The Early History of Howley.

BY W. PALEY BAILDON.

The early history of the Manor of Howley seems to be unusually obscure. The earliest mention I have found of the name is in 1889, and prior to that date there appears to be nothing on record directly concerning Howley. There is, however, considerable reason for believing that Howley was merely a dependency of the more important Manor of Morley, and that the history of the one is the history of the other. The grounds for this belief will, I think, sufficiently appear in the sequel, where it will be noticed that from 1389 to the end of the sixteenth century, the two manors have precisely the same history. I shall therefore address myself first to the early history of Morley.

In the Domesday Survey, we are told that Dunstan held six carucates in Morley T. R. E., and that Ilbert holds them now. Whether Dunstan continued in possession as under-tenant to Ilbert [de Laci], or whether Ilbert had granted the Manor to some other under-tenant to the complete dis-possession of Dunstan and his family, or whether Ilbert held in demesne, we have no means of ascertaining.

Here, as in most other cases, there is a woful gap between the Domesday Survey and the next record. Early in the XIIIth century Morley was held jointly by Ralph de Insula [or de Lisle] and Robert de Beston (a). Ralph de Insula and William, his son, [or brother, Burton.] gave 12 oxgangs of land in Morley to Nostell Priory. (b). William is more likely to have been the son than the brother, though of course the latter is possible.

William de Insula left two daughters and co-heirs Eufemia and Helewisia; of these, Eufemia married Nicholas de Rotherfield, and Helewisia married Marmaduke Darel (c). Smith gives the date 1226 for the former marriage, (d) which is likely enough, but he gives no authority.

In 1227, there was a fine levied between the two ladies and their respective husbands, touching lands in Morley and elsewhere. (e.) This probably dealt with the partition of the lands, and Morley went to the Rotherfields.

Hunter gives a small pedigree of the Rotherfields (e), which he took from Gascoigne's great MS. of the Wentworth pedigree; but Hunter suspects this to be in some points erroneous.

(a.) Smith's History of Morley, 23.

(b.) Burton, Mon. Ebor., 306.

(c.) Harl. MS., 797, fo. 39.

(d.) Page 27.

(e.) South Yorkshire, II., 134.

Time of King Edmund.

The pedigree is as follows:-
Sir Nicholas de Rotherfield

Eufemia, d. & co-h. of William de Lisle.

Albreda, d. of Sir Peter de R. Agnes, d. of Sir

Oliver

D'Eincourt

William Wallis ; m.

also Sir William Clarel

Dionysia John

John

William,

Stephen Sir William de R.

Rector of

the

Church of Helagh, 5 Edw. III.

m. William T...

Dean of

Wentworth,

of

Wentworth,
Woodhouse

I believe, with Hunter, that there are several errors here, and I will point them out later.

In 1284-5, Peter de Rotherfield is recorded, in Kirkby's Inquest, to have lands in Hickleton, Austhorp, Sutton, and Wilberfoss. (f) The returns for the Wapentake of Morley are unfortunately incomplete, but he probably held Morley as well.

In 1291, Peter de Rotherfield, son of Nicholas and Eufemia, quit-claimed to the nuns of Wilberfoss all his right in two oxgangs of land in Newton-on-Derwent, which Eufemia, his mother, had given them. (g.)

In 26 Edw. I., 1297-8, Peter de Rotherfield, William and Ralph de Beeston, and others, were found by the assize to have unjustly disseised the Prior of S. Oswald, of Nostell, of the common of pasture in Morley, which belonged to his free tenement in the same town. (h.) Peter was dead apparently in 31 Edw. I., 1302-3. Albreda D'Eincourt survived him, and we find that "Dns. Petrus de Rotheresfeld" and "Dna. Albreda uxor ejus" were buried at the House of Friars Preachers of Pontefract. (i.)

66

(f.) Surtees Soc., Vol. 49, pp. 36, 47, 49, 87.

(g) Burton, Mon. Ebor., 417. (h.) Harl. MS., 797, fo. 39d.

(i.) Col. Top. et Gen., iv., 74.

William de Rotherfield, son of Peter, died either before his father or very soon afterwards. He got the Hickleton property, which William Deyvile and Giles de Hickleton (see pedigree, supra) were holding in 31 Edw. I. (j.)

John de Rotherfield, son of Peter, was holding the Sutton property in 31 Edw. I. (k.)

The Morley estate was, in 31 Edw. I., held by Albreda de Rotherfield, widow of Peter, probably in dower: she held 15 car. in Morley and Driglington of the Castle of Pontefract, of which Sir Simon Warde held in Driglington 6 car.; she also held 2 car. in Austhorp (1.)

In 9 Edw. II., 1315-6, Albreda was evidently dead, and John had succeeded to her property at Morley; for in that year the Receiver of the Honor of Pontefract accounted for

58s. 6d. for the relief of John de Rotherfield for one half, one eighth, and one sixteenth of a Knight's Fee in Morley, Driglington, and Beeston (m.) In the Nomina Villarum, of 9 Edw. II., also John is returned as owner of Morley (n.)

The next note I have is in 38 Edw. III., 1863 when John de Rotherfeld, who died on "Sonday next after the fest of the Epiphany a. 37 E. 3," held 2 Knights' fees in Qweldale, Sutton, Morlay, Austhorp, and elsewhere, of the Honor of Pontefract (o.) This may have been the John above mentioned son of Peter, but the interval seems a very long one, and I (j.) Surtees Soc., Vol. 49, p. 282.

(k.) ibid, p. 285.

(1.) ibid., p. 227.

(m.) Harl. MS., 797, fo. 39 d; Smith, 28. (n.) Surtees Soc., Vol. 49, p. 360.

(0) Harl. MS. 797, fo. 39.