Dictona, his brother, of the whole of the homage and service belonging to my land of Woolley, and the whole of that land which came to me by Eva, formerly wife of Henry de Wolvelay, and the whole of the land and rents in the town. of Wolvelay, with two parts of the mill of Wolvelay and with the water-course and water belonging to the same. To pay annually to me and my heirs, one pound at the Feast of St. Martin in the winter."

I cannot find the Dightons mentioned as being in Woolley later than 1291.

There is a Margaret Dighton mentioned in the reign of Edward I. who married John Stainton, and it appears by this the Manor of Woolley passed from the Dightons to the Staintons.

Coal was got on the Manor of Woolley at a very early date. In a court of Thomas de Stainton of the 30 of Edward I. some Freeholders are presented "pro fodiendo carbonarios in alta via," and again in the reign of Henry V. it is mentioned, that coal and stone were gotten. on the waste of the land.

The House of Woolley Park, formerly the seat of the Woodroves, now belonging to the Wentworths, was anciently described in the King's Records as being upon the site of one oxgang of land. The site of the house and the land about it were formerly the chief messuage of the Manor of Woolley, and paid as the chief messuage "whereon the Lord buildeth his Manor and Court keeping." This chief messuage was also described in the King's Records as the right of a knight's fee. The Lord of the Manor paid 16s. 4d. for the same to the Castle of Pontefract. The earliest notice which I can find of it is in a deed of Margaret de Staynton. She settles by this deed upon Godfrey, her son in tail, with remainders to the rest of her sons successively in tail, her capital messuage, buildings and garden with appurtenances. This deed is without date, but may safely be referred to the reign of Edward I. (The house at Woolley was not built until the time of the Woodroves.) In the first year of Edward III. (1327) it is mentioned in an old terrier of the Manor; the extent of it seems to have been 10 oxgangs of land. In a deed dated 22nd Sept., 25th of Edward III. (1351), from a John Darcy to William de Notton, it is again mentioned. It

appears to have been held till the 39th of Edward III. (1365) by William de Notton, when he granted it by deed. to Sir William de Finchenden. This Sir William de Notton founded a chantry in the Church of Woolley to pray for his soul. His arms were formerly in the belfrey window, Ar. on a cross sable five plates. Sir William de Finchenden, who was also a man of note, appears to have been at that time Lord of the Manor of Hickleton, and had a good deal of land in Woolley, his arms were Or, on a chevron sable three finches or. From Sir William de Finchenden the house appears to have passed to Sir Robert Staynton. In 1425 this chief messuage was held by Willielmus de Rilleston, as appears from some old rents in Woolley, paid to the Castle of Pontefract.

In the fifth year of Henry VII. (1489), Robert Rilston, son and heir of Edmund Rilston, late of Wolvelay, granted this chief messuage to Richard Woodrove, Esq. The Rilstons were Lords of the Manor of Wooiley, and it appears to have passed from them to the Woodroves, who at this time appear to have become Lords of the Manor.

The house at Woolley appears to have been built by the Woodroves, in the reign of Henry VII. Mr. Hunter says that the Woodroves continued to make purchases at Woolley until 1517, at which time they had got possession of five out of the ten fees; Woolley had then been, for a considerable time, their chief house. They had a Park which appears to have been enclosed by Sir Richard Woodrove in the reign of Henry VIII., who made an agreement with Sir James Strangeways, Lord of Notton, for taking a certain portion out of the common land at Woolley and enclosing it in the Park. Again in the 13th year of the same reign (1497), I find Thomas Woodrove, eldest son of Sir Richard, letting to Gilbert Legh all the frith (wood) growing in the Park.

The historian of South Yorkshire, speaking of Woolley, says (Vol. 2, page 387): "What the Woodruffes possessed at Woolley and Notton, was conveyed by Francis Woodrove to Michael Wentworth, who seated himself at this place, and whose descendants became, by repeated purchases, possessed of the fee which had belonged to Prince at the time of Bernard's Survey, and of others of the ancient interests of Woolley. This branch of the family of Wentworth shot off from

the parent stock in the time of Henry VIII. Thomas Wentworth of Wentworth made his will in 1546, in which he mentions, among other children, his son Michael, then one of the masters of the King's household. The wife of Thomas and mother of Michael was a daughter of Sir Richard Woodruffe of Woolley, so that the Wentworths are descended in blood from the older lords of Woolley. The first Michael Wentworth is described as "of Ottis in Essex, Esq.," in the first year of Queen Mary, 1554, and also as being then one of the Masters of the Queen's Household. He died 13th October, 1558, and in his inquisition, taken April 30th following, it is found that Thomas, his son and heir, was of the age of seventeen years and two months. He had lands in Scoles and Masborough. Thomas, son and heir of the first Michael, was father of the second Michael, who purchased Woolley, and who enjoyed it more than forty years, dying just at the commencement of the civil wars.

In 1585 Michael Wentworth married Frances, daughter of George Downes, Esq., of Paunton, Herefordshire. From the marriage settlement, which is still preserved, we find he was then living on his property at Whitley in Yorkshire, and that his wife, who was an only child and heiress, had a jointure given her out of Mendham and Kingeshall, in the county of Suffolk. In 1610 he augmented her jointure by a grant of land in Notton in Yorkshire to trustees to hold for her. Her father, Mr. George Downes, died at Woolley in 1603, and an inventory of all his goods is still preserved. I give it as follows:

The Inventory of all ye Goods, Chattells of George Downes, Esquyer, of Woolley in ye dyocees of Yorke prised by four indiferent men, viz., That is to say, Henry Dannel the elder, John Prynce, John Foster and Richard Gill the XI. day of November, 1603.

Imprimis. His Girdle and Purse & certain money, iij1
One Bedstead, xvij iijd

Im.

1s vii Chares, xvjs

Im. 1 Presse, vj viijd

2 Liveray, Cubbtes

2 Desks, iijs

1 Coffer, iijs

1 Great Waynscote Chiste, vs

1 Litle Drawinge Table, ijs vid

Bridles & sadles with furniture a parcell, xs

3 Hats, xxs

4 Cloakes 2 long and 2 shorte, xxxiiid