A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



thesupport of five'- monks." A vicarage was ordained 

 at the same time, the vicar receiving 5 marks annually 

 from the tithe corn of Garmondsway. The Prior and 

 convent of Durham retained the right of presentation, 

 and a pension of 40;. was paid to the sacrist.'* From 

 1423 the tithe of Garmondsway was .issigned entirely 

 to the vicar.''' 



On the surrender of the priory of Durham the 

 aJvowson came into the king's hands, and has since 

 remained in the Crown."' The Lord Chancellor 

 presents at the present day. The rectory was leased 

 in 1541 for twenty-one years to Avery Burnett, who 

 assigned his interest to Christopher Lascelles." After 

 an intervening lease it was granted by Elizabeth in 

 1576 to John Ward for twenty-one years." He 

 surrendered his lease nine years later in exchange for 

 another to his wife Winifred and his sons John and 

 Samuel for their lives." John Ward bequeathed his 

 interest in 1596 to his younger sons Peter and Henry 

 for four years with remainder to his son John.-" In 

 161 I a grant in fee of the rectory was made to 

 Francis Morice and Francis Philips at the petition of 

 various persons, including William Cockayne.-' Morice 

 and Philips conveyed it eight years later to William 

 Cockayne, then a knight, and James Price.^^ Sir 

 William's son Charles with James Price leased it in 1 640 

 with a considerable estate to Humphrey Morton, 

 whose possession was disputed by the Ward family.--' 

 Charles was created Viscount Cullen in 1642-^ and 

 was in sole possession of the rectory in 1644, when his 

 farmer was John Ward.^* His son Brian, second 

 viscount,-^ settled it in 1679 on the marriage of 

 Mary, his daughter or sister, with Robert Peirson.-' 

 Mary's daughter and heir Margaret married Gilbert 

 Spearman-* and died in \y^i-^; Gilbert died in 

 1738,'" leaving a son George." The daughteri and 

 heirs of George, Elizabeth Honoria and Anna 

 Susanna,^^ conveyed the rectory in 1 769 to Ralph 

 Hopper,^^ younger nephew of Hendry Hopper of 

 Thrislington.'* At the death of Ralph Hopper in 

 1780^^ it passed to his son John Thomas Hendry 

 Hopper, who sold it in parcels.^'' The greater part 

 was purchased by William Russell of Brancepeth 

 Castle,^' and has followed the descent of Brancepeth 

 into the hands of the present Viscount Boyne. The 

 tithes of Mainsforth and Thrislington were respectively 

 bought by Robert Surtees and Robert Hopper 

 Williamson.'* 



A chapel was confirmed with the church of Middle- 

 ham to the Prior and convent of Durham by Henry 

 II.-"* It was perhaps in Thrislington. Roger the 

 cleik of Thrislington is mentioned twice in the 13th 

 century.'*^ 



The light of the Blessed Mary in the church of 

 Bishop Middleham is mentioned in 1341.''" 



For the parochial school see article 

 CHARITIES on schools.-" 



For the charity of Dame Elizabeth 

 Freville see under parish of Sedgefield. About ^^3 5 is 

 received yearly, of which two thirds is distributed in 

 Cornforth and one third in mone}' to about 1 5 

 recipients in Bishop Middleham. 



The Pellaw's Leazes charity was founded by 

 an indenture of 27 and 28 September 1742, whereby 

 I acre in a field called Pellaw's Leazes was conveyed in 

 trust for the poor. The land was sold in 1856 and 

 the proceeds invested in ^^397 J ^i. Sr/. consols with 

 the official trustees. The dividends, amounting to 

 £<) 18/. 8(/. yearly, are distributed in money doles, 

 half to the poor of Middleham and half to the poor 

 of Cornforth. 



The Hope and Clerk's Acre. — At a court held for 

 the manor of Middleham on 26 January 1 724 certain 

 persons were admitted tenants of an acre of land called 

 the Hope, adjoining the Clerk's Acre, in trust for the 

 poor of the townshipsof Bishop Middleham, Cornforth, 

 Mainsforth and Thrislington. Both pieces of land 

 were sold in 191 i in consideration of the transfer of 

 j^302 I 3/. 4rf'. consols to the ofiicial trustees, of which 

 j^l2l I/. 4^'. stock, producing £3 o;. ^d. yearly, was 

 apportioned in respect of the Hope charity and 

 j^lSl 12s. stock, producing ^^4 10/. Si/, yearly, in 

 respect of the Clerk's Acre. The income of the 

 Hope charity is distributed in money doles and that 

 of the Clerk's Acre is applied towards church ex- 

 penses. 



Quit-rents. — The poor also receive the sums of 

 20/. and 10/. 6J. from the owner of Brancepeth 

 Castle in respect of a piece of waste land called Brick 

 Dyke and a piece of land near Pinfold, together 

 with the sum of 1 21. id., being the dividends on 

 £2:, fs. \d. consols with the official trustees, repre- 

 senting the investment in 1882 of arrears of the said 

 quit-rents. 



Cornforth. — For Old Cornforth National school 

 see article on schools." 



" Or six [Hut. Dimtlm. Scrifl. Trts 

 [Surt. Soc], 57). 



'» Finckale Pnory (Surt. Soc), 148. 



'* Ibid. 



'^ Ibid. App. p. cUxxvi et acq. 



'« Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



'■' L. and P. Htn. riU, xvi, p. 726 ; 

 Star Cfiamb. Proc. Hen. VIII, bdlc. 31, 

 no. J3 ; Memo. R. (Excfi. K.R.) Trin. 7 

 Eliz. m. 256. 



''' Pat. 18 Eliz. pt. iii, m. 31. 



" Ibid. 28 Eliz.pt. XV, m. II 



'" Surtees, op. cit. iii, 8-9. 



" Pat. 9 Jas. I, pt. xi, no. i. 



•^ Close, 17 Jas. I, pt. xx, no. 25. 



" Exch. of Pleas Trin. 18 Chai. 

 m, 90. 



»« G.E.C. Pieragr,\\, 435. 



I, 



'•' Rtc. Com. for Camp. (Surf Soc), 8. | 



»« G.E.C. loc. cit. 



^' Surtees, op. cit. iii, 9. Surtees calls 

 licr fiis sister, but the dates make it more 

 likely that sfie ^vas his daughter. Brian 

 had a daughter Mary, an infant at the 

 time of the settlement, who is generally 

 said to have died unmarried (Nichols, 

 Topog. and Gen. iii, 4+1). Robert Peir- 

 son's wife is described as *The Hon. 

 Mary ' in the Reg. of Bp. Middleham, 39, 

 168. 



" Surtees, loc. cit. ; Reg. of Bp. Mid- 

 dlehamf 39. 



« Reg. ofBp. Middleham, 182. 



'" Ibid. 184 ; Gem. Mag. viii, 277. 



^' Surtees, loc. cit. 



" Ibid. ; cf. Reg. of Bp. Middleham, 



64, for tlie elder daughter. The birth of 

 a second daughter, Margnretta Maria, is 

 registered on p. 67. 



^^ Surtees, loc. cit. 



** Burke, Landed Gentry. 



*'• Reg. ofBp. Middleham, 196. 



'" Surtees, loc. cit. ; Reg. of Bp. Mid- 

 dleham, 77. 



^' Surtees, loc. cit. ; Char. Com. Rep. 

 xxiii, 85. 



^* Surtees, loc. cit. 



»" Feod. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 p. Ixxxiii. 



*•■' Finchale Priory (Surt. Soc), 140, 

 142. 



*" Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxi, 59. 



*' KC.H. Dur. i, 404. 



" Ibid. 405. 



212 



