Aughton Manor

Work in Progress:


At the time of the Domesday survey the manor of Aughton (formerly held by Earnwig) was held by Robert, the Count of Mortain, and was farmed by Nigel Fossard, and consisted of 6 carucates of land. The soke of the manor of Aughton included 3 carucates and 1½ bovates in Spaldington, 5 bovates in Willitoft, 1½ carucates in Foggathorpe, 2 carucates and 5 bovates in Laytham, 2 carucates and 6 bovates in East Cottingwith. Ellerton was then a bailiwick of Aughton manor.

 

The return of Knights’ Fees in 1166 show that Roger, son of Roger “de Haye” held Aughton under William Fossard. Roger’s son and heir, Thomas Haye, succeeded to the manor. For a detailed account of the descent of Aughton through the Haye family, see Early Yorkshire Charters, Vol II, page 423.

 

The manor of Aughton continued in the Haye family until the end of the 14th century, when German Haye married Alice de Aske, daughter of John de Aske and Joan de Shelvestrode. German died without issue, and Alice, his widow, remarried to a Thomas Miton (Myton). By some mechanism the manor of Aughton was carried by Alice to her new husband Thomas Myton. This is unusual, as normally if German had died without issue it would have descended to another in the male line of the Hayes, rather than be carried out of the family on remarriage. Certainly the Haye family felt aggrieved, and Roger Haye petitioned the King:

 

"Roger Hay states that he was seised of the manors of Aughton and Everthorpe in Yorkshire in his demesne as in fee, until Alice, widow of Thomas Myton, disseised him through the maintenance of her brother, John Ask. He asks the King to order Alice to come before him to be examined on this, and that he might be restored to possession of his manors." [TNA: Ancient Petitions, SC 8/191/9519]

 

TNA states that this petition is roughly datable to c. 1380-c. 1415 by the hand, but is certainly later, as in both 1406 and 1420 the manor was described as belonging to Thomas Myton [Yorkshire Inquisitions, YASRS 59, pages 48 and 161].

 

The petition was successful in that it resulted in a legal case being brought in Chancery, Rex v. Milton , in 1434, TNA Ref: C 44/27/7.

 

It would appear that this suit was unsuccessful, as following Alice’s death in 1440 we find John Aske’s son, Richard Aske,  in possession of the manor. (John Aske died 2 June 1429. His son and heir, Richard Aske, was aged 10 and over at his father’s death.)

 

The manor then continued in the Aske family for over 170 years until it descended to John Aske (1565-1605), son and heir of Robert Aske by Elizabeth Dawnay, who  ran up enormous debts and was forced to sell off all of the manors and estates that the Askes had accumulated since 1369, so that by his death the only Yorkshire property he had left was a lease of Bubwith Ferry.

 

The above John Aske was the grand nephew of Robert Aske, the leader of the 'Pilgrimage of Grace', and was a member of parliament. On the History of Parliament website there is a potted history of the man:

 

http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1558-1603/member/aske-john-1564

 

Here it states:

 

"His father owned a great deal of property which Aske must have inherited, but he sold the manor of Aughton to Sir John Dawney in 1595, and is said to have sold all his other lands."

 

However, I have not been able to find the original source for the above statement. There is further confusion in the Yorkshire Deeds for this period. There is a fine in Trinity Term, 1595, where John Dawney, knt., and others are the Querents (purchasers), and John Aske is the Deforciant (seller), concerning the manor of Aughton (and other manors), and appears to be the sale of the manor of Aughton referred to above. However, there is another fine, dated Trinity Term 1598, where John Aske is the Querent, and Christopher Aske is the Defendant, and this also concerns the manor of Aughton.

 

Whether the manor of Aughton remained in the hands of the Aske family, or the Dawney family, requires further research*, but what is clear is that by the early 18th century the manor was held by James, 1st earl of Castleton, who died 23 May 1723, and left the manor of Aughton, and all the rest of his estate in his will, to his cousin, Thomas Lumley (later 3rd earl of Scarborough).

 

* The papers of the Aske family are held at Hull History centre under reference DX/55. Included in the collection are pedigrees and the wills of Robert Aske (1531), Christopher Aske (1538), John Aske (1606), Richard Aske (1627), Richard Aske (1683), William Aske (1688), Robert Aske (1689), the Earl of Castleton (1723), Samuel Dawson (1731). This suggests that there was a familial connection between the Askes and the Earl of Castleton, but this collection needs to be checked.

 

Likely descent:

Grisella Bethell, only dau of Sir Hugh Bethell of Ellerton, = Sir John Wray, 2nd baronet Glentworth, Sep 1607

Sir John Wray, 3rd baronet, son of Sir John and Grisella, = Sarah Evelyn, daughter of Sir John Evelyn, in 1661

Sir John Wray, 3rd baronet died Oct 1664, and his widow, Sarah remarried to George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton

George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton, = Sarah Wray, wdow of Sir John Wray, 3rd baronet Glentworth

James, 1st earl Castleton, son of George and Sarah, born c 1667, died 23 May 1723

 

Manorial Documents

 


Date Type of Document Repository Reference
1514 Court Roll Sandbeck Park MCR/A/1 (175)
1609-1613 Court Rolls Sandbeck Park MCR/A/2-3 (192, 194)
1683 Rental Sandbeck Park MR/A/1 (272)
1685 Agreement between lord and tenants rel to payment of rents Sandbeck Park MAM/A/1 (332)
1731 Survey, with other manors Sandbeck Park EMS/5 (305)


Trade Directories

1840: James Fletcher, Esq. is lord of Aughton manor

1857: A. J. Fletcher, Esq., is lord of the manor.

1872 and 1879: Amos James Fletcher, esq., is lord of the manor and principal landowner

1889: J.B. Newsome, esq. of Dewsbury, is lord of the manor and principal landowner

1892: Joseph Bailey Newsome, Esq., of Staincliffe, Dewsbury, is lord of the manor and principal landowner

1913: The trustees of the late J. E. Newsome esq. of Staincliffe, Dewsbury, are lords of the manor and principal landowners

1925: The trustees of the late J. E. Newsome esq. are lords of the manor and principal landowners.