STOCKTON WARD 



STOCKTON ON TEES 



family house on the west side of High Street was 

 known as the ' Blue Posts ' from two Frosterley marble 

 pillars supporting an overhanging story ; they were 

 said to have been taken from the ruins of the castle. 

 The house was pulled down in i8l i'' and the pillars 

 were removed to the entrance hall of Col. Rowland 

 Burdon's house at Castle Eden. 



The Hospitallers' tenement has been mentioned 

 above ; nothing is known of its origin. From a Crown 

 rental of 1552 it appears that Mount Grace Priory 

 held the third pirt of 2 oxgangs of land ; William 

 Bainbridge was tenant, paying zos. rent.'- This was 

 sold to George Ward and others in 1607.'' Ralph 

 Hart, who held 2 oxgangs in 16 1 1, left a brother and 

 heir William,"' and Nicholas Fletham was in 1624 

 succeeded in l oxgang by a grandson Anthony, son 

 of his son Anthony. "^^ 



The Sayers of Preston also had land in Stockton.''' 

 Elizabeth Bosscll, widow, in 1567 granted three mes- 

 suages, iScc, to Christopher Wilson."' 



In 1658 a division of the town fields was made by 

 arbitrators, the award being published in 1659 and 

 confirmed by Bishop Cosin after the Restoration.''* 

 The liberty of drying fishing nets in the accustomed 

 places was reserved, also the bowling-place on Salt- 

 holme. Cowholme, Meadowholme and Sahholme 

 bridge are n.imed. The landowners who obtained 

 90 acres or more were ; John Jesson and Roger 

 Fewler, 365 ; John Jenkins, 343 ; Thomas Pfarperley, 

 173 ; Mark Wapp, 152 ; Robert Wright, 107 ; 

 Elizabeth Burdon and George her son, 102 ; John 

 Bunting, 99 ; Alice Burdon and James her son, 



95."* 



In HJRTBURN there were in 1 1 84 " twelve and 

 a half villeinage tenements each consisting of 2 oxgangs 

 ol land and rendering like those ol Stockton and Norton. 

 One farmer held I oxgang for the same services as in 

 Norton. There were two cotters with tofts and crofts 

 and 24 acres in the fields also rendering like the 

 Norton crofters. The whole vill rendered one milch 

 cow. The demesne was at farm with that of 

 Stockton. 



About 1384"" there was only one farmer, William 

 Baron, who held two tenements, one of which, called 

 Osbernsland, had been occupied by William Bosse. 

 Each tenement contained I oxgang of land : for one 

 the holder paid 7/. 4a'. rent and worked like the 

 bondmen, excepting the weekly works, woodlades and 

 carts, for which he compounded by i 5rt'. a year ; for 

 the other he paid. 3;. ^J. rent and worked as did the 

 Norton farmers. 



William Baron and his comp.inions held a piece of 

 the Stockton demesne lands called Northdeynside, 

 next the sheepfold, paying zis. SJ. 



There were four cottages, each paying 6</., held by 

 three tenants. The tenants of the vill held the oven, 

 paying 2.'. a year, and the forge, paying z</. 



There were eleven bondage tenements of 2 oxgangs 

 each ; the other tenement and a half recorded in 

 Boldon Book had become a free tenement and one of the 



farm holdings already recorded. Each selfod rendered 

 ^d. and each bondman's servant I2<<'. for works. 



There were eight parcels of exchequer land, mostly 

 tofts and crofts, paying 4^'. to 14./. a year. One 

 parcel, however, held jointly by six tenants, contained 

 24 acres and rendered i u. 



In 1 46 1 the whole vill was demised to Thomas 

 Clerk and others for three years at a rent of 24 marks." 



The only free tenant at the time of Hatfield's 

 Survey was John Laykan, who held 2 oxgangs, for- 

 merly villeinage land. He died in or before 1392, 

 holding a messuage and 30 acres of the bishop in 

 socage by a rent of i p. \d. His heir was a sister, 

 thirty years of age, the wife of Thomas Copyn.*"- 

 Joan relict of Richard Goldsmith in 1467 obtained 

 licence to enter a toft and croft and 2 oxgangs of free 

 land held of the bishop by knight's service"^ ; her 

 husband had held the same.*^ 



As early as 11 84 PRESTON ivas chiefly in the 

 hands of tenants of a class above the villeins, who are 

 c.iUed drengs in I 380. The Boldon Book states that 

 there were*** seven villeins each holding 2 oxgangs 

 and five free tenants. Waldwin held I carucate, 

 Adam son of Walter de Stockton held i carucate for 

 ios., Orm son of Cocket and William son of Utting 

 held I carucate and Richard Rund half a carucate. 

 They worked in all ways like the drengage tenants of 

 Norton and Stockton, i.e., they were quit of personal 

 services, but obliged to find men to do a certain 

 number of days' work at hay-time and harvest. The 

 whole vill rendered one milch cow. 



Thus of the 5 J carucates in the vill 5^ were held 

 by the tenants in drengage, and in course of time all 

 the tenements seem to have been raised to the same 

 status. In 1353-4 Thomas de Seton had licence to 

 enter upon a carucate in Preston,*"' and dying a few years 

 later Sir Thomas was in 1359 found to have held ten 

 messuages and 8 oxgangs of land in Preston by 10/. rent, 

 another 8 oxgangs by i 8/. rent, 4 oxgangs by id. rent, 

 and 23 acres in drengage. His heir w.is a daughter 

 Alice, wife ofThomasdeCarcw[Carrow] theyounger.'*' 

 In I 361-2 Isabel widow of Thomas de Seton had a 

 third part of the ' manor ' of Preston and other lands 

 assigned to her as dower. ^"^ In 1376 a commission 

 was appointed to inquire into the conduct of John de 

 Carcw and others who had entered the castle of 

 Stockton and carried away John [de CarewJ son and 

 heir of Alice the daughter and heir of Thomas de 

 Seton, while he was the bishop's ward.'^ 



About 1380 John de Carew, who held Thomas de 

 Seton's lands, was the chief drengage tenant. He 

 rendered 38/. oJ</., doing foreign service and suit of 

 court. ^^ 



The Seton estate, which was the dominant one, was 

 called the manor. John son of Sir Thomas de Carew 

 was in 1387 found to have held (he same estate in 

 Preston as his grandfather. Sir Thomas de Seton, by the 

 same rents. His heirs were William Sayer, aged six 

 years, and Joan wife of John son of Lawrence 'Jum- 

 bys ' de Seton, aged thirty." Joan being of age seisin 



"' Surtccs, op. cit. iii, 181. 

 " Harl. R. D 56, m. 6/.. 

 ■■* Pat. 5 J.is. I, pt. xvii. 

 ^* Dur. Rcc. cl. 5, tile 1S3, no. 10, 

 '^ Ibid, file 189, no. ill. 

 "" Dc/>. Keeper's Rep. xliv, App, 469 

 (Maunscll), 504, 511. 

 '' Clo?e, 10 Eliz. no. 7, 



"» Dur. Rec. cl. 4 (2), fol. S6. 



'* Brewster, op. cit. 161-2. 



'^y.C.H. Dur. i, 357. 



8" HalfeU's Surr:\%\xn. Soc), 170. 



'■' Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 16, fol. 86 d. 



" Ibid. no. 2, fol. 117. 



" Ibid. fol. 160 d. 



8* See the account of Elloo. 



359 



" KC.H. Dur. I, 337. 

 " Dur. Rec, cl. 3, no. 12, fol. 101 d. 

 " Ibid. no. 2, fol. 62. 

 ^'^ Def>. keeper's Refi. xicxi, App. 161. 

 See also ibid, xxxii, App. 317. 

 ^ Surtees, op. cit. iii, 403. 

 » HutfcLrs Suri: (Surt. Soc), 193. 

 " Dur. Rec. cl. 3, no. 2, fol. 157 d. 



