LXV. Hugh de Lelay grants the church of Lelay, so far as it belongs to him. Witnesses, Simon de Monte alto, William and Henry his sons, Robert de Lelay, and others.1

LXVI. Hugh de Lelay grants two bovates in Lelay for the fabric of the church. Witnesses, Roger de Lelay (his son), etc.2

LXVII. Hugh de Lelay grants a rent of six shillings in Castley towards finding fish for the Canons in Advent.3

LXVIII. Ralph' brother of Hugh de Lelay gave half of his demesnes in Hagenby, in which town there are contained three Witnesses, Jordan de Sancta Maria, Robert de Cokefeld,

carucates.

Hugh de Lelay his brother, Oliver de Brincel."

LXIX. In 1222 Robert de Lelay gave two parts of this town.

NUN APPLETON PRIORY.

6

LXX. Isolda daughter of Hugh de Lelay gave to Nun Appleton Priory a carucate of land in Castley, and an oxgang of land, with the service of Geoffrey de Arthington of fourpence; Sir Hugh de Lelay confirmed."

BOLTON PRIORY.

LXXI. Hugh de Lelay gave the homage and service of William Ruffus, son of Liulf, and his heirs, and two shillings and sixpence which William pays yearly for land held of Hugh in Rodes in Mensington, lying between Merebeck and Blakesike, in frank-almoigne. Witnesses, Adam chaplain of Otteley, Thomas parson of Addingham, Symon de Monte alto, Peter de Marton, Alan de Everingham, then bailiff of Otley, etc."

WILLIAM SON OF HUGH SON OF EVRARD was probably born about 1130. He occurs as a witness to a very early charter, by which Norman son of Ughtred confirmed to the poor men of the Hospital of S. Peter at York (afterwards known as S. Leonard's) four bovates of land in Bramhope, which his mother had given them out of the lands she held in frank-marriage. Among the witnesses were Adam and Walter,

9 Rawlinson MS., B 455, fo. 3. Thoresby Society, Miscellanea, ix, p. 232.

son and brother respectively of Norman, the grantor of the charter. This charter is probably not much, if any, later than 1160. We shall see that William's son, Hugh de Lelay, married Christiana, daughter of this Adam fitz Norman. The descendants of Norman were known by several surnames, derived from their different properties; two of these, de Pathorne and de Rimmington, will occur later.

The earliest dated item we have of the de Lelays by that name is in the Pipe Roll of 12 Henry II, 1165-6. Among many others who were amerced for concealing the death of one Cnud, William son of Hugh de Leeleia is set down as owing 100s. Adam son of Norman, mentioned above, was charged with 13s. 4d. Both these were in the wapentake of Claro. In the next year, 13 Henry II, 1166–7, Adam paid his mark, and de Lelay paid five marks, £3 6s. 8d. He paid the remaining 1 13s. 4d. in the following year.

In 22 Henry II, he was fined ten marks, £6 135. 4d., for a default; of which he paid half. In the same year he was fined fifty marks, £33 6s. 8d., in the amercement of the forest; he paid one half down and the balance the following year.

In 26 Henry II, Adam son of Norman and William son of Hugh de Leelai paid 200 marks, £133 6s. 8d., for leave to marry Adam's daughter to William's son. They paid 50 marks this year, 50 marks in 27 Henry II, 1180-1; in 28 Henry II, 1181-2, William paid 30 marks and Adam 70s.; in 29 Henry II, 1182–3, William paid £10 and Adam £5; in 30 Henry II, 1183-4, William paid 44s. and Adam £6; in 31 Henry II, William paid the balance of 225. 8d., and Adam paid £5 10s., leaving a balance of £13 6s. 8d., which he paid off in 34 Henry II, 1187-8.

We should infer from the large sum paid that Christiana was a considerable heiress; but it is difficult to see why the King's consent was necessary, unless Adam was a tenant in capite. This he may well have been.'

William de Lelay witnessed a charter of his son Hugh to Fountain's Abbey, No. viii. He and Hugh witnessed a charter from William son of William (of Stainburn) to Roger Poictevin, No. x. Both these related to land in Stainburn; and all were probably shortly before or after 1200.

In 1166 Adam son of Norman and Henry son of Ypolitus jointly held a knight's fee of William de Percy. Black Book of the Exchequer.

The first dated document showing any connection of the Lelays with Baildon is the Pipe Roll of 28 Henry II, 1181-2. The extracts from that and the succeeding Rolls are as follows :

William de Lelay owes fifteen marks for having a recognition touching land in Beildon against John son of Aissulf, to wit, that he (John) had no right (to it).1

The entries in the rolls for 29 and 30 Henry II are similar.

The roll for 31 Henry II gives more information

William de Lelay renders account of fifteen marks for having a recognition of land in Beldun which John son of Essulf claimed against him (to wit), whether the predecessor of the said John, who was an Englishman (Anglicus), and through whom he claimed the land, was seised thereof on the day and year in which King Henry, the grandfather of the Lord King, was quick and dead. (He pays) into the Treasury five marks, and owes ten marks.

William de Leelay renders account of ten marks for having a recognition of the land of Beldon, as annotated in the Roll for the past year. (He pays) into the Treasury £4, and owes four marks.

William de Leelay renders account of four marks for having a recognition of the land of Beldon. He delivers it into the Treasury, and is quit.3

This interesting series of entries is of the highest importance. They show (1) that William de Lelay was in possession of land in Baildon in 1181-2; (2) that John son of Essulf, in or prior to that year, claimed certain land there as his right; (3) that the nature of the action was what was known as the grand assize; (4) that William de Lelay paid a fee of fifteen marks (10) in order to have the case tried in a particular way known as a recognitio; (5) that John claimed through a "predecessor," which must here be understood to mean "ancestor," who was seised of the property on December 1st, 1135, the date of the death of King Henry I, and (6) that the said "predecessor" was of English descent, that is, that he was not a Norman.

This, as I have already said, is the earliest record showing that the Lelays had property in Baildon, but we have, unfortunately, nothing to tell us when or how they obtained it. It may well be that Evrard was in possession as under-tenant at the time of Domesday, or perhaps he or Hugh his son married an heiress or co-heiress, 2 Ibid., 32 Henry II.

1 Pipe Roll, 28 Henry II.

3 Ibid., 33 Henry II.

and became possessed of Baildon in her right. If the latter supposition be the correct one, then the dispute with John fitz Essulf may have arisen over the partition of the property.

In 1201-2, 3 John, a fine was levied between William son of Hugh de Lelay, plaintiff, and Jordan de Sancta Maria and Alice his wife, defendants, touching three hundred acres of wood in Helage Park. William quit-claims to Jordan and Alice and the heirs of Alice.1 A fine of half a mark was paid for the licence of concord.2

William de Lelay was living in the third year of King John, 1201–2, and as his son Hugh was old enough to be married in 1180, we may assume that William was an elderly man; he cannot well have been less than sixty years old, and was probably more, at the date mentioned, 1201-2.

This William de Lelay began the extraordinary series of benefactions to religious houses which I have already set out at some length, and which was continued by his sons. The following charters must be attributed to him, and are therefore most probably all of them before 1200:-No. XXXIV and xxxvi (where he calls himself "knight") gifts to Salley Abbey of lands in Stainton, Bolton in Bowland, and elsewhere within his fee; No. XXXIX, confirming his son Robert's gift in Bolton to the same house. The Stainton here mentioned is probably Stainton-Cotes, now a farm-house, in the township of Bank Newton and parish of Gargrave, seven miles from Skipton. He also gave lands in Horsforth to Kirkstall Abbey, No. LIII, and to the Templars; the latter gift consisted of six bovates of land, which were conveyed to Kirkstall by the Master of the Templars, No. Liv.

His children were Hugh and Robert. The Jordan de Lelay, whose son William married Margery daughter of Hugh de Lelay, may also have been a son of William's.

HUGH SON OF WILLIAM DE LELAY was probably born before 1160; at any rate he was old enough, as we have already seen, to be married in 1180.

His benefactions to religious houses were very numerous. The following numbers in the foregoing list refer to them :-No. xiv, confirming the grant of land in Stainburn by his daughter Isolda to Fountains; No. xx, by which the Abbat of Fountains re-grants to him certain rights of pasture; No. xXXVIII, granting to Salley Abbey land

B

1 Feet of Fines, Yorks., John, No. 40.

2 Coram Rege, John, No. 10, m. I.

3 Dodsworth MSS., viii, fo. 103. See Pedigree.

between Askwith and Weston, and confirming a grant of land in Rimmington by Christiana de Pathorn (this was probably a grant by the lady who afterwards became his wife, made before her marriage), and confirming land in Farnley (Otley), Gasgill, Stainton and Rimmington, given by his brother Robert; No. XLIV, granting the church of Weston to S. Peter's at York; No. XLIX, confirming the grants of land in Appleton by his brother Robert and Ralph de Bray to S. Peter's; No. LV, relating to a grant of land in Horsforth to Kirkstall; No. LVI, granting a tenement in Micklegate, York, to Kirkstall; No. LVII, granting land in Leathley to S. Peter's, afterwards S. Leonard's, Hospital, at York; No. LXII, granting half the mills of Leathley and lands there to the same house; No. LXV, granting the church of Leathley, so far as it belonged to him, to Helaugh Park Priory; No. LXVI, granting land in Leathley, and No. LXVII, granting a rent in Castley to the same house; No. LXX, confirming a grant by his daughter Isolda of land in Castley to Nun Appleton Priory; and No. LXXI, granting land in Rodes in Menston to Bolton Priory; No. XXXIII, granting services in Castley to Fountains.

Passing over for a moment his dealings with Baildon, the following notes record all I have been able to find about him, except numerous undated charters witnessed by him. He and Robert his brother witnessed a charter from Jordan de Sancta Maria and Alice his wife to Helaugh Park. He and his father witnessed the charter of William son of William (de Stainburn) to Roger Poitevin relating to Stainburn, which will be referred to hereafter.

Of dated documents, the earliest is in 5 John, 1203-4, when Hugh paid fifteen marks for a concealment.' This probably had something to do with his father's death, which happened about that time. In the same roll it is recorded that Hugh de Witon owed twenty shillings for having an inquisition of lawful men whether Hugh de Lelay and William son of Herbert had appealed him through hate or for some other cause. A fine was levied in Easter Term, 6 John, 1205, between Walter de Faucunberge, plaintiff, and Hugh de Lelay, defendant, touching three and a half carucates of land in Apeltone, which Hugh admits to be the right of Walter. Walter grants the same to Hugh and his heirs, to hold of Walter and his heirs by the services due from twenty-two and a half bovates of land, where fourteen carucates make a knight's fee, excepting out of the said grant two bovates which William son of John held, two bovates which John son of John held,

1 Pipe Roll.

2 Pipe Roll, 5 John, m. 16d.