MIDDLE DIVISION
ALDBROUGH
THE village of Aldbrough lies 18 km. north-east
of Hull and 2 km. from the sea, which forms the
eastern parish boundary. (fn. 1) About 1 km. north is
Little Cowden, which lost its church to the sea
by the 17th century and was later associated
for ecclesiastical and civil purposes with Aldbrough; (fn. 2) by the 19th century, however, Little
Cowden formed a township with its larger
neighbour Great Cowden, mostly in Mappleton
parish, and its history is dealt with under
Mappleton. The extensive ancient parish of
Aldbrough included the hamlets of Bewick,
Carlton, Etherdwick, Fosham, East Newton,
West Newton, Ringbrough, and Tansterne.
There may have been another settlement east of
the village at Thorpe Garth, where land north
of the farmhouse was called Old Garths in the
19th century. (fn. 3) Apart from East and West
Newton, the lesser settlements may always have
been small, and Carlton was reduced by inclosure, which by 1517 had resulted in the eviction of six inhabitants and the decay of a house. (fn. 4)
The names Aldbrough, Bewick, Etherdwick,
Fosham, and Newton are Anglian, and Carlton
and Tansterne Anglo-Scandinavian hybrids.
Aldbrough means 'old stronghold', Bewick
'dairy farm near the bees', Carlton perhaps
'peasants' farms', and Etherdwick 'Ethelred's
dairy farm'. Fosham, sometimes Fosham garth,
meaning 'homestead on the ditch' probably
alludes to Lambwath stream which forms much
of the northern parish boundary and divides the
North and Middle divisions of the wapentake.
The precise meaning of Tansterne is uncertain
but the name refers to a pool there. The name
Ringbrough, also occasionally used with the
suffix 'garth', may be an Anglian and Scandinavian hybrid and means 'circular stronghold'. From the 12th century the prefix 'East'
was used to distinguish one of the Newtons,
which was then and later also known as Newton
next to Aldbrough, Aldbrough Newton, and
Ringbrough Newton. The other Newton was
named Newton Constable from the 13th century
after its owners and West Newton from the 16th
century. 'Totele' recorded in 1086 is believed to
be the later Thorpe Garth; the name Thorpe,
signifying hamlet, occurs from the 12th century,
sometimes with the suffixes 'next to Aldbrough'
or 'in Aldbrough', and may be Scandinavian. (fn. 5)
In 1852 the ancient parish of Aldbrough contained 6,398 a. (2,589 ha.), of which 2,544 a.
(1,029 ha.) were in Aldbrough and Etherdwick
township, 1,440 a. (583 ha.) in Bewick and East
Newton township, 1,232 a. (498 ha.) in Fosham
and Carlton township, 392 a. (159 ha.) in
Tansterne township, and 792 a. (320 ha.) in
West Newton hamlet. West Newton hamlet and
the larger settlement of Burton Constable, in
Swine, together formed the township of West
Newton. (fn. 6) By 1871 the townships of Aldbrough
and Etherdwick, Fosham and Carlton, and
Tansterne were combined as Aldbrough township, and Bewick and East Newton was called
East Newton township. In 1885 a detached area
of East Newton township called Scarshaws was
transferred to Withernwick. (fn. 7) The parish was
also reduced by coastal erosion, up to 4 yd. a
year being lost in the late 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 8) The civil parishes, formerly townships, had
been reordered by 1891, when Aldbrough had
4,904 a. (1,985 ha.) and East Newton 607 a. (246
ha.). In 1935 Aldbrough, then of 4,886 a. (1,977
ha.), and an unchanged East Newton were
united to form a new Aldbrough civil parish,
with a total area of 5,494 a. (2,223 ha.), and West
Newton with Burton Constable civil parish,
formerly West Newton township, was added to
Marton to form Burton Constable civil parish. (fn. 9)
By 1991 Aldbrough civil parish had been
reduced to 2,178 ha. (5,382 a.). (fn. 10)
In 1377 there were 117 poll-tax payers at
Aldbrough, 37 at East Newton and Ringbrough,
9 at Bewick, and 4 at Tansterne; Carlton,
Fosham, and Thorpe presumably contributed to
the Aldbrough figure. In 1672 Aldbrough village
and East Newton had 57 houses assessed for
hearth tax and 30 discharged, and 9 more were
assessed at Carlton and Fosham. At West
Newton and Burton Constable, in Swine, together there were 105 poll-tax payers in 1377
and 16 houses in 1672. Etherdwick was similarly
taxed with Flinton, in Humbleton, 85 poll-tax
payers being recorded in 1377 and 28 houses in
1672. (fn. 11) The parish was said to have 100 families
in 1764. (fn. 12) The population of the parish, excluding East and West Newton, rose from 555 in
1801 to 802 in 1821 and 845 in 1841, before
falling sharply in the later 19th century.
Numbers recovered slowly from 680 in 1901 to
741 in 1931. East Newton had 24 inhabitants in
1801; numbers thereafter fluctuated, reaching 41
in 1841 and standing at 25 in 1931. After the
union of Aldbrough and East Newton civil
parishes the combined population increased
slowly to 835 in 1961 but was 930 in 1971, 1,069
in 1981, and 1,339 in 1991, of whom 1,353 were
usually resident. At West Newton and Burton
Constable the population rose from 172 in 1801
to 239 in 1851 but had fallen to 141 by 1931. (fn. 13)

Aldbrough parish 1852
The parish is largely on boulder clay and
most of the ground lies between 7 m. and 15 m.
above sea level. (fn. 14) Deposits of sand and gravel
produce higher ground, notably in the north and
on the coast, where the land exceeds 20 m. and
ends in an unbroken line of steep cliffs. The
village and most of the hamlets were sited on
the higher ground, and sand and gravel has been
extracted. (fn. 15) Lower alluvial land borders the
main drains on the north-west and southern
boundaries. The commonable lands at Aldbrough were inclosed in 1766 and those at East
Newton in 1772; the other settlements were
inclosed earlier, Etherdwick, and possibly
Carlton, by agreement in the 17th century.
Aldbrough is drained chiefly by Lambwath
stream and other drains flowing west from the
coast towards the river Humber. The streams
defining the southern boundary include that
recorded as insufficient in 1367 (fn. 16) and later represented by East Newton and Bail drains.
'Prestmare', 'Marsknooke', and several other
field-names recorded at Aldbrough in 1616 suggest the former poor drainage of parts of the
parish. (fn. 17) Land in the parish depended on
Keyingham fleet for an outlet to the river: 16 a.
at Aldbrough and 7 a. at Tansterne drained into
the fleet in 1618, (fn. 18) and under the Keyingham
Level Drainage Acts of 1772 and later (fn. 19) Lambwath stream, the southern boundary drains, and
several cross drains were improved. After 1845
low ground assessed to the drainage included
80 a. at Aldbrough, 49 a. at East Newton, 25 a.
at Etherdwick, 10 a. at Carlton, and 5 a. at
Tansterne. (fn. 20) The drainage at Tansterne was
aided by a wind pump by 1942. (fn. 21)
From Aldbrough village roads leading north-west to Mappleton and south-east to Garton
have been upgraded and improved as parts of
the Holderness coast road. In 1937 the road was
straightened north of the village and Bail bridge
carrying it over the southern boundary drain was
widened. (fn. 22) Another road running south-west to
Flinton has been incorporated in a principal
road to Hull. Bridges carrying the Hull road
were in disrepair in the mid 14th century, when
the inhabitants of Etherdwick were among
those held responsible. (fn. 23) Lesser roads from the
village lead north-east to the shore, east to East
Newton and Ringbrough, and west to Carlton,
Fosham, Tansterne, and West Newton. That to
East Newton was realigned, probably at the
inclosure of East Newton in 1772, and a road to
Tansterne awarded in 1766 was later discontinued. (fn. 24)
ALDBROUGH village stands on a ridge of high
ground which falls sharply to the north into the
valley of Lambwath stream, and its church is
further elevated by the circular mound on which
it stands. Aldbrough has a linear plan comprising two parallel streets connected by cross lanes.
The main street was formerly the northern one,
comprising Church Street and North Street.
Church Street, leading west from the church
and broadening to form a triangular area in
which a small green survives, was the market
place. Much of the ground between Church
Street and the southern street was unbuilt in the
mid 18th century and may once have formed
part of a larger green. (fn. 25) The northern street has,
however, been regarded as the back street since
the late 19th century. (fn. 26) The southern street comprises the broad High Street and an eastern continuation, Headlands Road, called Chapel and
Back Streets respectively in 1851. The busiest
street is the westernmost cross lane, which forms
part of the parish's principal road; it was called
Johnson's Lane in the 18th century and later
Hornsea Road. Already in the 18th century the
village extended west beyond the main road
along Carlton Lane, then West Lane, and there
was some infilling and extension of the village
by the mid 19th century. (fn. 27) Many more houses
were added in the village and on its western and
southern sides in the mid and late 20th century.
The new housing included c. 130 council houses,
mostly in the Headlands Drive and Wentworth
Grove estates, built in the 1950s and 1960s
respectively. (fn. 28) Houses were later built on ground
excavated for brickmaking on either side of
Hornsea Road, those on the west side standing
well below the main road and Carlton Lane.
The district council built a sewage works on
Headland Road c. 1951, and several pumping
stations and a sewage works on Carlton Lane
were added c. 1970. (fn. 29) The tradition that there
was a castle at Aldbrough is based on a misreading of a charter of 1115, the castle referred
to there being almost certainly that of Skipsea.
Castle hill was named in the mid 19th century,
and Castle Park, a housing estate recently built
in 1991, continues the tradition. (fn. 30)
The village buildings date mostly from the
19th and 20th centuries and include a few farmhouses. Almost all are of brick, presumably the
result of brickmaking in the village; (fn. 31) boulder
construction is found mostly in cottage footings
s and boundary walls. Of the few noteworthy
buildings, Tymperon's hospital is treated
below. (fn. 32) The L-shaped George and Dragon may
have been built c. 1700 and was remodelled in
the 19th century, when its pedimented, Tuscan
doorcase was moved. Wentworth House was
probably the house of Matthew Wentworth,
who married the widow of Thomas Michelbourne (d. 1632), (fn. 33) and later belonged to James
Bean (d. 1767), a returned planter of Jamaica.
Bean rebuilt (fn. 34) or remodelled the house, which
retains a mid 18th-century staircase. The house,
with a stuccoed façade, was altered and enlarged
again in the 19th century and c. 1970, when it
was taken over by an Evangelical charity as a
conference and retreat centre. (fn. 35) It was an hotel
in 1998. Aldbrough Hall was built on the
southern edge of the village after 1764 by
Christopher Scott (d. by 1794); it was demolished c. 1970 but its wooded grounds survived
in 1991. (fn. 36) A conservation area in the village was
formed in 1974. (fn. 37)

Aldbrough township 1764
Up to five houses at Aldbrough were licensed
in the later 18th century. (fn. 38) The George, later the
George and Dragon, was named from 1806 and
from it a coach service to Hull ran in 1820; (fn. 39) it
still traded in 1991. The second house in the
village, the Elm Tree, was recorded as a beerhouse in 1910. (fn. 40) Other houses have included the
Bricklayer's Arms, in Cross Street, which was
named from the 1820s until 1872; c. 1900 it was
taken over by the elderly Hull marine artist
W. D. Penny and was later called the Artist's
Rest. Also in Cross Street was the Holderness
hotel, which was mentioned from the 1870s until
the 1930s. (fn. 41) An Oddfellows' lodge was founded
in 1839 and suspended in 1845, and by 1860 it
had been closed or had left the order. A branch
of the Druids, founded in 1891 and recorded
until 1937, met at the Holderness hotel and by
the 1930s at the Artist's Rest. (fn. 42) A church hut
was erected on the vicarage garth east of the
church in 1921 and removed in 1937 to build a
parish hall, called Stamford Hall after Edward
Stamford, a major contributor. (fn. 43) The Y.M.C.A.
had a hut in Nottingham Road, south of Church
Street, until it was demolished c. 1930. Another
hut, beside Hornsea Road, was later used by a
youth club; it was demolished c. 1995 but in
2000 it was proposed to build a new hall for the
club, which had continued to meet in Stamford
Hall and the new village hall. (fn. 44) The parish council provided the 6-a. War Memorial Recreation
Ground south of the village in 1948; a village
and sports hall was opened there in 1993. (fn. 45)
Village women used a library at the school in
1921 and a county branch library was later held
in Cross Street. (fn. 46)
By the mid 19th century allotment gardens
were provided at Aldbrough on land belonging
to the poor, to Towrie's charity, (fn. 47) and to the
vicar, the last, off the Carlton road, containing
6 a. in 1901. There were also gardens at West
Newton. (fn. 48) Aldbrough Floral and Horticultural
Society was founded in 1880. (fn. 49)
Aldbrough has attracted visitors since the
19th century. There was a beerhouse near the
sea in 1832 (fn. 50) and sea bathing was established by
1836. Robert Raikes (d. 1837) began the building of a large hotel, which was probably that
trading by 1844 as the Talbot hotel, later described as a temperance establishment. The Spa
inn was also mentioned from 1846, and by 1851
there were three lodging houses near the sea and
another in the village. A regular omnibus service
from Hull was run during the season in the
1840s, and those catering for visitors c. 1850
included an omnibus operator, three 'hackney
men', and a bathing-machine proprietor. Aldbrough failed as a spa, largely perhaps because
of the poor access to its beach and the lack of a
railway. (fn. 51) The Talbot, also known as Sea View,
was closed c. 1915. A few years later, however,
many bungalows were built along the cliff,
mostly for week-enders from Hull, (fn. 52) who were
entertained in an amusement hall, several tea
rooms, and in the former Spa inn, then called
the Royal hotel. A new Royal hotel was built
further inland c. 1930 and still traded in 1991 as
the Double Dutch; both of the 19th-century
hotels have been demolished. (fn. 53) Sea Side Road,
which leads south-west to the village, was also
loosely built-up with bungalows by the 1950s,
when the cliff-side houses, including those built
on a site established by the district council for
holiday houses and caravans in the 1930s, had
to be moved away from the cliff. (fn. 54) The caravan
site accommodated 350 static and 50 touring
caravans in 2000, when one or two of the farms
also had small sites.
Beacons have been sited on the high ground
close to the sea. Three were recorded at Aldbrough in 1588 and later one. It was taken down
in the early 1780s and rebuilt by the early 19th
century, when it was reported as partly washed
away by the sea. The restored beacon was finally
removed from Bunkers hill, close to the northern parish boundary, c. 1830 and its site has been
lost. (fn. 55) There were coastguards at Aldbrough in
1851 and a coastguard station with two houses
was built on the cliff by 1879; it operated until
c. 1945. The houses were demolished in 1977. (fn. 56)
Volunteers manned a rocket life-saving station
at Aldbrough in the early 20th century. (fn. 57)
Military installations built c. 1940 and standing
close to the cliff edge in 1991 included a partially
destroyed brick tower at Ringbrough.
WEST NEWTON was recorded as Newton in
1086. The hamlet formerly stood along the south
side of a single street, (fn. 58) and earthworks in vacant
garths there indicate that it used to be more
closely built; in the later 19th century a pair of
estate houses and in the mid 20th century eight
council houses were added on the north side, (fn. 59)
but there were still fewer than 20 houses in 1991.
The older buildings, which include several
farmhouses, date from the 18th century. Mount
Pleasant farm retained its 19th-century farm
buildings in 1993. There was a licensed house
in the later 18th century and the Gate tavern
was named in the 1820s. (fn. 60)
EAST NEWTON. Newton, later East Newton,
hamlet was also recorded from 1086. It may have
comprised an east-west street with a parallel
back lane, (fn. 61) and by the 18th century there was
a green. (fn. 62) Only three houses remained in 1852
and in 1991, when two had been rebuilt.
OUTLYING BUILDINGS in the parish include
the scattered farms of the other townships. At
Aldbrough Thorpe Garth Farm and Hill Top
Farm existed at inclosure in 1766; farmsteads
were built later on former common land at
Crossmere hill, where an 18th-century dovecot
survives, and, by 1852, at Mount Pleasant. Hill
Top Farm was rebuilt c. 1990. Close to Hill Top
Farm and just in East Newton township stands
the single-storeyed Low Farm, a 19th-century,
lobby-entrance house probably built on former
common land. (fn. 63)
MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.
In 1066
Ulf held ALDBROUGH. He had 9 carucates
described as in Aldbrough, and berewicks of the
manor, which extended into several parishes,
included 1½ carucates at East Newton and 2
bovates at 'Totele', probably Thorpe Garth.
Sokeland included 6 carucates at Bewick, 5 carucates and 6 bovates at 'Totele', 3 carucates at
Fosham, 1½ carucates at East Newton, and 1
carucate at Ringbrough. All the land passed to
Drew de Bevrère by 1086 and later formed part
of the Aumale fee. (fn. 64) Drew also succeeded to
sokeland in Aldbrough belonging to Morkar's
manors of Kilnsea and Easington. That of Kilnsea comprised 2 carucates at Etherdwick, 1 carucate at Tansterne, and 1 carucate at Ringbrough,
and 2 carucates more at Ringbrough were soke
of Easington. (fn. 65)
Much of the Aumale fee passed to the Ros
family of Roos and Helmsley (Yorks. N.R.),
later Barons Ros of Helmsley, whose estate included all 6 carucates at Thorpe and 3 carucates
at Fosham by the mid 13th century. Robert de
Ros was named as undertenant in 1284-5, (fn. 66) and
William de Ros, Lord Ros, as a lord of Aldbrough and its members in 1316. (fn. 67) The estate,
later reckoned to include land in Etherdwick,
East Newton, and Ringbrough, descended in the
Ros family and its successors as part of Roos
manor; (fn. 68) most of the land was evidently held by
freeholders of that manor but 37 a. of copyhold
were awarded at inclosure in 1766. (fn. 69)
An early undertenant of the Ros family was
John of Beverley, or of Aldbrough, lord of
Aldbrough and Thorpe, who was succeeded in
turn by his son Reynold and daughter Agnes of
Kelk. In 1284 Agnes's heir William of Sunderlandwick gave THORPE manor to his son
John. (fn. 70) It was probably the same estate which
was later held by a cadet branch of the Ros
family resident at Gedney (Lincs.) and from the
late 17th century was usually called THORPEGARTH WITH ALDBROUGH. Robert son
of Robert de Ros of Helmsley was granted free
warren at Thorpe and Gedney in 1297, (fn. 71) and at
his death by 1311 held 1 carucate and rents of
£5 in Aldbrough and Thorpe by knight service
of William de Ros, Lord Ros. Robert's son
James was a minor and it was presumably as his
guardian that John de Ros of Gedney was named
as the other lord of Aldbrough in 1316. (fn. 72) James
had entered by 1332 and in 1343 Sir James Ros,
probably the same, was named as Lord Ros's
undertenant. The estate then comprised 3 carucates, evidently including the tenants' land, and
was held of Sir James by Robert de Ros, (fn. 73) perhaps Sir Robert de Ros who died in 1381 and
was succeeded in turn by his brothers Nicholas
(d. 1397) and Sir James Ros. (fn. 74) As Thorpe
manor, it descended to Sir Robert Ros (d. 1441),
who left daughters, Margery wife of John
Wittalbury and Eleanor. (fn. 75) Eleanor married John
Paulet (d. 1492), (fn. 76) and the same estate, then
called the manors of Aldbrough and Thorpegarth, passed successively to John's son Sir John
(d. 1525) and grandson Sir William Paulet, who
was created Baron St. John in 1539 and in 1546
exchanged the estate with the Crown. (fn. 77) There
were then a dozen houses and almost 2 carucates,
all held by tenants. (fn. 78) The manor house and land
were let to John Thorpe in the 1550s, to Robert
Thorpe in 1587, and to Robert and his sons John
and Thomas in the early 17th century. (fn. 79) The
Crown sold Thorpe manor in 1611 to John
Eldred and William Whitmore. (fn. 80) It was held by
Alexander Thorpe in 1613, and later belonged
to the Towrie, or Towry, family. In 1615
William Towrie devised it to his son Francis and
he to his brother George in 1624. (fn. 81) Samuel
Bower evidently had the manor by 1698, (fn. 82) and
his daughters, Priscilla, wife of John Dowbiggin,
and Frances, wife of Richard Smith, had succeeded him by 1720. Priscilla Dowbiggin sold
her moiety to Hugh Andrew in 1746, and in
1751 he bought the other from Richard Smith
and his son William. (fn. 83) At inclosure in 1766
Andrew (fl. 1772) received 225 a. (fn. 84) He was succeeded by his widow Mary, who married John
Mackley, and she (fl. 1797) by her niece
Elizabeth Collier. (fn. 85) Robert Harrison bought
Thorpe Garth in 1803. He (d. 1821) was succeeded by his daughter Ann (d. 1836) and then
by his grandson Robert Harrison, (fn. 86) who had
185 a. at Aldbrough in 1845. Harrison's assignees in bankruptcy sold the manor and the
145-a. Thorpe Garth farm in 1859 to Hannah
and Sarah Starkey, who then charged it with a
rent to augment a church living in Huddersfield. (fn. 87) By 1892 the estate belonged to Lewis
Starkey (d. 1910), who was succeeded by his son
(Sir) J. R. Starkey (d. 1940) and he by Sir
William Starkey, Bt. The farm, then of 137 a.,
was sold to H. G. Fisher in 1952 and to G. E.
Caley in 1963. (fn. 88) Caley, who already had c. 200 a.
formerly belonging to his father Henry and
including Mount Pleasant farm, Aldbrough, (fn. 89)
gave a half share of his estate to his wife
Kathleen in 1966, and they bought the 59-a. Top
farm at East Newton in 1968. (fn. 90) Thorpe Garth
farm belonged to Mr. A. P. Leake in 1992. (fn. 91)
The chief house, which was recorded in 1311,
was decayed in 1382 but was evidently rebuilt
or repaired. (fn. 92) It was again rebuilt c. 1850.
Sir Richard Hastings held land at Aldbrough
in 1428, (fn. 93) and George Hastings, Lord Hastings,
settled a manor of ALDBROUGH, held under
Roos manor as ¼ knight's fee, in 1527 on John
Docwray and his wife Margaret. Docwray (d.
1531) was succeeded by his widow. (fn. 94) The estate,
which extended into Cowden, may have passed
to Sir Thomas Stanhope, who held 2 carucates
and 2½ bovates of the Ros fee at Aldbrough in
1558. As Aldbrough manor the estate was conveyed in 1586-7 by John and Jerome Markham
to Ralph Bowes and sold in 1602 by Sir Jerome
Bowes and Jerome Markham to (Sir) William
Gee. (fn. 95) Comprising two farms at Aldbrough and
extending into East Newton and Great Cowden,
in Mappleton, the estate descended from Sir
William (d. 1611) in the Gees of Bishop Burton
to William Gee, (fn. 96) who divided and sold it
c. 1705. Richard More (fl. 1710) bought land
from Gee and from several other proprietors,
and devised an estate at Aldbrough including six
houses and 1 carucate and 5 bovates to Nicholas
More. In 1720 More sold the estate to Hugh
Sleigh, from whom Thomas Scott bought it in
1728. (fn. 97) Scott's son Christopher bought more
land in 1741 and later, (fn. 98) and at the inclosure of
Aldbrough in 1766 and East Newton in 1772 he
received 463 a. (fn. 99) After his death by 1794 much
of the estate was sold, mostly in 1809, (fn. 1) when
John Dodsworth bought four houses and 177 a.
at Aldbrough. Shortly before Dodsworth had
bought a large estate at Carlton, and c. 50 a. at
Aldbrough from Robert Harrison. (fn. 2) In 1813
c. 90 a. at Aldbrough were sold to John Hall; (fn. 3)
the rest of the land there descended with the
Carlton farm.
Kirkstall abbey (Yorks. W.R.) had a manor of
ALDBROUGH, possibly in origin part of the
abbey's rectorial estate. The Crown sold the
manor to John Eldred and William Whitmore
in 1611; it was then wholly held by tenants and
included a dozen houses and c. 1 carucate. (fn. 4) The
grant was repeated in 1614 with a minor change,
evidently in connection with a dispute, settled
in 1616, between Eldred and Whitmore and the
lay rector over the ownership of land formerly
belonging to Kirkstall. (fn. 5) The estate in 1611 included next to the church a house (fn. 6) which was
presumably the later Manor Farm and later
belonged to the Tymperon family. In 1654
Henry Tymperon also bought part of the rectorial estate. William Tymperon, by will proved
in 1729, devised the manor for a charity benefiting the parish, and his trustees were awarded
196 a. at inclosure in 1766. (fn. 7) In 1952 the trustees
sold 200 a., comprising practically all of the
estate. Manor farm, of 157 a., was bought by
F. D. Slingsby. (fn. 8) M. F. Bradshaw (d. 1965) and
K. F. Bradshaw bought the farm with 95 a. in
1959, and K. F. Bradshaw, who added the 90-a.
Dairy farm in 1971, still owned both farms in
1992. (fn. 9)
The Esthall or Hall family held an estate at
Aldbrough by knight service of the Ros family
of Helmsley. William of Esthall was named as a
mesne lord there in 1311, and in 1343 Thomas
of Esthall held 1 carucate. (fn. 10) It was perhaps the
same estate, then extending into Etherdwick
and East Newton, which Philip Hall sold to Sir
John Routh in 1400 and which presumably later
descended with Tansterne. (fn. 11)
William Hautayn of Fosham was recorded
in 1304, and in 1343 John Hautayn held all 3
carucates of Fosham by knight service of
William de Ros, Lord Ros of Helmsley. (fn. 12) In
1367 FOSHAM manor was settled on Thomas
Disney and his wife Maud, apparently in her
right, and John Disney had succeeded by 1397. (fn. 13)
The heir of the same or another John Disney
was evidently Maud, wife of John Elrington, on
whom the manor was settled in 1467. (fn. 14) Simon
Elrington (d. by 1501) was succeeded by his
son Thomas, (fn. 15) and the same or another Thomas
Elrington (d. 1566) by his son Edward, (fn. 16) who
sold Fosham to William Barnes or Barne in
1577-8. (fn. 17) In 1617 and 1620 Barnes's heir
William Barnes sold the estate to Robert Wright
and his son George. (fn. 18) George Wright was the
owner in the 1670s. (fn. 19) In 1727 George Wright,
probably another, conveyed the manor to his son
George, who sold it to James Bean in 1751. (fn. 20)
Bean (d. 1767) left it to his great-nephews John
and Joseph Fox, Joseph releasing his share to
John in 1786. (fn. 21) John Fox (d. after 1833) was
succeeded by his sons John (d. by 1848) and
Joseph as joint tenants. (fn. 22) There were c. 260 a.
in 1849, when the estate was divided between
Joseph and John's trustees. John Fox's part,
comprising the manor and the 122-a. Fosham
Garth farm, descended to Thomas Fox. (fn. 23) In
1888 his estate was foreclosed upon and sold to
D. P. Garbutt, who sold it to J. W. P. Garbutt
in 1911. (fn. 24) In 1919 W. G. R. Chichester-Constable bought the farm and it later descended
with the estate at West Newton. (fn. 25) Joseph Fox's
share, comprising Black Bush farm, had passed
by 1874 to Thomas Dent (d. 1900), possibly his
nephew, whose trustees sold it in 1901 to Henry
North (d. 1967). North's daughters Dorothy
Maltas and Rose Kirk sold the 174-a. farm to
Norman Caley and his wife Mary in 1968, and
it later descended with their estate in West
Newton. (fn. 26)
John Disney was licensed to have divine service in his house at Fosham in 1397. (fn. 27) The
manor house, which occupied a moated site, had
three hearths in 1672, and was rebuilt by George
Wright the younger by 1727. (fn. 28) In the later 19th
century Fosham Garth Farm was rebuilt near
Black Bush Farm and the old house was
demolished. (fn. 29)
Another estate at Fosham descended from
John More (d. by 1709) to his widow Ruth and
son Nicholas (d. 1720), and belonged in 1745 to
Nicholas's sisters; it was soon afterwards foreclosed upon by Elizabeth Bowes and Frances
Faceby. (fn. 30) Elizabeth bought the moiety of
Frances (d. by 1763) in 1771, when the estate
comprised 258 a. (fn. 31) It passed to Dorothy Bowes
and after her death was sold in 1824 to Anthony
Wilkinson, (fn. 32) who was succeeded by his son
John. (fn. 33) In 1847 Anne Raikes (d. 1848) and her
son Robert Raikes bought it, (fn. 34) and in 1862 the
Raikes trustees sold nearly 280 a. at Fosham to
Sir Thomas Constable, Bt. The farm later
descended with West Newton. (fn. 35)
Low Fosham Farm dates from the late 18th
century and is a stuccoed building with a pantile
roof, to which single-storeyed side screen walls
were added in the later 20th century. (fn. 36)
In 1149 or 1150 William le Gros, count of
Aumale, granted an estate at Bewick to John of
Meaux in exchange. (fn. 37) By 1182 John of Meaux
had been succeeded by his son Robert, whose
widow Maud was granted a carucate and rents
at Bewick for dower by their son (Sir) John in
1196. (fn. 38) John added 1 carucate at Bewick and 1
carucate at Thorpe by exchange with Michael
Darcy and Meaux abbey respectively. (fn. 39) His son
Godfrey had 3 carucates at Bewick in the mid
13th century; by the 1280s the Aumale undertenant was Godfrey's son (Sir) John (d. by
1308), who was granted free warren there and
elsewhere in Aldbrough in 1299, (fn. 40) and whose
estate in 1303 was called BEWICK manor. (fn. 41) At
the death by 1311 of John's son Godfrey most
of Bewick manor and 1 carucate and 2 bovates
at Aldbrough, described as a member of Bewick,
were held of the honor of Aumale by knight service; the rest of the manor, with 2 bovates at
Bewick, was said to be held by like service of
the provost of Beverley. (fn. 42) Godfrey's son Sir
John died c. 1377 and his heirs sold the manor
in 1379 to Sir Ralph Hastings. (fn. 43) John de la River
also conveyed to Sir Ralph a share of the manor,
including 2 carucates and 1 bovate and comprising 1/7 knight's fee. (fn. 44) The manor was later held
in turn by Sir Richard Hastings (d. 1436) and
his brother (Sir) Leonard (d. 1455), before
descending in the Hastings family, later Lords
Hastings, to George Hastings, Lord Hastings
(fl. 1527). (fn. 45) It was sold to the Savoy hospital,
London, and after the hospital's suppression
was granted in 1553 to the city of London in
support of other hospitals there (fn. 46) and was
assigned to St. Thomas's hospital, Southwark.
In the 16th and 17th centuries the manor was
often held by the Moore family as lessees. (fn. 47) The
hospital was awarded 47 a. in Aldbrough township at inclosure in 1766, (fn. 48) and the estate comprised just over 800 a., mostly in three farms at
Bewick, in 1845 and 844 a. in 1910. (fn. 49) The hospital governors sold 93 a. to the Air Ministry in
1951 and 694 a. in the parish to Mr. R. H.
Leonard and his wife Susan in 1972. (fn. 50) In 1992
the Leonard family still owned the estate. (fn. 51)
The site of the manor and its houses were
worth little in the 15th century. (fn. 52) The manor
house may have been rebuilt in 1636. (fn. 53) It had
12 hearths in 1672, when John Moore lived in
it. (fn. 54) The present house, called Bewick Hall, is
an 18th-century building which was remodelled
in the later 19th century and incorporates materials from an earlier house. Its L-shaped plan
comprises a four-bayed main block with rear
wing. The medieval house was believed to have
stood on a moated site west of Bewick Hall
which has not survived; another, possibly secondary, site immediately north of Bewick Hall
was still moated in 1991. (fn. 55)
The sokeland of Kilnsea manor at Etherdwick
and Tansterne was evidently given to a butler
of the count of Aumale. Beatrice, daughter of
Amand the butler (d. by 1218) and widow of
Geoffrey de Friboys, held all 3 carucates there
in 1240. (fn. 56) Later at least part of the butler's fee
was held by Geoffrey Berchaud (d. by 1276) as
the count of Aumale's tenant, and Simon Constable was named as the tenant at Etherdwick
and Tansterne in 1284-5. (fn. 57) At the death of John
Constable in 1349 the estate comprised 2½ carucates at Tansterne and 2 carucates at Etherdwick. It descended in the Constables with
Burton Constable manor. (fn. 58)
TANSTERNE was held of the Constables
by the Rouths and their successors. The manor
and land at Etherdwick was settled on (Sir) John
of Routh in 1306, when he was granted free
warren at Tansterne. (fn. 59) John (d. by 1311) left a
son Amand. (fn. 60) By 1376-7 another Amand of
Routh had the manor and an estate enlarged
with 1½ carucate at Carlton and 2 bovates at
Etherdwick belonging to his wife Christine,
probably as heir to the Hothams. (fn. 61) Another
grant of free warren was made for Carlton,
Etherdwick, and Tansterne to Amand and
Christine's son Sir John Routh in 1386; (fn. 62) he
bought land at Aldbrough, Etherdwick, and East
Newton in 1400 and was recorded again in
1428. (fn. 63) His widow Dame Agnes was succeeded
at Tansterne and Etherdwick by Sir John's son
John in 1435. (fn. 64) The estate later passed to John's
brother Brian (d. 1483) and then to his daughter
Elizabeth and her husband Sir John Cutt
(d. 1521); c. 1500 it comprised a manor of
Aldbrough, with many houses and c. 1½ carucate, half of Carlton manor, with 2 bovates there,
Tansterne manor and a house called Tansterne
Garth, and nearly 1 carucate and other land,
houses, and rents at Etherdwick, East and
West Newton, and Ringbrough. The moiety of
Carlton was at West Carlton. (fn. 65) The Cutts' son
John (d. 1528) was succeeded by his son John. (fn. 66)
Sir John Cutt, probably the same, sold the estate
to John Michelbourne and his son Richard in
1549, (fn. 67) and it was later held in undivided moieties. John Michelbourne gave his moiety in 1552
to his son Thomas (d. 1582), who devised it to
his sons John and Thomas. John died c. 1585
and Thomas later enjoyed the whole moiety. (fn. 68)
The other moiety descended from Richard
Michelbourne (d. 1583) to his son Richard
(d. 1607) and the latter's son Sir Richard. (fn. 69) At
the partition of the family's estate in 1614 Sir
Richard ceded the manors of Aldbrough,
Carlton, and Tansterne, and land at Etherdwick,
to Thomas. Sir Richard's share, at Ringbrough
and East Newton, (fn. 70) was sold in 1614 and 1621. (fn. 71)
Thomas Michelbourne (d. 1632) was succeeded by his son Thomas (fn. 72) and he (d. by 1655)
by his sister Mary and her husband (Sir) Hugh
Bethell (d. 1679). (fn. 73) Bethell's estate, which
included the rectory, descended to his nephew
Hugh Bethell (d. 1717), and from him to his son
Hugh (d. 1752), whose son Hugh (d. 1772) was
awarded 237 a., besides 91 a. for tithes, at the
inclosure of Aldbrough in 1766. (fn. 74) That Hugh's
brother William sold the estate at Aldbrough, of
c. 360 a., in many lots, William Meadley buying
67 a. in 1785 and 235 a. in 1799. (fn. 75) William
Bethell (d. 1799) was succeeded in the rest of
the estate by a distant kinsman Richard Bethell,
who had all 387 a. of Tansterne and 258 a. at
Carlton in 1845. (fn. 76) Richard (d. 1864) was succeeded by his nephew W. F. Bethell (d. 1879),
and he by his son G. R. Bethell. (fn. 77) Bethell died
in 1919 and his executors and beneficiary Bethell
Bouwens later sold the estate, R. S. Wright
buying the 316-a. West Carlton farm in 1920
and Alfred Smith 246 a. in Tansterne Grange
farm in 1930. (fn. 78) West Carlton farm descended
from Wright (d. 1939) to his widow Emily
(d. 1950), then to C. R. Wright (d. 1976), who
was succeeded by his widow Gwen. In 1978
David Maltas bought the farm which was later
farmed by Maltas Farms Ltd. and in 1992 was
of 333 a. (fn. 79) Tansterne Grange farm was sold to
C. L. Knapton in 1943, Henry Mitchell in 1944,
H. R. Sellers in 1949, B. A. and M. A. North
in 1953, E. N. Wright in 1961, and in 1974 to
Caley Partners (Farmers) Ltd., the owners in
1992. (fn. 80)
Tansterne manor house probably occupied
the extensive moated site there; a smaller moated
site survived further east in 1991. (fn. 81) In the earlier
17th century the Michelbournes lived at West
Carlton, presumably in a successor to the 14thcentury house. (fn. 82) The house had 10 chimneys in
1686, when Mary Bethell's second husband
Christopher Hildyard let it. (fn. 83) It fell down in the
mid 18th century, and was rebuilt further west
in the earlier 19th century. (fn. 84)
Amabel widow of Sir William of Etherdwick
was dowered there in the 13th century. (fn. 85) Part
of the estate may have passed to the Rouths
by the marriage of William of Routh and
Maud, relative of Thomas of Etherdwick, (fn. 86) and
it was perhaps the rest which Sir Alexander
Grimston held of the Constables before 1447. (fn. 87)
Robert Gray and his wife sold a manor of
ETHERDWICK to William Wintringham in
1575. (fn. 88) In 1598 Wintringham's son John sold
the manor house of Etherdwick with three other
houses, 13 closes, and 1 carucate and 2½ bovates
there to William Green, vicar of Burton Agnes.
Green (d. 1600) was succeeded by his brother
Thomas, (fn. 89) and Thomas by his son Francis,
whose son Mark was allotted 348 a. at inclosure
in 1651 (fn. 90) and sold much of the land then and in
1652. (fn. 91) Thomas Green and others sold the
manor in 1686-7 to William Wilberforce, (fn. 92)
whose grandsons Christopher and William Wilberforce were dealing with it in 1753. Christopher (d. c. 1755) left his interest to William's
son Robert, who had the whole estate by 1759. (fn. 93)
Robert (d. 1768) was succeeded by his son
William Wilberforce, the philanthropist (d.
1833), whose son William sold the estate, of 165
a., to Robert Raikes in 1836. (fn. 94) Raikes also
assembled an estate at Aldbrough. The purchaser of most of the Bethell estate there,
William Meadley (d. by 1827), devised his estate
to his nephew William Speck, who sold 172 a.
to Raikes in 1830 and 1833. Raikes bought
c. 70 a. more at Aldbrough in 1831 (fn. 95) and died
in 1837. He was succeeded in Etherdwick, and
in 262 a. at Aldbrough, by his widow Anne
(d. 1848) and then by their daughter Ann Lutwidge (fl. 1871). (fn. 96) Ann's son Charles Lutwidge
(d. 1907) left the estate to E. F. LowthorpeLutwidge. In 1918 William Tasker bought
Mount Pleasant farm at Aldbrough, of 107 a.,
and G. H. Gibson a 171-a. farm at Etherdwick;
in 1920 W. E. Campkin bought the 125-a. Hill
farm, Aldbrough. (fn. 97) The farm at Etherdwick,
later named as Stud farm, was sold to W. H.
Clark in 1923 (fn. 98) and in 1942 by the mortgagee to
Henry Caley. After his death in 1946 Caley's
estate, which comprised 500 a. in the parish,
including Mount Pleasant farm, and land in
Humbleton, (fn. 99) was sold in several lots. (fn. 1) Caley's
son R. H. Caley bought 160 a., including most
of Stud farm, in 1949. He died in 1974 and in
1991 his daughters Mrs. Jean Megginson and
Mrs. Wendy Thomas owned the farm, then of
c. 193 a. (fn. 2) The chief house had eight hearths
in 1672. (fn. 3)
All 3 carucates at East Newton were evidently
given with Etherdwick and Tansterne to the
count of Aumale's butler, (fn. 4) and at least part of
the land later passed to the Constables. (fn. 5) In the
late 13th century, however, most of East Newton
was held by Thomas of Newton (d. by 1287),
whose heir was his neice Beatrice wife of Robert
Darcy; his estate then included ½ carucate of
demesne and 1½ carucate occupied by tenants,
and was held by knight service of the king as
part of the Aumale fee. (fn. 6) It has not been traced
later.
A manor of CARLTON, comprising 2 carucates, was held in 1066 by Sven and by Drew
de Bevrère in 1086, when Drew's undertenant
there was Ralph. (fn. 7) By the mid 13th century the
Whittick family held the Aumale fee at Carlton,
then put at 2 carucates and 7 bovates, by knight
service. William Whittick, undertenant in the
1280s, was succeeded by 1303 by Walter Whittick and he or another Walter (d. by 1332)
by William Whittick. Parts of the estate were
probably subinfeudated by the 14th century
when the Whittick holding comprised only 1½
carucate and when other parts of Carlton were
held by William of Withernwick and John of
Routh. (fn. 8)
It was perhaps the Whittick estate which
belonged to Sir John Melton by 1454, when the
rental was apparently nearly £7 a year. (fn. 9) Later
sometimes called a manor, it descended from
another Sir John Melton (d. 1544) to his
daughter Lady (Dorothy) Darcy (d. 1557) and
then in the Darcy family to John Darcy, Lord
Darcy. (fn. 10) Lord Darcy sold it in 1606 to Philip
and Leonard Gill, (fn. 11) and in 1627 Leonard had
258 a. at Carlton. (fn. 12) It was probably the same
estate, then a farm of nearly 300 a., mostly at
Carlton, which the devisees of Samuel Wright
sold to John Dodsworth in 1808. (fn. 13) Dodsworth,
who also bought land at Aldbrough, was dead
by 1820, and in 1822 his son John and trustee
Daniel Sykes conveyed the estate to Daniel's
brother Henry, apparently for Daniel who had
it at his death in 1832. (fn. 14) Daniel was succeeded
by his nephew H. S. Thornton, who had 281 a.
at Carlton and 85 a. at Aldbrough in 1845. (fn. 15)
Thornton died by 1891 and later his grandchildren H. G. Thornton and Evelyn Thornton,
who married C. H. Notley, held the estate in
undivided moieties. (fn. 16) Norman Cardwell bought
East Carlton farm with 370 a. in the parish in
1919 and gave it to his wife Evelyn in 1966. (fn. 17)
F. A. Porter & Sons bought the farm in 1978
and still owned it in 1992. (fn. 18)
A house was recorded on the Whittick estate
in the 14th century. (fn. 19) The present East Carlton
Farm was rebuilt in the late 18th or early 19th
century; (fn. 20) the walled garden, among trees some
distance away, presumably belonged to an
earlier house.
Another estate at Carlton, comprising 1½
carucate and including a chief house, was held
of the Whitticks, Withernwicks, and Rouths
by Sir John of Carlton (d. 1304), who was
succeeded by his granddaughter Avice and her
husband Richard of Hotham. (fn. 21) It probably
descended from the Hothams to Christine wife
of Amand of Routh, and was presumably the
half of Carlton manor later included in the estate
of the Rouths and their successors. (fn. 22)
At RINGBROUGH, Baldwin held 2 carucates from Drew in 1086. (fn. 23) That estate and other
land passed to the Scrutevilles, or Ringbroughs.
About 1150 Alan de Scruteville obtained 60 a.
in Aldbrough by exchange with William le Gros,
count of Aumale, (fn. 24) and Sir William de
Scruteville was given land at East Newton by
Meaux abbey in the earlier 13th century. (fn. 25) By
the mid 13th century the Scrutevilles had all 4
carucates at Ringbrough. (fn. 26) The estate evidently
passed to Sir William's daughter Emma and her
husband John de Ros. The undertenant of the
Aumale fee at Ringbrough in 1284-5 was
another John de Ros. (fn. 27) He (d. by 1319) was succeeded by his son (Sir) Richard, who at his death
in 1351 held Ringbrough manor in chief as 1/ 12
knight's fee and nearly a carucate at Aldbrough
by knight service of the Lords Ros of Helmsley.
Sir Richard was succeeded by his grandson
Richard de Ros. (fn. 28) The manor, which extended
into Garton, may have belonged to Richard's
son John by the 1370s, (fn. 29) and it was possibly as
his heir that Grace wife of Sir Philip Tilney and
her husband were dealing with it in 1389. The
lady of Ringbrough was mentioned in the early
15th century, (fn. 30) and in 1422 the manor was conveyed to Philip Tilney. (fn. 31) Elizabeth Tilney's son
John Bourchier, Lord Berners, sold the reversion of the estate to Sir John Skevington in 1523.
Skevington obtained possession in 1524 and
died in 1525, leaving a son William (d. 1551).
The estate may have descended to William's son
William but soon afterwards belonged to John
Skevington. In the 16th century it included,
besides the demesne at Ringbrough and land in
Garton, a dozen houses and almost 1½ carucate
at Aldbrough and East Newton. (fn. 32) The same or
another John and William Skevington were
dealing with the estate in 1601, (fn. 33) and in 1656
Ursula Skevington, widow, and Sir John
Skevington, Bt., sold it to William Bower. (fn. 34)
William Bower, probably another, and John
Bower conveyed Ringbrough to Edward Bower
in 1696, (fn. 35) and John, perhaps the same, sold the
manor with land at East Newton in 1719 to
Richard Woolfe (d. by 1746). Woolfe's son, the
Revd. Nicholas Woolfe, sold Ringbrough in
1748 to Thomas Grimston, who already had an
estate there. (fn. 36) Ringbrough, which was reduced
by coastal erosion, later descended in the Grimstons. (fn. 37) Charles Grimston had 183 a. in East
Newton and Ringbrough township in 1845. (fn. 38) In
1856 the estate comprised, besides the manor,
169 a. in Ringbrough farm, c. 1915 about 150
a., and in 1967 only 127 a. With the estate at
Grimston, in Garton, Ringbrough passed to
Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd., which sold it
to M. J. and Bessie Meadley in 1967. (fn. 39) The farm
belonged to their son Mr. M. S. Meadley in
1991. (fn. 40)
The manor house was recorded in 1351-2
and again, as Ringbrough Hall, in the 16th century; (fn. 41) the farmhouse was rebuilt in the 18th
century. (fn. 42)
In 1086 the archbishop of York had a berewick
of 3 carucates in Newton and land at 'Santriburtone', later Burton Constable, in Swine.
Land in both was later held of the archbishop
by the counts of Aumale, and of them by the
Constable family. (fn. 43) All 3 carucates were confirmed to Robert Constable, who succeeded
his uncle and namesake c. 1200. (fn. 44) (Sir) Simon
Constable was granted free warren at Newton
in 1285, (fn. 45) and at his death in 1294 the estate at
NEWTON CONSTABLE included 1 carucate
and 5 bovates held of the Crown as successor to
the counts of Aumale and 1 bovate of a mesne
lord; another carucate at Newton or Burton
Constable was held by Constable's undertenants. (fn. 46) It was regarded as a member of Burton
Constable manor in 1336 but later as a separate
manor, held as 1/20 knight's fee. (fn. 47) The estate,
which had been enlarged by purchase by the
mid 15th century and after the acquisition of
Lambwath manor in 1549 extended into Carlton
and Fosham, (fn. 48) continued to descend in the
Constables. (fn. 49) In the late 18th and mid 19th
century it contained all of West Newton and
c. 100 a. at Carlton and Fosham. (fn. 50) Sir Thomas
Constable, Bt., bought nearly 280 a. at Fosham
from the Raikes trustees in 1862, and W. G. R.
Chichester-Constable c. 120 a. there from
J. W. P. Garbutt in 1919, (fn. 51) and in 1963 the
Chichester-Constables had 773 a. at West
Newton and 505 a. at Carlton and Fosham. (fn. 52) In
1965 J. R. J. Chichester-Constable sold Fosham
farm, Fosham Garth farm, Mount Pleasant
farm, and Old farm, containing in all 760 a., to
Norman Caley Ltd., and the 232-a. Grange farm
to Edward, John, and Terence Porter, (fn. 53) who
farmed as F. A. Porter & Sons. Norman Caley
Ltd. still owned the farms at Fosham and West
Newton in 1992, besides another purchase,
Black Bush farm, Fosham, and F. A. Porter &
Sons retained Grange farm. (fn. 54) A farm of c. 100 a.
at West Newton remained part of the Burton
Constable estate in 2000. (fn. 55)
The house with six hearths recorded at West
Newton in 1672 was perhaps the manor house. (fn. 56)
It may have stood near Mount Pleasant Farm
but had gone by the mid 19th century. (fn. 57) The
site of another house on the estate, Old Farm,
may formerly have been moated but no trace of
a moat remains visible. (fn. 58)
After the appropriation of the church in 1228
the RECTORY belonged to Aumale abbey. It
was worth £24 a year in 1291. (fn. 59) It was administered as a member of Burstall priory, in Skeffling, with which it was seized by the Crown
during the French wars and sold to Kirkstall
abbey in 1396. (fn. 60) After the Dissolution the
Crown let the rectory in 1550 to Richard
Thorpe, and in 1575 to his sons Robert, John,
and Stephen Thorpe. (fn. 61) In 1607 the Crown sold
the rectory to Martin White, (fn. 62) and he to another
Richard Thorpe. Thorpe (d. 1613) was succeeded by his son John. After dispute with the
owners of another part of Kirkstall's former
estate at Aldbrough, the glebe land of the rectory
was decreed in 1616 to comprise 1 bovate. The
rectory also then included a parsonage house and
corn and hay tithes. (fn. 63) John Thorpe (d. 1640) was
succeeded by his cousin Richard Thorpe, who
in 1650 held the rectorial estate in Aldbrough,
Bewick, Carlton, Etherdwick, Fosham, and
Tansterne, all of which was worth £44 10s. net. (fn. 64)
Thorpe sold part or all of the land in 1654 to
Henry Tymperon, along with corn and hay
tithes at Aldbrough and Etherdwick which his
heir later bought back. (fn. 65)
After Thorpe's death c. 1660 the rectory
passed to his sister-in-law, Mary, wife of Sir
Hugh Bethell. Sir Hugh (d. 1679) devised it to
Anne Johnson, who married Matthias Crouch,
for her life, and then to his nephew Hugh
Bethell, who succeeded c. 1700 and died in
1717. (fn. 66) It later descended with the other estate
of the Bethells. (fn. 67) At the inclosure of Aldbrough
township in 1766 Hugh Bethell had all the corn
tithes, a few hay tithes, some mortuaries, and a
composition of £2 a year paid since the 17th
century for the tithes of the common pasture.
For all those dues he was then awarded 91 a.
and £32 10s. a year. (fn. 68) The land at Aldbrough
was sold c. 1790 with the rest of William
Bethell's estate there. (fn. 69) The tithes of 36 a. at
Bewick were commuted at the inclosure of
Withernwick in 1814, (fn. 70) and by 1845 corn and
hay tithes from 258 a. at Carlton and all 387 a.
at Tansterne were merged in the landed estate
of Richard Bethell, who was then awarded a rent
charge of £273 10s. for his remaining tithes at
Bewick, Carlton, Etherdwick, and Fosham. (fn. 71)
Richard Thorpe sold the corn and hay tithes
of West Newton and the tithes of the land alongside Lambwath stream to Sir Henry Constable
in 1610, (fn. 72) and in 1650 their net value was £10. (fn. 73)
They descended in the Constables with West
Newton manor, (fn. 74) and by 1845 they had been
merged. (fn. 75)
The tithes of East Newton and half of those
of Ringbrough were worth £14 net in 1650,
when they were said, probably erroneously, to
belong to John Constable, viscount Dunbar.
The impropriator Richard Thorpe (d. 1613) had
married William Towrie's daughter, and by
1663 the corn and hay tithes of East Newton and
half of the same at Ringbrough belonged to
Robert Towrie, who gave them to the vicarage. (fn. 76)
The other half of the tithes at Ringbrough were
probably held with the manor there; John
Grimston's estate was expressly excluded from
the commutation of tithes in 1772, and by 1845
the moiety had been merged in the landed
estate. (fn. 77)
Corn and hay tithes at Carlton and Fosham
also belonged to the Constables, and some had
been extinguished by 1779. Of those remaining
in 1845, the tithes from 108 a. at Carlton and
Fosham were merged in the landed estate of Sir
Thomas Constable, Bt., who was then awarded
a rent charge of £2 9s. 6d. for the rest, from
c. 530 a. at Fosham. Other proprietors at
Fosham had by then also merged tithes on
c. 40 a. in their estates. (fn. 78)
A chantry endowed with the corn tithes of
Etherdwick was probably that of St. German in
Aldbrough church. (fn. 79) After its suppression the
tithes were apparently confused with the former
estate of another chantry, in Rise church, and
with that they were granted to Giggleswick
(Yorks. W.R.) grammar school in 1553. (fn. 80) In
1650 they were worth £4 a year, and in 1845 the
school was awarded £80 a year for them. (fn. 81)
The remaining rent charges awarded in 1845
were for hay tithes; Henry Broadley received £6
a year for 128 a. at Etherdwick, H. S. Thornton
£1 from Carlton, and Henry Stephenson 1s.
from Etherdwick. (fn. 82)
William the butler had given land at East
Newton to Thornton abbey (Lincs.) by 1190,
and other donors added 2 bovates at Aldbrough
by 1312 and an estate at Etherdwick by 1350. (fn. 83)
After the Dissolution the estate, which included
3½ bovates at East Newton, was granted to the
short-lived Thornton college. (fn. 84) The Crown sold
houses and land at Aldbrough, East Newton,
and Etherdwick as part of Thornton's manor of
Garton in 1611 to John Eldred and William
Whitmore. (fn. 85)
In 1634 William Greame bought 2 bovates at
Etherdwick formerly belonging to Thornton
college, (fn. 86) and his son Robert sold them in 1645
to his brother John. (fn. 87) At inclosure in 1651 John
Greame was allotted 64 a. (fn. 88) He was succeeded
in 1665 by his son Robert (d. 1708), (fn. 89) who had
bought 77 a. from Hugh Bethell and his wife
Mary in 1657 (fn. 90) and settled Etherdwick on his
son John in 1699. (fn. 91) John Greame (d. 1746)
devised the estate to his son John (fn. 92) (d. 1798),
who bought 64 a. more at Etherdwick in 1792 (fn. 93)
and left the estate to his nephew John Greame
(d. 1841). (fn. 94) John's son Yarburgh Greame, later
Yarburgh (d. 1856), (fn. 95) was succeeded by his sister
Alicia (d. 1867) and her husband George Lloyd
(d. 1863), (fn. 96) who left a son the Revd. Yarburgh
Lloyd, later Lloyd Greame (d. 1890). (fn. 97) In 1915
Lloyd Greame's son Y. G. Lloyd Greame
sold Etherdwick farm, of 245 a., to Frederick
Nettleton, from whom R. E. Williams bought it
in 1920. (fn. 98) In 1926 the mortgagee sold the farm
to W. J. Richardson (d. 1929), whose children
sold it to J. W. Frankland in 1929. Later called
Etherdwick Grange farm, the land remained in
Mr. Frankland's family in 2000. (fn. 99)
About 1170 William le Gros, count of
Aumale, gave 1 carucate at Thorpe to (Sir)
William de Cauz, (fn. 1) who sold it to Meaux abbey
between 1182 and 1197. The abbey granted it
in exchange to Sir John of Meaux between 1197
and 1210. (fn. 2) Hugh Darcy gave his land at Bewick
to Meaux abbey between 1221 and 1235 but the
estate has not been traced later. (fn. 3)
William de Forz, count of Aumale, gave 2
bovates at East Newton and Sir William de
Scruteville land at Thorpe to Nunkeeling priory
in the late 12th or earlier 13th century. Other
gifts were received from William of Routh and
Stephen Hatfield, (fn. 4) and the priory also had 6
bovates at Aldbrough as a chantry endowment. (fn. 5)
Part of the priory's former estate at East
Newton, which included 5 bovates, was sold by
the Crown in 1611 to John Eldred and William
Whitmore. (fn. 6)
Donors including Ralph and Robert of
Etherdwick gave St. Sepulchre's hospital,
Hedon, c. ½ carucate, other land, and rent at
Etherdwick and Aldbrough. (fn. 7) After the suppression the estate passed to the Constables of St.
Sepulchre's Garth. (fn. 8)
Either St. Giles's hospital, Beverley, or
Warter priory had an estate at Aldbrough, which
was granted to Thomas Manners, earl of Rutland, in 1536. (fn. 9) Land at East Newton formerly
belonging to a chantry in Beverley minster was
sold to Francis Phillips and Richard Moore in
1608. (fn. 10)
About 250 a. at Aldbrough and Etherdwick
belonged to Hull Royal Infirmary until 1924,
when they were sold; from 1925 Headlands farm
and most of the land were included in the larger
estate of Henry Caley. (fn. 11)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
Comman Lands And Inclosure.
Aldbrough. Aldbrough village had 10 ploughlands in 1086, (fn. 12) and in the
17th and 18th centuries the open fields there
were still reckoned to contain 80½ bovates
belonging to the village, besides 8 bovates of
Bewick hamlet. North and South fields were
named in 1616. (fn. 13) Leys of odd lands recorded in
Sea field, or fields, presumably part of North
field, in the early 18th century may reflect the
disruption of the tillage by coastal erosion. (fn. 14)
Common meadow land probably lay mostly in
the carrs bordering Lambwath stream: in 1616
meadow in South field included some in East
carr, and later in the century hay was grown in
West carr in South field. (fn. 15) On the eve of inclosure grazing in the open fields was mostly stinted
at the rate of 3 gates in South field and 1½ gates
in North field for each bovate held; each householder also had 2 gates in the harvested field and
unlimited pasturage there during the winter.
The fallow field was opened for summer grazing
by cattle on 1 May. The village's common pasture was New close, which may formerly have
been arable and was described as including
'lands and leys' as late as the 18th century; the
pasture was overstocked c. 1680, and the stint
was accordingly reduced from 2½ to 2 beast
gates or 1 horse gate a bovate, enjoyed from
1 May to Michaelmas. (fn. 16)
The open fields and common pasture at
Aldbrough were inclosed by an award of 1766
under an Act of 1764. Allotments totalled 1,793
a., of which more than 781 a. were from South
field, more than 544 a. from North field, and
302 a. from New close. Hugh Bethell was allotted 328 a., including 91 a. for tithes, Christopher
Scott 321 a., Hugh Andrew 225 a., and the
Tymperon trustees 196 a. There were also two
allotments of 100-129 a., two of 50-99 a., ten
of 5-49 a., and eleven of under 5 a. (fn. 17)
Bewick. Bewick was evidently inclosed early, but
stinted pasture was mentioned there in the early
17th century. (fn. 18)
Carlton. At Carlton there were 2 ploughlands
and 20 a. of meadow in 1086, when one plough
was worked there. (fn. 19) In 1517 Sir John Cutt was
reported to have converted tillage to pasture
with the loss of a plough. (fn. 20) Most of the remaining commonable lands there seem to have been
inclosed by agreement in 1627, when nearly
500 a. were divided between two proprietors;
Thomas Michelbourne then received 200 a. in
West field and 36 a. in a pasture close called
Rowley, later Roller, and Leonard Gill 200 a. in
East field and 58 a. in Rowley pasture. (fn. 21) A
stinted summer pasture in Innams close nevertheless remained in 1631. (fn. 22)
Etherdwick. A common field of Etherdwick was
mentioned in the 13th century. (fn. 23) By an agreement of 1648 between the five freeholders the
commonable lands of Etherdwick were inclosed
in 1651, the lack of grazing for stock to manure
the more extensive tillage being given as a reason
for inclosure. Mark Green was allotted 348 a.,
Thomas Michelbourne 77 a., and John Greame
64 a.; the other two allotments are unknown.
Of the recorded allotments 128 a. came from
Oxdale, 90 a. from Mill field, 86 a. from Bracken
Hill field, 70 a. from Mayrod Hill and Leys,
43 a. from the moor, 37 a. from Wildertofts, and
35 a. from the infield. (fn. 24)
Fosham. At Fosham part of the tillage lay west
of Black Bush Farm where ridge-and-furrow
survived in 1991.
West Newton. At West Newton in 1086 there
were 2 ploughlands and 20 a. of meadow. (fn. 25) The
open fields there almost certainly lay north and
south of the hamlet, and ridge-and-furrow was
evident north of the street in 1991.
Ringbrough and East Newton. Ringbrough and
East Newton may each have had their own
common lands in the Middle Ages, but they
seem later to have been managed together. In
the 1330s North and South fields were mentioned at Ringbrough, but other land of the
hamlet then and later lay in the fields of East,
or Ringbrough, Newton. East Newton pasture
included gates for Ringbrough in 1719. (fn. 26)
The open fields at East Newton were named
in 1726, when their pasturage was evidently
stinted at the rate of 32 sheep gates in North
field and 28 in South field for each bovate held;
in the common pasture the rate was then 8 gates
a bovate. By the 1760s the stints had been
reduced to 8 sheep gates in South field, 3 in
North field, and 4 gates in the pasture. (fn. 27) The
common meadows lay in an area called Bitting
or Bitten. (fn. 28) The commonable lands of East
Newton were inclosed by an award of 1772
under an Act of 1770. There were 507 a. to be
dealt with, and 10 a. of old inclosures were
involved in exchanges. Allotments totalled 496
a., of which 85 a. were from North field, more
than 64 a. from the pasture, and more than 24 a.
from Bitten. Ridge-and-furrow survived near
the northern boundary and south of the hamlet
in 1991. Alice Etherington received 145 a.,
Christopher Scott 142 a., and the vicar 80 a. for
glebe land and tithes. There were three other
allotments of 20-79 a. (fn. 29)
Tansterne. The tillage of Tansterne was also
reduced by early inclosure, Alexander Pudsey
having converted 40 a. to pasture by 1517. (fn. 30) An
open field probably lay south of the settlement's
garths where ground was occupied as South
Field close in 1728. (fn. 31)
TENURES AND FARMS TO C.1800.
Aldbrough. Thorpe manor was divided between 14
tenants in the mid 16th century; eight men held
nearly 2 carucates, mostly in holdings of 1-2
bovates each, and there were four cottagers with
no open-field land and two freeholdings of
unknown size. Tenants on the manor of Aldbrough formerly belonging to Kirkstall abbey
owed poultry rents in the 17th century. (fn. 32)
Bewick. In 1379 Bewick manor included eleven
holdings of 1-3 bovates and seven of only a few
acres each. (fn. 33)
West Newton. Ploughing and most carting works
owed by the Constables' tenants at West Newton
had been commuted for fowls, eggs, and money
rents by the 1540s. (fn. 34) About that date the tenants
occupied 14 houses, 2 carucates and 3 bovates,
and other land; most of the dozen holdings were
of 2 bovates each. (fn. 35)
WARRENS AND FISHERIES.
In the early 14th
century Bewick manor included fish ponds and
one or two warrens, (fn. 36) evidently on land south of
the manor house later called Cony Garth hill. (fn. 37)
Other fisheries at Aldbrough, Bewick, Carlton,
and Fosham belonged to the Crown as lord of
Holderness in the mid 14th century; they were
presumably sited in Lambwath stream or
mere. (fn. 38)
LATER AGRICULTURE.
Aldbrough parish
had 2,356 a. under crops in 1801. (fn. 39) In 1845 there
were 4,264 a. of arable land and 1,938 a. of grassland in the parish, and 7 a. of woodland at West
Newton. (fn. 40) At Aldbrough, East Newton, and
Fosham there were 3,380 a. under crops and
1,714 a. of permanent grassland in 1905, (fn. 41) and
the parish was still divided fairly equally
between arable and grassland in the 1930s, when
the grassland lay mostly south and west of the
village and in the north-west of the parish alongside Lambwath stream. (fn. 42) In 1987 of 1,307 ha.
(3,230 a.) returned under Aldbrough civil
parish, 1,137 ha. (2,810 a.) were arable land and
147 ha. (363 a.) grassland; there were then more
than 14,000 pigs, nearly 700 sheep, and some
poultry and cattle. (fn. 43)
The land of Aldbrough village was usually
worked by a dozen farmers in the 19th and earlier 20th century, of whom up to three had 150 a.
or more in 1851 and the 1920s and 1930s. (fn. 44) East
and West Newton had nine farms in 1851, fairly
evenly divided between larger and smaller units,
but by the mid 20th century smaller farms predominated in both. (fn. 45) Over the same period
Bewick, Carlton, Etherdwick, Fosham, and
Tansterne each had up to three farms, all or
most of them of 150 a. or more. Half a dozen
cowkeepers worked in the parish in the late 19th
century, and later there were one or two dairy
farmers. Market gardening has also been pursued at Aldbrough, and there and at West
Newton a few smallholdings had been provided
by the 1930s. In 1987 of 18 holdings returned
under Aldbrough, two were of over 200 ha. (494
a.), two of 100-199 ha. (247-492 a.), two of
50-99 ha. (124-245 a.), three of 10-49 ha.
(25-121 a.), and nine of under 10 ha. (fn. 46)
MARKET.
A market on Tuesdays and a fair
on the eve and feast of St. Bartholomew (24
August) were granted to James de Ros for his
manor of Aldbrough in 1332. (fn. 47) The market place
was in Church Street. (fn. 48) The tolls were later
owed to the lords of Holderness. (fn. 49) By the late
18th century the market had been discontinued
and the fair was mainly for cattle; William
Constable was entitled to 1d. for each beast sold
and 1d. for each stall in 1779, when the tolls
were let for 13s. 4d. a year. (fn. 50) The fair was held
on 4 September in 1792. (fn. 51) It ceased to be held
c. 1880, but a hiring fair was briefly revived
later. (fn. 52)
INDUSTRY,TRADE,AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY.
Aldbrough had the usual occupations of a small commercial centre in the 19th
and earlier 20th century, and one or two craftsmen and shopkeepers were also recorded at West
Newton in the earlier period. (fn. 53) There were one
or two brewers and maltsters at Aldbrough in
the mid 19th century, and from 1878 Ralph
Jackson, later Messrs. Ralph Jackson & Sons,
was brewing and malting at a works on Hornsea
Road, which was called Brewer's Street by 1851;
the works had closed by 1923. (fn. 54) Bricks were
made at Aldbrough by the beginning of the 19th
century, and one or two brick-and tile-makers
were recorded in the 1840s; there was later only
one concern, with a works at the west end of the
village, (fn. 55) which was closed c. 1915.
In the late 13th century income from wrecks
and fish sales was paid to the lords of Holderness
by a reeve at Ringbrough. (fn. 56) Aldbrough was
included in a list of ports in 1565, (fn. 57) and there
was still a little coastal trade in the earlier 19th
century, (fn. 58) when lime-burning was carried on
near the coast. (fn. 59) Cobbles, sand, and gravel have
been taken from the shore at Aldbrough: dealers
in stone and gravel were recorded there in
1851, (fn. 60) and Sir Thomas Constable, Bt., lord of
Holderness, successfully defended his rights
over the shore in 1864, and in 1870 licensed
three Aldbrough men to take cobbles at the rate
of 6d. a ton. (fn. 61) In the 1920s and early 1930s a few
boats fished from Aldbrough, more than 13,000
crabs and nearly 400 lobsters being caught in
1930. (fn. 62)
Omnibus proprietors were recorded at Aldbrough in 1892, (fn. 63) and East Yorkshire Motor
Services Ltd. had a garage there c. 1935. There
have also been haulage contracting and agricultural and motor engineering concerns in the
parish, (fn. 64) and a firm of motor engineers still operated in the village in 1991.
MILLS.
A windmill stood by the 14th century
on land of Bewick manor in Aldbrough North
field. (fn. 65) The same or a rebuilt mill was called Old
mill from 1685; (fn. 66) it ceased to be used c. 1905
and was later demolished. (fn. 67) A windmill at Carlton or Aldbrough formed part of the Michelbournes' estate in the mid 16th century, and was
possibly mentioned again in 1671. (fn. 68) Another
mill was built beside the Carlton road after 1764,
and later called Aldbrough mill. (fn. 69) It was assisted
by steam by 1889, ceased to be used c. 1930, and
has been demolished. A third mill at Aldbrough
may have existed c. 1840. (fn. 70)
Other windmills were recorded at Ringbrough
in 1351, at Fosham in 1577-8, and at Etherdwick from 1600 until its removal by 1753. The
last stood near the boundary with Aldbrough
village. The site of the Ringbrough mill was later
commemorated by Mill hill west of the farm, (fn. 71)
and that at Fosham by Mill field closes. (fn. 72) There
was perhaps also a water mill at West Newton,
where land called Mill dam was mentioned in
the 14th century. (fn. 73)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
In the Middle Ages
breaches of the assize of ale at Aldbrough were
presented in Roos manor court and officers
appointed there included ale- and bread-tasters
for the village. (fn. 74) By the 14th century Ringbrough manor court was held infrequently. (fn. 75)
That of the Aldbrough manor formerly belonging to Kirkstall abbey was mentioned in 1611, (fn. 76)
and court papers, including presentments,
pains, and call rolls, survive for Tymperon's
manor, evidently the same, for 1732-59. (fn. 77) The
court, which had view of frankpledge, met annually and was almost entirely concerned with
agricultural regulation at Aldbrough and East
Newton. Besides 2 affeerors and a pinder, 2
constables and 2 bylawmen were appointed for
Aldbrough, and a constable and sometimes also
2 bylawmen for East Newton and Ringbrough.
Bewick manor court was mentioned in the 16th
and 17th centuries, but there is no record of its
business. (fn. 78) The grant in 1611 of Thorpe Garth
manor included a court, and a meeting was said
to have been held c. 1800. (fn. 79) The agriculture and
drainage of West Newton were regulated in
Burton Constable court in the 15th century,
when officers elected there included a messor for
West Newton. Later officers of the court, which
had view of frankpledge, were 1-2 bylawmen
for West Newton, appointed in the mid 16th
century, the constable, and an aletaster. (fn. 80)
Surviving parish records include overseers'
accounts for 1681-9 and 1732-65 and a volume
for 1650-1823 containing appointments of
parish officers, summary accounts, and church
and poor rates. (fn. 81) The overseers' accounts are
largely concerned with the administration of
Towrie's charity. The poor were employed in
spinning and weaving linen in the mid 18th
century, when those relieved included residents
at East and West Newton, which later relieved
their own poor. At East Newton three persons
received permanent and one occasional poor
relief in 1802-3, and at West Newton four
people were relieved permanently in 1802-3 and
c. 15 occasionally in 1812-15. In the rest of the
parish permanent relief was given to 47 people
in 1802-3 and to c. 20 between 1812 and 1815;
in the same periods 5 and c. 20 persons were
relieved occasionally. (fn. 82) Poorhouses were maintained by the overseers in the village, and possibly also at East and West Newton. (fn. 83) Two
cottages at the north end of the village were later
maintained by the parish council and c. 1900
were occupied rent-free; they were demolished
in 1937. (fn. 84) Aldbrough, East Newton, and West
Newton with Burton Constable joined Skirlaugh
poor-law union in 1837 (fn. 85) and remained in
Skirlaugh rural district until 1935. Aldbrough
and East Newton, as part of the new civil parish
of Aldbrough, and West Newton with Burton
Constable, as part of the enlarged parish of
Burton Constable, were then taken into Holderness rural district. Aldbrough and Burton
Constable civil parishes became part of the
Holderness district of Humberside in 1974. (fn. 86) In
1996 Aldbrough and Burton Constable parishes
became part of a new East Riding unitary area. (fn. 87)
A cemetery for Aldbrough and East Newton
on the Carlton road was provided by the rural
district council in 1922, parts being consecrated
in 1923 and 1961. (fn. 88)
The E.R. constabulary, established in 1857,
had a constable based at Aldbrough. (fn. 89)
CHURCH.
According to an 11th-century inscription in Aldbrough church, it was built by
Ulf, perhaps the tenant of Aldbrough in 1066. (fn. 90)
The church was not, however, recorded again
until 1115 when, with other churches in Holderness, it was given to Aumale priory, later abbey
(Seine Maritime). (fn. 91) Aumale abbey appropriated
the church in 1228 and a vicarage had evidently
been ordained by 1252. (fn. 92) In 1396 Aumale abbey
sold the church to Kirkstall abbey (Yorks. W.R.),
which then appropriated it. (fn. 93) Chapels belonging
to the church were recorded at Carlton, Ringbrough, Tansterne, and Thorpe in 1309. (fn. 94) There
may also have been a chapel at Bewick where, in
return for 20 a. given to Aldbrough church,
Robert of Meaux (d. by 1196) was licensed to
build a chapel and hear mass. (fn. 95) After the loss to
the sea of Little Cowden (Colden) church that
living was annexed to Aldbrough and the
parishes were later often regarded as one. (fn. 96) In
1962 detached parts of the parish of Aldbrough
with Colden Parva in Great Cowden were
annexed to Mappleton and the detached part of
Mappleton parish was transferred to Aldbrough
with Colden Parva. (fn. 97) Aldbrough with Colden
Parva was united with the benefices of Mappleton with Goxhill and Withernwick in 1979. (fn. 98)
The patronage of the vicarage belonged to
Aumale abbey and from 1396 until the
Dissolution to Kirkstall abbey. During war with
France Aumale's estate was seized by the
Crown, which presented repeatedly between
1344 and 1369, and turns granted by Kirkstall
were exercised by Edward Gower in 1465 and
Alice Midgley in 1547. After the Dissolution the
Crown retained the patronage. (fn. 99) The archbishop
of York was granted the advowson in 1558, (fn. 1) but
the grant was apparently ineffective except for
collations by the archbishop in 1613 and 1614. (fn. 2)
From 1979 the Crown had one turn in three in
the patronage of the united benefice. (fn. 3)
The vicarage was worth £6 13s. 4d. a year in
1291 and £13 15s. in 1535. (fn. 4) The improved
annual value in 1650 was £30. (fn. 5) The net income
averaged £185 a year in 1829-31, (fn. 6) and was £390
in 1884. (fn. 7)
Tithes in Carlton worth 10s. a year were given
c. 1100 by Arnulf de Montgomery to Sées abbey
(Orne), but were evidently resumed on Arnulf's
deprivation in 1102. (fn. 8) In 1535 nearly all of the
vicar's income came from offerings and hay,
wool, lamb, and small tithes. (fn. 9) In 1706 the tithes
and offerings were worth £28. (fn. 10)
In Aldbrough village the hay tithes of 80 bovates when fallow and of the balks were compounded for an annual payment of 7d. a bovate
by the mid 17th century. Hay tithes from 8
bovates at Aldbrough belonging to Bewick
hamlet were relinquished by the vicar to Hugh
Bethell, the impropriator at Bewick, c. 1700, and
the Bethells as impropriators also successfully
claimed some rape tithes and mortuaries in
Aldbrough village. (fn. 11) At inclosure in 1766 the
vicar was awarded 24 a. for the hay tithes of the
open fields and some closes; later the commutation was claimed to extend to the tithe of
potatoes grown on former open-field land but
the vicar successfully disputed that. The land
allotted was retained in 1978. (fn. 12) The hay tithes
of the rest of the old inclosures at Aldbrough,
together with the small tithes of the village and
most of the hamlets, were commuted for a rent
charge of £184 in 1845. (fn. 13)
Robert Towrie by will of 1663 devised all the
corn and hay tithes of East Newton and half of
the same tithes from Ringbrough to augment the
vicarage. (fn. 14) At the inclosure of East Newton in
1772 the vicar was awarded 75 a. for the great
tithes. (fn. 15) His half of the great tithes at Ringbrough with the small tithes of East Newton,
and presumably also those of Ringbrough, were
commuted for a rent charge of £32 in 1845. (fn. 16)
At West Newton the vicar was owed 3s. 4d.
and venison annually from Venison close, presumably for tithes, from the late 17th century.
The small tithes there were commuted for a rent
charge of £20 in 1845. (fn. 17)
The Towrie augmentation also included ¼
bovate at East Newton; the gift also mentioned
a house there but only a garth was recorded from
1685. (fn. 18) At inclosure in 1772 the vicar was
awarded 5 a. there for glebe, besides the 75 a.
for tithes, (fn. 19) and a farmhouse was built there
c. 1800. (fn. 20) Glebe farm was sold in 1968. (fn. 21)
A vicarage house recorded in 1535 was later
lost; its garth east of the churchyard was
recorded from 1685, and a building, evidently
not the house, stood there in 1764. (fn. 22) In the 19th
and early 20th century the vicar or his assistant
occupied various houses in the village, among
them Aldbrough House, Wentworth House, and
Tymperon's House. (fn. 23) In 1935 a vicarage house
was built in Sea Side Road on land bought from
the Tymperon trustees. (fn. 24) That house was sold
c. 1979 and the incumbent of the united benefice
lived at Mappleton until a new benefice house
was built in Carlton Drive c. 1983. (fn. 25)
In the 13th century Agnes of Kelk founded a
chantry in a chapel added to Aldbrough church
by her father. As an endowment she gave 6 bovates in Aldbrough to Nunkeeling priory, which
was to provide services. The chantry was later
transferred to the priory. (fn. 26)
By 1300 there was evidently also a chantry in
Holy Trinity chapel in Aldbrough church endowed with tithes in Etherdwick, Tansterne,
and other places in Holderness. The chantry was
probably connected with the abbey of St. Mary
and St. German at Selby (Yorks. W.R.): it was
named as St. German's chantry in 1341, the
tithes were called St. German's, and, whereas
Aumale abbey, patron of the vicarage, had the
presentation of the chantry priest, the abbot of
Selby apparently nominated the presentee until
he granted that right to Sir John of Carlton (d.
1304) or one of his predecessors. The Crown
exercised the presentation during war with
France in the mid 14th century and later it
belonged to Carlton's successors in the nomination, the Fauconbergs. The 'advowson', presumably comprising the right both to nominate
and to present, was sold by the Fauconbergs to
the Nevilles in 1408, and later descended with
Rise manor. (fn. 27) It was perhaps the same chantry
which was called Etherdwick chantry in 1535,
when the endowment comprised the corn tithes
of Etherdwick worth just over £2 a year.
Another chantry at Aldbrough was then said to
be worth £1 6s. 8d. (fn. 28) The Etherdwick tithes
seem later to have been confused with the property of a chantry in Rise church. (fn. 29) In 1521 there
were guilds dedicated to St. Peter and St. Mary,
and a guild house at Aldbrough was mentioned
in 1566. (fn. 30)
Godfrey de Lucy, bishop of Winchester 1189-
1204, was rector c. 1190. (fn. 31) The church was frequently exchanged, and was disputed on at least
one occasion, c. 1350. (fn. 32) William Mooke, vicar
from 1528, was a York prebendary, and Aldbrough was later often held by non-residents
with other benefices; (fn. 33) curates were employed to
do the duty. (fn. 34) About 1645 Lord Fairfax replaced
the delinquent vicar John Hutton with John
Fenwick, but both men were contesting the
Easter offerings and tithes in the early 1650s;
competing celebrations of communion were held
in the church and a house during the dispute
which led to a division of tithes. Parishioners
later refused payment, and both Hutton and
Fenwick were accused of using the prohibited
Book of Common Prayer and Fenwick of inviting preachers disaffected to the government,
including Hutton, and of tippling. (fn. 35) The incumbent lived at Humbleton in 1743 and at Hull in
1764, in which year service was weekly and communion was celebrated four times, usually with
c. 55 recipients. (fn. 36) By 1865 two Sunday services
were held, an evening school for boys was tried
unsuccessfully later in the decade, and in 1884
there was also a children's service. (fn. 37) Celebrations of communion were monthly in the later
19th century, generally with c. 20 recipients. In
the earlier 20th century sevices were held in a
church hut, (fn. 38) and youth clubs, including the
Y.M.C.A., were provided. (fn. 39) Communion was
then weekly but very few received. The church
hut was removed from Aldbrough to West
Newton and opened in 1939 as a chapel-of-ease
dedicated to St. Mary. It was used for services,
including communion, at first weekly and later
fortnightly; up to 10 people usually took communion there in the 1960s but it was closed soon
afterwards. (fn. 40)
The church of ST. BARTHOLOMEW, so
called in 1310, (fn. 41) is built of boulders and ashlar;
it comprises chancel with north chapel, aisled
and clerestoried nave, south porch, and massive,
three-stage, west tower. A stone sundial reset in
the south aisle wall has an Anglo-Scandinavian
inscription recording that Ulf built the church
for himself and for the soul of Guneware, (fn. 42) and
the long and narrow nave probably preserves the
plan of Ulf's earlier 11th-century church. The
chancel has remains of two 11th-century windows in the north wall, a pre-Conquest,
sculpted, monolithic window head in the south
wall, and possibly reset, 12th-century chevron
above the south door. (fn. 43) The lower stages of the
tower are of c. 1200. Nave, chancel, and tower
are all of similar width. The aisles were added
in the 12th century and their walls were rebuilt
in the 14th, when the south aisle was extended
eastward for a short distance alongside the chancel. The chancel was also remodelled in the 14th
century and the north chapel added then, perhaps for Sir John Meaux of Bewick (d. c. 1377). (fn. 44)
The chapel was later used for the village
school. (fn. 45) The top stage of the tower was remodelled in the 15th century and the clerestory
added in the 16th. (fn. 46)
The chancel was in disrepair in 1568. (fn. 47) The
church was repaired and the chancel screen
taken down in 1720. (fn. 48) In 1870-1 the church was
substantially rebuilt to designs by William
Perkin of Leeds. The work included the renewal
of the chancel arch, the restoration of the nave
arcades, aisles, and clerestory, and the reroofing
of the whole church. During rebuilding, services
were held in the school. (fn. 49) The tower was
restored in 1907 and again c. 1920, when the
bells were repaired. (fn. 50) Later restoration, mostly
effected in 1949-50, included the fitting out of
the chancel chapel as a Lady chapel. (fn. 51)
In 1353 Sir John Meaux of Bewick alleged
that the sea threatened his ancestors' remains in
the church and was licensed to re-inter them in
Haltemprice priory, near Cottingham, in which
he founded a chantry in 1377, shortly before his
own death. (fn. 52) He nevertheless requested burial in
Aldbrough church, in St. Mary's aisle, evidently
the chancel chapel where two 14th-century tomb
chests bearing stone effigies of a man and woman
are believed to commemorate him and his wife. (fn. 53)
The size of the man's effigy led to the tomb
being called Giant Morrell's and its location
Morrell's or Morrill's aisle. (fn. 54) Above the knight
hangs a replica of the medieval helmet associated
with his tomb; (fn. 55) since 1978 the original helmet
has been at the Tower of London. (fn. 56)
The fittings include choir stalls of the 1930s
by J. Wippell & Co. Ltd. (fn. 57) Bells from Ravenser
Odd chapel, in Easington, were bought after its
destruction in the 14th century for Aldbrough
church, (fn. 58) and there were three bells in 1552 and
later. (fn. 59) The plate includes a cup with cover made
in 1662 and a paten of 1701. (fn. 60) The registers of
burials begin in 1570 and those of baptisms and
marriages in 1571; they are largely complete. (fn. 61)
The churchyard was closed in 1923 and
replaced by a cemetery on the Carlton road. (fn. 62) A
lich-gate was added in 1952 as a war memorial. (fn. 63)
The parish clerk was entitled to four sheaves
from each bovate at Great Cowden belonging to
Aldbrough parish until inclosure in 1772, when
a rent charge of nearly £2 a year was substituted. (fn. 64)
NONCONFORMITY.
Roman Catholicism was
fostered by the Constables, who were seated just
outside the parish at Burton Constable, in
Swine. The family's tenants at West Newton
were served by the chaplain at Burton Constable, and in the later 17th century by a priest
partly supported by the Constables and resident
at Marton, in Swine. Recusants and non-communicants recorded under Aldbrough sometimes included the Burton Constable household:
John Constable, viscount Dunbar, and his wife
were, for instance, included among 29 persons
named between 1664 and 1666. Numbers rose
to c. 50 in the later 18th century, (fn. 65) and in 1764
the parish had 12 Roman Catholic families. (fn. 66)
Protestant dissenters in 1676 were said to
number 50. (fn. 67) Most may have been Friends. The
monthly meeting was occasionally held at
Aldbrough in the later 17th century, and John
Raines of Aldbrough was a prominent Friend in
1678, as were later the Fosters of Bewick. (fn. 68) In
1764 six Quaker families lived in the parish. (fn. 69) A
meeting house at the west end of the village was
registered in 1778, (fn. 70) but no more is known of
the congregation. Thomas Thompson, a leading
Hull Methodist, and others registered a house
in Aldbrough in 1781, (fn. 71) and the Wesleyans built
a chapel in 1803. (fn. 72) It was perhaps remodelled in
1828, and was later often said to have been built
then. (fn. 73) The chapel, in High Street, was rebuilt
on an enlarged site in 1888, (fn. 74) and an adjoining
schoolroom, put up in 1835, was reconstructed
in 1907. The chapel was closed in 1939. (fn. 75) An
unidentified protestant congregation registered
a house in Aldbrough in 1791, and another in
1802. (fn. 76) The Primitive Methodists built a chapel
in Hornsea Road in 1850, added a schoolroom
in 1899, (fn. 77) and enlarged the chapel in 1907. (fn. 78) The
chapel was closed in 1961, on the opening of a
new Methodist church in High Street. (fn. 79) After
their closure the former Wesleyan chapel was
used by a dairyman, and the Primitive Methodist buildings as a shop.
At West Newton a chapel registered by the
Wesleyans in 1907 was closed in 1933. The
building, north of the street, was later demolished. (fn. 80)
EDUCATION.
Towrie's charity employed a
teacher from the 1680s, and in 1741 books and
fuel for the school were also provided. (fn. 81) In 1818
there was a school for boys and another for girls
at Aldbrough, each attended by c. 60 children;
c. 17 pupils in each were paid for from the
charity, at a cost of c. £20 a year in 1823. (fn. 82) In
1833 the charity was supporting 26 of the 45
boys at an Aldbrough school, (fn. 83) probably that for
boys held in the church until its removal by
1840, (fn. 84) and in 1855 c. 35 boys were taught at the
charity's expense. The trustees built a new
school for boys and girls on their land in
Headlands Road in 1862, (fn. 85) and 20 boys and 20
girls were taught free there, along with feepaying pupils, in 1868. (fn. 86) There were 70 pupils
on inspection day in 1871, (fn. 87) and 90 in 1877, (fn. 88)
when the Church school received £52 a year
from the charity. (fn. 89) An annual government grant
was received from 1882-3, and in 1896 a class
room was added to meet the requirements of the
Education Department. (fn. 90) A Scheme of 1906 separated the educational part of the charity from
the rest as the Towrie Educational Foundation,
which was endowed with the school buildings
and a quarter of the net income, to be spent on
prizes, scholarships, or evening classes for children of the parish. (fn. 91) Attendance at the school,
which took infants, was usually c. 100 from 1906
until the mid 1930s when it fell to c. 80. (fn. 92) The
Towrie trustees transferred the school to the
county council, and sold the council land to
rebuild and extend it, in 1928, (fn. 93) and they provided a school playing field in 1940. (fn. 94) During
rebuilding in 1929 pupils were taught in the
Y.M.C.A. hut and the Wesleyan Sunday
school. (fn. 95) Additional space was provided by
the use of the youth club hut from 1953,
and by the transfer of senior pupils to South
Holderness County Secondary School in 1954. (fn. 96)
A new wing, providing nursery and infant
accommodation, a hall, and offices, were built
on land bought from the Towrie trustees and
opened in 1979. In 1991 there were 166 juniors
and infants and 40 part-time nursery pupils on
the roll. (fn. 97) In 1983 a Scheme reunited the two
parts of Towrie's charity, and made one of its
objects the promotion of young people's education, (fn. 98) and c. 1990 the school received about
£200 a year which was spent on books and
school visits. (fn. 99)
In 1833 there were three other schools at
Aldbrough in which 25 boys and 50 girls were
taught at their parents' expense. (fn. 1) An infants'
school recorded in 1851 had 30 pupils in 1865,
and 29 children attended two dames' schools in
the 1870s. At West Newton there was a schoolmistress in 1851, and a mixed school with 14
pupils in 1871; (fn. 2) it was perhaps the same school
which received a grant from Towrie's charity in
1892. (fn. 3)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
John Thorpe
(d. 1640) devised land in Aldbrough to his uncle
George Towrie charged with £2 10s. a year for
the poor of the parish, but no more is known of
it. (fn. 4) Robert Towrie by will dated 1663 left a farm
at Aldbrough for the poor of the parish; the
income was to be spent in raising children,
apprenticing boys, and relieving the old. (fn. 5) The
charity took effect in 1681, and in the 1840s its
management was disputed in Chancery. (fn. 6) The
income, c. £20 a year in the late 17th and 18th
century, was mostly used to provide clothing,
fuel, cash doles for those not on poor relief, and
schooling for children. (fn. 7) About three boys a year
were apprenticed in the early 19th century. The
trustees received 115 a. at inclosure in 1766, (fn. 8)
and the farmhouse was rebuilt opposite the
church, apparently on a new site, in 1789, (fn. 9) and
later refronted. Another house at Aldbrough,
said in 1729 to be partly used as an almshouse,
may have been supported by the charity, (fn. 10) and
in 1803 two cottages, nos. 32 and 34 Church
Street, were built by the trustees, and later occupied rent-free. (fn. 11) In 1823 the farm, of c. 130 a.,
was let for £200 a year. The estate was reduced
to c. 115 a. in 1901 and 98 a. in 1955, and the
annual gross income fell from nearly £150 c.
1900 to £104 in 1955. (fn. 12) In 1906 a Scheme
assigned three quarters of the net income to
provide cash payments, goods, and services for
elderly parishioners and young persons; the
educational branch of the charity might apprentice boys. (fn. 13) Before and after the charity's reorganization, eleemosynary expenditure was
usually in the form of cash doles; in the early
20th century up to £100 a year was given to
some 40 persons, and sixty gifts of 6s. each were
made at Christmas in 1954. (fn. 14) In 1983 a Scheme
reunited the educational and eleemosynary
branches of Towrie's charity, and made one of
its objects the relief of needy residents of
Aldbrough and Burton Constable civil parishes. (fn. 15) In 1985-6 the gross income of the
charity from land, including some at East
Newton, and stock was nearly £6,000 a year;
Christmas boxes of £10 each were then given to
154 persons, and c. £90 was spent on transport
for the old. (fn. 16)
William Tymperon, by will proved in 1729,
devised his estate at Aldbrough for an almshouse
in Beverley. Two inhabitants of Aldbrough were
to be housed in the hospital, which when established took only women. (fn. 17) Under a Scheme of
1824 a three-roomed almshouse was built soon
afterwards at Aldbrough for three almswomen,
who were each to receive 6s. a week, clothes, and
coal. The new house was evidently for almspeople from Aldbrough, and the Beverley hospital was reserved for residents of that town (fn. 18) until
1911, when it was laid down that one or two of
the inmates at Beverley might again come from
Aldbrough. (fn. 19) Tymperon's hospital at Aldbrough, close to the church, is a single-storeyed
building which echoes the earlier Beverley house
in the round-headed, blank arcading of its
façade. (fn. 20) In the early 20th century repairs and
the support of the widowed occupants usually
cost c. £60 a year. (fn. 21) Most of the land at
Aldbrough was sold in 1952 (fn. 22) and the hospital
at Beverley in 1953, and a new Scheme was
obtained in 1957. (fn. 23) The endowment then comprised, besides the almshouse, c. 1 a. at Aldbrough and just over £14,000 stock. The charity
was divided into an almshouse charity and a payment of £100 a year for Aldbrough Sunday
school and education in Beverley. The almshouse branch allowed contributions from the
almspeople, who were to come from Aldbrough or Beverley. The Scheme also established a building improvement fund, and c. 1962
the hospital at Aldbrough was renovated and
remodelled as two dwellings. (fn. 24) Tymperon's hos
pital was still maintained in 1991 but stood
empty in 1998.
At inclosure in 1766 the overseers of the poor
received nearly 14 a., (fn. 25) and by 1852 the field, on
Dothams Road, was divided into allotment gardens, which were transferred to the parish council in 1894. (fn. 26) There were c. 25 tenants on Poor's
Field in the early 20th century and still 7 in
1935-6, but later the land was used agriculturally. Tenants' rents produced c. £16 a year,
which was mostly spent on flour and coal, 87
people benefiting in 1900-1 and 30-40 a year in
the mid century. (fn. 27) About 1980 the income of
£40 was applied with that of Towrie's charity
as Christmas doles. (fn. 28) Land belonging to
Towrie's charity was also let as allotment gardens by 1852 when some of the holdings
adjoined Poor's Field. (fn. 29) In 1901 the charity had
16 gardens of 1 a. each and 11 of ½ a. or ¼ a. (fn. 30)
James Bean (d. 1767) left 2s. a week for bread
but the rent was lost c. 1800. (fn. 31) Land in Fitling,
in Humbleton, belonged to the poor of West
Newton from the 18th century. (fn. 32)