William Farndale of Shyrefhoton

C1332 to 1397

A chaplain who came became wealthy and came to live at Sheriff Hutton.

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Early years

William Farnedale of Shyrefhoton was a relatively wealthy man when he died on about 13 March 1398, leaving his will. If he lived to about 65, he was born in about 1332.

His grandfather was probably Walter de Farndale of Cayton, one of the early family pioneers who had left the dale of Farndale but adopted its name. Walter de Farndale of Cayton was killed, probably murdered, by Hugh of Lebreston, for which Hugh was later pardoned on 24 May 1328, but on condition that he joined an expedition against the Scots. It seems most likely that William was born in Cayton, the family home at that time. Cayton was probably the medieval village about 10 kilometres north of Harrogate.

By 1338 William’s father, Walter de Farndale the Younger, had joined the clergy and was the vicar at Haltwhistle, near Hexham in Northumberland. From there his father took an ecclesiastical post at Layzonby near Carlisle and afterwards moved south to vicarage in the south of England and around London.

It seems likely that William stayed with his grandparents, perhaps his mother, and was brought up at Cayton. The Harrogate Cayton was a monastic grange, with a speciality in fish farming. In common with much of the north of England, the grange was devastated by attacks by the Scots in the early part of the fourteenth century. By 1363 Cayton was still in a parlous state and the abbey decided to convert it, along with eight other granges, into a secular vill and rent it out to lay tenants.

Chaplain of Darley

William’s Will refers to Juliana Farndale, his wife. If he was 25 when he married then they must have married in about 1357. Richard Farndale, their son might have been born in about 1358, and became a medieval veteran soldier in the armies of Richard II and Henry V.

On 15 October 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 quitclaimed to him without the King’s licence and grant that he shall retain the same fee.

So if we are correct that William was Walter, the vicar’s son, who by 1358 was a vicar in the south of England, it is not unlikely that William, the chaplain of Darley, was his son.

William Farndale was chaplain of Derleye by 1358 at the age of about 26. Derleye is probably a reference to Darley, which is a place about 10 kilometres northwest of Harrogate, not so far from Cayton. There are no other places which are similar to Derleye in Yorkshire.

Helen Farndale, William and Juliana’s daughter, might have been born in about 1359. Their second daughter Agnes Farndale might have been born in about 1361.

It might have been William who on something of a rampage, in 1367, with William Blackhouse trespassed, hunted, felled trees, fished, trod down and ate corn and assaulted the servants of the complaining knight, William Latimer. In the forty first regnal year of Edward III, on 8 November 1367, at Westminster, Commission of Oyer and Terminer was ordered to John Mourbray, Thomas de Ingleby … on complaint by William Latymer, knight, that whereas the king lately took him, his men, lands, rents and possessions into his protection while he stayed in the king’s service in the parts of Brittany, Master John de Bolton, clerk, Thomas de Neuton, chaplain, William Rede … William of Farndale … William Blakehose of Farndale … broke his closes at Danby, Leverton, Thornton in Pykerynglith, Symnelyngton, Scampton, Teveryngton and Morhous, Co York, entered his free chace at Danby and his free warren at the remaining places, hunted therein without licence, felled his trees there, fished in his several fishery, took away fish, trees, deer from the chace, hares, conies, pheasants and partridges from the warren departured, trod down and consumed the corn and grass there with certain cattle and assaulted and wounded his men and servants. By K And be it remembered that the said William has granted the king a moiety of all the profit which he shall recover for damages by pretext of the said commission.

If that is so he might have lived in Farndale until about this time before he moved south, finding himself first to the south of York, before settling in Sheriff Hutton. However this was more likely to have been a different William of Farndale if we are right that this William had become a chaplain near Harrogate.

On 7 May 1370, a pardon was granted to William Farndale of the King’s suite at Caleys for the death of John de Spaldyngton whereof he is indicted of any consequent outlawry. Spaldington is a place about 20 kilometres southeast of York. Caleys is more difficult to identify, but there is a location, about 10 kilometres southwest of Harrogate, called Caley Hall. Since this is in the vicinity of both Cayton and Darley, this seems quite likely to be another reference to William.

This leaves us with the impression of an ecclesiastical family, but one engaged in mafian vendettas. William’s grandfather had been killed in 1328 for which his killer had been pardoned, and forty years later in 1370 William was pardoned for the death of John of Spaldington.

Sheriff Hutton

Sometime after 1370 William moved to Sheriff Hutton with his family. It is possible that he took some ecclesiastical office, given his past chaplaincy, his father’s itinerant ecclesiastical career, and his clear interest in the church of Sheriff Hutton in his will.

The next we learn of him is when the Will of William Farnedale of Schyrefhoton was proved in 1398.

By that time he had acquired sufficient wealth to be able to afford to leave 100s to ensure divine services for his soul to be conducted by a chaplain at Sheriff Hutton church, 20s to re-lead the church roof, and id to every poor person in the parish on the day of his death. He gave £4 each to his wife Juliana, and his warrior son Richard. He gave an impressive holding of livestock to his daughters.

In the name of God Amen. I, William Farnedale, on 23 February 1398, in good memory, make my testament in this manner.

Firstly, I bequeath my soul to God and the Blessed Mary and all the Saints, and my body to be buried in the Churchyard at Schyrefhoton.

Item, I bequeath as mortuary payment, the best animal I have. I bequeath to be burned around my body, as candles, 8lbs of wax.

Item, I bequeath to the High Altar for sins forgiven, 4s.

Item, I bequeath to a Chaplain to celebrate divine services for my soul in the Parish Church of Schyrefhoton for a whole year, 100s.

Item, I bequeath to the fabric of St Peter’s York, 6s 8d.

Item, I bequeath to Sir John Ferriby, Robert Gyllyng and William Barneby, 6s 8d each (20s).

I bequeath to the Church of Schirefhoton for putting lead on the south roof, 20s.

Item, I bequeath to each Canon of the Monastery of Marton 12d.

I bequeath to every Chaplain ministering on the day of my funeral, 6d.

Item, I bequeath to my wife Juliana, 4li and to my son Richard, 4li.

Item, I bequeath to every poor person on the day of my burial 1d.

Item, I bequeath to my son Richard my small sword with all my knives.

Item, I bequeath to my daughter Helen, two cows.

Item, I bequeath to my daughter, Agnes 2 bullocks and two plough beasts.

Item, I bequeath to Richard Batlay 2 bullocks,

Item, I bequeath to Margaret Batlay 2 bullocks and 2 plough beasts.

I bequeath the rest of my goods to my wife Juliana, my son Richard and my daughter Helen.

And I appoint Sir John Alwent, Rector of the Parish Church of Midelham, Juliana Farndale, Richard Farndale and William Huby, my executors.

In witness whereof I have set my seal. Witnesses: Sir Robert de Hoton, Prior of Marton and Sir John de Park, Chaplain and many others, date as above.”

Administration granted 13 March 1397 to Richard Farndale and William Huby, rights of Juliana, relict of the deceased, being reserved. Sir John Alwent relinquishes all his rights.

How does William Farnedale of Schyrefhoton relate to the modern family?

It is not possible to be accurate about the early family tree, before the recording of births, marriages and deaths in parish records, but we do have a lot of medieval material including important clues on relationships between individuals. The matrix of the family before about 1550 is the most probable structure based on the available evidence.

If it is accurate, William Farnedale of Schyrefhoton, was related to the thirteenth century ancestors of the modern Farndale family, and was part of the Sheriff Hutton Line. He was related to the original family who lived in the dale and then left for new lands. He was possibly a second cousin of the Doncastrian Farndales, from whom the modern family probably descends.

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The webpage of William Farndale includes a chronology of his life and source material.