CITY OF DURHAM 



;f^ 



BiLLIN'CHAM. Argent 

 three bars and a quarter 

 gules Kith a leopard 

 argent in the quarter. 



son'* is mentioned in 1401-2^2 and in December 

 1416,^ but was dead by November 141 7 when 

 Agnes his widow made fine for certain lands at 

 the Bishop's halmote.^* Thomas Billingham 

 of Durham, his successor, was an esquire of the 

 Bishop and was described in 1425-* as of Crook 

 Hall. He quarrelled so 

 violently with William 

 Rakwood that in January 

 1428-92* Robert Jakson 

 of Sunderland and other 

 friends became bail for his 

 keeping the peace.-' No 

 mention of Thomas's name 

 has been found after 1442^* 

 and in February 1449-50 

 Richard BiUingham is 

 described as of Crook 

 Hall.2' Richard, who had 

 free warren here,'" seems to have died shortly 

 before February 1463-4,^^ while Cuthbert his 

 son and heir was still a minor and in the custody 

 of the Prior of Durham.^' Cuthbert must have 

 attained his majority by 1484,'^ and in March 

 1508-9 he and Ellen his wife obtained letters of 

 confraternity from Durham Priory,** while at 

 the same time he made preparations for a pil- 

 grimage beyond the seas in company with 

 Robert Lumley, the hermit. 



John Billingham was owner of Crook Hall in 

 1556,^^ though the house was occupied by Eleanor 

 his mother and by her second husband Edward 

 Tedforth.'* On his death, John Billingham 

 entered" and died in possession shortly before 

 January 1577-8.^* Ralph Billingham, his son 



^^ Surtees, Dur. iii, 148. 



2- Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, 82 ; of. Dur. Rec. 

 cl. 3, no. 14, fol. 200, 527, 604b, 680. 

 23 Ibid. fol. 821. 

 •* Ibid. fol. 873b ; cf. 926b, 1015, 1041, 1084, 1169. 



25 Ibid. no. 35, m. 13 d. 



26 Ibid. no. 38, m. 12 d. 



2' Ibid. no. 38, m. 20 d. ; cf. no. 37, m. I d. 



28 Ibid. no. 46, m. 8 d. He was certainly dead by 

 1452, when Agnes, his widow, received Papal dis- 

 pensation for her marriage to William Raket though 

 spiritually related to him in that Agnes and William 

 had previously acted as godfather and godmother to 

 one another's children {Cal. Papal Reg. 1447-55, 

 p. 609). WiUiam Raket was holding land here in 

 1471 (Dai. Rec. cl. 19 (i-i), m. 4). 



2* Ibid. cl. 3, no. 47, ra. 15 d. ; no. 50, m. 4. 



30 Ibid. cl. 19 (l-l), m. 4. 



31 Ibid. cl. 3, no. 48, m. 15. 



32 Surtees {Dur. iv (2), 138 n.) says that in 1498 

 his wardship was granted by the Priory to Sir Hum- 

 phrey Neville. The date is evidently a mistake. 



33 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 56, m. I d. 



3* Obit. R. of William Ebchester (Surt. Soc), 115 ; 

 Hist. Dun. Script. Ires (Surt. Soc), p. ccccxi. 

 35 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 78, m. 27. 

 36Ibid. cl. 7, no. I. 37 Ibid. 



3* Dur. Wills and Invent. (Surt. Soc), i, 417. 



and heir,3' married Elizabeth Forcer in 1582** 

 and died in 1597, leaving a son and heir Francis, 

 a boy of 12." Francis obtained livery of his 

 father's lands in i6o7''2 and in February 1613-14 

 he settled them on himself for life with remainder 

 to Cuthbert Billingham his eldest son, and con- 

 tingent remainder to his second son John.*3 

 Francis died in 1615" and Cuthbert attained his 

 majority in 1630, obtaining livery in the fol- 

 lowing year.** Cuthbert quarrelled with his 

 mother,** with his only sister*' and with the 

 citizens of Durham, who complained that he 

 had ' violently cutt downe the pipes ' of the 

 conduit from Framwell meadow and ' stepped 

 the course of the said water and cleene taken it 

 away.'** 



Thomas Billingham was lord of the manor in 

 1655,*' but the property was already mortgaged 

 and in 1667 he was compelled to sell it to 

 Christopher Alickleton,^ an attorney of 

 Clifford's Inn. Christopher seems to have 

 settled Crook Hall on James, his eldest son by 

 his first wife, and on Frances his wife in i668,5i 

 but James 'very much disoblidged his said father' 

 after his marriage, and when Christopher died in 

 August 166952 he left all his unsettled property to 

 his children by his second marriage.53 James 

 Mickleton, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and the 

 compiler of the well-known topographical col- 

 lections, died in 1 7 1 85* and Crook Hall descended, 

 through Michael his son, to his son John Mickle- 



39 Dur. Rec cl. 7, no. I. 



*" Reg. of St. Margaret's, Durham (Dur. and North. 

 Par. Reg. Soc), 3. For a family arrangement made by 

 him, see Dur. Rec. cl. 2, no. 7. 



*i Ibid. cl. 3, file 192, nos. 80, 114 ; no. 92, m. 25 d.; 

 Dur. Wills and Invent. (Surt. Soc), ii, 277. 



*2 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 94, m. 16. 



*3 Ibid, file 183, no. 78 ; cf. no. 94, m. 48. John 

 died intestate beyond seas (Chan. Proc. [Ser. 2], bdle. 

 441, no. 4a). 



** Ibid, file 183, no. 78. 



*5 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 7, fol. 106. 



*" Ibid. cl. 4, no. I, fol. 377. 



*' Chan. Proc (Ser. 2), bdle. 441, no. 49. She was 

 Elizabeth, wife of Ralph Dowthwayte. William, the 

 third son of Francis, died childless. 



** Dur. Rec. cl. 4, no. i, fol. 323. The court ordered 

 Cuthbert to repair the pipes and to be imprisoned 

 until he entered into a bond to perform the order. 

 See also fol. 368, 369. 



*9 Ibid. no. 2, fol. 398 d. 



5" Ibid. Thomas Bilhngham died in 1688 and was 

 buried at St. Oswald's (Headlam, Reg. of St. Oswald's, 

 Durham, 166). 



51 Dur. Rec. cl. 4, no. 2, fol. 403 d. ; no. 3, fol. 808. 



52 Musgrave, Obit. (Harl. Soc), iv, 192. His 

 widow and executrix Anne, daughter of John Dodshon 

 married Robert Smith before 6 August 1670 (Dur. 

 Rec. cl. 4, no. 2, fol. 466 d. ; no. 3, fol. 808). 



53 Ibid. no. 3, fol. 808. 



s* Musgrave, Obit. (Harl. Soc), iv, 192. 



163 



