Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/25

8 HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. Antonius Bete began to encastellate it : he made the great haulle : there be divers pillars of black marble spekeled with white, and an exceeding faire great chambre, with others there. He made also an exceeding goodly chappelle ther of ston well squarid, and a college with dene and prebends yn it, and a quadrant on the south-west side of the castelle for ministers of the college. Skirlaw, Bishop of Duresme, made a goodly gate-house at entering into the castelle of Akeland. There is a fair park by the castelle, having fallow deer, wild bulles, and kine." Camden, who wrote his " Britannia" in the early part of the 16th century, after adverting to Witton Castle, thus describes Auckland : — " After this the Were, some few miles lower, receives Gaunless, a little river from the south, where at the very confluence, upon a little hill, stands Auckland, so named (as Sarron in Greece was) from the oaks ; where we see a fair built house of the Bishop's with turrets, as it now stands, repaired by Anthony Bee ; and a very fine bridge, built by Walter Skirlaw the Bishop about the year 1400, who then also enlarged this house, and made a bridge over the Tees at Yarum. From hence the Were goes northward, that it may continue longer in this county, and soon comes within sight of the reliques of an old city, seated upon the top of a hiQ which is not in being at this day, but dead and gone many years ago, called by Antoninus Vinoviumy by Ptolemy Binovium. At present it is called by us Btnchester, and consists of about one or two houses only, yet much took notice of by the neighbours thereabouts upon the account of the rubbish and the ruins of walls yet extant ; and also for the Roman coins often dug up in it, which they call Binchester penies." But we are degressing, and anticipating. Such, however, is the description of Auckland and its Castle, as given by the various old writers quoted above, bearing upon the subject of Bishop Beck, and his bmlding operations at that place. The next document of importance which comes under our notice is an account kept by Peter de Midrigg, steward of the Manor of Auckland, in the time of Bishop Bury, for the year ending 1338, and which is still preserved in the auditor's office in the Exchequer at Durham, a translation of which is given in " Kaine's Auckland Castle," but which is too lengthy to transcribe into the pages of a brief sketch like this. This document is useful in showing the gradual change which had taken place with respect to the services due to the Bishop, from his bondagers and villans, since the time of the compilation of the Boldon Buke — ^a time when most of the rural tenantry were in a state of vilienage, and formed a part of the estate of the feudal Lord as much as the trees that grew thereon. In it we find many of those services commuted for money, others continue to be rendered as of old. It is also highly important and interesting, as illustrative of the domestic economy, wages, &c., of that period. We give a few extracts bearing more immediately upon the subject in hand : — Sebvices in Money. — ^And of 17s. 6d. for 420 services so sold. And of £4 4s. received of the said bondagers for their weekly services in autumn, from St. Peter ad Vincula to Martinmas, of each man 3s., according to custom. And nothing from 78 services of 13 cottagers of Aukland, because they performed their services this year in strewing hay; of each six services. And of 38s. 3d. of the services of 17 bondagers of West Aukland for their services in autumn, of each 2s. 3d., according to custom. And of 128. 9d. received from the said 17 bondagers for their "outlade," of eaph lOd. for three " outlades," [the service of carting the Bishop's goods when he was going out, or from Aukland to some of his neighbouring manors]. And nothing from 120 loads of wood, to be carried by the bondagers of West Aukland, because they did tiieir services this year. And of 2s. 9d. received of five malmen [one who pays a portion of his rent in meal] of West Aukland for their " avirakres" [supposed to be acres for which services were to be rendered.] And of 188 6d. received from Aukland, Escumb, and Newton, in lieu of their ploughing days. Sum X8 13s. 9d. Sale of Hebbage and of the Obchajeu). — ^And of 10s. received for the ground of the orchard reduced into cultivation, and leased for the time of this account. And of 3s. 6d. for the herbage of the orchard near the Gaunlesse. And of fruit nothing, because there is neither fruit nor tree. Sum 13s. 6d. WoDELADE [the service of leading wood or fuel to the Manor-house]. — ^And of 9s. 9d. received of Nicholas Gategang, received as in wodelade rendered. To a carpenter repairing the covering of the gutter of the hall with shingles or boards, for three weeks, and my Lord's chamber, 6s., at 2s. per week. To one serving the said carpenter for a week, lOd. To two slaters working upon the long stable and the turret for three days 2s., to each per day 4d. To a slater working there for half-a-day 2d. To one serving him for the same time Id. To John de Allirton, caroenter ; William Spencer ; John, Digitized by Google