Topcliffe, North Yorkshire

I was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, England in May 1946. My father was the fifth generation of Weeks, iron workers ;originally blacksmiths from near Bristol. The Royal Artillery sent my father to Yorkshire in 1940 where he met my mother. Marrying in 1944 they were back in Newport until 1947 when we moved to Topcliffe to live with my mother's younger sister and her farmer husband. We were there until 1951. I have only recently discovered this wealth of local history taken mainly from a local millennium project.

The Topcliffe Manor was granted, along with many others, by William the Conqueror, to William de Percy one of his knights from Percie in Normandy. The Percy family in Normandy were descended from the companions of the Great Danish Viking (pirate) who sailed up the Seine and the Loire and founded the Norman race. He came to Topcliffe in 1067 and built the Motte and Bailey castle at the junction of the river Swale and the Cod Beck. He later married Emma de Port who was the daughter of a Saxon.

  The Motte is located at the southern tip of the spur and would have been an ideal defensive site, surrounded by the two rivers and impassable marshland. The Cock Lodge site is a large moated site occupying the largest part of the spur between the two rivers. Such sites with their wide ditches, which were often water filled, enclosed islands on which stood the domestic and religious buildings of the manor. This particular site has a five-sided plan with the arms still clearly evident. The south eastern arm faces the earlier castle. The north western arm has an old causewayed entrance at its midpoint. About half way along the south western arm, a ditch runs north east into the interior of the island for a distance of 80m, defining the north western edge of a slightly raised rectangular platform. This is the site of the manorial building, Cock Lodge itself, described by John Leyland in 1538, Henry VIII’s Librarian and Antiquarian, a“...a pretty manor place, standing on a hill, about half a mile from the town ...”This prestigious Manor House was built of wood by the Percys in about 1200.

The Percy family in Normandy were descended from the companions of the Great Danish Viking (pirate) who sailed up the Seine and the Loire and founded the Norman race.

Although the Percys are now identified with Northumberland, the first line of Percys was essentially a Yorkshire family, after their initial arrival from Normandy. Their most numerous manors were in Yorkshire, there they made their alliances and Yorkshire was the scene of their earliest military victories.It is interesting to note that the title of Northumberland was borne by twelve other earls before it was taken over by the Percys.

It is recorded that in 1070 William was engaged in work in York, connected with the rebuilding of York Castle after its destruction by the Danes. Overcoming resistance once and for all and the action he took was to ravage and lay waste the area. He is said to have ruined it completely destroying all crops and herds, and thousands of people died of starvation. Simeon of Durham asserted that between York and Durham no village was inhabited and remained so for nine years.

However, William spent the Christmas of 1069 in York. Would he have done this if it was a blackened shell? So too, it was likely that some of the villages escaped, or perhaps suffered less, if they had a strong Norman Lord to protect them. In the Domesday Survey, half of the villages are described as wholly or partially waste, but many more had a reduced number of ploughs etc, against the earlier survey carried out in King Edward’s time. The description “waste” was also used to write off land to nil value by the assessors. This was done for all sorts of accounting reasons, so it cannot necessarily be totally relied on as an exact statement of the condition of that place. The entry for Topcliffe Manor is shown in facsimile format taken from the original manuscript.

The value of the land TRE means the value of the land in King Edward’s time (or more precisely “on

Translation of Domesday entry for Topcliffe

In TOPCLIFFE and Crakehill, Dalton (near Topcliffe), Asenby (and) Skipton on Swale, Bernulf had 26 Carucates of land to the geld, where there could be 15 ploughs. Now William has three ploughs there: and 35 villians and 14 bordars with 13 ploughs, there is a church and two priests having one plough, and one Mill (rendering) 5s., (and woodland pasture 4 furlongs long and 4 broad. The whole Manor (is) 3 leagues long and 2 broad. TRE (worth) £4; now 100s would give a total number of people (using a factor of 5) of about 250 plus the Percys and sub tenants, and administrators. This would give somewhere around 300 people spread in Topcliffe Manor itself and the Berwicks of Crakehill, Dalton, Asenby and Skipton. The Domesday record lists the people as 35 Villans and 14 Bordars. A Villan (or Villein) was an unfree tenant. They held land from the Lord and paid their rents but were subject to other obligations, including rendering week work to assist in the cultivation of the Lord’s own demesne land. They could not live away from the manor without obtaining the Lord’s permission.

A Cottar was one of the poorest and humblest people on the manor. They held no land but were employed by the Lord or by more substantial freeholders, as labourers. They may have held a small cottage and garden. The size of the woodland pasture in the Topcliffe Manor was four furlongs by four furlongs i.e half a mile by half a mile. The whole manor on the other hand is described as being three leagues long by two broad. The league was an old Gaulish measure, which the Romans had treated as 1 1/2 of their miles. From 1066 it was used commonly to mean 12 furlongs or one and a half English miles. Although the two should have been clear they were often confused in practice. The league was, in fact, the normal measure used to estimate woodland and uncultivated land.

It is interesting that the value of the Topcliffe Manor was more than it had been in King Edward’s time, going against the normal trend elsewhere and, in fact, in William de Percy’s other manors in the area. He had obviously provided his home base with some protection against the general wasting.

A Carucate was nationally the size of a farm that could be ploughed in a year by a team of eight oxen. The natural division of this was a bovate or eighth. In practise the carucate was about 120 acres. However there was also the real or field carucate as opposed to the fiscal carucate. The actual size depended on the quality of the landLater, around the year 1086 he re-founded the monastery at Whitby and in 1096 he set out with the first Crusade to the Holy Land. It was there that he died and was buried at Mount Joy, near Jerusalem. When he died his heart was enclose in a casket, according to the custom of the time, and it eventually found a resting place under the high altar of Whitby Abbey.Throughout their history the Percys remained closely associated with the Kings, either for or against them, and they were essentially men of action. William de Percy was the eighth biggest landowner in Yorkshire with 101 Manors, totalling 385 carucates. In addition to the Topcliffe Manor, on the same page of the Domesday Book, William de Percy is shown as holding Rainton, previously held by Eardwulf and Arnketil and previously worth 20s. but at the Domesday Survey only worth 2s. He also had Catton, previously held by Beornwulf, Thorn, Karli and Ulfgrimr, previously worth 30s. but at the Domesday Survey worth only 10s. There was also a place called Berghebi (in Topcliffe) held by Knut worth 20s. but in 1086 it was waste. Perhaps it never recovered as we don’t know where this was.

His son, Alan de Percy, followed him as the Second Baron. He was a benefactor of St. Peter’s Hospital in York. He had an illegitimate son, also called Alan, who took service under King David of Scotland and on whose side he fought at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. 

On the other side, amongst the barons, fighting for King Stephen, was the next William de Percy, the Third Baron, legitimate son of Alan. It was this William de Percy that gave Topcliffe Church to St. Peter’s in York. He was also founder of Sallay Abbey, probably Stainfield Priory, and was a benefactor to Byland and Fountains Abbeys.

At Easter 1175, when William died, there being no son and heir, the Percy inheritance was divided between the husbands of the two daughters, Agnes and Maude. Maude was married to William, Earl of Warwick, and Agnes to Jocelin of Louvain. Maude had no children so it was from Agnes that the second house of Percy came. Her husband took the name Percy and became the Fourth Baron and it was from the Louvain coat of arms that the famous Percy lion came. The Topcliffe Manor seems to have passed through this sister’s hands as there are records of her making agreements with regard to lands in Dalton by Topcliffe and Catton. Her husband, Jocelin, was the brother of Queen Adeliz, second wife of Henry 1st She and her second husband the Earl of Arundel gave Jocelin the honour of Petworth. So, rather interestingly, Topcliffe has had a connection with Petworth for rather longer than its connection with Alnwick.In 1170, Jocelin was one of the knights sent to forbid Archbishop Becket’s approach to the young King’s court and in about 1174 he visited the Holy Land. Jocelin died in 1180, with Agnes surviving him for another twenty four years. 

Henry de Percy, their son, took the title of Fifth Baron as a courtesy, while his mother was still alive, but he too died before his mother, in 1198. 

At that time his son, William, was still a minor and when his father died, to be followed in 1204 by Agnes, it was her next son Richard who seized the Barony and it did not pass fully to Henry’s son, William, until Richard died. The division of the Percy inheritance between Richard and William led to difficulties and disputes for several years. In the meantime, Richard, as the Sixth Baron, was one of the twenty five barons approved to enforce the provisions of the Magna Carta and was among those whose excommunication was procured by the King in 1216. In the same year he was one of the barons who subdued Yorkshire on behalf of the French King. As a result the English King ordered that all Richard’s lands be given to William de Percy. These were, however, returned to him on his return to allegiance. In 1221 he besieged and destroyed Skipton Castle for the King. He was a Justice in York in 1228. In 1230 he served in the King’s French Expedition and in 1237 he was present at the Great Council of Westminster. He built a chapel in Topcliffe churchyard and when he died in 1244 he was buried at Fountains Abbey.

On Richard’s death, William finally succeeded to the Barony and became Seventh Baron. He inherited Petworth, which had been held by his father and he also inherited from Maud the rest of the Percy inheritance . The Barons forced King John to accept the Magna Carter at Runneymede on 15th of June 1215. It is traditionally seen as guaranteeing human rights against the excessive use of Royal Power. In 1214 he had been to Poitou on the King’s service and served again on the King’s expedition to France in 1230. In 1241 he was one of the King’s four Commissioners to survey the Royal Castles in Yorkshire. When he died he was buried in Sallay Abbey.

The Eighth Baron was William’s son Henry. In the Baron’s disputes with the King he sided with the Barons and had his lands seized. They were restored when he submitted. He accompanied the King to the siege of Northampton and was in Rochester Castle when Simon de Montfort began to besiege it. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and freed just over a year later

 This was the second baron’s war. It was led by Simon de Montfort against Henry III and the future Edward I. He was married in 1268 but died shortly afterwards in 1272 and he too, was buried at Sallay Abbey.

His first son John, the Ninth Baron, died when he was 23.

His brother, Henry, who had been born at Petworth , after his fathers death, succeeded to become the Tenth Baron. In 1294 Henry was summoned for military service in Gascony but actually accompanied King Edward I on his expedition to Wales. He was knighted by the King at the capture of Berwick in 1295, and fought at Dunbar in 1296. He was appointed to many positions in the Borders and received the submissions of the Scots prelates and nobles, including Robert the Brus. From 1297 to 1298 he was a member of the Council of the King’s Son and Regent during the King’s absence abroad. He was summoned to Parliament from 1299 to 1314. In 1309 he bought Alnwick from the Bishop of Durham and he became the First Lord Percy. He rebuilt the outer walls of Alnwick castle as they now stand. After Parliament he spent the rest of his life either fighting in Scotland or preparing for campaigns there. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Married to Eleanor, sister of Sir Richard de Arundel, he died in 1314 and was buried at Fountains Abbey. His wife died later, in 1328, and she was buried at Beverley Minster. The Percy Tomb and Canopy, which is still in the Minster, is in her memory.

His son, Henry, the Second Lord Percy, succeeded him. Henry was given custody of Alnwick castle in 1318, while he was still a minor and in 1321, custody of Scarborough Castle. He was knighted by the King, Edward II at York in 1322 and in that same year was summoned for service in Scotland. He spent much of his life in that service or in guarding the Marches. He acquired and rebuilt Warkworth Castle. In 1324 he was Keeper of the Coast of Yorkshire and in 1325 of

 Northumberland. In 1327 he was Keeper of Skipton Castle and Chief Commissioner to see the Scottish truce observed. He was one of the ambassadors and later Chief Plenipotentiary to make peace. In 1331 he was one of the King’s envoys, sent to France to treat for peace. In 1332 he received full power as Warden of the March to keep the peace in view of the threatened invasion. With Lord Neville he defeated the Scots raiding into Redesdale.During the Scottish campaigns, Topcliffe was a frequent meeting place for the King. During his first campaign, in 1327, Edward III journeying from York stopped at Topcliffe and in 1333 returning from Newcastle he was again at Topcliffe on the 9th of August. He spent a week to-ing and fro-ing between Topcliffe and Knaresborough, probably hunting with the Percys in the Great Park.In 1337 Henry was a Commissioner to define the boundary between Yorkshire and Westmorland. In 1344 he took Newcastle for the King. He commanded the Third Division at the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346 and took part in the invasion of 1347. In 1350 he was a Commissioner to treat with the Scots for final peace. He died at Warkworth in 1352 and was buried at Alnwick.

The Third Lord Percy was also called Henry and was aged about 30 when his father died. He fought for King Edward III at Crecy in 1346, at the seige of Calais, and in the King’s victory over the Spaniards of Winchelsea. He was a Commissioner to receive King David of Scotland on his return to captivity and later, from 1353, he negotiated with the Scots to return King David and for peace. In 1355 he was made Marshall of the Royal Army in Calais and took part in the King’s expedition to Champagne. He died in 1368 at the age of 49 and was buried at Alnwick. It was in his time that his cousin, Walter Percy, of Rugemont, gave the timber for the rebuilding of York Minster.

  The Fourth Lord Percy, another Henry, succeeded his father in 1368 and was made Marshall of England in 1376. He supported Edward III in his claim to the throne of France. He was created First Earl of Northumberland in 1377 by Richard II, under whom the Earl held various offices, civil and military. So far the Percy wars had been of a patriotic nature in defence of the country or its liberties. They were now to enter upon a more dangerous period and far less creditable in nature. There ensued a period of civil strife which was to last for five generations. Various expeditions into Scotland in which the Earl took a leading part were followed by reprisals from the Scots and finally produced the Battle of Otterbourne. His son, Sir Harry Percy, better known as Hotspur, also took part in the battle and was taken prisoner there. Hotspur was often at Topcliffe when he wasn’t fighting the Scots. He got his name because of his persistant pricking against the Scots. A large part of his life was taken up with the question of the succession to Richard II. Initially the Percys supported Henry IV, helping him to seize power from Richard. Their main motive for this was because Richard II elevated Sir Ralph Neville to the title of the First Earl of Westmorland and had given him authority as Warden of the West March, a position previously held by Percy. This action initiated the Percy - Neville feud.

In 1399 when Richard II was deposed, it was Sir Thomas Percy’s voice which rang out in Parliament, amongst the assembled lords, when Henry Bolingbroke entered Westminster Hall - “Long live Henry of Lancaster, King of England” By 1403, however, the Percys had become dis- satisfied with their new King feeling that they had

 never been properly rewarded for their support in the usurption of the throne by Henry. They conspired among themselves and with Owen Glendower and Earl Douglas of Scotland to overthrow the King and replace him with Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. This rebellion led to the Battle of Shrewsbury. In this battle the seeds were sown for the Wars of the Roses, half a century later. In the battle, Hotspur was killed and the rebels broke and fled. Sir Thomas Percy was taken prisoner and executed two days later. It is said that Hotspur was brought back to Topcliffe for burial in 1404 but was later dug up again and quartered. The quarters were sent to different parts of England as an example. Northumberland, himself, was pardoned but soon allied himself with the Scots against Henry IV and was killed at the Battle of Bramham Moor in 1408. In 1406 he was attainted in Parliament when all his honours were forfeited.

When Henry was slain, it was his grandson Henry who succeeded as the Fifth Lord Percy at the age of 15. He lived at Leconfield, near Beverley, and served Henry V faithfully for many years. One of Henry V’s first actions on coming to the throne was to restore Hotspur’s son to the Earldom of Northumberland and hence he became the Second Earl. However, though he got the title, some of the estates were not returned. Two of these had been granted to Lord Cromwell one of Henry VI’s ministers. In 1453 Thomas Neville was to marry Maude Stanhope who was co-heiress to the Cromwell estates and the prospect of some of his estates passing by inheritance to the Nevilles was too much for Henry Percy. He arranged for the bridal party to be attacked on its way to Sheriff Hutton Castle near York. The attack was led by Percy’s second son, Lord Egremont, but Thomas Neville, accompanied by his father the Earl of Salisbury, was able to beat off the attack. This was regarded, in retrospect, as the first military action of the Wars of the Roses. This was because it led to a series of tit for tat raids against each others estates and it drove the Nevilles to seek the help of Richard, Duke of York.Richard ruled England as protector for 14 months in the period when Henry VI suffered a total nervous breakdown and lost his mind. During this period the Percys without royal protection fared badly at the hands of the Nevilles. When the King recovered, the Percys breathed a sigh of relief and offered their support to the King’s side. So the battle lines were drawn with the Percys now very firmly in the Lancastrian camp. The Wars of the Roses had begun. Unfortunately, Henry, the second Earl of Northumberland, was slain at the first battle in St Albans in 1455, trying to fight his way to a refuge in the Castle Inn.

His son the Third Earl was born in 1421 and was 15. Summoned to Parliament in 1446. He too was embroiled in the Wars of the Roses and was the third Earl in a row to be slain on a battle field. He lost his life at the battle of Towton in 1461 where he was among the 28,000 killed - the largest single loss of life on English soil. Once again the estates were attainted. His brother, Sir Richard, was killed in the same battle and the young Henry Percy was taken prisoner and spent the next nine years in the Tower. Another brother, Sir Thomas, had been killed at Northampton.

When his father was killed the Fourth Earl succeeded him at the age of 12. After his nine years in the Tower, he regained the families confiscated estates. The Earldom was restored to him in 1470 and he served as Lord Great Chamberlain to Richard III. The Fourth Earl took the field for Battle at Bosworth in 1485 on Richard’s side but did little to support him. After Richard was killed in the battle the Earl was taken prisoner but in time allowed to go free and he switched his allegiance to Henry VII. The battle at Bosworth brought about the end of the house of York and ushered in the house of Tudor. The Earl became the Tudor King’s main representative in the north. However, the people of the north, with whom Richard had been popular, never forgave Northumberland for sitting on the fence at Bosworth. In 1489 he became even more unpopular when he tried to enforce the levying of a new tax to help Henry VII to carry on a war with the French. The tax was so oppressive that Yorkshire and the Bishopric of Durham refused to pay it. Henry informed the King of the problems he had created and tried to persuade him not to levy the tax. The King, however, was insistent in case a precedent was created. When the Earl tried to impose the tax the local population became inflamed and he was murdered by a mob which included some of the local gentry, John a’ Chambre and Sir John Egremont amongst them, which broke into the Manor House in Topcliffe. He was aged 40. His funeral was a huge event. His body was embalmed and placed in a leaden coffin with oak covering. The procession setting out from Topcliffe for Beverley was several miles long. There are many descriptions of the grandeur of this procession. His tomb still resides in a chapel in Beverley Minster, close to the Percy Memorial. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find, as the chapel has been closed off and is presently being used as a general box room for the minster. Something of a come down after so grand a funeral. The tax which cost Henry his life was afterwards repealed to the inhabitants of Topcliffe and the area, as evidenced in a document from the King to the Collector of Taxes in the North Riding:-

“Whereas Eleanor, widow of Henry Percy, has given us to understand for herself and the

inhabiants of Topcliffe, Gristwayt, Astenby, Difford, Renington, Newby, Crathorne, and Kilvington, that the said villages have been burnt by the rebellious Scots, our enemies, and that their goods and chattels have been destroyed or carried of by them; through which circumstances the said Eleanor and her vassals are unable to pay the taxes; we taking into consideration the damage they have received, hereby issue a supersedeas, relieving them from all burdens, and from the payment of all taxes levied on the same.” Also on November 20th 1314 a Calendar Patent Roll records the proclamation:- “Simple protection for 1 year for Eleanor wife of the late Henry de Percy. Nothing is to be taken against her will of her corn, carts carriage or other goods for the use of the King or any other.”

The next Percy, the Fifth Earl was Henry Algernon Percy, aged 12. The fifth Earl’s household was modelled on that of the court with every grade, rank and function of his servants being described in great detail. He was known as the “magnificent” and was more like a prince than a subject. Like Henry VIII he wrote poetry and was exceptional for his learning. But he was very extravagant and in 1516 he fell foul of Thomas Wolsey, who was then Archbishop of York, and was fined £10,000. He died in 1527 at the age of 49.

Yet another Henry succeeded him as the Sixth Earl and not only inherited his father’s debts but increased them by bad management. He spent much of his early youth in the household of Wolsey where he became attracted to Anne Boleyn. However, as this offended the famous Henry VIII he was warned off by Wolsey and a wife was forced on him. He refused to join the Pilgrimage of Grace. He died quite young at the age of 35 in 1537.The Pilgrimage of Grace was a rebellion against Henry VIII originating in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The uprising was directed against the policies of the monarch, such as the dissolution of the monastries and the effects of the enclosure of common land. A truce was arranged in 1536 but when the demands were not met, a further revolt broke out in 1537. This was severely suppressed with the execution of over two hundred of the rebels

Henry had no son and his brother, Sir Thomas Percy, had been executed at Tyburn for his part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, so the succession passed to Thomas’s son Thomas Percy who was nine years old at the time. Thomas, did not succeed to the title of the Seventh Earl until 1557 due to his fathers attainder. He was encouraged to live at Petworth by Queen Elizabeth because she was suspicious about his loyalty. She was quite right in her suspicions as he did, in fact, favour Mary Queen of Scots as the rightful heir and fomented rebellion in the north following her imprisonment. The first meeting of the insurgents was held in Topcliffe, but before the plot was implemented, the conspiracy was reported to Elizabeth and the Earl narrowly escaped capture in his

even when released was forbidden to live in the north. 

The Eighth Earl reverted to Catholicism and was drawn into plots on behalf of Mary Queen of Scots. He was imprisoned again in the Tower on suspicion of treason and was found shot dead. It was never really sorted out as to whether he had been murdered or had committed suicide.

His son the Ninth Earl was brought up as a Protestant and put his mind to household and estate management, increasing his annual income from £3,000 to £6,650 within a few years and by his death in 1632 to £13,000. He was on the right hand of James 1 as he rode into London to take the crown. This probably explains why James stayed at Topcliffe on his way south from Scotland. He was entertained at the Lodge by the Percys. However, unfortunately for Henry, he was suspected of being involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 15 years. His distant cousin Thomas Percy was, in fact, one of the conspirators and he had visited him on the day the plot was revealed. Although he had lost his freedom he lived in great luxury in the Tower and one of his fellow prisoners was Walter Raleigh. He didn’t waste his time in the Tower, spending it in a wide ranging self education. The Ninth Earl’s reputation as a scientist, astrologer and alchemist earned him the title of the “Wizard Earl”. He spent his last years at Petworth, dying in 1632.

  He was succeeded by Algernon Percy the Tenth Earl, two of his older brothers having died in infancy. He lived in the Tower from the age of six until he went to Cambridge. He travelled widely in Europe and shared the artistic interests of Charles I’s court. He did, however, prize the liberties of Parliament above the royal absolutism. He was prominent in the King’s government as Admiral of the Fleet, Lord High Admiral, Commander of the Army in the second Scottish War, and a member of the Council. In 1642, however, he defected from the King and was a moderate Parliamentarian during the Civil War. He conducted Parliament’s negotiations with the King He opposed the execution of the King and retired from public life during the Commonwealth.The Earl supported the restoration and he acted as High Constable at the Coronation. In his time the leaders now assembled their forces at Durham and marched to Staindrop, Darlington, Richmond and Ripon, where they put to flight the force sent against them led by Sir William Ingleby. They then laid seige to Barnard Castle which capitulated after 11 days. But this was their last success and in 1569 the Seventh Earl fled to Scotland where he was imprisoned and after three years handed over to the English Parliament. He was held for two months at Berwick until Elizabeth decided he was to be executed. She set the date whereupon he was moved very quickly to York. The journey by way of Alnwick, Newcastle, Darlington and Topcliffe took only three days. While the horses were being changed at Topcliffe he was able to take a last look at the home he loved so well and the new lodge which he had built across the Cod Beck from the ancient manor house. The next day he was summarily executed on the Pavement in York, opposite the church of St Crux. His body was buried in St Crux without a memorial and his head was exposed on Micklegate Bar.

In 1576 the estates were restored to his brother, the Eighth Earl Henry (Sir Thomas’s own son had died early and had been buried at Leconfield.) He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 18 months.

"The Commonwealth" was the period from the execution of Charles I in 1649 until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 when Britain was a Republic. During this period there were two Lord Protectors, Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell. Percy stronghold in Wressel was dismantled and reduced to ruin by Parliament.

When he died in 1668 he was succeeded by the last male from the Percy Louvain line. Coincidentally, he was also called Joceline, the same as the founder of the line in the 13th century. This last and Eleventh. Earl died on a visit to Turin in 1670. and was followed by his three year old daughter, the Lady Elizabeth Percy, his only daughter and heir. She was popularly, though wrongly, considered to be the Baroness Percy. She was born at Petworth in 1667 and was married to Henry Cavendish when she was twelve. He died a year later whilst on a continental tour, after which she was married Thomas Thynne in 1681. She found him so repulsive that she fled to Holland to avoid him. He was murdered less than a year later, leaving Elizabeth twice widowed at the age of fifteen. Finally, she married Charles Seymour, Duke of Somerset in 1682. On her death in 1722 her second son Algernon, the first having died, was summoned to Parliament as Lord Percy in the erroneous belief that he had inherited from her the ancient Barony of Percy created by special writ in 1299. However, on 2 October 1749, he was created Baron Warkworth and Earl of Northumberland and a day later Baron Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont. He died in 1750 when many of his titles became extinct.

Algernon’s daughter Elizabeth married Hugh Smithson and on the death of his wife’s father Hugh became Earl of Northumberland and took the name Percy. It is from this marriage that the present Dukes of Northumberland descend. However, he left all the Yorkshire, Sussex and Westmorland estates to his nephew Charles Wyndham. (Charles was the son of Algernon’s sister, Catherine.)

The Topcliffe Manor followed the succession from Algernon Percy to his nephew Charles Wyndham who succeeded to the Baron Cockermouth and Earl of Egremont titles. The Wyndham’s came originally from Norfolk. Charles was Tory Member of Parliament for Bridgewater, then Appleby and later Taunton. After his succession to the Earldom he allied himself to the Whigs. He was Lord Lieutenant of Sussex. He died of apoplexy at Egremont House in Piccadilly in 1763.

The Third Earl of Egremont was George O’Brien Wyndham who was born in 1751 and was only twelve when his father died. His uncle, the Lord Thomond, was his guardian during his minority years and it is Thomond’s signature which can be found on documents dealing with Topcliffe during this period, such as the transfer of the Mill lands when the new Lock, Weir and Mill were built. In 1784 the 15 year old Elizabeth Iliffe became his principal mistress. George had seven illegitimate children by her, before he finally married her in 1801, when he was fifty. In all he had 43 children by his many mistresses. He was a patron of J.M.W.Turner the artist. He died in 1837 at Petworth and was buried there.

His first son George inherited his father’s estates, including Petworth House, but not his titles because of his illegitimacy. The Cockermouth and Egremont titles went to the Third Earl’s nephew and on his death in 1845, they lapsed.

In the meantime George, who was known as Colonel George Wyndham after 1830, was created the First Lord Leconfield in 1859. This was the name of the Percy fortress and estate near Beverley which had come into the family in the 14th century. When his brother died, in 1845, he inherited the Cockermouth and Egremont estates, but not the titles.

The Topcliffe Manor then followed the Leconfield line through the Second and Third Lord Leconfields. Much of the Topcliffe Estate was offered for sale to the tenants by the Third Lord Leconfield, Charles Wyndham, in the 1920s. It was in the 1920s that the Toll Booth was bought for the village for the grand sum of ten pounds by the trustees of the Topcliffe and District Institute. Charles was wounded in the South African War of 1899 - 1902 and served in the First World War. When he died in 1952 the estates passed to his heir John Wyndham whilst the title of Leconfield went to Charles’ brother, Hugh, and then his other brother Edward before finally being inherited by John in 1967. John Wyndham spent the Second World War as Harold Macmillan’s right hand man at the Ministry of Supply, the Colonial Office and at the Air Ministry. He later became Harold Macmillan’s private secretary in 1957 when Macmillan was Prime Minister. John Wyndham was created First Lord Egremont in 1963 before he succeeded to the title of Leconfield. He died in 1972 and was succeeded by the present Lord of the Manor, Max Wyndham, the Second Lord Egremont, who still lives at Petworth House in Sussex.

The total extent remaining, of his Lordship’s Manor of Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, is now the small area of land between the Angel Inn car park and the main road along Long Street. He has agreed that the Parish Council can manage the use and maintenance of this last piece of the ancient Manor of Topcliffe.

 The Toll Booth is the oldest building in Topcliffe and is to be found at the junction of Front Street and Long Street. It is a medieval building and is the last remaining trace of the Manor of Topcliffe. Here, the Lord of the Manor collected the market tolls and held the Court Leet. It is now a Grade II listed building in the care of the Parish Council, who are the Trustees. Its main claim to fame is that on an oak table, in the upper room, a ransom was paid to the Scots for Charles I. There are many versions of this story, some wrong, some confused and, only occasionally, some nearly correct.

Henry Slingsby in his memoirs. It took them five days to reach Topcliffe, where the King dined on 11th May. We don’t know if any of the Percys were present but at this time the Baron, Algernon Percy, probably lived at Petworth in Sussex, which is where the present Lord of the Manor lives. During a visit to Topcliffe, on his honeymoon in 1630, Algernon Percy, the 10th Earl, described Cock Lodge as being “so many piles of ruined masonry”. It is likely therefore, that 16 years later, Charles stayed with William Ingleby, who was Steward to the Percys. He had a house in Topcliffe which was in a fit state to receive King James I on his way from Scotland to London in 1603. It is very likely that this would have been the new lodge built by Peter Kryke in 1562. After a one night stay, the King was then taken on by the Scots army to Newcastle, where they arrived on 16th May. This visit of the King to Topcliffe is often confused with the paying of the ransom, but it was a completely separate occasion and it took place before any negotiations for a ransom or payment were entered into. The King was now held, as a virtual prisoner, by the Scots in Newcastle. He was held in relative comfort and even allowed to play golf with the commander of the Scottish Forces, the Earl of Leven. The Scots now negotiated with the Parliamentary Commissioners for eight months or so, before agreeing the terms under which they would hand him over. These terms are listed in the House of Commons Journal for the 1st January 1647.

1. That £400,000 be paid to the Kingdom of Scotland . . . for the pay of their army, brought into the Kingdom of England, for the assistance of this kingdom by virtue of the treaties between the Kingdoms of 29th November 1643.

2. That £200,000nowready,partofthesaidfour hundred thousand pounds shall be sent forthwith to the City of York and shall be told, by the treaasurers in whose custody the money

To clarify the confusion, the story was researched in about 1968 by Mr E. R. Jackson who was at that time Chairman of Thirsk Civic Society and a Trustee for the building. He published his findings in a Bulletin of the Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society in 1973 and also in The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. The story which he found is included in the following paragraphs:

In 1646 King Charles I had his Court at Oxford, but the Civil War was not going well for him. He had had a series of defeats that culminated in his defeat, by Cromwell, at the Battle of Naseby, on 14th June 1645. After much deliberation, the King decided that further resistance would be hopeless and that his capture was imminent. So, in May 1646, he left Oxford and placed himself under the protection of the Scottish Forces who were encamped at Southwell, near Newark. He judged that he would be better treated by the Scots than by the Parliamentarians.

The Scots realising their good fortune and fearing his capture by the Parliamentary forces, moved him rapidly to Newcastle. The journey is described by Sir ……..now is and by such as shall be appointed by the Kingdom of Scotland.

3. That the first £100,000 . . . shall be told within six days after the arrival of the said money in York.

4. That the money . . . shall be sealed up in the several bags, each to contain a hundred pounds, by the seal of both parties...and shall forthwith be put in chests, a thousand pounds to each chest: and the said chests also sealed up by the aforesaid people to Tell the said money.

5. That the said persons appointed by the Kingdom of Scotland to Tell the said money, shall continue with the same to see that there shall be no aalteration made thereof, after Telling and Sealing the same.

6. That within five days after the two hundred thousand pounds is told at Yorke, One Hundred Thousand pounds thereof shall be paid at Northallerton to Sir Adam Hepburne or Mr John Drummond or to such as the Kingdom of Scotland shall appoint to receive the same.

7. That when the said Hundred Thousand Pounds shall come to Topcliff in the County of Yorke, and before it pass any further towards Northallerton . . . the Kingdom of Scotland shall there deliver Hostages . . . there follows a list of hostages

8. That within one day after the Performance of all the particulars mentioned . . . the

said hostages of the Kingdom of Scotland shall again be re-delivered unto them, within half a mile of the works on the North side of Newcastle.

This operation proved to be a major undertaking.

First of all the money had to be raised quickly. The House of Commons Journal for December 10th 1646 states:

“Ordained by the Lords and Commons for the Treasurers for the sale of Bishop’s Lands to send £200,000 into the North for payment of the Scots”.

Then there was the journey of over 200 miles to York in winter. On 16th December Thirty Six carts conveying the money, set out in convoy from London. On January 3rd they reached York, ...”the waies being very bad and monies overturned, the boxes dirty”.

On arrival at York, counting was proceeded with immediately, at the Guildhall. On Saturday 15th January counting was completed, after a scare that the deadline would be overshot, because of the refusal of the Scots to carry on counting on the previous Sabbath. They made a start on the journey to Topcliffe on the Saturday as soon as counting was completed. An officer of the guard reported “On Saturday last we marched to Awne and the next to Topcliffe where we stayed Monday because the Scots Hostages came not till late at night.”

On Tuesday they went on to Northallerton and expected to pay the first £100,000, but no one came to collect it until Thursday, one day later than arranged by Parliament. An official receipt was given over by J. Drummond, the Deputy Treasurer of the Scots army. 

 Summary of Events

1647 Jan 3rd Jan16th(Saturday)

Charles I surrendered to the Scots in Newark King and Scots army at Topcliffe

King "a prisoner" with Scots in Newcastle 36 carts with £200,000 set out from London

Convoy reached York

Counting finished at York

Convoy set out towards Awne (Alne)

Convoy arrived in Topcliffe

Stayed at Topcliffe. Hostages due at noon, but did not arrive until late at night

Convoy went on to Northallerton

Waited for Scots in Northallerton

Money paid out and receipt given

Convoy set out from Northallerton

Convoy arrived in Newcastle

Scots Commissioner delivered the King to the English

The hostages were kept at Northallerton until the first of the obligations undertaken by the Scottish army were fulfilled. The King was handed over on January 30th.

In documents and papers, examined by Mr Jackson, no mention of the word Ransom was found, although local histories use the word freely. Perhaps the fairest explanation comes from Scotland. The Scots had made up their minds to return home when their arrears were paid. They could not keep the King except by taking him to Scotland , and such an act would have implied at once suspicion and hostility towards those who had long been their allies. And so the King was handed over to the English Parliament and the Scots went home. Charles I was tried and was subsequently executed in 1649. As a result, the Commonwealth came into existence, with Cromwell at its head, enforcing a system of government more despotic and tyrannical than that which had brought Charles to the block.No actual reference to the Topcliffe Toll Booth was found either, but it has been a very strong tradition that the treaty for the payment of a ransom for Charles I was signed in the Toll Booth .The tradition was proved to be historically correct in principle, so it would seem reasonable to accept it as reflecting some actual fact. One might, therefore, infer that a receipt for the hostages was signed in the Toll Booth when they presented themselves, in exchange for the money. This may well have been endorsed by local residents, as witnesses, and so the oral tradition could have developed that “Topcliffe was the only market in England where one could buy a King”

It is highly unlikely that having “Told” (counted) the money in York, put it in bags and then in chests that the process was repeated on the famous old oak table in the Toll Booth. To have unloaded the number of carts used and carried all the boxes up to the upper room and then recounted all the money would have been a task which would have taken far longer than the time which was actually spent in Topcliffe. The idea that all this money was counted on the old oak table, whilst attractive, has to be substituted by the more likely fact that the receipt for the hostages was signed on the table, after the chests of cash had been counted on the carts, without opening them.

The complicated method of transferring the money was due, no doubt, to distrust between the parties. It is easy to see why there has been so much confusion as to the actual amount of money that was paid. The second £200,000 was to be paid within two years.

What else do we know about this building which had From North Riding Quarter Session Records

Thirske July 8th 1607

.. Originally The Court Leet was a criminal court and existed only in those manors to which the King had granted petty criminal jursdiction. As a Royal Court it ranked higher than the Court Baron. It could deal with all felonies except homicide. The Court dealt with breaches of the peace and also with cases of adultery, eavesdropping and scolds. It exercised some control over trade by the assizes of bread and ale, which regulated the sale of these items. It appointed officers to see that bread was properly weighed and that the ale, brewed without hops by every tenant, was of good quality.

a part to play in the history of our country? It was originally the Toll Booth, where the market fees were paid to the Lord of the Manor. It stood on the south eastern corner, of what would then be a village green. It was probably, originally, a single storey building, and was smaller in area than it is now. 

 Court Baron of the right Honourable George Earl of Egremontheld at Topcliffe the Twelfth Day of October in the Year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine Before James Collins Gentleman Steward of the said Court.

A Pain was laid that George Peacock and George Croft shall sufficiently scour their respective parts of the Watercourse from the bridge across the Road in George Peacocks Pasture up to Ralph Dales Topcliffe little Parks to be done before Old Martinmas next in Default to pay for every Rood not then done sixpence.

A Pain was laid that George Croft Shall sufficiently scour his watercourse over his Hagg Close so that it take the water from Ralph Dales plowing field in the little parks to be done before Old Martinmas next in Default to pay for every Rood not then done sixpence.

A Pain was laid that no person within this Township shall let any Cart Waggon or other Carriage stand in the Streets or lay any Wood Timber or Dung therein for each offence to pay the sum of ten shillings and sixpence

A Pain was laid that William Wood and John Lascelles do make a sufficient Gutter and Fence from George Walbron’s field adjoining Ralph Dale’s Parks up to John Lascelles Intack to be done betwixt and 22nd November next in Default to pay for every Rood not then done sixpence

The size of the Toll Booth was increased and its use extended to become the main estate office for the manor. And so the building was expanded, both in ground area and in height. The beams, which hold thefirst floor, are massive for such a small building and one could imagine that they were beams saved from the old manor house and put to use. The structure of that floor has been carefully pre-designed, not put together on the spot. Each joint has a Roman numeral scratched against it, so that it could be constructed exactly. The stonework used in the reconstruction was not so good as the original, however, and this can be seen from its present condition, particularly on the roadsides. With the work complete the village had a new building whose upper floor could be used for all sorts of important occasions such as paying “ransoms” for Kings and holding quarter sessions and courts. It also had a downstairs, some of which could be used as a village lock-up and the rest as shops.

In 1577 Christopher Hopper, John Scott, Elizabeth Jossell and Ann Maperley were tenants at will of the “Toulbooth” and three shops, at a rent of 6s. 8d per annum.

After 1613 Thomas Burton, Cuthbert Kettlewell, Elizabeth Kirckbie and Ellen Bradlye each had a shop in the Toll Booth. They opened into the road or High Street and were still at a rent of 6s. 8d per annum.

By 1757 a lease was granted to Catherine Leadley, a widow, for the Angel Inn plus about 70 acres of land and the Toll Booth, all formerly the property of John Jackson senior. (This is probably the father of the John Jackson who in the 1760s was the resident engineer for the building of the Topcliffe Lock).

By 1797 Abraham Peacock was tenant of the Angel Inn, plus 36 acres and the Toll Booth, which even then was described as an Old Stone Building. There were two main courts in a manor - The Court Baron and the Court Leet. From 1796 until 1869 the Toll Booth was

 used for the manor court which by then had become a combined “Court Leet with the view of Frankpledge and Great Court Baron.” By that time, it also dealt with a much more restricted range of matters. The Toll Booth was known as “The Court House” and the record books for this court are in Beverley in the East Riding archive. There is a “Call Roll” i.e. a list of possible jurors and minute books of the Court. The Jurors and those charged with various offences were summoned by the issue of a certificate. (See reproduction in Fig. 1.21). The minutes of the meetings record the attendance of twelve or more jurors, including a foreman, and seem at this point in time to be mainly concerned with issuing “Pains”, which were essentially local bye laws relating generally to agricultural practice and regulated how the village was run. The Court had a Steward of the

 At the Court Leet held on 19th April 1800

The Jury Impannelled and sworn

present Richard Eshelby for his

carriages standing in the Town Streets 006

John Yeates for the like offence 006 Richard Kerby for the like offence 006 Henry Shires for the like offence 006 Thomas Cook for the like offence 006 Thomas Webster for his Dunghill

laying in the street 

Court appointed by the Lord of the Manor. In 1796 it was James Collins, who held the post for 20 years. In 1818 it was taken over by Martin Richardson for 39 years and finally, in 1857, the last Steward, who served for 12 years, was Henry Newton, a solicitor from York.

The Court met every six months, around May and October and regulated the village of Topcliffe. The Court also met on different days to deal with all of the other

villages in the Parish and there was a separate book and jury

for those outside Topcliffe. The Court work included ensuring

that the watercourses, particularly Thacker Beck, and drains were cleaned out. They issued Pains to stop pigs, ducks, horses, cattle etc being loose on the streets. Other Pains were issued to stop people dumping dung heaps and wood on the streets. In case the Pains were not carried out they devised scales of fines and later were responsible for applying them.

The minute books look remarkably like the modern Parish Council minute books but the Court had more power and backed it up by the issue of fines. From May 1837 the Court only met annually and then after the 1853 meeting the periods became irregular and the last one was held in 1869.

By the late 1800s the upstairs was being used as an Institute and Reading Room for the village. In 1891 a village committee was installing paraffin lamps to light the village and one was put on the steps to the TOLLBOOTH.

 In 1914 the President of the Topcliffe & District Institute was The Rt Hon Lord Leconfield and the Vice President was J. Brennand of Baldersby Park. In October 1921 the Toll Booth was conveyed from Lord Leconfield to the trustees of the Topcliffe & District Institute. The trustees were Maurice Lister of Topcliffe Mills, James Edward Hathaway of Baldersby Park Gardens and John Carter Mitchell. The conveyance also preserved a lease for another 21 years, which was in the favour of a

Thomas Wood. Mr Wood leased the downstairs as a stable. The top floor was used by the Institute mainly for the playing of billiards.

When the Second World War came along the Toll Booth was taken over by the YMCA, the billiard tables were moved out to an RAF station and the two upstairs rooms were used as a canteen for the RAF and RCAF servicemen from Topcliffe and Dalton aerodromes. It was run by a rota of volunteers

Margaret Burton, then at school in the village, was one of those helpers and she remembers that the equipment was extremely limited, comprising a toaster and a battered saucepan for poaching eggs. One night she broke the record by poaching 60 eggs (and only broke one of them). The canteen also served beans on toast and various sandwiches. It was in the canteen that she first saw peanut butter, which was popular with the Canadians. Their favourite drink was Horlicks, but they also enjoyed a special brew consisting of tea with a flavour of coffee and drinking chocolate. It was to facilitate its use as a canteen that a serving hatch was knocked between the two rooms.

In 1948, several years after the war was over, the Toll Booth was handed back for village use. By 1968 it had fallen into disuse and was unloved, but when the County Council proposed to knock it down to  improve traffic safety on the corner, attitudes changed. Even while it was being discussed at county level it was some time before the village heard about the proposal and then the village forces gathered to save it. At this time it was unkempt and served little practical use in the village except to remind those who knew about it, of the village’s historical past. It was at this point in time that Edward Jackson set about finding out about its history. There was only one of the original trustees left, Maurice Lister. The outcome of all the action was that the Toll Booth survived and Mr Lister agreed to a new set of trustees, who took over in December 1968. They were Mr E. R. Jackson of Thorpefield and Dr Y. M. Dias of the Old Viacarage. Within two years the trustees had been changed again. This time the Parish Council agreed to take over the building and it was transferred to them in April 1970. It remains in their care.

The upstairs was again used for billiards and snooker and this activity is still going, thanks to the efforts of Dave Bowman, over a long period of time.

In 1999, the Toll Booth was the subject of a preservation project initiated by the Parish Council in liaison with Hambleton District Council, to ensure that it will survive well into the new millennium.

This below was my uncle's farm, owned by his father and farmed with his younger brother who was to eventually inherit, thus depriving my cousins of their rightful patrimony.

TOPCLIFFE CATTON LANE Salmon Hall. Grade II

Farmhouse. Early C19. Red brick in Flemish bond. Pantile roof. 2 storeys, 3 bays, symmetrical facade. Central 6-panel door in slim Doric surround with flat brick arch above cornice. Windows are 4-pane sashes with stone sills and stuccoed flat arches, window over the door narrower than the others. Stepped eaves band, shaped kneelers, stone coping, end stacks.

SALMON HALL 

CAT TON RO AD, TOPCLIFFE, THIRSK, NOR TH YORKSHIRE YO7 3S A 

A FIVE BEDROOMED GRADE II LISTED FARMHOUSE PROVIDING SPACIOUS FAMILY LIVING COMBINED WITH A RANGE OF OUTBUILDINGS, SITTING IN 1.7 ACRES OVERALL INCLUDING A PADDOCK EXTENDING TO AROUND AN ACRE. IN ADDITION THERE ARE A FURTHER THREE LARGE BARNS WITH PERMISSION FOR CONVERSION TO FORM THREE RESIDENTIAL DWELLING HOUSES 

AVAILABLE AS A WHOLE OR IN TWO SEPARATE LOTS 

Accommodation
Two Principle Reception Rooms • Snug/Study • Dining Kitchen Utility/Boot Room • Five Bedrooms • Bathroom/wc 

Externally 

Garage • Courtyard Parking Area • Range of Outbuildings Paddock • Gardens
Three Large Barns With Permission for Conversion 

Salmon Hall
This Grade II Listed, five bedroom farmhouse, which is accessed via a gravelled driveway with mature trees opening out to courtyard, occupies a slightly elevated position with views over the garden, paddock and beyond. The property is a charming family home with original character and period features including sash windows and mosaic flooring. The spacious accommodation offers five double bedrooms and three reception rooms. The farmhouse sits with a range of traditional brick built outbuildings, sitting in 1.7 acres overall, including a paddock extending to around 1 acre. In addition there are also another three large barns with permission for conversion to form three residential dwelling houses.  

Accommodation 

The main front door opens into a lovely reception hall with mosaic tiled floor and arched opening into the rear hall, with a return staircase to the first floor. A Georgian style window on the half landing provides natural light to the hall. The two principle reception rooms, a snug/study and the large dining kitchen are accessed from the hall. Overlooking the front garden, the main living room has an open fire and a door leading through to the family living/dining kitchen. The second reception room also overlooks the front garden. The study/snug is a useful room with a fireplace and overlooking the rear courtyard area. The kitchen is the hub to this family home, with a log burner and plenty of space for a dining table and chairs. The kitchen area is fitted with a range of wall and floor cupboard units and has access to a walk in pantry. From here there is access to the main hall, the cellar and the utility/boot room. The utility/boot room has an exit to the front and rear courtyards, a stone slab shelf and original cast iron range and bread oven. There is a second concealed staircase to the first floor. 

The main landing has plenty of natural light from the Georgian window to the rear and from here there is access to all five double bedrooms and the family bathroom/wc. The two principle bedrooms overlook the front gardens, paddock and countryside beyond. A second staircase leads from the landing back down to the utility/boot room. 

Externally 

Salmon Hall has its own driveway leading into a courtyard to the side of the main house with a garage off to the side and a range of brick built outbuildings including three stables which are in need of renovation. The front gardens are mainly laid to lawn with flower bed borders and a wooden fence and gate lead directly into a small paddock. A side garden adjoins the bottom of the paddock with lawns and some mature trees leading back up to a small cobbled courtyard area with gate leading into further garden area with a range outbuildings with additional access. 

LOT TWO
Barns for Conversion & Planning Information
The barns as per the plan have a planning permission (general permitted development order); the proposal is for prior approval of proposed change of use of agricultural buildings to form three dwelling houses and for associated operational development. 

The River Swale must before the industrial revolution had a run of salmon. Today this my be restored at least further downstream on the Ouse.

'Further up on the stretch known as Salmon Hall Farm is available on very cheap day tickets at £1.00 each, the right tactics will see you catching Chub to 3lb and barbel to 7lb. 

Topcliffe / Salmon hall

« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2014, 01:06:46 PM »

I guess the old guy must have died and his son has inherited the house and land.

The old chap would never lease the fishing - Middlesbrough AC tried to lease it many years ago, we had a go (twice) and Thirsk were really keen on getting hold of it when they controlled almost all the water from Skipton Bridge downstream. He was quite a religious chap the old man - for many years there was no fishing allowed on a Sunday and when it was allowed the day-ticket was only 25p. 

He can't have made much money out of the fishing but he wouldn't sign a lease as he didn't want to stop all the people who'd fished the place for years from being able to fish there.

Obviously his son just saw pound notes in his eyes '

The old chap was my uncle's father, a good Methodist.

Property features

• Three Individual Barns with Unrestricted Planning Permission
• All With Parking and Gardens
• Charming Rural Location
• Ideal Small Scale Development Project
• Easy Access to A19 and A1

Property description

Salmon Hall Barns is a collection of three, individual, character barns with unrestricted (occupancy wise), full residential planning permission. With proposed improved access, parking and gardens to all three of the dwellings, the site lies just outside the village of Topcliffe and is less than 10 miles from Thirsk, Ripon and Boroughbridge with easy access to the A1 and A19. Salmon Hall Barns would provide a most exciting development project for an individual or property developer.

Barns And Planning Permission - Salmon Hall Barns is a collection of three, individual, character barns with unrestricted (occupancy wise), full residential planning permission. With proposed improved access, parking and gardens to all three of the dwellings, the site lies just outside the village of Topcliffe and is less than 10 miles from Thirsk, Ripon and Boroughbridge with easy access to the A1 and A19. Salmon Hall Barns would provide a most exciting development project for an individual or property developer.

Proposed change of use of agricultural buildings to form three dwelling houses and for associated operational development. Application number 14/01917/MBN. Further information available from the agent.

Services - WATER SUPPLY: The proposed water supply will be by way of a shared bore hole. The cost of this is expected to be in the region of £12,000 (this is an approx figure ONLY) Dales Water are happy to meet any prospective buyer to discuss further details and costings. ELECTRICITY: Electricity is not yet connected to the Barns and prospective purchasers should contact Northern Power Grid for quotes re connection etc.

Tenure - The barns are offered Freehold with Vacant Possession upon Completion.

History of the Methodists

According to his Journal John Wesley made fourteen visits to Northallerton between 1745 and 1788. In 1745 in Newcastle, he met Watson Adams of Osmotherley, a former Franciscan friar who had left his order and married but still lived in the Osmotherley priory. This began a long historic engagement between the Roman Catholic and Methodist traditions in the village; John Wesley is recorded as preaching in the Catholic chapel which is still the Catholic church. Following the Newcastle meeting, Adams encountered Wesley again when he preached at the Buck Inn in Northallerton on April 15th 1745 when Wesley moved on to Osmotherley, the first of many visits there. Also present was Eizabeth Tyerman, a former Quaker and leader in the Osmotherley Methodist society, whose son Luke became an eminent Methodist historian. John Nelson who became an early Methodist preacher preached in Northallerton when he was passing through with his regiment as a soldier. John Wesley is remembered as preaching in the yard of the Buck Inn in 1780. For some years Methodist meetings were held in the house of a Mr. C. Deighton following which ‘Richardson’s Long Room’ of the Golden Lion was used, a room usually the venue for balls and dances; (this room had to be relinquished, it is said, for some days during Easter, to enable cock fighting and other entertainments!) Notably in May 1755 Mr. Wesley brought his wife with him, on one of the few occasions she travelled with him before they separated. In 1796 a Miss Bowman donated land for a chapel to be built. The first members of the Methodist society in Brompton were probably connected with the Northallerton society. Meetings were held in a local cottage until John Wilford, founder of the linen mill, helped with the building of a chapel in 1794. Wesley also visited Thirsk, as did Charles Wesley accompanied by his wife Sarah in 1753. Methodists in Thirsk met initially in a private house in Barbeck, and then in a room in Brady’s Yard. The deeds of the Methodist New Room are dated 1766. The first chapel was erected through the work of John Oastler, and at his expense. Wesley preached there several times, the last occasion when he was aged eighty five, in an octagonal chapel which he describes as equal to the one in Yarm. The chapel was rebuilt in 1816. Among the Thirsk Methodists was one of the early women preachers Mrs. Taft. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Thirsk Methodist circuit which incorporated Northallerton had twenty one chapels. Until 1773 Thirsk and the surrounding preaching places formed part of the Yarm circuit. By 1773 Methodism had developed into two North Riding circuits one of which included besides Thirsk itself, Northallerton, Skipton and Brompton. According to their deeds this included the outlying villages: Sandhutton (1815) Sinderby (1835), Maunby (1836) Carlton (1838) Kirby Wiske (1825), Knayton (1810), Hornby (1835) Appleton Wiske (1823), Low Silton (1811), Sutton (1851), Danby Wiske (1839), Bagby (1823), Thornton-le-Beans (1860), Osmotherley (before 1756), Newby Wiske(1814), Snailsworth (1816), Borrowby (1807). An old circuit plan lists also Thornton-le Moor, Ingleby Cross & Harlesy, Boltby, Smeaton Bank-head, and Upsall. After being incorporated into the Ripon circuit in 1794, the Thirsk circuit regained its own place within the Methodist Connexion in 1811. Willliam Clowes, one of the founders of Primitive Methodism, preached in Brompton and in Northallerton in a room near a tan pit. Notably in 1834 the theatre in Northallerton was closed following a Primitive Methodist revival in the town,

        Sadly Topcliffe Chapel is now closed.