b'enclosure, even prior to the 1500s, on the edgeof the common oven had fallen from 22s in 1427 5to of the Open Fields. 10s by the early 1500s.4.What we now know as Hall Cliff is referred to as Halfcliffe. Although it is definitely what wasThe Palace Sitewritten in the document it is possible that this isOne strong motivation for the investigation of the a misrepresentation. The translation of an earlierearly documentary history of the village is to find out document of 1427 4uses the name Halclyffemore about the dating of the Archbishops Palace.and there is no reason to question that. Even the smallest fragments of evidence could be Wolstowpark alias Wormclosse has fallen intoimportant. In the current document it is reasonable to disuse as a name but it probably refers to the plot ofassume that the phrase From the rent of the herbage land just beyond Hall Garth on the right on the wayof the site of the manor and barn for corn signifies up Worsendale Road. Remains of ridge and furrowuse of what we now call Hall Garth, the Palace site, indicate that it was cultivated as an enclosed plotand that the site still had a building on it that was used or close and the area around the beck at that pointas a barn. is known to have been called the Agworm even in recent times. Wolstowpark is probably the name itA Survey of the Possessions of the had when it was part of the deer park with the alias ofArchbishopric of YorkWormclose being used when it was rented out. The outcome of our first efforts at translation The Common Oven is reproduced on the previous page 6 . Pasture and A common oven for the baking of bread was ameadow names are shown as they appear in the feature of life in medieval towns and villages. It wasdocument along with their current or most recent usually provided by the lord of the manor, not as anequivalents given in square brackets.act of altruism but as a source of income.PostscriptMore work will need to be done on the comparisonThe problem of deciphering medieval script can of documents similar to the one here in terms of thebe appreciated by studying some of the place names fluctuation in rental and other values over time. Onethat appear in the document translated on theprevious immediate observation is that the income from the usepage:Bishop WiltonHalfcliffLoghgrenwik [Low Greenwick]Wolstoghpark [Wolstow Park]4Account of John Mortimer, Reeve of Bishop Wilton, for 1427 by Andrew Sefton in Bulletin 9, November17th, 20045As above.6The National Archives Reference is SC12/17/58aYorkshire: Sherburn and members, Beverley, Ripon, Otley: Survey of possessions of the archbishopric of York. [Hen. VIII.]. Only that part relating toWilton has been translated. Reproduced with permission.162 BULLETIN 10'