Deposition – Marmaduke Trotter – 7 Aug 1680

Marmaduke Trotter of Smaleburne in the Parrish of Stanhopp yeoman Aged Seaventy seaven yeares  Sworne and Examined sayth 



1  To the First Interrogatory this Depon[en]t sayth that hee knowes  the Compl[ainan]t and Nathaniell Lord Bishopp of Durham John Mowbray Richard Mowbray and John Westgarth  and knowes the Two p[ar]ishes of Stanhopp and Wolsingham and Forrest of Weredale and hath knowne the same for Sixty Five yeares last past and upwards



2  To the Second Interrogatory this Depon[en]t sayth that the p[re]sent Bishopp of Durham and his p[re]decessors in right of his and theire Bishopprick are seised in Fee of and in A County Pallatine and of all powers requisites and profitts thereunto belonging and of and in the Two Mannors or Lordshipps of Stanhopp and Wolsingham and of the Forrest of Weredale and of and in all and every the Lead Mynes Groves and Ures of Lead lying within the said Two Parrishes and Forest



3 4 & 5  To the Third Fourth and Fifth Interrogatorys this Depon[en]t sayth for and dureing all the time of this Depon[en]ts remembrance there have beene an Officer called the Mooremaster which said Officer by vertue of his said Office wrought all the Mynes and groves within the said Two Parrishes and Forrest of Weredale And had full Power Liberty and Authority by vertue of the said Office to Prohibitt Stoppn and Lett all p[er]sons whatsover from sinkeing or workeing for any oare or ure within the said two Parrishes and Forrest unless such p[er]sons were Lycensed by such Mooremaster or his Lawfull Deputy or Deputys  And this Depon[en]t sayth that hee doth verily believe the said Office to be A very Auntient office time whereof the memory of man is not to the contrary  And this Depon[en]t sayth that he hath knowne Mr Humphrey Wharton Mr Thomas Wharton Mr Richard Hutton and the Compl[ainan]t Enjoy the said Office  And knew Thomas Tarne  Roger Bainbridge  William Key and Robert Heslopp who were Deputy Mooremasters and hath heard and believes that Sr George Bowes Mr William Bowes Mr Suertyes and Mr Withers were all former Mooremasters   And this Depon[en]t hath knowne severall p[er]sons take Tacks of severall Mynes within the said two Parrishes and Forrest of Weredale  And sayth that all the Mynes of Lead oare wrought within the said two parishes and Forrest of Weredale were wrought by Tack or Grant from the Mooremaster or theire Deputys at such time as the same were wrought as incident and belonging to the said Office of Mooremaster.



To the Sixt and Seaventh Interrogatorys this Depon[en]t sayth That hee knowes all the Lands Fells Moores Hoopes and Grounds in the said Interrogatorys menc[i]oned and hath soe knowne the same for sixty five yeares or thereabouts  And sayth that hee knowes the p[ar]ticular Mynes on the p[ar]ticular Fells or grounds hereafter named (vizt)  On Ireshoppfell hee knowes the Mynes called Fawgrove Fawheads Greenwell heads Greenwell foote Claygrove Berbery grove Gravell:lodge Peiterclough Earnewell West of Earnewell Howlesike Deepclough Waggon grove Westgraine Bradesike Arnegrove Ireshoppburnefoote groveheads and Cawdberry Ends  On the Fell called Burnehopp hee knowes the Mynes called Green Law End Langtayhead East and West of Langtay head Berrywell Greenegrove Stonysike Stonysike foote Scrathheads Springwells Cocklake Flaske Black Laws East and West of Black:laws Castenholes Hesley gill Sallowgraine Windsike and Crooked Sike  On Westenhoppfell hee knowes the Mynes called Pawp[er]hills Esh clough East and West End Blaberryclough West of Blaberryclough Westgraine East and West End and Wolfeclough East and West End  On the Fell called Swinhopp hee knowes the Mynes called Broadmayfoote Berryclough Ramshawell West of Berryclough and Sparrgrove  On Harthoppfell hee knowes the Mynes called Allersikes and Harthennes  On Daddrysheildfell hee knows the Mynes called Allersikes East End and Harthennes East End   On the Fell called Kilhopp hee knowes the Mynes called Ellyclough Westrake of Greenefeild Moss grove High birkes Bogg grove Hesley hill West End Ellymay or Hesley:hill East End Clay grove Cowford Low birke Hillgrove Southgraine or high birke West End High grove and  Hilhagarth   On Welhopp fell hee knowes the Mynes called Welheads Cowhause <Briansike> Reedhills <Stout>:grove <Kettgrove> Easterley clough and Westerley clough  On Heddryclough fell hee knowes the Mynes called Heddryclough Heddryclough East and West Greenfeild East and West and Puddingthorne East and West On the Fell called Middleblackdeane hee knowes the Mynes called Allerclough Greenhills Elmeford Stoupheads Rakes Cloughhead Cragg Grove Lodgefeildslitt and Fawgrove and sayth that Cragg grove Allerclough and Stoupeheads ly within Auntient Enclosures which were Enclosed before the time of this Depon[en]ts remembrance And knowes that the said Cragg Grove and the rest of the said Groves as well within as without the Enclosure were above Fifty yeares agoe and ever since wrought by Tack from the Moorem[aster] or his Lawful Deputy or Deputyes  On Easterblackdeane fell hee knowes the mynes called Laws grove and Fairehills  On the fell called Sedlingfell hee knowes the Mynes called Broadmaygrove Toadstone Burnegrove Slackgrove Baylehill Brakensike Whiterake Midgepitts Sedling:grove Reedgrovehill Barkerburne Broadmeadows Arnegrovehill and Sedlinggreaterake  On the fell called Bollihopp hee knowes the severall Mynes called called Bollihopp grove Mirkgill Harnishaw Shaftwell Cragg grove Blackburne Eastgraine und[er] Cragg Bollihopp sheele nooke Ewtree and Levyclough  On Billing hee knowes the severall Mynes called Drygill Birkehill and Ludwell hills  And hath knowne all the said Mynes in the s[ai]d Billing wrought by the Mooremasters or by Tacks and Grants from the said Mooremasters  On the Fell called Middlehopp hee knowes the several Mynes called Broadmaysike  Earneclough Blackaxeltree Bullion grove Bondgrove Seinesike Dowkes and Newmeadowheads On the fell called Westgatehight hee knowes the Mynes called Groverake Postwell Westerlyhight pitts and Sideheads  And sayth that the said Groverake was wrought above Forty yeares since by Tack from the Mooremaster by John Carnaby and others  and hee likewise knowes the rest of the Mynes in Westgatehight wrought by Tack from the Mooremaster w[hi]ch said Westgatehight is an Auntient Enclosure and was soe Enclosed before the time of this Depon[en]ts remembrance  And the Depon[en]t likewise knowes the Myne called Newlandside which hath within the time of his remembrance beene wrought in severall places by Tack from the Mooremaster  And this Depon[en]t sayth that the Myne called Peakeside was wrought about Forty yeares since by Gamaliell Walton by Tack from the Mooremaster  On Stanhopphop hee knowes the Myne called Reeburne  On Crawley fell hee knowes the Mynes called Crawley and Rogerswell On the Fell called Rookehop hee knowes the severall Mynes called Wolfeclough Highgrove Gorbutt may Greene:clough Dixons grove Laws leape Reedburne Langwellsike Foulewood Barkeshaw meadow Wolfeclough foote East of Wolfeclough Langwell Arnehill Newgrove Groverake East Scarsike Thornygrove Scarsike West side Picklaw carr Southgraine Thornybray Booteswell Resby Myres High and Low Resby Lynskarth clough head Hinging wells Smale:burne side Picklaw Reedburne graines Hawkhill Upp[er] Skarsike West and East End  And knowes the Pickstone on Wolsingham:fell   And the Depon[en]t sayth that hee hath wrought severall of the Mynes before menc[i]oned and hath knowne severall other persons worke severall Mynes all which Mynes so wrought were wrought by Tack from the Mooremaster And this Depon[en]t is the better able to Depose as he hath p[re]deposed for that this Depon[en]t for sixty yeares last past or thereabouts hath frequently used to bee upon the severall Fells Moores Lands or grounds in these Interrogatorys menc[i]oned this Depon[en]t being a Pattent Officer und[er] the Bishopps of Durham and Ranger of the Forrest of Weredale  And this Depon[en]t further sayth That all the Mynes whatsoever which were wrought within the said Two Parrishes and Forrest of Weredale were wrought by Tack from the Mooremaster  And that the said Mooremaster or his Tackers might worke in any Enclosed meadow or corne grounds within the said Two Parrishes and Forrest  the said Mooremaster or hisTackers paying reasonable damages for treading the grass or corne within such Enclosures And this Depon[en]t sayth that hee hath heard that about Thirty five yeares since one Alphonsus Bulmer obtained a Lease from Bishopp Morton and wrought some Lead Mynes within some Coppyhold grounds and Stanhopp:Parke but this Depon[en]t sayth that the very Mynes which were wrought by the said Alphonsus Bulmer  Master William Hall and und[er] that Tythe were all within the memory of this Depon[en]t wrought by Tack or Grant from the Mooremaster or theire Deputy or Deputys as Incident and belonging to the said Office of Mooremaster



10  To the Tenth Interrogatory this Depon[en]t sayth that on or aboute the year one Thousand six hundred sixty & foure Mr William Hall did p[re]tend by vertue of A Lease from the then Bishopp of Durham some Tythe to severall Lead Mynes within Enclosed and severall grounds  And aboute Easter Terme which was in the yeare One Thousand six hundred sixty and six there was A Tryall at the Excheq[uer] Barr at Westminster betweene the Compl[ainan]t who was then pl[ain]t[iff] and the said William Hall for Two Lead mynes called Holesike and Allerclough  And the Depon[en]t sayth that hee was in the Court And A Wittness in that cause and that after a long and full Evidence on both sides the said Compl[ainan]t then pl[ain]t[iff] obtained a verdict for the said Two Mynes and hath ever since Enjoyed and occupyed the said Two Mynes without any Interruption whatsoever (unless Sr William Blackett or some others clameing und[er] him within some few months last past hath p[re]tended some Tythe to some of the Compl[ainan]ts Mynes  And this Depon[en]t sayth that att the time of the said Tryall att the Excheq[uer] Barr Ralph Bainbridge John Longdale John Westwood and John Gray being all very Auntient Wittnesses and severall yeares since deceased did all sweare in Court there that they had not onely knowne the workeing of the said Two Mynes called Allerclough and Howlesike dureing all the time of theire remembrance und[er] the Mooremaster But likewise that all the Mynes of Lead which were openned and wrought within the said Two Parrishes and Forrest As well within as without Enclosed grounds were wrought by Tack or Grant from the Mooremaster or their Deputys as Incident and belonging the said Office of Mooremaster and that noe p[er]son or p[er]sons whatsoever could worke any Myne or Mynes within any place within the said Forrest and Parrishes without a Lycense from the Mooremaster or his or theire Deputys Except in the freehold grounds of the p[ar]ticular freeholds within the said two p[arr]ishes