SOUTH KILVINGTON
The parish, which includes the townships of South
Kilvington, Thornbrough and Upsall, lies to the north
of Thirsk and covers about 2,920 acres. Of this
1,300 acres are pasture and about an equal area is in
cultivation. (fn. 1) The subsoil is lower lias, and the
chief crops grown are wheat, barley and turnips.
The parish is bounded by the Cod Beck on the
west, and by two of its tributaries, Spital Beck and
Whitelas Beck, on the north and south.
The highway from Thirsk to Yarm runs northward alongside of the Cod Beck through the village
of South Kilvington, leaving the parish by the Spital
Bridge over the Spital Beck. Near the entrance to the
village this road is met by Hag Lane, which leads eastward to the farm which was once the manor-house.
At the junction is the village green, where stands the
church of St. Wilfrid with the rectory to the north.
A road branching from Hag Lane runs north-east
to the south bank of the Spital Beck, where stand the
farms forming the hamlet of Thornbrough. At some
distance past Thornbrough the road joins the 'Pale
Dike,' the old boundary of the park of Upsall, which
has a paved way on one side of it. It is uncertain at
what date this park was first made. It is said to have
been disparked in 1599, (fn. 2) but from a petition of the rector
of South Kilvington in 1641 (fn. 3) it appears that it was
then still inclosed and was of the yearly value of £200.
The road by the Pale Dike runs on to the northeast till it reaches the village of Upsall on a slope of
the Hambleton Hills. On the east of the road at the
entrance to the village are the ruins of Upsall Castle.
The castle was probably begun by the Geoffrey Scrope
who bought the manor from the Upsalls in 1327, (fn. 4) and
the work was continued by his son Henry. (fn. 5) The
site of the capital messuage is mentioned in 1392, (fn. 6)
and in 1576–7 the Crown made a grant of 'the old
site of the castle of Upsall.' (fn. 7) The castle is mentioned
in a conveyance of 1607, (fn. 8) and is said to have been
demolished at the time of the Civil War. It is last
mentioned in 1660, when it was probably in ruins. (fn. 9)
The only old part is a corner tower at the southeast with walls about 10 ft. high above the lower
lawn. It is about 36 ft. square inside. From this
the foundations of the south wall run westward for
about 130 ft., then turn north for another 140 ft.
till they reach another tower with a semi-octagonal
western face. In two of these faces are window jambs
remaining. This part stands up some 10 ft. to 12 ft.
above the upper lawn, which is about 10 ft. higher
than the lower lawn. There are a few cinquefoiled
heads of square-headed windows lying about, and a
plain pinnacle with the arms of Scrope of Masham
and Upsall. The modern castle is a short distance
to the east of the old site; it was built in 1876 by
Mr. Edmund H. Turton. It was near this castle that
a former inhabitant of Upsall is said to have dug
up three 'crocks of gold.' Farther up the village
street, which runs north from the castle, is a Methodist chapel, built in 1887. North of the village is
Quarry Wood.
Nevison House, a large farm, standing just outside
the park on the south, is supposed to have been the
home of a famous Yorkshire freebooter, Will Nevison,
who was hanged in 1685. (fn. 10)
Manors
The manor of SOUTH KILVINGTON followed the descent of the manor
of Upsall (q.v.) to the 16th century.
In the 13th and 14th centuries a family called
Kilvington held lands here (fn. 11) of the Upsalls, then lords
of the manor. From the fact that in 1322 William
son of Adam de Kilvington complained that his
father had been unjustly disseised by the grandfather
of Geoffrey de Upsall of a common of pasture in
Upsall (fn. 12) it is evident that the families had existed
side by side for some time. In 1348 Geoffrey Upsall
and John and William Kilvington held the lands in
Upsall, Kilvington and Thornbrough which had been
held by Michael Upsall and others. (fn. 13)
Ingram, Viscount Irvine. Ermine a fesse gules with three scallops or thereon.
The manor was transferred to the Scropes with
Upsall, to which it seems to have been considered
appurtenant, and must have been included in the sale
of Upsall Manor by Thomas Tancred to the Earl of
Rutland. (fn. 14) He died seised of it in 1587, (fn. 15) leaving it
with other manors to his daughter Elizabeth Lady
Roos. At her death they were held by her second
husband, Sir William Cecil Lord Burghley, for life, (fn. 16)
and then descended to her
son William Lord Roos. In
1623 South Kilvington was
sold by Robert Hooke and
Dorothy his wife, who had
purchased it from Lord Roos,
to Sir Arthur Ingram, senior. (fn. 17)
From Sir Arthur Ingram the
manor descended to Henry
Viscount Irvine, (fn. 18) who conveyed it in 1663 to Ralph
Tancred. (fn. 19) Eight years afterwards South Kilvington was
in the possession of Francis
Morley and Jane his wife, and
was sold by them to Richard Sterne, (fn. 20) who in 1684
sold it to Richard Taylor. (fn. 21) His great-grandson
Taylor White conveyed it to Christopher Johnson in
1795 for the purpose of cutting off the entail. (fn. 22)
Nothing more is heard of it till 1859, when it was
held by the trustees of Sir Matthew Dodsworth,
bart. (fn. 23) His son Sir Matthew Blayney Smith-Dodsworth, bart., (fn. 24) was holding it in 1905. The present
lord of the manor is Mr. E. R. Turton.
The Prior of Newburgh held 1 carucate of land
here in the 14th century. (fn. 25)
There was a mill in South Kilvington in the
17th and 18th centuries. (fn. 26)
The manor of THORNBROUGH (Thornbergh,
xiii cent.; Thornbargh, xvii cent.) followed the
descent of South Kilvington (q.v.) till Henry Viscount
Irvine and Essex his wife conveyed it in 1665 to
Michael Pickering. (fn. 27) From this date its history
becomes obscure and it ceases to be treated as a
manor.
Saltmarsh. Argent crusilly with three cinqfoils gules.
In 1717 (fn. 28) a moiety of the estate was in the hands
of Philip Saltmarsh of Newby Wiske (q.v.). John
and William Saltmarsh appear
to have held it jointly in 1728, (fn. 29)
and William Saltmarsh sold his
moiety in 1757 to John Roper
and Thomas Strangways. (fn. 30) In
1829 Thornbrough was in
the hands of the Vicomte de
Quelen, the Comte de Châteaubriand and others (fn. 31) ; they
sold it in the following year
to Nathaniel Milne. (fn. 32) Thirty
years afterwards the chief
landowners were John Young
and Charles Cook. (fn. 33) Mr.
Edmund Russborough Turton, lord of the manor of
Upsall, is the present owner.
Free warren in these manors was probably included
in the grant to Geoffrey Upsall in 1244. (fn. 34) Later
tenants certainly enjoyed it. (fn. 35)
A market and fair in the manor of Kilvington
were granted to Geoffrey Upsall in 1257, (fn. 36) but
are not again mentioned.
UPSALL (Upsal, xi cent.) was for centuries the
head of the Scrope fee in this neighbourhood, and
has always been the chief of the three manors in the
parish. Before the Conquest it had been held by
Waltef. In 1086 it was among the lands of the
Count of Mortain, (fn. 37) and was held of him by Richard
Surdeval, one of his chief sub-tenants. (fn. 38) When forfeited after the battle of Tenchebrai, (fn. 39) it seems, with
many other lands in Yorkshire, to have been granted
to the Mowbray family, the overlordship following
the descent of their manor of Thirsk (fn. 40) (q.v.).
Four carucates here and at Thornbrough must
have been among the lands granted to the Stutevills,
lords of Kirkby Moorside (q.v.), the descent of which
was followed by a mesne lordship here. (fn. 41)
In the late 14th century the manor was said to
be held of Sir Andrew Luttrell. (fn. 42)
Geoffrey de Upsall received a grant of free warren
here in 1244 (fn. 43) ; he was succeeded by his son (fn. 44) Hugh,
tenant in 1284–5. (fn. 45) Hugh died without issue and
was succeeded by his brother William. (fn. 46) William also
apparently died without issue, for in 1294 his widow
Joan claimed dower against Isabel wife of Michael de
Upsall, who had succeeded to his brother William's
lands in Upsall and South Kilvington. (fn. 47) Geoffrey de
Upsall, son of Michael, (fn. 48) in 1327 sold the manor to
Geoffrey Scrope of Bolton, (fn. 49) who in 1329 granted it
back to him for life for an
annual rent of one rose at the
Nativity of St. John the
Baptist. (fn. 50) Upsall subsequently
followed the descent of the
manor of Masham (fn. 51) (q.v.)
until on the division of the
Scrope lands among the three
daughters of Thomas, the fifth
baron, (fn. 52) it fell to the share of
Alice wife of Sir James Strangways; in 1533 it was in the
possession of Sir James Strangways, junior, (fn. 53) the son of her
son Thomas. (fn. 54) As in the case of Ainderby Steeple
(q.v.) the reversion of the manor was conveyed by
James Strangways in 1541 to Leonard Dacre. (fn. 55) On
the death of James Strangways about three months
afterwards, apparently before the transaction was
made valid, a dispute arose between the Dacres and
his heirs. Finally an appeal was made to the king,
whose award was confirmed in Parliament in 1544.
Upsall was allotted to Robert Roos, the grandson of
the elder Sir James Strangways, (fn. 56) but the Dacres
insisted on their right. A suit of intrusion was
brought by the Crown against Leonard Dacre in
1562. (fn. 57) His attainder for treason (fn. 58) in 1570 finally
put an end to his claim.
Upsall. Argent a cross sable.
Plan of South Kilvington Church
In 1569 Robert Roos alienated the manor to
Thomas Sowerby in trust for William Tancred and
his heirs, (fn. 59) who held it till 1575, when Thomas
Tancred sold it to the Earl of Rutland. (fn. 60) Three
years afterwards the earl conveyed it to Sir John
Constable. (fn. 61) John was succeeded in 1579 by his son
Henry, (fn. 62) whose son, another Henry, was created
Viscount Dunbar in 1620. (fn. 63) The estates of Viscount
Dunbar were sequestered in 1654. (fn. 64) He had apparently raised money just before the Civil War by
granting several rent-charges on the estate. (fn. 65) After the
Restoration John Constable Viscount Dunbar conveyed
the manor to Christopher
Shawe and Ralph Kerton, (fn. 66)
presumably trustees for his
son Robert, a minor. They
were parties to an agreement
with Robert in 1672–3. (fn. 67)
William Viscount Dunbar,
brother and heir of Robert,
died without issue in 1718, (fn. 68)
and his estates passed to his
nephew Cuthbert Tunstall,
who adopted the name of
Constable. (fn. 69) He was succeeded
by his son William, who in
1768 sold Upsall Manor to
William Chapman. (fn. 70) The
latter sold it almost immediately to John Turton, (fn. 71) a distinguished physician and a
friend of the Royal family. He died without issue, (fn. 72)
leaving his estate to his wife, by whose will it passed to
Edmund Peters, (fn. 73) who took the name of Turton. At
his death in 1857 Upsall was inherited by his son
Edmund, who was succeeded by another Edmund Turton, (fn. 74) the present lord of the manor.
Turton of Upsall. Ermine nine trefoils alternately vert and azure with a crosslet fitchy sable in the foot and a quarter gules.
Church
The church of ST.
WILFRID consists of a
chancel measuring internally 28 ft. 4 in. by 17 ft. 11 in.,
nave 44 ft. 1 in. by 17 ft. 7 in. and
south porch.
A small round-headed window in
the south wall points to the 12thcentury origin of the fabric, but this
window is the only detail remaining
of the date, unless the rear arch of
the south-west window is earlier than
its monial. The earlier of the other
windows date from about 1260, when
the chancel was probably rebuilt. The
porch is comparatively modern.
The 13th-century east window is of three trefoiled
lights, over which are three quatrefoils but no containing arch. The two windows in the south wall are
contemporary, and are each of two trefoiled lights
(the middle foil quite small) with a quatrefoil over.
The window in the north wall is a modern copy of
these. The piscina in the south wall has apparently
been retooled and may be as early as the windows,
though the basin is modern; the head was probably
trefoiled. The chancel arch has been rebuilt. The
lower parts of the jambs are modern, the upper parts are
old, and apparently the old bases of the semi-octagonal
responds have been raised. The capitals are of a
coarse section and probably of 15th-century date. The
two-centred drop arch is of two chamfered orders.
The only window in the north wall of the nave
and the first of those in the south are similar to those
of the chancel. The second window from the east
in the south wall of the nave is the 12th-century
light already mentioned. The jambs and head have
a continuous internal splay. The south doorway has
jambs of a sunk quarter-round order, like those of the
windows, and a two-centred drop arch. East of it is
a holy water stoup with a large projecting basin and
a plain ogee head. The south-west window has a
wood frame dividing it into two ogee-headed lights,
and a plastered half-round rear arch difficult to date.
The north doorway has a round head and is moulded
with a sunk quarter-round. The west window is of
two trefoiled lights under a square head; it was probably inserted in the 15th century, but the head looks
like a modern restoration. In the west wall near the
south angle outside is a shallow trefoiled niche.
Over the roof at the west end is a plain wood bellturret with a pyramidal roof; it contains two bells, one
with no inscription and the other, which is cracked,
is inscribed 'Jesus be our speed 1695, E.G., C.W.,'
but with no maker's mark; both are of the same note.
The south porch is modern or of the late 18th century; all the walls are cemented outside and plastered
inside. The roofs have flat plaster ceilings.
The font dates from the latter part of the 15th
century; it is of grey marble and is octagonal in plan
with concave sides. On the base are squares inscribed
'Dñs Thom[a]s le Scrōp et Elizabeth uxor ejus,' referring
to Thomas Lord Scrope, who married Elizabeth
Nevill and died in 1494. On the sides of the bowl
are shields with Scrope heraldry.
There is a large amount of modern carved furniture
in the church, including a very large organ; much
of the carving was done by the present rector, the
Rev. W. T. Kingsley, who has held the living since
1859. Two old pieces of panelled work have been
adapted in a chair in the chancel. At the west end
are still remaining some 18th-century box pews, and
at the east end is a large late 17th-century square
pew. In the east window tracery is some old stained
glass, including a shield with the arms of Upsall
and Mauleverer. There are a few other fragments,
chiefly of canopy work, in the north window of the
chancel and in the west window. In the chancel
are the fragments of a 13th-century cross.
The plate includes a silver cup, bearing the Newcastle mark of 1760, a silver paten, bearing the
Newcastle mark of 1814, presented by the Rev. John
Green, rector, and a brass almsdish of Nuremberg
manufacture.
The registers begin in 1572.
The churchyard is partly bounded by a yew hedge.
Advowson
In 1233 Geoffrey Upsall, lord of
the manor of Upsall, claimed the
advowson of South Kilvington against
Oliver and Robert Buscy. Robert Buscy declared that
he held the church of the gift of the Archbishop of
York, who gave it to him by the authority of the
council, but he did not claim any right in the
advowson. (fn. 75) Two years afterwards Oliver quitclaimed the advowson to Geoffrey, (fn. 76) and in 1327
it was sold with the manor, (fn. 77) which it followed
in descent till the 16th century. In 1544 it was
probably awarded to Robert Roos with the manor,
but the other claimant, Leonard Dacre, seems to
have retained possession of it, as he presented in
1559. (fn. 78) During the early part of the 17th century
it passed through various hands. Thomas Tancred
presented in 1615, (fn. 79) Robert Roos having apparently
sold his right in this advowson with the manor of
Upsall. Francis Barker presented in 1633. (fn. 80) In
1638 the patron was William Lee, and the advowson
remained in the possession of his family till 1714,
when it passed, probably by sale, to Sidney Sussex
College, Cambridge, the present patrons.
Geoffrey de Upsall in 1316 granted a messuage
and 8 oxgangs of land in Upsall and Thornbrough
to a chaplain, to celebrate divine service daily for
his soul in the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene at
Upsall. (fn. 81)