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farrow

Used of a cow without a calf.
places Bowland
sources Elizabeth Parker's inventor...
dates 1609

farthing bread

A loaf or a quantity of bread valued at a farthing, a frequent bequest to poor people in early wills.
related half-penny bread
places York Austhorpe Goldsborough Holbeck Wakefield Bishopthorpe
sources John Broune's will, 1492/3 Thoresby Society Publications Edmund Weynd's will 1543 Richard Leight's will, 1558 YAHS Record Series vol. 74 William Wright's will, 1500
dates 1493 1500 1517 1533 1543 1559

farthingdeal

A measure which held a fourth part or share.
related frundel
places Beverley
sources Leach, Beverley Town Documents
dates 1423

farthing time

Closed grazing time.
places Burnsall
sources YAHS Record Series vol. 3
dates 1573

fat

A vessel; usually a large tub.
places York Hull Pontefract
sources Raine, York Minster Fabric ... John Dey's accounts 1462-3 William Cowarde's will, 1554
dates 1399 1463 1554

faugh

spellings falgh
Fallow.
related tether
places Yeadon Skewsby Otley Farnley Tyas Elmswell
sources Whittle, Yeadon Court Rolls YAS Record Series John Bonner's will, 1556 Woodsome cum Farnley Tyas m... Henry Best's Farming Book Place-names of West Riding ...
dates 1390 1487 1534 1556 1586 1642

faughgate

The possession of oxgangs in the common fields gave tenants certain rights and obligations: the faughgate was a right to graze on fallow land.
places Acomb
sources YAS Record Series vol. 1
dates 1624

feather

spellings feathered featherill
Names given to oxen and cows, possibly a reference to a distinctive tuft of hair.
places Fairburn Conistone
sources John Bywater's will, 1551 John Walker's will, 1558 Richard Wigglesworth's Acco...
dates 1551 1558 1702

feehouse

A building where cattle were housed.
places Guisborough Whitby Bouthwaite Mirfield
sources Surtees Society Publications Court Roll West Heaton, 146...
dates 1200-1299 1395 1463 1537

feeman

spellings feemaster
In monasteries, keepers of cattle.
places Bouthwaite Morcar Grange Well Brandsby Rievaulx
sources Fountains Abbey Rentals, 15... George Nevill's will 1567 Richard Cholmeley's book 16... YAS Record Series
dates 1508 1512 1533 1567 1615

feemanlike

spellings feemanly feemanship feemastership
Occur in documents relating to the feemen of Fountains Abbey and they concern the standards expected of such tenants.
places Fountains Abbey Bouthwaite Brimham Lofthouse
sources Fountains Abbey Rentals, 15... Robert Rayner's appointment...
dates 1508 1516 1537

felf

spellings felk
A ‘felloe’ or ‘felly’ was one of the curved pieces of wood which made up the rim of a wheel.
places Hampole Ecclesfield Fixby Almondbury Elmswell North Bierley Branton Green
sources YAS Record Series Parish Registers John Thornhill's inventory,... Ramsden of Byram and Longley Henry Best's Farming Book William Richardson's invent... Pontefract session roll Apr...
dates 1540 1545 1567 1616 1642 1667 1751

fell(1)

A hill or mountain.
places Fountains Abbey Fountains Fell Bowland
sources Fountains Abbey Bursar Acco... Surtees Society Publications Wetherby session roll Janua...
dates 1456-1457 1537 1710

fell(2)

A verb used by weavers meaning to finish a piece or a warp.
places Keighley
sources Abraham Shackleton's Diary
dates 1794

fellmonger

A dealer in skins or hides, a word which is on record only from 1530 (OED).
places Sheffield Beverley Kirkby Malzeard
sources Parish Registers YAS Record Series Deed for Charles Inman's sh...
dates 1659 1666 1704

fellow

The primary sense is ‘one who lays down money in a joint undertaking with others’ (OED).
related tuke
places Pontefract
sources Thoresby Society Publications Richard Eycrode's will 1493
dates 1472 1493

felt

spellings felt hat
Felt is a material of wool, or wool, fur and hair, with the fibres matted together under pressure.
places Richmond Bradford Hull Fountains Abbey Methley York
sources Thomas Pasmore's administra... William Illingworth's will ... Nicholas Elys' and William ... Thomas Swynton Memorandum B... Pickering, Statutes at Large Thoresby Society Publications York freemen's register
dates 1446-1458 1450 1453 1495 1570 1577 1584

felt-maker

There were felt-makers in York in the sixteenth century.
places York
sources YAS Record Series
dates 1593

femble

The usual east-Yorkshire spelling of ‘fimble’, a word recorded from 1484 (OED). It is literally ‘female hemp’, and it applied to both the male plant and the fibre from it.
related hesp
places York Brantingham South Cave
sources Raine, York Minster Fabric ... Richard Smethley's inventor... Robert Chapman's inventory,...
dates 1422 1554 1621

fence

A hedge, wall or other enclosure, a short form of ‘defence’.
places Selby Scalm Park Thurlstone
sources York Memoranda Book Yorkshire Archaeological Jo... Adam Eyre's Diary 19 April ...
dates 1533 1647 1690

fenceman

A tenant who was responsible for drawing attention to defects in the fences, a word noted by Angus Winchester.
places Lartington
sources Lartington manor court roll...
dates 1484

fence month

spellings fence time
The enclosing of coppice woods to protect new growth from grazing animals.
places Bishopside Pickering Galtres
sources Fountains Abbey Rentals, 15... North Riding Records YAS Record Series vol. 1
dates 1250 1520 1619-1621

fencible

Used of arms and armour which were capable of being used for defence.
places Beeston
sources William Grege's will, 1541
dates 1541

fending

In the example quoted it was used to mean ‘being provided for’, which is close to the usage in Scotland.
places Bradford
sources Thomas Bower's inventory 1617
dates 1617

ferrour

A worker in iron, a smith.
places York Selby
sources York freemen's register Fenwick, Poll Tax
dates 1274 1379

ferryman

The man in charge of a ferry.
places Yedingham Ferry Fryston
sources Lay and Clerical Taxation H... Fenwick, Poll Tax
dates 1297 1379

fest

A spelling of the verb ‘to fast’, that is to make fast or secure.
related boardgate great god
places York Whitby Woodsome Elland West Riding Bordley Slaidburn Farnley Brandsby Sharlston Harden
sources York House Book 8 Quarter Sessions Records Kaye Commonplace Book Parish Registers Quarter Session rolls 1662-... Geoffray Proctour's will, 1525 Adam Simonds' will, 1705 Farnley pit accounts 1690-1720 Richard Cholmeley's book 16... Skipton session roll July 1684 Bradford session roll July ...
dates 1500 1524 1579 1609 1658 1661 1684 1705 1710 1719 1722

fettle

To put in order, clean up, make tidy.
places Bolton Priory Bingley Tong South Crosland
sources Hartley and Ingilby Leeds session roll October ... Account book of John Sowden... George Redmonds Papers
dates 1686-1687 1710 1790 1819

fey

spellings feigh
To clean, the usual spelling in Yorkshire of 'to fay'. The OED has examples of the same word from c.1205 to 1400, spelt ‘fay’, meaning especially to clean weapons.
places Burton Pidsea Wakefield Sheffield York Thurstonland Halifax Farnley Elmswell Stillingfleet Tong South Crosland
sources Raine, York Minster Fabric ... YAHS Record Series vol. 74 Hunter Archaeological Socie... Webb, Churchwardens' Accounts Redmonds, Yorkshire Deeds Halifax Antiquarian Society... Farnley pit accounts 1690-1720 Henry Best's Farming Book YAS Record Series Account book of coals got a... George Redmonds Papers
dates 1530 1533 1535 1539 1560 1574 1578 1642 1717 1760 1819

field

A variety of meanings over time, including open country; unenclosed land which was worked communally; or enclosed land given over to crops or pasture.
places Lepton Bilbrough
sources Feoffment of land in Lepton... Johnson c. Rawdon tithe cause Leeds session roll October ...
dates 1200-1299 1563-1564 1722

field house

This was the usual word in the past for the field barns that are now characteristic of the Dales landscape, especially in Swaledale and Wensleydale.
places Wensleydale
sources YAS Record Series vol. 104 Skipton session roll July 1692
dates 1613 1692

fieldmaster

The township officer who was responsible for matters to do with the common agricultural land or town fields.
places Pontefract
sources Surtees Society Publications
dates 1546

filbert

The nut of the cultivated hazel or the tree itself.
related fylbark
places Yeadon Howden Elmswell
sources Whittle, Yeadon Court Rolls Deed for property in Howden... Henry Best's Farming Book Barnsley session roll Octob...
dates 1476 1584 1642 1735

file-cutter

Occupational term, apparently synonymouse with both filemaker and filesmith.
related stithy stock
places Sheffield
sources Joseph Brammall's inventory... Parish Registers Ball et al., Water Power on...
dates 1698 1700 1704 1715

file-grinder

spellings file-hewer
Rare occupational term, first noted in the eighteenth century.
places Sheffield Wakefield
sources Leader, Company of Cutlers South Yorkshire collection John Brearley's Memorandum ...
dates 1726 1761 1767

filemaker

spellings filesmith
These terms cannot readily be distinguished from that of ‘file-cutter’ and the evidence for all three is relatively late.
related file-cutter hack-hammer
places Eckington Sheffield
sources Hey, Fiery Blades T. Walter Hall, Sheffield a... Parish Registers
dates 1616 1657 1698

fillet

Ultimately from a word for ‘thread’, a diminutive. It developed a wide range of meanings but clearly meant a head-band or necklace in some early references.
places Calverley Harewood Newark Ripon York Skipton
sources Thoresby Society Publications Margery Aldeburgh's will, 1391 Elizabeth de Thorp's will, ... Ripon Minster fabric rolls Testamenta Eboracensia 4 Quarter Session rolls 1662-...
dates 1379-1380 1388 1391 1401 1504 1689

filleting

Inserting material between stones, boards and the like, principally to exclude damp and draughts.
places Ripon
sources YAS Record Series vol. 1
dates 1664

find

The verb formerly had several related meanings which are not now in general usage, that is to provide for or to maintain.
related finding
places Pontefract Bridlington Clint Elmswell Downholme
sources Thoresby Society Publications Dame Margaret Pygot's will,... YAS Record Series Henry Best's Farming Book Rayfe Scrafton's will and i...
dates 1472 1485 1533 1597 1642

finding

This verbal noun was used to mean providing for, or maintenance.
places Lead Farnley Malton Fountains Abbey
sources Thoresby Society Publications YAS Record Series vol. 1 Quarter Sessions Records Surtees Society Publications
dates 1484 1507 1540 1608

fine

spellings finer
To ‘fine’ was to refine, particularly metals.
places York
sources Raine, York Minster Fabric ... York freemen's register
dates 1371 1442 1443

finery

A hearth where cast iron is made malleable or in which steel is made from pig-iron (OED).
related fine forge-finer
places Colne Bridge
sources H L Bradfer-Lawrence collec...
dates 1666

fire-boot

spellings fire-bote
A tenant’s right to take wood for his fire.
places Bagby Coley
sources YAS Record Series YAHS Record Series vol. 3
dates 1313 1529

fire-box

Possibly a tinder box although the context may hint at a different interpretation.
places Bretton Hall
sources Sir Thomas Wentworth's inve...
dates 1675

fire engine

Engine used to extinguish fire.
related gin
places Colsterdale Leeds Hunslet Beeston
sources Tyson, Mashamshire Collieries The Compleat Collier Yorkshire Archaeological Jo... Leeds Mercury, 27 July 1742 Denison papers
dates 1693 1708 1719 1742 1787

fire-fanged

Scorched or singed.
places Beverley
sources YAS Record Series
dates 1629

firehouse

A building with a fire-place, usually a dwelling house but not always.
places Rawmarsh North Stainley Sowerby near Halifax Lofthouse Abbotside Lythe Lockton
sources Lease of a toft and croft, ... Fountains Abbey Rentals, 15... Wakefield Court Rolls 4 Oct... Robertshaw, West Yorkshire ... George Thwaits' will, 1654 Quarter Sessions Records North Riding Records
dates 1474 1509 1538 1586 1611 1654 1735

fire-pan

Apparently a metal pan in which a fire could be lit: in York such implements served to illuminate the streets on important occasions.
places York
sources Dobson, York Chamberlains' ... York Memoranda Book
dates 1478 1479

fire-point

spellings fire-pote
A pointed iron bar, which served to 'poke' or agitate the coals in a fire.
places Tong Almondbury Dalton Lepton Cottingley Huddersfield Northowram Halifax
sources Quarter Session rolls 1662-... Easther, Dialect Glossary Beaumont of Whitley Horton Mss Preston, Probate of Crosley... Hester Spivy's deposition 1... Quarter Sessions rolls 1720 Wakefield session roll Octo...
dates 1588 1622 1644 1652 1672 1676-1677 1720

fire-room

This was sometimes a reference to the room in which there was a fire or chimney but more particularly it meant the right to use such a room.
related firehouse house-room
places Huddersfield
sources YAS Record Series
dates 1638

firkin

A small cask used to store or transport a variety of provisions.
places Hull Whitby Brantingham Elmswell
sources Edmund Talbot's and John Fo... Yorkshire Archaeological Jo... Richard Smethley's inventor... John Best's inventory 1668/9
dates 1483 1527 1554 1669
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