Medieval Craven refers to the polity in the north of England, which was likely founded in the Early Middle Ages, following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
While the name Craven is Brythonic in origin, its usage continued following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the Norman conquest of England. As such, the name was used in the Domesday Book of 1086 with a number of places being described as 'in Craven' that are now found within the modern counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria.
The former local government district of Craven (a much smaller area entirely within North Yorkshire) was defined in 1974 and abolished in 2023 and replaced by the unitary authority of North Yorkshire.
Etymology There are several theories regarding the origin of the name Craven. One suggestion is that it derives from the Welsh prefix craf which is used in words such as crafu 'to scratch/to scrape', crafwr 'a scratcher/a scraper' and crafanc 'a claw/talon'. This would suggest a meaning something like 'scraped land/scratched land', likely relating to the limestone features which are common to much of the area. This derivation corresponds with other known early British kingdom names.
An alternate proposal is that the name derives from the Middle Welsh crav, which commonly refers to wild garlic but may also have been used for various related plants such as other members of the onion and garlic families.
History Medieval Craven extended much further than modern Yorkshire, even today the Church of England's Deanery of South Craven, extends far beyond the borders of the historic county. Although the boundaries of Medieval Craven are the subject of much speculation, it seems that its south-eastern boundary was another British realm, the Kingdom of Elmet.
With the conquest of Scandinavian York, the area that is today's Yorkshire was divided into three Ridings (from Old Norse þriðjungr meaning "a third part"), each administered by its own thing (governing assembly). It has been suggested that the West Riding comprised the upland areas still occupied by Celtic Britons but under Viking control. This unified the Kingdom of Elmet with the areas of Craven that fell within modern Yorkshire. Although the West Riding was created during the Scandinavian period, it continued as an effective unit of administration until 1974, when it was abolished following the Local Government Act 1972.
Alternatively, it has also been suggested that numerous areas of Northern England were attached to Yorkshire as an administrative convenience by the compilers of the Domesday Book. This would suggest that the original boundaries of Viking Yorkshire were much smaller, and that Craven could have been a separate polity until the Norman Invasion of England.
Craven in the Domesday Book
The Domesday Book (1086) was essentially an economic census of England, completed during the reign of William the Conqueror, to find out how much each landholder had in arable land and what that land was worth in terms of the taxes they used to pay under Edward the Confessor.
The areas of ploughland were counted in carucates: the land a farmer could manage throughout the year with a team of eight oxen. That area varied with the local soil but on average it was 120 acres, (50 hectares). Some carucates are designated Waste, many of these were devastated and depopulated by the Norman army during the Harrying of the North 1069–70, ca.17 years prior to this survey.
The Land of the King in Craven, Domesday Book folio 301v
Mostly in Airedale but also in Lonsdale for that was then considered part of Yorkshire. +The Land of the King in CravenLocationCarucatesPreviousCurrentCononley2ThorkilKing WilliamBradleys Both7Arnkeld, Thorkil, GamelKing WilliamFarnhill2GamelKing WilliamKildwick2 plus 1 churchArnkeldKing WilliamEastburn2Gamel BernKing WilliamUtley1ViltsKing WilliamKeighley6Ulfkeld, Thole, RavensvartrKing WilliamWilsden3Gamel BernKing WilliamNewsholme1ViltsKing WilliamLaycock2RavensvartrKing WilliamSutton-in-Craven2RavenkeldKing WilliamMelling-with-Wrayton, Hornby-with-Farleton, Wennington10Ulf and OrmKing WilliamThornton in Lonsdale, Burrow-with-Burrow6OrmKing William
The Land of The Clamores of Yorkshire in Craven, Domesday Book folio 380 These lands centred on Bolton Abbey were soon after this date transferred to Robert de Romille. And since the Saxon manse at Bolton Abbey was beyond repair Romille built a castle elsewhere: Skipton Castle.Whitaker, Thomas Dunham (2012) . The History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven in the County of York (new ed.). London: British Library. pp. 8. . Location Carucates Previous Soon to be Bolton Abbey was the caput manor of a multiple estate 77, waste Earl Edwin Robert de Romille
The Land of William de Percy in Craven, Domesday Book folio 322
William de Percy was the founder of the powerful English House of Percy. +The Land of William de Percy in CravenLocationCarucatesPreviousCurrentRimington, Crooks, Little Middop, Starkeshergh11 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercyBolton-by-Bowland, Raygill Moss, Holme8 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercyPainley, Gisburn, Paythorne, Newsholme, Ellenthorpe12 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercyNappa, Horton6 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercyThornton in Craven, Kelbrook8 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercySwinden, Hellifield, Malham, Coniston Cold 13 wasteBeornwulfWilliam de PercyGlusburn and Chelsis3 wasteGamalWilliam de Percy
The Land of Gilbert Tison in Craven, Domesday Book folio 327
By 1118 Tison had suffered a demotion and his lands returned to the king then given to the Houses of Romille, Percy, Fitz John and d'Aubigny +The Land of Gilbert Tison in CravenLocationCarucatesPreviousCurrentGrassington, Linton, Threshfield7Gamal BernGilbert TisonEastburn, Steeton5Gamal BernGilbert TisonGlusburn and Chelsis3Gamal BernGilbert TisonOakworth1Gamal BernGilbert Tison
The Land of Hugh fitzBaldric in Craven, Domesday Book folio 327v
An "in crave" entry in this folio is difficult to explain. It is followed by Holecher, Bretebi which Robert H Skaife identified with Holker Hall and neighbouring Birkby Hall east of Grange-over-Sands (now in Cumbria), ignoring the Craven title. William Farrer had connected them with Craven as parts of Kettlewell, although no longer traceable.Henry Clifford Darby, Ian Stanley Maxwell (eds), 1962, The Domesday Geography of Northern England, Cambridge University Press, p.480 All the rest of Hugh fitzBaldric's land were in East Yorkshire, and he was High Sheriff of Yorkshire 1069–1086. Location Carucates Previous Current Holker? 8 Orm Hugh FitzBaldric
The Land of Erneis du Buron in Craven, Domesday Book folio 327v
In 1066 a nephew of Ralph Tesson, Ernies de Buron, from Beuron near Mantes, Normandy page 108 The Norman People Archive Org. Accessed 2013-6-8 provided William the Conqueror with money, men and the ships for the invasion of England. Ernies fought at the Battle of Hastings and is named in the Falaise Roll and in the Rolls of Battle Abbey.Battle of Hastings Abbey and Battlefield English-Heritage Org. Retrieved 2013-6-7 He settled in England 1068. The Domesday Book lists that he had seventy-two properties in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.Erneis du Buron Devon Mitchells com Retrieved 2013-6-8 In 1086 he succeeded Hugh fitz Baldric as High Sheriff of Yorkshire.K. S. B. Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: Domesday book However between 1102 and 1118 his lands were confiscated by King Henry I and given to the House of Romille.
Location Carucates Previous Current Marley, Halton (in Bingley), Cottingley, Cullingworth, Hainworth — Erneis du Buron
The Land of Osbern D'Arques in Craven, Domesday Book folio 328
Osbern de Arches (1059–1115) became High Sheriff of Yorkshire ca1100. +The Land of Osbern D'Arques in CravenLocationCarucatesPreviousCurrentSilsden8Five thegnsOsbern D'ArquesHebden and Thorpe4DrengOsbern D'ArquesBurnsall and Drebley2DrengOsbern D'ArquesCattal5 waste–Osbern D'Arques
The Land of the King's Thegns in Craven, Domesday Book folio 331v
The term thegn means a retainer of a king or nobleman below the rank of high-reeve. +The Land of the King's Thegns in CravenLocationCarucatesPreviousCurrentRylstone4AlmundDolgfinnrHartlington1AlmundDolgfinnrAppletreewick1—DolgfinnrBurnsall, Thorpe3HeardwulfHeardwulfHartlington3NorthmannNorthmannRylstone1RamkelRamkelAppletreewick2KetilOrmHoldene2KetilOrmHoldene4Gospatric and UlfkilGospatrick and UlfkilKilnsey6HamalUlfHeuurde1GospatricGospatricConistone3ArnketilKetil
The Land of Roger de Poitou in Yorkshire, Domesday Book folio 332
In looking for a definition of Craven, Roger de Poitou's entries on folio 332 are ambiguous for that page lacks the heading "In Craven". However some manors listed here as his are described elsewhere in the book as being in Craven. Thornton-in-Craven is quite outspoken in this matter. The omission of a heading could be considered a scribal error or, since the previous sub-section was entitled 'In Craven', the scribe may have decided it unnecessary to repeat the heading.
However Poitou's total lands cannot be used to determine the extent of Craven for he also held lands between the Ribble and the Mersey together with Amounderness.
After 1102 Roger rebelled against the King, so Henry I of England confiscated his lands and gave those in upper Wharfedale and upper Airedale to the House of Romille and those in Ribblesdale and around Gisburn to the House of Percy. Sometime after Domesday Poitou had given Bowland to Robert de Lacy, the Baron of Pontefract. The king allowed him to keep Bowland and expanded his lands with the whole of Blackburnshire and part of Amounderness. These lands formed the basis of the Honour of Clitheroe.
References
Bibliography
External links
The Domesday Book on The National Archives website. Search facilities are free of charge. Downloads are chargeable. Searchable index of landholders in 1066 and 1087, Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) project.