STOCKTON WARD 



BISHOP MIDDLEHAM 



in the church of St. Oswald, by its founder Ralph, 

 were sold in 1606 by John Halsey and Robert 

 Morgan to Robert Robson.'' These also were pur- 

 chased by Ralph Hutton in 1628.^" 



The Muttons held an estate in Mainsfurth for three 

 generations, Ralph Hutton being succeeded by a 

 son and grandson of the same name.''' The last 

 Ralph sold it in 1 708 to Robert Surtees of Ryton and 

 his son Edward of Crawcrook.*- Edward Surtees 

 gave Mainsforth to his second son George, who died 

 unmarried in 1769, leaving it to his nephew Robert, 

 son of his brother Hauxley.*^ Robert was the 

 father of the historian Robert Surtees, who held the 

 estate till his death in 1834, after which his widow 

 Anne held a life interest till 1868.''* On her death 

 it reverted to Charles Freville Surtees, great-grandson 

 of Robert eldest son of Edward Surtees,*^' who held 

 the reversion by devise of his elder brother Robert 

 Lambton. General Herbert Conyers Surtees, C.B., 

 C.M.G., D.S.O., M.V^O., D.L., J. P., son and heir 

 of Charles Freville, is the present owner. 



A smaller freehold belonged in the 1 6th century 

 to the Farrer family. John Farrer died in 1569-70 

 seised of fjur tofts and 36 acres 

 of arable land in Mainsforth. ••■'■' 

 His son and heir John Farrer 

 did homage for land here in 

 1578-9,"^ and died in 1586 

 seised of two messuages with 

 32 acres, one toft with i 2 acres, 

 and another toft with 26 acres, 

 leaving a son John.""' The latter 

 was probably the John Farrer 

 the elder who in 1627 pur- 

 ch.ased land here formerly of 

 Robert Robson from Ralph 

 Hutton and Sir William 



Chaytor, and in 1641 granted his Mainsforth lands to 

 his sonjohn. They were settled in the next year on the 

 marriage of John, jun., with Mary Smith, and were 

 sold by the same John in 1653 to Samuel Disbrowe. 

 In 1673 Disbrowe joined with Richard Saltonstall, 

 John Farrer, and others in a conveyance to Robert 

 Lynn of Shotton. Robert Lynn, son of Robert, died 

 in 174+. His son and heir, also called Robert, left 

 three daughters and co-heirs : Mary, who died un- 

 married, Jane wife of Christopher Mawer, and 

 Dorothy wife of John Smart.** 



The Prior ,md convent of Durham had an estate 

 in Mainsforth, probably acquired under tiic grant of 

 marsh land by the freeholders of Thrislington in 

 1261.**" In 1539 it was held, apparently by a 



K A R R 1 K. .-irgent 

 three /toi'te-ihoei sable. 



with the other possessions of the priory to the dean 

 and chapter.**'' 



The vill of THRISLINGTON (Thurstanton, 

 xiii-xv cent. ; Thorstanton, xv cent. ; Thrustanton, 

 Thrustyngton, Thruslington, Thrislington, xvi-xvii 

 cent.) is first mentioned in i 262, when the Prior and 

 convent of Durham made an agreement with Adam 

 son of Roger de Fulthorpe, Nicholas son of Thomas 

 de Thurstanton, Roger son of VVilliam de Thurstanton, 

 Thomas the Drenge, John de Skyrburne and Alice his 

 wife, and Adam Paris and Beatrix his wife, as its 

 owners and tenants.''' The family of Fulthorpe of 

 F'ulthorpe (q.v.) was probably already in possession of 

 the greater part of the vill, the ' lordship ' of which in 

 I 336 belonged to Roger Fulthorpe.'" It ivas granted, 

 probably by his grandson Alan, to the younger branch 

 of the family,"' who also acquired Tunstall (q.v.), and 

 the manor followed the descent of Tunstall down to 

 the 17th century. '- 



The family bearing the local name had, however, 

 an independent holding. Bernard de Thurstanton, 

 probably the heir of Nicholas, made an agreement 

 with the Prior of Durham in 1309,'^ and died in or 

 before 1340 seised of a messuage, 70 acres of land, 

 and 3 acres of meadow in Thrislington, held in chief 

 for a twentieth part of a knight's fee.'* He left a 

 son and heir Bernard,"' whose holding was evidently 

 acquired by the Fulthorpe family before 1430."'' 



Two important freeholds were held under the 

 Fulthorpes by sub-tenants till 1614, when the sub- 

 tenants became lords of the manor. In or before i 344 

 Richard de Kelloe died seised of a rent of 20;. from a 

 messuage and 3 oxgangs in Thrislington, then held 

 by John Mareschal." Agnes, widow of his heir 

 William, had this messuage and 

 3 oxgangs in her own hands,"'* 

 and her descendants, the 

 Forcer family, continued to 

 hold them "" of the lords of 

 Thrislington till 1531, when 

 John Forcer died seised.*"^ The 

 holding must have been pur- 

 chased from his heirs by 

 VVilliam Shawe, who was seised 

 of it at his death in 1587."' 

 He then also held the second 

 freehold, a messuage and land 

 which in 142 i had been held 

 of the Fulthorpes by Roger 

 Usher and Joan his wife.*- 

 William Shawe's son Thomas died in 1 590, and was 

 succeeded by his brother John Shawe, sen.*' A 



Forcer, ^ahle a 

 ckeveron engrailed or 

 henveen three leopardi* 

 heaJi argent %vitk three 

 rings iahle on the 

 chevertn. 



copyhold tenant, for a rent of 20/. \d. It passed younger brother William purchased from John his 



" Surtees, op. cit. iii, 17 ; cf. Rentals 

 and Surv. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 7, no. 26, 

 fol. 4. 



•" Surteei, loc cit. See above. 



''' Surtees, op. cit. iii, 18. 



*» Ibid. ; Burke, Com. ii, 657. 



" Burlie, loc. cit. 



'•^ Ibid. ; Burke, Landed Gentry. 



*' Burke, Landed Gentry. 



"a Dur. Rec. cl. 3, file 191, no. -4. 



*' Ibid. ; Dtp. Keeper's Re[>. xxxvii, 



.\rp. i, 97- 



" Dur. Ric. cl. 3, R. 96, no. +6 ; file 

 184, no. 4. 



'* The whole of this descent from John 

 Farrer the elder is taken from Surtees, op. 

 cit. iii, 20. 



3 



'»a Ibid. 1 6 ; Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. 

 Soc.'', 171 n. 



"b Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 321 ; Rentals and Surt. (Gen. Ser.), R. 

 987 ; Halmata Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 202. 



"' Surtees, op. cit. iii, 16. 



"> Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. I2d. 



"'Ibid. fol. 161, 180 d.; FeoJ. Prior. 

 Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 66. 



'• Def. Keeper's Rep. xxxiv, 203 ; xxxv, 

 133; see below. 



'' Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 66 n.-67 n. 



"' Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. ;i. 



■•■■ Ibid. 



" Feod, Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 66, 



209 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 26. 



■» Ibid. fol. i8od. 



" Dc^. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, 154; 

 xxxvi, App. i, 85 ; Dur. Rec. cl. 3, 

 file 166, no. 31. For descent see 

 Kelloe. 



*• Dur. Rec. cl. 3, file 177, no. 7. 



" Ibid, file 191, no. 127. 



" Ibid. no. 2, fol. 210. Roger Usher's 

 holding was described as a messuage and 

 60 acres, William Shawe's as a messuage 

 and 80 acres, but there seems no doubt 

 that the second included the first. Cf. 

 Cornforth for the acquisition by the 

 Shawes of land formerly held by the 

 Forcer and Usher families. 



''^ Ibid, file 192, no. 131. 



27 



