Manors of North Holderness 1500-1800

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: North Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

North Holderness is the northern third of the plain between the Wolds and the River Hull to the West, and the the North Sea coast to the East: The Northern wapentake is south of Bridlington and north of a line starting a little south of Hornsea and ending just east of Beverley.

Contents 1 Atwick 2 Beeford 3 Bewholme 4 Bonwick 5 Catfoss 6 Catwick 7 Dringhoe 8 Brandesburton 9 Goxhill 10 Hornsea 11 Leven 12 Lissett 13 Mappleton 14 North Frodingham 15 Rise 16 Routh 17 Sigglesthorne 18 Skipsea 19 Ulrome

Atwick

Beeford

Beeford is in the very fertile valley of the River Hull close to Driffield. The large parish is divided into manors: for much of our period two manors Lay Fee and Franchise Fee were in the same ownership which from 1689 to 1828 was Thomas Acklom of Dringhoe and his heirs. Thomas seems to have made a good income, probably by close personal supervision, while his last heir, Peter Acklom of Beverley made little, probably due in part to inflation reducing traditional fees and dues, but mainly due to intervening levels of management leading to the disappearance of the sums which were often individually trivial. In 1828 the executors sold the manors to Marmaduke Prickett, together with the farms into which some of the rights had been commuted at enclosure.

Bewholme

Bewholme was the principal village and manor in the large parish of Nunkeeling. For much of our period the manor was probably the property of the Ackloms, who had certainly bought and lived in the Manor House Farm. George Acklom yeoman of Bewholme and Welton seems to have returned to the village as a result of the increase of his landholding at the enclosure. From this time on the duties and profits of the Lordship seem to have been trivial.

Bonwick

Bonwick is the most northerly settlement in Nunkeeling Parish and was probably a separate manor. At the start of our period it was the centre of Acklom dominance in North Holderness. Bonwick and Skirlington on the coast seem to have been enclosed at an early period, so land ownership rather than the lordship of the manor was the way this area was run, This deserves more research.

Catfoss

Catwick

Dringhoe

Dringhoe is a hamlet lying between the even smaller settlements of Skipsea Brough and Upton on a side road west of Skipsea, The three tiny settlements are usually lumped together and then added to Ulrome when the area is referred to. Nevertheless, Dringhoe was a manor and a manor house in its own right, and the Ackloms of Dringhoe were Lords of the Manor as well as the only significant landowner from the start of our period to 1828. Lordship rights and duties seem to have been confined to administering villagers rights on the remaining commons.

Brandesburton

Goxhill

Hornsea

Hornsea is the only town in North Holderness, and Lordship of the Manor carried some prestige as well as a significant income and ownership of the fine Manor House. Major Peter Acklom acquired the Lordship about 1685 from the Bethells, perhaps as a marriage settlement (this deserves investigation). This leads to an odd situation: Peter and his heirs were Quakers, who rejected the rites and rights of the Church of England: yet they may have had the right to appoint each new vicar, and certainly had to work closely with him in administering the Poor Law to help residents who fell on hard times. Most of Hornsea was enclosed at an early period so the income and duties of the Lordship itself were probably not large. When the third Peter Acklom died the Lordship returned to the Bethells of Rise.

Leven

Lissett

Mappleton

North Frodingham

North Frodingham is a fertile village between Beeford and Driffield in the valley of the RIver Hull. The Ackloms seem to have had the Advowson, that is the right to choose each new vicar. They seem to have managed this duty for some time unscrupulously, failing to appoint a vicar and diverting at least some of the tithes into their own pockets: certainly Acklom Farm seems to have been on what had been church land, This deserves further checking. Advowsons often were combined with Lordship of the Manor: this too deserves investigation. By the death of Samuel Acklom and his widow we are into the mid nineteenth century and enclosures and church reform had made these matters ancient history.

Rise

Routh

Sigglesthorne

Sigglesthorne is a very large parish immediately west of Hornsea. Apart from Sigglesthorne itself there are large settlements at Seaton closer to Hornsea on the main road, and Great and Little Hatfield well to the south. The Baronets of Wassand (successively Constable and Strickland Constable) with their great House overlooking Hornsea Mere were Lords of some of these Manors and perhaps all.

Skipsea

Skipsea is the main settlement near the coast between Hornsea and Bridlington. At Domesday 1086, Cleton to the east was the main manor but it has long disappeared into the sea.

Ulrome