert Portington, esq., (one of the persons complained
off), that he might be put out of the commission of the peace in the
West-Riding of the county of York, it is ordered that he shall continue
in commission so long as he behaveth himself well.”*^

S^ Cornelius Vermuyden having thus shown the way to Whitehall,
the inhabitants of Sykehouse, Fislake, Stainford, Cowick, Snaith, Bain,
Polington, and divers ether places in the West-Rideing of Yorkshire
exhibited their petition to the Board, with a certificate of divers justices
of the peace of the said rideing, made at a quarter-sessions held at
Pontifract the seaventh of April 1629, representing that the said places,
with the countiy thereabouts, had sustained infinite loss by the inunda-
tions of water caiised by the Participants’ new works, flowings were occasioned by the great bank erected by S’ Cornelius
Vermuyden, as mentioned above, and by turning the water of Don and
Ayre into channels not capable to receive them and carry them away,
and that the new channel to Gowle, repairing and raising the old banks
on the west side of the north stream of Don, according to a late order
of the Board, would secure the country and prevent future danger.

These allegations on both sides were deliberatdy heard by their
counsell, the King present, and it was ordered, for preventing further
disputes, that the inhabitants of the above mentioned towns should raise
by an equal assessment upon their lands the sum of two hundred pounds,
to be i)aid to the said S”* Cornelius, and that thereupon the said
S*” Cornelius with the other participants shall, at his and their own proper
costs and charges, make the old wall on the west side the river Don as
high as the great bank on the cjtst side lately erected by S”^ Cornelius
Vermuyden, and he and his participants shall for ever repair the
same, upon condition they pay to him and his participants such
yearly allowances as by certain commissioners of sewers to be indifferently
chosen by both parties shall be thought requisite ; and that the country
do not directly or indirectly cutt, pull down, nor wilfully indamage the
banks so raised and repaired, and for quietness sake provided that all
losses and damages on either side committed or sustained should be
remitted, in that their lordships looking forwards were desireous to avoid
all contentions and law suits, and to promote a good understanding
between S*” Cornelius and the countiy.

S^ Cornelius Vermuyden now projected to have this improvement
establishd by Act of Parliament ; and this same project was on foot soon
after the Restoration of Charles 2*^., but obstructed by the late lord Down,
which noble lord, with S*” ‘i’homas Yarborough, both member of parlia-
ment for Pontifract, satisfy ed the house by several weighty arguments to
the contrary.

Upon which the petition of the above mentioned inhabitants was con-
sidered over again, and the whole matter in debate twixt the partys was

218 THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

refferred, by order of councel, to tlio right hon^^*^ Thomas Lord Viscount
Wentworth, lord president of the north, John Lord Darcy, and Mr.
Justice Hutton, or any two of them, whereof the Lord Wentworth to
be one.

Accordiug to the direction of this order, Lord Wentworth and Lord
Darcy melt at Hatfield two several times, and view’d the works made by
S”^ Cornelius for draining the Siiid Levil of Hatfield Chase, and the 26th
of Aug*. 1630, after hearing the alligations on both sides, and with the
assistance and consent of S”^ Robert Heath his majesty’s Attorney
General, and S”" Thomas Fanshaw his majesty’s Surveyor Ceneml (both
S”" Cornelius his especial friends), and by the consent of both paiiies,
these two noble persons made an order or award. This award was
ordered to be decreed in his majesty’s court of Exchequer, also before
the Lord Precident and Councel in the north. But, to prevent this,
S”^ Cornelius Vermuyden secretly cunveys his improvements unto
trustees.

This made the Lord Precident grievously complain from York to the
Councel Board above, that, notwithstanding his award, the banks and
works were neglected, and the country miserably drown’d, and that
S”^ Cornelius kept without the jurisdiction of his court, and so made all
process inefectual ; that he hass great difficuilty to keep the people from
riseing ; therefore humbly desires their lordships to direct S”^ Cornelius
to be sent down to him and order him to make just satisfaction to the
country.

But the countiy being much under water on the west side the river
Don, the inhabitants preffer’d a fresh petition to the Councel Board,
25th May 1631, settini; forth that S”" Cornelius refused to give way for
the passing a decree according to order ; and the Board having called
both partys before them, and seen their order, and heard the arguments
on both sides, did unanimously order and declare that the said S”^
Cornelius and his partners shall sufier the said order to be decreed as
well in the Exchequer Chamber as before the Lord Precident and
Councel at York, according to the true intent and meaning of the said
order : and they further order that the petitioner’s bill now depend-
ing in the Exchequer Chamber may be so suffitiently answered by the
said S”^ Cornelius and his partners before the first day of the next term
as that a decree may be thereupon had by consent, without any suit or
delay ; and, if the said S”" Cornelius and his said partners shall make
default in performance of their lordships’ orders, the Board will take
notice thereof. So that upon the 28^^ day of November following the
award was decreed in the Exchequer. But S”^ Cornelius and his partners
still puts off the award being decreed at York.

The famous since at Gowle blowing up some years after this, for want
of proper repairs, lett in the tides out of Ouse, and for many years caused
great floods upon the antient lands, some of which I can remember, and
the people of Fishlake and Sykehouso at such times used to cutt Ver-
muyden’s great bank on the east side Don and drown’d all the levils as
faiT as Crowle, Belton, Epworth, and Haxey. But the great bank being
become very firm, and Gowle dyke, as well as the north branch of Don,
with which it communicates, being by the tides worn much deeper, it
contains all the water that ebbs and flows, so that there hass not been a
flood this forty years past, except the breach made in the bank of Gowle

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

219

dyke iu the year . . . which cost the Participants seventeen hundred
pounds to take it.”*^

The tides being lett into this Dutch River was the only cause and
decay of the navigation up to York, and of infinite loss to that antient
and great city, once the seat of the Roman emperors. For the tides
flow out of Ouse up this river, and so up Don as farr as Doncaster, and
capeable to carry a ship up of a hundred and fifty tons burden, but that
they are prevented by three bridges across this Dutch River.

It was also complained of, at the same time, agaimst S”" Philibert
Vematti,*2 S”^ Cornelius Vermuyden, S”" Matthew and Marcus Vanvalken-
bourgh, and others their partners, that above a hundred poor workmen
wanted above fifteen hundred pounds for w^ages, for which a decree was
made in the Councel at York and adjudged to be by them paid, which was
unperformed, and they stood out to the writ of rebellion. It was there-
fore expressly ordered that they should obey the said decree, and give
full satisfaction before the first day of next term, or otherwise they
should be committed to a messenger of his majesty’s chamber, to be by
him carried down to York, and there be proceeded withall according to
justice.

Most of these transactions happened in the first nine years of this great
undertaking about Thorne, Fishl^e

[Here follow :

The Bounders of the lordship of Hatfield Chase.

Ordinance for the preservation of the King's majesty's Swans and
Cygnets, and for the conservation of Fish and Fowl, with the fishing of
nets within the chase of Hatfield."*^

*^ Mr. Stovin records ia another part
of his MS., under date of Sunday, 18th
February, 1753, N.S.— "The highest
tides at night in the rivers Ouze and
Trent ever known. It top'd the banks in
most places ; broke several gymes ; and
drovmded the country on each side of
those rivers, and in the Dutch river,
going from Qowle to Doncaster, about a
mile up the river from Qowle, it broke
on the south side, as wide and a^ deep as
the river itself. Mr. Benj. Empson, of
Gowle, comeing from Thorne in the night,
his servant man viith hiti horse chop'd of
a sudden into this gyme, and the water
beginning to ebb, he and his horse was
carried into the Dutch river and their
both drowned. The Participants maintain
those banks, and its supposed it will cost
1000/. to stop the breach. The tide
ebb'd and flowed through this breach
from Monday to Saturday senight after,
and laid most of Marshland under water,
as also up to Thorne. N.B. This breach
cost 1700/. to take it."

^- One of this family. Sir Gabriel
Vernatti, was committed to the gaol at
York, by order of the Court of Sewers,
25th April, 1650, for assaulting the
Officers of Sewers in the execution of their
duty.

Some account of the Vernatti family
and its connections is to be found in
" The Herald and Genealogist," 1868.

^•* " But as their swan poles and fish-
ponds in this famous chase are now, by
great expence and industry, converted
into dry land and corn-fields, there is no
occasion for these laws, in this part of the
kingdom, and it is to be hoped never
will be.

There was an officer appointed by the
Kings of England in this chase called the
Master of the Game, who had deputies
under them. The Master of the Game
had his turfls lead to the manor-house by
the tennants of the manor of Hat6eld,
giveing them a dinner and ale. He also
had the agiestment of a large parcel of
ground called the Severals, which the
tennants of the manor fenced for him,
with several trees, and other great per-
quisites; but I take it that this officer
was first created not long before the
drainage. Sir Gervise Cliftlon beins: the
first. How long he held this office I
cannot learn. Robert Lee, esq. was the
second, and continued in that office above
twenty yeara ; and the last that enjoyed
that office was Edmond Lord Sheffield, of
Butterwick, in whose time, I think, it
was dischased.** (MS.)

220 THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

Proceedings of a jury sworn at a court at Hatfield, 31"^ March 1651,
relative to laying out the moors from Kirkbrigg cawsey, Thorne, to
Fishlake.

Copy of a Quo Warranto against John De Warren Earl of Surrey, 12*^
Feb. 4 Eliz. (Latin.)

Proclamation, dated 3^ Nov. 33 Henry VIII. (1542)^^ recorded at a
Forest or Chase Sessions held 26 July, 38 Henry VIII. Perambulations
of tiie Chase of Hatfield. Notes of the bounders betwixt Hatfield and
Crowle.

A copy of the bounders of the lordship of Crowle, 7^^ Nov. 1607.

The course of old Don from Eastoft to Stainford.^^

Copy of the decree for the certainty of the Fines of copyhold lands with-
in the manor of Hatfield, confirmed by an act of parliament 7*^ James
cap. 21.

Articles of agreement, 24 May 2^ Charles, between the King and Sir
Cornelius Verm uy den for draining Hatfield Chase.

31 January 4^^ Charles. Grant from the King to Sir C. Vermuyden
of the manor of Hatfield, etc.

Copy of certain notes of Sir Kichard Gargrave, relative to Sir Anthony
Browne K^

Owners of the Level of Hatfield Chase 1635.

Charges of Scots 1629, 1635.

Extract from indenture dated 14 June 1628 — the King to Sir C.
Vermuyden.

Letter from the King to the commissioners of sewers, 2'^ April 12*^
Charles 1637.

Certificate of the Commissioners of sewers to the King, 4^^ Aug. 1637.

Certificate to the Lords of the Privy Council, May \^^ 1635, of the
arrears of Scots owing from the Participants.

Order of Court of Sewers at Haxey, 2^ June 10^^ Charles, 1635.

Names of gentlemen in a commission of sewers 2Q Feb. IP** Charles.

Bill against Participants by the Earl of Antrim and Catherine Duchess
of Buckingham for fee farm rents, 13*^ Charles.

Another commission of sewers 13^** Charles.

Decree of Court of Sewers, 28 May 21 Charles, 1645, relative to the
repairs by the Participants of the banks from Idle-Stop to Misterton
b'asse.

A Commission for the better draining the lordship of Hatfield 25^** June . . . Charles. And instructions to Commissioners named in
the said commission for the better execution of an order annexed.

Certificate of the same Commissioners to the Barons of the Exchequer,
S^h Sept. 5tt» Charles, 1630.

Copy of the Decree out of the Exchequer Chamber for the commons of
Crowle &c., 30th ^ov. 5^^ Charles, 1630.

Decree in Michaelmas term 6*** Charles, 1631, relative to Sir C.
Vermuyden.

Law of Sewers made at Doncaster 9^^ Dec. 1640, for raising a tax.

*^ By this tbe manor of Armthorpe, added to the Chase of Hatfield, which is

parcel of the possessions of the late described as being one of red deer for

monastery of Uowthe [? Roche], and the the pleasure and pastime of the Kings of

manor of Crowle, parcel of the possessions England, and well replenished,

of the late monastery of Selby, were ^ See anteaj not-e 14, page 200.

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT. 2£l

Decree and Ordinance of Sewers made at Doncaster 1** Oct. 1647, for
repair of Trent banks.

Petition from the commissioners of Sewers to the Lords Keepers of
England, setting forth the doings of ** the Dutch ‘* ; riotous proceedings
tkc. If their lordships do not take some timely course for prevention of
these vexations, the burden will be too great for us to undergo ; and we
must leave both the Levil and the rest of the country adjoining to gi’oan
and sink under their own burthen.

Petition of the Commissioners of sewers 1647, in which they complain
against one Matthew Brunyee *^ ** an alien borne and no denizen/’ for
having at the session of sewers at Doncaster, the 8^^^ Oct. 1647,** in a
most scomefuU jeering manner,” contemned the laws of the kingdom
to be unjust ; and further questioning the authority of the commission,
the court thought fit to fine him £10, whereupon he appeared very con-
temptuous, and further insisted upon his former discourse, and would
not be silenced, inveighing against the justice of the law, and authority
of the commission, till it was thought fit to commit him to the castle of
York : and there lie remained for some few days, and then brought his
action against the commissioners.

Answer of the commissioners of sewers to the Lords Commissioners of
the Great Seal of England Mich. Term 1648, to exceptions exhibited
against them and the officers of the court, in the foregoing business.*^

A Commission of Sewers 30^^ Aug. 1649.

A Decree of Sewers made at Doncaster, 23^ Nov. 1650.

. 25tJ’Sept. 1651.
. 22d April, 1651.
rith 15^1^ April, 1651.
. 27t^Feby. 1651.
. 2d March, 1652.
. 26^^ July, 1652.
. 2″‘! June, 1653.
13^Manuary, 1652.

A ti-ue copy of the autient deed of John de Mowbray some time Lord
of the Isle of Axholme and of the Honour of Brember, made to the free-
holdera there, after he had made an approvement to himself of some of
the wastes within the manor of Epworth in the said Isle, as is now
translated out of French into English by William Riley keeper of the
records in the Tower of London ; dated 31^* May 33 Edw. 3. (1359).]

The freeholders and commoners had a trial, verdict, judgment, and
execution upon this deed at the Exchequer bar in Michaelmas term
last [1651], in the name of Thomas Vavasour, a gent, of an antient
family, son of Henry Vavasour, son of Thomas Vavasour, the grand-
father, son of Henry Vavasour the great grandfather, who married
Joan one of the daughters of Robert At-Hall, to w^hom, by partition
made between her and Elizabeth and Mary her sisters, the same place
called Bel wood did come. Robert At-Hall was son and heir to Oliver

*^ This name still exists on the Levels who died at Sand Hall, 25th Feb., 1858,

and elsewhere. The Rev. Nathaniel £et. 80.

Brunyee, M.A., of Tickhill, late rector of *^ These proceedings are entered in the

Belton, is a son of Mr. John Brunyee, records of the Court of Sewers, Vol. I,

late of Sand Hall, near Crowle, a son of pp. 23 i, 258, 286.
Mr. Nathaniel Brunyee of the latter place.

Do

Do

• •

D^

Do

• •

Do

Do

at West-Stoc

Do

Do

at Doncaster

Do

Do

Do

Do

Do

Do

11 -»^

DO

Do

„ Whitgift

DO

Do

,, Doncaster

ill THE STOVIN MAKUSCRIPT.

At-Hiill, wlio \v:w sou aud heir of Margery one of the daughtei’s and heirs
of Thomas Beltoft and Emot his wife, to whom, by partition with Eliza-
beth her sister, the said place called Belwood came. Emot was daughter
and heir to Richard de Belwood, who is one of the eleaven specially named
in the deed of ^Mowbray, and lyeth entombed in the parish church of
Belton, in a tomb called Belwood tomb/’*

And Thomas Vavasour the grandfather, dcsireiug upon his death-bod
to be hurried nere the said tomb, was after his death laid in the tomb,
(the tomb being broken open for that j)urpose) where a pair of slippers
were found at the feet of Richard de Belwood, whose bones are there
yet in lead. All things haveing ever since passed according to the above
deed till now that the projectours (S”" Corn. Vcrmuyden, «tc.) came in
against law.

N.B. The 12

given in Stonehouse’s Uist, Isle of Ax- above.
hohru, page 322.

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT. ‘H’-)

In tho register book is this memorandum : — Mtmorandum, that the
h(a»pJieniou8 pictures of the lioly Trinity^ Father^ Strn, and Holy G/wst,
trfre removed out of the ylass windows of this quire of Belton Jan. 10^
lo95, the exjytnce wliereof was 10 pence and no moi^e. Witness thereof,
John Melton clerk, Henry Glew, W^ Asliton, fP’* Marcer, Rich^ Medley.

In £elton church, — taken from a manuscript book of M’Torrd’s,
now in York Minster, by the Rev** W”* I’otter, vicar of ITemingbrongh
nero Ilowdeu, Yorkshire, June 1753.

In the north quire window : — Gules, on a bend com pone azure and
argent between 2 lyons’ heads erased argent 3 leopards* faces or, and
boarder compone argent and azure.

In the north quire : — Gules, a lyon mmpant argent debruised by a
bend azure, thereon 3 escalops or. Gules, a lyon rampant argent.

In the east window of north quire. Bendy of G argent and gules ; fyle
of 5 points or.

In the chancel lyes a white stone with a double inscription about its
vei^e, thus : — Here lyeth the Body of John Ftrne son to William Feme
Ksq. wfio died y* 20 Aug^ A,D. 1G15. — Here also lyeth the Body of
Joh Jilia et heres Willi Gardinery qui ohilt 3 die mensis Feb. & Agnes 16 die
mends Noif A.D. 1500.

The inhabitants of tho Isle of Axliolm, under the aLove-mentioned
grant of Mowbray, claim’d right of common in all the waist gi’ounds of
the said island and parts adjacent ; and notwithstanding the grants of
the Crown of part of this land to the Participants for the draining of
the remainder, yet the islanders would not submit or yield up any part,
but was at law with tho Participants for almost a whole century, as I
have heard W”™ Gylby esq. recorder of Lincolne say, who was many years
of councel for* the islanders. But if the law did not favour them they
imeadietly went to club law, and broke down the inclosures of the
decreed Lands, destroying large quantities of corn, rape, The islanders were unanimous, and when they did rise they gathered
their whole posse, men, woemen, and children all went in a body to do
what mischief they could.

To manage the cause against tho Participants, the islanders chose a
person at their head which they called their solicitor. The first they
appointed was Thomas Vavasor esq. of Belwood, (a descendant of
Vavasor of Belwood, in the parish of Belton). But he being a gent, of
a generous disposition, he spent great part of his own estate in protectin,:^
his neighbours* right>o solicitor for the isle was John Pindar,*® an
attorney-at-law at Owston in this islcand, (the son of Robert Pindar, of

^ Stonehouse gives a jiedigree of his wrw left to Earl Beaiichamp. The above

family, and states Uiat by his groat grand- Thomas lia^l a brother, the llev. Robert

800 Thomas Pindar (who died s-p), “a I’indar, who loft is^iie. (///.*/. Isk of

person remarkable for the oddity of hh A.ihitlnf\ p. 244.)
manners,” the property they had acquired

224

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

Eastoft, yeoman,) who raised a considerable estate by this oflice ; for
they not only now paid an annal assessment for their estates to carry on
their cause against the Participants, but their solicitor tooke in several
hunderd acres of comon ground, which was let to farmers, and so raised
great suras of money. How it was accounted for by this gentleman I
know not ; he had all or most of the inhabitants of Belton, Epworth,
Owston, and Haxey bound, and many of them was ruiu’d and forc’t to
sell their estates.

The next and last solicitor for the Isle people was Robert Poplewell, of
Moswood, in the parish of Belton, and sou of David Poplewell yeoman,*’
who from a small paternal estate of fourteen pounds a year raised an
estate of four or five hundred pounds a year. How he came to be chose
tlieir solicitor I know not. He had no education but in a comon country
school. Indeed, he was land-steward to Grace Countess of Granvill,
and by that most of the tennants of the manor of Epworth lay under
one obligation or other to him ; and I am of opinion this was the true
reason of his being chosen solicitor.

This gentleman had them all bound (or the greatest part of them),
and which they had reason to repent whilst they liv*d, and almost all
their posterity after them ; for he taxed them at his pleasure ; besides,
he inclosed what comon ground he pleased, under a pretence to raise
money to carry on the cause, but never was (that I ever heard off) ac-
countable for the rents and proffets thereof. The Isle cause and his
pocket was the two great gulphs that swalled all that and many estates
of substantial yeomen in the island, as the Kin mans, Halifaxes, Foxes,
Bernards, Nodel, Tankei’sley, Wakefield,

He and his Affidavit men attended Westminster Hall almost every
term for a great number of years, and was as well known their as an
Irish evidence. He tooke in lands to support these men nere Hyrst
Priory,” called ” Affidavit closes.” ^^ To this day I can remember Belton
West CaiT taken in by him, containing some hundred acres, and fine
oats growing thereon, which was the last ground this worthy solicitor
inclosed.

I have mentioned above how the Isle people had recourse to club law,
when the law of the nation was against them, and cannot well omitt the
following narrative, as it is true in fact.

I have said that the fee-farm rent of the manor of Hatfield, &c., was
given by King Charles the P^ to Geo. Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and
that the Earl of Antrim in Ireland maiiied his dowager. But, before I
proceed any further, I shall give some account of Nathaniel Heading
esq. This gentleman where he was born I have not had the oppertunity
to be informed, but he was brought up at the Inns of Court and was

** A John Popplwell,of Belton, laborer,
was one of a party of 24 persons who
were indicted at York for killing John
Pattricke, in Sept., 1660. (Depositions
from York Castle, Surt. Soc. pub. 40, p.
175, note.) Richard and Humphrey
Popplewell, esqs., occur as Commissioners
of Sewers, 8rd June, lltli Geo. 2. 1738.

*- Mr. Stovin, in this MS. says in a
marginal note, ” Hyrst is in Belton
parish, and was a cell to Nostal in Yorke*

Bbire. Its now the estate of Mr. Jona.
Stovin, and tythe-free. Had a great
quantity of fine oake upon it about 40
years agoe, and is now planted round,
and in every hedgerow with elmes by the
said Mr. Stovin.”

” A sketch of this ** Affidavit Land,”
taken from a map in the possession of the
Stovin family, is given in Stonehouse’s
Isle o/AxhohnCf page 3d«i.

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIP’T. 225

called to the barr, lived in Chanel Row, Westminster, and practised as a
oouncel in the law. He married Arabela Churchill, sister to S’ Wynston
Churchill, bj whom he had John, Thomas, Robert, and Lionel. Mrs.
Reading being own aunt to John Churchill, late Duke of Marlbrough
(that second Alexander, and British hero), he provided for the sons of
Mr. Reading in the army. John died a major in Ireland ; Thomas was
a captain of foot, but sold his commission soon after ; Robert died at
Newcastle, lieut. colonell of Clayton’s regiment of foot ; and Lionel was
many yeare a superior officer in the Emperor’s army, and died in that
service.

Nathaniel Reading esq. in his youth made the tour of Italy, &c,
and was at Naples when the insurrection of Masinela^^ happened, and
was made secritary to this usurper, and with his master and others was
condemned to die. But when he came to the place of execution, and
being admitted to speak, he made so fine a Latin oration, &c., that he
was pardon’d ; and returning into England putt on the gown, was an
able and learned councel, and then married the said Mrs. Churchill.

He was of councel for the Popish Lords in the Tower, committed their
upon the evidence of Titus Oats and others for being concerned in what
was then called the Popish Plott.

Mr. Reading, instead of acting as became one in his station, undertooke
to suborn the king’s evidence ; was imprisoned and tryed for the fact and
convicted, and was sentenced to stand in the pillory and pay a fine to the
king of a thousand marks, executed upon him ; how he got quit of the fine I know not, but he was
discharged from his imprisonment and imployed afterwards by the Earl
of Antrim (who was at the head of the papists in Ireland) to collect the
fee-farm rents above mentioned. The earl might employ him as a fitt
and proper person to cope with the parties who was in arrear, but I
rather think it done as a reward for his suflTering in the case of the
Popish Lords, for the old gentleman retained his high-flown principals to
the last. And I remember, not many years before he died, when that
great incendiary in church and state, D’ Sacheverel,^” was impeach ‘d
and tryed by the House of Comons, and was only degraded, &c., and
escaped with his life, Mr. Reading roasted an ox whole at Sandtoft,
which he gave amongst the populace, with ale, and each of them two
roasted eggs with the letters H. S. upon each egg.

But now I return to Mr. Reading’s first settleing at Sandtoft. When
he first came he begun with the collecting those fee-farm rents, and used
to make frequent distresses of cattle upon the grounds lyeable to pay the
same, and used to impound them at Hatfield, Bawtrey, and Doncaster,
80 that there was a perpetual strugle between him and the landowners
and tenants of those lands in arrears for the fee-farm rent.

Mr. Reading being a very active man, the Participants, who mett with
continual opposition from the Isle people, thought proper to lett several
large parcels of the decreed lands to him, thinking he would defend
their possession better than they could themselves. Upon this he
inclosed these decreed lands, and got large crops of com and rape, but

** Musaniello. June, 1724. See account of him in

^ £65 89. id, ** Lives of Eminent En^Udhmen,’* 1834,

*• Henry Sftcheverell, son of Rev. vol. iv., p. 110.

Joshua S. of Marlborough. Died 5th

VOL. VII. ^

226

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

inras forced to defend his possession often at the hazard of his life, for the
Isle people often attempted to take it, and in particular by setting his
dwelling-house on fire at Sandtoft in the dead of the night. This
wicked act was comitted by one Peel, Spark, and others, with the
solicitor’s wife at their head. They first cutt up a fine young orchard,
then stopt all the keyholes of the doors with clay, that the keys could
not be moved, and then sett fire to the house, and had certainly burnt
Mr. Reading and his lady in the flames, had not Providence been their
friend in this calamitous condition. For I have heard Col. Reading say
he was then about eighteen years of age, and in bed, when they percieved
the fire, he and the rest of the famaly flew to the doors, but could not
get the keys to move, and in the hieght of despair he wrenched an iron
barr out of the window frame, and got his aged father and mother out of
the window, and by a nieracle saved there lives, for that the house roof
fell in the moment he had got them out of it. This was barbarity with
a wittness, and yet none of the offenders met with the punishment they
deserved, for the lesser vilians fled their country and never returned ;
and Mr. Reading, being in low circumstances, compounded with the
great ones for money ; and especialy the solicitor, by the award of S’
Willoughby Hickman and Colonel Geo. Whichcot, paid (to save his wife’s
bacon) to Mr. Reading six hundred pounds.*’

After which Mr. Reading built another house not farr from that which
was burnt upon the bank of the Idle, whose son. Colonel Robert Reading,
enjoyed the same (after his father’s decease) to his death.

This old gentleman died at Belton, amongst the most inveterate
enemys, in the year of our Lord . . . supposed to be above a hundred
years old. He was reduced to poverty and extreem want before he died,
yet was a man of excellent parts, both natural and acquired, and one of
the finest orators of the age he lived in. His son Robert was an acting
Justice of the Peace for the parts of Lindsey, in the county of Lincolne,
for many years, and a fine orator. He left a son Robert, an unfortunate
young man, who died at Wakefield or Leeds, 1746.

57 Mr. Readinfi;, no doubt, underwent
numerous *’ perils by hii own country-
men.” In 1655, Peter Barnard, of Belton
gent., had been heard to Bay that if Mr.
Heading came at Low Melwood, or Ep-
worth, or Owaton, he would have four
men to lie in wait to beat him, ‘*and
lay him along.” {Records of Court of
Se\ctrs.) On 2l8t Jan., 1669-70, about
fifty persons, armed with swords, pistols,
guns, and other arms came to Sandtoft,
where they assaulted, shot, and wounded
Mr. Reading and his servant. On 2l8t
Jan., 1669, Humfrey Tonge, of Hatfield,
came to Mr. Reading’s house, and there,
without any provocation, shot him in the
legs, having before threatened to put a
brace of bullets in his belly. ( Depositions
from York Castle, Surt. Soc. pub. vol. 40,
p. 174.) In 1702, Mr. Reading presented
a memorial to the Commissioners of
Sewers setting forth a long list of grie-
vances he had had to undergo in their
service; amongst other things, he said

that in the performance of his duties as
agent to the Participants he had thirty-
one set battles, wherein several of his
men were killed, and others wounded and
lamed ; that after several years spent
under inexpressible hazards and difficulties,
*’ he subdued these monsters,” and re-
stored peace in the Levels for a time.
But afterwards the rioting again com*
menced ; the disaffected people assaulted
him and his sons and servants night and
day, fired at them, killed his cattle, fired
his house with design to have burned him,
his wife and family in their beds, **and
gave him the diversion of all points of
military execution.” Having thus ‘ ‘ been
kept in the wilderness of their service,
and grieved with a generation of vipers
longer than forty years,” he concludes by
hoping he shall be suffered to depart in
peace with SOOOZ. in part payment of
what his employers were indebted to
him.

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

227

ThLs Robert, the lieut -colonel, and his brother Thomas the captain,
fanned many hundred acres of the decreed lands of the Participants, and
kept possession for them against the Isleanders for many yeers ; until the
passing the act against rioutous assembles (as mentioned before) in the
reign of king Geo. the first, about the year 1716. This famaly of
Reeuling is now extinct.

Whereas their was in process of time, some years after the great
drainage of this Levil, several other improvements made, and new drains
cutty &Cf by the power of the commissioners, I shall only mention one
amongst many others, as it happen’d within the manor of Crowle, which
was part of Hatfield Chace, as before taken notice of.

[Minutes from Keadby Law of Sewers, 17th May, 1717.

Articles of agreement between the lord and the inhabitants of Keadby,
13th June, 1722.

Court of Sewers at Crowle, 5th July, 1722.

Do at Epworth, 22nd June, 1727.

Petition of Nathaniel Reading esq. to the commissioners of sewers,
" well worth the reading."

Notices of Adlingfleet, families of Ellerker, Davill, Ludlow, Tat-
thew Vanvalkenburgh, who died in 1644,
and it was possibly under some alleged
claim of right that he made this attack
upon the residence of the deceased
baronet's brother. (See Surtees Soc. pub.
vol. 54, pp. 5-288.)

*' This baronetcy was created 20t]i
July, 1642. Sir J. A. Vanvalkenbtirgh
was aged twenty -one in 1664. ** We have
been unable to obtain any information
respecting the baronetcy or family since
that date.” (Burke’s Extin Baronetcvn^ lb38, p. 540.

^ In the Court of Pleas at Doncaster,
6th Sept., 1649, John Noades, gent.,
brought an action against Mark Vanval-
kenbrough, gent., fur having, on the 7th
of May previously, publicly spoken of
him these “falsa, Jicta, scandalosa^ et
opprohiosa verba” viz. “You are a
I’heife,” to his great damage of 50^. The
Jury gave a verdict for the plaintiff for
£6 IS5. 4^^., and costd £2 I2s. Sd. =
£9 69. Od,

22^ THE STOVIN MANUSClllPr.

[Copy of receipt of the King*s fee farm rent for the man ^r of Wroot,
23rd July, 1649.

Copy of a Commission of Sewers, dated 3rd June, 1 1 Geo. 2ni

Precedents of oath, forms of court proceedings, &c., concerning the
office of Commissioners of Sewers, taken from ” Callis on Sewers.”

Lists of names offered to the Lord Keeper to be put into the commis-
sion of sewers, on behalf of the counties of York, Lincoln, and Notting-
ham, and the Participants, ** who all stand.”

1633, Jan. 8th. An Agreement of the Participants for a Minister of
the Gospel amongst the French and Dutch Protestants who first inha-
bited the Levels of Hatfield Chase, &c. ; translated out of the French,
1647.

Petition for a Minister of the Gospel in the Level addressed to the
Participants.

The Participants title in equity against the Queen Mother and her
trustees or assigns.

Order for payment of 40^. a-year to a Minister, made at a Court of
Sewers, held at Bawtry, 9th Sept., 28th Charles 2nd.

Order made at a Court of Sewers, at Tumebridge, 30th Sept. 1681,
referring question of a salary for a Minister to Sir John Boynton, Kn^

Copy of Indenture dated 26th May, 8 Charles I. 1632, whereby Sir
Arthur Ingram, Kn’, sells land in Armin to Sir C. Vermuyden and
others, to cut the Dutch river.

Copy of Indenture, dated 17th April, 1654, whereby Sir C. Vermuy-
den and John Lamott convey to Thomas Lee and Thomas Thompkinsoii
lands in divers parishes.

Report from Rushworth’s appendix, vol. 3, p. 39, of case, Vermuyden
versus Torksey and others, concerning a riot in the Level.

The relator states that, under his agreement with the Crown, he was
bound to drain and lay dry the grounds in the Level ; and his workmen
being at work thereabout, the defendants at several times beat and
terrified them, threatening to kill them if they would not leave their
work ; threw some of them into the river and kept them under water
with long poles ; and at several other times, upon the knelling of a bell,
came to the works in a riotous and warlike manner, divided themselves
into companies to take the workmen, and filled up the ditches and drains,
burned up the working tools and materials, set up poles in the form of
gallows to terrify the workmen withal, threatened to break their arms
and legs, beat and hurt many of them, and made others flee away, whom
they pursued to a town with such terror and threats that they were
forced to guard the town, to the damage of the relator of 2000^. The
defendants were all committed to the Fleet ; three of them fined 1000/.
a-piece, one of them 500/., and nine others 500 marks a-piece; all of them
at the next assizes to acknowledge their offences and pay 2000 marks
damage.

Copy of a decree, dated 3i-d Feb., 7th Eliz., for the agistment of
Dikesmarsh or Hoole Pasture,e Zembr

Jaques Dubois fills de Martin et de Judith Salmon, Bapt. Salmon.
May 5^\ David Beharelle fils de Jean et de Jenne Cor- Cordain.

dain, Bapt.
May 12^. Marie Letalle file de Jean et Judith Descay, Descay.

Bapt
May 19*^ Jenne Leroux file de Anthoine leroux et de

Marie Dufosse, Bapt. Dufoss.

11*^ May. Marie Hancar fille de Isaac et de Jenne Legrand, Legiand.

Bapt.
Ester fille de Rob*, et Marie Taffin Bapt. Taflfiji.

Susnie (?) Amory fille de Isaace Amory et de Ann Moril- Morilliou.

lion Bapt.
16 Nov. Ann de Lepiere fille de Joel et Marie Lermitte, Lermitte.

Bapt.
Ann Leconte fille de David …. Bapt.
25 Jan, David et Abram fils de David et Ester Lenoy, Lenoy.

Bapt.

Abram de Lannois fils de Jean et de Marie Pincheon, Pincbeon.

Bapt.
30 May. David Amory fils de Jan et de Marie Thery, Thery.

Bapt.
Piere de Roubay fils de Jan et de Sara Canster, Bapt. Canster.

20 June. Jan filz de Abram Blique et de Marie Discampe, Discamps.

Bapt
4*^ Juliet Piere filz de Daniel Duverlie et de Marye

Lenoir, Bapt Lenoir.

22 Dec. Jacob filz de Jacob Liennar et de Maiy Frank, Frank.

Bapt.
Jacob filz do Charles de Lannoy et de Sara Albert, Bapt. Albert.
6 March, Marie file M’. Berchett minister de Santoft et

Marie Lecoq, Bapt Lecoq.

Sam*, fils de Isaac Amory et de Anne Morillion, Bapt Morillion.
4**^ Sept. Isaac filz de Jan Vennin et de Cath. Smaque, Smaque.

Bapt.
9^^ Oct. Vierre filz de Isambar Chauate et Mary Ample, Ample.

Bapt.

1654.
Lespiere.

Lennoj.

Demonlin.

1655.
Duqaenne.

1656.
Hardiq.

Letalle.

Le Haire.
Hancar.

1657.
Venin.

Bgar.

1658.
Venin.

Lennoj.

1659.
Lehaixe.

1660.
Hozillion.

Vennin.

LetalL

1661.
Quoy.

1662.
BehareL

1663.
GK>nglar.

1664.
Bmngye.

1665.
Hema.

De Batte.

1666.
Bamery.

Egar.
Hcma.

Deboige.
Morrilion.

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT, 235

12 Mar. Sarah file de Joel Lespirre et Maiy Lermit, Lermit.

Bapt.
9 April Marye fiUe de Isaac Lennoy et Marye de Chatlet, Chatlet.

Bapt.

25 Jan. Jan fiUe de Piere Egar et de Sarah Vandebec, Vandebec.
Bapt.

Jenne fille de Jan demoulin et de Margeret Legraine, Legrain.
Bapt.

Piere filz de Piere Duquenne et de Jenae Bernard, Bapt, Bernard.

19 Aug.
Abram filz de George Hardicq et de Marye Roubay, Bapt Roubay.

26 May. Piere fils de Sam”. Letalle et de EHz. Descon, Dcscon.
Bapt.

Abram filz de Simon Le Haire et de Marye Le Roy, Bapt. Le Roy.
Jan fils de Isaac Hancar et de Jenne Legrand, Bapt. Legrand.

Marie fille de Jan Yenain et de Catherine Smasque, Bapt, Smaque.

18 Oct^ Marie file Pieire Egar et de Sara Vandebec, Vandebec.

Bapt.

Sara file de Jan Vennin et Cath. Smaque, Bapt. Smaque.

Ellie filz Charles Lennoy et de Sara Albert, Bapt. Albert.

Anne file de Jan Lehaire et de Anne Le Roy, Bapt. Leroy.

25 March. Pierre Morillion filz de David Morillion et Letalle.
Ann Letalle, Bapt.

28 Junii. Abram Vennin filz Jan Vennin et Cath Smaque, Snwque.

Bapt.
14 Oct. David Letall filz de Sam”. Letalle et Eliz. Descon, Deacon.

Bapt.

27 June Susanne file de Benjamin quoy et Elisabet
Lehouq, Bapt. Lehouq.

14′^ Sept. Jan fils de Isaac Beharell et de Marye Bhiique, Blique.
Bapt.

21 Junii. Piere filz de Jan Gougler et de Susanne Herssin, Hersein.
Bapt.

26 Feb. Sara file Abram Brynye et Sara Tissen, Bapt. Tysen.

5 April, Jaques filz de Jaques Hernu et de Ann Amory, Amory.

Bapt.
Abram filz de Jaques De Ratt et de Jenne Descamps, Descami)y.

Bapt.
Le 20 May, Jaques filz de Jaques Rammery et de Cath

Cigny, Bapt. Cigny.

4^^ JuUiet, David filz Jan Egar et Mary Morfin, Bapt. Morfin.

22″*. Juliet, Jaques filz de Jaques Hernu et Ann Amory, Amory.

Bapt.
26 Aug*. Elisabet file de Isaac Deburge et Elizabet Amory, Amory.

Bapt.
7 Oct^ Jacob filz de David Morillion et de Cathrine Ben- Benroccdt.

roccdt, Bapt.

236

THE STOVIN MANUSCEIPT.

Chayat.

Vanplue.

1667.
Egard.

Bningye.

1668.
Hernn.

1669.

1670.
Morilion.

Ilarnii.

1671.
Priam.

Vanvalkcn-
bargh.

1672.
Priam.

Hanqnar.

Priam.

1673.
Lctalle.

Tyssen.

Ilemu.

Ocsley.

Priam.

Egar.

1674.
Brongye.

11 Nov^ Pierre filz Isambar Chavatt et Ann Morrillion,
Bapt,

30 Dec”. Piere fils de Isaac Vanplue et Jenne de Verlier,

Bapt.
19^^ May. Rebecca file Abram Egard et de Jenne Lennoy,

Bapt.

26 May. Isambar filz de Abram Brynje et Sara Tyssens,
Bapt.

23 Feb. Pierre filz de Piere Tuyssen et de Elizabet Leo-
nards, Bapt.

Jene file de Jaques Hemu et de Ann Amory.

12 Sept. Piere filz de Piere Leleu et Mary Dnmerlye,
Bapt.

15 Jan. Piere filz de David Morillion et Cath. Banderete,

Bapt.
3 Dec’. Isaac filz de Jaques Harnu et de Ann Amory,

Bapt.
15 Jan. Abram filz de Matthias Priam et de Sara Smaque,

Bapt.*’ It is from this Gent I have collected most of my

materials for this Booke^^
12 Oct. Penelope filla de Marc Vanvalkenburgh . et de

Anne Starkey, Bapt.

27 Sept. David filz de David Priam et de Maria Beau-
mont, Bapt.

6 Mar. Rachel file de Isaac Hanquar et de Jenne Le-

grand.
9*^ April. Piere filz de Matthias Priam et de Sara

Smacque, Bapt.

24 Feb. Sam^^ filz de David Letalle et de Marie Amory,
Bapt.

6 Mars. Catheline fille de Jan Tyssen et de Susanna

Venin, Bapt.
8 May. Jan filz de Jaques Hemu et de Ann Amory,

Bapt.
21 June. Jean filz de Francois Oesley et de Marie Amory,

Bapt.
8 Jan. David filz de Matthias Priem et de Sara Smaque,

Bapt.

8 Feb. Caterine file de Abram Egar et de Jenne de Lan-
noy, Bapt.

9 April. Susanne file de Abram Brongne et de Sara
Tyssen, Bapt.

Morillion.

Deverlier.

Lenoy.

Tyssen.

Leenards.

Amory.
Dimerlye.

Banderet.

Amory.

Smaque.

Starky.

Beaumont

Legrand.

Smaque.
Amoiy.

Venin.

Amory.

Amoiy.

Smaque.

Delanoy.

Tyssen.

^7 In a memorandum in his own hand-
writing, Abraham de la Pryme gives this
as the date of his Hrth, See Surtees Soc.
pub, vol. 64, p. 259. This was the
eminent antiquary and diarist, de quo see
hunter’s South-YorkshirCy vol. 1, p. 179,
Surtees Soc. pub. vol. 64. In the latter
work a pedigree of this family is printed ;
and there are several genealogical, monu-

mental, and testamentary notices of them
in the appendix.

^ In one page of the MS. Mr. Stovin
gives ” An account of what papers relate-
ing to this history, are taken out of Mr.
Pryme’s booke since the year 1735, when
I first see it, and which was not to be
found in it when I had the booke from
Mr. Wharton, Feb., 1752.”

THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

237

ImpsOD.

Froachart.
Hanuiry.

Swart.

1675.
Herna.

Hef&iL
1677.

1678.
Ilenm,

1681.
Amory.

1682.
Herna,

1683.
Amory.

1684.
Ldleu.

1685.
Herna.

29 April Marie fille Gregorii Impson et Susanne Van- Vanpoville.
pouille, Bapt.

1 Sept. Jan fils de Jan Frouchart et Eliz. Taylor, Bapt. Tayler.

2 Oct. Jan filz de Jaques Rammery et de Catherine
Cugny, Bapt. Cagny.

Abram filz Jan Swarte et de Jan Dewit,® Bapt. Demtt.

I Amory.

1 1*^ Nov^ Elis file de Jaques Herau et de Ann Amory, \

Bapt.
1 Jan. Anne fille de Isaac Hernu et de Eliz. Amory,

Bapt.
8 Jan. Sam^^ filz de Jaques Hemu et de Ann Amory,

Bapt.
4 Dec^ Abram filz de Jaques Hemu et de Ann Amory,

Bapt.

3′ Jan. Isaac filz de Sara^’. Amory et de Jenne Mare- Marquilly.
quilly, Bapt.

8 Sept. Isaac filz de Jaques Hemu et de Ann Amory, Amory.
Bapt.

9 Sept. Jan fils de Sam^^. Amory et de Jenne Marequilly, MarquilJy.
Bapt.

20 Nov^ Marie fille de Pierre Leleu et Sara Glover, Glover.
Bapt.

8 June. Susanne fille de Jaques Hernu et de Ann

Amory, Bapt. Amory.

1650.
Dufoss.

Derique.

1651.
Lecoq.

BURRIALS.

Marie Dufosse interre a Santoft, 8 Julet.
Piere Derick interre a Santoft, 4 Feb.

Dam Catberin Le Coq de la Femme de Mons’. Bercbett Minister,

enterr a Santoft, 26 May.
M*”. Bercbett ministre de Santoft est decede merquedy 18 Auril

1655 enurion midy et a este enterre le leudemain enuiron 4 beures

du soir, a Crowle.

^’ Concerning the De Witts, see Hun-
ter’s South YorksJure, vol. 1, p. 169. The
marriage of ‘*Jaquus Dewett, wth.
Antoniee Vandemin,” is registered at
Doncaster, Ist Dec., 1631. Peter, son of
Jacus de Witt, bap. Jan. 21, 1633-4;
buried March 1 9th same year. John, son
of Do., bap. 16th Feb., 1634-5 ; buried
May 30th, 1635. Joshua, son of Do.,
buried Feb. 10th, 1644-5. Rachell, dau.
of Do,, bap. Dec. 14th, 1648. {Thome
Ite^.) 1677, Sept. 6th, Elizabeth, dau.
of Jaques De Wit, buried. 1679, March
80th, Mary, dau. of Do., master and
mariner, baptized. {St. Mary’s^ Hull.)
1781, Feb. 8, James Dewitt, of Ringston-

upon-Hull, mariner, aged 40 years, slender,
tall person, ruddy complexion, was ad-
mitted and sworn a younger brother of the
guild of the Trinity House at Hull 1788.
Dec. 8th, Samuel Dewitt, of the same,
mariner, aged 35, admitted the same.
1776, Dec. 18th, ” Mr. Richard Dewitt, a
stranger,’* buried at Doncaster. Jaques
Dowit departed this life 1717, aged 77.
Holy Trinity Ch., Hull. (Gent’s Hist.
Hull, page 48.) A Mr. De Witte, cement
merchant at Liverpool, in 1870. The
baron Jules De Witte, Paris, was an
honorary member of the Archaeological
Institute in 1867.

238 THE STOVIN MANUSCRIPT.

I find Mons^ Berchett’s hand at the Churchwardens or Elders
accounts to the year 1655, as Pastue’^*’ of the Church at Santoft.
1659. I find the hand of Jean Dekerhuel Minister a Santoft ; and then

Mons’. De la prix.
1664. Samuel Lamber, Pasture a Santoft.
1676. Jaques De la Porte, Ministere a Santoft.
1681. The last minister, Mons’. Le Vaneley. minister a Santoft.

Ministers. Mons’. Berchett, M*”. Deckerhuel, M’. Delaprix,
M”". Delarporte, M’. Levaneley.
Mem”, this is but an abstract of the Regester. I find above four «
hundred ninety nine children baptised in this little church, and no doubt
many others was baptised in the neighbouring churches of Crowle, Belton,
Epworth, Haxey, and Missen, in Lincolnshire, also at Wroot, and also at
Thome, Hatfield, Finningley, molished by the Isleanders for severall years, till reedified by Mr. Reading.
N.B. S’^ Matthew Vanvalkenbourgh had S’ John Anthony Vanvalken-
burgh his son and heir.

This S’ Matt”^. was elder brother to Marcus and Lucius Vanvalkenber.
N.B. It was their custome to add the names of the Sureties to every
one that was Baptised in the following manner. Le 25 Feurie 1654, a
este Baptises a Red Hall (or a Santoft) Jehan Filz de Pierre Egar et de
Sara Vandebec, Ses Tesmoins sont Jehan Egar filz de Jehan, Marye Quoy
femme de Jaques Iserby. (Enquire where Red Hall was.)

January 1752. Died, at Welchpool, in Montgomeryshire, Jonathan
Evans a shepherd, aged 117. Had his eyesight and hearing till a few
days before he died. He left a son who is 91 years old, and a daughter
aged 87.7^

Also Robert Magrath, of Kilbarton^- in the county of C^are, aged
115 years, in full enjoyment of all his senses. He was a student of the
Temple at the Restoration of Charles the 2°^ ; was married, and had a
daughter born in 1664, and another daughter born in 1737. He was a
man of a most exemplary life, and possessed of every social virtue.
(From the York Courant, Feb. A^\ 1742.) N.B. His eldest daughter (if
living) must have been 73 years of age when his other daughter was
bom in 1737.

Mem”. I convers’d with a man at the Salutation at Castleford Bridge
in July 1749 : bom in Pennyston parish, in Yorkshire, that was then
106 years old ; very hearty, and then going to York Assizes as a wittness
about a highway. He told me he liv’d with a daughter that was above
80 years of age. What is remarkable, he eat broil’d hang beef to his
breakfast that morning, and drank ale ; had comed above 30 miles com-
puted, the day before, on horseback.

G. Stovin.

I enquired after this man in 1751, and he was dead that year, so that
he was 108 years old.

7* Paateiir-pastor. 22, page 92.

71 This peraon’s death is under date of ‘”^ In 6^671^. Mag. Kilburrow, ib. page

26ih January, 1752, in Oent, Mag, vol. 92.

OF THE CISTERCIAN PLAN.

By J. T. MICKLETHWAITE, F.S.A.

There is nothing more remarkable in the history of Me-
diaBval Europe than the sudden rise of the Cistercian Order.
The abbey of Citeaux was first begun in 1098, in a Bur-
gundian wilderness, by a small band of monks, who wished
to conform more strictly to the Benedictine rule than was
usual in the older abbeys. At first the experiment seemed to
be almost a failure, and the brethren were much discouraged,
but in the time of the third abbot, Stephen Harding, the
Englishman, a great change came, and the writer of the
Exordium Cistercieiisis Cenohii says, with evident pride,
that ‘^ infra octo annos inter illos qui de Cisterciensi cenobio
fuerant egressi et ceteros qui ex iisdem fuerant exorti, duo-
dedm constructa cenobiafuerint inventa.” This, however,
was but the beginning, and within half a century the order
had covered the whole of Western Christendom, and in
1152 it was thought necessary to forbid the foundation of
any new abbey. ^ But some were founded after that date.

These abbeys were not so many separate and independent
corporations, like those of earlier days, but were united by
an elaborate system of filiation. Each house owed subjec-
tion to that from which it had been first colonised, and that
again to its parent house, and so on up to Citeaux, the
mother of all. And once a year all the abbots met together
in general chapter to regulate the affairs of the order. Such
a vast and wide-spread organisation, with the great St. Ber-

* InstUiUa generalis capituli apiid CiS”
tercium cap. Izxxyi. (273). In the latter
part of the twelfth century a hook was
written at Citeaux to remain as the stan-
dard text of the most important docu-
ments relating to the order. This book
is now in the public library at Dijon, and
in 1878 the most valuable part of it was
printed there. My quotations are taken

Phil. Trans. 1746-1747 44, 571-575

(January 1, 1753)

THE Beginning of June laft, a labouring Man, of Amcotts in the Isle ofAxholme, in the County of Lincoln was digging Turf or Peat in the Moors of Amcotts and, at about six Foot from the Surface, his Spade cut the Toe of a Sandal, which dropped into the pit he was graveing Peat in but also Part of the Foot dropped in, which terrified the Man, and he left it.

Hearirg of this Discovery, I went and took some Servants with me, to make further Discovery when we soon found the other Sandal (which 1 now send to you you whole and firm). It was very soft and pliable, and of a tawny Colour, with all the Bones of that Foot in it, and all the grisly Part of the Heel : And proceeding further, we found the Skin and Thigh Bones, which I measured to be eighteen Inches long. We then found all the Skin of the lower Parts of the Body, which was of the same Colour of the Sandals, and very soft, with frefh Hair upon it, which distinguished it to be a Woman, The Skin drew or stretched like a Piece of Doe-Leather, and was as strong. We then found the Skin of the Arms, which was like the Top of a Muff or Glove, when the bones were shaken out. We then found this Hand I have sent, with the Nails as fresh as any Person living. Which are now, both Hand and Nails, shrunk very much, since it was exposed to the Air : This Hand is the Lady’s natural Skin so tanned, with the Nails. Wc left the Bones in the Fingers, where the Nails are, for fear the Nails fhould drop off, if that Joint was taken out.

I want to be informed what age they wore those Sandals in. These must, I think, be very antient, and have most certainly been made of a raw Hide, by reason they, and the Skin of the Lady, were both of one Colour, and both had one Tanner; which I presume, is the Moor-Water which is exactly of the Colour of Coffee; and made so by reason of such great Quantities of Oak and Fir- Wood, that we frequently dig out of these Moors; several Oak- Trees affording 1000 Pales for fencing, five Feet and an half long, and six to eight Inches broad; which Oak- Wood is rated as black as Jet. The Fir- Wood retains its Turpeatine-Smell and in hot Weather (when it is expofcd to the Sun) the Turpentine will drop from it. This Wood is frequently riven into Laths for the Roofs of Houfes or Floors and what is remarkable, no Worm will touch them. Tiie Pales mentioned above are sold from l0 to 15 Shillings per hundred. We frequently find Hazle nuts and Fir- Apples in Abundance which I think is a plain Proof, that the Trees fell in Autumn, when the Fruits were at Maturity. I think Dr. Shuckford makes it plainly appear that the General Flood happcned in Autumn.

This Lady in all Probability was overwhelmed by some strong Eddy of Watery for she lay upon one Side bended, with her Head and Feet almost together. It appears by the Maps of the Country, that this has been the Rendezvous of all the Waters from the South, West, and North Parts of the Kingdom as for Instance, the River Dun, from Doncaster Rotherham and Sheffield which took in many more Streams; as the Idle, Trent , Torn, Dare. Rother &c. &c. Then the River Trent, which runs South to Gainsborough, then to Torkfsey, Newark Nottingham Derby, Burton upon Trent, Stafford, Trentham in Staffordjhire: And takes in a vast Number of Rivulets : Then the Oufe, which comes from near Richmond, and takes in the Ure, Wharf, Bishop’s dike Aire, Calder, and a great Number of Rivulets which are all lost in that famous Estuary the Humber.

It is also to be observed, that here is one Morass twenty Miles round, Part in Hatfield-Chace*, another ten Miles round in the same Chace, where the famous William of Lindham had his ceIL In the middle of it, where his Body was found, for eight Miles round, is all a Morafs. The Connoisseurs will give you their Opinion in the chief thing I want to know, which is, in what Age those Sandals were worn, and by what Nation : For it is not like the Scots or Irish Broges though the Scots I think, formerly inhabited but a little Way off, to wit, North of Humber. Perhaps the Danes may wear such, or the ancient Saxons for both these People must be acquainted with these Parts, as the Danes under Edgar Atheling incamped a whole Winter in this Neighbourhood, and had a Station at Gigansburgh now Gainsborough upon this River Trent. At Boxky was a famous Roman Pavement, 15 Yards fquare, the Roman Road, &c also a square Platform at Alkborough, which 1 take to be Roman though no Discoveries have as yet been made there s but at Roxby large Quantities of Roman Coins have been found.

I am your ever affectionate Father G. Stovin, P. S. As to this Water upon these Moors preserving human Bodies, it ismost certain; viz. Part of a Body taken up at Goole by your Grandfa- ther Mr. Empson 50 or 60 Years ago, and one in the great Moor near Thorn about 7 Years ago, with the Skin like tanned Leather, the Hair, Teeth, and Nails quite fresh.—— You will see the Sandal is of one Piece of Leather, and a Scam at the Heel, with a Thong of the same Leather.

See Tab, 1 Fig. 2 and 3.

It is the Skin of the Hand that is stuffed, which has suffered by the Spade,

* Mr. Catesby F. R. S. Author of the History of Carolina &c, being present, said, this Shoe or Sandal was exactly like what the Indians in Virginia wear at this Day, and call Mokasin. That ingenious Artist and skilful Antiquary Mr, Geo. Vertue communicated to me (C. M.) his Sentiments concerning this Sandal in the following Words : “When the above Letter was read at the Society of Antiquaries there was produced a Hand of the Woman therein mentioned and a Sandal or Shoe taken from one of her Feet ; it being made of Leather, tanned Ox-Hyde ; but remarkable for being cut out of one flat Piece, (fee Fig. 3,) so as to fold about the Foot and Heel ; the Form and make being so contrived without under Heel Piece, as to be fiat to tread on ; the Shape, that of a Woman’s Foot, and the Toe round-pointed. This being of an antient Form, the Society ordered an exact Draught to be taken of both that and the Hand ; which Drawings are preserved amongst others belonging to that Society. It may be observed concerning the Antiquity and Use of Leather Shoes in England that this Shoe or Sandal appears by its Form to be ancient. I conceive it was before Edward the IV’s Time, when, by Custom, piked Shoes had increased in Length, that all such who wore them in excessive Length were to be muled, or have them cut shorter, in passing in or out of the City-Gates of London. This very likely had passed amongst the better sort of People about the Kingdom \ for Chaucer in his Time mentions the life of long piked Shoes, so long as to be tied up by Strings or small Chains to their Knees. Thus it might have been with Mens Shoes, but not so long a Degree for Women’s Use; though observing ancient Pictures of Men and Women in Books of Illuminations, piked Shoes appear several Reigns from Ed. III. Rich. Ill, in England.

• Open to everyone who enjoys singing
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Dates: Wednesday February 22nd to Wednesday March 28th 2012

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