NEWTON
Neuuetun, Nictona (xi cent.); Neutun sub Otneberch, Neutun sub Odenebergha (xii cent.); Newton
Theubrugh, Newton next Othenes bergh, Newton
under Hoyphensbergh (xiii cent.); Onenesbergh,
Onesbargh in Cleveland, Newton in Cleveland (xv
cent.); Newton under Arnsbrough, under Roseburye
(xvii cent.); Newton under Ormesby (xviii cent.).
The little parish of Newton at the foot of Roseberry Topping covers an area of nearly 1,175 acres,
with a surface of clay on a subsoil of Lower or Upper
Lias. There are 347 acres of arable land where
wheat and beans are grown, 517 acres of permanent
grass and 64 acres of woods and plantations. (fn. 1)
The highway from Stokesley to Guisborough
which enters Newton from the south runs in a
north-easterly direction through the parish, and is
crossed by the Ayton branch of the North Eastern
railway. The village is built partly on this main
road and partly on a branch from it leading to the
church at its north-west end. A lane at the southern
extremity leads east to Roseberry Common, where
the ground, already 100 ft. above the average height
of 350 ft. in the north of the parish, ascends steadily
to the summit of Roseberry Topping, about 1,000 ft.
above the ordnance datum.
A beacon was lighted on 'Osebury Topping' in
1584, (fn. 2) and in the 17th century Camden described
'Ounsberry Topping' as 'a steep mountain covered
all over with verdure' and 'distinguished at a distance
as a sea mark and a prognostic of weather to the
neighbourhood' (fn. 3) ; an old rhyme foretells storm
when its precipitous and conical apex is enveloped in
clouds. (fn. 4) When Camden wrote, a spring near the
summit was supposed to be a cure for sore eyes;
the rock from which this issued has long since been
destroyed, but the site, where in still earlier days a
hermitage probably stood, (fn. 5) is even now known as
Chapel Well Plantation. Not far from this spot are
the quarries, the working of which had, more than
sixty years ago, already much diminished the apex of
the mountain. (fn. 6) Newton Moor lies in the east of the
parish on very high ground. Names of places here
in the 14th century are Roselbiggings, (fn. 7) Percolande
and Munkeng. (fn. 8)
Roseberry Topping
Manors
What was afterwards the manor of
NEWTON UNDER OSENBERGH
had its origin in the 6 geld carucates
in Newton held by Magbanet under the Confessor
and by the king in 1086. Of these 4 carucates
6 oxgangs were included in the fee of Robert de Brus
shortly after the Survey. (fn. 9) In the partition of the
Brus inheritance Newton fell to the share of Margaret
de Roos, (fn. 10) and came afterwards by her gift to Marmaduke de Thweng. (fn. 11) William de Thweng, his grandson, overlord in 1334, (fn. 12) was succeeded by his brother
Thomas, (fn. 13) who before his death settled this and other
fees on Marmaduke Lumley, son and heir of his sister
Lucy. (fn. 14) Newton was held of Marmaduke's grandson, Sir John Lumley, in 1410, (fn. 15) but in 1540, after
his heir and direct lineal descendant had joined in
the Pilgrimage of Grace, (fn. 16) the
overlordship was ascribed to
the Crown. (fn. 17)
Rosel. Argent a cheveron azure between three roses gules.
In the 13th century the
manor of Newton belonged
to a family who had long
been landowners in the parish.
Reynold Rosel between 1190
and 1211 confirmed his father
Stephen's gift of a toft here
to Rievaulx Abbey. (fn. 18) He is
supposed to have been the
father of another Stephen
Rosel (fn. 19) whose son William (fn. 20)
held the greater part of the
Brus fee here in 1285. (fn. 21) In 1300 William made a
settlement of the manor of Newton on his son and
heir Geoffrey with contingent remainder to his
younger sons Stephen and John. (fn. 22) Geoffrey, who
succeeded his father between 1303 and 1312, (fn. 23) was
returned as lord in 1316. (fn. 24)
Another of William's sons,
Michael, implicated in 1325
in the death of Nicholas son
of Arnald Percy of Kildale, (fn. 25)
held land in Newton in 1318
and 1334, (fn. 26) but the manor
itself came into the Boynton
family through the marriage
of Geoffrey's daughter and coheir Katherine, (fn. 27) on whom,
with her husband Thomas
Boynton, a moiety was settled
in 1340. (fn. 28) Newton then
followed the descent of Acklam
(q.v.) until 1405, when it
was granted to Elizabeth
widow of Sir Henry Boynton
for the maintenance of herself
and children. (fn. 29) It remained
with the Boyntons until
Matthew Boynton's death in
1540, (fn. 30) passing afterwards to
his sister Jane wife of Thomas Goldsborough, or to
her son William, (fn. 31) whose daughter and heir Ann
made a settlement of Newton and other manors in
1572. (fn. 32) In 1581 Harsculph Cleasby and his wife
Matilda conveyed half the manor of Newton to
William Welbury of Lazenby and his wife Jane, who
were seised of the whole in 1590. (fn. 33) When William
died in 1619 Newton descended to his grandson
William Norton, son of his daughter Margaret, (fn. 34) and
in 1631 was settled on his marriage with Anne
daughter of Sir William Hildyard of Bishop Wilton. (fn. 35)
Welbury Norton, his son and heir, was lord in
1675, (fn. 36) when Newton was apparently included in
the marriage settlement of his son William with
Margaret daughter of Thomas Gabetis; in 1704 it
seems to have been settled on the marriage of their
son William with Margaret daughter of Ralph Lowther. (fn. 37) This last William was succeeded in 1735 by
his father, from whom the manor came to his younger
son Edward. (fn. 38) Elizabeth wife of William Hand,
who held Newton with her husband in 1748, (fn. 39) was
possibly Edward's widow and mother of the younger
Edward Norton, lord nine years later, (fn. 40) whose widow
Grace was patron of the church in 1786. (fn. 41) Before
1836 it would seem that Newton had come to Thomas
Kitchingman Staveley, (fn. 42) whose daughter Miss Staveley
is now lady of the manor. (fn. 43)
In 1086 the soke of 1 carucate belonged to Great
Ayton. (fn. 44) This land was apparently included in the
fee of the Mauleys and Meynells and followed the
descent of their manor of Great Ayton, just as the
chapel of Newton descended with Great Ayton
Church.
The origin and early tenure of the manor of
NEWTON IN CLEVELAND are alike obscure;
no definite reference to it as a manor exists before
1491. It is possible that it was a part of the Brus
fee over which the Rosel lords enjoyed a mesne
lordship, but in 1491 it was held of Ralph Nevill
Earl of Westmorland as of his manor of Kirkby
Moorside, (fn. 45) in 1522 of his grandson of the same
name as of his manor of Kirkby Malzeard. (fn. 46)
In 1285 3 carucates of the Brus fee in Newton
were held of Adam de Arundel, then mesne lord, by
Roger Mauleverer (fn. 47) ; these seem to have come to Gilbert
de Louth, who brought an action against William Rosel
about a small property here in 1286. (fn. 48) Two years
later Gilbert died seised of 22½ oxgangs and other
tenements in Newton which he held of the same
William. (fn. 49) Nicholas his son and heir, who owned
2 carucates here in 1303, (fn. 50) was sued in 1305 for
7½ oxgangs in Newton by Joan widow of Roger
Mauleverer, who at the same time claimed a like
amount of land from John de Warthill and his wife
Alice widow of Gilbert de Louth. (fn. 51) Before 1428
this land had passed to John Newton, (fn. 52) perhaps a
son of Sir Henry Boynton's daughter Elizabeth wife
of Thomas Newton of Marton. (fn. 53) In the absence of
evidence to the contrary it may be conjectured that
these were the lands in Newton which Sir William
Normanvill bequeathed to his son William in 1449, (fn. 54)
and which came before 1462
to another son Thomas, who
was seised of the manor of
Newton in Cleveland at his
death in 1491. (fn. 55) John his
son and heir died without
legitimate issue, and Newton
descended to his younger
brother William, who died in
1520, after settling it in tailmale on Robert Normanvill
of Billingley and his wife
Amice daughter of William
Fairfax. (fn. 56) It was probably
their son Thomas (fn. 57) who with
his wife Dorothy conveyed
the manor in 1550 to Robert Foster, (fn. 58) lord in 1562. (fn. 59)
From Robert's son Leonard, who succeeded his father
in 1567, (fn. 60) Newton descended in 1605 to Leonard's
son Thomas, (fn. 61) and was sold by him to William
Richardson in 1653. (fn. 62) It was conveyed by William
the next year to Thomas Johnson (fn. 63) and others, who
sold it to Robert Johnson in 1657. (fn. 64) Another
Thomas Johnson, lord in 1713, was succeeded by
his sister Sarah Johnson. She conveyed the manor
in 1718 (fn. 65) to Benjamin Pyne, goldsmith, of London,
probably as trustee for sale to Bradshaw Peirson,
son and heir of William Peirson, lord of Stokesley. (fn. 66)
Newton followed the descent of that manor (fn. 67) (q.v.),
and like it was probably sold in or after 1799. (fn. 68) No
later reference to the manor of Newton in Cleveland
has been found in public records.
Normanvill. Argent a fesse between two gimel bars gules with three fleurs de lis argent on the fesse.
Court leet and view of frankpledge were appurtenances of this manor in 1657. (fn. 69)
In 1428 the Abbot of Whitby held land in Newton
as part of his temporalities. (fn. 70) The Abbot of Rievaulx
had a small property here in the 16th century. (fn. 71)
Church
The church of ST. OSWALD (fn. 72) consists of chancel 16 ft. by 13 ft. 6 in.,
nave 32 ft. 6 in. by 17 ft. 6 in., south
porch 6 ft. square, and west tower 13 ft. 9 in. by
14 ft. 6 in., all these measurements being internal.
The nave only is ancient, and belongs to an aisleless
12th-century structure, the chancel of which was
rebuilt in 1857. The tower was added in 1901, in
which year the church was restored, a new oak roof
erected, the floor relaid, and a stone altar provided. (fn. 73)
The porch is of uncertain date, but is apparently comparatively modern. The chancel and nave are under
separate modern blue-slated roofs, and the walls of
the chancel are plastered internally. Two old stones
with crosses are incorporated with the modern piscina.
The semicircular chancel arch is of 12th-century date,
and of two orders, each with continuous roll moulding
towards the nave. The soffit is plain, and facing the
chancel the arch is of a single square order without
ornament. The opening is 6 ft. 5 in. wide, and
both orders spring from a plain chamfered impost
returned on both sides along the walls. There are
outer angle shafts with capitals and moulded bases,
but the capitals are very worn, and any carving
or ornament that they may originally have had
has disappeared. The south doorway is apparently a
modern reproduction or restoration of the 12th-century
opening. It is distant 7 ft. 6 in. from the west wall.
The north doorway is built up, but retains its ancient
features. Externally it is very plain in character,
with lintel, tympanum, and semicircular arch of
nine voussoirs. There are no windows in the north
wall, and only one on the south side, a restoration of
a comparatively late opening with rounded head,
perhaps suggested by an older window. On the
gable of the porch and at the south-east corner of the
nave outside are two old circular crosses, and built
into the south side of the tower is an old stone found
in 1827, when the building underwent some repairs
and a new floor was laid, on which are carved two
animals, one a dragon, apparently attacking each
other. (fn. 74) A stone coffin found at the same time is
preserved in the churchyard.
The outer opening of the porch has a shouldered
arch, the top stone of which is a mediaeval grave slab
with a floreated cross raised upon steps upon which
stands a figure of an animal which seems to be a rude
representation of an Agnus Dei. Another grave slab
with a floreated cross lies in the churchyard.
The font was brought here from Ingleby Arncliffe,
and is of 12th-century date. It consists of a tubshaped bowl, ornamented all round with interlacing
arches and a band of cable moulding above. It is
30 in. in diameter by 26 in. in height and stands on a
modern base. The font has at some period been
shorn down and spoilt by the arcading having been
cut flat.
There are two small brass chandeliers, each of six
lights, in the chancel, but the pulpit and all the fittings
are modern.
There is one bell in the tower.
The plate consists of a modern cup and paten of
silver, and a plated cup and paten 'given to the church
of Newton in Cleveland by Elizabeth, Ann, Mary
and Harriet, Daughters of the late James Lee of Pinchingthorpe Hall 1850.' There is also a pewter flagon. (fn. 75)
The registers begin in 1725.
Advowson
The church of Newton, from the
12th to the 18th century described
as a chapel or free chapel, seems to
have been originally dependent on the church of
Great Ayton, with which, in the reign of Henry I,
it was granted by the first Robert de Meynell and his
son Stephen to Whitby Abbey. (fn. 76) William Rosel,
probably between 1279 and 1305, surrendered all
claim on the patronage and a messuage and 3 oxgangs
in Newton, (fn. 77) probably the same messuage and land
which his son Geoffrey granted the abbot on condition that he should find a resident chaplain to
celebrate divine service in the chapel. (fn. 78) On the
surrender of Whitby Abbey the free chapel of
Newton, which had been appropriated to that
house (fn. 79) and was now described as parcel of the
rectory of Ingleby, came to the Crown and was
leased to different tenants. (fn. 80) The reversion was
granted by Elizabeth in 1571 to William Lord
Eure, (fn. 81) who had not entered into possession when,
four years later, she included the chapel in a grant
to John Sonky and Percival Gunson. (fn. 82) In 1616,
however, Ralph Lord Eure, the first grantee's son
and heir, was in possession, and sold both chapel
and rectory to William Welbury. (fn. 83) The advowson
has descended with the manor (q.v.) since that time. (fn. 84)
Three gardens or garths in the parish were said in
1575 to have been given for the maintenance of a
hermit. (fn. 85)
There are apparently no endowed charities in this
parish.