[Illustration: _Photo Ethel Eadon_
Before 1290. =Charter= of Jordan de Pickeburne. (Brodsworth near
Doncaster)]
The Brooke Taylor Collection.
I
13th century. Prior to the statute _Quia Emptores_, 18 Edw I (1290).
=Charter= (Lat) confirming a grant from Jordan son of Thomas de
Pickeburne to Gilbert Cook of Rickehale, for a certain sum of money,
which he gave to the grantor by hand as a fine (_in gersumma_), of one
acre of land and a half, with the appurtenances, in the north field of
Pickeburne at the green hill, lying between the proper land of the
grantor on the one part and land which Jordan Wlm' formerly held on the
other part; of which one end butted upon the field of Hanepol and the
other end on land of Sir Marmeduke Darel; and also a plot of meadow
ground in the meadows of Pickeburne; to wit, it lay in length and in
breadth one rod and three quarters, between the meadow of the fee of
Rockelay and the meadow of Robert Knouys, of which one end butted upon
the south cave (_antrum australe_) and the other end upon the north cave
(_antrum boreale_); to hold and to have of the grantor and his heirs to
the said Gilbert and his heirs or whomsoever; and howsoever and
whatsoever time he should wish to give, to bequeath, to assign or to
sell, in fee and inheritance free quietly peacefully and entirely; with
all rights of common, easements, liberties and appurtenances, without
reservation; paying thenceforth annually to the grantor and his heirs one
halfpenny of silver on the day of saint John the baptist, for all secular
services, exactions, taxes, suits of court and demands; warranty of title
etc. =Witnesses=: Helias de Scauceby, Thomas his son, Henry of the same
place, William Joye of Pickeburne, Hugh son of Beatrice, Thomas Fossard
of the same place (_sic_), William de Fonte. =Vellum=: one skin 6A1/2 A--
4, seal missing. =Notes=: this interesting charter, of which a
photographic reproduction is given as a frontispiece, is in perfect
condition, except that the seal is missing. It is a subinfeudation of
lands in the township of Pickburn-with-Brodsworth, in the parish of
Brodsworth and wapentake of Strafforth, four miles north-west of
Doncaster; for which Gilbert Cook paid a gersuma or fine to Jordan de
Pickburn. In the reign of Edward the confessor, Pickburn was part of the
lands of Alsie the Saxon lord; but after the conquest it was held by
Nigel Fossard under the earl of Morton, who accompanied William from
Normandy in his successful invasion of England. The earl subsequently
forfeited his English possessions and Nigel Fossard, his subinfeudatory,
came to be acknowledged tenant of the crown. Gilbert Cook may have been
descended from Alberus de Coci (Cook), who after the conquest held
Hickleton and part of Cadeby. No trace of Rickehale can be found. Jordan
Wlm' is clearly written, probably it is a contraction of Woolmer?
Hanepol is mentioned in Domesday, it was a manor before the conquest,
belonging to Swein. The modern name is Hampole and it lies about two
miles north of Pickburn.
Sir Marmeduke Darel was living 31 Hen III (1247), in which year he had a
charter of free warren at Brodsworth. The Darels got Brodsworth from the
de Buslis; they continued in possession from the beginning of the 13th to
the beginning of the 16th century; the last of the Darels being Sir
Thomas, who died without issue 23rd November 1505; see aEurooeSouth Yorkshire"
vol I, page 315.
The fee of Rockley was in Worsborough and this land near Pickburn must
have adjoined part of that fee. The Rockleys were settled in Worsborough
at the time of the conquest and continued in undisturbed possession until
the civil wars. Knouys may in later times have been Knovis. Scauceby
now Scawsby, lies two miles south-east of Pickburn. It appears to have
been a more important place in Saxon times than it is to-day. It is
mentioned in Domesday as Scalchebi. Helias may mean Ellis. The surname
Joye has a small i for the initial letter.
Nigel Fossard above mentioned was, after the death of the earl of Morton,
one of several landowners in the deanery of Doncaster who held direct
from the crown; his fee included lands at Brodsworth and he also had a
house at Doncaster; but his baronial seat was Mulgrave Castle in north
Yorkshire.
William de Fonte was probably the prior of Ecclesfield, which priory
belonged at the date of this charter to the abbey of Fontenelle or saint
Wandrille in Normandy.
Probably William de Fonte engrossed this charter and added his name as
the last witness, which was a common practice of monks and scriveners.
Judith, niece of William I and wife of earl Waltheof lord of Hallam,
placed a colony of monks from Fontenelle at Ecclesfield; probably in the
11th century, as she was married in 1070; see "Archaeologia" vol 26, page
352. From charter-evidence it is certain that the priory was in existence
in 1141. From this it may be assumed that this beautifully written
charter had its origin in Ecclesfield priory, and was taken by prior
William to Pickburn, where the other witnesses would meet, to see
possession of the land given and the grant confirmed by deed.
=Genealogy deduced.=
(i)
THOMAS DE PICKEBURNE = ......
a",
JORDAN
both living shortly before 1290
(ii)
HELIAS DE SCAUCEBY = ......
a",
THOMAS
both living shortly before 1290