Reports of Proceedings at Early Excursions List of prices of Publications of the Society, which may be had on application to the Hon. Librarian, Mr. W. T. LANCASTER, F.S.A., 10, Park Street, Leeds: Yorkshire Archæological Journal, bound in cloth, post-free, £1 I ་་ ΙΟ 5 3 6 each. I O each. 7 6 Domesday Book for Yorkshire Fountains Abbey, by W.H. ST. JOHN HOPE, with Coloured Plan History of Hemingborough Mount Grace Priory, with Coloured Plan The Cistercian Statutes, by Rev. Canon FOWLER Anglian and Anglo-Danish Sculpture in the North Yorkshire Church Plate, Vol. I, by T. M. FALLOW, ΙΟ 7 6 3 0 I 3 7 6 3 6 M.A., F.S.A., and H. B. MCCALL, F.S.A. Index to Paver's Marriage Licenses, 1567-1630 All literary communications, original documents, including ancient charters, deeds, inventories, or wills of historical value, notices of archæological discoveries, and other papers relating to Yorkshire, intended for the Journal, should be addressed to the Hon. Editor, H. B. McCALL, F.S. A., Ilkley, Yorks. THE TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP ARE: Life Members (whose Subscriptions are invested, and the Interest only Subscriptions are due on January 1st, and should be paid to the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. H. F. CHADWICK, Church Street, Dewsbury, or through the Subscriber's Banker. Further information can be obtained on application to the Hon. Secretary, E. W. CROSSLEY, Dean House, Triangle, Halifax. Record Series of the Society. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, ONE GUINEA. (For further particulars apply to Hon. Sec., J. W. CLAY, F.S.A., Rastrick, Brighouse.) SINQUISITIONS (James I and Charles I). VOL. 1. YORKSHIRE WILLS AT SOMERSET HOUSE, 1649-1660. 2, 5, 7, 8 & 42.-YORKSHIRE FEET OF FINES: SPROCEEDINGS of the COUNCIL of the NORTH. TWO EARLIEST SESSIONS ROLLS of WEST RIDING of YORKS. 4, 6, 11, 14, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 32 & 35.-INDEX OF WILLS PROVED AT YORK. 9. ABSTRACTS OF WILLS, 1665-6. 10, 13.-COUCHER BOOK OF SELBY ABBEY (Vols. I & II). 12, 23, 31, 37.-YORKSHIRE INQUISITIONS (Vols. I, II, III & IV). 15, 18, 20.-ROYALIST COMPOSITIONS (Vols. I, II & III). 25, 30.-THE CHARTULARY OF ST. JOHN OF PONTEFRACT (Vols. I & II). 27 & 33.-YORKSHIRE SCHOOLS (Vols. I & II). 29 & 36.-WAKEFIELD MANOR COURT ROLLS, 1274-1309 (Vols. I & II). 38.-INDEX TO DEAN AND CHAPTER WILLS AT YORK. 40, 43 & 46.-PAVER'S MARRIAGE LICENCES, 1630-1714 (Vols. I, II & III). 47.-SELBY WILLS, ADMINISTRATIONS and INVENTORIES. 48. THE SUPPRESSION OF THE MONASTERIES. Also the Publications of the North Riding Record Series. THE Yorkshire Archæological Society. FOUNDED, 1863. INCORPORATED, 1893. BILSON, JOHN, F.S.A. (Hull). COUNCIL. BOYNTON, THOMAS, F.S.A. (Bridlington Quay). CLARK, E. K., M.A., F.S.A. (Leeds). CLARK, E. T., F.S.A. (Snaith). COLLIER, Rev. C. V., M. A., F.S.A. (Malton). I'ANSON, W. M. (Saltburn). PUDSEY, Col. H. FAWCETT (Hull). SCOTT, JOHN (Skipton). STAVERT, Rev. W. J., M.A., F.S.A. (Burnsall). WALKER, J. W., M.D., F.S.A. (Wakefield). HONORARY TREASURER. H. F. CHADWICK, B.A., Church Street, Dewsbury. HONORARY LIBRARIAN. W. T. LANCASTER, F.S.A., 10, Park Street, Leeds. HONORARY SECRETARIES. E. W. CROSSLEY, Dean House, Triangle, Halifax. FOR THE RECORD SERIES.-J. W. CLAY, F.S.A., Rastrick House, Brighouse. HONORARY EDITOR. H. B. MCCALL, F.S.A., Ilkley, Yorks. The Thoresby Society. The Society was formed in 1889 for antiquarian objects in connection with Leeds and District. Its publications include the Leeds Parish Church Register, Adel Register, Methley Register, Kirkstall Abbey Coucher Book, Calverley Charters, Leeds Grammar School Register, Architectural Description of Kirkstall Abbey, History of Barwick-in-Elmet, Local Wills and Subsidies, West Riding Place-names, Letters to Thoresby, and Miscellanea. Subscription, 10s. 6d. per annum. Life Fee, £5 5s. Hon. Treasurer: G. D. LUMB, F.S.A., 63, Albion Street, Leeds. Hon. Secretaries: B. P. SCATTERGOOD, M.A., 7, Cookridge Street, Leeds; C. A. Town, M.A., LL.B., 18, Springfield Mount, Leeds. The Council of the Society is not responsible for any statements or opinions expressed in the YORKSHIRE ARCHEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, the Authors of the various Papers being alone responsible for the same. CONTENTS OF PART (Being the Fourth part of Volume XXII.) 415 XV. Extinct and Dormant Peerages of the Northern 416 Ellustrations. THE CASTLES OF THE NORTH RIDING: PLAN OF FOSS, FELISKIRK, AND KILLERBY CASTLES MIDDLEHAM (WILLIAM'S HILL) AND NORTHALLERTON (Castle PICKERING AND PICKHILL CASTLES, AND PICKERING (BEACON SHERIFF HUTTON AND TOPCLIFFE CASTLES PAGK . The Vorkshire Parish Register Society. The Society was formed in 1899 for the purpose of printing the older Registers of the county. The following have been either issued or are in the press :--York (St. Michael-le-Belfrey), Burton Fleming, Horbury, Winestead, Linton-in-Craven, Stokesley, Patrington, Scorborough, Blacktoft, Bingley, Kippax, Brantingham, Hampsthwaite, Wath-on-Dearne, Cherry Burton, Marske, Hartshead, Bolton-by-Bolland, Pickhill, Howden, Grinton, Hackness, Ledsham, Rothwell, Thornhill, Terrington, Gargrave, Allerton Mauleverer, Askham Richard, Otley, York (St. Martin's, Coney Street), Kirklington, Halifax, Settrington, Austerfield, Cowthorpe, York (Holy Trinity, Goodramgate), Thirsk, Danby, Kildwick, Darrington, Garforth, Skipwith, and Harewood. Subscription, One Guinea per annum. President: Colonel JOHN PARKER, C.B., F.S.A.; Hon. Treasurer: JOHN AUDUS HIRST, 4, South Parade, Leeds; Hon. Secretaries: FRANCIS COLLINS, M.D., St. Andrews, Lyme Regis, Dorset; G. D. LUMB, F.S.A., 63, Albion Street, Leeds, to whom applications for membership should be sent. About 1110, Henry I enfeoffed Walter Espec1 in five knights' fees in the North Riding, the principal manors on which property were Helmsley and Kirkham. The grant was made partly out of the Count of Mortain's demesne landswhich had reverted to the Crown in 1088 or, at the latest, in 1104 and partly out of the royal demesne. Historical inferences all tend to show that for some years subsequent to IIIO Espec resided in an aula or manor-house at Kirkham, and here he was probably living when, in 1122, he founded the abbey of that name. Had the earthworks at Helmsley been in existence in IIIO, when Espec came into possession of Helmsley and Kirkham, it seems strange that he did not utilise them, admirably adapted as they were for the purpose, in erecting a defensible residence. The fact that he is always termed the lord of Helmsley-showing that it was his seigneural residencethat he was a great warrior, that Helmsley is the only one of his Yorkshire manors on which we find the slightest trace of the former existence of a Norman stronghold-a most significant. fact when we remember that he lived through the terrible intestinal warfare of the time of Stephen-tends to show that if the earthworks do not actually owe their origin to him they were, at any rate, utilised by him as the site for a formidable stronghold. The writer, however, is strongly of opinion that the earthworks are not Roman but that they owe their origin to Espec, and this opinion is held, in a more modified degree perhaps, by such an eminent authority as Professor Haverfield. Probably 1 He was probably the son or grandson of a Domesday baron, William Spech, to whose Bedfordshire property he succeeded (Yorks. Arch. Journal, xvii, 238-9). He appears to have been a favourite of Henry I, and was one of the principal commanders of the AngloNorman army at the battle of the Standard. 2 The romantic story of the foundation of this house, which first appears in a Cottonian MS. (given in the Mon. Angl., v, 280), the date and authorship of which is uncertain, is a mere legend. Espec, the lord of Helmsley, is said to have had an only son, who was killed when out riding, and that in his memory the famous warrior founded the houses of Kirkham (1122), Rievaulx (1131), and Wardon, in Bedfordshire (1136). But no son is mentioned in the foundation charters of Kirkham and Rievaulx (that of Wardon has not been found) in the long list of persons whose souls VOL. XXII. were to be prayed for, and Aelred, the third Abbot of Rievaulx, distinctly states that Espec was childless, "nempe cum liberis careret heredibus de optimis. tamen quibusque possessionibus suis Christum fecit heredem " (Leland, Collect., iii, 361). 3 Professor Haverfield, in a letter to the writer, says: "Helmsley Castle has puzzled most people. The objections to calling its earthworks of Roman origin are two:-(1) Save for one coin, found omewhere near Helmsley, no Roman remains have ever been detected, either at the Castle or in the neighbourhood, although if such great earthworks are of Roman origin, it is incredible that Roman objects should not have been found in or close to them in abundance. (2) So far as I could judge from a rather hasty visit, the earthworks themselves contain no feature which is characteristically Roman, that is, nothing of which you would say that it must be, in all human W |