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Doncaster
Historical and geographical information
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Introduction
Hyperlinks
to other pages are in dark
blue.
Headlines
of the history of the Doncaster are in brown.
References
and citations are in turquoise.
Contextual
history is in purple.
This webpage about the Doncaster has the following
section headings:
·
The
Farndales of Doncaster
·
The
History of Doncaster
·
Doncaster
Timeline
See also the History of
the Parish of Doncaster and Loversall and Campsall.
The Farndales of Doncaster
The following Farndales are associated
with Doncaster:
(Sir) William
Farndale (FAR00038), was Vicar of Doncaster between about 1396 and 1403. We
first see his name in a grant of land in Latin by Walter de Thornton, the vicar
of Doncaster, and Wm de Farndell, his chaplain on 11 April 1355. Perhaps
William may have been about twenty then, so perhaps he was born in about 1335.
The Black Death had ravaged Doncaster from about 1349, and its population had
been reduced to about 1,500. So William must have survived the Black Death.
Perhaps he was already a chaplain then, experiencing the horrors with pastoral
responsibilities. Or perhaps it was his survival of those horrors that was his
path to the church. We then spot him again in the patent rolls
of 1358. On 7 December 1368, Robert Ripers
transferred five acres of land at Lovershall (just
south of Doncaster) to Sir William Farndale, still chaplain. The term ‘sire’
was used as an address to religious men such as priests, it does not denote a
knight. ‘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 1/2 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, 42
Edward III. (7 Dec 1368).’ Sir William Farndale then became the Vicar of
Doncaster from 8 January 1397 (aged about 61) to 31 August 1403 (aged about 68)
when he resigned.
William
transferred his land at Lovershall to John Burton in
1402; “‘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 6 April 3 Henry IV. (6 April 1402).”
In 1403 we see
the installation of William Couper as the vicar of Doncaster, on William
Farndale’s resignation.
On 29 October 1564 a
wedding took place between a William
Farndell and a Margaret Atkinson in the Church of St Magdalene in the
village of Campsall, which is only a few miles north of Doncaster. So on a
balance of probabilities, it seems more likely than not that William Farndell
who married in 1564 came from the same line of Farndales as William Farndale,
the vicar of Doncaster. There must have been a generation or two between them.
It is possible that William the Younger was descended from a brother of William
the Elder, or perhaps he was a direct descendant.
It is believed
that Nicholas Farndale (FAR00059)
and Agnes Farndale (FAR00060),
who both died in Kirkleatham, were born in Campsall or thereabouts, around
Doncaster, perhaps in about 1512 and 1516 respectively. If so, they were likely
descended from William Farndale (FAR00038),
the Vicar of Doncaster, or at least from his wider family (his brother
perhaps). William Farndale junior (FAR00063)
was born in say 1538, and Jean Farndale (FAR00064)
in say 1540 to Nicholas and Agnes. William Farndale married Mary Atkinson at
the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Campsall in 1564. Between 1564 and 1567, the
family moved to Kirkleatham. We don’t know why. Maybe that was Agnes’ ancestral
home. Perhaps more likely Jean had met Richard Fairly, a relatively well
established fellow, whose family were Scottish, but who had more recently
become associated with Cleveland and Kirkleatham. Perhaps the family saw
opportunities by a move north. On 16 October 1567, Jean married Richard Fairley
in Kirkleatham. The family lived generally at Kirkleatham until Nicholas and
Anne’s death in 1572 and 1586, though William had by then realigned slightly
eastward, to Skelton. This established the family tree
for the Doncaster-Kirkleatham-Skelton
Line of Farndales.
Others associated with Doncaster were
William Farndale (FAR00063);
Thomas Farndale (FAR00474);
James Farndale (FAR00669)
who worked in animal husbandry and served with animals in both world wars.
The History of
Doncaster
The Deanery of
Doncaster is one of three historic divisions of the old West Riding of
Yorkshire. This is an area rich in coal and iron. Modern Doncaster is strongly characterised by its
industrial past. However the Doncaster of relevance to the history of the
Farndale family was a very different place.
It was the
place of a significant Roman Fort. After the Norman Conquest, Nigel Fossard had built a Norman Castle. By the thirteenth
century, Doncaster was a busy town. In 1194 Richard I had given the town
recognition by bestowing a town charter. There was a disastrous fire in 1204
(fires seem to feature heavily in Doncaster’s history) from which the town
slowly recovered.
In 1248, a
charter was granted for Doncaster Market to be held in the area surrounding the
Church of St Mary Magdalene, which had been built in Norman times. But over
time the parish church was transferred to the church of the old Norman castle,
the castle which by then was in ruin. The new parish church was the
original Church of St George. During the 14th century, large numbers
of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm
and preaching. In 1307 the Franciscan friars (Greyfriars) arrived, as did
Carmelites (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century. Other major medieval features
included the Hospital of St Nicholas and the leper colony of the Hospital of St
James, a moot hall, a grammar school and a five-arched stone town bridge with a
chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Bridge.
Doncaster 1857
Doncaster Timeline
The true
origin of Doncaster is evidently to be found in the necessity for some means of
crossing the Don at this place.
The sixteenth century historian, John Leland,
wrote I marked that the North parte of Dancaster tonne standith as an
isle: for Dun river at the West side of the towne castith oute an arme, and sone after at the Este side of the town cummith into the principal streame
of Dun again. The fluvial islands probably attracted early settlement and
the islands might have been the home of the ferry man. The island and the
relatively low banks might have been the best place for a road to cross in
time. (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography
of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph
Hunter, 1828, page 1).
The Don was the approximate southern
boundary of the Celtic, Brigantes, dividing them from
the Coritani to the south. At the passage over the
Don where Doncaster now stands, it is probable that the Brigantes
had a settled residence (South
Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the
Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page iii).
43 CE
From the year 43 CE, Roman
influence had transformed the way of life of people in southern and eastern
Britain. The emperor Claudius commanded a force of some 40,000 men, with
elephants to boot. They were grouped into four legions supported by auxiliaries.
Initially the
Romans did not venture north of the line of the Humber and Don, but traded with
the Parisii,
though the Brigantes generally remained hostile.
54 CE
The
Romans built a series of advanced forts at Derby, Templeborough
and Castleford to support Cartimandua, the Brigantes’
Queen. The rectangular fort at Templeborough stood on
the south bank of the Don, about 12 miles southwest of the site of modern
Doncaster, where Rotherham now stands. 800 soldiers of the 4th
Cohort of Gauls were stationed there until 69 CE,
after which Venutius overthrew the Brigantes queen. This led to the Romans consolidating their
position by moving the Ninth Legion from Lincoln to York in 71 CE. At Templeborough the timber fort was replaced with a new
sandstone fort. (The Making of South Yorkshire,
David Hey, 1979, p13).
71 CE
In 71 CE the newly appointed Roman
Governor, Petillius Ceralius
marched north to occupy Brigantes and Parisii territory. The Ninth Legion perhaps erected a large
camp near where Malton, northeast of York, stands today.
A significant
military camp was founded by the Romans as Eboracum
(modern day York) in 71 CE.
The passage
over the Don at the Doncaster site would require protection. This was also the
site of the limit of inland navigation for coastal vessels. The local of the
modern St George’s Minster was favourable for a Roman castrum. The
establishment of a castrum and a company of soldiers was an inducement
to settlers.
A fort at Danum (modern
Doncaster) was established soon after 70 CE and was large, stretching to about
nine and a half acres, with timber buildings and a cobbled road. This original
fort was abandoned at the time of the building of Hadrian’s Wall in 122 CE and
rebuilt on a smaller scale from 160 CE, then stretching to about 5.85 acres
surrounded by a stone wall which was 8 feet wide. (The
Making of South Yorkshire, David Hey, 1979, p13).
More
substantial settlement on the Doncaster site grew up around the Roman fort
known as Danum of the 1st century CE. This was within the Roman province
of Maxima Caersariensis. Strictly Danum was
the Roman name for the river and the Roman’s referred to the place as Castrum
ad Danum. Around Roman Danum emerged building to the south side of the
river, based on the favoured plan of two streets intersecting at right angles.
The town was thus divided into four quarters and the island in the Don. In one
quarter was the castrum and its praetorium (headquarters) and in another
quarter there would have been a market. There were two gates, the Sepulchre
Gate and Baxter Gate. Excavations in 1976 revealed that the civilian settlement
was much larger than originally thought.
The Doncaster
altar (to be seen today at the Doncaster library) was found at the Sepulchre
Gate and was inscribed To the Mother Goddess. Nonnius
Antonius has freely and deservedly fulfilled his vow. There have also been
finds of a coin hoard and pottery and glass.
Danum rose where Icknield (or Ricknield) Street, which ran from Bourton to Eboracum
crossed the Don. The Romans adapted much of this road from a prehistoric route.
The main road from Lincoln approached Danum from the south with a minor
crossing at Rossington Bridge, just south of Doncaster, in the approximate area
of Loversall. There is considerable evidence of
Iron Age and Roman field systems in this area. The road then continued to cross
the Don at Danum. From Danum the road then continued joining the line of the A1
and passing near to Campsall, through the forest of
Barnsdale. (The Making of
South Yorkshire, David Hey, 1979, p14 to 16).
Four miles south
of Doncaster and in the vicinity of the fort at Rossington Bridge, the rich
farm lands encouraged wealthy Roman Britons to build their villa at Stancil,
which was later the place of a medieval village. A wide range of vessels have
been found in this area which evidence trade as far north as lowland Scotland.
In Roman
Doncaster, the present market-place was in all probability used then for the
same purpose that it is now. It would also contain, as most Roman market-places
did, the public Temple. At all events, on whatever other site such Temple may
have stood, it could hardly have been on that of the Church of St. George; for,
in the times of which we are speaking, that site was unquestionably the true
Castrum, or Pretorian Camp, a military fortress, or barrack, enclosed within
special defences of its own
(from Rev Jackson, History of the ruined church of Mary
Magdalene, 1853)
The Roman fort
was regarrisoned and was occupied until at least 390 CE, towards the end of the
Roman period. There seem to have been town defences by the end of the Roman
era.
Sixth
Century
The Don became
the boundary between Deirans (later the Northumbrians)
and the Mercians to the south.
The old Roman
roads continued in use, but settlements tended to develop in more secluded
places, some distance away from the roads.
627
CE
Edwin of
Northumbria (586 to 633) was baptised in York about 15
years after the death of Augustine.
When Augustine
came to Britain, he does not appear to have attempted to bring his mission to
Northumbria. However Edwin, King of Northumbria, married the daughter of
Ethelbert, the converted king of Kent and it was agreed that she should freely
exercise her religion. She was accompanied by a zealous pupil of Augustine,
Paulinus, and this provided the basis for Edwin’s conversion. From that time,
Paulinus was increasingly employed in conversion across the region of
Northumbria. One of the areas of Paulinus’ conversion was on the banks of the
Gleni and the Swale and at Campodonum (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page xiv, Bede’s Ecclesiastical
History, Chapter 9, 14).
Bede describes
the catechizing and baptising of Paulinus during times when he
instructed crowds in Bernicia and in Deira. He often followed river courses and
baptised along the river Swale, where it flows beside the town of Catterick and
in Cambodonum, where there was also a royal
dwelling, he built a church which was afterwards burnt down, together with the
whole of the buildings, by the heathen who slew Edwin [this was when Penda
defeated Edwin at Hatfield in 633 CE]. In its place later kings built a dwelling
for themselves in the region known as Loidis. This
altar escaped from the fire because it was of stone, and is still preserved in
the monastery of the most reverend abbot and priest Thrythwulf,
which is in the forest of Elmet. (Bede’s
Ecclesiastical History, Chapter 14). Loidis
is modern Leeds. Cambodonum has been
interpreted as various locations in the West Riding, but it probably derives
from “Field of the Don” and is more likely a reference to Doncaster.
So, it is
likely that a church was erected in the place of modern Doncaster at this time.
If this is correct, then Paulinus also tells us that Edwin had a royal
residence (villa regia) at Campodonum.
The praetorium of the Roman Castrum might have been an ideal site for an
occasional royal residence. This would suggest that the church at Doncaster was
burnt down by Penda after the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633 CE.
Bede’s work
also suggests that a second Christian church, after the church at York in 627
CE, was built in Doncaster under Paulinus’ supervision.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 4 to 5)
Edwin was killed by the pagan Penda of
Mercia and Cadwallon from North Wales at the heath field on Hatfield Chase,
10km northeast of Doncaster. It appears that Penda immediately attacked
Doncaster and destroyed the church, and probably the royal residence, as we
don’t hear of Northumbrian kings returning. However the altar was preserved in
a monastery in the wood at Elmet, around modern Leeds. There is a debate
as to whether the site of the battle was in fact in Nottinghamshire where a
mass grave was found, but the marshy land of Hatfield Chas is still generally
regarded as the site of the battle.
After the battle whilst Oswald revived
Christian Northumbria two years later, this part of the Kingdom was ruled over
by the Mercians until Penda was killed in 654 CE when it reverted to
Northumbrian rule.
Celtic Christianity was much weaker in
South Yorkshire, so it did not fall so clearly into the debate that led to the
Synod of Whitby between Roman and Celtic traditions.
764 CE
In 764 the chronicler Symeon of Durham in his Historia Regum groups York with London, Doncaster, and other places,
repentino igne vastatae (destroyed by a sudden fire). (A
History of the County of York: the City of York. Originally published by
Victoria County History, London, 1961).
Multae urbes, monsteriaque, atque villae, per diversa loca necnon et regna, repentino igne vastatae sunt; verbi gratia, Stirburgwenta civitas, Homunic, Lundonia civitas, Eboraca
civitas, Donacester, aliaque
multa loca illa plaga concepit.
Many cities,
towns, and villages, in different places, as well as kingdoms, were destroyed
by a sudden fire; for example, the city of Stirburgwent,
Homunich, the city of London, the city of York,
Doncaster, and many other places were conceived by that plague.
There is
evidence of fire in the area of the Roman castrum, but these marks may have
been the result of the devastation by Penda.
This was a time
when Alcuin of York,
in the Kingdom of Charlemagne, was despairing of the fate of his homeland.
793
CE
The Viking attack on Lindisfarne.
813
CE
Alfred of Beverly recorded the destruction of the
monastery at the mouth of the Don, which may have been a reference to Doncaster
– Monasterium ad ostium Doni amnis precaverunt, sed non impune; “They prayed
to the monastery at the mouth of the river Don, but not with impunity”.
833
CE
By 833 CE the Danes were dominating the lands around
the Humber estuary. King Ecgbert of Wessex had some success in resisting the
Danes and appears to have had some success in a battle at Doncaster. The story
of this encounter was told in the thirteenth century in a rhyme by Peter
Langtoft, an Augustine canon and chronicler from the village of Langtoft in the
East Riding of Yorkshire.
What did king Egbriht?
Without any summons.
And withouten asking of Erles
or barons …
…Right unto Doncastre ye
Danes gan him chase …
… At Donkastre mot men se manyon to batale ride …
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 6)
866
CE
In 866 CE, when
Northumbria was internally divided, the Vikings captured York.
The Danes changed the Old English name for York from Eoforwic, to Jorvik. The Vikings
destroyed all the early monasteries in the area and took the monastic estates
for themselves. Some of the minster churches survived the plundering and
eventually the Danish leaders were converted to Christianity. Jorvik became the
Viking capital of its British lands and it would reach a population of 10,000.
Jorvik became an important economic and trade centre for the Danes. Saint
Olave's Church in York is a testament to the Norwegian influence in the area.
Jorvik perhaps prospered from its trade with Scandinavia.
The invasion of South
Yorkshire seems to have been made by Guthrum from the
East Midlands. A number of settlements in the lower Don valley have
Scandinavian names.
Late Saxon Period
Modern
Doncaster is generally identified with Cair
Daun listed as one of 28 British cities in the Ninth century History of the Britons traditionally ascribed to Nennius.
It was certainly an Anglo-Saxon burh,
and in that period received its present name: Don (Old English: Donne)
from the settlement and river and caster (ceaster)
from an Old English version of the Latin castra (military camp; fort).
The area of modern Doncaster was likely
not open land, but forested until it started to be cleared in the late Saxon
period. It has been described as the Great Brigantian
Forest. At some stage perhaps from late Saxon times, areas were cleared for
settlement in the process called assarting. The growth of population and
villages, including Campsall and Loversal, by the time of Edward the Confessor
suggest that assarting had been pursued vigorously by that time (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery
of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page
ix).Joseph Hunter lists 170 vills of human
settlement by the late Saxon period. He suggested that settlement might have
been influenced by the need to cross a watercourse, but often may have been the
inclination of a family to settle on land, which larger grew into a larger
habitation. However he recognises that this informal process was soon replaced
by recognition of rights of occupancy from the lands of the elite class who
owned large estates. It therefore ceased to be open to every citizen to clear
woodland for his own use, but by the Doomsday record, a right had been
recognised in overlordship.
Thus Saxon lords came to surround
themselves with dependents who held portions of land from him, in return for
rendering services. This is reflected in culture such as Beowulf, which provided an encouragement to
live within the protection of the elite class, as protection against the perils
of unsettled places.
1003
It was Conisbrough,
within the modern city of Doncaster, which appeared as the dominant estate in
Anglo-Saxon and Viking South Yorkshire. It was mentioned in the 1003 will of
Wulfric Spott, a wealthy Mercian nobleman who founded Burton Abbey. By the
Conquest it was owned directly by Harold. It was then the centre of a large
former royal estate which reached to Hatfield Chase. Conigsborough
was head of an extensive fee. The Saxon lords of Doncaster, Laughton and Hallam
also had many dependencies. It was also an early ecclesiastical centre.
Dadesley
(now Tickhill) and Doncaster emerged as burgesses. Other centres were emerging
including Campsall, which was valued at £5 in a census of
Edward the Confessor, being one of the larger settlements.
The larger seats of population came to
be governed under the authority of a bors
holder who was elected at a general assembly. Townships were grouped in
tens under a hundreder, a superior officer who
held courts. These hundreds came to be called wapentakes in the
areas to the north. Doncaster came to fall within the wapentake of Strafford.
Doncaster and Loversall fell within the Wapentake of Strafford.
Campsall fell within the Wapentake of Osgodcross.
(South
Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the
Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page xi).
1050
Just before the
Conquest, the area was probably covered in native forest, which was not dense,
so that sheep and oxen rove among the trees. Islands of land were cultivated,
varying from 200 to 2,000 acres, where agriculture was undertaken and sometimes
these settlements had mills, and Christian places of worship. Doncaster and
Tickhill, and perhaps Rotherham, had by this time become small towns.
The lands of
Doncaster were held by Tostig (Tosti), of Godwin descent, who rebelled against
his brother Harold, and died alongside the Dane Harold Hardrada at the Battle
of Stamford Bridge. He was a man of blood, and perished by the sword at the
battle of Stamford Bridge just before the conquest (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of
Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page 8).
1066
The Battle of
Stamford Bridge near York followed by Hastings.
1070
The Harrying of
the North.
The Domesday
Book records that the value of the lands in this area had declined, and there
were many areas of wasteland.
Thereafter the
area, along with the nation of which it was a part, fell under the Norman Yoke.
1086
By the Norman
Conquest, 28 townships in what is now South Yorkshire belonged to the Lord of Conisbrough.
William the
Conqueror gave the whole lordship of Conigsbrough to
William de Warenne. Shortly after the Norman
Conquest, Nigel Fossard refortified the town and
built Conisbrough Castle.
Joseph Hunter
tells us that the wider lands of the Deanery of Doncaster were distributed in
very unequal parts to twelve persons, including Nigel Fossard
and William de Warren, William de Perci, Ilbert de Laci and others (South Yorkshire, the History
and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by
Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page xv).
By the time of Domesday
Book, Hexthorpe in the wapentake of Strafforth
was said to have a church and two mills.
“In Estorp, Earl Tosti had one manor of three carucates for
geld and four ploughs may be there. Nigel has [it] of Count Robert. In the
demesne, one plough and three villanes and three
bordars with two ploughs. A church is there, and a priest having five bordars
and one plough and two mills of thirty two shillings [annual value]. Four acres
of meadow. Wood, pasturable, one leuga and a half in
length and one leuga in breadth. The whole manor, two
leugae and a half in length and one leuga and a half in breadth. T.R.E., it was woth eighteen pounds, now twelve pounds. To this manor
belongs this soke – Donecastre (Doncaster) two
carucates, in Wermesford (Warmsworth)
on carucate, in Ballebi (Balby) two carucates, in Geureshale (Loversall)
two carucates, Oustrefeld (Austerfield) two carucates
and Alcheslei (Auckley) two carucates. Together
fifteen carucates for geld, where eighteen ploughs may be. Now [there is] in
the demesne one plough and twenty four villanes and
thirty seven bordars and forty sokemen. These have twenty seven ploughs, wood,
pasturable in places, in places unprofitable”
The historian
David Hey says these facilities represent the settlement at Doncaster. He also
suggests that the street name Frenchgate indicates
that Fossard invited fellow Normans to trade in the
town.
Estorp (Hexthorpe) is a small village now part
of Doncaster and at the time about a mile downstream from the town became an
insignificant place after the Conquest and comprises three caracutes
of land. However to Hexthorpe were appended an extensive soke which included
Doncaster and Loversall and other places. Doncaster
comprised two caracutes which have been assessed by
historians as about 200 acres of arable land; two mills; 40 soke men, villeins
and borderers who cultivated the soil. There was no doubt a church there. The
value of the soke at the time of the Conquest was £18 but only £12 by the time
of the survey, which suggests the devastation of the harrying of the North. The
lands had been held by Tostig before the conquest, but passed after the
Conquest to Robert, the Earl of Mortain, who was King
William’s half brother. An interest in the lands was
also held by Richard the Deaf.
A
sokeman belonged to a class of tenants, found chiefly in the eastern
counties, especially the Danelaw, occupying an intermediate position between
the free tenants and the bond tenants, in that they owned and paid taxes on
their land themselves. Forming between 30% and 50% of the countryside, they
could buy and sell their land, but owed service to their lord's soke, court, or
jurisdiction.
The
carucate was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a
plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season.
Tickhill 10km
south of Doncaster, was referred to as Dadsley
in the Domesday Book. Its ownership passed from Also, son of Karski to
Roger the Bully and it comprised 54 villagers, 12 smallholders, 1 priest, 1 man
at arms and 31 burgesses, with 8 poloughlandsm 7
Lord’s plough teams and 26.5 men’s plough teams. It had two acres of meadow,
woodland, 3 mills and a church. It was valued at £14. Dadsley
was an Anglo Saxon settlement meaning Daedi’s
clearing.
The
Feudal Landholders after the Conquest
Robert,
Count of Mortain in Normandy and Earl of Cornwall in England was handsomely
rewarded for his service at Hastings. Robert's
contribution to the success of the invasion was clearly regarded as highly
significant by the Conqueror, who awarded him a large share of the spoils; in
total 797 manors at the time of Domesday. In 1088, he joined with his brother
Odo in revolt against their nephew William Rufus. William Rufus returned the earldom of Kent to
Odo but it wasn’t long before his uncle was plotting to make Rufus’s elder
brother, Robert Curthose, king of England as well as Duke of Normandy. Rufus attacked Tonbridge castle where Odo was
based. When the castle fell Odo fled to
Robert in Pevensey. The plan was that
Robert Curthose’s fleet would arrive there, just as William the Conqueror’s had
done in 1066. Instead, Pevensey fell to
William after a siege that lasted six weeks. William Rufus pardoned his uncle
Robert and reinstated him to his titles and lands. He died in Normandy in 1095.
Nigel
Fossard was
not a tenant in chief, but held lands from the Earl of Mortain.
He was one of the principal under-tenants of Count Robert, of whom he held some
91 manors (much of the Mortain lands). Hexthorpe was
his chief holding in Yorkshire. It appears highly probable that on the
forfeiture of Count Robert’s estates, Nigel was advanced to the dignity of a tenant
in capite, that is, to hold his lands directly
from the King, and not through a second person as he had previously done.
Fossard thus came to possess the lands formerly
held by Tostig, including the feudal superiority of Doncaster. Fossard had a house at Doncaster, but his principal
residence was at Mulgrave Castle. His descendants held Doncaster until the
reign of Henry VI, though not directly through the male line after William Fossard.
He appears to
have been a generous man. Included in his gifts to the Abbot and Convent of St
Mary, York, was the gift of the church of Doncaster and neighbourhood. He was
succeeded by his son Adam, who founded the priory of Hode (Hood Grange,
Yorkshire).
Robert
Fossard,
who succeeded him paid a fine of 500 marks to the King to repossess the
Lordship of Doncaster, “which he had parted to the King to hold in demesne
for twenty years”. The reason for the surrender to the King and the high
price for the repossession is not apparent. It has been suggested that Robert
had not paid the whole of the fee due to the King on his succeeding to the
patrimonial inheritance, hence the lease and release; but it was not unlikely
that it was a transaction to enable the King to raise some needed cash.
William
Fossard,
his son and heir, succeeded him. He was the last of the Fossards
in the male line. He was one of the northern barons who fought against the
Scots in the Battle of the Standard. In 1142 he was with Stephen’s forces
against the Empress Maude at the Battle of Lincoln and was taken prisoner. On
the collection of scuttage, a tax paid in lieu of
Military service etc, by those who held land by Knights service, he paid £12, a
fairly large sum in those days, at other times he paid £21 and a further sum of
£31 10s, the last amount was levied upon him because he was not in the Irish
Wars. He was especially exempted from contributing for the redemption of King
Richard I. He left a daughter, Joan, who was married to Robert de Turnham.
Robert
de Turnham had two sons,
Robert and Stephen. It was Robert the younger
who married Joan Fossard.
He was a crusader, and was reputed to be a powerful and valiant man. Some
historians say that he died on an expedition to the Holy Land but there is no
evidence for this statement. He appeared to be with the King in the Holy Land,
and was entrusted to bring the King’s harness back to England. For the services
on that journey he was discharged from the payment of scuttage
levied for the Kings ransom. Being in the King’s confidence he probably exerted
himself in obtaining from the king, a charter confirming to the burgesses of
Doncaster whatever ancient privileges they then possessed. He obtained a grant
of two more days to be added to the fair that had anciently been kept at his
manor of Doncaster in County Ebor, upon the eve and day of St James the
apostle. At his death in 1199, the yearly value of the lands held by him in
right of Joan, his wife, was entered at £411. 9s. 2d.
He left a
daughter, Isabell, who became a ward of the
King. She married Peter de Mauley, a Poictevin.
A long line of Peter de Mauleys, claiming descent from Nigel Fossard, successively held the Lordship of Doncaster. The
first of these is said to have committed an infamous crime at the instigation
of King John. On the death of King Richard, his brother John, “knowing that
he could not succeed him by reason that Arthur, son of Geoffry of Brittany, was
alive, got Arthur into his power and implored Peter de Mauley, his esquire, to
murder him and in reward gave him the heir of the barony of Mulgref”.
Some doubts have arisen as to the truthfulness of this statement. If Mauley
really did commit the act at the instigation of John, and was led to expect
that he would receive the King’s ward to marry with the free enjoyment of her
lands, he was decieved; for Peter de Mauley paid a
fine of 7000 marks “for entrance to the inheritance of the daughter of
Robert de Turnham”. He gave the body of his wife to be buried at the Abbey
of Meux, Holderness, endowing the Abbey with a rent of Sixty shillings per
year. He died before 1241. In 1247 the King took the homage of his heir, Peter,
for all his fathers lands. Some six years later this
Peter de Mauley obtained a charter of Free Warren in his demesne lands, which
included Doncaster. He died in 1279.
The next Peter de Mauley paid £100 relief for all lands
held of the King in capite of the inheritance of
William Fossard. From a document from 1279 we catch a
glimpse of a part of the Mauley holdings for which the above relief was paid.
He married Joan, the daughter of Peter Brus of Skelton.
There followed
another six Peter de Mauleys (see South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 12 to 13 for a fuller description).
Alongside the
Mauleys, other descendants of Nigel Fossard had
interests in Doncaster.
There was
significant building of monasteries and parish churches during this period.
The
building of churches was attractive since this allowed the lords to extract
tithes from distant churches to which it had been paid and settle it on
churches of their choosing, perhaps closer to their own residence. During this
period churches were built at places including Coningsborough, Campsall, and
Doncaster. Joseph Hunter lists 60 places where Churches were built.
Most
of these churches had one officiating minister at their foundation, the persona
or rector. The churches were often placed under the patronage of
monastic institutions.
The
church at Doncaster was distinguished from others by being given the title of
dean.
Certain
of these churches were parish churches in form, but were also referred to as
chapels, which meant that they were given rights of baptism, nuptial
benediction and of sepulture, but were not able to
participate in tithes from the lands around them. These churches included St
Mary Magdalene at Doncaster and the chapel at Loversall.
At
Doncaster there was a college, for the residence of chantry priests, so that
they need not mingle with the public. This was built near the parish church and
the priests officiated in the parish church and at St Mary Magdalene chapel,
living a collegiate life as it was felt inappropriate for their social
character to mix too freely with the people of the town.
(South
Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the
Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page xvi to xx, 11, Doncaster
History, The Lords of Doncaster).
A
borough was created at Doncaster after the soke had been granted directly to
Nigel Fossard on the banishment of William’s half
brother Robert, Count of Mortain. [Still to
check - was this the temporary banishment after his rebellion against William
II and then remained permanent here?].
The
Roman fort at Danum was superceded by an Anglo Saxon burh
(fortified settlement) before a Norman castle was built. The castle has long
disappeared. The motte of the Norman Castle has been located to be under the
east end of St George’s Minster.
Early in the reign of William II
(William Rufus), Nigel Fossard was amongst the
benefactors who founded the abbey of St Mary in York.
Fossard gave the church of Doncaster to the new abbey
as well as lands in the area.
1136
Doncaster was
ceded to Scotland in the Treaty of Durham and never formally returned to
England. The first treaty
of Durham was a peace treaty concluded between kings Stephen of England and
David I of Scotland on 5 February 1136. In January 1136, during the first
months of the reign of Stephen, David I crossed the border and reached Durham.
He took Carlisle, Wark, Alnwick, Norham and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne. On 5 February 1136, Stephen reached Durham with an
imposing troop of Flemish mercenaries, and the Scottish king was obliged to
negotiate. Stephen recovered Wark, Alnwick, Norham
and Newcastle, and let David I retain Carlisle and a great part of Cumberland
and Lancashire, alongside Doncaster.
In February
1136, Henry, prince of Scotland, did homage to Stephen for Doncaster and the
honour of Huntingdon.
Tickhill
acquired markets and fairs long before the system of royal licences started in
the late twelfth century. The town grew rapidly.
1157
But the story
of Doncaster is not only told through the history of the noble families. The
burgesses and inhabitants of the town followed the 40 soke men referred to in
Domesday book, and came to enjoy increasing privileges. The earliest record
might be the Pipe Roll of 3d Henry II,
when Adam Fitz Swein was discharged of £60 due for
the rent of Doncaster. Adam Fitz Swein owed £45 of
rent for Doncaster and £15 had been paid for a quarter part of the year. It
appears therefore that the burgesses held Doncaster from the King for a rent of
£60 per annum and an individual was appointed to account for it.
In 1157
Malcolm, King of Scotland, did homage to Henry II for Cumberland, in Doncaster.
1163
Malcolm of
Scotland was again in Doncaster to do homage and fell dangerously ill there.
1191
In Richard I’s
absence on crusade, John seized the castles of Tickhill and Nottingham.
1194
Richard I had
given the town recognition by bestowing a town
charter. It seems that Richard I placed the right of the burgesses at
Doncaster onto a formal footing by providing a royal charter. The charter was
the first article of the Miller’s Appendix and declared that the King had
granted to the burgesses of Doncaster the soke and town of Doncaster to hold by
the ancient rent and 25 marks of silver more to be paid into the exchequer with
all liberties and free customs. The burgesses paid 50 marks to the king for the
charter. It seems that the burgesses must have gained something mor tangible
from the charter, but it is not clear exactly what. However it appears that
amongst the privileges gained, was the right to hold a fair and market held at
St James’ Tide.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 10)
Doncaster had
by this time become the dominant settlement in the region. It’s position on the
great road from London to York, and en
route to the Scottish border, made it a place where strangers rested.
The area around
Doncaster appears to have enjoyed relative peace after Norman rule had been
established. Coningsborough never endured a siege and Pontefract Castle, which
was seen as the key of the North, was not attacked until the English Civil War.
In the time of
the Fossards, Doncaster consisted of a few public
buildings of stone, amidst a town of wooden houses. The original public
building was the castle which stood at the location of the present Doncaster
Minster. Leland (1503 to 1552) recorded: The Church stands in the very area
where ons the castelle of
the towne stoode, long sins
clene decayed. The dikes partely
yet be scene, and the foundation of partte of the waulles. The Wall of the Castle is mentioned in a grant
of 1416.
Beside the
parish church was the church or chapel of St Mary Magdalene, which was founded
before the year of King John. There were hospitals of St James (with a chapel
annexed) and St Nicholas (which had lands at Loversall),
which would have provided some relief to the poor and the aged. There were also
public mills on the Don. This was the town as it must have appeared before the
great fire of 1204.
There was a
chapel of our lady at the bridge.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 11, 19)
1199
When John
seized the throne, he acquired Tickhill and during his reign he spent over £300
strengthening its defences.
There was a disastrous fire in 1204
which appears to have completely destroyed the town, from which the town slowly
recovered.
The revival of the town after the fire
is first recorded in a warrant of King John addressed to the bailiffs of Peter
de Mauley, who had married Isabella de Turnham, their heiress of Doncaster. The
bailiff was instructed to enclose the town along the course of a ditch and to
fortify the bridge. This appears in the Close Rolls. It appears therefore that Doncaster
was protected by a ditch and possibly a mound and Leland later indicates that
Doncaster did not become a walled town. Doncaster continued to comprise mainly
wooden buildings at least until the time of Henry VIII. Only the public
buildings were of stone.
1215
By 1215 the whole town was enclosed by
an earthen rampart and ditch, which was filled with water from the Cheswold, the original course of the Don. By this time it
had four substantial stone gates as entrances at St Mary’s Bridge, St Sepulchre
Gate, Hall Gate and Sun Bar.
1248
In 1248, a charter was granted for
Doncaster Market to be held in the area surrounding the Church of St Mary
Magdalene, which had been built in Norman times.
The burgesses grew their wealth and
significance during this period. A principal class of merchants appeared and
the Don was gradually made navigable. Many merchants marks were made on the old
parish church and the richness of its development evidences the increasing
opulence of the merchant class.
Doncaster became the most prosperous
medieval town in South Yorkshire.
Urban expansion in the early medieval
period was accompanied by an increase in the size of the rural population and
colonisation of new lands.
The
Survey of the County of York by John de Kirkby known as Kirkby’s
Inquest,
(the Nomina Villarum for
Yorkshire) was taken in the fifth reign of Edward I, with some reference to
Doncaster and its vicinity on pages 281 to 282.
1285
Early
during the reign of Edward II there was a feud between the Earl of Warren at
Coningsborough and the Earl of Lancaster at Pontefract. The Earl of Lancaster
called his followers together at Doncaster and attacked Tickhill Castle, but
the enterprise came to nothing (South Yorkshire,
the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and
County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page xxii, 10).
1290
In
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, a new religious order of friars
arrived in Doncaster, who were itinerant and applied themselves to instruction
and religious edification. There was a house of Augustinian friars at Tickhill
and houses if Franciscans and Carmelites at Doncaster. The friars achieved
literary knowledge and were centres of literature in the middle ages. Therefore
to the public buildings there were added the houses of the Carmelite and
Franciscan friars.
The
establishment of the two societies of friars and their educational achievements
further enhanced the growth of the town as a place of significance.
The Franciscans or Grey Frairs
He Franciscans in England were divided
into seven wards or custodies. The Custody of York included Doncaster.
A History of the County of
York: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1974: THE GREY FRIARS OF DONCASTER
The Friars Minors established
themselves at this town on an island formed by the rivers Cheswold
and Don, at the bottom of French or Francis gate, at the north end of the
bridge known as the Friars' Bridge, some time
in the 13th century. Nicholas IV, 1 September 1290, granted an indulgence
to those who visited their church, which was of the invocation of St. Francis.
Archbishop Romanus in 1291 enjoined the friars of this house to preach the
Crusade at Doncaster, Blyth (Notts.), and Retford.
In 1299 Edward I gave the friars 10s.
through Friar Edmund de Norbury, on the occasion of his visit to Doncaster, 12
November: in January 1299-1300 he gave them 20s. for two days' food and 6s. 8d.
for damages to their house when he was at Doncaster, by the hand of Friar de Portynden. On 8 June 1300 his son Edward gave them 10s.,
and the king in January 1300-1 gave them 10s. for the exequies
of Joan, nurse of Thomas of Brotherton. The friars at this time numbered
thirty.
In 1316 Sir Peter de Mauley, lord of
the town of Doncaster, granted the Friars Minors a plot of land, 14 p. by 6
p., adjacent to their dwelling-place.
In 1332 Thomas de Saundeby,
the warden, and Friars Nicholas de Dighton, Thomas de Moubray, William de
Halton, and John de Brynsale, were sued by John de Malghum for having seized and imprisoned him. In 1335 the
king pardoned them for acquiring in mortmain without licence in the time of
former kings divers plots in Doncaster, now inclosed
with a wall and dyke, whereon they had built a church and houses. Between 1328
and 1337 the number of the friars varied between eighteen and twenty-seven, as
is proved by the royal alms granted to them by the hand of Friars John de Bilton, Nicholas de Wermersworth,
and others.
Sir Hugh de Hastings, kt., in 1347 left
the friars 100s., 20 quarters of corn and 10 quarters of barley. A friar of
this house, Hugh de Warmesby, was authorized in 1348
to act as confessor to Lady Margery de Hastings, Sir Hugh's widow, and her
family. Her son Hugh was buried in the church of St. Francis at Doncaster,
1367. Another Sir Hugh Hastings in 1482 left a serge
of wax to be burned here in honour of the Holy Rood, and a quarter of wheat
yearly for three years.
Among the bequests may be mentioned that
of Roger de Bangwell, rector of Dronfield, of 20s. to
the convent and 12d. to each friar in 1366. Thomas Lord Furnival of Sheffield,
1333, and Sir Peter de Mauley, 1381, were buried in the church; the latter left
his best beast of burden as mortuary and 100s, to the convent. …
…Friar Thomas Kirkham was admitted D.D.
of Oxford in July 1527, his composition being reduced to £4 'because he is very
poor'; in November he was dispensed from the greater part of his necessary
regency because he was warden of the Grey Friars of Doncaster and could not
continually reside in Oxford. Thomas Strey, a lawyer of Doncaster, left 20
marks to the convent in 1530 and 26s. 8d. to buy the warden a coat.
… The house was quietly surrendered 20
November 1538 by the warden and nine friars, three of them novices, to Sir
George Lawson and his fellows, who were 'thankfully received.' …
A manuscript of the chronicle of Martin
of Troppau formerly belonging to this friary was in the possession of Ralph
Thoresby in 1712.
(See also South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 17).
1307
During the 14th century, large numbers
of friars arrived in Doncaster who were known for their religious enthusiasm
and preaching.
In 1307 the Franciscan friars
(Greyfriars) arrived, as did Carmelites (Whitefriars) in the mid-14th century.
1316
Nomina Villarum
(“Names of Towns”) was a survey carried out in 1316 and contains a list of all
cities, boroughs and townships in England and the Lords of them.
In these Inquisitions Nonarum during the reign of Edward III, eight merchants
were said to be residing in Doncaster, which was more than in other similar
towns. At Tickhill there were seven merchants so this was an are of commercial
significance. There is rare evidence of summons being sent to Doncaster and
Tickhill directing them to send burgesses to Parliament. (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page xxi).
1321
In late 1321 Thomas, Earl of Lancaster,
the great baron at Pontefract, opposed royal authority and called on many
barons to meet at Doncaster. On 12 November 1321 the King forbade this meeting
on penalty of forfeiture of their lands. An open rebellion ensued, joined by
Lord Mowbray, On 18 March 1322 the King
was in Doncaster and the Battle
of Boroughbridge was fought on 17 March 1322 when the rebels were defeated
and Thomas was executed at Pontefract (South
Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the
Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page 15).
1334
In 1334 the inhabitants of Doncaster
contributed £17 in taxes, compared with £12 10s 0d in Tickhill and £7 3s 4d
from Sheffield. Doncaster owed its wealth mainly to its weekly markets and its
annual fairs, which had become nationally famous. There was a huge market place
in the south east corner of the medieval town, and as was common, it was an
extension of the churchyard.
Doncaster now had two churches – St
George’s still within the bounds of the castle, and St Mary Magdalene, which
stood at the market place. It is now generally accepted that St Mary Magdalene
was the original parish church. However as the castle fell into disuse, and
pressure for space at the market had increased, the old church was abandoned in
favour of St George’s. St Mary Magdalene was reduced to the status of a chapel,
and later a chantry. After the Reformation it became a town hall and school.
1360
The Carmelites or White Friars
A
History of the County of York: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria
County History, London, 1974: THE HOUSE OF WHITE FRIARS, DONCASTER
Founding in 1350
The Carmelite friary—' a right goodly
house in the middle of the town ' (Leland, I tin. i, 36. See F. R. Fairbank, 'The Carmelites of Doncaster,'
in Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 262-70) —was
founded in 1350 by John son of Henry Nicbrothere of Eyum with Maud his wife and Richard Euwere
of Doncaster, who gave the friars a messuage and 6 acres of land. The priors of
the order asked permission of the Archbishop of York to have the place
consecrated in 1351. The earliest bequest to them recorded was made by
William Nelson of Appleby, vicar of Doncaster, in 1360. (Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 191)
In 1366 Roger de Bangwell, formerly rector of
Dronfield, made his will in the house of these friars, in whose church he
wished to be buried; … A provincial chapter was held at this friary in 1376. (Tanner, Bibliotheca, 562) The friars in 1397
received the royal pardon, on paying 20s., for acquiring without licence
several small plots, worth 12s. 6d. a year, 'for the enlargement of the
entrance and exit of their church. (a Pat. 20 Ric.
II, pt. ii, m. 22) Two friars of the house, John Slaydburn
and John Belton, were appointed papal chaplains in 1398 and 1402. (Cal of Papal Letters, iv, 305, 315).
John of Gaunt was regarded as one of the
founders, and his son Henry of Bolingbroke on his journey from Ravenspur in July 1399 lodged at the friary, (Hardyn, Chron. (ed. Ellis), 353) where also Edward IV was entertained in 1470, Henry VII in
1486, and the Princess Margaret Tudor in 1503. Edward IV in 1472 conferred the
privileges of a corporation on the convent, 'which is of the foundation of the
king's progenitors and of the king's patronage,' and licensed the friars to
acquire lands to the yearly value of £20. At the beginning of the 16th century
the Earl of Northumberland claimed the title of founder of the house.
Writing
Several members of the house attained some
distinction as writers. Such were John Marrey,
who died in 1407, John Colley who flourished c. 1440, John Sutton, provincial
prior 1468, and Henry Parker, who got into trouble by preaching on the poverty
of Christ and His apostles and attacking the secular clergy at Paul's Cross in
1464; he is probably the author of the dialogue entitled Dives et Pauper which
was printed both by Pynson and by Wynkyn
de Worde at the end of the 15th century. John Breknoke,
keeper of the Dragon Inn at Doncaster, left the friars some books in 1505.
The House of the Carmelites was a
college of learned men. These included John Marr who later went to Oxford; John
Colley; Henry Parker and John Sutton.
Sixteenth century
… On 15 July 1524 William Nicholson of Townsburgh attempted to cross the Don with an iron-bound
wain in which were Robert Leche and his wife and their two children; being
overwhelmed by the stream they called on our Lady of Doncaster and by her help
came safely ashore; they came to the White Friars and returned thanks on St.
Mary Magdalen's Day, when 'this gracious miracle was rung and sung in the
presence of 300 people and more.' (Yorks. Arch. Journ. xiii, 558; Hist. MSS. Com. xiv, App. iv, 1)
On the eve of the Dissolution the house
was divided against itself. The famous John Bale, about 1530, being then a
friar at Doncaster, and perhaps prior, taught one William Broman 'that Christ
would dwell in no church made of lime and stone by man's hands, but only in
heaven above and in man's heart on earth.'
In the Pilgrimage of Grace, though the
lords used the White Friars as their head quarters
while negotiating with Robert Aske at Doncaster, the prior, Lawrence Coke,
supported the rebellion. He was imprisoned in the Tower and in Newgate,
condemned by Act of Attainder a few days before Cromwell's fall, but pardoned
on 2 October 1540; it is not clear whether the pardon was issued in time to
save him from execution.
The house was surrendered by Edward Stubbis, the prior, and seven friars, on 13 November 1538
to Hugh Wyrrall and Tristram Teshe, who 'made a book
of the property' and notified to Cromwell that the tenements in Doncaster were
in some decay, and that the image of our Lady had already been taken away by
the archbishop's order. The plate sent to the royal jewel house was
considerable; 25 oz. of gilt plate, 109½ oz. parcel gilt, and 48½ oz. white
plate. The net profit from the sale of the goods seems to have been £21 18s.
4d. The site with dovecot and other houses, a garden and orchard all surrounded
by a stone wall and containing 2½ acres, was let to Wyrrall
for 10s. a year. The tenements in Doncaster included an inn called 'Le Lyon' in
Hallgate, already let by the prior to Alan Malster for forty-one years at 40s. a year in 18 August
1538, a messuage in Selpulchre Gate similarly leased
on 2 September 1538 to Emmota Parsonson for 12s., and
various tenements, shops, and cottages, the whole property bringing in £10 17s.
4d. a year.
Towards the end
of the fourteenth century, Edmund Duke of York attempted to raise Stainford (Stainforth), further
down the Don into commercial importance.
1398
Henry
Bolingbroke (later Henry IV) swore at Doncaster that he came only to recover
lands of inheritance as Duke of Lancaster, during his dispute with Richard II.
Bolingbroke landed at Ravenspurn with 100 men at
arms. They reached Pickering Castle and stayed
there for two days before marching south. He then marched via Pontefract to
Doncaster, where he lodged with the Carmelites. By this time it is said that he
commanded 30,000 men. While there he took the oath, which he was later said to have
broken. By 13 October 1399, having imprisoned Richard II (who died in prison
probably of starvation) Henry was crowned Henry IV.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 15).
1450
Edward IV
granted a further charter to the burgesses recognising their rights and
privileges. They were empowered to choose a mayor annually and two sergeants at
mace, to have a common seal and to hear pleas of trespass, debt and other
matters in the Guild Hall.
1455
to 1487
During the War
of the Roses, Doncaster was a place through which the contending armies passed
and repassed.
In 1470 there
was an attempt to seize the throne from King Edward after the Battle of
Stamford, when the King came to Doncaster.
1536
The dissolution
of the monasteries. The consequence was the transfer of significant wealth and
power from ecclesiastical to private lay proprietors of manors, lands and
estates. Part of these lands fell directly into control of previous owners of
feudal interests, but often the new owners were new people who would themselves
become founders of considerable families. A new order of gentry replaced many
of the old feudal interests. The depreciation of money also had the effect of
favouring a new guard. Joseph Hunter lists the new gentry families. They
included Thomas Wray of Adwick in the Liberty of Tickhill and William Fletcher
of Campsall.
The churches
were generally respected. The chapel of St Mary Magdeleine in Doncaster fell at
this time. The fall of the Carmelite house at Doncaster likely diffused
significant literary accomplishment.
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a
backlash to the Reformation and the insurgents took Pontefract Castle and
gathered in significant numbers at Scawsby Lees near
Doncaster. The sudden rising of the Don prevented a bloody engagement.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page xxiii, 16).
But the Pilgrimage
of Grace was already afoot in West Yorkshire, and the movement soon
spread into the northern part of Lancashire. In the course of October the
commons of Cartmel restored the canons to the priory. The prior, however, more
prudent or less staunch than his brethren, stole away and joined the king's forces
at Preston. This was before he heard of the general pardon and promise of a
northern Parliament granted to the rebels at Doncaster on 27 October. (A History
of the County of Lancaster: Volume 2. Originally published by Victoria County
History, London, 1908).
The royal stronghold at Tickhill
prevented the rebels from marching south and the revolt petered out after an
uneasy truce was signed at Doncaster.
1563
Eleven people died on the plague in 1563
and Doncaster seems to have suffered badly from plague in 1582 and 1583. There
appears to have been a Pesthouse to which people infected were interred.
1569
There was a rebellion by the Earls of
Westmoreland and Northumberland and Doncaster was secured by Lord Darcy.
1582
The Doncaster
Chronicle provides some record of events, for instance that there were
30 marriages at the church in Doncaster from September 1582 to September 1583.
(See also South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 21).
1588
During the
period of threat from the Spanish Armada, the Earl of Huntingdon was at
Doncaster raising and training soldiers.
Links, texts and
books
South Yorkshire, the
History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of
York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828.
The Making of South
Yorkshire, David Hey, 1979
A History of
Yorkshire, “County of the Broad Acres”, 2005, David Hey
A
History of Yorkshire, F B Singleton and S Rawnsley, 1988
A History of
Yorkshire, Michael Pocock, 1978