Church Courts
| Reference | Case | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP.F.331 | Defamation (theft) | 14/05/1442 — 31/12/1442 | Plaintiff: Thomas Herst; Defendent: Thomas Cooper; Places Mentioned: Aughton, Ellerton |
| CP.G.320 | Matrimonial (validity of marriage) | 17/7/1544 — 17/7/1544 | Plaintiff: John Hawk of Elvington; Defendent: Matilda Lutton of Cottingwith; Places Mentioned: Bubwith, Aughton |
| CP.G.541 | Matrimonial (validity of marriage) | 21/3/1551 — 24/3/1552 | Plaintiff: Barbara Lacey, als Dinley; Defendent: John Dinley of Aughton |
| CP.G.541A | Matrimonial (validity of marriage) | 11/3/1552 — 24/3/1552 | Plaintiff: Margaret Wilkinson of Aughton; Defendent: John Dinley of Aughton |
| CP.G.677 | Defamation (sexual slander) | 1556 — 1556 | Plaintiff: Cecily Williamson of Aughton; Defendent: Robert Swarme of Aughton |
| CP.G.740 | Matrimonial (annulment - minor) | 1/4/1558 — 27/5/1558 | Plaintiff: Frances Rawson, als Fleming, 19, of Crofton; Defendent: Alfred Fleming, 19, of Warmfield; Witnesses: John Dinley of Aughton |
| CP.G.1472 | Tithe (hay) | 14/1/1569 — 1/6/1570 | Plaintiff: Hugh Bethel of Ellerton; Defendent: Nicholas Hazelwood of Ellerton; Witnesses: Robert Rich of Laytham, Aughton; John Taylor of Aughton |
| CP.G.2552 | Tithe (sheep, wool) | 4/7/1590 — 10/10/1590 | Plaintiff: Edward Goodyear of Seaton; Defendent: John Bateman of Seaton; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.G.1453 |
Tithe (hay) |
1569 — 1570 |
Hugh Bethel, gent, farmer of tithes in Ellerton Priory, plaintiff; Robert Harpham, defendent. Witnesses of Ellerton: John Driver, servingman, 68; John Blanchard, husbandman, 56; Henry Taylor, husbandman, 53; Richard Killingham, yeoman, 63. |
| CP.G.2615 | Tithe (sheep, wool, hemp) | 6/5/1591 — 19/1/1591 | Plaintiff: Edward Goodyear of Seaton; Defendent: John Bateman of Seaton; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.G.2852 | Matrimonial (annulment - adultery) | 23/1/1594 — 27/2/1594 | Plaintiff: John Aske of Aughton; Defendent: Christiana Aske of Weston; Witnesses: John Williamson of Aughton; George Thoresby of East Cottingwith; Charles Saltmarsh of Aughton |
| CP.G.3609 | Tithe (sheep, wool) | 14/1/1597 — 2/12/1598 | Plaintiff: Percival Metcalf of Seaton; Defendent: John Clark of Seaton; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.G.3028 | Defamation (sexual slander) | 26/1/1597 — 27/7/1598 | Plaintiff: William Bethel; Defendent: Anne Bourne of Aughton; Witnesses: Thomas Cecil of Spaldington, Aughton; Edward Lonsdale of Spaldington, Aughton |
| CP.H.67 | Tithe (hay, flax and hemp) | 21/11/1601 — 29/7/1602 | Plaintiff: Robert Rich, farmer of all the tithes of hay, flax and hemp in the township, village or hamlet of Laytham and the lands and territories of the same within the parish of Aughton; Defendent: Robert Newton of Aughton; Witnesses: John Hawley of Laytham, Aughton |
| CP.H.155B | Defamation (character) | 28/7/1603 — 23/3/1605 | Plaintiff: Elizabeth Bethel; Defendent: Mary Hindesley of Aughton; Witnesses: Agnes Dewar of Aughton; Isabel Pearson of Aughton; James Pocklington of Aughton; Margaret Davey of Aughton; Alice Hindesley of Laytham; Anne Aske of Laytham |
| CP.H.155A | Defamation (character) | 17/11/1603 — 2/3/1604 | Plaintiff: Elizabeth Bethel; Defendent: Mary Hindesley of Aughton; Witnesses: Anne Newton of Laytham; Elizabeth Fawcett of Laytham; Margaret Hindesley of Laytham |
| CP.H.3854 | Tithe (cattle, milk, hay) | 9/3/1608 — 9/3/1608 | Plaintiff: Dakins Constable of Thorganby; Defendent: William Bradley of Aughton |
| CP.H.572 | Testamentary | 10/7/1609 — 26/7/1610 | Plaintiff: Hugh Bethel; Defendent: William Stephenson; Witnesses: Hugh Carr of Aughton |
| CP.H.1244 | Tithe (rye, barley, oats, hay) | 4/11/1616 — 4/11/1616 | Plaintiff: George Butler, farmer of all and singular the tithes of corn, hay, wool, and lambs within the chapelry, manor and lordship of Ellerton; Defendent: Anthony Chambers; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.H.1180 | Tithe (wheat, rye, oats, hay) | 14/11/1616 — 14/11/1616 | Plaintiff: George Butler, farmer of all and singular the tithes of corn, hay, wool, and lambs within the chapelry, manor and lordship of Ellerton; Defendent: Thomas Snawdell; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.H.2196 | Tithe (rye, maslin, oats) | 14/1/1636 — 15/7/1637 | Plaintiff: Marmeduke Dollman, farmer of the tithes of the rectory of the parish church of Bubwith; Defendent: of Spaldington; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.H.3628 | Violation of church rights (disputed dues) | 1660 — 1700 | Plaintiff: Office ; Defendent: Thomas Redar, vicar of Aughton |
| CP.H.5969 | Tithe | 1667 — 1686 | Plaintiff: Office ; Defendent: Thomas Kedar, vicar of Aughton |
| CP.H.5933 | Tithe (wheat, rye, barley, sheep, wool, cattle, milk, pigs, geese, chickens, eggs, horses) | 1678 — 1678 | Plaintiff: William Richardson, farmer of tithes in Aughton; Defendent: Benjamin Brook, Aughton |
| CP.H.5958A | Tithe (rape seed) | 18/3/1684 — 25/11/1686 | Plaintiff: George Parish, proprietor of Bubwith; Henry Edmond , proprietor of Bubwith; Defendent: Thomas Dunnington of Sutton on Derwent; Places Mentioned: Aughton |
| CP.H.5763 | Tithe (hay, wheat, rye, barley, oats, beans, peas) | 1690 — 1690 | Plaintiff: Thomas Lamplough, rector of Wheldrake; Defendent: Philip Cooper of East Cottingwith |
| CP.H.5764 | Tithe (rape seed) | 1690 — 1690 | Plaintiff: Humphrey Robinson, farmer of tithes in Wheldrake; Defendent: Philip Cooper of East Cottingwith |
| CP.H.4280 | Tithe (hay, wheat, rye, barley, oats, beans, peas, rape seed) | 4/6/1691 — 4/6/1691 | Plaintiff: Thomas Lamplough, rector of Wheldrake; Defendent: Philip Cooper of East Cottingwith; Witnesses: John Hudsley of Laytham |
| CP.I.590 | Defamation (sexual slander) | 1719 — 1719 | Plaintiff: Faith Blackborn; Defendent: George Smith of Aughton |
| CONS.CP.1810/5 | Violation of church rights (Assessment) | 1810 — 1810 | Plaintiff: Charles Gowry, Churchwarden of the parish of Aughton; George Coton, Churchwarden of the parish of Aughton; Defendent: Thomas Carr, Chapelwarden of East Cottingwith |
| CONS.CP.1828/2 | Violation of church rights (Assessment) | 1828 — 1828 | Plaintiff: Robert Wilkinson, Churchwarden of Aughton; John Voase, Churchwarden of Aughton; Defendent: Robert Cook of Seaton; Witnesses: George Fowler of Aughton |
| CP.I.157 | Defamation (character) | 1700 — 1701 | Plaintiff: William Skelton; Defendent: John Faber of Cottingwith (East or West not given) |
| TEST.CP.1815/7 | Testamentary (disputed value of will) | 1815 — 1815 | Plaintiff: James Blanchard, son and sole executor named in the last will and testament of Nicholas Blanchard, deceased, late of East Cottingwith; Defendent: George Blanchard |
| CP.I.106 | Defamation (sexual slander) | 1704 — 1704 | Plaintiff: Mary Levet; Defendent: John Linsley of Laytham; Witnesses: Peter Rome of Laytham; John Newton of Laytham |
Tithe disputes can be particularly informative, as often the deponents (witnesses) to a case relate how they came by their local knowledge, and commonly give a precis of their entire life.
Take the following case from the above index as an example:
CP.G.1453 Tithe (hay):
AD. 1569/70
Hugh Bethell, as farmer, contra Robt. Herpham for tithe hay of the Abbey Ings of Ellerton.
The file presents little of an individual character; the main interest is in the Incidental details given by the witnesses about themselves.
[The Attestations]
Willm. Blackburne [of Eastcottingwith husbandman, aged 50] ...
... this examinate dwellinge and continuinge in the layte abbaye and monasterye of Ellerton by the space of xvi yeres nexte and immediatlye before the dissolucion therof and at the tyme of the dissolucion thereof sence which tyme he dwelt and continued in East Cottingwythe and yet doithe whyche is distante frome the layte dissolved monastary about halfe a myle doithe verye well knowe the Abbaye Inges libellate ... abuttinge nexte unto a playce callid Pickerynge Ings . . .
... [for the last sixteen years the rent of every acre in the Abbey Ings was 3s. and the tithe hay 4d, in money. The Ings were of ten acres, and were let out in acre lots or thereabouts].
Joh. Blansharde [of Ellerton husbandman, aged 56] ...
... beinge borne in the towne of Ellerton and dwellinge in the same frome the tyme of his birthe for the space of one yeare then nexte folowinge his birthe and flitted frome thence to Pocklington where he dwelte untill wythin viii yeres next before the dissolucion of the abbye in wych towne of Ellerton he continued for the same viii yeares and then came to dwell where he remayned in the towne of North Duffield for the space of xxtie yeares then nexte folowinge endid aboute v yeares sence whyche Northe Duffield is distante frome Ellerton aboute a myelle and a halfe and for thies v yeares laste he hayth dwelte and yett doithe in the towne of Ellerton ... immediatlye folowinge the dissolucion of the abbaye viz. within one yeare nexte after the same was one of the tenauntes that had to ferme ii acres of the grounde called Abbaye Inge and had the same for ii yeares together ...
Joh. Driver [of Ellerton servingman, aged 78] ...
... dwellinge and continuinge in the towme and parishe of Ellerton ... and so haythe done durynge all the space of thies iii score and x yeres laste paste and yet dothe and dwellinge in the abbaye or monasterye of Ellerton the space of xx yeares togither nexte before the dissolucion thereof ... [he is worth in debtless goods 40s. ... he is the domestic servant of Mr. Robt. Aske and has yearly of the gift of Mr. Robt. Aske 6s. for the payment of his farm which he holds of our Lady the Queen and also has of the gift of the said Mr. Robert Aske his Master ii kye gresse yearlye] ...
Robte. Riche [of Lethome in Awghton, husbandman, aged 52 ... has lived in Awghton for twenty years after his birth and since then in Lethome ... is worth in debtless goods 5 marks ... he is the tenant of Mr. Robt. Aske and his farm is called the Grange of Lethome and the rent of the same farm yearly extends to the sum of 32s. 6d.].
Printed in: Select 16th Century Causes in Tithe from York Diocesan Registry, YASRS 114, pages 114-115