The Elland Feud A feud between: the Plantagenet family of the honour of Pontefract and the Plantagenet-Warrene family of the manor of Wakefield, Conisbrough and Lewes. |
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.
They first took the miller and his wife hostage at Elland
Mill on Palm Sunday, 1354. Sir John had already been forewarned of
a possible ambush and had taken the precaution of wearing armour under
his clothing. On approaching Elland Mill the group were fired upon
with arrows, killing the sheriff of Yorkshire, Sir John and mortally
wounding his son. Another story says Sir Eland's horse reared up throwing
him off and was killed by the four accomplices, this version has Eland's
son being killed at a later time on his way to church with his family
Quarmby and John de Lockwood were
chased and slain*, Lockwood having been
betrayed by his sweetheart at Cawthorne. She was the daughter of
the tenant of Cannon Hall, Cawthorne. The tenant came to hear of
Lockwood's involvement and sent word to the owner of Cannon Hall, Thomas
de Bosville, who sent men to Cannon Hall who then hanged Lockwood.
Adam Beaumont died, later fighting
against the Turks in Hungary with the Knights of Rhodes9. The Lacys' (de Lacis') faded temporarily
in the north. * Some say John Lockwood was hanged.
Early Lockwood genealogy;
Adam de Locwode
|
Thomas de Locwode===Margaret.
living A.D. 1308. |
____________________________________
|
|
Emma====John===========Margaret
Margaret=======William de
|
|
2nd
wife
the defendant
Fyney
Isabella
William
|
d.s.p.
Richard Newal,
the plaintiff.
Margaret, the defendant, had entered as heir of William, who had died
s.p.
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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.
Sir John de Eland Outside Crosland Hall 134016
.
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
Supporters of Edward II & III | Supporters of Thomas Earl of Lancaster who were after opponents of the De Elands. |
1. Earl Warrene (House of
Warrene)* 2. Sir John de Eland (snr.) 3. Sir John de Eland's nephew 4. John de Eland (jnr.) and son. 5.Saviles |
1.Thomas Plantagenet Earl
of Lancaster (House of Lancaster)
2. Robert and Lady Beaumont of Crosland Hall and two sons 3. Quarmby of Quarmby Hall and son. 4. Lockwood of Lockwood and son. 5. Lacy of Cromwell Bottom. |
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:
Quarmby, anciently the seat of a family of that
name. In the reign of King Edward III. 1341, Sir John Eland,
being High-Sheriff of Yorkshire, a quarrel took place between him
and three neighbouring gentlemen: John de Lockwood, Sir Robert
de Beaumont, and Sir Hugh Quarmby; what occasioned the dispute does
not appear, but it arose to such a dreadful height, as to cause the
death of all the three, who were murdered in one night, by the Sheriff
and his men; a circumstance that strongly marks the ferocious manners
of the times. --Watson [also in Hunter's South Yorkshire8].
The fate of Sir Hugh Quarmby and Sir Robert de Bellomonte is thus related by a poet of those days :- "He raisd the country round about, His friends and tenants all, And for his purpose picked out Stout sturdy men, and tall:
To Quarmby-Hall they came by night,
To Lockwood then the self same night
When they had slain thus suddenly
The lady cry'd, and shreik'd withal, |
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
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![]() 4. John de Eland the younger and his lady cross by the stepping stones at the Calder Mill.18 |
A PORTION OF THE BEAUMONT PEDIGREE:14
Sir William III de Bellomont of Drayton, Norfolk=========Elizabeth de Foss de Crosland
|
Gracia de Crosland of Crosland Hall*=====1=====Sir Robert de Bellomont [Beaumont]=====2=====Agnes de Quarmby
|
______________________________________
Adam Sir John Sir Thomas Nicholas Robert
*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 descendancy from Agnes de Quarmby.
![]() Elland Old Hall17 |
Sir Robert [killed 134815] - a main character in the ballad of the Elland Feud. is mentioned as militis in ~ 1317 [10 Ed II] and in1303 became the heir of the manors of Over Whitley, 'Crossland' [today Crosland] and Huddersfield [Burke's Heraldic History of the Commoners.] Abt 1324 in the final years of King Edward II he was appoited 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 in 1666, p. 253 says he was militis and lord of Whitley in 21 Ed III [1348]. [Sir] Thomas- Abt 1326 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:
6th July 1351 at Westminster - Commission to William de Plumpton, Brian de Thornhill, William de Skarghill, the elder, Nicholas de Wortelay, Henry de Sothill, John de Calverlay, Thomas Flemmyng, Robert de Staynton, Adam de Hopton, John Tours, Aymer Burdet, William de Mirfeld, John de Sheffeld William de Lewenthorp, William de Beston and Thomas de Fenton reciting that Adam Beaumund, William de Lokwode and very many other felons indicted of the death of John de Eland, one of the king's justices appointed to hear and determine trespasses in the West Riding co. York, gathering to themselves a very great number of felons and evil doers have killed John son of the said John because he was suing before the king to punish them for his father's death, and many others of the household and friendship of the said John de Eland, and have committed various assaults on the king's justices appointed to hear and determine such homicides, felonies, trespasses and misdeeds, and killed some of their men and servants, and now strive to the utmost of their power to hinder those who indict them, the justices, the sheriff and other ministers of the king from executing his mandates and their offices, openly threatening them, and so to hinder if they can the king from ruling and doing justice to his people; and appointing them to take the said felons and such others as the justices shall furnish names of and bring them to the gaol of York. Wherefore the king commands them on pain of life and limbs and all that they can forfeit to be diligent in the execution of the premises.20 |
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.