STOCKTON WARD 



EGGLESCLIFFE 



The ancestors of Laurence Sayer had held for more 

 than two centuries a meadow called ' F.lvetingre,' 

 inherited from the Seton family." He forfeited his 

 lands here from which he had granted an annuity to 

 Margery Pinkney, during the Civil War, and they 

 were sold by the Treason Trustees to Gilbert Crouch 

 and Martin Lister." In 1670 Gilbert Crouch and 

 Lawrence Saycr conveyed lands here and at Newsham 

 and Aislaby to Ralph Ashton.''*^ It seems to have 

 been inherited before 1695 by Cicely, wife of William 

 Atkinson, for in that year she and her husband con- 

 veyed a messuage and lands here to John Mayes of 

 the Friarage, Yarm, whose mother was a daughter 

 of Lawrence Sayer.'"" Mayes as a ' Papist' in 1717 

 registered his freehold estate in Egglescliffe as of the 

 yearly value of j^2 16 I JJ." He had a son John, who 

 died in 1772, and a daughter Cecily who had died 

 childless two years previously ; but after the son's 

 death the estates, in accordance with the father's 

 will (dated l 742), went, for some reason unknown, 

 to a Jesuit, Thomas Meynell, who was not a relative. 

 Thomas Meynell made them over to his brother 

 Edward, son of Roger Meynell of Kilvington, and 

 they have descended to Mr. Edgar Meynell."" 



There is also a rectorial manor. From the ' Parish 

 Book' it appears that the rector held a court in 1726. 

 ' Manorial rents ' are still paid to the rector, but the 

 fines on succession or alienation have ceased, although 

 one such fine was paid as late as 1845."' 



An acre in Egglescliffe called the ' Lamp Light,' 

 belonging to the church here, was among lands 

 granted to Christopher Chaytor in 1563.°' In 1604 

 Henry Lindley and John Starkey, the Crown patentees, 

 sold to his son Thomas Chaytor, of Butterby, lands 

 in Egglescliffe said to have belonged to St. John of 

 Beverley."' Sir Edmund Chaytor still has a house 

 here. A rent of \rl. was due to the Hospitallers 

 from land at Egglescliffe."' 



In addition to John Garnett two other Royalists 

 forfeited lands here during the Civil War — John 

 Errington of Elton " and Christopher Hall of 

 Hartbum." 



The freeholders in 1684 were Peter Consett, 

 John Hall, James Kitching, Thomas Nicholson, John 

 Tomlinson, John Trotter, and Francis Whitfield." 

 In 1823 the landed proprietors included Thomas 

 Meynell and John Russell Rowntree.'' 



The lands in Egglescliffe and Urlay granted by 

 Peter de Gunnerton to William Brito seem to have 

 passed to John Gylet, whose heir in I 279 was William 

 son of Robert de Birdshall.'*-^ Stephen Gylet in that 

 year sued William de Birdshall and John Gylet's widow 

 for 10 oxgangs and 112 acres in Egglescliffe and 



Urlay.'"' In I 442 it was found that John Killinghall of 

 Middleton St. George (q.v.) had held two messuages, 

 two cottages, and i 2 oxgangs in Egglescliffe jointly 

 with Beatrice his wife, of the lord of the manor of 

 Egglescliffe.'' This estate, reduced later to 8 oxgangs, 

 descended in his family '" and was sold by Francis 

 Killinghall in I 569 to Ralph Tailboys." It afterwards 

 passed to the Wrenns. Anthony Wrenn died in 

 possession in I 595," and his son Sir Charles sold it 

 in 1615 to Thomas Alderson." In 1637-8 Reginald 

 Alderson sold this land at Urlay Nook to William Lee 

 of Pinchinthorp, Yorks. In 1665 it passed to John 

 Skelton, and in 1716 to William Carter of Morton. 

 At a later date it belonged to the Waldy family and 

 is now divided up.*" 



y//SZ.y^5^(Aslackebi, Eslakebi, xii cent.; Aselakeby, 

 xiii cent.) was held by a local family by the service 

 of keeping a fourth part of the 

 gaol of Sadberge and rendering 

 60/. a year." Robert de Aislaby 

 was a witness to a charter of 

 1218" and Thomas de Aislaby 

 was living in the time of Henry 

 III." The latter was probably 

 the Thomas who with Pleas- 

 ance his wife, daughter of 

 William le Breton, gave to 

 Finchale Prior)' a fishery in the 

 Tyne."' He had a son Thomas 

 who about 1260 quitclaimed 

 to the monks of Byland land 

 in Thormanby, given by his mother Pleasance." 

 The younger Thomas was among the bishop's knights 

 who were not present at the Battle of Lewes."' 

 William son of Thomas had succeeded by 1298." In 

 I 3 I 3 he granted a messuage and 3 oxgangs of land in 

 the township for a chaplain to celebrate in the chapel 

 of St. Thomas the Martyr within the 'manor' of the 

 said William for the souls of himself, Agnes his wife 

 and others." William de Aislaby, son of Henry, 

 was a witness. John son of Sir William de Aislaby 

 appears to have been in possession by 1335," and was 

 described as lord of Aislaby or lord of Egglescliffe." 

 In 1343 he settled his 'manors' of Egglescliffe and 

 Aislaby, with remainders to his son William and 

 grandson John (son of William). This grandson was 

 to marry Alice daughter of Henry de Aislaby." 

 John the grandson made a settlement in 1356 

 and died without issue ; John the grandfather in 

 1358-9 made a further settlement on another grand- 

 son Thomas (son of William) and Agnes his wife."* 

 This marriage also proving fruitless, the manors 

 descended after the death of the above-named Alice, 



Aislaby. Gules a 

 fesse be(ween three mart- 

 lets argents 



"' Dur. Rec. cl. 12, no. 4, fol. 57; 

 file 177, no. 99; file 188, no. 72 ; Def, 

 Kee/>er*t Rep. xlv, 264. 



** Roy. Comp, P. Dur. anJ Northumb. 

 225, 227 ; Dur. Rec. cl. 3, R. 1 18, no. 36. 



"» Dur. Rec. cl. 12, no. 8 (2). 



"I'lbld. no. 14 (4). 



'■'' Ettcourt .ind P.iyne, Ergl. Calh, 

 NortjurorSf 5 I . 



"« GiUow, Bihliog. Diet. 0/ Engl. Calh. 

 iv, 548. 



®' Inform, from the rector. 



'" Pat. 5 Eliz. pt. iii, ni, 24 ; 2 Jas. I, 

 pt. xxxii. 



" Ibid. 2 Jas. I, pt. xxxii ; Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xl, App. 501. 



'» Harl. R. D 36, m. 6. 



3 



" Cdl. Com. for Comp. iv, 2772. 



" Ibid, iii, 2;i;i-4. 



^■^ Surtces, loc. cit. 



"' Ibid. 



'*» Assize R. 225, m. id., 3. 



"bibid. m. 3 d. 



" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, file 164, no. 47. 



'* Ibid, file I 68, no. 3 ; file I 74, no. 12. 



" Feet of F. D. Trin. 1 1 Eliz. ; Dep. 

 Keeper s Rep. xxxvii, 92. 



'" Dur. Rec. cl. 3, file 192, no. 59. 



"Ibid. R. 96, no. 6d. ; ibid. cl. 12, 

 no. 3 (i). 



''" Inform, from Rev. A. T. Dingle. 



^'^ Hatfield's Suri: (Surt. Soc), 198; 

 Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 165. 



*' Guisiro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc), 322. 



225 



*' FeoJ. Prior. Dunelm. (Surt. Soc), 

 47 n, 148 n. 



'* Finchale Priory (Surt. Soc), 82. 



'* Guishro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc), 3220. 



*** Hat/teWs Surv. (Surt. Soc), p. xv. 



S' De B.inco R. Mich. 2 Hen. VI, m. 

 103 j East. 26 Edw. I, m. 66. 



** Reg. Palai. Dunelm. (Rolls Scr.), ii, 

 1238-9. 



*» Dur. Rec. cl. 3, R. 29, m. 2 d. ; cf. 

 m. II, 1 1 d. 



9" Ibid. m. 3 d. He is described as 

 lord of Egglescliffe on m. 9, and his name 

 occurs on m. 3, 4 d., 11 and 12 d. 



" Reg. Palal. Dunelm. (Rolls Ser.), iv, 

 278-9. 



"» Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 12, fol. 158 b. 



