The first notice recorded of Reagill is that Maude, the sister of Hugh
de Morville and wife of William de Veteripont, gave a ploughland of her
demesne of Renegill in frank marriage with her daughter Christian to
Robert son of Derman; which land was called Hynthornham. There is no
land at the present day bearing such a name; but it may have been the
lands now known as Thornbank, a number of fields lying near Hard Bank.
She afterwards gave the whole vill of Renegill to her son Robert, he
rendering to her for all service one hawk; which he was to hold of Ivo
his brother. Ivo confirmed the same to Robert and his heirs in 1208.
This Robert, in 1212, granted it with the appurtenances to the Abbey of
Shap.
The next account met with is concerning the chapel of Reagill. The
Abbot and convent of Whitby despatched a messenger to Rome to complain
to the Pope that the Abbot and Convent of Heppe over-exacted their
tithes of Renegill Chapel in the parish of Crosby Ravensworth. His
Holiness appointed certain persons to examine into these grievances,
and wrote in 1224 settling the matter thus: that the Abbot and Convent
of Heppe were to pay to the Church at Crosseby in the name of tithes
6 skepfuls (_skeppas_) of merchantable oatmeal for the tithes of
their land at Renegill (a skepful is a quarter), from land which is
cultivated at their own expense, and by their own hands, at that time;
but new land hence broken up, by whomsoever, not to pay. It was to be
paid, 3 skepfuls at Martinmas and 3 at Easter; but if they let these
lands out after improving, they had to pay to the full. Also it is
lawful for the Convent of Heppe to celebrate divine service in the
Chapel of Renegill, saving harmless the mother church of Crosseby
Ravensworth, with regard to oblations, obventions, confessions,
communions and burials. This is drawn up and settled at Gisburn on the
20th Kalends of May, in the year of Incarnation 1225.
There is nothing more respecting Reagill until after the dissolution of
the monasteries, when the revenues of the Abbey of Shap were granted
in 1545 to Thomas, Lord Wharton, who had been advanced to the dignity
of Baron by Henry VIII., for the signal defeat which he gave the Scots
at Sollom Moss in 1542. To him was granted the monasteries of Shap,
Gisburn and Rival (Rievaulx) in Yorkshire, to hold of the King by the
service of one 20th part of one knight's fee, and paying for the whole
£41 11s. yearly, with the reversion and remainder thereof in the Crown.
In 1612, King James, for the faithful services of Sir George Wharton
and other considerations, granted also the remainder and reversion to
Philip, Lord Wharton. The particulars of the former grant of Renegill
were divers rents and services issuing out of divers lands and
tenements, and all messuages, mills, tofts, cottages, lands, tenements,
meadows, pastures and other hereditaments in the tenure and occupation
of the tenants, amongst whose names are Winter, Blamire, Furness,
Hugil, Addison, etc., to the number of 22. The descendants of some of
these have lived in Reagill for several generations afterwards. The
Abbey, after the Dissolution, was valued at £154 7s. 7-1/2d. a year;
and in the computation made by Henry VIII. is the following return of
property in Reagill:--