166 APPENDIX B. 



Abbey ; subject, however, to the interest therein of one Ralph Buckton,* 

 to whom a lease was granted by the last Abbot. The impending storm 

 was foreseen by the monastic establishments, and many of them granted 

 very long leases at very low fines. A great many of tliose expired 

 only towards the end of Elizabeth's reign or in that of James ; up to 

 which date the fee-simple remained in the crown, but the reversion 

 only was of any profit to the Exchequer.'' "What the extent of the 

 manor* was at this period, we learn from the following survey, which 

 was gathered by a subsequent owner of Elmswell (James Best), from 

 an old lease made (as it is justly termed) " hard before the Dissolution." 

 MANEiiruM DE Helmswell als Elmeswkll in Cum. Ebok. parcell 

 possEssioNUM ETE Maeie jtjxta muros CiviTATis Ebor. — The mannor 

 or demaine their conteyninge xxx"" oxgangs"* of land was demised 

 as appeareth by a counterpart of a lease therof made hard before 

 the dissolution of th' abbey, and nowe remayninge in the Cort of 



Augmentacon, to Bucketon, payinge the yearlie rente of 6/. 13«. 



Ad. — One tenement and 16 oxegangs of laud, late in the occupacon of 



Lorymer, and yielding per ann. 5/. 6s. %d. — One tenement and 8 



oxeganges of land, late in the occupacon of Martyn Beilbye, and 

 yeldinge per ann. 53^. Ad. — One tenement and 8 oxeganges of lande, 



* Buckton is a township in the parish of Bempton, two miles from Flambrough. 

 An heiress of the ancient family of that name enriched Collingwood of Eslington, 

 CO. Pal. Durham. On last Feb. 1413, Peter de Buckton made his will, desiring to 

 be buried at Swine, and mentioning his wife Cecilia, hi& sons Peter, Ralph, and Wil- 

 liam. Margery, sister of Sir Ralph Eure, who died 1545, married William Buckton, 

 Esq. The estate of Stainton, in Cleveland, was sold May 26, 1553, to William 

 Buckton of Ayton, gent., who sold it in 1562. In the Register of St. Michael le 

 Belfrey, York, is this entry: " 1670-1, Feb. 9, Simon Buckton ye old True Trojan 

 Taylor was buried." There still remains on a brass plate in the chancel of Little 

 Driffield Church the following inscription : " Here under lyeth Rayfe Buckton, of 

 HemswtU in the Countie of Yorke, Esquyer and Margaret his wyfe ye whiche 

 Rayfe deceesed the xxvij day of October in ye yer of our lord god mdxl. and 

 Margaret deceesed ye xx\'iij day of July in ye yere of our lord god mdxiv. on whose 

 soules and all Christen JhQ haue mercy." Lucy, his daughter and co-heir married 

 Sir Robert Heneage. 



h See Jones, Exchequer Rolls ; in which will be found above thirty grants of 

 abbey lands to Crompton and Best, Best and Holland, &c., iVrc. In the 21st and 

 27th Elizabeth, grants of tithe and land in Towthorpe, parcel of the Prion- of Hal- 

 tenprice, were made to Henry, James and John Best. The latter grant, m ith other 

 lands, to James Best. 



" The value of the manor will be shown by this copy of an original subsidy roll : 

 Com. Ebor. Mancrium de Elmswell. parcell. terr. ct posscssionum nuper monasterii 

 B. M. iuxta muros Civitatis Ebor. — Libera firma in Elmswell et Garton per annum 

 L'». Tenen' ad voluntatem domini in Elmswell, per annum xxij'' vj" i'' ob. Finiia 

 Manerii ibidem, scilicet, de imo anno vj" xiij" iiij''. Redditus et firma unius 

 molendini aquatici edificati per Johannem Shai-pe vj". Summa xxxj'' xv* v' ob. 



"• Thoresby says an oxgang is 10, 16, 18, or 24 acres, and in Bradford is 50. Sec 

 pages 127, 155. The Ea.st, West, and l\Iiddle fields of Elmswell and the Wold amount 

 to 1000 acres ; which, if represented by 80 oxgangs, 50 let o»it in farms, and 30 be- 

 longing to the demesnes, as appears from a paper of 1635, would make the oxgang 

 equivalent to 12i acres. But this calculation does not include Cottam stray, 318 

 acres, nor the old enclosures, 250 acres ; adding the three (pumtities together we find 

 the oxgang equal \n 19rt. 2r. 12/). If these acres be accurately represented in this 

 'urlier suivey by 92 oxgangs, the oxgang falls to 17 hcics and 22 perch(s. 



