CHAPTER 1

THOMAS TEAL –1705 - 1771

My story begins around 1705 when Thomas Teal was born. His origins are unclear, however it is likely he came from the Teal line of Middleton in Ilkley, Yorkshire whose history can be traced to the early sixteenth century. The most likely hypothesis is that he was a son of an Emmanuel Teal of Middleton and baptised at Ilkley Church on the 29^th March 1705. The evidence¹ for this is uncertain and therefore my story will start with Thomas.

Thomas first appears in Askwith in the Parish of Weston near Otley, Yorkshire. On the 17^th October 1733 he is listed on the jury of Weston Manorial Court.

From the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 until well into the eighteenth century, the Manor provided a framework for the lives of much of the rural population of England. It provided the administration of the land and the law mainly through the Manor Courts that were held periodically throughout the year. After the eighteenth century most of the criminal functions of this Court were removed to the County Courts but they continued to function for the transfer of Manorial land until in 1925 they were abolished.

A Manor comprised an area of land, usually a village or Parish although it could be larger and contain several villages or Parishes. Each Manor had an owner known as the Lord of the Manor. The Manor was governed by rules called the ‘Customs of the Manor’ and these differed from place to place. An example of some Manorial Customs of the Forest of Knaresborough, recorded in 1563 are listed below:

- After the death of every customary tenant, dying seized of any messuage, parcel of the said lordship or Manor, whether there by any lands lying to it or not, that the officer there for the time being shall seize, to the use of the Queen’s majesty, her heirs and successors, his best beast (that is to say, horse, ox or cow)

- If any customary tenant die seized of any customary lands there, if the next heir, by himself or by his friends, come not at the next Manor court, or before the year and day expired, after the death of his or their ancestor, to make his relief (fine), then the said lands shall be seized into the hands of the Lord of the said Manor, and the next heir not to have them until he pay three years rent, for and in the name of a fine, unto the Lord of the same Manor, over and besides his relief.

- If any tenant, seized of any customary land whereupon any great trees of age of twenty-four years or above, be, or shall be growing, shall cut then down and sell them, or any of them, he shall grievously be amerced; but yet nevertheless, it shall be lawful to and for the said customary tenants to take fire-wood meet for fuel, growing upon his or their customary lands, to burn in their houses, upon the same lands and holds, and to take trees growing upon the same, meet for repair, or to build his or their messuages or ancient buildings there.

From the sixteenth century residents in the Manor could hold land in various forms of tenure:

Freehold Tenants

The tenants owned their land and were free to sell it without reference to the Lord.

Customary Tenants

Most tenants owned their land in this fashion. The land was known as ‘Copyhold’ and refers to the practice of giving the tenant a copy of the Manor Court Roll, which detailed their holding and served as proof of title. All land transactions had to go through the Manor Court and fines were payable on the death of a tenant and on the transfer of ownership.

Leaseholds

Leasehold land was let to the tenant for a set period e.g. annually or twenty-one years. An annual rent would be payable as would a fine for renewing.

What Thomas’s status was on the Manor of Weston is unknown, he is listed as appearing at other Courts held in the 1730s, but the records are very incomplete. His trade was as a tailor so he likely made clothes for the small villages of Askwith and Weston. He married Ann but she died and was buried at Weston Parish Church on the 17^th April 1742

On the 11^th May 1739 the Teals long association with White Crag in Timble in the Parish of Fewston began. Timble is a small village on the southern slope of the valley of the Washburn river some six miles north-west of Otley, since 1974 in the county of North Yorkshire but previous to that in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Thomas bought an ancient building and two closes of copyhold land called stoney close and low close containing one customary acre (said to be equivalent to four modern acres) in Timble in the Manorial court of the Forest of Knaresborough. The Crown through their Duchy of Lancaster holdings owned this large Manor covering four Parishes. The deed for this transaction is preserved in the Public Record Office, London.

Public Record Office Reference DL 30 / 617 Pages 257 & 264 Duchy of Lancaster - Forest of Knaresborough Surrenders Book 3

(Page 257) Knaresbrough - To wit

The Torne or Grand Court Leet with the Court Baron of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the grace of God of Great Britain and so forth King (of Record) held for his Forrest and Liberty of Knaresbrough aforesaid within his Castle there on Thursday the Seventeenth day of May in the twelfth year of his Reign and in the year of our Lord 1739 before the Right Honourable Richard Earl of Burlington High Steward by Thomas Flesher Gentleman Understeward of the Courts there

(Page 264) Forrest

I Henry Taylor out of Court the Eleventh day of May 1739 Surrenders into the hands of our Sovereign Lord the King by the hands of Thomas Flesher Gentleman Understeward or Clerk of the Courts there one ancient building and Barn and two closes of Land called Stoney Close and low Close and two Garths containing by estimation one acre be the same more or less called (blank space) with all hezedifaments and appurtenances to the same belonging situate lying and being in Timble in the forrest aforesaid now in the Tenure and occupation of Richard Knowles or his assignes To the use and behoofe of Thomas Teal of Askwith his heirs and assignes for ever according to the custom of the forrest aforesaid and upon this at this court cometh the said Thomas Teal and prays to be admitted to his fine for the Premises aforesaid Proclamation being made and none forbidding it the premises aforesaid with the appurtenances are granted by the understeward aforesaid to have and to hold to the said Thomas Teal his heirs and assignes for ever according to the Custom of the forrest aforesaid and he is admitted tenant.

Fine 9 d

(Duchy of Lancaster copyright material in the Public Record Office is reproduced by permission of the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster)

To increase this holding of land he quickly encroached on some of the common land in Timble and at the Manor Court held on the 25^th October 1739 was fined 1 shilling for doing so.

Encroachments were fines levied by the Lord of the Manor for using land for which you were not entitled. By the eighteenth century they had become another name for an annual rent for the land but without the same rights as standard copyhold Manorial tenure. The Lord of the Manor could not throw you off copyhold land without good reason, he could from any encroachments.

With his copyhold land and the encroachments he could supplement his tailoring income with that from a small farm. Whilst he could not be classed as rich he was certainly a few rungs up the ladder of wealth.

Following the death of his wife in April 1742, Thomas was left a widower with no children or heirs. He moved quickly and on the 29^th July he married Jane Wright of Thornthwaite in the Parish of Hampsthwaite at that Parish Church. Jane was the daughter of the late George Wright of Thornthwaite and had become entitled to a £ 30 legacy in the June under the terms of his last will. She was therefore something of a catch for Thomas.

The marriage was by licence, which meant that, Thomas and a friend or relation swore an oath that confirmed there were no legal obstacles to the marriage under a penalty of £ 200. The marriage could then take place quickly without the normal public calling of banns over three weeks. Thomas went to Otley on the 27^th July 1742 and with William Linley, a tailor of Otley got his licence from the Vicar, the Rev. Henry Humphrey. Whilst the licence which would have been handed over in Hampsthwaite church does not appear to have survived, the bond and allegation is preserved at the Borthwick Institute in York. This is the first document we have that Thomas signed or marked, as he could not write.

Thomas Teal’s Marriage Allegation 27^th July 1742 – Borthwick Institute, York

THE Twenty Seventh Day of July in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and forty two which Day appeared personally Thomas Teal of ye parish of fuyston in the County of York aged above Thirty seven Years and a Widower and alledged that he intendeth to marry with Jane Wright of ye parish of Hampsthwaite in the County aforesaid aged above Twenty six Years and a Spinster

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not knowing, or believing any impediment, by Reason of any Preconract, Confanguinity, Affinity, or any other lawful Means whatsoever, to hinder the said intended Marriage: Of the Truth of which he made Oath, and prayed Licence for them to be married in the parish Church of fuyston or Hampshwaite aforesaid

Sworn before me

Hen : Humfrey Surrogate

his mark

Thomas T Teal

Why did Thomas marry by licence, which was more costly than a standard banns marriage? Perhaps his bride was undecided and other suitors were waiting in the wings? Perhaps the short time between this marriage and the death of his first wife would cause gossip in the village and he wanted it to be a secret. Perhaps he just wanted to get on with it as soon as possible, he was not getting any younger and had no children, he also had a farm, house and tailoring business to keep going on his own.

Whatever the reason, the couple prospered and had five children, four girls and a boy. They were all baptised at the local Fewston church, Sarah on 22^nd September 1744, Dorothy on 7^th March 1745, Ellen on 22^nd September 1748, Mary on 1^st September 1751 and finally George on the 23^rd October 1754.

The family were joined by Jane’s elderly widowed mother Ellen Wright who came to live with them from Hampsthwaite. She was entitled, from her late husband George, to an encroachment in the Forest of Knaresborough at Menwith Hill of a house and a small parcel of land, which passed to Thomas when she died in March 1756.

Scandal rocked the family in 1764 when Sarah, Thomas’s unmarried eldest daughter became pregnant. This was highly frowned upon not only not only by the population in general but by the state. Illegitimate children could become a burden on the Parish ratepayers through the Poor Laws. She gave birth to a son and he was christened at Fewston, the Parish register recording the event:

Joseph a bastard child of Sarah Teal baptised Dec. 26^th 1764

The fathers’ identity is unknown but Thomas appears to have accepted his grandson and provided him with a £ 10 legacy in his Will. Sarah and Joseph continued to live with Thomas until following Thomas’s death she married a widower William Parker a whitesmith from Darley in Hampsthwaite on the 8^th November 1772

Thomas and his daughter Sarah were witnesses to the Will of Widow Mary Mason of Timble on the 23^rd February 1767

Leeds Archives, Knaresborough Wills

Thomas’s health started to fail rapidly during March and April 1771. On the 12^th April 1771 being “in peril of death” his copyhold land was handed over in trust to other farmers of the township under the instructions of his last will, as was the custom of the Court of Knareborough Forest.

Public Record Office Reference DL 30 / 620 Page 447 Duchy of Lancaster - Forest of Knaresborough Surrenders Book 6

April 12 Day 1771

Forest

Thomas Teal of Timble in the Parrish of Fewstone being in perill of Death surrendereth all his Copyhold or customary Lands and Tennements within the Forest aforesaid with all the Appertenances into the Hands of our Sovereign Lord the King by the Hands of Thomas Parkinson and Irish Bramley two customary Tennants of the said Forest To the use of his last Will but if the said Thomas Teal be living at the next Court Day then this Surrender is to be void but if he be then dead this surrender shall be presented into the Court Rolls according to Custom of the said Forest

(Duchy of Lancaster copyright material in the Public Record Office is reproduced by permission of the Chancellor and Council of the Duchy of Lancaster)

Thomas died, and was buried in Fewston Churchyard on the 4^th May 1771. His will written on the 5^th April 1771 shortly before his death was proved in the Knareborough Forest Court on the 24^th July. All his children are listed although the main farm went in the tradition of the day to his only son George, who was actually his youngest child. Interestingly his daughter Dorothy who by this time was the wife of Thomas Forrest of the nearby hamlet of Norwood was left only one shilling! Is this a sign of a family rift or had she already had her share of the estate. Nothing in the records shows, but she did not have long to contemplate this, for she too died shortly afterwards in January 1772

Thomas Teals Will -Preamble – Leeds Archives – Knaresborough Wills R5

Thomas Teals Will – Legacy to son George Teal – Leeds Archives – Knaresborough Wills R5

Thomas Teals Will – Legacy to daughter Dorothy Forest – Leeds Archives – Knaresborough Wills R5

His wife Jane remained on the farm with George and she died in March 1778 aged 68 years. She was buried in Fewston Churchyard on the 15^th March 1778

Fewston Church and Vicarage, Pictured in the early 1880s

The tower dates from the fourteenth century, the chancel and nave were rebuilt in 1697 following a fire in the previous year.

This Church was witness to many Teal family events

Notes

1 – The current evidence for Thomas’s birth is as follows. Thomas is listed as aged 37 on marriage bond dated 1742. Thomas’s born around this time at Leeds and Spofforth have been discounted on the grounds they died or produced separate families. Thomas is known to have lived in Askwith and the Weston Parish Register gives evidence of a Teal family group living there from the 1720s. Tracing the baptism entries from this group indicate that all bar Thomas are christened at Ilkley Parish Church to father Emmanuel Teal. However a Parish Register entry dated 29^th March 1705 states ‘Eman son of Thomas Teal of Middleton baptised’, searching forward and back through the register shows no Thomas Teals producing children at this time, but does indicate the Emmanuel Teal has a gap in his family around 1705. The Ilkley register is also confused around this time with duplicate entries. Is it possible that the Parish Clerk confused the father name with the son’s?

Reference:

Summerbridge Tutorial Group – Kith and Kin Nidderdale Families 1500 - 1750

William Grainge – History of Harrogate and the Forest of Knaresborough

Thomas Parkinson – Lays and Leaves of the Forest

Borthwick Institute, York - Yorkshire Marriage Bonds and Allegations

Leeds Archives – Knaresborough Probate Records

Leeds Archives - Weston Hall 291/2

Public Records Office: DL/30 Knaresborough Surrender Books

Weston Parish Registers, Printed by Yorkshire Parish Register Society

Fewston Parish Register, North Yorkshire Record Office, Northallerton

Ilkley Parish Register, Printed by the Yorkshire Parish Register Society