|
The Farndales
of Kilton
Kilton is at the heart of the Farndale family.
The following family lines were focused around
Kilton:
The
Kilton 1 Line
The
Kilton 2 Line
The Kilton
3 Line
The Kilton
1 Line is an important part of the family heritage and many modern
Farndale families will be able to trace through this line.
There are many other Farndales associated with
Kilton including:
·
John
Farndale (FAR00116)
(27 June 1680 to 5 October 1757), householder of Brotton, perhaps the first
Farndale at Kilton
·
John
Farndale (FAR00143)
(28 February 1724 to 24 January 1807), “Old Farndale of Kilton”, a farmer,
alum house merchant, yeoman and cooper.
·
John
Farndale (FAR00217)
who wrote extensively about Kilton and you will find a lot of material on his
web page (much is still to be transcripted). He
wrote The History of Kilton’.
It is hard to know exactly when the first member of the
Farndale family came to Kilton. Certainly they were
there by the late 1600s and in the 1500s and early 1600s there were Farndales
at Liverton, Moorsome,
Skelton and Kirkleatham. But before pursuing this in more detail it is of
interest to know something of Kilton itself, after all it was to be the home
of the Farndales for almost 300 years.
It seems that Alan de Percy founded the Fief of Kilton in
the Barony of Percy in 1106. This was sublet to a certain Walter who
subdivided into three, the Fief of Kilton proper, the Lordship of Hinderwell
and Kirkleatham. In the Fief of Kilton there were the manors of Kilton Thorpe
and Little Moorsholm the Soke
of South Loftus. The Lordship of Hinderwell comprised the manors of
Hinderwell, Seaton and Roxby and the Sokes of Boulby, Arnodestorp, Roxby,
Hinderwell and Reschelthorp. The Kirkleatham
property consisted of a third of that parish.
Doomsday Book states that the King held land at both Kilton
and Kilton Thorpe. At Kilton Thorpe there was a manor and one and a half caracutes of land and at Kilton, one caracute.
Both were held for the King by the Count of Mortain.
However he was banished for conspiracy in 1088 and
both villages, the two and a half caracutes,
another five and a half caracutes and eight acres
of meadow passed to Robert de Brus. At this time too the manor of Little Moorsholm
formed part of the Kilton Fee. That of Great Moorsholm
did not join the Kilton Fee until 1272. It seems too that the Soke of South Loftus, six caracutes
of land, joined the Kilton Fee soon after the Doomsday survey. North Loftus
was much bigger and was part of the Chester Fee. In 1166 the subtenant of
Kilton was "Ilger de Kilton" and remained
so until 1190.
Kilton remained under the Lordship of Robert de Brus until 1272.
He was succeeded by his son William who married a certain
Alice. He was succeeded probably in 1219, by Matilda his niece, probably son
of Roger, one of his five brothers. Matilda was married to Richard de Autrey
who died and in 1226 she married Robert de Thweng.
The Castle was probably founded by Pagan Fitzwalter between 1135 and 1140 and he gave it the same
of the Kilton Fief. To begin with it would be a wooden stockade but by 1140
his son Osbert began the stone construction. This was probably finished by
William de Kilton between 1190 and 1200. It was from Kilton that Robert de Thweng using the nickname "Will Wither" harried
the papal clergy who took his church at Kirkleatham and many others all across the North of England. Eventually he was
excommunicated. He assembled some 20 of the Lords and knights of the North at
Kilton and armed with their letters of support set off for Rome to be freed
with an order not to interfere with the lay patrons. Robert was followed by
his son Marmaduke who had married Lucia de Brus in
about 1247 and had been born and baptised at Kilton Castle in 1225. His
eldest son Robert was born at Kilton Castle in 1255, then came seven more
sons and five daughters, the last born in 1276. The second son Marmaduke born
in Kilton Castle in 1256 moved to Danby and Kilton went to his eldest son
Robert who died in 1279 leaving only a daughter Lucy. Kilton then passed to
Marmaduke of Danby's second son Marmaduke who married and had six sons and
three daughters. He played a prominent part in the Scottish wars of that time
and a major part in the Battle of Stirling on 11 September 1297 where his
eldest son Marmaduke was killed. He went on as English commander defeating
Bruce at Methven in 1306. Marmaduke was summoned to Parliament in 1294, but
he spent almost all his time in Scotland until 1307 when, aged 51 he settled
down at Kilton Castle. When his wife died in 1309 he
handed over Kilton to his eldest surviving son William. He died in 1323 aged
67.
William became one of the most dissolute of the northern
nobles. He had fought at Stirling and throughout the Scottish campaign of
1306. He died in 1341 and was buried at Horndale
nunnery 2 miles east of the Castle. From his death Kilton Castle began to
decline. He left no issue and Kilton passed to his brother Robert who was by
then 63 and was a priest.
Kilton passed to his brother Thomas, the last of the
Thwengs, born at Kilton in 1283 and aged 62 on his
accession. He was rector of Kirkleatham. Kilton was neglected, although
Catherine the widow of William lived there to her death in 1349. Between 1349
and 1358 no one lived there until Sir Marmaduke de Lumley took up residence.
Thomas de Thweng died at Kirkleatham in 1374 aged
91 and Robert de Lumley, son of Sir Marmaduke succeeded his great uncle
Thomas de Thweng. But he died before the year was
out and his son Ralph born at Kilton Castle in 1361 became Lord of Kilton at
the age of 13. When he grew up he abandoned Kilton
and converted his house at Lumley into a great fortress/Palace. In 1398 he
dissolved the Chapel of St Peter in Kilton Castle when he finally left Kilton
for the newly completed Lumley.
By 1537 when the Crown took possession of Kilton Castle it
was a gaunt, grim, ivy clad ruin. Thereafter it was used as a local source of
building material. There is a story that Coulson was besieged and destroyed
by Cromwell but this is most unlikely as by that time it had been uninhabited
for 240 years.
About 1680 a Mr Thomas Thweng
purchased the Castle from the Crown, probably a descendant of a junior branch
of the family. He certainly did not live there and
it was probably he who built the original Kilton Hall some 1 mile away from
its stone. His only daughter Ann married Mr William Tully and at the East End
of the chancel of old Brotton church (now no more) was a large memorial which
said "Sacred memory of William Tully of Kilton in this county, Esq, who
departed this life 27 May 1741 aged 72 and is interned underneath this
monument. He married Ann sole daughter and heiress of Thomas Thweng of Kilton Castle in this county, Esq, by whom he
left no issue."
The original farmstead of Stank House was built in about
1700of the stone of Kilton Castle. In the east wall of the outbuildings is a
large carved stone which would appear to have once born a coat of arms, now
completely obliterated.
In feudal times when the Castle was inhabited, there was a
village of some size occupying the site of the modern farmstead of Kilton
Hall, some 700 yards north west of the Castle. This village is now
represented only by the hall and three modern brick cottages by the field are
still called "Town End Close." The present hall occupies the site
of the Georgic house which itself stood on the site of a still older manor
house built from stone of the Castle.
John Farndale
(FAR000217) wrote The History of
the Ancient Hamlet of Kilton-in-Cleveland, printed by W Rapp, Dundas
Street, Saltburn 1870
The History of Kilton dedicated to the Reverend William Jolley , Returning Immigrant,
by John Farndale
A text, Impact of Agricultural Change on the Rural Community - a case study of
Kilton circa 1770-1870, Janet Dowey includes much
about John Farndale and his writings
This first extract comes from Impact
of Agricultural Change on the Rural Community - a case study of Kilton circa
1770-1870, Janet Dowey:
The most predominant family at Kilton was the Farndales, their ancestry ages old.
Its most distinguished member John Farndale wrote numerous books on the area.
Kilton, the village itself had been a thriving community consisting of a
public house, a meeting house, two lodging houses and a schoolhouse, from which
sprang two eminent schoolmasters. A butcher's shop, a London tailor and his
apprentice and eight others, a rag merchant, a shop which sold some books,
pens, needles, tape and thread. Five sailors, two soldiers, two missionaries
plus a number of very old people.
The picture John Farndale paints is of a peaceful rural community who boasted
of no poachers, no cockfighters, no drunkards or swearers. A church going people
who met together on a Sunday afternoon. Kilton at that time had nearly 20
houses and a population of 140 men, women and children, a Hall, stables, plantation
and the old Castle plus 12 small farms stop when John wrote these books he
was speaking of a time long since gone (the early nineteenth century), he
listed each family that lives lived within the village.
Robert Jolly was a farmer and a staunch Wesleyan. After his death his farm was
carried on awhile by his sons. This being the time of Nelson's death (1805),
John goes on to say that there was great reformation in Kilton estate, "the
little farms were joined together, about 150 acres each. Every farmer had to
move to a new farm. The sons of Robert Jolly each moved away at this time,
one became a lifeguard to George III and the other eventually became a
minister. William Bulmer was another native of Kilton and married with nine
children, he made his living buying and selling, but all his children moved
away into 'respectable' situations."
Many of the farmers were weavers too, one in particular, George Bennison, had
two looms plus his land and also prepared a colt for Northallerton fair once a
year stop. The children of these farmers continually moved away from the district
and agriculture. John Farndale says "and now
they disappear, but where are they gone, I know not". John Tuke says "it is observable, but in those families which have succeeded from generation to generation
to the same farm, the strongest attachment to old customs prevails. For
conduct and character, the farmer under survey must deservedly rank high
among their fellows in any part of England, they are generally sober,
industrious and orderly; most of the younger part of them have enjoyed a
proper education, and give a suitable one to their children, who, of both sexes,
are brought up in habits of industry and economy. Such conduct rarely fails
meeting its reward; they who merit, and seek it, obtain independence, and
every generation, or part of every generation, may be seen stepping forward
to a scale in society somewhat beyond the last."
However Thomas Hardy in his book "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", states
"all mutations so increasingly discernible in village life did not
originate entirely in the agricultural unrest. A depopulation was going on."
The village life which Hardy talks about had previously "contained"
side by side with agricultural labourers an "interesting and better informed class". These included a carpenter, a
Smith, shoemaker, huckster "together with nondescript workers" in
addition to the farm labourers. A group of people who "owed a certain
stability of aim and conduct to the fact of their being life-holders or
copyholders or occasionally small freeholders." When the long holdings
fell in they were rarely again let to identical
tenants, and they were usually pulled down, if they were not needed by the
farmer or his workers. "Cottagers who were not directly employed on the
land were looked upon with disfavour, and the banishment of some starved the
trade of others, who were thus obliged to follow." Families such as
these had formed the backbone of the village life in the past who were the
depositories of the village traditions, had to seek refuge in the large
centres; the process, designated by statisticians as the tendency of the
rural population towards the large towns being really the tendency of water
to flow uphill when forced by machinery.
And so to the conclusion:-
"An introduction to this small work, although small, yet I hope it will be
interesting to the tourist. The emigrants returning after a long series of years
to his nativity, as well as the missionary from the continent, the soldier
from his long campaign; the lifeguard from the city of London all these we
have hailed with joy to their dear home Kilton, which strange to say there
are no little boys ought and girls playing there. Is this well pleasing, to
kind providence, who said to our first parents, when he puts them into the
Garden of Eden, "be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." Would it not be advisable to divide and subdivide
and divide again this great continent - this farm, and obey our Father's
commands, being fruitful and multiplying, and what a noble race of young
girls would then be playing in this Jerusalem, as in the olden time.
We are now surprised to hear the above, on their return from a far country saying,
"no place can equal Kilton for loveliness" standing as it does, in
the midst of sylvan scenery, beautiful landscape and woodland scenery, and
what a perfume of sweet fragrance from wildflowers, particularly the primrose
acres that would grace any gentleman's pleasure ground of beauty into
loveliness. Kilton as it is situated, is fitted only for a prince"
"Now much has changed, we oft times have looked and looked again, but no
corner of this large farm has been neglected. Witness, this rich stack yard of
100 acres of wheat, the staff of life, and 100 more, oats, beans, peas, hay,
clover, potatoes and turnips piled up against the winter storms. In the fold
are housed 100 head of sheep, a stable with 14 farming horses, besides the
young horses, pigs and geese in abundance, carts, wagons, ploughs and harrows
and all implements.
"He makes across the hills adorn,
He clothes the smiling fields with corn,
the beasts with food his hands supply,
and the young ones when they cry."
This was the Kilton John Farndale knew and loved. It had changed beyond belief.
Several of the very old and larger states were less crowded than they had
been; where a better cultivation had taken place, the small cottages had given
way gradually to shape a farm worthy of the person having such money to improve
it. A lot of the field structures and hedges were still in place, only some
of the hedges had been taken out to make bigger fields. The hedge structure
at Kilton was probably there 50 years before John Farndale was born. In one
instance a hedge appears to have been put in to divide a field.
Some of the reasons for
the demise of Kilton were the industrial revolution, which was the need to
centralise craftsmen from the small villages, a revolution in farming methods
and farming machinery, a wholesale destruction of the village for the town.
The Napoleonic Wars had an influence on the price of farm produce, the price
of food was kept at a fairly high level during the war but after the war
finished the price of grain fell to one of its lowest levels along with
falling meat prices, and disastrous harvests. Farming methods were needed to
get the harvest in quicker. This finally led the landlord to enlarge the
farms and bring in a farmer with money to modernise the farm. The
mechanisation of farming policies on the one hand and the progressive
quantity of urban factories on the other, combined to drastically alter that
rural life. Taking into consideration also the turnpike roads, the invention
of the railway and the canal networks it is obvious that economic and
technological forces were bringing far reaching changes. During the period
when enclosure was in progress, "the revolution in agricultural
methods", there was moderately steady process of new village creation, a
considerable upsurge within the 18th century. Enclosure or amalgamation of
the Kilton village farms, probably happened in the late 1860s, thus was the
complete destruction of the village.
Kilton became a victim not only of the "Monstre farm" but also of the Industrial Revolution.
"And now dear Farndale, the best of friends must part,
I bid you and your little Kilton along and final farewell.
Time was on to all our precious boon,
Time is passing away so soon,
Time know more about his vast eternity,
World without end oceans without sure."
John Farndale. 1870
|
Countryside at Kilton in
1980
Kilton Hall 1795
Kilton Hall in about 1890
Kilton Lodge Farm in about 1920
Kilton Hall 1980
Buck Rush Farm about
1912 (it was part of Kilton Lodge Farm under Charles Farndale)
|
|
John Farndale
(FAR000217) was born
at Kilton in Cleveland, Yorkshire on 15 August 1791, second son of William
and Mary Farndale (née Ferguson), farmers and business people. On his 84th
birthday (1874) he wrote his memoirs. He stated that he was in good health.
He died in 1879 aged 88. The following notes are taken from his memoirs which
were written in very descriptive Victorian English.
He first described Kilton as "of great interest with a
great hall, stable, plantation and ancient stronghold in ruins (Kilton
Castle)". "It is still a small place" he says
and he describes how many have left it and made their name.
"My first remembrance began in my nurse's arms when I
could not have been more than 1 1/2 years old; a memory as vivid as if it
were yesterday. She took me out on St Stephen's Day 1973 into the current
Garth (a small enclosure) with a stick and 'solt'
to kill a hare. A great day at the time. Another
time (after celebrating the victory of Trafalgar, 1805) he was dangling head
foremost down the draw well hanging by the buckle of his shoe. He goes on to
describe a very happy childhood and he clearly adored his mother. "At
this time I believe I loved God and was happy."
He remembered "an old relation of my father"
(there were several in Kilton at that time) remarking that his elder brother
George was a "prodigal son", while John was the son at home with
his father. But he describes how he got up to many
frolics and had some narrow escapes, although he was no drunkard or swearer.
His parents, he said, "were strict Church people and
kept a strict look out. I became leader of the (Brotton) church signers,
clever in music" and he excelled his friends. He had a close friend, a
musician in the church choir. One day he met him and said he had been very
ill and had been reading a lot of books including "Aeleyn's
Alarum" and others "which nearly made my hair stand on end." . His friend told him that he was going to alter
his way of life and if John would not refrain from his revelries, he would
"be obliged to forsake your company.". "That was a nail in a
sure place. I was ashamed and grieved as I thought myself more pious than he.
Now I began to enter a new life as suddenly at St Paul's but with this
difference, he was in distress for three days and nights but for me it was
three months". He fasted all Lent and describes his torment. "How
often I went onto the hill with my Clarinet to play my favourite tune."
His companion lived one mile away (at Brotton perhaps?) and
they met half way every Sunday morning at 6am for prayer. He remembered well
meeting in a corner of a large grass field. George (Sayer) began and he
followed. When they finished they opened their eyes
to see "a rough farm lad standing over us, no
doubt a little nervous. Next day this boy said to others in the harvest field
'George Sayer and John Farndale are two good lads for I found them in a field
praying.' " On the following Sunday they moved to a small wood and met
under an oak tree and met an old man who wanted to join them. As usual George
began and John continued when the old man began to
roar in great distress
|
Four sisters perhaps at
time of Charles' family at Kilton Lodge about 1890
Kilton Lodge about 1925
- George and Grace Farndale (whose father was Charles) sitting
Photo of George Farndale
taken about 1925 when Vincent was visiting Britain
Picnic at Kilton Lodge
about 1910
Back row Vincent's sister, Ray, George, Mary, Grace &
Chas Farndale
Front row Mrs Farndale, Grace Todd (Vincent's Aunt), Liz
(Vincent's sister), Mary Todd (another aunt) and Vincent
Kilton Lodge about 1910,
Vincent Grainger, Mrs Farndale (Ann), Mr Farndale (Charles), George, Grace,
man unknown, girl believed to be Mary or Sophie
Tea Party at Kilton
Lodge about 1910 - Mrs Ann Farndale, Charles Farndale, visiting vicar,
Vincent Granger (who worked on the farm) and Grace Farndale
This is believed to be Mary
Farndale's (daughter of Charles) wedding about 1920
Vincent Grainger aged 16
taken on the steps of Kilton Lodge and aged 93 in 1985
Vincent Grainger worked on the farm at Kilton Lodge as a mamber of the family
|
