A FEARSOME landowner, William Appleby, was the most powerful and ruthless figure in the dales in the mid-1600s. From his impressive home, Hagworth Hall at the top of Baldersdale, he ruled the roost and dispensed justice as he saw fit.

His word was law as he roamed the rolling countryside, and woe betide anyone who opposed him. If anyone caused trouble in his private kingdom he decided how to punish them - and in some cases that meant execution.

It was a time when Scottish raiders swept down from the border to steal horses, cattle and anything else they could lay their hands on. When he came across any of them in his territory he showed no mercy.

He had been an army officer serving under the Duke of Buckingham at the relief of La Rochelle in France in 1628, and now he kept a bunch of armed henchmen around him to deal with unwelcome visitors.

He was also protective of his neighbours, who were mostly his tenants. Legend has it that an example of his fierce methods came when a farmer living at Waterknott, a mile from Hagworth, went to sell cattle at Brough Hill fair.

He had a successful day, pocketing more cash than expected, and became much too tipsy when he called at a hostelry to celebrate. It was obvious he had plenty of money and there was no shortage of villains hoping to relieve him of it.

When he set off to ride home at midnight three of them followed, meaning to rob him on a lonely stretch. He sensed he was being chased but luckily was on a swift horse which got him to Watterknott ahead of them.

He ran inside and went round putting bars in place on the windows. He heard the would-be robbers dismounting outside before realising he had left his large key on the outside of the front door.

So he climbed up inside the chimney and out onto the roof. They were searching inside for him when he climbed down and locked them in. He rode as fast as he could to Hagworth to tell Appleby what was happening.

Within minutes the great man was riding into action with a posse. The three criminals were still in Waterknott so they were rounded up and dragged outside. One version of the story is that they were hanged from trees. Another is that they were shot.

In any event they were killed. It transpired that the trio were highwaymen who had carried out robberies all over the north, so it was agreed they got what they deserved.

In another incident a lone Scot was suspected of stealing sheep. Told he was to be hanged right away, he pleaded for a fair trial and just before he died cried: "Is Baldersdale lawless?" He was told there was a law - Appleby's law.

A student has asked who owned Lartington estate after the death in 1844 of Harry Witham, in whose memory the Witham Hall was built. It was inherited by his son George, but he died three years later and it passed to another son, Thomas Witham, a Catholic priest.

As well as its stately hall and home farm, he took over thousands of acres let out to farmers. There were also 30 cottages, two lakes and two miles of angling rights on the Tees as well as moorland shooting.

He was kind and generous, and also spent cash having the land improved. When he died aged 90 in 1897 the estate, which had been in his family for many years, went to his nephew, Francis Silvertop.

But he sold it for £86,000 in 1912 to help pay death duties. Many oil paintings and historic features of the hall were taken to the family's other base at Ministeracres in Northumberland.

Following the sale Silvertop entertained tenants from the estate and their children to a party and feast at the Silvertop Institute in the village, as he had done every year since his arrival.

He was a popular character, and there was regret when the family connection ended. Less popular was the new owner, David Spence of Jesmond, who soon made changes.

From a family of Methodists, he closed Lartington's Catholic cemetery, demolished some fairly new houses, causing families to leave, and locked up a wine cellar.

His son acted as his agent. But he ran into financial problems so the estate was put up for sale in 1917.

Though it did not sell at first the hall and 6,000 acres were bought for £66,850 in 1919 by Norman Field and his wife Olive. That was the start of a bright era lasting 55 years, with money apparently no object.

Included in the purchase were 12 farms, 140 acres of parkland, the two lakes, grouse moors, and many cottages. Field was born in Cheshire and went to Eton, but inherited a fortune from his father's department-store owning family in America.

He married Irish-born Olive in Dublin. The couple enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing. They lived on a lavish scale. At one stage they had 35 servants. During World War II the hall was turned into a Red Cross convalescent home for injured troops.

Olive was its commandant, unpaid of course, and her gruff voice was heard bellowing orders. Some 2,000 men stayed there to recover. Norman Field died in 1957 and the hall fell into decay as Olive lived on in it. She was never happier than when hosting parties for children.

She sat in a wheelchair, her parrot beside her, and blew a hunting horn while urging everyone to have fun. She was killed in 1973 along with her chauffeur and lady companion when her Rolls Royce crashed in Darlington.

The hall's future was in doubt until the late Robin Rackham and his wife Claire took it over and made a superb job of renovating it. Its present owners have improved it further, so it must be more luxurious now than ever it was previously.

A thoughtful clergyman rigged up his own special burglar alarm after a thief made a number of night visits to his property. The Reverend J.D. Parker noticed in late 1866 that someone was regularly raiding his haystack in a field behind the parsonage at Cockfield. Without telling anyone he put a rope round the bottom of the stack. Then he got a big ball of string and tied one end of it to the rope. He led the string out of the field, over his garden, into his home and up the stairs to his bedroom.

He hung a large bell on the bedstead and tied the string to it. He was anxious to stop the thefts as he needed the hay to feed the horse which conveyed him around his parish. Nothing happened for a couple of nights. But then in the early hours he was wakened by the bell clanging.

He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, pulling on some clothes. He crept out to the field and there caught George Lamb, a miner, helping himself to a bundle of hay.

Police were called to arrest him and he was taken to the cells at Staindrop. He was kept there for nearly a week before appearing before the magistrates.

The vicar took pity on him and told the court that as he had been in custody for so long he didn't deserve further punishment. So he was let off with a severe warning -- and the reverend was congratulated on his crime-fighting skill.

When an old font disappeared from the ancient parish church at Wycliffe none of the officials knew what had happened to it. But in 1885 it was spotted in a farm in the area, being used as a pig trough. It was returned to the rector. Earlier the church gates vanished and were found after some years at a local mill. There were reports at the time that a stone coffin taken from the Roman site at Piercebridge was used by a publican as one of his brewing vessels. Seemingly he was making really tasty ale.