BEDALE
Bedale is a parish covering about 8,000 acres and
including the townships of Aiskew, Firby, Burrill
and Cowling, Crakehall and Langthorne. It lies on
the right bank of the Swale in a district famous for
fox-hunting. One of the tributaries of the Swale
waters the fertile valley in which the town is built.
The pasture here is very good, and by far the greater
proportion of land in the parish is laid down to grass.
About 3,000 acres are in cultivation, (fn. 1) the chief crops
raised being wheat, barley, turnips and beans. The
soil is gravel on a subsoil of limestone. Each township has its stream which flows into Bedale Beck and
so into the Swale.
Bedale has been a market town since 1251 and
probably has not altered much in form. The principal part of the town is built along the sides of a wide
straight street which forms the market-place. Near
the northern end a narrow street crosses the main
street, and here there is a tall and slender stepped
cross, the head of which has been replaced in iron.
Northward is the church standing among a group of
elms, with the rectory and some 18th-century houses
on the west. The town extends on the north and west
sides, but in recent years the development has been
chiefly to the south along the Ripon Road and on the
slope east of the station, where a road runs east to
Northallerton. There is still in existence in Bedale
the body known as the Four and Twenty or Select
Vestry, which managed the affairs of the parish at
the beginning of the 17th century (fn. 2) and probably
earlier. It is still the governing body of the Grammar
School.
Bedale Hall, the property of Sir Henry BeresfordPeirse, bart., stands to the west of the church. The
back part of the house is of Georgian brickwork and
the dignified classic pedimented front of stone to the
north is a later addition. Internally there is some
good plaster work, the ceiling of the large saloon
being exceptionally fine. This room, which was
added in 1738, was described by Lady Oxford in
1745 as 'extremely well fitted up with stucco.' (fn. 3)
Brian son of Alan had a park here in the time of
King John. (fn. 4)
Market Place and Cross, Bedale
In one of the upper rooms at the King's Head
Hotel is a fireplace with a peculiarly moulded architrave, above which are two heads bearing a mantelshelf; above this is a square panel flanked by rude
pilasters, containing the arms and crest of the
London Company of Blacksmiths, and underneath on
a scroll 'W.W. 1690.' The old grammar school (fn. 5)
stands west of the town on its outskirts. On the
west bank of the river, which is here crossed by a
bridge, is a Wesleyan chapel. There is also a Baptist
chapel in the town, built in 1878.
After crossing the river by the bridge the road
becomes the village street of Aiskew, which is thus
practically a continuation of Bedale. At the entrance
to it from this end are a Primitive Methodist chapel,
built in 1869, and the Roman Catholic chapel of
St. Mary and St. Joseph dating from 1878. Further
up the street on the north side is Aiskew House,
the residence of Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse, bart.
The street continuing becomes a lane leading to
Leeming Bar, where the great Roman road runs
north over Aiskew Moor in the north-east corner of
the parish. The railway, which curves round at
Bedale like the river, has a station at Leeming Bar.
Since it was built the group of scattered houses which
once stood here has become a village.
From the north end of the town of Bedale a road
runs north-west to Crakehall, which, with Langthorne, has since 1840 constituted a separate parish.
It enters Great Crakehall at the south of the square
green round which the village is built. On the
green stands the ivy-covered church of St. Gregory,
built in 1840, and surrounded by a plantation of
young firs; near it in the south-west corner are the
school and Wesleyan chapel. Opposite is the Hall,
the residence of Mrs. Michell. North of the village
and close to the river is the well of St. Edmund, and
half a mile to the west of the Bedale Road, close to
the railway, is the round socket and a portion of the
shaft of a plain cross known as the Plague Cross.
This is said to have marked the spot where sales were
effected between the inhabitants of the neighbouring
villages during the time of plague. From the northwest corner of the green a road runs across Crakehall
Beck to the tiny hamlet of Little Crakehall, which
consists of a few houses with a Primitive Methodist
chapel, built in 1897. Of the two water-mills in
Crakehall which were in existence in 1297 (fn. 6) one on
the stream between the villages is still in use.
Another, further to the east, is now disused. From
where it stands on the bank of Crakehall Beck a lane
leads north to the village of Langthorne, where there
is the church of St. Mary Magdalene, built in 1877.
There is also a Wesleyan chapel.
The township of Burrill and Cowling is reached
by a lane running south from Crakehall. Burrill and
Cowling are small compact villages of brick houses, and
are at right angles to one another. In Burrill there
is a chapel of ease to Bedale and on the south side
of the village street is the old manor-house, an
L-shaped building bearing the date 1669; four two–light mullioned windows and an oval light are now
blocked.
Cowling Hall, the residence of Maj.-Gen. Collins,
is a rectangular 18th-century classical building facing
north-east, rebuilt on the site of an earlier house.
The two-storied older portion, now occupied chiefly
by stables, extends from the north-west angle to the
edge of the road. Opposite this wing was originally
another, forming with the main block the three sides
of a court, the outer wall of which is now represented
by the remains of a thick wall along the road. This
would have been a plain wall, perhaps embattled and
with an archway in the middle, forming the chief
entrance to the court. In the remaining wing overlooking the court are a trefoil-headed light, a squareheaded light and a two-light mullioned window;
others, blocked up, are probably concealed by ivy.
In a room on the first floor of this wing are two
roof-trusses; on the tie-beam of one is carved a face,
while the tie-beam of the other has a conventional
rose. In another room is a portion of a stone frieze
measuring 6 ft. by 1 ft. 2 in., upon which a landscape
with trees is carved in low relief; there is also a blank
shield surrounded by elaborate scroll work of a late
type. The whole is painted, mostly in blue and red.
North of the house, on the opposite side of the
road, is a large walled inclosure, which was once a
garden and has the remains of two small classical
buildings of fanciful design, probably summer-houses.
Firby consists of little more than Firby Hall, which
is an 18th-century building, two stories high, but
rising to three stories in the centre, which is brought
forward in a semi-octagonal bay with a hipped roof.
The house faces south and has a large wing at the
back. Firby Croft is made up of four houses, of no
great age, having a common garden plot. West of the
park surrounding Firby Hall is Christ's Hospital,
which consists of a single block of stone buildings with
a gabled chapel projecting in the centre and six almshouses, three on each side. It is but one story high,
and was originally roofed with stone slabs, but these
have given place to modern slate on the south side.
Otherwise the building, which faces south, remains
much as it was when it was founded in 1608. The
chapel is entered by a plain doorway with a flat pointed
head, above which is a panel inscribed 'Ad gloriam
Dei opt: max. pro sustentatione pauperū. in p[ar]ochia de
Bedall hospitiū. hoc extructum est anno Dñi. 1608
regnique regis Jacobi (qui primus Angliā et Scotiā
sub Magnae Britanniae nomine univit) sexto.' Above
the door is a three-light mullioned and transomed
window with a second panel over it included under
the label, and bearing the text, 'Quid retribuam
Domino,' &c. On the apex of the gable is an original
stone bellcote finished with a gabled coping and finial
and containing a small bell. The chapel occupies only
the front half of the central block and has two-light
windows in the side walls. It is furnished with a
reading-desk enriched with Jacobean arcaded panels
and three curious full-length figures. The benches
on the east have panelling of the same date, with a
carved lion in one panel and floreated cresting at the
back. The stall front has bold mouldings and a
quaint little figure on the bench end. The opposite
wall has a rich Jacobean panelled dado, not, however,
in its original position. Other fittings include an
elaborate panelled locker and a carved hat rail. On
the end wall are four pictures representing the Adoration of the Magi, St. Mark (dated 1602), the founder,
John Chapman of London, dated 1598, and his wife (?). (fn. 7)
The roof principals spring from moulded and dentilled
wood brackets. A door with bold mouldings and a
cherub's head leads into the small rooms at the back
of the chapel. The tenements of the almsmen are
each lit by a stone-mullioned three-light window and
entered by a plain doorway. They retain the old
fireplace openings and the curious cupboard beds. (fn. 8)
There are brick and tile works in Bedale, Aiskew,
Langthorne and Rand Grange in Crakehall township.
Agricultural implements are manufactured at Leeming,
which is also noted for the fine exhibition roses grown
there. At Aiskew are the Vale of Mowbray nurseries.
An Inclosure Act for the township of Crakehall
was passed in 1833. (fn. 9)
Manors
Before the Conquest the 'manor' of
BEDALE was held by Tori (Torphin). (fn. 10)
In 1086 its value had increased and it had
come into the possession of Count Alan, and was held
of him by a sub-tenant Bodin, generally supposed to
have been one of his bastard brothers. (fn. 11) Bodin lived
to old age and divided his lands between his brothers
Bardolf and Ribald. (fn. 12) Bedale, however, came into
the possession of Scolland, 'dapifer' of Alan III of
Richmond. (fn. 13) His son and heir Brian, 'lord of
Bedale,' (fn. 14) appears to have died without issue, for in
the middle of the 12th century Bedale came into the
possession of the family known later as Fitz Alan, (fn. 15)
possibly by the marriage of its founder Brian, second son
of Alan III of Richmond, with a daughter of Scolland.
He was succeeded by his son Alan, who married
Agnes Haget and had a son Brian. (fn. 16) Brian, who
obtained a grant of free warren in 1200, (fn. 17) was a
Sheriff of Northumberland in 1228 and 1232–5,
and Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1236 and 1238. (fn. 18) His
son and successor Alan was living in 1251, (fn. 19) but may
have died before his son Brian came of age, as Alan's
widow was known as Agnes of Bedale. (fn. 20) In 1261
Brian Fitz Alan gave the Prioress of Sinningthwaite
40s. rent, (fn. 21) which she released to him shortly after
wards, (fn. 22) binding herself and her successors to pray
for the souls of Lady Agnes of Bedale and Muriel,
some time his wife. Brian's three sons by Muriel
all died before 1290. (fn. 23) In 1297 he was appointed
custodian of Scotland, (fn. 24) where he saw much service
before his death in 1306; his heirs were his two
daughters by his second wife Agnes or Maud. (fn. 25)
The co-heirs had livery of their moieties of the
manor in 1317. (fn. 26) The marriage of Agnes the
eldest daughter had been granted to the Earl of
Lincoln, (fn. 27) but was afterwards transferred to Sir Miles
Stapleton, who married her to his second son
Gilbert, thus founding the family of the Stapletons of Bedale. (fn. 28) Gilbert died in 1321, (fn. 29) and
Agnes married Thomas de Sheffield before 1328. (fn. 30)
Her eldest son and successor was Miles Stapleton, (fn. 31)
and in 1354 the manor was settled on Miles and his
male heirs with remainder to his younger brother
Brian and his heirs male. (fn. 32) Sir Miles for his services
in France received a royal grant of £100 a year in
1360. (fn. 33) He died in 1363 and was succeeded by
Sir Miles, (fn. 34) who had a son Brian. (fn. 35) Brian was succeeded by his son and heir Miles. (fn. 36) Miles died in
1466, leaving two daughters, Elizabeth wife of Sir
William Calthorpe, and Joan wife of Christopher
Harecourt. (fn. 37) His widow with her second husband
Richard Harecourt was successfully sued for the estate
in 1471 under the settlement of 1354 (fn. 38) by Brian
Stapleton of Carlton, whose descendants retained
this half of Bedale till the 19th century. (fn. 39) Sir Brian
married Joan sister and heir of Francis Viscount
Lovel, and on this ground Henry Stapleton was successful in establishing his claim to the barony of
Beaumont in 1840. (fn. 40) Lord Beaumont sold his
estate here between 1889 and 1892 to Sir Henry
Beresford-Peirse, owner of the other moiety. (fn. 41)
Fitz Alan of Bedale. Barry of eight pieces or and gules.
Stapleton. Argent a lion sable.
Katherine, second daughter of Sir Brian Fitz
Alan, married John Lord Grey of Rotherfield before
1317. (fn. 42) The manor was settled in 1344 (fn. 43) on their
son and heir John, (fn. 44) tenant until he died in 1375,
leaving a son and heir Bartholomew. (fn. 45) Bartholomew's heir was his brother Robert, (fn. 46) who died in
1388, leaving a daughter and heir Joan, afterwards
wife of Lord Deyncourt. (fn. 47) Her son and successor
William died childless in 1422 (fn. 48) ; his co-heirs were
his sisters, Alice wife first of William Lord Lovel (fn. 49)
and afterwards of Ralph Butler, (fn. 50) and Margaret wife
of Ralph Lord Cromwell. (fn. 51) On the death of Margaret
without heirs the whole was vested in Alice, whose
heir was her son John Lord Lovel. (fn. 52) He died in
1464, leaving a son Francis Viscount Lovel, (fn. 53) an
adherent of Richard III. He disappeared after the
failure of the rising of Lambert Simnel and his own
attainder in 1485. (fn. 54) An annuity out of Lord Lovel's
forfeited Bedale estate was granted in 1495 to Simon
Digby, (fn. 55) to whose brother Sir John the manor was
granted in fee in 1497. (fn. 56) He died in 1534, his heir
being his grandson John, (fn. 57) who made a lease of the
manor in 1539. (fn. 58) William Digby, son and heir of
John, died without male heirs in 1561, (fn. 59) and his
estate passed to his uncle Simon Digby, who forfeited life and lands by joining the rebellion of
1570. (fn. 60) On behalf of his son and heir Rowland, Sir
George Bowes wrote to Cecil that 'when he saw his
father adhere to the rebels he stole from him and
came to me at Barnard Castle, where he served truly
to the end.' (fn. 61) Nevertheless the forfeited estate was
granted shortly afterwards in fee to Ambrose Earl of
Warwick. (fn. 62) He conveyed it in 1576 to John
Jackson (fn. 63) of Cowling. In spite of a settlement,
George Jackson, son and heir of John, with Jane
(Clopton) his wife conveyed it in 1594 (fn. 64) to Richard
Theakston of Theakston (q.v.), with warranty against
the heirs of his father and of Sir John Digby. (fn. 65)
Richard son of Richard Theakston had a son William,
who was lord of the manor in 1638. (fn. 66) His lands
were sequestered for 'malignancy' in 1649, (fn. 67) but
the guardians of his son Richard, a minor, proved
that Sir William had died long before the sequestration. (fn. 68) In or about 1657 Richard sold this estate
to John Peirse, (fn. 69) a member of a family long resident
in Bedale, (fn. 70) and possibly already a mortgagee. (fn. 71)
John Peirse was succeeded by his son John, whose
heir was his brother Richard. (fn. 72) Richard's lands here
were inherited by his grandson Henry, (fn. 73) whose son
and heir, also called Henry,
died in 1824, (fn. 74) leaving three
daughters and co-heirs. The
youngest, who was heiress of
Bedale, married Admiral Sir
John Poo Beresford, bart., (fn. 75)
whose son Henry took the
name of Beresford-Peirse. His
son Sir Henry Monson de la
Poer Beresford-Peirse, bart.,
is now the lord of the whole
manor. (fn. 76)
Peirse. Azure a crown between three crosslets fitchy or.
A mill existed at Bedale in
1086, (fn. 77) and was an appurtenance of the manor down to the 18th century. (fn. 78)
In 1251 Alan son of Brian obtained the grant of a
weekly market here and of a fair on the vigil, feast
and morrow of the Ascension. (fn. 79) This grant was
renewed in 1328, when the fair was transferred to
the vigil, day and morrow of St. Michael, and a
second fair was obtained on the vigil, day and morrow
of the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. (fn. 80)
These markets are still an appurtenance of the
manor. (fn. 81)
Ten carucates in AISKEW (Echescol, xi cent.;
Aikescogh, Ayscugh, Aiscogh, xiv cent.; Ayscowe,
xv cent.) in 1086 were soke of Count Alan's 'manor'
of Masham (fn. 82) (q.v.). At the end of the 13th century
Aiskew was in the hands of Brian Fitz Alan, (fn. 83) lord of
Bedale, which it has followed in descent, though it
seems to have been divided unequally between the
co-heirs in 1317, for Robert Lord Grey had 'two
parts of the manor' at his death in 1388. (fn. 84) The
Greys' lands here and at Bedale formed the manor of
'Bedale with Ascough' (fn. 85) or 'Bedale Ascough.'
Five carucates in BURRILL (Borel, xi cent.;
Burell, xiii cent.) were soke of East Witton in 1086. (fn. 86)
The greater part of this was subsequently held of
the lords of Bedale under the lords of Middleham. (fn. 87)
It followed the descent of Bedale and was held like
that manor in two moieties. (fn. 88)
Some land in Burrill, never called a manor,
followed the descent of the Ayscough manor of
Cowling, with which it has merged.
COWLING (Thorneton, xi cent.; Thorneton
Colling, xiii cent.; Collyng, xiv cent.; Cowling
alias Collinge, xvi cent.), once held by Earl Edwin,
was in 1086 in the hands of Count Alan's man
Robert, (fn. 89) probably Robert de Musters, (fn. 90) whose
descendant was mesne lord here in 1286. (fn. 91) The
lords of Middleham held of him, and the lords of
Bedale were their tenants, (fn. 92) holding in demesne land
here which followed the descent of the two moieties
of Bedale. (fn. 93) In the rest the lords of Bedale had a
mesne lordship which in 1490 belonged to Brian
Stapleton. (fn. 94) This land was settled by Gernagan de
Bassingburn on Hervey de Multon and Constance
his wife in 1202. (fn. 95) It came before the end of the
14th century into the possession of the Ayscough
family. (fn. 96) John Ayscough of Cowling died in
1425–6, (fn. 97) and had a son William, justice of the
Common Pleas. (fn. 98) William's son John died in
possession in 1491, leaving a son and heir Sir
William. (fn. 99) The latter had a son William, (fn. 100) whose
son Sir Francis was in possession in 1560. (fn. 101) In 1568
William Ayscough son of Francis conveyed the manor
to John Jackson, (fn. 102) founder of the family of Jackson
of Cowling, who died in 1583 leaving a son and heir
George. (fn. 103) Thomas, the successor of George, made a
settlement of the manor in 1615, (fn. 104) and had a grant
of view of frankpledge here (fn. 105) in 1616. In 1665 his
grandson (fn. 106) Thomas Jackson conveyed the manor to
Henry Raper, (fn. 107) on whose widow Susan, with Cordelia
and Henrietta Raper, it was settled in 1678. (fn. 108)
Cordelia, who seems to have married James Wishart,
conveyed the manor to Henry and Thomas Raper in
1706. (fn. 109) Cowley was the seat of—Robertson in
1792. (fn. 110) In 1872 it was in the possession of Sir
Charles Dodsworth, bart., of Thornton Watlass.
His brother, Sir Matthew Blayney Smith-Dodsworth,
bart., is the present owner.
Ayscough. Argent a fesse between three asses sable.
Jackson of Cowling. Argent a cheveron between three peewits' heads razed sable with three cinqfoils argent on the cheveron.
GREAT CRAKEHALL (Crachale, xi cent.;
Crachall, xiv cent.; Crakall, xvi cent.).—Before the
Conquest the two 'manors' of Great and Little
Crakehall had been held by Ghille and Ulchil; both
in 1086 were in the hands of Count Alan. (fn. 111) He
must have granted Crakehall to Ribald (fn. 112) with Middleham (q.v.), which it followed in descent (fn. 113) until 1624,
when James I granted it in fee farm to Edward and
Robert Ramsay. (fn. 114) Before 1658 Robert Ramsay and
others granted the manor to John Heath and John
White. (fn. 115) It is next mentioned in the possession of
the Place family, who held it from 1714 to 1716. (fn. 116)
In 1732 Henry Goddard conveyed it to Mary
Turner (fn. 117) ; in 1805 Watson Bowman conveyed it to
Anthony Hardolph Eyre. (fn. 118) It was purchased in 1810
by Henry Pulleine, (fn. 119) whose granddaughter Lady
Cowell is now lady of the manor.
Rand Grange in this parish was probably appurtenant to this manor, the descent of which it followed
till the middle of the 16th century at least. (fn. 120) In 1651
it belonged to John Peirse, (fn. 121) who subsequently became
lord of a moiety of Bedale (q.v.). It has since
followed the descent of that manor.
Four messuages with land here were obtained by
the Abbot of Coverham (fn. 122) from the lady of the manor
in 1313–14. They came to the Crown at the
Dissolution, and were annexed to the manor.
Little Crakehall.—The family called
Crakehall, tenants here under the lords of Middleham, (fn. 123) are first mentioned in connexion with the
manor in 1301, (fn. 124) when Robert and Wymar de
Crakehall were the chief landowners. (fn. 125) Thomas
son of Wymar held 2 carucates here in the reign of
Edward II. (fn. 126) His son John, a canon of Ripon, settled
the manor on John Crakehall, jun., Elizabeth his wife
and their heirs; they died without issue, and in 1367
John sued Thomas de Fryth and John de Wakefield
for restitution of the manor. (fn. 127) In 1391 Nicholas de
Sheffield was holding the tenements 'late of John son
of Thomas Wymer.' (fn. 128) Before 1426 the manor was
purchased by Christopher Conyers (fn. 129) of Hornby (q.v.),
which this manor henceforth followed in descent. (fn. 130)
The 'manor' of FIRBY (Fredebi, xi cent.;
Frethby, xiii and xiv cent.; Ferbye, xvii cent.) had
belonged before the Conquest to Auduid. In 1086
it was in the possession of Count Alan. (fn. 131) It was held
by the lords of Bedale, who kept part of it in
demesne. This portion followed the descent of
Bedale, with which it is always closely associated. (fn. 132)
Sir John Sigston must have been the tenant of
the remainder in 1328, when he obtained a grant of
free warren here. (fn. 133) Firby followed the descent of his
manor of Sigston (q.v.). Margaret Metcalfe, daughter
of Sir Thomas Pigot, was holding one-third of the
manor in 1531, (fn. 134) and her son Sir Christopher Metcalfe acquired the rest from the sisters and co-heirs of
Margaret. (fn. 135) He settled it on his eldest son James, (fn. 136)
on whose death in 1580 it was sold by the trustees
to Gilbert Metcalfe of Hood Grange and his son
George. (fn. 137) It was sequestered for the recusancy of
George in 1645, (fn. 138) and was sold by his son Anthony in
1657 to Richard Trotter. (fn. 139) Probably this manor came
into the possession of the lords of Thorpe Perrow, who
had held land here from 1497. (fn. 140) Their estate was
called the manor in 1638. (fn. 141) It followed the descent
of Thorpe Perrow. Mr. W. C. Gray of Thorpe
Perrow is the present lord of the manor.
LITTLE LEEMING (Lemyng, xiii cent.) or
Leeming Bar was held of the Earls of Richmond by
the lords of Ravensworth (q.v.) in the 13th century. (fn. 142)
They were still holding land here in demesne in
1453. (fn. 143) Their tenants in the rest of the vill were
the lords of Bedale. Little Leeming followed the
descent of Aiskew. (fn. 144)
LANGTHORNE was granted to the Abbot and
convent of St. Mary of York by Odo the Chamberlain
at the end of the 11th century. (fn. 145) The Abbot Clement
(1161–84) enfeoffed Thomas Lascelles in 4 carucates
here. (fn. 146) Robert Lascelles was the tenant in 1286. (fn. 147)
Thomas, probably his son, received a grant of free
warren here in 1304, (fn. 148) and was succeeded apparently
by John, whose widow, Elizabeth Lascelles, was living
in 1348. (fn. 149) The manor passed, probably by purchase, to the Conyers family (fn. 150) before 1490, (fn. 151) and
followed the descent of their manor of Hornby (q.v.)
till the division of 1556. In 1575–6 Thomas Darcy
conveyed his third to John Westenhall, (fn. 152) who later
acquired another third. With his son Christopher
and Richard Heighington he conveyed two-thirds of
the manor to John Girlington in 1602. (fn. 153) John
Girlington immediately sold the manor-house to
Thomas Walworth, (fn. 154) who was holding land here in
1613. (fn. 155) In 1641 the manor of Langthorne was
conveyed by William Chilcot to John Robinson, (fn. 156)
who, with Thomas Norton, was in possession in
1653. (fn. 157) Sir Edward Blackett, who married the
daughter and heir of Thomas Norton of Langthorne, (fn. 158)
conveyed the manor in 1698 to Bridget Darcy,
widow, (fn. 159) and joined with his son ten years later in a
similar conveyance. (fn. 160) When next mentioned Langthorne was again in the hands of the lords of
Hornby, (fn. 161) the descent of which it has since followed.
Churches
The church of ST. GREGORY
consists of a chancel 52 ft. by 18 ft.,
north chapel 32 ft. 6 in. by 20 ft. 8 in.,
south chapel 32 ft. 6 in. by 23 ft. 8 in., nave 49 ft. 9 in.
by 24 ft. 3 in., north aisle 53 ft. 3 in. by 16 ft., south
aisle 45 ft. 9 in. by 21 ft. 9 in., tower 19 ft. by
18 ft. 6 in., with an entrance porch on the south side.
These measurements are all internal.
Plan of Bedale Church
The building is of very great interest, but has been
so thoroughly dealt with by the modern restorer that
there is hardly any internal masonry which has not
been retooled. The plan of the nave is doubtless
that of an aisleless building of the 12th century or
perhaps earlier, and the west end of the north wall
of the chancel may contain work of the same date.
At the end of the 12th century the chancel was
rebuilt and widened southwards, its east wall being
set approximately on the line of that of the present
south chapel, and at the same time the nave received
a north aisle. The south chapel was added about
1200 or a little later, and towards the end of the
13th century the south aisle of the nave was rebuilt.
The aisle is of unusual width, but there is nothing
to suggest that it has been widened since its first
building. The south chapel appears to have been rebuilt at the same time, and the date is fixed at 1290
or thereabouts, when Brian Fitz Alan founded a
chantry here in honour of our Lady. The arcade of
the earlier chapel was, however, left untouched. The
two south windows were inserted in 1556, as appears
from the date placed over the south doorway. The
west tower, with its porch, was built about 1330, and
about the same time the chancel was lengthened eastward, a vaulted crypt being constructed under the
new portion. The north chapel is known to have
been rebuilt by Brian Thornhill, rector, about 1340,
and it is probable that the north aisle was rebuilt
about the same period. The top story of the tower
is a 15th-century addition, and so is the clearstory
of the nave, the mark of the high-pitched roof which
it superseded being visible on the east wall of the
tower.
The east window of the chancel is a modern copy
of the original of five trefoiled lights and has tracery
in which vertical lines occur. Internally there is a
label carved with the nail-head, which is probably that
of the former east window re-used. In the north wall
is one and in the south two segmental-headed windows,
each of two trefoiled lights, and on the south are also
three fine sedilia and a piscina flanked by octagonal
shafts with trefoiled gable heads, the sedilia being
divided by similar shafts. To the west of these is an
arcade of two bays opening into the south chapel
and resting on semi-octagonal responds and a small
octagonal 13th-century shaft. To the east of the
arcade two fragments of string-course mark the extent
of the late 12th-century chancel. The western half
of the north wall is occupied by a 14th-century
arcade of two bays opening into the north chapel.
The pointed chancel arch is of two orders and rests
on 14th-century corbels. The roof of the chancel
dates from the 15th century and is divided by collarbeam trusses with curved braces into five bays, the
feet of the rafters and principals resting on moulded
and embattled wall-plates; the principal braces rest
on angel corbels.
The north chapel has two modern windows of two
lights on the north, copied from those of the south
aisle. Between them is a recessed tomb of the 14th
century containing an effigy, with a multifoiled ogee
head and foliated finial. The east window of the
chapel is of four trefoiled lights; the tracery is peculiar
and consists of five trefoils radiating from a common
centre under a pointed head.
Bedale Church: Interior of Tower, showing Doorway to Vice
The east window of the south chapel, a remarkable example of late 13th-century tracery, is of five
lights with tracery in two orders, the main mullions
meeting the head so as to form two-centred arches,
each containing an uncusped circular light, while a
large cinquefoiled circle forms the centre piece. In
the south wall of the chapel are two square-headed
four-light pointed windows inserted in 1556, as
appears by the date on a tablet over the 13th-century
doorway between them.
The north arcade of the nave, built about 1200, is
of four bays with pointed arches of two orders—the
outer worked with a roll mould, the inner with a
hollow containing pointed octagonal bosses—round
which is an indented hood mould, the lower triangular
projections of which are carved with three-leaved
flowers. The western pier is octagonal in plan, the
middle one a pointed quatrefoil, and the eastern one
a square with a hollow at each angle containing the
same ornament as the inner order of the arch above;
all have abaci and foliated capitals of different design.
East of the arcade is a doorway to the rood-loft.
The south arcade of the nave is of three bays resting
on late 13th-century octagonal shafts. The clearstory
windows are of the 15th century renewed. The
nave roof is of the same date and is low in pitch, the
wall-posts resting on angels. At the west end can be
seen the line of the steeper and earlier roof.
The west window of the north aisle, and the
eastern of the two windows in the north wall, are
modern, and resemble those of the adjoining chapel
above referred to. The north-west window, which
has three lights under a square head, dates probably
from the 17th century. The three windows in the
south wall of the south aisle, from which the modern
windows of the north chapel and aisle were copied,
are each of two cusped lights with a plain circle in
the head, and have been much renewed. The west
window of three trefoiled lights with a cinquefoiled circle in the head is a modern copy of the
original window, taken out at the restoration of
the church.
The lofty and massive tower, built for defence
about 1340, has its lowest stage vaulted, and
formerly a portcullis, the grooves for which still
exist, guarded the doorway leading to the vice.
In the south wall is the main doorway of the
church, leading into a porch of the same date
as the tower. The west window is of three
lights with flowing tracery, and there is a doorway of two orders beneath it. The tower arch,
which is sharply pointed, is of three continuous
chamfered orders, which are interrupted at the
springing by a moulded band. The first story
of the tower is arranged as a dwelling room,
having a fireplace, garderobe and stone seats in
the reveals of the windows; formerly this room,
which was about 9 ft. high, had a sleeping
chamber over it, the corbels for the floor still
remaining. The exterior is in four stages, the
uppermost, which is 15th-century work, being
set back from the wall below, and having small
shallow buttresses standing upon the set-off, and
a pair of windows, each with two cinquefoiled
lights under a square head, on all four sides.
The parapet is embattled, and there are pinnacles
at the angles and in the centre of each face.
Below the battlements is a shallow cornice with
gargoyles. The lower part of the tower has two
buttresses at each angle. On the south side of
the west window is a small trefoiled pointed
niche. The porch has a vaulted roof and stone
seats; above the label there appears to have
been a sundial, the upper and lower mouldings
of which still remain. The finial is a stone with a
square ogee-headed recess, which must have formerly
contained a figure. To the east of the porch is the
square stair turret lighted by narrow loopholes.
Three two-light windows with pointed heads and
flowing tracery, one above another, light the intermediate stories on all four sides.
The walls generally have embattled parapets. In
the east wall of the nave is the line of a former
steep-pitched chancel roof. In the south wall is a
modern doorway into the crypt, which is vaulted in
two bays with double-chamfered ribs; there is a
square-headed three-light window on the east side
and a single square-headed light on the north. The
stone staircase which formerly led to the chancel above
is still visible. The two west buttresses of the north
aisle have 13th-century memorial slabs in their foundations. At the east end is a string under the window,
returning a short way round the north wall, and in
the western bay is a round-headed blocked doorway.
The nave wall has been rebuilt.
There are two altar slabs with incised consecration
crosses, one on the sill of the east window of the vault
and the other preserved in the sanctuary.
There are two fine Jacobean chairs in the chancel,
which is divided from the nave and chapels by modern
screens, and there is a deed chest of about 1700
bound with iron and secured with three padlocks,
the keys of which also fit the alms-box of the same
date.
In the crypt are two fragments of Saxon work;
one appears to be part of a column 2 ft. high by
4 ft. in circumference, ornamented by vertical cable
mouldings, between which are interlaced patterns,
the other is a small carving apparently of our
Lady with the Child.
In the nave to the north of the tower arch is
the effigy of Brian Fitz Alan, and near it that of
a lady, perhaps his first wife. The former, which
used to be in the chapel founded by him, lies
under a broken crocketed trefoiled ogee canopy
having ball flower ornament and above it figures
of angels. The effigy is clad in the mail of the
closing years of the 13th century; the legs are
crossed, the knees are guarded by plate caps, the
hands are folded in prayer, and the feet (the
right is broken off) rest on a lion, on each side
of which is a priest. Over the mail is a surcoat
bound with a sword belt ornamented with
leopards' heads and carrying his sword; on his
left arm is a shield of his arms. The female
figure has a square headdress, and is clad in long
robes hiding the feet, which rest on a dog; in
the hands is a long scroll.
On the south side is the 15th-century monument of a knight with complete plate armour
over a mail hauberk, and having a bascinet with
camail; his gauntleted hands are folded in prayer
and his spurred feet rest on a lion. Next to this
is another of earlier date wearing a coat over
mail; his legs have shin-pieces, and on his left
arm is a shield charged with a cheveron between
three roses; the sword at his side is broken
away.
In the north chapel under a recessed canopied
tomb lies the effigy of a priest in mass vestments,
perhaps the founder, Brian de Thornhill, rector
1308–43. Over his head is a canopy and at his
shoulders are two angels, while above the tomb are
two censing angels. The pedestal is formed of parts
of two other tombs, one consisting of shields and
panelling, the other being carved into niches containing mutilated figures. This probably formed part
of the tomb of Brian Fitz Alan.
In the floor of the north aisle is a large 16thcentury slab with the figures of a man and two
women. The inscription is not easy to read, but
Dodsworth, writing in 1622, states it to be 'Hic
jacet Thomas Jackson quondam mercator de Bedall
qui obiit primo die mensis julii anno dñi mccccc xxix.
Cujus anime propitietur deus, amen.' There are
two shields, one containing I. H.S., the other M and
a spear and reed holding a sponge crossed.
In the same aisle is a brass with a Latin inscription
to John Wilson, son of Dr. John Wilson, rector,
dated 1681, and in the north chapel one to Richard
Yong and his wife, who died in 1583 and 1619
respectively.
There is a ring of eight bells, of which the treble
and second are modern; the third has the inscription 'Edw. Place Rector, I. N. Pullein churchwarden. Gloria in excelsis deo 1755'; the fourth
'1660. Jesus be our speed. PS, AW, HS, IW';
the fifth 'Soli deo gloria pax hominibus 1631';
the sixth 'Jesus be our speed 1625'; the seventh
'Soli deo gloria pax hominibus 1631'; the eighth
'I.O.U. ego cum fiam cruce custos laudo mariam
digna dei laude mater dignissima gaude.' There is
also a small bell inscribed 'Cum voco, veni precare
1713.'
Bedale Church Tower From The South
The plate includes three chalices, one dated 1803,
the others Victorian, two patens without date letter
presented by Edward Place, rector, who died in
1790, and two pewter flagons.
The registers date from 1560. An interesting
entry relating to the Rising in the North records that
Simon Digby, lord of Bedale, was hanged at York
with three others on 24 March 1570. There are
also churchwardens' accounts between 1576 and
1664.
The church of ST. GREGORY, Crakehall, is a
building of stone in the 'Gothic' style erected in
1840, and consisting of chancel, nave, south porch
and west turret containing two bells.
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALENE, Langthorne, erected in 1877, is built of stone in the
Gothic style, and consists of chancel, nave, vestry,
north porch and bellcote containing one bell.
Advowson
There was a church at Bedale in
1086, (fn. 162) the advowson of which generally followed the descent of the
manor, (fn. 163) the holders of the two moieties presenting
alternately. (fn. 164) During the latter half of the 16th and the
whole of the 17th century, except for one presentation
by John Peirse, the Crown regularly exercised the
patronage (fn. 165) ; it was finally recovered in 1698 by
Richard Peirse, lord of one-half of the manor. (fn. 166) His
descendants have since been patrons, though the
Stapleton family continued to assert their claim. (fn. 167)
During the 18th century it was common for the right
of presentation to be sold for single turns. (fn. 168) The
patronage of the church of St. Gregory, built in
1840, was at first vested in the rectors of Bedale, but
was transferred by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
in 1868 to the patrons of that church. (fn. 169) The living
is held with Langthorne, where there was a chapel
in the 16th century under the invocation, like the
modern church, of St. Mary Magdalene. It was
granted in 1575 to John Sankey and others. (fn. 170)
Brian Fitz Alan granted the chantry of our Lady,
with three priests in the church of Bedale, (fn. 171) to the
Abbot and convent of Jervaulx in 1290. (fn. 172) In 1342
Brian de Thornhill, parson of Bedale, had licence to
grant land here to a chaplain to pray for his soul
and the souls of his ancestors. (fn. 173) In the reign of
Richard II there was a religious fraternity in the town
of Bedale which appears to have had for its object
the maintenance of a chaplain in the parish church. (fn. 174)
Charities
Trust estates under the administration of the rector and the Four-andTwenty of the parish were for the
most part purchased with benefactions recited in a
deed of 21 September 1736 (enrolled), and consist of
(a) 9 acres at Crakehall, known as the Hazleflatt estate,
let at £25 a year, of which two-thirds is applicable
for the poor and one-third for Christ's Hospital,
Firby (see below). A house and shop and three
cottages at Bedale were purchased in 1764 with
£200 left for the poor by Mary Atkinson and £100
given by William Heaton for education; the rents of
this property, amounting to £40 or thereabouts, are
applied approximately, two-ninths for the poor, fiveninths for Dr. Samwaies' hospital, and two-ninths for
Christ's Hospital; (b) 2 a. 1 r. 13 p. at Fencote in
Kirkby Fleetham, producing about £5 a year;
(c) house and 19 a. 2 r. 6 p. at Thirn, devised in
1692 by Peter Samwaies, D.D., formerly rector of
Bedale, let at £30 a year, one-half for the poor, the
rest for Bedale Hospital (see below); (d) £705 16s. 8d.
India 3½ per cent. stock, invested after the sale of 14 a.
at Low Ellington, derived from a gift in 1674 by
Robert Young, of which £40 stock has been set aside
as a sinking fund.
The official trustees also hold in respect of the
Poor's Charity £1,475 13s. 4d. consols arising from
the sale in 1861 of land and cottages and accumulations of income, and £376 6s. 6d. consols on general
account.
In 1906 £10 was applied out of property (a) for
education, out of property (b) £3 7s. 10d. was paid
to Christ's Hospital, Firby (see below), 11s. 2d. to
Bedale Hospital, and the balance in the distribution
of bread; £15 out of property (c) to Bedale Hospital,
money gifts were given to 246 recipients, leaving a
balance of £486 3s. 9d.
The hospital founded by Dr. Samwaies, 1692.—In
addition to the payments made out of properties (b)
and (c) above mentioned, the hospital in 1906
received £22 10s. in respect of a portion of the
rents of a house and shop and of three cottages at
Bedale, a rent-charge of £10 on lands at Middleton
Quernhow devised by will of Dr. Samwaies to Trinity
College, Cambridge, and the dividends on £619 5s. 2d.
consols amounting to £15 9s. 4d., and £6 8s., dividends on £256 0s. 9d. consols, held by the official
trustees. The sum of 4s. 3d. weekly was paid to each
of five brethren, and there was a balance in hand of
£120 17s. 2d.
Christ's Hospital at Firby, founded about 1608 by
John Clapham, clerk in Chancery, (fn. 175) and endowed by
him by deed enrolled in Chancery 26 October 1626,
was for the residence of a master and six brethren of
the age of sixty years or thereabouts. The rules
obliged the master to teach six boys gratuitously, an
obligation which, however, does not appear, at any
rate in recent times, to have been acted upon.
It was endowed with a rent-charge of £30 a year
on lands at Edmonton, Middlesex, which was redeemed
by the transfer in 1903 to the official trustees of £750
Barry Railway Company 4 per cent. stock.
In 1674 Henry Raper by his will charged land at
Skipton Bridge, devised by him for the use of Topcliffe
School, with the annual payment of £10 to this hospital.
In 1906 the hospital received £3 7s. 10d. from the
Fencote property above mentioned, £7 8s. 11d. in
respect of a portion of the rents of a house and shop
and of three cottages at Bedale (see Dr. Samwaies'
Hospital), £9 6s. 8d., being two-thirds of the net
rents of 8 a. 1 r. 32 p. in the township of Firby,
given by Mr. Marmaduke Braithwaite 8 March 1897,
£6 11s. from the letting of a large room, and £3 13s.
dividends on £145 4s. 9d. consols. The master and
brethren received £33 14s. and £3 16s. for coals,
£3 3s. was paid for expenses of management, and
there was a balance in hand of £32 14s.
The Grammar School. (fn. 176) —The official trustees hold
a sum of £231 10s. 7d. consols, representing the
redemption in 1884 by the Treasury of an annual
payment formerly made out of the Crown revenues
towards the maintenance of a schoolmaster. The
annual dividends, amounting to £5 15s. 8d., are
remitted to the Four-and-Twenty.
The Widows' Hospital is under the management
of the lords of Bedale, who depute the rector as their
agent. It is endowed with 14 a. of land in Aiskew,
which appear, from a deed of feoffment dated 24 May
1667, to have been a gift by Robert Young for the
use of the poor of Bedale, now let at £25 a year.
In addition the hospital in 1906 received £4 13s. 4d.,
being one-third of the net rent of 8 a. 1 r. 32 p. in
Firby given in 1897 by Mr. Marmaduke Braithwaite
(see Christ's Hospital above), £4 4s. 2d. portion of
rent of 1 a. 1 r. 23 p. in Aiskew, £7 10s. dividends
on £300 11s. 6d. consols (with the official trustees),
and £3 17s. 6d. interest on £155 0s. 2d. accumulations in the Post Office Savings Bank; £30 was
divided between the three inmates, and there was a
balance in hand of £32 6s. 5d.
Mr. James Shepherd, by will proved 1891, left
£1,000 to be invested and the income applied for
the benefit of the poor of the parish. The legacy was
invested in £1,038 19s. 2d. consols with the official
trustees, producing an annual dividend of £25 19s. 4d.,
applied by the rector and churchwardens in the distribution of tickets on tradesmen of the value of
4s. 6d. each.
The Wesleyan Methodist chapel and trust property
was conveyed by deed of 11 January 1887. In 1904
an additional piece of land was acquired for the
erection of a Sunday school. The Charity Commissioners, by order of 9 February 1906, authorized the
exchange of a strip of land at the eastern end of it for
a certain right of way to consolidate the property.
The Poor's Land of Aiskew consists of a cottage
and 3½ acres of grassland and part of a field on
Aiskew Moor, the gift of Stephen Wetherell by deed
of 10 November 1632. The land is let at £10 17s.
a year, which is given away in doles of 4s. each.
Poor's Money.—Interest on a sum of £40 was
formerly distributed among the poor, but the principal sum has been lost through the insolvency of the
holder.
An annual payment of £5, issuing out of 10 acres
in Crakehall, the origin of which is supposed to have
been the gift of one Webster, is applicable for the
purposes of education.
Isabella Benson, by will, date unknown, charged
two closes called the Holm Flatts, in the parish of
Burneston, with 24s. a year for the poor of Crakehall,
which is now paid by Mr. Richard Boston.
William Clarke, by will, date unknown, gave a
rent-charge of 11s. for the poor, of which 8s. is paid
by Captain Robson and 3s. by Sir M. Dodsworth.
In 1904–5 these sums were applied in gifts of money
varying from 3s. to 5s. each recipient.
The Wesleyan chapel at Crakehall was conveyed
by deed of 1817. In 1894 a scheme was established
for its regulation.