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April 15, 2008
Pity the Poor Pinder
Life for a pinder was certainly no bed of roses. He was the local official whose job it was to confine straying animals, temporarily, in an enclosure known as a pinfold. A fine was imposed on the owner before he could retrieve his animal; the fine being paid to the lord of the manor.It can only be imagined what sort of disputes a pinder might have to deal with. However, thanks to a report in the Yorkshire Gazette of 1842, one such altercation can be revealed.
At the Ainsty Petty Sessions in York, Acaster's pinder, Matthew Hick, brought a charge of assault against one Robert Lamb. Apparently, Hick had been ordered to impound a black mare that had been straying by the river. While the horse was being led to the Acaster pinfold, Lamb appeared on the scene. He argued abusively with the pinder and struck him with the halter.
In court, Robert Lamb's lawyer observed that his client had permission from the Corporation of York to put his horse on the hauling [tow] path; the Corporation, also being Trustees of the Ouse Navigation, had the right of pathway. At this, the magistrates decided to wash their hands of the matter and told the parties to settle the matter out of court. We shall never know if the incident was amicably resolved, but it illustrates the difficulties faced by the typical village pinder.
Source: Yorkshire Gazette, Saturday, 18 June 1842, p6.
Note: The Acaster pinfold can still be seen at the junction of Mill Lane and Hauling Lane.
Linda
Posted by Editor at April 15, 2008 1:36 PM