The end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries appear to have been difficult times for Old Byland tents as indicated by the reductions that the Lord of the Manor appears to have made to annual farm rents. Although the number of tenancies remained the same annual rental income from the estate had fallen to £358 18s 6d by 1698 and to £299 15s 2d by 1700 and between 1692 and 1714 rent arrears averaged £300 per annum. The dire situation in 1714 is illustrated by the fact that only 19s 7d of the annual rent of £306 7s 8d had been paid. No Old Byland rent rolls have survived for the years between 1700 and 1772 but in 1717 Papist landowners were obliged to register their land holdings and provide details of tenancies and annual rents.The record of Lord Fauconberg’s Old Byland tenancies are listed on the following page and show that rents were the same as they had been in 1700.
Sixteen farms were recorded and when comparisons are made with the rent roll of forty years earlier it can be seen that the Wilson and Story families were still the most important tenants, the former being at King’s Spring House [now known as Long Plains] and the latter at Old Byland Grange [now known as Grange Farm] where the family had been tenants for nearly two hundred years.The Coles and Abbots retained their middle ranking and were joined by John Freer and James Sherwood. Freer had become the tenant at Ashberry Farm in 1698 and his descendants would continue to live there for another 180 years. John Sparrow was a new farm tenant and Thomas Rowland the son of the John who rented a cottage in 1677 had gained a small farm in 1700 thought to have been Wethercote and had gained more land by 1717.
John Harrison was the tenant of Caydale Mill and Ann Hornby is thought to have been the widow of Matthew known as ‘long Matthew’ who had retained the tenancy of Tile House that he held in 1700. Mary Hornby who held the tenancy of a similar size farm was the widow of Thomas who she had married in 1675. Her maiden name was Harrison but no record could be found to connect her with John Harrison of Caydale Mill. Isabel Abbot was the widow of William who she married in 1710 and her maiden name was Lawn but no record could be found to connect her with the family of that name who were living in Rievaulx in the middle of the 18th century.
