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A Page of History


from The Barwicker No. 83



Being "side-tracked" is an occupational hazard for local historians. How many times have we, when looking up some reference in a document, newspaper or book, come across, quite by accident, some information that appears to be more interesting and important than the original topic? Recently I was looking for details of a Barwick burial on a particular page of "Wills, Registers and Monumental Inscriptions of Barwick -in-Elmet" by GD Lumb (1908), a most useful book with a (usually) accurate index. This item in the burial register caught my eye.

Oct 18 1767 Mary, wife of Thomas Ellar, Kid Hall lane, Jockey


Here was a man, almost two and half centuries ago, whose sole or main occupation was riding racehorses - a sport still very much alive today. It seems likely that he worked for Stephen Vevers of Morwick Hall, (the Vevers Family), a keen horseman who bred Morwick Belle, which raced at York alongside such horses as the legendary 'Gimcrack'.

The page in question contained Barwick burial records from Sept 26, 1767, to December 23, 1769. There were 42 burials listed, 23 male 19 female. There was a wide range of occupations of the heads of the household, namely: farmers (5), labourers (11), not stated (7), and one each of collier, tailor, glover, pipe maker, blacksmith. Although agriculture was the main source of income there was a varied range of craftsmen. Other entries were:

March 7 1768 William Forest, drowned in Grimesdike, Shadwell.
Was he trying to cross the swollen stream? Did he fall in accidentally? Did he jump or was he pushed? The questions raised are endless.
April 2 1768 (blank) Michel, a Foreigner, at Blue Boar, Kid hall Lane
This "man" (we presume Ed.) must have been a stranger to Barwick as his fore name and country of origin are not known. It is possible that he was a traveller on the York to Leeds road and stayed overnight at the Blue Boar Inn, where he died. Was this the predecessor of the 'Fox and Grapes, or was it a long vanished hostelry of which we have no knowledge?
March 20 1769 Mary Lightfoot, (Papist), interred in the Church Yard, Brownmoor.
Does this mean that a lady from Brownmoor, despite being a Roman Catholic, was buried in Barwick churchyard? Or was she, because of her religious beliefs, denied burial in Barwick churchyard but was buried in a church yard on Brownmoor? It seems likely that the former was the case as the place names given in other entries are those where the person's home was situated. We have no knowledge of a church yard on Brownmoor. So it appears that Barwick was an inclusive society at that time, as far as religious beliefs were concerned.
August 14 1768 William Robinson, bastard son of Ann Webster, Scholes
If you think the term 'bastard' is a little harsh, what about "base begotten on the body of" which is found in entries in some records. What are we to make of the inclusion of the name "Robinson"? Is this the son's surname or a second fore-name? Either way, is the mother trying to tell us something of the identity of the father?
Feb. 19, 1769, George Nicholson from the Workhouse, Barwick
Sept. 3 1769 William Cowper from the workhouse, Barwick
This is a puzzle as the workhouse on Rakehill Road, was not built until 1781 (see 'The Barwicker' Nos. 28 and 30). We have no knowledge of the whereabouts of a workhouse before this date.
With all this interesting and controversial information on the page, it is no wonder I was "sidetracked", while my original investigation took a back seat.

Oh! And by the way. I didn't find the entry I was looking for until a later date. It was on another page.

ARTHUR BANTOFT


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