Tag: Adam Baines

As I blogged about two weeks ago, I have been intensely researching my Baines Family lines. I came across some interesting info that I’d like to share, even if this surname isn’t in your family tree.

Did you know that back in the day you could “buy” a porch to a church and when you didn’t want it any longer you could “sell” it? I had no idea. This is a summary of an article by the Reverend R. Percival Brown who explored an inscribed tablet preserved at Kirkby Lonsdale Church in what was then Westmorland (now Cumbria), U.K.

The tablet recorded ownership and repair to the church’s south porch which implied that the porch was of private ownership of a portion of the church, a practice not typically thought of during that period in Great Britain. Brown reminded readers that churches have sold burial plots on church property and that the selling of a porch is not very different, especially since the porch was originally built to cover the burial sites of the family members who were interred there.

The sign, painted with black letters on a whiteboard, had been restored by various owners over the years, and from several sources who had recorded it, the wording was somewhat altered.[1] By 1925, Brown believed that the original wording was thus:

 This porch by ye banes first builded was,

of heigholme hall they weare ;

and after sould to Christopher wood

by willyam Baines therof last heyre;

and is repayred as you see

and sett in order good

by the true owner nowe thereof

the foresaide Christopher wood.[2]

Brown noted that the above was metrically and verbally accurate and fits with an existing armorial shield.[3] I’d like to point out the spelling – remember there were no spelling rules back in the day!

Building, maintaining, and therefore, owning a porch affixed to a church may appear a strange practice in modern times. When one considers that the porch covered the Baines family burial plots the motivation for the original builder makes sense. The church likely needed a second exit, one close to the burial grounds, and the addition of a porch accessible to all would serve that purpose.

Further supporting that narrative was that the burial location for the family was adjacent to the south wall which, in those times, was regarded as a location of importance.[4] It is not surprising that an influential family maintained their status through a donation such as this to their local church while also benefitting through the preservation of their ancestor’s burial sites.

Luckily for descendants of the porch owners over the years, Brown researched the Baines, Wood, and Wilson families. Although the provenance of the porch is not firmly established, it was likely made by one of the earliest Baines family members to the area. What is known was that Adam Baines of Hegholme acquired land in Whinfell in 1428.[5] The estate became known as Hegholme Hall through the 18^th century.[6] Adam’s son, William, was known to be living there in 1497.[7]

William likely had a son, Adam, who inherited Hegholme as a portion of the land, known as Gilfoot, was sold before Easter 1546 to John Rigmaden and Anthony Rosse and the remainder was sold off at Michaelmas 1547 to the Bainbrig family.[8]

That Adam’s son was probably John, whose son Thomas Baynes of Hegholme was baptized on 14 December 1544.[9] John was buried on 4 April 1547.[10]

Although no baptism record survives, it was likely that Adam had a second son, Adam [Jr.] who appeared in the church record with baptisms for his children Mable, Thomas, and James.[11] Adam Sr. was buried on 18 May 1564.[12]

Brown places one more child in Adam’s family – William, who was the original builder of the porch.[13] William would have been an heir of Hegholme and therefore, be a part of this lineage. Further support was given through William, who had a known brother named Thomas.

William was first noted in records as being the father of a bastard, who was baptized on 18 January 1593-4.[14] A legitimate child of William’s, Adam, was baptized on 2 February 1599-1600 in the local parish chapel at Killington which became licensed to celebrate the sacraments in 1585.[15] William was buried on 23 August 1603 and at the time of Brown, William’s will existed.[16] William was noted to be “of Hegholm” and the will was witnessed by George Bainbrig.[17] William had named his underage heir, son Adam, leaving him land in Hegholme and Killington.[18] His goods, valued at 12 pounds after removing debts of 20 pounds, to his wife, Jane [Wright], and daughter Isabel who was also underage.[19] It is not known if Isabel was the bastard born in 1593-4 or a legitimate child whose baptism record was not found. Thomas was named as a brother of William, along with a brother-in-law, Oliver Wright.[20] Thomas and Oliver were appointed as supervisors for the children in the event that their mother Jane married second before the children came of age.[21]

Jane did marry second on 19 October 1608 to Richard Walker.[22] Son Adam married on 23 January 1625-6 at Killington to Elinor Bainbrig, the granddaughter of George who witnessed William’s will.[23] The uniting of families by marriage to retain status and land was not unusual for the time. I guess it’s not so unusual in modern times, either.

About 1593, lawyer Christopher Wood sought to purchase property in the area as his brother was already farming within the region.[24] Brown suggested that Wood purchased from William Baines Hegholme Hall as his residence but not the land surrounding the building.[25] This would support the will stating William was of Hegholme and not necessarily of Hegholme Hall.

The genealogy of Christopher Woods family who likely owned the Hall through 1617 was reported; from 1626-1659 records show a Walker family were owners.[26] Church benefactor Henry Wilson of Underley who died in 1639 may also have contributed to financing the maintenance of the porch.[27]

When ownership of the porch transferred was important as the church sign may have had the date modified over the years during restoration which reflected inaccuracy. Brown’s analysis of the work of Machel and close inspection of the stylistic nature of the writing leads one to conclude that the date should have reflected the ownership of Christopher Wood who was also likely the individual who composed the poem and had the sign installed on the church wall.[28] Brown makes a case that the date should have been recorded as either 1596 or 1606.[29]

The porch was removed in 1866 during a church restoration project.[30] It was noted at that time the porch was repaired by Christopher Wood in 1625.[31] If true, the maintenance was short-lived as the following year the Walker family was the new owners.[32]

The intricate history of the Baines family, Hegholme Hall, and the south porch of Kirkby Lonsdale Church serves as a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of family legacy, ecclesiastical tradition, and local history. Through Rev. R. Percival Brown’s meticulous research, we gain a deeper understanding of how land ownership, social status, and familial ties were enmeshed with church patronage during the period. The inscription, though altered over time, remains a testament to the intertwined narratives of the Baines and Wood families, as well as their enduring contributions to Kirkby Lonsdale’s heritage. Though the porch itself is long gone, the stories it sheltered live on through the records, offering a tangible link to the past for historians and descendants alike. Most importantly, the pedigree of former owners of the porch remains for descendants as a valuable record of their ancestral ties, social significance, and historical legacy within the Kirkby Lonsdale community.

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[1] Wares cited: Ware, Notes on the Parish Church of Kirkby Lonsdale.

` A descriptive guide to the English lakes ‘ (8th ed. 1849)

History of Westmorland (1847) i. 364. He notes it as in `an ancient chapel.’

Machell MSS. vol. v, p. ais. (I am indebted to the Rev. Christopher Gathorne M.A. for the transcript.) Y

[2] Brown, Rev. R. Percival, The Christopher Wood’s Inscription in Kirkby Lonsdale Church, 1925, p. 321.

[3] ibid, p. 322.

[4] ibid, p. 323.

[5] ibid, p. 324 citing Records of Kendale, vol. i, p. 225.

[6] ibid, p. 324.

[7] ibid, p. 324.

[8] ibid, p. 325. George Baynebrig had acquired part of the land as his descendants were found there several generations later. Baynebrig paid a Fine on Easter 1546 for 40 acres of land, 10 acres of meadow, 60 acres of pasture, and 60 acres of juniper and scrub.

   Adam Baynes sold to Miles Bainbrig in late September 1547 four closes in Hegholm. Closes are enclosed field or parcels of land.

[9] ibid, p. 324 citing 4 Dec. 1544. Bapt. Thomas Baynes sone of Jo: Banes of hegholme.

[10] ibid, p. 325. Brown provided no source, likely parish records. His wife may have been Elizabeth Mansergh, daughter of Edward. Elizabeth’s brother, George left a widow Margaret who married John Wood, later owner of Hegholme Hall.

[11] ibid, p. 325. Mabel January 1550-1, Thomas February 1553-4, Thomas December 1560.

[12] ibid, p. 325.

[13] ibid, p. 325.

[14] ibid, p. 325.

[15] ibid, p. 325.

See Samuelson, Lori. The Lawsuite of Chapel Salary, to be published soon, for further information about the Baines family’s interaction with the chapel.

[16] ibid, p. 326.

[17] ibid, p. 326. Bainbrig was likely a descendant of the George Bainbrig who originally purchased land from Adam Baynes before Easter 1546.

[18] ibid, p. 326.

[19] ibid, p. 326.

[20] ibid, p. 326.

[21] ibid, p. 326.

[22] ibid, p. 326.

[23] ibid, p. 326.

[24] ibid, p. 326 citing Christopher Woods in parish records as 16 Jan. 1594- 5 Bapt. Margretae woodd filiæ Xpoferi. 8 Feb. 1611-2 Sepult. Xpo: wood gent. z8 Feb. 1611-2 Sepult. vx: Xpo Wood vidu. He married widow  Margaret Mansergh. For the Mansergh line Brown cited Edw. Mansergh esq. of 1539 (Records of Kendale i, p. 84). His will dated in April 1543 shows that he left three sons Christopher, George and Alexander, and two daughters Alice and Elizabeth, the latter married to John Baynes (probably of Hegholme). Christopher who died seised of Nether Hall etc., in 1568 had a son Edward (b. 1542) who died in infancy: and at his inquisition of 1591 his heir was found to be Jane (b. 1544). Alexander was buried two months after his father. After 1568 therefore only George was left. In 1571 a daughter (name not registered) of George Mansergh was baptized, and in 1573 a son, registered as Richard: George Mansergh was buried 28 March 1575. On these facts it seems practically certain that Richard is a mistake for Edward and that Margaret Mansergh whom John Wood married in Nov. 1575 was the widow of George Mansergh.

[25] ibid, p. 326 citing Records of Kendale i. Zoo, and ibid. ii, p. 393 for the transition of the property and Chancery Series ii, vol. 675: one of the same year is quoted in the Court of Wards in Records of Kendale i. 293, and a number of others appear in the 2nd vol. including (p. 424) that on William Baynes

[26] ibid, p. 327 citing nq. p.m. of 15 March 15 James I. Chan. Ser. ii, vol. 675, no. 227.

[27] ibid, p. 329.

[28] During that time, lawyers often wrote in poetry.

[29] ibid, p. 327.

[30] ibid, p. 328.

[31] ibid, p. 328.

[32] See footnote 27.