Burgage Pasture Rights

 

In medieval times, the owner of a Burgage Right would have been able to graze animals on Burgage land – by law, “one horse or one beast in the said stinted pasture between April 5 and October 10 in every year”.

But since the Richmond (Yorkshire) Burgage Pastures Act of 1853, holders of Burgage Rights have instead been able to vote for a committee to manage the Burgage Pastures on their behalf.

Why is Richmondshire District Council involved in this?

The Council’s legal team discovered that over the years the authority had ended up with the rights to the subsoil (but not the surface) of Richmond’s old Racecourse. It also owns the woodland south of the Racecourse, one of the former grandstands, and two Burgage Rights. These rights came into Council’s possession when it succeeded the Richmond Borough Corporation which, in turn, had acquired the Rights when it bought two houses in the town in the 1950s.

The 1853 Act remains in force to this day, and the committee still exists in the form of the Richmond Burgage Pastures Committee. However, Richmondshire District Council does not appear to have ever exercised its right to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Burgage Holders. Nor does it own any horses or beasts!

How is the Richmond Burgage Pastures Committee involved in the Racecourse?

Richmond Racecourse was registered as Common Land in the 1970s and was then included within the CROW Act of 2000, giving the public a right to roam over it. The Burgage Pastures Committee’s role is to maintain and protect the historic integrity of the Racecourse and some surrounding land.

So what happens next?

The Council has agreed to transfer its legal rights in these areas to the Burgage Pastures Committee. It is hoped that the Committee will be better able to apply for Government and other grants that the Council would not be entitled to and, if successful, these grants will further help to protect and maintain the Racecourse and the crumbling grandstand for future generations.

There has already been considerable media interest in the transfer, with the story being reported by local radio stations as well as the Yorkshire Post and the Northern Echo.

The Council is keen to hear your views and memories of these historic rights and institutions. Have you ever been involved in the Burgage Pastures Committee? Have you ever come across Pasture Rights? Would you like to have your say about how best to protect the Racecourse?

To view a map showing the location of the Racecourse click here

Get in touch with the Communications Team and let us know! You can phone Tom Stirling on 01748 829100 or email your thoughts, memories, copies of old maps, documents or even photographs to tom.stirling@richmondshire.gov.uk.