Fangfoss

FANGFOSS

The Parish of Fangfoss lies some 10 miles east of York on gently shelving land between the wolds escarpment and the lower parts of the Vale of York. (fn. 1) It is drained by Fangfoss beck, perhaps the foss of the place-name, and by Salt beck; the two unite in the parish as Spittal beck. Fangfoss was apparently an Anglian settlement but Spittal, a hamlet to the south of the village where the Hospitallers had an estate, was not mentioned until 1342. (fn. 2) The compact parish covers 1,409 a. (fn. 3) In 1935 most of neighbouring Bolton civil parish was added to Fangfoss civil parish. (fn. 4)

From below 50 ft. above sea-level in the western part of the parish the ground rises to over 75 ft. in the north-east. Fangfoss village is centrally situated on a ridge of higher land but close to Fangfoss beck. At inclosure in 1723 a common lane leading to the beck was retained for the convenience of villagers fetching water. (fn. 5) Spittal stands on lower ground near a bridge over the beck. Most of the parish is covered by outwash sand, gravel, and clay, but the higher ground is formed of Keuper marl and sandstone. (fn. 6) The open fields lay around the village on the betterdrained land, while ground near the streams was used as meadow and pasture. The low sandy area in the west of the parish formed an extensive common. The open fields, meadows, and common were inclosed in 1723, creating a pattern of long curving closes taken from the open fields, especially noticeable near the Full Sutton road, and contrasting rectangular closes made from the former common. (fn. 7) An area in the north-west of the parish was used during the Second World War as part of Full Sutton airfield, (fn. 8) but most of it had been reclaimed for agricultural use by 1974. The southern and eastern boundaries are largely formed by the becks, and in 1369 the obstructed Spittal beck was ordered to be repaired by Fangfoss and Bolton. (fn. 9)

A minor road from Full Sutton runs along the higher land on which Fangfoss stands and continues towards Pocklington; it is joined in the village by a road from Wilberfoss. The Pocklington road crosses Spittal beck by a bridge mentioned in 1371. (fn. 10) The present brick and stone bridge has a single arch. Other roadways ordered to be maintained in 1723 were the way leading to Ox pasture, which was called Bramer Lane by 1844, and the way to Belthorpe, (fn. 11) but both are now only field lanes. The railway from York to Market Weighton, opened in 1847, (fn. 12) passed through the west of the parish, with a station beside the Wilberfoss road. The line was closed in 1965 (fn. 13) and the track has been lifted. The station and stationmaster's house, in a mid-19th-century domestic style, still stand. (fn. 14)

The older part of Fangfoss village lies just east of the road from Full Sutton to Pocklington and is reached by a short side lane. A small triangular green, with the church and Fangfoss Hall (fn. 15) to the east and the old school to the west, forms the centre of the village. It may be the remnant of a larger green: encroachment on the lord's waste and the enlargement of gardens were recorded in the late 18th century, (fn. 16) and several of the houses around the green now have large front gardens. The 18th- and 19th-century houses near by include the mid-19thcentury Manor House Farm. (fn. 17) Other houses, of the 19th and 20th centuries, lie along the Belthorpe lane and the roads which meet at the village; they include 20 council houses. In the 18th century there were one or two licensed houses in Fangfoss. (fn. 18) The Carpenter's Arms, mentioned from 1823, (fn. 19) still exists.

The hamlet of Spittal consists of about ten houses, including four council houses, on the Pocklington road ½ mile south of Fangfoss. There are two outlying farms in the parish, dating from after the 18th-century inclosure. A third, Field House, was demolished when the airfield was built. Former airfield buildings still stand near the Full Sutton road.

There were 56 poll-tax payers in Fangfoss in 1377. (fn. 20) The parish was apparently much impoverished in the later Middle Ages, receiving a tax relief of 45 per cent in 1446. (fn. 21) All 25 households listed in the hearth-tax return in 1672 were chargeable; 21 had a single hearth, 2 had 2, and one each had 3 and 4 hearths. (fn. 22) There were 19 families in the parish in 1743 and 15 in 1764. (fn. 23) From 131 in 1801 the population of Fangfoss rose to 197 in 1871, fell to 142 in 1901, (fn. 24) and stood at 132 in 1931. (fn. 25)

MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.

In 1086 the king had all 8 carucates at Fangfoss as soke of his manor of Pocklington. (fn. 26) Later the overlordship was divided. Part passed to William de Forz, earl of Aumale, who had acquired Pocklington manor by c. 1260, (fn. 27) and land in Fangfoss was later referred to as part of the honor of Aumale. (fn. 28) The Forz estates were subsequently resumed by the Crown, (fn. 29) which granted Pocklington to Meaux abbey in 1294. Henry de Percy acquired the property by exchange with Meaux in 1303, (fn. 30) and Eleanor de Percy was named as one of the lords of Fangfoss in 1316. (fn. 31) The Percy overlordship at Fangfoss persisted, with a break in the 15th century, (fn. 32) until Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland (d. 1537), sold Pocklington to the Crown, along with his other northern estates, in 1537. (fn. 33) In the mid 16th century the overlordship passed by a royal grant of Pocklington and its appurtenances to Thomas Bishop, the reversion and rent being later granted to Thomas Percy, earl of Northumberland (d. 1572). (fn. 34)

Early demesne lords were members of the Grimthorpe family. Between c. 1120 and 1129 Henry I confirmed land in Fangfoss to William son of Ulf of Grimthorpe, (fn. 35) and in 1189 William's descendant Ralph son of Ralph held 4 carucates and 5 bovates there. (fn. 36) Ralph son of William was named as one of the lords of Fangfoss in 1316. (fn. 37) As a member of Grimthorpe manor, and of its superior manor of Pocklington, the Fangfoss property remained with the family, which acquired the title baron Greystoke in 1321, until the death of Ralph, Lord Greystoke, in 1487. (fn. 38) Ralph was succeeded by his granddaughter Elizabeth, who married Thomas, Lord Dacre of Gilsland, c. 1488. (fn. 39) William, Lord Dacre, held 30 bovates in Fangfoss in 1563. (fn. 40) Like Butterwick, the property descended to the Howard family, later earls of Carlisle. (fn. 41) The estate, occasionally called FANGFOSS manor in the 18th century, comprised nearly 600 a. belonging to Grimthorpe manor in 1794. (fn. 42) It was divided and sold in 1796-8, (fn. 43) part passing to the Overends, who already had other land in the parish. (fn. 44)

The overlordship of other land in Fangfoss passed to the Chauncy family, which had been granted land there by the late 12th century. (fn. 45) By 1203 tenants of Walter de Chauncy held 20 bovates, (fn. 46) and the Fangfoss estate was later described as a member of the Chauncy manor of Skirpenbeck. (fn. 47) The Chauncy overlordship was last mentioned in 1398. (fn. 48) In 1203 William son of Ralph held 18 bovates in Fangfoss of the Chauncy fee as mesne lord and a further 2 bovates in demesne, (fn. 49) and in 1280 the Grimthorpe family held 20 bovates there of Thomas de Chauncy. (fn. 50)

In 1203 William son of Thomas held 18 bovates and other land in Fangfoss as demesne lord under William son of Ralph. (fn. 51) Thomas son of William of Belthorpe subinfeudated all his Fangfoss property, apparently comprising only about 5 bovates, to John of Selby in 1252. (fn. 52) Hugh son of Nicholas of Selby was dealing in property in Fangfoss between 1308 and 1338, (fn. 53) but the property was not subsequently mentioned. It may have passed to the Percy family as demesne lords by the early 15th century.

Henry Percy, created earl of Northumberland, forfeited an estate at Fangfoss, in addition to his overlordship there, as a result of his rebellion in 1403. (fn. 54) The property was granted to Robert Waterton for life in 1403 and in fee tail in 1409, (fn. 55) and, as FANGFOSS manor, was conveyed to Sir Henry Broomfleet in 1446. (fn. 56) In 1469 the manor was conveyed by Richard Choke, a justice of Common Pleas, and others, probably as Broomfleet feoffees, to three men, perhaps also feoffees. (fn. 57) It was apparently the same estate, again called Fangfoss manor, which Robert Stillington, bishop of Bath and Wells and a former Chancellor of England, successfully defended at law in 1479 (fn. 58) and granted to his collegiate foundation of St. Andrew, Acaster Selby (Yorks. W.R.) in 1483. (fn. 59) The Percy family had, however, apparently regained its Fangfoss estate by 1489, when Henry, earl of Northumberland, died seized of the manor; he was said, no doubt mistakenly, to hold it of the Hospitallers. (fn. 60) The property passed with Pocklington to the Crown in 1537. (fn. 61)

In 1546 the Crown granted former Percy lands in Fangfoss to Thomas Bishop, but they had been surrendered by 1552 when Arthur Darcy was granted the estate. (fn. 62) In 1563 Darcy's son Henry held 17 bovates there. (fn. 63) The Darcy family were not mentioned again and the estate may have passed to the Overend family by the early 18th century. In the 1720s George Overend had 14 bovates in Fangfoss, the largest estate after the earl of Carlisle's, (fn. 64) and in 1788 Catherine Overend had a house and nearly 300 a. there. (fn. 65) In 1796 a further 120 a. were bought from the earl of Carlisle. (fn. 66)

In 1834 Catherine Overend's son Cholmley sold his estate of about 500 a. in Fangfoss to George Champney. (fn. 67) The latter conveyed nearly 300 a. to Edward Radford and Robert Menzies in 1847, (fn. 68) and Radford sold them to Frederick Walker and Childers Radford in 1862. (fn. 69) In 1871 Radford and the Revd. James Palmes, Champney's son-in-law, sold Fangfoss Hall and 373 a. to Thomas Eadon, and a further 305 a. to Robert Bromley. (fn. 70) Both parts of the estate passed in 1879 to Charles Bromley, who reconveyed them to Thomas Eadon in 1886. (fn. 71) In 1912, after Eadon's death, about 520 a. of the estate were sold in separate lots. (fn. 72)

Thomas Eadon's widow Sarah acquired Fangfoss Hall and 30 a. in 1912, and they were sold by her executors to Joseph Toddin 1919. (fn. 73) In 1937 Todd's executors sold the property to Ethel Hotham. (fn. 74) The house was bought by Florence Todd in 1943 (fn. 75) and by William Walton in 1952. (fn. 76) In 1957 it was bought by Josephine Truelove and subsequently sold as two residences. (fn. 77)

Fangfoss Hall, a square three-storeyed house of dark brown brick, is said to have been built in 1766. (fn. 78) The interior was partly refitted about 1840 and again after its division in 1957. The house may stand on or near the site of an earlier house, mentioned, with Hallgarth close, in 1563 and again in 1620. (fn. 79) A long fish pond near by may have been part of an earlier moat, but by the 19th century it had apparently become an ornamental pond in the small park which lay to the east of the house. (fn. 80) The 18thcentury carriage approach is to the west front, and there are 18th- and 19th-century farm buildings and stables on the north-west.

In the late 11th or early 12th century Robert son of Ulf of Grimthorpe gave land in Fangfoss to the Hospitallers; in 1212 the estate comprised 12 bovates and was held of William son of Ralph, a member of the donor's family. (fn. 81) A hospital had apparently been built there by 1267 and may still have existed in the 1350s. (fn. 82) The Hospitallers held the estate, called FANGFOSS SPITTAL manor in 1507, (fn. 83) until the Dissolution, when it comprised 6 bovates and meadow land. (fn. 84) The order briefly regained its property in 1558. (fn. 85) Some meadow land was sold in the 1540s to William Ramsden (fn. 86) and was quitclaimed to Robert Appleton in 1572. (fn. 87) The rest of the estate was let by the Crown, generally for short terms, in the later 16th century. (fn. 88) King's Garth, the alternative name for Spittal Bridge close in the 19th century, may refer to this period of Crown occupation. (fn. 89) No more is known of the estate.

By 1275-6 Nunburnholme priory had been granted 2 bovates in Fangfoss by ancestors of Lord Greystoke, but no further reference to the estate has been found. (fn. 90)

St. John's College, Cambridge, had about 3 a. at Fangfoss in 1563 and in the 18th and 19th centuries. (fn. 91)

From 1252 the rectorial estate in Fangfoss belonged to the dean of York. (fn. 92) The corn and hay tithes were leased for 21 years in 1616, (fn. 93) but in 1650 and thereafter the tithes and other rectorial properties were leased for lives. The tithes were worth £82 a year in 1650. (fn. 94) The Beaumont family, lessees of the tithes in the 17th century, were succeeded in the 18th century by the earls of Carlisle. (fn. 95) At inclosure in 1723 the dean received rent-charges of £64 for the great tithes of most of the township. The corn and hay tithes of certain old inclosures remained uncommuted, as did the corresponding wool and lamb tithes, which were assigned to the earl of Carlisle in return for a 14s. rent-charge. (fn. 96) In 1844 the latter were finally commuted for 12s. 6d. and the remaining corn and hay tithes for £21. (fn. 97)

The rectorial glebe consisted of 4 bovates in 1563, while 8 a. in two ancient closes and 9 cattle-gates in the pasture were also mentioned c. 1720. (fn. 98) At inclosure in 1723 the dean's lessee was allotted 80 a. for glebe. (fn. 99) In 1798 the earl of Carlisle sold his leasehold interest in about 85 a. of glebe to John Fawcett. (fn. 100) The rectory was vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1844, (fn. 101) and in 1856 they sold 85 a. to Thomas Fawcett, the lessee. (fn. 102) In the later 19th century the Fawcetts were reputed lords of the manor of Fangfoss in respect of this estate. (fn. 103) The property, known as Manor farm by 1919, (fn. 104) was sold by Rose Fawcett to Wilfred Layland in 1947. (fn. 105) It was sold again in 1949 to Peter Thorpe, in 1960 to Joseph Fenner, and in 1962 to Brian Barrett. (fn. 106)

The rectorial house, mentioned from 1638, was the largest in the village, with four hearths, in 1672. (fn. 107) It presumably stood on the site of the later Manor House Farm, where there was certainly a house by 1798. (fn. 108) The present house is a yellow-brick building of the late 19th century.

ECONOMIC HISTORY.

In 1203 the township contained 23 bovates and culture called 'Goltorpflatts', as well as meadow in the marsh. (fn. 109) The Greystoke demesne consisted of 30 a. of meadow in 1323 (fn. 110) and 10 a. of meadow in 1375. (fn. 111) Bondsmen and leaseholders held most of the Grimthorpe estate in 1219, paying £5 12s. rent for 3½ carucates, while freeholders paid nearly 9s. for 6 bovates. (fn. 112) At least 7 bovates were held in socage of the Grimthorpe family in 1317. (fn. 113) In 1323 the Greystoke free tenants at Fangfoss owed £4 11s. in rent, three bondsmen paid £4 for 3 messuages and 6 bovates, and various tenants-at-will paid £10 3s. for 7 messuages and 14 bovates. Four tofts were let to cottagers for 8s. and the common bakehouse, held by a tenant-at-will, yielded 2s. a year. (fn. 114) Tenants-at-will paid £10 rent for 9 messuages and 25 bovates in 1375; 6 cottages were also let and £1 5s. rent received for unspecified properties. (fn. 115)

The open fields contained 64 bovates in 1563, of which 159 a. lay in North field, 116 a. in West field, 36 a. in East field, and 31 a. in South field. (fn. 116) North field probably incorporated the 13th-century 'Goltorp' or Gowthorpe flats, and an area towards Gowthorpe is still called the Flats. There were 185 a. of common meadow land. Bramer, beside Spittal beck to the south of the village, contained 98 a., the carr, lying east of the settlement, (fn. 117) 53 a., the Breke 30 a., and Lady meadow or ing, in the north of the parish, 5 a. (fn. 118) Bramer and the carr were divided into several furlongs, two of those in the carr called 'stinting furlongs'. A wand or measure 7 ft. 5 in. long was used to apportion the meadows among the villagers. Stinted rough pasture was provided by the 120-acre common moor in the west of the parish, adjoining the commons of Catton, Full Sutton, and Gowthorpe. A 50-acre Ox pasture, lying between the moor and Spittal beck, was stinted by the manorial court of Grimthorpe.

In 1537 there were some 20 holdings on Lord Dacre's manor. Eight freeholds included 3 bovates of land, and a further 30 bovates were held by 8 tenants-at-will with 2-5 bovates each. The tenantsat-will also included 2 cottagers and other men holding only meadow. The manor was worth nearly £26 a year. In 1563 Lord Dacre had 30 of the 64 bovates in the parish. Open fields and meadows were shared by 30 freeholders and tenants, 12 of whom had no open-field land. Henry Darcy had 121 a., and there were 10 holdings of 20-50 a., 7 of 5-19 a., and 12 of less than 5 a.

In 1629 Dacre's successor, William, Lord Howard, had about 10 tenants at Fangfoss. Five held 8 houses and 30 bovates, the largest holding being of 9 bovates. Another held a house and unspecified amounts of meadow and open-field land, and there were three cottagers. A bakehouse (an 'outside backhouse') was let, and the carr 'lately inclosed by George Farkson' was worth £4. The rents amounted to nearly £89 in all. (fn. 119) On the eve of inclosure nine men owned 64 bovates in the open fields; with the exception of the earl of Carlisle's 30 bovates and George Overend's 14, the holdings were all of 6 bovates or less. There were then 154 cow-gates in the pasture, two being allowed for each bovate and one for each house or cottage. In the common householders enjoyed rights double those of cottagers. (fn. 120)

The open fields and other common lands were inclosed in 1723 after agreement between the landowners, (fn. 121) and the award was ratified by an Act of 1726. (fn. 122) Of the 1,159 a. allotted 273 a. lay in High field, 150 a. in Middlegate field, 141 a. in East field, 118 a. in Between-the-towns field, 95 a. in Bramer, 222 a. in the moor, and 160 a. in the common pasture. High field was the former North field, Middlegate field the former West field, and Betweenthe-towns field, situated between Fangfoss and Bolton, the former South field. The township also contained about 170 a. of old inclosure in 1723, including several pieces of meadow. (fn. 123) Other meadow land was included in the open fields, and Between-the-towns field contained land called common carr, carr acres, and St. James's ing. As in other parishes, part of the common moor may have been separated from the rest as a place to confine animals, for the Hold was among the allotments in 1723. By the award Charles, earl of Carlisle, received 560 a. for his freehold estate, as well as 80 a. as lessee of the rectorial glebe. George Overend was awarded 223 a., while five other members of his family received allotments ranging from 4 a. to 48 a. and amounting in all to 128 a. There were only 5 other allotments, 2 of 70-90 a. and 3 of 3 a. each.

When Lord Carlisle's estate was offered for sale in 1795 it amounted to nearly 600 a. and included three farms of 97 a. to 198 a. (fn. 124) There were generally 8-12 farmers at Fangfoss and Spittal in the 19th and early 20th centuries, of whom 3 in 1851 and 2 in the 1920s and 1930s had over 150 a. (fn. 125) In 1801 342 a. were under crops at Fangfoss. (fn. 126) There were 864 a. of arable, 450 a. of meadow and pasture, and 18 a. of woodland in 1844, (fn. 127) and 709 a. of arable, 526 a. of permanent grass, and 21 a. of woodland in 1905. (fn. 128) There were roughly equal amounts of arable and grassland in the parish in the 1930s and 1960s, the arable most prominent away from the settlements, notably on the former common. (fn. 129)

A brick-maker was mentioned in 1840, (fn. 130) and in 1844 and 1851 a brickyard lay in the angle between the Full Sutton and Wilberfoss roads. A hanger on the former airfield was sold by the Ministry of Defence in 1967 and acquired in 1968 by a caravan company which still occupied it, as well as some new buildings, in 1974. (fn. 131)

In 1212 the Hospitallers' estate included a mill, and in 1252 the Belthorpe family held 'Swalewe' mill. (fn. 132)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Amends of the assize of ale were claimed for his tenants at Fangfoss by Nicholas of Selby in 1293. (fn. 133) A tenant of the Hospitallers owed suit of court at Fangfoss twice a year in 1507. (fn. 134) Part of Fangfoss belonged to Grimthorpe manor, (fn. 135) whose court records survive from the 18th and 19th centuries. Those relating to Fangfoss include jury verdicts for 1748-1835, call rolls for 1758-1835, and court papers of the 18th and early 19th centuries. (fn. 136)

In 1748 the officers sworn at Grimthorpe included a constable and two bylawmen for Fangfoss, and a pinder was mentioned from 1762. The bylawmen were last mentioned in 1798, but the constable and pinder continued until 1835. In 1779 the inhabitants of Fangfoss complained that a man had been reappointed constable at Grimthorpe 'contrary to the parish meeting', and it seems that the nomination of officers and inspection of their accounts took place at Fangfoss, perhaps at vestry meetings. The constable was also serving as surveyor of highways in 1779. (fn. 137)

Overseers' accounts for the period 1769-1837 reveal that parish poorhouses were being built or repaired in the 1790s. (fn. 138) In 1869 the site of two cottages sold by the overseers was used for a schoolmaster's house. (fn. 139) Fangfoss joined Pocklington poor-law union in 1836 (fn. 140) and Pocklington rural district in 1894. (fn. 141) It became part of the North Wolds district of Humberside in 1974.

CHURCH.

The early history of Fangfoss church is the same as that of Barmby Moor. There was a 'parson', presumably a chaplain, at Fangfoss in 1235. (fn. 142) The curacy of Fangfoss was usually held by the vicar of Barmby from the later 16th century, and in 1973 the two places still constituted a united vicarage. (fn. 143)

In 1525-6 a chaplain serving Fangfoss received £4 a year. (fn. 144) From 1684 a stipend of £5 a year was paid by the dean, and by the mid 18th century the dean had also released his right to mortuaries. (fn. 145) The curacy was worth £8 10s. in 1707. (fn. 146) It was augmented by £200 from Queen Anne's Bounty in 1747, 1779, 1791, 1798, and 1819. (fn. 147) The average net income was £46 in 1829-31. (fn. 148) In 1860 Fangfoss was endowed with tithe rent-charges of nearly £8, formerly belonging to the rectory, and with £4 from the Common Fund. (fn. 149)

Small tithes in Fangfoss contributed to the income of the joint living. At the ordination of 1252 the tithes of gardens, flax, and hemp, as well as a share of the altarage, were assigned to the vicarage. (fn. 150)

The small tithes of Fangfoss were worth £5 in 1650 (fn. 151) and about £4 in 1690. (fn. 152) At inclosure in 1723 the curate was awarded rent-charges of £5 for the small tithes, excluding that of rape which was commuted in 1844 for £2 a year. Small tithes from certain old inclosures were assigned to the earl of Carlisle in 1723 in return for a 5s. contribution to the £5 payable to the curate, and these were finally commuted for £2 in 1844, when they were held by Thomas Fawcett. (fn. 153)

The only glebe at Fangfoss in 1690 was a pasture gate and rights in the common, (fn. 154) for which 3 a. were awarded at inclosure in 1723. (fn. 155) Bounty money was used to buy 8 a. at Pocklington in 1791, 6 a. at Allerthorpe in 1792, and 4 a. at Tickhill (Yorks. W.R.) in 1802. By 1853 5 a. at Pocklington had been sold, and the Tickhill land was sold before 1857. (fn. 156) A house and 3 a. were bought at Barmby in 1854, and a house and 4 a. at Bolton (in Bishop Wilton) were added by 1877. (fn. 157) Six acres at Spittal and Bolton were sold in 1917, the house and 3 a. at Barmby in 1920, 3 a. at Pocklington in 1924, and 6 a. at Allerthorpe in 1967. (fn. 158) A 'vicarage house' at Fangfoss was mentioned in 1684 and 1690, but had gone by 1716. (fn. 159) A garth adjoining the churchyard was described as the vicar's in 1888. (fn. 160)

In 1566 the Crown granted lands in Fangfoss, which had formerly supported an obit in the church, to Francis Barker and Thomas Blackway. (fn. 161)

Since the 16th century Fangfoss has apparently lacked a resident minister, (fn. 162) except briefly in the late 19th century when an assistant curate lived at Bolton and served Fangfoss church. (fn. 163) Moreover, in the 18th and early 19th centuries the vicar of Barmby also held Allerthorpe and Thornton, and resided in one of the latter parishes. (fn. 164) In 1835 the incumbent also held Pocklington and Yapham. (fn. 165)

Fangfoss has consequently been poorly served at times. In the 1590s services were neglected by the vicar of Barmby. (fn. 166) In 1743 there was a service at Fangfoss once a fortnight; Holy Communion was celebrated at Christmas and Easter, and there were about 40 communicants. (fn. 167) By 1851 there was a weekly service. (fn. 168) At the monthly communion services in 1865 there were about 10 communicants. (fn. 169) In 1974 two services a month were held at Fangfoss. A cottage was built in 1875 to provide income for the religious education of children. (fn. 170) In the mid 20th century the income was applied to Sunday schools at Fangfoss and Barmby Moor. (fn. 171)

The medieval church or chapel of ST. MARTIN consisted of chancel with apsidal end and nave with south porch and west tower. The chancel was 'quite fallen down' in 1591 and 'altogether ruinous' in 1602. (fn. 172) The building was extensively repaired in the 18th century (fn. 173) and repewed in the 1820s. (fn. 174) By the 1830s the apse had gone, the tower had recently been partly rebuilt in brick, and the south porch had been stripped of much of its ornamentation. (fn. 175) The church was rebuilt in 1848-50 by R. D. Chantrell in a Norman style, use being made of stonework from the former Norman church, notably in the south doorway and the corbel table. (fn. 176) The church, called St. Mary's in 1851 and later St. John's, (fn. 177) comprises chancel with north vestry and nave with south door and west bell-turret. The fittings include an octagonal stone font and a communion table, apparently acquired at about the date of restoration. (fn. 178)

The Church Estate charity for church repairs, of unknown origin, consisted of a cottage and 2 a. in 1711. (fn. 179) At inclosure in 1723 the charity was awarded 4 a., (fn. 180) which produced an income of £2 in 1743, £4 in 1777, (fn. 181) and £8 in 1824. By 1764 a rent-charge of 10s. from land formerly belonging to Timothy Overend had been added to the charity. (fn. 182) Two cottages were built in 1873, and in 1875 the annual income of the charity stood at £24. (fn. 183) The rentcharges were being withheld in the early 20th century. Two cottages belonging to the charity were sold in 1959 and 1964, (fn. 184) but the site of a third and 4 a. of land were retained in 1974, when income was still received. (fn. 185)

The church had two bells in 1552 and there are still two: (i) 1628; (ii) undated. (fn. 186) A silver chalice has belonged to the church since 1552. The plate also includes a pewter flagon and paten, a plated cup given by the wife of Robert Taylor, vicar 1840-85, (fn. 187) and a plated flagon. (fn. 188) The registers of baptisms begin in 1663 and are complete except for 1712-15 and 1810-13. Those of marriages begin in 1656, but lack entries for 1694-1715 and 1736-55. The burial registers begin in 1671 but lack entries for 1712- 15. (fn. 189)

The churchyard was extended in 1920. (fn. 190)

NONCONFORMITY.

A house at Fangfoss was registered for dissenting worship in 1777, (fn. 191) and the Methodists had 17 members there in 1787 and between 8 and 23 in 1788-1816. (fn. 192) A small Wesleyan chapel and school-house were built opposite the church in 1836-7, (fn. 193) and replaced by a larger chapel on a new site in 1865. (fn. 194) The latter closed in 1974. In the mid 19th century 10-12 Primitive Methodists were meeting in a cottage, (fn. 195) but in 1865 they built a chapel on the Pocklington road. (fn. 196) Later called Canaan chapel, (fn. 197) it had closed by 1947. (fn. 198) It was used as a workshop in 1974.

EDUCATION.

In 1819 the parishioners of Fangfoss paid a schoolmaster who taught about 25 children. (fn. 199) A day school belonging to the Primitive Methodists and maintained by parents had 20 pupils in 1835. (fn. 200) A school for Fangfoss and neighbouring townships, which also served as a Wesleyan chapel, was built by George Champney in 1836-7; in 1861 it had an income of £40 from voluntary contributions and the school pence of 45 pupils. (fn. 201) It had been united with the National Society and was receiving an annual government grant by 1863. (fn. 202) The school had ceased to be a Methodist meeting-place by 1865. (fn. 203) A new school was built on the same site in 1867 and a master's house added in 1869; (fn. 204) there were 41 pupils in 1871. (fn. 205) Attendance fell from 50 in 1907 to 37 in 1912, and stood at 36 in 1938. (fn. 206) In 1952 the senior pupils were transferred to Pocklington. A new school was built in 1971-2 beside the Pocklington road. (fn. 207) There were 32 pupils on the roll in January 1974. (fn. 208)

CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.

Thomas Wood, by will dated 1568, devised a rent-charge of £10 a year from an estate at Kilnwick Percy for the benefit of Fangfoss and many other townships. In 1824 5s. were distributed in Fangfoss. (fn. 209) The income was spent on coal in the 1880s and cash payments were made in the early 20th century. (fn. 210) Henry Frederick, Baron Hotham (d. 1967), owner of the Kilnwick Percy estate, redeemed the rent-charge in 1961 and £10 stock was subsequently assigned to Fangfoss. (fn. 211) In 1973 the 26p income was given to one person. (fn. 212)

The Poor's Money comprised gifts at unknown dates of £4 10s. from Robert and Mary Dealtry, £2 from Priscilla Beaumont, £2 10s. from Mary Overend, and 10s. each from Edward Catton and an unknown donor. (fn. 213) The Dealtry and Beaumont gifts may date from the 17th century. (fn. 214) The £10 capital was entrusted to the overseers, who used it to make weekly cash payments. By 1824, however, £5 had been lost (fn. 215) and no more is heard of the charity.

Rent-charges of 3s. 4d. and 10s., given at unknown dates by William and Margaret Cade and Timothy Overend respectively, were received by the overseers during the 18th century, but in 1811-15 another Timothy Overend assumed the administration after the improper use of the charges. The charities benefited poor householders and widows, but no payments were made after 1815 and in 1824 it was proposed to divert the income to other uses. (fn. 216) Payments were resumed in 1860 after a long interval, and in 1884 the income from Cades' gift and Hill Garth, presumably the property bearing Overend's rent-charge, was used to buy coal. The charities were apparently later called the Church Charity and in 1907 four payments of 3s. 4d. were made, (fn. 217) but they were lost afterwards. (fn. 218)

A rent-charge of 2s. from property in Spittal was mentioned in 1786, but it had not been received for many years in 1824. (fn. 219)