WYKEHAM
Wichame, Wicam (xi-xiv cent.).
Wykeham Abbey Church: Remains of the North Wall
This parish is composed of the township of
Wykeham with Ruston and covers a narrow strip of
land running 11 miles from north to south. Its area
is 8,199 acres, of which 1,683 acres are arable, 1,034
acres permanent grass and 542 acres woodland. (fn. 1)
The village of Wykeham and hamlets of Ruston and
Langdale End are situated on alluvial ground by the
River Derwent; to the north the subsoil is Corallian
Beds, Oxford Clay and Inferior Oolite, the soil gravel,
clay and lime; gravel and stone are worked. The
chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and turnips. Two
thousand acres of land were inclosed in Wykeham
and Ruston in 1785, (fn. 2) and a partial award for
Wykeham was filed in 1787. (fn. 3) The 'ancient
boundary of Wykeham and Ruston,' sworn to in
1619–21, (fn. 4) coincides with the present parish boundary.
The village is on the Scarborough and Malton road,
which skirts the north of the park, and is connected
by two lanes with Ruston close by.
The remains of the Cistercian priory of St. Mary
the Virgin closely adjoin the modern house called
Wykeham Abbey, the seat of Viscount Downe. The
present house is a handsome modern structure surrounded by extensive gardens and a park of 160 acres.
The only relic of the monastic building is the north
wall of the priory church. It dates from the close of
the 12th century, the eastern portion being somewhat
the earlier in date and probably contemporary with
the foundation. The church appears to have been
an aisleless cruciform building, but, as there are no
traces of either the eastern or western walls, the length
of the building is indeterminate. The wall of the
eastern arm contains one deeply splayed blocked
12th-century window with traces of a second, also
blocked, further west. A string-course is carried along
the wall internally at the level of the sill. The
responds and springing of the north transept arch of
similar date still remain, but the opening is built up.
The north nave wall appears to date from c. 1200
and retains two blocked lancets at the western end
and a three-light 14th-century window further east.
According to a survey taken at the Dissolution (fn. 5) the
church was 90 ft. long by 22 ft. wide and had a high
altar and three altars in the quire and two in the
body of the church. From the absence of any
mention of transepts they were evidently disused or
destroyed at this time. The conventual buildings
stood on the south side of the church, as the north
was occupied by the parish church and churchyard.
From the survey already mentioned, it appears that
the cloister was 60 ft. square, with alleys 8 ft. wide,
two of which were lead covered, and that the chapterhouse was 20 ft. long
Numerous other
buildings are detailed. The churchyard is still kept up
and contains a mutilated stone cross. A
tombstone (dated
1691) near the
centre of the plot is
formed of a solid
block of stone almost
square in section, and
near the west wall is
a narrow coped slab
with a defaced Lombardic inscription.
The old parish
church of All Saints,
which stood within
the churchyard, was
pulled down in 1853.
It consisted of nave
and quire without
structural division, a
north aisle and chapel, a western tower and south
porch. The nave appears to have been of late 12thcentury date, and was separated from the aisle by an
arcade of four bays resting on heavy cylindrical piers
with sculptured capitals. The tower was a 14thcentury structure three stages high with an embattled
parapet and the quire showed 13th-century features.
No trace of any part of the building now remains. (fn. 6)
The hamlet of Langdale End consists of a few
scattered farms near the head of the well-wooded
valley of the Derwent.
Wykeham has a station on the Pickering and
Seamer branch of the North Eastern railway and a
public elementary school. Wesleyan services are held
in a room at Ruston, and a Primitive Methodist
chapel was built in 1904 on a site given by Viscount
Downe.
Manors
Ten carucates in Marton, (fn. 7) Wykeham
and Ruston were soke of the king's
manor of Falsgrave in 1086, (fn. 8) but these
places were subsequently held of the honour of
Pickering, (fn. 9) and, in March 1559–60, in chief. (fn. 10)
Wykeham Abbey: The South Front
Hutchinson. Party azure and gules crusily or a lion argent.
Langley. Paly argent and vert.
Dawnay. Argent a bend between cotises sable with three rings argent on the bend.
In the early 12th century Pain de Wykeham, son
of Osbern or Osbert, granted his house to WYKEHAM PRIORY; Theobald, Pain's son, gave the
nuns 48 acres of land here, while 'the younger King
Henry,' eldest son of Henry II, granted them 103
acres in Wykeham and the seat of the mill 'in
Raddak or Radal.' (fn. 11) The priory held the manor
of Wykeham until the Dissolution, (fn. 12) after which, in
1544, the site and grange (1½ miles north) were granted
to the king's servant Francis Poole. (fn. 13) Francis in the
same year alienated the manor to Richard Hutchinson,
his heirs and Helen his wife. (fn. 14) Richard died seised of
the rectory and demesnes in March 1559–60. (fn. 15) His
son and heir Edward, (fn. 16) who obtained a grant of arms
in 1581, (fn. 17) died seised of the site, grange, rectory,
advowson and a capital messuage called Leake Close in
February 1585–6, leaving a son and heir Stephen. (fn. 18)
Stephen died in 1648 (fn. 19) ; in his will he disinherited
his son Edward, who was a colonel in the royal army,
'as I conceive he hath beene disaffected to ye state,
and thereby hath incurred my displeasure,' in favour
of his infant grandson Edward. (fn. 20) The Royalist compounded with the Parliament in 1649 (fn. 21) and died in
1653. (fn. 22) His son Edward made settlements of the
manor, site and rectory early in 1665–6 (fn. 23) and in
1691. (fn. 24) Richard Hutchinson was dealing with
property here in 1706. (fn. 25) Richard Hutchinson of
Wykeham Abbey assumed the name of Langley on
succeeding to the estates of his uncle Thomas Langley
at North Grimston. He died between 1752 and
1757 (fn. 26) and was succeeded by his son (fn. 27) Boynton
Langley, (fn. 28) who died in 1772, leaving a son Richard. (fn. 29)
Richard died childless in 1817, having bequeathed
his estates to his cousin the Hon. Marmaduke Dawnay,
younger son of the fourth Viscount Downe, who in
1824 assumed with royal licence the name of Langley. (fn. 30)
He died unmarried at Wykeham Abbey in 1851, (fn. 31) and
Wykeham has since descended with Danby. (fn. 32) Viscount
Downe is the present owner.
St. Helen's Tower and All Saints' Church, Wykeham
A 'manor' assessed at half a carucate in Marton
and Wykeham in 1086 was subsequently given to
Robert de Brus. (fn. 33) Pain de Wykeham granted it to
Whitby Abbey for the soul of Osbern his father,
Thomas his son, his lord Robert de Brus and Robert's
wife Annis, a grant confirmed by King Stephen. (fn. 34)
RUSTON (Rostun, Roston, xi-xiv cent.; Royston,
xiii cent.) seems to have been an appurtenance of the
manor of Wykeham. As 'Ruston cum Wykeham'
it belonged to the priory in 1316, and in 1619–21
it was returned among the manors in the honour as
'Wykeham and Ruston,' which was thought to belong
to Stephen Hutchinson and James Harton. (fn. 35) James
Harton had made a settlement of Ruston (fn. 36) early in
1617–18, and conveyed the 'MANOR OF WYKEHAM alias WYKEHAM RUSTON' in Wykeham
and Ruston in 1637 to William Chapman in fee. (fn. 37)
John Chapman made settlements of the manor of
Ruston in 1671, (fn. 38) 1697 (fn. 39) and 1711–12. (fn. 40) In
1716–17 Stephen, Edward, James, Eleanor and
Dorothy Chapman and others conveyed it to John
Moyser and John Ward. (fn. 41)
Churches
The church of ALL
SAINTS, built in 1853
on the destruction of the
old church by Wykeham Abbey, is a
modern Gothic structure consisting of
an aisled nave, a quire and south porch.
The west window is filled with modern
heraldic glass representing the connections and descent of the Dawnay family.
The roofs are remarkable for their steep
pitch.
Immediately to the south of the
modern church is the site of the chapel
said to be that of ST. HELEN, built by
John de Wykeham in 1321. The
western tower of this building remained
in ruins until 1855, when it was restored and practically rebuilt in its present form by Mr. Butterfield, architect.
The old tower (fn. 42) was evidently of the
14th century. It was three stages. high
and retained the base of a broach spire
of stone. Nearly all the ancient features
have disappeared, the spire is quite
modern and a ribbed vault has been
inserted to the lowest stage. It now
forms an entrance gate to the modern
churchyard, and in it are hung five bells
cast by Taylor & Co. in 1900.
Under a small lych-gate between the
churchyard and the vicarage garden is
hung a small bell inscribed, 'Peace and
good neighbourhood 1784.'
The plate of Wykeham is all modern.
It includes a cup and flagon (London,
1851) and a paten (London, 1852)
presented by Viscount Downe, 1852.
The registers previous to 1812 are as
follows: (i) mixed entries 1653 to 1671,
burials missing for 1670; (ii) mixed entries 1671 to
1710; (iii) mixed entries 1710 to 1727; (iv)
baptisms 1727 to 1768, marriages 1727 to 1757,
burials 1727 to 1772; (v) baptisms 1768 to 1773,
marriages 1758 to 1773, burials 1773 to 1775;
(vi) baptisms 1773 to 1790, marriages 1775 to
1799, burials 1775 to 1790; (vii) baptisms and
burials 1790 to 1812; (viii) marriages 1799 to
1812.
LANGDALE END CHAPEL was built in 1884
by Mary Isabel Viscountess Downe. It is a plain
rectangular building of stone with a shallow chancel
and south porch in the 13th-century Gothic style.
The bellcote on the west gable contains one bell.
In the churchyard is a large cross erected in memory
of the Hon. G. C. Dawnay, who died in 1889. It
is a chapel of ease to All Saints.
Advowson
The church was given by Pain
son of Osbert and 'three others' to
Wykeham Priory. (fn. 43) Perhaps the
three others were Wlmar, priest of Wykeham, Urca
son of Karl and Gamell, who surrendered to Bridlington
Priory all their right in the church, and this Bernard
Prior of Bridlington (circa 1145) (fn. 44) surrendered to
the nuns of Wykeham. (fn. 45) It was appropriated by
1292. (fn. 46) After the Dissolution it was granted in
1546 (fn. 47) to William Ramsden and Richard Vavasor in
fee. William Ramsden shortly afterwards had licence
to alienate it to Richard Hutchinson. (fn. 48) It has since
descended with the manor (q.v.). The living is a
perpetual curacy.
A chapel of St. Helen belonged to the priory
'time out of mind'; it was pulled down because in
ruins by 1321, when John de Wykeham erected a
new chapel at his own cost in honour of the Virgin
and St. Helen. (fn. 49) John de Wykeham endowed the
priory with lands and rents for finding two perpetual
chaplains to celebrate service daily herein for the soul
of himself, his ancestors, heirs and all faithful
departed. (fn. 50)
Charities
An annual sum of £1 is distributable
among the poor in bread in respect of
a charity known as the poor's money.
In 1824 the Hon. Mrs. Dorothy Langley, by will
proved in the P.C.C. 2 June, bequeathed £1,027
consols, the dividends to be applied for the benefit
of the poor. In 1906 the dividends, amounting
to £25 13s. 6d., were divided among eighteen
recipients.
In 1906 a sum of £175 17s. 2d. was on deposit in
the Scarborough Savings Bank in respect of a charity
known as the Cockerill charity, founded about 1831,
of which trustees were appointed by an order of the
Charity Commissioners of 9 March 1906.
The Wesleyan chapel at Langdale End, founded
by deed, 1822, is regulated by a scheme of the
Charity Commissioners, 1893.