MARRICK
Mange (xi cent.); Marrig, Marrik (xiii cent.);
Marryng (xiv cent.).
Marrick parish is composed of the village of
Marrick and hamlets of Hurst, Shaw, Oxque,
Owlands and Ellers. The area is 6,206 acres, of
which rather more than half is permanent grass;
woods and plantations cover about 50 acres, and the
amount of arable land (fn. 1) is small, the chief crop being
wheat.
The subsoil is Yoredale Rocks. There are numerous
old quarries, but neither the stone nor the lead
mines at Hurst are now worked. These lead mines
are supposed to be some of the oldest in the kingdom,
and that they were worked during the Roman occupation of this country may be inferred from the fact
that an ingot bearing the name of Adrian, now in
the British Museum, was discovered in one of the
workings. Documentary evidence for them has not,
however, been found until the time of Henry VIII,
when the nuns of Marrick had 24s. from the tithes
of the lead ore. (fn. 2) That the working was considerable
in the 17th century is shown by the large amount of
£750 being paid to the owner of the rectory by
William Bulmer of Marrick in 1634 for these tithes. (fn. 3)
The lead mines belonged to the lord of the manor
in 1689 (fn. 4) and 1780. (fn. 5) To Marrick Mill lead from
Grinton (q.v.) used to be brought for smelting. (fn. 6)
An Inclosure Act for Marrick was obtained in
1811–12, (fn. 7) and Lea Pasture was inclosed in 1861. (fn. 8)
The village of Marrick lies among hills sloping
down to the Swale; about three-quarters of a mile
to the east the church and the ruins of Marrick
Priory, a Benedictine nunnery founded in the 12th
century, lie in the valley close to the riverside.
The ruins, backed by woods and hills rising abruptly
to 1,100 ft. above the ordnance datum, were
engraved by Turner for Whitaker's Richmondshire.
A mile east of the village is Marrick Park, mentioned
in 1605 (fn. 9) ; it is the property of the lord of the manor
and the residence of Mr. J. C. Coates. Hurst Moor
rises to a height of 1,500 ft. and leads to the higher
moors of Arkengarthdale.
A water-mill once belonged to the manor of
Marrick, and the founder of the priory granted the
tithe to the nuns, together with free multure of their
corn. (fn. 10) Conan de Aske, in 1380, granted them the
farm of the mill for fifty years. (fn. 11) Close to the
priory ruins are remains of a disused dam.
The following are the boundaries of land in
Marrick granted to the nuns of the 12th century:
'From Alinepol in the Swale by threllesgate (the
road called the Rail's-gate) to [the hill called]
Wechnesberg and thence by the side of Wechnesberg to where the tofts of the church adjoin the tofts
of the vill, and thence by the side of the wood by
the heads of the crofts of the vill to the beck running
into the road coming from Bacestaingrave (Backstonegrave), and thence by the beck to the Swale.' (fn. 12)
The following place-names occur in the 16th century: Applegarth, Snawden, Tabby Strand, Wyntryng
Holme, St. John Carre, Methorn Flatt, Cote Flat,
Colte Park, Dynnyshage and Ulland (fn. 13) ; and in the
17th century: Sander Springe, East Riddings, Croft
Howe (still existing), Middle Riddings, Little
Riddings, West Riddings and Potter Croft. (fn. 14)
William Blenkison, who was born at Marrick in
or about 1807 and died in 1871, attained great
notability as a breeder of race-horses. His stud at
Middle Park, Kent, 'was considered one of the sights
of England,' and he was founder of the Two-YearOld race at Newmarket. (fn. 15)
There are Wesleyan chapels at Marrick and
Hurst; and a public elementary school was erected
at Marrick in 1880.
Manors
Sayer of Worsall. Gules a cheveron between three sea-pies argent.
MARRICK was part of the fee of
Count Alan at the time of the Domesday
Survey, (fn. 16) and continued to belong to
the honour of Richmond. (fn. 17) Archil had a 'manor'
and 5 carucates there before the Conquest, and
these in 1086 were held by Gospatric under the
count. (fn. 18) Gospatric must have been succeeded
immediately by the family of Aske, for in the
time of Henry II it was said that the grandfather of Roger de Aske, then lord, had been
previously seised of Marrick. (fn. 19) In 1302–3 Roger de
Aske held Aske and Hugh de Aske held Marrick, (fn. 20)
but with this one exception the head of the family
held both manors until 1512, (fn. 21) when William Aske
died leaving granddaughters and heirs Anne and
Elizabeth. He had settled one-third of the manor
on a marriage to be made between Elizabeth and
Richard, or in default Robert, son of Sir Ralph
Bowes, and two-thirds on a marriage between Anne
and Ralph, son and heir of William Bulmer, or in
default Ralph, son and heir of John Bulmer, or one
of his brothers. (fn. 22) Anne, who married Sir Ralph
Bulmer, died in 1543 seised of the whole manor;
her husband survived her and held the manor until
his death, when it passed to
their daughter and heir
Dorothy wife of John Sayer. (fn. 23)
John survived Dorothy, and
died in 1584, leaving a son
and heir John, on whom the
manor had been settled in
1562. (fn. 24) The Sayers of Worsall held the manor until the
middle of the 17th century, (fn. 25)
when it passed by the marriage
of Dorothy, cousin and heir
of Laurence Sayer, (fn. 26) whose
estates were sequestered in
1650, (fn. 27) to the Bulmers. (fn. 28)
Anthony Bulmer of Marrick, son and heir of
William husband of Dorothy, sold in 1670 the
manor, capital messuage, 'and all other possessions
of John Sayer late of Worsall' to John Mitford
and Christopher Cratford, (fn. 29) trustees acting on behalf
of Charles Paulet Lord St. John of Basing, (fn. 30) eldest
son of John fifth Marquess of Winchester, who
died March 1674–5. Charles (sixth marquess)
settled the estate of Marrick (with the exception of
the lead mines) on himself for life in 1689 with
remainder in tail-male to Lord William Paulet, (fn. 31)
and died in February 1698–9. (fn. 32) Lord William
Paulet was succeeded in 1729 by his son William,
who died 1757, leaving a daughter and heir Annabel,
married to the Rev. Richard Smyth of Itchen, Hants.
Their son William Powlett Smyth, who assumed the
name of Powlett in compliance with the will of his
grandfather, sold Marrick in 1817 to Josias Morley
of Beamsley, who died in 1827 and was succeeded
by his son Francis. (fn. 33) His grandson sold the manor
in 1895 to Mr. Edward Francis Riddell of Cheeseburn Grange, Newcastle-on-Tyne. (fn. 34)
Church
Little now remains of what was once
the priory of Benedictine nuns at Marrick. The nave of the church was used
for divine service until 1811, when it was pulled
down and rebuilt out of the old materials. Only
part of the east and south walls of the original quire,
42 ft. east of the present church, and the western
tower were left standing. The east wall contains
part of a large 14th-century pointed window, of
which the head and tracery have disappeared. Under
the window are a string and a chamfered plinth, and
there are traces of diagonal buttresses at the angles.
In the south wall the upper part of the sedilia can
be seen, now almost covered with earth and overgrown with ivy, and above it was a 14th-century
two-light window with fragments of the tracery still
remaining; westward is one jamb of the doorway of
the former vestry.
Marrick Church from the South-west
The present church, dedicated to the honour of
ST. ANDREW, is a rectangular building 75 ft. by
23 ft. attached to the tower, which is 9 ft. by 12 ft.
Nothing on the exterior distinguishes the chancel
from the nave, but they are divided internally by an
arcade of one complete and two half-bays. The
arches are of two chamfered orders, resting on round
columns whose 13th-century capitals have circular
bells and octagonal abaci. The east window is of
three lights, with a transom trefoiled below, and on
the segmental head. There is a window on both the
north and south of the chancel of two lights, trefoiled,
with square heads. The west window in the tower is
of the late 13th century, and has a pointed head with
three pointed uncusped lights. The north side has
three square-headed windows with straight strings
above them, and having two trefoiled lights with
pierced and cusped lights above. The tracery and some
of the jambs and mullions are re-used work out of
the old church. The pointed doorway between the
second and third windows is 13th-century work, has
a moulded hood with small masked stops, and resting
on fragments of capitals of the same date broken off
at the bell. Above this door is a circular quatrefoil
window with a label round it. There is a buttress
of two stages between each door and window, and
under the windows is a scroll-moulded string.
The east wall has diagonal buttresses, against which
stops a chamfered string running under the window.
This window is of the 15th century; it has no hood,
and above it is a scroll and leaf label stop built into
the wall. The south wall, divided into five equal
bays by buttresses, has in the first four windows
which only differ from those on the north side in
having scroll-moulded labels returned down the sides
and a deep chamfered string under them stopping
at the buttresses. The western bay contains a door
with a modern head, but having one beautiful
moulded 14th-century jamb. The lofty and massive
tower has a slightly projecting parapet and five-stage
diagonal buttresses at the western angles; on the
south side is a square projecting stair turret running
the full height. On each side at the top story is
a square-headed hollow-chamfered transomed and
mullioned window in two lights, without label.
The 13th-century west window in the lower story
has a hood with masked stops and a relieving arch
above it. Attached to the tower on the north
side are farm buildings, to the east of which is
a small vestry containing a two-light mullioned
window.
The rude octagonal bowl of the font is scalloped
on the under side and from each scallop rises a
bracket supporting alternate shields and square panels.
Its plinth is a fragment of a 13th-century round pier
with its complete moulded base. In the pulpit are
parts of carved Jacobean panels.
Of the many tombstones in the church some are
broken, others have had their brasses removed. Those
most worthy of note are at the east end, one on the
chancel floor and the other just below it in the nave;
the former has an inscribed floreated stepped cross
with a book and flower on one side and a chalice on
the other; the latter is a large stone to the memory
of a nun with the inscription at the top: 'subiacit
petra monialis ysabella soror dom pudsa de
barfury.'
There are three bells: the first is pre-Reformation
with the inscription 'Sancte Petre ora pro nobis'
followed by two floreated crosslets and a stamp now
illegible; the other two are by Mears and are dated
1837.
The plate is modern, except one cup inscribed
'John Marchand Thomas Binks, Warden, 1772,'
with Newcastle date mark and maker's mark i. l. for
John Langlands of that town.
The registers begin in 1687.
Advowson and Site of Marrick Priory
The church of St. Andrew (fn. 35) was
granted in the time of Henry II
to Marrick Priory with 1 carucate of land by Roger de Aske the
founder, the donation being confirmed by King Henry and afterwards by Edward III. (fn. 36) The church was appropriated
before 1292 to the priory, (fn. 37) which continued to hold it
until its dissolution in 1539. (fn. 38) Thenuns' quire occupied
the west of the nave, the other half with the chancel
on the north side, which was the chantry of the
family of Aske, being left for the use of the parish. (fn. 39)
The site, rectory, church and advowson of the vicarage,
now for the first time mentioned, were granted in
1545 to John Uvedale or Woodhall. (fn. 40) John died
seised in 1549, leaving a son and heir Alfred, (fn. 41) who
was in 1583 succeeded by his son John. (fn. 42) In 1589
John granted the site, rectory and advowson of the
church and all tithes in grain sheaves and hay in
Marrick, Carkin and Aiskew to Richard Brackenbury, (fn. 43) who conveyed them in 1592 to Timothy
Hutton of Bishop's Auckland and Elizabeth his wife,
their issue and the heirs of Timothy. (fn. 44) The Huttons (fn. 45)
continued in possession until 1631, (fn. 46) when Matthew
Hutton, Barbara his wife and Timothy Hutton sold
the rectory, tithes and advowson of the vicarage to
Robert Blackburne and his sons John and Giles. (fn. 47)
An arrangement was made in 1649 'to enable Robert
Blackburne and his sons to hold each his third part
in severalty, (fn. 48) but no actual partition was made.'
Robert died in 1651 and his third part descended to
John, his eldest son, who died without issue in 1661.
On John's decease the estate at Marrick was again
united in possession of Giles Blackburne, who survived
his brother eight years. During his occupancy the
barn and tithes of Carkin were sold for £120 to
John Johnson of Newsham, Yorks. By his will
26 October 1669 Giles Blackburne devised to his
son John and his heirs all his manor-house of Marrick
Abbey with the lands and tithes of Marrick and the
free rents of Patrick Brompton and Aiskew belonging to Marrick. (fn. 49) John Blackburne was compelled
by money difficulties to mortgage and finally sell the
property. (fn. 50) In 1684 he conveyed all his property
in Marrick except the site of the priory to John
Mitford and Christopher Cratford, (fn. 51) and from this
time the rectory and church descended with the
manor (q.v.) until in about 1900 Mr. Edward
Francis Riddell sold it to the Bishop of Ripon. (fn. 52)
The site of the priory was sold by the Blackburnes
to the Piggots, (fn. 53) and is now the property of Rev.
Edward John Cumming Whittington-Ince, rector of
Wormington, a descendant of that family. (fn. 54)
There is a chapel of ease in the village in connexion
with the parish church.
Charities
In 1655 John Blackburne by will
charged his estate in Gunnerside and
castle in Grinton with the yearly
payment of 52s., 12d. thereof to be laid out in bread
to be given to the poor every Sunday and 5s. yearly
to the churchwardens for their trouble. The bread
is duly distributed.
In 1699 Thomas Hudson bequeathed £50 for the
use of the poor. The principal sum is now lost.
In 1754 Leonard Lamb by will gave out of his lands
at Marrick 10s. yearly to be paid to poor widows.
The Duke of Bolton's charity is applicable here.
An annual sum of 6s. 8d. is distributed to the poor
in respect of Robinson's charity, the origin of which
appears to be unknown.
This parish is entitled to benefits under the charity
of Matton Hutton at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Infirmary and at the Reeth Dispensary in the parish of
Grinton, and in the discretion of the trustees to a
grant for the school and to share in the portion of
that charity applicable in apprenticing.