THIRTLEBY
THIRTLEBY hamlet lies 4 km. south-east from
Swine village. The name is Scandinavian and
means 'Thorkel's farmstead'. (fn. 49) Of 755 a. (306
ha.), (fn. 50) the civil parish was united in 1935 with
that of Coniston as the new civil parish of
Coniston. (fn. 51) In 1377 poll-tax payers at Thirtleby
were recorded with those in Ellerby. (fn. 52) Ten
houses at Thirtleby were assessed for hearth tax
in 1672. (fn. 53) From 44 in 1801, the population of
Thirtleby increased to 69 in 1871, fell to 55 in
1881 and 44 in 1891, recovered after 1901 to 75
in 1911, then fell again to 51 in 1921, and was
55 in 1931. (fn. 54)
THIRTLEBY
hamlet has comprised since the
mid 19th century a dozen scattered houses. (fn. 55)
Spacey Field Farm, built c. 1800, was demolished in the mid 20th century, (fn. 56) and Swiss
Cottage, a 16th-century style lodge for
Thirtleby Grange, put up by 1852, (fn. 57) was taken
down in or shortly before 1995. Woodlands, Hill
Farm, and Central House were built between
1852 and 1889, (fn. 58) and Stillmeadow and Mount
View Farms were put up near the site of Spacey
Field Farm in the mid 20th century. (fn. 59) A beerhouse at Thirtleby was licensed in the 1750s. (fn. 60)
MANOR AND OTHER ESTATES.
In 1066
Morkar held 4 carucates at Thirtleby as soke
of his manor of Mappleton. By 1086 Drew de
Bevrère held them, (fn. 61) and they were later part of
the Aumale fee.
Much of Thirtleby was held of the counts of
Aumale by the St. Quintins and later descended
as part of their manor of Woodhall, in Ellerby. (fn. 62)
In 1541 the Woodhall estate included land at
Thirtleby let for over £13 a year, (fn. 63) and c. 260 a.
there was sold by George Goring in several lots
in the 1590s. (fn. 64) Those estates have not been
traced further.
About 1200 Herbert de St. Quintin subinfeudated 2 carucates and 2 bovates in Thirtleby to
Beatrice wife of William of Rochford as her
marriage portion, in return for which the Rochfords quitclaimed Brandesburton to St. Quintin.
The estate, mostly held by tenants, (fn. 65) descended
to Walran of Rochford (fl. 1240), and in 1347 the
St. Quintins' tenant was his or another Walran's
heir. (fn. 66) In 1381-2 Joan Rogerson, probably Sir
Walran of Rochford's daughter, sold the estate
at Thirtleby, then comprising 2 houses, 1 carucate and 1 bovate, and rent, with the manor of
Wold Newton, or Newton Rochford, to Sir
Ralph Hastings. (fn. 67) As THIRTLEBY manor, it
descended to William Hastings (d. 1483), Lord
Hastings, whose feoffees and executors evidently
settled it on Windsor college in support of
Hastings's chantry there. (fn. 68) Later described as
the reputed manor of EASTHALL GARTH, (fn. 69)
the estate seems to have been held by Elizabeth
Clough in 1782 and then by Robert Hudson
until 1798, both probably lessees of Windsor
college. J. B. Tuke, banker and merchant,
bought the 249-a. farm from the college, evidently in 1798 or 1799, and divided it into two
holdings. (fn. 70) Following Tuke's bankruptcy, his
estate was sold in lots in 1806, the 100-a. Spacey
Field farm being bought by C. E. Broadley and
Easthall Garth farm, then of 145 a., by John
Stephenson. (fn. 71) Stephenson (d. by 1817) was succeeded in turn by Matthew Stephenson (d. by
1827) and Thomas Stephenson. (fn. 72) Thomas
Stephenson Holland, the last-named or another,
had the farm at his death in 1894. G. F.
Stephenson Holland succeeded to it, then of
125 a. and called Manor House farm, in 1907
and sold it in 1919 to J. A. Frost (d. 1933) and
his wife Margaret. (fn. 73) The farm was sold by Mrs.
Frost to Joseph and Henry Elliott in 1942, and,
as the 100-a. Manor farm, by them to William
Gibson in 1953. G. B. Green bought the farm
in 1955 and still had it in 1994. (fn. 74)
The Constables held a little land at Thirtleby
under Woodhall manor c. 1600. (fn. 75)
Land at Thirtleby belonged to bishop Walter
Skirlaw (d. 1406) and was granted by his executors
to Swine priory in or soon after 1415. (fn. 76) Comprising two houses and 2 carucates, or 195 a., it
was held under a Crown lease by Anne Goring
in 1609. (fn. 77) The estate was evidently later sold by
the Crown and in 1704 was held by Edward
Graham, viscount Preston, and others who then
sold several houses and 419 a. at Thirtleby to
Mark Kirkby. (fn. 78) Kirkby (d. 1718) devised the
estate to his son Christopher (fn. 79) (d. c. 1733), from
whom it passed in turn to his brother Mark (d.
1748) and sister Isabel Collings. (fn. 80) Mrs. Collings
(d. by 1764) devised part of Thirtleby to her
great-nephew the Revd. James Torre and the rest
to his son Nicholas Torre. (fn. 81)
The Revd. James Torre (d. 1788) was succeeded by his son James (d. 1816) in a farm of
c. 190 a., which was sold to William Brigham in
1821. Brigham died in 1851 or 1852, and
Edward Walker bought the farm in 1853. (fn. 82) After
Walker's death, 174 a. was sold to Sir Thomas
Constable, Bt., in 1865. (fn. 83) Later called Thirtleby
Grange, (fn. 84) the farm remained part of the Burton
Constable estate in 1994.
Nicholas Torre's share of Thirtleby seems to
have passed to Christopher Torre (d. c. 1825),
who left the Revd. Henry Torre a farm of some
218 a. (fn. 85) It later belonged to the Revd. Henry
J. Torre (d. 1904) and then to his widow Hyacinthe (d. 1907), before being sold to Richard
Richardson in 1909. Richardson (d. 1929) was
succeeded in Field House farm in turn by his
son Richard (d. 1964), (fn. 86) and grandson Mr. A. D.
Richardson, who still occupied it in 1995. (fn. 87)
The rectorial tithes and dues of Thirtleby
were bought by John Ramsden in 1681, (fn. 88) and
they later descended with Bilton manor. (fn. 89) Some
were sold to proprietors and merged, (fn. 90) but the
rest were commuted in 1842 for a rent charge
of £68 18s. 6d. payable to the Revd. William
Dawnay, viscount Downe. (fn. 91)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
COMMON LANDS
AND INCLOSURE. The open fields of Thirtleby
evidently lay north and south of the hamlet. (fn. 92)
Lord FitzHugh converted a few acres of the tillage to pasture before 1517. (fn. 93) South field was
recorded again in the early 18th century, (fn. 94) but
at least part of North field had been inclosed by
1750. (fn. 95) Large closes, possibly newly-made from
the commonable lands, were recorded in 1799:
there were 98 a. in Spacey field and 47 a. in
Summer pasture, which was soon afterwards
divided into three closes. (fn. 96) Ridge and furrow
remained near Thirtleby Grange in 1994. (fn. 97)
LATER AGRICULTURE.
There were up to six
farmers at Thirtleby in the 19th and earlier 20th
century, one or two with 150 a. or more. (fn. 98)
Market gardening, nurserying, (fn. 99) and fruitfarming (fn. 1) have also been pursued there. A cattle
dealer at Thirtleby was recorded in 1851 and
one or two cowkeepers from the late 19th century, and c. 1990 cattle- and other livestockfarming there contributed to their prominence
in Coniston civil parish. (fn. 2)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
A poorhouse was
probably maintained at Thirtleby, (fn. 3) where one
person was on permanent relief between 1812
and 1815 and up to 9 people were relieved
occasionally in the early 19th century. (fn. 4)
Thirtleby joined Skirlaugh poor-law union in
1837, (fn. 5) and the township, later civil parish,
remained in Skirlaugh rural district until 1935.
As part of Coniston civil parish, it was then
included in the new Holderness rural district
and at reorganization in 1974 was taken into the
Holderness district of Humberside. (fn. 6) In 1996
Coniston parish became part of a new East
Riding unitary area. (fn. 7)
EDUCATION
Children from Thirtleby
attended Bilton and Swine schools in 1871. (fn. 8)