STOCKTON WARD 



HART 



MiLBANK, baronet. 

 Gules a zaitire azure 



urink/eii ivilA drops sjhle 

 betiveen tzvo lior.s' heads 

 cut off at the neck in [he 

 chiej and the fsot and as 

 many rises in the jianks 

 alt argent. 



Charles John Milbank, bart., who died on 30 January 

 1918, and his son Sir Frederick Richard Povvlett 

 Milbank is the present owner. 



A letter from Thomas Lord ClitTord to the Bishop 

 of Durham, written about 1438 was dated at Hart.^' 

 There was a chapel attached 

 to the manor in 1344, which 

 points to a residence at that 

 date. In 1436 an 'aula 'with 



4 rooms, 2 barns, and a chapel 

 is mentioned in an extent of 

 the manor.*' 



In the confirmation of 

 Henry I to the priory of 

 Guisborough, 12 bovates of 

 . land are included with the 

 churches of Hartness.'" Robert 

 de Brus the Noble granted 



5 oxgangs in Stranton and one 

 in Hart to the monastery." 

 The priory's lands in Hartle- 

 pool, Hart, Stranton, Eden, 

 and Elton were confirmed by 

 Robert son of Robert Brus IV.^- In 1344 the Prior 

 of Guisborough held 4 oxgangs and seven cottages in 

 Hart by knight service.^' 



After the Dissolution in 1539-40 the monastery 

 was found to possess lands worth 1 1 5/. ^J. yearly in 

 Hart.'* The premises in Hart belonging to Guis- 

 borough Monastery were acquired by the Earl of 

 Cumberland, and in 1587 were bought with the 

 manor of Hart by Lord Lumley.'^ 



Sir John de Eppleton was laid to hold a carucate 

 of land in Hart of Robert de Clifford in 1344."' 

 In February 1358-9 it was found that Joan widow 

 of Robert de Eppleton had died seised of i carucate 

 of land in Hart held of Lord Cliflbrd. Her grandson 

 Robert, son of her son Thomas de Eppleton, was 

 her heir." This land, called NORTH HART, 

 together with the rest of the Eppleton lands, was 

 bought by the Herons with whom it descended until 

 1409.3*' Probably it was bought up by the Lord of 

 Hart, who in 1436 held 4 messuages and land at 

 North Hart, which is then called a parcel of the 

 Manor of Hart. 



On the north of Hart village, near the northern 

 boundary of the parish, lie the farm and estate of 

 NELSON (Nelleston, Nelestune, xii cent.; Neliston, 

 xiii cent. ; Nelston, xv cent.). This estate seems to 

 have been granted by Robert de Brus II (le Meschin) 

 to his cupbearer Niel, who also held land in Castle 

 Eden^^ and probably it received its name (Niel's-tun) 

 from him. In the time of William de Brus, son of 

 Robert II, Robert son of Niel granted to the church of 

 Hart all his land called Kirtel in the field of Nelson, 

 and I acre in Caldewelleflat, as an obit for himself 

 and his lords, Robert de Brus, senior and junior. 



Among the witnesses were Robert's brothers William, 

 Geoffrey, and Walter.'^ At some time after 1 1 94 

 Henry de Pudsey gave to the monks of Finchale the 

 land in Nelson which William de Nelson had pre- 

 viously given to him.*" In the time of Robert de 

 Brus IV (the Noble), c. 1215-45, Geoffrey son of 

 Niel granted to the monks of Finchale a rent of 3/. 

 from his vill of Nelson to maintain a light before St. 

 Godric's body.*! The debts of the lord of Nelson in 

 connexion with this rent are entered in the Finchale 

 account rolls of 1354-5." 



In I 344 Stephen de Nelson held a carucate here of 

 the Brus fee by knight service.*' In 1389 it was 

 found that Richard de Nelson was a free tenant of 

 Sir Roger de Clifford, holding land in Nelson by 

 fealty and homage." Richard de Nelson held the 

 vill of Nelson of Maud, the widow of Sir Roger de 

 Clifford,*' in 1403, but by 1436 the vill of Nelson had 

 apparently been acquired by the Cliffords,*^ who held 

 2 messuages, 4 gardens, and 200 acres of arable Lind 

 there as parcel of the manor of Hart. From that time 

 forward it remained in the hands of the lord of Hart. 



Another member of the fee of Hart was THROS- 

 TON (Thurston, xiv cent. ; Thorston, Thirston, and 

 Thruston, xv cent. ; Thurston, xvii cent.). In 1344 

 6 bovates of land and 2 salterns here were held of 

 the lord of Hart like Morleston in Stranton (q.v.) by 

 Richard de Aldeburg for life. This estate in Nether 

 Throston subsequently followed the descent of 

 Morleston and after 1 403 of Tunstall in Stranton. 



The lords of Hart held lands in Over and Nether 

 Throston as parcel of the Manor of Hart.*' 



The church of ST. MARV MAG- 

 CHURCH DALENE stands on rising ground on 

 the north side of the village and consists 

 of a chancel 25 ft. 6 in. by 1 8 ft., nave 49 ft. 3 in. by 

 23 ft. 8 in., north aisle 44 ft. 6 in. by 10 ft. 6 in., 

 south aisle 50 ft. 6 in. by 1 1 ft. 4 in., south porch, and 

 west tower i 3 ft. 8 in. square, all these measurements 

 being internal. The total width across nave and 

 aisles is 49 ft. 9 in. 



The nave represents the body of a pre-Conquest 

 aisleless church 22 ft. wide with walls 3 ft. thick, the 

 small square-ended chancel of which has vanished. 

 The east, west and north walls remain in great part, 

 the north arcade and the chancel and tower arches 

 having been broken through the original masonry, 

 but the south wall has been entirely removed and the 

 nave slightly increased in width on that side. The 

 four angles of the pre-Conquest nave, however, are 

 still in position, the quoins showing more or less 

 distinctly outside in each case. The great antiquity 

 of the building was unsuspected till 1884-5, when a 

 restoration took place and the walls were stripped of 

 their plaster.^ Six fragments of pre-Conquest crosses 

 carved with interlaced patterns were also discovered 

 at the same time, together with an early sundial.''* 



" Priory of Finchale (Surtccs Soc), 71. 



^ Cat. In^. p.m. Tiii, 384 ; Chan. Inq. 

 p.m. 15 Hen. VI, no. 55 (lile S3). 



•" Guishrct' Chariul. (Surt. Soc), i, 1 3. 



'^ Ibid, ii, 34.1 ; Dugdale, Alon.vi, 269. 



^' Guishro' Chartul. ii, 34^-4. 



" Cal. [nj. p.m. (Edw. Ill), viii, 384. 



" Guishro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc), ii, 

 p. xxxiv. 



" Close, 29 Elii. pt. vi. 



« Cal. [nj. p.m. (Edw. Ill), viii, 384. 

 No Eppleton of the name of John is 



found in the descent of this family in 

 Eppleton (in Houghton-le-Spring parish). 

 Thomas de Eppleton who died about 

 1339 was succeeded by his son Robert, 

 grandson of Joan mentioned in the text. 



^' Dur. Rcc. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 59. 



•* See Eppleton in Houghton-le-Spring 

 parish ; Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 143 d., 

 14; d., 163 d. 



""' See Feod. Pri'.r. Dunelm. 1 34 n. 



»' Guishro' Chartul. (Surt. Soc"), ii, 324. 



«» Finchale Priory (Surt. Soc), 22, 23. 



259 



*' Ibid. 136. 



" Ibid. pp. xixvi, xixviii, xl. 



" Cal. Inf. p.m. (Edw. Ill), viii, 3S4. 



" Chan. Inq. p.m. 13 Ric. II, no. 14. 



** Ibid. 4 Hen. IV, no. 37. 



«« Ibid. 15 Hen. VI, no. 55. 



*' Ibid. 13 Ric II, no. 14 ; 4 Hen. IV, 

 no. 3-. 



** The Retijuary (New Ser.), viii, 2. 



<» See t'.C.H. Dur. i, 240. The sun- 

 dial is built into the west wall of the south 

 aisle inside. 



