GRINDON
The parish of Grindon contained in 1831 the
townships of Grindon and Whitton. Whitton has
now been transferred to Stillington, while the
township of Embleton from Sedgefield parish was
added to Grindon in 1908. The parish contains
4,275 acres; of Grindon, 1,037 acres are in
cultivation, 1,927 under grass, while there are 845
acres of woods and plantations. (fn. 1) The chief crops
raised are wheat, oats and barley. The slope of the
parish is from north-west to south-east. The soil is
mixed, on Magnesian Limestone and Keuper Marl.
There is not, and apparently has never been, a village
of Grindon. The ruins of the old church of
St. Thomas of Canterbury stand on a road which
crosses the parish from west to east and becomes a
path leading through Wynyard Park to the seat of
the Marquess of Londonderry. Wynyard Park, which
extends over 325 acres, contains several lakes. The
house is a large building of two stories in the
classic style, with portico supported by Corinthian
columns. Its erection was begun in 1841, following
a fire on 19 February of the same year, in which the
former house, which had only been begun in 1822
from the designs of Philip Wyatt, and was nearing
completion, was destroyed. Surtees, writing about
1823, describes the older house as 'one of the most
handsome and convenient mansions in the district,'
standing 'without much advantage of prospect.' (fn. 2)
The chapel, designed by James Brooks, was built in
1880 and altered and enlarged in 1903–5. The
sculpture gallery is 120 ft. long by 80 ft. in width.
On the highest ground of the park is an obelisk
127 ft. in height, erected to commemorate the visit
of the Duke of Wellington in 1827.
Fulthorpe is a farm south-west of Wynyard Park.
Farther in this direction, and about a mile south of
Grindon Old Church, is the village of Thorpe
Thewles. It stands on very low ground near the
Thorpe Beck, on the high road from Durham to
Stockton. Twelfth-century place-names in Thorpe
Thewles include Hundeflat, Rietofts, Denemuthe,
Laitholf, Childrelane, Paddocnol, Standandestan,
Lederodes, Superveneland, Crosfurlang, Hecleve,
Rerful, Scrogmedene, Blaikeshope. Thorpe Thewles
Cross is mentioned in the same period. (fn. 3)
The Vane Arms Inn, in Thorpe Thewles village, is
a picturesque two-story brick house with curved
gable and red pantiled roof broken by a large chimney.
It belongs to the first half of the 18th century and
was formerly whitewashed. (fn. 4) It has lately been
restored and roughcasted, all the windows being
renewed. This is apparently the house which was
supposed by Surtees to have been the residence of the
Kendal family. (fn. 5)
The modern church of Thorpe Thewles stands at
the east end of the village street near the railway.
The Stockton and Ferry Hill branch of the London
and North Eastern railway runs from south to north
through the parish and has a station at Thorpe
Thewles, a little to the north of the village.
An advertisement of 1623 describes this district thus:
'These severall mannors and landes of Fulthrop,
Winyard and Thorpthules doe lye very comodiously
all joyning one to another, fruitfull of soile and
pleasant of situation, and so bewtified and adorned
with woods and groves as noe landes in that parte of
the contrie comparable with them.' (fn. 6) The common
fields of Thorpe Thewles were inclosed in the time
of Elizabeth, (fn. 7) those of Whitton shortly before 1617. (fn. 8)
A parish hall was built in 1922.
MANORS
The vill of GRINDON has been
attached throughout its history to the
manor of Fulthorpe. (fn. 9) In March
1336–7 Roger de Fulthorpe was found to have
held a third part of the vill in chief at a free
rent of 8d. (fn. 10) His grandson Alan possibly may
have been the 'Adam Fulford' who about 1384 held
the whole vill for a rent of 2s. (fn. 11) In the subsequent
inquisitions of the Fulthorpe family the extent of the
vill is given as 10 tofts and about 180 acres. (fn. 12)
Grindon: The Vane Arms in the Village of Thorpe Thewles
The manor of FULTHORPE was held from the
earliest period for which there is evidence by a family
of that name. Roger de Fulthorpe and Roger his
son are found witnessing charters to Finchale in the
early 13th century. (fn. 13) The younger Roger had a son
Adam, (fn. 14) probably the Adam son of Roger de
Fulthorpe, kt., who was concerned in an agreement about land in Thrislington in 1262. (fn. 15) He was
succeeded by Roger, probably his son, (fn. 16) who was dead
in March 1336–7. (fn. 17) Roger was then said to be
seised of a moiety of the manor of Fulthorpe, held in
chief for a twelfth part of a knight's fee. (fn. 18) This was
the normal amount of knight's service due from the
manor, the whole of which belonged to Roger's
descendants. (fn. 19) Roger's son and heir Alan succeeded
while still a minor; (fn. 20) he died in or about 1374,
leaving a son and heir, another Alan, a minor. (fn. 21) The
younger Alan died seised of the whole manor in or
about 1407, leaving a son
Thomas, aged fourteen. (fn. 22)
Thomas had livery in 1409,
and in 1415 settled the manor
on himself and his wife
Margaret daughter of Thomas
de Crathorne and their issue. (fn. 23)
He died in 1439 (fn. 24) and
Margaret only lived until
October of the following
year. (fn. 25) Their son and heir was
Thomas, then a minor, (fn. 26) who
left a son Alan. (fn. 27) Alan died in
1485, when his son and heir Christopher was twenty
years old. (fn. 28) Christopher settled the manor in February
1514–5 on his son James and Elizabeth Place his
wife, for their lives and the life of the survivor. (fn. 29) It
subsequently reverted to the heirs of his eldest son
John, who died in 1556, leaving daughters and co-heirs
Anne and Cecily. (fn. 30) They married respectively Francis
and Christopher, brothers of the family of Wandesford of Kirklington. (fn. 31) In 1566 half the manor of
Fulthorpe was settled on Christopher Wandesforde
and his wife Cecily, with remainder to Francis,
Henry and Thomas Wandesforde their sons in tail. (fn. 32)
In 1586, however, a partition of the lands of John
Fulthorpe was made between Christopher and Francis
Wandesforde, husband and son of Cecily, and Anne
Nevill, widow of Francis Wandesforde, and her son
Christopher. By this agreement Anne received for
her share, inter alia, the manor of Fulthorpe and
Grindon, which she settled to her own use for life
with remainder to her son Sir Christopher Wandesforde. (fn. 33) Christopher's son Sir George sold it in
1596 to Thomas Blakiston of Blakiston, (fn. 34) who in 1617
conveyed it to Arthur and Humphrey Robinson. (fn. 35)
Nineteen years later Arthur Robinson, with Henry
Robinson, senior, his brother, and Henry, son and heir
of Henry Robinson, conveyed it to Alexander Davison, (fn. 36)
who acquired the manor of Blakiston at about
the same time. Fulthorpe was sequestered in 1644
for the delinquency of Alexander Davison and his son
Thomas. (fn. 37) Thomas was in possession of the manor
in 1657, (fn. 38) and it appears to have followed subsequently the descent of Blakiston. The present owner
is Viscount Boyne.
Fulthorpe. Argent a millrind cross sable.
The vill of THORPE THEWLES (Thorp, xii–
xiii cent.; Thorpp Thewles, 1265; Thorpe Theules,
xiv cent.) belonged in the 12th century to the
family of Thorpe. The Geoffrey de Thorpe, who in
1166 held half a knight's fee in the bishopric, (fn. 39) was
probably lord of this manor, and was perhaps
identical with Geoffrey son of Godfrey de Thorpe,
who between 1180 and 1194 granted to his sister
Maud 3 oxgangs of land here. (fn. 40) John son of
Geoffrey de Thorpe made grants to Finchale Priory
in the early years of the 13th century and answered
for half a knight's fee in the bishop's feodary of
1249–60. (fn. 41) He had two sons, Geoffrey and William,
of whom Geoffrey appears to have been the elder. (fn. 42)
Geoffrey confirmed grants to Finchale (fn. 43) and apparently
died without issue. His brother William (fn. 44) granted land
in Thorpe Thewles to Alan de Thorpe, clerk, who in
1265 granted it to Finchale Priory. (fn. 45) The heir
of William was his son Robert de Thorpe, (fn. 46) whose
widow Aveline in 1305 held one-third of the manor
in dower. (fn. 47) The remaining two-thirds were in the
hands of the bishop, presumably by escheat, and the
whole manor was claimed as early as 1304 by John
son of John de Maidstone as his inheritance from his
father. (fn. 48) The bishop's defence was that John was a
bastard. (fn. 49) In 1307 the matter was settled by a
release to Bishop Bek from John de Maidstone. (fn. 50)
The history of the manor during the first half of
the 14th century is very obscure. In 1335 land
here was held of Sir Robert Conyers, in 1339 other
land was held of Richard de Sayton. (fn. 51) A charter
was made to Finchale by John Ward of Thorpe
Thewles, (fn. 52) and Ralph Ward of Thorpe Thewles
acknowledged a debt to Roger de Fulthorpe in 1346. (fn. 53)
The history of the manor becomes clear again with a
release of it in 1346 to this Roger de Fulthorpe from
Maud widow of Nicholas Gower of Skutterskelfe. (fn. 54)
Roger was lord of Tunstall in the parish of Stranton.
He rented land in Thorpe Thewles from the Prior
of Finchale in 1375–6, (fn. 55) and forfeited the manor
in 1388 among his other lands. It was granted in
1389 to his son William, (fn. 56) and followed the descent of
Tunstall till 1462, when Thomas Fulthorpe settled it
for life on Elizabeth wife of Richard Conyers, and
subsequently of Robert Pilkington. (fn. 57) On her death
in 1507 (fn. 58) it passed to Philippa wife of Richard Booth,
Joan wife of William Constable, daughters of Thomas
Fulthorpe, and Ralph Radclyffe son of his daughter
Isabel. (fn. 59)
The share of Philippa descended to her son
Ralph, (fn. 60) who had two daughters and co-heirs Anne
and Joan.
Anne married Thomas Fulthorpe, and Joan
married George Smith, by whom she left a
daughter and heir Anne wife of John Swinburn
of Chopwell. (fn. 61) The Fulthorpes apparently released
their claim and John Swinburn came into possession of this third of the manor. He obtained a
release, applying in form to the whole manor, from
Francis Constable in 1566. (fn. 62) At his attainder in
1570 John Swinburn was in possession of onethird, which accordingly passed to the Crown. (fn. 63)
Leases of it were made in succession to John Watson,
Roger Rante, John Warde, Thomas Holford and
Edward Shelton. (fn. 64) In 1611 it was granted in fee
to John Eldred and William Whitmore, (fn. 65) 'fishing
grantees,' against whom it was claimed in 1620 by
Christopher Fulthorpe as great-grandson and heir of
Thomas Fulthorpe and Anne Booth. (fn. 66) The result of
the case is not known, but in 1629 (fn. 67) land here and
elsewhere was sold by Christopher Fulthorpe and
Mary his wife to Sir William Blakiston of Blakiston,
in Hurworth, head of a family which for centuries had
slowly accumulated a freehold here. In 1339
William Blakiston succeeded to a messuage and an
oxgang (fn. 68) ; in 1424 another William Blakiston had a
messuage, 10 acres and 2 roods. (fn. 69) John Blakiston
died in January 1586–7 seised of a messuage, a cottage
and 60 acres of land here. (fn. 70) They passed under his
will to his son William, (fn. 71) who by his marriage with the
daughter and co-heir of William Claxton of Wynyard (fn. 72)
acquired a small freehold in Thorpe Thewles which
had belonged to that family. (fn. 73) The Blakistons may
also have acquired the Finchale lands in Thorpe
Thewles, which are not otherwise accounted for. (fn. 74)
In 1616 Sir Thomas Blakiston sold part of his estate
here to John Shaw, who in 1603 had obtained from
Andrew Davison and Janet his wife a conveyance of
land here and in Carlton and Whitton. (fn. 75) In 1623
his estate consisted of 160 acres and was worth £60
a year. (fn. 76) In 1634 he conveyed all his 'lands called
Thorpe Thewles' to Alexander Davison, who two
years later was pardoned for acquiring from him
3 messuages 4 tofts and 300 acres. (fn. 77) Land here
with a rental of £80 was sequestered among the
Davisons' estates in 1645, (fn. 78) and John Davison of
Blakiston was among the freeholders in 1684. (fn. 79)
Thomas and Musgrave Davison conveyed land here
and in Seaton Carew to John Porrett in 1715. (fn. 80)
A private act obtained in 1718–19 freed this land
from the uses of the marriage settlement of Thomas
Davison and in exchange Porrett gave to Davison
Thorpe woods and Fulthorpe woods in Grindon,
which had been sold to him by Thomas Davison,
father of the tenant. (fn. 81) In 1740 and 1741 Thomas
Davison and Mary his wife granted a rent of £100
from 'the manor of Thorpe Thewles' to Richard
Ireland for a term of years. (fn. 82) By 1776 property in
Thorpe Thewles had come into the possession of
Tempest of Wynyard, with which estate it came to
the Marquess of Londonderry, the principal landowner in 1834. (fn. 83)
The share in the manor held by Joan wife of
William Constable passed to her grandson Francis
Constable of Caythorpe in Rudston (Yorks.). (fn. 84) He
appears to have sold it to a member of the family of
Kendal, (fn. 85) probably the William Kendal who was
described as of Thorpe Thewles in 1575. (fn. 86) William's
grandson John Kendal (fn. 87) was probably the freeholder
of that name who took part in the partition of the
common fields about 1600 and
made a conveyance of lands
here to William Watson in
1634. (fn. 88) John's son Anthony
was in possession of land here
in 1666, (fn. 89) his son William in
1684. (fn. 90) William had a son
and heir George, buried at
Grindon in 1718, (fn. 91) but the
later history of this estate is
uncertain. It may have been
bought up by the Davison
family.
Kendal. Party bendwise indented argent and sable.
Ralph Radcliffe's share in
the manor was inherited by his daughter and heir
Margaret, who married Brian Palmes, attainted in
1569. (fn. 92) This third passed like Swinburn's to the
Crown, but Christopher Radcliffe was the tenant in
1569 and Roger Radcliffe, Margaret's cousin, was
allowed to succeed in 1581. (fn. 93) He seems to have sold it
to Nicholas Tweddell, who was a freeholder in 1600, (fn. 94)
and died in 1607 in possession of 300 acres of arable
land, meadow and moor held in chief by knight's
service. (fn. 95) Robert Tweddell, his brother and heir, (fn. 96)
conveyed a third of the manor in February 1621–2
to his brother Francis. (fn. 97) Francis' son Francis was
described as of Thorpe Thewles in 1656 and 1673, (fn. 98)
and Robert, younger son of the younger Francis, had
land here in 1684. (fn. 99) His nephew George made a
settlement of his estate in Thorpe Thewles in 1724. (fn. 100)
The late history of this portion of the estate is
unknown.
The lands of Finchale Priory in Thorpe Thewles
included the 3 oxgangs which Geoffrey de Thorpe
granted to his sister Maud. (fn. 101) With her husband
William de Stotfold she granted them to Stephen de
Elwick, clerk, (fn. 102) who conveyed them to the priory. (fn. 103)
John de Thorpe granted 3 oxgangs, Robert de
Minsterton 3 oxgangs, and Alan de Thorpe 8 acres. (fn. 104)
The prior had a manor-house here, frequently
mentioned in the accounts of the priory. (fn. 105) In 1495
this manor of Thorpe Thewles was granted to Henry
Bowes and Eleanor his wife for thirty years in exchange for land in Monkwearmouth and elsewhere. (fn. 106)
In 1521 all the prior's lands here were finally exchanged for Sir William and Sir John Bulmer's lands
in Durham and Monkwearmouth. (fn. 107) It has already
been suggested that these lands ultimately came into
the hands of the Blakistons.
There was a mill at Thorpe Thewles in the 13th
century, (fn. 108) and a water-mill here is mentioned in
1570. (fn. 109) In 1857 there was a flour-mill.
Nine oxgangs in WHITTON (Witton, Wytton,
xii cent.) were granted by Bishop Hugh Pudsey
(1153–95) to Sherburn Hospital by its foundation
charter. (fn. 110) Seven of these had been purchased from
Alberic and Geoffrey son of Richard, and the other
two formed the endowment of the chapel of
the vill. Geoffrey de Whitton made a grant to the
church of Grindon of 2 oxgangs here, in return for the
9 marks given him by Bishop Hugh for his journey
to Jerusalem. He also confirmed to the church
2 oxgangs which Alberic had held of him and had
given. (fn. 111) These 4 oxgangs were probably part of the
holding already granted by the bishop. Between
1245 and 1269 William de Hamsterley gave to the
hospital a piece of land 48 ft. by 18 ft. next his
capital messuage of Whitton, between the land of
Hugh de Cliveland and the land of John son of
Libya. (fn. 112) Lands of the hospital in Whitton were
held on lease in 1617 by John Buckle. (fn. 113) In 1717
its estate here consisted of three holdings, each rented
at £2 11s. 8d. (fn. 114) The hospital still has an estate
here.
Robert son of Adam de Whitton, who witnessed
the charter of William de Hamsterley, and also a
charter of William de Thorpe to Finchale Priory, (fn. 115)
was possibly the ancestor of Thomas Adamson of
Whitton, mentioned in 1400. (fn. 116) In 1418 land
here was held by the Blakistons of Anne widow of
Thomas Adamson. (fn. 117) Her heirs held this lordship in
1468 and 1483, (fn. 118) and in 1533 it belonged to Roger
Kirkman. (fn. 119) In or about 1598 Roger Kirkman died
seised of a messuage or cottage and 70 acres in
Whitton, leaving an heir Thomas Kirkman. (fn. 120) The
later descent of this holding cannot be traced.
The Blakistons' land here followed the descent of
their manor of Blakiston till 1533 at least. (fn. 121) It may
have passed to Robert Ayton, who in 1539 granted
land here to Thomas Chipchase. (fn. 122) Thomas had a
son Robert, grandson Thomas and great-great-grandson Thomas Chipchase. (fn. 123) The last-named Thomas
died in 1763. His sister and co-heir Anne, with her
husband John Metcalf and George Atkinson, son of
her sister Elizabeth, conveyed the estate in 1764 to
Edward Davison of Durham, whose son Edward, a
clerk in Holy Orders, was holding it in 1823. (fn. 124)
William Watson of Thorpe Thewles and Elizabeth
his wife had acquired land here, the extent of which
is not known, from Sir William Gascoigne in January
1609–10. (fn. 125) They conveyed two messuages and 200
acres of land, meadow and pasture in Whitton to
Roger Tocketts in 1614 for a term of 60 years. (fn. 126)
The freeholders of the vill in 1684 were Anthony
Watson, William Watson, Thomas Davison, Thomas
Chipchase and Thomas Buckle. (fn. 127)
The earliest known owners of the manor of
WYNYARD (Wyneiard, xiii cent.; Wynhyard, xiv
cent.), which was held in chief for half a knight's
fee, (fn. 128) were the family of Chapel or Capella. Robert
de Capella witnessed a charter of the time of Bishop
Pudsey (1153–95) and answered for half a knight's
fee in the bishopric, 'of new feoffment,' in 1166. (fn. 129)
Hugh de Capella and Robert his son witnessed a
charter concerning land in Thorpe Thewles in the
early 13th century. (fn. 130) This was perhaps the Hugh
who in 1237 was disputing possession of the vill of
Wynyard with Randolf de Fishburn. (fn. 131) A later Hugh,
who lived in the reign of Edward I, and was perhaps
the Sir Hugh de Chapell living here in 1264, (fn. 132) is said
to have had five daughters and co-heirs, Cecily wife of
Richard Dalden, Laderancia wife of Peter Wykes, and
Orfanca, Elizabeth, and Amice. (fn. 133) His widow Joan
married as a second husband John de Denthorpe, who
had the wardship of two of the daughters and secured
for himself various lands in the manor. (fn. 134) These he
gave in 1283 to Sir Henry de Lisle, who also acquired
Redmarshall. (fn. 135) Henry's heir was his brother John, (fn. 136)
who had a grant of Laderancia's share of the manor
from her husband Peter Wykes, and gave all his land
here to his daughter Katherine, wife of Alan de
Langton. (fn. 137) Alan was described as lord of Wynyard
in 1311, when his wife Katherine was still living. (fn. 138)
It appears that she was dead
in the next year, for Alan de
Langton granted to his son
Henry all the lands in Wynyard which he held for life,
receiving in return an annuity
of 10 lbs. of silver and an
undertaking that Henry would
support him with one servant
at Wynyard. (fn. 139) Henry with
Margery his wife had a grant
of a fourth part of the manor
in 1316 from Roger Fulthorpe
and Alice his wife. (fn. 140) This,
which was evidently one of the
shares of the Capella heiresses, Roger and Alice had
acquired from Philip de Cuylly. (fn. 141) In 1328 Henry
Langton had a release of the manor from John son of
John de Lisle, (fn. 142) whose heir he was found to be in
1342. (fn. 143) With his son William de Langton Henry
obtained a grant of free warren in Wynyard in 1345. (fn. 144)
The manor at that date was held by Henry for life
with remainder in tail to William, (fn. 145) who, however,
came into full possession before his father's death. He
died seised in or about 1349, his heir apparently
being his brother John, who paid a fine for relief
in that year. (fn. 146) John Langton was dead in November
1350. (fn. 147) The manor of Wynyard is not mentioned in
his inquisition, but it appears that it reverted on
his death to his father Henry. (fn. 148) In 1351 Henry
Langton had licence to grant to another son Simon
and Alice his wife land in the vill of Wynyard. (fn. 149)
Simon died seised of the manor in or about 1379, (fn. 150)
leaving a son Thomas, aged thirteen. (fn. 151) In 1433
Thomas Langton granted the manor to John Drawles
and Thomas Tracy for settlement on his wife Sybil
for her life. (fn. 152) She died in possession in 1438, when
the next heir was Sybil daughter of William Langton,
brother of Thomas. (fn. 153) The younger Sybil married
Sir Roger Conyers, a younger son of the Conyers of
Hornby, (fn. 154) and had a son and heir William. (fn. 155) Sybil,
daughter and heir of William, married Ralph Claxton,
who died in 1524 holding the manor in right of his
wife. (fn. 156) He left a son and heir Ralph, (fn. 157) who settled
Wynyard in January 1542–3 on his son William and
Margery his wife and their issue. (fn. 158) William did
homage for the manor in or about 1578, (fn. 159) and died in
1597, leaving as his heirs his daughters Alice and
Anne, married respectively to William Blakiston and
William Jennison, and Cassandra wife of Lancelot
Claxton, and afterwards of Francis Marley, daughter
of an elder daughter Elizabeth, who had married
Josias Lambert. (fn. 160) The manor had been settled on
these heirs in 1595. (fn. 161)
Langton of Wynyard. Argent a lion sable and a border gules engrailed.
All three shares were acquired during the first half
of the 17th century by Alexander Davison. In
1629 William Jennison and
his son Henry conveyed to
him their third. (fn. 162) In the same
year he had a grant of another
third from Sir Thomas Blakiston bart., son of Alice and
William, and Ralph Blakiston
his heir. (fn. 163) The third share
had been granted in March
1609–10 by Cassandra Claxton and her second husband
Francis Marley to William
Jennison, (fn. 164) who after conveying certain lands here to
Edward Ewbank (fn. 165) and John
his son in 1621 and 1627, settled it on his daughter
Elizabeth, on her marriage with Henry Liddell. (fn. 166) In
1633 Henry Liddell and Elizabeth, with Thomas son
and heir apparent of Henry, granted it to Alexander
Davison. (fn. 167) Davison also acquired two messuages and
320 acres of meadow, pasture and moorland in 1629
from John Ewbank and Philadelphia his wife. (fn. 168)
Davison. Or a fesse wavy between six cinqfoils gules.
Tempest. Argent a bend engrailed between six martlets sable.
Stewart, Marquess of Londonderry. Or a bend checky argent and azure between two lions gules.
Wynyard was sequestered among the lands of
Alexander Davison and his son Thomas in 1644. (fn. 169)
Thomas had a son Alexander, to whose younger son
Alexander Wynyard is said to have passed. (fn. 170) In
1723 it was conveyed by Alexander Davison, son,
according to Surtees, (fn. 171) of the last-named Alexander,
to George Vane and John Morland. (fn. 172) This conveyance was perhaps in trust for a sale to Thomas
Rudd, who is said to have purchased the manor from
Alexander. (fn. 173) Land in the manor was conveyed by
Thomas Davison of Norton to Thomas Rudd in
1737. (fn. 174) Thomas Rudd sold his estate to John
Tempest (fn. 175) of Painshaw (q.v.), and it has passed with
that property to the Marquess of Londonderry.
A mill at Wynyard is mentioned in 1549. (fn. 176)
CHURCHES
The church of ST. THOMAS OF
CANTERBURY is now in ruins.
With the exception of the east end
the walls stand their full height, but the roofs have
entirely disappeared, and since the erection of the new
church in the village in 1848 the building has been
neglected and exposed to the weather.
It consists of a chancel 23 ft. 6 in. by
16 ft. 6 in., with chapel on the south side
10 ft. 10 in. by 11 ft., nave 50 ft. 4 in.
by 21 ft. 6 in., and south porch 9 ft. by
7 ft., these measurements being internal.
There was also a bell-turret, containing
two bells, over the west gable.
The oldest part of the structure is the
chancel arch and part of the walls of the
chancel, which are of 12th-century date,
but the church was rebuilt, apparently
on the old plan, by Bishop Pudsey at the
end of the same century, and the whole
of the nave is of this date, its style being
distinctly Transitional. The chapel on the
south side of the chancel was added in the
14th century probably for a chantry, but
was known later as the Fulthorpe porch. In 1788 the
church was 'nearly rebuilt' and the lead of the roof
replaced by slate. (fn. 177) The porch appears to be an
addition or rebuilding of this time, when new windows
were inserted at the east end of the nave walls and
the chancel largely reconstructed.
The chancel arch still stands and is semicircular in
form, of a single square order without hood mould,
springing from chamfered imposts which run back some
distance along the wall at each side. The north
wall of the chancel is refaced with 2-in. brick on the
outside, or may have been rebuilt in 1788, the old
stone being re-used on the inside. The jambs of
the north window, however, appear to be old. The
greater part of the east wall has been destroyed, but
the south-east corner remains and shows the same
brick facing. There have been two steps up to the
altar pace, but no ancient ritual arrangements remain.
The old altar slab of Tees marble is now in the church
at Thorpe Thewles. On the south side, now opening
into the chapel, is an original small round-headed
window with wide internal splay, to the east of which
is a two-light square-headed opening inserted when
the chapel was erected, or shortly afterwards. The
chapel is separated from the chancel by a pointed
arch of two chamfered orders dying into the wall at
the springing, and is built of rubble masonry, the
walls being about 8 ft. 6 in. high. The piscina
remains in the usual position in the south wall, and
the east window is of three trefoiled lights. On the
south side is a two-light window the head and mullion
of which are gone, and on the west a single-light
opening with ogee head in one stone.
The nave is built of large squared stones in courses
and has two original lancet windows on the south
side, one on the north, and another at the west end.
The heads are all in two stones and without hood
moulds, and the openings are 14 in. wide. The two
later windows at the east end of the north and south
walls probably take the place of former lancets, and
in the south-east angle is an arched brick recess which
formed the fireplace of the 18th-century Wynyard pew.
The south doorway has a pointed arch of two
moulded orders and hood mould, the outer order
springing from angle shafts with carved capitals and
bases, and the inner continued to the ground. One
of the shafts is gone, but the doorway, the detail of
which is very good, is in a fair state of preservation.
The square-headed north doorway is now built
up. The porch, like the rest of the building, is
roofless, and the lower part of the bell-turret alone
remains.
Plan of Grindon Church
In the churchyard, to the south-east of the building,
is a stone coffin and a mediaeval grave slab, on which
the name 'Roger de Fulthorp' is visible. It probably
was originally in the Fulthorpe porch.
The new church of the HOLY TRINITY, erected
at Thorpe Thewles in 1848, was subsequently taken
down and replaced by the present building, dedicated
to the honour of ST. JAMES, in 1886–7. (fn. 178) It is of
stone, in the style of the 13th century, and consists
of chancel, nave, south porch, and west tower and
spire. The tower contains one bell, cast by Taylor
of Loughborough, in 1887. (fn. 179)
The plate consists of a chalice and paten of 1886,
given in the following year by Miss Parkin; two
pewter plates, one inscribed 'Bought for ye use of
Grindon Church 1724. R. C. and J. R. Chuh W.';
and a pewter flagon with the mark of Edmund Harvey
of London. (fn. 180)
The registers begin in 1655.
A new church school was built in 1899.
ADVOWSON
The church of Grindon, described
as then newly built in honour of
St. Thomas the Martyr, was given
by Bishop Hugh Pudsey to Sherburn Hospital at the
foundation of that house, (fn. 181) to which it seems to have
been at once appropriated. Mention of a vicar occurs
in 1194. (fn. 182) The governors of Sherburn Hospital sold
the patronage in 1858 to the 6th Marquess of
Londonderry, whose descendant the present Marquess
now owns it. (fn. 183)
There was a chapel at Whitton about 1184, when
land attached to it was granted to Sherburn Hospital, (fn. 184)
and one in Wynyard in 1312, when Henry de
Langton, lord of Wynyard, undertook to find two
chaplains to celebrate for the soul of Henry de Lisle,
one in the church of Grindon, the other in the chapel
within the manor of Wynyard. (fn. 185) Neither of these
chapels is again mentioned.
CHARITIES
In 1816 George Fleetham, by a
codicil to his will, bequeathed £80,
the dividends arising therefrom to be
applied in schooling, clothing, or apprenticing of four
poor children under the age of fourteen years residing
in the township of Thorpe Thewles. The legacy is
now represented by £88 11s. consols with the official
trustees, the dividends of which, amounting to £2 4s.
yearly, are applied in small rewards to school children
to encourage attendance at the Grindon National
Schools, Thorpe Thewles.
The Burton Holgate Grindon Church charity, for
the promotion of religious education in the parochial
schools and for the distribution of religious literature,
was founded by the Rev. William Cassidi by deed,
dated 7 January 1876, to perpetuate the memory of
the Rev. Thomas Burton Holgate, formerly vicar
of Bishopton. The trust funds are invested in
stock of the North Eastern Railway Company
and consols held by the official trustees. By an
order of the Charity Commissioners of 4 February
1907 the stock was apportioned to the educational foundation and the endowment of the church
charity. (fn. 186)