The mystery of the map of Ingleborough made by Richard Newby, 1619

In the 2004 Journal there appeared articles about two 17th century maps of Ingleborough made by Christopher Saxton and Richard Newby. The map prepared by Newby in 1619 concerned land on Ingleborough and Moughton. Boundaries were in dispute and encroachment on the unenclosed wastes and commons by the inhabitants of Selside and Austwick led to a court case.

The copy of the Newby map obtained from The National Archives (TNA) numbered MPC1/235 is interesting in part because of the drawings of houses in several places, in particular Austwick, Crummack, Wharfe, South House, Selside and Horton.

It came to the notice of the author that on the photocopy of the map in her possession the picture of the house at Crummack was different from that on the map from TNA. On the TNA map the picture of the house at ‘Cromok’ has a gable end showing changes to the wall line. In addition, on the Horton Stye track at Crummack Head a circle and cross have been added. This suggests that the TNA map is a later copy or later alterations have been made. The style of both maps is so similar that the same hand is probable. The questions then are: who made this amended map, when was it made, where did it come from, where is it now, and why?

The map copy held by the author came possibly through Stan Lawrence of Austwick who transcribed the text on the map some 20 years ago. Enquiries have been made at the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, North Yorkshire County Record Office at Northallerton, Lancashire Record Office at Preston, West Yorkshire Archive Service at Sheepscar, Leeds, the University of Leeds and The National Archives with no success in finding an original version of the map in the author’s possession. This is in spite of the author’s note from a visit to Sheepscar in 1986 that a copy was held there.

Associated Duchy of Lancaster documents (DL44/1030, DL44/1038, DL4/68/42a, DL5/24,) dated 1605, 1606, 1608, 1618 and 1619 which pre-date the map have been found at TNA; copies were held by Lt. Col. G.W.H. Field of Austwick and transcribed by Stan Lawrence. The Field family do not have relevant papers for the Lordship of the Manor of Lawkland with Feizor. Dr Farrer as Lord of the Manor of Austwick similarly had no information to offer. One possibility is that Professor Maurice Beresford had a framed copy of the map which he showed to the Horton History group in about 1984; paper copies were made and some were sold in the Penyghent café in Horton. A copy may then have found its way to Austwick. The Richard Newby map formed part of the Duchy of Lancaster material which may still be in process of cataloguing so it may yet be found.

Despite the mapping of boundaries the disputes between Austwick and Selside evidently continued. In the author’s possession is also a document dated 1682 which is the ‘Exemplification of a Record of a feigned issue to try their Rights upon Ingleborrow’ at York Summer Assizes. This concerns a case of supposed trespass between James Banks of Austwick (plaintiff) and John Green of Selside (deforciant). Costs and charges amounted to 40 shillings and the record of the case was commanded to be exemplified and made Letters Patent. This legal process was a method of establishing rights rather than a real case of trespass and damages. James Bankes of Austwick is possibly the one baptised in 1632, son of Thomas. He married Jennet Battersbie in 1662 and died in 1716. The Hearth Tax returns show that James Bankes had one hearth in Austwick in 1672. John Greene might have been the one of Newyn who married Jeane Wildman of Selside in 1660. He is not in Hearth Tax lists.

The maps and documents illustrate the tensions between parishes where high grazing lands used for sheep, cattle, hunting and cutting of turf were unenclosed. Boundaries were only defined in terms of ‘meares’ or ‘marks’ such as Lord’s Seat and other easily identifiable points in the landscape. The increasing pressure on land use due in part to population increase led to boundary disputes and to later enclosure with walls. The problem of the altered map remains to be resolved!

Acknowledgements