Sir William Farndale

c1330 to c1415

The Chaplain and Vicar of Doncaster, who held lands at Loversall, of whom we have significant records

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

The Chaplain after the Black Death

We first meet William Farndale as Chaplain to Walter de Thornton, the Vicar of Doncaster, in 1355. If William had been aged about 25 in 1355, then he would have been born in about 1330.

Although there are no records of his birth, the most likely candidate for his father is Johannes de Farendale, whose family had left Farndale for Egton and then Rosedale. His father had taken a substantial loan at Hovingham in 1336 after which he settled in York and set up a business as a saddle maker. By 1363, Johannes de Farndale had become a freeman of York, and his son, Johannes de Farndall remained in York, where he too became a freeman.

It is tempting to deduce that William was the son of Walter de Farndale, himself an itinerant priest, but Walter already had a son called William Farndale, chaplain of Darley near Harrogate in 1358, so is unlikely to have had two sons of the same name. So it seems more likely that William was a second cousin of this other ecclesiastical family, who came to settle in Sheriff Hutton, while William of Doncaster seems to fit more neatly into the York line.

William probably had a brother Nicholaus de ffarnedale and they seem to have moved to Doncaster.

The Black Death hit Doncaster badly between 1347 to 1351. William may have been in his teens during the Black Death. The experience of the Black Death (and his survival) might have turned him to the church. The two brothers might have left York for Doncaster during the traumas of the Black Death.

By the 1330s when William was born, Doncaster was the wealthiest town in southern Yorkshire and the sixth in Yorkshire as a whole, even boasting its own banker. By the 1350s, it was recovering from the Black Death, which had reduced its population to 1,500.

By 1355, perhaps a little earlier, William Farndale was a chaplain at the magnificent Doncaster Parish Church.

It was in 1355 that Walter de Thornton, vicar of Doncaster and Wm. de Farndall, chaplain, along with Wm. del Wode of Doncaster, King's serjeant at arms and John de Barneby, chaplain were parties to a transaction relating to 1½ acres of land in Whaytelagh lately belonging to Sir Thos. de Schepley, late vicar of Whaytelagh. John de Barnburgh of Doncaster and John Boteler were witnesses. The deed, written in Latin, was signed at Doncaster, on the Saturday in Easter week, in the twenty ninth regnal year of Edward III, and dated 11 April 1355. It was probably a reference to Wheatley in the northern suburbs of Doncaster on the south bank of the River Don.

The Parish Church of St George at Doncaster was magnificent even in its medieval structure, well before the rebuilt Victorian Church which has become today’s Doncaster Minster. Its history is the subject of The History and Description of St George’s Church at Doncaster Destroyed by Fire February 28, 1853, by John Edward Jackson MA, 1855.

We don’t know if or who William married. Nor do we have records of his offspring. Well into the twelfth century as many of a quarter of the secular clergy, bishops, archdeacons, and parish priests were married, despite the attempt of the Church to impose sexual abstinence on the higher clergy. Lay and clergy chose marriage as a union within which sexual relations were sanctioned, albeit only for the creation of offspring. There was vocal opposition by a substantial number of clergy against chaste marriages or celibacy. The married clergy were not afraid to defend their right to continue their marriages as sexual unions. By the fourteenth century, the struggle to outlaw clerical marriage had largely succeeded, though clerical concubinage was still commonplace. Over the course of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries secular governments in England became increasingly involved in enforcing clerical celibacy.

The direct ancestors of the modern Farndales were living just north of Doncaster by about 1512, and continued to do so until about 1564, when the family moved to Kirkleatham in Cleveland. So it seems reasonable to suppose that there was a family of modern Farndales’ ancestors living around Doncaster back to William’s time. Perhaps William was an ancestor of the modern family himself, and after a couple of generations, Nicholas Farndale was born into that family. It seems more likely that William Farndale the vicar had siblings, one of whom was a grandfather or great grandfather of Nicholas.

It therefore seems most likely that the modern Farndales descend from Nicholas Farndale of Doncaster, who was contemporary with William, and probably his brother.

We see the names William and Nicholas continue to be used by the main family line from the sixteenth century. William was an extremely common name, but the continuity with the environs of Doncaster and the use of the names Nicholas and William adds to the evidence that it was from this Doncastrian family, that modern Farndales descend.

Another possible descendant of the Doncastrian line, en route to the Campsall and Kirkleatham Farndales, was another William Farndale, perhaps a great or great great grandson, who married Rose Farndale.

Loversall

On 7 December 1368, Robert Ripers transferred five acres of land at Loversall, just south of Doncaster, to Sir William Farndale, who was still a chaplain.

The Patent Rolls on 7 December 1368, in the forty second regnal year of Edward III recorded Know men present and to come that I Robert Ripers of Loversall have given, granted, and by this my present charter confirmed to Sir William Farndale, chaplain, 5 acres of land with appurtenances lying in the fields of Loversall, extending from the meadows of the Wyke to the Kardyke, of which 1 acre 1 rood lie in Wykefield between the land of Robert son of John son of William, son of Robert on both sides. And 2 ½ acres lying in the Midelfild between my own land on the west and the land of Richard son of Robert on the east. And 1 rood lying in Wodfild between my own land on the west and the land of John of Wakefield on the east. To have and to hold the said 5 acres of land with appurtenances to the said William and his heirs and assigns, freely, quietly, well and in peace, from the chief lords of the free by the services then owed and customary by right. And I, said Robert, and my heirs, will warrant the said 5 acres with appurtenances to the said Sir William, his heirs and assigns against all men for ever. In witness whereof I have affixed my seal to this present charter. These being in witness; Sir John of Loversall, Chaplain; William Vely, Robert Clerk, Richard Rilis, John son of William son of Roger and others. Given at Loversall on Thursday after the Feast of St Nicholas.

Loversall is a parish two kilometres south of Doncaster. There is more evidence of the relationship between Loversall and the Vicar of Doncaster in Jackson’s history of Doncaster Parish Church.

‘Sir’ was used when referring to a vicar, so he was already being referred to as Sir William Farndale by 1368, though he was still a chaplain then. The title Sir does not indicate a knighthood.

The Vicar of Doncaster

Sir William Farndale became the Vicar of Doncaster from 8 January 1397, when he was aged about 61, to 31 August 1403, when he was aged about 68, when he resigned.

On 8 Jan 1397 William Farndale, priest was presented on the death of Alan Rasyn. There is a memorandum of the presentation by the abbot and convent of York, St Mary, of William Farnedale, priest, to the vicarage of the parish church of Doncaster, vacant by the death of Alan Rasyn, the last vicar, followed by his admission and institution by the vicar general, and an order to the archdeacon of York for his induction.

From Jackson’s 1855 History of Doncaster Parish Church

William transferred his 5 acres of land at Lovershall to John Burton in 1402. The Patent Rolls on 6 April 1402 in the third regnal year of Henry IV, recorded Know men present and to come that I, William Farndalle, Vicar of the Church of Doncastre, have given, granted and by this present charter confirmed to John Burton of Waddeworth, his heirs and assigns 5 acres of land with appurtenances lying in the fields of Loversall. Viz, those 5 acres of land which I had as gift and feoffment of Robert Ryppes of Loversalle and which extend from the meadows of the Wyke to the Kardyke as the charter drawn up for me by Robert Ryppes more fully sets out. To have and to hold the said 5 acres of land with appurtenances to the said John Burton, his heirs and assigns from the chief of the lords of the fee by the services thence owed and customary by right. And I William Farndalle and my heirs will warrant the said 5 acres of land with appurtenances to the said John Burton, his heirs and assigns against all men for ever. In witness whereof I have affixed my seal to this present charter. These being witnesses; John Yorke of Loversalle, Robert Oxenford of Loversalle, William Ryppes of the same, John Millotte of the same, William Clerk of the same and many others. Given at Loversalle.

If William de Farndale, was born in 1355, then he was 67 when the second transfer was made having first taken ownership of the land in 1368 when he was about 33.

It was in the same year that he resigned as Vicar of Doncaster on 31 August 1403. In the records of the Archdeaconry of York, there was a record of Master Richard Rasyn, proctor of the new Vicar, of the order for the induction of William Couper, priest, to the vicarage of Doncaster, vacant by the resignation of William Farndale, the previous vicar.

Most of the Doncaster vicars had continued in the role until they died. Given the sale of his Loversall land and his resignation in the same year, there might have been some reason that William was forced to give up both lands and post at the same time. He might have become ill perhaps.

William Farndale must have died sometime after 1403. If he lived to 85, then he would have died in about 1415, but it is possible that he died sooner after 1403.

How does William Farndale, the Vicar of Doncaster 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 Farndale was related to the thirteenth century ancestors of the modern Farndale family, and he might have been related to the York Line. William’s own family who settled in Doncaster might be on the direct ancestral line of the modern Farndales and his brother Nicholas Farndale might be a direct ancestor.

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