Historical names: Airtone; Airton-in-Craven; the manor of Airton
Location: Kirkby Malham, Yorkshire
Places / associated places: Kirkby Malham, Yorkshire
Listed in Domesday Book: Yes
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 54.0284, -2.1506
Identity: confirmed — The supplied TNA/MDR record F245328 identifies Airton Manor in the Airton/Kirkby Malham context. Medieval and later records independently refer to the manor as Airton, Ayrton or Airton in Craven, including the Fitzhugh inquisition material and the historical account of Kirkby Malhamdale. This is distinct from similarly named manors elsewhere.
Representative point: 54.0284, -2.1506
Basis: supported_manorial_centre — Best available geographic anchor for the manor is the historic settlement of Airton, specifically the location of the building now called The Manor House at OS grid reference SD 90229 59162. The surviving building is early nineteenth-century and is expressly not demonstrated to be the medieval manor house; therefore the point is treated as a supported manorial/settlement centre rather than a confirmed medieval manor-house site.
Point confidence: medium
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period: Medieval to early modern, with later ownership continuing into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The evidence establishes the manor's location in Airton and describes its appurtenant lands, tenements, rents and services in the vill. The 1389 Fitzhugh record does not provide a mapped perimeter, and the consulted historical account gives carucate and tenure information but no sufficiently defined boundary sequence. Airton township or parish boundaries cannot safely be substituted for the manorial extent. No reliable public source located for this research supplies a documented polygon or enough parcel-level boundary evidence for reconstruction.
Sources:
- The National Archives, Airton Manor record F245328: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F245328 — Registry record and authority context for Airton Manor in the Kirkby Malham/Airton locality.
- History of Craven: Parish of Kirkby Malhamdale, Airton section: https://www.skiptoncastle.co.uk/craven-history/21_Parish-of-Kirkby-Malghdale.pdf — Describes the manor's medieval descent through the Bulmers and Fitzhughs, its later possession by John Lambert, and associated carucate and appurtenant-land evidence; it does not provide a mapped boundary.
- Mapping the Medieval Countryside, Inquisition Post Mortem material for Henry Fitzhugh: https://inquisitionspostmortem.ac.uk/view/inquisition/22-443/445.html — Records Henry Fitzhugh's manor of Airton in Craven and all lands, tenements, rents and services of free and villein men held by him in the vill; confirms the manor's historical location and territorial concept without giving a polygon.
- Historic England, The Manor House, Airton, NHLE 1132107: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1132107 — Provides the surviving Airton building's OS grid reference SD 90229 59162 and identifies it as an early nineteenth-century Grade II-listed house formerly the Manor Hotel.
- Malhamdale Local History Group, Airton Township: https://mlhg.org/township-hist/airton-home/ — Confirms Airton as the historic township within Kirkby-in-Malhamdale parish and links local historical and mapping resources.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The modern building called The Manor House is not proven to be the medieval manor house; Historic England dates it to the early nineteenth century.
- The representative point is therefore a defensible locational anchor for the Airton manorial centre, not a confirmed medieval building site.
- No historical manorial boundary polygon was established. The Airton township, parish, modern civil parish or any modern estate boundary must not be treated as the manor's territorial extent.
- The medieval record indicates lands and tenements in the vill of Airton, but the surviving public evidence consulted does not identify their complete perimeter.
About the Manor
Airton Manor, also recorded as the manor of Airton or Airton-in-Craven, was the principal manor associated with the township of Airton in the historic parish of Kirkby Malhamdale, Craven, Yorkshire. Airton appears in Domesday as Airtone, within the fief of Roger of Poitou. Medieval evidence places the manor in the Bulmer fee as a mesne lordship, later passing by marriage to the FitzHugh family. The manor was in the possession of John Lambert by the early sixteenth century and subsequently formed part of the Lambert, Middleton, Marton, Lloyd, Alcock, Illingworth and Morkill succession of Malhamdale estates. The present building called The Manor House at Airton is a separate physical subject from the medieval manor: Historic England describes it as an early nineteenth-century Grade II-listed house, formerly the Manor Hotel.
Ownership / Holder Account
Domesday evidence records Airton as a manor in the fief of Roger of Poitou, although this represents the superior feudal holding rather than necessarily day-to-day demesne lordship. Medieval county history states that the manor accompanied a carucate granted through the Nevile interest and remained with the Bulmers as mesne lords. It passed by marriage from the Bulmers to the FitzHughs and remained associated with that family until the death of Henry FitzHugh, fourth Baron FitzHugh, in 1425. The subsequent descent is undocumented in the consulted public sources until the early sixteenth century. Local historical material states that John Lambert purchased the manor from Lord Dacre in 1530; contemporary or near-contemporary deed abstracts identify John Lambert as lord or owner of Airton Manor in 1536, 1544, 1560 and 1573. A 1567 settlement placed Airton Hall and associated lands to the use of Benjamin Lambert, John's son and heir apparent, while a 1588 lease describes Benjamin as John's son and heir and leases the manor after John's death. Benjamin Lambert possessed the manor by 1597 and died in 1598, after which his half-brother Josias Lambert inherited the estate according to later historical research. The later Malhamdale estate passed to the Middleton family, then to Oliver Marton and his descendants. In 1782 the southern portion, including the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith, was sold to Gamaliel Lloyd, who conveyed the manors on the following day to William Alcock. William Alcock or his successors remained associated with the manor into the nineteenth century; a directory for the 1871 period names Captain William Alcock as lord of the manor. By 1901 the title of lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith had passed with Newfield Hall from William Illingworth to John William Morkill. The consulted sources do not establish a later conveyance of the manor after Morkill's death in 1932, although they state that the wider estate was subsequently broken up.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
13 records found · showing 1–8.
1690-1708: verdicts
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1690-1702: call books
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1678-1681: verdicts
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1667-1680: estreats
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1665-1671: verdicts
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1663-1779: call books, Skipton Honour
Held by: Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society
Further information: NRA 12905
1650-1661: estreats
Held by: Lancashire Archives
1627: court roll
Held by: West Yorkshire Archive Service, Bradford
Further information: NRA 40332 Cartwright
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: Roger of Poitou
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 15 holder entries in this manor's saved Conveyance & Descent history.
No recorded holder currently has a usable saved direct-blood or collateral-blood relationship path from which to calculate proximity percentages.
First recorded holder → present holder
A usable saved blood relationship path between the first recorded holder and the present holder has not yet been recorded, so that first-to-present genealogical distance cannot be calculated.
Roger of Poitou, Count of La Marche, Lord of Clitheroe, major post-Conquest feudal landholder, Norman magnate, Domesday landholder, Norman nobleman, lord of extensive English lands after the Norman Conquest, lord of the Honour of Lancaster and extensive lands in Lancashire
Transfer: Domesday recording; Airton was included in the fief of Roger of Poitou, Lord of Clitheroe.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: Superior feudal lord or tenant-in-chief
Previous holder: Arnebrand, the pre-Conquest holder recorded for Airtone in Domesday material
Airton is recorded in Domesday as Airtone and as part of the fief of Roger of Poitou. This entry is treated as evidence of superior feudal holding, not as proof that Roger personally occupied or directly administered every element of the manor.
Source: William Page and J. Horace Round, Victoria County History-style account reproduced in History of Craven, Parish of Kirkby Malhamdale; corroborated by Yorkshire Dales Community Archives, Airton entry. — source link
Robert de Bulmer and the Bulmer family, Bulmer landholders, mesne lords of Airton
Transfer: The Airton manor accompanied a carucate associated with the Bulmer inheritance and continued to be held by the Bulmers as mesne lords.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: Mesne lordship
Previous holder: Roger of Poitou and the superior feudal lordship represented by his fief
The county history expressly describes the Bulmers as mesne lords of Airton. This distinguishes their manorial interest from the superior feudal lordship of the Percy, Clifford or other overlord interests mentioned in the wider parish history.
Source: History of Craven, Parish of Kirkby Malhamdale, discussion of the Airton carucate, Bulmer inheritance and FitzHugh succession. — source link
Henry FitzHugh, 2nd Baron FitzHugh, according to the county-history account
Transfer: The manor passed by marriage from the Bulmer inheritance to Henry FitzHugh through his marriage to Eve, daughter of Sir John Bulmer.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: FitzHugh family lordship
Co-holder: Henry FitzHugh, 4th Baron FitzHugh
Previous holder: Robert de Bulmer and the Bulmer family, Bulmer landholders, mesne lords of Airton
The county history states that Henry FitzHugh, identified there as the second Lord FitzHugh, married Eve, daughter of Sir John Bulmer, after which Airton was vested in the FitzHugh family. The precise date of the Airton transfer is not given.
Source: History of Craven, Parish of Kirkby Malhamdale, account of the Bulmer and FitzHugh descent of Airton. — source link
Transfer: Continuation of the FitzHugh family holding; Airton ceased to be enumerated among the FitzHugh manors after Henry FitzHugh's death in 1425.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: FitzHugh family lordship
Co-holder: Henry FitzHugh, 2nd Baron FitzHugh
Previous holder: Henry FitzHugh, 2nd Baron FitzHugh and the FitzHugh family
The county history states that Airton remained vested in the FitzHughs until the death of Henry FitzHugh, identified as the fourth Baron FitzHugh, in 1425. After that date the manor is no longer listed among the family's manors. This marks a documented end point, not a documented conveyance to the next owner.
Source: History of Craven, Parish of Kirkby Malhamdale; Mapping the Medieval Countryside, Inquisition Post Mortem evidence for Airton held of Lord Clifford. — source link
John Lambert of Calton, Esquire, lord of Airton, later associated with Calton Hall and Malhamdale estates
Transfer: Purchased the manor of Airton from Lord Dacre, according to the local history account; later deeds directly identify him as lord or owner of Airton Manor.
Shared holding: Lambert family
Co-holders: Benjamin Lambert of Airton, Josias Lambert of Malham
Previous holder: Unknown after the FitzHugh holding ended; Lord Dacre is named as vendor in the later historical account
A local historical account based on J. W. Morkill's History of Kirkby Malhamdale states that John Lambert purchased Airton Manor from Lord Dacre in 1530. The deed catalogue provides direct corroboration of his manorial status: a 1536 deed calls him lord of Airton, a 1544 quitclaim calls him lord of Airton and concerns rights in the manor, and 1560 and 1573 documents identify him as lord or owner of the manor. The exact legal instrument of the 1530 purchase has not been located in the consulted public sources.
Source: J. W. Morkill, History of Kirkby Malhamdale, quoted in Calton Hall history; Yorkshire Archaeological Society Calton Deed catalogue, entries for 1536, 1544, 1560 and 1573. — source link
Benjamin Lambert of Airton, Esquire, heir and successor to John Lambert's Malhamdale estate
Transfer: Inherited the Lambert estate, including Airton Manor, from his father John Lambert; his possession of the manor is reported for 1597 and his death occurred in 1598.
Shared holding: Lambert family
Co-holders: John Lambert of Calton, Josias Lambert of Malham
Previous holder: John Lambert of Calton, Esquire, lord of Airton, later associated with Calton Hall and Malhamdale estates
A 1567 settlement placed Airton Hall and associated lands to the use of Benjamin Lambert and his wife after the relevant life interests, and a 1588 lease describes Benjamin as John Lambert's son and heir while reserving the term until John's death. The later historical account states that Benjamin inherited his father's estate in 1596 and possessed the neighbouring manors of Airton, Calton and Kirkby Malham by 1597. These sources support Benjamin's succession, although the exact date of the legal vesting of Airton Manor is not stated.
Source: Yorkshire Archaeological Society Calton Deed catalogue, entries C91 and C110; research account citing J. W. Morkill and Farr, John Lambert. — source link
Josias Lambert of Malham, Esquire, member of the Lambert family of Malhamdale
Transfer: Inherited the Lambert estate from his half-brother Benjamin Lambert after Benjamin's death in 1598.
Shared holding: Lambert family
Co-holders: John Lambert of Calton, Benjamin Lambert of Airton
Previous holder: Benjamin Lambert of Airton, Esquire, heir and successor to John Lambert's Malhamdale estate
The consulted historical research states that Josias Lambert inherited the estate from his half-brother Benjamin in 1598. It also records that the inheritance and terms of Benjamin's will produced a family dispute and litigation. The source links Josias to the estate containing Airton, but does not provide a separate dated deed expressly conveying Airton Manor to him; the entry is therefore retained with medium evidence strength.
Source: Research account, Radical Religion and the Background to the Development of John Lambert, citing Farr, John Lambert, pages 8-11; corroborating Malhamdale church and local-history material. — source link
Sir John Middleton of Belsay Castle, Baronet, Northumberland
Transfer: The Malhamdale estate passed to Sir John Middleton through his marriage to Frances, daughter and heiress of the Lambert family.
Shared holding: Middleton family
Co-holder: Sir William Middleton
Previous holder: Lambert family
The local history account states that the Lambert estate passed to Sir John Middleton of Belsay Castle, who had married the Lambert daughter and heiress Frances in 1699. The source's context is the descent of the Calton Hall and associated Malhamdale estate, which included Airton Manor, but it does not supply the precise date or instrument by which Airton itself passed.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group, account of the post-Lambert estate descent. — source link
Transfer: Sold the Malhamdale property, including the associated Airton estate, to Oliver Marton.
Shared holding: Middleton family
Co-holder: Sir John Middleton of Belsay Castle
Previous holder: Sir John Middleton
The local history account states that Sir John Middleton's son Sir William Middleton sold the Malhamdale property in 1727 to Oliver Marton. The account traces the same estate that later explicitly included the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group, citing J. W. Morkill's history of the parish. — source link
Oliver Marton of Gray's Inn and Capernwray, purchaser of the Malhamdale estate
Transfer: Purchased the Malhamdale property from Sir William Middleton; by his will he devised the Yorkshire estates to his sons in succession.
Shared holding: Marton family
Co-holder: Edward Marton, George Marton and Reverend Oliver Marton
Previous holder: Sir William Middleton, Baronet, of Belsay Castle
Oliver Marton acquired the Malhamdale property in 1727. His will, made in 1735, gave the Yorkshire estates to his eldest son Edward, with remainders to his second and third sons George and Oliver.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group, account of the Marton estate descent. — source link
Edward Marton, George Marton and Reverend Oliver Marton, Clerk, Vicar of Lancaster, final Marton holder of the Malhamdale estate
Transfer: Inherited or succeeded to the Yorkshire estates under Oliver Marton's will and its remainders; the Reverend Oliver Marton ultimately came into possession and conveyed the property to trustees for sale in 1782.
Holding arrangement: Trust — Successive interests under will; exact shares and dates are not stated
Shared holding: Marton family
Co-holder: Oliver Marton of Gray's Inn and Capernwray
Previous holder: Oliver Marton
Oliver Marton's 1735 will gave the Yorkshire estates to his eldest son Edward, with remainders to George and Oliver. The source states that, after the elder brothers died without issue, the Reverend Oliver Marton came into possession. In 1782 he conveyed the heavily mortgaged Malhamdale property to trustees for sale. The source does not break out separate legal title to Airton Manor during the successive Marton interests.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group, account of the Marton will and 1782 conveyance to trustees. — source link
Gamaliel Lloyd of Leeds, purchaser of the southern Malhamdale estate
Transfer: Purchased the southern portion of the Marton estate, including the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith, from trustees acting after the 1782 conveyance.
Shared holding: Lloyd family
Previous holder: Reverend Oliver Marton and the trustees for sale
The local history account expressly states that the southern portion of the estate, including the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith, was sold to Gamaliel Lloyd of Leeds. Lloyd retained Calton Hall and approximately 500 acres but conveyed the manors on the following day to William Alcock.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group, account of the 1782 sale and immediate conveyance. — source link
William Alcock of Skipton, Banker of Skipton, lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith
Transfer: Received a conveyance from Gamaliel Lloyd on the day after Lloyd acquired the southern estate; the conveyance expressly included the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith.
Shared holding: Alcock family
Previous holder: Gamaliel Lloyd of Leeds, purchaser of the southern Malhamdale estate
The local history account expressly states that Gamaliel Lloyd conveyed the manors, with rents, buildings and lands, to William Alcock, banker of Skipton. A nineteenth-century directory for the 1871 period names Captain William Alcock as lord of the manor of Airton. The precise identity of the later Alcock holder and the date of transfer to William Illingworth are not established by a direct conveyance in the consulted sources.
Source: Calton Hall history, Malhamdale Local History Group; 1871 directory entry naming William Alcock as lord of Airton. — source link
William Illingworth, Retired Bradford worsted manufacturer, associated with Newfield Hall
Transfer: The title of lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith passed with the sale of Newfield Hall and associated property to John William Morkill in 1901.
Shared holding: Illingworth family
Previous holder: William Alcock or an intervening Alcock estate holder; exact conveyance not located
The consulted local history states that William Illingworth occupied or acquired Newfield Hall and that John William Morkill bought it in 1901, together with the title of lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith. The sources do not supply the exact date or instrument by which Illingworth acquired the manorial title, so the beginning of his holding is left as 'by 1901'.
Source: John William Morkill biography, Malhamdale Local History Group; Newfield Hall historical summary corroborating the 1890 Illingworth acquisition and 1901 Morkill sale. — source link
Transfer: Bought Newfield Hall in 1901 from William Illingworth and acquired with it the title of lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith.
Shared holding: Morkill family
Previous holder: William Illingworth, Retired Bradford worsted manufacturer, associated with Newfield Hall
The local historical account expressly states that John William Morkill bought Newfield Hall in 1901 and with it the title of lord of the manors of Airton, Calton and Hanlith. Morkill died in 1932. The same account says that after his death the heavy death duties and financial problems caused the wider estate to be broken up, but the consulted sources do not identify a specific subsequent holder of Airton Manor.
Source: John William Morkill biography, Malhamdale Local History Group; Raistrick MSS catalogue, 1889 sale particulars for the manors and associated estates. — source link
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Machine-readable published manor data, including public images, mapped land areas, notes, rights, conveyances, relationships, records, source/document-library entries and public file links.
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