FANGFOSS
The Parish of Fangfoss lies some 10 miles east of
York on gently shelving land between the wolds
escarpment and the lower parts of the Vale of York. (fn. 1)
It is drained by Fangfoss beck, perhaps the foss of
the place-name, and by Salt beck; the two unite in
the parish as Spittal beck. Fangfoss was apparently
an Anglian settlement but Spittal, a hamlet to the
south of the village where the Hospitallers had an
estate, was not mentioned until 1342. (fn. 2) The compact
parish covers 1,409 a. (fn. 3) In 1935 most of neighbouring
Bolton civil parish was added to Fangfoss civil
parish. (fn. 4)
From below 50 ft. above sea-level in the western
part of the parish the ground rises to over 75 ft. in
the north-east. Fangfoss village is centrally situated
on a ridge of higher land but close to Fangfoss beck.
At inclosure in 1723 a common lane leading to the
beck was retained for the convenience of villagers
fetching water. (fn. 5) Spittal stands on lower ground near
a bridge over the beck. Most of the parish is covered
by outwash sand, gravel, and clay, but the higher
ground is formed of Keuper marl and sandstone. (fn. 6)
The open fields lay around the village on the betterdrained land, while ground near the streams was
used as meadow and pasture. The low sandy area in
the west of the parish formed an extensive common.
The open fields, meadows, and common were
inclosed in 1723, creating a pattern of long curving
closes taken from the open fields, especially noticeable near the Full Sutton road, and contrasting
rectangular closes made from the former common. (fn. 7)
An area in the north-west of the parish was used
during the Second World War as part of Full
Sutton airfield, (fn. 8) but most of it had been reclaimed for
agricultural use by 1974. The southern and eastern
boundaries are largely formed by the becks, and in
1369 the obstructed Spittal beck was ordered to be
repaired by Fangfoss and Bolton. (fn. 9)
A minor road from Full Sutton runs along the
higher land on which Fangfoss stands and continues
towards Pocklington; it is joined in the village by a
road from Wilberfoss. The Pocklington road crosses
Spittal beck by a bridge mentioned in 1371. (fn. 10) The
present brick and stone bridge has a single arch. Other
roadways ordered to be maintained in 1723 were the
way leading to Ox pasture, which was called Bramer
Lane by 1844, and the way to Belthorpe, (fn. 11) but both
are now only field lanes. The railway from York to
Market Weighton, opened in 1847, (fn. 12) passed through
the west of the parish, with a station beside the
Wilberfoss road. The line was closed in 1965 (fn. 13) and
the track has been lifted. The station and stationmaster's house, in a mid-19th-century domestic
style, still stand. (fn. 14)
The older part of Fangfoss village lies just east of
the road from Full Sutton to Pocklington and is
reached by a short side lane. A small triangular green,
with the church and Fangfoss Hall (fn. 15) to the east and
the old school to the west, forms the centre of the
village. It may be the remnant of a larger green:
encroachment on the lord's waste and the enlargement of gardens were recorded in the late 18th
century, (fn. 16) and several of the houses around the
green now have large front gardens. The 18th- and
19th-century houses near by include the mid-19thcentury Manor House Farm. (fn. 17) Other houses, of the
19th and 20th centuries, lie along the Belthorpe lane
and the roads which meet at the village; they include
20 council houses. In the 18th century there were
one or two licensed houses in Fangfoss. (fn. 18) The
Carpenter's Arms, mentioned from 1823, (fn. 19) still
exists.
The hamlet of Spittal consists of about ten houses,
including four council houses, on the Pocklington
road ½ mile south of Fangfoss. There are two outlying farms in the parish, dating from after the
18th-century inclosure. A third, Field House, was
demolished when the airfield was built. Former
airfield buildings still stand near the Full Sutton
road.
There were 56 poll-tax payers in Fangfoss in
1377. (fn. 20) The parish was apparently much impoverished in the later Middle Ages, receiving a tax relief
of 45 per cent in 1446. (fn. 21) All 25 households listed in
the hearth-tax return in 1672 were chargeable; 21 had
a single hearth, 2 had 2, and one each had 3 and 4
hearths. (fn. 22) There were 19 families in the parish in
1743 and 15 in 1764. (fn. 23) From 131 in 1801 the population of Fangfoss rose to 197 in 1871, fell to 142 in
1901, (fn. 24) and stood at 132 in 1931. (fn. 25)
MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.
In 1086 the
king had all 8 carucates at Fangfoss as soke of his
manor of Pocklington. (fn. 26) Later the overlordship
was divided. Part passed to William de Forz, earl of
Aumale, who had acquired Pocklington manor by
c. 1260, (fn. 27) and land in Fangfoss was later referred to
as part of the honor of Aumale. (fn. 28) The Forz estates
were subsequently resumed by the Crown, (fn. 29) which
granted Pocklington to Meaux abbey in 1294. Henry
de Percy acquired the property by exchange with
Meaux in 1303, (fn. 30) and Eleanor de Percy was named
as one of the lords of Fangfoss in 1316. (fn. 31) The Percy
overlordship at Fangfoss persisted, with a break in
the 15th century, (fn. 32) until Henry Percy, earl of
Northumberland (d. 1537), sold Pocklington to the
Crown, along with his other northern estates, in
1537. (fn. 33) In the mid 16th century the overlordship
passed by a royal grant of Pocklington and its
appurtenances to Thomas Bishop, the reversion
and rent being later granted to Thomas Percy, earl
of Northumberland (d. 1572). (fn. 34)
Early demesne lords were members of the Grimthorpe family. Between c. 1120 and 1129 Henry I
confirmed land in Fangfoss to William son of Ulf
of Grimthorpe, (fn. 35) and in 1189 William's descendant
Ralph son of Ralph held 4 carucates and 5 bovates
there. (fn. 36) Ralph son of William was named as one of
the lords of Fangfoss in 1316. (fn. 37) As a member of
Grimthorpe manor, and of its superior manor of
Pocklington, the Fangfoss property remained with
the family, which acquired the title baron Greystoke
in 1321, until the death of Ralph, Lord Greystoke,
in 1487. (fn. 38) Ralph was succeeded by his granddaughter Elizabeth, who married Thomas, Lord Dacre of
Gilsland, c. 1488. (fn. 39) William, Lord Dacre, held 30
bovates in Fangfoss in 1563. (fn. 40) Like Butterwick, the
property descended to the Howard family, later earls
of Carlisle. (fn. 41) The estate, occasionally called FANGFOSS manor in the 18th century, comprised nearly
600 a. belonging to Grimthorpe manor in 1794. (fn. 42) It
was divided and sold in 1796-8, (fn. 43) part passing to the
Overends, who already had other land in the parish. (fn. 44)
The overlordship of other land in Fangfoss passed
to the Chauncy family, which had been granted land
there by the late 12th century. (fn. 45) By 1203 tenants of
Walter de Chauncy held 20 bovates, (fn. 46) and the
Fangfoss estate was later described as a member of
the Chauncy manor of Skirpenbeck. (fn. 47) The Chauncy
overlordship was last mentioned in 1398. (fn. 48) In 1203
William son of Ralph held 18 bovates in Fangfoss of
the Chauncy fee as mesne lord and a further 2
bovates in demesne, (fn. 49) and in 1280 the Grimthorpe
family held 20 bovates there of Thomas de
Chauncy. (fn. 50)
In 1203 William son of Thomas held 18 bovates
and other land in Fangfoss as demesne lord under
William son of Ralph. (fn. 51) Thomas son of William of
Belthorpe subinfeudated all his Fangfoss property,
apparently comprising only about 5 bovates, to
John of Selby in 1252. (fn. 52) Hugh son of Nicholas of
Selby was dealing in property in Fangfoss between
1308 and 1338, (fn. 53) but the property was not subsequently mentioned. It may have passed to the
Percy family as demesne lords by the early 15th
century.
Henry Percy, created earl of Northumberland,
forfeited an estate at Fangfoss, in addition to his
overlordship there, as a result of his rebellion in
1403. (fn. 54) The property was granted to Robert Waterton for life in 1403 and in fee tail in 1409, (fn. 55) and, as
FANGFOSS manor, was conveyed to Sir Henry
Broomfleet in 1446. (fn. 56) In 1469 the manor was conveyed by Richard Choke, a justice of Common
Pleas, and others, probably as Broomfleet feoffees,
to three men, perhaps also feoffees. (fn. 57) It was apparently the same estate, again called Fangfoss manor,
which Robert Stillington, bishop of Bath and Wells
and a former Chancellor of England, successfully
defended at law in 1479 (fn. 58) and granted to his collegiate foundation of St. Andrew, Acaster Selby
(Yorks. W.R.) in 1483. (fn. 59) The Percy family had,
however, apparently regained its Fangfoss estate by
1489, when Henry, earl of Northumberland, died
seized of the manor; he was said, no doubt mistakenly, to hold it of the Hospitallers. (fn. 60) The property
passed with Pocklington to the Crown in 1537. (fn. 61)
In 1546 the Crown granted former Percy lands in
Fangfoss to Thomas Bishop, but they had been
surrendered by 1552 when Arthur Darcy was
granted the estate. (fn. 62) In 1563 Darcy's son Henry
held 17 bovates there. (fn. 63) The Darcy family were not
mentioned again and the estate may have passed to
the Overend family by the early 18th century. In
the 1720s George Overend had 14 bovates in Fangfoss, the largest estate after the earl of Carlisle's, (fn. 64)
and in 1788 Catherine Overend had a house and
nearly 300 a. there. (fn. 65) In 1796 a further 120 a. were
bought from the earl of Carlisle. (fn. 66)
In 1834 Catherine Overend's son Cholmley sold
his estate of about 500 a. in Fangfoss to George
Champney. (fn. 67) The latter conveyed nearly 300 a. to
Edward Radford and Robert Menzies in 1847, (fn. 68) and
Radford sold them to Frederick Walker and Childers Radford in 1862. (fn. 69) In 1871 Radford and the
Revd. James Palmes, Champney's son-in-law, sold
Fangfoss Hall and 373 a. to Thomas Eadon, and a
further 305 a. to Robert Bromley. (fn. 70) Both parts of the
estate passed in 1879 to Charles Bromley, who reconveyed them to Thomas Eadon in 1886. (fn. 71) In 1912,
after Eadon's death, about 520 a. of the estate were
sold in separate lots. (fn. 72)
Thomas Eadon's widow Sarah acquired Fangfoss
Hall and 30 a. in 1912, and they were sold by her
executors to Joseph Toddin 1919. (fn. 73) In 1937 Todd's
executors sold the property to Ethel Hotham. (fn. 74) The
house was bought by Florence Todd in 1943 (fn. 75) and
by William Walton in 1952. (fn. 76) In 1957 it was bought
by Josephine Truelove and subsequently sold as two
residences. (fn. 77)
Fangfoss Hall, a square three-storeyed house of
dark brown brick, is said to have been built in
1766. (fn. 78) The interior was partly refitted about 1840
and again after its division in 1957. The house may
stand on or near the site of an earlier house, mentioned, with Hallgarth close, in 1563 and again in
1620. (fn. 79) A long fish pond near by may have been part
of an earlier moat, but by the 19th century it had
apparently become an ornamental pond in the small
park which lay to the east of the house. (fn. 80) The 18thcentury carriage approach is to the west front, and
there are 18th- and 19th-century farm buildings and
stables on the north-west.
In the late 11th or early 12th century Robert son
of Ulf of Grimthorpe gave land in Fangfoss to the
Hospitallers; in 1212 the estate comprised 12
bovates and was held of William son of Ralph, a
member of the donor's family. (fn. 81) A hospital had
apparently been built there by 1267 and may still
have existed in the 1350s. (fn. 82) The Hospitallers held
the estate, called FANGFOSS SPITTAL manor
in 1507, (fn. 83) until the Dissolution, when it comprised
6 bovates and meadow land. (fn. 84) The order briefly
regained its property in 1558. (fn. 85) Some meadow land
was sold in the 1540s to William Ramsden (fn. 86) and was
quitclaimed to Robert Appleton in 1572. (fn. 87) The rest
of the estate was let by the Crown, generally for
short terms, in the later 16th century. (fn. 88) King's Garth,
the alternative name for Spittal Bridge close in the
19th century, may refer to this period of Crown
occupation. (fn. 89) No more is known of the estate.
By 1275-6 Nunburnholme priory had been
granted 2 bovates in Fangfoss by ancestors of Lord
Greystoke, but no further reference to the estate has
been found. (fn. 90)
St. John's College, Cambridge, had about 3 a. at
Fangfoss in 1563 and in the 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 91)
From 1252 the rectorial estate in Fangfoss belonged to the dean of York. (fn. 92) The corn and hay
tithes were leased for 21 years in 1616, (fn. 93) but in 1650
and thereafter the tithes and other rectorial properties were leased for lives. The tithes were worth
£82 a year in 1650. (fn. 94) The Beaumont family, lessees
of the tithes in the 17th century, were succeeded in
the 18th century by the earls of Carlisle. (fn. 95) At inclosure in 1723 the dean received rent-charges of
£64 for the great tithes of most of the township. The
corn and hay tithes of certain old inclosures remained uncommuted, as did the corresponding wool
and lamb tithes, which were assigned to the earl of
Carlisle in return for a 14s. rent-charge. (fn. 96) In 1844
the latter were finally commuted for 12s. 6d. and the
remaining corn and hay tithes for £21. (fn. 97)
The rectorial glebe consisted of 4 bovates in 1563,
while 8 a. in two ancient closes and 9 cattle-gates in
the pasture were also mentioned c. 1720. (fn. 98) At inclosure
in 1723 the dean's lessee was allotted 80 a. for
glebe. (fn. 99) In 1798 the earl of Carlisle sold his leasehold
interest in about 85 a. of glebe to John Fawcett. (fn. 1)
The rectory was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1844, (fn. 2) and in 1856 they sold 85 a. to
Thomas Fawcett, the lessee. (fn. 3) In the later 19th
century the Fawcetts were reputed lords of the
manor of Fangfoss in respect of this estate. (fn. 4) The
property, known as Manor farm by 1919, (fn. 5) was sold
by Rose Fawcett to Wilfred Layland in 1947. (fn. 6) It was
sold again in 1949 to Peter Thorpe, in 1960 to
Joseph Fenner, and in 1962 to Brian Barrett. (fn. 7)
The rectorial house, mentioned from 1638, was
the largest in the village, with four hearths, in 1672. (fn. 8)
It presumably stood on the site of the later Manor
House Farm, where there was certainly a house by
1798. (fn. 9) The present house is a yellow-brick building
of the late 19th century.
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
In 1203 the township
contained 23 bovates and culture called 'Goltorpflatts', as well as meadow in the marsh. (fn. 10) The Greystoke demesne consisted of 30 a. of meadow in
1323 (fn. 11) and 10 a. of meadow in 1375. (fn. 12) Bondsmen
and leaseholders held most of the Grimthorpe estate
in 1219, paying £5 12s. rent for 3½ carucates, while
freeholders paid nearly 9s. for 6 bovates. (fn. 13) At least 7
bovates were held in socage of the Grimthorpe
family in 1317. (fn. 14) In 1323 the Greystoke free
tenants at Fangfoss owed £4 11s. in rent, three
bondsmen paid £4 for 3 messuages and 6 bovates,
and various tenants-at-will paid £10 3s. for 7 messuages and 14 bovates. Four tofts were let to cottagers for 8s. and the common bakehouse, held by a
tenant-at-will, yielded 2s. a year. (fn. 15) Tenants-at-will
paid £10 rent for 9 messuages and 25 bovates in
1375; 6 cottages were also let and £1 5s. rent received for unspecified properties. (fn. 16)
The open fields contained 64 bovates in 1563, of
which 159 a. lay in North field, 116 a. in West field,
36 a. in East field, and 31 a. in South field. (fn. 17) North
field probably incorporated the 13th-century 'Goltorp' or Gowthorpe flats, and an area towards
Gowthorpe is still called the Flats. There were 185 a.
of common meadow land. Bramer, beside Spittal
beck to the south of the village, contained 98 a., the
carr, lying east of the settlement, (fn. 18) 53 a., the Breke
30 a., and Lady meadow or ing, in the north of the
parish, 5 a. (fn. 19) Bramer and the carr were divided into
several furlongs, two of those in the carr called
'stinting furlongs'. A wand or measure 7 ft. 5 in.
long was used to apportion the meadows among the
villagers. Stinted rough pasture was provided by the
120-acre common moor in the west of the parish,
adjoining the commons of Catton, Full Sutton, and
Gowthorpe. A 50-acre Ox pasture, lying between
the moor and Spittal beck, was stinted by the
manorial court of Grimthorpe.
In 1537 there were some 20 holdings on Lord
Dacre's manor. Eight freeholds included 3 bovates
of land, and a further 30 bovates were held by 8
tenants-at-will with 2-5 bovates each. The tenantsat-will also included 2 cottagers and other men
holding only meadow. The manor was worth nearly
£26 a year. In 1563 Lord Dacre had 30 of the 64
bovates in the parish. Open fields and meadows
were shared by 30 freeholders and tenants, 12 of
whom had no open-field land. Henry Darcy had
121 a., and there were 10 holdings of 20-50 a., 7 of
5-19 a., and 12 of less than 5 a.
In 1629 Dacre's successor, William, Lord Howard,
had about 10 tenants at Fangfoss. Five held 8 houses
and 30 bovates, the largest holding being of 9
bovates. Another held a house and unspecified
amounts of meadow and open-field land, and there
were three cottagers. A bakehouse (an 'outside
backhouse') was let, and the carr 'lately inclosed by
George Farkson' was worth £4. The rents amounted
to nearly £89 in all. (fn. 20) On the eve of inclosure nine
men owned 64 bovates in the open fields; with the
exception of the earl of Carlisle's 30 bovates and
George Overend's 14, the holdings were all of 6
bovates or less. There were then 154 cow-gates in
the pasture, two being allowed for each bovate and
one for each house or cottage. In the common
householders enjoyed rights double those of cottagers. (fn. 21)
The open fields and other common lands were
inclosed in 1723 after agreement between the landowners, (fn. 22) and the award was ratified by an Act of
1726. (fn. 23) Of the 1,159 a. allotted 273 a. lay in High
field, 150 a. in Middlegate field, 141 a. in East field,
118 a. in Between-the-towns field, 95 a. in Bramer,
222 a. in the moor, and 160 a. in the common
pasture. High field was the former North field,
Middlegate field the former West field, and Betweenthe-towns field, situated between Fangfoss and
Bolton, the former South field. The township also
contained about 170 a. of old inclosure in 1723,
including several pieces of meadow. (fn. 24) Other
meadow land was included in the open fields, and
Between-the-towns field contained land called
common carr, carr acres, and St. James's ing. As in
other parishes, part of the common moor may have
been separated from the rest as a place to confine
animals, for the Hold was among the allotments in
1723. By the award Charles, earl of Carlisle, received 560 a. for his freehold estate, as well as 80 a.
as lessee of the rectorial glebe. George Overend was
awarded 223 a., while five other members of his
family received allotments ranging from 4 a. to 48 a.
and amounting in all to 128 a. There were only
5 other allotments, 2 of 70-90 a. and 3 of 3 a.
each.
When Lord Carlisle's estate was offered for sale in
1795 it amounted to nearly 600 a. and included three
farms of 97 a. to 198 a. (fn. 25) There were generally 8-12
farmers at Fangfoss and Spittal in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, of whom 3 in 1851 and 2 in the
1920s and 1930s had over 150 a. (fn. 26) In 1801 342 a.
were under crops at Fangfoss. (fn. 27) There were 864 a.
of arable, 450 a. of meadow and pasture, and 18 a. of
woodland in 1844, (fn. 28) and 709 a. of arable, 526 a. of
permanent grass, and 21 a. of woodland in 1905. (fn. 29)
There were roughly equal amounts of arable and
grassland in the parish in the 1930s and 1960s, the
arable most prominent away from the settlements,
notably on the former common. (fn. 30)
A brick-maker was mentioned in 1840, (fn. 31) and in
1844 and 1851 a brickyard lay in the angle between
the Full Sutton and Wilberfoss roads. A hanger on
the former airfield was sold by the Ministry of
Defence in 1967 and acquired in 1968 by a caravan
company which still occupied it, as well as some new
buildings, in 1974. (fn. 32)
In 1212 the Hospitallers' estate included a mill,
and in 1252 the Belthorpe family held 'Swalewe'
mill. (fn. 33)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
Amends of the assize
of ale were claimed for his tenants at Fangfoss by
Nicholas of Selby in 1293. (fn. 34) A tenant of the Hospitallers owed suit of court at Fangfoss twice a year in
1507. (fn. 35) Part of Fangfoss belonged to Grimthorpe
manor, (fn. 36) whose court records survive from the 18th
and 19th centuries. Those relating to Fangfoss
include jury verdicts for 1748-1835, call rolls for
1758-1835, and court papers of the 18th and early
19th centuries. (fn. 37)
In 1748 the officers sworn at Grimthorpe included
a constable and two bylawmen for Fangfoss, and a
pinder was mentioned from 1762. The bylawmen
were last mentioned in 1798, but the constable and
pinder continued until 1835. In 1779 the inhabitants
of Fangfoss complained that a man had been reappointed constable at Grimthorpe 'contrary to the
parish meeting', and it seems that the nomination of
officers and inspection of their accounts took place
at Fangfoss, perhaps at vestry meetings. The constable was also serving as surveyor of highways in
1779. (fn. 38)
Overseers' accounts for the period 1769-1837
reveal that parish poorhouses were being built or
repaired in the 1790s. (fn. 39) In 1869 the site of two cottages sold by the overseers was used for a schoolmaster's house. (fn. 40) Fangfoss joined Pocklington
poor-law union in 1836 (fn. 41) and Pocklington rural
district in 1894. (fn. 42) It became part of the North Wolds
district of Humberside in 1974.
CHURCH.
The early history of Fangfoss church is
the same as that of Barmby Moor. There was a
'parson', presumably a chaplain, at Fangfoss in
1235. (fn. 43) The curacy of Fangfoss was usually held by
the vicar of Barmby from the later 16th century, and
in 1973 the two places still constituted a united
vicarage. (fn. 44)
In 1525-6 a chaplain serving Fangfoss received
£4 a year. (fn. 45) From 1684 a stipend of £5 a year was
paid by the dean, and by the mid 18th century the
dean had also released his right to mortuaries. (fn. 46) The
curacy was worth £8 10s. in 1707. (fn. 47) It was augmented by £200 from Queen Anne's Bounty in
1747, 1779, 1791, 1798, and 1819. (fn. 48) The average net
income was £46 in 1829-31. (fn. 49) In 1860 Fangfoss was
endowed with tithe rent-charges of nearly £8,
formerly belonging to the rectory, and with £4 from
the Common Fund. (fn. 50)
Small tithes in Fangfoss contributed to the income of the joint living. At the ordination of 1252
the tithes of gardens, flax, and hemp, as well as a
share of the altarage, were assigned to the vicarage. (fn. 51)
The small tithes of Fangfoss were worth £5 in
1650 (fn. 52) and about £4 in 1690. (fn. 53) At inclosure in 1723
the curate was awarded rent-charges of £5 for the
small tithes, excluding that of rape which was commuted in 1844 for £2 a year. Small tithes from certain old inclosures were assigned to the earl of
Carlisle in 1723 in return for a 5s. contribution to the
£5 payable to the curate, and these were finally
commuted for £2 in 1844, when they were held by
Thomas Fawcett. (fn. 54)
The only glebe at Fangfoss in 1690 was a pasture
gate and rights in the common, (fn. 55) for which 3 a. were
awarded at inclosure in 1723. (fn. 56) Bounty money was
used to buy 8 a. at Pocklington in 1791, 6 a. at
Allerthorpe in 1792, and 4 a. at Tickhill (Yorks.
W.R.) in 1802. By 1853 5 a. at Pocklington had been
sold, and the Tickhill land was sold before 1857. (fn. 57)
A house and 3 a. were bought at Barmby in 1854,
and a house and 4 a. at Bolton (in Bishop Wilton)
were added by 1877. (fn. 58) Six acres at Spittal and Bolton
were sold in 1917, the house and 3 a. at Barmby in
1920, 3 a. at Pocklington in 1924, and 6 a. at Allerthorpe in 1967. (fn. 59) A 'vicarage house' at Fangfoss was
mentioned in 1684 and 1690, but had gone by
1716. (fn. 60) A garth adjoining the churchyard was
described as the vicar's in 1888. (fn. 61)
In 1566 the Crown granted lands in Fangfoss,
which had formerly supported an obit in the
church, to Francis Barker and Thomas Blackway. (fn. 62)
Since the 16th century Fangfoss has apparently
lacked a resident minister, (fn. 63) except briefly in the late
19th century when an assistant curate lived at Bolton
and served Fangfoss church. (fn. 64) Moreover, in the 18th
and early 19th centuries the vicar of Barmby also
held Allerthorpe and Thornton, and resided in one
of the latter parishes. (fn. 65) In 1835 the incumbent also
held Pocklington and Yapham. (fn. 66)
Fangfoss has consequently been poorly served at
times. In the 1590s services were neglected by the
vicar of Barmby. (fn. 67) In 1743 there was a service at
Fangfoss once a fortnight; Holy Communion was
celebrated at Christmas and Easter, and there were
about 40 communicants. (fn. 68) By 1851 there was a weekly service. (fn. 69) At the monthly communion services in
1865 there were about 10 communicants. (fn. 70) In 1974
two services a month were held at Fangfoss. A
cottage was built in 1875 to provide income for the
religious education of children. (fn. 71) In the mid 20th
century the income was applied to Sunday schools at
Fangfoss and Barmby Moor. (fn. 72)
The medieval church or chapel of ST. MARTIN
consisted of chancel with apsidal end and nave with
south porch and west tower. The chancel was 'quite
fallen down' in 1591 and 'altogether ruinous' in
1602. (fn. 73) The building was extensively repaired in the
18th century (fn. 74) and repewed in the 1820s. (fn. 75) By the
1830s the apse had gone, the tower had recently
been partly rebuilt in brick, and the south porch had
been stripped of much of its ornamentation. (fn. 76) The
church was rebuilt in 1848-50 by R. D. Chantrell in
a Norman style, use being made of stonework from
the former Norman church, notably in the south
doorway and the corbel table. (fn. 77) The church, called
St. Mary's in 1851 and later St. John's, (fn. 78) comprises
chancel with north vestry and nave with south door
and west bell-turret. The fittings include an
octagonal stone font and a communion table,
apparently acquired at about the date of restoration. (fn. 79)
The Church Estate charity for church repairs, of
unknown origin, consisted of a cottage and 2 a. in
1711. (fn. 80) At inclosure in 1723 the charity was awarded
4 a., (fn. 81) which produced an income of £2 in 1743, £4
in 1777, (fn. 82) and £8 in 1824. By 1764 a rent-charge of
10s. from land formerly belonging to Timothy
Overend had been added to the charity. (fn. 83) Two
cottages were built in 1873, and in 1875 the annual
income of the charity stood at £24. (fn. 84) The rentcharges were being withheld in the early 20th
century. Two cottages belonging to the charity were
sold in 1959 and 1964, (fn. 85) but the site of a third and 4
a. of land were retained in 1974, when income was
still received. (fn. 86)
The church had two bells in 1552 and there are
still two: (i) 1628; (ii) undated. (fn. 87) A silver chalice has
belonged to the church since 1552. The plate also
includes a pewter flagon and paten, a plated cup
given by the wife of Robert Taylor, vicar 1840-85, (fn. 88)
and a plated flagon. (fn. 89) The registers of baptisms
begin in 1663 and are complete except for 1712-15
and 1810-13. Those of marriages begin in 1656, but
lack entries for 1694-1715 and 1736-55. The burial
registers begin in 1671 but lack entries for 1712-
15. (fn. 90)
The churchyard was extended in 1920. (fn. 91)
NONCONFORMITY.
A house at Fangfoss was
registered for dissenting worship in 1777, (fn. 92) and the
Methodists had 17 members there in 1787 and
between 8 and 23 in 1788-1816. (fn. 93) A small Wesleyan
chapel and school-house were built opposite the
church in 1836-7, (fn. 94) and replaced by a larger chapel
on a new site in 1865. (fn. 95) The latter closed in 1974.
In the mid 19th century 10-12 Primitive Methodists
were meeting in a cottage, (fn. 96) but in 1865 they built
a chapel on the Pocklington road. (fn. 97) Later called
Canaan chapel, (fn. 98) it had closed by 1947. (fn. 99) It was used
as a workshop in 1974.
EDUCATION.
In 1819 the parishioners of Fangfoss paid a schoolmaster who taught about 25
children. (fn. 1) A day school belonging to the Primitive
Methodists and maintained by parents had 20 pupils
in 1835. (fn. 2) A school for Fangfoss and neighbouring
townships, which also served as a Wesleyan chapel,
was built by George Champney in 1836-7; in 1861 it
had an income of £40 from voluntary contributions
and the school pence of 45 pupils. (fn. 3) It had been
united with the National Society and was receiving
an annual government grant by 1863. (fn. 4) The school
had ceased to be a Methodist meeting-place by
1865. (fn. 5) A new school was built on the same site in
1867 and a master's house added in 1869; (fn. 6) there
were 41 pupils in 1871. (fn. 7) Attendance fell from 50 in
1907 to 37 in 1912, and stood at 36 in 1938. (fn. 8) In 1952
the senior pupils were transferred to Pocklington.
A new school was built in 1971-2 beside the
Pocklington road. (fn. 9) There were 32 pupils on the roll
in January 1974. (fn. 10)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
Thomas Wood,
by will dated 1568, devised a rent-charge of £10 a
year from an estate at Kilnwick Percy for the benefit
of Fangfoss and many other townships. In 1824 5s.
were distributed in Fangfoss. (fn. 11) The income was
spent on coal in the 1880s and cash payments were
made in the early 20th century. (fn. 12) Henry Frederick,
Baron Hotham (d. 1967), owner of the Kilnwick
Percy estate, redeemed the rent-charge in 1961 and
£10 stock was subsequently assigned to Fangfoss. (fn. 13)
In 1973 the 26p income was given to one person. (fn. 14)
The Poor's Money comprised gifts at unknown
dates of £4 10s. from Robert and Mary Dealtry,
£2 from Priscilla Beaumont, £2 10s. from Mary
Overend, and 10s. each from Edward Catton and an
unknown donor. (fn. 15) The Dealtry and Beaumont gifts
may date from the 17th century. (fn. 16) The £10 capital
was entrusted to the overseers, who used it to make
weekly cash payments. By 1824, however, £5 had
been lost (fn. 17) and no more is heard of the charity.
Rent-charges of 3s. 4d. and 10s., given at unknown dates by William and Margaret Cade and
Timothy Overend respectively, were received by the
overseers during the 18th century, but in 1811-15
another Timothy Overend assumed the administration after the improper use of the charges. The
charities benefited poor householders and widows,
but no payments were made after 1815 and in 1824 it
was proposed to divert the income to other uses. (fn. 18)
Payments were resumed in 1860 after a long interval,
and in 1884 the income from Cades' gift and Hill
Garth, presumably the property bearing Overend's
rent-charge, was used to buy coal. The charities
were apparently later called the Church Charity and
in 1907 four payments of 3s. 4d. were made, (fn. 19) but
they were lost afterwards. (fn. 20)
A rent-charge of 2s. from property in Spittal was
mentioned in 1786, but it had not been received for
many years in 1824. (fn. 21)