Notable in Crisp Line

Knype

Anthony Knype of Burblethwaite (c. 1471-c.1501) Anthony Knype of Burblethwaite was a landowner of some local importance, who lived in a remote corner of England during the latter half of the fifteenth century. He was probably born at Burblethwaite in the late 1400s, and his year of birth has been estimated to be about 1471. When he died circa 1501, his heir was a son named William, who was a minor at the time. This son, born around 1497, survived to marry and raise two sons. His mother, who was presumably connected to the Broughtons of Broughton Tower, remarried, say in about 1505. Her second husband was Henry Hutton, whose property at Thorphensty, was about a mile from Burblethwaite in Cartmel Fell, which was in the northern section of the Parish of Cartmel in Lancashire. Little is known of the character and intimate circumstances of Anthony Knype, but details from his family history and the land in which he lived do provide clues. Cartmel Fell is a stretch of mountainous country in Cumbria, Northwestern England, that at the beginning of the sixteenth century was a sparsely populated region consisting of small tenancies on the available arable land and much common land, where the local people could graze their sheep or collect peat for fuel. It was for the most part under the domination of the Priory of Cartmel, a monastic community of canons headed by a prior, who leased the land to the local people and collected rent from them. The exception was the Manor of Burblethwaite, which had been under the control of the Knype family from at least as far back as the fourteenth century. The Knypes also held land further south near the Priory of Cartmel at a place called Broughton. It was an appurtenance to their estate at Burblethwaite, a legal connection that Roger, son of Simon de Knype, defended successfully against the Prior of Cartmel in 1351. The Huttons, whose land at Thorphinsty was just south of Burblethwaite, were not as fortunate. In 1275-6, Henry de Thorphinsty attempted to regain control of land a relative had granted to the Priory, evidently without success, as Henry Hutton was in 1508 a tenant beholden to the canons.

The Roman Church wielded great influence in Medieval England, as it did throughout Western Europe, and when its authority was challenged, it generally had the legal power and resources to subdue its opponents, and in rare cases deny the sacraments to the most recalcitrant. It took great courage and determination for families like the Knypes and the Huttons to oppose it and put their spiritual welfare, as well as their economic security, in jeopardy. They faced threats as well from those of a more secular nature, who would even stoop to brute seizure of property by armed intrusion, a phenomenon that often required lengthy and costly legal battles by the aggrieved to achieve redress. In spite of such tests faced over many generations, the Knypes survived and prospered. We do not know what Anthony endured in his short life, but it is unlikely that he was much affected by the changes that were occurring in England at the time. With the end of the War of the Roses in 1485 and the accession of Henry VII to the throne in the same year, a period of stability and economic growth began to occur throughout England, but it had no significant impact on Anthony or Cartmel Fell as the new century was about to begin. A relatively young man in failing health, his concern was the future of young William, his son and heir. When Anthony died circa 1501, his son acquired a guardian, possibly William Thornburgh, to whom Anthony owed knight’s service. Thornburgh managed the estate until the boy was of age, and as history attests, William Knype grew up to be as astute as his forebears in defending his family interests. Written by Raymond Shirritt-Beaumont, 12th great-grandson of Anthony Knype.