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Loversall
The History of Loversall, south of Doncaster
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Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
Headlines of the history of the
Doncaster are in brown.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Contextual history is in purple.
The area of modern Doncaster was likely
not open land, but forested until it started to be cleared in the late Saxon
period. It has been described as the Great Brigantian
Forest. At some stage perhaps from late Saxon times, areas were cleared for
settlement in the process called assarting. The growth of population and
villages, including Campsall and Loversal, by the time of
Edward the Confessor suggest that assarting had been pursued vigorously by that
time (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography
of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph
Hunter, 1828, page ix).Joseph Hunter lists 170 vills
of human settlement by the late Saxon period. He suggested that settlement
might have been influenced by the need to cross a watercourse, but often may
have been the inclination of a family to settle on land, which larger grew into
a larger habitation. However he recognises that this
informal process was soon replaced by recognition of rights of occupancy from
the lands of the elite class who owned large estates. It therefore ceased to be
open to every citizen to clear woodland for his own use, but by the Doomsday
record, a right had been recognised in overlordship.
Thus
Saxon lords came to surround themselves with dependents who held portions of
land from him, in return for rendering services. This is reflected in culture
such as Beowulf, which provided an encouragement to
live within the protection of the elite class, as protection against the perils
of unsettled places.
1003
The larger seats of population came to
be governed under the authority of a bors
holder who was elected at a general assembly. Townships were grouped in
tens under a hundreder, a superior officer who
held courts. These hundreds came to be called wapentakes in the
areas to the north. Doncaster came to fall within the wapentake of Strafford
and Tickhill. Doncaster and Loversall fell within the Wapentake of
Strafford. Campsall fell within the Wapentake of Osgodcross.
(South
Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the
Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page xi).
1086
By the Norman
Conquest, 28 townships in what is now South Yorkshire belonged to the Lord of Conisbrough.
The Domesday
Book recorded:
“In Estorp, Earl Tosti had one manor of three carucates for
geld and four ploughs may be there. Nigel has [it] of Count Robert. In the
demesne, one plough and three villanes and three
bordars with two ploughs. A church is there, and a priest having five bordars
and one plough and two mills of thirty two shillings
[annual value]. Four acres of meadow. Wood, pasturable, one leuga
and a half in length and one leuga in breadth. The
whole manor, two leugae and a half in length and one leuga and a half in breadth. T.R.E., it was woth eighteen pounds, now twelve pounds. To this manor
belongs this soke – Donecastre (Doncaster) two
carucates, in Wermesford (Warmsworth)
on carucate, in Ballebi (Balby) two carucates, in Geureshale (Loversall) two carucates, Oustrefeld (Austerfield) two carucates and Alcheslei (Auckley) two carucates. Together fifteen
carucates for geld, where eighteen ploughs may be. Now [there is] in the
demesne one plough and twenty four villanes
and thirty seven bordars and forty sokemen. These have twenty
seven ploughs, wood, pasturable in places, in places unprofitable”
So at the Conquest Loversall was a berewick of two caracutes in the
manor of Hexthorpe. Estorp (Hexthorpe) is a small
village now part of Doncaster and at the time about a mile downstream from the
town became an insignificant place after the Conquest and comprises three caracutes of land. However to
Hexthorpe were appended an extensive soke which included Doncaster
and Loversall and other places.
There is a
suggestion from that Fulk de Lusoriis had two bovates
at Loversall and Geffrey Alselyn had four bovates (South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 60).
Twelfth
century
The church of St Katherine dates to the
12th century. The simple interior of the nave is supported by eight
13th century columns.
There was
significant building of monasteries and parish churches after the Conquest.
The building of
churches was attractive since this allowed the lords to extract tithes from
distant churches to which it had been paid and settle it on churches of their
choosing, perhaps closer to their own residence. During this period churches
were built at places including Coningsborough, Campsall, and Doncaster.
Joseph Hunter lists 60 places where Churches were built.
Most of these
churches had one officiating minister at their foundation, the persona
or rector. The churches were often placed under the patronage of
monastic institutions.
Certain of
these churches were parish churches in form, but were also referred to as
chapels, which meant that they were given rights of baptism, nuptial
benediction and of sepulture, but were not able to
participate in tithes from the lands around them. These churches included St
Mary Magdalene at Doncaster and the chapel at Loversall.
1208
By the ninth
year of King John’s reign, the Fossards had erected a
chapel at Loversall. Robert
de Turnham tried to recover the rights in the Doncaster church which Nigel Fossard had given to St Mary’s Abbey, York, but had to
acknowledge the continued rights of the abbey, but was given a right to the
chapels at Loversall and Rossington, which were
part of the parish of Doncaster.
The vicar of
Doncaster nominated the curate for the chapel at Loversall. The chapel was
originally a very small structure, but was extended to
a large chapel by the Wyralls in the sixteenth
century. There are several sepulchral stones from the earlier age, associated
with the Ripers, including an alter tomb and the tomb
of a child. Within the Wyralls chapel is a tomb which
might be that of William de Middleton.
(South Yorkshire, the History and Topography of the
Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by Rev Joseph Hunter,
1828, page 60, 62).
1241
By 25 Henry III,
the mesne lord William de Middleton had passed land in Loversall by fine to
Robert de Ripariis or de Ripers,
in whose name ownership of the land continued until the sixteenth century.
Robert de Ripers also obtained others lands here from
the monks and abbots of Roche in exchange for other lands and £100.Robert de Ripers received lands and meadows at Wadworth, Alverley and Loversall, with their woods and mills, with an
annual rent of 27d. (South Yorkshire, the History
and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York by
Rev Joseph Hunter, 1828, page 60 to 62).
In
Edward I’s reign, the Survey of the County of York by John de Kirkby known as Kirkby’s
Inquest,
(the Nomina Villarum for
Yorkshire) was taken in the fifth reign of Edward I. It refers to Loversale. De Johanne de Ripariis
for the 4th part of one fee in Loversale.
1356
Feoffment by Adam
son of Pain (Pagani) of Alworthlay, to Robert son of John
de Rypers of Loversall and Alice his wife in
survivorship, and the heirs begotten between them, of a messuage [in
Loversall]. Witnesses:—John de Rypers,
lord of Loversall, and others (named). Tuesday, the feast of St. John of
Beverley, 1331 (Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds: Volume 5.
Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1906).
A fourteenth century table tomb stands
in the churchyard. It is thought that a knight of St John of Jerusalem is
buried there, as such a person owned property in Loversall.
1395
A 11391. Indenture being a grant by
Robert Twyer of Doncastre,
Thomas Chamberlayn, William de Wombewell,
and John Frankys to Thomas Rypas
of Loversall and Joan his wife of the lands in Loversall which they had by
his gift and feoffment, those lands there and in Heghellers
excepted which they had granted by charter to Thomas son of the said Thomas Rypas and Isabel his wife, in tail; to hold to the said
Thomas and Joan for their lives in survivorship with remainder, land in 'le Mydelfelde,' &c. excepted, to the said Robert son of
Thomas Rypas, in tail, with remainder to Thomas'
heirs, and with remainder as to the said land in 'le Mydelfelde,'
&c. to the said Robert and Isabel, in tail, with remainder to Thomas'
heirs; attorneys to deliver seisin, [Thomas] Rypas of
Doncastre or John de Lee. Witnesses:—John
Rypas of Doncastre, Robert Rypas and others (named). 10 August, 9 Henry V. (1395?) Fragments of seals. (Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds: Volume 5.
Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1906).
1427
Feoffment by William Mar of Loversall
to Robert Repas, John Yowll, John York and John Anten of the same and the heirs and assigns of Robert, of a
dovecot there. Lady Day, 6 Henry VI. Seal. (1427?) (Descriptive Catalogue
of Ancient Deeds: Volume 5. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery
Office, London, 1906).
1848
A Topographical
Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848: LOVERSALL,
a parish, in the union and soke of Doncaster, W. riding of York, 3½ miles (S.)
from Doncaster, on the road to Worksop; containing 159 inhabitants. The parish
comprises about 2150 acres, of which 720 acres, with the manor and Hall,
are the property of the Rev. Alexander Cooke, and 1300 acres that of Miss
Elizabeth Banks; the scenery is generally of pleasing character, and in many
parts beautifully picturesque. Loversall Hall, the seat of the Rev. A. Cooke,
is a handsome mansion of stone, in a well-wooded demesne. St. Catherine's, the
seat of Miss E. Banks, is a spacious and elegant structure in the later English
style of domestic architecture, embellished with porticos, turrets, and
pinnacles, and beautifully situated on an eminence commanding richly-diversified prospects: in the grounds is St. Catherine's
well, much celebrated in former times, and from which the house derives its
name. The substratum of the parish abounds with limestone, which is quarried
for the roads and for building. The living is a perpetual curacy; net
income, £53; patron, the Vicar of Doncaster. The church, originally a
small ancient structure, was enlarged in the reign of Henry VIII., by the
erection of a chapel on the south side of the chancel, by the Wyrrall family: it contains an altar-tomb over the remains
of the founder; in the chancel is a recumbent effigy of a knight, probably one
of the Middleton family, and in the churchyard is a tablemonument
with a cross fleuri.
1857
1857