Some account of the Thwaites of Abbotside (2)

Christopher Thwaite (the register has “Whaites”, but the spelling was always uncertain in those days; the final ‘s’ comes and goes, and quite often the name appears as Whaite or Whate or Whaites) of Helm had his eldest son baptised at Askrigg Parish Church on 4 Sept 1687 as “Simond”.

On 2 Jan 1667, George Thwaite of Sedbusk, husbandman, had sold to his brother Christopher of the same place, husbandman, for £26 a close of meadow ground at Sedbusk called the Broad Dale (incidentally it is still there), “now or late in the occupation of George”, for the remainder of a 2000 year lease originally granted by George Cole (Lord of the manor until he died in 1630). There was an annual gound rent of sixpence, payable to Sir John Lowther of Lowther, whoby then was Lord of the Manor. Most of Cole’s long leases had been granted by him in 1624.

On 29 Nov.1673, in the 25^th. Year of Charles II, Christopher Thwaite of Sedbusk, yeoman, mortgaged his close for £15-0-0 to two members of the Thompson family (both were tailors in Sedbusk, and seemed to have had spare cash, they did a good deal of buying and lending). The mortgage was to subsist for 60 years, and whilst it operated they were to pay Thwaite sixpence p.a. in his dwelling house in Sedbusk on St.Martin’s day in winter.

The Thompsons agreed to surrender the land on 11 Nov 1683 if Thwaite had made regular payments to them on a specified scale and on a reducing annual basis, £2-19-4 in 1674, falling to £1-11-10 in 1683. The total repayments came to £20-13-6, so that the total interest over the ten year period was £5-3-6. If default were made on any of the due dates the land was to belong to the Thompsons absolutely.

Whilst the mortgage was still in operation however, on 22 Nov 1678 Christpher Thwaite sold the land outright to the Thompsons for £27.

The register of Askrigg Parish Church records the burial on 12 Aug 1690 of “Christopher Whaites of Simonstone, poor” implying that the family could not afford the burial fee. It would seem that after selling his Sedbusk close, he had removed to Simonstone.

Christpher Thwaites son, Simon, was married at Askrigg on 2 May 1713 (he would then be 26) to Anne Cloughton of Lamb Hill. Her father was a smallholder and factor of knitted stockings. Their house, standing high above the main road at Grange, just west of Askrigg, is now a barn, with the windows blocked in, but the field in which it stands is still called Lamb Hill. William Cloughton, Anne’s father, died in 1735 leaving a will of which I have a Xerox copy. Amongst other legacies, he left “to my daughter Anne Whate five pounds”.

His inventory total came to £25-10s-0d, as follows:

His purse and apparel £2. A cow and a why £3. Two twinters and 4 stirks £5-10-0.

One mare £1. Household goods and husbandry gear £2. Ten dozens of stockings great and small £2. Debt book owing to him £10.

He was able to read and write (not very usual at that time) and signed his will quite legibly. His son George was his sole executor. Simon Thwaite, Cloughton’s son-in-law, seems to have moved about from hamlet to hamlet within Abbotside. At various times he was at Camhouse (he had been a tenant of Bernard Smith of Camshouse in 1748), at Litherskew and at Brockell Cote. He had been at the last-named place soon after his marriage, for in 1742, in an Exchequer Court case in which he had been called as a witness, he deposed that 29 years earlier he had been a tenant in Brockell Cote at a rent of £6-7s-6d per annum. He could not write, but was consistent in making his mark with a capital O.

Edited by - cloghopper on 27/07/2011 13:43:16

Edited by - cloghopper on 27/07/2011 13:48:44


Dyslexics untie

Some account of the Thwaites of Abbotside (3)

He died at Sedbusk, and was buried at Askrigg Church on 8 March 1758. He left no will, nor were letters of administration taken out by the family.

The third child and second son born to Simon Thwaite and Anne Cloughton had been baptised Simon at Askrigg Parish Church on 29 Sept. 1717, when the father was at Camshouse. Young Simon was married at Askrigg (he was then living at Sedbusk) to Elizabeth Teasdale of Simonstone on 14 Nov. 1739. I have no details of his life, except for the baptisms at Askrigg of his children. His eldest son, Simon, was baptised  at Hawes Parish Church on 12 Feb 1743. The entry reads: “Simon son of  Simon Thwaite of Sedbusk”.

Some seven weeks earlier his elder brother, William, also of Sedbusk, had had a son Simon baptised at Hawes, and if that were not complication enough, there was another Simon, son of John Thwaite of Simonstone, who also married an Elizabeth. The children of two pairs of Simons and Elizabeths, therefore, were being baptised continuously from 1746 to 1760.

On 19 Nov. 1780, Simon Thwaite of Strands (an isolated farmhouse in Fossdale) was a bondsman for the administration of the goods of his youngest brother, Christopher Thwaite of Walden (where he had farmed for over 30 years) who had died instate, leaving goods worth something under £182.

Simon Thwaite of Strands, husbandman, made his short and simple will on 31 Jan 1789, “being weak in body but of sound mind and memory, praised be God for the same”. He had been at Strands at least since  1759, when Agnes, his youngest daughter, was baptised at Hardraw Parish Church. He left everything to “my beloved wife Elizabeth” for life, and if anything remained at her decease “ above what may be sufficient for her comfortable maintenance and support in her lifetime”, the whole was to be divided equally between his son and five daughters. He signed with a cross. He was buried at Hardraw on 25 May 1789, some five months after making the will, of which I have a Xerox copy. There is no inventory with the probate, but there is an endorsement that his goods were worth between £20 & £30.

His only son, Simon, was living on his father’s farm at Starnds, when on 19 April 1766, he was married at Hardraw Parish Church to ‘Rosy’ Pratt of Shaw; she had been baptised Rosamond. The end cottages at Shaw are visible from Strands farmhouse, so that the two families were near neighbours.

The first child of Simon and Rosamond was baptised Mary, six months after the marriage. The father was described as ‘Simon Thwaite, Junior’, for of course his father was still alive. Between 1768 and 1790, ten more children were born, four sons and six daughters. Simon Thwaite was at Shaw when, on 12 Oct 1777, his son Richard, my great-grandfather, was baptised at Hardraw. He was then the youngest child.

Simon Thwaite had retired to Hardraw (actually to the house now called Scar End, but then known as Nettlegarth House, west of the beck) when he made his will on 28 Dec 1821, leaving his household goods and furniture to his wife, and his house and land to her for life, then to his sons John and Richard equally. The two sons were also left his husbandry gear, cattle, and the rest of of his personal estate, with the obligation to pay various cash legacies (including £40 to Richard), and the interest on the remainder to Rosamond for life, then to John and Richard equally. Apparently Richard had lent William Watson, the husband of his sister Ann, various sums of money which he was to deduct from Ann’s legacy unless Watson paid up.

The will was signed with a cross, although there is no doubt that Simon could write, for he had signed a petition of the parishioners of Hardraw to the Bishop. Perhaps he was to ill to sign his name. He was buried at Hardraw on 8 April 1822, aged 79. The executors were his sons John and Richard. John was then farming at Mossdale Head, and Richard at Cotebottom in Bishopdale.John was the great-grandfather of John Thwaite, the Wensleydale dialect poet. Simon must have had some success as a farmer, for although his father left so little, he himself left about £800.

Unfortunately there is no inventory.

Rosamond Thwaite, his widow, made her will on 9 April 1825, leaving a variety of clothing and household goods to her six named daughters, all of whom were married. The sons were not mentioned, but of course they had benefited under their father’s will.

Richard Thwaite, my great-grandfather, had been married, not at Hardraw but at Aysgarth, the mother church of the parish, on 21 April 1806, when he was said to be of Thoralby, to Anne Fawcett, spinster, of the same place. His eldest child, Simon, was baptised at Aysgarth on 4 Nov. 1806, when Richard and Anne were at Cotebottom, a farm part way up the north side of Bishopdale. A succession of other children was born, until Eleanor, the youngest, was baptised in 1826.

By this time the whole family seems to have severed its long-standing connection with Abbotside, although some distant connection must have remained behind, for there are still Thwaites in Sedbusk, including one called Simon. Richard eventually removed to Howesyke, a much larger farm in the valley bottom of Bishopdale, and when  his second son, John, succeeded him at Howesyke (having come from Riddings, where he was followed by my grandfather, James) Richard retired to Thoralby and died there in 1860. His wife lived for another 10 years.e of Simonstone on 14 Nov. 1739. I have no details of his life, except for the baptisms at Askrigg of his children. His eldest son, Simon, was baptised  at Hawes Parish Church on 12 Feb 1743. The entry reads: “Simon son of  Simon Thwaite of Sedbusk”.

Some seven weeks earlier his elder brother, William, also of Sedbusk, had had a son Simon baptised at Hawes, and if that were not complication enough, there was another Simon, son of John Thwaite of Simonstone, who also married an Elizabeth. The children of two pairs of Simons and Elizabeths, therefore, were being baptised continuously from 1746 to 1760.

On 19 Nov. 1780, Simon Thwaite of Strands (an isolated farmhouse in Fossdale) was a bondsman for the administration of the goods of his youngest brother, Christopher Thwaite of Walden (where he had farmed for over 30 years) who had died instate, leaving goods worth something under £182.

Simon Thwaite of Strands, husbandman, made his short and simple will on 31 Jan 1789, “being weak in body but of sound mind and memory, praised be God for the same”. He had been at Strands at least since  1759, when Agnes, his youngest daughter, was baptised at Hardraw Parish Church. He left everything to “my beloved wife Elizabeth” for life, and if anything remained at her decease “ above what may be sufficient for her comfortable maintenance and support in her lifetime”, the whole was to be divided equally between his son and five daughters. He signed with a cross. He was buried at Hardraw on 25 May 1789, some five months after making the will, of which I have a Xerox copy. There is no inventory with the probate, but there is an endorsement that his goods were worth between £20 & £30.

His only son, Simon, was living on his father’s farm at Starnds, when on 19 April 1766, he was married at Hardraw Parish Church to ‘Rosy’ Pratt of Shaw; she had been baptised Rosamond. The end cottages at Shaw are visible from Strands farmhouse, so that the two families were near neighbours.

The first child of Simon and Rosamond was baptised Mary, six months after the marriage. The father was described as ‘Simon Thwaite, Junior’, for of course his father was still alive. Between 1768 and 1790, ten more children were born, four sons and six daughters. Simon Thwaite was at Shaw when, on 12 Oct 1777, his son Richard, my great-grandfather, was baptised at Hardraw. He was then the youngest child.

Simon Thwaite had retired to Hardraw (actually to the house now called Scar End, but then known as Nettlegarth House, west of the beck) when he made his will on 28 Dec 1821, leaving his household goods and furniture to his wife, and his house and land to her for life, then to his sons John and Richard equally. The two sons were also left his husbandry gear, cattle, and the rest of of his personal estate, with the obligation to pay various cash legacies (including £40 to Richard), and the interest on the remainder to Rosamond for life, then to John and Richard equally. Apparently Richard had lent William Watson, the husband of his sister Ann, various sums of money which he was to deduct from Ann’s legacy unless Watson paid up.

The will was signed with a cross, although there is no doubt that Simon could write, for he had signed a petition of the parishioners of Hardraw to the Bishop. Perhaps he was to ill to sign his name. He was buried at Hardraw on 8 April 1822, aged 79. The executors were his sons John and Richard. John was then farming at Mossdale Head, and Richard at Cotebottom in Bishopdale.John was the great-grandfather of John Thwaite, the Wensleydale dialect poet. Simon must have had some success as a farmer, for although his father left so little, he himself left about £800.

Unfortunately there is no inventory.

Rosamond Thwaite, his widow, made her will on 9 April 1825, leaving a variety of clothing and household goods to her six named daughters, all of whom were married. The sons were not mentioned, but of course they had benefited under their father’s will.

Richard Thwaite, my great-grandfather, had been married, not at Hardraw but at Aysgarth, the mother church of the parish, on 21 April 1806, when he was said to be of Thoralby, to Anne Fawcett, spinster, of the same place. His eldest child, Simon, was baptised at Aysgarth on 4 Nov. 1806, when Richard and Anne were at Cotebottom, a farm part way up the north side of Bishopdale. A succession of other children was born, until Eleanor, the youngest, was baptised in 1826.

By this time the whole family seems to have severed its long-standing connection with Abbotside, although some distant connection must have remained behind, for there are still Thwaites in Sedbusk, including one called Simon. Richard eventually removed to Howesyke, a much larger farm in the valley bottom of Bishopdale, and when  his second son, John, succeeded him at Howesyke (having come from Riddings, where he was followed by my grandfather, James) Richard retired to Thoralby and died there in 1860. His wife lived for another 10 years.

Edited by - cloghopper on 28/07/2011 10:05:32