SESSAY
Segege, Sezai (xi cent.); Cezay, Cessaye (xiii cent.);
Seasey, Seysey (xv, xvi cent.).
Sessay is a parish on the borders of the wapentakes
of Allerton and Birdforth. With its township of
Hutton Sessay it covers about 3,800 acres of the low
ground on the east bank of the Swale. Here the
soil is loam on alluvium, passing to Keuper Marls in
the higher parts, and wheat, barley, oats and beans
are grown. More than 2,000 acres are under cultivation. (fn. 1) The population is chiefly engaged in agriculture, though sand has been worked in the east part
of Sessay township, and there are old clay-pits in the
west of the parish.
The ground is well watered by the tributaries of
the Swale. Sessay Beck, or Birdforth Beck as it is
called higher up its course, flows through the centre
of the parish, passing between the church and the
site of Sessay Hall, and finally leaving the parish at
New Mills, while the Isle Beck forms the northern
boundary. Both streams fall into the Swale a few
miles farther west. An old road called Scarfe Shay
Lane, which forms the western boundary, crosses the
Isle Beck at Islebeck Bridge, and runs south under
the name of Blind Piece Lane. This is probably
the old highway of the 15th century which crossed
the river at this point. In 1420–1 Marmaduke
Darell of Sessay was called upon to repair 'Iselbek
brigge,' which was so ruined that none could pass
without danger to their lives. (fn. 2)
The road from Dalton, the neighbouring village on
the west, to Sessay crosses Blind Piece Lane near
Sessay station on the North Eastern railway, which
runs through the parish in a south-easterly direction.
It then continues eastward to the hamlet of Little
Hutton.
The roads in the central part of the parish form a
rough triangle, with its apex towards the south. The
ground inclosed by this triangle rises slightly, reaching
a height of 125 ft. At the north-western corner is
Little Hutton, which has a Primitive Methodist
chapel, built in 1856. Brick-making on a small
scale is carried on here in the fields lying north of
the road.
The modern village of Sessay stretches along the
west side of the triangle; it is small and scattered.
On the east side of the village street is the small
18th-century manor-house. The old village was
at the apex, where is the site of the old hall of
the Darells, now occupied by Church Farm. Near
by is the church of St. Cuthbert. The present
building dates from 1847–8, when it was erected
by Viscount Downe, but there has been a church
at Sessay since the 12th century. In 1570–1
Sir John Dawnay, then patron of the church, had
licence to provide a new building with a burying
ground and rectory in a convenient place. (fn. 3) The old
church had fallen into decay and was at so great a
distance from the houses of the inhabitants that they
had much difficulty in reaching it, especially in winter. (fn. 4)
It is not clear where the site of this older church
was, or whether Sir John Dawnay did in fact carry out
his intentions. The rectory lies to the north-west of
the church. It is a Georgian house standing in a
small park. The group formed by the church, the
rectory and Church Farm is known as Little Sessay.
Hutton Sessay, the remaining village, stands at the
north-east angle of the triangle and is reached from
Little Sessay by Church Lane. It has a village street
running east and west, in which there is a Wesleyan
chapel dating from 1863. The street continued
becomes the road to Carlton Husthwaite.
According to tradition the lords of Sessay had
formerly a park south-west of Sessay village. (fn. 5) The
deer in it were removed to Cowick in the 18th
century, (fn. 6) and all traces have now disappeared. Lying
south-east of the village there is a large tract of woodland known as Sessay Wood.
Manors
SESSAY was already a possession of
the church of St. Cuthbert of Durham
in 1086, (fn. 7) when the bishop held
5 carucates of land here as one 'manor.'
The family of Percy had a mesne lordship here
from early times. William de Percy held four
knights' fees in Yorkshire of the Bishop of Durham
in 1166, (fn. 8) and it is probable that Sessay was included
in these. The manor with Hutton Sessay was held
of the Percys as of their manor of Topcliffe (q.v.)
by service of one knight's fee. (fn. 9)
The Darells of Sessay were settled here at the end
of the 12th century and possibly earlier. Marmaduke
Darell is the first member of the family who certainly
held this manor, (fn. 10) which was claimed against him in
1182 by William son of Odo and Alan Bruncoste. (fn. 11)
The claim was unsuccessful, and Sessay was the seat
of the Darell family for nearly four centuries.
Marmaduke was the first of a long succession of
alternate Marmadukes and Williams. His son
William (fn. 12) succeeded him, and in 1203 had a release
of 8 carucates in Sessay and Hutton from Roger
Conyers. (fn. 13) William was still living in 1226, when
he was involved in a dispute concerning common of
pasture in Birdforth. (fn. 14) His son Marmaduke (fn. 15) received
a grant of free warren here in 1246, (fn. 16) but before 1260
had been succeeded by William, (fn. 17) who was party to a
fine regarding land here in 1269. (fn. 18) He was still
living in 1278–9. (fn. 19) Marmaduke his son (fn. 20) was lord
of the manor in 1284–5, (fn. 21) when he held 4 carucates
here of John de Percy. His son William (fn. 22) was next
in possession for the first forty years of the 14th
century. He had a grant of the manor from his
father in 1301, (fn. 23) and was returned as its lord in the
next year. (fn. 24) His wife was Joan daughter of William de
Holtby, (fn. 25) by whom he had a son and heir Marmaduke. (fn. 26)
Marmaduke held the office of justice of weights and
measures in the North Riding in 1344, (fn. 27) but appears
to have died soon afterwards. His son William (fn. 28)
was the William Darell who witnessed a charter of
John de Mowbray in 1345, (fn. 29) and was in possession
of the manor in 1348. (fn. 30) Next came another
Marmaduke who had succeeded to his father's (fn. 31) lands
in 1368. (fn. 32) Marmaduke's son William, (fn. 33) with Emma
his wife, (fn. 34) was in possession in 1387. (fn. 35) Marmaduke
Darell, son of William, (fn. 36) was grantee, as 'lord of
Sessay,' in several charters at the beginning of the
15th century, (fn. 37) and was called upon to repair Islebeck
Bridge in 1420. (fn. 38) His son Edmund, who had a
grant of land from his father in 1422, (fn. 39) is the first to
break the regular succession in the family names.
He was lord of Sessay in 1428, (fn. 40) and was still living in
1436. (fn. 41) His son George succeeded him, (fn. 42) and had
a release from the Crown of all actions against
him in 1462. (fn. 43) He died in 1466, (fn. 44) when his heir
was his son Marmaduke. (fn. 45) There were two other
sons, John and Thomas, (fn. 46) who in turn succeeded (fn. 47)
after Marmaduke died without issue. Neither had
children, so the manor came into the possession of
their sister Joan (fn. 48) wife of Sir Guy Dawnay (fn. 49) of
Cowick.
Darell of Sessay. Azure a lion or with a crown argent.
Dawnay, Viscount Downe. Argent a bend cotised sable with three rings or thereon.
Joan died in possession of Sessay in 1525, and
was succeeded by her son John Dawnay. (fn. 50) It was
he who made complaint against Roger Lascelles of
Breckenbrough that he had gone riotously to Sessay
with armed men and there cut John Dawnay's hay
in a meadow called 'Sukerryng.' (fn. 51) He died in
1553, leaving a son and heir Thomas, (fn. 52) who in his
will dated 1556 left the mansion-house of Sessay to
his wife Edith; John Dawnay, his son and heir,
succeeded him. (fn. 53) John died in 1598, when his son
Thomas was his heir. (fn. 54) Thomas had at this date a
son John, (fn. 55) who succeeded him and died in 1630. (fn. 56)
John's son and heir Thomas died without issue in
1639, when his heir was his brother Christopher. (fn. 57)
Shortly afterwards Christopher Dawnay was created
a baronet, (fn. 58) but with his son and heir Thomas,
who died a minor, (fn. 59) this baronetcy became extinct.
Thomas was succeeded by his uncle John Dawnay, (fn. 60)
created Viscount Downe in 1680. (fn. 61) He died in
1695, (fn. 62) and was succeeded by his son Henry, who
held the manor till his death in 1741. (fn. 63) The next
viscount was Henry Pleydell, grandson of Henry,
who lived until 1760. (fn. 64) He was succeeded by his
brother John. (fn. 65) At the death of John in 1780 (fn. 66)
John Christopher Burton Viscount Downe, his son
and heir, (fn. 67) became lord of the manor. (fn. 68) He died in
1832, (fn. 69) and his lands were inherited by his brother
and heir William. (fn. 70) William Henry son of William (fn. 71)
succeeded his father in 1846, (fn. 72) and was in possession
of the manor till 1857. (fn. 73) He was succeeded by his
son the present viscount, (fn. 74) who was created Lord
Dawnay in 1897, (fn. 75) and is the present lord of the
manor of Sessay.
During the 14th century, or at the beginning of
the 15th, a younger branch of the house of Darell
must have had a grant of some land in Sessay, for
in 1405 George Darell forfeited lands here and in
Hutton for rebellion; they were granted to John
Hauxwell, (fn. 76) but were probably restored to George
Darell, who appears as a tenant here in 1428. (fn. 77) He
made his will in 1432, and mentions 'William
Barry his son,' (fn. 78) who was apparently illegitimate, for
a family called variously Darell and Barry (fn. 79) were
subsequently in possession of what appears to be his
estate. (fn. 80) Richard Darell alias Barry had licence
to marry Alice Egmanton in 1488–9, (fn. 81) and in 1524
a Richard Barry was in possession of what was
called the 'manor of Sessay.' (fn. 82) He was succeeded
by his son and heir Christopher, (fn. 83) whose sanity
was the subject of an inquiry in 1531 (fn. 84) ; he remained in possession of his estate, which is not again
mentioned.
The grant of free warren made to Marmaduke
Darell in 1246 (fn. 85) was confirmed to William Darell
in 1304. (fn. 86)
The hospital of St. Leonard of York held land in
Sessay (fn. 87) which was granted by a Marmaduke Darell
and confirmed by his son William.
HUTTON SESSAY (Eton, xiii cent.; Heton,
xiv cent.; Hutton Manigeese, xvii cent.) is not
mentioned by name in the Domesday Survey, but
3 carucates here were doubtless with Sessay in the
hands of the Bishop of Durham at that date. These
3 carucates formed with 5 carucates in Sessay the
knight's fee which was held of the Percy family by
the Darells. (fn. 88) In 1284–5 Marmaduke Darell had
various sub-tenants here, (fn. 89) among whom were several
persons bearing the name of the vill. A 'Thomas
de Heton' was still holding land here in 1428, (fn. 90) and
George Darell (fn. 91) was also among the tenants. His
lands were inherited by the Barry family. (fn. 92)
There was a second fee in Hutton which appears
to have been appurtenant to the manor of Birdforth. (fn. 93)
It was held with that manor of the honour of Eye (fn. 94)
by the Malebiche family, (fn. 95) and under them by the
Maunsells. (fn. 96) This land followed the descent of
Birdforth till the 15th century at least. (fn. 97) It is not
afterwards mentioned, but presumably came with that
manor (q.v.) into the hands of the Viscounts Downe. (fn. 98)
The present holder of the title is now the principal
landowner.
The Prioress of Arden was holding land in Hutton
in the 15th century. (fn. 99)
Church
The church of ST. CUTHBERT is
modern, having been rebuilt on an old
site in 1847–8 and restored in 1883.
It consists of a chancel measuring internally 18 ft.
6 in. by 17 ft. 2 in., nave 45 ft. by 21 ft. 8 in. with
a south aisle 10 ft. 7 in. wide, west tower 8 ft.
square and a south porch.
In the centre of the chancel floor is a brass inscription to Master Thomas Magnus, Archdeacon of the
East Riding, parson of the church, who died in
1550. Above is the figure of a priest in surplice,
stole and a cope which has the word 'iesvs' on the
morse. A scroll contains the prayer 'Jesu fili dei
miserere mei.' A shield below the inscription contains the arms of Magnus: Bendy a fesse with a
leopard passant between two cinquefoils thereon. In
the chief are the words 'As God wyll' in black letter.
In the corners of the stone are small brasses containing alternately the Paschal Lamb and a spray of
columbine. The tiles on the floor of the chancel
contain a D with a viscount's coronet and a shield of
Dawnay impaling Bagot, apparently for William
Henry seventh Viscount Downe (1846–57), who
married Mary Isabel daughter of Richard Bagot,
Bishop of Bath and Wells.
On the threshold of the porch is a slab containing
the matrices of an inscription and a small figure.
In the churchyard are the stem and base of an
old cross, with a restored top.
There are three bells, the tenor of which contains
the inscription 'Laudationem loquetur os meum' in
Lombardic characters. The second is inscribed
'Renovatur 1720 Thomas Dawney Armiger,' with a
(reversed) shield of Dawnay, and in a foliated band
below is the maker's name, E. Seller, Ebor. The
treble bears the inscription ihc : edmund : darel :
et : 1 : ux(or) : ei(us) : g : d : scs : cuthbertus.
The communion plate is modern, given by Viscount
Downe in 1847, and consists of chalice, paten and
flagon, all of silver-gilt.
The registers begin in 1612.
Advowson
The church of St. Cuthbert (fn. 100) at
Sessay was granted by Marmaduke
Darell in the 12th century to the
Abbot and convent of St. Mary's, York. (fn. 101) The
grant was confirmed by his successors, (fn. 102) and the
abbots continued to present to the rectory till the
Dissolution.
In 1540 Thomas Heneage obtained a grant of
the advowson of Sessay, (fn. 103) which he appears to have
sold during the next thirty years to Sir Nicholas
Fairfax. It was purchased from the latter in 1568
by Sir John Dawnay, (fn. 104) then lord of the manor, and
his successors have remained patrons down to the
present day. (fn. 105)
Charities
Charity of Wade and others.—
The property held for the use of
poor persons of this parish consists
of freehold land in the adjoining parish of Thormanby containing 7 a. 3 r., purchased with £80,
being the benefactions of George Fisher (will, 1627),
Guy Johnson (1637), Isabel Fisher (1649), Roger
Marshall (1657), Thomas Walkefield (1663), Robert
Clark (1675) and Margaret Wade (1680). The land
is let at £17 a year.
In 1729 William Dowthwaite by will left £20
for the poor, and in 1749 John Wakefield also left
£20, which legacies, with moneys arising from the sale
of timber on the land above mentioned, were laid out
in the purchase of Government stock, now £89
consols.
In 1852 Thomas Robinson, a blacksmith of this
parish, gave to the rector and churchwardens his share
in the Great North of England railway, the income to
be distributed among the resident poor of his native
parish. This gift is now represented by £191
consols, forming part of a sum of £280 consols,
which includes the aforesaid sum of £89 consols, and
is stated to be standing in the names of Lord Downe
and the rector and churchwardens.
The several charities are administered together.
In 1904 £3 was given to each of five poor widows,
£2 to each of three old people, and the balance
among sick persons.