History of Potterton 2

The History Of Potterton.

PART 2
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY LANDLORDS AND TENANTS


from The Barwicker No. 37
March 1995

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In Part 1 of this history we have seen that in the 17th. century, Potterton was a small agricultural settlement with some industry, in particular a tanyard. A survey of the manors of Barwick and Scholes dated 1678 adds little to this picture, containing for Potterton only a list of freeholders. There is no mention of the tanyard. The freeholders' list is:

  • Samuell Poole (gent)
  • Richard Ball
  • William Hodgson (gent)
  • William Vevers
  • Elizabeth Thomson (widow)
  • the heirs of Henry Shaw
  • John Settle
  • William Settle
  • Joseph Yeoman
  • Ann and Helen Settle
  • Richard Daniell
  • John Settle's heirs
  • William Ellis.
    •  


    Of these freeholders, William Ellis lived at Kiddal, Richard Daniell and the Settles probably lived in Potterton but the residences of the others is not known.

    In the decade 1681-90, the church records reveal that there were 22 baptisms and 18 burials of Potterton folk. The marriage records are for the parish only and do not specify the hamlets. Calculations from the baptism figures suggest that the population of the hamlet was 66 and the burial figures 56. A figure of 60 is probably about right, a significant fall from the previous total.

    In the decade 1731-40, half a century later, the population totals for Potterton derived in this way are 63 and 47, indicating that the method of calculation is becoming less exact, perhaps because of greater mobility of people at this time. Fifty years later in the years 1781-90, the derived totals are 78 and 37 revealing a complete breakdown of this method of calculation and the results are meaningless.

    Beginning in 1735, the parish records of baptisms, burials and marriages show the occupations of the men involved. In the decade 1735-44 we find in Potterton, four husbandmen or tenant farmers; Mark Robinson, George Watson, Edward Maxfield and Thomas Smith, who is later described as a yeoman. Presumably working for these are six labourers, Richard Wood, Thomas Asquith, John Hemsworth, John Burland, Thomas Thornton and Joseph Dawson. Employed in the trade already noted is Richard Shackleton, a tanner. Is he a relative of John Shackleton of Ripon who bought the tannery in 1732? (Richard Vevers who previously ran the tannery died in 1734.) Luke Richardson, a shoemaker, makes up the total of men recorded.

    The Potterton tanyard passed through a succession of owners, being acquired in 1743 with other land in Potterton by Robert Fretwell, described at that time as of Cinderhill in the parish of Cawthorne, Yorks. A tanner by trade, he had property at Kexby, Mirfield and Tadcaster where he pursued the trade of lighterman and carrier.

    He owned sloops, lighters and other vessels trading between Tadcaster and Hull, wagons and carts employed in the carriage of goods between Tadcaster and Leeds, quantities of cut timber, leather, hides, bark and utensils, all related to the trade of tanner. Water and windmills formed a part of his property at Tadcaster Grange Farm. He lived at Potterton and in 1749 received confirmation from the Archbishop of a 'stall or pew' in Barwick church.

    The west wing of the present Potterton Hall is a Grade II* listed building. It is the oldest part, being built about 1740, possibly by the architect Robert Carr of Horbury. Robert Fretwell lived at Potterton and it seems likely that he occupied this house but whether or not he built it we do not know.

    The West Wing of Potterton Hall built c.1740 (photo 1994)


    An entry in Dr Pocock's 'Journey into England from Ireland' dated 4 August 1750 describes his journey from Bramham to Barwick and its earthworks. About Potterton he says,
    "The tradition is that the Kings (of Northumberland) resided at Pottston (sic) where there is a farm house which we saw half a mile before we came to this place (Barwick), where there are foundations of old walls and marks of fish ponds." 

    Colman suggests that these were more likely to have been the remains of a medieval manor than a Dark Age royal palace.

    An item in the Barwick-in-Elmet Churchwardens accounts for 1752 records:

    To Mr Fretwell for two horse hides   £1  0  8 
    To Thomas Thompson for dressing them £0  16  0 
    Half a hide in a piece  £0  16  0 


    Robert Fretwell's business activities did not prosper and in 1751 he mortgaged the Potterton property and in 1757 he conveyed it to trustees for the benefit of his creditors. In 1762 he sailed for India to try to re-establish his former wealthy state.

    Prior to this, Fretwell's trustees disposed of some of his land but not the house and grounds which remained for the use of his wife. The remainder of the land was acquired in 1759 by Edwin Lascelles, the cousin of the great(X4)grandfather of the present Lord Harewood. Details of the purchase are given in a deed executed at Wakefield on 12 January of that year, a copy of which is in the papers deposited by Rev F S Colman in the Thoresby Society archives. The deed is entitled 'Lands in Potterton which are intended to be sold' to Edwin Lascelles, we presume by Robert Fretwell. The details of the area (in acres, roods and perches) and annual rent of the holdings of other (sub)tenants is given in the above deed. (40 perches = 1 rood. 4 roods = 1 acre).

      a  r  p  £  s  d 
    Lands in Mr Fretwell's occupation with the tanyard   50  0  0  70  0  0 
    Robert Vevers' Farm  21  3  0  16  0  0 
    Thomas Thornton's  19  0  0  13  10  0 
    John Bramley  45  0  0  28  0  0 
    Two cottages with an orchard         4  10  0 
    Totals   135  3  0  132  0  0 


    The rent book of the Harewood estate for the period, which is retained at the Leeds City Archives at Sheepscar, shows that Robert Fretwell remained as a tenant paying the rent of £132.0.0 to Edwin Lascelles although he did not occupy all the land. However, by 1763, Robert Fretwell had left for India and his name had disappeared from the rent book to be replaced the Trustees of the Tadcaster Navigation and those of the above sub-tenants.

    A document found in the Thoresby Society papers gives details of the land holdings of the tenants about this time.

    Trustees of Tadcaster Navigation   a  r  p  a  r  p 
    Raw Flatt  5  1  20       
    Cliff  7  0  0       
    New Oxclose  4  3  0       
    Ing Oxclose  5  3  0       
    Upper Long Lands  10  0  20       
    Lower Long Lands  7  0  0       
    Total (trustees)        40  0  0 
    Robert Vevers             
    Inclosed Land  32  0  32       
    John Bramley             
    Inclosed Land  30  2  31       
    Beck Field 23 lands and 1 butt   12  0  12       
    North Field 5 lands  2  1  32       
    Total (Bramley)         45  0  35 
    Thomas Thornton             
    Inclosed land   8  1  30       
    Raw Field   3  3  30       
    New Field   0  1  19       
    Beck Field   4   3   39        
    North Field   1  1  19       
    Total (Thornton)        19  0  17  
    Grand Total         136   2   4  


    The names and descriptions of the parcels of land purchased can tell us something about the kind of farming operating in Potterton at the time. The deed shows that much of this land had by then been enclosed and Robert Vevers, John Bramley, Thomas Thornton and the Trustees of Tadcaster Navigation rented about 110 acres of enclosed land from Mr Lascelles.

    Some land however was still farmed under an open field system, the survey showing that John Bramley and Thomas Thornton rented a number of 'lands' (strips) with an area of 25 acres in 'Raw Field, Beck Field, North Field and New Field'. This clearly indicates open field cultivation in narrow ploughing strips, (see 'The Barwicker' No.32). Raw Field, Beck Field and North Field are probably the original open fields mentioned in the will of William Shanne in 1584. New Field was probably created later so that the improved four course rotation of crops could be introduced. Raw Field was situated between the Southern Plantation and The Ridge. Beck Field lay west of the beck running south from the Potterton Hall area. The name 'North Field' suggests that it lay between the Hall and the York road.

    The Lascelles rent book tells us that in 1767 the trustees' land has been taken over by William Scholefield and Mr Shipton. This situation continued until 1773, when the tenants were Benjamin Harrison, William Scholefield and Thomas Thornton.

    In the meantime in 1765, Robert Fretwell's house and adjacent land had been acquired by Robert Denison, although Fretwell's wife retained an interest in the house until 1771. Robert Denison was a descendent of a long line of West Riding clothiers who made broad cloth at Great Woodthorpe, then a village on the outskirts of Leeds. His father made a fortune buying cloth in the cloth halls of Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax for export to Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands.

    Robert Denison, the son of a Leeds tradesman, seems to have been accepted by the landed gentry of the time and was asked in 1768 to supervise the preservation of an important country activity as is shown by an item in the 'Leeds Intelligencer'.

    "Sir Thomas Gascoigne (the Lord of the Manor of Barwick) has appointed and deputed Robert Denison of Potterton Lodge, Esq. to preserve the game within his manor about Potterton, Barwick, Winmoor and the Parts adjacent. Therefore this is to Desire that no unqualified Person whatsoever will hunt, course, shoot or otherwise attempt to destroy the Game within the said Manors, as they will be prosecuted with the utmost Rigour". 


    Presumably Robert Denison's residence, Potterton Lodge, was the west wing of the present Hall which he had earlier acquired from Robert Fretwell.

    Another item in the Leeds Intelligencer dated 22 May, 1770, brings to an end the Fretwell saga.

    "The last ship from Bengal brings advice of the death of Robert Fretwell Esq. formerly of Potterton near Tadcaster, well known in this country for his extensive connections in trade in which meeting with a continuous series of misfortunes, about seven years ago at an advanced age, he determined to quit his native country and go to the East Indies with a fixed resolution to re-establish his family in that affluence, from which his many losses in trade had reduced them or perish in the attempt. His death is greatly lamented by his acquaintances as in him were united the tender husband, the affectionate parent, the sincere friend and agreeable companion." 


    POSTSCRIPT

    In pursuing such time-spanning subjects as the History of Potterton (Parts 1 and 2), it is worth appreciating that the dates and calendar have been altered over the period of events covered. The Julian (Roman) Calendar was at odds with the solar year (365¬ days), and became ten days adrift by 1582. In that year Pope Gregory X111 ruled that 5 October should be 15 October (introducing the Gregorian Calendar).

    Countries such as Germany and the Netherlands introduced the arrangement in 1700, but England did not alter its calendar until 1752, when 3 September became 14 September. This led to some discontent, with claims that days had been lost to people's lives and eleven taxable days were lost to the government. The tax year was then moved from 24 March, which was then New Year's Day, to 6 April to compensate.

    At the same time 1 January was officially made New Year's Day in the English calendar. To avoid confusion documents dated between 1 January and 25 March prior to 1753 should now be referred to as bridging two years. Thus a document originally dated 25 February 1750 is referred to now as 25 February 1750/1.

    ARTHUR BANTOFT and TONY COX

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