Early 18th Century Survey Plan of Morley © Charles Soderlund 04/22
email: [email protected]
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The early 18th century survey plan of Morley used in this website comes from a series of digital copies of photographs from the David Atkinson Collection kept at the Morley Community Archives (MCA). I wish to thank the MCA and especially Clive McManus for all their help.
(Click on the plan, right, to go to the Morley Archive website) |
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Recently, using the digital photos, the plan has been decoded making it possible to match up the names in its lists to most of the properties shown on the plan. The results of that matching appears in plan copies found later in this page. Sadly, some of the digitised results are difficult or impossible to read, so when trying to ascertain a property's occupier, where feasible, a best guess was chosen.
"The Plan" is the first section found beneath the thumbnails. To go to a different section,
select one of the six thumbnails below.
NOTE: When viewing most of the plan copies on this page, a click on the map will take you to a
larger version and another click on the expanded view will produce a closeup.
select one of the six thumbnails below.
NOTE: When viewing most of the plan copies on this page, a click on the map will take you to a
larger version and another click on the expanded view will produce a closeup.
The Plan and its Origin
THE FULL PLAN - Click to expand.
WILLIAM SAVILLE 2ND MARQUESS OF HALIFAX
In 1630, one John Savile held the manor of Morley as well as others in the region. Morley Manor later came into the possession of his descendant Sir William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax. He died in 1700 and his heirs passed the lordship of Morley to the Earls of Dartmouth. According to William Smith in his 1886 book, Morley, Ancient and Modern:
In 1706 the manor of Morley was bought from the
trustees of the Marquis of Halifax by Baron Dartmouth,
in whose family it has remained to the present time.
If this be the case, it's likely that the sale may have been initiated by William Legge, the first Earl of Dartmouth, but it appears that the wrangling over the sale may not have concluded until 1716 when the second Earl, also William Legge, took full possession of the Manor. This is verified by three 1716 deed abstracts found in the Wakefield Registry of Deeds, made between Legge and the executors of Halifax's estate along with a few others who were financially interested. Each of the three abstracts granted title to Legge including the following properties:
In 1630, one John Savile held the manor of Morley as well as others in the region. Morley Manor later came into the possession of his descendant Sir William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax. He died in 1700 and his heirs passed the lordship of Morley to the Earls of Dartmouth. According to William Smith in his 1886 book, Morley, Ancient and Modern:
In 1706 the manor of Morley was bought from the
trustees of the Marquis of Halifax by Baron Dartmouth,
in whose family it has remained to the present time.
If this be the case, it's likely that the sale may have been initiated by William Legge, the first Earl of Dartmouth, but it appears that the wrangling over the sale may not have concluded until 1716 when the second Earl, also William Legge, took full possession of the Manor. This is verified by three 1716 deed abstracts found in the Wakefield Registry of Deeds, made between Legge and the executors of Halifax's estate along with a few others who were financially interested. Each of the three abstracts granted title to Legge including the following properties:
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Concerning all that Mannor or Lordship of Morley with the rights members and appurtenances thereof
in the County of York and all and every the Messuages Mills Lands Tenements Tythes and hereditaments whatsoever late of the said William Lord Marquess of Halifax situate lying and being coming growing ariseing renewing or increasing in the towns parishes fields precincts or Territories of Morley Chirwell Finchden Headingley Gildersom and Burley ..... |
WILLIAM LEGGE 1st EARL OF DARTMOUTH
Logic dictates that a complete survey of Morley would have been commissioned after Morley's title was transferred but it's also possible that the commissioning took place sometime prior to that in order to establish its value the and therefore its price. For that reason, the best that can be said regarding the survey plan's completion date is that it occurred sometime between 1706 and 1716, more or less.
The survey plan was only one part of the completed package which also included a "field book"containing a thorough inventory of every field, structure and appurtenance and also included the tenants, occupiers and the amounts and conditions of their rents. The field book's location is unknown at the present moment. Fortunately the plan did survive into the 20th century and kept at the West Yorkshire Archives at Leeds (Gildersome).
The survey plan was only one part of the completed package which also included a "field book"containing a thorough inventory of every field, structure and appurtenance and also included the tenants, occupiers and the amounts and conditions of their rents. The field book's location is unknown at the present moment. Fortunately the plan did survive into the 20th century and kept at the West Yorkshire Archives at Leeds (Gildersome).
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ABOVE: William Legge, the second Earl of Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Coat of Arms
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From the time of the plan's photoshoot, there appears to be no description of its size. In order to produce the scale of detail found in it, the map must have been large, at least four or five feet in length and about two thirds smaller in width. Whether it was made of paper or vellum is unknown.
Missing from the plan are the names of its purchaser and surveyor. They could have been noted on the opposite side but as far as is known that side had never been photographed. Instead, appearing in the upper right corner is the coat of arms of the Earl of Dartmouth. A contemporary example of the Legge coat of arms for comparison can be seen above right. Two other symbols appear on the plan: a crown, in the upper left corner of the plan, with ostrich plumes of alternating black and white colours. This symbol represents Dartmouth and can be seen gracing the top of his coat of arms. The compass and globe, seen in the lower right edge of the plan. sits atop a scale to measure chains which then and now equals 22 yards each. (see both symbols enlarged, left) |
The full digitised version of the plan, seen above, is of moderate clarity which decreases as one views farther to the right. Fortunately, David Atkinson took at least fourteen other closeups, eleven black and white shots and three even closer colour shots illuminating mostly the plan's centre. Unfortunately there still remains a certain amount of obscurity. All are shown in the gallery below and will be revealed later in enlarged detail.
Historical Context
The town of Morley lies approximately 5 miles south-west of Leeds city centre.
Little evidence has been recovered of prehistoric activity in Morley. A Bronze Age stone implement known as an axe hammer was discovered to the south of the M62 off Rein Road, suggesting some level of activity at this time.
The course of a probable Roman Road is roughly followed by today's A650. The road forms an extension of the Roman route between Bradford, Keighley and Elslack (catalogued by Margary as Roman Road 721). The route is thought to continue south east to Wakefield.
During the early Medieval period Morley appears to have been of some regional significance giving its name to a wider administrative area known as a wapontake. 'Morelei', as it is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, includes the place-name element 'ley' which indicates its origins as an area of cleared land in a woodland setting.
In the Domesday Book is found the first known written account of Morley Township and though it contains few facts it speaks loudly concerning the conditions there during the 20 years between 1066 and the book's completion. It tells us that during the reign of King William the Confessor, Dunstan of Swillington was Lord over the manor of Morley, he also held eight other manors in West Yorkshire. During Dunstan's administration Morley was worth 2 pounds in tax to his king. The account then states that in 1086 Ilbert de Lacy, one of William the Conqueror's many Norman"cronies," had assumed the Lordship of Morley. Furthermore that Morley contained a church, about 640 acres of potentially arable land and a woodland, one league by one league (anywhere between 900 to 3,000 acres). Unfortunately, it described the general condition of Morley as "Waste" which was the book's term for severe impoverishment, so much so, that it could pay no tax to the new king. This is not surprising, during those same said twenty years it's been estimated that 75% of the population in Yorkshire had perished, the majority having succumbed to disease and starvation, all wrought by the Conqueror's revenge. A contemporary account of a lost portion of the biography of the Conqueror by William of Poitiers said this about the devastation:
Little evidence has been recovered of prehistoric activity in Morley. A Bronze Age stone implement known as an axe hammer was discovered to the south of the M62 off Rein Road, suggesting some level of activity at this time.
The course of a probable Roman Road is roughly followed by today's A650. The road forms an extension of the Roman route between Bradford, Keighley and Elslack (catalogued by Margary as Roman Road 721). The route is thought to continue south east to Wakefield.
During the early Medieval period Morley appears to have been of some regional significance giving its name to a wider administrative area known as a wapontake. 'Morelei', as it is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, includes the place-name element 'ley' which indicates its origins as an area of cleared land in a woodland setting.
In the Domesday Book is found the first known written account of Morley Township and though it contains few facts it speaks loudly concerning the conditions there during the 20 years between 1066 and the book's completion. It tells us that during the reign of King William the Confessor, Dunstan of Swillington was Lord over the manor of Morley, he also held eight other manors in West Yorkshire. During Dunstan's administration Morley was worth 2 pounds in tax to his king. The account then states that in 1086 Ilbert de Lacy, one of William the Conqueror's many Norman"cronies," had assumed the Lordship of Morley. Furthermore that Morley contained a church, about 640 acres of potentially arable land and a woodland, one league by one league (anywhere between 900 to 3,000 acres). Unfortunately, it described the general condition of Morley as "Waste" which was the book's term for severe impoverishment, so much so, that it could pay no tax to the new king. This is not surprising, during those same said twenty years it's been estimated that 75% of the population in Yorkshire had perished, the majority having succumbed to disease and starvation, all wrought by the Conqueror's revenge. A contemporary account of a lost portion of the biography of the Conqueror by William of Poitiers said this about the devastation:
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He cut down many in his vengeance; destroyed the lairs of others; harried the land, and burnt homes to ashes. Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty ... In his anger he commanded that all crops and herds, chattels and food of every kind should be brought together and burned to ashes with consuming fire, so that the whole region north of the Humber might be stripped of all means of sustenance. In consequence so serious a scarcity was felt in England, and so terrible a famine fell upon the humble and defenceless populace, that more than 100,000 Christian folk of both sexes, young and old, perished of hunger (Ecclesiastical history, edited by Marjorie Chibnall, vol. 2, pages 230-33).
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The devastation was so vast that it may have taken West Yorkshire several generations to recover. When it did, there were few who could remember the "old ways," and since the Normans brought European feudalism with them the freedoms once enjoyed by most of the Saxons dissolved.
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The estate plan of the early 18th century provides evidence of medieval Morley. The framework of the settlement took the form of an extended village focused around three distinct areas; Morley Bottoms to the north, Town End and Low Town to the south and Middlethorpe (literally meaning 'middle of the village') now Queen Street (renamed as late as 1867) running between the two.
Morley Bottoms and Town End/Low Town (now the line of Fountain Street and Middleton Road) seem to have been developed around common land and may have originated as encroachment and illegal squatter's cottages. Middlethorpe has the character of a planned settlement with regular croft plots holding farmsteads fronting the road. Those to the east are served by a Back Lane, now Commercial Street. Surrounding the crofts are the remains of a medieval strip field system with distinctive long, thin, sinuous plots. The boundary divisions along Queen street relate to the medieval crofts. Queen Street, Commercial Street and Ackroyd Street are clearly medieval in origin. |
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For the next 500 years, give or take, life in Morley for the lower classes changed very little. Necessary tradespeople, such as smiths, weavers, millers etc., were permitted occupation on encroachments in the waste. There were some freeholds but those that existed were occupied by the nobility, the church or the burgeoning gentry. By the Tudor Era the Renaissance finally reached Britain. It ushered in a new, ever increasing, wave of capitalism and introduced a cash and lending based economy. The resulting wealth slowly seeped down to the tradespeople. By the mid 1500's, what had once been common land in Morley began to disappear as parcels of land were enclosed. This began a process of further subdividing the parcels into ever shrinking plots. Where once Morley's overlords received payments in grain and other commodities they found a new cash cow in the form of leases and sales to those who could pay, regardless of their social status. By the time of its creation the Dartmouth plan clearly reveals the extent of the subdividing, most of those field configurations remained the same into the 20th century and a few can still be found today.
The Manor of Morley and its Overlords
Peasants at they're various tasks on the Manor
In the early 1100, it's surmised that most of the land in Morley was held jointly by Ralph de L'isle and Robert de Beeston. Both were under-tenants to de Lacy who also gave portions of land in Morley to the Nostell Priory.
By 1200 William de L'isle, a descendant of Ralph de L'isle, held the manor of Morley. He had a daughter, Eufemia who married Nicholas de Rotherfield. In 1226, a judgment divided her father's lands and Morley passed to the Rotherfields. And, during the 14th century, a marriage took place between a Rotherfield and a Mirfield resulting in the manor passing into the Mirfield family. Eventually, the Mirfields of Howley came to control Morley. This is born out by this 1461 will, kept in the Registry at York, and bears witness to the:
Testamentum Oliveri Myrfeld Armigeri .........
First I wille that my feffis that air enfeffed in
al my lordschippes - in the townes of Mirfeld, Dighton, Egerton, Gleydholte, Heyton Hopton,
Batley, Holey, Morley, Gildersom, Bolton, Chekylay, Leede, Newstede, Halyfax, Wakefelde Westerton, with al theire appurtenaunces, make a state of theim - to William Mirfeld my son and to his eyeres of his body......"
In time, the manor of Morley was handed down to the Savile family. Philip Booth, in his history of Gildersome, wrote:
Sir John Savile, who died on Aug. 31st, 1630, at Howley Hall, was certified to be possessed of the Manors
of Headingley, Batley, Morley, East Ardsley, Woodchurch and, Gildersome, in addition to lands in Wakefield,
Dewsbury and other places.
It was his descendant, Sir William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax, whose heirs passed on the Lordship of Morley to the Earls of Dartmouth.
By 1200 William de L'isle, a descendant of Ralph de L'isle, held the manor of Morley. He had a daughter, Eufemia who married Nicholas de Rotherfield. In 1226, a judgment divided her father's lands and Morley passed to the Rotherfields. And, during the 14th century, a marriage took place between a Rotherfield and a Mirfield resulting in the manor passing into the Mirfield family. Eventually, the Mirfields of Howley came to control Morley. This is born out by this 1461 will, kept in the Registry at York, and bears witness to the:
Testamentum Oliveri Myrfeld Armigeri .........
First I wille that my feffis that air enfeffed in
al my lordschippes - in the townes of Mirfeld, Dighton, Egerton, Gleydholte, Heyton Hopton,
Batley, Holey, Morley, Gildersom, Bolton, Chekylay, Leede, Newstede, Halyfax, Wakefelde Westerton, with al theire appurtenaunces, make a state of theim - to William Mirfeld my son and to his eyeres of his body......"
In time, the manor of Morley was handed down to the Savile family. Philip Booth, in his history of Gildersome, wrote:
Sir John Savile, who died on Aug. 31st, 1630, at Howley Hall, was certified to be possessed of the Manors
of Headingley, Batley, Morley, East Ardsley, Woodchurch and, Gildersome, in addition to lands in Wakefield,
Dewsbury and other places.
It was his descendant, Sir William Savile, 2nd Marquess of Halifax, whose heirs passed on the Lordship of Morley to the Earls of Dartmouth.
Early 18th Century Morley
The Dartmouth plan exposes a Morley just prior to the dawn of the Industrial Age. Within can be found 56 freehold parcels representing approximately 10% to 15% of Morley's total acreage of over 2,400. According to the West Yorkshire Archaeological Survey of 1981, the average size of a township or manor in Yorkshire was 1,000 acres, making Morley over twice the average size. Also in the plan are hundreds of Dartmouth owned enclosed fields of various sizes and uses, many containing messuages that are drawn in. Most of the enclosures were leased by the same freeholders previously mentioned. Finally there are 37 Dartmouth cottages situated in the waste, many of those cottage leaseholders are also freeholders. The Town of Morley leased four of those Dartmouth cottages, most likely for housing the poor. The plan also reveals that, aside from Dartmouth, the Tennant in Chief, all of Morley's property was controlled by a group of less than 100 freeholders and leaseholders, many of whom probably lived elsewhere.
Since subletting was quite common at the time, it must be noted that simply because a person owned or leased a field or cottage doesn't necessarily follow that the person worked or occupied that piece of land or cottage.
IN COMPARISON: During the 1780s another plan of Morley was drawn up for the 2nd Lord Dartmouth, It was also accompanied by a book of property details which doesn't appear to have survived. A review of the plan discloses leased fields and features similar to the earlier Dartmouth plan but with several more freeholds.
The Tithe Apportionments of circa 1845 paints a picture of a completely different Morley. Entering the heyday of the Industrial Revolution it had become a beehive of activity. At that time the 4th Lord Dartmouth was Tennant in Chief. He owned 890 out of about 1290 total properties, but the number of freeholds had risen to 400, about 35% of the total properties, more or less.
Contrast 1711 Morley to its neighbour Gildersome which was included in a 1711 survey plan of south Farnley for the Earl of Cardigan. Gildersome underwent the same 1500s enclosure processes as did Morley but soon thereafter Gildersome's Lords began to sell off their properties in large chunks. So that by 1711 the Earl of Cardigan controlled some waste within the township, possibly 10 to 20 cottages within that waste and had one tenant who leased about 10 acres of the enclosed fields, freeholders owned the remaining 960 acres.
Since subletting was quite common at the time, it must be noted that simply because a person owned or leased a field or cottage doesn't necessarily follow that the person worked or occupied that piece of land or cottage.
IN COMPARISON: During the 1780s another plan of Morley was drawn up for the 2nd Lord Dartmouth, It was also accompanied by a book of property details which doesn't appear to have survived. A review of the plan discloses leased fields and features similar to the earlier Dartmouth plan but with several more freeholds.
The Tithe Apportionments of circa 1845 paints a picture of a completely different Morley. Entering the heyday of the Industrial Revolution it had become a beehive of activity. At that time the 4th Lord Dartmouth was Tennant in Chief. He owned 890 out of about 1290 total properties, but the number of freeholds had risen to 400, about 35% of the total properties, more or less.
Contrast 1711 Morley to its neighbour Gildersome which was included in a 1711 survey plan of south Farnley for the Earl of Cardigan. Gildersome underwent the same 1500s enclosure processes as did Morley but soon thereafter Gildersome's Lords began to sell off their properties in large chunks. So that by 1711 the Earl of Cardigan controlled some waste within the township, possibly 10 to 20 cottages within that waste and had one tenant who leased about 10 acres of the enclosed fields, freeholders owned the remaining 960 acres.
How the Plan Works
The 1707 Plan was divided into a grid of smaller squares (see left). An individual square can be found by cross referencing a number from across the top (left to right 1 to 13) and a letter (top to bottom A to I) along the sides. In this case the "X's" on the plan mark squares C8, C9, D8 and D9. There are also three lists situated in the lower left of the plan, they are, from left to right:
1. Leaseholders of Dartmouth owned enclosures (fields) with or without messuages.
2. Occupiers of Dartmouth cottages.
3. Freeholders (privately held land)
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In the coloured closeup (Example 1, right), Morley Hole is is located at the large circled W, The faint grid lines, emphasised by the red dashed lines, intersect just below the centre and divide the space into four squares C8, C9, D8 and D9 as shown in the grid map above. In addition, each Dartmouth enclosure (field) has a field name and number as can be seen in Example1: such as "Croft"#222, "Elliot Yard" #219 and "Lower Wood Croft" #213
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In the lists, each leaseholder, cottage occupier or freeholder (property owner) is assigned a letter or number that represents their name on the plan. For example (see no. 1 in example 1, above), in Croft 222 the Q refers to a leaseholder in the list by the name of John Webster, as shown in the clipping, left. It also indicates that Webster's properties can be found in grid coordinates B9 and C9.
Additional information about Croft 222 :
-- It's unknown whether or not John Webster actually lived there or sublet to some other occupier.
-- The assigned number 222 represents entries in the aforementioned Field Book which was presumably kept at a Dartmouth office. In the book's 222 entry was kept relevant information regarding that specific property such as lease information, messuages, barns, mistals, stables, stys, cotes, woods, mines, hedges, fences etc. All of Dartmouth's enclosed properties in the map contains a similar identifying number and received similar treatment in the book.
-- The 222 enclosure is encircled by a brighter yellow than its surroundings. In fact all enclosures on the map are tinted with various colours, signifying the type of usage associated with the field. Examples would be industrial, meadow, arable, pasture, wooded etc.. Unfortunately no explanations of the colours are to be found on the map.
-- In 222 there are two buildings depicted which represent two dwellings on the property. Farm buildings seem to have been mostly excluded. Given the fact that the cartoon-like buildings differ substantially from one another it would seem to indicate that the artist tried to approximate the actual buildings and their orientation. Take Morley Hole for instance, see example 2, right: In the freehold "W" property above Elliot Yard the larger of the two structures in the centre appear to be a late Tudor style building with a facade containing a centre entrance between two front facing gabled ends.
Further Information in Example 1, above.
The two number 2's: There are two likely sites for a coaching inn. The site on the right, Wood Croft, is leased by Ann Stead and contains a building, immediately adjacent to the building is another structure clearly situated on the Waste. The other, Croft 231, is held by Jonathan Peace. See the two circled properties in Example 2 for a closer view.
The three number 3's on the map: The large white circled letters represent Freehold properties. Freehold letters always appear in red which have faded over the years to a brownish colour (without a white circle). In this case, the W belongs to the Old Batley School, the X is owned by John Smith, the C is owned by John Dawson.
The two number 4's on the map: The two red circles mark the location of Dartmouth owned cottages which are held by occupiers who pay a yearly fee. Dartmouth's cottages are always located upon the waste. Shown are cottage numbers 16 thru 20 and the cottage by itself, number 22. In the list, Dartmouth's cottages are assigned a number as an identifier instead of a letter. Though occupiers may have held the lease to a cottage it's no indication that they ever lived there and may have sub-let.
Number 5 on the map: The very pale colour can be either waste or enclosed freeholds
-- The assigned number 222 represents entries in the aforementioned Field Book which was presumably kept at a Dartmouth office. In the book's 222 entry was kept relevant information regarding that specific property such as lease information, messuages, barns, mistals, stables, stys, cotes, woods, mines, hedges, fences etc. All of Dartmouth's enclosed properties in the map contains a similar identifying number and received similar treatment in the book.
-- The 222 enclosure is encircled by a brighter yellow than its surroundings. In fact all enclosures on the map are tinted with various colours, signifying the type of usage associated with the field. Examples would be industrial, meadow, arable, pasture, wooded etc.. Unfortunately no explanations of the colours are to be found on the map.
-- In 222 there are two buildings depicted which represent two dwellings on the property. Farm buildings seem to have been mostly excluded. Given the fact that the cartoon-like buildings differ substantially from one another it would seem to indicate that the artist tried to approximate the actual buildings and their orientation. Take Morley Hole for instance, see example 2, right: In the freehold "W" property above Elliot Yard the larger of the two structures in the centre appear to be a late Tudor style building with a facade containing a centre entrance between two front facing gabled ends.
Further Information in Example 1, above.
The two number 2's: There are two likely sites for a coaching inn. The site on the right, Wood Croft, is leased by Ann Stead and contains a building, immediately adjacent to the building is another structure clearly situated on the Waste. The other, Croft 231, is held by Jonathan Peace. See the two circled properties in Example 2 for a closer view.
The three number 3's on the map: The large white circled letters represent Freehold properties. Freehold letters always appear in red which have faded over the years to a brownish colour (without a white circle). In this case, the W belongs to the Old Batley School, the X is owned by John Smith, the C is owned by John Dawson.
The two number 4's on the map: The two red circles mark the location of Dartmouth owned cottages which are held by occupiers who pay a yearly fee. Dartmouth's cottages are always located upon the waste. Shown are cottage numbers 16 thru 20 and the cottage by itself, number 22. In the list, Dartmouth's cottages are assigned a number as an identifier instead of a letter. Though occupiers may have held the lease to a cottage it's no indication that they ever lived there and may have sub-let.
Number 5 on the map: The very pale colour can be either waste or enclosed freeholds
The Lists
NOTE: The information from the lists have been entered into spreadsheet form for downloading, below.
EXAMPLE 1
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EXAMPLE 2
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EXAMPLE 3
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In the Enclosure list, the leaseholders are identified by a letter located within each enclosure. There are three distinct types of lettering used for the 76 leaseholders. The first are Roman capitals. A to Zed (Example 1), next a Gothic style is used, A to Zed (Example 2) and the remaining are done in a Copperplate style, A to Dd (Example 3).
EXAMPLE 4
In the Cottages list the leaseholders are identified by a number, 1 to 37 (Example 4).
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EXAMPLE 5
In the Freeholders list the owners are identified by the the same Roman capitals as example 1, and also by the Copperplate letters and Roman miniscules (Example 5). All these letters are shown in red.
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Matching Names to the Properties
Note: Although an estimated acreage size accompanies each Dartmouth property, the size of an acre back then varied and may have been calculated based upon productivity and not necessarily a fixed area.
Matching the names in the lists to the properties on the plan can be seen on five "maps," 1 thru 5. Each of the five maps contain labels representing leaseholder enclosures, cottages, freeholds and features, as well as other information. All labels and and symbols are explained in the "Key" below. Each occupier in the lists has been assigned a number found in the companion (downloadable) spreadsheet below. The first is for Excel users and the second for Numbers, an Apple app. Use the spreadsheet in conjunction with the maps.
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Excel:
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Numbers:
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Key to the Map Labels
Below is the key to the numbers found in the plan. Match the number and type in the map with its equivalent found in the spreadsheet:
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Map Symbols
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Explanation
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The Bottoms leased by John Morrice, found in grid G1 in Map 4,
Cottage leased by Jenn Morrice, found in grid F3 of maps
1 and 4 
Jeremiah Scott owns the property in maps 2 & 4, grid D5 & E5
Nipshaw Lane in maps 1 & 2
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Red numbers on white: Found in Table 1 in the spreadsheet (Leaseholders of Dartmouth fields). From L to R in the row cagegories: No. 1 indicates the Field Number entered by the surveyor. The Map number matches one of the five maps below, Name equals the field's name. Grid Location and Notes are self explanatory.
Blue numbers on yellow a background, Table 2 of SS. The row categories are similar to Table 1's.
White numbers on a red background, Table 3 of SS. The row categories are similar to Table 1's. The Letter category refers to the surveyor's notation.
White numbers on a green background, Table 4 of SS. The row categories are self explanatory.
Yellow Lines = Roads, either main roads or occupation roads.
Red and blue circle = house, houses or Messuage. Green circle = map feature.
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The Labeled Maps
MAP 1
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MAP 2
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MAP 3
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MAP 4
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MAP 5
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Full Size Coloured Images
(Click on an image for an enlarged version)
(Click on an image for an enlarged version)
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West of Middlethorp
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East of Middlethorp
Compare the Field Number of a property with the spreadsheet entry to find the occupier.
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Middlethorp
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Features of interest which are not clearly visible on the Labeled Maps.
(Click on an image for an enlarged version)
(Click on an image for an enlarged version)
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Map 1, Red #1
Cross Hall owned by Jeremiah Scott. A pond may indicate some sort of manufacturing. The Steel Gates are occupied by William Cromack and have "Exchanged" written over them. |
Map 3, Green #38
Rooms Hall. |
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Middlethorpe Map
Site of Dartmouth Arms, circled. |
Middlethorpe Map
Site of Morley Hall & the Bottoms. |
Middlethorpe Map
Site of Morley House & the Chapel. |
Middlethorpe Map
Site of the Manor House. |
East of Middlethorpe Map. Town End and Low Town.
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Howley Plan, below. Howley Hall and its grounds.
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Howley Hall
Nestled between Morley and Batley, and hidden behind the lists on Map 4 (above), sat the Howley Hall Estate. For over a hundred years the Hall had been one of the finest in Yorkshire. It was built by Sir John Savile, Baron of Pontefract, a separate family branch from the Marquess of Halifax Savile's mentioned previously, between the years 1585 and 1590. Some say it cost Sir John £100,000. Prior to that the Mirfield family held the estate which included an ancient mansion, probably situated at the "Farm Housing" location in the map below. The Mirfield mansion was abandoned by Savile in favour of a site with a more commanding prospect. Sir John passed away in 1630 and Thomas Saville, 1st Earl of Sussex and Sir John's son and heir, then came into possession of the estate.
During the Civil War (1642–1651), Lord Sussex passed on responsibility for the Hall to his relation, Sir John Savile of Lupset, who was a Parliamentarian. Thomas Fairfax used the Hall as headquarters for his operations against Wakefield (May 1643). The Royalists, fearing encirclement at the Battle of Bradford, attacked Howley Hall and, after a brief engagement, Sir John of Lupset surrendered. It was then used by the Royalists as a base during the Battle of Adwalton Moor.
Lord Sussex died in 1661 and the estate passed to his son James Savile. James died childless a decade later. The Hall and estate then went to James' sister and heir, Frances. She was married to the son of Robert Brudenell, the 2nd Earl of Cardigan so the property passed to the Brudenell family. Thus began an occupancy by a series of tenants and a gradual decline in its upkeep. The Brudenell family owned it until the late 19th century but never resided or had any interests there. Wikipedia states that:
During the Civil War (1642–1651), Lord Sussex passed on responsibility for the Hall to his relation, Sir John Savile of Lupset, who was a Parliamentarian. Thomas Fairfax used the Hall as headquarters for his operations against Wakefield (May 1643). The Royalists, fearing encirclement at the Battle of Bradford, attacked Howley Hall and, after a brief engagement, Sir John of Lupset surrendered. It was then used by the Royalists as a base during the Battle of Adwalton Moor.
Lord Sussex died in 1661 and the estate passed to his son James Savile. James died childless a decade later. The Hall and estate then went to James' sister and heir, Frances. She was married to the son of Robert Brudenell, the 2nd Earl of Cardigan so the property passed to the Brudenell family. Thus began an occupancy by a series of tenants and a gradual decline in its upkeep. The Brudenell family owned it until the late 19th century but never resided or had any interests there. Wikipedia states that:
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"by 1711 local people had begun reusing the stone in other buildings. Records show that some of the furnishings were sold to the Old Presbyterian Chapel in Bradford in 1719, and others are known to have ended up in the nearby Chief Bailiff's House (now Howley Hall Golf Club) and Thorpe Hall in Thorpe on the Hill. To save the Brudenells the cost of maintenance, the buildings were finally demolished with gunpowder between 1717 and 1730, leaving the hall in its current ruined state." |
The 1735 Howley Estate depiction, above, was drawn from a plan of a similar date by Clive McManus of the Morley Community Archives. The original plan was surveyed and drawn by William Sikes for George Brudenell, the Earl of Cardigan. All of the fields and buildings were leased out by the Earl, and as far as can be ascertained, there were no freeholds. It's likely that the hall had been destroyed by the time the plan was completed. Unlike the Morley Plan, the Howley plan includes no list of tenants, but like the Morley Plan, its Field Book is missing.
Of interest on the original Howley Plan:
A thin strip of the Estate of Morley ran down the west side of the Howley Estate from the Stone Pitts to the to the projecting tip of the Ox Pasture.
The field called Stone Pitts was likely the site of iron ore and coal mining.
The fields called Fincil was another way to spell Finkle.
Lady Ann Close, which abuts Howley Hall to the south, probably refers to Lady Anne Villiers who married Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex. She is most likely the Lady Anne at the centre of the tale about the mysterious "Lady Anne's Well" thought to have existed somewhere near Howley Hall. Dave Weldrake, in his online article he wrote this regarding the myth:
The basic story can be outlined briefly as follows:
Lady Anne Savile, wife of Lord Thomas Savile owner of Howley Hall, was in the habit of bathing at a
well near to the hall. One day she was set upon by wild animals and fatally wounded. The well still
bears her name today. (https://daveweldrake.wordpress.com/the-mystery-of-lady-annes-well/)
Of interest on the original Howley Plan:
A thin strip of the Estate of Morley ran down the west side of the Howley Estate from the Stone Pitts to the to the projecting tip of the Ox Pasture.
The field called Stone Pitts was likely the site of iron ore and coal mining.
The fields called Fincil was another way to spell Finkle.
Lady Ann Close, which abuts Howley Hall to the south, probably refers to Lady Anne Villiers who married Thomas Savile, 1st Earl of Sussex. She is most likely the Lady Anne at the centre of the tale about the mysterious "Lady Anne's Well" thought to have existed somewhere near Howley Hall. Dave Weldrake, in his online article he wrote this regarding the myth:
The basic story can be outlined briefly as follows:
Lady Anne Savile, wife of Lord Thomas Savile owner of Howley Hall, was in the habit of bathing at a
well near to the hall. One day she was set upon by wild animals and fatally wounded. The well still
bears her name today. (https://daveweldrake.wordpress.com/the-mystery-of-lady-annes-well/)