HURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 119 



as are thus taken into any pasture to bee kept, are (hereaboutes) 

 called geasters, i. e. gesters, and theire gates soe many severall 

 jeastes ; they sende them usually on St. HeUen day or the day 

 afore, and they are to continue, and to have theire pastiu-inge 

 theire, till MichaeUmasse ; wee had the last yeare seaven beasts 

 at Sledgmour,* which wee had noe leism-e to fetch hoame, and 

 they sente them not tiU Powder treason day, the 5th of Nov- 

 ember. Yeeringes are accovmted but halfe gates on the Greetes. 

 and pay but hahe the rate that kyne and the other older beasts 

 pay ; but on the wolds they are all ahke : KeUithorpe Greets 

 was wonte to bee a pasture that younge beasts would like very 

 weU on (and aU by reason of the water soe neare at hande,) till 

 nowe of late it was overstocked with sheepe. Wee have hyred 

 beast gates at Rastrope, and att Thistendale, for 28. a geast ; 

 these two townes are not halfe a mile asunder, and aboute 

 seaven miles from this place ; they are beyond Bm-dall-dayles,'' 

 and the way to them is by Frydaythorpe, or Fimmer : one may 

 aUsoe take gates att Frydaythorpe, but theire pasture will 

 hunger our beasts that are u^ed to better keepinge ; one may 

 aUsoe take gates att Huggate, which is oftentimes very good 

 pasture ; wee have taken gates att Cottam for 2s. 6d. a gate ; 

 one of Greate Driffield sente (this yeare) three beasts to 

 Sledgmour the morrowe after St. Hellen day, whoe sayd that 

 hee payed 8s. for three gates, i. e. 2s. 8d. a peece. Wee tooke 

 gates att West-Lutton, in the year 1639, for 3s. -ic?. a gate, 

 and our beasts weare allmost fatte att MichaeUmasse when 

 they came hoame ; wee sente Lawrence Middleton thither 

 againe to take gates for eleaven yoimge beasts this 2nd of May, 

 and they would not take under 4s. a gate, and wee must pay 

 noutheard- wages, and sesses, and layes ; the noutheard wages 

 weare (for every beast) 2d. for theire wontinge pennies when 

 they wente, 2d. att Lammas, and 2d. a peece at Michaelmasse 

 when they weare fetched away : and the sesses and layes would 

 have come to other Qd. a peece, which was (in all) 5s. ; and for 

 6s. 8d. a peece, wee could have had them wheare they might 

 have beene fedde. Wee sent our foreman againe to Thissendale 

 on Fryday the 6th of May, and there they asked 4s. 8d. a gate, 

 and would not take under 4s. ; besides aU theire gates weare 



* I insert in this place the following will : 1.570, Dec. 1, Chi-istopher Rowe of Hems- 

 ■well, of the parish of Driffield, husbandman ; " to my two sonnes Matthew and Ilarbart 

 two oxgauds of come sowne upon the grownde ; they my executors ; to John Rowe 

 of Sledinire a mett of wheate, a bushell of rie, and a bushell of haver." 



'' At Burdall is the famous tunnel on a curve through the limestone rock. I have 

 found the following receipts. 1614, Dec. 2. 1615-6, March 9. Received of Mr. 

 James Best for the half yeares rent of the sheepe pasture of BirdaU alias Bm-dall, 

 due imto my uucle Raphe Hansbic Esq., o7L 10s., Raphe Hansbie Junior. 



