SEAMER
Semer (xi cent.); Semare (xiii cent.); Semere
(xiv cent.).
This parish is at its greatest extent about 4 miles
from east to west and covers 2,650 acres, of which
1,271 acres are arable land, 12 acres woods and
plantations and 1,313 acres permanent grass. (fn. 1) It is
separated from Stokesley by the Tame, a small brook
which joins the Leven a mile to the west below
Stokesley. The country is undulating and wooded.
The soil is a rich sandy loam on a subsoil of Keuper
marls. Brick and tile works established in the south
of the parish are now disused.
The village is small and irregularly built on an
angle of the road from Stokesley to Yarm. It is on
higher ground than most of the surrounding country,
and a distant view of the sea may be obtained from
the churchyard on the edge of the hill at the north
end of the village. A cottage opposite the church
which is said to be the glebe-house is the birthplace
of Brian Walton, Bishop of Chester (1600–61) and
editor of the English Polyglot Bible. (fn. 2) The houses
are grouped about a green which has been broken up
by inclosures. The public elementary school stands
in the main street. It was built by Colonel Wyndham
in 1840 and belongs to Lord Leconfield. (fn. 3) In 1346
the Archbishop of Canterbury granted his gaol here
to John Darcy, (fn. 4) lord of the manor, and Elizabeth his
wife, but all trace of this building has disappeared.
The manor-house, now a farm, stands at the southern
end of the green.
North of the church is the West End Well. Well
Lane leads past Low Field to a ford over the Cold
Pool Beck, which forms part of the northern boundary
of the parish. About half a mile south of the village
is Seamer Hill, the Ranbourn Farm being further
south on the edge of Seamer Moor. North of the
moor the land drops to the Carrs, low-lying grounds,
which were drained before 1859. (fn. 5) Seamer Grange
is situated between them and the village.
An Inclosure Act for Seamer was passed in 1708. (fn. 6)
Between Seamer and Newby is How Hill, a
tumulus, and in an adjacent field are traces of earthworks.
Manor
Before the Conquest a 'manor' and
13 carucates in Tanton (fn. 7) and SEAMER
were held by Gospatric, and afterwards
passed to the Count of Mortain. (fn. 8) Later it formed
part of the Canterbury fee. (fn. 9) In 1086 Richard
was the tenant, (fn. 10) and it was afterwards held by the
Meynells. From Robert de Meynell, who died in
1206, (fn. 11) it passed to the successive lords of Whorlton (q.v.) until Sir James Strangways in the spring
of 1540–1 conveyed it to his cousin (fn. 12) William
Lord Dacre for the purpose of a settlement on himself with contingent remainder to Leonard son of
William and his brothers in tail-male. (fn. 13) At the death
of Sir James Strangways in 1541 (fn. 14) his right heirs
through his aunts, Joan wife of Sir William Mauleverer and Mary wife of Robert Roos, (fn. 15) seem to have
disputed the claim of the Dacres. In 1557 Robert
Roos, son of Robert Roos who married Mary Strangways, and one of the co-heirs of Sir James, (fn. 16) made a
conveyance of the manor to Christopher Lascelles of
Breckenbrough in Kirkby Wiske, (fn. 17) and in 1562 Elizabeth widow of Sir James Strangways, (fn. 18) with her
husband Francis Nevill, quitclaimed it to Leonard
Dacre. (fn. 19) Leonard Dacre was attainted in 1570 (fn. 20) for
joining the Northern Rebellion, (fn. 21) and his lands were
forfeited. (fn. 22) In 1577 the manor was granted by the
Crown in socage to John Farnham, (fn. 23) who in the
same year sold it to Edward Earl of Rutland. (fn. 24) He
died seised in 1587, (fn. 25) leaving one daughter Elizabeth
Lady Roos, (fn. 26) who afterwards married William (Cecil)
Earl of Exeter. (fn. 27) She died in 1591 and her husband
then held the manor by courtesy of England; her heir
was her son William Lord Roos (fn. 28) ; he in 1616 made
a conveyance of the manor to Sir Thomas Lake, (fn. 29)
whose daughter Anne he married. (fn. 30) Lord Roos died
without issue in 1618, (fn. 31) when the Roos barony
devolved upon his cousin Francis Earl of Rutland, (fn. 32)
while the heir to the earldom of Exeter was
his father's brother, Sir Richard Cecil. (fn. 33) In 1622
Francis Earl of Rutland conveyed the reversion of
the manor to Sir Richard Cecil, (fn. 34) who in 1627 settled
it on his son David on his marriage with Elizabeth
daughter of the Earl of Bridgewater. (fn. 35) Sir Richard
Cecil was still in possession of the reversion of the
manor in 1631 (fn. 36) and died in 1633. (fn. 37)
The Dacres meanwhile had not relinquished their
claim on the family estates forfeited by Leonard
Dacre in 1570. They claimed that the lands had
been settled by William Lord Dacre on his sons in
successive tail-male, (fn. 38) and that therefore Leonard's
attainder did not affect the right of the rest of the
family. About this time they appear to have been
reinstated. Randolph Dacre, son of Francis Dacre
and nephew of Leonard, (fn. 39) died unmarried in 1634, (fn. 40)
his heirs being the heirs of his cousins Anne and
Elizabeth, daughters of Thomas Dacre and nieces
of Leonard. (fn. 41) Anne had married Philip (Howard)
Earl of Arundel (fn. 42) ; she died in 1630, leaving a son
Thomas. (fn. 43) Elizabeth was the wife of Lord William
Howard, brother of Philip Earl of Arundel. (fn. 44) Early
in 1639–40 Thomas Earl of Arundel sold the manor
to James Morley, lord of Hawnby (fn. 45) (q.v.), which
it followed in descent until 1687, when Bernard and
Anne Grenville conveyed the manor of Seamer to
Sir Thomas Meres, kt. (fn. 46)
Dacre. Gules three scallops argent.
Cecil. Barry of ten pieces argent and azure with six scutcheons sable each charged with a lion argent.
Wyndham, Earl of Egremont. Azure a cheveron between three lions' heads razed or.
Wyndham, Lord Leconfield. Wyndham with the difference of a border wavy or.
The next reference to the manor occurs in 1759,
when Charles Earl of Egremont bought it from
Henry Earl of Deloraine, (fn. 47) but how it came to the
latter remains obscure. (fn. 48) Charles Earl of Egremont
died in 1763, (fn. 49) and was succeeded by his son George.
From this time the manor of Seamer followed the
descent of that of Topcliffe in the wapentake of Birdforth (q.v.), Charles third Lord Leconfield being the
present lord of the manor. (fn. 50)
In 1466 Thomas and Beatrice Maltby conveyed
'half the manor of Seamer' with that of Maltby to
John and William Sayer. (fn. 51) No further reference to
either of these families has been found in connexion
with this place, but at the beginning of 1562–3 lands
in Seamer which may represent this manor were settled
on Richard Gascoigne and his wife Jane, (fn. 52) who in
1565 conveyed lands in Seamer and Maltby to
Thomas Layton, afterwards lord of Sexhow. (fn. 53) In
1578 Francis Nevill and his wife Elizabeth, formerly
wife of Sir James Strangways, and Thomas Layton
were jointly seised of a manor (fn. 54) here which had
been settled on Charles Layton, son of Thomas. (fn. 55)
Like Sexhow (q.v.) it descended to Sir Thomas
Layton, who early in 1655–6 conveyed it to William
Blackett. (fn. 56) In 1719 it was in the possession of John
Wilkinson, (fn. 57) and in 1772 it was held by Anthony
Wilkinson, (fn. 58) who died unmarried (fn. 59) and was succeeded
by Thomas his brother. (fn. 60) Thomas in 1785 conveyed it to Francis Wayne. (fn. 61) In 1812 Henry
Walker Yeoman held this manor, (fn. 62) and was succeeded
by a son of the same name who was archdeacon of
Cleveland from 1883 to 1896. His trustees are
landowners in Seamer at the present day.
Nicholas de Meynell in 1269 obtained a grant of
free warren (fn. 63) which was confirmed in 1337. (fn. 64) In
1346 the Archbishop of Canterbury, as overlord,
granted to John and Elizabeth Darcy and their issue
view of frankpledge, the gaol and all other jura
regalia of the archbishops' fee in Yorkshire. (fn. 65)
Courts leet and baron were held for the manor in
1410–11. (fn. 66) A water-mill was appurtenant to the
manor in 1341 and 1368 (fn. 67) ; it is again mentioned
in 1562, 1683 and 1687. (fn. 68)
Church
The church of ST. MARTIN stands
on high ground on the north side of
the village and consists of chancel
25 ft. by 16 ft., nave 38 ft. by 19 ft. 9 in. and small
west tower 4 ft. square, all these measurements being
internal. The structure is of no antiquarian or
historical interest, having been entirely rebuilt in
1821–2 in the Gothic style of the day. (fn. 69) On the
north side, where the work is generally of a much
plainer description, there is an old square-headed
window of two trefoiled lights in the nave, apparently
of 15th-century date, but no other ancient work
remains. The seating dates from 1822, but most of
the other fittings are of more recent date.
The font was presented in 1822 and bears a small
brass plate inscribed 'The gift of Sir Cuthbert Heron,
Baronet, to the parish of Seamer, county of York.
This marble pillar was taken from the ruins of a
church at Alexandria, in Egypt, at the glorious
battle of the Nile, in the year 1798, and brought
to England in the ship Antelope, Captain William
Rayne.'
There is a good marble tablet, with bust, in
memory of Stephen Attlay, 'late of Jamaica,' who
died in 1786 at Cheshunt, Herts.
The tower has an embattled parapet and contains
two bells.
The plate consists of a silver cup of 1757, made
by John Langlands of Newcastle and inscribed
'Seamer Church. H. Eliff,' and a pewter paten
and flagon, each inscribed 'A gift to Seamer Church
1822 from the Rev. W. D. Willis.' (fn. 70)
The registers begin in 1638.
Advowson
The chapel was dependent on the
church of Rudby (fn. 71) and is said to
have been given with that church to
Guisborough (fn. 72) ; its dedication is mentioned in 1460 (fn. 73)
and in 1517. (fn. 74) The cure was augmented by Queen
Anne's Bounty (fn. 75) and was made parochial probably
under the Act of George I. (fn. 76) The living is a
vicarage. The patronage remained in the hands of
the lords of the rectory manor of Rudby (q.v.) until
1801, (fn. 77) when it was sold by Lady Amherst to
Sir George Russell, bart. He bequeathed it to
Robert Greenhill, but by 1839 it was in the hands
of the lords of the manor of Seamer. (fn. 78) Lord
Leconfield is the present patron.
In 1546 one-third of the tithes in Seamer
belonged to Rudby, the mother church, and twothirds to a chantry in the free chapel of Whorlton. (fn. 79)
Charities
Township of Newby.—By the will
of Christopher Coulson, 1640, and
of his son John Coulson, 1674, provision was made for the payment out of certain lands
in Great Ayton of £5 a year to the schoolmaster of
Newby for his salary, £3 a year to the schoolmaster
to purchase clothing for children in the school, and
£6 10s. to the curate of Seamer for preaching
thirteen sermons in the year. The annuity of
£14 10s. was duly paid and applied in 1822, when
the Commissioners made their inquiry concerning
charities, (fn. 80) but no payment is now apparently made.