1. In 1317 a feudal state of affairs developed between Thomas Earl of Lancaster ['Plantagenet'] and John
8th Earl Warrene who held the manor of Wakefield.
Lancaster had grown extremely
powerful in the North when he married Alice de
Laci,* the heiress of
the honour and castle of Pontefract. This feud continued for five years
until the untimely death of Lancaster in
1322.
2. In the siege and fighting at Conisbrough Castle [October 1317] Exley of Exley Hall, & Siddal in Southowram killed the half-nephew of Sir John de Eland (The high steward to John earl of Warrene and High Shire-Reeve of Yorkshire) 3. Exley took refuge with Sir Robert Beaumont of Crosland Hall, a kinsman, after which Exley paid compensation to the Eland family in the form of a parcel of land.
4. In 1341 Sir John de Eland with his
men travelled to Crosland Hall, on the way killing Hugh Quarmby of Quarmby Hall andLockwood of Lockwood. He lay in ambush and when the drawbridge was lowered to allow a servant
girl to return home, he killed Sir Robert Beaumont by beheading him in his
own hall.
They then sat down in Crosland Hall and ordered a large meal, inviting
Adam Beaumont, a son of Robert to join them to which invitation he refused but was forced to watch anyway.
5. Following these events Lady Beaumont [Agnes de
Quarmby Robert's second wife], her two sons
Adam and John and also the son of Lockwood, Hugh Quarmby's son and
Lacy of Cromwell Bottom moved to Burnley,
Lancashire for safety. Whilst here the men honed their skills in archery
and fencing.
6.In due course [1353] Adam Beaumont and the others returned
and killed Sir John de Eland in
an ambush at Lane Head, Broadfoot, on his way to the Shire-Reeves
Tourn in Brighouse. They then repaired to Furness in Lancashire but
returned a year later. Note: Lockwood was originally North Crosland
in D.B.
7. At Cromwell Bottom [Bothan] Wood, Adam Beaumont, Hugh Quarmby, John de Lockwood and Thomas de Laci
also conspired to kill John de Eland jnr.
and his son on their way to church.
Early Lockwood genealogy;
Adam de Locwode
8. The Elands
became extinct, their relatives, the Saviles
succeeded to the Elland estates when Sir John Savile married Isobel
de Eland. They continued to live at New Hall [rebuilt in 1400's]* The Saviles already owned the manor
of Thornhill and estates since Edward III's time, their original seat
and estates being at Dodworth, near Barnsley. * New Hall was purchased and restored in 1943 &
resold in 1971.9 John de Falconberg/Fauconberg succeeded John de Eland
as Shire-Reeve (Viscount) of Yorkshire in 1342. .
The site of Crosland Hall at this time was probably Lower Hall at Lower
Crosland where a moat, ditch or foss could be run out of Hall Dyke. The ballad Revenge upon
Revenge states ".... to Crosland-Hall, which they found so strongly Moated
about with a deep Trench of water, and the Bridge thereof drawn up as was usual to secure himself and Family from the violent Assaults of Robbers, and unreasonable Men...."19
These events are said to have given rise to a popular local drama called
'Revenge upon Revenge', the last scene of which, in manuscript form,
was reported by Joseph Hunter to be kept at Cannon Hall, Cawthorne
at that time (1831). Watson provides us with a poem of 124 verses, written
anonymously which describes the feud and Sir John de Eland:
The single verse found in the Rev. T.D. Whitaker's Loidis & Elmete6 is dated the 24th year of Edward III's reign i.e. 1351 but some think this is an error and should be 1341.7
*Note: William Dugdale in his Visitation of Yorkshire 1666, p. 253 shows John, Adam and Thomas as the sons of Sir Robert and Gracia although this goes against the usually accepted descent from Agnes de Quarmby.
Sir Robert, killed in 134815, a main character in the ballad of the Elland Feud is mentioned as militis in ~ 1317 [10 Ed II] and in 1303 had become the heir of the manors of Over Whitley, 'Crossland' [today Crosland] and Huddersfield [Burke's Heraldic History of the Commoners.] About 1324 in the final years of King Edward II he was appointed Commissioner of Array in the wapentake of Agbrigg and coroner for Yorkshire. [Ibid.] Adam - Dugdale in his Visitation of Yorkshire in 1666, p. 253 shows him to be son of Robert and brother of John. In 1350 Adam sold lands to Adam de Hopton of Mirfield, the deed was witnessed by Sir John de Eland, Sir Brian de Thornhill et. al. [Sir] John granted lands in Crosland in 1332 to Adam son of Alexander Radcliffe. Dugdale in his Visitation of Yorkshire, p. 253 says he was militis and lord of Whitley in 21 Ed III [1348]. About 1326 Sir Thomas was seised of the manor of 'Brerewysel' gifted by Henry de Chevet. In 1347 Thomas granted an annuity to Alice, wife of Thomas de Bosville of Cawthorne. FROM THE CALENDAR OF PATENT ROLLS:
Joyce Moore is descended from the Elands and the Lacys of Cromwellbottom, Isabel de Lacy and Thomas, her husband, etc. All but one person is her ancestor. Joyce says reading about this, as a descendent, it sounds like a comedy that was written for the stage! Janis Comstock-Jones is tracing the Lockwoods of Lockwood. The name Lockwood does not occur in the Domesday Book which was then called 'Crosland' [North]. It is speculated that Lockwood gained its name when the family name was applied to the vill to differentiate it from South Crosland. Sources/References: 1. Midgley J. F. Midgleyana. Litho Press, Cape Town, 1968. 2. Pratt C. T. The History of Cawthorne, Barnsley 1881. 3. Hunter, Joseph South Yorkshire : History of the Deanery of Doncaster vol II, 1831. 4. The Yorkshire Dictionary, Thomas Langdale, 1822. 5. Whitaker, T. D., Loidis and Elmete [123 verses] 6. Turner, J. H. The Eland Tragedies [one verse] 7. Yorkshire Archaeological Journal XI. 8. Hunter, J. South Yorkshire Vol II p. 231. 9. Watson, John. History of Halifax.. 10. The Eland Murders, 1350-1. A Study of the Legend of the Eland Feud. Yorks,. Arch. Soc. Journ. Vol 51, pp61-79. 11. Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families : The Complete Genealogy. Random House. 2002 12. Guidebook : Welcome to Cannon Hall Museum, a pamphlet by the Friends of Cannon Hall Museum. 13. Midgley, Samuel. The History of the Town and Parish of Halifax.1789. 14. According to Edward T. Beaumont, The Beaumonts in History A.D. 850 - 1850, ca. 1929. 15. Burke's Heraldic History of the Commoners - Beaumont. 16. Aheir, Philip. The Legends and Traditions of Huddersfield and its District. v. II, Pt. I, The Elland Feud, p. 17, G.N. Allsop. 17. Ibid. Pt. II The Elland Feud pp. 26, 59, G.N. Allsop. 18. Ibid. Pt. III, Elland Feud, pp. 122, 134, 141, G.N. Allsop. 19. Ahier, Philip. Revenge upon Revenge in The Legends and Traditions of Huddersfield and its District, vol II, pt. I ,The Elland Feud, 1943, p. 18. 20. C. P. R., July 1351 Edward III, vol. 9, p. 156. 21. C. P. R., 24th March 1350. © Copyright 2000. Tim Midgley 2000, revised 7th March 2024.
|