 Wealth ... and
Notoriety
Riddlesden
and other
houses built by the Murgatroyds
in the 17th century are the
subject of other pages.
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James
Murgatroyd of Murgatroyd and
Riddlesden was perhaps the most colourful of the
Murgatroyds. Born in 1575 and living to age 78, he died
in 1653, and is the one buried in the Table Tomb at the
Luddenden church. Living in a period of conflict between
the crown and Cromwell, he was not scared to air his
allegiances. "After the
death of James in 1601-2 there was a period of some fifty
years during which the family could be said to "have
never had it so good!' . I assume this because of the
great surge in house-building, much of which is still
preserved. The list of houses built, re-built or bought
by the Murgatroyds does not of itself give any idea of
the vast acreage of land which went with the houses. The
rents of tenanted land must have brought in a large
income. We know from the Will of James (1601) that he had "looms,
presses, sheers and a shop!" weaving must have
brought in another substantial income whilst of course
the "Queens Mill" in the valley of the Ludd
continued to provide "mulcture" to
the family, levied on every bushel of corn ground in that
area. Surplus profits in those days could not be invested
in I.C.I. ordinary shares so what could the Murgatroyds
do with them - extra land was therefore bought and houses
were built. They spread out of the valley, much of which
they already owned, towards Ovenden and even a jump to
Keighley where 200 acres and East Riddlesden Hall were
purchased. It is fortunate for posterity that many of
these builders were sufficiently proud to put the date of
the operation and their initials (and sometimes of their
wife) over the gateway to these houses."
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We know that James Murgatroyd of Murgatroyd owned Murgatroyd, Boothsteads, Haigh House and six other houses and paid a Kings Rent of 17s and 11d. in 1632.
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James of Murgatroyd not only built
many houses, he also had a colourful life and left many
interesting records. Two incidents are particularly interesting. The first concerns
a Pardon of the 10th February,1625. The second refers to
his refusal of a Knighthood. I cannot do better than to
reproduce from Tom Sutcliffe's article on the Hollins
which he wrote on the 4th September, 1915:- |
Charged with "divers offences and misdemeanours committed in the Chapel, chapel porch and chapel yard of Luddingdon, in our County of York".
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·· "Returning to James
Murgatroyd of Murgatroyd, the Head Greave of Warley, a 'Pardon of Special
Grace, granted to James Murgatroyd of Murgatroyd, yeoman' is preserved among the Hemmingway MSS, in the
possession of the Bradford Antiquarian Society. The Pardon was granted by King Charles 1., on
the 10th February, 1625, the first year of his reign and
extended to all offences (treasons, witchcraft and others
excepted) committed before the previous 25th March. What
the particular offence was of which James had been found
guilty is not specified in the document, but ten years
later another pardon was granted by the King (11th
December 1635) to the same James Murgatroyd styled
"the elder", this time not on behalf of
himself, but of his three sons John, James and Henry
Murgatroyd."
At the hearing in October, 1633, and
the defendants were "fined
in several, about 205 pounds" and also they were sentenced
"upon a Saboth day in the said Chappel immediately
after divine service to make publique acknowledgement of
their said offences and misdemeanours by them committed
against God and His Holy religion in that Holy place, and
should likewise every of them in a sorrowful manner aske
forgiveness of God, the congregation, the relator and his
people."
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The King therefore,
in consideration of this payment by their father,
released the sons from the payment of any further fines
and from the said excommunications, penances,
imprisonments, restraints etc., imposed by the Decrees or
Order of the said Courts.
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The fines were duly paid, but after an
acquittance had been obtained for the fines, his three
sons had been "convented and proceeded against
before the Lord Archbishop of York" and other
commissioners for "Causes Ecclesiastical within the
province of York for the same misdemeanours.
..subsequently the offenders, by the sentence of the said
commissioners were fined
again 640 pounds or
thereabouts".The document
then informs us that James the elder, had paid the sum of
500 pounds into the hands of Sir John Lambe, Knight,
towards the repairing of the Cathedral Church of St
Paul's London.
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A
knighthood is offered by King Charles
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Amidst this avalanche of misdemeanours
and penances which fell on the intrepid Murgatroyds, we
find on record one pleasant episode. On the 23rd October
1632 James Murgatroyds second son, Henry, was united in
marriage to Jane Lacy, daughter and heiress of Thomas
Lacy, of Midgley gentleman, when the bride's father
assigned to the bridegroom the lease that he held of the
Warley Corn Mills. In the same
year King Charles
offered the Squire of Murgatroyd
the tempting bait of a Knighthood, which he promptly
refused, and paid a fine of 40 pounds. John his eldest
son, was also selected for the honour of knighthood, and
he, too, paid a fine, in his case of 15 pounds, rather
than accept this expensive honour.
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The Boon Hen
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This story, found in the records of
the Halifax
Antiquarians Society relates to
James who is there described as 'this rich clothier'. He
had purchased a tenement near Skipton for which there was
due to Lady Ann Clifford a charge or ground rent of a
'boon hen'. He refused to acknowledge the custom and was
taken to Court by Lady Ann Clifford who won her case at
York Assizes.and James was forced to give the 'boon hen'.
The right was there found to have been established some
four hundred years. The story goes on to say that the
lady invited James to dinner and when the dish was
uncovered there was the 'boon hen'. They are reputed to
have become good friends, having many things in common
including a passion for building houses. |
The Will of James (1653) The Will first provides
that his loving Wife Mary should have 'her rights
according to the Law and Custom'..
To
his second son, Henry he gave Elam Grange in Morton and
seven cottages belonging to it. Two closes called Stephen
Flatts. An annuity of £3 per annum bought of John Lacy
in Midgley. Four houses in Ovenden (including Long Can
and Yew Tree) One of these four houses was occupied by
Isaac Starkey, and he could have been a relative of
Nicholas Starkey, who married James's daughter Grace in
1643. Warley Mills and kilns..
To
his 4th and youngest son Thomas of Kershaw House, he left
Kershaw House Five houses in Ovenden An annuity of
£5.18.4d A number of houses and a Fulling Mill at
Keighley. A rent out of the Upper Fulling Mill and a
house at Wadsworth. Land in the Parish of Chipping in the
County of Lancaster..
To
the poor of the upper end of Warley and of Midgley he
left £3.To the poor of Ovenden 20s. To the poor of
Morton 20s. To the Minister at Luddenden 40s.
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"It is appropriate to
bring to an end, this part of the history by mentioning
the Will of James dated
the 17th October, 1653. I have
observed that in those days, Wills were often made only
days before the death of the Testator. In this case it
was but one week between the stated date of the Will and
the date of James's burial. In view of the complicated
provisions in the Will, one hopes that James was as he
stated `weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory'.
Cromwell was in power, in Parliament, and had just been
proclaimed Lord Protector. These must have been hard
times for Royalists such as James. I see that he
commenced by stating the date as the seventeenth day of
October 1653. Before and after this period Wills gave the
date as the .. year of the Reign of..... Charles the
First was in prison but James was a practical man and did
not risk a reference to his King. It should be noted that
the following Will was not proved until 1663 at York.
This was because during the 'troubles' the York Probate
was suspended and Few Executors would undertake the
journey to London. Some of the difficulties and much of
the litigation which followed could have resulted from
the uncertainty of James's Will and this ten year gap
during which the contents of the Will might have been
misunderstood or falsified. James
in his Will makes no reference to either the Mansion at
Murgatroyd or that called Riddlesden Hall. He made no
bequest to his son and heir, John of East Riddlesden
Hall. John was however, appointed one of the Trustees
with Thomas. From this I deduce that his heir succeeded
to these Estates
'inter vivos' in other words `in
the lifetime' of James and prior to the Will.
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No mention has been made of James's
third son, also called James. He certainly existed and
there was a James at Hartley Royd who died on the 8th
March 1670. I prefer to accept that James pre-deceased
his father and this would explain his omission from the
Will. This son had only female issue and his daughter
Susan was his heir. She died without having married and
her estate in Ovenden (no doubt derived from grand-father
James) passed to her uncle, John of East Riddlesden
Hall."
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"So we
come to the end of the long life of James Murgatroyd of
Murgatroyd accounted by his neighbours to have been worth
some
£2,000 a year. He was a
great figure, well in control of his vast affairs and
forceful in character. Perhaps later events could in part
be attributed to uncertainty over his Will (particularly
as it could not be proved for ten years), perhaps his
sons were not of the same calibre but for whatever the
reasons, from this time onwards things began to go
awry." |