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Rogerthorpe Manor Owners and Residents
Land ownership was a technical business and has its own terms which are worth clarifying.
Although today we often use the terms "village" and "manor" in an interchangeable way there is a difference. A "village" is a small rural community of usually principally engaged in agricultural activities. A " manor" on the other hand is a unit of lordship which may include one, some or no "villages" .The Lord of the Manor derived his income from the sale of produce on his own land (the home farm or "demesne"), rents from dependent tenantry and profits of jurisdiction exercised in the manoral court. A particular lord may have had estates made up of many manors (sometimes referred to as an "Honour" as in the Honour of Pontefract) some of which, with their demesnes, he may rent to others. A tenant living in the manor would not be Lord of the Manor and his income would only be derived from sale of produce from the land he was renting plus any income from sub-letting. Even purchase of the manor house and lands would not necessarily confer the lordship of the manor on the purchaser.
In early times our ancestors banded together for their own defence and to maintain law and order in their society. These groups were usually referred to as "Hundreds" in the South of England and "Wapentakes" in the North. The area over which a manoral court had jurisdiction was known as a "Soke" or "Bailiwick". Thus Rogerthorpe together with Badsworth and Upton formed a Soke which was part of the Osgoldcross Wapentake. All this was part of the Honour of Pontefract.
The owner of The Honour of Pontefract which included Rogerthorpe Manor at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 was Ilbert de Lacy of Pontefract Castle. William the Conqueror granted many estates to Ilbert and it is a certainty that Ilbert did not live at Rogerthorpe.
Shortly after the compilation of the Domesday Book the de la Val family acquired the estate because 6 carucates of land in Rogerthorpe and Thorp Audlin were granted to the Augustinian Canons at Nostell Priory in 1166 by Hugh de la Val.
At some time between 1177 and 1193 Prior Arkentill of Nostell Priory released the claim on the land to Robert de Lacy. This was during the time of Richard the Lion Heart; a period of time we fondly associate with the crusades and Robin Hood. Rogerthorpe is situated on the edge of Barnsdale Forest where the Robin of legend had many adventures.
Much as the thought of Robin entertaining Robert de Lacy in the greenwood is appealing it simply could not have happened! There are many theories as to who Robin Hood actually was and some associate him with this area although at a much later date. One of the many anachronisms in the popular tale is the presence of Friar Tuck but there were no friars in this country until after the death of King John who followed King Richard.