jan 1, 1656 - stee-room

Description:

The owner of a house was often granted the right to place a ladder on ground which adjoined his property, so that he might carry out necessary repairs. This was originally referred to as stee room and then as ladder room as the use of dialect in official documents declined. 1539 <i>we say that William Mawncell shall challenge no grownd bot to sett A steye to messe or Amend his bildyngs at reasonable tymes</i>, Ossett (WCR9/122); 1589 <i>shall permit John Parkyn to sett steys or ladders in his fold for the repayringe of his houses</i>, Meltham (MD63); 1656 <i>1 slated barne or laithe below Kilnsaye nether yeat together with a stee room … or sufficient roome for setting up a stee or ladder in the garth</i>, Kilnsey (MD247). Quite often the space allowed would be explicit: 1600 <i>one ladder or stee roome at the sowthe end of the house being threequarters of a yard onlie for the theaking of the same</i>, Malham (RMM23).

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