FORCETT
Forset (xi–xvi cent.); Forsate (xv cent.).
Forcett parish was composed in 1831 of the townships of Barforth, Carkin (now included in Forcett),
Forcett and Ovington (fn. 1) and the hamlet of Little
Hutton. (fn. 2) The township of Eppleby was added
before 1857, (fn. 3) Little Hutton transferred to Wycliffe
parish in 1884, (fn. 4) Ovington in 1899. (fn. 5) Barforth and
Ovington are geographically detached from the parish.
The area of the present parish is 5,132 acres of
land, of which 83 acres are covered by water. For
part of the parish there are 1,053 acres arable land,
1,485 acres permanent grass and 81 acres woods and
plantations, (fn. 6) the chief crops being barley, wheat
and turnips. The subsoil is Yoredale Rocks with
recent alluvium by the River Tees. At Forcett there
are an old clay-pit and brick kilns. Large quantities
of limestone are sent from Forcett to the ironworks
at Middlesbrough, the stone being conveyed from
the goods station at Forcett by a single line of rail to
the works.
Forcett Park is the property of Mr. Algernon
Percy Michell and the residence of Capt. P. Maitland
French. The house, built in
the Italian style, was praised
by Lord Harley in 1745. (fn. 7) It
is situated in a well-wooded
park about a mile long containing a large fish-pond.
Outside the park is the church
of St. Cuthbert (fn. 8) and about a
dozen scattered farm-houses.
Half a mile to the west
between Forcett and Stanwick
St. John (q.v.) are the great
Stanwick earthworks.
Barforth Bridge, Forcett
The Scot's Dike, an earthwork reaching from Barforth
on the Tees to Grinton, can
now hardly be traced in this
parish, but there is an almost
perfect inclosure round Forcett
Park. (fn. 9) Barforth, called Old
Richmond in the 18th century, (fn. 10) is a deserted village,
with only its ancient manorhouse, Barforth Hall, now a
farm-house, remaining. It is
said that the outline of the
main street can be traced and
that coins of Elizabeth's time
have been found there. (fn. 11)
Close by, Chapel Gill Beck
runs through a wood by the
ruined chapel of St. Lawrence, where it is crossed by
a small single-span bridge
which has four chamfered ribs
on the soffit of its arch. A
line of corbel stones below
the parapet seems to date the
bridge as 14th-century work.
Close by is a very perfect
specimen of a domed stonebuilt pigeon-house. The
stream then becomes Hell Hole Black Beck, and from
this point, where it takes a sharp curve, the views
both up and down the valley are very striking.
Barforth Wath is probably the ancient ford that gave
its name to two hamlets on either side of the Tees.
To the west of Barforth is Ovington, (fn. 12) the birthplace
in 1791 of James Raine, the northern historian. The
village is built round a long green, in the middle of
which is a maypole made of a single larch tree
stripped of its bark. The present pole has only been
erected recently, and replaced a smaller one which it
was the custom to lower to the ground with due
ceremony on certain occasions. In a garden at the
west end of the village are several upper stones of
querns which were dug up in a neighbouring hedgerow. Forcett water-mill was parcel of the manor in
1282. (fn. 13) Among the local names are Low and
High Fuster Gill, Scot Cuts, and Sandwath. 'Marketesgath' in Barforth is mentioned in the 13th
century. (fn. 14) Edward II was at Forcett in 1322, (fn. 15) the
year of the battle of Boroughbridge.
There was a public elementary school at Forcett,
but it is now removed to Eppleby.
Manors
Eight carucates of land in FORCETT
formed a berewick of the manor of
Gilling at the time of the Domesday
Survey, (fn. 16) and was retained in demesne by the lords
of Richmond, with the exception of periods of leases, (fn. 17)
until 1494, (fn. 18) after which the manor continued to be
held of the honour of Richmond. (fn. 19)
Forcett: Ovington Maypole
Henry VII, Earl of Richmond (q.v.) before his
accession to the throne, granted the manor in 1494
to Richard Cholmley, knighted in 1494, (fn. 20) and the
heirs male of his body. (fn. 21) On Sir Richard Cholmley's
death without male issue in 1521 (fn. 22) the manor reverted to the Crown and was granted in 1522
to Sir Henry Wyatt, kt., and his issue male. (fn. 23)
Sir Henry Wyatt died in 1537, his son Sir Thomas
in 1542, and Sir Thomas son of the latter was
attainted in 1554 for endeavouring to raise Kent
against the queen's marriage with Philip of Spain. (fn. 24)
Whether the Wyatts alienated Forcett or it was
forfeited to the Crown is uncertain.
Shuttleworth. Argent three shuttles sable with the yarn or.
In 1566 John Zouch granted the manor under
royal licence to Robert Lambert (fn. 25) of Owton, Durham,
who was attainted for his share in the rising of 1569 (fn. 26)
The manor was leased in 1571 for twenty-one
years to Brian Fitzwilliam,
who in 1573 surrendered his
interest in exchange for other
lands. (fn. 27) In 1576 it was
granted to Thomas Boynton,
Nicholas Brooke and Percival
Gounson of Aske, their heirs
and assigns, (fn. 28) and again in
1590 to Thomas Shuttleworth. (fn. 29) In 1593 it was held
by Sir Richard Shuttleworth,
serjeant-at-law, (fn. 30) who in 1596
settled it on himself and his
heirs male, with contingent
remainders successively to Richard, Nicholas and
Oughtred sons of Thomas his brother,
and finally to Lawrence Shuttleworth
of Whichford (co. Warwick), another
brother of Richard. He died in November 1598 or 1599 without issue, (fn. 31) and
in 1616 Richard Shuttleworth, who
succeeded under the above settlement,
surrendered the manor to the king, probably for assurance of title, and received
a regrant to himself and Robert Shuttleworth, his heirs and assigns. (fn. 32) Nicholas
Shuttleworth, aged 77, (fn. 33) was owner in
1665 when his elder brother Richard,
of Gawthorpe, was dead (fn. 34) ; he himself
died in the following year and was succeeded by Richard Shuttleworth. (fn. 35)
The manor descended to Robert Shuttleworth, eldest son of James, eldest son of
Richard Shuttleworth, who in 1785
sold it, with the manors of Carkin and
Eppleby, to Frances widow of John
Michell of Boston (co. Lincoln), (fn. 36)
ancestress of Mr. Algernon Percy
Michell, the present lord of the manor.
In the 14th century there is a reference to a warren. (fn. 37) In 1566 a dovecote
is mentioned. (fn. 38)
Michell of Forcett. Party cheveronwise gules and sable a cheveron between three swans argent.
Wymar, steward of Count Alan, in
the 11th century (fn. 39) held I carucate of
land in Forcett, which he granted to
St. Mary's Abbey, York. (fn. 40) This land
remained in the possession of the abbey
until its dissolution, (fn. 41) and was afterwards granted to the owner of the manor of Forcett. (fn. 42)
BARFORTH (Bereford, xi–xv cent.) was among
the possessions of the see of Durham pledged by
Bishop Aldun (990–1020) to Ughtred 'Eorl' of
Northumbria and the Danish chieftains Ethred and
Northman. (fn. 43) Like Forcett, Barforth was in 1086 a
berewick (composed of 3
carucates of land) to the
manor of Gilling, and another
carucate of land here was soke
of that manor. (fn. 44) The manor
of Barforth was held of Richmond Castle. (fn. 45)
The early history of the
mesne tenancy is complicated,
and made still more confused
by the fact that another Barforth adjoins this place on
the Durham side of the Tees.
Robert de Perham was mesne
lord of at least 3 carucates of
land 'in both Barforths' in
1202 (fn. 46) ; Geoffrey Scales held half a knight's fee (i.e.
6 carucates) (fn. 47) in Carlton (in Stanwick parish) and
Barforth in 1211–12 (fn. 48) ; and Master John de
Popelint was dealing with half a knight's fee in
Barforth in 1233. (fn. 49) By 1286–7, however, 3 carucates
of land in the Yorkshire Barforth (the place had
extended to 6 carucates since the Domesday Survey)
were held immediately of the earl by the undertenant, and the remaining 3 carucates were held of
Roald de Richmond. (fn. 50) Probably because Roald's
under-tenants subsequently acquired the whole of the
vill, the whole 6 carucates were in 1521 and 1536
held of his successors (fn. 51) the Scropes of Bolton. (fn. 52)
Stone Pigeon-house at Barforth: Interior
The family of Barforth were in the 13th and
probably in the 12th century tenants of the 3 carucates held of Roald in 1286–7. Waldief de Barforth owed the king a mark in 1165–6, (fn. 53) and in
1171–2 was one of the commissioners for the works
of Bowes Castle. (fn. 54) In 1224 the manor of Barforth
was in the possession of Robert de Barforth, (fn. 55) probably
son of Waldief. (fn. 56) This Robert had sons Richard and
Elias, of whom Richard died in his father's lifetime, (fn. 57)
leaving a daughter and heir Emma. Robert was
dead by 1226–7, when Julia his widow claimed dower
from the land which Siritha widow of Richard held
in dower. (fn. 58) Emma daughter of Richard and Siritha
married first John de Barforth, (fn. 59) who (fn. 60) had children
Robert and Felise. Robert was holding Barforth,
probably as locum tenens of Emma, in 1256 (fn. 61) ; he
died without issue before 1278–9, when his sister
Felise, who had married (fn. 62) William de Barningham, was
said to be his heir. By 1263 Felise had married
Thomas de Cleasby, who then held Barforth. (fn. 63)
Emma, however, was still alive, and now married
Harsculph de Cleasby, lord of Cleasby, by whom
she had a son Robert. (fn. 64) Harsculph was dead by
1280, (fn. 65) and Emma was returned as sole tenant of
these 3 carucates in 1286–7. (fn. 66) She was alive in
1292, (fn. 67) but seems to have died before 1304, (fn. 68) and
was certainly dead in 1314, when her daughter-in-law
Amabel, lady of Cleasby (q.v.), Amabel's daughter
Emma and her husband Robert de Hastings had a
grant of free warren here. (fn. 69) Amabel was holding
Cleasby in 1316, but her son-in-law was returned as
lord of Barforth at that date, (fn. 70) and still paid the
subsidy here in 1327–8. (fn. 71) On his death without
issue Emma married Henry Fitz Hugh of Ravensworth (fn. 72) (q.v.), who joined with her in the spring of
1337–8 in settling Cleasby, Barforth and other manors
on their issue with remainder to his right heirs. (fn. 73)
Christina, possibly heiress of Henry, married the son
of Sir Thomas de Layton, who in 1338 settled tenements in Barforth and Cleasby on John his son and
Christina his wife, (fn. 74) and in 1348 the Laytons quit
claimed the manor of Cleasby (q.v.) to the Fitz
Hughs. In 1353 the manor of Barforth was settled
on John Layton and Christina and their heirs male
with contingent remainder to their daughter Elizabeth. (fn. 75) Elizabeth married Henry son of John
Pudsey of Bolton in Craven, and died in 1424. (fn. 76)
She brought the manor of Barforth to the Pudseys,
who held it until the middle of the 17th century. (fn. 77)
Sir John Pudsey, who was owner in 1428, also held
the other 3 carucates of Barforth, (fn. 78) and these subsequently descended with the manor.
Pudsey. Vert a cheveron between three molets or.
Three carucates of land 'in both Barforths, formerly
in the tenancy of William le
Norris, were in 1202 confirmed to Hugh le Norris by
the mesne lord Robert de
Perham. (fn. 79) A Geoffrey le
Norris held 3 carucates of
land in the Yorkshire Barforth
from 1256 to 1290, (fn. 80) but it
was in the hands of the earl
in 1302–3, (fn. 81) and in 1428
John Pudsey was said to hold
the quarter fee (3 carucates)
here which the Earl of Richmond formerly held. (fn. 82)
Domed Stone Pigeon-house at Barforth
The Pudseys from 1651 made various conveyances, (fn. 83)
and in 1660 the manor was conveyed to Sir Barrington
Bourchier of Beningbrough, kt., Sheriff of Yorkshire, (fn. 84)
and followed the descent of the manor of Beningbrough (fn. 85) (q.v.) until 1778, when Giles and Margaret
Earle conveyed it to trustees, who in 1782 sold it to
Francis Fawkes of Farmley Hall. Francis Fawkes
appears to have settled the manor on his son Walter
Fawkes and his issue. In 1796 a Private Act of
Parliament was obtained vesting certain outlying
parts of Francis Fawkes's estates (including the manor
of Barforth) in trustees for sale. The trustees, with
consent of Walter Fawkes son of Walter Fawkes
above mentioned, conveyed
the property in 1802 to
Edward Lord Harewood, from
whom it has descended to the
present Earl of Harewood. (fn. 86)
Lascelles, Earl of Harewood. Sable a cross paty in a border or.
The Barforths' court at
Barforth is mentioned in 1256
and 1263. (fn. 87)
CARKIN (Kercham, xiii
cent.; Kerkan, Karkin, xiii–
xvii cent.; Kirkham, xv cent.)
is not called a manor until
the 16th century. (fn. 88) It was a
member of the honour of
Richmond. (fn. 89)
In 1211–12 Pain Orbelinger was mesne lord. (fn. 90)
In 1286–7 Michael de Layton, Maud Were and
Reginald de Carkin held tenements of Matthew de Carkin, (fn. 91)
and Matthew held tenements
of the Knights Templars, and
they of the earl, the overlord. (fn. 92)
From the Templars Carkin
passed with their other lands
to the Hospitallers, of whom
it was held in 1493. (fn. 93) Of
the under-tenants the Laytons
kept their interest until 1564. (fn. 94)
At the end of the 16th century the Hutchinsons had an
interest in the manor (fn. 95) and
held the manor till the middle
of the 18th century, (fn. 96) when
they sold it to the Shuttleworths. The Shuttleworths
held it till 1785, (fn. 97) when
Robert Shuttleworth sold the
manor with Forcett to Mrs.
Michell, ancestress of the
present owner. (fn. 98) It is now
absorbed in the manor of
Forcett.
OVINGTON (Ulfeton, xi
cent.; Ulvington, xiii–xvi
cent.).—The soke of the 3
carucates of land of Ovington
belonged to Count Alan's manor of Gilling in
1086, (fn. 99) and in 1494 Ovington (then only 1
carucate of land) was still held of the honour of
Richmond. (fn. 100)
Scolland lord of Bedale (q.v.) in the early 12th
century gave the great tithes of his demesnes here to
the Priory of St. Martin at Richmond. (fn. 101) His
successors the Fitz Alans, Greys and Stapletons (fn. 102)
were afterwards mesne lords of Ovington. (fn. 103)
Old Querns at Ovington
In the early part of the 13th century Sir Walter
Bisset (lord of Lovat in Scotland) held Ovington in
demesne of the lords of Bedale. (fn. 104) In 1253, before
his death—'far away in Scotland'—he sent a messenger to Gerard de Bowes, his bailiff of Ovington,
with letters patent directing that Thomas Bisset his
nephew should be put in seisin of his manor of
Ovington. Gerard was away and the messenger
waited, but on Gerard's return in a fortnight he
refused to give seisin to anyone but Thomas in
person, so Thomas Bisset came to Ovington and
lodged there and demanded seisin. Then two free
men, one villein and the reeve of the town being at
once called together, Gerard gave him seisin, saving
the right of everyone. (fn. 105) Sir Walter's estates, however,
were forfeited for the murder of the Earl of Athol, (fn. 106)
and Ovington was seized by the king's escheators. (fn. 107)
In 1316 it was coupled in the return with Wycliffe,
and the lords of Wycliffe (q.v.) have continued to
hold it to the present time. (fn. 108)
Churches
Plan of St. Lawrence Chapel
The church of ST. CUTHBERT
was practically rebuilt in 1859 and
consists of chancel with south vestry,
nave with north aisle, south porch and west tower.
A good deal of old work is re-used in the tower and
elsewhere, but the building as a whole has little
historical interest. A number of early carved stones
and architectural details have been built into the
south porch. Its outer and inner doorways are both
of 12th-century date, the former c. 1180, with
foliate capitals and engaged shafts, the latter c. 1130,
with a cheveron ornament on the outer order and a
broad reeded label. The capitals have angle volutes
and flutes above the necking and the shafts and bases
are modern. There are stone seats on each side of
the porch and above the east seat an arched recess
containing the 14th-century effigy of a priest in mass
vestments. The best of the early carved stones are
(1) a stone 11 in. by 9 in. with a human figure
standing among knotwork with a four-legged beast
on his left; (2) two figures carefully chiselled with
a twist and a saltire knot having rings at the centre
and angles; (3) part of the head and shaft of a
richly ornamented cross, with three beasts round the
head of the cross, which has rings at the centre and
ends of the arms; on the shaft are panels of knotwork
and beasts and a large spiral coil below; (4)
the arm of another crosshead with knotwork;
(5) a spiral coil forming one corner of a square
design. There are several early grave-slabs,
two set into the east bench being probably of
the 11th century.
There are two brasses in the south wall of
the nave, one to Nicholas Shuttleworth, 1666,
the other to Mrs. Anne Underhill, daughter
of Richard Lever of Little Lever, Lancashire,
'late wife of Thomas Shuttleworth,' who died
1637; on the brass is engraved her figure
lying beneath an arch with Ionic columns,
with figures of Labour and Rest in the
spandrels.
The font, of 15th-century style, is modern,
as are the three bells.
The communion plate consists of a plain silver
flagon and cup presented to the church in 1859.
There is also a fine old silver paten. None of the
plate bears a date or inscription.
The registers begin in 1595.
St. Lawrence Chapel, Barforth, from the North-west
The chapel of ST. LAWRENCE is a rectangular
building 66 ft. long by 16 ft. at the east end and
15 ft. at the west inside, and is now divided into
two almost equal chambers. The western part of
the structure was built in the 12th century; the
only remaining detail of that date is a blocked south
doorway. It was lengthened apparently about 1220
and the chapel remained in use thus until some time
in the 16th century, when it was desecrated and
used for domestic purposes and the dividing wall was
built. Additional floors were put in to form an
upper story and the place served as a dwelling-place
until modern times, but it is now in ruins.
The east wall is pierced by three lancet windows,
with clasping buttresses at the angles, above which are
the stumps of octagonal pinnacles. The 13th-century
altar-slab now lies on the ground; it is a heavy piece
of stone with crude leaf ornament carved on its
chamfered edges. In the north wall is a 13th-century
lancet near the east end; below it is a small plain
recess, and further west a small lancet of later date.
In the middle of the north wall, against the later
dividing wall, is a buttress, apparently original, the
upper half of which has chamfered edges. To the
east of it is a 13th-century pointed doorway, and to
the west part of one jamb of another 13th-century
lancet, below which is a 16th-century square-headed
light. Near the west wall are the remains apparently
of the jamb of another doorway. In the south wall
to the east is a range of three 13th-century lancets,
and to the west of them a small doorway with the
remains of a pointed trefoiled head with a double
chamfered label, retaining one defaced human head
stop. West of this is a later window, now blocked.
Next are the inner jambs of a 13th-century lancet
with a small and later square-headed light, the rest
being blocked; another small square-headed light
pierces the wall west of this, next to which is a
13th-century doorway partially occupying the space
of one of the 12th century. The former has jambs
of two orders, slightly chamfered; the angle shafts
have disappeared, but their capitals remain; these
are moulded and enriched with nail-head ornament.
The arch is pointed with a small hollow chamfer and
a double-chamfered label. This doorway is now
blocked and occupied inside by two small cupboards.
Only the face stones of the round-headed 12th-century
doorway are visible inside and out. A lancet window
is inserted in the middle of the west wall. This
wall is strengthened by three buttresses, one below
the window. Above the gable of the cross wall is a
small bellcote.
Advowson
Forcett Church is under the invocation of St. Cuthbert, whose bones
are said to have rested here. (fn. 109) It was
granted as an ecclesia to the abbey of St. Mary, York,
by Count Stephen, (fn. 110) but was afterwards held by the
abbey as a dependent chapel of their church of Gilling.
Perhaps it was originally a dependency of Gilling and
only held the rank of a parish church after Alan
Niger had granted the mother church of Gilling to
St. Mary's.
The living, a perpetual curacy, (fn. 111) designated a
vicarage since 1870, is in the gift of the vicar of
Gilling. G. 'Dean of Forcett' is mentioned in
1313. (fn. 112)
The chapel of St. Lawrence, Barforth, was dependent on Gilling Church (q.v.).
Charities
In 1680 Richard Shuttleworth by
his will bequeathed to the poor of the
town of Forcett £10 a year, to be
distributed to the poor and to bind out apprentices.
In 1788 the estate originally charged came into the
possession of Charles Michell, who to exonerate the
estate invested a sum of £160 in consols. The
stock was subsequently sold out, and in 1815, by the
direction of the court, the sum of £100, remaining
after payment of costs of suit and expenses, was
invested in the purchase of a plot of land at Woodland
in the parish of Cockfield in the county of Durham,
containing 6 acres. The land is let at £5 a year,
which is distributed amongst poor persons of the
townships of Forcett and Eppleby in sums of 10s. to
£1 5s. to each recipient.
An annual payment of 10s. was formerly distributed among the poor out of the estate at
Forcett belonging to the Michell family. In 1906
Captain Charles Michell by deed gave £100, the
income to be applied by the owner of Forcett Park
and the vicar of Forcett for the benefit of deserving
and sick poor on the Forcett estate; it is invested
in £114 15s. 6d. consols with the official trustees.
The annual dividends of £2 17s. 4d. are duly
applied.