Act 9

The Merchants of York

A family who settled in York to join the new merchant life of the City

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The story continues with the lives of four generations of a merchant family who settled in medieval York

 

 

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The York Line is a medieval line of the Farndale family who lived in York for four generations.

 

Scene 1 - The Freemen of York

Johanne de Farndale had left Farndale in the late thirteenth century and settled in Egton. He later returned south of the moors to Rosedale, the valley adjacent to his Farndale homelands where he grew oats on 6 acres of land there. His son, Johannes de Farnedale continued to live in the new family lands in Rosedale, where he paid tax in 1327, but in 1336 Johannes had left Rosedale to live at Hovingham, during which time he took on a substantial loan of £8 from a chaplain called Thomas de Wrelton. This seems strange, given early church rules against usury. The Council of Nicaea in 325 CE forbade the clergy to lend money at even low rates of interest and later ecumenical councils applied usury rules even to the laity. As Christians were forbidden to lend money, loans tended to be obtained from Jewish communities, of which there was a strong community in York, or from lay moneylenders.

It seems that Johannes was funding a new business venture, and he probably moved into York soon afterwards to start a saddle making business. By 1363, aged perhaps about sixty, he became a freeman of York, as a saddler. His son Johannes de Farndall also became a freeman of York, by inheriting his father’s right to freemanship.

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The third generation, John, Henry and William, seem to have been soldiers in the Wars in Scotland in 1389, fighting with Thomas Mowbray of the old Kirkbymoorside landowning family.

John then became a butcher and was also made freeman of York in 1408. It is likely that John worked in the medieval Shambles, the street of butchers, from the late thirteenth century.

 

Scene 2 – The Farndales of Southcliffe

On 1 August 1547 the Will of Alice Farndale (nee Pratt) of Southcliffe was proved. In the Name of God Amen, the eleventh day of July 1547. I Alice Farndale of Southclif do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in a manner and form following. First, I give my Soul to Almighty God, to Our Blessed Lady and All the Ecclesiastical Company of Heaven and my body to be buried in the Churchyard of North Cave. Item. I give to Jennet Brightin a kerchief. Item. I give to Isabell Brightin a veil. Item. I give to my mother Agnes Pratt a violet gown. Item. I give to my sister Isabell Prate (sic) a red kirtle (outer petticoat). Item. I give to Thomas Brightin and to John Pratt (her brother, see later), to either of them a calf of the best of my part. Item. I give to Jennet Brightin a green kirtle. Item. I give to my brother John Prate (sic) a stage  of the best of my parte. The residue of my goods, my debts paid and my will fulfilled, I give to Symon ffarnedale and to Isabel my children whom I make my executors. And further I will that my brother John Prate (sic) shall have custody and keeping of my said children’s portions bequest unto them by this my Testament unto they come to lawful years of age when I will that the said portions go to the use and profit of my brother John Pratt provided always that my brother John Lonsdale and Laurence shall have the custody and keeping of my aforesaid children, Simon ffarnedaill and Isabell as specified in their father’s Testament (clearly he was dead). And also if my aforesaid children depart before they become to their years of age, I will that my brother John Pratt do give unto John Lonsdale and Laurence aforesaid, a cowe of my parte. These witnesses, Symon Garthorne, Thomas Dean, Thomas Stevyns and Sir Robert Barker, priest. Will proved on 1st August in the year above given, written before Symon Garthorne and Master Robert Barker, priest, witnesses to the Will and Commissioners before whom administration was granted to John Prate, guardian of Simon and Isabelle ffarnedale, minors.

Alice Farndale (nee Pratt) of Southcliff, about twenty kilometres southeast of York, might have married a descendant of the York family, with whom they had two children, Simon and Isabell, who were left to the guardianship of Alice’s brother John Pratt.

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There was also a reference in the Will at York of Thomas Yoward on 4 May 1554 To Wylson wyff of Farndayll 4d.

 

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