OSWALDKIRK
Oswaldeschercha (xi cent.).
This parish covers an area of 2,167 acres, lying
about the road from York to Helmsley. In Oswaldkirk, Rewton and Leythorpe about half the area is
pasture, some 340 acres woodland and the rest arable. (fn. 1)
The parish lies on Kimmeridge clay in the south
and on the corallian beds in the north.
The houses which compose the village are grouped
along the road from Ampleforth to Stonegrave on the
south slope of a hill. The church stands towards
the west end on the south side of the roadway in a
churchyard inclosed by a stone wall. In this church
Archbishop Tillotson preached his first sermon and
here the antiquary Roger Dodsworth was baptized in
1585. On the opposite side of the road is a stone
wall about 9 ft. 8 in. long and 3 ft. thick, of 15thcentury date, evidently part of a large building. On
the road side are the remains of three buttresses; the
middle one is semi-hexagonal and has in its front face,
about 12 ft. above the road level, a panel containing
a shield charged with a cheveron between three fleurs
de lis. In the wall of a stone shed built against this
wall are set two similar shields. At the west corner
of the road to Gilling stands the 'Malt Shovel,' a
late 17th-century stone building now used as an inn.
The windows have flat external architraves and the
front to the road is symmetrically designed. Inside
is a fine old staircase.
Oswaldkirk Hall occupies a delightful situation at
the western extremity of the village. Beyond is the
steep wooded bank called Oswaldkirk Hay, at the
foot of which goes the road leading to Ampleforth.
Following the parish boundary north across the fields
Stockings Lane is reached. This leads to Beacon
House, close to which are some tumuli.
Further on is Salmons Wood, with a beautiful
dropping gill. At the northern extremity of the
wood the boundary line crosses Low Street, and,
skirting Golden Square Wood, runs due east close to
the River Rye, thence it turns south past Seamer
Great Wood and the hamlet of West Newton
Grange. To the west lies Grange Farm, near the
site of Newton Grange. The site of the old grange,
the birthplace of Roger Dodsworth, is marked by the
irregular surface of the ground with an embankment
on the north and east. Near Newton is the site of a
small chapel, pulled down in 1879 and rebuilt at
Sproxton. In 1852 (fn. 2) it was still fairly well preserved,
though only used as a store-house for agricultural
implements. The architecture was characteristic of
the 17th century, when the Cholmeleys occupied the
hall. At the east end the altar was raised a few feet
to form a family vault, entered by a flight of steps
from the body of the chapel. This vault was examined
in 1820 and five leaden coffins of the Cholmeley
family discovered.
Inclosure Acts were passed in 1803–4 and also in
1805–6. (fn. 3)
Manors
In 1086 a 'manor' of 1 carucate
was held at OSWALDKIRK by the
Count of Mortain, the previous tenant
having been Uctred. (fn. 4) With other lands of this fee
it became part of the barony of Roos, the overlordship
following the descent of Helmsley (q.v.).
This land was probably held by Richard de
Surdeval, one of the chief tenants of the Count of
Mortain, and may have extended into Ampleforth
(q.v.). At the beginning of the 13th century the
vill was held by John de Surdeval, who left daughters
and co-heirs, Maud, who married Peter de Jarpenvill, and Emma, who married William de Barton. (fn. 5)
William and Emma de Barton were living in 1277 (fn. 6)
and were succeeded by their son William de Barton. (fn. 7)
He, however, died before 1284–5, when hisson Nicholas
was joint lord of the Ryedale portion of Ampleforth
and Oswaldkirk. (fn. 8) Nicholas son and heir of Nicholas (fn. 9)
left an only daughter Joan, who married Richard de
Pickering (fn. 10) before 1316, when he was returned as
joint lord of Oswaldkirk. (fn. 11) Richard settled land in
Ampleforth on his son Thomas and Margaret his wife,
but Thomas died in 1348, leaving a son Richard (fn. 12) ;
on his grandfather's death in 1349 he succeeded to
the family property, which was not, however, in good
condition. (fn. 13) He was still the tenant in 1355. (fn. 14)
Pickering. Ermine a lion azure crowned or.
In 1427–8 this fee was held by Sir Richard
Pickering, kt., (fn. 15) who made a settlement of Oswaldkirk in 1441 (fn. 16) and died in
the same year, leaving a son
and heir John. (fn. 17) The successor
of John would seem to have
been the Thomas Pickering
who died in 1509 and was
followed by William his son. (fn. 18)
William made a settlement
of his manors in 1513 (fn. 19)
and was knighted after this
date. He was knight-marshal
to Henry VIII and died in
1542, (fn. 20) when his son William
was a young man of twentyfour and attached to the court. (fn. 21) As a courtier and
diplomatist he won great distinction, (fn. 22) and as 'a brave,
wise and comely English gentleman' he was at one
time considered a possible suitor for Queen Elizabeth. (fn. 23)
He died in January 1574–5, (fn. 24) having settled his
lands in Oswaldkirk and Ampleforth on his illegitimate
daughter Hester. Sir Nicholas Bacon and his other
trustees received a quitclaim from Anne sister of Sir
William and her husband Roger De la River (Delareur)
in 1575, (fn. 25) and in 1577 they received a licence to
convey the manor to Hester, then wife of Edward
Wotton, (fn. 26) created Lord Wotton of Marley in 1603.
Hester died (fn. 27) in 1596, (fn. 28) but her husband survived
until about 1625, when he was succeeded by his only
surviving son Thomas. (fn. 29) He conveyed the manor of
Oswaldkirk in 1628 (fn. 30) to Nicholas Pay and died in
1630, his heirs being his four daughters. The lands
here fell to the share of Anne, the fourth co-heir, who
afterwards married Sir Edward Hales, bart. (fn. 31) Sir
Edward died in 1654 and was succeeded by his son
Edward, a Roman Catholic and a devoted follower
of James II. (fn. 32) He sold the manor of Oswaldkirk in
1674 to William Moore, (fn. 33) who made a settlement of
it in 1700. (fn. 34) Mary daughter of William Moore
married the Hon. Edward Thompson, M.P. for
York from 1722 until his death in 1742 (fn. 35) without
surviving issue. At the death of his widow the manor
of Oswaldkirk passed under her will proved in 1784
to a cousin John William Banner for life, with remainder
to his nephew Arthur Daggett Banner in tail-male,
with contingent remainders to Thomas and Mary
Banner, son and daughter of John William Banner. (fn. 36)
Thomas Banner, who was lord of the manor at his
death in 1826, was succeeded by Richard Banner
Oakley, (fn. 37) probably the son of his sister Mary. Richard
was a minor in 1852. (fn. 38) Lieut.-Col. Henry PageHenderson sold it to the present lord of the manor,
Col. J. Musgrave Benson.
Of the other moiety of the manor no such definite
history can be related. Peter de Jarpenville and
Maud his wife sold their share, probably in or about
1230, to William de Pickering; but they seem to have
retained some land in demesne as well as a mesne
lordship, for John de Jarpenville (Jarkenvile) was one
of the joint lords of Ampleforth and Oswaldkirk in
1284–5 and had considerable possessions in both vills
in 1301. (fn. 39) John seems to have left a son Ralph and
a daughter Isabel who had been given certain lands
in Ampleforth by her father; these she quitclaimed
in 1325 to Richard and Joan de Pickering. (fn. 40) Emma
daughter of Maud daughter of John de Jarpenville
was a tenant in 1352, (fn. 41) but the holdings of the
family were small and never became important.
Certain demesne lands were held by the lords of
Helmsley (q.v.) and constituted a second manor. (fn. 42)
This was granted to Sir John Pickering for life in
1483 (fn. 43) ; it reverted to the family of Roos, however,
and was held by the lord of Helmsley in 1504. (fn. 44)
Though no decisive evidence for the sale of this
manor to Sir William Pickering has been found, it
seems probable that such a transfer took place in or
about 1540, (fn. 45) after which date no further evidence
for a Roos manor has been found.
The second entry in the Domesday Survey shows
that Berengar de Toni held a 'manor' of 1 carucate
in Oswaldkirk in 1086, (fn. 46) which may have afterwards
become WEST NEWTON. Gamel had formerly
been the tenant of this land, which was waste.
Berengar died without direct heirs, and the lands he
held of his father reverted to the descendants of his
brother William, (fn. 47) the founder of the family of Roos,
the overlordship following the descent of Helmsley
(q.v.). In 1155–8 (fn. 48) Henry II confirmed to Robert
son of Robert lands in Sproxton and 2 carucates in
Newton which Henry I had granted to his father.
The family of Sproxton appear to have held the
greater part of their lands in demesne. In the reign
of Richard I Richard de Sproxton enfeoffed Peter (fn. 49)
son of William of 2 oxgangs in Newton, which his
father had held by the rent of 1 lb. of pepper, doing
such foreign service as belonged to 2 oxgangs, where
12 carucates made a knight's fee. (fn. 50) Richard de
Sproxton was followed by Robert, who in 1228 (fn. 51)
and 1241 quitclaimed to the Abbot of Rievaulx
his right to a pasture in West Newton. (fn. 52) In 1251
Aubrey (fn. 53) daughter of Richard de Sproxton gave
2 oxgangs to Rievaulx Abbey, a gift which Henry III
confirmed. The lordship of the Sproxtons had
become a mesne lordship by 1284–5, (fn. 54) when the Abbot
of Rievaulx held 4 carucates of Robert de Sproxton.
Robert was followed by a son William, who quitclaimed 2s. rent to the abbot for 4 carucates, (fn. 55) and
another William, son of Simon de Sproxton, (fn. 56) gave
pasture for 80 sheep in Sproxton and common pasture
in West Newton. In 1302 (fn. 57) William de Sproxton
brought an action against the Abbot of Rievaulx to
exonerate him from the service required by the king
for the free tenement which the abbot held of
William. West Newton continued in the possession
of the abbey (fn. 58) and was granted with the site of
the abbey to the Earl of Rutland. (fn. 59) It followed the
descent of Rievaulx (q.v.), and is now in the possession of the Earl of Feversham. Free warren was
granted to the Abbot of Rievaulx in 1257 in his
demesne lands in West Newton. (fn. 60)
Church
The church of ST. OSWALD consists of a chancel measuring internally
26 ft. 2 in. by 15 ft. 10 in., nave 46 ft. 8 in.
by 21 ft. 6 in., a modern south porch and western
bell-turret.
The nave appears to be of late 12th-century date,
but the only detail now surviving of this period is the
north doorway, now built up, a small narrow roundarched window immediately to the westward of it
and two capitals built into the jambs of the south
doorway, rebuilt in the 16th century. Late in the
13th or early in the 14th century the chancel appears
to have been rebuilt and probably the nave walls were
then heightened. New windows were inserted in
the nave in the 15th century, and it may be that the
chancel arch was removed at the same time. As
originally built, it would appear that the floor sloped
downwards from north to south and from west to
east, the threshold of the built-up north door being
at a considerable height above the present floor level,
while the string-course of the north and south walls
has a slight fall from west to east. This string-course
is cut through on the south wall by the sills of the
two nave windows east of the south door, one of which
appears to have been inserted at the period that the
chancel was rebuilt.
The east window is modern and of three lights
with a two-centred head and tracery of late 14thcentury design. There are no windows in the
north wall, part of which is occupied by a modern
organ chamber. In the south wall are two modern
windows of two lights with cinquefoiled ogee heads;
the jambs of the eastern window appear to be old,
possibly of 14th-century date, assuming that the
modern tracery is a version of that which it has
replaced. A 14th-century chamfered cornice crowns
the north and south walls and is continued upon the
nave. At the angle formed by the junction of the
south walls of the nave and chancel are traces of the
lower courses of the 12th-century chancel. In what
manner the junction of the chancel and nave was
treated at the period that the chancel arch was removed it is impossible to ascertain, the facing of the
curtailed responds being entirely modern.
The easternmost window of the north wall of the
nave (a late 13th or early 14th-century insertion) is
of two trefoiled lights with an uncusped spandrel
under a two-centred head. In the spandrel is a
fragment of 15th-century glass, representing a censing
angel. Next to this is the built-up 12th-century
north doorway, which has shafted jambs and two
round-arched chamfered orders, with tooling in a
fine state of preservation. The capital of the eastern
jamb shaft is richly foliated, that of the western jamb
shaft is carved with broad plain pointed leaves. To
the west of the doorway is a small narrow roundarched window, widely splayed on the inside, also
of 12th-century date. The sills of the windows of
this wall are above the string-course already referred
to, which consists of a quarter-roll and chamfer and
is not returned round the west wall, but cut off flush
with its face at the north and south angles. The
west window is a single cinquefoiled light, probably
of 16th-century date. A modern arcade of three
chamfered arches, with octagonal columns supporting the east wall of the modern tower, traverses the
west end of the nave. At the south-west angle
of the nave wall some rebuilding appears to have
taken place at a date subsequent to its original erection; a portion of a chamfered stone has been inserted
as a bonding stone. Probably this angle of the
building began to show signs of failure, and the
largest stones available at hand were made use of.
The eastern window of the south wall of the nave is
of two lights, and is similar in date and design to the
eastern window of the north wall of the nave. The
lower portion of this window is of new stones externally, though the interior portion of the jambs appears
to be entirely original. The window next to the
westward is a modern copy, which seems to date from
the early years of the 19th century. The south
doorway was apparently rebuilt in the 16th century,
and has a four-centred straight-sided arch, with
chamfered jambs; the capitals of the original 12thcentury shafted jambs have been reset below the
spring of the arch. The capital of the eastern shaft
is very similar to the corresponding capital of the
north doorway; the capital to the south is of two
rows of narrow leaves, the lower row having central
beaded ribs. The remaining window in this wall is
modern and follows the design of the two windows
just described.
To the north of the altar, bedded in the present
floor, is a 13th-century tomb-slab sculptured with a
crozier in outline, probably the tomb of an abbot
from Byland. In the south wall of the nave, below
the sill of the easternmost window, is an arched
recess; the stones of the arch seem to have been
reset. Within the recess, set edgeways, is a tombslab of 13th or 14th-century date, carved with a
Passion cross and sword at the side. Among the
stones made use of in building up the priest's doorway
in the south wall of the chancel is the head of a cross,
which evidently formed a portion of a tomb-slab of
the same period.
The modern bell-turret is of stone and rises above
the west gable of the nave. It is lighted by four singlelight windows with four-centred heads. The parapet
is embattled, with crocketed pinnacles at the angles.
The plate consists of a silver cup with cover and
three pewter plates. The cup and cover are of 1689
with the maker's mark, C. W., for Christopher
Whitehill of York, and the plates are undated.
The registers begin in 1538.
Advowson
The advowson of the rectory
passed with that manor of Oswaldkirk which in the time of Henry III
was held by John de Surdeval. (fn. 61) After the division of the fee between his co-heirs an agreement for
alternate presentation was made, but with the manor
the advowson came wholly into the hands of the
family of Pickering. (fn. 62) It followed the descent of
the manor until the early 19th century. In 1829
Thomas Comber was patron and incumbent, and his
trustees retained it until 1882, when it passed to
Captain A. Duncombe, who still holds it.
Charities
In 1688 Lady Catherine Cholmeley
gave £2 a year to the poor of the
township and 20s. a year to the
rector for preaching a charity sermon on 6 July in
every year, payable out of lands in Hovingham.
The poor also receive £2 a year, the share of the
dividends of Dorothy Comber's charity, and also the
sum of £1 a year from Sir Richard Vaughan's charity.
(See under Ampleforth.)
In 1812 the Rev. John Pigott, by his will dated
9 May, bequeathed to the rector £100, the income
thereof to be paid to the parish clerk, to be nominated
by him. The legacy is represented by £110 18s. 7d.
stock, now consols.
In 1835 the Rev. Thomas Comber left £105 0s. 11d.
like stock for the parish clerk. The stock is held by
the official trustees.
The parish is in possession of 8 a. 2 r., purchased
in 1762 with moneys given by Mary Fyshe, Mary
Thompson and William Sidgwick, of the annual
value of £15. By an order dated 2 September 1904,
made under the Board of Education Act, 1899, the
sum of £4 10s. a year was determined to be the
proportion of the income applicable for educational
purposes.
In 1820 Thomas Carter gave £50 for the benefit
of the school, which in 1857 was augmented by the
gift of Mary Bowdery of £250 for education and
the poor, the trust funds being represented by £300
consols in the names of private trustees. By a like
order of the same date £166 13s. 4d. consols, part
thereof, was constituted the Carter and Bowdery
Educational Foundation.
In 1878 Mary Bowdery, by her will proved
14 March, bequeathed £500 consols for the school
and poor. By a like order of the same date the sum
of £400 consols, part thereof, was constituted the
Bowdery Educational Foundation.