Historical Account of Crawcrook, 1820

A village about one mile to the West of Ryton.

Boldon Book.—Crawcrook is on lease with the villan service and the demesne, with a farm stock of one draught and two harrows, and pays, besides the assized rent (præter assisum redditum), eleven marks and a half, and for the assized rent four marks and a half, and the vill provides one milch cow, furnishes four chalder of barley, as much of meal, as much of oats, maintains one man for Castleward, and joins with Riton in carting one ton of wine.

Before the date of Hatfield's Survey, Crawcrook had become a free manor, of which one moiety was vested in the family of Horsley, of Horsley in Northumberland. "Robert Horsley holds half the vill of Crawcrok, by knight's service and ten shillings (and a toft and forty acres called Bradley, by one penny rent, on St. Cuthbert's day in September).".....

Crawcrook was sold out by the Carnaby's in small parcels,;and the property is at present divided amongst numerous proprietors.

Little Kepyer, in Crawcrook.—A moiety of the vill of Crawcrook; was the property of the Hospital of St. Giles of Kepyer, and this portion seems to have been distinguished after the dissolution, by the name of Little Kepyer.

13 March, 1552, Edward VI. granted to John Cockburne, Lord of Black Ormiston, (inter alia ) all the possessions of the dissolved house of Kepyer in Gateshead, Whickham, and Ryton (fn. 47). Cockburne transferred the whole possessions of the Hospital to Heath; and in 1587 John Watson, of Newcastle, Merchant, acquired by fine of John Heath, Esq. "four messuages, a water mill, four gardens, two hundred acres of arable, as many of pasture, a hundred and forty of meadow, forty acres of woodland, two hundred of furze and heath, three hundred of moor, thirty of marsh, a free fishery in the Tyne, and 27s. rent in Little Kepyeare near Crawcroke.

In 1612 the same John Watson died seized of the capital messuage called Little Kepyeare in Crawcrook, leaving Thomas Watson his son and heir, who granted the estate by fine and recovery in 1615, to Thomas Liddell the younger, Esq. Timothy Comyn, Gent, and Thomas Humble. The conveyance was probably only a family settlement, for in 1618 another alienation occurs from Thomas Watson, Anne his wife, and Ralph Watson, to Robert Delaval, Esq.

Previous to this, in 1609, John Watson had granted part of his lands in Little Kepyer; 4 messuages and tofts, 90 acres of arable, six of meadow, and common in Ryton and Crawcrook, to Robert Sander the elder, William Jollie, John Hauxley, and William French; all of whose descendants held lands here in various proportions.

In 1621 Robert Sander died seized of lands in Crawcrook, parcel of Little Kepyer, which he had settled by indenture of trust, 17 Oct. 1617, on John Hauxlie and Robert Sander on the hill.

In 1618 William French died seized of another parcel, leaving a son of his own name under age.

In 1638 John Hauxley died seized of a messuage, mines, and quarries, in Crawcrook, parcel of the dissolved hospital of Kepyer, held of the Crown by knight's service, leaving Thomas his son and heir. In 165. Catharine, daughter and coheir of John Hauxley, of Crawcrook, intermarried with Robert Surtees, of Ryton, Gent. whose representative, Robert Surtees, of Redworth, Esq. is possessed of considerable property in Crawcrook. In 1794 Crawcrook Tounfields, consisting of 700 acres, were divided by Act of Parliament. The coal-mines were reserved to such persons as were entitled before the division, and the other royalties to John Wharton, Esq. and Crosier Surtees, Esq.