A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



In 1436 Bishop Langley appointed Thomas 

 Lumley, esq., chief forester of Weardale, during 

 pleasure, and surveyor of all the bishop's parks, 

 coal-mines, and iron forges ; but two years 

 later, when Thomas Lumley had been knighted, 

 he had a renewal of this grant for life.^ 



In 1476 the last-named grant was cancelled 

 by Bishop Booth in favour of a new grant of the 

 office of chief forester and surveyor of the parks 

 during the lives of Sir Thomas Lumley and 

 George his son, or either of them.^ 



Richard, duke of Gloucester, had a grant of 

 an annuity of ;^ioo from Bishop Dudley in 

 1479, for the bishop's lifetime. To secure the 

 payment the bishop granted to the duke a lease 

 of the park of Stanhope and of the high forest 

 of Weardale for the same term.' 



In 1483 John Scrope, lord of Bolton, had 

 a grant for life of the offices of chief forester of 

 Weardale and surveyor of the parks of Even- 

 wood and Auckland.* 



The chief forestership of Weardale seems to 

 have been almost a sinecure. The work was done 

 by four under-foresters, and their appointment was 

 always made directly by the bishop. 



Bishop Langley in 1439 appointed Alexander 

 Fetherstonhalgh to one of the foresterships of 

 Weardale, during pleasure, in place of Thomas 

 del Hall ; recognizances were entered into for his 

 good behaviour during the holding of the office.^ 

 John Atelowine was appointed one of the Wear- 

 dale foresters in 1438, by Bishop Neville, in the 

 place of Thomas Atkynson,^ and John Harper 

 was appointed in the same year to another of 

 these four foresterships, in the place of his father 

 of the same name.' 



It was customary in the bishop's courts to take 

 recognizances or bonds on the part of ofienders 

 in respect to the game, as shown in the rolls of 

 Bishop Skirlaw and several of his successors. 

 Thus, in 1397, recognizances were taken from 

 John Blakheved, Richard Maddyson, Thomas de 

 Egliston, and John Falderley, that John Belling- 

 ham should not drive or take game in any park 

 or forest of the bishop, and be of good behaviour 

 to all his officers.* There are several similar 

 bonds extant of Walter Skirlaw's (1380-1406) 

 episcopate. The recognizances of Langley's epis- 

 copate include some relating to trespasses on fish- 

 ponds and warrens. 



In addition to the park adjoining their chief 

 residence at Bishop Auckland, the princely 

 bishops of Durham had large parks at Wolsingham 

 and Stanhope in Weardale Forest, as well as at 

 Evenwood, a few miles to the south of Auckland, 

 and at Middleham, a few miles to the east. 

 They also held smaller parks at Bedburn and at 



' Dur. Curs. No. 36, m. 

 'Ibid. No. 49, m. 8. 

 *Ibid. m. 17. 

 Mbid. No. 42, m. 6. 

 'Ibid. No. 33, m. 17. 



Gateshead, which are occasionally mentioned in 

 the rolls and other documents of the see. 



The park at Wolsingham was of great extent 

 and lay to the north of the town of that name. 

 On I August, 1331, Bishop Beaumont made a 

 grant for life to Robert Strig of Lyndestede, one 

 of his household, of the custody of the whole 

 park of Wolsingham with the stipends which 

 the two parkers there used to receive, namely, 

 ^d. a day.' Thomas Rogerley and three others 

 entered into recognizances in 1427 to the effect 

 that the said Thomas would keep well and truly 

 the 'savagyn,' vert and vension of the park of 

 Wolsingham whilst he was keeper thereof.^" 



In 1434 Bishop Langley leased for twenty 

 years to James Oculshagh, clerk, and four 

 yeomen, the park of Wolsingham within the 

 inclosure of its stone walls, together with a 

 pasture in the high forest of Weardale. The 

 lessees were to enjoy the pastures and to have 

 the right of cutting timber sufficient for rebuild- 

 ing or repair of their houses; but all rights in 

 coal and lead mines were reserved to the bishop.^' 



Peter Berwyk, in 1441, was granted the 

 custody of a moiety of the park of Wolsingham, 

 for which he was to receive 2d. a day from the 

 chief forester.^^ There were often two keepers 

 of this large park ; Richard Wandesforth was 

 granted for life one of these two offices by Bishop 

 Dudley in 1 48 1." 



Stanhope Park was another large tract of 

 elevated land, having a circumference of twelve 

 miles, between Stanhope and St. John's Wear- 

 dale. William Emerson was appointed parker 

 of the new park of Stanhope, inclosed by a wall 

 within the old park, in 1500, and was at the 

 same time made one of the four foresters of 

 Weardale.^* In 1505 Richard Clarvaux was 

 granted the office of keeper of the new park of 

 Stanhope, and of the park of Bedburn, and of 

 the wood of Blackbank, for life.'' Thomas 

 Marche, yeoman, was appointed one of the 

 keepers of Stanhope Park by Bishop Tunstall in 



1533" 



There are a few appointments to the keeper- 

 ship of Evenwood Park in the episcopal rolls ; 

 such are those of William Whitehead in 1453,'' 

 and of William Belt in 1491.'* 



The park of Middleham was an inclosure of 

 100 acres of very various soil, to the south-east 

 of the castle." 



There are various appointments throughout 

 the rolls of the office of keepership of the warren 

 on Holy Island. 



The foresters of Weardale were informed by 



^ Cal. Pat. 1330-4, p. 189. 

 'Dur. Curs. No. 38, m. 15. 



'Ibid. No. 54, m. 9, 

 'Ibid. No. 37, m. I d. 

 ' Ibid. 



"Ibid. No. 37, m. 12. 

 "Ibid. No. 54, m. 14. 

 " Ibid. No. 64, m. 22. 

 " Ibid. No. 44, m. 19. 

 " Surtees, Dur. iii, 3. 



" Ibid. No. 42, m. 12. 

 "Ibid. No. 61, m. 13. 

 " Ibid. No. 77, m. 4. 

 "Ibid. No. 58, m. 4. 



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