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Viewing swaag.org website implies consent to set cookies on your computer. Full details Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1155775
SWAAG Honorary President:
Tim Laurie F,S,A,

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 *****SWAAG_ID***** 475
 Date Entered 23/03/2012
 Updated on 24/03/2012
 Recorded by Stephen Eastmead
 Category Vernacular Record
 Record Type General HER
 Site Access Public Access Land
 Record Date 21/03/2012
 Location Brownsey Moor
 Civil Parish Melbecks
 Brit. National Grid SD 97009 98708
 Altitude 417m
 Record Name Brownsey House - (Miner/farmer) aka Brownsah or Brownsa House
 Record Description Browsey House pre-dates the digging of Brownsey Level which appears to have been driven in the late 1860's.

Christine's Census data pages for Melbecks: Spensleys of the Yorkshire Dales has this data: Note the house name appears as Brownsah or Brownsa

1841:
Brownsah
SMITHSON John/50/lead miner/Y
SMITHSON Ann/20/Y
SMITHSON John/15/Y
SMITHSON Joseph/12/Y
SMITHSON Mary/11/Y
SMITHSON James/10/Y
SMITHSON Samuel/8/Y

1851:
Brownsah
98. ALDERSON James/head/40/Lead miner/Yks/Melbecks
ALDERSON Ann/wife/30/Yks/Melbecks
ALDERSON George/son/1/Yks/Melbecks
MASON Mary/serv/16/Yks/Muker

1861:
Brownsah House
PARKER James/Head/M/31/Lead miner/Yks/Blades
PARKER Ann/wife/M/27/Lancs/Bacup
PARKER Mary/dau/7/scholar/Yks/Muker
PARKER Thomas/son/5/scholar/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER George/son/3/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER Ann/dau/1/Yks/Melbecks
NEESHAM Edward/Boarder/33/Lead miner/Yks/Muker
NEESHAM Charles/Boarder/9/scholar/Yks/Muker

1871:
Brownsa House
PARKER James/Head/M/42/lead miner/Yks/Aysgarth
PARKER Nanny/wife/M/39/Lancs/Bacup
PARKER Thomas/son/U/15/lead miner/Yks/Muker
PARKER George/son/13/lead miner/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER Elizabeth Ann/dau/9/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER Margaret/dau/7/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER James/son/5/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER J?/son/3/Yks/Melbecks
PARKER Sarah/dau/5m/Yks/Melbecks

1881:
Brownsa
ALDERSON/George/Head/M/32/lead miner/Yks Melbecks
ALDERSON/Ann/wife/M/34//Durham Shotley Bridge
ALDERSON/Margaret/dau//7/scholar/Yks Melbecks
ALDERSON/James/son//5//Yks Melbecks
ALDERSON/Mary/dau//2//Yks Melbecks

1891:
Brownsa - uninhabited

1901 and 1911 Brownsa is not listed.

A Google book search reveals this snippet: A history of Richmond and Swaledale by Raymond Fieldhouse, Bernard Jennings - 1978 - 520 pages - Snippet view: Services began to be conducted at Blades, and within a few years these first Swaledale Methodists had established a society. Their first meeting place was a room fitted out by William Spencely at 'Brownsey House', near Blades.
 Additional Notes Christine also emailed me this additional information which also dates the house back into the 1770's:

Regarding Brownsey House, I'm pretty sure the other spellings all apply to the same place. My census transcriptions are usually done 'as is' and local dialect would account for the variations in spelling. The same variations appear in the parish registers - as late as 1882 there's a burial of Mary Ann Alderson at Low Row, from Brownsa House. Grinton reg in 1785 show the burial of Dinah Nicholson of Brownsey, 1779 of Eleanor Rogers of Brownsey, 1772 bapt of Nancy Cleminson of Brownsey, Gunnerside 1871 bapt of Sarah Parker of Brownsea. I also have a reference to it having been in the occupation of 'Old Willy' Spensley.
 Image 1 ID 2374         Click image to enlarge
 Image 1 Description Brownsey House from Brownsey Level
 Image 2 ID 2375         Click image to enlarge
 Image 2 Description Brownsey House
 Image 3 ID 2376         Click image to enlarge
 Image 3 Description Brownsey House
 Image 4 ID 2377         Click image to enlarge
 Image 4 Description Brownsey House
 Image 5 ID 2378         Click image to enlarge
 Image 5 Description Brownsey House
 Image 6 ID 2379         Click image to enlarge
 Image 6 Description Brownsey House
 Image 7 ID 2386         Click image to enlarge
 Image 7 Description Current 1 in 10,000 OS Map: ©Crown copyright and database rights 2011 Ordnance Survey 1000237401, kindly supplied by the North Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
 Image 8 ID 2387         Click image to enlarge
 Image 8 Description Oldest OS Map pre-dates Brownsey Level (see SWAAG record 473)
 Image 9 ID 2388         Click image to enlarge
 Image 9 Description Later OS Map Browsey Level is now present just to the north of Brownsey House
 Image 10 ID 2389         Click image to enlarge
 Image 10 Description Later still OS Map
 Image 11 ID 2390         Click image to enlarge
 Image 11 Description Browsey House - Mick Borroff
 
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