A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



SuRTEES. Ermine 

 quarter gu/et tuith 

 voided scutcheon c 

 therein. 



ton (q.v.) of the Icing by the service of one knight," was 

 ancestor of the family. He was still living in 1171." 

 'Randulf de Super Teisc,' who 

 paid 100/. relief in i 175, on 

 succeeding to his lands in 

 Northumberland," may be 

 identified with Ranulf dc 

 Dinsdale, who with Beatrice 

 his wife and Richard their son 

 and heir before 1186 granted 

 Rounton Church to the Bishop 

 of Durham ; and he again is 

 obviously the same as the Ranulf 

 son of William ' super Teisam ' 

 of another charter about the 

 same church, Beatrice the wife 

 being mentioned.'" The seals 



of both charters bear the legend ' Sigillvm Ranvlfi Filii 

 Willelmi,' while Ranulf s son Richard, who succeeded 

 about 1 196, is called the heir of William son of 

 Siward." Richard Surtecs made a further grant about 

 Rounton Church,'" and held Gosforth by the service of 

 two-thirds of a knight's fee in 1210.'^ He lived till 

 I 22Z at least." 



Ralph Surtees, brother of Richard,'^ was the 

 next in possession." In 1232 and 1237 he was 

 collector of subsidies in Northumberland." In 1235-6 

 he was plaintiff in a suit concerning common of 

 pasture on the moor of Dinsdale." He granted or 

 confirmed to the monks of Durham the church of 

 Dinsdale, in addition to that of Rounton, for the main- 

 tenance of lights around the body of St. Cuthbert." 

 In 1240, and again in 1253, he form.illy released the 

 claim he had made to the advowson,™ and died in or 

 before 1257, when his heir was found to be his 

 nephew William son of Walter Surtees, aged twenty- 

 four." William paid 5 marks as relief and had livery 

 of his lands in Northumberland." He died in or 

 about 1270, and the wardship of his son and heir 

 Walter, who was not quite of full age, was granted to 

 Adam de Jesmond, a justice. He, on going to the 

 Crusade in July 1270, granted it to his kinsman 

 Ralph de Cotum ; Ralph also set off for the Holy 



Land, and sold it to his brother Sir John." In 1271 

 livery was granted to Walter Surtees." He died on 

 30 November 1278, holding Dinsdale of John de 

 Balliol by the service of one knight ; Nicholas his son 

 and heir was eight years old.'' In 1317 Nicholas 

 was stated to hold Dinsdale, Coatham and Stodhoe of 

 the Earl of Warwick as one knight's fee, p.aying 

 I 3/. \4. for castle guard, and doing suit at the court 

 of Gainford." He had married Isabel daughter of 

 Thomas de Fishburn, who in 1313 was summoned 

 by Bishop Kellaw to answer a charge of incest. The 

 matter was in the bishop's hands for some time."' 

 Nicholas died in 1318." His widow Isabel in 

 November of that year received dower, having sworn 

 that she would not marry without the king's licence." 

 She was still living in I 344, when she held dower in 

 Over Middleton and Morton." 



Thomas Surtees, son and heir of Nicholas, had 

 livery of his father's lands in 1318." By 1339 

 he had been made a knight," and in 1346 he was 

 said to hold half a knight's fee in Gosforth, ' called 

 in the book of evidences the vill of Ranulf super 

 Teisam.^" His son Thomas occurs from I 342," and 

 in 1344 Sir Thomas had licence to grant to his son 

 Thomas and Alice his wife land called Levedyken, 

 and certain rents.'' Soon afterwards the father died," 

 and the escheator was directed to give the younger 

 Thomas seisin of his lands, he having done homage." 

 Thomas, who was a knight by 1366," represented 

 Northumberland in Parliament in 1361-2" and 

 1372,'° and was sheriff there in 1372 and 1378." 

 He died in 1378, holding the manor of Dinsdale ; 

 Alexander, his son and heir, was twentv-two years of 



Alexander succeeded his father as Sheriff of North- 

 umberland in 1379." Hs ^^•''^ dtSidi in 1380, leaving 

 as heir a son Thomas, an infant." The wardship was 

 granted to John de Popham, the bishop's nephew." 

 When Thomas was about ten years old the feoffees 

 were allowed to grant certain lands to him and Isabel 

 his wife." In 140S he, being then a knight, was 

 made one of the commissioners of arr.iy for Darlington 

 Ward," and a few years later he was entrusted with 



" Red Bk. oJExch. (Rolls Scr.), i, 440. 



'«Ibid. t,i. 



'9 Pipe R. 20 Hei:. II (Pifc R. Soc), 

 107. 



™ Farrcr, Early Vo:k!. C/uri, ii, 285, 

 z86, printing charters at Durham. Ger- 

 man Prior of Durham (1162-86) was 

 living at the time of the first charter 

 (ibid.). 



" Pipe R. 8 Ric. I, m. 10 d. ; Ho,l;m)n, 

 Hist, uf Norl/lmnh. iii (3), 71. 



" Surtees, op. cit. iii, 394. 



"Red Bk. of Exih. (Rolls Sev.), 178, 

 563. See also" Bk. of Fees (P.R.O.), pt. i, 

 203, <;54, where it is stated that the 

 fee had been granted to Richard's ' ante- 

 cessores' by Henry I, and that nothing 

 had been alienated, thus asserting a strict 

 hereditary descent. 



" Pipe R. of Diir. (Soc. Antiq. of New- 

 castle), 221 ; Pipe R. 5 Hen. HI, m. i ; 

 6 Hen. HI, m. 1 5 d. ; Farrer, op. cit. 

 287 ; Assize R. 224, ni. 5. 



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

 14S n. Surtees calls him the grandson 

 of Ranulf. 



»« Pipe R. 8 Hen. HI, ni. 5 ; Red Bk. 

 of Exch. (Rolls Ser.), ii, 6of]; Teski de 

 Newll (Rec. Com.), 385. 



" Cat. Close, I 23 1-4, p. I 59 ; 1234-7, 



P- ;5 3- 



'^'' Assize R, 224, m. i d, 2 d, 3, 5 ; 

 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, R. 45, ni. 13. 



'^ Surtees, op. cit. iii, 393. 



™ Ibid. 394. 



'*' Cal. Inp p.m. 1 1 en. Ill, i, 106 ; A'.v- 

 cerpta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), ii, 248. 

 A Ralph Surtees occurs in the list of the 

 bishop's knights at Lewes in 1264 {I'ar. 

 Coll. [Hist. MSS.Com.],ii,S8; Hatfield's 

 ^nri'. [Surt. Soc.], p. xv). Ralph, how- 

 ever, was undoubtedly dead in 1257. 



^' Excerpta e Rot. Fin. (Rec. Com.), ii, 

 248. 



2^ Cul. Inf. p.m. Hen. in, i, 254-5; 

 Ciil. Pat. 1266-72, pp. 440,443. 



•" Excerpta e Rot. Fin. ii, 538. 



'-■ Cal. Inj. p.m. (Edw. I), ii, 194. See 

 also Northumb. Assi'ze R. (Surt. Soc), 

 354, 356. In an inquiry made on the 

 forfeiture of Balliol in 1296 it was stated 

 that Ralph Surtees held the knight's 

 fee [Reg. Palai. Dunelm. [Rolls Ser.], 

 ii, 801). 



" Cal. Inf. p.m. (Edw. II), v, 412. 

 '' Reg. PaLit. Dwtelm. (Rolls Ser.), i, 

 464, 483 ; ii, 739. 



" Cal. Inj. p.m. (Edw. H), vi, 87. 



218 



'■'■' Cal. Close, 1318 23, p. 30. 



'" Reg. Palat. Dunelm. (Rolls Ser.), iv, 



3'3- 



" Cal. Fine R. 1307-19, p. 377. 



" Dep. Keeper's Rc/>. xxxi, App. 100 ; 

 Cal. Close, 1341-3, p. 98. Avice his 

 wife is mentioned. 



<• Fend. .-lids, iv, 63. 



*' Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxi, App. 102. 



<^ Reg. Pai.t. Dunelm. (Rolls Ser.), iv, 



3 ' 3- " 



*^ Ibid. 356 ; writ of Diem cl. extr. 

 dated 1 3 Mar. 1344-;. 



'" Ibid. 350. Sir Thomas had a 

 brother Goscelin, who acquired a con- 

 siderable estate, and dying in or before 

 1367 w.is succeeded by his nephew 

 Thomas [Dep. Keeper'^ Rep. xlv, App, 

 i, 260). 



*' Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 281. 



*' Cal. Close, 1360-64, pp. 252, 440. 



■■"' Ibid. 1369-74, p. 475. 



^' P.R.O. List of Sheriffs, 9^, 98. 



■*' Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 99 d. 



" P.R.O. List ofSherifs, 98. 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 104, 10; d. 



'•'•' Dep. Keeper's Ref}. xxxii, App. 294. 



*« Ibid, xxxiii, App. --. 



•"" Ibid. 91; Dur. Rec. cl. ;, R. ^4, m. 3. 



