STOCKTON WARD 



BISHOPTON 



LITTLE STJINTON (Parva Steintun, xii cent.) 

 appears to have been held from the first with Bishopton 

 by the Conyers family.'' In the time of Bishop 

 Hugh, Roger de Conyers came to an agreement with 

 the monks at Durham respecting the boundary between 

 Little Stainton and Newton Ketton to the west ; it 

 was to go according to its ancient course by the dyke 

 extending across Heirigges from the head of Grantes- 

 dene as far as Herewardsflat, and thence by a siket 

 encircling Herewardsflat on the east and on the south 

 as far as Eldredesway.*" Geoffrey de Conyers (c. 1220) 

 confirmed to William son of Humphrey de Bishopton 

 an oxgang of land given him by John de Lamare.*'' 

 Sir George Conyers alienated his land here as in 

 Bishopton in the early 17th century to various 

 purchasers.''' 



Thomas son of John of Little Stainton had an estate 

 in the 14th century of about 150 acres held in chief 

 which descended to the Gowers of Elton and followed 

 the descent of their lands there. ""^ Henry Wethereld 

 and Joan his wife, owners of the Elton estate, con- 

 veyed 36 acres of land, meadow and pasture to George 

 Conyers in 1554.^'* The Elstobs of Foxton had land 

 here in the early i 7th century, apparently acquired 

 from Sir George Conyers.**' 



In 1689 John Elstob mortgaged an estate at Little 

 Stainton, consisting of a messuage and closes called 

 Brakedike Leazes, Long Pasture, and White Water 

 Close. His son John, who succeeded before 1702, 

 conveyed the land in that year to his sister Anne and 

 her husband Humphrey March. Her son John 

 March sold it in 1753 to the Rev. William Davison 

 of Stokesley, co. York. Thomas Davison son of 

 William sold it in 1795 to George Wood of Durham. 

 On the death of his cousin, Isabel widow of Anthony 

 Hubbock of Lee Close House, Great Stainton, 

 George came into possession of another estate at 

 Little Stainton, which had belonged to Isabel's 

 brother Watson Rickaby of Lee Close House, who 

 died about 1759. George Wood left his land to his 

 cousins Anne wife of William Bates and Elizabeth 

 wife of the Rev. John Chambers, daughters of James 

 Leybourne. On a partition in I 812 both estates at 

 Little Stainton came to John Chambers and his 

 son James Leybourne Chambers, Elizabeth being 

 then dead. They sold them in 1 830 to John 

 Earl of Eldon, and they now belong to the third 

 Earl." 



Reginald de Winterse rele.ised to Finchale Priory '"' 

 in 1284 all claim to 2 oxgangs and two-thirds of an 

 oxgang of land here. The priory at the Dissolution 

 had a rent of 26s. id. from this township.*"' 



The abbey of Blanchland (Northumberland) had a 

 rent oi £z 13/. 4a'. from Little Stainton at the 

 Dissolution. Its lands here belonged in 1616 to 

 William Metcalfe.'^'* This may have been the estate 



known as Pitfield in Little Stainton and New- 

 biggin, part of which was mortgaged in 1686 by 

 Anthony Stelling of Little Stainton. His son 

 Thomas sold it in 1712 to Robert Harrison, who 

 gave it in 1743 to his son William. William was 

 succeeded about 1763 by a daughter Elizabeth wife 

 of Edward Butterfield, and she and her husband sold 

 Pitfield in 1 77 1 to Richard Stonhewer of Curzon 

 Street. On Richard's death in 1809 it passed under 

 his will to his nephew the Rev. John Bright of Kings 

 Grafton, co. Northants, by whose son John Bright it 

 was sold in 1845 to the trustees of the Earl of Eldon. 

 It now belongs to the 3rd Earl.**'' 



In 1849 the Earl of Eldon acquired another estate 

 at Little Stainton. It had been sold in 1734 by 

 John Burdett of Stockton to William Spencer of 

 Guisborough. William was succeeded by a son 

 Thomas who died in 1759, when this land passed to 

 his brother Richard. He left it in 1783 to his 

 niece Dorothy wife of Henry Askew of Redhough. 

 Dorothy died in 1792 and her husband in 1796 and 

 the lands passed under his will to his nephew Rev. 

 Henry Askew, who sold them in 1849 ^° ^^^ trustees 

 of the Earl of Eldon.*'^ 



The freeholders in 1684''-' were the heirs of Robert 

 Tatham,™ John Fewler, Robert AUinson, William 

 Newton of Redmarshall, Anthony Stelling, William 

 Harrison of Sadberge, Thomas Barker,'' Thomas 

 Bockfield, and William Batmanson, recusant. 



The church of ST. PETER consists 

 CHURCH of a chancel 3 i ft. 3 in. by 1 4 ft. 4 in. 

 with north vestry and organ chamber, 

 nave 56 ft. by 20 ft., north aisle 37 ft. 6 in. by 

 8 ft. 10 in., and north-west tower 1 1 ft. by 12 ft., 

 the tower standing at the west end of the aisle 

 and forming a porch. All the above measurements 

 are internal. 



The church was almost completely rebuilt in 1 846-7 

 by the Rev. Thomas Burton Holgate, vicar,'' the only 

 portions of the old church now remaining being parts 

 of the chancel walls and of the south wall of the nave. 

 The building formerly consisted of ' a long, narrow 

 chancel and nave,' "' the aisle and tower being additions 

 at the time of rebuilding, and was apparently of late 

 I 3th-century date, part of a window of c. i 2 80-90, con- 

 sisting of a single trefoil light with internal shouldered 

 arch, still remaining on the north side of the chancel 

 arch. No other original architectural features, how- 

 ever, have been preserved. Two stones in the lower 

 p.irt of the east wall bear incised consecration crosses, 

 but the east window itself is a modern one of three 

 lancets. A mediaeval grave slab is built into the south 

 wall of the nave outside, and another at the south- 

 west angle, together with a cusped fragment. 



The building is of stone with green slated roofs 

 overhanging at the eaves. A sundial on the south wall 



" See the giant of liisliopton and the 

 inquiiition;;, 



" FcdJ. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 I57n. 



" Finchale Priory (Surt. Soc), 58. 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 12, no. 2 (3). 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, file 177, no. 71 ; 

 cl. 12, no. 1(1). 



" Dur. Rec. cl. n, no. i (1). 



"» Ralph Elstob bought land in 

 Bishopton from Sir Gejrgc Ctinyers 

 in 1615 (Dur. Rec. cl. 3, R. 96, no. 

 36). 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, R. 97, 110. 43 ; cl. 

 12, no. 29 (1) ; Lord Eldon's Muniments. 



•' Finchale Priory (Surt. Soc), 59. 

 One was probably the oxgane granted to 

 Willism de Bishopton. 



" I'alor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), t, 305 ; 

 Dugdale, Mil. iv, 333. 



" Dugdale, Mm. vii, 887 ; Dur. Rec. 

 cl. 3, file 189, no. 9;. 



"» Loid Eldon's Muniments. 



"b Ibid. 



*• Surtces, op. cit. iii, 68. 



'" His lands were purchased \>j John 



215 



Tempest and descended to Loid London- 

 derry (ibid.). 



'* A bencfacto: to the poor of the 

 pa;iih. 



'• Below ihe tower ii a brais plate to 

 Mr. Holgate and his three siitcr% 'who 

 at their sole cost rebuilt the church and 

 gave the belli and clock.' The new 

 church wai designed by Sharpe JL- Paley, 

 architects, of Lancaster. 



" Surteei, np. cit. iii, 69. In 1501 

 trie roof ot the church was very detective 

 {Bp. Barnes' Injunc, [Surl. Soc], p. «xxi). 



