MARTON
Martun, Martune, Martona (xi cent.); Marton
(xii cent.).
The parish of Marton lies south of Middlesbrough,
covering an area of 3,520 acres, of which the surface
is clay on a subsoil of Keuper marls. The arable
land, where wheat, barley, beans and oats are grown,
amounts to 1,247 acres, the pasture to 1,355 acres,
and the woodland to 154 acres. (fn. 1) From the north of
the parish, where the ground is 25 ft. above sea level,
there is a regular and easy ascent to 300 ft. in the
south.
The northern district of Marton is now included
in the civil parish of Middlesbrough, and forms part
of the suburbs of that town. Ormesby station, on
the Middlesbrough and Guisborough branch of the
North Eastern railway, stands within the parish.
The village is small, and consists chiefly of a few
farm-houses and cottages ranged irregularly on the
summit of a gentle elevation. It lies about a quarter
of a mile from the highway on the road from Middlesbrough. To the north of the village is the Hall, the
residence of Mr. Carl Ferdinand Henry Bolckow; it is
a large building of brick and stone, erected in 1874–5
on the summit of a gentle slope commanding a view
of the sea. It is on the site of an earlier dwelling
built in 1786 and burnt down in 1832. (fn. 2) The site
of the birthplace of Captain Cook is marked in the
grounds by a granite vase, and in a field known as
Cook's Close in 1846 once stood a cottage where his
parents afterwards lived. (fn. 3) At the west end of the
village is the church with the school, erected in 1850
in honour of Captain Cook, and not far off is a
Wesleyan chapel, built here in 1857. Among extensive grounds to the west lies Gunnergate Hall, the
property of Mr. C. F. H. Bolckow.
In the hamlet of Tollesby, west of Marton village,
is Tollesby Hall, the residence of Mr. Eleazer Biggins
Emerson, a manor-house built in the last century on
the site of an old Elizabethan mansion. The farm
known as Newham Grange stands south-west of
Tollesby, and at the south-eastern corner of the
parish is Newham Hall, the residence of Mr. John
Mills.
Ormesby Beck, rising near High and Low Gill in
the east of the parish, and West Marton Beck water
the parish.
Of the numerous ancient names of places here,
two of the 12th century, Prestsic and Langlandes, (fn. 4)
may survive in the modern Prissick Farm, north of
Marton Hall, and Longlands and Old Longlands
Farms near Middlesbrough. (fn. 5) Others no longer preserved in modern maps are: in Marton, Brackanhou, Alfelebricd, Crossebidale, (fn. 6) Northlangpeselandes,
Fetherplasic, Elvescarebrec, Niderigges, Caldehow,
Bladacker, Selyher, Thounoker, Slecthenges, Proudi,
Berewald flat, Grenesic and Haraldsic; in Tollesby
Benelandker (fn. 7) (xii or xiii cent.); in Marton, Mylnehyll Close, le Mille Crofte and le Kilne Close (fn. 8)
(xvi cent.), Aslerton's Garth (fn. 9) (xvii cent.), and in
Tollesby in 1622, Tom Man land, Brode Close,
Lath garth and Yarke dore. (fn. 10)
Manors
A 'manor' of 5 geldable carucates in
MARTON, once Edmund's, belonged
in 1086 to Robert Malet. (fn. 11) After his
forfeiture it came to the Crown, (fn. 12) of which some part
seems to have been held in the 13th century. (fn. 13) An
overlordship here, assigned to Henry Percy in 1316,
was possibly only temporary. (fn. 14) The fact that from
1548 to 1638 the manor of Marton was held of
John Lord Conyers and his heirs as of their manor
of Skelton (fn. 15) (q.v.) favours the conjecture that the
overlordship of most of Robert Malet's fee passed to
the family of Brus. In the 12th and 13th centuries
part of this manor seems to have been held by the
Malebiche family. Hugh Malebiche, donor of land
in this parish to Byland Abbey (fn. 16) and Guisborough
Priory, (fn. 17) was brother of William Malebiche, whose
son Richard (fn. 18) in 1200 gave £100, besides goshawks,
greyhounds and palfreys, to recover lands in Marton
and elsewhere which he had forfeited by his attack on
the Jews of York, (fn. 19) and the next year subinfeudated
Marton to his cousin William son of Hugh. (fn. 20) In 1206
William granted to Constance widow of his brother
Hugh, with her second husband Robert de Luttrington, part of Hugh's tenement in Marton in dower. (fn. 21)
Both brothers must have died without issue, (fn. 22) as their
lands came to their sister Amice and her husband
Stephen de Blaby, (fn. 23) descending through their son
John to his son Sir John de Blaby, lord at his death
in or before 1301. (fn. 24) He left six daughters, the eldest
of whom, Joan, aged thirty-six at her father's death,
was then wife of Adam de Hurworth (fn. 25) ; as his widow
in 1345 she successfully sued Sibyl de Hurworth and
her sisters Joan and Ellen for a sixth part of the
manor of Marton of which Adam had enfeoffed
them. (fn. 26) From Joan this fraction seems to have come
at the death, about 1363, of Ellen de Hurworth,
possibly a son's widow, to Ellen's heir, John de
Hurworth, pardoned for adherence to Andrew de
Harcla in 1365, (fn. 27) and probably the ancestor of the
John Hurworth who held I carucate in Marton once
of Richard de Marton in
1428. (fn. 28) No other record of
the tenure of this family or of
that of Joan de Hurworth's
sisters, who held with her the
3 carucates of their father's
inheritance in 1303, (fn. 29) seems
to survive.
Marton. Or three bars gules with a scutcheon ermine in the quarter.
The history of another
family, who bore the name
of the parish and were benefactors to Guisborough and
Whitby, is even more obscure.
Hyrp and Thomas, sons of
Roger de Marton, living in
the first half of the 12th century, (fn. 30) were perhaps succeeded by Thomas, William son of Maynard, and
Robert, all of Marton, in the second half of the
same century. (fn. 31) Nicholas son of Baldric de Marton,
living between 1200 and 1222, was a kinsman of
John Sturmy, descendant doubtless of Robert Sturmy, (fn. 32)
sub-tenant of Robert de Brus a century before, (fn. 33) and in
1272 the heir of Ralph de Marton held land of
Peter de Brus. (fn. 34) Richard de Marton held I carucate
in 1303 (fn. 35) and the eighth of a fee in 1316, when he
was described as joint lord with the Blaby heirs (fn. 36) ;
he was represented in 1428 by John Marton,
then lord of the three Blaby carucates, whilst
Richard's carucate had come to John Hurworth. (fn. 37)
These 4 carucates were united, probably with other
lands, (fn. 38) in the later manor of Marton in Cleveland,
of which Christopher Burgh, recently a tenant of
Guisborough Priory, (fn. 39) died seised by right of his wife
Agnes, the daughter and heir of John Marton of
Marton, in 1547. (fn. 40) Marton then descended to Clara
daughter of their son Giles and her husband Thomas
Layton, (fn. 41) and on the death of Thomas in 1593 to
their third son Anthony, (fn. 42) lord the next year. (fn. 43)
The next owner, another Thomas Layton, sold the
manor in 1633 to Sir John Lowther (fn. 44) ; from his son
of the same name it passed to his younger son Ralph,
who died in 1696. (fn. 45) John Lowther, Ralph's son,
died without issue in 1729, leaving one moiety of
the manor to the three daughters of his sister Elizabeth wife of Robert Frank, the other to Margaret and
Dorothy, daughters of his sister Margaret wife of
William Norton. (fn. 46) After Dorothy's death Margaret
held the Norton moiety alone, (fn. 47) and in 1738 her
husband Thomas Bright and
Mrs. Mary Lowther, probably her uncle's widow, were
in possession. (fn. 48) Margaret, now
a widow, bought her cousins'
other moiety in 1741, (fn. 49) and
afterwards brought both to
her second husband, Sir John
Ramsden, bart., lord ten years
later. (fn. 50) In 1786 their son
Sir John Ramsden, bart., sold
Marton to Bartholomew
Rudd, (fn. 51) lord in 1823, (fn. 52) whose
descendants owned it until
1846. (fn. 53) The estate was sold
in 1853 by the Rev. J. A. Park
to Mr. Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow, whose
nephew Mr. Carl Ferdinand Henry Bolckow is now
lord of the manor. (fn. 54)
Bolckow. Gules a fesse between eighteen acorns argent with a boar azure running on the fesse.
A windmill belonged to this manor in the 14th,
16th and 17th centuries. (fn. 55)
Two 'manors,' one of a geld carucate held before
the Conquest by Ulchil, and the other of 3 geld
carucates held by Archil, were in the king's hands in
1086, and were assigned to Robert de Brus at the close
of the Survey. (fn. 56) A considerable part of this land
probably came to Guisborough and other religious
houses. The overlordship of the rest was attached to
the manor of Acklam (q.v.) until 1488. (fn. 57) Gifts from
this fee and from the manor, once of Robert Malet,
afterwards formed the MANOR OR GRANGE OF
GUISBOROUGH PRIORY in Marton. (fn. 58)
Several landholders in Marton besides the Malebiche and Marton families (fn. 59) were benefactors of Guisborough Priory, amongst others being William de
Bernaldby and his son John, whose gifts were confirmed by Robert de Marton and Peter de Brus (fn. 60) ;
William Tosti, sub-tenant of William de Acklam,
also probably holding of the Bruses (fn. 61) ; and William de
Mowbray, living in 1252, who gave a carucate, also
presumably from the Brus fee. (fn. 62) A lease of these
and other lands forming the manor of Marton was
granted in 1536 by the prior to James Blackburne
and renewed in 1543 by the Crown. (fn. 63) In the next
year the manor was granted to Sir Ralph Bulmer,
jun., and John Thynne, (fn. 64) who in 1545 received
licence to alienate it to William Blackburne, (fn. 65) lord
at his death in February 1563–4. (fn. 66) Thomas, his
brother and heir, died seised in March 1580–1, (fn. 67) and
Marton descended to his son Luke, who entered into
possession in 1584 (fn. 68) and sold it eight years later to
Thomas Wildon. (fn. 69) From John Wildon, successor of
Thomas, the manor came in February 1621–2 to
his daughter Isabella, and on her death in 1628 in
her minority to her uncle Henry Wildon, lord in
1630. (fn. 70) In 1635 he sold it to Sir John Lowther. (fn. 71)
From that date it seems to have been merged in the
larger manor (q.v.) already in Sir John's possession.
A dovecote was an appurtenance of this manor in
the 16th century. (fn. 72) A capital messuage is mentioned
in the 17th century. (fn. 73) View of frankpledge was
included in the sale to Sir John Lowther. (fn. 74)
Two 'manors' in NEWHAM (Neuueham, Niweham, xi cent.; Neuham, xiii cent.), together containing 2 carucates and 2 oxgangs, once held by Lesing,
were in 1086 in the king's hands (fn. 75) ; they were
included in the fee of Robert de Brus, (fn. 76) who gave them
to Whitby Abbey on condition that the monks should
serve the church of St. Hilda in Middlesbrough. (fn. 77)
Newham, a part of the liberty of the Abbot of
Whitby in the 13th and 14th centuries, (fn. 78) was valued
amongst the possessions of its cell of Middlesbrough
in 1535, when it was rented by Sir George Conyers. (fn. 79)
After the surrender of the abbey it remained in the
Crown until 1560, when Elizabeth granted it in fee
as the grange of Newham to Ralph Tailbois. (fn. 80) From
his son Robert, owner in 1599 and 1602, (fn. 81) it came
to Ralph Westropp, who
settled it on himself, with remainder to his nephew Ralph,
in 1604, two years before his
death. (fn. 82) From the younger
Ralph, who died in 1618,
Newham passed to his brother
Thomas, (fn. 83) lord in 1622, 1642
and 1646. (fn. 84) It does not appear
that Edward his son, described
as of Newham and living in
1665, (fn. 85) had issue, and in the
18th century the grange or
manor was the property of
the family of Cookson, from
whom it came by marriage to Thomas Simpson, (fn. 86)
and was afterwards broken up into several holdings. (fn. 87)
In 1859 Newham was in the possession of the Burrell
family; it was bought from them in 1875 by Mr.
John Mills of Newham Hall, owner in 1890. (fn. 88)
Westropp. Sable a lion ermine with a golden crown.
Another 'manor' of Domesday Book, consisting of
10 or 6 oxgangs and held by Robert Malet at the
time of the Survey, (fn. 89) seems to have followed the
descent of the manor of Marton (q.v.), but to have
been subinfeudated in the 14th and 15th centuries,
Christiana de Camera holding 4 oxgangs, the heirs
of John Skelton 2 oxgangs in 1303 and 1316, (fn. 90) and
Thomas de Newham holding Christiana's lands in
1428. (fn. 91)
A 'manor' of 2 geldable carucates in TOLLESBY
(Tollesbi, xi cent.; Tolesby, Thollesbi, xii cent.;
Tollerby, xv cent.; Towlesbie, xvi cent.), once
Lesing's, belonged to the king in 1086, (fn. 92) when his
thegns held 4 carucates here and Robert Malet
3 carucates, (fn. 93) both holdings being berewicks of Marton.
Three carucates were shortly afterwards transferred
to Robert de Brus, (fn. 94) to whom it may be supposed
that all eventually came, as no record of other
overlordship earlier than the 17th century survives.
A considerable part of the township, in the possession
of the Malebiche, Blaby and Marton families, followed
the descent of the manor of Marton (q.v.), and other
lands held by the Acklams and Boyntons under the
Brus overlords descended with Acklam (q.v.). Robert
Sturmy, William de Acklam and other Brus subtenants gave largely to Guisborough Priory, (fn. 95) which
at its surrender enjoyed rent and services in Tollesby
not very inferior in value to its Marton property. (fn. 96)
A small part of the Guisborough tenement seems to
have been granted to Robert Taverner, who obtained
licence in 1544 to alienate it to James Lasynby, (fn. 97)
but the rest descended with the Guisborough manor
of Marton (q.v.).
The origin of the so-called manor of Tollesby, of
which Robert Foster died seised in 1622, when his
son William succeeded him, is not clear. (fn. 98) It is said
that his lands here were eventually sold by his
descendants to the Earl of Lonsdale, and purchased
from the earl's heir in 1803 by Bartholomew Rudd, (fn. 99)
lord in 1823. (fn. 100) His heir John Bartholomew Rudd
was lord in and after 1846, (fn. 101) but in 1886 the estate
was sold to Mr. Emerson of Easby. (fn. 102) Mr. Eleazer
Biggins Emerson is the present owner.
A capital messuage here was the residence of the
Fosters in 1622 and later. (fn. 103)
Lands in Marton were held by the Abbots of
Byland (fn. 104) and Whitby, (fn. 105) in Marton and Tollesby by
the priory of Healaugh Park (fn. 106) from the 13th to the
16th century. In 1586 Elizabeth granted to John
Awbrey and John Ratcliffe a capital messuage and
lands in Marton and Tollesby which had been given
by Robert Conyers of Hutton to two chantry priests
to celebrate mass at St. Saviour's, York. (fn. 107)
Church
The church of ST. CUTHBERT (fn. 108)
consists of chancel 30 ft. by 15 ft. with
north vestry, nave 56 ft. 6 in. by 14 ft.,
north and south aisles 6 ft. 8 in. wide, north transept
15 ft. by 13 ft., south transept 14 ft. 6 in. by 12 ft. 9 in.,
and south porch 7 ft. 9 in. by 4 ft. 6 in. The total
width across nave and aisles is 31 ft. 6 in. These
measurements are all internal. There is a bell-turret
containing two bells over the west gable. The
building is of 12th-century date with a late chancel
probably erected in the 13th century, but was almost
entirely rebuilt in 1843–6, the only original structural features left being the north arcade, the lower
part of the north aisle wall, and part of the north
transept. All the rest, with the exception of one or
two features mentioned later, is new, being a more or
less faithful copy of the building it replaced, and on
that account of some interest. From the antiquarian
point of view, however, the building has lost the
great interest which it once possessed and externally the
hard lines of the modern Norman architecture have as
yet been scarcely affected by time or weather, and have
little to offer in the way of picturesqueness. Ord,
writing before this rebuilding was completed, states
that the south transept, aisles, and one arch at the
west end had been destroyed previous to 1630 (this
date having been discovered under the plaster when
the church was lately rebuilt). (fn. 109) The building had
been 'greatly out of repair' some years before 1843
and the work then or shortly afterwards carried out
included 'three of the arches, the chancel arch and
south porch and a vestry added on the north side of
the chancel.' (fn. 110) The south transept and the rest of
the rebuilding as it at present exists followed. Ord
further states that 'the transepts were early Norman,
the nave of late Norman verging on transition,' but the
style of the old chancel was difficult to trace 'owing
to the numerous alterations which had taken place.' (fn. 111)
The nave and aisles are under one wide roof, which,
like that of the chancel, is covered with blue slates.
The chancel is in the style of the 13th century with
a three-light east window and three lancets on the
south side. The only ancient feature is a 13thcentury piscina in the usual position, replaced there
when the chancel was rebuilt. The bowl is in the
thickness of the wall and the opening has a line of
nail-head ornament all round, including the sill. In
the opposite wall is another but taller recess with
trefoiled head, in which the dog-tooth ornament
occurs, and corbelled sill now used as a credence,
which, if old, has been much restored. The semicircular chancel arch is modern and of two orders,
the inner with cheveron ornament springing from
half-round responds with scalloped cushion capitals
and moulded bases. The outer order is plain and
goes down to the ground, and the hood mould is continued along the north and south walls of the nave
and over the arches of the arcades rising from above
the spring. On the north side this feature is original,
and probably the chancel arch is a copy of the one
destroyed in 1843.
The nave is of five bays, that at the east end on
either side being open to the transepts, and the
arcades consist of semicircular arches of two square
orders. There are modern transverse arches between
the transepts and the aisles springing from corbels and
abutting on to built-up masonry piers with responds
east and west. The original north arcade is alone of
antiquarian interest. The first arch opposite the
transept springs on the east side from a square respond
with slightly chamfered angles and plain moulded
capitals, and on the west from a half-round respond with
cushion capitals and moulded base with foot ornaments. The first and third piers of the nave arcade
proper counting from the east are octagonal and the
middle one a quatrefoil in plan, while the responds
are both half quatrefoils. The west respond is
modern. The piers and responds have all carved
capitals with chamfered abaci and moulded bases with
foot ornaments. The capital of the eastern respond
is carved with early foliage adapted from the volute,
and that of the middle pier has also conventional
foliage of different type. The first octagonal pier
has a grotesque animal amid foliage at each angle and
the other two are carved with dragons and what is
apparently meant to represent a boar hunt. The
carving in all cases has been refaced and spoilt. The
modern south arcade is only of interest so far as it
reproduces ancient work. The carving of the middle
capital is certainly copied from the old one, as the
original mutilated capital with portions of the old
clustered shaft has been preserved. The south transept arch is a copy of that opposite.
The north wall has an embattled parapet, which
may be old, but the windows are modern Norman,
though the wall with its flat buttresses and string at
sill level may be partly ancient, and the lower part
has been apparently left untouched. The north
transept has two original flat buttresses on the north
end, but the window between them is modern and
the stepped gable has been rebuilt. There is also a
stepped gable at the east end of the nave, following
the embattled parapet of the north transept.
The font and all the fittings are modern. A new
organ was erected in 1910 at the west end of the
nave. The churchyard is entered from the road by
a lych-gate at the south-east corner erected in 1897.
The bells are of 17th-century date and bear the
inscriptions 'Gloria in excelsis Deo' and 'Gloria Deo
in altissimis.'
The plate consists of a chalice, paten and flagon of
1861 and an almsdish of 1862 of mediaeval design
by J. Keith of London. On the rim of the almsdish is
inscribed, 'This Alms Plate with silver paten, chalice
and flagon were given by Harriet the wife of
H. W. F. Bolckow of Marton Hall through the Revd
Charles Bailey, M.A., Vicar, to the glory of God for
the use of the Church of St. Cuthbert's Marton in
Cleveland Xmas Eve, a.d. 1862.' (fn. 112)
The registers begin in 1572. (fn. 113)
Advowson
A moiety of the church of Marton
was given to Guisborough Priory at
its foundation by Robert Sturmy
and confirmed by Robert de Brus. (fn. 114) Probably before
1187, about which time the whole church was appropriated to the priory, (fn. 115) the other moiety was also
given by Adam de Sothewast and by his brother and
heir Eudo after him. (fn. 116) A vicarage is said to have
been ordained by Archbishop Walter Gray. (fn. 117) Some
claim to the advowson seems to have been advanced
by Richard de Marton in 1303, (fn. 118) but the church
remained with the priory until its surrender, (fn. 119) and was
granted by Henry VIII in 1545 to the see of York, (fn. 120)
to which it has ever since belonged. (fn. 121) The rectory
has always followed the descent of the advowson.
The site of a dwelling-house which belonged to
the vicarage in 1535 (fn. 122) may have been that of the
house which Robert, parson of Marton, granted to
Guisborough Priory. (fn. 123) About 1199 William de Bernaldby gave land to this priory to find every year a
wax candle, weighing half a pound, to burn on St.
Mary's altar in Marton Church at Christmas. (fn. 124)
Charities
Poor's Lands.—It appears from a
tablet in the vestry that the parish
was in possession from time immemorial of 4 acres in Skelton and 6 acres in Broughton.
The land in Skelton has been sold and the proceeds
invested in £627 4s. 9d. consols with the official
trustees. The dividends, amounting to £15 13s. 4d.,
together with £7, the rent of the land at Broughton,
were in 1905 applied in the distribution of money to
sixteen poor persons.
In 1878 Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow, by
will, left £200, secured by a mortgage bond of the
Tees Conservancy bearing interest at £3 10s. per
cent., as an endowment of the National school known
as Captain Cook's Memorial School.