EGGLESTON RENTALS, C.1608
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Durham E-Theses Settlement, eld systems and landownership in Teesdale between 1600 and 1850: a study in historical geography Alexander, David Ashley How to cite: Alexander, David Ashley (1972) Settlement, eld systems and landownership in Teesdale between 1600 and 1850: a study in historical geography, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10006/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 SETTLEMENT, FIELD SYSTEMS AND LANDOWNERSHIP IN TEESDALE BETWEEN 1600 AND I85O :- A STUDY IN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY. Thesis Submitted to the University of Durham for the Degree of Master of Arts, 1972* David Ashley Alexander, B.A. (Dunelm), 1967. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived i from it should be acknowledged. ''One oannot understand the English landscape, town or country, ... without going back to the history that lies behind it.' W.G. Ho skins. CONTENTS Page. List of Maps and Diagrams i. List of Plates iv. Aekn owledgements v. Preface I. Chapter 1. Man and Land in Teesdale: An Overview 10., Chapter 2. Teesdale: The Physical Landscape 60. Chapter 3. Teesdale in 1600: A Reconstruction of the Cultural Landscape 81. Chapter i+. Rural Settlement in Teesdale: An Analysis 119. Chapter 5. Field Patterns and the Agrarian Landscape in Teesdale 219. Chapter 6. Landownership in Teesdale: A Consideration 303. Chapter 7« The Impact of Mineral Extraction in Teesdale 362. Chapter 8. Teesdale in 1850: A Reconstruction of the Cultural Landscape 389. Chapter 9. Teesdale between 1600 and I85O: An Assessnent 412. Bibliography. References are provided at the end of each chapter. LIST OF MAPS AND DIAGRAMS 1. The General Setting of Teeadale within North East England. 12. 2. An Interim Map of Prehistorio Occupance in Teeadale. 25. 3. Earliest Recorded Evidence of Major Settlements in Teesdale. 37. k» Teesdale within County Durham c.1569. 47- 5. Teesdale within County Durham in c.1850. 50. 6. The Physiographic setting of Teesdale within the Alston Block of the Pennines. 61. 7. The Major Elements of both the Solid and Drift Geology within Teesdale. 64. 8. The Generalised Pattern of Soils and Vegetation in Teesdale. 72. 9. Early Seventeenth Century Teesdale. 85. 10. The Major Elements of the Cultural Landscape of Teesdale in c.l600. 89. 11. Population in Teesdale, 1660^1679. 99. 12. The Basic Pattern of Landownership in the Early Seventeenth Century, within Teesdale. 103. 13. The Formal Analysis of Settlement in Teesdale. 128. ll+o Eggleston Township in 161U. 15. The Site of Eggleston Township. !35> 16. The Settlement Nucleus at Eggleston in 1611+. 138. 17. The Composition of East and West Rows, Eggleston, during the Late Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries. 145. 18. The Settlement Nucleus at Eggleston in c.1790. 160. i. 19. The Settlement Nucleus at Eggleston in c.1850. i^2, 20. Settlement Patterns in Teesdale. 196. 21. Streatlam and Stalnton In the Middle of the Eighteenth Century. 205. 22. The Pattern of Cultivation in Eggleston, I6OO-I85O. 232. 23. Eggleston East Field in c.1790. 235. 2k. Eggleston Middle Field - a) Physiography b) Land Use. 242/ 25. Eggleston Middle Field - Townfield in 1763. 248. 26. Eggleston Middle Field - Landowners hip in 1763 and 181+9. 250 27. Eggleston Middle Field - Composition of Field Boundaries. 253. 28. Eggleston Middle Field - Landscape Reconstruction, 1600-1850. 255. 29. Marwood and Shipley Commons in c.1750. 271. 30. The Pattern of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Enclosure in Teesdale. 276. 31. The Size of Individual Holdings within Eggleston and Neighbouring Teesdale Parishes. 312. 32. Holding Values along the Durham Bank of the Tees. 314. 33. Rent8: Rents as Percentage of Values, in Eggleston. 317. 3km Freeholders and Owner Occupiers in Eggleston. 329. 35. The Landownershlp and Social Structure in Eggleston, by Employment. 339. 36. The Pattern of Stints upon Eggleston Common, 1969. 353. 37. Elements of the Extraction and Working of Lead in Teesdale, 1600-1850. 364. 38. The Major Elements of the Cultural Landscape in Teesdale, in I85O. 391. ii 39. Teesdale in the First Quarter of the Nineteenth Century. 395 1+0. The Population Pattern in the Parishes of Teesdale, between 1801 and 1850. 402 iii LIST OF PLATES Plate 1. A General View of Eggleston Township, showing the position and site of the hall complex, looking north across the Tees from Romaldkirk. 131 • Plate 2. East Row, Eggleston, looking across part of the former green. I79« Plate 3. West Row, Eggleston, looking across part of the former green. 182. Plate k» A Field Path, Eggleston, traversing the former West Field. 238. Plate 5. Strip Lynohets, Eggleston, looking along a 'riser' belonging to the lynchet complex in the former Middle Field. 260. Plate 6. Cultivation meets Fell ILand, showing part of an early irregular field boundary near Ornelly farm, Eggleston. 269. Plate 7. Block Enclosure, showing an area of late regular enclosure at Foggerthwaite, Eggleston. 287. IV. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In acknowledging those who have contributed towards the preparation and presentation of this thesis, I must mention Professor W.B. Fisher, Head of Department at Durham; Dr. B.K. Roberts, for his invaluable assistance as my supervisor; and the many other members of staff and students who have helped in their own way. Among those giving specific assistance were:- House of Lords Record Office, London. Historical Manuscripts Commission, Chancery Lane, London. General Register Office, Census Branch, Fareham, Hampshire. University Library, Bailrigg, Lancaster. Morecambe Branch, Lancashire County Library. County Record Office, County Hall, Northallerton, Yorkshire. Reference Department, Gateshead Public Library, Gateshead. Department of Palaeography and Diplomatic, Science Laboratories, University of Durham. University Library, Durham, and especially the Science Section for its patient and willing service with Inter- Libra ry Loan Requests. Departmental Library and Map Library, Department of Geography, University of Durham. County Record Office, County Hall, Durham City. Clerk of the Peace Office, County Hall, Durham City. Bowes Museum and Library, Barnard Castle, County Durham. Sir William Gray, Bfci.,. Egglestone Hall, Eggleston, County Durham. Reverend R.C. Thornton, Vicar of Eggleston, County Durham. The Dent Family, High Green, Mickleton, Yorkshire. In addition I would like to express appreciation of the cooperation and hospitality of the many inhabitants of Teesdale, in particular the villagers of Eggleston, who readily gave me access to their farmsteads and fields and who helped with numerous enquiries. For technical assistance, I should like to thank the entire technical staff of the Department of Geography, under Mr. Gordon McWhirter, and in particular Mr. Derek Hudspeth, for his patience and skill in connection with the photo• graphic work. For the typing of the script I am indebted to Miss Avril Yeates, while Miss Valerie Harrald kindly read the proofs. In a lighter, though still important vein, one cannot omit Departmental Land Rover - GJR 509C - without whose invaluable stamina the dales area would not have been nearly so accessible for fieldwork.1 Finally, I should like to express my gratitude to my friends for their help and to my mother and brother for their encouragement and sacrifices in enabling me to undertake this research. vi. PREFACE 'The real world, as it actually existed in the past, has been the main object of study of most professional historical geographers Baker, Butlin, Phillips and Prince, 'The Future of the Past1, 1969. Three major issues provide a framework for discussion. These involve an outline of the study itself, a consideration of the reasons which prompted its undertaking, and a brief comment on the adopted approach and method of study. This study of the historical geography of the 'rural landscape1*' of Teesdale between 1600 and 1850, lays emphasis upon four interrelated aspects; settlement, field systems and agrarian structure, landownership and the extraction and processing of minerals. The scope of the study has been limited by the availability of documentary material and by the time factor, and these were contributary to establishing 1600 as the starting point. The technique adopted has been to examine in general terms the development of settlement within Teesdale, using such sources as are relatively easily accessible. Although endeavouring to consider the dale as a whole between Barnard Castle and the upland expanses of Yad Moss, at its head, it has been necessary to emphasize the Durham bank at the expense of the North Hiding of Yorkshire, sinoe documentary material for the latter is largely confined within the County Record Office at Northallerton, and was less readily accessible