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This medieval period precedes the time to when we can establish direct links. But many of these records will nonetheless be records of our common ancestors in the years before Nicholas. |
The Farndale Directory
References
to Farndales born during the period 1150 to 1500 and the area where they
lived (In this earlier period, sometimes the reference is to activities during the period, rather than to date of birth)
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You will also find a history
of the Farndales during this period at the following links: Chapter
1 - The Beginnings - the Middle Ages, 1154-1400 Chapter
2 - The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, 1400-1600 Scroll right to discover the historical and local context for this period |
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Each volume of the Farndale directory provides a direct link to individual Farndales born during the period or, for this first page, historical events linked to the Farndale family and to Farndale, the place. This page provides a chronological list of Farndales born during the period 1150 to 1500 and to relevant events during the same period. To the right of the page, you will also see a timeline of historic events that were taking place at the time, to provide some context. Find yourself or the Farndale you are interested in. Click on the blue reference number for more information. Or click on the brown family line link. To understand the background to the research into the medieval Farndales, it is worth reading my research notes as well as my notes on the evolution of the use of surnames. I am now compiling a timeline of early Farndale history from 1000 CE to about 1600. |
To go back even further in time, click
here: Click here for an account of Yorkshire on the eve of Farndale recorded history |
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1066 to 1200 Earliest References (FAR00001).
What we know about Farndale before and at the time of the Norman Conquest. Northwards from the Wolds, the
windswept moors of Hambleton and Cleveland remain as they have been
throughout pre-historic times, a refuge of broken peoples, a home of lost
cultural causes. Bede described the area as ‘vel bestiae commorari vel hommines bestialiter vivere conserverant.’ (‘A land fit only for wild beasts, and
men who live like wild beasts.’). Farndale is not mentioned in
Doomsday. But Kirby Moorside is and must have included Farndale. Before the Conquest it was in the
hands of Waltef who had a manor and 5 carucates at Fadmoor. 1066
was a turning point in English history. Following the Battle of Hastings,
William the Conqueror took the throne after the death of King Harold. However the tribal organisation within Britain at the time
meant that defeat in the south was not recognised by those who lived in the
north. So towns like Northallerton continued to
resist the new Norman rulers. In 1086, Count Robert of Mortain held it and it was waste. Later it fell into the hands of Hugh son of Baldric before passing first to Roger de
Mowbray and later to William and then Nicholas de Stuteville in 1200. Farndale then became part of the
manor of Kirby Moorside. 1086
– the wider area was largely empty of settlements except at Danby. The area
of Farndale was within the great multiple estate of Kirbymoorside,
in the possession of Hugh FitzBaldric. William
the Conqueror was growing frustrated, and Normans were sent north to suppress
resistance with force. Faced with the growing menace of the Norman baronage,
Yorkshiremen began to fight back. By 1086, war spilled across most of England
and the whole of the north was in ferment. In Yorkshire, bands of outlaws
drawn from the persecuted Saxon nobility took an oath that none should sleep
under a roof until the Normans were driven out of England. William
marched northwards meeting Edgar and Morcar ‘where
the Ouse and the Humber conjoin’. He inflicted so bloody a defeat that
thousands of Saxons withdrew to the hills.
York was soon subdued and garrisoned by Norman troops. The Normans
then used Saxon labour to build and fortify York, to become the primary
fortress of the north. Many Northumbrian and Yorkshire chieftains fled to
Scotland. The
new Norman Governor of York, William Mallet, reported to the Conqueror that
the land around the city, later called Ainstie, and the Forest of Galtres, was becoming precariously dangerous. The over
ambitious Norman Commander, Robert de Comine,
marched northwards through Yorkshire, intending to conquer Country Durham,
but was swiftly dispatched by Saxon guerrillas, when attacking the city of
Durham. He was burned alive with his military staff. The Saxons were
supported by allies from abroad, including from Denmark. On hearing of their
arrival, thousands of Dalesmen came hurrying to
join them. The Governor of York, William Mallet, in his battle preparations,
accidentally set fire to the city. In the chaos 3,000 Normans fled the
burning city, to be slaughtered by the Saxons. York Minster and its priceless
library was burned. This Saxon insurrection gave rise to a vengeance of
ferocious intensity. When
the news reached William he roared Per Deum Splendorum (‘By the splendour of God’) and even his own
entourage were in terror. William swore that not a rood of northern land, a
cottage or a human life should go unscathed. Village by village were
terrorised with such savagery that most Saxon leaders fled to Scotland again,
never to return. 150,000
people died or fled during brutal slaughters. The land was torched. For
twelve long years the land laid barren and towns
stood stark for half a century. The terrifying experience for those living in
Yorkshire and northern Britain was known as the Harrying of the North. The
Kirbymoorside estate then fell for a time to the de
Stuteville Family. William’s commissioners then
came, with sword, to lay the foundations of the new Norman aristocracy. Such
brutal overlords included William de Percy, ancestor of the Earls of
Northumberland, who was given eighty Saxon manors. Large tracts of North
Yorkshire fell to the hands of William’s cousin, Alan the Red who built
Richmond Castle. The mighty De Mowbrays were
dominant across Yorkshire and soon there became established the powerful
houses of Clifford of Skipton and Scope of Wensleydale. But
the de Stutevilles were deprived of the land in 1106 when it was granted to
Nigel d’Aubigny, one of Herry I’s ‘new men’. Nigel
died in 1129, and his wife Gundreda administered the estate for her under
aged son, Roger de Mowbray. |
1066 The
Norman Conquest The House of Normandy 1066 to 1154 William I (The Conqueror) 1066 to 1087 Norman barons often adopted the name of
their lands in England as surnames. 1086 The
Doomsday Survey William II (“William Rufus”), 1087 to 1100 William was William I’s older son. He
was killed in mysterious circumstances in the New Forest in 1100. 1100s The start of the Guild system to protect trade, set
prices and offer apprenticeships. Population
reaches about 2 million. First
Cistercian abbey at Waverley. Surnames
began to be used more widely to assert rights to hereditary property. |
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1154 Rievaulx
Chartulary, 1154 (FAR00002).
Reference to Edmund the Hermit who lived in Farndale. A gift of land in
Farndale to the abbots of Rievaulx. The name
Farndale, first occurs in history in the Rievaulx Abbey Chartulary in a
Charter granted by Roger de Mowbray to the Abbot and the monks of Rievaulx
Abbey in 1154. By it Roger bestowed upon the Monastery, ‘….Midelhovet, that clearing in Farndale where the
hermit Edmund used to dwell; and another clearing which is called ‘Duvanesthuat’ and common of pasture in the same valley,
to wit, Farndale….’
It may have been Nigel d’Aubigny’s widow Gundreda (on
behalf of her under aged son, Roger de Mowbray) who granted the areas of
Welburn and Skiplam to Rievaulx. Roger then granted the lads
further east into Farndale at Midelhovet and Duvanesthuat in 1154. The area was treated as the private
forest of the de Mowbray’s and their grant to Rievaulx was made ‘saving
Roger’s wild beasts’. But Henry II became King in
1154 and shortly after that, the Stutevilles came back into favour, and Roger
de Mowbray was compelled to hand back Kirbymoorside
along with many other fees. The
Stutevilles favoured the Benedictine monks of Saint Mary's Abbey, York, and
their own small House of nuns founded at Keldholme, near Kirbymoorside. Rievaulx Abbey was unable to
sustain its claim to the Farndale property and a little before 1166 Robert De
Stuteville granted to Keldholme Priory timber and wood in Farndale, together
with a vaccary, pasture and cultivated land in East Bransdale. At about the same time Robert
gave to Saint Mary's Abbey, who held the nearby Manor of Spaunton, as much
timber and wood as they required together with pasture and pannage of pigs in
Farndale. All the documents mentioned so far clearly indicate that Farndale
was regularly primarily as a resource of timber and pasture in the mid 12th century, with little evidence of settlement. |
The
weavers were granted a royal charter, the oldest livery company in London. 1161 The
abolition of the Danegeld tax, first raised in 991 to pay off Viking raiders. London’s
population was about 30,000. 1173 Henry
II’s enquiry into assets and status of widows and wards, Rotuli de
Dominabus et Pueris et Puellis de XII Comitatibus. The
Templars’ enquiries into land holdings, Rotuli
de Dominabus. The
earliest recorded windmill built at Weedley in
Yorkshire. The
Feet
of Fines,
judgements pertaining to land ownership, began. 1188 Saladin
Tithe levied in England to fund the Third Crusade. Richard
I (The Lionheart), 1189-1199 1189 to 1192 Carlisle
came under English rule in 1192. Eyre
Rolls recording legal cases across England. 1198 Liber
Feodorum (the
book of fees), a list of feudal landholdings. Charter
Rolls began recording royal grants issued by the Chancery. 1200 Manorial
records include administrative details of estates. Population reaches
about 3.5 million. 1202 1204 Close Rolls recorded grants
made by the monarch to individuals or groups. |
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1209 The forest of Farndale, 1209-1211 (FAR00003). Rights to
Nicholas de Stuteville in the Royal Forest of Farndale. Entries in the
Pipe Roll 1209, 1210 and 1211 refer to granting rights in the forest of
Farndale to Nicholas de Stuteville by the Abbot of York in the reign of King
John and disputes that arose therefrom. |
Dominicans (black friars)
began to arrive in England. 1224 Franciscans (grey friars)
began to arrive in England. |
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1225 Pastures at Farendal, 1225 and 1227 (FAR00005).
Entries in the Curia Regis for 1225 and 1227 refer to
Nicholas de Stuteville and pastures at Hoton
(Hutton), Spaunton and Farendal. |
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1228 Yorks:
verdict of the perambulators correcting their return as to Ouse and Derwent, Galtres and Farndale 1m, 13 Hen III month after
Michaelmas, 29 October 1228 (National Archives, C
47/11/1/22) 1229 The forest of Farndale, 1229-1255 (FAR00004). More reference
to the Royal Forest of Farndale. Entries in the
Close Roll for 1229, 1253 and 1255 refer to the forest of Farndale as an
antique forest and the rights of Hugh de Bigod are defined in it. In 1229
Henry III decreed, ‘the whole of the forest of Galtres
and the forest between the Ouse and the Derwent, and the forest of Farndale,
are ancient forests.’ But the forest was not much used. There is a
possibility that Edward II once visited but no other monarch seems to have
ventured there. |
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1230 Assarting is the act of clearing
forested lands for use in agriculture or other purposes. In English land law,
it was illegal to assart any part of a royal forest
without permission. In
the Middle Ages, the land cleared was usually common land but after
assarting, the space became privately used. The process took several forms. Usually it was done by one farmer who hacked out a
clearing from the woodland, leaving a hedged field. However, sometimes groups
of individuals or even entire villages did the work
and the results were divided into strips and shared among tenant farmers.
Monastic communities, particularly the Cistercians, sometimes assarted, as well as local lords. Assarting was clearly
proceeding apace in the middle decades of the 13th century, since Lady Joan
de Stuteville successfully prosecuted the Abbot of Saint Mary's, York, for
exceeding her rights of taking wood in Farndale by actually
assarting 100 acres of land. Nicholas de Farndale, born in about 1230 (FAR00006). The Farndale 1 Line. The first
personal name linked to Farndale. Nicholas de Farndale paid taxes to the Eyre Court in
1280. A Note on names. Hereditary surnames started to be used gradually
after the Norman Conquest. Nicholas de Farndale clearly came from Farndale.
We have to watch two things: ·
Other unrelated folk may have been defining
themselves as ‘of’ Farndale. So we have to look
carefully at relationships. ·
It
is possible when folk moved about that whilst they had once called themselves
‘de’ Farndale, they might later call themselves ‘de’ somewhere else. |
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1233 Passage of cattle rights, 1233 (FAR00007). ‘The Abbot
grants that if the cattle of Nicholas or of his heirs or of his men at Kikby, Fademor, Gillingmor or Farndale, hereafter enter upon the common
of the said wood and pasture of Houton, Spaunton and Farendale, they shall
have free way in and out without ward set; provided
they do not tarry in the said pasture.’ 17th year of the Reign of Henry III. |
The Commons Act allowed manorial
lords to enclose common land for their own use. |
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1238 Peter de Farndale, born in about 1238 (FAR00008). The Farndale 2 Line. Peter de
Farndale, whose son Robert (FAR00012) was fined at Pickering Castle in 1293. |
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1240 William the smith of Farndale, born in about 1240 (FAR00009).
William the smith of Farndale, paid taxes to the Eyre
Court in 1280.
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The earliest Inquisitions Post Mortem (“IPM”) (escheats) recorded information regarding property,
family descents and allienaces, especially between
1270 and 1350. Gunpowder introduced into
Europe. |
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1250 John the Shepherd of Farndale, born in about 1250 (FAR00010).
John the shepherd of Farndale, paid taxes to the Eyre
Court in 1280.
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1255 Alan son of Nicholas Farndale, born in about 1255 (FAR00011). The Farndale 1 Line. The son of
Nicholas Farndale, who we know about because he paid taxes. |
1255 The Rotuli Hundredorum (“the Hundred Rolls”) recorded
the rights of the Crown over land and property. Normandy surrendered to France. |
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1263 Robert son of Peter de Farndale, born in about 1263 (FAR00012). The Farndale 2 Line. Robert de Farndale
was outlawed for hunting.
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The Battle of Lewes and the rise
of Simon de Montfort as the uncrowned King of England. Civil War De Montfort was killed in 1265 at
the Battle of Evesham. |
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1265 De Willelmo de Farndale, 1265 (FAR00013). A Farndale name
living in Danby. Roger milne (miller) of Farndale, 1265 (FAR00013A).
The Farndale 2
Line. Roger the miller
of Farndale who killed a soar and slew a hart (a
male deer) with bows and arrows at some unknown place in the forest. |
1271 1271 to 1272 |
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The Fine Rolls recorded payments to the Crown for
grants and privileges. |
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1275 De Johanne de Farndale, born in about 1275 (FAR00014). De Johanne de
Farndale who had now moved yet further afield to Egton. Walter de Farndale, born in about 1275 (FAR00015) Walter de
Farndale was a vicar and we have several records about him. This might have
been the same Walter de Farndale, whose death by Hugh de Faulkes of Lebreston was pardoned but on condition that Hugh de
Faulkes joined an expedition against the Scots. Richard de Farndale, born in about 1275 (FAR00016). Richard de
Farndale had a gift of land at Marton (now part of Middlesborough) but was
excommunicated for stealing in 1316. |
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1276 Assarting land in Farndale was
extended and the Inquisition Post Mortem taken after
Joan de Stuteville’s death in 1276, reveals settlement on a grand scale. In
Farndale, bond tenants holding by acres and paying a standard rent of 1-0d
for each acre produced Ł27-5-0d, presumably for 545 acres. Rent in Farndale,
1276 (FAR00017). References to payment of rent in
Farndale. ‘Tenants in bondage, holding by acres,
who pay Ł27 5s, that is 12d per acre. Seven cottars in Farndale, pay 15s 8d.
tenants in Duthenwayt in a certain plot in the moor, holding by plots 32s per
year. |
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1279 Gilbert de
Farndale, born in about 1279 (FAR00018). The Farndale 3 Line. |
The
Statute of Mortmain prevented land being given to the Church without royal
licence. |
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1280 Farndale poachers,
1280 (FAR00019). From
sureties of persons indicted for poaching and for not producing persons so
indicted on the first day of the Eyre Court in accordance with the
suretieship due to Richard Drye. There follows a long list of names including,…..1s 8d from Roger son of Gilbert of Farndale,
bail from Nicholas de Farndale, 2s from William the smith of Farndale 3s 4d
from John the shepherd of Farndale, and 3s 4d from Alan the son of Nicholas
de Farndale. |
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1282 The 1282 extent of settlement
in Farndale shows a considerable increase over that of 1276, but this
probably means nothing more than that a new and up-to-date survey was used as
the basis for the later document. The Farndale rents now amounted Ł 38-8-8d together
with a nut-rent and a few boon works and if the rate of 1s 0d per acre still
applied, this would give a total acreage held in bondage of no less than 768
acres. For the first time the number of bondmen are
given - 90 in Farndale. The sheer scale is impressive
enough, but there are features which point to a planned campaign of
settlement. It is difficult to imagine how men of villain status, compelled
to pay rents of 1s 0d per acre for minute holdings of marginal land, could
also have managed to undertake their own assarting. It seems more likely that
the land had been reclaimed in advance of letting, as at Goathland, by the
Lord’s agents, while the standard rents suggest a single campaign on a large
scale rather than piece meal assaulting. A number of
key questions cannot be answered from the sources we have used so far. Was
settlement of the two Dales completed by 1282? Where were the new farms
located and how were they laid out? Serfs of Farndale,
24 March 1282 (FAR00020). In a certain dale called
Farndale there are fourscore and ten natives, not tenants by bovate of land. Simon de Farndale, born in about 1282 (FAR00021). The Farndale 4 Line. Simon the miller
of Farndale. Simon the miller
paid more rent than anyone in Farndale in 1309. Simon de Farndale’s son Robert was fined at Pickering
Castle in 1332. |
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1284 Nicholas de
Farndale, born in about 1284 (FAR00022). The Farndale 3 Line. Nicholas
of Farndale, gave bail for Roger son of Gilbert of Farndale who had been
caught poaching in 1334 and 1335. |
The
Statute of Winchester led to Parish Constables organised to question
strangers and patrol towns to maintain the peace. 1288 Piepowder
Courts set up to try offenders at fairs and markets. The
Taxatio Ecclesiastica
listed 8,500 churches and chapels across the country. 1290 Lay Subsidy Rolls began to record taxes imposed on the
laity (commoners). |
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1291 Thomas and Richard
of Farndale, born in about 1291 (FAR00023). Thomas and Richard were
excommunicated at Pickering Castle for stealing on 12 August 1316. |
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1292 Robert of
Farndale, born in about 1292 (FAR00024). The Farndale 2 Line. Robert was
fined at Pickering Castle for poaching in 1322. |
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1295 Adam de Farndale, born
in about 1295 (FAR00025). The Farndale 4 Line. An appeal by Agnes, late wife of
John de Maunby against Adam de Farndale for the
death of her husband on 21 Sep 1320. |
The
first legally elected legislature, the Model Parliament. |
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1298 John de Farndale,
born in about 1298 (FAR00026). John de Farndale, released from
excommunication at Pickering Castle on 9 Apr 1324. |
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1300 Roger de Farndale,
born in about 1300 (FAR00028). The Farndale 3 Line. Bailed for poaching in1334 and
1335. |
Population
reached about 5 million. Social
mobility increased in England with a growth of a mercantile, middle class. |
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1301 The lay subsidy assessments of
1301 afforded a brief glimpse of the settlement pattern, listing numerous
contributors bearing the names of the farms which is still to be found at
Farndale such as ‘Wakelevedy’ (Wake Lady Green), ‘Westgille’
(West Gill), Monkegate (Monket
House) and ‘Elleshaye (Eller House) and which are
scattered all around the dale. Further confirmation of this pattern is
provided by surveys of 1570 and 1610, both of which give the names of many
more extent farms and allow us to identify others from field names. Farndale subsidies to the King,
1301 (FAR00029).
Thirty five people in Farndale paid a subsidy mainly
for the upkeep of the Great Forest. |
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1303 Johannis de
Farndale, born in about 1303 (FAR00030). The York 1 Line. A saddler,
made Freeman of York in 1363. |
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1307 Robert of
Farndale, born in about 1307 (FAR00031). The Farndale 4 Line. Outlawed with others for hunting
a hart in the forest in 1332. |
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1310 William Stibbing of
Farndale's oxen, 1310 (FAR00033). ‘In 1310, 20 oxen the property of
Nicholas the parker, worth 8s, 6 oxen and 3 stirks of William in the horn
worth Ł1 9s, a cow and a stirk of Hugh Laverock 4s 8d and 6 oxen of William Stibbing de Farndale…….’ William Farndale,
born in about 1310 (FAR00034). The first recorded use of
Farndale as a surname without the ‘of’ or ‘de’. On 15 Oct
1358, a pardon was given by the Sergeant at Arms to William Attwode for having enfeoffed John de Banaby
and William Farndale, chaplains of the Manor of Derleye,
held in chief, and then re-entered into the Manor, which they quit-claimed to
him without the King’s licence and grant that he shall retain the same fee.’ William, smith of
Farndale, born in abut 1310 (FAR00037). William,
smith of Farndale, on Monday 2 Dec 1336, came hunting in Lefebow
with bow and arrows and gazehounds………’ Desperate times and illegal
hunting In 1315, one of Britain's
worst storms halved the crop yield and half a million died as a result. Thus,
the price of crops increased driving many to hunt illegally. Folk took to
hunting but where they did so in royal forests, such as Pickering, it was a criminal
offence. Such men must have been skilled bowmen, potentially also those who
may be called upon to fight for their king if called upon. But when they
hunted in the royal forests they were criminals. The
hunters were chased by the king's foresters and were often caught unless they
could evade capture. Such exploits sparked the legend of Robin Hood. 1325 Thomas Wake had an early planning
dispute with the ‘local authority’, the justice of the forest, concerning
Farndale (FAR00039). He asked that
the justice of the forest should be commanded to
deliver his wood of Farndale. The King seems to have replied that he should
deliver a writ to the justice of the forest to certify the reason for taking
the wood. In a
subsequent document, again he asked that the justice
of the forest should be commanded to deliver his
wood of Farndale and adds that he seized it without reason. It also asked
that the burgesses of Hull should be ordered not to build any new road on his
land and to destroy the roads they made while the King was under
age, as Thomas Wake says he is entitled to his inheritance in full. Thomas Wake
requests that the king command his Justice of the Forest north of the Trent
to deliver to him his wood of Farndale, which he has seized into the king's
hand for no reason. He also asks him to order the burgesses of Hull not to
build any new road on his land, and to destroy the roads they made when he
was under age, as the king is obliged to render him
his inheritance in full. Coram
rege. With regard to the
wood, the Justice of the Forest is to be ordered to do justice to him,
according to the law and usage of the forest. With regard
to the roads, he is to have recourse to common law. Date given on the evidence of Rot.
Parl. JRS Phillips (PROME, Appendix of Unedited Petitions, 1307-1337) says
that these petitions probably all do belong to 18 Edward II, although there
is no indication that they were presented either at the non-parliamentary
assembly of October 1324 or the parliament of June 1325. (National Archives, SC 8/8/358)
[The petition
has been completed from the printed text in Rot. Parl. Vol. I because the
petition is now largely illegible as a consequence of repairs].[Wake requests that he be allowed to account in the
Wardrobe for his costs in service with the king with foot-soldiers at Berwick
and Edinburgh, and that the debts of his ancestors be searched for in the
Exchequer and allowance be made for these against the costs. If the king is
not prepared to grant this then he requests that he be allowed to pay the
debts in instalments with respite for a year or two. He further requests that
the earls of Leicester, Richmond and Arundel, and Despenser be ordered to accept
one homage for Kirkby in the fee of Mowbray, as each is demanding homage. He
further requests that the justice of the Forest north of the Trent be
commanded to deliver his wood of Farndale.] Concerning
the first point he should come into the Wardrobe and show the manner by which
he was retained and how much he received, and if any indenture was made
between him and the king, and the king should be certified of this so that he
can say his will.2) Concerning the homage, if he is distrained, he should sue
against those by whom he is distrained.3) Concerning the last point, he
should have a writ to the justice to certify of the reason for the taking of
this wood. The petition
is dated to 1325 as the petition is published in Rot. Parl. I from a Hale
manuscript which dated the petitions to the parliament held in 19 Edw. II
(1325) (Rot. Parl. vol. I, p.439b (no.39)). (National
Archives, SC 8/174/8667)
It seems that the justice of the
forest was then ordered to do justice to Thomas Wake, according to the usage
and law of the forest. However with regard to the
roads, Thomas should resort to the common law. |
The
Great Famine following bad weather and poor harvests. Widespread unrest and
crime and infanticide. 1316 Nomina Villarum recorded names and lordship in every
town under royal jurisdiction. |
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1330 Johannis de
Farendale, born in about 1330 (FAR00035). The York 1 Line. Johannis was made a Freeman of
York in 1367. Sir William
Farndale, vicar of Doncaster, born in about 1330 (FAR00038). The Doncaster Kirkleatham Skelton
Line. Vicar of
Doncaster between about 1360 and 1420. |
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1332 William Farnedale of Shyrefhoton, born in about 1332 (FAR00036). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. William Farnedale
of Shyrefhoton’s Will was proved on 13 Mar 1397/8. |
The Hundred Years War against France Nonarum Inquisitiones recorded a valuation for taxation
purposes. |
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1330 Nicolaus de ffarnedale
was born in about 1335 (FAR00038A).
The Doncaster
Kirkleatham Skelton Line. He paid the 1379 Poll Tax in
Doncaster and was married to Alicia. 1336 Debtor: John de Farndale of
Hovingham [Ryedale Wapentake, N.R.Yorks]; Creditor:
Thomas de Wrelton, chaplain [of Yorks]; Amount:
Ł8; Before whom: Henry de Belton, Mayor
of York; William Gra, Clerk; When taken: 16/04/1336 - First term: 19/05/1336.
Writ to: Sheriff of Yorks. Sent by: Nicholas Fouke,
Mayor of York; John de Arnold, Clerk. Endorsement: Ebor' Coram Justic' de
Banco. Date: 1342 Sep 8 (Latin National Archives Reference: C 241/115/94) |
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1345 Thomas Wake – the
founding of a House of Friars, Farndale, 30 July 1345 (FAR00039). ‘At Reading. Licence for the
alienation in frank almoin by Thomas Wake of Lyde
to the friers of the Holy Order of the Holy Cross of a toft and 10 acres of
land in the moor of Blakenhowe in Farndale, for them to found
a house of the Order there and to build an Oratory and dwelling houses.’ |
The
long wars with the Scots, involving the people of Yorkshire, ended with an invasion
by David II of Scotland in 1346, encouraged by the French. He reached York, but failed to take the city. Archbishop de la Zouche rallied
Yorkshiremen to resist the invasion and a crushing defeat was inflicted at
Neville's Cross. David was imprisoned. |
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1348 William Smyth of
Farndale, 17 January 1348 (FAR00040). 1349 Walter de
Farndale, warden of the free chapel of Chelmsford, London (FAR00041A). By 1349, merchant ships transported rats carrying the black death to
Britain. The black death soon swept through the villages in the south and
then the north of Britain. Soon it
swept through most villages in Britain. |
|
|
1350 The Fair at
Farndale, 1350 (FAR00041). An end of serfdom and the
growth of a new middle class Due to the lowered population,
there was a food excess which was sold for profit to create a new middle
class and a more prosperous nation. As more tax was demanded of these
merchantmen from their lords a resistance grew;
leading to the peasants' revolt. The rebels marched on London. And so
whilst the rebel leaders were executed, the changed circumstances meant that
serfdom was slowly replaced in England, giving rise to an alternative path to
many of the European nations. |
In rural areas, the heavier rate of mortality was in
the more densely populated East Riding. As the
plague subsided, there was widespread movement of labourers and their
families as workers sought more for their labour. The earliest surviving churchwarden accounts
including for Ripon and Hedon in Yorkshire. |
|
1353 Farndale folk,
1353 (FAR00042). The manor
with its members in Farndale. |
|
|
1354 John Farndale,
born in about 1354 (FAR00042A). John was a party to a major
livestock haul. ‘John Farndale and others broke
their close, houses and hedges at Wittonstalle and Fayrhils, Co Northumberland and seized 30 horses, 20
mares, 100 oxen and 100 cowes valued at Ł200 and
carried them off with goods and chattels, assaulted his men, servants and
tenants and so threatened them that they left his service.’ John Colynman of
Farndale, 1354 (FAR00043). ‘At
Westminster. Commission of Oyer and Terminer to 20 May, John Colynman of Farnedale……….’ |
|
|
1357 Richard Farendale,
born perhaps in about 1357 (but to reconcile with date of his will) (FAR00044). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. |
|
|
1359 Helen Farndale,
born in about 1359 in Sheriff Hutton (FAR00045). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. |
The Gough Map, the oldest
surviving road map of Great Britain. |
|
1361 Agnes Farndale,
born in about 1361 in Sheriff Hutton (FAR00046). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. Transfer of the
lands of Kirkbymoorside (including lands in Farndale, Gillyngmore, Brauncedale and Fademore) from
Thomas de Holand earl of Kent to his widow Joan. (FAR00046A) |
|
|
1366 Farndale folk, 10
February 1366 (FAR00047). Reference
to folk of Farndale. ‘At Westminster. Commission of Oyer and Terminer…William
Blakhose of Farndale….John
Cokrell the younger of Farndale….’ |
|
|
1370 William Farndale
of Caleys, 7 May
1370 (FAR00047A). Pardon to
William Farndale of Caleys of the King's suit for
the death of John de Spaldyngton, whereof he is
indicted or appealed, and of any consequent outlawry. |
The
emergence of peasant farmers (yeoman class) with up to 100 acres. |
|
1372 Farndale folk, 20
November 1372 (FAR00048). Reference
to folk of Farndale caught hunting. ‘At Westminster. Commission of Oyer and
Terminer. John porter of Farndale ….Hugh Bailey of
Farndale. Adam Bailley of Farndale…..caught
hunting.’ |
William
Langdale’s poem, Piers Plowman provides significant description of medieval farming practices. Earliest records from the Court of Common Pleas. A Poll Tax levied on almost every individual except paupers. |
|
1378 Johannes (John) Fernedill, born in
about 1378 (FAR00048A). The York 1 Line. Butcher and freeman of York.
Johannes Fernedill, boucher, made
Freeman of York. |
The Peasants Revolt prompted by
the Poll Tax in towns and country. |
|
1383 Margorie Farndale,
born in about 1383 (FAR00049). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. |
|
|
1385 Agnes Farndale,
born in about 1385 (FAR00050). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. John
Farndale, born in about 1385 (FAR00051A). |
|
|
1387 Alice Farndale,
born in about 1387 (FAR00051). The Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. |
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales. |
|
1388 William Farndayll, born in
about 1388 (FAR00052). Possibly the Sheriff Hutton 1 Line. In 1428 William Farndayll of Huton held at Gowthorpe in the East Riding, three bovates of land, part
of the Archbishopric of York. |
|
|
1396 Pardon to Robert
de Wodde of Farndale, 19 April 1396 (FAR00053). Pardon for
the death of John Hawlare of Kirby Moorseved. |
|
|
1398 Thomas Wolthwayte of Farndale, 2 May 1398 (FAR00054). The English tradition of
archery gave rise to a formidable force that fought at Agincourt in October
1415 under the inspiring leadership of Henry V. The longbow allowed the
British to become victorious due to the ranged advantage and the high rate of
fire. After its release from serfdom, the English forces were loyal to their
homeland, which they had an interest to defend. |
Henry
IV, 1399-1413 Henry
V, 1413-1422 |
|
1422 Reference to Tydkinhowe, 28 May
1422 (FAR00055). The Tidkinhow Line were a line
of Farndales who farmed at Tidkinhow farm from the mid nineteenth century. |
Henry
VI, 1422-1461 The right to vote to men over 21 or owning
freehold land. 1440 Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press. |
|
1450 William Farndale,
born in about 1450 (FAR00056A). William’s wife was wrongfully
deprived of her inherited lands. “To The
Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England. Rose Farndale, plaintiff,
late wife of William Farndale that John Reignold of
Dodynghurst, Co Essex, husbandman, sold to said
William for a sum agreed and paid, a tenement set in Dodynghurst
aforesaid, called Whitefeldes ‘tenement’ with a
garden and two fields, one called Hornefeld and the
other Barnefeld and the said john Reignold promised to make ‘sufficient estate thereof’ to
said William or to whom he would advise; before any estate made thereof the
same William made his will by which he willed that the plaintiff should have
the said tenement and land to her and her heirs for ever. Since his death the
plaintiff has required said John Reignold to make
estate of the premises to her and to her heirs and he has refused and has entered into the said lands and occupies them contrary to
all reason and conscience.” Doddinghurst is a
Parish in SW Essex near Brentford. |
A map of Goole Moor (Inclesmoor) and Thorne Moor in south Yorkshire relating to a land dispute. The loss of all French lands
except Calais. The War of the Roses. 1461 Many thousands died during the
Battle of Towton in Yorkshire. |
|
1460 Robert Farndale,
born in about 1460 (FAR00056). The Sussex Line. Rector of South Stoke, Sussex.
Robert
Farndale, presented to the college of Holy Trinity in 1508, resigning in
1509. |
Edward
IV, 1461-1483 Henry VI 1470 to 1471 (House of Lancaster restored) Edward
V (two months) Richard
III, 1483-1485 The founding of the College of
Arms. |
|
1484 Thomas fyndaille, born in
about 1484 (FAR00057). Thomas fyndaille of Lythe, mentioned in a Lay Subsidy of Henry
VIII. |
|
|
|
Henry
VII, 1485-1509 Christopher Columbus reached
America. The Fall of Granada and the
Moors were expelled from Spain. The Vagabonds and Beggars Act
allowed the punishment of the poor. The licensing of alehouses
began. 1498 Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape
and sailed to India. |
Historical Notes
The continuation of the
early Middle Ages (1066 to 1500)
We have
previously explored the earlier phase
of the early middle Ages. This epoch is generally
considered to continue during the monarchy of the Normans.
The later Medieval Period
(1150 to 1500)
The historic
period of the later medieval age, the Plantagenets and the Houses of Lancaster
and York. Please see the first volume of the Farndale Directory and the
introduction to the history of the Farndale family.
By 1300
Yorkshire farmers had reached the present day limits
of cultivation on the Pennines.
The Monarchy
The House of
Plantagenet
Henry II 1154 –
1189 - His views on church reform came into conflict with Thomas Becket,
Archbishop of Canterbury who was assassinated in 1170.
Richard I 1189
– 1199 - He was nicknamed Lionheart due to his involvement in the crusades.
John 1199 –
1216 - Known as Lackland because his father did not grant him any land.
Henry III 1216
– 1272 - Became King at the age of 9 years and ruled for 56 years.
Edward I 1272 –
1307 - Nicknamed Longshanks because he was tall and the Hammer of the Scots
because he fought in Scotland. He conquered Wales and built many castles. When
his wife, Eleanor, died, Edward erected crosses along her funeral route
including at Charing Cross in London.
Edward II 1307
– 1327 - He was created the first Prince of Wales and eldest sons of the
reigning monarch have been created Prince of Wales ever since. He was deposed
in favour of his son and imprisoned where he died.
Edward III 1327
– 1377 - Edward’s reign was dominated by the Hundred Years War with France.
Edward’s eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince, died fighting in the war.
Society changed following the drastic reduction in the population following the
Black Death. Rivalry between Edward’s
sons led to the Wars of the Roses.
Richard II 1377
– 1399 - Became King at the age of 10 years when he succeeded his grandfather
to the throne. He was deposed and imprisoned in Pontefract Castle where he
died.
The House of
Lancaster
Henry IV 1399 –
1413 - Henry took the throne from Richard II.
Henry V 1413 –
1422 - Continued the Hundred Years War and saw victory at Agincourt. He died
from a wound sustained while fighting.
Henry VI 1422 –
1461, 1470 – 1471 - Suffered bouts of madness that led to challenges to the
throne known as the Wars of the Roses.
The House of
York
Edward IV 1461
– 1483 - Took the throne from Henry VI. Alienated Richard Neville, Earl of
Warwick by marrying Elizabeth Woodville and raising her family.
Edward V 1483 -
Aged 12 when his father died. Edward and his brother Richard mysteriously died
in the Tower of London and are referred to as the Princes in the Tower.
Richard III
1483 – 1485 - Appointed regent for young Edward V and became King after
declaring the sons of Edward IV to be illegitimate.
The coming of the Normans
In 1066, after
the death of King Edward the Confessor, Yorkshire became the stage for two
major battles that would help decide who would succeed to the throne.
Harold
Godwinson was declared King by the English but this
was disputed by Harold Hardrada King of Norway and William Duke of Normandy. In
the late summer of 1066 Harold Hardrada, accompanied by Tostig Godwinson, took
a large Norwegian fleet and army up the Humber towards York. They were met by
the army of the northern earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar
of Northumbria who they defeated at the Battle of Fulford. Harold Hardrada
occupied York and the Norwegian Army encamped at Stamford Bridge. Harold
Godwinson had to travel from London gathering his army as he went to face the
invasion. Within five days, on 25 September 1066, Harold Godwinson had reached
Stamford Bridge and defeated the Norwegian Army in a battle in which both
Harold Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson were killed. The Battle of Stamford Bridge
can be seen as one of the pivotal battles in English history. It was the last
time a Scandinavian army was able to seriously threaten England.
On 28 September
1066, William Duke of Normandy landed on the south coast of England forcing
Harold Godwinson to rush south from Yorkshire with his army. They met at the
Battle of Hastings where the English army was defeated and Harold Godwinson
killed, allowing William to become King of England.
King William I
and the Normans did not immediately gain control over the whole of the country
and rebellions in the north of England, including Yorkshire led to the Harrying
of the North. The Anglo-Norman chronicler Oderic
Vitalis condoned William the Conqueror for conducting a scorched earth campaign
during the winter of 1069-70. Those who escaped initially hid in Yorkshire's
woodland but many then died of famine or exposure.
By 1071 the
last native led rebellion against Norman authority in Yorkshire had been
suppressed. The severity of the Norman campaign is shown by the fall of land
values in Yorkshire by two-thirds between 1069 and 1086.
Domesday book
records that 25 continental magnates introduced into Yorkshire by the Conqueror
held over 90% of the county's manors. The families who had previously held land
were either deprived of their holdings or reduced to subtenants. Scholarship on
the "harrying" does contain some dissent from this history. For instance the use of land value data does not confirm a
specific policy of harrying. The difficulty experienced by kings administering
the North compared to the South, produces a slanted view of land values and
Domesday information.
In the early
years of Norman rule the new rulers built ringwork
castles. These were circular defensive enclosures formed by the construction of
a bank and a ditch. Examples of these are Kippax, near Leeds and Castleton on
the North York Moors. Yorkshire at this time was frontier country. It was
vulnerable to attack from the north by the Scots and from across the North Sea
by the Danes.
Soon more
complex motte and bailey castles were being built as the ruthless and ambitious
barons appointed by King William to rule Yorkshire gained a hold on their
territories. The parcels of land bestowed by William to his followers in
Yorkshire were fewer and much larger than in more southern counties. Each was
able to support a sizeable garrison in a strong castle. Large castles were
established at Conisbrough, Tickhill, Pontefract,
Richmond, Middleham and Skipsea and two in York.
At this time
there was established the chain of castles across the southern edge of the
North York Moors which included Scarborough, Pickering and Helmsley.
When the
Normans arrived in Yorkshire there were no monastic foundations. The old
Northumbrian clifftop abbey of Whitby lay in ruins. In the centuries following
the Conquest splendid abbeys and priories were built in Yorkshire. The first of
these was Selby Abbey, founded in 1069 and the birthplace of Henry I of
England. There followed the abbeys of St Mary’s, York, Rievaulx, Fountains,
Whitby, Byland, Jervaulx, Kirkstall, Roche, Meaux and
many other smaller establishments. During the succeeding 70 years religious
orders flourished, particularly after the promotion of Thurstan of Bayeux to
the archbishopric of York in 1114. Between 1114 and 1135 at least 14 were
established.
The Norman
landowners were keen to increase their revenues by establishing new towns and
planned villages. Among others, the boroughs of Richmond, Pontefract,
Sheffield, Doncaster, Helmsley and Scarborough were established in this way as
were the villages of Levisham and Appleton-le-Moors
on the North York Moors and Wheldrake in the Vale of
York. York was the pre-eminent centre of population before the conquest and was
one of only four pre existing
towns. The others included Bridlington and Pocklington.
The Danish
invasions ceased at this time but the Scots continued
their invasions throughout the medieval period. The Battle of the Standard was
fought against the Scots near Northallerton in 1138.
During this
period the majority of the Yorkshire population was
engaged in small scale farming. A growing number of families were living on the
margin of subsistence and some of these families turned to crafts and trade or
industrial occupations. By 1300 Yorkshire farmers had reached the present day limits of cultivation on the Pennines. Both lay
and monastic landowners exploited the minerals on their estates. There were
forges producing iron, and lead was being mined and smelted in the northern
dales. In the West Riding there were numerous small coal workings. Until the
late 12th century the cloth industry was mostly urban,
focussed on York and Beverley. By 1300 the towns of Hedon, Masham,
Northallerton, Ripon, Selby, Whitby and Yarm were also involved in cloth
manufacture. Around this time the balance of cloth manufacturing was changing
in favour of the West Riding rural communities where it was a cottage industry
and free of the restrictions of town guilds.
1066 was a
turning point in English history. Following the Battle of Hastings, William the
Conqueror took the throne after the death of King Harold. However
the tribal organisation within Britain at the time meant that defeat in the
south was not recognised by those who lived in the north. So
towns like Northallerton continued to resist the new Norman rulers.
William grew
frustrated, and Normans were sent north to suppress resistance with force. The
Conqueror showed himself to be a despot from the moment of his victory at
Hastings. In the north, faced with the growing menace of the Norman baronage,
Yorkshiremen began to fight back. By 1086, war spilled across most of England
and the whole of the north was in ferment. In Yorkshire, bands of outlaws drawn
from the persecuted Saxon nobility took an oath that none should sleep under a
roof until the Normans were driven out of England.
Angered,
William marched northwards meeting Edgar and Morcar
‘where the Ouse and the Humber conjoin’. He inflicted so bloody a defeat that
thousands of Saxons withdrew to the hills.
York was soon subdued and garrisoned by Norman troops. The Normans then
used Saxon labour to build and fortify York, to become the primary fortress of
the north. Many Northumbrian and Yorkshire chieftains fled to Scotland.
The new Norman
Governor of York, William Mallet, reported to the Conqueror that the land
around the city, later called Ainstie, and the Forest of Galtres,
was becoming precariously dangerous. The over ambitious Norman Commander,
Robert de Comine, marched northwards through
Yorkshire, intending to conquer Country Durham, but was swiftly dispatched by
Saxon guerrillas, when attacking the city of Durham. He was burned alive with
his military staff. The Saxons were supported by allies from abroad, including
from Denmark. On hearing of their arrival, thousands of Dalesmen
came hurrying to join them. The Governor of York, William Mallet, in his battle
preparations, accidentally set fire to the city. In the chaos 3,000 Normans
fled the burning city, to be slaughtered by the Saxons. York Minster and its
priceless library was burned.
This Saxon
insurrection gave rise to a vengeance of ferocious intensity.
When the news
reached William he roared Per Deum Splendorum
(‘By the splendour of God’) and even his own entourage were in terror. William
swore that not a rood of northern land, a cottage or a human life should go
unscathed. Village by village were terrorised with such savagery that most
Saxon leaders fled to Scotland again, never to return.
150,000 people
died or fled during brutal slaughters. The land was torched. For twelve long
years the land laid barren and towns stood stark for
half a century. The terrifying experience for those living in Yorkshire and
northern Britain was known as the Harrying of the North.
William’s
commissioners then came, with sword, to lay the foundations of the new Norman
aristocracy. Such brutal overlords included William de Percy, ancestor of the
Earls of Northumberland, who was given eighty Saxon manors. Large tracts of
North Yorkshire fell to the hands of William’s cousin, Alan the Red who built
Richmond Castle. The mighty De Mowbrays were dominant
across Yorkshire and soon there became established the powerful houses of
Clifford of Skipton and Scope of Wensleydale.
Norman
influence grew, with military structures such as forts and castles built around
Britain. The Normans claimed land from Britons, and
took it from private owners. To demonstrate ownership and make taxing more
efficient, the Doomsday Book was written to record every person living in
Britain and everything they own. Effects of this were seen in investments such
as large cathedrals and impressive architecture. Norman Lords started preparing
for the crusades, raising taxation from their lands. The noblemen were
promoted, for instance to baron, due to their success as a crusader. Those who
funded the noblemen were the inhabitants of the land.
Desperate times and illegal
hunting
In 1315, one of
Britain's worst storms halved the crop yield and half a million died as a
result. Thus, the price of crops increased driving many to hunt illegally. Folk
took to hunting but where they did so in royal forests, such as Pickering, it
was a criminal offence. Such men must have been skilled bowmen, potentially
also those who may be called upon to fight for their king if called upon. But
when they hunted in the royal forests they were
criminals. The hunters were chased by the king's foresters and were often
caught unless they could evade capture. Such exploits sparked the legend of
Robin Hood.
Many of our
Farndale ancestors hunted illegally in the royal forests of Pickering. Our
ancestors were spirited individuals who were not afraid to take risks to
protect their interests. One of our ancestors, William Farndale, was later
married in the church where legend says Robin Hood married Maid Marion.
Sky’s series
The British tells the story of People Power in Episode 2. It narrates the rampages and rebellions of
medieval Britain, the Black Death and Peasants' Revolt. It even depicts
poachers in Pickering forest where our Farndale
ancestors were also poachers and suggests that such exploits were the
inspiration for the British spirit that developed and the legend of Robin Hood.
If you are interested in early Farndale history, you will enjoy the second
episode of this series.
The Black Death
By 1349,
merchant ships transported rats carrying the black death to Britain. The black
death soon swept through the villages in the south and then the north of
Britain. Soon it swept through most
villages in Britain. In London, mass graves were used to preserve the dignity
of the dead.
An end of
serfdom and the growth of a new middle class
Due to the
lowered population, there was a food excess which was sold for profit to create
a new middle class and a more prosperous nation. As more tax was demanded of
these merchantmen from their lords a resistance grew;
leading to the peasants' revolt. The rebels marched on London.
And so whilst the rebel leaders were executed, the changed
circumstances meant that serfdom was slowly replaced in England, giving rise to
an alternative path to many of the European nations.
Meantime the
English tradition of archery gave rise to a formidable force that fought at
Agincourt in October 1415 under the inspiring leadership of Henry V. The
longbow allowed the British to become victorious due to the ranged advantage
and the high rate of fire. After its release from serfdom, the English forces
were loyal to their homeland, which they had an interest to defend.