Court of Sewers
The Commissioners of Sewers for the East Riding were created under the Statute of Sewers 23 Hen. VIII c.5 (1531), which authorised the appointment of commissioners charged with the drainage of low-lying land liable to flooding. The Court of Sewers, which consisted of the commissioners meeting with a jury, conducted their business in a judicial manner. The jurisdiction of the Court was over the repairs of sea-walls and sea-banks, the cleaning of public rivers, streams and ditches, becks and drains, and any other watercourse used for the draining of land. Their Courts heard complaints of nuisances; of failure to clean and clear drains and ditches, resulting in the flooding of neighbouring properties; and they had the power to arrest carts and horses, take trees for repairs, and appoint workmen, bailiffs and surveyors. They could fine for neglect, or for contempt, and levy a drainage tax to fund all work.
The Court minutes are difficult to trawl through if looking for people. A much richer source are the jury lists in class CSR/63, which spans 1725-1840, although there is one much earlier for the wapentake of Harthill, for 1646, in CSR/6/2. A second series, in class CSR/64, covers the period 1828-1834. The Jury Lists in the class CSR/63/2 covering 1725-1806 have been examined and the relevant entries extracted, but those in CSR/63/3 covering 1807-1840 have yet to be examined. Those in CSR/64 have all been checked, and two of the seven returns contain the names of Bubwith farmers.
Two other records from the Commissioners for Sewers were found that relate to Bubwith, a list of presentments (complaints) and amercements (fines) in 1833 (ref: CSR/67/29), this has been checked, and the names of Bubwith residents extracted; and a Petition in 1834 (ref: CSR/68/8), which has not yet been examined.
One Assessment for Drainage Tax for the hamlets of Foggathorpe, Gribthorpe, and Spaldington, was also located (ref: DDMW/7/48). DDMW is the class for The Market Weighton Drainage Commissioners, which were established under the Market Weighton Drainage Act of 1772. This has yet to be examined.
CSR/63 | Lists of jurymen for Howdenshire and the west parts of the East Riding |
1725-1840 |
CSR/63/2 | Jury lists for Ouse and Derwent, Howdenshire, Holme Beacon, Wilton Beacon, and Hunsley Beacon | 1725-1806 |
CSR/63/3 | Jury lists for Ouse and Derwent, Howdenshire, Holme Beacon, Wilton Beacon, and Hunsley Beacon |
1807-1840 |
CSR/64 | Lists of jurymen for Howdenshire and the west parts of the East Riding | 1828-1834 |
CSR/64/1 | List of jurymen for Holme Beacon [see below] | 1828 |
CSR/64/2 | Warrants for jurymen for Harthill [see below] | 1829 |
CSR/64/3 | Warrants for jurymen for Holme Beacon | 1830 |
CSR/64/4 | Warrants for jurymen for Holme Beacon | 1831 |
CSR/64/5 | Warrants for jurymen for Holme Beacon | 1832 |
CSR/64/6 | Warrants for jurymen for Holme Beacon | 1833 |
CSR/64/7 | Sheriff's return and panel of jury | 1834 |
Extracts
CSR/63/2
Year | Forename | Surname | Place |
1759 | Samuel | ?oidhouse | Spaldington |
1763 | Thomas | Alerley | Breighton |
1732 | Michael | Atkinson | Willitoft |
1744 | Michael | Atkinson | Willitoft |
1765 | John | Barker | Spaldington |
1793 | John | Barker | Spaldington |
1792 | John | Beilby | Bubwith |
1799 | Joseph | Beilby | Bubwith |
1762 | Henry | Bell | Spaldington |
1802 | Henry | Bell | Spaldington |
1728 | Luke | Blanshard | Spaldington |
1731 | James | Blanshard | Spaldington |
1740 | Nicholas | Blanshard | Gribthorpe |
1740 | James | Blanshard | Spaldington |
1741 | Luke | Blanshard | Spaldington |
1763 | John | Blanshard | Breighton |
1791 | John | Blanshard | Breighton |
1792 | George | Blanshard | Breighton |
1735 | John | Blyth | Harlethorpe |
1725 | John | Brown | Foggathorpe |
1728 | John | Brown | Foggathorpe |
1741 | John | Brown | Foggathorpe |
1742 | John | Brown | Foggathorpe |
1791 | William | Brown | Willitoft |
1762 | John | Brownbridge | Bubwith |
1797 | John | Brownbridge | Bubwith |
1793 | Gideon | Burton | Spaldington |
1757 | Robert | Buttle | Gunby |
1741 | Robert | Carlile | Willitoft |
1757 | Robert | Chaplin | Spaldington |
1731 | Barnard | Clarkson | Foggathorpe |
1795 | William | Coats | Gribthorpe |
1741 | James | Dealtrey | Breighton |
1792 | John | Eland | Gribthorpe |
1755 | Edward | Ellis | Spaldington |
1726 | Thomas | Fle--- | Gunby |
1735 | Benjamin | Fligg | Harlethorpe |
1755 | Edward | Garret | Willitoft |
1737 | John | Geld | Foggathorpe |
1725 | John | Gell | Foggathorpe |
1731 | John | Gell | Foggathorpe |
1725 | Jabez | Gibson | Spaldington |
1741 | John | Gibson | Spaldington |
1793 | John | Grundell | Breighton |
1728 | Marmaduke | Guy | Foggathorpe |
1729 | Samuel | Guy | Gribthorpe |
1744 | Nathaniel | Guy | Gribthorpe |
1762 | George | Halley | Bubwith |
1741 | William | Halliday | Foggathorpe |
1803 | John | Hance | Spaldington |
1799 | William | Hawkins | Bubwith |
1726 | John | Hebden | Gunby |
1793 | Robert | Hepton | Gunby |
1794 | John | Hepton | Bubwith |
1780 | John | Huby | Bubwith |
1791 | John | Huby | Bubwith |
1801 | John | Hunter | Bubwith |
1773 | John | Jewitt | Foggathorpe |
1743 | Thomas | Johnson | Foggathorpe |
1759 | William | Johnson | Spaldington |
1762 | Thomas | Johnson | Foggathorpe |
1773 | Thomas | Johnson | Foggathorpe |
1725 | John | Lawton | Spaldington |
1772 | Robert | Leng | Bubwith |
1797 | John | Levitt | Foggathorpe |
1803 | William | Marshall | Gribthorpe |
1726 | William | Massey | Harlethorpe |
1780 | William | Massey | Harlethorpe |
1795 | Thomas | Massey | Willitoft |
1766 | Mark | Rowlan | Spaldington |
1744 | Richard | Savage | Spaldington |
1803 | Anthony | Scott | Spaldington |
1772 | John | Scrafton | Bubwith |
1737 | George | Sellars | Foggathorpe |
1794 | William | Smith | Bubwith |
1795 | William | Smith | Bubwith |
1728 | Thomas | Stevenson | Gribthorpe |
1768 | Matthew | Tate | Bubwith |
1800 | Robert | Tate | Bubwith |
1744 | George | Thorpe | Harlethorpe |
1744 | Thomas | Thorpe | Spaldington |
1762 | Thomas | Thorpe | Spaldington |
1768 | George | Thorpe | Harlethorpe |
1768 | Thomas | Thorpe | Harlethorpe |
1802 | Richard | Thorpe | Spaldington |
1744 | James | Tinegate | Spaldington |
1795 | William | Watson | Breighton |
1768 | William | Westoby | Bubwith |
1743 | William | Wilberfoss | Foggathorpe |
1726 | Peter | Wilson | Harlethorpe |
CSR/64/1 | List of jurymen for Harthill, Ouse and Derwent, and Howdenshire | 1828 |
Jurymen for Holme Beacon: | ||
Hugh Nottingham Fowler, Foggathorpe, yeoman farmer; John Hall, Foggathorpe, farmer | ||
CSR/64/2 | Warrants for jurymen for Harthill, Ouse and Derwent, and Howdenshire | 1829 |
Jurymen for Harthill: | ||
Thomas Ash, Bubwith, farmer; John Day, Bubwith, farmer; John Hepton, Bubwith, yeoman; John Harrison, Bubwith, farmer; John Bond, Breighton, farmer; William Jewitt, Foggathorpe, farmer; Charles Knapton, Foggathorpe, farmer | ||
CSR/67/29 | Presentments and amercements by the Holme Beacon jury | 13 Jul 1833 |
Against the constable of Bubwith, George Blanchard, Benjamin Acey and the Bridge Company for a drain at Foggathorpe, drain from the Clow to the River Derwent, and the drain from Aughton to Bubwith Clow | ||
CSR/68/8 | Petitions | 1834 |
To the Honourable the Commissioners of Sewers for Howdenshire and the West parts of the East Riding of the County of York. The Petition of Simeon Webster and other proprietors of Lands and Grounds in the several Townships of Melbourne, Thornton, Storthwaite, Sutton upon Derwent, East Cottingwith, Ellerton, Aughton and Bubwith, within the Division of Howdenshire. Sheweth That the Drains and Embankments in the said several Townships of Melbourne, Thornton, Storthwaite, Sutton upon Derwent, East Cottingwith, Ellerton, Aughton and Bubwith are chiefly situated in Meadow lands of considerable value which being flooded in the winter require the greatest attention in the Spring of the Year to carry off the waters from the lower parts of them, consequently that great loss is often sustained from inattention to the state of the Drains and Banks until Midsummer which is the earliest period at which they are now viewed, at that time there is also considerable waste of grass by the soil from the Drains being necessarily cast upon it when nearly ready for the scythe. Your Petitioners therefor pray an Order of this Honourable Court directing the said Drains to be severally well and sufficiently dressed cleaned and scoured and the said Embankments severally well and sufficiently repaired by those who of right ought to do the same on or before the twelfth day of May and the twelfth day of August in every year on pain for every rood there undone or in default such Penalties as the same now are respectively liable to under the Books of Pains for the Shire and parts aforesaid in case of not being done as now therein directed. And your Petioners will ever pray, &c. 1834 Petitioner’s Names Thornton: George Gibson; John Clavidge of Catton, for the parish of Thornton, Steward for Thornton. Melbourne: Henry Mervyn Vavasour; Charles Howard; Wm. Parker; Matthew Whitfield; David Southcoate; Richard Clarke; George Hodgson; George Nichols; Robert Holliday; Charles James. East Cottingwith, Ellerton, Aughton, Storthwaite, and Bubwith: Simeon Webster of behalf of the townships. Sutton upon Derwent: Thomas and William Jennings; Joseph Moyser jun; William Pexton; John Shields; John Preston; Thomas Maure; John Horsley; James Coward of Woodhouse, in the parish of Sutton. |
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DDMW/7/48 | Assessment for drainage tax | 1 May 1821 |
Gribthorpe Lord Egremont: 52 acres, 3 roods, 25 perches; Tax - £3/4/4½ Signed: John Creshell; Leo. Robinson; Henry Edwards; Thomas Musgrave; C. B. Gill; J. Lister; Jno Inman Foggathorpe William Jewitt, late Simeon: 26 acres, 0 roods, 4 perches; Tax £1/9/7½ Thomas Coates, late Clarkson: 19 acres, 0 roods, 36 perches; Tax £1/4/7½ Mr. Thomas Musgrave: 10 acres, 0 roods, 0 perches; Tax £0/10/5 (same witnesses) Spaldington Sir Henry M. M. Vavasour, Bart.: 242 acres, 2 roods, 23 perches; Tax £17/7/8 (same witnesses) |