Whitewell and Abbeystead estates

[Aulus]

One of my families, the Nobles, farmed at Fence Wood near Whitewell in the 18th & 19th centuries.

I'm presuming that it was a tenant farm - how would I go about finding out if the farm was owned by the Whitewell estate or some other estate? (was it a Towneley estate before it returned to the crown and became part of the Duchy of Lancaster?  I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere that it only fairly recently became part of Duchy lands.)

If it wasn't a tenant farm, is there any way I could find that out?

I asked at the Lancashire Records Office yesterday and was told they had no records relating to Whitewell beyond the parish registers and a couple of other inconsequential scraps.  The Duchy of Lancaster's own website is singularly useless and I'm still trying to persuade the National Archives search engine to yield any relevant information.

I also have adjunct families at Sykes in the Trough of Bowland and over the top in Over Wyresdale.  I assume those lands form part of the Abbeystead estate late of the Earls Sefton, currently of the Duke of Westminster.  But again, trying to find out where the boundaries were and are and what properties they included is no easy task!

I suspect that none of my research in this area is particularly helped by Whitewell being pretty much on the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Anyone else tried to trace history of families and properties in this area?  Or just got any advice?

[Barbara.H]

On one of my many trips to the remainder bookshop in Lancaster (now closed  ) I bought - in case it came in handy one day - "Bolland Forest and the Hodder Valley: a History" which would probably help quite a bit. Its a reprint of a book written in 1955 by Margaret Greenwood and Charles Bolton.

The new introduction to this reprint is by Chris Spencer, website here: http://www.chrisspencer.co.uk/index.html  He also mentions the Slaidburn Heritage Centre in Clitheroe
http://www.slaidburnvillagehall.com/slaidburnlocal/site/slaidburn_archive.htm

The book mentions Fence, Whitewell and Sikes (Sykes I presume) a few times and has a surname index - but no Nobles. In chapter one it says re ownership
"At the Restoration, in 1660, the Honor of Clitheroe - which included Bolland - was granted to Monk, Duke of Albemarle; whose representative, 80 years ago, sold the Yorkshire part of the Honor - i.e. Bolland and the Manor of Slaidburn - to Colonel Charles Towneley.."

If there's anything else I can extract from the book - names etc - without incurring the wrath of the Copyright Editor, let me know, or send PM. If you want to buy/get from library, the ISBN is 1 872895 50 6, pub. 2000 by Landy Publishing of Blackpool. Copies on amazon & ebay at the moment.

  Barbara

[Aulus]

Thanks Barbara.

Sounds a handy book, or at least it should be an interesting read.  I think I can bear £7.50 from Amazon.

Nice to have something from the back of my memory (the Towneley connection) confirmed!

Yes, Sikes=Sykes.  Both seem to be used, though Sykes seems to be the current version on maps and on the sign outside Sykes Farm (the white building - unfortunately the sign's not visible on this photo).

[Barbara.H]

Hope it will be helpful; Hodder Valley is a bit far north for me in fact, what I could do with is something covering the Whalley/Pendle area - without witches! 
Also I'm nowhere near as far back as the 17th/early 18th centuries that it mostly covers.. But I remain hopeful

Good luck
Barbara

[Mair]

I dont know if this is any help - but i found it nearly 30 minutes ago and I have been busy reading it already!  ooops

http://www.archive.org/details/recordsociety41recouoft

If nothing else it's got me hooked!

Mair

[csw]

That pics based in the trough of bowland between dunsop bridge and Lancaster. The Duchy of Lancaster is know owned by Smiths Gore they may hold all the information regarding past tenants. I had the privilege of growing up at whitewell and it is a lovely area, for the best information about the area Clitheroe librery hold plenty of information in there archives.

[Jackie464]

Hi - I'm not going to be much help but I found a doc. the other day listing properties of the Earl of Derby and I am sure they extended to Whitewell.

I was at the time looking for landowners further north at Chipping, Bleasdale and Quernmore and knew the Earl owned a lot in that area.  I can't for the life of me remember where I saw the list but if I remember I will email back - Jackie

[Jackie464]

P.S. there are Duchy of Lancaster estates at Lancashire Record Office - online - just type Duchy of Lancaster into the advanced search - Jackie