INGLEBY ARNCLIFFE
Engelbi and Gerneclif (xi cent.); Ernesclive (xii
cent.); Ingelby and Erneclive (xiii cent.); Engelby
juxta Erneclyf, Ingelby cum Erneclif, Ingleby subtus
Erneclyf (xiv cent.); Arnecliff (xv cent.).
The parish of Ingleby Arncliffe lies at the foot of
the Cleveland Hills, in the south-west corner of the
wapentake of Langbaurgh. It covers 1,893 acres of
what is for the most part low and level ground except
for one high rocky hill in the south-east, from which
the parish takes its name. In the hills to the south
rises the River Wiske, which flows north and forms
the western boundary separating Ingleby Arncliffe
from the parish of East Harlsey. The northern
boundary is the little stream called Trenholme Stell,
which flows into the Wiske in the north-west corner
of the parish, forming with it a wedge-shaped piece
of land called Pierrepoint Nook. Another stream
called Carr Beck runs south-west round the hill,
forms part of the southern boundary and joins the
Wiske at Staddle Bridge, where the great highway
from Thirsk to Yarm enters the parish. Here is
the Cleveland Tontine Inn, built by subscription in
1804 to provide more accommodation for travellers
and coaches on the improved Thirsk road. (fn. 1) It is
now known as Ingleby House and is the residence of
Mrs. Punshon. Its licence was transferred after the
opening of the railways to the 'Little Tontine,' but
the latter also is now disused as an inn.
At Staddle Bridge the road to Stokesley and Guisborough branches off from the high road in a northeasterly direction. Between the two roads, to which
it is joined by lanes, is the village of Ingleby Arncliffe. The village street runs north-east and southwest and is on a slight rise. There is no building
worthy of note except a Wesleyan chapel.
From the south end of the village street a lane
runs eastward to the Stokesley road. At the cross
roads so formed is the hamlet of Ingleby Cross.
From Ingleby Cross the lane is continued across the
Carr Beck till it reaches the church and Hall, which
stand very near each other. They were once surrounded by a moat, the remains of which can still be
traced.
The Hall was rebuilt in 1754 by Thomas Mauleverer from designs by Carr of York. It takes the
place of a late 16th-century house (fn. 2) erected by William
Mauleverer, the principal front of which faced north
and had three equal gables, mullioned and transomed
windows and a flight of steps to the front entrance.
The present building is a dignified stone structure of
two principal floors with high basement and attic, the
middle part of the south or principal front being
slightly advanced and the entrance approached by a
double flight of steps. In the pediment above are
the Mauleverer arms with crest and motto and the
date 1754, together with the initials T.S.M., which
also occur on one of the lead down pipes. 'On the
ceiling of the entrance hall is a representation of the
goddess of plenty raining affluence over Cleveland
typified by Roseberry Topping.' (fn. 3) An east wing was
added in 1843. Much damage was done to the
building by fire on 4 May 1912.
Behind the Hall the ground rises sharply up to a
height of nearly 1,000 ft. The side of the hill is
covered with oak trees. From the summit, known as
Beacon Rocks, there is a wide prospect westward.
Along the ridge a little to the north is a large
'rocking' stone known as Cop Loaf.
There is no vicarage-house in the parish, as the
vicar combines the living with that of East Harlsey
and has a house there. Once there was a chaplain's
house in Arncliffe 'on the east side going out of the
vill to the south,' (fn. 4) but it is not mentioned after the
beginning of the 14th century.
The soil of the parish, surrounded as it is with
streams, is for the most part alluvial; 506 acres are
under cultivation (fn. 5) and the chief crops grown are
barley, oats and potatoes.
Manor
In 1086 INGLEBY ARNCLIFFE was
Crown land. (fn. 6) Malgrin had held there
6 carucates in Ingleby and 2 in Arncliffe.
Not long afterwards Robert Brus received Ingleby
and Arncliffe as part of his fee in Yorkshire (fn. 7) ; the
date of the grant is uncertain, but it was probably
made at the end of the 11th or beginning of the
12th century. Ingleby Arncliffe (fn. 8) was held of the
Brus family by knight service as of their castle of
Skelton, and the overlordship followed the descent of
Skelton (fn. 9) (q.v.) into the families of Fauconberg (fn. 10) and
Conyers. (fn. 11) Before the 16th century the service due
for the manor had been commuted to a rent of a
pair of gilt spurs or 8d. (fn. 12)
During the 12th and 13th centuries the tenants of
Arncliffe under the Brus family were the Ingrams,
who are chiefly known as liberal benefactors to the
neighbouring monasteries. The first of the family
who was certainly lord of Arncliffe was Walter
Ingram; he granted land here to Rievaulx and
Guisborough in or about 1170. (fn. 13) He mentions a
paternal uncle William Ingram, (fn. 14) but the name of his
father is unknown. (fn. 15)
Mauleverer of Arncliffe. Gules three running leverers argent with golden collars.
This manor followed the descent of that of Daletown (fn. 16) (q.v.) through the Colvills to the Mauleverers. Here as there
Edmund Mauleverer succeeded to the estate at his
grandfather's death in 1551. (fn. 17)
The fortunes of the family
fell very low at this period,
and Sir Edmund was further
impoverished by his 'great
cost and damages' incurred in
service in the Scotch wars. (fn. 18)
He was forced to borrow
money from, among others,
his brother-in-law Thomas
Wentworth, who lent him
£490 on the manors of Arncliffe and Dale. Sir Edmund made default, and
though he declared that there was a friendly arrangement by which the claim would not be pressed, his
brother-in-law entered into possession of his lands. (fn. 19)
Litigation followed, and apparently Edmund Mauleverer recovered the manor. He died seised of it
in 1571, (fn. 20) and was succeeded by his son and heir
William, a minor at the time of his father's death. (fn. 21)
William married Eleanor daughter of Richard Aldbrough, and had fifteen sons and daughters. (fn. 22) His
second son James survived him, (fn. 23) and succeeded to
the estate in 1618. (fn. 24) He was heavily fined in the
reign of Charles I for resisting the king's summons
to receive knighthood or pay a composition, (fn. 25) and
subsequently became a colonel in the Parliamentary
army. (fn. 26) He died a prisoner for debt in York
Castle in the year 1664. (fn. 27) His eldest surviving son
Timothy (fn. 28) had taken over the estate in 1651. (fn. 29)
The manor was burdened with a mortgage to the
Earl of Kingston in 1684, (fn. 30) and was not free from it
until the middle of the 18th century. (fn. 31) Timothy's
son and heir Timothy succeeded him and died in
1702–3. (fn. 32) He was succeeded by another Timothy, (fn. 33)
who married an heiress, as did his son and successor
Thomas (fn. 34) ; so that at the death of Thomas in 1785 (fn. 35)
the fortunes of the family were somewhat restored.
Thomas Mauleverer was the last male representative of his family, all his sons having predeceased
him. (fn. 36) He left five daughters and co-heirs: Jane,
who married Robert Lindsay, Sarah, who married
Arthur Worsop, Anne wife of Clotworthy Gowan,
and Frances and Mary, unmarried. (fn. 37) The share of
Frances passed on her death to her sister Mary, who
thus held two-fifths; these she bequeathed to her
nephew William Gowan, son of Anne. (fn. 38) William
acquired the rest of the estate by purchase from his
cousins, and assumed the name of Mauleverer in
accordance with his aunt's
will. (fn. 39) He died in 1857, (fn. 40)
and the estate descended to
his daughters and co-heirs
Jane wife of Thomas Meynell,
and Georgina Helen wife of
Douglas Brown. (fn. 41) The latter
purchased her sister's share of
the estate, which descended to
her son and heir Mr. William
Brown, F.S.A. (fn. 42) He sold it
in 1900 to Sir I. Lowthian
Bell, bart., (fn. 43) whose son Sir
Hugh Bell, bart., (fn. 44) is the present lord of the manor.
Bell of Rounton, baronet. Argent a fesse between three hawks' lures azure with three hawks' bells argent on the fesse.
Robert Ingram had a grant
of free warren in Arncliffe in
the reign of Henry III. (fn. 45) In 1317 Robert Colvill
obtained licence to make a park here, (fn. 46) and had done
so before 1331. (fn. 47)
The priory of Guisborough held in Ingleby
Arncliffe, besides the 2 oxgangs granted by Walter
Ingram with the church, various lands granted by
his son William. They included half a carucate
containing 60 acres held of him by William son of
Norman, 5 acres of meadow belonging to this halfcarucate, and 19 acres in Fowgill (Fulekeldeflath).
Moreover, the priors had common of pasture in the
vill of Arncliffe and shared all the common rights of
William Ingram's tenants there. Finally, William
granted them one toft in Arncliffe between the pool
and the burying ground. (fn. 48) At about the same time
John son of Adam de Rounton granted to the priory
a meadow called Neuton Ker next Ingleby. (fn. 49) Robert
son of Ralph son of Lefsy and Agnes his sister and
heir quitclaimed to the priory all their right in the
foregoing lands. (fn. 50)
Walter Ingram granted to Rievaulx Abbey a
meadow in Arncliffe which belonged to the halfcarucate held by Hugh son of Acce. (fn. 51)
Church
The church of All SAINTS stands
about a quarter of a mile to the southeast of Ingleby Cross on a site slightly
to the north-west (fn. 52) of that of the old church close
to Arncliffe Hall. The old church was pulled down
about 1821, in which year (fn. 53) the present building,
which is in the Gothic style of the period with
pointed sash windows, was erected. 'From a penand-ink drawing of the old hall made in 1718 in
which it appears, and from a sketch on a last-century
plan of the Arncliffe estate, the old church would
seem to have had a low tower at the west end. The
east window, which has been transferred to the present church, is quite distinguishable in the sketches,
as is also a perpendicular window on the south side
since destroyed.' (fn. 54) Graves describes the building
about 1808 as 'an ancient structure of a simple
form and small dimensions,' (fn. 55) but gives no description
of it. A round-headed 12th-century doorway of
two plain orders and outer angle shafts with scalloped
capitals has been reproduced in the present building
as the west entrance below the tower, the original
Norman capitals alone being retained, and three
fragments of pre-Conquest stones have been preserved, two built into the walls of the tower and the
other in the vestry. (fn. 56) A hog-back stone (fn. 57) found
about fifty years ago in a hedge bank and a later
coped gravestone are now in the Cathedral Library,
Durham. A parish book which gives details of
expenditure from 1588 to 1628 records the erection
of a new roof in 1595 and repairs to the steeple and
porch in 1599.
The building, which is of stone with slated roofs
overhanging at the eaves, consists of chancel 19 ft.
by 15 ft. 3 in., with north vestry, nave 46 ft. by
19 ft. 6 in. and west tower 6 ft. by 7 ft., all these
measurements being internal. The tower is of two
stages with straight parapets and angle pinnacles.
The belfry windows are of two round-headed lights,
and over the west doorway in a circular panel,
apparently intended for a clock, is the inscription
'Domus mea Domus Orationis Vocabitur cunctis
populis. (fn. 58) a.d. 1822.' The walls are plastered internally, and there is a flat plaster ceiling and elliptical
chancel arch. The fittings all date from 1821, and
include a three-decker pulpit in the north-east corner.
The old east window is of three trefoiled lights with
tracery in the head and is apparently of 14th-century
date. It contains two pieces of old heraldic glass, one
with the arms of Fauconberg, and the other those of
St. Quintin, in reference to the two wives of Sir
William Colvill. The doorway on the south side of
the chancel is now built up.
The principal objects of antiquarian interest in
the church are the two recumbent stone effigies (fn. 59)
which lie on either side of the altar and are said to
represent Sir William Colvill and his brother Sir
Robert. Both figures are in chain armour and surcoat,
the feet resting on a lion with an animal in its mouth,
and have helm and shield. The shield of the figure
on the north side bears the Colvill arms, but the other
shield is broken. 'There is one feature which is very
unusual and in one respect unique, that is the
ailettes.' (fn. 60) The unique feature exists on the effigy on
the north side and consists in the use of the ailettes
on the left shoulder as a peg on which to hang the
helmet. The ailette on the right shoulder, which is
only visible on the effigy on the south side, though
broken, shows the Colvill arms. The bordure round
the stones on which the figures rest has a quatrefoil
ornament. At the head and feet of each figure are
two stones with coats of arms, eight in all, the
connexion of which with the effigies, if any, is not
established. They probably belong to some other
monument in the old church. (fn. 61)
The font is circular and apparently of the same
date as the church. The original 12th-century font
is now at Newton. (fn. 62)
There are two bells in the tower without inscriptions.
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of
1570, with the usual floral band, and with the maker's
mark H.S., probably for Henry Sutton, and a paten
of 1868, inscribed 'Arncliffe Church.' There are
also a pewter flagon inscribed 'Arncliff Church 1699,'
and a pewter almsdish 'Arncliff Church T.M. 1699.' (fn. 63)
The registers begin in 1659. (fn. 64)
To the south-east of the building, occupying the
site of the chancel of the old church but enlarged in
recent years, is the burial-place of the owners of
Arncliffe. It contains a brass plate with rhyming
inscription to Elizabeth Mauleverer, who died in
1674. (fn. 65)
Advowson
The church is first mentioned in a
12th-century grant made by Walter
Ingram to Guisborough Priory of the
church of Arncliffe with 2 oxgangs of land and the
dwelling-house adjoining it (fn. 66) ; the grant was confirmed by Henry II (fn. 67) and Walter's son William. (fn. 68)
In 1309 the church was already appropriated to the
priory. (fn. 69) In that year the Archbishop of York, after
holding a preliminary investigation into the title of
the priors to the church, declared that they were not
compelled to institute a vicarage there. (fn. 70) Consequently
in the 16th century the living was held by stipendiary
priests, (fn. 71) and the profits of it went to the priory of
Guisborough. After the Dissolution the advowson
seems to have remained in the possession of the
Crown until the reign of Elizabeth, who first leased
it in 1569 for twenty-one years to John Carvell,
farmer, (fn. 72) and eighteen years later granted it to Sir
Francis Walsingham, kt., and Francis Milles. (fn. 73) They
seem to have sold it soon afterwards to William
Bate of Westlathes in Whorlton parish, (fn. 74) who died
seised of it in 1603. (fn. 75) His 'kinsman and heir,'
William Bate, (fn. 76) quitclaimed the advowson in 1617 to
two officials of the Court of Chancery, (fn. 77) by whom it
was conveyed in 1628 to Henry Stockton. (fn. 78)
In 1634 Henry Stockton conveyed the rectory and
tithes of Ingleby Arncliffe to Edward Stockdale. (fn. 79)
From the latter they passed to the family of Allenson. In 1655 the tithes were received by Ralph
Allenson, (fn. 80) and in 1680–1 Marmaduke Allenson
quitclaimed the rectory to William Cooper, a merchant
of Scarborough. (fn. 81) The descendants of William
Cooper continued to hold the advowson. (fn. 82) In 1764
it had descended to the Rev. Cooper Abbs. (fn. 83) Bryan
Abbs was the patron in 1842 and the Rev. George
Cooper Abbs in 1859. (fn. 84) Before 1900 Mr. Henry
Cooper Abbs sold the right of patronage to his
sister Mrs. Punshon, (fn. 85) who now presents to the
living.
Sir John Colvill, in his will dated 1418, gave
directions for a chantry to be established in the parish
church of Arncliffe, where a priest should sing each
day for his soul. (fn. 86) There is, however, nothing to
show that the chantry ever existed.
There do not appear to be any endowed charities
in this parish.