Bank House is first mentioned in the will of the Vicar of Sherburn dated 24 June 1731, who left all his "messuages, lands and hereditaments" in the parishes of Sherburn, Cawood and Barwick in Elmet to trustees for the use of his issue; on failure of issue, his personal estate to be used for founding of charity schools for Girls in Sherburn, and at Cawood. The Cawood school is now known as Bank House, but for almost 200 years it was known in the village as the "free" school or charity school. When the house was built, the Royal Navy had a monopoly on oak for their ships. All the beams and joists are therefore from shipwrecks, as can be seen by curved struts in the attic. The cellar has stones from the castle in the foundations, and the back garden wall is built onto the original castle wall.

Bank House on the right hand corner - the road was put through in 1897 when the next door house was knocked down.

In 1923, the trustees decided there was no longer a need for a school for poor orphan girls, since there were adequate state schools in the village. The house was sold to Annie Sidwell, who had been Headmistress since 1888. After her death in 1929, her executors sold it to Barclays Bank. During the second world war, the bank was closed, the house was sold on; we have been living here since April 1988.

In the Charity Commissioners' Report of 1829, the main trustee had a "double vote" for his own relations' children to be admitted to the charity school, children from Sherburn and Cawood had priority to attend the schools. The Cawood school premises were let to the Headmistress for a modest rent, in return she received an allowance from the trustees for each child in her care. Children were admitted at seven years of age, taught reading, sowing and spinning, and remained at school until they were sixteen. On quitting school, each pupil was provided with a full suit of apparel.

By 1857, the Headmistress received £84 per year for clothing, feeding and instructing six daughters of labouring people of Cawood, they resided in the house with her, being admitted at the age of 10 or 12 and leaving at 16 to go into domestic service. By the end of the 1890's, the Headmistress received £40 per year salary as well as the use of the house rent free, and an amount for each child - admitted at the age of 6 or 7. She would also employ one of the girls as a housemaid when they had finished their education.When we bought the house, there were still local people who remembered the free school, and told us stories - how the girls would attend church three times on Sunday, and how the headmistress would shut naughty girls in the cellar - at that time, there were no lights in the cellar, and when the river flooded, the dyke would flood the cellar. (More history of Bank House, and old photos) (Village history)

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