St Edith's, Bishop Wilton

St Edith’s Church Extracts from Bishop Wilton Local History Bulletins

CONTENTS St Edith ................................................................................... 2 The Athelstan Gift.................................................................. 5 Reading the Stone Work of St Edith’s Church ................... 7 Music in St Edith’s, Bishop Wilton ...................................... 9 Bishop Wilton Charities ...................................................... 11 Terriers 1684 to 1865 ........................................................... 15 Archbishops’ Visitation Returns ........................................ 19 The Triptych ......................................................................... 21 The Sykes Churches - Part 1 ............................................... 22 The Sykes Churches - Part 2 ............................................... 22 John Loughborough Pearson, Architect (1817-1897) ....... 24 South Doorway, St Edith’s Church .................................... 26 St Edith’s Mosaic Floor ....................................................... 27 Stained Glass Windows in St Edith’s ................................. 28 1939-1945 .............................................................................. 28 The Vicar’s Tree .................................................................. 29

© Contributors 2010

Extracts from Local History Bulletins

St Edith Kate Pratt The church in Bishop Wilton is dedicated to St Edith of Wilton. Feeling that there must be some reason for this, that it could not just be coincidence, I started looking for a link between Bishop Wilton and Wilton in Wiltshire. This has involved research into church dedications, St Edith‟s life and back into history for any connection – and it was there to be found.

Dedications There is only one other church dedicated to St Edith of Wilton, and that is at Baverstock, a tiny hamlet of 20 houses about 4 miles from Wilton. There was a third church dedicated to St Edith at Limpley Stoke near Bath which lasted for 500 years, but the dedication was changed to St Mary in the 16th century. In her seminal work „Studies in Church Dedications, or England‟s Patron Saints‟ written in 1899, Frances Arnold-Forster lists all 3 places – Baverstock, Limpley Stoke and Bishop Wilton – as having churches dedicated to St Edith.

The listing of church dedications is not straightforward. Patron saints are selected for many reasons – there may be a local connection, the parish church may be linked to a nearby monastery and honour the same saint, the naming may commemorate a visit by a missionary saint, or the gentry of the area may have a strong preference for a particular saint having been born on that day or for other reasons of their own. In the 14,000 churches listed by Arnold-Forster, about 600 saints are named, who range in popularity from the Blessed Virgin Mary to some Cornish saints with only a single dedication to their name. There are some 500 ancient churches whose dedication is not known.

As with Limpley Stoke, the dedication may change over the years with political or family changes. Also “the lady-chapel or chancel may have been placed under the invocation of one patron, and the rest of the building dedicated to another”.1 In our own church at Bishop Wilton there are 2 side chapels with their own dedications – the Lady Chapel on the South side and St Helen‟s on the North, now used as a vestry. According to Muncey, “At the end of the 12th century and throughout the 13th century Lady chapels were built, or rebuilt on a larger scale, and numbers of parish churches dedicated one of their altars to the Blessed Virgin Mary”.2 Another complication with our dedication is that there is a second St Edith! St Edith of Polesworth was the great-aunt of St Edith of Wilton and sister of Athelstan. There are 15 churches dedicated to St Edith of Polesworth, across Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and Lincolnshire. It is possible that their locations reveal a pilgrim trail.

Village Feast We do, however, definitely know that our church is not dedicated to St Edith of Polesworth but to St Edith of Wilton, thanks to the survival of the tradition of celebrating the Saint‟s Day as a village feast. St Edith of Polesworth died on July 15th 964. St Edith of Wilton died on Sept 16th 984; the preceding day – the Vigil of St Edith – is commemorated as her feast day. We are lucky enough to have reference to a document dated 22nd September 14413 which confirms the date of Bishop Wilton‟s feast day: “Whereas, the feast of the dedication of the parish Church of Bishop Wilton was wont to be kept on the fifteenth of September yearly, now, in regard the said day of dedication fell in autumn, when people were busy about their harvest, John, Archbishop of York, then translated the said feast of dedication until the Sunday then next ensuing, every year solemnly to be celebrated.”

It is fortunate that this early evidence of the dedication to St Edith exists, as misleadingly, a dedication to St Michael is mentioned for Bishop Wilton, both in Allen‟s „New & Complete History of the County of York‟ (1828) and in Baines‟ „History, Directory & Gazetteer of Yorkshire‟ (1823).

1 2 3

F Arnold-Forster, „Studies in Church Dedications‟ (1899) introduction p xi R W Muncey, „A History of the Consecration of Churches & Churchyards‟ (1930), p 83 G Lawton, „Collectio Rerum Ecclesiasticarum‟ (1842) p 328 2

February, 2010 It must be assumed that an error was made initially, and copied by subsequent authors. The nearest church dedicated to St Michael is at Garton-on-the-Wolds.

King Henry VIII tried to abolish parish feasts in 1536: “he issued a proclamation that every saint‟s day should be abolished and that in future every parish feast should be held on the first Sunday in October, a proclamation which fortunately was pretty generally disregarded”. 4 St Edith of Wilton St Edith‟s mother, Wulfthryth, was a member of the community at Wilton Nunnery - though as a lay member not a nun – when she caught the eye of King Edgar and became his concubine or common-law wife. He took her to his manor house at Kemsing in Kent, where she gave birth to her daughter in 961. The marriage was dissolved a couple of years later, and Wulfthryth returned to Wilton with Edith where she became the Abbess in about 965.

Wilton, the ancient capital of Wiltshire, was also the site of an important royal residence. The Nunnery there was the equivalent of an elite boarding school for the daughters of the nobility who were educated as lay members, and there would be close connections with the palace. Edith was educated here, aware of her own position of importance both as daughter of the Abbess and of the King. We know about her life (and that of her mother) because the Wilton community commissioned a prolific French hagiographer, Goscelin, to write the „Life of St Edith‟; although this was probably not written until nearly a century after her death, the wealth of detail given convinces that he is recording the oral traditions still current within the community. It is recorded, for instance, that when Edith was challenged by Bishop Aethelwold of Winchester about her preference for wearing rather grand clothes, she replied that God paid attention to what was within not without; what her critic did not know was that she wore a hair-shirt under her finery.5 She also kept a private menagerie at the Nunnery, more associated with displays of royal wealth than with religious communities. Goscelin also notes that: “Edith enjoyed the veneration of the dukes, magnates and matrons of her father‟s realm; greetings, letters and gifts poured in from foreign kingdoms and principalities; holy prelates begged for her intercession, and those envoys who were sent from Gaul or Germany, from Rome itself or even from the emperors to the court of King Edgar gloried in commending themselves to his saintly daughter”.6 Edith is reputed to have been offered the chance to be Abbess of 3 different nunneries, and even the crown of England, but to have refused all these offers, preferring to stay within the Wilton community where she was known for her good works, including that of building a church which she dedicated to her favourite saint, St Denys.7 It was at the consecration of this church that St Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, foretold her imminent death in the year 984, in her 23rd year. She was buried there at Wilton, and although minor miracles occurred immediately after her death, it was not until 13 years later that she started appearing to people in visions, telling them of the survival of her body in her grave. Goscelin records that she appeared to St Dunstan telling him to open her tomb, and when he did so, in the presence of her mother, its “fragrant perfumes gave off the breath of paradise”.8

4 5

6 7

8

Francis Bond, „Dedications & Patron Saints of English Churches‟ (1914) p 191 Goscelin, „Vita Edithae‟ (1080), chapter 12. From Hollis, Barnes, Hayward, Loncar & Wright, „Writing the Wilton Women‟ (2004) S J Ridyard, „The Royal Saints of Anglo-Saxon England‟ (1988) p143 Goscelin gives a fascinating description of the church – built of wood with stone foundations, the walls covered with horsehide, the roof vaulted, a triple side-chapel in the form of a cross, the whole decorated with brightly coloured paintings. Goscelin, op cit, chapter 20 There is necessarily some doubt about the dating of this event, as Dunstan died in 988, only 4 years after Edith. Ridyard concludes that Goscelin is attempting to enhance Edith‟s prestige by associating her translation to sainthood with St Dunstan, op cit p 40

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins Cult of St Edith Edith was elevated to sainthood by her half-brother King Aethelred. His son Edmund who succeeded as king also championed her, but the next king, Canute, was renowned as a devoted follower. He showed great reverence at her shrine, and actually dismounted instead of riding into the „sacred courtyard‟ as even the priests were wont to do. Goscelin tells us that on one occasion, making the voyage home to his ancestral kingdom of Denmark, Canute was almost overcome by a fierce storm; he appealed to St Edith to save him and she calmed the wind and so he was rescued with all his fleet. When he returned to England he went to Wilton and gave thanks “with solemn gifts, and publicized this great miracle with prolific testimony.”9 He paid for a golden shrine to be made for St Edith. Goscelin records the fact that 3 workmen stole most of the gold, using only a thin layer to cover the shrine; he names and shames them, and so, nearly 1000 years later, we know that Aelfmar, Winstan and Wulfstan were struck with blindness for their sins and forced to become beggars.

Queen Emma, wife of King Aethelred and later of King Canute, was also a benefactor to St Edith and the community at Wilton. Many miracles were recorded of the sick being healed at her shrine, and she is known as the patron saint of lepers. Edith is one of the few women saints of the late Anglo-Saxon period whose feast is entered in the early eleventh century calendars.10 The cult of St Edith strengthened after the death of King Canute in 1035. Wilton was a very wealthy convent at that time, due in part to the cultivation of its patron saint; it even managed to retain its status until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. Ealdred Another of St Edith‟s cult followers that Goscelin tells us about in his „Life of St Edith‟ was Ealdred. He had a very successful career in the church, ending as the “closest to a „prince-bishop‟ that England could produce”11 Although his biography was not written, we do know a bit about his life. He was a monk at Winchester, becoming Abbot of Tavistock in 1027. In 1046 he was made Bishop of Worcester, which post he maintained until 1062. In that role he opposed the Welsh and Irish raiders who were ravaging the countryside, not as a fighter, but offering his support to the troops. In 1056 he was involved in forging the peace treaty with the Welsh king. He was a noted pluralist, because as well as being Bishop of Worcester he also administered the diocese of Hereford, the diocese of Wiltshire and the abbey of Winchcombe, thus “ruling a sort of ecclesiastical palatinate on the March which was politically convenient”.12 He was used as a foreign envoy for the state, travelling to Hungary, Italy and Germany as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

In 1058 he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and while crossing the Adriatic a storm blew up and he experienced the same near-disaster as King Canute. In terror of being ship-wrecked he called upon Edith “his fellow-citizen [and she] immediately beamed upon him and said: „I am Edith‟, and suddenly restored calm; he proclaimed this when he returned to his own country”.13 Bishop Wilton It was reading the sentence quoted above in a book called „Writing the Wilton Women‟ that provided the link between Bishop Wilton and Wilton in Wiltshire.

Ealdred, former Bishop of Wiltshire and venerator of St Edith, continued his rise through the church hierarchy to become the Archbishop of York in 1061. He attempted to combine this position with that of Bishop of Worcester, but was reprimanded for this by the Pope. He probably crowned King Harold, (according to Florence of Worcester), and it is certain that King Harold left the booty 9 10

11 12 13

Goscelin, „Translatio Edithae‟ (1080) chapter 12. From Hollis, Barnes, et al, op cit Stephanie Hollis, „St Edith and the Wilton Community‟ (2004) p 269, footnote 125. From Hollis, Barnes, et al, op cit F Barlow, „English Church, 1000-1066‟ (1963 ), p 86 Barlow, op cit, p 87 M Wright & K Loncar, „The Translation of Edith‟ (2004) p78 4

February, 2010 which he had taken from the Danes after the Battle of Stamford Bridge in Archbishop Ealdred‟s care when he marched south to meet William the Conqueror in 1066.14 And it was Ealdred who crowned William as King at Westminster on Christmas Day. Ealdred was the last Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of York. He was very generous with gifts of land to all of his churches, and was a great builder, notably at Beverley, Southwell, York and Ripon. He died on 11th September 1069. After his death, the Danish fleet arrived in support of an uprising against the Norman conquerors, and much of York was destroyed, including the Minster. The first Norman Archbishop, Thomas I, was appointed in 1070 following the „harrying of the North‟ during which much of the area north of the Humber was totally destroyed.

We know that there was a church and a priest in Bishop Wilton in 1086, as it was listed in Domesday Book. The south door and the chancel arch are Norman, but it is probable that there was a wooden church on the site before the first stone building. What more likely than that it was erected at the instigation of the last Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of York?

We know that he was a follower of the cult of St Edith of Wilton, and when he was made Archbishop of York he would discover that he owned a manor and land at a place called Wilton. He was known to be a generous man who gave land to the church and paid for the construction of churches. We have here all the pieces of the puzzle of the dedication of the church at Bishop Wilton to St Edith of Wilton. 

The Athelstan Gift Andrew Sefton

The West Window of Bishop Wilton Church One of the often quoted early references to Bishop Wilton was the gift of the Manor of Bishop Wilton by King Athelstan (895-939) to the See of York thereby making it a possession of the Archbishops of York. The obvious importance of this event to the village is illustrated by the depiction of Athelstan along with St. John of Beverley in the west window of the church, to the left and right of St. Edith (see photographs above).

My own interpretation is that Athelstan is looking to his left in the direction of St. Edith, St. John is looking to his right towards her and Saint Edith seems to look back to Athelstan with a grateful serene expression and holds a book, possibly a bible? Athelstan seems to be offering a piece of paper to Saint Edith and Saint John seems to be beckoning someone? Underneath the window it says “In affectionate remembrance of Sir Tatton Sykes Bart and Mary Anne Lady Sykes – This window is dedicated by their daughter Mary - 1864”. It was probably constructed by Clayton & Bell 15 in the

14 15

J M Cooper, „The Last 4 Anglo-Saxon Archbishops of York‟ (1970) p 26 The Buildings of England. Yorkshire: York and the East Riding by Pevsner and Neave

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins Sykes restoration. Was this window invented at the time, or was it from an earlier depiction prior to the restoration? We may never know.

I thought I would investigate the actual source of the story of the gift of Athelstan to see if it was correct. The first place to look was in the published descriptions of the village.

Bulmer‟s 1892 Directory says: “The manor was granted by King Athelstan to the archiepiscopal see of York”. No mention of it appears in Allen‟s „History of the County of York‟ in 1832, nor does it appear in Sheahan and Whellan‟s „History of York and the East Riding‟ of 1856. It is not mentioned in Baines‟ Trade Directory of 1823 nor any volume of Kelly‟s or White‟s Directories or Thomas Langdale‟s Topographical Dictionary of Yorkshire of 1822. The main source of it is in the famous Francis Drake work „Eboracum; the History and Antiquities of the City of York‟, first published in 1736. Drake says the following: “ Mr. Willis (a) says this archbishop [Wulstanus] obtained to his see Beverley, Ripon, Bishop-Wilton, Otley, Cawood and the barony of Sherburn.”

Reference (a) refers to „Willis on Cath. Churches‟. By chance, I found at a recent book fair a rebound original copy of Browne Willis “A Survey of Cathedrals” published in 1726.

Drake goes further than Willis by later stating that Bishop Wilton was given (along with the other possessions) together with three carucates of land there, but does not state his source for this. In an effort to establish a source, I checked the Torre manuscript which is held in York Minster Library.

James Torre (or Torr) lived 1649-1699 and was the first historian to look at the records of the Diocese of York from a historical perspective. However, I could find no reference there to any 10th century charter mentioning Bishop Wilton.

The only other reference was for 1279, when William, Archbishop of York16 was summoned to answer the king concerning the plea by what warrant he claims to have gallows, return of writs, estreats, pleas of withernam, and his own coroners within and without the city of York and free Warren in lands free from suit, of which Bishop Wilton is included in the list. He pleads that as to Browne Willis – Survey of Cathedrals, 1726. gallows he claims those in his (Source of the story of the Athelstan Gift) barony outside York of Sherburn, Wilton, Patrington and Otley from time immemorial; at Beverley and Ripon by such warrant that King Athelstan before the conquest of England, gave the manors to the Archbishop of York and his successors, from which time all Archbishops of York until now have remained in seisin of the liberty. [As an aside, this is most interesting as it mentions that gallows were in operation in Bishop Wilton! Keble 17 states that in the twelfth century, the Archbishops of York exercised an almost regal authority in their baronies of Beverley, Ripon, Sherburn, Patrington, Otley and Wilton. They had in each their own prisons, gallows, pillory and ducking stool. They appointed the justices, with full power to try, and execute, criminals.]

Wheater18 in his history of Sherburn states that Sherburn and Cawood were given as gifts in 938 following Athelstan‟s victory over the Scots at the battle of Brunanburg. There seems general consensus that this was the case, though doubt has recently been expressed on this interpretation of

16

17 18

The Yorkshire Archaeological Society Record series CLI – Yorkshire Hundred and Quo Warranto Rolls Edited by Barbara English History of the Parish and Manor of Bishopthorpe by John. R. Keble. 1905.

The History of Sherburn and Cawood by W. Wheater. 1882.

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February, 2010 history in more recent publications. In the Otley excavation report 19, it states that “There is a tradition that Otley was an Athelstan grant but this grew up late”. The archbishop in his reply to the Quo Warranto inquisition of 1279 mentioned above, made a distinction between Beverley and Ripon „given by Athelstan‟, and other properties including Otley, that he held a tempore quo non extat memoria, or in other words held „from time immemorial‟.

In The York Gospels20, it states that in 934 King Athelstan granted a vast estate comprising the whole of Amounderness in Lancashire to Archbishop Wulfstan I and the see of York, apparently in the hope that the Archbishop would be able to control this area of recent Scandinavian settlement in the king‟s interest. Looking through the list of other charters made by Athlestan21 and using the theory that the gift was made following the battle of Brunanburg in 937, this leaves one of the last charters made by Athelstan in 938; this gave to the church of St. John of Beverley confirmation of immunities, liberties and right of sanctuary, and also added lands in Brandesburton and Lockington but made no mention of Wilton. It is possible that Bishop Wilton was given in this charter, but there appears to be no specific reference to the places mentioned by Browne Willis, nor indeed any which mention Bishop Wilton directly.

St. John of Beverley, who died in 721, was also Bishop of Hexham for 18 years and Archbishop of York for 13 years. The reason he appears in the west window was probably because of the story of Athelstan, a cult follower of St. John, giving Bishop Wilton along with other possessions in gratitude for the victory in the battle of Brunanburg.

Keynes, in the York Gospels, raises the same problem with Otley which has no specific reference, but may have been among the ancient possessions of the Archbishops of York. He states that in the 670s Ecgfrith and Aelfwine, kings of Northumbria, had given some of the properties that later belonged to the Otley estates which may have been an important ecclesiastical (possibly monastic) centre in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Archbishop Wulfhere is said to have taken refuge there from the Danes following their invasion in the late 860s.

It seems that all the Athelstan references to Bishop Wilton stem from Browne Willis‟s mention of the village in 1726, and not by the earlier Torre. Browne Willis also, it seems, misread the Archbishop‟s Quo Warranto inquisition of 1279 where he listed the mentioned manors but only specifically said that Beverley and Ripon were given by Athelstan. It is possible that Wilton was given to the Archbishops much earlier than by Athelstan, along with the earlier held properties at Otley, but the documentary evidence for this has long been lost and will probably never be found.

 Reading the Stone Work of St Edith’s Church Kate Pratt The oldest building in Bishop Wilton is the church. Not unlike York Minster, it has been continually added to, altered, mended, reworked and refashioned over the centuries. Most village churches were pre-dated by a single stone cross, followed perhaps by a simple wooden structure, which would then have been rebuilt in stone, most probably by the Lord of the Manor for his personal use. We do know that it must have been quite a substantial building by the twelfth century. In the absence of documentary evidence, one way of trying to establish its history is to examine the fabric.

19 20 21

The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 45. 1973. H.E. Jean Le Patourel and P. Wood The York Gospels: a facsimile, with intr. essay by Simon Keynes and Ed. N. Baker. 1986.

Anglo Saxon Charters, an annotated list and Biography by P.H. Sawyer. 1968.

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins A good place to start is the Norman doorway, which we know was reconstructed in the last great rebuild of 1857/9 under the patronage of Sir Tatton Sykes. If you examine the stones which form the archway it immediately becomes evident that they are of different colours, the greyer stone being the original twelfth century work, and the lighter, yellower stone being the nineteenth century addition.

The architect in charge of the rebuilding of St Edith‟s, J L Pearson, was known for retaining as much existing material as possible, reconstructing what was missing (see the article by Andrew Boyce in Bulletin 9). The same scanning can be done with the chancel arch, where the lower stones at each side of the arch can be spotted as the originals, most of the rest being later additions.

In the great pillar just to the North of the pulpit, it may be observed that the stone is of a pinkish colour. Although sandstone does vary in colour from grey to yellow to pink, one possible explanation of this unmatched colouring is that the stone has been burnt at some time, and it does seem to increase from the base upwards. Proof has now been unearthed that St Edith‟s was burnt down in the early years of the 16th century, and that the villagers were struggling to find the money to rebuild it (see A Survey of the Possessions of the Archbishopric of York in this Bulletin).

Examining the outside of the church is very rewarding, and one can spot various phases of building, by comparing the degree of wear to the stones. At the West end of the church, near the North-West corner, are several sets of initials and other graffiti, very time-worn, and amongst them can be spotted some masons‟ marks. The clearest one is an X shape with lines joining the sides, as pictured on the previous page.

As you scan the wall, up and across, this shape can be seen on many different stones. A study has been made of masons‟ marks, and it has been concluded that they served several purposes. One was to identify stone-carving of which a master mason was particularly proud, when he would leave his mark with a flourish, as an artist would sign a canvas. Master masons used their mark to authenticate accounts and building contracts, so it was very much a personal identifier. Masonry was rarely done as „piecework‟, so there would be no need to mark stones as evidence of how much work had been done, but, as masons were travelling craftsmen, there had to be some method for them to prove their abilities. It is thought that a stone-worker newly taken on to a job would mark his stones for a time until his work was judged of an acceptable standard, when he could cease to do so. According to F W Brooks, in his work on masons‟ marks published in 1952: “it is a reasonable assumption that if we find an identical mason‟s mark in two churches, we are looking at work done by the same man”. It is notable that the mason‟s mark pictured here is very similar to one found on stonework in York Minster, from work done in the thirteenth century in the North Transept and East Aisle, as collected by Brooks.

A second masons‟ mark in the form of a cross with distinctive hollows at each corner can also be found on several stones – this is illustrated above.

It must be borne in mind that stone was a valuable resource which would have been re-used whenever possible, even if it meant it being re-dressed as a block to get rid of the worn part. On the outside wall to the right of the small door on the North side of the church are two examples of stones which have been re-used. One is part of a mass-dial, a carved stone similar to a sundial, which would have been used in the days before the church clock, to keep track of the time and to indicate the times at which services were held. The fact that it is on the least sunny side of the church, and low down where it would not catch the light, demonstrates its re-use, as does the fact that only half the 8

February, 2010 usual carved dial is present. The other stone shows part of a carved outline of a cross, and may have been used previously on a tomb or horizontal surface (see illustration on the previous page, right).

Close to these 2 marked stones, just to the right of the North door, is a stone bearing the carved initials RR and the date 1726. It should be possible to identify the culprit, although after all these years it adds interest to the stonework rather than representing the idle work of a vandal.

References: F W Brooks (1952) „Masons‟ Marks‟ (East Yorkshire Local History Society) Douglas Knoop & G P Jones (1933) „The Mediaeval Mason. An Economic History of English Stone Building in the Later Middle Ages and Early Modern Times‟ (Manchester University Press).

 Music in St Edith’s, Bishop Wilton

From notes prepared by David Lang, MA, MMus22 From the 18th century, the music in many of our town and village churches was provided by singers (often self-appointed) seated up in the west gallery, or at floor level at the west end of the church. The singing of the psalms was often led by the parish clerk or some person who was able (however badly) to lead the singing. As most members of the congregation were, during this time, illiterate, the parish clerk would „line-out‟ the psalms, for which he would sing a line, which was immediately taken up by the congregation. The pace of psalm-singing was slow by modern standards, so the whole process of „lining-out‟ was slow and arduous.

Some churches had their own singers; others did not. For those without singers, the parish clerk gave himself an appropriate note on a „pitch-pipe‟. From time to time, a village church received visits from singers from nearby churches to help out and to provide an outing. St Edith‟s, Bishop Wilton, received a visit from the Wilberfoss Singers in 1772, for which they received five shillings.

The following year, the sum of four shillings was spent on the Pocklington Singers, and later that year three shillings and sixpence on the same group. The next mention of singers in the Bishop Wilton Churchwardens‟ Book is for 1780: 1780

Spent on Carbay [Kirby?] Singers Spent on Buckthorpe [Bugthorpe] Singers

0.6.0 0.5.0

The introduction of instruments and instrumentalists, known as „church bands‟ did not begin before c1780. St Edith‟s represents an early example of an instrument appearing to support the singers and congregation. This instrument, the „cello, was called a „bass viol‟ (spelt in a variety of ways) and was a good instrument for keeping the pitch, and for keeping the singers together. I give the entries as they continue to appear in the Churchwardens‟ Book: 1787 1788 1789

1790

22

For a Bais string Pd for bace strings Pd to Robert Wilkinson for 5 Bass Vile Strings Pd to Thos. Sanderson for glewing the Bass Vile [Sanderson also received payment for doing work on the bells, and May Sanderson was paid for winding up the clock which she did regularly throughout the year. Thomas Sanderson was paid 10 shillings for wood & work at the church – he was probably a builder, but also the Parish Clerk] One Base String Pd William Layton for Strings to ye Baes Viol Pd Thomas Sanderson, Clark Sallary

David Lang contacted us with a query about the organ in St Edith‟s, and kindly offered us this article.

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0.1.0 0.2.0 0.6.6 0.5.0

0.1.0 0.2.6 1.6.11

Extracts from Local History Bulletins 1792

String for Bass Viol Set of Strings for Base Viol Mending Base Viol Robt Wilkinson for Musick Books at Church [These could have been collections of psalm books for the singers] [Robert Wilkinson was paid 6 shillings in 1795 for whitewashing the church] 1795 Bewley for Clarionet & Base Fiddle [It would seem that at this time a clarionet joined the Bass Viol to make up the church band. For how long this instrument was used before or after this date cannot be stated] 1800-1 Thomas Sanderson for the Repairs of Violincello

0.1.0 0.4.0 0.3.0 0.9.6

Strings for Violincello 1801-2 November 5th, Thirby [?Kirby Underdale] Singers 1804-5 Kirby‟s Singers

0.2.6 0.7.6 0.13.0

Bass Viol String 1806-7 Given to Yapham Singers

0.2.0 0.10.0

2 strings for Violincello, a first & third23 1 string for base vile ½ oz. of Ising Glass [?] for violincello24 Robt Wilkinson ½ year sallery [Clerk] Ditto for his Larning the Singers [The parish clerk often rehearsed & directed the singers & instrumentalists] Pd Doctor Magginson for a String for Violincello 1807-8 Bass Viol Stick [bow]

0.1.11 0.1.0 0.0.6 1.1.0 2.2.0

Glew for Bas Viol Book to prick Psalms into25 Paid to Mr Turner for Bass Strings 1808-9 Mend Bass Viol

0.3.6 0.6.0 0.2.6 0.8.0

180910 181314 181415

Five Strings for Bass Viol

0.5.5

For Bass Strings

0.5.0

To Candles for Singers at Church

0.4.6

Bass Strings Gave to Wilberfoss Singers

0.5.0 1.0.0

1816

2.15.6

0.11.0

0.1.4 0.8.6

There are no further mentions of musical items in the Churchwardens' Book, which ends with 1824-25. 

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Strings of a cello are bottom C, G, D & A. „First & third‟ probably refers to C & D of the above four strings Some powder either for wiping the strings of sweat, or some form of resin for the bows 25 „to prick‟, an old verb no longer used, to describe the act of writing out by hand the music to be performed 10 24

February, 2010

Bishop Wilton Charities Kate Pratt Before St Edith‟s church was renovated in 1858/9 there were 2 boards displayed, which listed the various Doles or charitable donations which had been left to the church to benefit the poor of the parish.

Account of the Charitable Donations distributed yearly to the Poor of the Township of Bishop Wilton 1.

Three shillings & four pence paid by the Lord of the Manor in bread once every four weeks, the gift of Sir Wm Hildyard, Kt, 1632 2.

The Annual rent of twenty-two acres of land, the gift of Messrs Ralph Quarton & Thos. Sanderson in 1701 3.

Two pounds per annum rent of land at Sprotclif, the gift of Messrs Thos & Ralph Sotheby 4.

Ten Shillings per annum out of land at Kilnwick, the gift of Mr Wood 5.

One shilling & eight pence, paid by John Todd 6.

Two shillings & four pence, paid by Richard West 7.

Three shillings paid by Robt Williamson 8.

Two shillings & six pence, paid by George Stubbings 9.

Six shillings & six pence paid by Joy Best Be it remembered that Wm Walgate late of the Parish of Bishop Wilton deceased, did by his last Will & Testament give to ye Poor of ye said Township of Bishop Wilton the sum of five shillings to be paid yearly out of a copyhold close called Nevil Row. In order to fulfil my Father’s intention I, Richard Walgate, have agreed with Mark Masterman Sykes Esq, the Lord of the said Manor, & paid into his hands ye sum of ten guineas which he has acknowledged by receipt, registered in ye Parish Register Book.

And he on his part, engages by his agent John Philips, to pay or cause to be paid to the poor widows or widowers of the said Township yearly ye sum of eight shillings, five in bread and three in money, ye first Sunday after Holy Rood’s day for ever.

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins Witness for ye above agreement Wm Metcalfe Vicar Geo Wilson ) Sam Elliot ) Inhabitants Geo Petty )

We know in some detail about these Tables of Benefaction because in 1822 the Rev William Metcalfe, the Minister of Bishop Wilton at that time, contacted the Charity Commissioners to attempt to clear up a problem he was experiencing with Sotheby‟s Dole, number 3 on the first board.

He wrote, with quiet desperation: “The £2 per annum paid out of certain Lands at Sprotcliff mentioned as above No 3 has been withheld from the Poor of this Township for about 4 years last past although it appears by the poor Books it has been always paid for above 100 years (until the year 1818) until a new agent of a Mr Constable of Burton Constable in Holderness has thought proper to withhold the same from the poor, his plea is this: He will not pay it any longer unless we will show him a Deed of a Messrs Thos & Ralph Sotherby why Mr Constable ought to pay it. We the Trustees cannot shew any such deed and this Township is very poor been mostly Tenants at rack rent & not able to go to Law for £2 per annum; besides we think it ridiculous to ask the Parish Officers for a Deed which they never had, as the Deed mostly goes into the Hands of the Person that Holds the Estate & this £2 is only chargeable upon this Estate at Sprotcliffe – the Commissioners for Charities could help the Parish Officers how to come at it they would be gratefully thankful to them.”

In order to clear the matter up, the Charity Commissioners came the following year to interview Rev Metcalfe and William Watson, one of the Churchwardens, to get the full story on the Doles. The Borthwick Institute at York University has amongst its records the notebook that Rev Metcalfe compiled so that he could answer the Commissioners questions and their report is filed at the Public Record Office at Kew. Sir William Hildyard’s Charity Rev Metcalfe noted that this Dole was as a result of Sir William Hildyard‟s will of 1632 in which he charged that rents from certain fields owned by him as Lord of the Manor should be paid out in the following way: “that 10/- parcel thereof every month should be given to such a preacher as the owner of the said house should appoint & should preach a sermon in Wilton church every month & that 3/4d should be upon the day of such preaching distributed at the said church to the poor in bread”. He confirms that he receives 10/- monthly and that the “monthly bread is provided by the tenant of the Manor House to the amount of 3/4d each month and is distributed by him in penny loaves at the church in the presence & occasionally with his advice to the most necessitous families in the parish, some receiving two or three loaves, according to their need”.

Ralph Quarton & Thomas Sanderson’s Charity and Poor Land Rev Metcalfe makes a long entry for this charity, explaining how the two areas of „Poor Land‟, or land set aside for the benefit of the poor of the parish, came about: “In the Parish Register, under the date of 1707 is the following entry: Ralph Quarton to 6 oxgang of land rent 15/Thomas Sanderson one oxgang of poor land, rent £1/16/6 In the year 1772 all the open lands in the parish were inclosed & the commissioners awarded to the churchwardens & overseers of the poor, in lieu of their oxgangs, an allotment containing 17 acres 2 roods 1 perch, now divided into 2 closes. These were let by the Parish Officers to Mr Thos. Pope of Nunburnham at Lady Day 1817 for 3 years at an annual rent of £16.

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February, 2010 The land had been let during the high prices of agricultural produce for £28 a year to one Holmes, but he fell into bad circumstances & gave it up having been unable for some time to pay the full amount. The land had been neglected by this tenant & Mr Pope offered to take it at the present rent & to bring it into cultivation, & the parish deeming him to be a responsible tenant thought it advisable to accept his offer. The amount appears sufficient under the circumstances.

There is also a field containing 5 acres & 3 roods in another part of the parish near the town which was allotted to the overseers of the poor of Bishop Wilton for the use of the poor under an inclosure of part of the open field land in the parish made by agreement between the lord of the manor & copyholders in the year 1726.

This field at the time of this inquiry is let to John Matthews from year to year for £6/10/-.”

When Rev Metcalfe was being interviewed by the Charity Commissioners on August 14th 1823, he said, with regard to the Poor Lands, that the rent “has not been received for 2 or 3 years. It used to be paid by Robert Williamson, late of Bishop Wilton who was owner of a house and considerable landed property in the parish consisting of 80 or 90 acres. He continued this payment annually until his death about 20 years ago”. When Thomas Williamson succeeded his father, he paid out until he in turn died, when the land was left to his daughter and her husband George Wilson. But when he learnt that the Sotheby Dole payment was no longer being made as it had been (by Todd & Sotheron‟s, Booksellers of York, on account of Mr Constable of Burton Constable), George Wilson in his turn stopped paying the rent that constituted the Sanderson‟s Dole, saying “he will not pay unless compelled to”. However, on August 16th 1823 he agreed to resume paying out 3/- a year.

Mr Wood’s Charity Rev Metcalfe notes that this charity is still operating successfully: “The sum of 10/- a year is received by the Overseers from Richard Denison Esq as the proportion due to this parish of the charity of Mr Thomas Wood”. This amount had been assigned by the Vicar, along with other small bequests, into a parish Coal Fund, for distribution to the poor.

Joy Best’s Charity Although this Dole was listed on the board in church, it seems that not a lot was known about it or the man who left it. It appears to date from 1793. Rev Metcalfe makes the following notes: “He died, as it is said, about 20 years ago, possessed of a house and a garth in Bishop Wilton which was afterwards sold to George Stubbing, and the house has since been pulled down. There is no proof that the 6/6d was paid by Joy Best in respect of these premises, but Stubbing states that he has no objection to pay this dole if the other disputed doles are paid by the persons of whom they are claimed. All of the foregoing doles are carried to the fund for the distribution of Coals”.

Other Charities not listed on the Boards The Charity Commissioners also note the following small doles, not listed on the church boards: “Benjamin Cobb pays out of his land 2/6d. This is now paid by Geo Stubbing in respect of a house & garth in the town of Bishop Wilton his property and formerly belonging to Benjamin Cobb.

Jeremiah Cobb pays out of his house 1/8d. This is paid by John Todd in respect of a house and garth in the Town of Bishop Wilton, the property of Todd and now occupied by a tenant of his.

Alexander Mitchell pays out of his house 2/6d, now paid by Elizabeth Mitchell, widow, in respect of a house and small garth in Bishop Wilton belonging to her.

Barnard‟s Walgate Charity – Henry Barnard. 8/- a year paid by the Tenant of the Manor House on behalf of the Lord of the Manor. Part is distributed by him in bread 13

Extracts from Local History Bulletins and part in money on the Sunday after Hallow Rood Day. It is not known how it is linked to Barnard.

These rents are added to other charitable funds for distribution of coals to poor families of the parish, generally in chaldrons and half chaldrons26. The persons receiving the coals are selected by the parish officers and principal inhabitants at some of the vestry meetings which are held once a fortnight. Certainly in 1786 it was customary to give away these funds at Xmas and Easter in money. The present vicar who came to the parish at that period considering such a mode of distribution to be liable to abuse, proposed to the parishioners to adopt the present course that has been since pursued and has been found a beneficial alteration.

On inspecting the Overseers books, it appears that the expenditure of these charities had been for some time mixed up with the general Overseer‟s accounts. A distinct entry had however been made for the year ending in March 1822 by which it appeared that the doles received amounted to £33/6/6 and this had been expended in coals £15/3/6 leaving a balance of £18/3/- for which credit was given in the accounts of the charity funds.”

The Charity Commissioners discovered that “an amount of £30 held by various persons over the years „on behalf of the Poor‟ is now untraceable and presumed lost”.

Present day Although the smaller charities were apparently amalgamated in 1979 by the Humberside County Charities Review, there are some remnants of these Doles to the present day. Chief among them is the rent from what are still known as the Poor Lands. As we discovered above, these two fields were awarded to the Churchwardens and the Overseers of the Poor of Bishop Wilton at the time of the Enclosures in lieu of the strips that they used to hold in the open fields. Until 1960 the Poor Lands field along Pocklington Lane was let to 3 different tenants, and the one down Bray Gate called Awnhams Meadow, of just over 5 acres, was rented in strips by 5 different people – Robinson, Wilson, Sissons, Horner and another Robinson. It was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1988, the Nature Conservancy Council declaring it to be “one of the best remaining examples of agriculturally unimproved grassland supporting a rich variety of flowering plants in the County of Humberside”. Both fields are managed by the Poor Lands Trustees, who distribute money at Christmas to the senior citizens of the village.

The Wood‟s Dole was also administered by the Trustees of the Poor Lands until 1960. The Charity Commission explained: “Thomas Wood of Kilnwick Percy left an annual sum of £10 which he charged upon his estate at Kilnwick Percy to be distributed in various proportions among the poor of 44 neighbouring parishes and townships. The proportion payable to Bishop Wilton is 10s [to Youlthorp and Boulton is 1/8d each].

“As I think you are aware, Lord Hotham the present owner of the Kilnwick Percy Estate, has redeemed the whole charge of £10 by transferring to the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds a sum of 2½ % Treasury Stock, 1975 or after, sufficient to produce in dividends an annual income of £10. This income will be remitted by the Official Trustees to the trustees of each share of the charity in the proportions to which they are entitled.

“The redemption of the charge on these terms would seem to be of advantage to the charity as the trustees will receive the same income and at the same time be relieved of the trouble of collecting the small annual sum.” Letter from Charity Commission, London, 25 May 1960

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A chaldron is a dry measure, when used for coal it represents 36 bushels.

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February, 2010 Mrs Eileen Hopper can remember the weekly distribution of bread at the Church in the 1920s, and recalls that it was welcomed by its recipients. Malcolm Burgess remembers distributing Hovis loaves round the village in the 1930s, to a decreasing number of people. And finally, Garrowby Estate still administer what they refer to as the „Hildyard and Walgate Charity‟, which is linked to the piece of land north of the playing field, called the Rush Plantation. The only duty they have left is to pay £15-06 annually to the Rector of Bishop Wilton, for which he has to preach a sermon every month.

References: Charity Boards & Rev. Metcalfe‟s Notebook: Parish Records, B/W 48, Borthwick Institute, University of York Rev. Metcalfe‟s letter to the Charity Commissioners and their Report: The National Archives, Kew, CHAR 2/326

 Terriers 1684 to 1865 Kate Pratt

The Old Vicarage, built in the 1760s according to a Terrier of 1770 An example of a Terrier was given in Bulletin 5; the article provided an explanation of the various terms used and explained that a Terrier was a report listing the lands, tithes, dues and possessions of each church submitted to the Archbishop on his Visitation, roughly every 4 years. 18 such documents for Bishop Wilton are preserved in the Borthwick at York University, dating from 1684 to 1865. In Local History terms it is very valuable to have a sequence of documents so that permanencies can be noted and small changes can be tracked. Although the Terriers are formulaic and – certainly for the first 5 documents - provide only the minimum of information, there are certain threads that can be followed.

The Vicarage One of those threads concerns the Vicarage, the building provided for the incumbent. From the earliest Terriers we can picture the Vicarage as a little cottage “with a small barn adjoining with a little yard about 30 yards square”. We then learn a fascinating detail from the one dated 1764; “John Dealtary the present vicar pulled down the Vicarage house at Bishop Wilton and took it away to 15

Extracts from Local History Bulletins Scerpenbeck for his own use, the said house being in extreme bad repair”. A footnote gives a bit more information: “In the year 1745, with the assent of some of the principal inhabitants, of which Mr Darley [Lord of the Manor] was one, he took down the house because no-one would dwell in it and because the Inhabitants said there was great likelihood that the lower part of the people would themselves pull it down and burn it”. Mr Dealtary was Vicar of Bishop Wilton but also Rector of Skirpenbeck, so it must be assumed that he was living there, and did not require the cottage here. In the 1749 Terrier there was no building on the Main Street site, just a “frontstead of a house with a little yard about 30 yards square”.

The Terriers from 1764 onwards are of a much longer format with a great deal more detail, so it is particularly frustrating that the one for 1764 is written on a very large piece of parchment that is so worn at the top edges that parts of it are totally illegible. In this almost illegible section Mr Dealtary gives considerable detail about the Churchyard including dimensions and neighbouring landowners.

To the north the Churchyard boundary is marked only by 4 stones laid in the earth, “one of which is at the north-west corner from whence was formerly a stone-wall in a direct line to Mr Darley‟s washhouse”. He also describes the access points to the Church: on the south side through a small garth belonging to John Stubbings is Church lane, which has gates at both ends maintained by the parish; at the West end is “a road for Mr Darley and his family to the Church” (from the Manor House); and at “the east end is a public footpath which was formerly separated from the Churchyard and was five yards taking in the Gathers and call‟d the Outgang”.

He then describes the “little garden where the vicarage house formerly stood adjoining the Church lane in the West”, a plot about 11 yards by 8 yards deep. Behind this plot is a little orchard which has in it “one Apple-tree and 3 bad plumb-trees, value one shilling”.

At some point in the 6 years before the next Terrier in July 1770, a fine new brick dwelling with a thatched roof was built, pretty much the one we can see today, although it has been considerably rebuilt (see photograph).

It consisted of a kitchen, a parlour and a dairy, with 3 bedchambers over. 7 years later “a Brick stable adjoining the east end of the House” had been added. We do not know if John Dealtary ever lived here, but he continued as Vicar till 1786, when William Metcalfe took over until 1833.

There is a gap of 23 years in our collection of Terriers, so we only know that it was some time between 1786 and 1809 that the Vicarage house was tiled, although the adjoining stable was still thatched at this time. By 1817 the stable roof had been tiled, as well as further improvements being made – an extra kitchen had been added, the Parlour had been given a wooden floor and the dairy and kitchens brick floors, and the 3 bedrooms had been given ceilings.

Again there is a longish gap of 24 years, and we can see that by 1849 the Vicarage has been considerably extended. The Rev Joseph Shooter became the Vicar in 1833, and we know that he had a large family to accommodate (see Bulletin 5), and perhaps his expectations were higher, as indeed were everyone‟s. In the Terrier he refers to the Vicarage as a Glebe House, and seems proud to itemise all the rooms: at the front on the ground floor were a small Parlour, a Dining Room and a Study, and at the back a Dairy, a Pantry and 2 Kitchens. “There are 6 bedrooms viz one over the Parlour, one over the Dairy and Pantry, one above the Kitchen, one above the Dining Room, one above the Study, and a small one over the Passage.” The outbuildings consisted of a barn, stables and a carriage house. The garden at the front is “fenced with wood paling by which it is separated from the street”, and at the back there is a hedge of thorn and privet. The measurements of the land are given as 32½ yards from east to west, and 25 yards from north to south.

The last Terrier we have in the collection is dated 1865 and no further changes to the Vicarage are mentioned. The Rev Eldridge was Vicar from 1857 to 1905, and it was the following incumbent who decided that the building was not fit to live in, and this caused the building of the new Vicarage or Rectory on Braygate.

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February, 2010 The Contents of the Church Another thread that can be tracked through the Terriers is that of the contents of St Edith‟s. The first few Terriers make no mention of the church building or its contents; when the longer format is instituted from 1764, the following list is given: 1 Communion Table with a covering for it of Raven-grey cloth, 1 linen table cloth for the same, 1 napkin, 1 pewter flagon, 2 silver chalices (1 inscribed John Todd & Abram Rogerson, Churchwardens), 2 pewter plates, 2 pine boxes to collect the oblations, hanging tables [boards] showing the 10 Commandments, the Lord‟s Prayer and Creed, the Table of Degrees and the King‟s Arms, 1 old oak chest in the North Aisle “of little use”, 1 folio Bible and Prayer Book, 1 smaller Bible for the Clerk‟s use, 1 Pulpit, 1 Reading Desk, a Pulpit cushion covered with raven-grey cloth, a raven-grey cloth with the Darley‟s coat of arms hanging from the pulpit, a church clock with a wooden dial on the south side of the steeple, 2 bells with their frames, 2 parchment register books (one from 1613-1719, the other beginning in 1719) and a paper register for Marriages.

This list of possessions stays pretty constant during the next century. The colour of the communion cloth has changed from raven-grey to green by 1825, and to red by 1857. The old oak chest of little use does not vanish until 1849, although it has already been replaced by 1817 by an iron chest for the registers. By 1825 all 3 registers are of paper rather than parchment.

From 1809 2 boards listing the local Charities had been hung up (see Bulletin 12) to join those which were already displayed. Such boards began under Elizabeth I after church walls began to be whitewashed instead of being covered with painted murals. The board for the Degrees of Marriage had gone by 1849, and the King‟s arms became the Queen‟s arms from 1849.

A Dial and Dial Post in the churchyard were listed in the 1770 Terrier, but left out again from 1809 onwards. The 1892 Ordnance Survey map has the symbol SD in the churchyard, to the south of the church; on checking it appears that this symbol means Sun Dial (see map, inset).

John Todd and Abraham Rogerson were Churchwardens in 1754, we learn from the registers, which must be when they gifted the silver chalice engraved with their names. The clock with the wooden face is mentioned first in 1632, again in the registers.

An Act of Parliament was passed in 1812 instructing that 3 The Pulpit cushion and valance separate registers, for births, marriages and deaths, must be embroidered with the Darley‟s coat of maintained and that they were to be stored in a „dry well-painted arms is not mentioned after 1825, iron chest, in some dry and secure place, either at the parsonage or which is half a century after the Darley in the church‟. family stopped being Lords of the Manor of Bishop Wilton.

So, after a century of careful cataloguing of the meagre but sufficient belongings of St Edith‟s, there was suddenly an enormous change in their fortunes. The Sykes family of Sledmere completely renovated the church in 1858/9, although surprisingly there is no mention in the Terriers of all the work done to the fabric of the building, the levelling of the churchyard etc. The only clue to all this change is the much extended list and the grandeur of the additional items: a Communion table and Super Altar of oak with a covering of crimson cloth, consisting of a frontal, with embroidered monogram and superfrontal each with a fringe, also a frontal of black, a Dossal cloth, 2 fair linen cloths, corporal, Paten and Chalice veils and covers; a silver flagon, paten and plate bearing the following inscriptions „Presented by Mary Anne Lady Sykes to Bishop Wilton Church 1859‟, a brass alms dish, 2 altar service books and 1 book of offices each having the following inscription on the inside cover „Presented by Mary Anne Lady Sykes to Bishop Wilton Church 1859‟; a sedilia of oak within the Sacrarium, prayer desks and stalls in the chancel, a Pulpit of Caen stone with brass pulpit lights, a font of stone with oak cover, 2 closets, 2 Glastonbury chairs all of oak in the vestry, 1 harmonium in an oak case in the Organ chamber, 3 kneeling stools with oak frame for the Prayer Desks and Pulpit, 2 kneeling mats for the Altar, 3 kneeling cushions for Communicants and 200 hassocks, and a clock with a stone dial.

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins

Lands owned by the Church There is no mention of any land owned by the Church until the 1764 Terrier, where it is described how land in Aughton in the East Riding was purchased with £200 from Queen Anne‟s Bounty.

[From 1704 Queen Anne‟s Bounty was a fund which supplemented the incomes of the poorer clergy drawing upon ecclesiastical revenues confiscated by Henry VIII.] These 2 closes, one of 10 acres and one of 5 acres, brought in rent of £6/15/- per annum. Later, other areas of land were bought with Queen Anne‟s Bounty, augmented by money from the incumbent at the time, the Rev William Metcalfe and from the Sykes family, the Lords of the Manor. In 1789 2 closes of over 10 acres were bought in Beeford for £200. In 1801 This OS map of 1892 shows the sun dial – marked over 32 acres of land in Bishop “S.D.” (arrowed).

Wilton was bought for a total of £646; one field was of just over 5 acres on the South Cliff, above the Poor Lands along Pocklington Lane, and the other of over 27 acres was to the East of Garrowby Lane, past the Rush Plantation. In 1814 a close of over 15 acres was bought in Hutton Cranswick near Great Driffield for a total of £600.

As the system of open fields came to an end, the Vicar was allotted fields in the various townships; from 1770 there was a close at Youlthorpe of nearly 5 acres, and when Gowthorpe was enclosed in 1811, 13½ acres was assigned to the Vicarage of Bishop Wilton. Although Enclosure in Bishop Wilton itself took place voluntarily in 1726 and by Act of Parliament in 1772, the land which was allocated to the church at that time is not mentioned in the 1789 Terrier, in fact not until the one in 1809 because of the lengthy gap between the two. Over 12 acres of Glebe land “fenced with quickwood” was allocated, situated south of Braygate and bounded by Thorny Lane in the west.

Church Income The Terriers show the source of revenue In Christian tradition churching of women was the available to the incumbent of Bishop ceremonial purification and blessing of a woman after her Wilton. The second earliest document, dated recovery from childbirth. The ceremony included 1716, lists the small tithes and the thanksgiving for the woman‟s survival of childbirth, and was traditional Easter offering of 2 pence from performed even when the child had been stillborn, or died all the communicants including those of unbaptized. It continued in Bishop Wilton into the 1970s.

Bolton and Youlthorpe, and the tithe paid by the Impropriator as the only income. By 1726 the charges of the various ceremonies performed by the Vicar are also listed. The charge for a marriage is 2 shillings and sixpence; for a burial 2 shillings; for churching 8 pence. By the last document, 140 years later, the charges had increased to: marriage by banns 3 shillings and 6 pence (with banns at 6 pence a time), marriage by licence 13 shillings and 4 pence; burial service in the churchyard 3 shillings and 6 pence, and 8 shillings and 4 pence in the chancel; churching 1 shilling and 6 pence.

The Value of the Terriers Information has been gathered about the old Vicarage, the items that belonged to the church and its sources of income. Tracking information contained in a series of comparable documents over an 18

February, 2010 extended period of nearly 200 years, also enables us to mark changes, to watch traditions alter and evolve, and to understand more about the way of life in the village.

 Archbishops’ Visitation Returns Kate Pratt Every time a new Archbishop was appointed, it was his duty to make contact with every parish in his Province, to make his Primary Visitation. The parishes would also be visited every 3 or 4 years by an Archdeacon, when a Terrier would be submitted27.

The Archbishop was able to achieve this by summoning all the Rectors, Vicars, Parish Clerks, Churchwardens and Schoolmasters to a convenient church central to an area, and appearing there on an appointed day with his Registrar. All the clergy and appointed officials would have to appear before him unless they had been formally excused, to exhibit the documents proving their rights to hold office. The Churchwardens and Schoolmasters were required to swear an oath, there were fees to be paid, and the report on the state of the parish to be handed in. The content of this report varied, but was moulded by the Archbishop, as a questionnaire was sent out to all the parishes beforehand.

All this information would then be collated and the Archbishop would decide what actions were necessary28.

Unfortunately not many of these Primary Visitation Returns have survived for this area; for Bishop Wilton we only have 3 to consider – that of Archbishop Herring in 1743, Archbishop Drummond in 1764 and Archbishop Thomson in 1865. We have already seen the text of the first one of these in Bulletin 10, but it will be valuable to see what extra information can be gleaned by comparing it with the two later returns.

In 1743 the Vicar is John Dealtary who actually lives at Skirpenbeck where he is the Rector. He has no curate for Bishop Wilton, but he is himself a curate at 2 other parishes – Kilburn and Bulmer.

There are 87 families in the parish, consisting of 240 people aged 16 and over, old enough to take communion; of these 109 took communion at Easter, whereas only 30-40 were regular communicants. Dealtary states that there are no Dissenters in the parish, and no almshouses, and no lands left to the church. He informs the Archbishop that there are “two small petty schools”, one being in Bolton, which cater for 40 children.

The Primary Visitation Return for Archbishop Drummond in 1764 uses the same format but is much more extensive. John Dealtary is still the Vicar (he has been since 1741), but by now he lives at Bishopthorpe where he is the Rector of the Archbishop‟s own parish, as well as Vicar of Skirpenbeck and Acaster Malbis. Bishop Wilton and Skirpenbeck share a curate, William Sclater, who lives at Youlthorpe, half way between the two; he is paid £30 per annum plus the surplice fee received for officiating at weddings and funerals. The number of families in the parish has increased by 24 to 109, and there are now 279 people aged 16 or over. 40 of them are regular communicants, but only 99 took communion at the great festival of Easter.

Dealtary states firmly that there are no Dissenters in the parish, which he follows up by saying that there are actually 20 Methodists, “but they go to church”. Two dwellings are licensed for Methodist meetings (one being in Bolton), where about 30 people meet once a week. With little understanding of the Methodist system of travelling preachers, be says “the teachers are changed very frequently”. Interestingly there is also a Quaker living in the village, with his sister who is married to a Quaker, but they are not identified.

27 28

See article on Terriers, Bulletin 15 Purvis, JS, Introduction to Ecclesiastical Records, St Anthony‟s Press, 1953

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins Much more detail of the school is provided; the schoolmaster, Robert Stringer, teaches about 30 boys and girls in his own house. He is paid two shillings and sixpence a quarter for each child, plus the interest on £10 which was left by Richard Layton in 1734 for the education of the poor children of the parish. This can be contrasted with the situation for the 30 families in Bishopthorpe which had no school until Archbishop Drummond founded one in 1763, paying £7 annually towards it. Rev Examples of Penances Transgressors for a variety of sins were presented at Visitations, and very often were required to do Public Penance1.

In 1746 Margaret Pattison and John Crosyer of Youlthorpe were found guilty of the „Detestable Sin of Fornication‟ with each other, and were required “to present themselves at the Parish Church of Bishop Wilton at the time of Divine Service, between the Hours of 9 and 11 of the Clock in the forenoon … in the presence of the whole congregation then assembled, being bare-head, bare-foot and bareleged, having a white sheet wraped about from shoulders to the Feet and a white Wand in the Hand, where immediately after the Reading shall stand upon some Form or Seat before the Pulpit” and make their public confession. In the event, neither of them had to make their public confession, as the instruction was ordered to be withdrawn.

In 1751 Frances Olever of Bishop Wilton was presented, also for fornication; a number of people of good standing in the parish including Richard Darley, Lord of the Manor, signed a petition attesting to her good character, saying she was “a young woman of Sober Modest life and conversation and never before this instance esteemed or reckoned guilty of any indecencies or irregularities in her behaviour … and if she should be decreed to be put to publick shame wee apprehend it may be attended with very dangerous consequences”. The outcome of this plea is not recorded.

In 1765 John Richardson was presented for the crime of adultery with Mary Playforth, spinster of Bishop Wilton. While admitting his guilt, he “alleged that he was extremely poor and not able to pay any expenses and had nothing but his Daily Labour and a large family”. Many of his neighbours also certified his good character, with the result that he was excused from performing any penance or paying any costs.

In 1783 Elizabeth Seller and Ann Richardson, both of Bishop Wilton, were presented for the crime of fornication and having born bastard children, but it is not known whether they were required to perform any penance.

In 1797 Thomas Richardson, Yeoman of Bishop Wilton, was presented for nonpayment of his church Assessment for the previous year of 7 shillings and sixpence farthing. [Until 1868 churchwardens levied a rate, called an Assessment or Cess, on all landowners in the parish, to pay for the maintenance, cleaning and decoration of the church.] He duly paid up on 29th June 1797.

1. The examples are all taken from the Court Book & Visitation Papers, Ref BW.1 and BW.2, Borthwick Institute, York University.

Dealtary paid £1 annually. The schoolmaster drew an income of £2, and taught reading, writing and religious knowledge to 20 boys and girls29.

Dealtary lists the many small charities which have been set up over the preceding few decades for the poor of Bishop Wilton. A „poor house‟ has been built for 2 widows consisting of 2 rooms – it was formerly of 3 rooms but it burnt down and was rebuilt. We have been able to identify two sites of poor houses in the village – one at the far west of the village, beyond West End farm, and one on the small patch of level ground beside the beck at the east end of the village – but we do not know 29

Quoted in Aspects of the Georgian Church by Judith Jago, 1997, Associated Universities Press 20

February, 2010 where the 2-roomed house described in 1764 was. Dealtary says rather sadly that nothing has ever been left for the repair of the Church. The only grant was 10 shillings per month left by Sir William Hildyard in 1632 for the preaching of a sermon on the first Sunday of the month (which updated grant is still in operation to this day!). The final item is about public penances [see inset details].

Dealtary says that there have been none “in this church since your Grace became Archbishop [in 1761] neither do I know of any commutations of penance within that time”.

The final Primary Visitation Return available to us is that of Archbishop Thomson over 100 years later, in 1865. The vicar is John Adams Eldridge who has been in place for 8 years. He resides in the „Old Vicarage‟, east of the church entrance, which was built between 1765 and 1770. He comments that it “needs to be rebuilt”, but it was not until after his death in 1905 that the current Vicarage was built on Braygate.

No population figures are requested since the National Census is in place; 141 households are listed in the 1861 Census, showing that numbers are steadily increasing. However the number of communicants is falling, with only 20 regular and 25 at the Great Festivals. Eldridge also gives average numbers for the congregation – 40 on Sunday morning, 80 Sunday pm, 18 on a weekday morning and 40 weekday pm. He blames the low numbers on the spread-out nature of the parish and the irregularity of services in former years, but thinks that attendance is gradually increasing. As to the Methodists, he informs us that “the Wesleyans and Ranters have each a place of worship – the number of the former according to their own statement is 50, of the latter 40”. Frustratingly this Return for 1865 was completed some 6 years after the major renovation of St Edith‟s and in response to questions about the state of repair of the church, Eldridge merely replies that there has been no alteration since the last visitation. His only complaint is that “the Churchwardens do not regularly discharge their duties”.

The schooling of the village children has come on a lot in the intervening century – Sir Tatton Sykes, Bart, pays for two schools with 45 boys and 43 girls and infants under 6 being educated separately. There is also a small dame school in the village. The Archbishop‟s questionnaire asks if the young people are retained in a Sunday School after they have left daily school, and Eldridge answers, slightly defensively, “The greater portion of the young people after they cease to attend the daily school go into service and leave the village. Of those who do not leave, a few remain in the Sunday School for a short time … I have endeavoured to retain them under instruction by opening the school room in the winter evenings, but the master takes little interest and the consequence is that very few attend. There will be a change of master in May.” This final reference was to George Fryer, who did indeed leave as schoolmaster in April 1865, but retained close links with the school until 1906.

 The Triptych Supplied by Andrew Sefton A press cutting from 23rd November 1883 recounts: “Sir Tatton Sykes, Bart, has just presented to St Edith‟s Church, Bishop Wilton, a splendid and costly triptych, and the dedication service took place last week.”

After naming those in attendance, the item continues: “The centre compartment of the triptych represents the crucifixion, with the thieves on either side. The painting is a superb work of art. The massive and costly frame was supplied by Messrs Foord and Dickinson, carvers and gilders, Wardour-street, London.”



21

Extracts from Local History Bulletins

The Sykes Churches - Part 1 Mike Pratt

These portraits of two generations of the Sykes family were published during the lives of the subjects. The portrait on the left, is of Sir Tatton Sykes of Sledmere, the fourth Baronet, “celebrated squire and Master of Foxhounds”, the one on the right, is of Sir Tatton Sykes, the fifth Baronet, who “passed his youth in seclusion, and much of his early manhood in foreign travel, so that he acquired a love of retirement, a taste for silence and a distrust of garrulity”.

Spy caricatures like the one on the right30 were accompanied by titles that typified the person depicted. In this case, the fifth Baronet is referred to as “fifteen churches”. Because he built and restored many churches it is sometimes thought that it was he who restored Bishop Wilton Church.

That this is not the case is stated in the text that accompanies the portrait of the fourth Baronet 31: “ ... a meeting of the inhabitants of Bishop Wilton was held in the vestry of the parish church for the purpose of laying a rate for the restoration of the church, when it was most unexpectedly announced that „Sir Tatton Sykes, of Sledmere, was unwilling that any rate should be laid, it being his intention to restore the edifice entirely at his own expense.‟ The work is expected to cost between £2,000 and £3,000”32.

Having clarified the point about the responsibility for the restoration, it would be wrong to leave it there. The fifth Baronet did a lot to improve Bishop Wilton Church after the restoration by his father, the details of which we will explore in the next Bulletin.

 The Sykes Churches - Part 2 In the previous article, it was explained that Sir Tatton Sykes I, the fourth Baronet (who died in 1863), was responsible for the restoration of Bishop Wilton Church in 1858/59. The focus for Part 30 31

32

By Spy, from Vanity Fair, Men of the Day, No. 202, August 23, 1879.

From The Drawing Room Portrait Gallery of Eminent Personages presented with the Illustrated News of the World.

The quotations used here all come from the text that accompanies the portraits.

22

February, 2010 233 will be on his son, the fifth Baronet, who was typified by the title of “fifteen churches” 34 in a contemporary caricature.

We will see how the fifth Baronet did a lot to More can be gleaned about the fifth Baronet and the improve Bishop Wilton Church after the financial problems he was experiencing at the turn of restoration by his father. the 19th century by reading “The Big House: The Story The bundle of papers35 on which this article is of a Country House and its Family” by Christopher based is described as containing Simon Sykes (published in 2004 by Harper Collins).

“Correspondence and notes regarding enquiries made concerning the contribution made by Sir Tatton Sykes towards the restoration of East Riding churches”. The impetus for the enquiries is not apparent (see inset) and, indeed, the correspondence from solicitors Crust, Todd, Mills and Sons, on behalf of Sledmere, to the various informants is not part of the bundle. The papers cover a period around 1900 with the one dated item for Bishop Wilton being from 1902. After the 5th Baronet‟s death in 1913 it was possible to attribute £1.5 million to him for the restoration of churches in his lifetime.

A reply from Clayton & Bell (a prominent stained glass manufacturer) dated 1902 itemises the only entry in their books “for Stained Glass for Bishop Wilton Church ... carried out to the order of Sir Tatton Sykes and so far as we can tell were paid for by him”. The items described, dated October 31st, 1872, are: £ 4 one light Windows in Chancel

68

East Window in South Aisle

63

3 two light Windows in South Aisle

168

2 two light Windows in North Aisle

112

A North Transcept Window (Te Deum)

114

A three light North Transcept Window

76

A two light North Transcept Window

78 £

679

This account seems to indicate that Clayton & Bell were not involved in the decoration of the roof suggested as a possibility by Pevsner36.

Accompanying the formal reply from Clayton & Bell is a less formal, pencil-written note “according to information furnished by the Vicar” of Bishop Wilton Church, the Rev. John Adams Eldridge, who was approaching 90 years of age at the time. He identifies: £ 12 stained glass Windows at about

1000

A lectern

100

Decoration of roof

700

33

34 35 36

With thanks to David & Susan Neave who alerted us to the bundle of papers which is in one of the more recent deposits (the fifth) made by the Sykes Family of Sledmere to the archives at Hull University.

A current assessment has it that the fifth Baronet financed work on 17 churches.

Hull University, Brynmor Jones Library, Archives, reference DDSY5/40/20 Nikolaus Pevsner & David Neave, Yorkshire: York and the East Riding, 1995, Yale University Press.

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Extracts from Local History Bulletins Chancel Screen - Mr Street‟s - Potters of London did the work Organ about

200

Altar furniture

50

Chancel floor and stalls about

806

Heating apparatus and [word unreadable] being finished now Mosaic floor - an exact copy of the floor in the Vatican, Rome, that was taken from the Imperial Palace of the Caesars Eldridge adds that the Church was previously restored by Old Sir Tatton at a cost of about £5000 compared with an estimated cost of between £2000 & £3000 before work started in 1858.

The “Mr Street” mentioned is the architect, G. E. Street. More is written about work on St Edith‟s and those involved in Bulletin No. 937.

The stained glass work identified by Eldridge is the same as that itemised more accurately by Clayton & Bell.

 John Loughborough Pearson, Architect (18171897) and the Restoration of St Edith’s Church, Bishop Wilton Andrew Boyce John Loughborough Pearson38 was born on 5th July 1817 in Durham (or possibly Brussels) to William Pearson, topographical artist, and Ann Loughborough. His father had paintings exhibited at the Royal Academy on a number of occasions and published two books of views; one of small churches and cottages in the North-west, and the other, views of forty abbeys and castles in Shropshire.39 In 1831 Pearson was apprenticed to the Durham-based practice of Ignatius Bonomi (1787-1870), son of Joseph Bonomi (1739-1808) the neo-classical country house architect.

Having stayed on as assistant after the expiry of his articles, he John Loughborough Pearson, left in 1841 after being passed over for partnership.

1889, aged 72 He moved to London in 1842 and worked for a short time for Anthony Salvin and for Philip Hardwick (the elder) before setting up his own practice in 1845.

His appreciation of the Early English and Norman styles of architecture (possibly from his childhood fascination with Durham Cathedral), and of the renaissance, coupled with his grounding in classical design and his study of and alliance with the Gothic Revivalists (through Salvin’s influence, but more particularly in the work of AWN Pugin), gave Pearson’s work a high reputation amongst his Victorian architectural contemporaries. This scholarship left him with a greater understanding of, and respect for, the value of the various historic parts of the church buildings on which he worked, and it is perhaps to Bishop Wilton’s great fortune that he retained and re-built a number of historical (mainly Norman) fragments into the restoration here.

37 38 39

Andrew Boyce, John Loughborough Pearson, Architect (1817-1897), November 17th, 2004.

Portrait of Pearson reproduced with permission, © National Portrait Gallery – image reference 6176.

I have relied heavily for the background on Pearson on Anthony Quinney‟s book “John Loughborough Pearson”, Yale University Press, London & New Haven, 1979 24

February, 2010 It is not certain how Pearson became involved at Bishop Wilton. Certainly, St Edith’s is one of a number of building restoration and new build church projects which Pearson undertook for the Sykes family (the 4th Baronet), having involvement also at Garton, Kirkburn and Hilton. What is clear is that, perhaps through his family connections and roots in the north, he had early commissions in East Yorkshire, working on the rebuilding and improvement of Ellerker Chapel as early as 1843-44.

It is also well known that Sir Tatton Sykes had a very keen interest in architecture, and that Pearson would have been moving in the right social circles in the 1850s, carrying out commissions to build a new church of St Leonard at Scorborough for James Hall, Stonework detail from the South Doorway landowner and agent for Lord Hotham of Dalton Hall, for whom Pearson built St Mary’s Church at Dalton Holme.

In 1856 Pearson was asked to give a report on the condition of the church at Bishop Wilton. Due to its dilapidated state, it was agreed to rebuild the church entirely, with the “exception of the tower and part of the northern wall”40. Sir Tatton Sykes agreed to defray all of the not inconsiderable cost. So began designs for the restoration at Bishop Wilton, which were substantially complete by 1859.

Contemporary accounts of the work41 confirm that a number of finds were made which pointed to the earlier (but by no means first) Norman church on this site, and a number of carved stones were salvaged and re-used in both the south doorway and the rebuilt chancel arch.42 Some of the finest craftsmen and builders in the country were engaged to work on the restoration. The excellent stained glass windows and painted ceilings are the work of the leading studio of Clayton and Bell of London. The main contractor was Simpson and Malone of Hull, Mr Malone and the Clerk of Works, Mr White, carrying out much of the stone carving including, presumably, the replacement carved voussoirs in both the south door and chancel arches. The choir stalls (and the original Pearson nave pews, now replaced) are by Rattee and Kett of Cambridge.43 Sadly Pearson did not complete all of the work as he fell out of favour with the Sykeses. This would seem to be due the temporary closing down of his practice for about six months whilst he recovered after the loss of his wife to typhoid. In any case, Sykes must have become impatient for progress on other projects (designs for churches at Thixendale & Wansford) and instead commissioned G E Street (1824 – 1881) who went on to carry out all of the Sykes’ future church Temple Lushington Moore projects (eventually totalling over 20). Street’s work at St Edith’s included the design of the brass and wrought iron chancel screen manufactured by Potter & Son (interestingly, Potter still trade today in brass & metalwork)44.

Later work to the church by Temple Lushington Moore (1856-1920) saw the introduction of the carved oak pews, similar to ones which can be found at Sledmere, Helperthorpe & Garton (and which 40

41 42

43 44

Contemporary article in the Yorkshire Gazette of April 30, 1859, describing the re-dedication of the new church and giving details and background of the founding of the church on its present site Ibid.

Pevsner notes that “Pearson carried out as conscientious a job of preservation as few men at that time would have done”.

Description from Bulmer‟s “History and Directory of East Yorkshire, 1892.

From “The Buildings of England: York and the East Riding of Yorkshire” by Nikolaus Pevsner and David Neave, Penguin, 1994

25

Extracts from Local History Bulletins replaced the plain oak stalls of Pearson’s time), and the carved font cover (also a copy of the one at Sledmere)45. The font itself is also attributed by some to Moore46 but elsewhere the font and pulpit are said to be in matching Caen stone47.

There seems to be further confusion as to the exact date of the floors in the nave. Pevsner attributes the very striking mosaic design, with its black & white pattern of birds to Moore (said to be a copy of a floor in the Vatican), but Brandwood doubts this (and the attribution of the font), as the designs of both are too “florid”. The Yorkshire Gazette confuses matters even further by describing a “handsome mosaic work” floor in the chancel and Staffordshire blue and red tiles in the nave! Clearly some further research to do.48 Despite his setback in Yorkshire, Pearson went on to become a much respected architect of the Victorian era, his career culminating in the design of Truro Cathedral and becoming Architect to the fabric of Lincoln Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

 South Doorway, St Edith’s Church If you compare the engraved print below with the existing South Doorway of St Edith‟s Church you will see some differences and it would be natural to assume that it predates the restoration of the Church which was completed in 1859. Unfortunately there is a date on the print at the bottom right:

So we have to conclude that it represents the newly restored doorway and that the differences have been introduced by the artist.

The initials ADS, bottom centre, stand for the Anastatic Drawing Society and the L identifies the drawing.

The description, bottom left, is: The Society published annual collections of historical and architectural drawings.Perhaps the artist is represented by the ornate initials at bottom right (EB ?): 45

46 47 48

From “Temple Moore, an Architect of the Late Gothic Revival” by Geoffrey K Brandwood; pub. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1997; image of Moore reproduced with kind permission of the author.

Pevsner…

Yorkshire Gazette…

Pevsner notes that St Edith‟s is…”a fascinating church, its history not yet fully cleared up”.

26

February, 2010

The artist was later identified as a Miss Barstow.

 St Edith’s Mosaic Floor Mike Pratt In the previous article, the Rev. Eldridge‟s reference to the mosaic floor in Bishop Wilton Church is interesting. He says it is a copy of the floor in the Vatican “that was taken from the Imperial Palace of the Caesars”. Is Eldridge suggesting, I wonder, that the floor in the Vatican is a Roman mosaic that has been moved from its original site into the Vatican? Leaving that point aside we can say with some certainty that St Edith‟s mosaic floor is a copy (or a copy of a copy) of a Roman original dating from around c150AD. That would mean that the village of Bishop Wilton has two extant copies of Roman mosaics (see Bulletin No. 17 for information about the 2nd one).

Proof of the connection with the Vatican was obtained by Mr & Mrs R. W. Sefton, residents of Bishop Wilton, in a photograph they took whilst on holiday; a photograph that is on show in St Edith‟s church and reproduced below.

The accepted story about the mosaic floor in Bishop Wilton Church is that it was made by Salviati & Co of Italy and installed by Italian workers. Not documented but recounted by Father James Finnemore, the Rector of St Edith‟s, is that the mosaic was transported from Italy, delivered to Fangfoss station and brought by cart to the village.

What is not generally known, perhaps, is that it was delivered in prefabricated sections rather than being constructed on the spot from individual pieces (or tesserae).

Photograph taken at the Vatican.

The manufacturing process from the late 1800s is described here: Salviati ... devised a modern and less expensive process for fabrication and installation of mosaics. Traditionally, the mosaicist would draw the design onto a mortared surface and apply the tesserae, piece by piece, directly onto the wall or floor. Not only was this time consuming, it required that all materials be available at each job site. At the Salviati studios, the artist created watercolour renderings which were submitted to the client. Upon approval, life-sized cartoons were developed from which tracings (reverse copies) were made. These copies were cut into carefully coded sections and distributed to the trained mosaicists who, in turn, would glue the coloured tesserae in place, face down, on paper sheets.

Once completed, the sections could be laid out for final examination by the artist before final crating and shipment; but only the back side of the mosaic (and reverse image) would be visible. When the sheets are finally installed on the job the paper is removed, one can then see the finished mosaic for the first time.49 49

http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/memchuHistory.html extracted from an article by Joseph A. Taylor of the Tile Heritage Foundation.

27

Extracts from Local History Bulletins

Stained Glass Windows in St Edith’s Kate Pratt Records relating to the stained glass in St Edith‟s seem to be woefully lacking; there is nothing in the Sykes archive deposited in the Hull University Brynmor Jones Library, nothing lodged at the Borthwick Institute at York University with the church records, and all the documents of Clayton and Bell who made the windows were destroyed in the London Blitz in 1941. However, the School Log books contain two important scraps of dating information: Friday October 16th 1863 Some of the children have had leave from school this afternoon to go and gather evergreens for the decoration of the church ready for Monday when the Archbishop of York will hold a confirmation and also for the new stained glass window in the East in memory of the Late Sir Tatton Sykes Bart which has been finished this week.

April 24th 1874 Our already beautiful Church is, this week, being further decorated by having stained windows throughout. This will be followed, in course of time, by other improvements.

The other piece of dating evidence we have is the dedication under the West window: “In affectionate remembrance of Sir Tatton Sykes Bart and Mary Anne Lady Sykes – this window is dedicated by their daughter Mary – 1864”.

We know that the East window was designed by J L Pearson (Pevsner & Neave), and both the other East windows, in the Lady Chapel and St Helen‟s Chapel, are similar in style. On the available evidence, we can date the East windows to 1863, the West window to 1864, and the North and South windows to 1874.

 1939-1945 Dave Walker There are three names on the Memorial Board on the left, just through the church door, of men killed in the Second World War: Ivor Craggs from Bishop Wilton Norman Vincent Atkin from Bugthorpe Howard Pinkney from Bishop Wilton Ivor Craggs served in the Royal Artillery as a Gunner, Service No 851708. He was in the 28th Field Regiment, and was killed on the 5th May 1941 in Eritrea. He is buried in the Asmara War Cemetery, grave/memorial ref. 4.A.10.

Norman Atkin was a Private in the King‟s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 1st Battalion, Service No 14229097. He was killed in Italy on the 20th January 1944, and was the son of Alice Atkin of Bugthorpe. He is buried in the Minturno War Cemetery, grave/memorial ref. I K 6.

Howard Pinkney RN, Service No P/KX138052, was the son of Annie Pinkney, and at the age of 20 was serving as a stoker 1st Class on the „T‟ Class submarine H M Traveller.

HMS Traveller (N48) was laid down by Scotts at Greenock on 17th January 1940, launched on 27th August 1941 and commissioned 10th April 1942. Traveller spent most of her career serving in the Mediterranean. She was unsuccessful in most her attacks, sinking the Italian Merchant “Albachiara” but launching failed attacks against the Italian Merchant “Ezilda Croce”, the Italian small light cruiser “Cattaro”, the tanker “Proserpina” and the torpedo boats “Castore” and “Ciclone”.

She also claimed to have attacked two unidentified submarines. Traveller left Malta on 28th November 1942 for a patrol in the Gulf of Taranto; she carried out reconnaissance of Taranto 28

February, 2010 Harbour for a Chariot human torpedo attack (Operation Portcullis). The sub did not return from the Operation and was reported overdue on 12th December 1942. She probably struck an Italian mine on or about 4th December, and Howard‟s name is on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Grave Panel 68, Column 3.

 The Vicar’s Tree Mike Pratt In 2001 this old postcard turned up at a postcard fair.

A high resolution computer scan allowed identification of the writing on the plaque standing in front of the tree in the foreground on the left.

It says:

The Vicar’s Tree  THIS TREE WAS PLANTED ON DECEMBER 26TH 1904

BY THE CHURCHWARDENS & PARISHIONERS OF BISHOP WILTON IN COMMEMORATION OF THE REV. JOHN ADAMS ELDRIDGE M. A. ATTAINING THE AGE OF 90 YEARS ON CHRISTMAS DAY 1904 AND HAVING BEEN VICAR OF THE PARISH FOR A PERIOD OF OVER 47 YEARS.

Further research unearthed an article in the Howdenshire Chronicle and Pocklington Weekly News for Saturday, December 31, 1904, an extract from which follows:

29

Extracts from Local History Bulletins REV. J. A. ELDRIDGE, OF BISHOP WILTON OVER SIXTY-THREE YEARS’ MINISTRY A REMARKABLE NONAGENARIAN On the 26th of December, 1814, there was born to Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge, at Oxford, a son, and today that son survives, and is the Rev. John Adams Eldridge, the venerable vicar of Bishop Wilton.

For the long period of 47 years and about two months Mr. Eldridge has held the living of Bishop Wilton, and, on Monday last, County Councillor T. N. F. Bardwell, J. P., of Bolton Hall, the churchwardens, and a few friends, commemorated the 90 th anniversary of the vicar‟s birth and his long occupation of the living, by planting in the churchyard a young horse chestnut tree.

After the planting of the Vicar‟s Tree, and the unveiling of the List of Vicars in the Church, which was unveiled by the wives of the two churchwardens of Bishop Wilton, Mrs Bailey and Mrs Newby, a party assembled at the Vicarage, when Mr. T. N. F. Bardwell, of Bolton Hall, proposed the health of the aged vicar, which was drank with enthusiasm. Among others present we noticed Mr Westerdale Eldridge (the Vicar‟s son), Miss Crawford, Mr T. G. N. Bardwell, Mr and Mrs Bailey, Mr & Mrs Newby, Mr and Mrs H. Bramley, Mr H. Appleton, and Mr Drewitt. The Rev. C. F. Hutton proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr Westerdale for his kind hospitality, to which he replied in a humorous and effective speech.

A complete list of the names of the Vicars of the Church, engrossed on vellum, was placed in the west wall inside the Church, in addition to the planting of the chestnut tree in the churchyard. …..

The Rev. John Adams Eldridge died soon after the planting, on January 10, 1905. The account of his death in the Hull News for January 14, 1905, under the heading “63 Years A Preacher”, was accompanied by this sketch of him:

The horse chestnut tree no longer exists in the churchyard but the late Eileen Hopper, a church warden, was able to recall it from her youth as a village resident.



30