Following our excavations at the Knights Templar site in Copmanthorpe, a number of members expressed an interest in writing a history of the village, as this was the only large settlement in the South Ainsty area that didn’t have a book about it. Of Malet, Malbis and Fairfax chronicles the history of Acaster Malbis, Four Ainsty Townships records Appleton Roebuck, Bolton Percy, Colton and Steeton, and finally there is The History of Acaster Selby. The first of these was edited by Catrina Appleby and David Smith while the other two were written by the late Marjorie Harrison; all members of the Society. Sadly, all these books are now out of print, but copies can be found in local libraries and a pdf of the Acaster Malbis book can be found here.
The Copmanthorpe Book Group, chaired by Dr Phil Batman, carried out research into a number of aspects of Copmanthorpe’s history, from prehistory to the 20th century. They utilised a number of different sources, including archive documents and photographs, oral history tapes, old maps and a collection of wills and inventories. The result: From Coppenthorpe to Copmanthorpe – Aspects of life in an Ainsty village, is an interesting and varied book with 100 illustrations.
Contents
- Introduction
- Copmanthorpe in the Middle Ages
- The Manor of Copmanthorpe 1600–1800
- Standards of living in Copmanthorpe 1528–1694
- Church and Chapel
- A history of the agriculture of Copmanthorpe
- A history of Copmanthorpe based on maps
- Ancient families
- Changing society 1600–1900
- Copmanthorpe at war
- Transport; Education in Copmanthorpe
- Recreation and leisure
- In living memory.
Copies are still available for just £5. If you are interested in purchasing one, come along to one of our meetings or get in touch via the Contact page.