Fig. 1 ANCIENT STAINED GLASS, FORMERLY IN ONE OF THE WINDOWS OF BELWOOD OLD HALL now in the posfestion of RP.Johnson Esq" or Temple Belwood 4 R Sir Wm. Vavasour Joan, daughter of Sir John of Huddlestone Henry, Ancestor of the Vavasours of Hesslewood Four daughters Richard, Common Pleas Talboys Rochester ob. 1405, s. p. Sir Peter Elizabeth, Nicholas Ann-Thomas daughter of Lord Henry Joan Eliza Mary fil. Kent, Windsor John George=Ann, daugh- Andrew William-Syth de Thomas-Daughter Anthony= ter and heiress of Sir Thomas Skipwith Lenton of Thyne Thomas Vavasour, who sold the property and died s. p. PEDIGREE OF RYTHER, POPPLEWELL, JOHNSON, AND STEER. Richard Popplewell Elizabeth Smith, of Newland, near Wakefield Robert, who died young Katharine Allan Johnson, of Wakefield, and Rushton Grange Elizabeth Robert Steer, Wakefield William= Lane William Popplewell Billingham Johnson, ob. s. p. Robert Popplewell Steer- Elizabeth Denny Robert P. Steer, who has taken the name of Jane, who died Johnson, now living at Temple Belwood young Elizabeth, now living Several other children QUARTERINGS OF THE ARMS OF JOHNSON. 1 Johnson-argent a lion passant in chief azure, three acorns or, slipped and leaved vert 2 Johnson of Newland or. a fess indented between three mullets of six points who died young. 4 Popplewell-argent a fess gules between three martlets azure 5 Comber-argent on a bend azure three eagles displayed 6 Ryder-azure three crescents argent 3 Bellingham-argent three bugle horns gules stringed and garnished Over these an escutcheon of pretenee. 1st and 4th as first above. 2nd and 3rd azure a bend cottised or. BELTOFT IS a small Hamlet, very pleasantly situated on the road between Belton and West Butterwick, and contains nothing now but a few large thatched houses, which in former times, however, would have been good enough for the residences of the principal land-owners. In the twenty-eighth of Edward the Third, A. D. 1300, Rogerus de Belo Toft was one of those who possessed forty libratas of land, and was summoned to Carlisle to attend the King, to repress the Scottish rebellion. The name of Rogerus de Beltoft occurs in the inquisitiones post mortem of that reign. Roger, the son of Henry of Beltoft, is returned into the inquisitiones post portem of Edward the First, as having six acres of land and one acre of meadow at Belton; and in the next reign William, the son of Roger de Beltoft, two parts of one bovate of land. John Sheffield had a residence here, but who he married is not known, most probably it was the heiress of this family. Ann the daughter and heiress of John Sheffield, married William Ferne, who is said by Peck to have lived at Temple Belwood. He came originally from Doncaster, and had a son Sir John Ferne, who was born here, and whose name ought not to be passed over without a short historical memorial. Sir John Ferne was sent to Oxford when he was about seventeen years of age, and placed either in St. Mary's Hall, or University College.* He left the University, however, without taking a degree, and went to study the law at the Inner Temple. Early in the reign of James the First, he was appointed secretary and keeper of the signet to the council of the north. He was knighted by the King, died about 1615, and was buried in Belton Church, * Wood's Ath. Ox. |