George EMPSON

George Empson was born around 1615, the son of Richard Empson and Isabel Gathorne.

George married Elizabeth A(w)nby around 1635. Elizabeth was baptised at Kellington on 24 th February 1605 and was the daughter of John A(w)nby of Sherwood Hall in Eggborough. Sherwood Hall served as the Grange for Temple Hirst Preceptory and was demolished in the 1960s due to the construction of Eggborough Power Station on the site.

George and Elizabeth are known to have had two children, George and Mary. Elizabeth must have pre-deceased George as, by the time of the writing of his will, one of the Executors was named as his wife, Ann. It is not known when he remarried or whether the couple had any children.

At the death of his Grandfather, Gregory Empson, on 8th March 1630, George inherited from him the manor of Southom alias Southo(o) Grange in Hook, together with 40 acres of land in Goole. George was 13 years 10 months old at the time. Due to his young age, the premises were granted for a period of 12 years to Gregory Armitage of Netherton, Gent., William Empson, Richard Balie and

Edward Balie, with the proviso that Gregory’s debts should be paid from the proceeds and also that the funds should be used to provide for George’s education.

Southom Grange previously belonged to the monastery of Louth Park, having been taken from them following the Dissolution. At some point prior to 1583 the Grange was purchased by Robert Bayley of Goole. On 4 th March 1583, following Robert’s death, the property passed to his daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, their brother Anthony having pre-deceased his father. Jane married William Empson, Yeoman of Goole, and Elizabeth married Thomas Day.

Initially, Thomas and Elizabeth Day (nee Bayley) inherited Louth Park Grange and Southo Grange. However, at some point at least part of it must have passed into the Empson family as, according to the Inquisition Post Mortem of 29 th July 1596, relating to William Empson’s widow, Jane, nee Bayley, her share of the manor of ‘Southholme’, alias ‘Southhow’, ‘late parcel of the monastery of Louth Parke’ had passed to her son and heir, Gregory Empson at Jane’s death on 1 st April 1589. Gregory, who became George’s Grandfather, was aged 24 at this time.

It seems that the Empson family must have lived in the Grange, as later deeds refer to them as the occupiers of the Southo ‘mansion house’. Whether this is the house which featured in the Royalist Composition Papers of 1646 is, as yet, uncertain. However, wherever he was living, the events of the English Civil War would have had a huge impact on George and his family.

The Royalist Composition Papers are part of the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents, and include details of the personal property and estates of Royalists who pledged not to take up arms against Parliament following the Royalist Defeat at the end of the First English Civil War. In exchange, they paid a fine to the parliamentary authorities to regain their estates. According to the papers, George was a Royalist and served as a Lieutenant of Horse for the King against Parliament, based in Sandal Castle.

Presumably, George would have present at the Castle in June 1645, when it was besieged by a force of 300 dragoons under Colonel Morgan. These were mounted infantry with matchlock muskets. The following month Parliament’s Colonel General Poyntz called on the Royalist defenders to surrender Sandal Castle, but they rejected the call. Six weeks later the Parliamentary forces began bombarding the Castle with 60 pound cannonballs – these were twice the normal size of cannonballs. At the time, the castle was garrisoned by 100 men. After several days of bombardment, some breaches had been made in the walls of the castle. On 30th September 1645 preparations were made to storm the Castle but the defenders agreed to leave on favourable terms. The castle was surrendered by Colonel Bonivant at the beginning of October 1645. At the time, the garrison consisted of ten officers and ninety men. They surrendered 100 muskets, 50 pikes, 20 halberds, 150 swords and 2 barrels of gunpowder. The Royalist defenders marched to Welbeck House in North Nottinghamshire.

At the beginning of the War George’s estate was valued at £50 per annum. However, following plundering by Parliamentary soldiers, the estate was subsequently sequestered and sold for £40. At the end of the war George paid a fine of £100 to Parliament to regain his estate.

George Empson lived for a further 30 years. He passed away on 7th April 1677 in his 62nd year. His body is buried beneath a richly carved grave slab set into the nave floor of St Mary’s Church, Hook.