Appleton Roebuck - History

History

Appleton Roebuck derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon meaning a farm where apple trees grew and, from the fourteenth century, when it was owned by a man called Rabuk.

Appleton Roebuck is mentioned in the Domesday Book demonstrating that it was already settled before the Norman Conquest. In the 12th century a nunnery was established at Nun Appleton, a short distance from the village. It was founded by Adeliza, or Alice de St. Quintin, in the reign of King Stephen. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site was acquired by the Fairfax family. A house was built there which later became the home of Thomas, the third Lord Fairfax, a parliamentary commander during the Civil War. After the death of Mary Fairfax, Duchess of Buckingham, Nun Appleton was eventually sold in about 1711 to Alderman Milner of Leeds. The Milner family, who made their money from the Aire Calder Navigation Canal, continued to own the Hall until 1875, when it was leased to William Beckett Dennison. As the agricultural depression of the 19th century and competition from railways increased, the Milner fortune dwindled away and the estate was sold. The manor and estate originally belonged to the Latimer family, passing, by way of his daughter Elizabeth, to John, Lord Neville of Raby during the reign of Richard II. The estate and manor stayed in the Neville family until 1426.

Woolas Hall, now a farmhouse, was once a more important building, as indicated by the moat by which it was surrounded and may still be traced in the landscape around it.