January 1, 1970

History of the Manor of Crowle

By Angus Townley

From Read's History of the Isle of Axholme. 1858.

THE MANOR
Was given at the Conquest to Geoffrey de Wirce. He held it but for a short time, but during that time he made a grant of an hundredum of land to the Abbey of St. Germains, which was founded by King William the Conqueror, “ Ut pro uobis monachus uns semper in ecclesia hebeatur, et unus pauper pascatur.” During the time this manor was held by the Crown, William the Conqueror gave an hundredum of land to Selby Abbey.

In the time of Edward the First the Abbot of SeIby is stated to have held the soke of Crowle for the Crown, in capita, and that it was worth one hundred pounds per annum. In the reign of Edward the Second, a.d. 1311, a composition was made between Sir John de Mowbray and the Abbot of Selby, when he quit-claimed to the Abbot all his right and soil in the Manor of Crowle, Eastoft, Luddington, Garthorpe, Amcotts, Testlehay, and Ealand; and the Advowson of the Church in Garthorpe with eight oxgangs of land in Amcotts. And the Abbott and Convent agree, on their part, that Sir John de Mowbray should have a right of free chace in the manor and coke of Crowle, reserving the privilege to the Abbot and his servants of driving away the wild beasts from their corn and meadows as often as should be necessary, and reserving also their right of free warren of goats, foxes, wolves, conies, &c.; and the said Sir John was to take to his own use what he wanted off the waste lands, saving free pasture for the Abbots free tenants.

There were also several minor grants of lands in this parish to Selby Abbey. Ralph, the son of Elias de Crule, gave his lands here and in Esgarth; and Geoffrey, son of Peter de Croule, quit-claimed eight acres; Humphrey de Tretun gave one messuage; Agnes, daughter of John Ie Wrek, one messuage and two oxgangs; Roger de Mowbray gave the fishery here and at Esgarth; and Walter, son of Walter de Estoft, gave three selions of land here.

After the dissolution of the religious houses, this manor, together with that of Armthorpe, which had formerly belonged to the Priory of Rowth, were annexed by the King in Council, under the authority of an act of parliament, to the Level of Hatfield Chace, a.d. 1548; from which time the said manors were declared to be under the control of the officers of the Chace, all offenders declared to be subject to the forest laws, the manor courts to be under the rule, and survey of the Court of Augmentation, and all the issues and profits to be paid to the Chancellor of the said courts. A lease of the Manor of Crowle was conveyed and assigned, in the reign of Charles the First, to the Corporation of the City of London, from whom it was purchased by Sir Gervas Elwis, Jeremy Elwis, and Nicholas Hammerton, Esq., and from thence it passed into the family of Pierrepoint, now Earl Manvers, the present lessee.

THE CUSTOMS OF THIS MANOR.
It appears from a copy of the boundaries of the lordship of Crowle, made the 7th day of November, A.D. 1807, that “the Lord may at his pleasure drive, as is accustomed, from Dirkness Crook lineally to Callendike, and so through the Star Car by Hirst Syke, to the Monk’s Stone, and thence to a certain powle, or stoupe, set in the moors by an order of the Right Honourable Edward Lord Sheffield, between the townships of Crowle and Belton, and so lineally towards the north, an the powles and stoupes were set by the said order, to Brlscoe DykE north-east; and from thence all on the east side of Don to the Moor Dyke bank, and from the Moor Dyke bank to the Black Sykes in the Hoop, and from thence to Duckling Syke.” Most of the lands In this manor are copyhold, and the fines are at the will of the Lord, who takes, on a purchase, one year and a half’s rent, and by descent one year and three quarters. The ancient documents concerning the customs of this manor have been destroyed.

In ancient times, the tenants of this manor having enjoyed right of common on certain waste grounds between Ducklinledge and Eastoft, In the manor of HatfieId, and the privilege of many copyhold fisheries, it was decreed by the Exchequer, in the fifth year of the reign of Charles the First, that the commoners should have one hundred acres allotted them as a compensation for the said fisheries (which allotment to this day is called the fishery grounds), and six hundred and fifty acres on the common, which are now called the Crowle Yorkshire Moors.

Crowle Manor documents including manorial plans can be found at the Lincolnshire Archives.

http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/archives/section.asp?catId=6660