The Parochial History of Ackworth, Yorks

PARO C H IAL H ISTO RY

AC KWO RT H,

YORKS,

WITH ARCH IEOLOG ICAL,ANTI Q UARIAN, AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES RECORDS

,

BY T HE

REV . J L. SAYWHHJ H

FELLOW OF THE RO YAL H ISTORICAL SOCIETY,AN D AUTHOR OF THE

“ HISTORY AND ANNALS OF TTORTHALLERTON

, &O .

,

W ITH A}?

INTRODUCTION

BY THE

REV. R . V . TAYLOR,B.A. ,

AUTHOR OF“YORKSH IRE ANECDOTES

,

” WORTH IES AND CHURCHES OFLEEDS

,

”&c .

Rem omnem a p rinci'pio audies'

Ter.

ROS fortasse v‘

érae,certe graves .

— Cic.

PO N T EFR A C TATKINSON SON , PRINTERS PUBLISHERS

,5 , MARKET PLACE .

L O N D O NSIMPKIN , MARSHALL , HAM ILTON , KENT CO PATERNOSTER ROW .

R OW L A N D,B A R O N ST. O S WA L D ,

N O ST EL PR I O R Y ,

WITH WHOSE HISTORY OF

ACKWORTH IS INTERWOVEN,

AND TO THE

L O R D S O F T H E M A N O R O F A C KW O R T H,

VOLUME IS,BY K IND PERMISSION,

D E D I C A T E D

AUTHOR ’S PREFACE.

EVERY parish in England ought to have upon the shelves of

i ts village l ibrary an attractive,rel iable

,and inexpensive

volume of i ts own h istory. Until now Ackworth has not ;

but here i t is . Let those who like i t , read it , and those wh o

don’ t , produce a better . I t is not by any means complete,

but it, will form a good foundation upon which someone else

can , if they think fi t,rear an ornate supe rstructu re . What

has been built,however , cannot be pu lled down . J . L . S .

I N T R O D U C T I O N .

HAVING been requested by my friend ,th e Rev . J . L . Sayw e l l ,

to write an introduction to his “ Parochial History of

Ackworth,

” I do so with pecul iar pleasure , because i t will

afford me an opportunity of saying a few words on ParochialHistories in general , and on the “ History of Ackworth ” in

particular. It is pleasing to Observe that much greater atten

tion is now paid to Parochial Histories and subjects of research

than formerly. Parochial Histories seem to be very much

wanted at th e presen t time,as there is a growing demand for

them ; seve ral having been recently published including thoseof Askrigg ,

Hemingboro’

,Northall e rton

,Ingleton

,Morley

,

Pudsey,etc . I t is not an easy thing to w r i te th e history of a

parish,from the earl iest times to th e p resen t , wi th th e Roman

remains , Saxon earthworks,Dani sh an tiqu ities

,Norman

arch itectu re , Domesday extracts,ancient w ills and fines

,or

transfers of land ,e tc . In order to make a Paroch i al History

as complete as possible,i t i s very desira ble that i t should be

well indexed ,not only as regards persons and places

,bu t also

the principal subjects . I t should also contain as many

engravings as possible of th e principal persons,places , and

subjects , with ped igrees of the most impor tant families .I t is also desirable that biographical sketches of the p rincipalpeople in each parish should be included . The cle rgy

,as a

rule,from the ir posi tion and education ,

are best qualified for

prep aring these Parochial Histories , as each one ought to be

as familiar as possible with his own parish,having th e registers ,

with lists of clergy and patrons, e tc .,in his own possession

,

with a certain amount of the requ isite le i sure . It is almos t

the work of a l ifetime to become fully conversant even with

th e principal events in our Parochial Histories,and then one

ought to have a general knowledge of those in the immediate

l

VI. INTRODUCTION.

neighbourhood Many clergymen are now issu ing ParishMagazines

,with a page or two of local history each month

,

but,unfortunately

,there are comparatively few people in our

country parishes who care sufficiently abou t th e ancient his

tory of the ir native places even to spend a penny in purchasing a parish magazine

,much less subscribe or 5/ for a

history of their par ish . Very often the outsiders, and those

who have gone away, care more for i t than those l iving in th e

place. These local histories seem to be much more apprecia

ted in America than they are in this country. Even a small ,or poor history is be tte r than none at all ; being not so difficultto compile , less expensive , and much easier to enlarge. Now

that th e Bishop of Carlisle has followed th e example of th e

A rchbishop of Canterbury ,and the late Bishop of Durham

,in

recommending th e clergy to write the history Of their parishes ,i t i s most desirable that the Archbishop of York and the

Bishop of Ripon shou l d d o th e same with respect to th e

numerou s parishes in Yorkshire,and then a complete and

comprehensive “ History of Yorkshire would be speedily

accomplished, an undertaking which would be of great service

to th e Church gene rally and especially agreeable to the princi

pal people in each of th e respective parishes. Many of the

cle rgy have already published a considerable amount of local

history in the ir parish magazines, which might be utilised,and

reference might also be made to th e various D irectories,

D iocesan Calendars , Lawton’s “ Ecclesiastical Collections,

”

to

the different histories already published , to Bawdwen’

s Domes

d ay NBook

,

”

to K irkby’s “ Inquest, the Nonce Roll-s,

”

the

Liber Regis ,”

the Surtees Society’s Publications, Langdale’s

Topographical D ictionary, the Yorkshire Archaeological

Journals,and th e Record Series ; Allen

’s,Bai~nes

’

s, Bigl and’

s,

Black ’s and Murray’s “Yorkshire,and also to Torre ’s and

Archbishop Sharp ’s MSS . at York,and th e D iocesan Registers

,

etc. In order to prove that Parochial Histories are very much

wanted , I might quote the following extracts from a letter by the

INTRODUCTION .

Rev . Charles A . Well s,Organising Secretary of the Chu rch

Defence Insti tution . At th e recent Church Congress at'

Wakefield ,th e ques t ion of th e best means of instructing the

classes,as well as th e masses, in th e o rigin

,histo ry

,revenues

,

and work O f th e Church was proposed , bu t does not seem to

have rece ived any very definite reply . You w ill perhaps,

therefore ,allow me to make one or two p ractical suggestions

,

as to th e best way of attaining th e Objec t in hand : 1 . A his

tory of th e Parish Church,i ts architecture

,registers

,and en

dowments , written by one of the cle rgy,or some other well

qualified person ; should be’

circu lated in pamphlet formthroughout every parish . This is th e first step towards arousinginterest in Chu rch histo ry and Chu rch work . 2 . A list of

rectors or Vicars,from the foundation of th e Chu rch and

formation of the parish ,should be placed within or without

every Church ; and,where possible , th e names of patrons

,

curates,and churchwardens should be added . If the parochial

chest will not furn ish requis ite information ,a Visit to th e

diocesan registry generally will. 3 . Local biographies are also

most interest ing,of which each pa rish might easily furnish one

or more . 4. Interest should also be secured in th e local press,

mis- statements shou ld be at once corrected ,and sound info rma

tion given ; short ar ticles and note s on Church questions , withlocal ske tches , should be offered to th e different edito rs . 5 .

Historical and instructive leaflets should be widely circulated ,

and lectures on Church history,illustrated by th e magic

lantern,should be arranged for in every par ish du ring th e

winter months . Both illustrated lec tures and leaflets can be

obtained on appl ication to th e offices of the Church DefenceInstitution .

’ It i s, therefore ,most desirable that th e cle rgy

should be encouraged to do what they can towards wri ting a

history of the ir own parishes . The Rev . J . L . Saywe l l , who

has wri tten th e “ History of Northallerton,and who was

formerly curate of Ackworth ,i s well qualified to write the

“Paroch ial History Of Ackworth,

” and it is hoped that th e

INTRODUCTION .

book will have an extensive sal e,

'

so as not only to pay th e expen

ses of th e press,bu t also to leave th e compiler a margin of p rofi t .

for his t rouble othe rwise there is no encouragement‘for

"

othersto copy h is example ,

In wri ting and publishing the histories ofthei r parishes

,etc . Ackworth is a p l ace well known for its

Foundling Hospital,and Quake rs ’ School ; the benevolent

John Fothergill,M .D .

,and John Gully

,th e sporting

MP,etc . M r. Saywe l l h as se t a p raiseworthy example to h is

brother clergymen ,who

,h aving exceptional

'

Opportunit ie s for

becoming acquainted with th e history,past and p resen t

,and

th e local traditions and customs of th e par ishes under the i rcharge

,can render immense se rvice to antiquaries

,arch aeol o

gists , and county historian s , by p reserving ,for the information

of fu ture gene rations,matte r of much general in terest , which

would o therwise l ie hidden,or be forgotten .

R .

‘

V. TAYLOR ,RA.

M el becks Vica rage,

Nr . R ichmond,Yorlcs .

I N D E X.

W Persona l names a re necessa ri l y omitted .

A.

Ackworth , Found ling Hosp ital , viii . , 8 , 32 .

Quakers ’

Sch ool , vi i i .Ch urch Tower , 1 .

High , 2 .

Low , 2 .

Midd le , 2 .

Pari sh of, 2 .

d erivation of, 3 .

W illiam , 4 .

Ch urch , 8—18 , 252 .

M anor of, 1 7 , 44 , 139—1 44 .

Ch arities , 1 6 , 1 7 , 108 , 163 -203 .

Reversion of , 44 .

battle a t, 47 .

R ev . George , 52 .

mortgaged , 54 .

mi litary rendezvous , 57.

Park , 77 , 87 , 88 , 144.

Gazette , 84 .

R ev iew , 89 .

T e l egrap h , 91 .

Spa , 89 .

Feast, 89 .

mora lity of, 99 .

Rai lway Station , 1 12 .

College , 1 45 - 147 .

Accidents , 89 , 94 , 104 .

Acworth e , John d e , 46 .

Ak eworth , Henry d e , 43 .

Alban , St . , 29 .

Al fred , King, sonnet by , 1 7 .

Ann e , Queen , 54 .

Arson and Sacril ege , 1 07 .

Aug ustine , St . , 28 , 29 , 30 , 52 .

B .

Bad sworth , 1 , 41 .

Bad sworth Hunt , Past Masters of, 246 .

Bann s , forb idd en , 68 , 72 , 73 , 74 .

B argain , a curious , 68 .

Bath , O l d Ch alybea te , 1 62 .

Bed stead , antique , 61 .

Be lfry rul es , 1 1 , 1 2 .

Bell s , Church , 10 , 1 1 , 1 2 , 1 19 .

Benefactions to Poor , 16 , 1 7 .

Birth , a quadruple , 72 .

Boisil, Monk of Me lrose , 29 .

Boot and Sh oe , Hostelry , 2 , 61 .

orough bridge , Battle Of, 44 .

oundary bridge , 69 .

rackenh il l , 2 , 59 .

Brad ley ’

s Al fn shouses , 203 .

Brigh t , John , 91 .

Briti sh Sch ool , 94 .

Buria l ground , Friends ’

, 63 .

CCalcutta , Bish op of, 92.Ca lf, a wond erful , 89 .

Ca l verl ey’

s Dole , 1 87 .

Carr Bridge , 4 .

Castle Syke , 1 , 1 55 .

Cawood ’

s O l d Ch apel , 57 .

Celebritie s , 203 - 239 .

Centenary ce lebrations , 1 14 -1 19 .

Ch arities , 1 6 , 1 7 , 108 , 1 63 -203.

Ch arter , free warren 43 .

Ch ole’

ra, 96 .

Church Porch , 1 2 .

Plate , 1 8, 1 9, 20.

confiscated , 18.

Church Sch ools, 1 51 .

Ch urch rates, 96 .

Ch urchyard , new , 1 13 .

Civi l Wars , 56 .

Clergy , loya l , 56 .

Clock , Ch urch , 1 1 9 .

Coincidence , s ingular, 60 .

Conscription , 79 .

Constitution Hill, 3 .

Corona tion Festivities , 91 .

Court Leet , 81 .

Cowpasture , 1 28- 132 .

Cromw ell , 60 .

Cross , V i llage , 1 58 .

Curious Nomenclature , 37 .

Cuth bert , St .,1 2

, 28 .

D.

Dame’

s Sch ool 87 .

Dani sh An tiqu i tie s , v .

X .INDEX .

Dearth , 76 .

Derby , th e , 90 , 94 97 .

Destitution , Sp iritual , 82 .

D ictionary , Topograph ica l , Langd ale ’

s ,

D iocesan Ca lend ars , vi .D iocesan Registers , vi .Document , curious , 62 .

Domesday Book , Rawden ’s , V i .

Domesday Book , 3 , 41 .

Domesday Extracts , v .

Don , River, 4 .

E .

Ebb a , St 29 .

E cclesiastica l Col lection , Law ton ’

s , v i .

E cc lesia stica l D iscipline , 35 , 66 , 67 .

E dmund , St . , 28 .

Ednl ph , 8 .

Elm ,Vi llage , 98 , 1 20 , 156 .

Encroachments , 1 01 .

Enth usiast , a rel igious , 90 .

Ep itaph s , 75 , 92 , 250 .

th el frid , King, 29Eulogium H istorrarum ,

” 1 .

E xecution , 77 .

Explosion ,Colliery , 97 .

F .

Farmer , a model , 109 .

Feath erstone , 53 .

Ferrar, Rob ert , Prior of Nostel , 49 , 5 1 .

Fires , 59 , 1 07 .

Fines , Yorksh ire , 44 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 .

Flood , a great , 1 05 .

Folk - lore , 1 20 .

Font , 14 .

Formulas, Latin , 68 .

Fossils , 7 , 123 .

Found ling Hosp ita l , 69 , 72 , 73 .

Founta in ,village , 1 08 .

Friends ’ Burial Ground , 63 .

Friend s ’ Sch ool , 73 , 1 1 3 , 1 47- 151 , 245 .

Funera l, a unique , 70 , 71 .

G.

G as , introduction of, 92 .

G a s meeting, 1 22 .

Geologica l Ch aracteristics, 5 , 6 , 7 .

Gift , d eed of, 47 .

Gloucester, Duke of, 26 .

Gold sm ith ’s Hall , 20 .

Grace , Pilgrimage Of, 48 .

Grammar Sch ool , Abp . Hol gate’

s , 49 .

Grange , th e , 2 .

Great Rebellion . 8 .

G rotto , th e , 1 59 .

Gully , Robert, sh ipwrecked and murdered ,23 .

Gweth in street , 2 .

Ikene l d street , '

1 .

Inquest ,” Kirkby ’

s , vi.

Interments , in Friend s ’ Buria l Ground ,64-66 .

In terments in Low Ackworth BurialGround , 94- 95 .

Irvingism , 91 .

H .

Ha ilstone storm , 97 .

Ha l l, th e ol d , 1 59 .

Hardwick , East , 1 , 54 , 57 , 59 , 108 , 109.

Hardwick , West , 2 .

Harriers , Dr . Lee ’

s , 70 .

Hars ley E as t , Ch urch ,1 8 .

Hearse , Parish , 79 .

Hessle , 38 , 47 , 55 , 239 , 240 .

Hem sworth , 1 .

Herbert’ s Church Porch ,

”13 , 1 4.

Hilda , St. , 29 .

Hook ’

s , Dean , memorab le sermon ,102 .

Hopton Monumenta l Slab , 22 .

Horticu ltura l Show , 93 .

Hosp ital , Watkinson’

s , 73 , 199 .

House , o l d , 61 .

Howard , Luke , works O f, 247 , 248 .

Hund fridus , 42 .

H undh il l , 2 , 85 .

J .

Jub ilee Celebrations , 1 24- 126 .

K .

Kil lingbeck , pa intings by , 39

LLacy , fami ly of, 38 , 43 , 44.

Lacy , I lb ert de , 1 -42

Lady -we l l , 1 56 .

Lambe’s Ch arity ,Lectern , 1 5 .

Leger, St , th e , 90 .

L el ine ,” i

Leprosy , 75Liber Regi s ,” vi.

Lind say ’

s Legacy , 1 97 .

Link , a missing, 66.

Literature , 1 12 .

Livingstone ’s , Dr. , visit , 102 .

Local Meteorology , 7 .

Longevity , interesting record of, 70-71 .

Long Lane , 6 .

Lowth er ’ s Ch arity , 1 98 .

Low th er’s Hosp ita l , 17 .

Loy a lty , 1 02 .

Lych -

gate , 9 .

M .

Manifesto , a Rector’s , 1 10Manor, Lords of, 38 , 41 , 42 , 83 ,Marriage festivi ties , 102 , 103 .

Marriage , frustrated , 72 .

Marriages before Justices , 33 .

Mech an ic ’s Library , 9 1 .

Me lton ’s Register, 45

Meth od ists . Prim itive , 155 .

Mid land Ra ilway , 3 .

Military rendezvous , 57 .

Military service , 54 .

Mi l itia ,Loca l , 79 .

Monumenta l In scriptions , 20 -8 .

Moor T op , 2 .

Monica , St .

, 30

Murders , 73 , 77 .

Nevison , th e h ighwaym an , 1 60

Nomenclature , curious , 37Nonoe Ro lls , ” vi .

Norman , Arch itecture , v .

Norman Ch apel , 8 .

North a llerton . History of. Vii

North E astern Ra ilway , 3 .

Noste l , 38 , 59 , 67 .

Priory , 39 , 49 , 67 .

Arms , 40 .

Noste l pool , 4 , 67 .

O .

O belisks , 1 62 .

O rgan , Ch urch , 109 , 1 10 .

O sa l f , 8 , 43 .

O sgo l dcross , Wapentake of, 1 , 3 .

O swald ’

s Cross , 1 ,O swald , St . , 28 , 29 .

P.

Palsy , 75 .

Parl iament , Rump , 57 .

Paroch ia l Histories , v.Parish Magazines , vi .Parish Register , 31 -37 .

Paulinus , St . , 28 , 30 .

Plague stone , 57 , 1 61 .

Plymouth Brethren , 94 .

INDEX.

241 , 2 42 .

Poll , a parish , 106 .

Poll-tax , returns , 45 .

Pontefract , 41 .

Ponte fract , Booth royd ’

s History O f, 1 .

Pontefract , Castle , 1 , 43 .

Pontefract , Deanery of, 2 .

Fox ’

s His to ry of,2 .

Pontefract , St . Clement’

s Ch apel , 42 .

Poor ’s E sta te , Ackworth , 1 68 .

Popula tion , 84 , 94 .

Prints and engravings . loca l , 249 .

Pub lications , Surtees Society ’

s , vi .Pudd ing Bush , 1 7 .

Puritan into lerance , 57 .

Purston ,1 .

R .

Rectors and Curates , List of,Rec tory , th e , 38 , 39 .

Reform B i ll , th e , 88 .

“ Regina v . Joh n son ,

”10 1 .

Regis ter , Ske l ton ’

s , 45 .

Res tora tion Services , 97 .

Re turns , Poll -tax , 45

Richmond . Yorks ,VIII .

R ikenel d stree t, 1l ish worth

’

s Ch arIty , 192 .

Roman Road , 1 , 67 .

Roya l visit, 85 .

Sacri lege , 93 .

Savi le Arms , 20 .

Saxon Earthworks , V .

Sch ool , M rs . Howard ’

s , 152 .

Seaton ’

s B equest , 197 .

Sh arlston Car, 4 .

Skelton Ca stle , 1 6.Sla very Emanc ipa tion commemoration ,91Sport ing Cura te . a , 84 .

Stage Coach es , 83 .

Sta ined Glass , 28 31 .Stamford Bridge , 1 , 41 .

Stand ing Flat Bridge , 1 .

Statistics , interesting, 81 .

Stead Lane , 1 7 .

Stocks , th e Village , 1 04.

Stone , Sty le Acre , 38 .

Storm , great. 1 2 1 .

Streethouse Bar, 4 .

Sufiocation . 76 .

Survey , th e great , 42 .

Sykeh ouse , 4 .

Sykes , th e family of, 76 .

T.

Taxes , curious , 25 1 .

Tempest fam ily , 2 , 48.

xfi. INDEX .

Terriers , E cclesia stica l , 1 33 - 139 .

Th oma s , a found ling, 32 .

Tongues in trees . 98 .

T oph am’s Grant , 197 .

T orres’ vi .

T ownsman , a worth y , 1 23 .

T ownsl ey’s E state . t h e , 197 .

T rees , commemoration,103 .

V.Veron ica , St 30 .

“ Vessels of pewter, ” 18Vestments , 53 . Yorksh ire ,Vestry screen ,

15 .

VV.

Wa lks about Yorksh ire ,” Banks ’ , 2 , 4 .

W and , th e offic ia l , 95 .

Warren ,free , 44 .

Watchmen , last of, 1 21 .

5 .

W eath er , ph enomenal , 89 .

Went , river, 3 .

\Ventbridge , 1 .

Wesleyan Ch ape l , 100 , 153 .

VVes l ey’

s Visits , 73 , 74 .

West Rid ing, garden of,1 .

Wh itby Abb ey , 29 .

W indfa ll , a , 80 .

W indmill , 1 6 .

Workh ouse , th e O l d , 1 1 1 .

Worma l d ’s Ch arity , 163 .

Arch aeologica lAllen ’

s , v i .

Ba ines .

’ vi .Bigl and

’s vi .

Black ’s , v i .

History of, vi .Murray ’

s , vi .

record s , 48 ,Record , series , vi .fines , 44 , 48 , 5 1 , 52 ,

A C K W O R T H,

YORKSHIRE :

IT S H IST O R Y A N D A N N A L S .

Sweet Auburn " love liest vi l lage of th e pla in .

”

LEASANT for situation, th e ancient Tand charm ing village

of Ackworth,which has somet imes been called th e

garden of th e West Riding,

” is not seen by th e trave lleruntil almost within a stone ’s - throw of th e Church tower, which

is th e first object to attract notice on reaching the summit of

Castle Syke Hill,from th e north . I t is bounded on th e north

by Pontefract,of historic renown

,Standing Flat Bridge

,the

scene of th e battle of Stamford Bridge, be ing th e boundary

mark between th e parishes of Ackwo rth,Badsworth ,

and

Pontefract, 1

'

on th e sou th by Hemsworth,on th e east by

East Hardwick and Wentbridge , and on th e west by Purston

and VVragby . I ts present position is in th e upper divi sion of

th e hundred (h a nd recl am cen ta ria ) or wapentake (w eep on ta c) §of Osgol d cross (Oswald

’s Cross) . The Roman road from Don

caster to Castleford call ed Ikenel d or Rikenel d street,which

th e author of th e “Eulogium Historiarum” styles the “ Lel ine

,

Seen from a d istance , as from th e top Of “Rob inson C lose , ’ Ackworth isa lways a. p ic ture , espec ial ly toward s sunset on a summ er’s even ing.

1 In 1080 , Ilbert de Lacy built Pontefract Castle . At th at time Ackworthh ad only j ust pa ssed out of Saxon proprietorship .

1 Vide “ Boo th royd’

s Hist . Pont.” Th e statement , h owever, th at Stand ingFla t Bridge is th e scene of th e Batt le of Stamford Bridge is sufiicientl y h ypoth etica l and unauth en ticated to be untrustworth y . J . L . S.

Wreport , arms ; and ( ac , take or touch .

ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

c rossed th e Gweth in (Watling) stree t at Pontefract near th e

park,and thence through Ackworth on th e ridge called Castle

Syke to Hemsworth and Worceste r .

"6 Ackworth is a largevillage

,and one of th e best in th e distr ict . 1

‘ It was or iginallya Saxon hamlet, which is p roved by th e derivation of its name

,

and by the names of its first p roprietors . As to ecclesiastical

ju r isdiction ,Ackworth is situated in th e Deanery of Pontefract

and Archdeaconry O f th e West Riding and D iocese of York .

Th e parish consists of three parts,High; Low ,

and M iddle

Ackworth,with the newly sprung up and increasing settlemen t

of Moor Top ,and th e li ttle hamlet of Brack enh il l . B racken

hill is almost en ti rely inhabited by stoneworke rs . Less than a

cen tu ry ago i t was a sweetly pretty de ll, the abode of a repu ted

witch,Whose tenemen t is still pointed out . Moor Top consists

of several good houses , th e rest are th e cottages of mine rs and

quarrywork ers . Its most interesting feature is unquestionablyth e O l d “ Root and Shoe hostelry, where th e last of t h e o l d

coaches of th e distric t stopped to convey passengers th e fi rststages of the ir journey home . Middle Ackworth is chiefly inhabited by members of th e Society of Friends

,wh o possess a

large school and college in th e vicinity . Hund il l,or Hundhil l

,

which gives i ts name to a mansion and a few se rvants ’ cottagesaround it

,formed a part of th e par ish O f Ackworth prio r to

1876 , as also did th e Grange , the seat of th e Tempest family,

bu t both hamlets are now in th e parish of East Hardwick . §Th e Tempests are an o l d Roman Cathol ic family of County

standing,and maintain a domestic chaplain ,

chapel and school

for th e use of th e household and retainers . Th e school is

unde r‘

gove rnmen t inspection ,and invariably secures an ex cel

lent report . Th e par ish Of Ackworth is within th e magisterialdivision of Pontefract , th e Poor Law Union of Hemsworth , and

Vide “ Fox ’s Hist . p . 83 .

1 Banks ’ “ Wa lks abou t Yorksh ire , p . 287 .

I SO ca lled because it stands upon a h igh er level .I t is more th an probab le th at both E ast and West Hardwick were at one

time incorporated w ith Pontefract.

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 ACKWORTH , YORKS. ,

O .E.,an estate or manor

,) a close or farm,u sually one well

watered . It denotes a place ward ed or protected,and is

derived from th e ol d English word w a r ia n,to ward or defend .

"6

Brack enh il l takes its name from th e large quanti ty of bracken

or eagle fern (enp teris a qu i l in a ) which flou rishes on th e ad

join ing common . Th e prefix Hnnd in Hundil l comes fromH a nd , O H ,

a hound,hence Hound-hill orHundh il l , Ackworth

like many other ancien t places , gave its name to families

res ident the re in . Th e Rector of'

Plumstead in 1 853 was a

William Ackworth,whose ancestors

,there can be no doubt

,

sprung from Ackworth,and bore th e then common appe l lation

of d e Ackw or th . Families of this name are still numerous ,bu t i ts e tymology is variou s . Ackworth is th e only place -name

in England,although the re are three others with th e p refix

A ck, and several which enj oy th e uncorrupted prefix Ac.

Wa ters .

The r iver l Vent flows through Ackwor th,indeed th e Village

may b e said to stand upon it . Camden gives th e Noste l pool

as the source of th e r iver ; but th e ordnance survey appropriates the nameWen t beck to th e stream which rises on SharlstonCar

,near Streeth ouse Bar

,flows ac ross Went lane, parallel to

Ackworth,and thence under Ackworth Car Br idge -

f Thereare other smaller streams, by which th e lands are well i rrigated ,and rendered wood productive . The p re tty little hamlet ofWentbridge takes its name from the riverWent

,and th e bridge

which the re crosses i t. From this poin t th e Went deepens and

widensi

,until it empties i tself into th e river Don ,

abou t threemiles below Sykehouse

,and six or seven below Goole.

Th e quality of the Spring wate r at Ackworth is uniformlyexcellent , that of th e lower springs being a little softe r thanthat of th e upper. The following is an analysis of spring

Vid e O l d Yorksh ire , vol . 1 , p . 1 70 .

f Banks ’ Wa l ks about Yorksh ire , p . 273 .

ITS HISTORY AND ANNALS.

wate r,taken at a depth of 100 feet , by Joseph Spence , of York .

50 grains of solid matter to th e gallon,44 of which could be

dissolved in d istilled water, th e remainder being clay, with a

trace of o rgani c matter. Of th e 44 grains nearly 1 0 werecommon salt

,and 34 carbonate of soda

,with a little sulphate

and oxide of iron. Th e water proved perfectly sweet at everystage of the proce ss of evaporat ion . I t is obviously su itable

for domestic use,and particularly so for w ashing. On account

of th e absence O f the su lphate of i ron,lead would be acted

upon by it,and therefore pipes and c isterns of that metal

shou ld be avoided .

”

Th e above analysis will be found a

generally accu rate desc ription of Ackwo rth water, bu t the

following analysis,taken at a depth of 1 40 feet , is , perhaps ,

nearer th e mark .

“5 1 g rains of solid matter to th e gallon ,

viz carbonate of soda, 47 ; potash ,t races ; l ime

,magnesia ,

02 ; iron ,t races ; common salt

,2 ; silica , alumina, and i ron

(clay) , Slight traces of nitrates appeared ,but no iodides

or bromides .

” I t wi l l b e seen,therefore

,that Ackworth water

is of very uncommon occurrence,since carbonate of soda is

very rarely found in well water, and ,in th e few case s known , in

much small er quan ti ties .

” Such, too,

is th e opinion of RichardReynolds

,F of Leeds .

Geol ogica l Chama cteristics .

The soil of Ackworth may be described as a rich~

clay.

Refe rence to a geological map of th e district will shew that

the re is a substratum of stone underlying nearly th e whole

area of th e parish,but

,unfortunately

,not thi ck enough for

quarrying , except towards th e sou th and sou th -west,where

ex tensive quarrying Operations are ca rried on . In many

places i t r uns very near th e surface . Th e Ackworth stone ,as

a ru le,is good

,but in places it is exceptionally soft

,and unfi t

for build ing purposes, which accounts for so many “ fau lt s .

Vide Hist . Ackworth Sch oo l ,” pp . 258-9 .

6 ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

Coal abounds in the vicin i ty , and, it is thought, might be foundat greater depths with in the boundaries of th e parish . An

experimental bore of 1 53 feet was made in a field in Long lane ,in 1860 , bu t coal was not reached, although there were indications of its existence at a still lower level. Rich ve ins of i ronore are known to exist at ce rtain points

, especially in Low

Ackworth,inasmuch as many of th e natu ral water springs are

strongly oxidised . It will therefore be seen that there is mu ch

hidden wealth lying beneath Ackworth , and it i s not a too

great stretch of imagination to predict that in fifty years ’ time,

or even less, th e picturesque village of Ackworth will have be

come one of th e busiest mining centres of th e West Ridingof Yorkshire . Some account of th e upper strata will beinteresting to th e reader. A bor ing made in 1 851 revealed th efollowing layers

ClaySandstoneShaleSandstoneClaySandstoneClaySandstoneShaleSandstone

Sandstone

Total depth, 136 feet . In

some distance from th e first,

C l a and SandstoneLig t ShaleSandstoneBlack bossPottery ClayIronstoneLight ShaleSandstoneLight ShaleSandstone

1861 another bore was made

with th e fol lowing result

1 4 ft . 0 in .

1 ft. 4 i1 4 ft . 8 in .

9 ft. 0 in .

1 8 ft. 0 in .

8 ft. 0 in0 ft. 6 in.

9 ft. 0 in9 ft. 6 in32 ft. 0 in

ITS HISTORY AND ANNALS. 7

Total depth , 1 1 6 feet . Coal probably, indeed doubtless, l iesstill Fossils of different pe riods and Species have been

found in th e strata of th e stone beds,th e most common being

that of th e Equ iseta ,or gigantic horsetail of th e secondary

period , scaled like th e cones of th e fir.

Loca l M eteorol ogg.

Th e climate and temperatu re of Ackworth are such as to

make the Vil lage and i ts neighbou rhood a most desirable placeof residence , and accordingly we find a goodly number of

country houses and neat villas adorning th e landscape in al l

directions . In 1 842,Luke Howard, Esq ,

F published a

brochure,entitled

,

“ A cycle of e ighteen years in th e seasonsof G reat ” Bri tain ; deduced from meteorological Observations

made at Ackworth,in th e West Riding of Yorkshire

,from 1 824

to 1 84 1 compared with othe rs before made for a like period

(ending with 1 823) in th e vicinity of London .

”

Th e work is embel l ish ed w i th five d iagram ic plates , togethe r w ith elaborate andexhau stive tables

,shewing the mean heights of th e barometer,

yearly mean temperatures,cycle of rain

,total d epths of rain

for each month of th e year, supplemented by many u sefu l

notes on th e seasons . The book is dedicated to th e Right Hon .

th e Earl Fitzwill iam,and published in London . From it th e

following facts are deduced . Both th e climate and tempe ratu reof Ackworth are singularly even ,

both in cold and warm

periods if,however

,an exceedingly dry season should inter

vene (which i s of rare occurrence ), i t i s qu ickly compensated

for by an exceedingly wet one ; and an exceedingly col d winter

by an exceedingly h ot summer. At Ackworth,Mr. Howard

h as observed,that upon the whole October is th e we ttest month

in th e year , th e rain ,however, falling mostly by night

,ve rifying

a remark which has nearly become p roverbial , that the re are

always twenty fine da ys in October.

” As a rule,April i s (un

Th e stone strata at Ackworth is undoubted ly a large th row extend ingea st and west , th e Hemsworth coa l seam d ipping a t Ackworth , and appearingagain at Pontefract. J . L . S,

ACKWORTH,YORKS.

fortunately for the farmers) a comparitiv el y dry month,but

,as

Mr . Howard Obse rves, “ it is the arrangement of th e All-W ise

Creator,and ordered

,no doubt

,for the best on the great scale

of things.” In other respects i t is shewn that th e climate of

Ackworth i s especially suitable for inval ids,a fact no doubt

discovered by the p romoters of th e Foundling Hospita l , a l ittle

too relaxing,bu t

,on the whole , helpfu l to weak constitu tions

,

and Mr. Howard advises his readers to make a tr ial of i t,before

resorting to other skies more favoured by natural position .

Agricultu r ists may also der ive considerable comfort and use

fu l information from Mr. Howard ’s l ittle book . Th e death- rateat Ackworth i s very l ow

,th e mean average for the last twenty

years being 207 .

i

The per centage for 1884- 5 was 1 1,with a

population of nearly

The Chu rch .

The original Church of Ackworth,l ike the village itse l f, was

undoubtedly Saxon,founded, probably, e ither by th e first Saxon

proprietors of the parish— Edu l ph and O sa l f— or thei r imme

diate predecessors .

"e This is conclusively proved by th e words

I ba Eccl es'ia et Presbyter in th e Domesday Survey ; and th e

Church itself wou ld of course Share the fortunes and expe riencethe same vicissitudes as th e village . Of these demol itions

,re

bu ildings,additions

,and alterations

,there i s

,unfortunately

,no

record , but an impression generally prevails that th e nave of

th e Church was desecrated during th e Great Rebellion (bel l um

fana ticornm) , by being transformed into a vast stable and

mil itary inn,at which time th e edifice su stained very severe

damage,both internally and externally

,notably th e font, which

was pulled down and buried in th e churchyard . When th e

Church was completely renovated and restored by public

subscription,in the year 1 852

,the remains of an ancient

Norman Chapel, occupying th e site of th e present nave , were

distinctly traceable , especially on th e south Side , where one of

Vide Hist. Pont. , pp . 58- 104 . Th e l iving h as rema ined in th e patronageof th e Crown , as Dukes of Lancaster, from th e time of th e Lacys .


the arches was nearly entire , bu t whatever rel ics O f the past

remained,or were brought to ligh t during th e Operat ions

,we re

e i ther destroyed by th e workmen,or confiscated to th e private

use of the contractor,or oth e r persons of a scient ific tu rn of

mind wh o happened to visit the scene . It is said that bar rowloads of O l d carving

,both in stone and wood ,

were removed

whol esale by p r ivate persons,wherewith to ornament the ir

gardens and to give the rooms of the ir hou ses an antiqueappearance ' And this was done without one word of expostu

lation from th e archi tect,contractor

,or bu ilding committee

The Society for the Preservation of Ancien t Bu ildings and

Monuments was,unfortunate l v, no t in ex istence at that time

,

but it is marvellous how persons with any idea o f prop rietycould tolerate such vandalism and Spoliation . Be that as i t

may,there i s abundance of evidence to confirm th e statement

,

for wherever th e eye i s turned , ecclesiast ical rel ics abound , and

that not on sacred ground .

In teresting Fea tu res .

Situated near the centre Of th e village,th e Church and

Rectory,although standing back from th e road in rural soolu

sion,occupy a somewhat e levated position . T he fi rst object

,on

approaching th e Church,to attract the visitor’s notice is th e

Lgch-

ga te,

which presents a rustic and p retty appearance . I t is bu il t of

Norwegian Oak,and is now nearly black , although qu ite

modern . It bears th e following inscript ion ,engraved upon a

brass plate .

C his it’

grlg- (féatc

Qirrrtrb 1 8 7 8 .

Passing through th e lych -

gate,

In Memory of

Th e Rev . Joseph Kenworthy.

H e w a s 31 yea rs Rector of th is

Pa rish , a nd ca rried out the

R estora t ion of th is C hurch .

DIED A.D . 1 875 .

the tower and south porch of

1 0 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

th e Church are th e principal external features which strike

th e eye . Th e

Tower

is th e oldest part of th e Church ,indeed , it is th e only portion

of it which remain s in its enti rety after th e restoration of

1 852 . It is solid and well bu il t,and dates from about th e

fourteenth century. It contains a peal of six bells,each

bear ing a legend or inscription . Height : 68 fee t , 9 inches .

The Bel l s.

An au thori ty on Campanology says : “the bells at Ackworth

appear to b e of th ree date s, two of pre

- reformation times,one

of th e seventeenth cen tury,and one of th e eighteenth cen

tu ry,with a l l th e self-gl orifica tion and self- assertion thereto

belonging. 1'

No . 1 is in th e key of C sharp,and bears the following

inscription

TIMOTHY LEE D .D . RECTOR 1 760 .

No . 2 . Th e note of this bell is B,and th e inscript ion

W WAGNER I GARLICK CHURCHWARDENS 1 760 .

No. 3 . Key of A. This bell bears th e common legend of

IESVS BE OVR SPEED A .S . WC . FECIT .

1 662.

Where th e asterisks are placed there is a coat of arms, repeated

e ight times, very difficu lt to decipher,except this much

p a r ty p er p a l e, 1 , a chevron betw een three bel l s, tw o and one

2,three bongets, a l so two and one.

1 Th is enumeration is incorrect ; th ere are th ree eigh teenth century bells ;the two oldest are not dated ,


1 2 ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

(3) Tha t one of th eir numb er be appointed Leader , wh o w il l be t e

spons ible for good order in th e Be lfry ; wh o w il l give d irections to th e

Ringers and keep a Belfry book . Th a t th e Leader be appointed by th eRector annua lly .

(4) Th a t no one , except th e R ingers and th ose of th e Parish wh o are

learn ing to ring, sh al l be 1 11 th e Belfry at ringing or practising time . T he

inti oduction o f a Friend to th e Belfry at a practice , by any R inge1 , neednot be regarded a s a breach of th i s rule .

(5) Th at no drinking or smoking be a llowed in th e Belfry at any time

th at i f any Ringer break th is rule or be quarrelsome or u se bad language ,th e Lead er sh a ll at once stop th e ringing for th at occasion and sh all reportth e sam e to th e Rector .

(6) Th a t th e d uty of th e R ingers be to ring on Sunday s for both

Service s : a lso on Christmas D ay ,New Year ’s Day , and on th e Queen ’s Birth

d ay : also on any oth er o cca s ion , w ith th e d istinc t consent of th e Rectorand one of th e Ch urchwardens , b u t not w i th out it .

(7) Th at the R ingers a ssemb le for regu lar practice on one even ing, atleast , in th e w eek . a s may be arra nged ; or more frequentl y , if. th ey d e sireit : th a t th e ringing on such occas ions sh all cease , at th e late st , at 9 o

’

c lockp .m . Any Ringer ab sent from th e Be lfry for four weeks in succe ssion ,

w ith out giving d ue notice to th e Leader. and sati sfactory rea sons for h isab sence , sh a ll be con s idered to h ave resigned and h is name sh all be at onceremoved from th e List of R ingers .

(8) Th at , in case of ringing th e Bel ls by request , and w ith th e Rector ’sexpres s perm ission . on th e occasion of w edd ings or any oth er joyousoccasion , m oney only sh a ll be taken a s payment , wh ich sh a ll be d ivided at

once amongst th e Ringers , in equa l portions by th e Leader.

(9) Th at any sub ject of d ispute or m isunderstand ing arising amongst

th e R ingers sh a ll be immed iate ly referred to th e Rector and Ch urchwardens ,and th e ir d ec ision sh all be cons idered fina l .

(10) Th at no one be appointed R inger w ithout consenting first to th eserules , and signing th em and a l l Ringers are to und erstand th at th ese ru lesare only intended for th e com fort and good ordering of a l l concerned and

it is h oped th at th ey w il l a l l cord ia l ly assist in observing and ma inta iningth em .

Let a l l th ings be done decently and in order.W . M . FALLOON , Rs c

'ron .

JOSEPH NELSTROP, y on R H 1J. HEATON CADMAN ,

U C W RDENS

In a niche over th e outside of th e

Porch

i s an effigy of St. Cuthbert, the pat ron saint . holding . in his

dex ter hand a crozier. Inside th e perch on both sides of th e

wall are inscribed appropriate stanzas , selected from Herbert ’s

Chu rch Porch , as fol lows


On th e right hand side above th e foramen is th e first verseof th e “Sup er l im in a re,

” thusThou , wh om th e former precepts haveSprinkled , and taugh t h ow to beh aveTh yse lf in Ch urch approach , and taste

Th e Church ’

s my stica l repa st .”

On th e right beneath are two verses from th e Peri rha n

ter iwm

Sum up , at n igh t , wh at th ou h ast done by d ay ;And , in th e morn ing, what th ou h a st to d o .

Dress and undress thy sou l , m ark th e decayAnd grow th of it . I f, w ith thy w atch , tha t too

B e down , th en w ind up both . Since w e sh a l l beMost surely j udged , make th y accounts agree .

In brief, acqu it th ee bravely : p lay th e man .

Look not on pleasures a s th ey come ,b ut go .

Defer not th e least virtue . L i fe ’

s poor spanMak e no t an e l l , by trifl ing in th y woe .

If th ou do il l , th e joy fade s . not th e pa insIf well , th e pa in doth fade , th e joy remains .

On th e leftJudge not th e preach er ; for h e is thy judge .

I f th ou m is like h im , th ou conceiv’st h im not .

God ca lleth preach ing. fol ly . D o not grudgeT o pick out treasures from an earth en pot .

Th e worst speak someth ing good . If a l l want sense ,G od takes a text , and preach eth patience .

He th at gets patience , and th e b le ss ing whichPreach ers conc lud e w ith , h a th not lost h is pa ins .

He th at by be ing a t Church , e scapes th e d itchWh ich h e migh t fa l l in by compan ions , ga ins .

H e th a t loves God ’

s ab ode , and to comb ineW ith saints on earth , shall one d ay w i th th em sh ine .

Above the foramen on th e left hand side is th e remaining

verse of th e Sup er l im'ina re.

Avoid profanene ss come not near.Nothing but h oly , pure , and c lear ,O r th a t wh ich groaneth to be so ,

M ay , at h is peril , furth er go .

”

On th e left below,a continuation of th e Perirha n ter l um .

Sund ay s ob serve . Th ink , wh en th e be l ls do ch ime ,"l

‘

is ange ls ’

mus ic ; th ere fore come not late .

God th en d ea ls b lessings if a king d id so ,

Wh o w oul d not h aste . nay , gi ve , to see th e sh ow

Resort to sermons , but to pray ers most

Praying's th e end of preach ing.

Wh en once th y foot enters th e ch urch , be bare .

God is more th ere th an th ou for th ou art th ereOnly by H is perm ission . Th en bew are ;And m ake thy self a l l reverence and fear.

Knee l ing ne ’

er spoil ’d s ilk stoc k ing. Qu it thy sta te .

Al l equal are w ith in th e church ’

s gate .

”

14 ACKWORTH,YoRKs.

,

And on th e rightIn time oi service sea l up both th ine ey es ,And send th em to thy h eart tha t , spy ing sin ,

Th ey may w eep out the sta ins by th em d id rise .

Th ose doors be ing sh ut , a l l by th e ear comes in .

Wh o marks in ch urch - time o th ers ’

symme try ,Makes a l l th e ir beauty h is d eform ity .

Le t va in or busy th ough ts h ave th ere no part ,Bring not thy p lough , thy p lots , thy p leasures th ither.Christ purged H is Tem ple ; so must th ou , thy h eart.All world ly th ough ts are but th ieves met togeth er

T o cozen th ee . Look to thy ac tion s well ;For ch urch es e ith er are our h eaven , or h ell .

Over th e inne r door upon a sc roll are th e Latin words

"genius 5gti

330ml C a l if“

Unfo rtunately , th e restoration was carried out almost entirely

with Ackwo rth stone,which is

,as a rule , of a soft and perishable

natu re,consequently portions of th e exter ior of the church are

mu ch weather-worn and decayed,although not forty years

o l d .

Th e next obj ect of interest is theFont,

which is w ell worth th e notice of th e A rchaeologist and Anti

quarian . It is octagonal in shape , and runn ing around it isth e fol l owmg 1nscr1pt ion : Tho ma s Bra d l ey , D .D . , Rectore,

H .A . ,T O. Ga rd ia n is , B ap t

'ister iam B el l o Phana tieoram

D irntam D euno Erectum ,That is : “ Thomas Bradley

,

Doctor in D ivin ity ,be ing Rector

,H A. and T C ,

Churchwardens.This font thrown down in th e war of th e Fanatics, was set upagain in th e year 1 663. I t is probab l e that Ackworth Churchsuffered greatly during th e civi l wars , not only from i ts prox imity to Pontefract, b ut also from th e c ircumstance of one of

th e K ing’s chaplains be ing its rector. We know for certain

that th e ancient fon t was broken down . Th e first baptism,in

the font newly set up, was 24th November, 1 663 . When the

Church was restored in 1 852, the basin of an ancient Norman

font was discovered unde r one of th e north aisle pillars,of

which,indeed

,i t formed th e foundation . Th e erection of this

Th e House of God , th e gate of Heaven .

ITS HISTORY AND ANNALS. 1 5

aisle having been subsequent to th e civil wars,it is exceedingly

probable that this was the bowl of the ancient chu rch fon t,

which had been placed there , on th e erection of th e aisle in

question , to prevent its be ing desecrated . During th e progressof th e works, and whilst th e Rector was absen t from home

,i t

disappeared ,and was supposed by th e workmen to have been

broken up, and used in th e build ing of th e new ch ancel wall .

In the cou rse of a year or two,however, this ancient rel ic re

appeared as a flower-vase in a garden ,which was then the

property of one of the sub - contractors . Unfortunately,by the

builder ’s contract , i t was provided that a l l refuse materials

which could not be used in th e re - erection of the chu rch we reto be th e property of the contractor. But

,surely

,th e removal

of so sacred an obj ect as th e bowl of th e ancien t chu rch fontwas never contemplated by that clause, and its presen t sacrilegi

ous exhibition in th e centre of the village can be regarded by

no right-minded person in any other light than as an offence

against public decorum . Dr. Bradley (durin g whose incumbencythe present font was set up) had been Chaplain to Charles I.

,

and Prebendary of York, and h ad married Lady Frances

,

daughter of John Baron Saville ,* o f Pontefract , and h e seemsto have been proud of his relationship and antecedents . His

grand- child,Charles

,son of Mr. Danyell Godfrey ,

was th e firs tto be baptized in th e new font . This is recorded at full length

in th e parish register, as having occu rred 24th November , 1 663 .

Th e B ra ss Leete-rn is a handsome one,and was presen ted to

th e Church by J . Heaton Cadman, Esq , Reco rder of Pontefract.Th e Vestry Screen ,

consist ing of two parts , and enclosing

the north- east corner of the Church , is a fine spec imen of carved

oak , th e work of A . Hayball , Sheffield, Se , and bears th efollowing inscript ion .

“These tw o screens a re the gift of Josephand Ca rol ine Nel strop ,

of A ckworth Lodge. Erected A .D .

Th e organ case is intended to be en su ite, and th e inscription

upon it is as follows “Organ Ca se. Donor C . M . K enworthy ,

Vide Monumental Ep itaph s , and B iography of Dr. Brad ley .

1 6 ACKWORTH,YORK S

,

Ackw orth Rectory ,A .D. The choir stall fin ials are also

worthy of not ice .

* On th e west wall of th e north aisle ispainted th e following :

B enefa ctions to the Poor of the Pa r ish of A ckworth .

1 692 . Elizabeth,rel ict of Sir John Lowther

£20 0 O

1 71 7. Robert Lowther , of Ackworth,Esq . 50 0 0

17 1 8. Margaret,wife of Wi lliam Norton

,of Saw

l ey ,Esq .

1 722 . Ral ph Lowther,of Ackworth Park

,Esq.

1724 . Ann,daughter of Ralph Lowther, Esq .

1724 . Elizabeth ,d aughter of Lawson Trotter

, of

Skelton Castle,Esq .

1 729 . John Lowthe r,of Ackworth Park

,Esq .

1739. Thomas Bright,of Badsworth

,Esq.

1744 . The Rev . W illiam Key

1703 . Robert Mason,Gent.

Ann,Rel ic t of the Rev . J . Bolton

By Cash from a Stock of Cows

A . n. P. N .B .— T he above Benefactions are

4 laid ou t in Hou se and Land uponSee the Lease to Anthony Surtees

,Esq ,

for

award. £ 1 2 Os . 0d . per year , which Leaseexpires in th e year of our Lord

Yea r l y Pa ym en ts .

170 1 . Ann,Rel ict of Robert Calverley

Matthew Lambe , YeomanFor th e Land on which th e W indmill is

e rected 0 5 O

Je rvas Seaton ,of East Hardwick, for one

acre in Thorpl eys

John Wormald, to th e poor

And for pu tting out poor children

Th ese stal ls were inserted in 1852 .

i Ackworth House wa s sub sequently sold to J . M . Hepworth , Esq . , for

wh ich sum is now invested in th e 3 per cent . Annu ities .

1 Th is is an error on the board . Th e payment is on ly ten sh i llings a year.


Stephen Cawood, to th e poor

And for repairing hou se,Stead lane

John Rushfo rth,to th e poor

John Topham, for one acre of land on the

Common 0 4 8

1 803. Sarah and Francis Townsley,died intestate

,

and in possession of a house,malt

kiln, etc .

,and 7 acres of land adjoining

the Rectory on the East,and 4 acres

of land called Pudding Bush,which

Estate for want of he irs went to the

Trustees of th e Manor of Ackworth,

for th e benefi t of th e Freeholders .

1 810 . Henry M itten,o f Ackworth ,

left £20 (Dutydeducted) , th e interest to be paid to

20 poor w idows, yea rly, on New -Year’sDay

,by the Chu rchwardens and Over

seers .

1 873 . David Lindsay,

aleof Leeds

,invested for

inmates of Lowther’s Hospital -r 1 50 0 0

Inside th e Church ,near th e South door

,on th e right-hand

side going in ,painted on a sheet of zinc may be seen th e

sublime prayer of K ing Alfred ,as follows

Forgive now , ever Good " and give to us

Th at in o ur m ind s w e soar up to Th ee ,Maker of a l l th ings " Th rough th ese troublous way s ;And from amongs t th ese busy things of l ife ,0 tender Fa th er " w ielder of th e world "Come unto Th ee , and th rough Thy good speedW ith th e mind ’

s eyes we ll Opened w e ma y see

Th e w e ll ing spring of Good . th at Good Thy se lf,O Lord , the King of Glory Th en make wh oleT h e ey es of our und ers tand ings , so th at weFath er of ange ls , fasten them on Th ee "Drive away th is th ick m ist . wh ich long wh ile now

Hath h ung before our m ind 's eyes h eavy and darkEnl igh ten now th e mind

’

s ey es w i th T hy ligh t .Master of Life for Th ou , O tender Fa th er,Art very brigh tness of th e True Ligh t Thyself

Buried at th e east side of the Ch urch . Died Oct. 7 , 1874 , aged 77.f

B

ACKWORTH, YORKS.,

Thy self Alm igh ty Fath er " th e sure restO f a l l Thy fa st and true ones w inninglyTh ou orderest it , th a t we m ay see ThyselfTh ou art of a l l th ings origin and end ,

0 Lord of a l l m en " Fath er of angels " Th ouE asily bearest a l l th ings w ithout toi lTh ou art Th y se lf th e way and leader tooO f everyone th at l ives , and th e pure placeTh a t th e way lead s to a l l men from th is soi lThrough out th e bread th of b e ing, yearn to Th ee .

KING ALFRED THE GREAT AND Goon .

Th e seats in th e Church are partly free,and partly appro

priated . In 1852 , th e Incorporated Society for th e bu ilding of

Churches,granted £ 120 towards th e re- building of Ackworth

Church,upon condition that 173 seats* numbered 1 to 34 be

reserved the re in for th e use of the poorer inhabitants of th e

parish. This fact is recorded upon a small board hung up in

th e vestry. Accommodation is provided for five hundred and

six people,which

,compared wi th th e population, is certainly

insuffic ient .

Th e nave i s three bays in length,th e arches of which rest

upon piers of three - quarter cylindrical shafts,with circular

moulded capitals . The corbel s are all carved with symbol icalfigures . Th e tower and chancel arches are lofty and elegant

,

with lightly fol iaged capitals,the whole effect of which wou ld

undoubtedly be improved by th e additional height and ligh t

imparted by a c l erestorie . Th e entire length of the Church is

70 feet, and th e entire width 50 feet.

CHURCH PLATE .

There can be no doubt that th e original Church plate of

Ackworth was confiscated by th e Duke of Northumberland , in

commonwithnearly all th e plate of th e Yorkshire Churches,to th e personal use of th e “ Royal Harry,

” in May, 1 553 . How

long th e Holy Communion was consecrated and administered

at Ackworth in vessels of pewter ”

we do not know, but the

oldest silver chalice i s dated 1 631 , and bears th e following

A clerica l error . Th e word seats ough t to be sittings .

f Th ere is a silver paten a t East Harlsey Ch urch , near North allerton , wh ichbears date 1571 .


20 ACKWORTH, roaxs,

is also very plain, th e hall marks, which are nearly obliterated ,being th e only marks to attract attention . The first mark is

th e nex t is unintel l igib l e , th en comes a lion passant guardant ,and

the letter I}. T he pedestal,which is probably older than th e

paten,looks as if it had been fixed on at a comparatively recent

period . The smaller paten is much more ancient,the chasing

b eing

'

nearl y invisible , and the coat of arms much defaced.

Th e field of th e shield is unce rtain, but it is emblazoned with

two bars fesse , and chief indented . Th e supporters are feathers,

bu t that i s all that can be made out. The hall marks are H,

with a star bel ow, a lion’s head ensigned with an imperial

crown,a lion passant guardant

,and th e letter (75. Th e above

description ,although c rude and imperfect

,w ill nevertheless be

interesting to archaeologists,antiquarians

,and students of

heraldry. It i s,howeve r , qu ite certain that the Ackworth

Church plate was not manu factu red in London, nor assayed atGoldsmiths ’ Hall , bu t that i t i s of provincial manu facture , and

assayed at one of th e provincial assay offices .

M ONUM ENTAL INSCRIPTIONS.

Th e monuments in Ackworth Church are few ,and of simple

.

construction ,but in one or two instances th e inscriptions

thereon are extremely in teresting . In th e vestry,against th e

east wall , the re are two stone slabs,one broader than th e other.

The left-hand slab bears th e following inscription z

A ch erub partia lly veiled , h old ing a wreath of immortel les,inside wh ich is

an h era ld ic -sh ield . Arins—Per pa le argent and gules—B ra d l ey . Gules , a fessor, ch arged w ith th ree b uckles or, and a crescent for d ifference . Sa vil e.

—Argenton a bent sab le th ree ow ls of th e field .

FRANCIS THE DAUGHTER OF THE RIGHT HONBLE. JOHNSAV ILE BARON OF PONTEFRACT AND WIFE TO THOMASBRADLEY DO CTOR IN DIVINITY PRE BEND OF YORKERECTOR OF THIS CHURCH AND CHAPLAYNE TO HIS

ITS . HISTORY AND ANNALS.

or JANUARY 1 663 FELL ASLEEPE EXPECTING THE

RES(S)URREGT ION

SHE WAS NOBLY BORNESHE WAS VERTVOVSLY BRED

SHE LIVED PIOVSLY

SHE DIED PEACEABLYSHE CARRIED A GOOD CONSCIENCE WITHAND HATH LEFT A GOOD NAME BEHIND

SIC SIC IVVAT IRE SVB VM BRAS

FOR PITY AND FOR PIETYFOR CHAST ITIE AND FOR CHARITIE

FOR PATIENCE AND HU MILITIE

SHE WAS RARELIE EXEMPLARY

HIC TENDIM US OMNES

On th e narrow right hand slab adjoining, the inscription is

Arms—Same , w ithout ch erub and wreath .

VXOREM SEQ V ITVR

THOMAS BRADLzEVS

ANIM AS C INERES

svos .

KINGS 1 9 4

I ALI NO BETTER

OBIT

22 ACKWORTH ,YORKS.,

The floor of the vestry,nave

,and aisles of th e Church are

covered with memorial slabs bearing inscriptions for th e mostpart nearly obliterated

,or un lmportant , except perhaps as name

indicators. I have noted the following names and dates

Burford ,1781 . Daniel Hepworth (no date). Austwick

,

1 778 . Howitt , 1755 . Parker,1 769 . Ann Ramsden ,

(aged Ann Sly (aged Samue l

Anthron ,1789 . W i se Rish forth

,1 732 . Baynes

, etc .

There are others, bu t they are cove red by th e organ and other

fittings .

Sir Roger Hopton’

s tombstone,which was disc ove red under

th e seats now allotted to th e occupiers of Ackworth Park , when

th e Church was restored in 1 852,i s in excellen t preservation ,

is by far the most interesting and important rel ic of its kind in

Ackworth Chu rch,and may now be seen in the south aisle.

In th e centre is a large fioriated cross,flanked

’

by th e arms of

Hopton and Savile, the whole surrounded by th e following

inscription Orate pro animabus,Rogeri Hoptonis m il itis,

et Annoe uxoris snoe,qui obiérunt

,Anno Domini 1 506. It is

,

therefore , th e oldest tombstone in Ackworth Church . A sketch

is here inserted . Coa t of Arm s . Hopton— two bars, each

charged with three mu llets , in dexter chief a mulle t for differ

ence. Savile— on a bend three owls,Th e name Roger is

common in th e Hopton family. This Roger was probably thesame wh o, in 1 492 , was nominated by William Scargill astrustee of a char ity founded by the latter at Rothwell , and w hoin 3 Henry VII . was gentleman usher of th e K ing’s

ch ambei'.

In th e vestry, there is another slab , th e inscription upon

which,so far as it is legible

,is interest ing

Hoc sub marmore ReponunturMortales Rel iquoe,

M atronoe Nobil is Lectissimoe

DM E. ELIZAB , LowTHER ,


Quos Filice quondam Joh Hare

de Stow Bardolph in Comitat.

Norfol eioe Equit Aurati

Primum Woolley Leigh Armig Nupta

Demum Honorabil i V iro .

DNO . JOH LOWTHER d e Lowther in

Agro Westmort Baronetto

Multum Natal ib plus v irtu l ib inc l aruit

Honorifieas Nuptias ,

h inc una nide sena sobole beav it

tribu s nempe Filus totidenq/

Fil iabus

Famil ioe LOWTHERINGSAdditis

Venul tum speciem mente plane divina

Deeoravit

d eniq Facu l ates Effusissima

—assitate , ch aritate , munificentia,

— um impendit magis h onorifice

an audauxit.

ih ter Reatam vitam utpote .

Th e remainder is hidden beneath th e masonry which encloses

th e vestry. The fol lowing names also appear on th e vestry

Jonathan Seaton,1762, Mary Lowther,

1753, and M argt. Baynes.

Th e mural monuments are few and unimportant. In th e

south aisle,upon a fine slab of white marble

Arms of Gu l l y .

M otto Vix ea nostra voco.

Sacred

to th e memory of ROBERT GULLY,son of John Gully, Esq ,

of Ackworth Park ,wh o

,after suffe r ing th e horrors

and privations of shipwreck on th e i sland

of Formosa , in th e Brig,Ann ,

”

on th e

night of th e l 0 th of March ,1 842

,

24 ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

in which vessel h e was a passenger,

was,together with th e rest of th e crew , taken

prisoner by the Chinese , and su ffered th e greatest

privations and hardships,which he bore

with the most exemplary forti tude ,manly and cheerful resignationto about th e 1 5th Augu st ,

when h e , together with abou t 300 British subj ects, was

most ba rbarously mu rdered in coldblood by the Chinese authorities in the

town of Ty-wan - foo. He was endeared to a

large circle of friends for his manly

virtues and kindness of heart.This tablet is erected by a bereaved and afflicted father.

Know th ou , O stranger, to th e fame

O f th is much loved , much h onoured name ,

For none th at knew h im need be toldA warm er h eart dea th ne

’

er made cold .

Under th e tower, on white marble and grey granite

Robert Heptinstall,

D ied June l st,1726. Aged 43 years .

Upon a white marble s l ab,

flanked with columns with

floriated capitals,supported by flying cherubim

,and surmount

ed with th e Lowther coat of arms

RALPH AND ROBERT LOWTHER,of Ackworth Park,

Esqrs .

,

Sons of Sir John Lowther,of Lowther

,in

VVestmorl and . Bart ,by El izh . daughter

of Sir Ralph Hare , Bart. Issue of RalphLowther

,by Mary h is wife ,

daughter of Godfrey

Lawson, of Leeds, Esq ,one son and e ight daughters .

D ied 1724 . Aged 69 .

ROBERT LOWTHER,died without issue

,1 720 . Aged 57.

John,only son of Ralph

,D ied without issue

1729, 45 . Dorothy Norton,Grand-daughter


26 ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

Underneath on th e same stone

-Also of Robert Lowther, Esq ,youngest

Son of th e Honb l e . St. John Lowther,of Lowther

,Bart.

Who departed this Life th e 24th day of

August, 1720 , in the 56 year of

his age .

Th e following inscriptions appear in th e Churchyard

Henry Mitton,died Nov . 20 , 1 79 1 , 81 years .

Elizabeth,wife of above

,died March 22

,1 802 ,

76 years .John Beaumont

,died June 1 9 , 1798, aged 76 .

Mary,wife of Joseph White , died Feb . 5th ,

1 776 ,aged 65 .

Mary,wife of John Burford, died Feb . 2 , 1795 ,

William,son of John and Mar Burford, died April

30,1 781 , age 20 .

Catherine,w ife of Wm . Sikes, died 4th August

,

1742 , aged 48 .

Robert S ikes,son of above, died 4th January,1746, aged 2 years .

Will iam Sikes,husband of Catherine, died

June 25th ,1764, aged 55 .

Major John Goldsworthy,

-

l of Hon . East India

Co.

’

s Madras Army. D ied June 1 , 1 884, aged 80.

Samuel , son of Mr. Samuel Turner, A.M late Vicarof Blyth

,by Frances

,his wife , daughter of

Mr. Hacksup, of Finnil ey , afterwards

Facts .only are h ere given , such as names, dates , and ages .

1 Ma jor Gold sworthy was a very pronounced Conservati ve , and declined theuse of h is pew to th e Duke of Gloucester, wh en tha t nob leman attended Ack

worth Church , because h e was a Liberal .


wife to Robert M a son, of Ackworth ,

Gent. died 26th December,aged 1 8.

John,son of Wm. Heptinstall , died 4th Sept . 1726,

aged 21 .

W ill iam,second son of above William

,died

27th Feb ,1735 - 6 , aged 29 .

‘And as an .early token of his piou s incl inations and th e truehonour he bore to God ’s house

,did (with th e consent of his

dear mother) give ten pounds towards th e bu il ding of a vestry

to this Church .

Rev . Thos . Bell , late of .East Hardwick,

D ied Nov . 1 8 aged 77 years -rOn th e west side of th e Churchyard

,near th e Church

Wi lliam Robert Hay, M .A. ,

Rector of thi s Parish

D iedl 0 th December, 1 839 , aged

78.

other side of th e tomb

Mary Hay,

Wife of the Rectorof this Parish

,

D ied1 8th Feb ,

1832,

aged 71 .

Further north

Here l ies the Body of Ann,Rel ict

of’

th e Rev . Kingsman Baskett,

She died 26 March ,1 826 , aged

81 Years .Vide sub datum , Ann : 1712 . T h e young man

’s wish was probably


On the north -east side , separated by a high wall from th e

Churchyard,there is th e mausoleum of th e Gully family

,

formerly of Ackworth Park . It stands in its“

own grounds,

which are kept in beautiful order.

John Gully,* D ied at Durham,March 9th , 1 863,

79 years .

There are a lso two daughters of Mr. Gully buried here,both of whom died in infancy.

East end

Captain R. S . Adams (14th Foot) , Died August 5 ,1837, aged 47 .

Wm. Clark,Surgeon,

D ied July 22,1 86 1

,

55 years.

North sideAnn Cl areborough ,

D ied April 1 9, 1 832 ,60 years.

John Petty,Esq ,

of Ackworth Park,D ied Oct .

1 826 , 68 years .

East end

Lucy,wife of Wm . Peel, of Ackworth Park,

D ied April 1 4 , 1 869.

STAINED GLASS.

Ackworth Church is rich in memorial windows,all of them

,

except two, being filled with stained glass of elegant tints and

appropriate designs . The east .window is a fine specimen of

decorative art . Five figures are depicted therein, three are

designed to represent ecclesiastical saints, and two regal ;emblematical of th e union and co -operation which should

exist between the Church and the Throne. SS . Cuthbert,

Augustine of Canterbu ry, and Paulinu s , were Bishops, and SS .

Edmund and Oswald,were K ings . The ancient prediction of

A memoir of John Gully w i ll be found herein, under the h ead of B iographical Sketch es.


Isaiah :“ and K ings shall be thy nursing fathers , and their

Queens thy nursing mothers ,” i s no contradiction of th e more

recent saying of our D ivine Head,My K ingdom is not of this

world.

” St . Edmund is represented in th e first light as holding

in his hand the instrument of his martyrdom . The second

light contains a figure of St . Augustine of Canterbury,vested

in episcopal habits,and holding in his left hand a banner, upon

which is inscribed an emblem, or picture, of th e Crucifixion of

our Lord . Th e centre figu re is a representation of St . Cuthbert

(to whom th e Parish Church of Ackworth is dedicated), with

th e head of St. Oswald in his hand . Above is St . Cuthbert’s

cross . In the cinque - fo il on th e north side is depicted th e in

e ident of th e young Cuthbert keeping watch over his fl ock by

th e river Leder. ‘ On th e o ther side is portrayed St. Cuthbert

administering th e Holy Communion to th e dying Boisil , monk

of Melrose . In th e next l ight is the figure of St . Paulinus,

attired in archiepiscopal vestments,and th e figure in the fifth

light represents St . Oswald , K ing and Martyr, crowned , and

holding in one hand a sceptre , and in th e other a cross . Along

th e bottom of the window appears th e following insc riptionIn memory of Elizabe th Harriet (Kenworthy), th e w ife of the

Rector of this parish ,wh o departed this l ife March 2nd , 1 853,

aged 32 years .

There are

.

four other windows in the Chance l , a l l filled with

stained glass . The first on the south sid e i s a two- l ight , con

taining full length figures of SS . Hilda and Ebba ; and the

other is a single l ight representation of S . Alban . The fi rstof these saints was th e virgin founder of Whitby Abbey ; the

second was th e daughter of Eth el frid , K ing of Northumberland,sister of S . Oswald, and abbess of Coldingham in Scotland ;and th e third is known as th e proto -martyr of B ri tain , all three ,however, were martyrs. On the north sid e of th e Chan cel ,

wh ich at Ackworth is a continuation of the north aisle , the

windows are both two - light memorial ones . In the first

window are representations of Christ bearing His Cross, and

30 ACKWORTH,YORKS ,

th e legendary incident in th e l ife of St . Veronica below is th e

following inscription In memory of Clara , th e beloved wife

of John Hardy Thursby. Born 24 M arch ,1 839 , D ied 21

March,1 867. ZEtat 27. The other window depicts Monica’s

visit to S . Augustine , and S . Paul inus baptizing in th e Swale .

I t was inserted to th e memory of “Henry Cockerill Leatham ,

Deceased 6 Aug. 1 852 aged 75 years,” and Lucy Leatham ,

his wife,Deceased 1 8 Feb . 1 866, aged 78 years .

Ea st end of Sou th Ais l e.

Three - l ight window representing th e Crucifixion ,Resurrec

tion, and Ascension of Christ,and underneath the following

inscription —“ In memory of John Pearson,who deceased May

9th,1 843 , aged 63 years also of Emma his wife

,who departed

this life May 1 1 th ,1 842

,aged 54 . They rest on th e east side

of th i s window .

Sou th Ais l e.

TWO double- light windows . Th e former contain s a representation of Chri st in Gethsemane , and on th e road to Calvary.

The inscriptions below are as follows In memory of William

Grubb,who departed this l ife Apri l 2md

,1 854, aged 79 years.

”

“ In memory of Hannah Grubb,wh o departed this life 3rd Augt.

1876 , in h er 92 year.

”

Th e latter depicts Chr ist being crownedwith thorns

,and scou rged . This window was put in to the

“ memory of Mary Pl owes, of thi s parish ,wh o departed this

life on the 1 4th day of December,1 857, aged 84.

West end of Sou th Ais l e.

‘

Two - light window,rep resenting Christ be ing baptized

,and

blessing little children . Inscr iption —>I4 Basil Anthony Kenworthy >I< Born F : of the Epiph any >E Deceased Eve of All

Saints,1854 K4 Aged 9 months . >1<

“ The Lord gave and theLord hath taken away blessed be th e name of th e Lord .

”>I<

The upper or tracery portion of the large west window only

is stained, th e rest is tinted.


West end of N0 7t h Ais l e.

Two- light window,corresponding with west end of south

aisle,one light depicting th e annunciation to th e Shepherds,

and th e other the Presentation of Christ in th e Temple . In

scription In memory of Jane Yates W ilson , who deceased

1 3th December , 1 842, aged 28 also Anna Maria W ilson,who

departed this life May 25th ,1 846 , aged 24 .

North Aisl e .

Three double - light windows . (1 ) Mercy and Chari ty.

Inscription Mary M unkh ouse Barnett,Deceased 2nd May

,

1 864, aged 78 years . (2) Manife station to th e Shepherds and

Magi. Inscription Francis Augusta Bland,Deceased Dec.

26 , 1 855 , aged 75 years. (3) Th e fl ight into Egypt and theHerodian massacre . Inscription “ Judith Selina Bland

,

Departed this life July 1 6 ,1 847, aged 66 years.

Th e window at th e east end of th e north aisle is like th e

west window in th e nave , stained in th e upper portion and

t in ted in th e lower.

I t will easily be imagined that so much stained glass creates

a dim religious light,” which in itself is both dep ressing and

undesirable , making th e use of artificial light frequentlynecessary in th e winter months, during th e greater part of th e

day. In this instance conven ience must give way to art,for

i t would be difficult to obtain a facu l ty for the ir removal,and

the only way to obtain more light ” wou ld be e i ther to restore

the cl erestorie , or insert Dormer windows in the roof.

THE PARISH REGISTERS.

These valuable records , which begin 1 0 th February, 1 558 ,

are in a good sta te of preservation from th e fir st, with the

exception of a few places in the earliest book , where the entries

have almost disappeared ; but this defect is remedied to a great

32 AOKWORTH,roasts ,

extent by a page for page paper copy on interleaves bound with

th e original parchment. Du ring th e rectorate of Dr. Timothy

Lee (1744 more than ordinary care was shewn in keeping

th e books . It was th e Doctor who caused th e copy to be madeof the first book ; and in his time th e numbers of births and

death s, ages at death and causes of death ,are tabulated yearly,

males be ing distingui shed from females,and the entr ies be ing

signed by him and th e Churchwardens periodically. The

death tables are interesting as shewing th e disorders most

prevalent in th e village. Consumption appears to have been

peculiarly fatal . In one year,out of twelve burials of child ren

from th e Foundling Hospital, eleven are stated to have died

from this cause ; In th e second volume,which extends from

August,1 687, to March, 1 732 , entries are made of th e fact of

pregnancy of women at th e time of marriage , be ing with

child.

” Somet imes,when a birth occurred too soon after

marriage, the words“ begotten in forn ication a re added to

the entry of i ts baptism . We also perce ive evidence of th e

existence of th e Found l ing Hospital* in th e following entry :“ June

,1 705 , Thomas , a child brought to the parish in th e

night, (was) baptised .

”The prevalence of th e plague is shewn

in this register, as well as at Wakefield and others,thus

“R ichard Pickeringe and Frances Ledsome , married June 25th ,

1 645 , in which year there dyed of the plague in Ackworth 1 53

persons Richard Pickeringe be ing then Constable.

”

Th e

following surnames, which still exist here , or in th e neighbour

hood, or have , in a few instances , lately disappeared ,are found

in th e,registers from 1 558 to 1 7 17. The earliest are Pearson

,

Austwicke , Heptonstall , Simson , Wormald,Becket

,Roberts ,

Newell, Broad l aye , Huntingden,Briggs

, Scol aye (now Scholey) ,Roades , Hepworth, Horncastle , Grenfie l d 1 579 , Heaton ,

Shill ito,

Fernl aye , Brears,Tompson ,Th ack er

,Warde ,R ishworth,Newsam ,

Jackson,’Ligh tfoote , Howitt 16 18

,Turner , Beamond

,Col le tt

,

Patrick 1 641 , Ryder after 1 652, Warde , Say l l , Battye , Crossley

Probably a small building in connection with London .


3 4 ACKWORTH , YORKS. ,

which year there dyed of th e Plague in Ackworth,1 53 persons

R ichard Pick eringe being then Constable .

”

Baptismes

Charles th e Sonne of Mr. Danyell Godfrey,By Barberry

the Daughter of Dr. Thomas Bradley, Rector of Ackworth ,

Ch apl ayne to His Majesty K ing Charles th e Fi rst , and Prebendary of Yorke, and th e Lady Ffrances his wife , daughter to

th e Right Honourable John Lord Saville , Baron of Pon tefract,

&c. ,was baptized th e 24th of November

,Anno 1 663 being

th e first that was baptized in th e ffont newly sett up after th e

antient ffont was destroyed and broken downe in th e late Civ il l

Wat rs. On Candlemas Day imediatl y fol l owinge , was TheHonourable th e Lady Ffrances above -mentioned here, honour

ably inter’

d,who died th e Saturday before , be ing th e 3oth Day

of January,th e day where in his late Maj esty

,of blessed memory,

was pu t to death ,and th e ve ry same hour (as neere as may be

conj ectu red) where in His Majesty suffe red, did sh e breath herlast

,and returnd h er Spiri t unto God that gave i t .”

VOL . I I.

Is a folio parchment Book,bound in calf

,with brass clasps.

Here also two volumes appear to have beenbound up into one .

The first part is from 28th Augu st,1 687 to 1732 .

The second 25th March,1732 to 1754 .

In th e first part th e fi rst Baptism is 28th August,1 687 .

Burial 28th May, 1 688 .

Marriage l 6th Nov . 1 687.

the last Baptism 9 th March ,1732 .

In th e fi rst part Burial 22nd Feb 1732 .

Marr iage 2oth Dec . ,173 1 .

In th e secondpart th e first Baptism 24th May,

1732 .

Burial 2 l st Ap ril,

1732 .

Marriage l oth April,

1732 .

the last Baptism 1 3th Feb ,1754 .

Burial 9th March,1754 .

M arria cre 1 2th Feb .,

1754 .

o n


In the beginning of this volume,i t i s worthy of note

,that

in marriages,where th e woman is in th e family way

,th e fact

is recorded both in th e entry of marriage and also in that of

th e baptism — Thu s,in 1 695 , W i l l iam Simpson and Grace

Howitt were M arrycd Nov . 21 , being w i th chi l d .

” Abraham

Walker and Mary Usher were marryed Feb . th e 25th,being

w i th chil d .

”

In 1 696, we find this entry -“Wm . ye Son ofWm . Simpson

and Grace his wife,begotten in fornicacion

,born March ye 20 ,

baptized eodem Die .

We do not remember ever to have met with ,or heard of

,an

instance of similar discipline .

VOL . 111 .

Is a bound parchment fol io . I t contains th e entries to th eend of 1788. Into th is Dr. Lee (wh o was induc te d 4th Dec .

1 744) seems to have brought forward th e entries from th e time

of his induction .

From June,1754 ,

th e publication of banns is entered . From24 Nov . 1 754 to 6th Feb . 1 759 , (both inclusive,) th e entr ies of

th e marriages are m ade in th e form presc ribed by 26th GeorgeII . From thence to the end of 1788 , th e mar riages are enter

ed agreeably to th e substance of i t,bu t not in th e exact form .

On th e 18th March,1 753 , Births as well as Bap tism s begin to

be registered .

VOL . IV.

A parchment fol io . Bound in Calf.

Bir ths , Ba tisms,Deaths

,Burials are ente red to th e

pub ication of Banns end of 18 1 2 .

The marriages are ente red’

to th e end of 1 802 .

VOL . V .

Is a paper Book,bound in Calf. It contains th e entries of

Marriages from 1 802 to the end of 1 8 1 2 .

VOL . V I .

Is a parchment volume ,bound in calf, w i th clasps . I t con

tains th e entries of Bapt isms from 1 81 2 to Dec . 2 1 st,1834 . All

36 AAcKWORTH ,

th e e ntries from 1 812 are made in accordance with the :Act

52nd George I II, cap . 146.

VOL . VII .

Is also a parchment fol io,bound in calf

,with clasps . I t

contains th e entries of Baptisms from 2 1st Dec ,1834

,to th e

present time.

VOL. VII I.Is a parchment folio, bound in calf, with clasps . It ~

contains

th e entries of Burials from 1 81 2 to 27th May,185 1 .

VOL. IX.

Is a paper book , ruled agreeably to th e directions of th e

Marriage Act of 52 George cap . 1 46 . It con tains th e

entries of Marriages from 181 2 to June,1 837.

VOL. X .

Is also a paper book ,bound in boards

,and ruled in accordance

with th e Act 6th and 7th Guel elmi IV. , cap . 86 . It contains

th e entries of Marriages from June , 1 837, to p resent time .

VOL . XI .

Duplicate of above .

VOL. XII.Contains th e Burials at Ackworth from June

,1 85 1

, to Novr. ,

1 882 . Parchment leaves. Bound in leather,with brass clasps .

It records 778 Burials, but contains no t itle- page .

VOL . XIII.

Register of Baptisms, from June,1868, to March

,1 885 .

Paper leaves, bound in leather. It records 800 Baptisms,and

from th e year 1 875 the date of birth i s also generally recorded .

The words, “ By whom th e ceremony was performed,

” in th e

last column,are altered into “ By whom th e Sacrament was

adm inistered.

”

VOL . XIV.

Register of Burials from Jan. 1 883 . Paper leaves,bound

in leather. Th e word “ ceremony in the last column is altered

to service .

ITS HISTORY" AND ANNALS.

Register of Baptisms from March,1 885 . Paper leaves

,

bound in ve llum . Date of birth recorded,and words in last

column altered as in VO ] . XIII . Th e last four volumes areneatly and carefully kept.

Th e name “Austw iclce,Spel t differently

,occurs one hun

dred times in e ighty- three years and “How ett,”

e ighty - seven

times in a hundred years . After these, Worma l d and

Schol ey appear more frequently than any other name . Some

very curious Chr istian names also occur,instance th e following :

“Beersheba Burton,

”

baptized in 1 794 and “Sindon ia Belcher,”

mother of Mary,baptized in 1 796 . Th e former was meant by

th e parents to have been christened Ba thsheba . Hep hzibah

Heptinsta ll , baptized in 1 751 only survived h er baptism

two months “Sep tima Asquith ,baptized in 1 752 ;

“Gama l ie l

Patrick,

”

in 1 762 “H ezekia h Parsons, a foundl ing, buried in

1 762 ;“Cassa nd ra Waller,

” buried in 1763“M agd a l en

Found l ing,

” buried from th e Foundl ing Hospital in 1 764 . Sh e

is described as an “orphan

,

” and h er surname was evidently

given to indicate h er or iginal condition The son of W illiam

and Eliz abeth Freeman , (th e father be ing described as a

was actual ly baptized in 1 765 by the name of

Doctor Wi l l ia Shall we say as a compl iment to th e medi

cal man who assisted to bring him into th e world ? “D ebora

Blackbeard,Lu cretia Drake , Ame r Baker, a a Crew ,

Camil l a

Grove,Samu el l a Sykes

,Si l vester Harrison

,B enedict Hall,

”

a l l

foundl ings,were buried in Ackworth Churchyard between th e

years 1 765 and 1772 . Ep ap hrod i tus Hattersley,” yeoman ,

was buried in th e latter year. Th e Regis ters are well worth

perusal .

*

T h e earlier portion (1558-1648) is reproduced verbatim in Yorkshire Notesand Q ueries ,

” Parts IIz-X.

38 ACKWORTH, YORKS.,

The Chantry .

There was in th e Chapel of St . Mary, in Ackworth Church ,

before the Reformation, a Chan try of our Lady,founded by

Isabel de Castl eforth ,value at th e dissolu tion, £4 l 6s. 4d . per

annum .

Mr. Torre gives th e following catalogue of the Chantry

Priests

Temp . Inst. Capel lan . Patrons . Vacat .

Wil lm . E lth am1407. 18 Aug. Robertus Briggs , Phr. Tho . De Whiston ,

Rector Eccles .

Act .

1420 . 19 July . Th o . Handry s , Phr. Th o . Balne , Rector d e Ackworth1433 . 28 Aug. Th o . Hod erode , Phr. Prior and Convt .of Monk Bretton

Th o . Pond , a lias Jonet Dea th .

1 480 . 26 M ay . Th o . Reynold s , Ch apl in John Winter ,Rector ofAckworth Death .

152 1 . 2 Oct. Jno . Th omp son , Pbr . Assignee of Rector of Ackworth

This account of th e Chantry will remind th e reader of thefield and croft adjoining, on th e north ,

a portion of glebe called

th e Stone Style Acre , traversed by the footpath from Ackworthto Hessle . This piece of ground was

,and is still

,called th e

“ Chantry Close,

” and there can be no doubt that it formed

part of the endowment of th e Chantry above -named . Indeed,

this is almost certain ,from the fact that about one hundred

and forty years ago this field was th e property of Sir RowlandW inn

,of Nostel , in whom seems to have centered all th e

estates of which th e Church in this neighbourhood was robbed

at the D issolution.

Th e'

Church , having had th e good fortune to escape being

appropriated, remains a Rectory, heretofore appendant to themanor

,and in th e patronage of th e several Lords thereof— th e

Laceys , and Dukes of Lancaster— but not passing in the grantto th e City of London , is now become an advowson in gross

Extracted from Mr. Torre ’

s Books in th e Library of th e Dean and Ch apterof York .


remaining to th e Duchy of Lancaster,th e several Chancell ors

,

for th e time being, being patrons . In Henry VIII . a paymentwas made in ex change with th e Archbishop of York for other

lands, but for all that th e King presented to th e liv ing, and notth e Archbishop .

ale

Value and taxation of Ackworth Rectory in th e King ’sBook 8 . d.

First Fruits 22 1 85TenthsProcurat ions 0 7 6

SubsidiesSynodol s

The present value of th e living, according to Crockford ,is

Glebe 1 52 acres,l et for £258 ; T. R . C. £1 50 ; Consols from

Glebe , £19 Gross Income, £447 and house .

Soon after the foundation of Nostel Priory, th e brethren of

that monastery acquired th e advowson of various l ivmgs In th ene ighbourhood

,including Ackworth

,which

,at the dissolut ion

,

revolved to th e Crown . Many of th e early Rectors of Ack

worth were bre thren of Nostel rl'

Th e present Rectory was bu il t upon th e site of an older

edifice,in 1 842 . I t wou ld seem from the relics whi ch stil l

remain ,and which were u sed in th e construction of the modern

building,that th e fittings of th e ol d Rectory were of an elabo

rate and durable charac ter, notably th e carved oak mantlepiece in th e din ing room ,

and th e en su ite mou ldings which

surround th e doors and windows . There are also two interest

ing bust portraits in oil of two former Rectors—th e Rev . Dr.Bradley

,and th e Rev . Dr. Timothy Lee . They are in good con

di tion,th e latter is painted by K i l l ingbeck, but by whom th e

former is not known .

Vide Torre’s M SS. York .

f Vide Boothroyd ’

s Hist. Pont. , p . 82 .


42 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

from th e main body Of th e army , w e d o not know,bu t i t is said

that,having gained the br idge , h e tu rned like a stag at bay,

and,after a fierce encounter

,succeeded , like th e hero ic Horatius ,

Wh o kep t th e bridge in th e brave days of ol d ,in Slaying his an tagon ist , but only to be himself overcome and

Slain, after a most desperate strugg l e , by a body of Normans insearch of fugitives . From this incu l ent th e bridge is said to

have derived its name ; bu t Boothroyd, one of th e historians

of Pontefract,has taken upon himself th e responsibility of

giving th e tradition a semblance of truth,by saying that

Standing Flat Bridge actual l y was th e scene of th e battle of

Stamford Br idge (Pons bel l i) . But , of course , h e has no ground

whatever for th e statement, except th e tradition above alluded

to.

We learn from Domesday that in Saxon times there were

two Manors in Ackworth,now perhaps represented by High

Ackworth and Low Ackworth ,but these had been united be

fore th e Conqu est , when ,out of acres

,th e taxable area

was Six carucates,capable of employing five ploughs. At th e

time of th e G rea t Sur vey , th e Manor was in th e hands of

Ilbert de Lacy,whose tenant was one Hunfrid or Humphrey

,

He held 1 4 carucates, that is, a quarter of th e whole Manor , inhis own hands , as demesne , employing 1 4 villains in its culti

vation,while th e rest of th e Manor was apportioned between

two borde rers , or farmers,as his under- tenan ts

,wh o employed

six ploughs . There was a mill paying xv iijd , bu t th e town

ship was so purely arable , that there was ne ither taxablemeadow nor taxable woodfi"

lH -undfridu s (a name more familiar in th e form of Hum

ph rey)was a vassal of Ilbert d e Laci , holding manors and lands inSnidal ,Newton ,

and two in Ackworth . As “Umfredus deVil l eio,”

we find him not long afte rwards before 1 1 00) giving two

garbs (from th e harvest yearly) at the fi rst two places , towardsth e endowment of th e Chapel of St. Clement, in Pontefract

Vide Arch . and Top . Journal , Part XXXVIII . , p . 256 .


Castle ,ale founded by Ilbert d e Lacy. He must have come from A-B . 1 1 00

one of th e places called V illy,in th e department of Calvados

,

in which Lassy also is Situated -

f

Osu lf (a contemporary of Hundfridus) , who held a manor O su l f.

in (High) Hoyland, and now holds i t of Ilbert de Laci,was

perhaps, th e same O sul f, whose manors in Methley and Ack

worth , Ilbert also had , bu t retained in his own hands . To Rogerde Busl i were given th e lands of O sul (f) , in Barnborough ,

Bolton -upon-Dearne , and other places near Doneaster;r

Ea; Rotu l o p l i ta r in d orso ter Pa schal , 1 1 . John Rol l 7 .

EE. 20 . Be tween Roger Constable,of Chester, plf.

"VOL Gu ilbert d e Aqu ila Isabe ll his wife,of one Kts.

fee in th e wood of Roinh ay (Roundhay) . Isabell a

d isponsata fu i t in Hoil and in alio Com . Rob to. d e Lasey fi l io

Henrico de Lasey quem p . fu i t dos hu ins Isabel l oe h ot in dotem

in Warmefie l d , Croston (Crofton) in Akew orth in Roind hay

quo Robtus habuit .§

About th is time a Charter was granted to Margaret, Countessof Lincoln , free warren in th e d emsne lands of VVrangl e , Riby ,

Searth ro ,l Vayth ,

in Lincolnshire ; B radenham ,in Norfolk

Halton,Thoresby

,Sedgeb rook ,

in Lincoln ; Kneesall , in Notts . ;

Beaghall,Ackw orth ,

Cr idling Stubbs,and Warmfiel d

,in

Yorkshire .

Henry de Akeworth ,clerk ,

who had a pension of xls . (in

the name of th e parson) from th e Ch . of Akeworth,be ing dead

,

at the presentation of th e K ing , as guardian of the land and

Vide O l d M on . , Vol . I . , p . 160 .

1 For Yorksh ire Tenants named in Domesday Book , see E llis ’s B iograph i

ca l Notes .

”

I Vide Ellis ’s “ B iograph ical Notes .

Th is is , ” say s Mr . Holme s , an exceed ingly important deed . Th e ch ildless w idow oi Robert de Lacy , by h er marriage w i th Gil bert d e Aqu ila , became

th e m oth er o f a d aughter, Alice , wh o ultimately b ecame the first w ife of Joh nth e Constab le , son of th e present p laintiff .

”Vide Arch cf” Top . Journa l . Pa rt

XXXVI II , p age 256 , foot-note .

A.D . 1226.

1 321 .

1323 .

44 ACKWORTH,YORKS

heir of th e late Earl of Lincoln, we institute Th . de Noketon,

clerk, to i t.“

Pl’

ita d e quo w a rran to, A°

22 E. 1,ter Pascha .

D D . 50 . For free warren in Rockesden (als Rid l esden)

"VOL Keswicke , Ackw orth Hagenworth , comonl -y:

Haworth , in th e County of Yorkrl‘

Ou t of the R egister of Thos Corbrigg, Archbp . of Y

B "Vo l 28] 37. Henry de Lasey ,E . of Lincol ne

, p’

sents to th e

29 . E . 1 . Church of Ackworthi

Fourth,Edward II .

,Henry de Lacy

,Baron of Pontefract

,

Earl of Lincoln, etc ,died seized of this manor

,with th e ad

vowson of th e Chu rch there .§ Upon the death of Henry de.

Lacy,Ackworth

,as part of th e Barony of Pontefract , passed ,

with other great estates and honours, by th e marr iage of Alice ,his only daughter and he iress

,to Thomas (son of Edmund

Crouchback ,brother of Edward Earl of Lancaste r.

Thomas,Earl of Lancaster

,was returned as Lord of th e

Manor of Ackworth, in the n inth year of Edward II .

Twelfth,Edward I I. There was a fine levied to th e manor

of Monk Bretton of a mess ; and sixty acres of land at

Ackworth .

In 1 321 , Thomas, Earl of Lancaster , took up arms againsthis cou sin

,Edward II .

,and was defeated at Boroughbridge

,in

th e fifteenth year of Edward th e Second, brought back to his

Castle of Pontefract,tried

,condemned, and beheaded there

,

and his estate (including the Manor of Ackworth) se ized into

th e K ing’

S hands as forfe i ted .

Sixteenth Edward II . Joan,widow of Henry d e Lacy

,

released to th e King h er rights in this manor (of Ackworth)and th e park there .

Vide Abp . Gray ’

s Register, 1 215 -55 , and Surtees Soc,1470 , col . 56.

f Vide Dod sworth ’

s M SS.

I Vide Dod sworth ’

s M SS. , and Earl M S , 800 .

Vide Inquis. post mortem .

45

At th e Revolu tion , Henry (brother of Thomas) , Duke of M 3 , 1 327 ,

Lancas ter, recovered all his estates . These passed again,by

th e marriage of Maud,he iress general of th e first family of

Lancaste rs, to John of Gaunt,third son of Edward III .

,and

founder of th e second family of Lancasters , and created by hisfather Duke of Lancaster.

Ou t of Ill el ton’

s R egister , fo.1333

B "Vol . 28] 95 . Phillippa th e Queen p’

sentes to th e Church of

7 . E . 3 . Ackw orth .

Poll Tax,2 Ric . I I . At this date there was a taxable pcpu

lation in Ackworth of 83,of whom 77 paid fou rpence , and 6

paid Sixpence . These last were 3 ta il ours, 2 wrights , and 1

smith. Th e remainder were vi l l a in s (labourers) and bord erers

(.farmerSM‘

Wapp en tagium d e Osgod crosse. Vil l a te de Acheu 'orth.

Richard B rande and Matilda his wife,Tay l our

Johanna his daughter

Robert del Hill and Isabell a his wife,Smyth

John Hom er and Johanna his wife ,Tay l our

IVm . Carter and Magota his w ife,Wrigh t

Edmund Amyas and Isabe l la h is wife,Tay l ou

R ich . de Th ornehil l and Johanna his wife , l Vrigh t

John Nu rre and AgnesRobt . d el More and Cecil ia

John Pa il eben and Agnes

Johanna his daughte rJohn de Wol l ay

Robert CookeJohn Faythe and Alicia

John his son

Thos . M aundre l l and Elenor

Vide Dod sworth ’s Yorkshire Notes , and Earl M S.

1 Vid e Poll T ax .Returns .

A.D . 1379 .

1 399 .

46 ACKWORTH ,YORKS. ,

John Bakester and Johanna

Adam Raynald and MagotaJohn Ry l l e and Avicia

John Johnson and Agnes

John Couper and Elenor

Pete r Gange and AviciaRobe rt atte Hole and Alicia

Wm . Raynald and JohannaMatilda their servantAdam Darkyn and Alicia

John Waleys and Johanna

Thos . Harman and Agnes

Thos . Sheph ird and Johanna

Hen ry Crofton and MagaretWm . Tayl our and Matilda

Robt . Sh eph ird and KatherineJohn Marre and ConstanceJohn Sh eph ird and Alicia

Thos . Carter and Magota

Wm . Waleys and Alicia

Robt . Smyth and JohannaJohn d e Wodhous and Alicia

John Smyth and Johanna

Adam Why teh ead and ClaraHugo de Feth erstan and Emma

John Long and Johanna

Rich . de Fenton and Emma

JohnlVVrygh t and Alicia

John de Acworth e , mc

e rcer,and Idon ia hi s wife paid th e tax of

vj .d . , in th e ville ofWakefield and Wapentake of Agbrigg.

Henry, th e son of John of Gaunt,com ing to th e Crown ,

on

th e deposition of Richard IL,brought Ackworth in the honou r

of Pon tefract, and other great estates into i t, as parcel of the

See Yorksh ire Arch aeol og. Journal . Part XXI , p. 36,


Duchy of Lancaster, in which it continued until th e time of

James I .

Henry Forrester had th e manor of “Hesil l,near Ackworth

and Pontefract , to him and th e h e irs male of his body,th e re

maind er belonging to th e K ing, which manor first came to th e

hands of th e K ing after the death of Edmond de Fl ock ton.

ale

Twenty- fourth Henry V I . John Swill ington ,of Swillington

,

Esqr. ,devised land s at Ackworth ( inter alia) to t rustees, to th e

use of Jenne t,his wife

,for life

,with a remainder in fee to

Margery, his sister, wife of Henry Hunt,of Carlton

,near

Rothwell .

Wap enta lce of Agbrigg. In the wr iting of R ichard Beaumont

,of Whitley

,Kut . and Bart ,

20 Aug. 1 629. John Hopton,

of Armley,Esq ,

gave to Wm . Scargill, of Thorp ; RogerHopton ,

~

l~

of Ackworth ; John Scargill,of Roche

,Esq ; and

Will iam Talbot,hi s chaplain his messuage of Gawkethorp in

Sefton,in th e parish of He ton,

with Stages and Arkil croft, to

gether with 2s . rent going ou t of one messuage cal l ed N ickhouse,

in M irefiel de , e tc. W itness,Sir John Savile

,Kn t .

, etc . Datedat Armley

,nr. Leeds 27th May, 1 6 th Edw . IV.

,

Fourth Henry VII . In this year there was a great insurrec

tion in this County ,occasioned by a large subsidy then granted

by Parl iamen t for carrying on th e wa r with France . This tax

th e people said they nei ther could nor wou ld pay. Th e Earl

of Northumberland ,then Lord Lieu tenant , enforcing th e pay

ment of i t in a harsh manne r,they attacked him in his house

at Cockl ege near Thirsk ,and killed h im . Upon this

,

Thomas Howard,Earl of Surrey

,was sent down with forces to

subdue them ,which he did

,and caused Jon . a Chambre

,and

others,to be hanged. But i t seems that this did not wholly

end the disturbance,for

, th e next year, th e insurgents gathe red

Vide Dod sworth ’

s Yorksh ire M SS. , in th e Duchy O ffice 4th Henry IV .

f Buried in Ackworth Ch urch . Vide p . 22 .

1 Vide Dod sworth ’

s Yorksh ire M SS.

AD . 1 399 .

A.D . 1488 .

1510 .

1 532 .

AOKWORTH ,YORKS. ,

together again in th e western parts of th e County. The Earl

of Su rrey marched against them a second time,fought

,and

subdued them at Ackworth,took and hanged the i r l eaders,

obtain ing the K ing’s mercy for th e rest , which greatly endearedhim to them .

Second Henry VIII . RogerWard died,seized ( inter al ia) of

a messuage and e ight oxgangs of land at Ackworth,held of

the K ing as of his Castle of Pontefract, and Roger Ward, hisson

, he ir.

Fines were very gene rally used in former days as a meansof transferring p roperty

,and from th e many details wh ich th ey

give , both of genealogy and topography,and from th e long

pe r iod which they cove r,they may be well said to be among

th e most valuable of all th e public records . The plaintiff was

th e new possessor, and th e deforcian t th e o l d one .

Twenty- fourth Hen ry VI II . Easter Te rm . John Rawson,

Plaintiff,John Segu tpol e and Ann his wife

,deforciants

,for

land in Ackworth,called Burnell Houses .*

It is generally supposed that th e rebel forces, headed byRobert Aske

,styling themselves “ Th e Pilgr image of Grace,

passed through Ackworth on the ir way to Pontefract , th eCastle of which they afterwards captu red . Several inhabitants

of the village we re compelled to j oin th e expedition,

“ as they

would answer for i t at the day of judgment . The insurgentswe re subsequently defeated

,and th e instigators execu ted,

notably,Nicholas Tempest , of Ackworthrl

'

1 545,Easter Term . 37 Henry VIII . The K ing

,plaintiff ;

and Robert,Archbishop of York

,deforciant

,for th e Church of

Ack rth,in Ackworthe , etc i

Vide Yorksh ire Record s , Vol . II . , p . 241 .

f Vide Cassel l ’s Hist . Eng , pp . 236 -7

1; Vide Yorksh ire Records, Vol . II ,


50 ACKWORTH , YORKS

themselves by th e space of one fortnigh te in a quarter of ayear w thou t l ysence of th e Scolmr’ or be a comon drunkard

,or

a comon player at unl awful l games, or do use or exerciseanye notable offences or crimes.

In 1 861 , a new scheme was made by order of th e Court of

Chancery. Th e Trustees of Archbishop Holgate’

s Hospital in

Hemsworth were constituted Trustees of th e Grammar School.

A grant of £300 a year was made to the School from the

Hospital,for a period of 36 years

,from 1 857 i f

,at th e end of

that period th e school was not, in th e opin ion of th e Trustees ,in an efficient state , they m ight apply to

"

the Court of Chancery

for leave to discontinue the grant . The School was to be divi

d ed into an Upper and Lower School . New bu ildings were

erected for both , and the Lower School,or Parish School

,is

now a Boys ’ Public Elementary School under GovernmentInspection .

In January,1 868 , the New Grammar School was occupied

by th e Head-master (Rev . C . Andrew) , and his boarders.

Accommodation was provided for 20 boarders and 20 day

scholars . Th e highest number of boys in that year was 36 .

Mr. Andrew died in the following year, and th e Revd. S . W

Earnshaw was appointed master. In 1 875 , th e numbers werefound to have fallen Off considerably, and in 1877 the re were1 0 boys in th e School, including th e free - scholars. During thenegotiations for the appointmen t of a new Head-master (Rev .

C . S . Butler), th e Char ity Commissione rs became aware of this

state of affairs, and announced the ir inten tion to make a new

scheme . In July,1 878, an Assistant Commissioner met th e

Trustees , and made enqu iries . In March,1 879 , th e Commis

sioners suggested to th e Tru stees that the School should b eremoved, but they did not fall in with th e suggestion. Eventu

ally,in 1 881 , they being under th e impression that the

Commissioners had absolute power to remove th e School,gave

a qualified assent to its be ing removed to Pontefract,under

certain conditions. These conditions Pontefract failed to com

ply with,but Barnsley was successful in raising th e required


sum of money. In 1 883,th e Commissioners published a A-D . 1546

scheme for removing th e School to Barnsley : th e Trusteeshaving taken legal Opinion as to the powers of th e Commissioners

,and having regard to th e improved state of th e School

,

and th e rapid inc rease of population in th e neighbourhood,

resolved to Oppose th e scheme for removal.

In 1 885 , there were 36 boys in th e School . In 1 886 , th e

Tr ustees appealed to Her Maj esty on certain legal points,bu t

th e decision of th e Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

given in March, 1 887, was unfavourable to th e appeal . Th e

scheme was,on Ma rch 1 8th (according to th e provisions of th e

Endowed School s Acts), placed upon the table in th e House of

Lords and th e House of Commons . Unless within two months

of that date an address to Her Majesty is carried in e i ther

House , praying h er to withhold h er consent from this scheme,

th e scheme will rece ive Her Majesty’s assent in due course,

and th e School will be removed to Barnsley as soon as

practicabl e .

alE

1 550 . Mich . Term,4 Edw. VI . Thos . Reynol de , Esq ,

plaintiff ; Wm . Hal yday ,gent ,

Al ice his wife , deforciants

for lands in Pontefract Ackworth exf'

Thomas Hartyndon , Rector, Presented to thi s Living by 1554 ,

Queen Mary,Apr. , 1 55433:

1 554 . Mich . Term ,1 2 Phil ip Mary. James Crofte

,

plaintiff,John Brayton Agnes his wife

,with Rich d . Roger

Brayton ,deforciants ; for messuage with lands in Hessy l e ,

Wragbye , 8: Ack eworth e .§Robert Ferrar

,D .D . ,

Bishop of St. David ’s,was born at

'

Ewood ,near M idgel ey , In 1 505 . He was th e last Prior of

Nostel,and th e first Engl ish monk wh o became tain ted with

Lutheran opinions . He was arrested on the most frivolou s

I am indebted to th e Rev . C . S Butler for th e above part icul ars . Th esch eme of removal h a s now been carri ed out.1 Vide Yorksh ire Record s , Vol . II .1 Vide Parish Registe r, Vol . I .Vide Yorksh ire Record s . Vol . II .

A.D . 1555.

52 AOKWORTH,YORKS.

,

charges, fifty - six in number,

aleand condemned by Gardiner

,

Bishop of Wincheste r, and Morgan ,of St . David ’s

, to be burn t

alive on March 30,1 555 . On th e day appointed

,th e Satu rday

before Passion Week ,h e was brought out of prison to the

market place , near Carmarthen Castle , and there, on th e southside of the market cross, h e was bound to a stake

,and

heroically endured th e martyrdom of fire .

'

1 M onuments areerected to his memory in Carmarthen and Halifax Parish

Churches,and also at St . Florence ’s Church

,near Tenby.

Th e Rev . George Ackworth ,D .D . , Public Orator to th e Uni

versi ty of Cambridge in 1 559, was most probably a native of

Ackworth,near Pontefract. He was incorporated at

Oxford, in 1 568 ; became Rector of Ellington and Prebendary

of Sou thwell ; and was author of th e Life of St . Augustine,

th e first Archbishop of Canterbury,the MS . of which is in

the possession of Mr. Wharton, by whom it was prepared for

the press ;r

1 560 . Mich . Term,2 3 El izth . Margaret W ilcock

,plain

tiff George Wil cocke , gent . and El izth . h is wife, deforciants ;for land in Ackworth e .

Nicholas Levett , gent ,plaintiff

,George Richd . Ta l insal l ,

gents ,deforciants, for two messuages with lands in Hutton

,

M orehouse , Ackworth and Auston .§

In th e first volume of th e Ackworth Parish Registers, th efollowing entry appears under th e head of marriages celebrated

at th e Parish Church , in

Edwarde Rustbie and Grace AllineJulie 5 .

This refers without doubt to th e marriage of Edward Rus'

by ,

who was Mayor of Pontefract in It is most likely that

Vide Harleian M SS. Brit . M us . t For full account of h im , see Biograph i

cal Sketch by J . W . Conway Hugh es , 1 884 .

1 Vide Tanner’s Bib liography ,

”

p . 3 and Wilson ’

s Historical M S.

Vide Yorksh ire Record s , Vol . II .Vide Yorksh ire Parish Registers , in Yorksh ire Arch aeologica l Journal ,

Part VI . , p . 109 .

‘l l Vide C ivic Rol l .


h e was , both before and after his marriage, an influential resi

dent of Ackworth . He certainly resided at Hundhil l in 1 570 .

In the Subsidy Roll for Pontefract,in 1 543 , his name occurs

as “Edwa rd us R u sbye,”

and two years later (1545) as“Edw a rdus

Rusby in terr. xxij s ijd .

” Later on w e find him be ing dis

possessed of land . Fine . Hilary, 6 Eliz Jonathan

Grant Guest , Edward Rustbie Grace uxor deforct. of 4

acres of land in Balne,” and in 1 570 we find him acquiring land

by Royal Patent. “1 3 El iz . ( 1 570) one acre in Hunda l l in the

parish of Ackworth in tenure of Edwd . Busby.

” Thus we

have a short,but very interest ing family history, capable of

considerable expansion by those wh o are fond of genealogical

research . There can be no doub t that Edward Rustbie was a

man whom th e people of Pontefract del ighted to honou r,and

of whom th e people of Ackworth ought to be j ustly proud .

1 562. Mich . Term,4 5 El izth . John Kaye de Okenshawe ,

gent , plaintiff, Robert Bradford, deforciant,for Manor of

Preston Jaclyn,

five messuages and four cottages with lands

in th e same,

in Ayeton ,Fetherstone , Ackworth e , W

'

armfie l d ,

B eathe,and Kyrkethorpe .

*

1 563 . Easter Term,5 El izth . R ichard Thorpe , plaintiff,

Wm . Wentworth,Edwd . Cl y th erawe , gent , Th os. Wentworth ,

Esq ,deforciants

,for land in Burnel hou ses Akeworth . Wm.

B roke,plaintiff ; Robert Walke r

,defo rciant

,for messuage

and three cottages with lands in Pon tfrett,Preston Jacklyn

,

Derryngton ,Feyth erstone , Ackeworth ,

Carleton,Hardwyke ,

Hund e l lfi'E

1 564 . Hilary Term, 6 El izth . Thos . Smythe , plaintiff,

Henry Wyathboth ame , Johanna his wife,deforciants

,for a

messuage with land s in W ragby Ackwo rth .

*

Ralph Snaith , by his w i ll dated six th Elizabeth,leaves to

th e Ch urch of Ackworth a vestment that wants an a l b,and

vjs . v iijd . to buy an alb wi th-

f0

f V ide Test Ebor III . 45 .

A.D . 1 561 .

1 564 .

1594 .

ACKWORTH, YORKS ,

1 566 . Easter Term ,8 El izth . Edwd . Wright

,plaintiff

,and

Henry Halley, gent , deforciant , for a messuage with lands inBaddysworth ,

Ackworth .

“

1 568. Easter Term , 1 0 El izth . Edwd . Wright,plain tiff

,

Chas . Jackson , gent , Dorothy his wife,deforciants for two

messuages a cottage with lands in East Hardwyck e , Pontefrett , Tanshe l ff,Carleton ,

Hunde l l,Acworth efi"

Barnab . Shepheard , Rector ; presented to this Living byAbp . York

,Jany . 1 578 . 1

‘

Simon Buck , Rector ; Abp . York,Patron

,January 1 585 . 1

‘

Thirty—first, Elizabeth. Thomas Wen tworth,Esq ,

was foundto hold dive rs lands and tenements here

,Of th e Queen ,

as ofh er honour of Pontefract

,for m ilitary service . James Wil cocks

was found to hold three pasture closes here,called Burnell

Houses,of the Queen ,

for service unknown .

Wi ll : Lamb , Rectr : presented to this Living by Queen

Eliz. in January 1 594 . 1

Henry Huntingdon and Ann Smithson ,both of Ackworth

,

were married in th e Parish Church of Ackworth i

Roger, son of Richard Pickering,of Ackworth ,

was married

to Grace Midgley, of Addle, at th e Parish Church of Addle .

Also,Richard Ransl ey , of Wakefield, to Mary Parkhu rst

,of

Ackworth,in th e Parish Church of Ackworth ]:

About this time,Ackworth , together with th e greater part

of the lHonour of Pontefract,was mortgaged to th e City of

London .

This bu ilding was renovated.

in 1 846, at which time th e

original stone lintel over th e front entrance , hearing date 1 61 1 ,was removed . Th e hou se is now used as a ladies ’ school .

Vide Yorksh ire Records , Vo l . II .1 Vide Parish Register, Vol . I .I Vide Paver’s Marriage Licenses .


Aggbrigg VVapentake , 1 7th James . Out of Queen Anne ’s

joynture, th e K ing granted all our

Manor of Pontefract,in the County of Yorke

,and other

Counties wheresoever that Honor extendeth,and all th e

demesnes, castles, manors , &c . ,be ing part of the said Honor of

Pontefract,or to th e said Honor of Pontefract any way belong

ing,with th e appu rtenances in th e said County of Yorke

,viz .

,

all those our towns of Pontefract,and all those our manors

of Tansh e l fe , Carleton ,Aichw orth

,Allerton

,Altofts

,Kipax,

Warnefie l d,Barwicke

,Scoles

,Roundhay , Elmersh a l l

,Camsa l l

Ouston,Knottingley

,Cred l ing,

Begh a‘

l l,Rothwell

,Leedes

,

M arshden,and Almonbury ,

&c . Dated at Westminster,1 1 th

Oct .,1 7th Jamesfif

On June 1 4th in this year, Ackworth was granted outr ightto D itch fiel d ,

High l ord ,and others , the i r trustees or committees ,

under th e rese rvat ion of an annual fee farm rent of £39 2s . 2d .

On February 24th,1 628, D itchfiel d , and other original

grantees,assigned th e Manor of Ackworth

,in th e honour of

Pontefract , to Mark Pickering ,of York

,Robert C l aph amson

,of

York,and John Redman ,

of Water Fulford .

“ Dan : Fawkner, M .A .,presented by K . Charles ye first ye

1 4 April l 1 634 and ye 25th of September following h e was

succeeded by Samuel Carter, M .A . ,being p resented there to by

K . Charles ye l st .

”-

l'

Hessle i s a hamle t of a dozen houses , lying at th e extreme

north of the parish of \Vragby , and within its ecclesiastical

boundary. I t is evident that this northe rn boundary betweenth e parishes of W ragby and Ackwo rth is th e ancient one de

fined by th e Domesday Survey,and confi rmed in later years by

th e Ecclesiastical Commissione rs , on th e recommendation of

H . M . O rdnance Su rveyors in 1 859 . A delimitation is,however

,

necessary,whe reby th e haml e t of Hessle wou ld come within

Vide Dodsworth ’

s Yorksh ire M S. , and Yorksh ire Arch . Journa l , Part XXIII ,p . 426 .

1 V ide Pari sh Register , Vol . I .

A.D . 1619:

1 627 .

1 628 .

A.D . 1641 .

56 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

th e boundaries of th e parish of Ackworth ,and th e village of

Brackenh il l within th e parish of W ragby. In th e 1 7th cen

tury,Hessle would probably be a village of some forty or fifty

houses , boasting of its squ ire ’s residence in the midst. This

edifice still exists, and is undoubtedly th e only remnant of th e

17th century village . It is in th e Elizabethan style of arch itecture

,and is still known as “H ess l e Ha l l .

” Over the fron tentrance may be seen the figures and letters , 1 641 , SP. The

house was e ither built,or passed very soon after it s e rection ,

into th e hands of th e Winns,of Noste l

,in whose possession i t

has since remained. Th e ol d Hall at Ackworth was most

probably built about th e same t ime .

When Charles I . was deserted by nearly all th e kingdom ,

the castle of Pontefract remained fai thful , and was gar risonedby th e nobil ity and gentry of th e town and adjoin ing villages ,amongst which Ackworth i s conspicuous . Their names are

handed down to us in a MS . of th e Rev . Dr. Samuel Drake ,at that t ime Rector of Hemsworth and V icar of Pontefract .These gentlemen volunteers were enlisted into four divisions,commanded by (1 ) Col . Grey, (2) Sir Richard Hu tton

, (3) Sir

John Ramsden, (4) Sir G . Wentworth ; the whole be ing

manoeuvred by Colonel Lowther. Among the volunteers in

S ir John Ramsden’s division we find Mr . Pickering , th e parsonof Ackworth

,and father of Mr. Alderman Picker ing ,

of Leeds ,acting probably as one of th e chaplains of th e division ; and

in Sir G. Wentworth’

s division w e find the Rev . Thos. Bradley,D .D . , parson of Ackworth and Castleford

,wh o warmly

espoused l

th e cause of royalty. He l ived a long time after th e

restorat ion .

“

Thos . Bradley ,Rector. His Patron K. Charles 1 st . He

died was buried at Ackw . Deer. 17th ,

In or about this year, there was a severe Skirmish between

Fox’s Hist. Pont . , p . 1 73 .

f Vide Pari sh Register , Vol . I .


A .D . 1 653 .

ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

that on February 1 9th ,1 653 - 4

, Stephen Cawood,of East

Hardw icke , within this parish ,yeoman

,departed this life

,and

his corps was inter red in his owne ground in East Hardwicke,

aforesaid , the twentieth day of th e same moneth .

” This

Stephen Cawood had in th e p revious month executed a deed

of gift,vesting his p roperty

,after his decease , in trustees, for

th e e rection and endowmen t of a Chapel and Free School in

East Hardwick,a dole to th e poor there, and a con tribution of

an equal amount towards th e repair of a road in Ackworth .

Th e l atte r place as well as East Hardwick is benefitted by thisCharity

,and by th e Foundation Deed th e Free School i s open

alike to children of the two townsh ips . From th e fact that

Stephen Cawood is said to have been bu ried “ in his owne

ground ”

it is evident that the Chapel was not then built, bu ti t is probable that i ts e rection took place as soon as th e

necessary arrangements could be made , for th e bu ilding bears

eviden t signs of th e C romwellian decade . Thirteen years afterM r. Cawood ’s death th e bu ilding certainly ex isted, for in 1 667,th e Pontefract Chu rch Books contain anothe r entry, recordingthat on

“ Oct . 26th ,Mr. Lawrence Addam was buried in ye

Church of East Hardwick .

” There is unfortunately no recordof i ts Consecration or Dedication

,but from th e fact that at the

t ime of Stephen Cawood ’s death th e See of York had beenvacant nearly fou r years , and that th e vacancy was not filled

up until 1 660 , i t i s probable that th e Chapel e rected in theinte rval was never consecrated at all . About th e year 1 845 ,efforts were made to ob tain Consec ration for th e bu ilding

,but

Archbishop Musgrave saw some impassable barrier to it,and

no furthe r attempts were afterward s made . A description of

the bu ilding will be found in a pamphlet published in 1 871 ,

from which the above particu lars have been obtained .

According to an entry in th e Parish Registe rs,marriages in

in 1 654 (only) took place before“ Jo. Warde and John

Ramsden,

”

wh o would p robably be Royal Commissionersappointed for th e purpose , or Justices of th e Peace.


This large house known as East Hardwicke Hall was bu il tabou t th e middle of th e 1 7th century . l ts style and th e

banker-marks on th e surface of th e ashlar both inside and

outside of th e bu ilding are sufficient evidence of i ts antiqu ity .

It was formerly th e seat of l V. Lambe , Esq .,whose monumen t

may be seen inside Pontefract Parish Chu rch . In h is time fou rpowde red servants were kept , and i t is said that one of them

,

a footman,was acciden tal ly killed by falling down stairs .

On Brack enh il l common there stands a small house which

was formerly a lodge at th e sou thern end of Noste l Pa rk. I t

is an interesting st ructu re,and dates probably from th e 17th

century. Its exter ior walls are about two fee t thick, th e small

lancet - shaped windows being deeply pierced . Access to th e

upper story was originally obtained by means of a trap door andladder. Th e rafters are of ol d oak

,and th e gene ral a r range

ment of th e interior indicates an ancient origin . At the sou th

end of th e house,is an ol d pear tree

,which has long since

ceased to hear. Th e ol d coach road from Doncaster to Wakefield may still be traced

,and altoge ther th e site i s one which

,

as an ancient land -mark is worth observation .

Barnsley,xvi . January , Anno xiiii. Carol i Regis . P resent

Sir F rancis l Vortl ey ,Knt . 8: Bart

,Sir Geo. Wentworth ,

Kn t .,

W illiam West,Robt. Rockley,

and Thos . Jobson,Esqu ires .

On ce rtificate that Thomas C l iffe , of Ackw orth , be ing a man

of honest life and conversat ion ,and painful in his vocation and

call ing,by

,

a sudden,vehemen t

,and fearful fire , happen ing in

one Anthony Birl ison his neighbour’s house , adjo in ing upon

th e said Thomas C l itfe his dwelling - house , upon Wednesday,

th e nine teenth day of December last past , about n ine o’clock

in th e forenoon of th e said day, th e said house was suddenly

bu rnt,three kyne of good value , corn threshed and un threshed ,

and all other his household goods to the value of three scorepounds and upwards ; and th e said Anthony Birl ison ,

and likewise all his goods and household stuff burned. The Court

AD . 1662 .

1665 .


desires ministers and curates in th e Wapentake of Osgol dcross

to read,order

,and make a collection towards rel ief. Mary

B l agburne ,widow

,owner of the houses, to have some allow

ance out of the moneys collected , as Si r Thos . Wentworth and

Sir Edw . Rodes,or e ither of them ,

shall think fitting , towards

th e re -building of th e said hou ses?“

Charles, th e sonne of Mr. Danyel l Godfrey, By Barberry

th e d aughter of Doctor Thomas B radley (Rector of Ackworth ,

Ch apl ayne to his Maty. K ing Charles th e first,and p rebendary

of Yorke) and th e Lady Ffrances his wife,daughter to the

right Honb l e . John Lord Savile,Bar of Pon tefract

,&c .

,was

baptized the 24th November,Anno : 1 663 : be inge the fi rst

that was baptized in th e ffont newly sett up after the antient

ffont was destroyed, and broken downe in th e late c iv il l warrs ;

On Candlemas day imed iatl y fol l ow inge was the Honb l e. th e

Lady Ffrancis afou r mentioned here Honourably inter’

d,wh o

dyed th e Satturd ay before be inge th e 3oth day of January,th e

day where in his late Maty. of blessed memory was put to death e

and th e very same hou re (as meere as may be conjectured)where in his Maty. su ffered , did she breathe h er last , and

retu rned h er Spirit unto God that gave i t. 1‘

This Doctor Bradley be ing institu ted and inducted intothis Ackworth ,

Anno 1 643, was driven hence by th e trouble

some tymes caused by th e Civ il l Warrs 1 664 (margin— supposethis 1664 shou ld be 1 644) and so remayned t ill this yeare , and

at th e K ings returne h e returned to his l iveinge agayne , beinge

one of the Chapl aynes to th e Kings

An appeal was made on behalf of the sufferers to th e

clemency of Cromwell , wh o was then firmly established in th e

Protectorsh ip ,and had just issued his famou s bu t most inhuman

Declaration ,depr iving them of all possible means of obtaining

a livelihood. This appeal stated that “ above half of th e

Vide West Rid ing Session Rolls .

f Vide Parish Register , Vol . I .

Minis ters and Scholars of England and Wales had been , upon

one account or other, sequeste red from thei r l ivings, besides

fellowships and free schools and that many others also had

been wholly deprived of their prebendaries, deaneries , bishoprics

,and highest dignities in th e Church ; in all amounting to

at least six or seven thou sand persons . Truly it was a fearful

Spoliation . A more grinding,

and intole rable tyranny than

that of th e Puritans was never set up . They stifled freedom

of thought, waged war upon opinion,persecuted conscience ,

confiscated p r ivate property,and rigorou sly abol ished all

amusements .

30 May : 1 673 . Jeremiah Bolton,M .A .

,was presented by

K . Char : 2d .

*

In th e house occupied by James Findlay,Esq.

,of High

Ackworth,there is a very handsomely carved oaken bedstead

,

very massive and evidently very antique . Th e oak is nearlyblack

,and th e date on th e footboard is 1 674 . Th e canopy,

which is elegantly carved ,is attached to four disconnected

massive posts,on th e foot of which is carved th e coat of arms

of the Butler family. Th e whole piece i s wel l worth th e

inspection of the antiquarian . It belongs to th e family of the

The most ancient existing house in Ackworth next to th e

Old Hall (c irca is th e bu ilding now known as th e“ Mason ’s Arms Inn . The following inscription may still beseen upon the lin tel of th e front door :

I . A .

1 682 .

Th e letters I . A. are supposed to stand for John Askew, who

it is said,opened out the fi rst stone - quarry in the parish of

Ackworth . Th e Boot and Shoe Inn and post ing house is

Vide Parish Register, Vol . I .

A.D . 1665 .

1 673 .

A.D . 1694 .

1 695 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

In 1 694, Jordan Tancred was presented to ye Living by

ye Duke Of Leeds,Chance l l r, Of ye Duchy of

In 1 695 , Benj . Rentm ore , M .A .

,was presented by D . of

Lancaster.“Wm . Simson Grace Howitt marryed Nov . 21 , beinge

with child .

Abraham Walker Mary Usher marryed feb . ye 25th ,

being with

Elizabeth th e Daughter of Benjamin Wrentmore ,D .D .

,

Rector of Ackworth,and Elizabeth his wife borne March th e

fi rst on a monday morning abou t ten of th e c l ock e and baptized

March th e 1 4th ,

-

l'

Aprill ye l oth ,1 698. Whereas Thomas Howitt

,late of

Ackworth,deced . did (upon leave given him by William Lambe,

Esq.

,late owne r of th e Mannour House and demeasnes of

Ackworth aforesaid) e rect and bu ild one seat or pew in ye north

qu ire in Ackworth Chu rch, ye said qu ire belonging then to ye

said William Lambe,and since then sold with ye aforesaid

Manner house and demesnes to Robert Lowther of Ackworthaforesaid, Esq .

,which said seat or pew is yet standing, and con

tinned in ye said qu ire . And whereas Robe rt Mason of Ack

worth aforesaid , having bought an estate in Ackworth aforesaid

and living in ye said parish is desirou s to have loan of ye said

Mr. Robert Lowther for himse lf and family to sitt in ye said

seat or pew soe bu il t in ye north qu ire of ye . said Church on

Sundays and other dayes of divine service . Ys is thereforeente red in ys booke as a memorandum betwixt ye said RobertLowther and Robert Mason that ye said Robert Lowther dothgive ye said Robert Mason and his family leave to Sitt in yesaid pew or seat aforesaid during ye pleasure of him ye said

Robert Lowther, and ye said Robert Mason doth he reby

Vide Parish Register, Vo l . II .1 Vide Register of Baptisms , Vol . II .

ITS HISTORY AND AN NALS. 63

acknowledge that h e hath not or claims to have any rightin ye said seat or pew but only to sitt the re by ye leave of ye

said Robert Lowther and not othe rwise . In witness whereof

ye said Robert Lowther Robert Mason have sett the i r handsto ys memorand . and agreement in ye p resence of ye witnesses

following.

Witnesses .

B. Wrentmore,Rector. Robert Lowther.

Edm : Abbott. Robert Mason .

*

In 1700 Ph . Holl ings,M .A .

,was presented by Ld . Growe r ,“

Epaphroditus, ye sonn of John Hattersa l l Prudence hiswife was baptiz

’

d Novr.

In June , 1 705 ,“ Thomas, a child brought to th e parish

in th e night, baptized .

”

i

There i s in Low Ackworth,at th e bottom of Lea Lanc

,a

square enclosure su rrounded by a high wa l l,w h ich h as been

used for nearly two hundred years by th e Society of F r iends asthe ir place of interment. Inside

,the smooth ly cu t sward

, the

parallel rows of smal l un iform slabs,and th e neatly t r immed

Shrubs and beds , impress th e vis i tor with a transien t desire toselect i t as his last resting place . On th e north Side of the

entrance gate inside is th e fo l lowing insc ription“ Philip Austwick gave for a Buria l l place to th e People

called Quakers in 1 707 , 1 2 yards square of this ground.

And on th e sou th“228 square yards of this ground was purchased of John

Barfiin,1780 .

The tomb of th e original donor has been ca refu lly p reserved.

Vide Parish Regi ster, Vol . I I .1 Vide Register of Baptisms , Vo l . II . Anoth er son ,

“ Paul , " w as baptizedon Septem ber 26th ,

1 705 , and Amram , th e ir sonn e , ” Jul y 6 , 1 707 .

I Probab ly a found ling. Th e Hospita l was not th en erected , butcottages existed .

1 700 .

1 705 .

1 707 .

ACKWORTH , YORKS

It is situated near the centre of th e ground , and is in shape a

large “ table tomb,th e inscr iption thereon being quite legible :

“ He re l yeth th e body of Philip AVSTWICK,wh o died Ap ri l 2 1

,

A considerable per iod elapses between this and th e next

earl iest slab,which in common with all th e rest is a small square

Slab laid down in a slightly incl ined posi tion .

Th e following is an excerpt from th e Register of interments . James Harrison 1 828

,Jane Peacock 1 843

,Mary Rous

1 843 , John Pi lmor 1 845,MaryPilmor 1 852

,W ill iam Sykes 1857,

Mary Sykes 1 863,Elizabeth Sykes 1839 , Rachel Sykes 1 834,

Richard Sykes 1 825,M ary Sykes 1 866 , Mark Blake (a scholar)”6

1 841,Jane Simpson (a scholar) 18 37, Mary Dumbleton 1 828 ,

Mary Heptinstall 1 845, Elizabeth Armstrong 1 837 , RachelPumphrey -

f 1 842 , Thomas Pumphrey 1 862 , Leonard Thistle

thwaite 1 837, Benj amin Donbavand 1 833,Caroline Smith (a

schol ar) 1 854, Bernard Knowles 1835 , Hannah Knowles 1 841 ,Anne Cooper 1 826 , Joseph Donb av and 183 1 , Sarah Reid 1824,Joseph Donbavand Junior 1 825 , John Donbavand 1 824, Sarah

Donbav and 1 824,Elizabeth Donbavand 1 825 , Robe rt Donbav and

1 858,Isaac Levitt 1 862 , Mary Levitt 1 875 ,

Robert Wh itaker j:1 848

,James Morley 1 848, Henry Beaumon t Fryer 1 875 , Will iam

Wi lson 1 875, James Fishe r 1 87 1 , Jane Fisher 1 881 , HannahTh orehil l 1 847 , Henry B r’ady 1 828, Ann Linney 1 862 , Hannah

Linney 1 872 , Esther Linney ( infant) 1 854 , Elizabeth Linney

1 882,George Linney 1 867, Elizabeth Linney 1 834 , Mary Linney

1 875 , Leonard West 1 830, Joseph Cowell 1 843,George Hask

hurst 1835 Joseph Johnson 1 830 , Jane Oakes 1 824, MaryTh istl ethwa ite 1 833, Samuel Th istl ethwaite ( infant) 1 839, Agnes

Th istl ethwaite 1 857 , Thomas Robinson § 1 878 , Thomas Atkins1 847, Lydia Donbavand 1 82 1

, Will iam Donbavand 1 821 , Ann

From th e Friend s ’Sch ool . No ages are inscribed upon th e slabs .

1 W ife of Th oma s Pumphrey , th e th en Superintendent .i Superintendent .

-An ol d tomb dated 1 844 was removed to make roomfor this interment ,vide p lan .


66 ACKWORTH,rosxs

Ann West Brown (a scholar) 1 877, John Newby 1 877, Maria

Newby 1 869 , Elizabeth Benn ington 1 857, Elizabeth Yeardley1 854

,Robert Graham 1 857, Mary Graham 1 864, Ann J. Kaye

1 875, John Walker 1 877, Alfred J. Greenwood 1 880 , FrederickW ill iam K i tchen 1873 , Harold K i tchen 1 878 , Martha Thornhill1 856 ,Joseph Wright 1858,Martha Hodgson 1859,Lydia Spar

‘ker

1 860 , Henry Wright 1 861,Henry R. Ncave 1 864, A rthur L.

Le icester 1 871 , Herbert J . Evans 1 877,Will iam Cammage 1 878 ,

Will iam Douthwaite 1 867, Ellen Pollard 1 858 , Sarah Pearson1 853 , Joseph Storrs 1 850 , Isaac Briggs (an infant ) 1 853 , Sarah

Pilmor 1864,MichaelPilmor 1 863,Guil c lma Mason

,Lucy Mason

,

Eliza Mason 1 864 , Harriet Smith 1 875 , Elizabe th Forth 1 876 ,S . Radford (no date ), John N . Airey 1 872, Leonard A . Airey1872, SarahWood 1870 , JamcsWood 1 861 , E lmi ra Wood 1 863,Jane C l cmcs 1 850 , Betsy Wil l is 1865, Susan Glomes 1 850

,Mary

Hoskin (an infant) 1861 . There are spaces for fifty more graves,

in which a hundred and fifty persons could be inte rred . The

ground was last enlarged in 1 848 ,by th e purchase from John

Barff or Barffin of 270 square yards. T he total contents of the

ground is 642 square yards .

Over th e door of the ol d vestry before th e restoration of

the Parish Chu rch , a small stone slab was inserted bearing th e

following inscription

Samuel Turner

with the consen t of his mother F. M .

erected this Vestry, Anno. Dni.

1 71 2 .

Th e above slab was removed from th e ground by Mr. J. Hepworth

of Ackworth House, where i t may still be seen "

Anne ye Daughter of W illiam Addy lahr, Ju ly ye 9th ,

begotton in fi'

ornicacion.

”

Ralph Lowther,Esq. (of Ackworth Park ) buried. August

l 5th .

”

1‘

Vide Register of Baptisms , Vol . II . Th is crime was punish able by excommunication . V ide Canons Hom ily XI . , and Article XXXIII .f Vide Register of Burials . Vol . I I ,


Illegi timacy of birth ,when not expressly stated in th e “ 4727 ,

register of baptisms in use at this time,is frequently indicated

by an index finger, and occasionally by both ,thu s

W Prudence th e Ba sta rd child of Mary Nel strOpe ,was baptiz

’

d May ye

Margarett th e wife O f Phil : Hollins,C ler : Rector O f this

Parish was Buried March th e

Defoe , writing in 1 727, in his account of the Roman Roadsof Yorksh ire , says : “ I must go back to Pontefract, to takenotice that here again the great Roman highway , which I men

tioned at Doncaster, and which is visible from thence in seve ralplaces on th e way to Pontefract , though not in th e Open road ,

is apparent again ; and from Castleford B ridge i t goes on to

Abcrforth ,a smal l market town famou s for pin-making , and so

to Tadcaster and York .

”

This Roman road cu ts across th e

north - easte rn corner of the parish of Ackworth , near RiggFarm

,so called from r idge

—: raised

,th e Roman roads always

being raised above : th e level of th e surrounding country .

“ In 1728 , \Vill . Key ,M .A .

,was p resented to this Living by 1 728 .

ye D of Rutl and .

”

iJohn Lowther

,Esqr. (of Ackworth Park) bu ried July ye

Th e Revd. Mr. Fl eeming, V icar d e Th ornor,and Mrs .

Martha Barman,married (at Ackworth Church) with license

granted by Mr. Drake , Vicar ofNew mansion built at Noste l , by Sir Rowland W inn ,

and a

new bridge over the lake erected . Th e Architec t was James

Paine .

“ Ju ly 26 , Doctor Winteringham ,York . widower, and Mrs .

Catherine Bright , Badsworth ,spinster

Tim : Lee,Rector. Instituted Deer. 8 th , 1 744 . Presented 1 744 .

to this Living by Ld. Edgcumbfl t

Vide Register of Baptisms , Vol . II .1 Vide Register of Buria ls , Vol . II .

I Vide Parish Register , Vol . II .

Vide Regi ster o f Marriages , Vo l . II,

ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

By Indenture dated July 6th ,1 749 (23 Geo. between

Ann Beaumont,ale of Brackenh il l Quarry, in th e par ish of Ack

worth,and Abstrupus Danby , of K ingston -upon -Hull , merchant,

it was agreed that in consideration of th e sum of fiv e shill ings,

th e said Ann Beaumond wou ld sell to th e said Ab strupus

Danby,a cottage at Brackenh il l Quarry for th e te rm of one

year, and th e said Abstrupus Danby agreed to yield and pay toth e said Ann Beaumond therefor th e “ rent of one Red Rosein the t ime of Roses ( if the same were lawful ly demanded) etc .

”

The witnesses to th e signing and seal ing of th e above

document were Thomas Slater and Wm . K i rkby ,and the deed

was duly registered at Wakefield , on July l oth ,1 749 , by J . B.

Leng , Deputy Registrar.

Upon the front cover inside th e Register of Banns for th e

years 1 754-84 , are two quaint Latin formulas,both of them

be ing certificates of publication of Banns . Th e phraseologyemployed is an O fficial Latin which is gene rally used in all earlylegal documents, and so easy to d isciph er, that the re is no

necessity to append a translation.

M em . Banna matrimonia l ia ter pub l icata fuere in Ecclesianostra paroch ia l i de Ackworth inter Clement Cryer d e Ackworth et Annam Oldfield d e Feath erston et nihil Objicitur quo

minus sancto matrimonij vinculo conjungantur. Ita Testor.

T. Lee, July 3 ,

Scias per certo (Vir Reverende) Banna matrimonia l ia interGul ielmum Wager e t Mariam Crawshaw de Pontefract terpronunciata fu isse secundum Leges eccl esiasticas in Ecclesia

Paroch ial i d e Ackworth,nimine contradicente , in cujus hic

testimonium sub scribitur nomen . T . Lee . Ex ma soso nostro,

1 0 mo. Die Novembris,

The Banns of marriage were published between “ John

Longstaff,of Ackworth

,and Elizabeth Littlewood

,O f Snaith

,

Daugh ter of Th omas Beamond , of Ackworth , yeoman , and grand -daugh terof Thomas B eamond , of Ackworth , labourer.—Vide Indenture.

on ye 1 1 th of June,bu t d iscontinued because sh e was h l SWife's w , 1758 ,

sister’s Daughter. T. Lee.

”

Th e Boundary Bridge which marks th e place where th eparishes of Hemsworth and Ackworth mee t on th e Hemsworth

Road , bears an inscription which informs th e travell er that th ebridge was erected in 1759 and enl arged in 1770 .

This hospital (now th e National School of th e Society of

Friends) was built in 1757- 59 , at a cost of partlyby voluntary subscriptions

,and partly by Parliamentary

Grant,as an appendage to th e Central Insti tu tion

,which had

a few years previously risen in London,a third house being

opened in Shropshire , and both th e secondary establishments

being supplied with children from London . The register,cash

,

and other books, relating to this hospital,are

' still kept at

Ackworth School , as also are several interesting documents Ofan earl ier date concerning foundl ings sent into th e country

several years before the house was built. Captain Coram

started his benevolent schemes about 1 739 -

l‘ and there i s a

book headed “Accounts with th e Foundl ing Hospital, begun

Mar. 3oth ,1741 , containing particulars of rece ipts and pay

ments in respect of children , six in number at first,shewing

that a return was made to th e London institution once a

quarter. At this time infants were lodged in the village s ofAckworth

,K ippax

,Empsal , Hemsworth ,

Hoyland,Midgley

,and

C rigglestone . I t seems , too,that originally nurses

and infants were sent down by stage waggon ; but after that a“ hospital caravan

” was p rovided,a minute be ing made that no

more were to be sent by waggon . All this was prior to th e

erection of a hospital . On th e hospital books is a stamp bear

ing th e representation of th e finding of Moses ; and on a circle

th e words,

“Hospitium Infantum Expositorum . Th e full s tyle

of th e Corporation was, “ The Governors and Guardians of th e

Hospital for th e main tenance and education of exposed and

Vide Register of Banns , Vo l . II I .

1 T he Royal Ch arter is dated 1 7th O ctober , 1 739 .

A.D . 1 759 .

70 ACKWORTH, YORKS

deserted young children. The hospital at Ackworth was Open

for Sixteen years, namely, from l 9 th August, 1757 , to 25 th Ju ly,

1773, and in that time children were received in to i t ;and of these 1 69 , or 63, per cent died there . Th e causes of

death are summarised at th e end of the hospital register, and

their burials recorded in th e parish registers of Ackworth

Church . The first master of th e hospital appears to have been

Richard Hargreaves,and th e first money h e rece ived was from

Dr. Timothy Lee , th e Rector of Ackworth,amounting to £49

1 43 . 45d . The obstacle s , however, to the hospital’s success we re

so great as to cause Parliament to inte rfere .

* Reference ismade elsewhere to th e mortality of th e Institution.

By an Inden ture of purchase dated 176 1 , certain lands at

Flempton ,in Suffolk ,

were sold by Dr. Timothy Lee , Rector ofAckworth ,

in th e County Of York , and oth ers,

i

to Sir William

Gage , of Bury St. Edmunds, in th e County of Suffolk,Bart.

Indenture of lease and release be tween the Rev . Timothy

Lee , D .D . ,

-

l‘

on th e one part, and William Sykes , Gentleman ,on

th e other, made th e 28th and 29th May,1765 . Extract from

schedule referring to th e Ackworth Park Estate.

Th e fol lowing is an ex tract from Dr . Lee ’s papers

ANN APPEw,

Daughter of Zachariah . Baptized at Ackworth ,22md May

,

1 683 , and ,be ing a spinster, was buried at Ackworth ,

28th

December, 1776 .

There were at th e Funeral the following persons , all atAekWorph .

Mary Burgess aged 89 . Mary Ath eronMrs . Minton 82 . Fanny Cryer

Susn . Smith 8 1 . Nanny Slack

Mary W ilson 78 . Molly Beetham

Banks’

s Walks about Yorksh ire , pp . 294 -8 .

t It is sa id th at Dr. Lee kept a pack of h ound s (probab ly b arriers) for th eamusement of h is parish ioners .


Jane Moor

Fanny Wager

Ma ryJane Standish

Widow Heptinstall

Th e Rector was at th e Funeral , and , considering th e great

ages of th e Parishioners , on th e 1 l th of Janua ry, 1767, h e inv ited th e above 1 8 to D inner, and ,

i t being th e great snow,only

13 were p resent, whose ages equal l’

d 958 , 5 absent , Total , 1 3 13 .

Richard Woodhead , aged 88.

Wm . Heptinstall 79 .

Wm . Nelstrup 79 .

Jon . Thompson 75 .

Richard B riggs 75 .

Wm . Wager 71 .

R ichard Nelstrup . 71 .

Rev . M . Pearse 7 1 .

Mr. Benj . 7 1 .

John Wainwright 71 .

John Beetham 68.

Ages of 21

On th e 8 th of February ,1767 , the Rector invited th e above

21 men to dine with him , and there were present 1 9, whoseages 1 328

,and 2 absent 1 43 . Total , 1 471 . The ages of

the 32 who dined,

The ages of the 39 invited

And all th e above are now alive at Ackworth , this 1 2 th Sep ,

1767. Besides th e above , there were at this time l iving atAckworth ,

but not thought of for the funeral , Dr. Watkinson ,

aged 74 , and Mrs. Watkinson ,aged 68 .

Dr. Lee says that“th e corpse was carried to the Church by

e ight young women,wh o were all clothed in white , and two of

them carried a garland in th e ol d style .

”

1766 .

Robert HeptinstallFrancis Howitt

Thos . Lockwood

Benjn . Clark

Mr. Swan

Mr. Furniss

Thomas Slater

Richard Hepworth

\Vm . Scratcher

Wm . Wood

ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

N.B . Thos . Burton Margaret Backhouse,both of Ack

worth , pub d . 1 0 1 7 May, but M argt. was transported for

Felony before Mar : T .

Th e Banns of Marriage we re published between James Hey ,

of Ackworth,and Mary Lightowler, Of Pontefract , on ye 9 th ,

but stopt by M . Lightowler in Person , ye 1 5th July, 1 769 .

T . Lee , Rector . Mary Lightowler was evidently a very prudent young woman .

This Institu tion was closed by order of Parliament, after acomparatively u seless ex istence of 1 2 years . It is said that a

majority of th e children admitted tO th e house at Ackworth,

died before they were at an age to be put ou t as app rentices,

which was u sually at about e ight years of age . This mortality,

th e difficu lty of Obtain ing p roper nurses,and of providing

humane maste rs , with the frequent contests from th e Opposi tion

of parishes, and th e cruelty of masters where they were appren

ticed ,proved such insurmountable Obstacles to th e well -con

ducting of th e Char ity,that th e hou se at Ackworth was finally

abandoned as aFoundling Hospital, and remained unoccupied

and on sale for eight years -

l: An excerpt from the Parish

Registers will throw some light upon the internal managementof the Hospital

1765 , Buried . Inha bi tan ts , Males 8 , Females, 8 . Found

l 'ings , Males 27 , Females 25 . The disp roportion is seen at once .

An a l y s is of ca u se of d ea th . Inhabitants : Dysentery,1 ;

Small Pox ,3 ; Feve r, 2 ; Consumption , 3 ; other causes

, 7.

Foundlings : Dysen tery, 23 ° Small Pox,1 8 ; Fever, 4 ; Con

sumption, 2 ;other causes, 5 .

Th e year 1 771 will ever be a remarkable one in th e annals

of Ackworth ,on account of a quadruple birth which occurred

there. A poor woman , whose name cannot be ascertained, wassafely delivered of four children :

Vid e Register of Banns , Vol . III . f Vide Ba ines ’ Hist . York . p . 441

1 Vide Ross ’ Topograph ica l Index of th e “ Annua l Register.” Th ere IS nomention of th e inc ident in th e Ackworth Parish Registers .


A.D . 1778 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS ,

M D ,of Ackworth .

"e The Rector of Ackworth for the time

be ing is one of the Trustees of the Hospital .

Th e following extracts from M rs. N

esting“ January 28th ,

1779. Went to Badsworth tod ay to my

brothers , they had com pany, all carnal people , I found an awful

sense of th e Lord and fear of offending him . Before I came

away I thought if I did not take up my cross, and go to prayer

with them ,I should go home in distress . I asked for the hymn

book,and as soon as I began to give ou t th e hymn I found th e

Lord was with us, and for ever blessed be His Holy Name,He

enabled me to go to prayer, and it was a blessing to my soul ,and may th e Lord grant it may be a blessing to all the souls

that were present, and glory shal l be given to Him .

April 28th . Much afraid of Sinning to - day,and much

drawn out in prayer, heard Mr. Wesley preach at Wakefiel d -

l:

th e word was a feast to my soul , may I never more grieve His

Spirit.”

’

S diary are inter

Between “ Joseph Bayldon,Ackworth , and Hannah Field ,

Womersley, on th e 23rd , 30 th January,1 780, but forbid by

Joseph Bayldon and John Bayldon .

” This looks as if the gir l

or her friends, had pu t up th e banns, which were forbidden byth e young man and h is brother, or perhaps his father.

Between “ George Hattersley and Mary Wood,both of Ack

worth, ou th e 2nd , 9th ,and l 6th of September

,1 784, but forbid

in th e Church ,on ye l 6th ,

by Thos . Wood,

” probably the girl ’s

Between John Hargrave , Leeds, and Mary Issott, Ackworth ,

on the 1 5th ,22nd of June

,and were forbid on the 29th of th e

same month,by Mary Hargrave

,who says she is th e wife of the

above John Hargrave , 1778, by P. Heaton ,Curate .

”

i

For Dr . Watk inson’s W i ll in extenso , see Fox ’

s Hist. Pont. , p . 344 .

f Mr. Wesley never seems to h ave h onoured Ackworth w ith a visit .1 Vide Register of Banns , Vol . III .


Two persons, both males , aged respectively 81 and 48, died

of this disease , at Ackworth ,in 1790, and a woman, aged 49, in

1793. It is probable , however, that this“ Palsy ” was what is

now known as paralysis .

A very bad case of Leprosy’

occurred at Ackworth School

in this year,a disease which se ldom appears in this country.

AS soon as i ts real character was known , th e boy was removed

into th e village , until h e could be suitably sent home.

e|e Lep

rosy was very common in England in th e l 6 th centu ry, importedprincipally no doubt by i tinerant Jews ; and for th e Special

treatment of such cases,Lazar Hospitals were erected in several

of the large towns. The frequency of leprous and other loath

some diseases,is referred to by Spenser

,

“ Th e Sunrise ofEnglish

poetry,

” in hi s Faery Queen , (Book I , Canto IV.

“ Like

loathsome lazars,by th e hedges

Th e following entry appears in th e Parish Register of Baptisms Mary

,daughter of Joshua Bryer, Soldier, born at sea ,

Oct. 2oth ,baptised Nov . 24th .

”

1‘

A characteristic epitaph of the O l d t ime may be read upon

a slab on th e north side of th e Parish Church . It would seem

as though the glorious doctrine of th e Resurrection had

entirely been lost sight of, SO dolorous is th e tone of th e epitaph.

“Hark from th e Tombs a doleful sound ,M y friend s , attend th e Cry

Ye Living men , come view th e GroundWh ere you must sh ortly Lye .

thi s clay must be your BedT he Sp ire of a l l your Tow ’ra

Must fa ll : th e W ise th e Rev ’rend h ead

Must l ye as Low as ours.

Th e inscription above , informs us that William Bu rford ’s re

mains are deposi ted beneath the stone s’

; He was born June

25,1760, and died April 30, 1781 . Mary, his wife , died Feb .

2nd,1795 .

Vide Hist : Ackworth School , ” p . 75 .

f Vol . IV .

I Some of th e grave-stones were brough t out of th e ch urch -

yard into th eCh urch ,

wh en it was restored , for th e purpose of pavement .

ACKWORTH,YoRxs. ,

This was a year of dear bread , and we find it raising the

wages of th e chief Shoemake r at Ackworth School , (Samuel

Whalley) to e ighteen shillings a week,in consequence of th e

high price of th e necessar ies of life .

” Wheat sold from 96/to 1 1 2/ per quarter, and Henry Hipsley records in his journal ,that i t was “ doubtful whether corn would be found in the

country at any p rice , and that when he went to Pontefract tobuy corn ,

h e had to place his hand in th e farmer ’s sack,in

order to secu re th e wheat , th e moment th e bell rang for the

market to begin .

*

Charles Butter, Curate of Ackworth,died Jan . 5th

,1798,

aged 74 , and was buried at Ackworth . He was succeded by

George Hendwick .

Indentu re made the 10 th Augu st,1 803

,between Francis

Sykes,as Sir Francis Sykes

,Bart

,and Dame Elizabeth

,h is

wife on th e one part,and Thomas Taylor

,Gentleman

,on th e

other part. Francis Sykes,Esq .

,of Ackworth Park

,was b orn

in 1 732, and amassed a considerable fortune in India, whilst

Governor of Cossumbazar, in T’engal . He was created a

Barone t on th e 24th March ,1 781 , and married first

,Feb . 7th ,

1 766 , Catherine , daughter of John R idley, Esq .,and had issue ,

two sons,1,Francis Will iam

,who succeeded

,and 2

,John

,R.N . ,

who died on board th e Gramp a s . Sir Francis married secondly,

Sep . 2nd , 1 774 , Henr ietta Elizabeth Monckton, eldest daughter

of Wi ll iam , second V iscoun t Galway.

Under date May 7th , th e Gentleman ’s Magazine for 1 803,

records th e following -“At Ackworth , near Pontefract, Mrs

Townley and h er son ,wh o I esided at that place, had removed

to a new hou se,1 and ,

In order to dry their bedrooms,which

had been newly plastered,they burnt in them during th e night

,

a chafing dish w i th charcoal . In th e morning they were - both

found dead . Both were illegitimate , and both died intestate , in

Vide Hist : Ackworth Sch ool , ” p p . 86 , 96 .

1 Th e h ouse formerly o ccupied by th e late Mr. John Haigh .


consequence of which a house,ma l tk il n. and seven acres of A, D , 1803 ,

land,lately pu rchased by one or both Of them , near th e Rec

tory,resolved tO th e K ing as Duke of Lancaster, and from him

to th e Trustees of the Manor of Ackworth,to whom th e manor

and its privileges had been granted in th e reign of Charles I .

Martha Chapel,Of Ackworth

,aged 1 9 ,

says th e “ Annual

Register,was execu ted at Yo rk in this year , for th e murder of

h er i llegitimate child .

*

ACKWORTH PARK .

TO BE

SOLD BY AUCTIONTOGETHER , OR IN THE FOLLOWING LO TS,

AT THE HOUSE OF

M n. ROBERTS, THE ELEPHANT AND CASTLE , IN PONTEFRACT ,

ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF APRIL NEXT ,Between th e Hours O f Two and Six in th e Afternoon ,

Unless previously d isposed of by private Contract , of wh ich due notice w i ll begiven

Subj ect to such cond itions a s wi l l be then a nd there produced .

LOT I .

Cons isting of Two Closes , Tith e-free , in Ackworth , conta in ing E igh t Acres , OneRood , Six Perch es , and now in th e O ccupation of James Waite .

LOT I I .

A Good Hou se , Dove -Cot , Barn s , Stab les , Coach -House , & c . , togeth er w ithFive Pieces or Parcels O f Land ad join ing th ereto , ca l led th e Hemp Yard , th eHa l l Close and Garden , th e Larger Hemp Yard , th e Plantation ,

and th e New

Close , conta ining togeth er Fifteen Acres , Th ree Perch es , and now in th e ocen

pation O f Joh n Gill .LOT I I I .

Five Closes , Pieces , or Parcels of Land , in Ackworth aforesaid , called th e NewClose , th e Plan tation , th e Ea st End of Sm i thy Butts , conta in ing togeth er FiveAcres , Two Rood s , Six Perch e s th e Near Lodge Hill , and th e Lodge Hill ,con ta ining togeth er Twenty Acres . Two Rood s , and now in th e Possess ion of

th e sa id James Wa ite and John G l l l .

LOT rv.Th ree Closes , Pieces , or Parce ls of Land , in Ackworth aforesa id , cal led th e

Farr Lodge Hill , the Fourteen Acres , and Two Acres at th e West End of Smith yButts , containing togeth er Twenty -five Acres . One Rood , Nineteen Perch es , andnow in th e Possession of th e sa id James Wa i te and John Gill .

LOT V .

Three oth er Closes of Land , in Ackworth and Purston , called th e LowerWood Slack , th e Broom Close . and th e Upper Wood Slack , conta in ing togeth erTwenty Acres , Th ree Rood s . Fourteen Perch es , and now in th e Possession of

th e sa id James Wa ite and John Gill .

Vide Ross ’ Topograph ical Index . There is no record of this at Ackworth .

1803 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

LOT VI .

Th e Coal Hil l Close , Tith e-free , containing Forty Acres , Th irty Perch es , inAckworth aforesa id , and now in th e Possession of th e said Joh n Gill .

LOT VII .

Th e Park Close , contain ing Eleven Acres, T en Perch es , in Ackworth aforesaid ,and now in th e possession O f Mich ae l Cuttle .

LOT VI II .

A Good House , Barns , Stab les , and Outbu ild ings ; togeth er w ith Nine Closes ,Pieces , or Parce ls of Land ad join ing th ereto , cal led th e Twelve Acres , th e Sixteen Acres , w ith Plan tation , th e Far Four Acres , th e Six Acre s , th e Under Close ,the Two Castle Syke Closes , th e Jackson Close , and th e Near Four Acres , inAckworth aforesa id , conta in ing togeth er Seventy -th ree Acres , Two Rood s , TwoPerch es , and now in th e O ccupation of th e sa id Mich ael Cuttle .

LOT : IX.

T wo Closes of Land , in Ackworth aforesaid , called th e Castle Syke and th eJeffry Close , conta in ing togeth er Fourteen Acres , Three Rood s , Six Perch es ,also in th e Possession of th e sa id Mich ae l Cuttle .

LOT X.

Two oth er Closes of Land , in Ackworth aforesa id , ca lled th e Th ree Acres andth e Near Close , contain ing togeth er Twe lve Acres , Twe lve Perch es , and a lso inth e Possesssion of th e sa id Mich ae l C attl e .

LOT XI .

Th e Mansion -House , Good Gard ens , wel l stocked w ith Fruit Trees ; Barns ,Stab les , with Fifteen Stand s for Horses ; Coach -Houses , Dove -Cot , and oth erconven ient O utbu i ld ings , a l l in Good Repa ir ; w ith T hree Pews in the C hurch ,and about One Hundred Acres of Land , ly ing in a Ring Fence ad joining to th esa id Man s ion -House , and now in th e occupation of Lady Dowager M exbro

’

,

Mich ael Cuttle , Joh n Gill , and John Thomp son .

T he Wh ole of th e E state is supposed to be full of Coal .—Ackworth Park iss ituated in th e most d esirab le Part O f th e West Rid ing of th e County of York .

Th e Mansion is mod ern -bu ilt , in good Repair, and fit for th e Reception of a

large Fam i ly . It is w ith in Two Miles of Pontefract , Four from Ferrybridge ,Seven from Wakefield , and Fourteen from Doncaster.

Mr. Mich ae l Cuttle of Ackworth w il l sh ew th e Premises , and furth erParticulars may be h ad of Mr. Rich ard Mitton , Pontefract ; or of Messrs . Sykesand Knowles , Solicitors , Boswell-Court, London .

1

Th e E state in Ackworth is subj ect to a Fee Farm Rent of 1 11. 33 . 5d . Is

exonerated from th e Land Tax and such Part thereof as is not Tith e - free , issub ject on ly to 25 . per Annum , in Lieu th ereof ; but th e Land s in Purston are

sub ject to Tith e in Kind —Th ere is some fine th riving Wood on th e E state ,wh ich must be taken by th e Purch aser or Purch asers at a fair Valuation .

Pontefract Printed by John Fox , Market-Place .


This O l d Sale bill is preserved in th e Main-Guard Historical A,D , 1805 ,

Museum,Pontefract . gill?

sa leSALE

OF VALUABLE FURNITURE ,

BY AUCTION ,

AT ACKWORTH GROVE ,

T he Res idence of JAMES BUCK , on THURSDAY, th e 2 l st O f FEBRUARY,

1805 , and th e follow ing days till a l l be sold , th e Sa le to commence (each day )at 10 o

’

c lock in th e forenoon .

Consisting of a great variety of elegant Mah ogany Sideboard , Dining and

Card Tables , Ch airs , Ch e sts O f Drawers , Wardrobe , Feather Bed s of th e best

Quali ty , Mah ogany and oth er B ed stea l l s and Bedd ing, Pier and Sw ing Glasses ,Floor and oth er Carpets , Kitch en , Brew ing, and Da iry Uten sils , a Cap ita lMangle , Me lon Cucumber Frames , Hand Glasses , & c .

Horses , Cows , Haystack , a neat T ax’d Cart and Harness , a Curious Ameri

can Sledge , Carts , Plow -rollers , Harrows , a great variety of Farming Utens ilsand Husbandry gear, also a stout mod ern bu ilt Wh iskey Vat on curricle spind lesand patent axletree .

N .B .—Th e li ve Stock and Husbandry gear to be sold th e first day .

Feb . 1 2th , 1 805 .

Pontefrac t Printed by J . Fox , Market Place .

John Donbavand ,one of th e masters of th e Friends ’ School ,

when in his twenty-first year,suffered a month’s Impri sonment

in th e Wakefield House of Correction,for refusing to serve

,

after having been “ drawn on the local Militia Four years

later h e was drawn a second time,and

,with two others, was

imprisoned at Wakefield for twenty- four d ays .

* This must

have been an unmitigated hardship to one whose principles

were essentially those of peace,the very idea of war being

odious to the Quaker mind . Members of th e Society of Friends

were , however, not legally exempt from military service,so that

Donbavand’

s conduct was,in real ity, contumaciou s, and h e was

pimish ed accordingly.

Henry Mitton, of Ackworth, yeoman , by his Will , dated

l oth October , 1809, and proved at York ,1 6th February

,1 810

,

ordered and directed his Executors to lay out £20 in bu ilding

a Hearse for the conveyance of corpses from the confines of

th e Parish to inter at Ackworth Church . The Hearse was

afterwards to be placed under th e management and direction

Vide Hi st. Ackworth School , p . 129 .

A.D . 1810 .

80 ACKWORTH,YORKS

of th e Churchwardens. A Hearse was accordingly built,and

th e present Hearse- hou se,at th e corner of th e Pinfold

,e rected

to keep it in . For many years this Hearse was very u sef ul ,and served the ends intended by the Testator. In 1 872 , h owever

,it was worn out , and could no longer be used . Subscrip

tions were therefore raised, amounting to over £40 , to procure

th e Hearse at present in use , which is l et out by th e Church

wardens for the interment of any bonA-fide par ishioner,whether

bu r ied at Ackworth or any other Church .

In th e month of March in this year, a young man came to

th e “ Brown Cow Inn,at Ackworth , then kept by a Mrs.

Howitt,and took up his abode there . He declined to give any

accoun t of himself,except that his name was W. Wilson .

Whilst staying at the Brown Cow,

”

h e died, and property was

found upon him amounting to nearly £100, which ,after th e

payment of funeral and other expenses , was reduced to £85

1 4s . 9d . Subsequent enqu iries elicited th e information that

h e was a felon, wh o had escaped from Lincoln Castle in th e

month ofDecember preceding, whilst lying under condemnationfor bu rglary

,and that his name was Robert Warff. According

to custom,the money was appropriated by the Lords of th e

Manor of Ackworth,for the benefit of the freeholders

,to be

invested where and h ow the said Lords for th e time be ing shouldthink fi t.* Every effort

,however

,was made by th e Rector (Mr.

Hay) and th e Churchwardens to discover th e friends of th e

young man,as th e following entries testify

-

1:

1 872 , Oct . l st . By th e Rev M r. Hay, p . Acct. for

advsrtizg. for Warff’

s Friends, etc .

By a letter

By George Fairburn ,two journeys to Wakefield to

speak to Mr. Carr about Warff s property, asMr. Hodgson claimed it

By a letter to Mr. Hay from ol d Warff

Vide Manor Minute Book , p . 4 .

1 Vide Manor Accounts.


ACKWORTH, YORKS.,

A-D-1813o occasion required,generally by a public notice given out by the

parish clerk in th e Church .

* The last Court was held in 1 862.

From a small faded memorandum book which h as comeinto th e compiler’s possession, some idea may be formed of th e

spiri tual condition of Ackworth in th e year 1 81 3. Th e contents

of th e book purport to be the result of a house to house can

vass of two members of the Ackworth Branch of th e British

and Foreign Bible Society. The record is a most interesting

one. Out of 1 1 2 poor famil ies visi ted in th e parish, 65 were

destitute of Bibles, and 75 of New Testaments . Out of an

aggregate of 430 individuals, 200 were reported as unable to

read. Some of th e entries are worth re -producing. One

family possessed a piece of a Bible, and another a piece of the

New Testament. One Bible was in parts , seven of which,how

ever,were wanting ; another was dest itute of beginning and

end ; and th e inhabitants of one cottage stated that when they

wanted a Bible, which was not very often,they borrowed one "

A sixth family produced “a small tattered piece of a Bible ; and

two doors further on i t was said that there was a small piece of

a Testament in th e house , which they were unable to find. A

lady wh o h as resided for many years at Ackworth says Sh e has

a distinct recollection of h er father saying that when h e,in

company with the Rev . Geo. Maddison, made a canvass on

behalf of the Bible Society in the hamlet of Brackenh il l , they

found the inhabitants in a very uncivil ized state,and that th e

canvassers were really alarmed when they were met at th e door

of a cottage by a woman holding a carving knife menacingly

in h er hand.

Octl. 27. B E. Patrick, for giving notice in th e Church for6 years Court ay , 35 .

On Sunday, M ay 9th ,1 81 9

,th e following notice was publicly

given out in th e Parish Church : This is to give notice. Th e

Trustees of th e Manor desire the attendance of th e Freeholders

in the Vestry immediately after D ivine Service.

”

The Free

Vide sub datum, 1817.


holders accordingly attended (how many is not known) and it

was agreed that the business which had called them together

so extraordinarily should be left to the Overseers of Highways.Th e business

,i t appears

,was this. Th e Lords of th e Manor by

their Clerk had,in th e first instance, considered it their duty

to serve th e following notice upon Miss Hannah Mary Horton :“We the unders igned be ing Trustees for th e Manor of Ack

worth do hereby discharge (sic) you from d iging up or leading

away the earth or soil,from th e waste land upon th e said

Manor, otherwise an Action at Law will be immediately com

menced against you . This notice was readby th e Clerk,

and a subsequent meeting was held in th e vestry

on th e following Thursday at 1 1 o’clock in th e forenoon

, to

take into consideration the most effectual means to put a stop

to Miss Horton ’s proceedings upon th e waste land in Houndhil l

Lane. There i s no record as to what course th e Lords adopted ;probably Miss Horton had wisely obeyed the inj unction

,or th e

Lords u ltimately decided that th e matter was of too trivial

a nature to be further prosecuted. Th e unbiassed reader will ,however, at once perce ive in what a “ cart-before- the-horse

fashion th e bu siness of the Trust in this instance was transacted.

Stage coaches ran daily from Ackworth to Scarborough at

at nine o’clock in th e morning ; to Sheffield at five in the

evening ; to Lincol n on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,at ten

in th e morning ; and to Wakefield every Tuesday,Thursday,

and Saturday at three in th e afternoonsl Children,as a ru le

,

were not favouri te “ fares with th e drivers and guards of th e

ol d stage - coach. They were not a u fa it in “ tips,

”

or clever

in providing th e l ittle warming treats which were so highly

e steemed . It is related that on one occasion . three children

were be ing escorted from Ackworth to Wentbridge , by a

wide- awake matronly Friend ,wh o overheard th e coachman

describing the young trave llers to a companion on the box ,as

nothing better than tag- rag and bobtail .” On appearing atVide List of Lords , in Append ix.

1 Vide Baine’

s Hist ; York p. 442.

1819 .

“ U L-L V U L U L “, J. V L UM .’

the door of th e coach on its arrival at Wentbridge, to solicit

his dou ceur , th e humorous lady presented him with three

small coins,which sh e described as be ing one from “ Tag

,

”

another from Rag,and th e third from “Bobtail .”ale

J H Curate of Ackworth,is said to have been

passionately fond of fox -hunting,which in those days was

considered in society an essential accomplishment for a clergy

man . Th e pastime , however, was eyed askance by Hodge,

”

because of the rough- shod manner in which th e huntsmenrode across country, taking not only hedges and ditches, bu tcrops and gardens in the ir mad career. To the ru stic daysman

it is wel l known that in Yorkshire th e hunting parson is an

odious and despicable personage. One Sunday morning th e

Curate in question was accosted du ring an impressive pause inhis sermon

,by one T— W— d loudly vociferating Thou ’s

preach in’ ta day

,an be fox -hunting to-morrow 1” Th e truth of

this statement did not prevent th e man from being summoned

for brawling, and fined 1 0/ and costs-

f

The population of Ackworth this year according to a recent

census, was (including Low Ackworth,) 1 575 . Th e chief resi

dents were—Ackworth Park,John Petyt , Esq ; Ackworth

House,John Gol dsworthy,Esq. ; Ackworth Vil l a (now th e Court),

Thomas St. Qu intin , Esq ; Ackworth Lodge, The Rev . George

Maddison ; Ackworth Moor-Top, Thomas Gee, Esq ; Ackworth

Grange,R ichard Wilson, Esq ; and at Ackworth

,D

’

Oy l ey

Saunders , Esq.

M r. ;Thomas Wil kinson, of Ackworth, was at this t ime

Chief Constable and Subdivision Clerk for th e Osgol dcross

D ivision of th e West R iding of Yorkshire }:

A little newspaper promoted and circulated by th e Society

of Friends in Ackworth . The first number appeared on th e

9 th September, 1 823.

“ It was,says Thompson

,

“a current

Vide Hist : Ackworth Sch ool ,” p . 34 . t Communicated by G S

1 Vide Langdale ’

s Top. Diet. 1822 , p. 465.


ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

A.n. 1823 . Th e Rector’s‘ seat , as h is most meet ,Rece ives h im with a tra in of friends ,

Th e bells h ave rung, th e h ymn is sung,Th e congregation , mute , attend s .

God save th e King,” f or some such thingIs sung w ith ready glee and art

Th en out th ey pour forth from th e doorAnd for th e Quaker’s sch ool depart :

Al l in amaze w ith steady gaze ,Th e assemb led crowd astonish ed stare

Take a last look at Gloucester’s Duke ,Th en to the ir severa l h omes repa ir.

Th e school is seen , so neat and clean ,

Th e boys and girls prepare to eat ,Th e d inner brough t , th e grace is though t,Wh o would not relish such a treat ?

Th e meal is done , th e c lock strikes one ,

Th e nob le party onward passed’Twas p leasure a l l at R oundh il l Hal lTh at even ,

‘ll but it was th e last .Th e nob le guest awakes from rest ,And takes h is leave wi th grief so true ;

Th e coach and four are at th e door,Adieu, Ad ieu, Ad ieu , Ad ieu 1”

Although several b iati are apparent, the rhyme i s a tolerably

good specimen of th e Yorkshire Ba l l ad .

“E

Th e Rev . W R . Hay , M .A . Tradition says th at a very eccentric memberof th e congregation , into wh ose pew th e Duke was first sh ewn ,

refused h isGrace adm ittance , not know ing wh o th e i llustrious stranger was.

1 Th e Nationa l Anth em , says an ol d inh ab itant, wa s sung on th e occasion .

1 Th ere is an error in Chronology h ere . Th e visit to Ackworth Sch ool , tookp lace on Monday morn ing. Vide Ackworth Gazette ,” December, 1823 .

After th e manner of th e Quakers .

On th e 3oth November, 1823 , at h a lf past twelve o'clock at noon , th e

Duke of Gloucester and h is su ite , arrived in two carriages at th e entrance of th eFriend s’ Sch ool . H is Grace was conducted th rough th e various bu ild ings , andsh ewn every th ing ca lcu la ted to interest h im . Th en , h aving seen as much of

th e estab lishment as time and weath er woul d perm it , th e d ay be ing very wet ,th e Duke a t h a lf-past one o

’

c lock returned to h is carriage , expressing him selfh igh ly gratified w ith h is visit , and h op ing th at th e Institution would long con

tinue to prove a b lessing to th e Society .

" Vide Ackworth Gazette ,” December,1823 .

"I Monday evening. A bal l was h eld in honour of th e Duke , with oth erfestivities .

Vide “Yorksh ire Notes and Queries ,” Jan . 1886 . I am indebted for theMS. of th e above lines to Miss M . Wh ittaker, of Ackworth . J. L . S.


The following extract is taken from a publ ished le tter of

th e late R H to a friend at T Our

attention has been very much occupied with the subj ect

of Dame Schools, and th e means of improving them .

Th e Moor-TOPSchool i s my favourite object of attention. Th e

Mistress I found in great repute , surrounded by nearly forty

chi ldren : and see ing that sh e had some talent, I thought it

best to direct my views to that school,on account of th e

number. When I first looked in upon them ,last year

,i t was

quite a problem to me to discover how they l ea rn t anything

scarcely any books to be seen , except a few spelling books,which had lost their first pages— some loose leaves of what

seemed to have been a Geography, and some Children’s Tales

but I afterwards found that th e Tracts from th e "Lending]Library were in great request . St ill , I p itied th e Mistress

,

condemned to sit for three hours incessantly engaged in hear

ing lessons,and obliged , at th e same time, to attend to sewing,

mark ing,and writing : i t was almost enough to distract h er.

And then the poor children are obliged to s it still most of th e

day,doing nothing ; unless they invent some amusement, by

pulling the ir clothes to pieces, or tying and twisting a few

coloured threads : and so packed that they could hardly sit

down altogether—in fact, learning to be dunces Well,I

immediately thought, what an advantage th e Lancasterian

system would be here " Th e Mistress fell in with th e proposal.”

Th e system was ultimately in troduced , and th e school carried

on formany years , until superseded by a school more in accord

ance with th e requirements of the times.

John Petyt (formerly John Petty) , Esq. , of Brunswick

Square , in the County of Middlesex , and Ackworth Park, died

4th October , 1 826. His w il l bears date 7th Augus t, 1 826. The

Petyt family have a vaul t in Ackworth Churchyard.

To some, the following ol d Sale Bill , copied from the

Doncaster , Nottingham, and Lincoln Gazette,”of Friday,

ACKWORTH,

’

YORKS

March 24, 1 828, will doubtless be interesting.

ACKWORTH PARK.

Sh ortly Wi ll be exposed for SALE by PUBLIC AUCTION , unless previously disposedof by PRIVATE CONTRACT ,

ALL th at cap ital MANSION HOUSE and ESTATE called ACKWORTH PARK , situatein th e Parish of Ackworth , in th e West R id ing of Yorksh ire , comprising an

excel lent Dwe l l ingh ouse , w ith a l l requ isite conveniences , for th e resid ence O f a

Nob leman or Gentleman , and 355 acres of LAND or th ereabouts , w ith suitab leFarm Houses , a l l ly ing in a ring fence .

Th e above E state is freeh old and tith e-free , (be ing sub j ect as to part , h owever,to a perpetua l annual payment of 28 . an acre , in lieu of tith es , settled by Actof Parliament ,) and th e land -tax is redeemed . Ackworth Park is di stant twom i les from Pontefract , eigh t from Wakefield , and is

deligh tfully s ituated in a remarkab ly fine part O f th e country , and in th e centreof

‘

th e Bad sworth Hunt . Th e Gla sgow ma i l coach passes w ith in a m i le of it .

For furth er part iculars , and for tickets to view th e p lace , (w ithout wh ich itw i ll not be sh ewn ,) apply if by letter, post paid , to Messrs . Sm ith son and

Ramskill , Sol ic itors , Pontefract.Pontefract , March 1 7 , 1828.

Th e price Of th e “Donca ster , Nottingham , and Lincol n

Gazette, was 7d .

At th e time of th e disturbances in London respecting th e

Reform Bill, th e late E H of Ackworth, whose

correspondence was published after her death ,in a letter dated

Nov . 4th ,1 830 , wr i tes as follows J. was to have come home

at half-past four,and it is now nearly six , and I am still alone ;

and I feel that, if I stitch , stitch , all th e evening, I shall be

very nervous before h e comes, for really I do not l ike mobs and

tricol oa recl flags .

"e You will hear as much from th e papers,and more

,probably, of what is going on

, than we cou ld tell you.

’

T is strange work ,and were I to waste all th e evening abou t it,

I could neither tell you what th e mob wants, nor what those

above them are afraid of. One cannot but look with some

eagerness to see th e end Of i t,though very probably it may,

after all , end in nothing.

”

On th e 3rd of October, 1 830, a cow belonging to Mr. Sud

bury,of Pontefract, brought forth a full grown calf with two

heads, two breasts, two necks , four fore- legs, two hearts, two

Pontefract has al way s b een th e arena of pol itica l an imus—and very Often

tumu lt and strife . Th e Reform Bill a lth ough passed in 1831 , d id not operate ,

"until 1832 .


A.D . 1832 .

90 ACKWORTH,YORKS

against i t We have set our faces against th e children ’s having“ hol idays at th e Schools

,and seeing all these things ; for

which, I expect,we Shall get plenty O f ill-will ; but I am

convinced that it i s qu ite right so to do. I wish we had carried

opposition a little further. I do want a good tract against

Feasts for circu l ation .

”alé

Both these famous races were both won this year by a horse,th e joint property of Mr. Gully, Of Ackworth Park

,and a Mr.

Ridsda l erl'

In a publ ished letter to h er sister, d ated June 1 5th , 1 834 ,

Mrs . R H writes— “ I had an entertainment "this

evening at Low Ackworth] which I did not expect—a sermon

on th e Millenium " It was from a middle aged man,with a

seriou s countenance and a long beard,who had taken his station

on th e top of a wa l l opposite Farmer Lee’s ; from whose garden

I heard great part Of i t. People call him a Joannaite,and set

him down for a deceiver. I ne ither saw nor heard anything

deceptive , but , on the contrary, much evidence of sincerity.

He appeared to be sound in th e faith , and to have a remark

ably compeh ensive knowledge of Holy Scripture,especially on

th e subject of Redemption . His allusions to th e Atonement

were particularly satisfactory ; his declarations of the Scripturedoctrine Of th e resurrection of th e body remarkably clear ; and

his anticipations of the Redemption completed,by th e

glor ification of th e Saints at th e Last Day , to me, qu ite anima

ting. But when h e proceeded to proclaim th e near approach

of that day, and told us we were no longer to p repare for death,but for l l ife e ternal

,I felt as if I could not go along with him .

His facility in quoting Scripture by memory (chapter

and verse) , and th e seriou sness yet friendliness of his manner,impressed me very agreeably , though h e spoke too rapidl y for

"th e comprehension] of the ignorant. From the theological

Memoranda of Rach e l Howard .

” Part III . p . 274.

f Vide M emoir of John Gul ly , in Appendix.

ITS IIIS‘

TORY AND ANNALS. 91

terms he used, h e must b e a well read man. My father con

jectures h im to be a}Seventh-day Baptist.*

This historical event was commemorated at Ackworth by

a display of hunting, and th e ringing of th e Church bells . At

Ackworth School, th e 1 8th of August was O bserved as a gala-day

,

and the children were stimulated to write verses appropriate to

th e occasion,for th e best of which prizes were Offered. A large

mee ting of all th e chil dren,and numerous visitors was held in

th e“Meet ing Hou se in the evening, presided over by Luke

Howard,F .R .S . Variou s congratul atory resolutions were passed,

one of which , proposed by Wi lliam Fisher Sim,and seconded

by John Bright,1 was That this mee ting unites in th e feel ing

of humble gratitude to th e Author of a l l Good,wh o has

condescended so to bless th e efforts of all Christ ians of every

denomination in this Country, that the curse of slavery through

out th e British Empire is this day ended,and that all th e

slaves are free .

”

The “ Tel egrap h succeeded th e defunct Ackworth

Review ,but

,l ike i ts predecessor, had but a short existence .

I t died in

Ackworth Mechanics ’ Library established Nov . 1 5th,1836.

In addition to th e fest ivi ties at the Friends ’ School, a

sumptuous dinner was p rovided for the work in g poor Of

Ackworth,by Mr. Gul ly Of Ackworth Park,

and other gentlemen .

It was laid ou t in a large tent in a field at th e rear Of the Post

Office Buildings , and was followed in th e evening by an equally

substantial tea . Merry peals were rung all day, and the r ingersl iberally supplied with refreshments from th e ne ighbouring

public house .

More probab ly an itinerant separatist from Irvingism , who , in common

w ith many oth ers , h ad adopted th e more advanced view s of Joanna South cote ,

respec ting th e Millenium and second Com ing of Ch rist , a fterward s promulga tedby Dr. Cumming.

1 John Brigh t, Esq . , M .P. , wa s ed uca ted a t Ackworth Sch ool .3Vide Hist . Ackworth School , p . 214.

A.D . 1 834 .

Ep itaph .

ACKWORTH,YORKS

Th e Committee Of Ackworth School were th e first to substitute for the dismal oil - lamp and th e glimmering dip

, th e

then suspic ious illumination of gas ; and it was not for several

years afterwards that gas was introduced into th en houses by

a few Of th e more ventu resome inhabitants of the vil lage . Even

now th e primitive obscu r ity of the dark ages lingers tenaciouslyin the lanes Of th e vi l lage

,and strange to say th e people love

to have i t so.

Hannah Campl in must have been .a most estimable young

person , if th e following epitaph upon h er gravestone in Ack

worth Churchyard accurately describes her qualities

Her manners m ild , h er temper such ,

Her language good , and not too much .

Sh e died August 1 8th ,1 837

,aged 27. Sh e was evidently too

good for this world ; had sh e l ived, th e manners , temper and

language of Ackworth ians might have been leavened into some

thing very differently ; but“ Those whom th e Gods love , die

young.

”

D ied at Ackworth ,Elizabeth , relict of th e Right Rev . T .

Middleton,first Bishop Of Calcutta

,aged Mrs. Middleton

(née Miss Maddison) was buried at Wragby,and formerly

resided at Ackworth, in what was once the residence Of th e

Pl owes family, addi tions to which were made for Miss M addison’

s

reception in 1 827.

Mrs. Middleton was th e sister of the Rev . Geo. Maddison,

wh o l resid ed at Ackworth Lodge,and came to Ackworth

because th e district in which his Lincolnshire l iving was

situated did not su it his health. Mr. Maddison occasionally

did duty for Mr. Hay , th e Rector ; and Miss Maddison beforeh er marriage with Dr . Middleton,

was deservedly beloved by

th e people of Ackworth.

Vide ROSS’ Topograph ical Index of the “Annual Register.”


ACKWORTII , YORKS. ,

The population of Ackworth according to the census of1 841

,was

July 30 . The body of a newly born male child,name

unknown,bu ried by order Of

The school in th e O l d Wesleyan Chapel ceased to exist,

when th e latter was taken down to make room for the newChapel which stands on the Site of th e ol d one . Th e insufficientaccomodation thu s produced was met by th e establ ishment

in 1 844 of a B ri tish School on the Lancasterian system,for

boys, in a room below th e Public Assembly Room,which was

e rected in the same year. The school i s supported by voluntary

contr ibutions,and accommodates about 70 boys.

Magnificent oak felled in Bell Close,and sold for £22 1 2/- 1

A most melancholy accident occurred this year at Ackworth

School. One of th e girls , i t is supposed , was playing with the

fire in a room by herself, when h er dress caught fire . She

immediately r ushed out into th e passage, enveloped in flames,

which were extinguished by counterpanes, but not before sh e

was so fearfully scorched that Sh e died within eight hou rs.”This year a horse named Pyrrhu s th e First,

”

th e property

of Mr. Gu lly,of Ackworth Bark

,won for his owner this

celebrated race. Sam Day was th e rider, and th e race was wonin two minutes and fifty five seconds § Another horse Of Mr.

Gu lly ’s won the Oaks race shortly afterwards.

About forty year’s ago the Plymou th brethren*sectwas some

what numerou s in Ackworth . At the rear of M rs. Howard ’sSchool in Low Ackworth

,there is a small burial ground

,within

iron railings , provided by Miss Howard’s brother,Mr. Luke

Howa’rd,for poor persons Of the above sect to which Mr. Howard

,

originally a Friend , belonged in th e latter part Of his life . Th e

f Vide Register Of Burials . Vol . VI II .1 Vide Hist . Ackworth Sch ool . p . 350 .

HVide Hist . Ackworth Sch ool , p . 248.

Vid e Memoir of John Gul ly , in Append ix .

I am informed on good auth ority th at on account of th e d im inution of

Plymouth Breth ren at Ackworth , aged and deserving poor people of oth erpersuasions were allowed to be interred in th is ground with their own rites , J.L ,S.


register of burials in th e ground is unfortunately missing, but

i t appears from the fourteen monumental slabs now standing,

that at leas t a score Of persons were interred within this l ittleburial ground during a period Of nearly th irty years . Of coursethere were other burials which are only indicated by raised

mounds, but it is hoped that th e names of those who l ie beneath ,

are al l written in th e Book of Life. The following names,ages,

and dates , found recorded upon th e tomb - stones,may b e inter

esting and useful to th e curiou s in years to come . In 1 848 ,Elizabeth Barker, 70 ,

Martha Jackson,55 1850

,Martha Mason

,

72 1 85 1,Sarah Bowling

, 39 , Hannah Briggs, 74 , Will iam

Briggs,51 ; 1 852, Mary Booth,

56 ; 1 854 ,Maria Fletcher, 50 ,

Ann Norton,87 1855 , Jane Middle ton ,

50,Isabella Donbavand ,

42 1 856, Ann Levitt, 90 1 861 , Allan Mason ,84 1 865 , Albert

Simpson ,3 ; 1 867 , Ellen Al l ott, 37 ; 1 869 , Thomas Al l ott , 41

1 870, Ann Haggas , 71 1 877, Simeon Haggas, 79 1 879 , Sarah

Grice, 81 .

In Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches th e verger’s wand

is a very imposing one of ebony and silver. In some churches

i t used to be carried,not only before th e Bishop when h e

visited th e church , but also before th e Rector or Vicar,in his

passage from th e vestry to th e reading desk,Communion table,

or pu lpi t. Where this custom prevails , as at the Parish Church

Of Stockton -on -Tees, th e duty falls to one of th e vergers . But

with th e introduction of surpliced cho irs, and th e disappearance

Of three deckers,”

th e verger’s wand also disappeared , and are

now looked upon as relics of antiqu ity. There can be no doubt

that the long “ tip - staff ”

O f th e gaily caparisoned beadle , was

th e earliest form of these wands , and where , as at Ackworth ,

this important functionary’s dignity was at one t ime further

enhanced by th e combin ed offices of vil lage constable , and

night watch-man, the tip - staff was supplemented or super

seded by the short , but more widely mace - like wand, which

served the double pu rpose of truncheon and wand. The ancient

wand,a short staff painted green and white , still exists at

1848 .


Ackworth , but it is not used. In 1 849 i t was superseded by a

Cholera .

longer one, pain ted black ,

with a gilt knob bel ow which isinsc ribed in gil t letters , the following words V .R. l st (timeused), 1 849 , (c rown), J . JONES

, W . BEECROFT,CHURCH

WARDENS.

” Although erected in th e Churchwardens’ pew,

i t is never used, two plain white wands be ing carried on specialoccasions

,by the Churchwardens. Sometimes these wands are

respectively su rmounted by a crown and mitre,symbolising

State and Church, as at Thornaby Church, Yorks .

Th e following is a copy Of a notice posted upon the Church

door at Ackworth in 1 849 — “A Rate or Assessment Of two

Pence in the Pound upon all Occupiers of land and Tenements,

within th e Par ish of Ackworth,in the Coun ty of York

,for th e

repairs and other expenses of th e Parish Church of Ackworth

aforesaid for th e Present year,maid (s ic) this 8th day of

November,

JAS . JONES,WM . BEECROFT.

Churchwardens .

Th e village did not qu ite escape th e cholera scourge which

visi ted many Of our large towns in th e summer Of 1 849 . The

disease was brought into Ackworth in September,by a plas

terer from Leeds, wh o was seized with the malady soon afterhis arrival

,and whilst engaged at his work in a new house in

Pu rston Lane. He was qu ickly conveyed to his lodgings,but

died at four O’clock the next morning, notwithstanding th e

immediate application of h ot baths,and blankets

,mustard

pou ltices and rum,and was bu ried at 9 O

’clock. After thi s

th ereIwere many cases , both mild and violent as many as five

deaths occurred in.One week

,the corpses being qu ickly bu ried

'

whilst yet warm ,with a very short service . I t is said that in

one case a coffin was ordered for a child supposed to be dead,but which ultimately recoveredf ‘E

Th e above particulars were related to th e compiler by a survivor.


A.D . 1857 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

sons of th e two former,of Brackenhil l , were all killed. It is

said that Charles , on th e evening p revious to his death,had a

melancholy foreboding of something of an awfu l nature about

to occur. Joseph was very fond Of animals , and th e night beforehis death

,fed his favou rite cat

,which after his death went to

th e door mat,where sh e moaned piteously , refu sing all food

until hunger terminated h er existence . Th e Kellett family

were all steady and moral people , and much respected . Richardand Thomas both left widows

,but Char l es and Joseph were

Single,aged respectively 29 and 30 .

The Gove rnment Inspector ’s Report of th e work done in th eAckworth Church Schools during 1 858 -9

,and of the examina

tion results,i s as follows

“ Th e present master" came in Novemb er, 1858 . He has made agood beginning. Th e read ing of th e low er cl asses is ind istinct . The

w riting d eserves commendation . Th e composition exe rcise of the

First C l ass w as intelligently done .

The M istress teaches gently and sensib l y . A Form and Colourbox is w anted .

Thomas Sharp ,an apprenticed Pupil Teach er in th ese schools

,

passed so good an examination , that the Lord President of th e Counci lh as given h im one year of his apprenticesh ip .

”

The following lament appeared in th e weekly issue Of a

local paper

Sir,—You r columns are

,I dare say , open to th e compl aint of a

d istressed tree , as wel l as to the grie vances of your own countrymen .

We l l , Sir, I must tell you that for many scores of years past I havelooked upon the inhab itants of A ckw orth

,and have been l ooked at

and admired by th e fath ers , and grandfath ers , and great fgrandfath ersof th e present people of Ackworth . I h ard l y know how O l d I am

,

but I th ink I may safe l y say that I w as h ere when Anne becameQ uee

'

n,M arch 8th ,

1 702 . Not that I care so very much for thosewho have not seen me , it is sol el y on account of' th e good peop l e of

Ackworth ,that I am now in d istress . Sir

,I must tell you that I

had hoped to have grown O l d,and d ied in peace , of natu ral decay

in fact,to wh ich trees are subject , no l ess than men . But I am

,I

fear,doomed to d isappointment . The parish surveyors of th e h igh

way s h ave been and cu t off some of my principle roots , and I comsider

mysel f much damaged by th is cruel treatment . I certainl y shoul d

Mr. E , Spencer.


have liked to have flourish ed as long as possible ; I moan for myself ; A.D . IB5S.

but ch iefly am I stri cken w ith sadness at th e though t that with theloss of so much of the princ iple of l ife

,I cannot expect to grow and

look smilingly upon my' A ckw orth friends so l ong as I oth erw ise

migh t have done . I have one conso l ation,howeve r . I h ear the

sigh s of those w ho come b eneath my Sh ad e,and I thank th em for

their sympathy w ith me in the l oss of my roots . N0 good can arisefrom th is cruel treatment of me . Where th ere is misch ief in theh eart, and a knife in the hand , ancient v il l age trees , l ike my self, maysing out

,

“ Woodman , spare that tree ; bu t to li ttl e use if our

friend s among mankind w on’t come and protect us .

I am,Sir

,w ith great respect and sadness at h eart

,

Your humble servant,

THE TREE ON ACKW ORTH GREEN .

Th e following interesting statement is extracted from th e

Ackworth Parish Magazine ”

“ In th e ten years , end ing 25th M arch ,175 9

,five bastard ch ildren

w ere baptized , that is, one in twenty- eigh t .

In th e ten y ears , end ing 25th M arch,1859

,th irty -two bastard

ch ildren w ere baptized , or one in

In a recently publish ed h istory O f th e Q uaker’s School , it is sneeringl y remarked that Catech isms of rel igious faith are not much in

vogue at Ack worth .

A comparision of the morality Of th e rel igi ous practice of th e period sunder rev iew

,w il l tend , perhaps to make one w ish that th ey w ere

at any rate for a return to th e good ol d cu stom O f ou r forefath ers ,w hen the h ead of e ve ry househol d employed a portion of the e veningof e very Lord

’s d ay , at th e l east , in teaching h is children and servants

the Chu rch Catech ism .

We question very much w h eth er that plan w ould not be moreeffectual toward s th e keeping of the Se venth Commandment, than thesystem wh ich h as been subsitu ted for it, e vening meetings for rel igious(so cal l ed ) preach ings and scientific lectures.

Such meetings , w e be l ie ve,are not unfrequently e ith er pl aces of

assignation for young men and w omen,or they serve a s pretexts fo r

young peopl e getting out at nigh t, free from parental contro l .Al l expe rience proves that , w hat are call ed re l igious re v iva l s and

p ractical moral evil s , not unfrequent l y go hand in hand .

”

From January 1 865 , to January 1 875,the numbe r o f

ill egitimate children baptized in Ackworth Church , was seven .

or one in forty- Six ; and from January 1875 , to January 1 88 5 .

twenty, being one in It will therefore be seen that

A.D . 1859 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

immorality in Ackworth is decidedly on th e wane,especially

when we remember that th e popu lation of th e village h as morethan doubled itself since 1 875 .

Th e following letter, which appeared in th e Ackworth

Parish Magazine,is worthy of re -production as a parochial

record.

Sir,—Ou the 7th of April l ast, th ree Of th e T rustees of the M anor

,

M essrs . Fairbarn,W . Nel strop , and R . Ne l strop , if I understood them

correctly , gave a large number of th e Freehol ders and Ratepayers ,th en assembled in Public M eeting, to understand that th e Accountsand present state of th eir T rust shoul d shortl y be submitted to th e

Public .

Finding that promise no nearer real ization,I venture to ask you

to print a Resol ution on th e subject , wh ich w as passed at a VestryM eeting on the 3rd M ay , 18 18 That th e Accounts of the Lord sof th e M anor b e in futu re Aud ited in Vestry every year on the Sundaynext after Saint M ark ’

s day .

”

If th e Lord s of th e M anor w ere not as ignorant of the na lwre of

their T rust as th ey , confessed ly , are of its duties, this very reasonabledirection w ould not have been allow ed to become obsolete .

A perusal of th e Vestry M eetings , h eld on th e subject Of'

the

M anor T rust from M ay 1 8 13,to M ay 18 18 , wil l probab ly l ead the

reader to the conclusion that th ere ex isted at that time pecul iarreasons for th e Lords of th e M anor not being anxious to courtpubl icity .

I do not charge th e present Lords with similar conduct,but their

evident reluctance to give an account Of th eir steward sh ip ,” migh tcause a less charitab le judge to infer that there is something beh indthe scenes wh ich th ey are ashamed of.

I am,Sir

,with grateful respect,

A ckworth , You r obedi ent Servant,

M ay 14th , 1859 . A FREEHOLDRR or ACKW ORTH .

On Sunday,th e 8th of Augu st, 1 859 , sermons were preached

in tlie new Wesleyan Chapel, by th e Rev . S . D . Waddy, Of

Sheffi eld, when th e collections amounted to £75. On the

following Tuesday, th e Rev . Dr. Gu thrie preached,— afternoon

and even ing— the evening sermon on Rev . xiv. 1 3. The

following extract from Dr. Guthrie’s autobiography,bearing

upon his visit to Ackworth, has special interest Th e Chape l

in whose Opening services I was called to take a part,is a


A .D . 1 859 .

DeanHook

Loyalty .

L U “ A V A U L U L -L L,

L V L UL L U Q ,

l essen ing of th e traffic along the road made no d ifference . When itw as once a road , it w as al ways a road , excepting it ceased to be so

by act of l aw .

”

Th is w ould seem to sett l e , not only th e Q uakers’ , but th e questionof encroachments in general .

On th e second Sunday morning in November of this year,

th e pulpit of Ackworth Chu rch,was occupied by th e popular

Vicar of Leeds , Dr . Hook , wh o had been asked by th e Rectorof Ackworth (Rev . J . Kenworthy

,) to p reach on behalf of a

fund to complete th e debt upon the chu rch; consequent on i tsrestoration . Dr. Hook’s visit was a memorable one for two

reasons He pointed out with considerable warmth, th e

absence of much that was needed to make D ivine worship whatit ought to be

,viz : reve rent and decent ; and (2) his sermon

,

which dealt with almsgiving as an act of worship,was

considered by those compe tent to judge of such matters, a

masterpiece of oratory and rhetoric .

This eminent medical missionary and explorer paid a visit

to Ackworth during his last furlough to England in the summerof 1 859 . The Dr. lectured at th e Friends ’ School on his travelsin Africa ,

and was much appreciated . Soon afterwards hereturned to th e scene of his labours

,where h e died .

Jan . 28 . Miss Neilson , of Hundh il l was this day married atAckworth Church to Arthu r Pemberton Lonsdale , Esq. ,

of

London . Th e Right Revd . Dr. Lonsdale , Bishop of Lichfiel d ,

Uncle of th e br idegroom ,officiated

,and signed the marriage

register with his episcopal signature “ G. Lichfie l d .

There are none more loyal than th e people of Ackworth .

On th e occasion of th e marriage of th e Prince of Wales, th e

l oth of March ,1 863, was observed in Ackworth as a general

holiday. Banners were displayed ; merry peals rung on the

Church bells ; and commemoration trees planted at Ackworth


School . Th e following formula was pronounced on the A-D ~ 1863

occasion

M ay th e earth nourish th e ir roots ;M ay th e d ew s ch erish th e ir branch es ;And may th e sun ripen th eir fru its .

M ay th e un ion th is d ay commemorated ,be blessed w i th th e fatness of th e earth ,

th e dew of h eaven , and th e refresh ingbeams of th e Sun of Righ teousness .

“

March 1 0 . Hol iday. Marriage of Prince ofWales . Children

assembled in the afternoon for buns , oranges , and medals .

March 1 1 . Tea and cake in th e afternoon .

March 27. Th e attendance this week has been unusa l l y thin

in consequence of more than half th e children having th e

measles .

March 30 . The visit of a Government Vaccination Officer

to Ackworth ,wh o examined each child ’s arm in the schools,

caused quite a scare in th e v il l age i

In common with th e rest of th e nation, Ackworth was enfete on th e occasion of th e marriage of H . R. H . Albert Edward

,

Prince of Wale s , and he ir apparent to th e English Throne , toth e Princess Alexandra C. M . C . L . Julia , eldest daughter of th e

King of Denmark , March 10 , 1 863 . Mrs . W i ll iam Hepworth

of th e Lodge gave a dinner to a l l'

the aged people of th e parish,

from seventy years ol d and upwards, and th e Church cho ir .

A meat tea was enjoyed under canvas in Hague’s Croft by th e

inhabitants of High Ackworth , and there were dinners at the“ Boot and Shoe ” and “ Angel ” Inns for th e people of Moor

Top ; whilst the villagers of Low Ackworth were regaled with

a meat tea in th e Public Rooms . Th e cost of th e fest ival was

ra i sed by subscription .

Th ese word s were origina lly compo sed to be sa id at th e p lanting of two

trees , to commemorate th e marriage of Robert and Hannah Wh itaker, in 1812 .

t V ide Log Book , Nationa l School .

ACK'

WOR'

TH, YORKS.,

Th e primitive method of punishment by exposure in th e

stocks,ceased at Ackworth in or about the year quoted in th e

margin . They were placed originally near the pinfold which

is itself in good condition but never used . They were subse

quently removed to th e vacant corner near th e Church gates ,and there stood until they were taken up and burn t. The last

man confined there in was E d T 111 who was in

th e habit of imbibing a li ttle too freely , and having allowed his

whilom enemy to steal away his senses, h e was consigned to

durance vile ”

to await their return . It is said that the

sympathizing inhabi tants of V inegar H ill supplied him with

an umbrella to shield him from th e even ing dew ,and brought

him beer and tobacco, wherewith to beguile his weary hours .

But another instance is still remembered, and much oftener

commented upon, viz . ,that of W m P r who i t was

said had three children christened,and was himself married

and put into th e stocks all in one day " It appears that the

Rector had promised that if h e would come to Church ,have

his three natural children baptised,and marry the woman with

whom h e had been living,no fee wou ld be charged, and that a

j oint of beef from th e Rectory would grace the marriage

festivities. The neighbours unwisely but good-humoured l y

backed up this generous offer with a barrel of beer, which“W ill

cau sed to be tapped before starting to Church . The consequence

was that his courage was not .Only screwed up to sticking point,

but his l imbs were rendered very limp . The service concluded,Wi ll

,in stooping to pick up his hat, stumbled, and was qu ickly

placed in th e stocks by th e Churchwardens, aided by the vil lageconstable. There h e remained whilst th e wedding party issued

from th e Chu rch ,and un til his fond spouse retu rned with a

substantial repast. Al l this occurred in M arch, 1 849.

Henry Reynolds Neave,a pupil at Ackworth School

,fatally

injured by the breakage of a leaping pole , whilst vault ing over

the horizontal bar. He lived twenty- eight hours after the



A~D -1867 £ 4100 ,ale to which th e estate was subj ect, and they are now paid

partly to the Surveyors of the highways and partly to th e

Overseers of th e Poor .

Th e Manor appears to have been purchased for the use of

the parishioners,and the rents and profits have accordingly

been a l w a y s applied for th e public occasions of th e parish,in

th e manner above -mentioned,and not as a char ity for indi

vidua l s of a particular class or descript ion.

M arch 26th ,1 868 . At a public meeting of th e inhabitants

of Ackworth ,rated and contr ibu ting to the Highway Rates

thereof, in vestry assembled and convened by notice ; i t was

moved by Mr. Brown , and seconded by M r. Wade , that ape rson of skill and expe rience be appointed as paid Su rveyor.

at a salary of Twen ty pounds per annum . Mr . Barratt proposedan amendment

,which was seconded by Mr. Mason

,that Mr.

Brown ’s motion be negatived . The amendment , on be ing put ,was carried by a considerable majori ty. Mr. Brown then

demanded a poll , which was granted by th e Chairman (Rev . J .

Kenworthy) , and fixed for th e fol lowing Monday and Tuesday ,

March 3oth and 3 1 st,in Mr. Lowthe r ’s School Room , from 10

o’clock to 1 2 , in th e mo rning , and from 7 to 9 in th e evening

of each day. The following is an analysis of th e result of poll .For Mr. Barratt . For Mr. Brown .

On Monday morning. 2 76

On Monday evening. 50 26

On Tuesday morning. 45 44

On Tuesday even ing. 58 39

Total number of votes 1 1 4

Th e poll was declared on Tuesday evening , at 9 o’clock . Majori

ty for Mr. B rown , 7 1 . Th e Rev . J . Kenworthy acted asReturning Ofli cer, and Messrs . Atha and Spencer as Scrutators .

At a subsequent meeting of ratepayers held on th e 2nd of

April,

“ in order to settle all disputes and produce peace in the

Vide List of Charities .


parish,th e following compromise was made That Mr.

Fearnley be appointed Surveyor of th e parish for th e ensu ing

year at a salary of £20 , which amount is guaranteed by Messrs .

Brown,J . Nel strop, R. Ne l strop ,

Waide,Simpson ,

Tempest and

Satterthwaite,and th e Rector.*

Th e Church was in danger of dest ruction by fire on 2nd

May, 1 868, wilfully caused by a malicious, if not insane , man ,

who in a short time in the afte rnoon ,ran from stack to out

bu ildings,and Church

,and set all on fire to revenge some

fancied slight about a gravestone . Th e pulpit. and some stalls

were fi rst heaped together, th e former filled with music books

and other combusti ble materials , and ignited . Marks of the

fire may still be seen inside th e pu lpit . Fortunately the fire

was discovered before much damage was done . The offender

was found in th e Church and secu red , and ,at th e ensuing

assize at Leeds,was sentenced to twe lve months ’ imprisonment .

Th e foll owing is another account

The Parish Church at Ackworth,near Pontefract

,which

was restored a few years ago at great expense , was se t on fire

May l st,1868 ,

by a man named “7m . Chas . W ilson . He had

removed into th e pu lpi t various articles of an inflammablecharacter, and had then deliberately ign ited them . Fortuna tel y th e flames were observed by Mr. J . Fearnley and Mr. R .

Ne l strop,who resided near, and who had been aroused by a

stack-fire in th e neighbourhood, also bel ieved to have been

caused by W ilson ,who conducted himself ve ry violently

,kick

ing and striking th e gentlemen named on the ir interfering with

him . He was afterwards ex amined before th e magistrates, and

a,

medical certificate was produced showing that th e prisoner

had previously been in an asylum . He was committed to th e

West Riding As sizes for trial -yIn th e fol low ing year Mr. Fearn ley w a s elec ted w ith out oppos i tion , but in

1 873 an a ttempt was made to ej ect him , in favour of Mr . Roberts . T h e re sultof th e po l l wa s for Mr . Fearn ley . 208 ; for Mr. Roberts , 76 . Anoth er at temptwas made in 1874 , w ith th e fo ll ow ing resul t : Mr . Fearnl ey , 156 Mr . Ha igh .

137 . In 1875 Fearnl ey , 208 ; Ha igh , 1 54 .

f Annals of Yorksh ire,” Vol . III .

A.D . 1868 .

ACKWORTH,voaxs,

By an order from th e Charity Commissioners dated July 6th ,

1 869 , the following gentlemen were appointed th e legal trustees

and administrators of the Cawood Charity °

Rev . J . Kenworthy,Rector of Ackworth,

E . e . Waide,Thos. Pearson

,

Of ACkWO l ’ th

Peter Watson,Jervis Winn ,

of East Hardwick.

Robert Bailey,John Hope Barton

,of Stapleton Park , Pontefract.

Joseph Ne l strop,of th e Lodge , Ackworth.

Edmund Ernest Leatham . of Hemsworth Hall , and

Thomas W illi am Tew ,of Carleton.

One of th e felt wants of Ackworth is good water. Th e lateHenry Hill , Esq .

,ou t of th e munificence of his kindly heart,

caused a high leve l boring to be made upon his estate,and

piped water from thence to th e entrance of the village .

Th e parish was then asked to do i ts part,and the resul t was

that subscriptions were quickly raised to purchase the appl i

auces wherewith to br ing th e water into th e centre of th e

village . The work was completed ,and a handsome fountain

erected at a cost of £90 , but a very short time sufli ced to proveth e futility of th e scheme . Th e water, which was littlebetter than tincture of iron , quickly ox idised the filter

,pipe ,

and nozzle of th e fountain ,and the fountain itself soon became

what it has since continued to be,a u seless ornament . Soon

afterwards, Mr. Hill being convinced that th e water of Ack

worth con tained chemical properties of considerable value,decided to pipe another stream from a field in Low Ackworth ,

known as Assax ,

” into th e Tan Hou se Lane, for th e use of the

Low Ackworth people. This fountain has since been known

as th e “Spa.

”

Th e foundation stone of this Church,dedicated to Saint

Stephen, was laid by th e Marquis of Ripon,October 23 , 1 872 .

The site selected whereon to erect th e new building was only


Ack wonrn,vonxs

organ was sold for £10 . Th e new instrument cost £322 , and

was inaugu rated in 1 874, by Mr. Rogers , th e O rgan ist of Don

caster Par ish Chu rch . Th e new instrument,although small

,

contains some remarkably sweet pipes,and several steps, con

fained only in con tinental organs, th e tones of which M r.

Rogers exhibited with considerable skill and taste .

After the death of th e Rev . J . Kenworthy,th e Rectory of

Ackworth did not long remain vacant , for, in October, i t wasoffered to

,and accepted by

,th e Rev . W . M . Fa l l oon

,M .A. ,

Vicarof St . B r ide ’s

,Liverpool , and Hon . Canon of Chester. Before

coming in to residence , the new Rector put forth th e foll owing

manifesto

To THE PARI SHIONERS or Acxwonrn .

M y dear Parish ioners,In God ’

s good Prov idence,I have been appointed

Rector of y ou r Parish th e offer of it came to me from th e Chancellorof th e Duchy of Lancaster , unsough t , and , by me

,entirel y unexpected :

I am,th erefore , comforted in the acceptance of it

, by regarding itas a D iv ine ordering, for me and for you , and

,in no respect, an

accident for eith er of u s .

It is my earnest desire and Prayer to God , that I may come untoyou in th e fulness of th e b lessing of th e Gospel of Christ : that , ifspared , I may work amongst y ou ,

u seful l y ; dw el l in your midstlov ingl y ; and , as far as lieth in me , live peaceably w ith al l . I do

not appear amongst you , al together , a s a young man ,but as one w ho

h as h ad many y ears of opportunity , for learning someth ing of the

reveal ed w il l and Word of God ; and for doing someth ing in the w orkof God ; on th ese grounds , therefore , I may fairl y cl aim you r confi

d ence and forb earance ; and I respectful l y ask for th ese,at your

hearts and hands .

Bel ie ving th e Chu rch of Engl and to be Cathol ic as regards truth ;Evangelical as regard s doctrine ; Apostolic as regard s order ; andProtestant as regard s error ; it. h as ever b een ,

and w il l continue to be ,my effort , by God ’s assistance , to ministe r in accordance w ith such

principl es ; and to serve,w ith fidel ity and cord ial obed ience , in the

safe and sure ol d path s , marked out by our h onored Reformers.

I inv ite your kind cc -operation as Parishioners in al l that mayreal ly concern th e interests of our Church and Parish and trust , thatw h i l st thus duly mindful of our own th ings w e may not sel fish l y

forget th e interests of oth ers : “ None of us l iveth to h imse l f, andno man d ieth to h imself.

” Let regu l ar attendance at th e House of

God , and reverent worsh ip th ere , each and al l taking their part


th erein ,accord ing to th e intention and instruction of th e Church of

England ,furnish one of th e best e v idences of th e real ity of our

conv ictions and of th e sincerity of our d e votions .

I have l earnt l ong since,that

,w ith out th e bl essing of God , noth ing

is hol y , I th erefore earne stly and affectionately ask y our pray ers ,your sympathy and y our support : a l l these you can giv ze of th ese ,p ray er is the best , so , I ask it fir st ; and , if you are l ed , by God ’

s

grace , to pray for h im w h o is appointed to watch for you r sou l s,I

can have no doubt,that th e oth er tw o w ill speed il y foll ow .

I h ope soon to b e resident amongst you , and to do w hat I can to

serve you ,in ministering to y ou th e gloriou s Gospel O f th e Blessed

God ; in l ifting up Ch rist as th e sinne i’s on l y refuge ; tru sting al to

gether to the present pow er of th e Holy Sp

irit to appl y th e messagesav ingl y to your sou l s and , in caring for th e sick and th e afflicted ,accord ing to th e ab il ity w h ich God may give me ; and th is , w ith outany preference or partial ity a s regard s rich or poor, th ere be ing no

respect of persons w ith God . M eanwh il e,al low me to sub scribe

my self, w ith all good w il l ,Yours very faithfully ,

W . M . FALLOON , M .A. ,

O ctober, 1 875 . RECTOR (ELECT) OF ACKW ORTH .

This small , but at one time very important building,new

converted into cottages,known as th e “ High Terrace

,

” stands

on a somewhat e levated posit ion on th e Ackworth Moor Top ,

at th e right hand side of th e road leading to Hemsworth. When

first e rected it stood some distance ou t of th e village,but now

i t i s almost surrounded by houses. After th e passing Of th e

Poor Law Amendment Act" in 1 847, the O l d workhou se remaineduntenanted. At length it was bought by Mr. Jno. S impson , of

Ackworth,who soon afterwards sold it to Mr. Graham , formerly

of Ackworth,by whom it was converted into fou r cottages

,and

mortgaged by him to Joseph Allbright , of Lancaster, in 1 884.

On Sunday morning,December 5 th , th e Rev .W .M .Fa l l oon

,

M .A. ,Hono rary Canon of Chester

,the newly- appointed Rector

of Ackworth ,admitted himself to th e benefice , accord ing to

th e usage, by reading th e 39 articles of th e Church of England,

instead Of preaching a sermon . In th e even ing Canon Falloon

preached his in augural sermon, to a crowded congregation ,

from

10 1 1 Vict. , c . 109 .

A.D . 1875 .


AoD - 1875 Hebrews xiii,8 :

“ Je su s Chr ist,th e same , yesterday , to -day

,and

for ever. Th e new Rector came to Ackworth from his latesphere at St . Bride ’s , Liverpool , well reported of

,both for

eloquence and good works.

Mr. Fearnley resigned his position as Parish Surveyor,after

e ight years faithful discharge of duty,du ring which time h e

had encoun te red much Opposition and unkind treatment from

village agitators . Messrs. Cuttle,Child

,Roberts

,and Haigh

were put forward as men of skill and experience to succeed

him . Th e voting was as follows z— Cuttle, 0 Roberts

, 7 Child,

8 ; Haigh ,10 . In th e second show of hands th e numbers were

Child,8 ; Haigh ,

13 . Mr. Haigh was therefore du ly elected

Surveyor for th e ensuing year.

A new l ine of railway from Swinton to York was formallyopened for general traffic on Ju ly l st

,1879,— although the

Company ran trains from York and Sheffield to th e new stationat Ackworth four days earlier

,for th e convenience Of those who

wished to attend th e Centenary Celebration at Ackworth School.These were th e first passenge r t rains which had ever reached

th e village . Th e first sod of this railway was cut on O ctr. 1 2th,1 875 .

Literature Towards th e close Of this year, th e following works all con

nected with the Centenary Celebrations at th e Friends School ,’

Ackworth, were published

1 . List of Boys and Girls admitted into Ackworth School

during th e 100 years, 1 779— 1 879 . Published by the Centenary

Committee , Ackworth School, 1879, pp . xxxix .,2 1 1,8vo. There

are nearly names, or surnames an invaluable

record for Quaker genealogy, with an amusing ‘Nominal ’

History by Thomas Pumphrey, — a play on th e surnames.

Printed at Gloucester.

W ith th e Friends, th e first or baptismal name is really th e sur or a d d ed

name , be ing added to the patronymic when the child is registered accord ing tol aw . J , L. S.


AOKWORTH,YORKS,

A-D 1879 with Mr.Henry Hill , th e owner of th e land adjoining th e Chu rch,asking him to be good enough to arrange for th e allocation of

a certain portion of th e field at th e north side of th e Chu rch ,

for th e purpose of adding to th e p resent graveyard . Mr. Hill

at once acknowledged the need there was for en largement saidh e had foreseen it for some t ime

,and consented to take th e

matter into his immediate consideration . Accordingly,having

fixed th e day and hour, h e met th e Rector and Wardens on theground proposed , a plan of which had previously been forwa rded

to him ; th e extent of land asked for i s half an acre, along with

about 200 yards of the Rectory garden ,which th e Rector is

prepared to give to th e Parish ,in order to make th e addition

square . After consultation together, Mr. Hill declared himself

prepared to sell the land required ,for th e sum Of £200 , and he

undertakes to build a substantial wall around th e New Grave

Ground,to serve as a suitable fence to the same .

” Mr. Hill ’s

offer was accepted and subscriptions quickly raised towards th e

amount requ ired as purchase money,and on the 1 4th of March ,

1 879 , th e ground , levelled and walled round, was consecrated

by th e Right Rev . Rowley Hill, Bishop of Soder and Man ,acting

for His Grace th e Archbishop of York .

Th e Centenary of an Institu tion is in itself at once a guar

antee of its util ity and vitality , and of th e public estimation in

which it is held . When a person or institu tion attains the

hundredth year of its ex istence , it i s 1mmed iatel y crowned with

an halo Of awfu l veneration which has been chastely described

as the “ Majesty of t ime . Unlike th e person however, we look

upon the Institu tion as having arrived at the meridian of i ts

greatness, and are apt to accord to i t D ivine honours, exultingly

exclaimingQuod semper movetur oeternum est I

The Centenary ofAckworth School therefore was an event which

all Ackworth j oined to celebrate, consequently to use the

language of the historian of the Centenary Celebration “the

26th and 27th of Sixth month,1879 , were joyful and memorable

ITS HISTORr AND ANNALS.

days in th e Annals of Ackworth School 1

Wi th M r. Barber ’s kind permission I propose to abstractfrom his comp rehensive work a concise narrative O f th e

proceedings,for th e benefit of those who are not fortunate

enough’

to possess th e book itself. “Ackworth ,

”

says Mr. Barber ,had collected around h er h er sons and daughters from far and

near to keep hol iday,and commemorate h er hundredth Ann i

versary . And truly they were of almost every age ,

from the venerable O l d man in his n inth decade,to th e young

scholar not yet emerged from th e first . Joyous youth,active

manh‘

ood, womanhood, and grey - headed age were there a l l

claiming th e kindred tie Of Ackworth scholarship .

”

In the afternoon O f th e 2ath th e General Mee ting was held,

which,

“ despite i ts formal examinations , is at all times a l ively

anniversary. This year it was large r than usual ,”

and “ there

was a Centenary atmosphere around it manifest from th e first .Th e proceedings included an afternoon meeting of th e D irecto rsof the Friends ’ Provident Institution ,

a somewhat e lderly

staid looking set of men,evidently full of facts .” Th e capital

of th e Assurance Insti tution in 1 879 , according to th e report,was with policies amount ing to

and a yearly income of In the evening,whilst th e

younger Friends mingle with the boys and girls in the i r sports,the older ones , once scholars wander to every familiar nook

and recall their youthful days , moral ising perhaps

On th e decayOf Ackworth boys in mod e rn day ;

and then turn in for th e night. ” Thus ended the doings of

Third - day.

The morning of Fourth ~ day (25th) Opened brightly and th e

proceedings of th e General Meeting p roper began at 10 a m ,

with th e meeting for'

worship ; it was large, and an impress iveand interest ing occasion

,partak ing Very much of a national

character, be ing attended by ministers from variou s parts of the

k ingdom ,- and one from th e United States of America

,

A.D . 1879.


th e presence of th e large number of children in a sol id phalanx

in th e midst of th e congregation,fitly symbol izing th e care of

th e Chu rch extended towards and around them. T he General

Report was then read,followed by a spirited discussion thereon ,

and then th e Report of th e Centenary Committee was read .

The Meeting then adjou rned until 2 - 30 p m . th e nex t day. Th e

afternoon Of th e 25th and morning of th e 26th was occupied

with th e Annual Examination . At 5 p .m .

,a meeting of a ve ry

enjoyable kind to th e ch il dren,was held to hear th e report of th e

Friends’Publ ic Schools ’ Industrial Association

,and to award th e

prizes to the successfu l exhibitors,and th e day ’s p roceedings

were brought to a close by the Annual Meeting of th e First

day School Association .

Th e morning of Fifth - day was inaugurated by a meeting

of an interesting characte r,for communion and un i ted prayer

at 6 a m . There was something in th e hour,th e freshness of

th e morning,and in the feeling that those wh o h ad thus ea rly

assembled had come with an earnest desire after good, whichcontribu ted to th e life of th e meet ing. Th e special subj ect for

prayer was the work of th e First- day Schools . Th e fi rstmeeting ,

however, in celebration of th e Centenary was held at

6 - 30 pm ,at wh ich

,probably more than pe rsons were

present . Th e meeting was presided over by Thomas Harvey,

of Leeds,wh o Opened th e p roceedings by slowly reading a few

appropriate verses from th e Psalms,followed by a short devo

tiona l pause. Letters of apology were then read,including one

from th e Right Honourable John Bright, wh o was educated at

Ackworth ,fol lowed by an address by th e Chairman

,after which

Jamps Hack Tuke

,of Hitchin

,read a paper which h e had

prepared at th e request of the Cen tenary Committee , be ing asketch of the life of Dr. Foth ergil l , th e originator

,and at least

th e most active and liberal founder of Ackworth School

Before th e lecturer wasplaced , in view of th e whole meeting,

th e beautifu l Wedgwood bust Of Dr . Fothergil l , execu ted from

Vide Biograph ical sketch of Dr. Foth ergill , in Append ix .


ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

company then rose to the ir feet and remained standing whilstthe scholars sang th e hymn

“ Abide with me,fast falls th e eventide .

Th e next speaker was WILLIAM CO OR PARKER,O f Dar l ington ,

one of th e Secretaries to th e Centenary Committee , after whicha number Of o l d Ackworth scholars gave Speeches of ten minu tes ’

duration , th e Chairman unflinchingl y touching the bell at th e

expi rat ion of nine minutes,so that th e speaker might have one

minute ’s warn ing in which to wind up his remarks . The namesof th e speakers were Henry Thompson

,of Kendal Hen ry

Asworth,of Bolton ; Thomas Pupl ett , of Ackworth ; Robe rt

Hen ry Marsh,of London ; George Frederick Linney ,

of Croydon ;J . S . Hodgson

,O f Mancheste r ; J . F. Bottomley Firth William

Taylor, of Middlesborough Geo rge Satterthwaite , for eleven

years Super intendent Of th e School Will iam Jones,of Middles

borough ; and l astly,by Frederick Andrews, the Superin ten

d ent , Or “ The Young Captain ,

” as h e was styled in a quotation

by a p revious speake r . Edward Gripper,Of

'

Nottingham , pro

posed a vote Of thanks to th e Cen tenary Committee and it s twoSecretaries

,which was seconded by George Wi lliam Binns

,of

Croydon . Th e mot ion was car ried , w i th three cheers . William

Coor Parker returned th anks,and the meeting was b rough t to

a close.

Afte r dinner,there was an in teresting ce remony, viz. : th e

planting O f two pu rple beech trees at th e bottom of the Green ,

in commemorat ion of th e Centenary,the one by th e younge st

child in th e school . the infan t daughter Of th e Superintendent,th e othe r by one of th e youngest boys in the school , He rbe rtClark

,of Mancheste r . The l ittle girl ’s hand was guided by h er

mo the r, and a Silver trowel p rovided for th e purpose by JosephSimpson of Ashbou rne

,an ol d scholar

,was p resented to th e

l ittle planter,and a commemorative inscription has Since been

engraved upon it . Both trees we re presented by Rober t E.

Giles,of Derby

,anothe r o l d scholar . Commemorative medals

were then presented to each boy and girl , th e gift of Smith


1 883 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

A ve ry beautiful custom,distinctly Norwegian in i ts origini

‘t

been Observed for many years at Ackwo rth at Christmas .

Th e following lines by “ J .W .

” chastely descr ibe i t .At Ackworth Ch urch , 0 11 Ch ristmas Eve ,O utside th e porch is h ung

A sh eaf of corn , to feast th e b ird sTh at a l l th e summer sung

Around th e Church th e ir Maker ’ s pra iseIn many a j oyous stave ,

And make th em on Christ ’s b irth day mornAs b l ith esom e and a s brave .

And is’

t not meet th at w e sh ould keepO ur Saviour ’s na ta l d ay

In peace w ith a l l—man,beast and b ird

Th at come across our w ay ?Not m aking glad ourse lve s aloneBene ath our sprigs o f h olly ,

But striv ing h ard to make a l l elseAround u s

, j ust a s jolly .

J.VV.— \Vritten in 1880 .

The custom,however, has long been obse rved both at

Christmastide and harvest

The New Burials Act came into operation in 1 880,bu t i t

was not until March,1 882

,that its p r ivileges we re taken

advantage o f in Ackworth , and even then,th e friend s of th e

pe rson interred were no t,strictly speaking

,D issente rs , but

Roman Catholics . Th e bu rial was carr ied out in accordancewith th e p rovisions of th e Act , that is to say,

no bell was rung,

th e Chu rch door was closed ,and th e name and add ress of th e

person ce rtifying or having charge of the funeral,en tered in

the Par ish Register of Burials . Since then ,th ree burials have

taken place und er th e provisions of th e Act,viz : two Roman

Cathol ics and a Wesleyan,and in each instance

, th e requ i remen ts of th e Act" have been carefully compl ied wi th .

At a public meeting Of th e Freeholders of Ackwor th,held

on thel3rd of Apr il

,it was resolved that the Lords of the Mano r

b e requ ested to take steps for 'the planting of a tree somewhereon th e V illage G reen ,

to succeed in due time the G rand OldTree and to be duly fenced for p rotection .

Vide Antiquarian Goss ip O f th e Month s” in Le isure Hour ”of 1 879 .

J; I am in formed th a t th e c ustom wa s introd uced into Ackworth by th e Rev.

Mr. Kenworthy , th e late Rector.

ITS

'

H ISTORY AND ANNALS.

In Decembe r of this year , a most unwelcome hu rricaneGrea t

caused ex tensrve dam age In and around Ackwo rth . Th e Church Storm .

suffe red most severely . Th e pinnacles we re blown down ,one

of them in its fall b reaking through th e roof in two places , andthe battlements of th e tower were shattered and displaced so

seriou sly, that on two s ides they requ ired almost entire renewal ,and general repair all round . A pecul iar feature O f this stormwas that it brought w i th it a sleety brine from th e north east ,which left a sedimen t upon the windows resembling hear- frost

and which was d ist inc tly sal ine to th e taste .

1885 .

Dea th of

favou rite with th e market peop l e wh o resorted eve ry Satu rday iidifmanto th e town of Pontefract , whe re h e died in October of this

year,aged 7 1 . Notwithstanding the hu rry and bu stle of modern

l ife , with its scientific progress , business acti v i ty, and pol iti cal

Paul Lindley was a familiar figu re at Ackworth, and a great

zeal,i t is su rprising how near we are st ill to a past in which

existence was th e reverse of fe ve rish . For 22 years Lindleywas honourably connected with th e Borough pol ice fo rce inPontefract

,and for e leven years befo re h e donned th e

constable’

s un ifo rm he acted as n ight watchman and went .

about no doubt many - caped,and with his lantern

,shouting

the hou r, “Two O

’clock,

— we t morn,

”

unless fastened in his

watch - box by th e young dandies of th e t ime . He was for26 years Superintendent O f th e Fi re Brigade

,and at two

fi res at Fryston Hal l rende red se rvices su ch as to rece ive th ethanks of th e la te Lo rd Houghton . On

'

the occasion of the

fi rst fire at F ryston,th e deceased recommended th e l ate Lord

Houghton to construct a receptacle for water supply in case o f

fire near th e Hall . Bu t th e suggest ion ,unfor‘ tunately

,was not

car ried out, and th e mansion afterwards fel l a prey to ano ther

fire . T he deceased ,wh o was an expert

.

officer,was obliged

th rough ind isposi tion to resign his post about five years ago ,and

th e Co rporation granted him a pension of £ 1 1 s . per week for

l ife . Whateve r his adventures,h e did his du ty faithfully , and

died much respec tedf

Loca l Papers .

ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

On th e evening of Friday, October 1 st, a meeting of th e

ratepayers of th e parish of Ackworth was held in th e PublicRooms

,

“to take into consideration th e desirability of lighting

th e village w i th gas .” Th e Rev . Canon Fa l l oon took the chair,

on th e motion of Mr. F. Andrews , B .A.,seconded by Mr. W . F

Tempest,J.P.

The Chairman read th e notice conven ing the meet ing, afterwhich h e said that the meeting had not been called in a formal

and legal manner, bu t simply to ascertain the Opinion of th e

people on this important quest ion . He had in this matter no

private or individual interest to serve, and he was willing and

anxiou s to carry ou t the wishes of th e inhabitants whateverthey might be . However, i t was for th e meeting to discuss th e

matter,and i t was now Open for any gentleman to state his

opinions with regard to the question of l ighting the village

th gas .

Mr Andrews said that th e meeting had been called by no .

ring or clique,and h e was there as th e representative of no

,one but himself. He thought that in order to throw the

question formally before the meeting h e would move the

following resolution That this meeting of th e ratepayers ofth e parish of Ackworth approves of the adoption of the

provisions of th e Lighting Act for th e said parish ,and appoints

the following gentlemen as a Committee to take th e necessarysteps for carrying this resolution into effect. M r. Jonah Barratt

seconded th e motion .

Mr. Tempest then p roposed th e following amendment

That this meeting of the ratepayers and inhabitants of Ack

worth ; fails to see th e necessity or expediency of l ighting the

village with gas,and thus adding to th e bu rden of the ex ist ing

rates .” On being put to th e meeting th e amendment was

carried by an overwhelming major i ty, the people of Ackworth

thus deciding to remain in darkness.


ACKWORTH ,YORKS. ,

was born at Yo rk in July, 1 830 ,educated at York Grammar

School and at St . Cuthbert ’s College , Durham . He was

ordained in 1856 , and was consec rated by Bishop B riggs to th ep r iesthood at Doncaster. He next went to Ackworth G rangeas Chaplain to M r. Roger Tempest . In 1 862 h e took charge ,by th e appo intment of Bishop Cornthwaite ,

of St . Patrick ’s,at Bradfo rd

,and his devotion and energy since that time have

been conspicuous .

"f

Q U E E N ’S J U B I L E E

1 8 8 7 1 8 8 7

A brief account of th e rejo icings at Ackwo rth in commem

oration of Her Majesty’s Jubilee,will form a fitting conclusion

to this section of the work . The initiatory steps we re takenby th e Rector

,w ho called a rep resentative meeting to devise

th e best means of celebrating th e event,and it was

'

decided

that all denominations should j oin hands in doing honour to th e

Queen,on th e comple tion of fifty years of h er most illustr ious

re ign . Canon Fa l l oon was appointed Chairman of Committees ;th e Rev . J . L . Saywel l , and M r . Joseph Ne l strop,

Secretaries

and M r . Lean ,T reasurer. A sum of over £60 was soon collected

in the village , and before the auspic iou s day ar r ived , all was inreadiness for th e occasion . Th e money had been well and

judiciously expended,as will b e

’

seen from th e following account

of th e proceedings . Th e 20 th and 2 1 st of June we re brilliantdays of ver itable “ Queen ’s weathe r

,and th e inh abitants did

the i r duty right loyally and well ; indeed all we re joined in handand heart to do honour to h er to whom honour i s due . Scarcelya house failed to hang out i ts symbol of affection for the Queen .

Flags}

,banners

,festoons

,arches

,and all kinds of decorations

were visible in eve ry direction,those of th e cottages being

swee tly touching t ribu tes of loving loyalty. Early on Monday,

the 20 th,th e be l l s of the Par ish Chu rch (from th e towe r of

which floated a handsome Royal Ensign, ) rang out a merry

Yorksh ire Post , September 14th , 1887 .

iTs HISTORY AND ANNALS. 125

peal of gladness,which was continued at intervals throughou t

th e day . In th e even ing a hund red O l d people sat down

together in the Public Rooms , Low Ackwor th,to supper, and

happiness re igned supreme . Their united ages amounted to

years,being an average Of 65 years each . Th e O ldest

lady p resent was attired in Quaker costume, and gave her age

as 92 . She said sh e remembered th e declaration Of peace w i th

France,and very much enjoyed herself at th e rej oicings on th e

occasion Of George III.

’

s Jubilee . Th e O ldest gen tlem an was

81 . After the tables had been cleared ,a number of loy al and

facet ious speeches were del ivered, inte rspersed with appropriateglees and recitations . The chee r ing and singing of th e O l d

people,though feeble

,was hearty

,and a most enjoyable even

ing was b rought to a close with a resolution O f congratulationto Her Maj esty

,proposed by M r. Cadman

,and seconded by M r .

Lean, th e terms Of which were telegraph ed to th e Queen as

follows The aged people Of Ackworth respectfully tendertheir s incere congratulations to Her G rac ious Maj esty on th e

au spic iou s comple tion O f th e 50 th year O f h er glo r iou s re ign .

Shortly afterwards th e fol l ow l ng reply was rece ived by th e

Chairman (Canon Fa l l oon) Th e Queen thanks th e sendersOf your telegram for thei r good wishe s .

- PONSONBY. Tuesday ,

th e 2 l st, was Observed as a gene ral holiday. At eleven o’clock

,

a special thanksgiving se rvice was held in the Pa r ish Church,

and it was a goodly sight to see Chr istian b re thren Of diffe ren tdenominations worshipping toge ther in unity. Th e p rayerswere read by the Rev . J . L . Saywe l l , Curate , and th e sermon

was preached by th e Rev . Canon Falloon,Rector

,from the

words “God save th e K ing 'l e t us rejo ice and give thanks .

”

At one O’clock th e children muste red at the ir respect ive schools

,

where Jubilee medals were distribu ted,after which they proces

sioned th e village,headed by the W ragby Brass Band ,

gaily

decorated waggons,containing th e infants

,heading the ir

respective schools . Prizes we re given for th e bes t tu r n ou t Of

waggons and horses,and we re awarded as fo llows : ( 1 ) Br i ti sh

School ; (2) Church School ; (3) Howard ’s School . After a.

1 26 AOK’

WORTH, YORKS ,

substantial tea had been enjoyed by the youngsters, a field

kindly lent for the occasion by M r. Easton,was thrown Open to

th e public,and a scene of hearty me rriment ensued. Dancing,

grotesque sports,and other amusements were kept up until

dusk,by which time th e field had been p rettily illuminated.

The bursting forth of th e lu rid flames O f Upton Beacon was

th e signal for a grand display Of fireworks,which lasted nearly

two hours, th e finale piece be ing a magnificent portrait Of

Majesty.

LONG M AY SHE REIGN


A PPEND IX .

ACKWORTH COWPASTURE.

Th e following document is both interesting and worthy of

preservation

Q uod cungue facitis in nomine Jesu Christi facite .

Be i t known un to a l l Christian people now p resen t and for

to come,to whom this p resen t indented composi tion Of confirm

ation sha l l be read, heard ,or understood

,that in th e t ime of

K ing Henry th e 8th ,the re was a stock O f cows raised within

th e parish O f Ackworth by the donation O f dive rs and sund rypersons

,some of them now being d eparted

,some are yet l iving ,

and par t O f the names,b 0 th Of them that be departed and that

be l iving,are as follow

,that is to say

,Thomas Hartyndon ,

priestand parson of Ackworth John Thompson

,p r iest the re

,John

Hamble ton th e elde r,Thomas Raynold

,Lionel Pearcy

,Isabel

h is wife,and Isabel his daughte r, Jane M onitha Rawcl iff

,John

Huntingdon th e elder , John Brook ,Richard Harr ison

,Richard

Picke ring th e elder,Robert Padget

,Roger Jackson

,John

Austw ick e , George Austwick e , John Horn'

e r,John Wormald

,

John Hill, Thomas B rook ,W il liam Bradley

,Robert Bell

,John

Ranol d,George Wormald

,John Whitely

,Hen ry Holder

,Wm .

Ell is,Jarnes Huntingdon ,

Edmond Thom as Campanet,

George , Hewitt , R ichard C l iff, Hen ry C l iff, John Jenkinson ,alias

Green ,Thomas Smith

,Lionel Smith aliter Robinson

,Pe rcival

Reynolds,Thomas Greenfield

,Rober t Milne r aliter Biggl eskirk ,

Wi lliam Anthony,w ith many others all too long here to be

rehearsed and written ,whose names God grant may be written


in th e Book of Life. These, with others , the donors of the

said stock ,with th e consent Of th e whole inhabitants Of the

parish of Ackworth , did make one composition where in were

expressed certain ordinances, to be continually Observed and

kept without alteration in manner and form following ; that is

to say,first it was ordained by th e wills Of th e donors and by

th e consent Of th e whole body of th e parish of Ackworth,that

there should be four honest men chosen every year new by th e

consent Of th e parson or curate there for th e time being, and

th e whole body of th e said parish which four men should

govern th e stock and have authority to l et and set th e cows to

th e use and performance Of these present ordinances,a nd to

rece ive the rent for them , and to make th e ir accompts to th e

said parson or curate,and to th e whole body Of th e said parish

yearly at their year’s end ; and this ordinance to be kept con

tinua l l y ,and Observed without alteration . Also i t was ordained

by th e wil ls of th e donors, and consent Of th e said parish, that

these cows,nor any one Of them ,

nor any part of th e said stock,

should never at any time hereafter be l et to or for any time

of usury, that is to say, that none that took any Of them should

be bound to uphold th e stock, nor any money that should be

taken for th e rent, revenues, or profits of them should be l et

to usury ,that is to say, that no money should be given for the

lending th e same money, or any part thereof ; nevertheless i t

may be lawfu l for th e Governors of th e said stock,to take good

assurance for th e well meating and using Of the cows'

comm itted

to their charge ,and for th e yearly rent due to be paid for th e

same cows ; and this ordinance likewise to be Observed and kept

withou t alteration. And it was ordained by the wills of th e

donors, and consent Of the said parish , that th e cows Of th e

sa id stock,nor any one Of them , should be l et for any more

yearly rent than two shill ings and eightpence and tha t those

honest poor men that dwel led in th e said parish , should have

the cows in farm before any other dwell ing without the saidparish

,making good assurance to th e Governors Of th e said

stock,for th e yearly rent paying, and for the well using and

1 30 ACKWORTH , YORKS.,

meating Of the said cows. And this ordinance l ikewise to be

continually Observed and kept without alteration . Also it was

ordained by th e wills Of the donors , and consent Of the said

parish,that there should no penny be taken Of th e yearly rent

and profit Of th e said stock unto th e yearly profit thereof,and

amount to the value Of three pounds d e cl am over and above

all charges and reprises, and when it came to this clear value ,then twenty shill ings to be taken ou t O f the said p rofit and tobe paid yearly to the Clark towards his wages, and the rest to

go forward to the maintenance upholding and increasing of the

said stock ; and when th e profit Of th e said stock amounted to

th e yearly value of four pounds d e c l am ,then forty shillings

to be taken yearly O f that sum,and to be paid towards the

Clark ’s wages ; and when th e yearly profit Of th e said stock

shall amount to th e yearly value Of e ight pounds d c cl a ro,then

three pounds thereof to be paid towards th e Clark ’s wages ; and

when th e yearly rent and profit of th e said stock shall amount

to the yearly value Of ten pounds d c cl a ro, then fou r pounds

thereof to be paid for the Clark ’s wages yearly,and there to

stay,and th e rest Of th e yearly profits over and above th e four

pounds aforesaid, to go forward to th e maintenance upholding

and increasing Of th e said stock. And this ordinance l ikewise

to be Observed and kept without alteration. And it was

ordained by the wills of th e donors , and consent Of the said

parish,that if i t fortune th e said stock Of cows should be dimin

ish ed by the death Of th e said cows,so that the yearly value

Of th e said cows shall not amount to the yearly val ue Of threepounds d e cl am over and above all charges and reprises

,then

the money which was due to th e Clark,and eve ry part and

parcel thereof to stay, and not to be paid until th e said stock

shall increase,so that th e yearly profits of th e said stock do

amount to th e yearly value of three pounds d c cl am over and

above all charge s and rep ri ses, and when it doth amount to th e

yearly value Of three pounds aforesaid,then th e said twenty

shillings to be paid again towards th e Clark’s wages,and the

said Clark’s wages to increase and diminish as the yearly profits


ACKWORTH,YORKS. ,

-1568. th e Purification of th e blessed Mary, Christ’s blessed mother ,

and in the year Of our Lord one thousand five hundred and

sixty eight .

There is also a Memorandum accompanying th e above which

directs that one part Of th e above compos ition shou ld remain

in th e possession Of the parson Of Ackworth,and the other

part with th e Governors Of the Stock, the latter to be kept

under lock in the Parish Church Of Ackworth,with th e Inven

tory Of Cows, and other papers . The Clerk is also directed to

read th e composition , or cause i t to be read audibly twice a

year,at th e account meeting , and th e meeting for th e appoint

ment Of Governors .

Under th e head Of “ Advice of th e Writer, th e following

curious entry appears Stand constantly,

firmly,and

perseverantl y to this your foundation without alteration ,least

coveteousness with and dissimilation do b ring your stock to

destruction.

”

Then follow three “Articles for th e better preservation of

th e Stock Of K ine, drawn up and confirmed by th e inhabitantsOf Ackworth on May 5th

,be ing Ascension Day.

” All

payments are due to the parson and cowmaster on or before th e

feast Of John th e Baptist , and in defau lt , to be proceeded

against by law ; and a footnote says that all documents and

papers relative to the above belongeth to th e keeping Of th e

parson or curate Of Ackworth ,as hath been th e custom withou t

(sic) the memory Of man .

”

In case Of an outbreak Of “ contagious distemper, anothermemorandum directs certain ru les and regulations to be

Observed, and then follow the signatures Of nineteen persons

wh o assembled at a parish meeting held on th e 18 th April, 1 749 .

to confirm the foregoing Articles Of Agreement.

Th e whole concludes with an extenso l ist O f the “ ProprietorsOf Beast Gates. in Ackworth Pasture in ye year Propri

etors Of Cow Gates and to whom l et if any in'

1749, when ye

D istemper was raging,” and Proprietors Of Ackworth Cowgat

—es

in 1769


ACKWORTH TERRIERS .

A particular account Of all th e lands belonging to th e

Rectory Of Ackworth .

"s

Acrs . Rds .Imprimis . In a field called Parkinl eyes two roods

lying between th e lands Of Philip Au stwick eas t and

west,oth er two roods lying between th e lands Of Leonard

Pinder west,and Ri chard Twigg’s close

,east 1 0

In B oustead field two acres lying between th e lands

O f Mr. George Abbott north, and Mr. Will iam Shil l itoe

south ; three roods Mr . John Lambe close , lying north ,

.and the lands Of John Ellis south 2 3

InBuria l fiel d-l two acres lying be tween th e field called

Bennitings, north ,and Sandygate Quarry sou th other

two acres lying between the lands Of John Ash east,and Mr. John Lambe west ; one acre lying be tween th e

lands of Mr. Robert Hewitt north ,and John Ellis south

two roods lying between the lands of Matthew Pearson

east, and Mr. Lambe west. One acre between the lands

Of Philip Austwicke north,and Mr. Hewitt south ;

one acre Burial Gate , lying on th e south side , and th e

lands Of Phil ip Austwicke north 7 2

In Little Castle Syke, two roods between JohnHuntingdon

’

s close east, and th e lands Of Mr.W illiam

Sh il l itoe west O 2

In Great Castle Syke, two roods be tween th e lands

Of .Thomas Pickering east,and Mr. Robert Hewitt west

one acre between th e lands Of Phi lip Austwicke and

Mr. Robert Hewitt east ; two roods between the laneeast, and Thomas Pickering west 2 O

In the Middle F ield,one acre between the Stony

Pits north, Mr. George Abbot’s land south ; one acre

and two roods lying between Mr. Pickering north and

There is no date to th is document , but by th e signatures at the foot, th eapproximate date would be 1 680 .

1 The scene of the Skirmish referred to on pp . 56-7 .


south ; one acre between th e lands of Henry Cawood

west,and John Huntington east ; two roods between

Arthur Chambers south,and Mr. Pickering north

In O l d Taile Field, two roods lying between th e

lands of Robert Cawood north,and Anthony Crowhey

south ; other two roods lying between th e lands of

Matt . Pearson south, and Robert Hewitt northIn Lambcroft, one rood lying between th e lands Of

Samuel Lambe to th e north and south

In Colehill Field, fou r ac res between th e lands Of

Ralph Lowther, Esq.

,on th e north ,

and Mr. Hewitt

south ; two roods Mr. Hewitt south,and

'

Thomas Hewitt

north ; one acre Mr. Lowther north ,and Mrs. Austwick e

south ; two roods Mr. Lambe Lawning north ; one acreMr. Bradley north and Philip Austwicke south ; one

acre Mr. Lambe’s close called Wentl ands west, and the

land Of Mr. Pickering east ; one rood and a half be

tween th e lands Of Matt . Pearson north,and John

Huntingdon south

One other mod and a half more in Burial , one acre

in close called Holl in Know],now in th e Park field

,one

rood more in Hundh il l Syke, three roods Of meadows

In enclosure, one close called Stanbecks close, four

acres; one close called M eardyke close, containing four

acres ; one close called Barley close , containing five acres ;one close called Church croft containing two acres ; one

close called Kirkecr’

oft,containing two and a half acres ;

one close called Stone Steel acre ; one close called Ten

tering , containing one acre ; one close called Pond Garth

with th e orchard and garden,one

Belonging in all to the Rectory Of Ackworth , fiftyacres and one rood, with one dwel l ingh ouse , two barnes,one stable, and another outhouse . And as for all th e

Tyth’

s Of corn ,hay

,and other privy Ty th

’

s,we suppose

them to be worth two hundred pounds per annum .

Q

JOHN ASH,

ROBERT CAWOOD.


ACKWORTH,YORKS

One close called Kirkcroft,containing

One close called Stonesty l e, containing

One close called Tente-

r Ing,containing

One close called Potwel l s, contain ingOne close called Hollin Knowl

,

One close called Pond Garth,contain ing with

th e Foul dste'

ad and backside 3 roods .Total Inclosures , 21 acres 1 rood.

TYTHE OF CORN .

Tythe Corn in this parish is paid in kind by th e owner of

th e corn ; th e manner of tything is after th e owner has

proportioned it into equal parts, and upon sufficient warning to

th e minister or his servant appointed for that business,is to

take th e tenth stack, kiver or sheaf, and if there remain any

odd shares,and th e owner has more Of th e same grain in

another place, then to count to that other til l the whole be

tythed. There is one part of our parish called Rydd ings, now

in th e tenure Of Sir Rowland W inn, Bart ,that pays only Six

shill ings per year for all ty th s Of corn ,hay

,and pasture

,but if

pastured with sheep or other goods,and those sheep

,etc. ,

are

turned to th e common , then they pay half tythe, or proportion

ally for th e t ime they have SO been pastured. If th eh ouses beinhabited, th e inhabitants pay Easter dues* as th e other part

Of the parish do, and at the same time. John Symmons,Of

th e Lodge, (Parol de Himsworth ) pays for another part Of the

B iddings now in his tenure , and only for th e hay and herbagethereof, one shilling and eight pence per year. Another part

of th e Ryddings, now in th e tenure of Joseph Walk er,tenant

to John Bright, Of Badsworth, Esq. , pays five shillings for th e

hay and herbage Of th e same. One other part of the Rydd ings

now in the tenure and occupation Of Christopher Heptinstall,

Commonly known by th e‘

name Of Berry’s Land,pays for the

hay and herbage thereof, eight pence per annum . One Moiety

TheseEaster dues arenow eith er extinct, or absorbed into the Rectorial tithes.


of th e Walton Royds,now in th e tenure Of Michael Mitton ,

tenant to Frances Mason ,widow

,for th e hay and herbage pays

one shilling yearly. Another moiety Of th e saidWalton Royds ,belonging to Henry Cawood, O f Lanes, (Parol de Him sworth )pays also for the hay and herbage thereof one shill ing yearly.

A little piece Of ground called Warren ,belonging to Sir Rowd

W inn,Bart ., pays yearly for th e hay and herbage thereof, 6d ;

being this year (171 6) in th e tenure Of Henry Taylor, (Parolde Wragby) . Sir John Wentworth , Of Elmeshal l

,in th e parish

Of South K irkby, Bart. , or his tenants, for Burling Houses hay

and herbage,pays yearly th e sum of one pound seventeen

shill ings for th e hay and herbage Of th e said Burling Houses .

Note that th e above mentioned cu stom ground (excepting Sir

Rowland Winn ’s moiety Of th e Rydd ings, "and Quere if thatought not]) pays tythe Of corn as th e other parts of th e parishdo and the usual custom for th e hay and herbage thereof, and

Of all and every part and parcel O f th e above - named custom

ground is usually paid and discharged upon or before the 29thday Of September yearly, and altho

’ i t be corn . And f urther

note that if any part or parcel Of custom ground be sown with

hemp, flax,rape

,or turnips

,i t shall pay as th e law directs for

the two first , and for the third according to th e use of th e

County,if not th e tenth part, and for the last, four Shill ings

per acre, according to th e O l d cu stom establ ished in this parish .

The Rydd ings and Walton Royds are f ull south from the

Church,Burling Houses east, and the Warren west. There are

several crofts or garths pay custom for hay and herbage , some

more and some less , in considerable sums for th e most part,an

account Of which is hereunto annexed .

TYTHE HAY.

Hay pays ten pence per acre th ro’

out this whole parish,

excepting Where there is a modu s or prescription to the contrary,

and excepting in a field or meadow called Hundel l Syke , in

which field or meadow every acre Of hay pays two shil lings

per acre but those acres are what they call computation acres ,which generally are two good acres .

or more each’

.

ACKWORTH,YORKS,

EASTER DUES .

Every person above th e age Of sixteen years,being inhabit

ant Of this par ish,pays two pence Obtacon; and every master

or mistress Of a family pays one penny halfpenny for his or h er

house,five pence for his or her hen (I) whether any or none

,

one penny for his or h er plough ,one penny halfpenny for every

cow and calf, one penny for every stript milk cow , one penny

for every foal , and one penny for every swarm Of bees . Note

that th e custom for th e Garths is usually paid at Easter.

WOOL AND LAMB.

These are ty th ab l e in kind, th e owner to choose two,and

then th e tyth er a thi rd at ten i f they fall short at ten ,then

th e number to b e considered , and if there are but five , then

the one Of th e parties is to take or give one penny hal fpenny

except it be a fat one, then more according to discretion . If

under five,then the owner is to pay the min ister for every one

,

a penny, if above five th e minister pays two pence a piece to

ten ,and takes the lamb .

Wool (as was said before ,) is paid in kind, upon th e sheet

or clipping day by th e tenth fleece , or by weight , as both parties

concerned shall agree . Th e custom ground afore men tioned

pays neither wool nor lamb,withou t th e sheep have been

summered or wintered upon th e common,or at least have

pastured there some time , and then bu t half tythe Of e ither

k ind . Lamb is usually paid at Lammas, when it may be

supposed to live as well without the dam as with h er.

An Account Of th e Custom Garths with their respectivesums, varying from 3d . to 2/2d . ,

are next given ,amounting in

all to}

9/6d . ,which it is stated “

are, or should be paid at Easter,when th e inhabitants pay the ir other Easter dues .

AUGMENTATIONS, ETC.

We have no augmentations, pensions, salaries, or stipendiary

payments, belonging to this Rectory.


140 ACKWORTH, YORKS,

dus de Il berto . Ipse ibi et Car : et d imid : et x iiii. villanos eti i. Bordarios cum vi . Car : Ibi Ecclesia et Presbyter

, 2 Molen

dina xvi . Denar : T. R. E. Va l ebat ii i i . libras modo i i i . libras .

D . B . 107. Terra Il berti de Lacy - i.e . One Manor in

Ackworth,Erdul f and O su l f, had six Carucates of land to be

taxed,where there might be five ploughs . Humphrey now

holds i t Of Ilbert . (Humphrey) himself (has) there one ploughand a half

,and fourteen villains (i.e . persons Of servile

condition) , and tw o boors persons who were allowed a

cottage and a small piece O f land, on condition that they Shou ld

supply th e lord with poultry and eggs for his board or table) .There is a Church there

,and a priest, one mill of Sixteen

pence, value in K ing Edward’s time , four pounds, now three

pounds . Domesday Book ,1 07 . The land of Ilbert de

After this, th e Manor Of Ackworth is not mentioned in any

public record until th e fourth year of Edward II . in

which year i t reve rted from th e Lacys to th e House Of Lan

caster, and SO remained until the execution Of Thomas,Earl of

Lancaster,when it was forfe ited to th e Crown . On the accession

of Edward III .,i t went back to th e House Of Lancaster. In

the early part O f this reign,th e K ing’s Park. is mentioned in a

l ist of th e Honour Of Pontefract in th e Duchy Office , and is

said to embrace a circu it Of two miles , with a keeper for the

K ing and a lodge. In the extent per contra, taken in th e

fifteen th year Of Edward III ., th e Manor House is called a

Vide sub datum, 1310.


capital Messuage,with a garden adj acent, and one hundred and

four acres Of land. By an original Extent,remaining in th e

Duchy Office,the park is said to be two leagues in circum

ference,with a keeper, on wages . Afterwards

,when Henry

(brother O f Thomas , who was beheaded ) , Duke O f Lancaste r,

became Henry IV. i t passed again to th e Crown . I t

continued in th e ownership Of th e Crown until in 1 603 ,when

th e Lordship Of Ackworth ,as parcel Of th e Honour O f Ponte

fract,was granted by James I . to his Queen

,with power to

grant Leases for twenty one years,reserving th e O l d rents

,e tc .

Th e Queen died in 1 6 19 . In 1 628 Charles I . sold th e Lordship

of Ackworth to Commissioners for th e City of London,by

whom th e Park was sold to Mark Picker ing , and th e Manor

and Manor House to T. Harl ak en and others Th e latter

afterwards came by purchase or marriage into th e possession O f

Lambe,from whom it was purchased in 1 690 , by Robert

Lowther. From this t ime th e Manor and Park became historically separate

,and the subsequent fortunes O f the Manor alone

will now be traced . When M r. Robert Lowther made thispurchase

,he took th e conveyance from Lambe as he ir of

th e survivor Of th e four o riginal grantees O f th e City O f London .

It was sold abou t 1 673 by the heirs O f Mr. Robert Low ther, toDr

.Edward Watkinson . By a Deed Of 1770 , it appears that

th e ancient gateway of the Manor House was then stand ing.

After th e decease O f Dr. Watk inson , i t became the property of

Mr.Joseph Sykes, by whom it was pulled down and th e

mater ial s converted into cottages . In th e cou rse Of demol i tion,

Benj amin Sykes, son of th e said Joseph ,wh o was employed as

mason to do th e work ,i s said to have found under an ancient

brick oven a considerable treasure in Silver coins, though,from

his conceal ment Of th e matter, ne ither the ir date nor value were

ever correctly ascertained. From Sykes,th e site O f the Manor

House passed to Mr. Turton ,wh o pu lled down the cottages

above named , and built upon it th e house , now,or lately in th e

occupation of Mr. Richard Lee. The house was subsequently


purchased by Henry Hill,Esq .

,and thus it will be Seen by th e

continued history of th e Park which follows, th e Manor House

and th e Park Hall,after a period Of some two hundred and thirty

years, become united for th e second time under one p roprietor.Th e interests O f the Manor i tself

,which consist chiefly O f th e

village Of Ackworth,are now watched by four gentlemen

, wh o

constitu te and call themselves Lords of the Manor. Whether

they perform their arduou s with complete satisfaction

to themselves and th e people O f Ackworth,is another matter

,

and a question which perhaps had better be left Open.

It would seem from one Of th e Par ish books, that the LordsO f th e Manor

,assembled in Court Leet and Baron

,formerly

possessed considerable powe rs in th e infl ict ion of fines and

penalties . On th e 2 l st October 1 686 , fines Of var ious amountswere enacted and levied upon certain person s for neglecting toerect gates and fences round their fields ; for lodging or

harbouring wander ing people withou t consent Of th e constable ;for neglecting to ring the i r swine ; upon th e O l d constable

,for

not making up his accounts before Midsummer day ; for not

setting up stiles for neglecting to serve on Juries when

summoned ; for encroachments on common or waste grounds ;for leaving hedges unswitched for removing stones from th e

highway ; on the constable for failing to e rect a pinfold -

l for

not repairing bridges,banks

,and dykes ; for not cleaning

sewers, and roads , etc.

At a Court Leet and Baron held on the 26th October, 1726,no less than thirty persons were presented and fined in sums

varying from fou rpence to ten shillings,for “ Encroachments

uponith e waste .

” Among those presented, we find th e namesOf Turnil l , Pindar, Heptinstall, Crosland ,

Baumbrough , Cattey ,

Oates,Mangle

,Sh il l itoe, Lamb , Stanfield . Earnshaw , Wood,

Winn,Sharp

,Booth ,

Seaton,Nel strap,

Walker, Harrison ,

Scatchard,Balgie

,Addy

,and Burgess . The names O f those

Ackworth abound s in stiles .

f Th is still exists in good cond ition , and adjoins th e parish h earse house.



ACKWORTH PARK .

Up to 1 628, when th e Park was sold by th e City Commissioners of London to Mark Picker ing

,Ackworth Manor and

Park continued in th e possession Of th e same p ropr ietors after

which the Park was again sold by M ichael Pickering , th e son

Of th e above Mark ,to the Trustees of William Rokeby. In

this Deed “ Th e Hall ” i s so called , as lately rebu ilt from “ Th e

Lodg.

” About 1 650 this portion Of the estate was purchased by

Elizabeth ,widow of Wooley Le igh

,Esq.

,Of Ad lington

,in the

County Of Chester. Sh e was the daughter Of Sir John Hare,

Of Norfolk ,Baronet. In 1 650 sh e marr ied Sir John Lowther

,

Of Lowther Hall , Westmorel and , by whom sh e had Ralph andRobert Lowther , both of whom resided at Ackworth Park .

She died in 1 699 , and was bu r ied in Ackworth Churchfi'E

William Rokeby, Esq .

,resided at Ackworth Park in 1 671 , but

this could only have been as tenant. About th e period Of their

mother’s death, th e Hall became the residence Of Ralph and

Robert Lowther. Robert died unmarr ied in 1720 ; and on th e

death Of Ralph in 1 724, i t became the inhe ri tance O f his son

John (M P. for Pontefract in who died in 1729 withou t

issue,leaving th e whole estate to his sister

,Mary Lowther, who

inhabited the house till her death in 1 753 . This Mary Lowther

endowed th e School and Hospital at Ackworth . Th e estatewas now inher ited by Margaret, the daughter Of William Norton ,Of Sawley

,Esq . This William Norton had married Margaret

,

the sister Of th e above - named John and Mary Lowther. Their

mother was Mary, the daughter O f Godfrey Lawson,Of Leeds

,

Esq . Margare t Norton married ,1 st , JOhn B right, of Badsworth ,

Esq.,and 2nd l y , Sir John Ramsden ,

Of Byram,Bart .

,by whom

in 1763 ,th e estate was sold to Francis Sykes, Esq. In 1803

,

Mr. Sykes or his representatives disposed Of the Hall,and part

O f th e Estate , to Grosvenor Perfect, Of Pontefract,Esq . In

1 804 , i t was purchased by Frances, widow O f Solly, Esq .,Of

London. Mrs . Solly afterwards married J. H . Jessop, Esq.,and

Vide Monumenta l Epitaph s.


in 1 8 10 th e estate was sold to John Pety t , Esq . ,O f London. In

183 1,i t was purchased by M r . Gu l ly ,

wh o was said to have given

for i t,ex clusive O f th e land in Purston . About twenty

years later, th e Park became th e property of Hen ry Hill

,Esq . ,

whose family are th e p resent prop r ietors .

astitutimts.

I.

—ACKWORTH COLLEGE .

This large and handsome building , commonly known as th e

Flounders ’ Insti tu te , was establ ished by th e late Benj amin

Flounde rs , Esq .

,J .P.

,O f Yarm . with an endowment O f

for train ing young men to b e teachers in th e Society O f Fr iends.

Th e bu ilding was Opened for students in th e summer Of 1848 .

Th e instruction ,according to th e tru st deed, includes ancient.

and mode rn languages , mathematics , and philosophy in all i tsparts ; to which have been added other subj ects to mee t recen t

requ iremen ts of education ,or having more immediate reference

to th e Socie ty. The Institut ion is in tended to accommodate

twelve pupils .

ale

I am indebted to W illiam S . Lean,Esq .

,M .A .

,for th e

following additional info rmation

It appears that Mr . Flounders was very much influenced

in his decision to place Three per cent . Consols , in th e

hands of Trustee s , for certa in educational pu rposes in th e

Society Of Friends , by the known wishes O f his uncle,Gideon

l ick erdyke ,Esq . ,

from whom h e had inhe r ited a cons ide rablepo rtion Of his p rope rty,

including a landed estate at Culmington ,

near Ludlow,in Shropshi re . This estate was sold during

Benj amin Flounders ’ l ifetime ,and th e deed of trust directing

th e mode in which th e above mentioned was to be

applied , was signed by himse lf on November 25 th ,1 845 . Mr.

Bank ’

s Walks about Yorksh ire , pp . 299 -300 .

1 46 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

Flounders died April 4th,1 846 , and th e Institute was Opened

with nine students August 28th ,1 848 . Mr. Bickerdyk e

’

s views,expressed to his nephew in a letter dated as far back as 1 807,but particularly stated to be in no way binding upon M r .Flounders

,appear to have included th e founding Of a larger

establishment than th e present, to include boys as well as young

men,and also a larger staff Of instructors . Ackworth is

specially named in th e same letter as a su i table locality for the

new institution . NO doubt th e fact O f th e then comparat ively

recent establishment (th e Friends’ Publ ic School

,) influenced

Mr. Flounders , as well as his uncle, in concluding that studentsunder training for teaching would be likely to profit by living

in its ne ighbourhood,even if they should not find Opportunities

for pursuing thei r studies within its walls. ”

The Deed of Trust leaves i t to th e discretion of th e

Trustees (generally from e ight to ten in number,) to determine

on th e number Of students to be admitted to the Institute ;also to provide , e ither wholly or partially

, th e expense Of the ir

education,board

,books

,etc . Th e appointment Of th e Pr incipal

and his assistants i s in their hands,and th e de termination Of

th e course Of study to be pursued, also rests ultimately withthem .

”

From th e opening Of th e Institute in August, 1 848 , to th e

p resent time , 21 6 students have passed through it.

Five acres of land on which ‘th e College ’ stands were

purchased by two or three gentlemen from th e Ackworth

School Estate,

’ and p resented to th e Trustees, about two yearsbefore th e date Of opening. Most Of th e stone used in the

building was quarried from this land .

”

Th e name Of the first Pr incipal,Mr. Isaac B rown

,will

always be assoc iated with th e work O f l aying ou t th e planta

tions,etc ,

on th e recreation grounds , and with th e zeal which

he Shewed in encouraging the first students,



prefix , “ Right Honourable . Generations of Howitts, too,have

gone to Ackworth ,from th e O l d home at Heanor

,in Derbyshire .

A description Of th e building ,inside and ou t , will here be both

interesting and useful . Enter ing th e gates from th e road ,th e

School i tself is in front,on th e right is the Meeting- house

,and

on th e left,Offices for th e shoemaker

,tailor

,carpente r

,and

others . A colonnade of severely plain pillars forms th e facade ,

and from this th e entrance hall leads into the “ Great Passage .

From this,right and left

,are dining rooms

,library

,lecture - room

,

store - rooms,kitchens

,hou sekeeper’s rooms, etc . At each end

of th e passage , stairs of stone lead to th e bed - rooms above,

and to bath- rooms, etc . The class rooms

,in common with all

th e rooms , are lofty ,well ventilated and warmed

,scrupulou sly

clean and plain,and are fitted up with abundance of maps

,

diagrams,designs

,aquaria

,cabinets O f shells

,ores , clocks ,

galvanic - batter ies and other apparatus. Play has its sheds,

courts,and cricket-fie l d

,with all the necessary appliances .

Each scholar h as a little plot Of ground,for th e practical study

Of botany and horticu ltu re . For th e sick the re are nurse ries,

and for th e convalescent,reading rooms . A house not

far distant is u tilised and fitted up as a Sanator ium . There

are spacious swimming baths,gas -works

,steam - laundries

,and

other appliances ; th e whole being su rrounded by vast gard ens ,far m yard

,and macadamised play ground .

* The School pos

sesse s its own Temperance Hotel . Th e discipline is fi rm,bu t

k ind . The re is no corporal punishment . The management of

the School is vested in a Committee appointed at th e Gene ralAnnual Meeting in June , at which time , Fr iends from all partsof the country visit th e dear O l d spot

,to renew th e associations ,

and revive th e recollections Of the ir happy school - days .

Period ical examinations are made by th e Committee,and by

examiners from th e Universities. By gift and subsc ription ,

th e School has accumulated in land,bu i ldings

,etc

,a surplus

T h e “ flags is a footpath d ivid ing th e boys ’from th e girls ’ p layground .

Here broth ers and s isters , and cousin s of both sexes , are privileged to meet ,

and converse , h aving of course first Ob tained permission.


capital of nearly which enables i t to give to th e li ttleFriend s a good

,and comparatively cheap

, education . Th e

payments made for each child vary according to th e position

and means of th e parents or guardian,bu t th e balance may be

considered as th e Society ’s contribution to the education Of the

poo rer O f i ts members ’ children .

"é The ful l number which may

be accomoda ted is 290 . Since th e establishment of this Schoo l,

eleven othe rs in d ifferent parts of th e kingdom have been

opened , th e first in 1785 , and th e last in Th e following

additional information has been extracted from M r . W illiamSmith ’s “ Old Yorkshire

,

’

3: and Mr. Thompson ’s “ History of

Ackworth School ”

II Th e whole property covers an area of

270 acres , and originally cost abou t In th e Reportfor 1 884

,i t is estimated to be worth In July

, 1773 ,

the Institution was closed , and remained empty for some years,part Of the estate was sold

,and th e turre t clock and bells

disposed Of to th e Marquis of Rockingham . Tradition says

that th e grounds were allowed to become a wilderness , the foxes

roaming freely through th e deserted halls . Amongst those

wh o took a great interest in the Foundling Hospital were Dni

Lee,Rector Of Ackworth ,

who planned the central bu i lding,

Sir Rowland Winn ,Of Noste l l Priory , and Sir Charles Whit

worth ,of London . The following is a desc ription of the dress

O f the chi ldren in 1 781 , two years after th e School was Opened‘ In th e early days of th e School , i ts juvenile groups might

have reminded us of th e pictures of O lden time , when the cocked

hat,th e long- tailed coat , th e leather breeches , and th e buckled

shoes , were th e dress even of boys . Th e girls figured in whitecaps

, th e hair turned back over them ,or combed straight down

on the forehead ,checked aprons with bibs , and white neck

handkerchiefs folded neatly over their stuff gowns in front.

Vide Quiver , March 1885 . Much , however of th e foregoing informationh a s been Obta ined by th e comp iler after a persona l inspection .

1 Bank ’

s Walks abou t Yorksh ire , p . 300 .

1 Vide Yorksh ire Educational E stablishments , pp . 164-73 .

Pub l ish ed in 1879 .

1 50 ACKWORTH, YORKS.,

The ir walk ing costume was a kind of hat,th e pattern Of which

we are unable to indicate, and a long cloth coat , with coloured

mits reaching to the In 1 81 6 , th e visit Of Joseph

John Gurney gave such an impetu s to Bibl ical study at Ack

worth School,that they took their Bibles to bed with them ,

read them . by th e early morning light , pored over them at

leisure hours during th e day,and especially on First D ay ,

’

so

that twelve months afterwards the whole aspect of affairs waschanged.

’ A tabulated list Of Masters will be found at th e end

Of this volume . Th e following men and women of renown

were educated at Ackworth School —Th e Right Hon. John

Bright,M .P.

° The Right Hon . James W ilson ,M .P. , of th e

“Economist ; Henry Ashworth ; J. F . B . Firth ,M .P William

Allen Miller,author Of th e “El ementS O f Chemistry,

formerlyProfessor Of Chemistry in University College

,London ; Dr.

George S . Brady,F Sunderland ; Henry Bowman Brady,

Newcastle ; John Gilbert Baker, Of Kew ,

an eminent botanist ; Sarah Ellis,

fn e'

e Stickney,au thoress Of

\Vomen of England, etc . ; Jeremiah H . Wiffen,

poet and translator ; Benj . B . IViffen ; William Howitt,author

Of Homes and Haunts Of British Poets,

”

e tcs Henry Thompson

,author Of History of Ackworth School . The following

additional particulars have been extracted from A sketch of

th e History O f Ackworth School,

” by John S . Rowntree,

published in th e “ Proceedings Of th e Centenary Celebration ”

in 1 879.

“ The earliest notices Of the School are very favou rable.

'

Sir Rowland Winn,Of Noste l l P riory, is said to have

been affected to tears when h e saw th e healthy happy faces,and recurred to the unhappy experience Of th e foundlings

who before occupied th e building.

” Offenders, i t appears, werepunished at meal times, by being placed at a table which was

called “the table Of disgrace

,and which was distinguished

from th e rest,by having no cloth upon i t. It is said that Robert

Whitaker once entered the dining room,and finding two

Vide Pumph rey ’

s D iary , written at Ackworth School .



they have been considerably en l arged'

and imp roved , in accordance with the requirements Of th e Education Department .The Trustees are th e Rectors Of Ackworth and Badsworth

,and

th e Vicar Of Featherstone , fer th e time be ing ; th e sole

management Of th e - school being reserved to th e Rectori

e f

Ackworth . It is a mixed school. Th e Title -Deed is in possession Of th e Rector of Ackworth fer th e time be ing .

MRS. HOWARD’S SCHOOL .

This Schoo l i s situate at Low Ackworth, and consists of two

rooms,the one for girls , and th e other for infants ; and a

mistress ’s house ,neatly bu ilt

,bearing th e follow ing inscription :

“ Rachael Howard bough t this ground,and built thereon a

school - room and tenement for a mistress,1 833 . She died in

the Lord , 24th Sept ,1837

,aged 33 .

— Rev v ii,1 3 , 1 7 xiv.

,

Th e following extracts from'

the published correspondence O f

the late Mrs . Howard,respecting th e building Of the school

,are

historically valuable . Writing tO a friend on January 25th ,

1 833,sh e says

,The estimate for T . Rickman ’s plan for a

cotta ge school - room,amounted to very nearly £500 ; much O f

which,h e assurred me ,

was bestowed in mere ornament and

finish . The se two considerations have brought me to th e

conclusion,tO build a smaller and plainer school - room ,

and I

have given directions to th e Wakefield bu ilder acco rdingly ;bu t h e is ne t to have anything to do with th e contract . I

expect th e reduced plans and Specifications home in a few days .

On th e 8th of April following, sh e w ri tes, This has been a

very busy day with me ,and as I have now made all needfu l

arrangements w ith B.,I transmit th e particulars. ” "Here follow

th e amounts Of h er several contracts withmason,s l a ter

, plasterer,joiner, plumber, and painter ; th e total be ing £362 6s. 3d . ]When I tell thee that the rej ected estimates taken togethe r ,

wou ld have amounted to th e sum Of £456 1os . 6d . , I think

thou wilt agree with me , that th e diffe rence is‘

sufficient to repaya good deal of trouble . On th e 5 th December, sh e writes to

h er Sister-ih - l aw R . R. H ,saying, “What to call my school I


really cannot tell . I t is not,ce rtainly

,a Lancaste rian or British

School for we exhibit pictures,and teach natural history

,and

a little geography and singing. Nor can i t be called an Infants ’

School ; for in th e gallery a strange r might happen to see a toprow of girls almost as tall as women . Some of th em are new

scholars,and contrast rathe r awkwardly in th e classes with the

l ittle ones who scarce ly reach the ir Shoulde rs . Poo r things " Ireally feel an affection for them ,

they Show so much zeal,coming

from West-Hardwick and Purs ton,in a l ittle troop

,for the sake

of th e supe rior instru ction they , or thei r parents expect at thenew school . ’ Abou t twenty scholars , out of th e fifty who are

on th e l ist, are from the adjacent villages .

—Ackworth does not

yet shew its sense of the advantage O ffered . Miss Sarah Gricewas th e first mistress , and

‘

was succeeded,at h er res ignation ,

by Miss M.Oore .

* The School has recently been trans ferred toa Chu rch of England Board o f Managemen t and control , subject

to certain conditions , and i s new unde r Government. Inspection .

For particulars respecting th e little Burial G round adjo in ingth e School , see under date 1 848 .

THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL .

Th e r ise of Me thod ism in Ackworth is somewhat obscu re .

O riginally this vil lage fo rmed part of th e Wakefield Circu i t ,and became par t of th e Pontefract Circu it , when th e division

took place in 1 796 . The fi rst Chapel was built in 179 1 , and

opened by Jehn Nelson ; it had at fi rst a fron t gallery, which

was subsequently extended along th e s ides of th e chapel , and

conta ined 90 sittings in the gallery ,fou r pews in th e body,

and

about 100 free seats . In 179 1 , Mr. Robert Ranson ,of Ackworth ,

conveyed a plo t of ground containing 433 square ya rds w ith

th e Methodist Chape l the reon for the amount of £22 , to the

fo l l owing trustees —Messrs. Ne l strop ,and P. Thwaites

,

Miss Moore wa s succeed ed by Miss Mose ley . wh o resigned in 1 866 . MissMose ley wa s succeeded b y Miss Spink , wh o res igned in 1 869 . Miss Sp ink w a s

succeed ed by Miss Murray ,of Archingoul e , near Huntley , in Aberdeensh ire ,

who

the pos ition ever s ince . Mis s M uIr ay h as invariab ly succeeded in

ob ta ining th e excellent meri t grant .—J. L . S.


of Ackworth ; John Elwell . Joseph Holdsworth,and John

Newhouse, ofWakefield ; John Ranson ,of Warmfie l d ; Thomas

Bamford ,of Cudworth ; William Nicholson

,of Carleton ; and

Wi lliam Scott, of \Vakefie l d . In 1 821 th e chapel was re - con

veyed to th e following —Messrs . James Ranson,Thomas Legg

,

Richard Smith , and Joseph Wil son,of Ackworth ; and Messrs .

Wm . M oxen,James Robinson

,Joseph Watson ,W illiam Dawson

,

and John Brice , of Pontefract. Over th e door of the Chapel,

a stone,two feet by one and a half, was placed by Mrs. Ne l strop ,

which bore th e following words

Sinners obey th e Gospe l word ,

Haste to th e Supper of my LordB e w ise to know your grac ious day ,

All th ings are ready , come away .

’

1 790 .

Upon th e building of the new chapel,this stone was placed in

th e back wall of the vestry where i t may still be seen .

The foundation stone of th e p resent beautifu l Chapel was laidon Good Friday

,Apr il 2nd

,by William Peel

,Esq .

,of

Ackworth Park . There was a large company present on th e

occasion . Th e Architect was Mr. W ilson, of Bath and

the bu ilders were Messrs . Simpson and Wilson,of Ackworth .

Th e Chapel with th e schools attached ,cost about Mr.

Peel headed the subscr iption list with £300 , and presented th eOrgan. Th e following insc ription was placed in a bottleunder th e s tone Th e foundation stone of this Wesleyan

Methodist Chapel was laid by W. Peel , Esq ., of Ackworth Park ,

on Good Friday, Apri l 2md ,1 858. The scroll also bore

th e names of the P resident of th e Wesleyan Conference (Rev .

F . A. West) , th e Secretary of th e Confe rence (Dr. Hannah), four

ministers of th e Pontefract Circuit, th e Circuit Stewards , andth e Trustees of th e Chapel. “ Th e Chapel was Opened in the

following year, when eminent ministers conducted the services .”

Notices of these will be found under th e head of “ Annals .

The Chapel has been recently renovated at a cost of ever a

hundred pounds .*

Vide Wesleyan Method ist C ircuit Record ,” August, 1882 .


156 ACKWORTH ; YORKS ,

favour th e supposition. Th e farm itself stands high,th e ground

undulating towards the west , and culm inating in what h as

evidently been a dyke or meat of considerable dimensions.

This dyke is now a lane , and might probably be worth

excavating. Th e name and meat howeve r , are all th at remainof byegone times . Th e Castle would most likely be th e residenceof th e fi rst Saxon lords o f Ackworth , as indicated by the Saxon

word Sglee or fountain ; and i t is not at all imp robable that thebuilding was leve lled to th e ground when William

,th e Norman

Conqueror, laid waste these parts of Yorkshire .

I I .

— LADY-WELL .

This very ancient well is one of the several pub l ic we l ls,

which has in recent years somehow become enclosed . F romwhat it derived i ts name is not known

,bu t from the fact of i ts

be ing the oldest, i t is not unlikely that i t was o riginally set

apart by some religious service,and dedicated to

“ O ur Lady ”

for th e use of the inhabitants of th e village . In pro- reforma

tion times this custom was common,some wells having

miracu lous powe rs asc ribed to the ir waters by th e supe rstitious,

l ike the well of St . Keyne ,and in mode rn times , th e “ Holy

We lls in I reland ; bu t nothing of the sort attaches to th e

we ll of “ O ur Lady ” at Ackworth . As th e population inc reasedit was found necessary to sink other we l ls. O ne in th e cen tre

of th e village ,near the “ B rown Cow Inn

,

” was constructed in179 1 , bu t th e approach to it was so dangerous , that , after a

child had been drowned in i t,i t was altered into a pump .

There is an ol d well at Brackenh il l .

III— THE VILLAGE ELM .

Of th e great tree on th e village green we have no certainparticulars . We may , howeve r , easily draw for ou rselves thepicture of its be ing planted and nu rtured from gene ration to

generation ,until it became th e pride, not only of Ackworth

,

but of th e su rrounding ne ighbourhood " Bu t th e ravages of

time,fire

,wind, tempest,

hand barbarous usage , h ave ruthl essly


deprived the ol d trunk of many of i ts largest branches , andnow i t stands in mournful majesty l ike a dethroned monarch

weeping over th e past. I t is desc ribed by Thompson* as a

grand ol d giant eh n,w ith i ts i ron - bound cavernous trunk

,i ts

great naked arms tell ing of generations of seasons and storms,

yet inte rspe rsed with luxu r iant foliage ,testifying to th e yet

unquenchable vigour of it s constitution .

’ Mrs. Ha r riet BeecherStowe ’s word picture of an aged e lm is so fine

,that its inse rtion

here will be at once appropriate,and desc riptive of th e e lm at

Ackworth . It is “ a great rugged e lm,with all its lacings and

archings of boughs and tw igs,which has stood cold and frozen

against the metallic blue of winte r sky ,forge tful of leav es , and

patient in its bareness,calmly content in i ts naked strength

,

and crystalline definiteness of outl ine . Bu t in “Ap ril,the re i s

a rising and st i rring within the grand o l d monster,

—a

whispe ring of knotted buds , a mounting of sap,coursing eth ere

ally from bough to bough with a warm and gentle life ; and

though th e o l d e lm knows i t no t,a new c reation is at handful

It is said that,within th e recollection of some st ill living, a pair

of vene rable owls took up the ir abode in one of the greathollow fissu res of th e t ree

,but the ir appearance was greeted

with so many supe rstitious head - shakings,that they we re soon

dislodged from thei r retreat by the pungent fumes of bu rningcotton and cayenne peppe r

,a p roceeding ,

however,which might

have proved disast rous to the tree i tself. The elm has

frequently been struck by lightning ,as its many zinc patches

testify . There i t h as stood and stil l stands like a mighty

sentinel d rawing down,as it were , by its faithful stabili ty ,

th e

indignation of th e elements upon its devo ted head . Under its

b ranches many a village may- queen has beenenth roned many

an open -mou thed rustic begu iled by the village pol itician ;village ti ttle - tattle re tailed ; vi l lage synods , for th e discussion

of great national events,convened and held ; and village scenes

of all shades and descriptions,both sombre and gay

, enacted ;

Vide History o f Ackworth School . ”

1 Vide Literature of al l Countries ,” Vo l . xvn . , p. 53 .

1 58 ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

in short , if th e venerable ol d monarch could only have been

endowed with the faculty of speech for a single day, what an

incalculable service i t might have rendered to th e compiler ofth e “ Parochial History of Ackworth

IV .—THE VILLAGE CROSS .

Tradition says that this cross was erected to commemoratea plague which carried off great numbers of th e inhabitants.*

The date of th is sickness has not been preserved, but that it

occurred before th e Reformation is certain from th e cause of it,

which has also been handed down by the same channel .Previous to th e Reformation ,

there was in th e Chapel of St.

Mary,in the Church of Ackworth , a Chantry , of our Lady

,

founded by Isabel de Castleford . There is no reason to supposethat this Chantry was suppl ied from th e Priory of Ne stel

,as

some have thought, but we may naturally conclude that the

ex istence of the Chantry wou ld cause frequent communication

between th e two places ; nor is i t unlikely that some of th e

Brethren of Nostel might occasionally minister at Ackworth,

during th e absence of th e Chantry Priest. Assuming this tohave been so

,the tradition as to th e origin of th e plague in

question is much strengthened . It i s said that a Monk of

Ne stel , who,probably from th e cause ju st suggested

,was held

in affectionate remembrance by th e people of Ackworth,dying

abroad,his body was brought back to be interred at Nostel .

As it passed through Ackworth , th e people wished th e preces

s ion to halt, and th e corpse to be uncovered. This being done,

th e infectious complaint which was the cause of death,a kind

of putrid fever, was communicated to th e bystanders . Th e

Cross is said to have been erected on the exact spot where th e

body rested, to commemorate at once that event,and also the

dire consequences which were permitted by God to flow from

it . Th e date of its mutilation, th e removal of the Cross,and

th e substitution of a ball, (the emblem of th e world,) is

generally ascribed to th e t ime of th e Great Rebellion .

Thompson says three or four hundred .

”



,

ment selected by John W illiam Nevison,the great robber and

highwayman of Yo rkshi re,better known in history as th e

confederate of the celeb rated “ D ick Tu rpin .

”

Th e story runsthus —Towards the close of th e year 1 683 , a gang of maskedruffians commenced a se ries of ( l epreda tions in th e ne ighbour

hood of Ackworth and Pontefract,and for some time remained

unmolested and unrecogn ized . Suspicion,however

,fell upon

Nevison,a native of Pontefract

,wh o

,it was known

,had taken

to th e road as a p rofession ,and who

,i t was supposed

,was

leader of th e band . Abou t Christmastide in th e year 1 684 ,

the ir nocturnal visits became so frequent and dar ing ,th at th e

distr ict was alarmed , and a numbe r of parish constables,

watchmen,and beadles were induced to pursue

,and if possible

,

capture th e robbers . For a long time th e misc reants eludedthe ir pu rsue rs

,Nevison actually hiding himself in a smal l

compartment over th e front door of Ackworth Hall in Pu rstonLane

,access into which h e gained by a secret trap door

,and

th e re he remained undiscove red , whils t the officers wh o hadseen him enter th e hou se , we re busily engaged in searchingeve ry corner of th e bu ilding . The trap doo r and compartment

which i s now known as “Nevison’

s room,

”

are st ill shewn to

th e visitor . In th e following year Nevison gave his persecu torsa chance

,and a h ot pursu i t resu lted in his captu re by Captain

Hard cast lef‘é in a pub l ic house called th e

“ Magpie,

” at Sandal ,and one of th e then three Inns known as Magna Sandal

Three Houses,

” between Pontefract and Fe rrybridge . A steep

decl ivity near Sandal is po inted out and known as Nev ison’

s

leap . He was subsequently tried, and execu ted on th e Tyburn

gallows,outside M ickl egate Bar

,at York , May 4th

,1 685 .

Nevison was born at Pontefract in 1 639 ,and educated the re -

l“ Di ck Turpin

’

s r ide from London to Yo rk in 1 6 h ou rs,is

ascribed by Lord Maculay to Nev ison i“ T he Old Hall has

In reality , a va liant ta ilor wh o wen t by th e sobriquet of Cap ta in Hardcastle .

Jr Vide Johnson ’

s Life of Nevison .

Mr. Harrison Ainsworth ’

s graph ic d escription of Turpin’

s ride is th ereforefabulous .

11‘

s H ISTORY AND ANNALS. 1 61

says Thompson,th e historian of Ackworth School , “ long been

haunted , but I have not been able to trace the existence of

this superstition in th e village ; p robably th e ex tensive improvements which have recently been .made in and around th e

bu ilding , ha ve banished ,for a time

,all ghostly spectres

,both

from th e scene , and memory of the villagers. In 1 879 , “ this

once handsome Tudor dwelling,w i th its lines of mull ioned

windows , and i ts e legant gables , some of the latter toppling tothe ir fall

,i ts roof in holes

,and i ts accessory bu ildings a heap

of ru ins, had j ust reached that hoary quality and suggestive

wierdness , which wou ld have rejoiced th e au thor of th e ‘Castle

of Otranto .

’

In i ts o l d c rumbling walls, th e white and th e

brown ow l reared the ir bre ed s, and fu rni shed appropr iate musicin th e gle aming .

” ale But thanks to th e care of Lord St . Oswald,

this monument of antiqu i ty has been substantially and

j udic iously restored ,and is now in a condition to weather th e

storms of at least another centu ry.

K VIII— THE PLAGUE STONE.

Thompson,in his “ History of Ackworth School

,

’ make s

this inte resting relic contemporary with the Village Cross,but

i t is more probable that i t dates from a second and more recentepidemic of th e Plague which occu rred in 1 645 . He is correct

,

howeve r,in saying that i t was for many mon ths th e only point

of contact between th e people of Ackworth and th e ou ter

world ,”

and that upon i t “the Ackwo rth pu rchaser dropped

his money in to a vesse l of wa terj' for which

,a few hou rs after

,

A careful observer willstill pe rce i v e a trough - l ike constru ction upon th e inside of th e

stone . I t is most desirable that th e stone , or what l ittle remains

of i t,shoul d be removed to a place of security ere i t entirely

disappears,for i t is certainly worthy of preservation as a rel ic

of antiquity .

h e found his re tu rn in merchandise .

’

V ide History of Ackworth School , ” p . 304 .

f A very wise precaution under th e c ircumstances .

1 62 ACKWORTH ,Yonxs.

,

OLD CHALYBEATE BATH .

The site of this o l d bath is still pointed out at AckworthMoor-Top, about a quarter of a mile nor th of Ackworth School ,th e pupils of which ,

before the‘

new swimming baths were

constr ucted,made a practice of bathing at six o

’clock in th e

morning,and often when th e ground was covered with hoar

frost " The water of this bath was a strong Chalybeate , and

ex cessively cold. In 1 86 1 , th e ol d bath -hou se was changed

into a dwelling. An engraving of the bath ,as it th en appeared ,

is given in Thompson ’s “History of Ackworth Schoo l ,”

pub l ish ed

in 1879 . K

OBELISKS .

There are two fine obelisks in the village , both of them

large,but comparatively modern . To

’

a stranger,they possess

a commemorative or memo rial appearance,bu t in reality

,they

were e rected by th e Lords of th e Manor,as combination gu ide

and distance stones . 1 .

—At th e junction of th e Ackworth and

Pontefract roads . Erected in 1 827. Hexagonal shaft,triangu

lar cap,su rmounted by a gl obe . He ight abou t ten feet. From

this point,East Hardwick is distant 2 7} miles , Dar rington 3 ,

Pontefract 2 137 , York 27 , Sheffield 1 3,and Barnsley 10 .

Opposi te th e Fr iend ’s School . Erected in 1 805 . Its heigh t

and descr iption are th e same as th e foregoing , which was

eviden tly copied from this one . Pontefract is distant from it

3 miles , Hemswo rth 3,Snai th 1 5 , Wentbridge 3, and Doncaster

13 . A lamp surmounts the globe .

Gi lgaritirs.

Scarcely any parish in England is endowed w ith so many

Charities as Ackworth,indeed it i s p a /

ztp erised by them . The

original deeds are quoted where available.



lands of Thomas Huntington,north

,and Matthew Lambe

,

south,with all ways

,easements, p rofits

,commons

,commodities

,

advantages,and appu rtenances, whatsoeve r, to the same belong

ing, or in anywise appertaining. Al l which said land s are lying

and be ing within th e precinct,l iberties , and te rri tories of

Ackworth aforesaid,in th e said County of York

,and are now

in the tenure and occupation of th e said William Child,his

assignee ,or assignees

,to have and to hold th e said live acres

and a half of arable land and a l l other th e before grantedpremises with all and of them

,by these presents , that h e the

said Thomas Hewitt,his he irs , and assigns , and eve ry of them

,

shall and may by force and vi rtue of these p resents,from time

to time ,and at all times hereafter for eve r

,lawfully

,peaceably

,

and qu ietly ,have

,h e l d

,use

,and occupy

,possess, and enjoy the

said five acre s and a half of arable land and a l l and singularth e befo re granted p remises, with the ir and e very of the ir r ights ,m embe rs, and appurtenances , and have ,

rece ive,and take , th e

rent s,issu es and profits thereof to h is and the ir own prope r use

and behoof for ever, withou t any lawfu l l et, su it , trouble , den ial ,interruption

,molestation

,or disturbance of them

,the sa id

Will iam Child and Do rothy,his wife

,the ir he irs

,or assigns

,or

any of them ,or ofNathan iel Baine

,his execu to rs

,adm in istrators

,

or assigns , or any of them,or of any othe r pe rson or pe rsons

whatsoeve r,lawfully claim ing the same by

,from

,or under them ,

or any of them . And that free and clear,and freely and clearly

acqu itted ,exone rated

,and discharged

,or othe rwise from time

to time and at all times hereafte r well and sufficiently saved

and kept harmless and indemn ified by the said W illiam Child

and Dorothy,his wife , the ir he i rs , executors , adm in istrators ,

or some of them of and from all and all manner of former andoth er l bargains , sales , gifts, grants, leases, mortgages

,j o intu res

,

dowe rs,ti tles of dower

,statu tes, merchan t

,and of th e staple

recognizances , ex tents,judgments

, executions,uses

,entails

,

rents, arrearages of rents, forfe i tu res , fines,issues and amercia

ments, and of and from all and sing ular othe r t i tles,troubles

,

charges,and incumbrances whatsoeve r, had, made, committed,

ITS H ISTORY AND ANNALS. 1 65

suffered ,omitted

,or done by th e saidW i l liam Child and Dorothy

,

h is wife,or e ither of them ,

the i r he irs,or assigns

,or George

Child,father of the said l Vil l iam Child

,h is heirs

, or assigns, orthe said Nathan iel Baine

,his executors

,administrators

,or

assigns,or by any other person or persons whatsoever lawfull y

claiming the same from or under them ,or by from or unde r

their or any of thei r means,ac ts

, ,

tit l e , consent , interest, p r ivity ,

or procurement (the said yearly rent of two shill ings and ninepence and one rent charge of tw en ty

- eight shi l l ings of lawful

money of England due and payable to John Worma l l,his hei rs

a nd a ssign s a nd the M inister a nd Ch urchw a rd ens of the

Pa r ish of Ackworth aforesa id for the u se of the sa id p a rish

on l y emcep tecl a nd forep ii zeol .

And furthe r,th e said William Child and Dorothy

,his wife .

d o,for

” themselves , the ir he irs , execu to rs , and administrators,

and eve ry of them ,covenan t , promise , and grant to and with th e

said Thomas Hew i tt , his he irs and assigns , and to and w i th all

and every of them singu lar the i r and every of the ir appurte

nances,and every part and parce l thereof, unto th e said Thomas

Hewitt , h is heirs and assignees for eve r . To be holden of our

Sove re ign Lord th e K ing,his he irs and successors , in fee favour

as of His Highness Mano r of Enfiel d ,in the County of

Middlesex , in fee and common socage and not in capite nor by

knight se rvice,yie lding and paying yearly to th e hands of th e

rece iver or rece ive rs of th e Fe e Farm Rent thereof for th e time

be ing,the yearly ren t of two shillings and n inepence of lawf ul

money of England, at such days and times as the same i s

appo inted and accustomedly paid . And th e saidW illiam Child

and Dorothy Child ,h is wife ,

for th emsel ves ,th eir he irs

,executo rs

,

and admin i strato rs , and eve ry of them,d o covenant

,p rom ise

,

and gran t to and with th e said Thomas Hew i tt,his he irs and

assigns,and to and with all and every by these p resen ts , tha t

they,th e said Wi lliam Child and Dorothy , his wife ,

the i r h e irs ,and assigns , and a l l and every other person or persons

,and

the i r he irs , lawfully having or claiming ,or rightfully p re tending

1 66 ACKWORTH ,vos xs

,

to have or claim any estate , right , title ,interes t

,or demand

,in

to or ou t of th e said p remises or any part or parcel of them ,

shall and will,from time to time , and at all times hereafter

upon th e reasonable request and at th e costs and charges in th elaw of th e said Thomas Hewitt his he irs or assigns make

,d o

,

perform ,acknowledge

,levy ,

execute and suffer or cause to be

made,done, performed, acknowledged ,

levied,executed ,

and

suffered all and every such furthe r lawful and reasonable act,thing and things devise or devises in th e law assurance and

conveyances wh atsover for th e further, better , and more peacefu land perfect assur ing and conveying of all and singular thebefore hereby granted p remises , with the ir and every of the ir

rights,members

,appu rtenances

,unto the said Thomas Hewitt,

his heirs , and assigns, for e ver. Be i t by fine or fines,feoffment

or feoffments, deed or deeds,enrolled or not enrolled

,th e

enrolment of these presents , recove ry or recover ies , w ith th e

single or double voucher or vou che rs,release or confirmation

,

or by all and every or any th e ways and means aforesaid,or by

any other ways or lawfu l means whatsoever as by th e said

Thomas Hewitt,his heirs, or assigns, or his or the ir Counsel ,

learned in th e laws of this nation,shall be reasonably devised ,

advised,or requ ired

,so as th e said W ill iam Child

,and Dorothy,

his wife, the ir heirs, and assigns , or such other person or personswh o shall be requ ired to make such further assu rance be no t

compelled to trava il e forth of the County of York ,nor farther

than th e City of York,for the doing and execu ting thereof.

And further i t is covenanted,concluded

,condescended unto

and fu lly agreed upon by and between th e said parties to thesepresents

,that all fines

,feoffments

,recove ries , and assurances

in the l aw whatsoever so had made,acknowledged

,levied ,

suffere'd, or done by or between th e said part ies or any of themafter touching or concerning th e said land ,

and all and singularth e before he reby granted p remises

,with the ir and every of

their rights, members and appurtenances, and eve ry and any

part thereof shal l be and inu re,and shall be construed, esteemed,

adjudged, and taken to be and inure to th e only purpose and



THE POOR ’S ESTATE,ACKWORTH .

This estate,originally called th e Paddock

,and containing

five acres and six teen pe rches , was pu rchased in 1763 , for the

poor of Ackworth. I t was th e p rope rty of M r . Barwell,

Gentleman,and was conveyed

,in trust for the benefit of .th e

poor of Ackworth , to Sir Rowland Winn ,of Noste l

,Bart . , th e

Rev . Timothy Lee , Rector of Ackworth ,and Doctor in D ivinity

,

and Francis Sykes , of Ackworth Park ,Esq. ,

in whose represen

tatives th e legal estate is , of cou rse, still vested . T he t itle deeds

of th e estate are in the par ish ches t,in th e custody of th e

Rector. The price was £400 . Of this sum £300 was de r i vedfrom th e following benefactions

s . d .

1 692 — Elizabeth, Relic t of Sir John Lowther ,Barone t 20

1 703 .

— Robert Mason ,Gen tleman 1 0

Ann,Relict of th e Rev . J . Bolton 10

Cash from a Stock of Cows 20

1 717 .

— Robert Lowther,of Ackworth

,50

17 1 8.

— Margare t, wife of William Norton,of

Sawley,Esq . , 20

1 722 .

—Ralph Lowth er, ofAckworth Park ,Esq . 20

1 724.

—Ann,daughter of Ralph Lowther , Esq. 50

”24 .

— Elizabeth ,daughter O fLawson Trotter

,

of Ske lton Castle , Esq .

1729 .

— John Lowth er, ~ot Ackwo rth Park , Esq .

1 739 .

— Thomas B right , O f Badswor th ,20

1764 .—The Rev . Wm . Key 20

£300

To this sumof £300 , £40 was added ,e ither by accumulation

of interest , or from some donations , the particulars of which

are not now known . The amount , therefore , avai l able for th epu rchase was £340 . Th e remain ing £60 had to be borrowed .

Some difficu lty occurring as to th e secu rity of this latter sum,


Dr . Lee got over i t by advancing to th e parish th e amount

requ i red,in consideration of a lease of th e estate be ing granted

to h im for 99 years , at a reserved annual rent of £ 12 . To th e

o riginal quantity of land,viz. ,

5a . l 6p.

, th e Enclo su re Comm iss ioners

,in 17 74 ,

allotted 2a . 2r. 28p .,making th e whole estate

7a . Sr. 4p. Dr. Lee ’s lease expi red in Febr uary ,1 863 . Th e

rent of £ 1 2 per annum,is regularly paid to th e Recto r ,

Chu rchwardens,and Ove rseers of th e Poo r , and i s distribu ted

by them on St. Thomas’s Day.

Th e follow ing is a Copy of th e conveyance from Sir JohnRamsden ,

Bart .,and his Lady ,

to Sir Row land Winn ,Bart :

THIS INDENTURE,made th e 20th day of October

,in the

year o f our Lord one thousand se ven hundred and sixty- three ,

between Sir John Ramsden ,of Byram

,in the County of York

,

Barone t,and Dame Margaret his wife ,

one of th e nieces of

Mary Lowthe r,late of Ackworth Pa rk , in th e said county ,

Spinste r, deceased ,th e devisee of all h er real estate no t

spec ifically devised by h er last Wi ll and Testament,on th e one

part,and Sir Rowland W inn ,

O f Noste l l , in th e said county,

Barone t , the Reverend Timothy Lee , Rector of Ackworth,in

th e said county ,and Doctor in D ivini ty ,

and Franc is Sykes,of

Ackworth Park aforesaid,Esqu i re

,on the other pa rt .

Whe reas,Robert Lowthe r , late of Pon tefract , in the said

c ounty,d eceased ,

by his last Wi ll and Testament in w riting,

bearing date on or abou t th e l oth day of August,which w a s

in th e year of our Lord 17 17,did

,amongst other things there in

contained,give to th e Poor of Ackworth Fifty Pounds , to be

laid ou t in th e purchase of land,and th e rents thereof to be

distr ibuted yearly by th e Minister and Oversee rs Of th e Poo rof Ackworth for th e time be ing .

And whereas,Ralph Lowther, late of Ackworth Park , afo re

said,Esqu ire

,by his last Will in writing

,hearing date on or

abou t th e 1 1 th day of June,in th e year of our Lord 1722, did ,

amongst many other things there in contained , give to th e Poor

1 70 ACKWORTH,YORKS

,

Of th e Pa rish of Ackwor th Twenty Pounds,to be laid ou t in

lands , and the p roduce thereof to b e distribu ted yearly by th eMin isters and Chu rchwardens of the said Parish .

And whereas,John Lowthe r

,late of Ackworth Park afore

said,Esqu i re

,did

,by his last Will and Testament, bearing date

on or about th e 3rd day of February,in th e year of our Lord

1728 ,amongst other things therein specified

,give to the Poor

of th e said Parish of Ackworth,th e sum of Fifty Pounds

,and

did direct that th e same should be l aid out in th e purchase of

lands,and that th e rents the reof should be annually distributed

by the Min iste r and Chu rchwardens of th e said Parish to suchPoo r within thei r said Parish as they

,in the i r discretion

,shou ld

think p roper Obj ects of th e said charity,as in and by th e said

recited W ills , reference be ing thereto had , may mo re fullyappear. And whe reas

,the said Sir John Ramsden and Dame

Margaret his wife,as th e legal rep resentatives of th e said Robert

Lowthe r,and John Lowther, have in the ir hands th e said two

several legacies of Fifty Pounds each and Twenty Pounds,

making toge ther th e said sum of One Hund red and TwentyPounds , and have duly paid the interest thereof to th e Ministerand Chu rchwardens of the said Parish for the time be ing

,at

Chr istmas yearly. And whereas , dive rs other persons "seePa rochia l M agazine, M a rch , have at many different

times left divers legacies and sums of money to th e Poor of

the said Parish,the whole of which amounts to Two Hundred

and Twenty Pounds,and which said Two Hundred and Twenty

Pounds is now in th e hands of the said Timothy Lee,as Rector

of th e said Par ish,and for which he hath du ly paid th e interest

,

and the same has been distribu ted yearly , at Christmas, amongst

the Poor of th e said Parish ,by th e Minister and Churchwardens

there .

And whereas, th e said Sir John Ramsden,and Dame

Margaret,his wife

,are now se ized in fee simple of th e Messuage

,

Closes,and Hereditaments he re inafter mentioned to be hereby

granted,which are of th e full value of Four Hundred Pounds

,


172 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

and in satisfaction and discharge of th e same , and to th e intent

that th e said O ne Hund red and Twen ty Pounds may be vestedin land for the u se of th e said Poo r of Ackworth for ever,according to the intentions of th e said three seve ral Donors

,

and that th e rents and p rofits of th e said lauds may b e d istribu ted

,yearly

,for ever

,by the Ministe r

,Chu rchwardens

,and

,

Oversee rs of the Poor o f the said parish,to and amongst such

of the said Poor,and in such manner as they

,in their discretion

,

shall th ink fit and p roper . Also,in conside ration .Of th e said

sum of T wo Hundred and Twenty Pounds in th e hand s of th esaid Timothy Lee

,belonging to th e Poor of th e said Parish

,

and by him paid to the said Sir John Ramsden,at or before

the executing hereof. And also in consideration of th e said

sum O f Sixty Pounds by th e said Sir Rowland W inn ,Timothy

Lee,and Francis Sykes

,now advanced and lent

,and by them

paid to the said Sir John Ramsden,at or before th e execu ting

he reof,the rece ipt of which said seve ral sums of Two Hundred

and Twenty Pounds and Sixty Pounds,making together th e

said T wo Hundred and Eighty Pounds,th e said Sir John

Ramsden doth hereby acknowledge ,and thereof, and of every

part thereof,doth he reby acqu it and discharge th e said Si r

Rowland Winn,Timothy Lee , and Francis Sykes, seve rally and

respectively , the ir several He irs,Executors

,and Administrators

and which said sums of One Hundred and Twenty Pounds ,Two Hund red and Twenty Pounds

,and Sixty Pounds

,make

toge the r th e said sum of Four Hund red Pound s, th e pu rchase

money agreed to be paid and allowed for the said He reditamentsand Premises.

They, the said Sir John Ramsden and Dame Margare t hiswife

,have bargained

,sol d

,rel eased

,and confirmed

,and by these

presents do grant,bargain

,release, and confi rm

,unto th e said

Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes (in their actual possessionnow being by v irtue of a bargain and sale to them the reof madeby th e said S ir John Ram sden and Dame Margare t, his wife ,for one whole year by Indenture

,bearing date the day next


before th e day of th e date he reof,and by force O f th e Statu te

made for t ransferring of uses into possession) and to th e He i rsand Assign s of th e said Sir Rowland W inn and Francis Sykesfor eve r

,all that Messuage or Tenement

,situate and be ing in

Ackworth aforesaid,where in Nathaniel Barwell

,Gen tleman

,

now deceased ,fo rmerly dwelt

,and all th e Barns

,Stables

,and

o ther Outbu ildings , Court yards , Fol d s tead s, Gardens , O rchards ,Hereditaments

,and Appu rtenances the reto be longing. And

also all those three Closes of Meadow and Pastu re Groundthereto adjoining and belonging ,

commonly called or known by

th e names Of th e Lowe r C roft, th e Upper Croft, and Barn C roft ,or by what other name or names soever the same are now

called or known ; and also two Cow Gates,or Pasture for two

Beasts in Ackworth Common Pastu re,and which said Messuage

,

Closes,and Premises were l ate th e Estate of the said Mary

Lowther, and are now in th e tenures or occupations of John

Ane l ey and Jonathan Thompson ,and are all situate and be ing

in Ackworth aforesaid,together w ith all Ways , Wate rs , Water

courses,P r ivileges

,Advantages

,Commons

,Common of Pastu re ,

Hereditaments,and Appu rtenances

,whatsoeve r to th e said

Messuage,C loses , and Premises belonging

,or in any wise

appe rtain ing, excep t thePew in Ackwo rth Chu rch ,

late ly enjoyed

by Mrs . Barwell d eceased,and th e reversion and reversions ,

remainder and remainde rs , rents , issues , and p rofi ts of th e saidM essuage

,Hereditaments , and Prem ises and eve ry of them .

And al so all the Estate,right . title ,

and Interest of them the

said Sir John Ramsden and Dame Margaret,his wife, and Of

e ither of them,into and ou t of th e said Messuage ,

He redi taments,

and Premises,and eve ry part the reof, togethe r with all deeds,

writ ings,and evidences whatsoeve r , touching or conce rning th e

said hereditaments and p remise s , or any of them,and now in

the cu stody or powe r of the said Sir John Ram sden ,and which

h e can . come at wi thou t su i t at law or in equ ity .

To ha ve aw l to hol d th e said Me ssuage,Closes

,Heredita

ments, and Premises above mentioned, to be hereby granted

174 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

and released , with the ir Appurtenanc es,unto th e said Sir

Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes , and the ir He irs, to th e onlyuse and behoof of them and the ir He irs for ever. In Tr ust,

nevertheless , for the Poor of the Parish of Ackworth aforesaid,

for th e time being for ever,and to th e intent that th e rents

,

issues , and profits of th e said Messuage,Closes

,and Premises

may at all times hereafter be had ,received

,and taken by the

Min iste r , Churchwardens , and Overseers of th e Poor of th e saidPar ish of Ackworth,

for th e time be ing,or may be pa id ove r

into the ir hands or d istributed by them at Christmas and

Whitsuntide y early for ever , to and amongst th e said Poor,in

such manner as th e said Minister,Chu rchwardens , and Ove rseers

of the Poor for th e time being shall,in the ir discretion

,think

fit and proper, and to no othe r use,and upon no other Trust

whatsoever, bu t subj ect , nevertheless, to th e proviso here inafte rmentioned .

And th e said Sir John Ramsden hereby fer himsel f,his

Hei rs , Execu tors, and Am inis trators covenant and agree withthe said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes

,their He irs and

Assigns,that h e

, th e said Sir John Ramsden ,and th e said Dame

Margaret his wife,and the ir respective He irs , shall, and will at

any t ime hereafter,upon th e request and at th e cost and charge

of th e said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes , the ir He irsor Assigns, acknowledge and levy in his Maj esty’s Court of

Common Pleas,at Westminster

,in due form of l aw

,unto th e

said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes , and to th e He irs O fone of them ,

one fine su r conuzance de dro i t come coe,

with proclamations to be thereupon had , according to th e form

of th e Statute in that case made and provided ,of the said

Messuage, Closes , and Premises above-men tioned

,to be hereby

gran ted and released , with the i r appu rtenances, by such names

and descr iptions as shall be thought requ isite to describe andasc e rtain th e same

,which said fine so or in any other manner

to be levied ; and all and every o ther fine and fines heretoforeor hereafter to be levied ,

of th e said He reditaments and Premises



Sir John Ramsden and Dame Margaret his wife and th i rrespective He irs

,and all persons whatsoever

,having

,or lawfully

claim ing any Estate , right , t itle , or interest into or ou t of th e

said Messuage , Hereditaments,and Premises above -mentioned

,

or any of them,by

,from

,or und e r the said Sir John Ramsden

and Dame Margare t h is wife,or e ither of them or by

,from

,or

under th e said Mary Lowthe r,shall

,and will from time to time

,

and at a l l times hereafter,within the space of ten yea rs no w

nex t ensu ing, upon th e request and at th e cost and ch arge of

the said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes,the ir He irs or

Assigns well and truly make , do,and e xecu te any fu rthe r or

othe r lawfu l and reasonable act,deed

,conveyance , and assurance

in th e law whatsoeve r , fo r th e be tter and more perfect con veying and assu ring of the said Messuage

, C loses, and P remises , orany of them

,unto th e said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis

Sykes,the ir He irs and Assigns for ever. SO as such fu rthe r o r

othe r assurance contain or imply no furthe r or other war ran tyor covenants than against th e respective acts of th e party or

parties wh o shall make the same ; and so as su ch party o r

parties b e not compellable to go from his , h er, or their respec

tive abode for or abou t th e doing and execu ting th e same .

Provided always, nevertheless , and i t is he reby agreed and d e

c l ared that it shall and may be lawful for th e said Sir RowlandWinn and Francis Sykes

,the i r He i rs and Assigns

,at any time

hereafter to levy or raise by mortgage of a competen t part ofth e said Premises th e said sum of Six ty Pounds so advanced

and lent by them,th e said Sir Rowland W inn ,

Timoth v Lee,

and Francis Sykes , as aforesaid, and in th e meantime to deduct

and retain out of th e ren ts or p rofits of th e said Hereditaments

and Premises inte rest for th e said Six ty Pounds at th e rate of

Four1

Pounds per cen tum per annum . And also that in case

th e said Sir Rowland W inn and Francis Sykes , the ir He irs or

Assigns , shall think fit and proper at any time hereafter toraise the said Six ty Pounds so lent by them ,

and th e said

Timothy Lee as aforesaid,by taking any fine or foregift for th e


making of any lease or demise of th e said Hereditaments and

Premises above -mentioned,for any term ofyears as is h ere inafter

mentioned,that then it shall and may be lawfu l to and for

them th e said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes,the ir

He irs or Assigns,to demise th e said Messuage , Closes , and

Premises , to any person or persons whatsoever for any te rm or

number of years not exceeding ninety- n ine years,and to take

any fine or foregift for th e making of any such demise or lease,

so as su ch fine or foregift be not less than th e said sum of

Six ty Pounds , and so as th e rent to be thereby reserved be

made payable at Whitsuntide and Chr istmas yearly,and be no t

less than th e annu al sum or rent of Twelve Pounds Over and

above all taxes , charges , assessments,and other ou t -paymen ts

whatsoeve r affecting the said Messuage,Closes

,and Premises

,

during th e said term . To th e intent that the income and

produce toar ise from th e seve ral chari ties and donations abovementioned may not be lessened, and may be certain and

pe rmanent so far as th e natu re of such things will admit of,

and according to th e tru e intent and meaning of the parties to

these p resents . In witness whereof th e partie s to the se presen tsinterchangeably have set thei r hands and seals the day and

year fi rst above written .

JOHN (Sea l ) RAMSDEN . MARGARET (Sea l ) RAMSDEN .

Sealed and del ivered in the presence of us,th e several

e rasure s be ing first made . and th e said Timothy being fi rstinterlined .

THOS . RAMSDEN . R. WILK INSON (Swo rn ) .

Rece ived th e day and year fi rst wi thin wr i tten,o f the said

Timothy Lee,the sum of Twe Hundred and Twen ty Pounds

in ful l discharge of th e conside ration money within mentioned,

to b e paid by him to me . I say,rece ived th e same by me

,

JOHN RAMSDEN .

W i tnesses : THOS . RAMSDEN . RICHD . WILKINSON . £220 .

ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

A similar rece ipt to Dr. Lee and Francis Sykes for Sixty

Pounds,witnessed by th e same .

A memorial of th e within -written Deed was registered atIVakefie l d

,th e Tenth d ay Of December

,Seventeen hundred and

sixty- three,at eleven in th e forenoon

,in Book A Y

,page 725 ,

and number 896 .

JONATH . WARD,Depy . Regr .

Coun terp a rt of Lea se from Sir Row l a nd Winn ,an cl M r . Sykes

to Dr . Lee, of the Esta te bel ongin g to the Poor of A ckworth .

This Indenture,made th e twenty- fou rth day of November

,

in th e year of O ur Lord one thou sand seven hund red and

six ty - th ree, between Sir Rowland W inn ,of Ne stel , in the

County of York ,Baronet , and Francis Sykes of Ackworth Park,

in th e Parish of Ackworth ,in th e said Coun ty

,Esqu ire , on th e

one part,and th e Rev . Timothy Lee , Rector of Ackworth

,

aforesaid,and Doctor in D ivin i ty,

on th e other part.

Wherea s by Indentu re of lease and releas e bearing date

respectively th e n ineteenth and twentieth days of October last,

th e lease made between Sir John Ramsden ,of Byram

,in th e

said County,Baronet

,and Dame Margaret

,his wife

,with such

addition and desc ription as is therein mentioned on the one

part,and th e said Sir Rowland Winn ,

and Francis Sykes on th eother part . And th e release made between th e said Sir JohnRamsden and Dame Margaret

,his wife

,on th e one part

,

and th e said S ir Rowland W inn,Timothy Lee , and Francis

Sykes on th e other part,afte r divers recitals the re in contained ,

and for th e conside rations the re in mentioned,th e said Sir John

Ramsden and Dame Ma rgare t,his wife

,did grant

,re l ease

,and

convey unto th e said Si r Rowland Winn ,and Francis Sykes ,

and their heirs,all that Messuage or Tenemen t

,s ituate and

be ing in Ackworth aforesaid,where in Nathan iel Barwell

,gentle

man,deceased

,formerly dwelt

,and a l l th e barns

,stables

,and

other ou t -bu ildings,courtyards

,fou l stead s

,gardens

, orchards ,hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belp nging. And

,



retain out of th e rents and p rofits of th e said hereditament

p remises interest for th e said Six ty pounds, at the rate of four

pounds per centum per annum .

Anel , a l so,that in case th e said Sir Rowland Winn and

Francis Sykes, the ir he irs and assigns,Shou ld think fi t and

proper, at any time,to raise th e said sixty pounds so lent by

them and th e said Timothy Lee afo resaid,by taking any fine

or foregift for ' the making of any lease or demise of the said

hereditaments and p remises for any term of years,as is the re in

afte r mentioned ,that then it shou ld and might b e l awfu l to

and for them,th e said Sir Rowland W inn and Francis Sykes

,

the ir he irs or assigns,to d emise the said m essuages

,closes

,and

p remises to any person or persons whatsoever for any term or

number of years not exceeding ninety-nine years,and to take

any fine or foregift for th e making of any such demise or leaseso as su ch fine or foregift be not less than th e said sixty pounds

,

and so as th e rent the reby to be reserved be made payable atWhitsun tide and Chr istmas yearly, and b e not less than th e

annual sum or rent of twelve pounds over and above all taxes ,charges

,assessments

,and other ou t - payments whatsoever

,

affecting th e said messuage ,closes

,and p remises dur ing th e

said term,as in and by the said in part . recited Indentures ,

refe rence be ing there to had ,may more ful ly appear .

Anol Wherea s th e said Si r RowlandW inn and Francis Sykesthink it will not be for th e benefit and advantage of th e said

poor to raise th e said sum of s ixty pounds by mortgage of any

part of th e said premises , but that i t w il l be th e best for themfor th e said Six ty pounds to be raised by making a lease of the

said p remises and taking a fine or fo regift of sixty pounds forth emaking thereof, according to th e power given to them ,

the

said Sir Rowland Winn ,and Francis Sykes

,in and by th e said

Indentu re of Release . And , therefore, they have agreed to

take th e said foregift of sixty pounds of th e said Timothy Lee ,

and to demise to him the said hereditaments and p remises insuch manner as is hereinafter mentioned. Now this I ncl en ta re


Witnesseth that in consideration of the said sum Of sixty

pounds of lawful money of G reat Britian by the said TimothyLee to th e said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes

,in hand

,

paid at or before the executing he reof,as a fine or foregift for

th e making of this p resent demise,and which said six ty pounds

they,th e said S ir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes , have

thought fi t and proper to raise in full payment and satisfaction,

and discharge of th e said six ty pounds so advanced and lent

by them and th e said Timothy Lee,towards purchasing of th e

said p remises as aforesaid, the rece ipt of which said sixty

pound s they do hereby acknowledge a nd, a l so,

in consideration

of the yearly rent of th e covenants and ag reemen ts , here inaftermentioned , to b e paid and pe rformed by th e said T imothy Lee ,

h is execu tors, admin istrato rs , and assigns , they, the said Si rRowland Winn and Franc is Sykes

,have demised

,leased

,and

to farm,l e t unto th e said Timothy Lee

,his executors

,adminis

trator, and assigns , a l l th e said messuages,closes

,hereditaments

,

and p remises above mentioned and recited,to have been

granted and conv eyed to th e said Sir Rowland Winn and FrancisSykes , and the ir he irs as

'

aforesaid . To ha ve and to hol d the

same unto th e said Timo thy Lee, h is execu tors , administrators ,and assigns

,from th e thirteenth day of February next

,for

,

during,and until the f ull end and term of 99 years from thence

nex t ensuing , and fu lly to be complete and ended . Y ieldingand paying

,therefo re

,yearly and every year du r ing the said

term,unto th e said Si r Row land W inn and Francis Sykes

,the ir

he i rs or assigns,the sum of twe lve pounds of lawfu l money of

G reat Britain,at th e feasts of Whitsuntide and Chr istmas in

every year during th e said te rm by even and equal portions,

over and above all taxes,charges

,assessments , and other out

payments whatsoeve r, affecting th e said premises du ring th e

said term ,and withou t any deduction whatsoever . In trust

for th e said poor of th e said Parish of Ackworth,and according

to th e true intent and meaning of th e said recited Indentures.

Provid ed always nevertheless that if th e said yearly rent or

1 82 ACKWORTH , YORKS.

,

sum of twelve pounds or any part thereof shall be behind and

unpaid by th e Space of twenty days nex t afte r th e same or any

part the reof shall become due as aforesaid , that then i t shall

and may be lawf ul to and for th e said Si r Rowland Winn and

Francis Sykes , the ir hei rs or assigns , into th e said demised

p remises,or any part the reof in the name of th e whole

,to re

enter and th e same to have again ,re -possess , and enj oy as in

the i r or any of thei r forme r estate , anything he rein containedto th e contrary notwithstanding. And th e said Timothy Lee

doth hereby,for himself, his executors , and administrators ,

covenant and agree with the said Sir Rowland Winn and FrancisSykes

,the ir he irs and assigns , in manner following ( that is to

say) , that h e, th e said Timothy Lee , his executors and administra tors

,shall and w il l well and truly pay unto th e said Sir

Rowland W inn and Francis Sykes,the ir he irs or assigns , th e

said yearly ren t or sum of twelve pounds,at th e days and

times,and in th e manne r above mentioned for paymen t the reof

,

ove r and above a l l taxes,cha rges , assessments , and other ou t

paymen ts whatsoeve r, affecting th e said p remises du ring th e

said te rm ,and withou t any deduc tion whatsoever. An zl , also ,

Shall and will , from time to t ime,and at all times he reafte r

,

dur ing th e said te rm,pay and discharge all lays

,taxes , and

assessments whatsoever,which are

,shall

,or may be laid

,taxed

,

or assessed upon,or for

,or in respect of the said demised

p rem ises , or any pa rt the reof. An al,also

,shall and w ill

,from

time to time,during the said te rm

,when and so O ften as need

shal l requ ire ,well and sufficiently amend

,repair

,and keep th e

said me ssuage,and bu ildings with all needful and p rope r

reparations and amendments whatsoever. An al, a l so, well and

suffi Ven tl y amend,repair, scour , and cleanse the hedges , fences ,

ditches , gates , styles , and wate rcou rses belonging th e said

premises , and shall and will , at th e expiration of the said term,

leave and yield up to th e s aid .Sir Rowland IVinn and FrancisSykes

,the ir he irs or assigns

,th e said messuage and buildings

,

and,also

,all th e gates , styles , hedges, ditches, and fences

,



There is,also

,a Lease for a year from Sir John and Lady

Ramsden to Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes , dated l 9 thOctober 1763 . It is registe red at Wakefield , in Book A Y

,

page 72a ,and number 896 .

There is,also

,a coun te rpart of a Mortgage upon Mr . Bar

well ’s Estate,dated 3oth April , 1 681 .

EXTRACT FROM THE AWARD,1774 .

No . V. of the Stin ted Pa stu re , a l l otted to D r . Lee for the

term of his l ea se, which exp ires in Febru a ry ,on e thousa nd

eight hu nd red an d sixty- three, and then to the p oor .

T h e , Lessee of And we do also assign,set out

,allot

,and

th e Trustees forPoo r A ll otment inth e Stinted Pasture .

adVa l’d UD IO the said Timothy Lee , to be h O l d ID.

No . V .

1

;several ty by him

,his he irs

,and assigns

,du r ing

th e continuance of his lease ,and from immedi

ately after th e determination thereof, to be held in severalty

by th e said Sir Rowland Winn and Francis Sykes,and the ir

successors , Tru stees for th e time be ing of the Poor of Ackworthafore said

,one parcel of land

,being part of th e said Stinted

Pasture , within th e Parish of Ackworth aforesaid,marked in

th e sa id map he reunto annexed with th e No . V containing twoacres

, two reeds,and twenty - e ight perches

,statute measu re .

An allotment , No . iv.,here in made to Ann Hattersley

,be ing on

the east,th e Rector ’s allotment, No . vi .

,on the west

,a private

road and the Rectors ’ allotment, NO . xxvii i . , in Parkin Leys

Field on the north ,and the River we nt on the south

,and do

order and award that th e owner and p rop r ietor of th e said lastmentioned allo tment , No. v for the time be ing Shall make and

for ever maintain a good and suffi cient fence and ditch on the

west Side or boundary thereof.

At th e expiration of Colonel Anthony Surtee ’s lease in 1 863 ,th e house and land were sold to the late J . M . Hepworth

,Esq. ,

for £231 6 , which was subsequen tly invested in the 3 per cent .

Consols . the interest of which, amounting to £ 1 2, is given away

in theShape of casual rel ief and dole .


LAMBE ’S CHARITY.

This small char ity i s secured by deed dated 1 8 th August,

1 4th Charles I. ,by which thirty square yard s of land was

granted to \Vil l iam Lambe,for e recting a windmil l upon Ack

worth Moor, at th e rent of five shillings yearly, payable to the

Lords of th e Manor for th e use o f th e poor of Ackworth ,and

upon th e feast days of th e Annunciation of th e Blessed Marythe V irgin ,

and St . Michae l th e Archangel , by even and equal

portions for eve r . A copy of th e original deed is in possession

of th e Rector. In 1859 , Mr. Rishworth was the owner of th e

land charged by th e above deed . The original deed is supposed

to be lost , but perhaps it is in th e hands of the Lords of th e

Manor,who

,in number

,remind one of th e seven wise men of

Greece ; bu t who , in the ir management of th e parish prope rty,

act more l ike the wise men of Gotham,who went to sea in a

bowl , and of whom th e ol d rhyme says

If the bowl had been stronger,

My story had been longer.

”

Cop y of the D eed by wh ich thirty ya rd s squa re of l and is

gran ted to Wi l l iam Lambe for erecting a Windmi l l up on

Ackw orth M oor , a t the ren t of Five Sh i l l ings yea r l y ,p a ya bl e

for the u se of the Poor of Ackw orth . Da ted 1 l th Cha r l es I

This Indenture made th e Eighteenth daie of August

in th e year of th e ra igne of our Sovera igne Lord Charles by

th e Grace of God of England,Scotland

,France and Ireland

K ing Defender of the Faith,&e . , th e fourteenth

Be tween Samuel Carter of Ackworth Rober Abbottof Ackworth Hen ry Bann ister of Ackworthaforesaid gent John Huntington of Ackworth

R ichard Adams of East Ardwicke in th e County of

W itnesseth that th e said Samuel CarterRobertAb bott Hen ryHuntington for and in consideration of five

shill ings granted bargained sou l d released and con

186 f ACKWORTH,YORKS

,

firmed and by these p’

Sents doe grant bargain sell release and

confi rm unto th e said William his hei rs assigns for eve r allth e estate r ight title in te rest p roperty claim and demand what

soeve r of the said Samuel Carte r Robe rt Abbott Hen ry Huntington Adams Thomas Horncastle John GoodyeareHenry Wilkinson and John Wright the i r he irs and assigns ofand in all that p iece of grounde one

W indmill of th e Manner of Ackworth aforesaid

To have and to hold th e said piece or square Ground contain ingthirtie yard s with th e appurtenances to th e said William Lambehis he irs and assigns for ever to th e sole and proper use and

beh oofe of the said William Lambe his heirs and assigns forever Y ielding and Paying therefor yearly and every year forever unto th e said Samuel C arte r RobertAbbott HenryBannisterJohn Huntington Edward (or Richarde) Adam s Thomas Horn

castle John Goodyeare Wi lliam Wilkinson John‘

Wr ight andthe ir Hei rs and successors Lords of th e said Manne r ofAckworththe sum of fiv e Shill ings of lawful money of England for the

use and bereft of th e Poor of th e Par ish of Ackworth and upon

the Feast Days of the Annuncicon of th e Blessed Mary th e

V i rgin and St . Michael th e Archangel by even and equal pereons

for ever .

In Witness whereof th e parties first above -named to this

p’

sent Indenture interchangeably have put their hands andseals .

Signed and Del ivered in th e presence of us

HASTINGS RASBYJOHN KILLINGBECKE.

‘A true Copy O f th e O riginal .

Th e or iginal Mill was e rected Of wood , and being burntdown

,th e land was not built on for a considerable time . It

eventually came into th e possession of‘ Sir John Ramsden ,

of

Byram,Bart . , through his marriage with Margaret; th e widow


1 88 ACKWORTH,Yonns ,

As for that worldly estate Almighty God hath endowed

me w ith,my will is to dispose of i t in manner and form

following ,that is to say — I give unto John Petty one pound ;

I give unto William Pe tty one pound ; I give unto Elizabeth

Abbott one pound ; and as for wearing clothes, I give unto my

sisters Ann Pe tty and Elizabeth Abbott .

I give unto th e poor of Ackworth ten shill ing every year

for eve r , to be paid upon Good Fr iday. And as for security

thereof, I appoint one acre of land which l yeth in Colehill , in

two places , which is th ree roods and one rood ; that if anydefau lt be in payment hereof, according to th e day abov enamed

,

then to enter to th e three m ods and one rood above men tioned .

I give un to th e poor twenty shillings to be disposed of at my

burial . I make my beloved son, Thomas Calve rley,

sole

execu tor of this my last will and testament . Wi tness my hand

and seal th e 29th day of September,Anno Domin i 1 699 .

ANNE CALVERLEY,

Signed and sealed in th e p resence of us h er+mark .

Jane B radley ,

Savile B radley ,

F ra . Bradley .

”

DEED BY WHICH SECURITY WAS TRANSFERREDTO OTHER LANDS .

M r . John Thistl ew ood to the Rev. D r. Lee. This Indentu re ,made the fourth day of August

,in th e tenth year of th e reign

of our Sovere ign Lord George the Third, by th e G race of God,

of Great“

Br itain,France

,and Ireland , K ing ,

Defender of th eFaith

,and so forth and in th e year of our Lord one thousand

seven hundred and seven ty , between John Th istl ewood , of

Tuph olm ,in th e County of Lincoln

,grazier, on th e one part

,

and Timothy Lee , of Ackworth,in th e County of York

,Doctor

in D ivin i ty ,Rector of Ackworth ,

on the other part . Whereas

Anne C alverley ,fo rme rly of Ackworth aforesaid , widow,

did,in

and by her last wi l l and testament, in writing, bearing date th e


29th day of September, in th e year of our Lord one thousand

six hundred and n inety-n ine,give unto th e poor of Ackworth ,

ten sh illings eve ry year for ever,to be paid upon every Good

Friday,and for secu ri ty the reof, th e said testatr ix appointed

one acre of land,which lieth in Colehill , in two places , which

is three roods and one rood that,i f any default be in payment

thereof, according to the day above - named,then to ente r to

th e three roods and one rood above -mentioned ,as in and by

th e said Will , reference being thereto h ad ,w ill more fully

appea r. And whereas th e said John Th ist l ewood i s now

become entitled to th e said lands and premises, ou t of which

the said sum of ten shillings,above mentioned

,i s secu red to

be paid,and hath lately con tracted and agreed to sell and convey

the same,together w i th other lands and he reditamen ts freed

and discharged of and from th e said yearly payment,the said

John Th istl ewood did thereupon consent and agree to chargeth e tenements and hereditamen ts , here inafter mentioned

,for

ever he reafter with th e d ue payment the reof. Now,this Inden

ture witnesseth that the said John Th istl ewood ,in consideration

of th e p remises and to th e intent that th e said yearly sum of

ten shillings may be continued to be paid to th e poor of

Ackworth aforesaid,in pu rsuance of th e said

,in part recited

,

W ill,doth he reby for h imself and his he irs , covenant and agree ,

to and with th e said Timo thy Lee and his successors,as Rectors

'

of Ackworth for th e t ime be ing ,that all that messuage or

tenemen t, situate ,s tanding

,and be ing in Ackwor th afo resaid ,

late in th e possession of M r. Joseph Haddon,with the malt

kiln,m al t-house ,

barns,stables , fol d s tead , and garden the reto

belonging,and also all that close of meadow or pasture ground

adjoin ing,onth e back side of th e said messuage , called by th e

name of th e Home Close,containing by e stimation th ree acres

,

mo re or less,now belonging to him

,th e said John Th istl ewood

,

with their appurtenances , shall from time to t ime for ever hereafter be subj ect to and chargeable w i th th e due paymen t of the

said Sam of ten shillings yearly, to the poor of Ackworth


aforesaid ,on Good Friday, according to th e purport , true intent ,

and mean ing of the said reci ted will . And also that h e, the

said John Th istl ewood,his he irs

,executors

,and administrators

shall and will,for eve r hereafte r

,save harmless and indemnify

the pu rchase r of th e said lands and p remises so charged by th esaid Anne Calverley with th e payment of th e said annual sumof ten shillings , and also th e said lands and premises of and

from th e payment of th e same and every part thereof,and also

of and from all costs,charges

,and expenses which shall or may

be had or occasioned by non - paymen t thereof. In witness th e

part ies to these presents interchangeably have set the ir handsand seals th e day and year fi rst above wr itten .

“ JOHN TH ISTLEWOOD .

Sealed and delivered in th e presence of us

R . W ilkinson ,

Wm . Sugden ,

A memorial of the within -w ritten deed was registered atWakefield

,th e seventh day of August seventeen hundred and

seventy ,near eleven in th e forenoon

,in Book B . L . page 556 ,

and number 799 .

Sworn .

T IM TOPHAM,Dep. Regr .

A compar ison of th e above Deeds with th e Tabl e of Bene

factions,set up in th e Church ,

will lead us to th e conclusion

that th e Table is not to be depended on . It is there stated

that Ann Ca l verl ey’

s gift to th e poor is ten pound s, and thiserror alone fully ju stifies the remark of th e late W. R . Hay

,

that “the Table was painted and put up in th e Church ve ry

unadvisedly,and i t is in many respects inaccurate .

”

Ca l verl ey’

s Dole is regularly paid by Hen ry Hill , Esq .

, th e

p resen t owne r of th e estate charged by the Deed of 1 777 , and

is distr ibu ted to th e poor on St . Thomas’s Day. It may also he

remarked that th e l ands originally charged ,as well as those to

which the charge was t ransferred by th e Deed of 1777 , are

again,as in Thist l ewood ’

s time ,united unde r one p ropr ietor.

Th e originals,both of Anne Ca l verl ey

’

s W ill,and th e Deed

of 1 777 , are in th e parish chest and in excellent preservation .



lay out £20 in th e construction of a Hearse,for th e conveyance

of corpses from th e outside of th e Parish to inter at AckworthChu rch ; to be under th e management and direction of th e

Churchwardens of Ackworth aforesaid.

RISHWORTH ’

S CHARITY.

The Board of benefactions says

John R ishworth to th e poor, £ 1 .

I t shou ld have been £ 1 per annum . This sum was given by

John Rishworth , by will dated 22nd October,1 660 . The

or iginal is preserved in th e parish chest . I t is scarcely legiblein th e inside , bu t i s endorsed : “ Deed by which a piece or

parcel of ground,called th e Ou tgangs ,

’ i s granted for paymentof 20s . yearly to th e poor of Ackworth for ever, payable 5th

December yearly, and to be d istribu ted by the Rector, Churchwardens

,and O ve rseers of the Poor on St . Thomas ’s Day

,in

the sight and a t th e discretion of the inhabiters of th e Park

Hall,George Abbott ’s House , at Hundh il l

,and T. Ca l verl ey

’

s

House,in Ackworth. The following is a copy of th e original

DeedTo all good people to whom this present wri ting shall

come to,be read ,

seen,or heard

,John Rishworth

,of V is it

,in

th e Parish of Hemsworth and County of York,Yeoman

,send

eth greeting in our Lord God Everlasting.

Know ye, that the said John Rishworth , for th e continuing

and pe rpetuating of the Yearly Rent hereafter expressed dueand issu ing ou t of th e lands and p remises hereafter

ment ioned un to th e Poor in the Parish of Ackworth in th e said

County of Yo rk ,that the same may he reafter be du ly paid and

distributed amongst th e most needfu l Poor of the said Parish

of Ackworth as is he reafter mentioned, and for divers other

cau ses and valuable considerations,him

,th e said John Rish

worth ,hereunto especially moving

,hath given , granted, and

confirmed,and by these p resents doth fully and absolutely give ,

grant,and confirm unto Thomas Birkbecke, Cle rk, th e present


Rector of th e Rectory of Ackworth aforesaid ,ThomasW ilkinson

and Robert Lamb, th e present Chu rchwardens

,and Robe rt

Hewitt and Leonard Pinder,th e present O verseers of the Poor

of the said Parish of Ackworth,and th e successive Min ister

,

Churchwardens , and Overseers of th e said Parish of Ackworthfor th e t ime be ing for eve r

,one annu ity or Yearly Rent Charge

o f Twenty Shillings of lawful money of England yearly to behad

,taken

,p rovided

,and rece ived to be issu ing and go ing out

and in a l l that parce l of ground or waste commonly called th e

Ou tgang,containing by est imation fifteen Ac res mo re or less

lying and be ing within th e M anor of Ackworth aforesaid,to be

paid to th e Minister, Churchwardens , and Overseers , and the irsu ccessors for ever at or upon every fifth day of Decemberyearly. To have and to hol d ,

receive,prese rve , and enjoy th e

Annui ty or Yearly Rent Charge of Twenty Shillings aforesaid

unto the Said Thomas Birkbecke and th e said Chu rchwardensand Overseers of th e Poor of th e said Parish of Ackworth and

their successors, M iniste r , Chu rchwardens , and Ove rseers of thePoor of th e Parish of Ackworth

,for th e t ime being and for

e ve r in manner and form before declared . To th e end that the

said Twenty Shillings may yearly and every year upon St .Thomas ’s Day next following after th e receipt thereof at the

sight,judgment

,and disc retion of th e seve ral Inhabitants

,

Possessors , and Occupie rs of th e several Mansions and now

Dwe l l inghouse of W ill iam Rok el ey ,Esq .

,of Ackworth Park,

Geo rge Abbott , of Hunde l l,in th e par ish o f Ackworth

,afo re

said,gentlemen

,Richard Picke r ing, of Ackworth

,aforesa id

,

yeoman ,and Thomas Calve rley

,of Ackwo rth , to be disbursed ,

distributed ,and disposed of to th e most needful Poor and

im potent people of th e said Parish of Ackworth . And i f it

happen th e said Annu ity or yearly Rent Charge of Twenty

Shillings be behind or

of six d ays after th e time of payment the reof a foresaid , in

which it is by those presents appointed to be paid ,that then

So faded as not to be legib le .

1 94 ACKWORTH, YORKS. ,

and so often as any such defaul t shall be made at any time or

times hereafter, i t shal l and may b e lawful to and for th e said

Thomas Birkbecke,and th e Churchwardens

,and Ove rseers of

th e Poor of th e said Parish of Ackworth ,or any of them and

the ir successors,Min isters

,Churchwardens

,and Ove rsee rs of

th e Poor of the said Par ish for th e time be ing,or any of them

at his or the ir pleasu re to enter into and upon th e said parcelof

,Ground or Waste , called th e Outgang, or into such part or

parce l the reof as they shall think meet and the re to distrainfor all th e Arrearages of th e said Annu i ty or Yearly Rent of

twenty shill ings then behind and unpaid , and the distress o r

distresses there so had and taken lawfully,to bear

,lead

,d rive ,

carry away,impound

,and re tain , and keep W ithou t restraint or

replevin for th e space of four days,and if th e said Ar rearages

of th e said Annu ity shall not within the space o f fou r days hepaid to th e said Minister , Churchwardens , and Ove rseers of th esaid Parish of Ackworth for the t ime be ing

,or unto some of

them according to th e intent of these p resents then at his or

the ir pleasu re , to bargain or sell th e corn,goods

,and chattels

so taken by way of d istress at such p rice or p rices as they or

any of them may or can get , and with th e money coming of

th e sale thereof, to satisfy,pay and allow themselves not only

all Arrearages of th e said Annu i ty or Yearly Rent be ing behindand unpaid

,bu t also his and their reasonable costs, cha rges ,

an d disbursements sustained in that behalf. And th e resid ueof the same (if any b e) to render and pay un to th e said John

Rishworth,his He irs

,and Assigns , and that from time to time

as often as any su ch distress or dist resses shall be so h ad o r

taken . But if no suffi cient distress can be found in and upon

the said parcel of ground called th e Outgang whe reupon to

distrain,that then i t shall and may be lawful to and for th e

said Thomas Birkbeck e , and th e said Churchwardens,and

Ove rseers of th e Poor of th e Parish of Ackworth and the irsuccessors for th e t ime be ing, or any of them into th e said

parce l of Ground or Waste,called the Outgang with the



a Chapel and Free School in East Hardwick. Th e Ministe r

was to have £20 per annum in respect of his preaching th eWord of God on every Lord ’s Day

,and keeping a Free School

there for all such children whomsoever as shall desire to betaught there . The sum of 2os . per annum was to be paid to

th e poor of Ackwor th,l os . per annum to th e poor o f East

Hardwick,and 10s . per annum to th e repair ofHousestead Lane .

This estate has been ,from time to time

,l et at an inc reased rent,

th e annual payments to th e seve ral charities be ing preportionately increased . Th e charity is managed by six feoffees

,three

of whom are chosen from Ackworth,and three froin East

Hardwick . Th e tru stees of this charity are th e patrons of th eV icarage of East Hardwick . In 1 871 , when th e chapel ryconstituted a separate benefice , the offices of Min ister and

Schoolmaster -f were divided , th e sum of £40 a year be ing

allotted to th e former,and £50 to th e latter ; the advowson to

be sold , and th e p rofi ts invested in augmentation of the school

endowment i The sum now annually paid by the Trustees of

this Char ity is to the Incumbent , £70 (which has since beenincreased by th e interest of invested subscriptions

,and grant

from th e Ecclesiastical Commissione rs , to to the Poor

of Ackworth, £4: 1 0s . ; to th e Poor of East Hardwick , £2 5s ;

and towards th e repair of Housestead Lane, £2 5s. Scholars

are sent from Ackworth to the Free School at East Hardwick,

which,however

,is not now free, th e uniform charge per head

for all children be ing two pence .

of th e same moneth . I t w i ll be seen th at Cawood d ied only a l ittle more than

a month a fter h e h ad exe cuted h is d eed of gi ft . T h e w ord s in his own. ground ,

"

are supposed to mean h is own private buria l ground , (probab ly a fam ily mausoleumin h is own ground s , ) and it is a lso very l ike ly from th e entry , th a t the Ch ape lprovided for in th e d eed w a s not bu i lt a t th e time of Mr. Cawood ’

s d eath , but

soon afterward s , O c tober 26th , 1 667 , Mr. Lawrence Ad dam wa s buried in yeChurch’ of E ast Hardwicke . Th e bu ilding w as never con secra ted , at leas t , thereis no record of it .

f O f th e order of “ Preach ing Sch oolmasters .

” T h e Rev . Anth ony Sigi smundTentsch el , Ph .D . , wa s th e last of th ese , and th e first Incumbent of E a stHardw ick .

1 Vide Pontefra ct T e l egrap h , June l oth , 1871 . For furth er particularsconcerning th e Ch urch and Pari sh , see brochure publish ed by Ho lmes , Ponte frac t,1 871 .


SEATON ’S BEQUEST.

Jervas Seaton ,of East Hardwick

,left

,for th e use of th e

poor of Ackworth, 6s. 8d . per annum , for ever

,charged on an

ac re of land in Thorpl eys . I t is received by th e Oversee rs ofthe Poor, but there are no documents to show whence the

payment arises .

THE TOWNSLEY ESTATE .

In 1803, Sarah and Francis Townsley died intestate, and inpo ssession of a house ,

ma l tki ln,and seven acres of land adjoin

ing th e Recto ry ,on th e east

,and four acres of land

,called

Pudding Bush.

” This estate , for want o f he irs,went to th e

T rustees of the Manor of Ackworth ( to,

whom,in the reign of

Charles I , th e Duchy of Lancaster had granted away th e Manorof Ackworth wi th all i ts privileges) , for th e benefit of th e freeholde rs. The rents and profits of this estate , which now rents

for £40 ,are paid to th e Trustees of the Manor.

LINDSAY ’S LEGACY.

In 1873 ,David Lindsay

,an Ackworth man

,wh o had amassed

considerable wealth in commercial transactions , died at Leeds ,and left by his will , £ 1 50 to be invested for th e benefi t of th eLowther’s Hospital

,at Ackworth . Th e benefact ion is duly

recorded upon the Charity board in th e Parish Chu rch,and th e

interest of th e money,which is invested in th e 3 per cent .

Consols, is regularly distributed by th e Churchwardens for thet ime be ing.

GRANT TO JOHN TOPHAM .

John Topham , for one acre of land on th e Common ,l s . 8d .

There can be no doubt that this was a grant from the Parish o f

a portion of th e Common,or Ackworth Moor, at thi s reserved

rent . Th e acre of land in question is se t ou t in the map

attached to the award of 1 774, and is th e eastern port ion of

th e field which forms one of th e angles where th e Barnsley

Road and th e Turnpike Road cross each other at th e Moor-Top.


,

It measures l a . Or. 4p . In 1 859 , th e payment had been with

held for many years , and I am informed that i t is lapsed,and

cannot now be recove red by law?“

LOWTHER ’S CHARITY .

In 1741 , Mrs . Mary Lowther endowed an Hospital for six

poor women of Par ishes of Ackworth , Badsworth ,and Feathe r

stone ; and a school for twenty child ren of th e parish of

Ackworth . The income of this char i ty,which is variable in

1 885 , was £81 1 l s . 5d .,ar ising from money invested in th e

Funds,in th e names of th e Char ity Comm issioners , and from

£700 invested on mortgage of th e Tolls of th e Doncaste r and

Tadcaster Tu rnpike Road . Th e master rece ives from th e Tru st

£ 16 per annum ,and each of th e poor women abou t £7 1 5s .

Th e funds of Mrs . Lowther’s Char ity have twice sustainedpecun iary loss to th e ex tent of £700 ,

once , by th e failure of its

banke rs in 1 809 , and again ,in 1 8 41 3 , to the amount of £50

,

through th e mismanagemen t o f i ts accountant . Th e fo llow ing

inscription appears above th e doorway of th e Lowther School

1741 .

MARY LOWTHERERECTED AND ENDOWED TH IS HOSPITAL FOR A SCHOOLM Ae R

AND SIX POOR WOMEN .

The Gover nors of th e Hospital are th e Rec tors o f Ackworth,

Badsworth,and th e V icar of Feath erstone for the t ime b e ing .

T he Maste r rece ives his £ 1 6 per year , on the understanding

that twenty poor children are taught by him free of expense ;but for some cause or othe r

,although the money is still rece ived

,

th e children are not now t aught in accord ance with th e

condition s of th e Trust . Th e same remark applies to East

Hardwick School, the master of which,for th e t ime being

,

rece ives a specified sum , according to the terms of the tru st deedfor th e free education of ten boys of th e par ish of Ackworth .

Th e ten boys, howeve r , are ne ither rece ived nor’

educat ed .

Th e tota l annua l income from five of th e principa l ch arities at Ackworth ,

in 1885 , was £83 78 . l od .


200 ACKWORTH ,storms ,

placed from having any benefit under th e will. And he directed

that th e Tru stees or th e major part of them might from time

to time displace any of th e persons for immorali ty or bad

behaviour according to th e disc retion and j udgment of th e

Trustees or th e majo r part of them . And that whenever there

should be any vacancy of any of the e ight persons by death or

removal, th e Trustees or the major part of them shou ld choose

in th e Moot Hall other poor persons, so as always to make up

two poor men and two poor women,belonging to Ackworth

,

and two poor men and two poor women,belonging to Pontefract ;

and that when th e maid servant should d ie or be displaced,

another p roper person liv ing in Ackworth or Pon tefract,shou ld

be nominated by th e T ru stees,or th e major par t of them

,in h er

place . And h e directed that a book shou ld be kept for making

ent ries touching th e trust esta te'

and the income and application

thereof,and all elections and o rders relative to the trust and

the execution the reof,and that th e Trustees might appoint a

p roper person to be the ir Clerk for making a l l entries andorders

,and keeping all accounts relating to th e t rust, and allow

him yearly a sum of money not exceeding £5 for his trouble .

”

Like Dr. Foth ergil l ,”e Dr. Watkinson reserved a life

in terest for his wife in th e p roperty h e was about to give inchari ty. His will

,which be ing in full in Fox ’s History

,rende rs

i t unnecessary that it shou ld be here reproduced,is dated 17th

April , 1 765 , but d id not become operative till after th e death

of his wife in 1778 .

On 9th Feb 1 778, th e Trustees , th e Rectors of Ackworth

and Hemsworth ,the Vicar of Pontefract , th e two sen ior Alder

men ,and Ald . Samuel Saltonstall , Dr. W

'

atkinson’

s executor,held the ir first meeting under th e presidency of Mr. Lawrence

Fox,Mayor

,and the week fol lowing pu rchased a plot in

Northgate for their building. The Mayor died during his year

of office,and Mr. Saltonstall succeeding for th e remainder of

Vide Pontefract Ch arities , p . 132 .


his year, had the gratification of see ing th e buildings progress.It was , however, not t ill 25 th October

,1 779 , that th e first

appointments were made .

The residue of the testator ’s estate applicable to th e

purposes of th e Charity amounted to £ 1803 l 6s . 8d and by

an order of th e Trustees , made in 1778 , i t was ordered thatsuch sum of money should be laid out in th e pu rchase of landsfor th e benefi t of the Trust, and that the sum of £200

,be ing

th e amount of savings which had accumu lated from th e yearlyincome of th e testator’s estate , shou ld be applied for or towardsth e expense of bu i lding an Hospi tal.

By a further order of th e Trustees in October,1779, i t was

ordered that th e sum of £80 should be retained by Samuel

Saltonstall , th e execu tor, as the pu rchase money of land in

No rthgate ,upon part of which the hospital was then bu il t

,and

that such land should be conveyed to th e Trustees for th e termof 999 years , at the yearly rent of which was done accord

ingly by indenture of demise , d ated 31 st October, 1 779 .

“ Th e clear residue of th e testator’s estate after payment ofall expenses relating to th e bu ilding of th e Hospital

,e tc . ,

rece ived previous to 1778 , be ing was laid ou t in the

purchase of South Sea Annu it ies , and in 1 783 a furthe rsum of £ 205 being rece ived as the purchase money aris ing fromthe sale of a house , which had belonged to th e testator, th e sum

of £ 1 80 , part thereof, was laid out in th e pu rchase o f the

further sum of £274 South Sea Annu ities, the residue be ing

carried to th e General Account of th e Char ity. And the

property held in tru st for the support of th e Hospital consists

of O l d Sou th Sea Annu i ties , be ing th e amount of

the Stock purchased as aforesaid , p roducing an annual dividendof £87 14s . 6d .

Th e Hospital contains apartments for e ight poor personsand th e servant , and there is a small garden and forecour t usedby th e poor persons . The Almspeopl e are chosen according to

202 ACKWORTH , YORKS.,

th e directions of th e will from th e parishes of Ackworth and

Pontefract , and they and th e maid se rvant rece ive each of

them a monthly stipend , which var ies accord ing to th e state of

th e income remain ing after th e payment of th e expenses of th e

repairs of th e hospital , and amounts in general to abou t 1 58 . a

piece .

Th e othe r expenses of th e trust , besides that of repairs ,consist of th e salary of th e C le rk , £5 per annum ,

and th e postage

and charges attending th e rece ipt of th e dividends , amounting

in general to 15s. or thereabou ts .

Th e accounts are kept by th e Clerk and Treasu rer andmade up yearly. In 1 8 1 9 the re was a balance of £51 43 . 8d .

in th e hands of th e late Treasu rer , and ,to enforce payment

thereof,an action was brought by the Tru stees in 1 823, but th e

defendant in the action having gone to pri son and taken the

benefit of th e Insolvent Act , th e money was lost .

Th e mode of investment was changed about twenty—five

years ago, and th e property of th e Char i ty now consists of

1 05 .

lid . in Consols,p roducing £9 1 1 28 . 8d .

,which

allows of an income of 1 5s . each per month to th e n ine inmates

th e salary of th e Cle rk be ing . £5 as befo re .

It will be seen that th e Commissioners of 1 826 made no

complain t as to th e accounts of th e Char ity ,bu t in 1 8541 th e

th e Corpo ration Committee alleged that they cou ld get no

accounts except for the p reviou s twelve years.

In 1 865 , a subscription was raised in th e town to give a

slight,

en tertainment ‘

to th e inmates , under th e impression,

nu rtured by a tablet on the face of th e bu ilding,that the

Hospital was establ ished in 1765 bu t as shown above , the realcentenary was on 25 th Octobe r , 1 879 , th e fi rst inmates beingelected on 25th Octobe r , 1779 . Th e year 1 865 was only the

year in which the will had been signed .


204 ACKWORTH,YORKS.,

For three or four centuries,says Mr. Tuke , “ families of

this name (Fothergill) have resided in th e wild and secludedvalleys of Ravenstonedale and Mallerstang

,in Westmoreland

,

which adjoin upon ‘Sedber and Wensleydale .

’

Sufiicient for

us,

i s th e fact,that a John Fothergill migrated thence to

Counterset , in Wensleydale,and afterwards to Carr End

,soon

after the year 1 600 . On the banks of the small

and qu iet lake of ‘Semer Water,

’ there dwelt Alexander andAnn Fothergill , wh o we re p robably convinced by George Fox

(about th e year as ‘h e passed up the Dales, warn ingpeople to fear God , and preaching the eve rlasting Gospel to

Here, in 1 676 , John Foth ergil l th e elder was born,

and,after th e death of his father in 1 695 , h e inhe r ited th e

l i ttle estate at Carr End . A year after his father ’s death,when

about twenty-five years of age , h e began his ministerial work ,

and gave up housekeeping , the house at Carr End, and ,soon

afterwards , even th e land, in order to be more ‘ completely at

l iberty ’

for his jou rneys in th e ministry. When

about thirty - four,h e married Margare t Hough , of Sutton ,

in

Cheshire , a woman likeminded with himself, and settled down

for some years in the o l d family house at Carr End . Hereseven children were born to him

,b rought up with a ‘zealous

concern that they might have an inward experience of a holy

l iving principle ope rating in thei r hearts ’

in order to ‘ lead

them from e rror and unr ighteousness into all truth and the

practice of every Chr istian virtue.

’

Two of these children

th e second son,John Fothergill

, th e future doctor, who was

born on th e 8th of March , 171 2 ,

-

l and Samuel Fothergill, the

sixth son , th e most distinguished Quaker preacher of th e

middle of th e last century,—were striking instances of th e

value of this teaching. After leaving the elementary day

Vide George Fox ’s Journa l , fol io , p . 72 .

f A sm al l pocket Bib le b e longing to Dr. Fo th ergi ll , w as exh ib ited at Ackworthd uring th e Centenary . I t belonged to h is mo th er before h er marriage . On th e

last fl y - leaf is th e follow ing inscription Margaret Hough , H er Book , and sh e

w a s born ye 3oth d ay of ye 3rd Month . 1 679 . O n th e first page of th e New

Te stament —“ Joh n Foth ergi ll wa s born th e 8 th of l st mo . 1712 . JosephFoth ergil l was born 1 6th of 12 th mo . , 1 71 2 -13 .

rrs HISTORY AND ANNALS. 205

school at Frod sh am,in Cheshire , h e was sent (at twelve) to

the ol d - establ ished Grammar School at Sedbergh ,whe re h e

remained for four years, leaving in 1 728 , to be apprenticed for

seven years to Benj amin Bartle tt an eminent apothecary at

B radford,and a Minister in th e Society of Fr iends known to

young Fothergill ’s father, with whom he travell ed extensively.

*

I t was probably as some recogn i tion of th e fidel ity of

these services that h e was libe rated before th e expi ration of his

term of app renticeship, to pursue his medical studies in Edin

bu rgh. In 1 736, young Fothergill wrote his Latin Thesis ;took his degree of M .D.

,and left. Edinburgh

,proceeding to

London,where h e entered himsel f as a pupil in St . Thomas ’s

Hospital . Fou r years later h e took a house in White HartCourt , Gracechu rch Street

,and fai rly established himself in

practice . Here h e laboured unremittingly for forty years,

attain ing to th e highest rank in his p rofession,and numbering

among his patients some of th e most worthy and distinguished

characters of th e century. In 1754 ,Dr. Fothergil l

was elected a Fe llow of the Coll ege of Physic ians of Edinburgh,

and during this time John Wesle y was one of his patients, but ,ill as h e was , his earnest spiri t d id not allow him to carry ou t

th e Doctor’s advice to rest and repair to the Hot Wells at

Bristol for change. Probably, like his comrade Whitfield ,h e

thought that p erpetu al p rea ching was a be tter remedy than

a perpe tual blister. ’

In 1760 , the year in which George II I. came to th e throne ,Dr. Fothergill wrote the address of congratul ation sent by th e

Society of F riends to th e K ing on h is accession to th e Crown,

and shortly afterwards presented a repor t of a Committee of

the Friends ’ Meet ing for Suffe rings, to th e Yearly Meeting on

Education .

His le isure moments were occupied in th e study of chemistry,

conchology, entomology

,coral lines

,and especial ly bo tany ; and

‘. Vide “ Memo irs of th e Life and a view of th e Ch aracter of th e late Dr.

John Foth ergill ,” by Gilbert Th ompsOn , M .D . , 1 782 .

206 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

in 1762 he pu rchased th e gardens at Upton ,so well known in

after days as th e hospital residence and grounds of th e lateSamuel Gurney. He re h e employed no less than fifteen

gardeners and so well known we re his grounds,that fore igners

of all ranks came to visit it . Several plants perpetuate hismemory. Th e F rench botan ist

,Aub l et named a genus

“ Fo the rgilla,

” after h im,now called M iconw Fothergi l l c

’

,and

th e younger Linaeus,an Ameri can shrub . Three other plants

a re named after him ,viz Foth ergil l

’

s Lily Ner in eFother

gi l l i) ; th e Ca l ceol a ria Fothergi l lfi and th e Pe l a rgon ium

Fothergi l l i . Th e Doctor also took a great interest in th e

artistic working of North Amer ican and Corn ish clays,and

often co rresponded with Josiah Wedgewood . Th e black bust

(an engraving of which is here given) , from a mode l taken by

Flaxman,afte r th e death of Dr . Fo th ergil l , i s of Wedgewood

ware . The munificent assistance which h e rendered to AnthonyPurver

,in th e translation and publication of his version of the

Old and New Testaments must not be ove rlooked . Not only

did he give the translator pecun iary assistance to th e extent of

two thou sand pounds, but . i t is said, revised th e whole of the

sheets as they passed through the p ress .

Bu t th e most eventful year in th e Doctor ’s life,so far as

Ackworth is concerned ,is th e year 1777 , in which year Ackworth

School was established, and which Luke Howard styled “ The

Era of a Reformation in our Religious A full

accoun t of th e prel iminary proceedings , and final transactionsconnected with th e pu rchase of Ackworth School , will b e foundin the “ Centenary Proceedings of 1 879 .

Dr. Fothergill paid three visits to Ackworth ,and died on

th e 26th of December, 1780 , at the age of sixty e ight . Thus

ended th e even tful career of “ Ackworth ’s Benefactor,

”

and

t ruly it was a magn ificent sunset. His remains were interredin th e burial ground of Winchmore Hill

,abou t seven m iles

Vide Th e Yorksh ireman ,

”by Luke Howard .



1746.

—D e Diaph ragmate sisse et mu tatis quorundum

visce rum sed ibus , in Cadavere Puel l a decem

mensium ob serva tus, Epistola xliv, 1 1 K

II .~ —SIR ROGER HOPTON .

Sir Roger Hopton,of Armley ,

near Leeds,had a lease of

the manor and demesnes of Ackworth,and probably resided

there . He had served in th e wars in F rance,where h e was

kn ighted . He married Annie, daughter of Savile,by whom

h e had two daughters ; one , marr ied to Kidda l,and the

othe r to Usl eet . He died in 1 506 (2 l st Henry and,

with his wife,was bu r ied in th e south aisle of Ackworth

Churchrl‘

III— REV. THOMAS BRADLEY,D .D .

Dr. Bradley was p resented to th e l ivings of Castleford andAckworth

,5 th March

,1 83 1 , and was at that t ime also Prebend

ary of North Newbal df in York Minster. He was driven

thence by th e troubles of th e Civil Wars,and so remained

until 1 660 ,when

,with th e retu rn of th e K ing (Charles IL) ,

whose Chaplain he subsequen tly became,h e returned to th e

l iving again. From Walker ’s “ Suffe rings of th e C lergy, we

gather the following particulars concerning Dr. Bradley

He was fi rst Chapla in to the ol d Duke of Buckingham,

and went with him to the Isle of Rhea,and th e siege of

Roche lle . After his return h e was made Chaplain to K ingCharles I .

,and had the l ivmgs of Castleford and Ackworth

given him (both in th e K ing’s gift), and was made Prebendary

of York . On the 5th March , 1 631 , h e married Frances , th eyoungest daughter of th e Right Hon . John Lord Savi le ,

Baron

of P‘

ontefract, by whom h e had several children . In th e year

1 642 , h e writes himself Sa cres Theol ogice Professor et

serenissimo Regi Ca rol e a Sa cris .

’

He was a person of most

O l d Yorksh ire ,” Vol . I . . p . 47 .

f Vide Monumental Inscriptions .


incomparable parts and learning,an excellent p reacher

,a ready

and acu te wit, and of a generous and genteel temper. He was

sequestered of his living of Ackworth,and th rust ou t by one

M r. Bu rbeck , a stifi‘l rumped Presby terian . He was sequestered

of C astleford also,which living was u surped by Mr. H . Moor

house,an army chaplain . Dr. Bradley was a very great sufferer.

Tw ice sequestered,and plundered of all that he had

,his lady

and all h is children tu rned out of doors , to seek the ir b read indesolate places and that which most of all h e complained of

,

was the perfid iousness of one John Lake ,of Castleford

,with

whom he trusted his library ,who be trayed it into the hand s

o f his enemies. I heard a gentleman say ,h e once went to see

Dr . Bradley, and that h e was so poor that h e was forced to eat

puddings made of boar ’s blood , and h e found him with this

It is gene rally supposed that Dr. Bradley attended CharlesI . to the scaffold -

l In one of the Parish Registers the

Doctor records that on th e following Candlemas Day,Lady

Frances,his wife

,who had died 3oth January

,at the “ very

same hour (as meere as may be conjectured) where in his "late]Maj esty suffered

,

” was “honourably inter’

d . In all probabili ty,

therefore,the Dr. wou ld not accompany Charles Stuart on th e

scaffold,but

,as is more natural to suppose, was at his proper

place by th e deathbed of h is wife . He remained faithful to th e

house of Stuart until his dea th jz and was a man of mark in his

time .

“ He published ,

” says Walker,

“ some sermons , in th e

ded ication of which,as I am informed

,is to be found more of

his sufferings ; but I have not yet seen it. An oil portrait of

Dr. Bradley ,in good condition ,

is preserved at AckworthRectory.

QC IV .

—WILLIAM BUCHAN ,MD .

In the west cloister of Westminster Abbey l ie the remains

of one wh o was considered a man of mark in his day. He

Vide Wal ker’s Sufierings of th e Clergy ,

” II . , p . 85 .

1 On ly a tradi tion .

2 10 ACKWORTH,YORKS.,

was born at Ancrum,near Jedburgh ,

in Scotland. in 1 729 . Dr .Buchan was educated at Edinburgh

,and first began to practise

his profession as Physician to th e Found l ing Hospital at

Ackworth. Afte rwards h e practised at Sheffield, but , even tually,re turned to Edinbu rgh ,

became a Fe llow of the Royal College

of Physicians , and remained there for some years , havingmarried a lady named Miss Peter. Ultimately , h e removed to

London,Where h e enjoyed a lucrative practice . He died

,

according to the j ournals of th e day,at his son ’s house in Pe rcy

Street , Rathbone Place , Feb . 25th , 1805 , aged 76. His will,

dated 30th January ,1 805 , was not proved until 7th August ,

1 806. To his son ,Dr. Alexander Peter Buchan ,

h e bequeathed

all his literary p roperty and MS S.

,and th e residue of his estate

equally to him and his sister,Helen Buchan

,spinster

,both of

whom proved th e will. Dr . Buchan is best known as the

author of “ Domestic Medicine,or, The Family Physician ,

which was first published in F rom Bel l ch am ber’

s

Biographical D ictionary,”

we get some additional information ,

as follows This popu lar medical wr iter was born in 1729 , atAncrum

,in Roxbu rghsh ire . Be ing destined by his friends for

the Church ,h e repaired to Edinbu rgh to study divinity. At the

Universi ty h e spent nine years , studying anything rather thantheology . At this period of his l ife

,mathematics and botany

were among his favou rite pu rsuits . Finally,h e devoted himself

wholly to medicine . He enjoyed, at this time,th e friendship

of th e il lustrious Gregory, whose liberal maxims are believed tohave had a great influence over his fu ture life . Before takinghis degree

,h e was induced by th e invitation of a fellow student,

to Settle in practice for some time in Yorkshire. While estab

l ish ed in that distr ict,h e became physic ian to th e Ackworth

Fcund l ing Hospital, in which Situation h e laid the foundation

of that knowledge of the diseases of children,which afterwards

appeared so conspicious in his writings . He subsequently

Vide “ O l d Yorksh ire , vol . i i i . , p . 88 ; Ch ester’s “ Westminster AbbeyRegisters ; and Dean Stan ley ’

s M emoria ls of Westminster Abbey .

”


21 2 ACKWORTH ,YORKS. ,

wh o aided him materially in carrying out h is plans and efforts,

especially those of a benevolent character. The education of

th e poor was to Mrs . Howard and her two d aughters,a deeply

interesting obj ect. In 1823 ,M r . Howard purchased th e estate

of Ackworth Villa,which

,from that time

,became th e family

home for the greater part of th e year. Finding there the needof education ,

th e two Miss Howard s commenced a schoo l for

th e farmers ’ daughters in the ne ighbourhood,this be ing held

in a room on th e p remises,and taught by th e lad ies themselves

on three mornings in th e week . Th e Boys ’ Bri tish Schoo l in

th e village was also set on foot by Mr. and Mrs . Howard . T he

school was a great bless ing ,but soon became too large for th e

ar rangement ; and th e younge r siste r planned and bu ilt th e

neat school- room and mistress ’s house,Opposite th e V illa gates .

Her name,Rachel Howard

,is engraved over the front entrance .

Her father partially endowed the school , which is still carriedon with much satisfaction.

For many years Luke Howard successfully carried on th e

business of a manufactu ring chemist at Stratford , in Essex .

In this h e was su cceeded by his two sons , Robert and JohnEliot, and the firm still continues under th e name of Howardand Sons.

The latter years of his life were very much spent at

Tottenham ,where, unde r th e roof of his eldest son,

h e enjoyed

a l l the care and comfort that could be bestowed on an honoured

ol d age . He died in 1 864 , at th e advanced age of. ninety- two ,

in th e true faith and trust of the Saviour whom h e had loved

and served . Since his death, the family have not resided at

Ackworth , though the estate remains in the ir possession . It is

now th e residence of Captain Armytage, known as“ The Cou rt .”

In 1 823, h e invited a number of them to drink tea with him ,at

th e V illa,

”

and in 1 829 , h e most “ kindly rendered assistancein the ‘Apothecary’s shop ’ in dispensing medicine

,during a

visitation of fever, acqu iring thereby, from one of the nurses,th e designation of ‘

the ol d Potecary. The following anecdote


is told of h im —“ I recol l ect says Thomas Hunton,

“on one

occasion,Luke Howard

,with his characte rist ic disregard of

conventionalities, breaking up the week-day meeting after

about half- an-hou r, remarking , much in unision with our

feelings , that, under the present circumstances , h e thought

th e child ren ought to have shorter meet ings and a moregenerous die t. He was an au thor of some repute , and was

deeply read in the science of meteorology .

VI .—REV. TIMOTHY LEE

,D .D .

This worthy divine was the reve red Rector of Ackworthfrom 1744 to 1 777 . A faithful biographer wou ld not shrink

from recording th e vices as well as th e virtues of his subject,

bu t in this instance ,nothing but good is left upon record . Dr,

Lee was a model pastor from whichever direction h e is viewed,one over which even Herbert himself wou ld have waxed warm

with enthusiasm . That h e was a charitable man may be

gathered from his will . In one of th e parish books Dr. Lee is

called Rector and benefactor of Ackworth . In Mr. Th ompson ’s Centenary Histo ry of Ackworth School, i t is said that

the Architect was a Mr. Watson , though Dr. Timothy Lee,

the Vicar (sic) of Ackworth , planned th e centre .

” St. Cuthbert ’s

Cottage,near th e Church ,

was bu ilt by Dr. Lee for th e use of

h is wife in case sh e survived him ; but the Rector survived,

Mrs . Lee dying before th e bu ilding was fin ished,and which

was afte rwards occupied by two maiden ladies named Walker ,sisters of George Clark Walker, Esq .

,of Doncaster

,who was

three times Mayor of that town .

Cop y of Cl a use in the Wel l of the Rev. Timothy Lee, D .D .,

Rector of A ckw orth , da ted 30th M a rch ,1 777.

I give and devise unto Anthony Surtees , of Ackworth ,

Esqu ire ,and his he irs

,all that smal l parcel of land as it is now

fenced off from the Hempyards, in Ackworth aforesaid , wherein

th e grotto stands not now belonging to th e Rectory ; but Irequest that th e said Anthony Surtee s and his he irs will for


e ver hereafter permit th e Rector of Ackworth for the time

be ing to enjoy and occupy th e said parcel of ground ,withou t

paying anything for th e same . And I also request that th e

said Anthony Surtees, or his heirs, will do any lawful act for

conveying and assuring th e same parcel of ground to my

successors, Rectors of Ackworth ,aforesaid, for ever.

”

Excep tion of the p iece of l a nd in the H emp ya rd s, a bove

referred to, ou t of the conveyance from D r . Lee to the

Tru stees of M r . Fra ncis Sykes .

“ By Indenture hearing date th e 29th day of May,1765 ,

made between the Rev . Timothy Lee , Doctor in D ivinity,of

th e one part , and W i lliam Sykes and Willi am Willock ,in trust

for Francis Sykes, Esq. , of the o the r part, for th e considerationsthere in mentioned

, th e said Timothy Lee hath conveyed , from

and after his decease,unto th e said Will iam Sykes and W illiam

Willock,amongst other lands and tenements

,all t hat parcel of

land called th e Hempyard ,in Ackworth

,ex cept one part of th e

said Hempyard ,about th e middle of th e west side thereof,

then and for a long time used and occupied with the plantation,

or Brick-kiln Croft,belonging to th e Rectory of Ackworth

,

upon par t of which is bu i l t a grotto and th e rest is a plantation,

and is now separated from th e said Hempyard by a stone wall ;and which piece O f ground is 23 yards, or thereabou ts, from

east to west,and 35 yard s, or upwards, from north to south .

”

There is an oil portrait of Dr. Lee at th e Rectory,which is

well worth th e inspection of connoiseurs . On the back of th e

picture is fastened a faded sheet of paper bearing th e followinginscription

TIMOTHY LEE,

IWAS PRESENTED TO THE RECTORY OF ACKWORTH

,

DECR,1 744.

HE DIED THERE APRIL 1 9TH ,1777, AGED 63 YEARS.

UNIVERSALLY LAMENTED,

BEFORE HE HAD BEEN BELOVED AND HONOURED BY H IS

PARISHIONERS.


2 1 6 ACKWORTH,YORKS

,

of Captain Russell , of Newton House,i t appears that th e Earl

hunted th e most days in 1 8 1 1,having been out 1 92 days . In

1807, h e was ou t 106 days , and killed 1 03 foxes , beginning on

th e 3rd of October,and ending on th e l 6th of April. On Lord

Darlington,afterwards l st Duke of Cleveland , giving up th e

country,Mr. Mark Milbank

,of Thorpe Penow ,

near Bedale ,was requested to hunt th e Bedale country ,

which he unde rtookin 1 832 , originating

'

the Bedale Hunt,th e presen t Master of

which is Mr. Geo. Wm . Elliot , M .P. for th e Richmondsh ire

D ivis ion . William Hen ry , 3rd Earl of Darlington,K .G .

,who

was born in 1766 , was created Marquess of Cleveland in 1 827 ,and elevated to the Dukedom in January

,1 833 , and died on

January 29 th,1 842

,when the honours devolved on his e ldest

son,Henry

,th e 2nd Duke of Cleveland .

*

VI II. —M R GULLY,M .P.

John Gully,late of Ackworth Park , and M .P. for Pontefract,

and th e well-known sportsman,died at Du rham ,

on Monday,

March 9 th ,1 863 , in th e 80 th year of his age . In all the crowd

of “ characters that have eve r made up th e ring on a race - course,

there were few more famous,and no one whose career has been

so much of a romance , as that of John Gully . He was indeed

essentially one of the men of his time , and the tyro or strange rwould crave for a look at him long before his hero -worship

would centre on th e jockey- lord,e tc . And yet Mr. Gu lly was

by no means a remarkable man in his appearance , or, rather ,in no way noticeable for th e mere emphasis of his tone or the

quaint c ut of his coat. W ith a mien singularly quiet andalmost subdued, be associated the air and p resence of a gentleman , while his fine frame and commanding figure gave an

innate dign ity to his deportment that none wh o knew him

would care to question. In fact,as you r gaze rested on him it

was almost impossible to identify the man with th e earl ie rstages of his history

,— th e butcher’s boy , the prize-figh ter, th e

I am indeb ted to th e Rev . R . V . Tay lor, B .A. , "or th is and th e followingsketch—arms .


publ ic -house landl o rd, or th e outside betting man . I t waseasier far to recognise him as a coun try squ ire of good estate

,

the owner of a long string of racehorses,or the honourable

member of a reformed Parliament . In a new country likeAmerica or Australia, we can readily imagine that th e fightingbutcher might in due t ime develop into th e state ly Senator ;but here

,in Old England

,M r. Gully ’s success was unparalleled .

And h e owed this,not merely to his great wealth

,but far more

to his keen judgment, his good sense , and a ce rtain straightforward respectability about everything h e did . The gentlemen

of the turf from the very first , took kin dly to Gully,for t hey fel t

they could do so wi thou t any of the danger or disgust but toooften resulting from th e society of a self—made man . Mr. Gully

was born at Bristol , some t ime in the year 1783 . He was brought

up to th e t rade of a butcher, bu t very soon evinced a handiness

in taking care of himself, in sundry fistic tou rneys with hiscomrades about home . On leaving th e ring

,Mr. Gu lly

,l ike

most successful pugilists, incl ined to th e pu blic life of a Boni

face,and was for many years landlord of “ Th e Plough

,

” in

Carey Stree t, Lincoln’s Inn Fields . But ano ther ring found

attractions for him ,and he very soon devo ted himsel f to th e

business of a be tting man . In 1 8 12 h e h ad horses of his own,

and in 1 827 he pu rchased th e winner of th e Derby ,Mameluke

,

from Lord Jcrsey ,for 4000 gu ineas . In 1 832 he

,along with a

partner,Mr . R idsdale, won both the Derby and th e Leger.

Shortly after this, h e assaulted M r . R idsdale in the hunt ing

fie l d ,and had £500 to pay as damages . He also fought a due l

with Mr. Osbalde ston , who sent a ball through his hat . As M r .

Gul ly examined th e course of th e ball , h e jokingly remarked ,

“ I t is be tter through my hat than through my head.

”

He

must h ave been very successful , for he pu rchased Upper Ha rePark

,near Newmarke t from Lord Rive rs , whe re he for some

time resided ; bu t h e sold this to Sir Mark Wood,and bought

in 1 83 1 , for Ackworth Park ,near Pontefract ; an

accession which somewhat unexpected l v l ed to his representing


,

that Borough in th e Radical interest for some sessions inParliament . He was twice retu rned

,and on th e fi rst occasion

withou t a contest . During his long sojourn there , he alsofigu red as a good man over a country, and as one of the chief

supporters of th e Badsworth Foxhounds. But th e turf, afterall

,was his ruling passion ; his horses won both th e Oaks and

th e De rby in 1 846,th e famou s Sam Day being his jockey.

Rarely has any man enjoyed more signal success in his favouri tepu rsui t ; bu t , as we have said before , Gu lly owed much of this

to'

his fine judgment,e specially in the way in which h e could

reckon up a race -horse , or pick ou t a young one . Latterly , what

with increasing years and failing strength,h e had gradually

declined,and having sold Ackworth to M r. Hill, had lived some

years at M arwel l Hall,near Winchester, though h e had still

property in the North,including

,we believe , some coal mines

and hence his death occurring at Du rham . He left a family

of five sons and five daugh te rs , and his funeral took place atAckwo rth Park

,being attended by th e Mayor and Corporation ,

e tc . His will was p roved unde r pe rsonal ity, the execu

tors being Mrs . Mary Gully,his re lict

,and M r . Thos . Belk ,

of

Hartlepool,his son - in - l aw

,etc . , th e dispositions being confined

to members of his family . Among th e specific bequests is oneof a piece of plate p resented to th e testator by th e burgesseso f th e borough of Pontefract , which h e bequeathed to his son

Richard, etc . Mr. Gully was also for some t ime a Unitarian

p reacher, and kept a Chapel somewhere (on his own estate, I

think), in which h e himself used to officia te .

James Smith,11] his “ Rejected Addresses

,gives the

following epigrammatic reason for th e election of John Gu lly ,

th e pugilist, for PontefractI You a sk me th e ca use th a t made Pon tefract sully ,

H er fame , by returning to Parliament Gully ?T h e e tymologica l cause , I suppo se , isH is brea k ing th e bridges of so many nose s .

The word Pontefract means broken br idge .

Mr . John Gully is said to have bought Ackworth Park ,

containing abou t 200 acres, with its large house and bu ildings ,



examined and adopted as his own ,continuing to be warmly

attached to them to th e close of his long life. Whilst still a

young man ,h e took charge of a Boarding School at Ll anid l ass

,

in Montgomeryshire , established , in great measure,by th e well

known Quake r ph il anthroph ist , Richard Reynolds,for th e

edu cation of children of th e Soc iety of. Friends, res ident in

Wales . Here h e remained four years, during which h e became

much in terested in th e Welsh people , whose language h elearnt to speak and read with considerable facil ity, and ,

when

circumstances,not ent irely under h is own con trol

,induced him

to leave his Camb r ian home , h e did so with great regret. In

th e year 1 805 h e was appo inted to the superintendence of the

F riends ’ School,in Ackwor th, which proved to be a most

arduous unde rtaking,in consequence O f th e finances of the

Institution not then be ing,by any means

,adequate to its

requirements,so that for many years h e had a constant struggle

in o rder that expenses might be kept within the l imits of

income . To effect this most desirable O bject,h e cheerfu lly

made great personal sacrifice s . Robe rt Whitaker’s ex traordinaryintu itive perception of charac te r

,his strong sense of j ustice

,

and h is delicate tact, secured for him th e hearty co - operation

of those wh o labou red unde r him,and

,although h is nume rous

duties did not allow of his spending much time in th e schools ,th e Teachers well knew that he possessed a tole rably accurateacquaintance with what was passing in them

,whilst th e warm

interest h e took in the ir own private studies was an incenti veto diligence in this direc tion , which, in not a few instances , l ed

to very creditable resu lts. Of th e indiv idual charac ters of thepupils in the School , h e was able to fo rm a singularly correctestimate , and i t is scarcely too

‘much to add that h e possessed

th e l oi

ve and respect of a large number Of them ,both on th e

boys ’ and th e girls ’ sides of th e house. Th e charge of so largea numbe r of young people was felt by Robert Whitaker to

in volve great responsibility,and , as he was sensitively alive to

th e su fferings of his fellow creatures , i t was a great distress to

ITs HISTORY AND ANNALS. 221

him when illness prevailed in th e family. He studied th e

treatment of diseases incident to children , and was able to

presc ribe remedies and to devise plans which we re found to beof great use

,more especially so

,as th e Medical attend ants of

the Institu tion were then resident at a distance of three miles

from it .

Though a practical agriculturist was engaged to have charge

of th e Farm attached to the establishment,i ts financial conce rn s

were in th e hands Of Robe rt Whitake r,wh o also took great

interest in the general management of i t ; and as his sympathies

were by no means confined to his fellow creatures of the humanfamily

,but extended to all beings endowed with life and fee ling,

his concern was O ften manifested for th e animals on th e farm .

He studied the diseases of cattle to some extent,and th e w ri ter

of this ske tch has a l ively recollection of the sorrow depictedon his countenance as h e stood by an invalid cow

,whose

suffer ings h e was anxiou s to rel ieve .

Very keen was his appreciation of the beauties of nature,

both in its grander and softer aspects . Fine trees h e greatlyadmired

,and was very particular about th e timber on the

School estate,which could then boast of some splendid oaks

,

such indeed as are scarcely to be seen in th e district now. The

large garden also had a share of his attention,and with great

pains h e supplied i t with a capital stock of fruit trees,which

h e lived to see produce abundant crops . Of flowers h e

exceedingly fond,and would have taken great pleasure in th e

cu l ture O f them,cou ld h e have found le isure for it.

Whilst closely occupied by duties of a rather heterogeneous

nature,he fully maintained his position as the head of an

educational establishment,and he corresponded extensively

with persons in various parts of th e island wh o were interested

in th e subject of edu cation . Strangers who visi ted th e School

conversational powers ; and if h e had not leisure to mingle


extensively with his fellow- residents in Ackworth and its

vicini ty,i t was fully understood by them that th e high standard

of Chr istian character was a true guarantee that , under allci rcumstances, h e wou ld pu rsue an honourable cou rse wh erethei r interests were concerned, and in him th e poor felt they

had a true friend .

In th is feeling of general respect ,RobertWhitaker’

s excellent

wife,wh o was a true helpe r in his labou rs and cares , had a full

share . Sh e died ,after a short illness, when on a journey, in

th e year 1 833 , and i t was abundantly p roved that th e even t

which prostrated her hu sband ,was a sorrow in which Friends

and neighbours feelingly participated .

If Robert Whitaker was what may be termed a“ s trict

Fr iend, i t may truly be written of him ,that h e loved all, of

whatsoever denomination , wh o l oved th e Lord Jesus Christ in

sincer ity.

This sketch will scarcely be complete without alluding to

th e fact that Robert Whitake r took great interest in various

phil anth roph ic movemen ts of th e day ,amongst which th e

Br itish and Foreign Bible Society, and th e Anti - Slave ry Societymay be especially mentioned .

Th e following letter from John Hattersley, h ow was equa l ly

famous as a Lingu ist , as a Mathematician ,Is Inse rted on account

of the testimony it bears to th e soundness of the e lementary

instruction given at Ackworth School during his superintend

ence of i t

Dear and respected Friend ,I cannot but write to tel l th ee of th e favourab le completion of my

stud ies at Cambridge , on th e 22nd inst . I learnt my p lace in th e Math ematica lL ist ,— 8th Wrangler . Th is is a much better degree th an I h ad ventured to h opefor ; it iis , in a l l h uman probab ility , th e introduction to a course of occupation of

O f a ch aracter th e most con sonant to my ta stes and pursuits , th e teach ing of

young men of a h igh order of intel lect , —th e p icked men of England , I m igh tsay ,

—under c ircumstances the most favourab le for success . At Ackworth Sch ool ,and und er thy government , I began th at court s of study wh ich h as issued in th issuccess : to th e sound elementary instruction I rece ived th ere , I am quite sure , Ih ave been ind ebted for my be st h ab its , such as h ave done much to antagon ize th ea lmost inevitab le evils of an after course of se lf- instruction . As th e first Ackworth sch ol ar, I believe , wh ose name h as been pub l ish ed on th e door of our


224 ACKWORTH,YORKS.,

Sessions , th e duties of which h e had performed w ith great

ability for more than twenty years . On this occasion,h e was

presented with a splendid vase,as a token of his people ’s

affection . His character and talents we re greatly admired bya l l those who came w i thin th e sphe re of his acquaintance

,and

cause h im to b e remembered by his friends with affection , and

by his polit ical enemies (for personal enemies h e had none) witha feeling of deep respect. Early introduced into th e most

pol ished ci rcles,and th e best li terary socie ty of his own time ,

he constan tly b ore about him the marks of that refined spherein which h e had been nu rtu red

,and never fo rgot what was due

to himself or o thers in his intercou rse with men of every class

and station ; of a cast of mind and frame of body almost alikehercu lean

,h e cou ld grapple with the greatest legal difficulties ,

and undergo the most continued bodily exertion with a pe rseverance and e ase which it astonished his feebler associates to

contemplate . No threat of personal danger cou ld shake a

nerve of his frame ; no sudden mental difficul ty find his intellect

unprepared ; no rudeness of personal insult disturb th e

equanamity of h is temper. His conduct as a magistrate is

confessed ,even by those wh o feel no great affection for his

acknowledged Opin ions , to have been beyond al l praise . Fiveminu tes before th e Open ing of th e court

,always found him

seated in th e chair ; and while h e occupied it, the mingled

dignity and suavity O f his deport-ment,

. th e knowledge even of

th e nicest techn icalities , as well as of th e general p rin ciples oflaw which h e exhibited , the unbiassed impartiality with which

h e formed his decisions, and , th e concise, dignified , and perspicuous language with which those decisions were enunciated ,all tended to vindicate th e majesty of th e law

,and Secure

admiration and regard towards him who so admirably dispens ed

it.

It is painfu l to look back to th e melancholy scenes which

were enacted on the celebrated 1 6th of August,181 8 . But we

believe that all right- thinking men,and real patriots of what


ever shade of pol itical opinion,are now ready to confess that

Manchester owed“

then as much to th e firmness and admirablecoolness and decision of Mr. Hay, as Newport has more recently

done to th e patriot ic conduct of Sir Thomas Phillips. F romthe time he qu i tted th e chair of th e Quarter Sessions

,Mr. Hay

resigned,in a great measure , the duties of a magistrate

,and

devoted himsel f exclusively to those of his sacred profession .

In that profession ,h e maintained the same love of order and

adherence to principle , th e same contempt of mere popu larity

at th e expense of right,which distingu ished his legal career.

This rigid adherence to the l ine of stric t duty brought upon

him much public Obloquy and personal d isqu ie t, which a less

precise line of conduct would have escaped ; but h e grappled

with all th e diffi cu l ties of such a situation with th e intellect

of a giant, e ncountered his bitterest opponents with the unvary

ing manners of a gentleman , and submitted to evils which h e

cou ld not overcome, with th e philosophy and piety of a Christian .

In the intercourse of private life , th e playfu l br ill iance of his

imagination,as well as th e almost infantile simplicity of his

fancy,his well stored fund of historical and pol i tical knowledge

which from a long and accurate observation of m en and things

had brought,his pleasing reminiscences of great men and great

events in th e last generation, united with a perfect knowledge

of, and unfail ing interest in th e men and events of the present,

his kind consideration for th e wants and wishes of all around

him,from th e highest to the lowest, his unchanging good

humour, his faithful attachment , his sober and unaffected piety ,

will j ustify his personal friends in saying what has often beensaid before

,but never with more tru th :

“We ne ’

er shall look

upon his like again .

”

The remainder of his life at Ackworth was marked only by

a faithful and earnest discharge of his ministerial duties . There

are still living a few very ol d inhabitants of Ackworth who

remember him with affection ,and cherish his portrait with

pride, because i t was given to them by“Old Mr. Hay.

”

He died

226 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

on th e l oth December, 1 839 , aged 78 years, and was buriedNW . of the Churchyard ,

ale by th e side of his wife “ In myearly days ,

” says Miss Whittaker, an O l d resident of Ackworth,

th e society in the village was considered to be of a decidedly

superior order, th e Rector (th e Rev .W. R. Hay) be ing a relative

of th e Earl of Kinnard , and his marriage with the widow of a

wealthy gentleman of Duk infiel d,near Manchester, named

Astley,probably secured for him a good position in the district.

Miss Mary Hay,his only daughter

,was a lady of a peculiarly

kind and genial dispos ition,and

,like h er mother

,was greatly

beloved by th e villagers . Dr. Hay’s only son (The Rev . Edward

Hay) was born in 1 800.

fi XI.—ALEXANDER PETER BUCHAN, M D .

This “ physician of no mean repute was th e only son of

the celebrated Dr. William Buchan ,and was born at Ackworth

in 1763 . He died at Weston Street, Somers Town , December5th

,1 824, aged 61 , and was laid to rest among the illustrious

and the brave , by th e Side of his father In th e west cloister ofWestminster Abbey. His wil l

,dated 3rd June , 1 824, was

proved 28th January, 1 825 . He bequeathed £70 per annum

for th e maintenance and education of his only child,Helen

Anna Buchan , during h er minority, and th e residue of h is

estate to his wife and sister, except £1 00, which h e gave to his

cousin,Alexander Peter Buchan . In an affidavit

,h e was

described as late of Percy Street, St. Marylebone , Doctor of

M edicinerl‘

7K

XII.—WILLIAM HOWITT,

Better known as th e popular writer of “ Books for Boys,and

whose” name i s a “Household Word in every home, was

born at Heanor, on th e borders of the Peak of Derbyshire,

Deer. 18th ,1792 . and educated at Ackworth . He gives a

Vide Monuments .

f Vide ol d Yorksh ire ,” Vol . III . , p . 89 .

I Vide Boys’ Country Book ,” p . 2 .



wife,unto th e Rector of Ackworth , th e Rector of Hemsworth

,

and th e V icar of Pontefract , for th e time being,th e M ayor

,

Recorder,and two senior Aldermen of th e Borough of Ponte

fract for th e t ime being, upon trust that they and his friend

Mr. Alderman Samuel Saltonstall should put th e same out at

interest , and pay and apply th e produce thereof (after payment

of some annuities) for th e maintenance , support, and comfortablel iving and subsistence of nine poor unmarried persons of theProtestant religion , for ever ; to be nominated

,chosen

,and

elected as follows,viz. : the said trustees to nominate and choose

two poormen and two poor women wh o should live in Ackworth,

and two poor men and two poor women who should live in

Pontefract , and also one other woman who should live in e ither

of the said townships, to b e th e servant of th e said e ight poor

persons,and to wai t and attend upon them as such and which

said e ight poor persons and their servant should from time to

t ime have the said interest, produce , and d ividends paid equally

amongst them , share and share alike. And the said testator

wills and declares that no married person shall be capable of

being elected one of th e said nine persons,and that if any of

them do afterwards marry , that such person shal l cease to have

any share in the said produce and dividends, and be displaced

from having any benefits or advantage. And h e also gives th esaid trustees power to diSpl ace any of the said persons gu ilty

of any immorality,misconduct

,or bad behaviour. And also

to fi ll up vacancies,so as there shall always b e therein two poor

men and two poor women ,belonging to each of th e said town

ships of Ackworth and Pontefract, and a maid servant. Andh e gives th e said trustees a discretionary power as to the bestmethod of perpetuating and performing the trusts of his will,and all matters and things relating thereto.

On February 9th ,1778 , the trustees held their first meeting

to pu t the said will in execution, and soon afterwards purchaseda piece of ground in Northgate, and built a handsome house

thereon under the directions of the said Mr. Saltonstal l. On


October 25 th,1 779, th e said hospital being ready for th e

reception of i ts intended inhabitants , th e trustees'nominated

e ight poor persons and a servant to dwell therein according to

the said wi l l,and ordered them to be paid ten Shill ings each

every calendar month .

Th e vacancies arising by death or otherwise have been

regularly filled up from time to time , and th e trustees have

laid out the testator ’s estate in th e purchase of Sou th Sea

Annuities,th e dividends of which are paid monthly to th e

poor people of thi s hospital,now amounting to fifteen shill ings

each person and th e trustees take care to keep their respective

apartments clean and in good repa ir, rendering this place a

desirable and comfortable retreat to ol d age and infirmity.

XIV—DR. JOHN FOTHERGILL .

John Fothergill, M D and founder of Ackworth

School , was born at Carr End, Semerwater,between Askrigg

and Hawes,in Wensleydale , on th e 8th of March,

1 71 2 . He was

educated at Sedbergh School , and apprenticed to Benj amin

Bartle tt,an eminent apothecary at B radford, and afterwards

studied at Edinburgh and London . Here,during the succeeding

forty years (from h e laboured unremittingly,attaining to

the highest rank in his profession , and numbering among hi s

patients some of the most worthy and dis tinguished characters

of th e century. But in estimating his character,i t wou ld be a

great mistake to regard him simply as a great physician ; i t was

in its highest and widest meaning, as a fri end to man ,that h e

h as a claim upon our regard and admiration . There is scarcely

a po int which affects the physical , moral , and religious interest

of the race , which did not attrac t his attention,and rece ive

benefi t from his j udicious and untiring labours .

Notwithstanding th e intense pressure of his varied engage

ments,we find that h e was an Elder, and became a member of

the Yearly Mee ting’ s Committee,appo inted to visit th e Meetings

of Friends in the various counties of England . He was thus


engaged for many weeks, chiefly in Yorkshire , Lancashire ,and

Westmoreland,and it was whilst thus engaged that h e paid

his last visit to Carr End,in 1 777. It may have been that

these visits,and th e ignorance h e found in many quarters , gave

additional force to his long- cherished desire to see a sound and

Christian education more generally valued, and made accessible

to all classes in th e Society of Fr iends . Be this as it may ,i t

was in this year that h e succeeded in giving a practical shape

to his long—cher ished wish and we now come to that point in

our narrative which,extending over th e three remaining years

of Dr . Fothergill’s life, gives th e history of th e establishmen t

of .Ackworth School, which was, as Luke Howard justly called

it,

“th e Era of a Reformation in our Rel igious Society . Nor

does it render him less entitled to have his name handed down

to th e latest poste ri ty, as th e founder Of Ackworth School , thath e did not

,as has often been stated, purchase i t wholly,

and

present it to the Society. And jointly with his name,and

entitled to our gratitude and remembrance, we must not omit

to mention that of his warm and devoted friend, David Barclay,

of London and in Yorkshire , those of his friends , John Hustle ,of Bradford

,and Wm . Tuke

,of York .

In the summer of 1780 (the last of his life), Dr. Fothergill

paid his second,and subsequently a third, visit to Ackworth

School.

One of th e most important objects of Dr. Fothe rgill’s l ifewas now accomplished

,and we can only devote a few words to

th e account of its close . Before do ing so ,however

,th e following

graphic description of Dr. Foth ergil l , as h e appeared probablyat the time of his last visi t to York

,written by a great nephew,

cannot fail to be of interest :

Extract from Records of John Fothergill,of York (1743)

Dr. Fothergil l was pious, generous, and benevolent, rather

above the middle size ; very del icate and slender, of a sanguine

temperamen t ; his forehead finely proportioned ; his eyes lightcoloured

,b r illiant

,acute, and deeply penetrating ; his nose


232 ACKWORTH ,YORKS.

,

Ackworth (since called by his name) with for training

young men to be teachers in th e Society of Friends . Th e

building was opened for students in th e summer of 1 848. The

instruction,according to th e trust deed, includes ancient and

modern languag es, mathematics, and natural philosophy in all

its parts,to which have been added other subjects to mee t

recent requ irements of education,or having more immediate

reference to the Socie ty. T he Institution was intended to

accommodate twelve pupils (see also th e History of Ackworth

School,

” and Wh el l an ’

s“ North Riding

,

”

vol . i i. , p . 175 ,

He also bequeathed £500 to th e Grammer School at Yarm,

and £ 1000 , in th e Three Per Cents,to th e Yarm National

School,for which 50 children are taught free ; and £500 for

the founding and endowing of an Infant School there. This

munificent benefactor also left £20 a year to th e poor of that

parish . A scheme has just been passed for establishing, on a

large scale, a boarding school of th e second grade,for the

counties of Northumberland,Durham , and the North Riding

of Yorkshire ; and it affords an interesting example of the

combination of th e older endowed system,with the simple

country school. Th e foundation consists of about

th e property of an ol d foundation,St . John’s Hosp ital

at Barnard Castle , where th e School is to be situated ; of aboutbequeathed some thirty years ago by Benj . Flounde rs

,

of Yarm,in North Yorkshire

,for the promotion of education

of any class in any part of Her Majesty’s dominions ; and of

raised by voluntary subscriptions , for a build ing fund .

Th e North-Eastern County School is said in th e sch eme, to be

intended mainly for th e sons of farmers and tradesmen , of

eleven years ol d and upwards,whose education is supposed to

terminate at sixteen ; with accommodation for about 350

boarders , at £31 a year.

XVI—JOHN BRIGHT.

Reference has been made elsewhere to this illustrious name,

but the following additional information will no doubt be read


with interest by those who delight to honour the memory of

our departed friend John Bright .

The “ Liverpool Cou r ier ”

of May 24th , 1 888 in one of i ts

leaders, contributes th e following testimony The B rightfamily, John Bright in particular, have always been regarded

as model Quakers. He i s related to families whose names areamongst th e most venerated in th e history of th e denomination .

He i s connected by marriage with the M’

Larens,a name

honoured in th e capital of Scotland his second wife was a

sister of that scholarly eloquent Quaker, th e Wakefield banker,Edward A. Leatham ,

and h e was related to such well-known

and respected Friends as Gurney,Lucas

,and others . Whether

i t is in th e secluded Quaker colony of agricu lturists of Ack

worth— a charming spot between Wakefield and Pontefractwhere Mr. Bright received his early education

,and where h e

was afterwards a frequent and welcome visitor to his brother

in -l aw at Hemsworth Hall, and at the village of Ackworth ; in

the great manufacturing towns of Lancashire,or in th e Friends ’

meet ing-house in this ci ty, where h e was sometimes to be seen

when h e came to Liverpool , Mr. Bright has always been honoured

for his high personal character, and is a model member of that

religious body with which h e and his family have so long been

prominently identifiet

From th e Rock of a more recent date , I cull th e following

extract

Th e Quakers’ “ Testimony to John Bright is now being

privately circulated . I t has the quaint o l d phraseology adopted

generations ago. I t is a testimony from the Lancashi reMonthly Meeting, which sends i t

“to th e power and goodness

of God asshown in th e l ife and services of John Bright , M P.

”

After stating in a sentence his birth and death ,i t says that

“D ivine grace enabled our friend John Bright to be a true

minister of Jesus Christ in the remarkable line of service to

which he was call ed.

” I t detail s his taste for study, his“ deep

sense of responsibil i ty in the sight of God , and his intense


human sympathy,his love and reverence for the Scriptures,

and his simple habits, diligent attendance of Quaker meetings,

and loyal ty to the Society of Friends. Without flattery of th e

dead statesman, i t testifies fully to his worth among his own

people .

Another phase in John Bright ’s life i s revealed by the

Liverpool Evening Echo , of December 1st,1889, as follows

By accidental conversation in a railway compartment

during a journey last June to Ackworth for th e Old Scholars’

Meeting, Mr. Hodgson (th e au thor of some remarks on John

Bright ’s schooldays, in“

th e Ackworth Old Scholars ’ Magazine)learned that Joshua Sutcliffe , of Todmorden,

was at Newton

School with Bright, his bedfe llow and close companion ; and

there was a damsel there, Alice Wilkinson,of Slaidburn

,who

attracted th e fancy of both boys . Bright’s love of arbitration

would almost appear to have shown incipient budding even

thus early,for we are told that, instead of becoming deadly

rivals as per th e fashion of fiction, so close was th e friendsh l pof th e two boys, that they entered into th e school-boy compact

that John was to marry Alice ; and Joshua, John’s sister.’ How

this l ittle romance worked itsel f out history sayeth not, but we

learn that when Joshua, in due time, went to Slaidburn to

propose to Alice , his bosom fr iend John accompanied him ,and

sh e was married to Joshua Sutcliffe in By all th e rules

of love- telling this should terminate th e tale But Joshua

Sutcliffe died in 1 873 , and Alice, his widow,during the present

year. Amongst h er most treasured possessions , after h er

decease, this letter was found

Rochdal e, January 17th, 1873.

My Dear Mrs. Sutcliffe ,— I will venture to address you ,

although it is so many years since we met. I was grieved and

shocked to hear of your great bereavement, and I wish, even

at th e risk of seeming intrusion at this sad time, to tell you

h ow deep is my sympathy for you . This event carries my



there,and to some wh o were not there . If our people knew

more of what is good for them ,they might be much happier

than they are ; they would have more comfortable homes, and

they would be able to secure for themselves a better government ; w e should have less of war, and ignorance, and poverty,and crime. I have always wished for th i s

,and have spoken

earnestly for i t. When you grow up , and have more influencethan you have now ,

I hope i t will always be used in favour of

justice and mercy, and goodness ; and now , even among your

schoolfellows , you can do some good if you wish to do it, which

I do not for a moment doubt . ’

XVII .—JOHN GRAHAM .

Another name which deserves a place in the “Annals of

Ackworth,

” is that of John Graham . The “ Leeds Mercury,

”

of September 26th ,1 889 , in an obituary of him

,says

Yesterday th e remains of this,

gentleman were interred in

the Friends ’ Burial Ground , Low Ackworth . For many years

prior to 1878 , h e was proprietor of th e Temperance and School

Hotel and Posting House attached to th e famous Friends ’

School at Ackworth . He died a few days ago at th e age of 76

years. He was a member of th e Society of Friends,and in

connection with the large educational establishment and

Flounders’ College at Ackworth , was well -known throughout

England by members of th e Society of Friends . He had

res ided in Ireland for about eleven years past . A few months

ago h e had a desire to return to his native“ village of flowers ”

at Ackworth to end his days, and this was granted him,his

death occurring at his s ister’s residence—Mrs. Knight’s . A

number of th e inhabitants of Ackworth were present at th efuneral

,and at the grave , after a brief silence, Mr. G. Satter

thwaite offered up a prayer. There were present at th e graves ideMr. John G raham ,

Mr. Thomas Graham (sons), from Ireland

Mr. Al fred Graham and Mrs. Graham (Preston) ; Mr . and Mrs .

Wood (Holmfirth ) ; Mr. F. Andrews, B .A. (Ackworth School) ;


Mr. and Mrs. Taylor (Pontefract) ; Mr. G . Satterthwaite, Mr.

Jonah Barratt, Mr. Ransome, Mr. J . Simpson (Ackworth) and

many others. After the coffin had been lowered , th e sorrowingrelatives and friends adjourned to the Friends

’ Meeting-house ,where words of consolation were given by several present .

XVIII—WILLIAM MARCUS FALLOON,M .A.

Th e Rev . W. M . Fal l oon,M .A. ,

was born near Belfast,in th e

north of Ireland, and graduated at Trinity College, Dublin ,in

th e year 1 837. He took honors in Hebrew and in Classics,and

was a scholar Of his college. He was ordained in April,1838,

by th e then Bishop of Down and Connor,Dr. Mant ; and had

both Deacon ’s and Priest’s Orders within th e same year. His

fi rst Curacy was at Ballinderry, on th e borders of Lough Neah ,

—th e’

parish in which the distinguished Dr. Jeremy Tayloronce lived and ministered Th e ruins Of the Church in which

Dr. Taylor served may still be seen on the borders of th e lake.

The stumps of ol d pear trees,said to have been planted by th e

same Bishop, used also to be found in th e Parish,close to a

bowling greenfwhere th e saintly man was wont to play for

exercise and health. Mr. Fa l l oon remained there as Curate

only for one year, long enough for him to become greatly

attached to the Parish and people , and by them to be highly

esteemed . Being invited, by th e then well known Incumbent

of St. Jude ’s,Liverpool

,Dr. Hugh M c.Neil e

,afterwards Canon

of Chester, and , subsequently, Dean of R ipon,to become his

Curate,he left Ball inderry, and came to Liverpool in th e May

of 1 839. To be assoc iated so nearly with a man so distinguished ,was a serious trial to one so young, both in years , and in th e

minis try ; and , at first, Mr. Fa l l oon feared h e had made a mis

take in coming to a Church and Ministry, at that time attracting

SO very much attention and public interest. His early fears,

however, were soon dispersed by th e very affectionate treatment

and sympathy h e rece ived from th e Incumbent ; and by the

warmmOf th e welcome given to him and his young wife , on

238 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

the part of th e people. Mr. Falloon ever spoke of that time

as one Of th e brightest and happiest in his ministerial l ife . He

remained there , as Curate of St . Jude’s,till th e October of th e

year 1843,when

,be ing O ffered by Dr. M c.Neil e th e Incumbency

of St . John ’s,Liverpool, h e accepted it, and passed to a scene

Of earnest labour and singular success, and remained there till

th e Au tumn of 1851,when ,

through over-pressure, and th e

ever increasing urgency of th e work at St . John ’s, his health

began to give way, and h e was advised to seek a less laborious

Sphere . Th e Incumbency of St . Bride ’s,Liverpool

,becoming

vacant at th e time,he was pressed by many friends to remove

to it, on'

offering advantages of various sorts most likely to

contribu te to th e restoration of his health . Though " very

reluctant to part from a people SO loving and beloved as those

at “ dear St. John’s,

”

h e was finally persuaded to accept the

Incumbency of St . Bride’s . There h e remained and min istered

for twenty-Six years,carrying ou t a Ministry upon strict evan

gel ical l ines , and su rrounded by a very large and influential

congregation , wh o proved qu ite a power in th e great town, byreason of th e largeness of the ir l iberality, —contributing to

every good work ,at home and abroad ; by th e spirit of unity

and love existing amongst them ; as well as by the ir unvarying

loyalty to their Pastor and Friend . Many live, to whom St.

Bride ’s is a name most dear,and th e sweet memories of i ts

services,i ts communion

,its meetings for prayer, and i ts other

agencies, cannot be easily forgotten . When the great Lord and

Master writeth up His people,there w ill be this record

concerning St. Bride’s,this and that man was born there.

”

In1 871 , the late Bishop of Chester, Dr . Jacobson,appointed

Mr. Fal l oon an Honorary Canon of Chester Cathedral,as an

acknowl egment of th e services rendered by him to th e town

and D iocese ; and when h e left Liverpool in 1875 , amidst

universal expressions of regret, not Only did his brethren of

the clergy present him with an Address of affection, and a case


240 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

th e Anglo- Saxon ha sel = th e modern hazel,a word common to

all th e Aryan languages . It is generally supposed that a small

church existed he re,in connection with Nostel Priory

,but

there is no trace remaining. Tradition says there used to bein one of th e ol d houses an oblong stone trough

,in which

baptisms by immersion took place.

The hamlet was certainly at one time larger than it is now .

The leather,or fell-mongering trade was its chief industry

,but

in when the ol d coach - road from Wakefield to Doncaster,

through Noste l,was diverted , the leather trade was principally

carried on at the top of Constitution Hill . The water fortanning purposes was pumped by wind power from the valley

at Hessle . In later years, nearly every farm house in th e

h amle t had its malt-house and kiln for brewing purposes .

An ol d milestone stands near Nostel Avenue, bearing th e

date 1722 .

Th e ol d coach road appears to have entered th e Nostel

domain at Foulby,on thro’

the Park,north Of Nostel up th e

east avenue , crossing irackenh il l Common down to K insleyGreen , where th e

‘brook or watercourse was ford , ’ forward to

Moor Top on to th e main road. Although overgrown withgrass

,i t is easily traced. About a quarter of a mile north of th e

said ford is a county bridge, which is the boundary between

Ackworth and Wragby parishes.

In th is year th e bridge over Nostel lake was built.


242 ACKWORTH, YoRKs,

RECTOR .

Jeremiah Bolton, M .A .

Jordan TancredBenjamin Rentmore , M .A.

Ph i l Holl ings , M .A.

W il . Kay , M .A .

T im . Lee , D .D .

Ashburnh am Toll Newman , M .A . Peter Heaton .

Charles Butter.GeorgeH endrick .

W ill . Robt . Hay , M .A.

w . R . Hay , M .A.

Edmund G . Bay ley , M .A .

Jos . Kenworthy, M .A . Nil .

James Tay lor, B .D .

W . L . B . Cator.J . Magrath .

C . J . Perry -Keene .

Wm . H . Rob inson .

Wm . Marcus Fal l oon , M .A . .

H 0 . Harrison .

Henry Howlett , M .A .

E . D . Cree .


LIST OF THE LORDS OF THE MANOR OF

ACKWORTH .

NAMES. REMARKS.

John Lamb , Gent.Robert Hewitt, Gent. . Th ese , it appears from the Court papers ,

were th e anc ient Lords of th e Manor .

James Croft , Gent.

Samuel Cawood

There is no record until 1700 .

1700 Ralph Lowth er , Esq . .

No Court holden unti l 171 1 .

1 711 Ralph Lowther,Robert Lowther, Ge

’

nt.

Lamb

No Court holden unti l 1728 .

No record until 1819 .

No record unti l 1853.

1853 . John Gul l y , Esq . in

1 853 , and th e property of the Manor

244 ACKWORTH,

DATE. REM ARKS.

Robert Nel strop August , and l oth day of September ,George Fairbarn 1 853 . All the deed s , books and papersJohn Simpson were th en placed in th e h ands of Henry

J . Coleman, Solic itor, Pontefract. ‘Same as above .

Wi ll iam Nel strOpRobert Nel stropTh omas PearsonThomas TaitThomas Tait , Clerk Th e Re ctor of Ackworth for th e timeHenry Hill be ing is an ex -ofiicio Lord of the

Robert Nel strop Manor.1 . M . HepworthThomas PearsonJoseph Nel strop

Henry Beeth am , ClerkTh omas PearsonThoma s Ta itJoseph Nel stropRich ard LeeJ . H. Cadman , Esq .

George WaideEdward Micklethwaite

Vide Memorandum in Manor M inute Book .

These gentlemen were appointed by th eCh arity Commissioners in lieu of th e

Freeholders of Ackworth , alth ough th eappointment properly rests w ith th e

Freeh olders th emse lves , but th ey arenow sa tisfied w ith th e privilege of

recommendation . It is much to be

regretted that a comp lete record of th eTrustees h as not been kept.


246 ACKWORTH , YORKS ,

Date . Superintendents . A ssistant M asters .

1867 George and Rach elSatterthwa ite Albert Linney Rach el Stone

1 873 Josiah Mary HannahEvans

Benjamin Gooch , B A.

1877 Frederick Anna MariaAndrews , B .A.

Albert LinneyMaria King

PAST MASTERS OF THE BADSWORTH HUNT .

E stablish ed 1730 .

1730.—John Bright , of Badsworth .

Godfrey IVentworth ,of Wentworth .

1 780 .—W illiam Wrightson, of Cusworth .

Sir E . Smith .

Sir T . Pilkington, of Chevet.Sir Rowland Wynn ,

of Noste l .

1 805—Earl of Darlington .

1 81 1 .—Sir W. Gerrard . (Mr . Scarisbrick , Deputy

1 814 . Chaworth .

18 1 5 .— Sir B . Graham .

1 82 1 ,— Hon. E . Petre of Stapl eton .

Thomas B . Hodgson .

1 826 .

—Lord Hawke,Of Womersley.

1 868 .—7—J. Hope -Barton

,of Staple-ton .

1 876 .

— Charles B . E. Wright, of Bol ton .

1 892 .—Colonel W. J . F. Ramsden ,

of Rogerthorpe

Pontefract .

iTS HISTORY AND ANNALS.

gl ib cirba .

The following list of Luke Howard ’s works was recently

contributed by Fred Ross, of London ,to the No te s and Queries

column of th e “ Leeds Weekly Mercury.

Luke Howard,

of Ackworth originally of Plaistow,

in Essex ,and afterwards of Tottenham

,in Middlesex , was born

in 1722, th e son of Robert Howard , of London ,au thor of A

few word s on Corn and Quakers,4 th edition , wh o died

in 1 8 12 : and died at Bruce Grove ,Tottenh am , 800 years ago

th e residence Of Wa l th eof, th e great Earl of North umb ria,and

some hal f century ago the school house Of Rowland Hill, th e

Postal Reformer. He married M ariabel l a and had issue—Joseph ,

wh o died in 1833 , set. 22 ; Rachael , who died in 1 837 ,ze t. 34 ; and John Eliot . He was a member of th e Society of

Friends , from whom h e seceded in 1 837 ,when residen t at

Ackwo rth,and j oined a Baptis t Church ,

in consequence Of a

divergence of opin ion in reference to mee tings for silent worship .

He was a man of considerable sc ientific attainments , and a

Fellow of the Royal Society, directing his attention chiefly to

meteorology. When at Ackworth h e projected and edited‘Th e York shireman ; a Religious and Literary Jou rnal. By a

F r iend . Pontefract , 1 832 which was published fortnightlyuntil his secession from th e Soc iety

,and consists of 5 volumes .

Th e following is a l ist of his works‘On th e Mod ifica tion of Cloud s , and on th e Principle of th e ir Construc tion

,

Suspens ion , and De struction . London , 1804 Ed ited by W . D . and E .

Howard , 1 865 . Reproduced a lso in severa l Cy c lopaed ias .

A Few Notes on a Le tter to th e Arch b ish ops and B ish ops O f th e Ch urch ofEngland re lative to Jo seph Lanca ster's Plan for the ed uca tion of th eCommunity . By Ec l ectus . London , Th is work is attribute ] to h im on

t

I

h e authority of a M S. note on th e ti tle -

page of th e copy in th e Bri tish Museumibrary .

A Brief Apo logy for Quakerism . Inscribed to th e Ed inburgh Reviewers .

Anon . London ,

Memo ir of John Woo lman , etc .

’No . 1 5 . Trac ts of the Trac t Assoc ia tion,London , 18 1 5 .

Memoir of Th omas Ch alkley . No . 23 . Ib id . 1817.


‘Th e Cl imate of London ,

’ deduced from meteorologica l observations, &c . 2

vols . London , 1818 . Second and th ird ed itions , 1820 . Enlarged ed ition , Wi th

engravings , 1 833 .

An Address to Friends , on a proposa l made by a member of our society to

instruct some African negroes , w ith a View to th e future transla tion and d is

persion of th e Scriptures , or some portion of th em ,in th e languages of Africa .

’

Anon . London , 1820 . See a lso Th e Yorksh ireman ,

”vo l . I . p . 162 .

A Companion to th e Th ermometer for th e C limate of London .

’1 820 .

Confessions of a drunkard .

’ Anon . 1 82 1 .

Th oughts on Crue lty to Animals , & c.

’ Anon . 1821 .

On th e Proper Treatment of Animals , &c .

’ Anon . 1821 .

‘A Word to th e Sons of Africa .

’ Anon . 1822 . Trans lated into Arab ic ford istribution in Eastern Africa .

‘A Letter from Luke Howard , of Tottenh am , to a friend in America , containing Ob servations on a Treatise by Job Scott , entitled Sa lvation of Christ. ’ N . p .

ord .

‘M y Ledger ; or, a Comprom ise w ith Prudence , ’ written in 1808 . Printedfor private c irculation , 1856 .

Th e Average Barometer, sh ow ing by a scale th e dai ly means of h e igh ts, ca lcul ated upon 18 years , from 1813 to 1830 , in th e cl imate of London .

’

Th e Climate of London , &c .

’New and en larged edi tion , continued to 1830 ,

with engravings and addenda ; 3 v ols , 1830 .

A Proposa l for O pen Commun ion in th e Soc iety of Friends , rejected ~ by th e

Pontefract Month ly Meeting, Ackworth , 12th month , 1 1 th day , Pontefract ,1836. Reprinted in Th e Yorksh ireman ,

’vo l . v . , p . 287 .

‘Seven Lectures on Meteorology .

’ By Luke Howard , gent. Ded icated toJohn Dal ton , in token of forty years ’

friend sh ip . Pontefract , 1 837 .

An Appeal to th e Ch ristian Pub lic aga inst a sentence of Disownment passed

upon a member (L . H . ) by th e Society of Friend s , for Ab senting h imse lf fromth e ir Silent Meetings and Subm itting to th e Ord inances of Ch rist .

’1838 .

Second ed ition ,revised , th e same year .

A cycle of 1 8 years in th e seasons of Bri ta in , d educed from meteorologicalObservations made a t Ackworth , in th e West Rid ing of Yorksh ire , from 1824 to

1841 , compared w ith oth ers made for a l ike period , end ing w i th 1823 , in th e

vicinity of London .

A Barometograph ic : Twenty years ’ variation of th e barometer in th e climateof Britain , exh ib ited in autograph ic curves ; w ith th e a ttendant w ind s and

weath er.Papers on Meteorology , &c . 1854.

Translations . Liber Ecclesia sticus , ” &c ., from th e Latin vul gate . 1827 .

Liber Sap ientia ,” commonly ca l led Th e W isdom of Solomon ,

”from th e Latin

vulgate . 1 827 . T h e Book of Tob ia s ,” & c .,from th e Latin vulgate . 1 828 .

T h e Apocryph a of th e Book Of Danie l ,” &c . 1829 .

Ed ited —John Kendal l ’s (O f th e Society of Friend s) “ Gleaning, Moral andRel igious ,” & c . 1826 . Cowper’s Engl ish version of th e “ Odyssey of Homer ,”w ith a Commentary , &c . , 2 vols . , n .d .

“ Memoranda of th e last illness and

death of Joseph Howard (h is son) by th e broth er of J . H . 1836 .

M ERIiABELLE, h is w ife , was authoress of Hints on th e Improvement of DaySch ools ,” 1 827 - 2nd ed i tion 1 828 . Th e Young Servant’s Own Book ,” 4th

ed i tion 1850 . T h e Boy ’s own Book .

JOHN ELIOT HOWARD , h is son , was auth or of T h e Doctrine Of Inward Ligh tconsidered in relation to th e Written Word , 1836 .

“ Justification by fa ith .

"

An Address to th e Ch ristians of Tottenh am .

” 1839 .

RACHEL HOWARD , h is d augh ter, was auth oress of “ Lessons on ScriptureHistory , 1834 ; 6th ed ition 1851 . Memoranda of Rach el Howard ,” ed itedby Luke Howard , 1839 .



ghhitiaaal @pitaplgaIa the North Ais l e

El ibh . , wife of Robert Hewitt. D ied August,1 671 .

The above Robert Hewitt,D ied 1 6th June, 1707,

In the 102nd year Of his age.

Uru l er the Pu lp it,

Thomas and John Harrison,Bros . Thos. died

Feb . l oth ,1 762 , aged 69. John died

Dec. 1 5 th,1 769, aged 65.

Whosoever sees these two brothers,Lying here by one another

Let them think that naught can save

his Friends from ye grave.

”

1‘

In the stoke-hol e, face downwards, there is a slab, the le tter

ing upon which is really splendid workmanship

Thomas Calverley, died Septr. 7,1 685 .

Ann,wife of th e above, died Decr. 28

,1701 .

Thos. , son of above , died Jan . 2 1 , 171 8, aged 48.

Susannah,wife of Thos . , Juur. ,

died May 1 1 , 1740 , aged 63 .

Ann Pearson ,daughter of Thos . Susannah Calverley,died Decr. 20 , 1 768, aged 66.

Ann Haddon,granddaughter of above , died

May 5 th,1770 , aged 48 .

Nicholas Calverley ,son of the above, died

April 3, 1 771 , aged 50 .

Th ere are th ree figures , but th e th ird figure is very indistinct.t A censor of ep itaph s was sad ly needed at th is time .

Remainder h idden beneath brick-work.


Gl urirrus d ares.

I t is notorious that in th e 23rd George II I . an Act

was passed by which i t was enacted that from th e then ensuing

October, a, stamp cl uty of 3d . shou l d be p a id for every entry

of bur ia l , ma rriage, birth , or christening, und er a. p ena l ty of5L, and that within two years, (on petition of their own body)its Operation was extended to D issenting Chapels . This lawfu ltax to say th e least was inexp erl ien t for i t proved so unj ust

in its working, and so objectionable in its principle,that i s was

repealed ten years afterwards. Notwithstanding this iniquit

ous‘ Infant Duty Act

,

’

th e people of England,l ike th e perse

outed Hebrews in Egypt grew and multip l ied .

’

Th e pages of

th e parish register for baptisms and Burials at Ackworth from

1782 to 1795 are ruled with a spec ial column for Duty ”

( in

some parishes Tax from which we learn that upon 1 46infants born between the above date s, a tax of 3d . per head

was levied ,but in six instances th e parents, being paupers, were

exempted, th e words‘Paup er , excu sed ,

’ in each ins tance be ing

written after th e entry. During th e same period 71 corpses

were taxed with a similar sum ,so that i t will be seen that in

th e ‘good ol d days it was considered a privilege both to comeinto th e world, and to go out of i t. I t appears that th e Rectorpossessed th e power of remitting th e tax , and from th e register

we find him exercis ing his prerogative eleven times . I t is

somewhat strange that although the duty was imposed in 1783,no mention of i t is found in the registers unt il 1789 , and that

al though th e Act was repealed in 1793, the Rector should havecontinued to levy th e tax until 1795 . NO record of marriages

being taxed can be found

252 ACKWORTH,YORKS.

,

Th e following statement was printed and circulated by M r.Kenworthy th e then Vi ca r , and is worthy of p reservationas an interesting historical document .

PARISH OF ACKWORTH,YORKSHIRE

CHURCH OF ST. CUTHBERT .

Erected about A.D . 1 242 contains 438 Free and,of these

,173

are unappropriated Seats . N0 seats are held by Facul ty

NO seats are l et at an Annual Rental.

Sums of ANY AMOUNT Expended in Bu ilding,Enlarging

,

Restoring, or Improving this Church ,at various times

,since

January 1 st,1 841

, (excluding ordinary repairs .)

O f Tower restored , £1 1 6 , by private Subscriptions .North and South Aisles re-bu ilt

, £ 1 170 , by pri

vate Subscriptions and special Donations ; and £1 20 Grantfrom Church Building Society.

1 854- 5 . Chancel re-built,Chancel Aisle bu ilt

, £1343, by privateSubscriptions and Special Donations

,and £10 from York

shire Architectural Society.

1 856 W indows Organ enlarged, £90 , by special

Donation and private Subscriptions .

Window ,Heating Apparatus

, £133, by special

Donations and private Subscriptions .1 864 . .Stained Window , £1 5 , by Special Donation .

Windows £30 , by Special Donation .

1 870 - 2 . .Coronae, Door Hangings,&c .,£76 , private Subscrip tions .

1 872 Chamber bu i lt , £280 , by p r ivate Subscriptions .

1 874 New Organ,Carved Oak Screens £579 , by. private

Subscriptions for Organ, Special Donation for Screens .

The present state of the Building is good . To complete

th e work,- The outside of Tower requires Bells

re New Clock ,

“ and New Gates to the Churchyard.

“

All th ese h ave been completed since 1875 .


The Parochial History of Ackworth, Yorks

Documents