Some dolls, a dog and a car called The Fonz: The Mauleverers. Ayton Castle. This is it.

I will start with Edmund Mauleverer himself as it is he who keeps drawing me back to his story. Edmund and his family are the reason I am sitting here in bed typing this whilst Monza dog lays across my feet snoring lightly. I have two duvets on the bed tonight and a large woolly dog. It is still cold. The parts of me I need to type are very chilly indeed. Monza twiches his back legs and sleep woofs every now and then, but apart from that it is all quiet on the terrace. Just the way I like it.

So on with Edmund Mauleverer. who lived from 1631 to November 27th 1679.
He lived at Ayton Castle with his family. His father James Mauleverer bought the castle in 1651 from the Eure family.This was shortly before the civil war. The Eure family continued to hold some of the lands in the area. Previously they had lived at their house in Ingleby Arncliffe near Northallerton.
James Mauleverer was a staunch and imovable Parlimentarian at this time of this trouble . The whole country plunged into civil war between the King and Parliment. This effected Yorkshire most severely.( as did Henry v111's decimation of the monasteries) James Mauleverers immediate quarrel with the King was the enforced Knighthood that all wealthy men had to accept and pay for. This would have really stung a Yorkshire man. James Mauleverer had no intention of excepting the knighthood or paying out any money. consequently he had to attend the Court of Exchequer at Westminster.
James was delayed on his journey and found on his arrival that the case had been refered to Commissioners for Yorkshire. He was not very popular here. The commissioners fined him in his absence this was an enormous sum in the 17th century of £2,000 and costs. James Mauleverer's wife wrote to her brother Matthew Hutton- who leased the castle from Lord Eure about two years before James Mauleverer bought it. Mathew Hutton possibly introduced James to the property telling his brother - in -law it was a "promising purchase"......"In the beginning of these troubles which befell his estate for his knighthood money, he was in very little debt, but with in two years he was forced to borrow several considerable sums upon hard terms and he felled much wood to his prejudice"
The long Parliament met 1640, and James Mauleverer got a small measure of justice for the wrongs done to him; on the motion of Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl of Clarendon, he recieved £3,509 from the Barons of the Exchequer as compensation for the troubles. This by now was not enough. James remained in debt, though the sale of the castle still went ahead. He bought from Lord Eure Ayton Castle and its lands, intending to cut and sell the timber in the area.The hostilities of the Civil war commenced before he could carry out his plans. The local ROYALIST commander the Earl of Newcastle would not allow James Mauleverer to carry out the plan or take advantage from his purchase of ancestral lands from a ROYALIST family. James was by now a Colonel in the PARLIAMENTARY army. ( oh big whoops. must have made a real enemy of Earl of Newcastle!)
So James was "on the wrong side" in a civil war and in debt. He borrowed money from Edward Stockdale of York, giving Ayton Castle and estate as security. Because the Earl of Newcastle stopped his business in timber he became bankrupt in 1651. He had made some very powerful enemy's. He died a prisoner for debt in York Prison in 1664. In the register of the church of St Mary, Castlegate, York is the entry " April 25, 1664 James Mauleverer Esq., prisoner in York castle, buried"
Colonel James Mauleverer had other business dealings with the Eure family. in 1653 he claimed 1200 trees out of 3600 for which he had paid the 4th Earl Eure and his family at Malton. The commissioners who were at that time discussing taking legal possession of the Eure manors of old and new Malton. decided...
"the hands of the common-wealth should be taken off the manors and the Eures and Colonel Mauleverer should take their remedy at law"

So James Mauleverer was granted the lands. Then Edward Stockdale's will . dated 23rd June 1664 includes the following...
"concerning my estate at West Ayton in Pickering Lyth, if Mr Mauleverer pays in the £2,000 for the redemption, the same to be paid to my executors for my children living, equally; but if not redeemed then the interest to be paid to the children"
In 1647 the Stockdales took the law into their own hands and forcibly took possession of Ayton Castle and threw out Edmund Mauleverer who was living there at the time.
Both Edmunds father James Mauleverer and Edward Stockdale were dead by now. So can two dead people still enforce the law?........ NO.
in the Quarter session records (N R R S IV 273)is the entry..
" detailed presentation of the case of Mr Stockdale and the York labourer for forcible entry on Mr.jas.Milliverer's message at West Ayton and ejecting Mr Edmund Malliverer then in possession of same, New Malton, 13th july 1647"
At the Hemsley quarter sessions 11th January 1648 "recognisance's" were entered into by Stockdale and the case was closed.

I just had to look up this, Below is what I found.........
an individual who owes money might enter into a recognizance whereby she agrees to satisfy the debt.

In Criminal Law, an individual who has been found guilty of an offense can be mandated to enterinto a recognizance whereby she agrees to keep the peace in the future. An individual who hasbeen accused but not yet convicted of a criminal offense may be allowed to go free prior to the trialwithout being required to post a bail bond. The accused individual provides the court with a formalwritten statement, which declares that his failure to appear will precipitate payment to the court of aspecifically indicated sum of money. This is known as a release on one's own recognizance, orpersonal recognizance.

From this I am taking it that the Stockdales were in the wrong by throwing out Edmund from Ayton Castle. What do you think!?

Edmund died of TB , consumption in 1679 at Ayton.

Edmund became a Quaker in 1664.in the quarter session records (hemsley, 12th July 1664) is the indictment
"Edmd. Mauleverer among others assembled at the house of John Dickinson under pretext of religious worship"
He was married as a Quaker at Hull monthly meeting at Kirby Grindalyth, 1st March, 1661, to Anne Pierson of Mowthorpe.
.

This is is a portrait of Anne Pierson Mauleverer that I found on the inter net. I believe this hung above the fireplace at her plantation house in West New Jersey.
Who painted this portrait I wonder now!????
Edmund became a Quaker in 1664. He was married in 1661. I conclude that Anne Pierson had some influence in this decision .

Edmund was buried in the grave yard of the society of Friends at Pickering, as it is recorded in the monthly meetings at Pickering 28th September, 1679. NOT as some genealogy sites claim at St Peter and St Paul church Pickering. Also I have searched this church burial records and he is not on them. And to make double sure I emailed the vicar!

Friday 8th of September.
Early Morning. My best time! and it is hammering...and I do mean hammering with rain. I am sitting in bed with my large wooly dog on my feet and wearing all my cardigans and dressing gown. It has turned cold. Yorkshire is very atmospheric this morning. I am putting my Mauleverer notes in order and getting prepared for my tour of Ayton Castle tomorrow . We are going to set off really early as I wish to take a look at Scarborough and surounding areas as well. Also I note that Hunmanby has an open heritage day too on the same day. I went to school at Hunmanby hall!!!! I am hoping to go to that as well. And yes I know!!! I have to be back in Yeadon to do my evening shift at work so plans are essential.....

So on with the Edmund and Ayton Castle story.
Edmund died in 1679. He was married in 1661. became a Quaker in 1664. His daughter Anne was born 1678. Married 18 years to Anne Pierson and their daughter was born one year before he died.
Draw your own conclusions from these dates.
His widow then remarried in 1681....just 2 years after his death and emigrated to the new world in 1682.

Anne Pierson Mauleverer married Matthew Watson at Pickering monthly meeting of Quakers 7th July 1681. Matthew Watson was a fellow Quaker and was also from Scarborough.
They emigrated to West New Jersey with Anne.
Do you think it was Matthew who painted the portrait? I do.

En Dieu Ma Foy. My Faith in God. the family coat of arms and motto.

This is Anne Mauleverer's wedding to John Abbott who was also from Scarborogh. This took place at Abbotsville. The house was built for Anne Pierson by her new husband Matthew Watson.