b'Storm Causes HavocThe Yorkshire Evening Press: Monday, July 18th, 1983U nder the heading of Bishop Wilton hit by worstBatteredfloods in living memory, the Evening PressWater running off the hills at the rear of the village reported on the aftermath of a storm that occurredturned the stream through the centre - normally a on Sunday, July 17th, 1983. Extracts are reproducedtrickle at this time of year - into a torrent.here: Cellars and farmyards were flooded, roads blocked A cloudburst hit the village with a deluge of waterand a holiday cottage was struck by lightning.that left residents reeling. Houses were flooded, aThere was a power failure and a church service cottage was struck by lightning and roads becamewas held by the light of candles and the organ was impassable rivers - all in a matter of minutes. hand pumped.A dyke at the top of the village overflowed andWhen worshippers came to leave the candle-lit water cascaded through one cottage from the backchurch many were stranded and could not reach door to the front. their cars: tractors ferried people through the swirling The owners, Mr and Mrs Ken Sissons, had nowaters. Farmers wife Mrs Nancy Hutchinson, of warning and no time to rescue their carpets. Manor Farm, at the bottom of the village, who left the Power went off in the middle of the afternoon andchurch on a tractor, could not recall ever seeing so was not restored until early today, about 17 hoursmuch water in the village.later.Church CleaningKate Pratt2 00 years ago it would seem that the church wasis a scribbled list which gives the names of this group cleaned thoroughly once a year by a gang ofof usually anonymous workers: Jane West, Hannah women, rather than monthly by rota. Mason, Hannah Bentley, Deckey Nanney, Robin An entry in the Churchwardens Accounts forNanney, Hannah Smith, Ann Robinson, Rebecah 1806/7 1states that 14 women were paid 9/4d forCoverdale, Elizabeth Pickering, Elizabeth Denneson, washing the church (8d each), plus 16/8d was paid forDumb Nanney, Ann Gray, Ann Seller & Elizabeth their Lowance and Teawhich seems comparativelyGospil.generous. Inside the front cover of the Account book 1Borthwick Institute, University of York, Ref: BW/24CopyholdMike PrattI n the article about the Tenneson family in thisThe jurisdiction of manorial courts was finally Bulletin there is an extract from the 1772 enclosureended in 1925 by the Law of Property Act which, award that refers to land being Copyhold of thealthough it did not abolish them (and they may still said Manor. The term copyhold was used in thebe held), made it illegal for any profit to be taken from old manorial courts where the changing possessionthem. All copyhold land was at that time converted to of land was recorded in documents called the courtfreehold. 1rolls. One person surrendered land so that it couldInterestingly, a manor court still meets in Laxton, be regranted to someone else. As the recording ofNottinghamshire. It is the only village in Britain to have this transaction acted as proof of tenancy, a copyretained its medieval open field farming system, with of the entry in the court roll was obtained and theeach farmer allotted separate strips in the open or tenant eventually became known as the copyholdercommon fields. because he held land by copy of the court roll. 1Quotes and background material from: Sylvia Thomas, Manorial Court Rolls and Their Contents, in Medieval Manorial Records edited by Margaret L. Faull. Published by the Medieval Section ofthe Yorkshire Archaeological Society, 1983.262 BULLETIN 14'