OLD BYLAND
Begeland (xi cent.); Bella Landa Super Moram
(xii cent.); Bellaund (xiii cent.).
This parish, which lies west of Rievaulx across the
River Rye, between Morton and Cold Kirby, is long
and narrow, covering about 2,738 acres. About
1,050 acres are under cultivation, the chief crops
being oats and wheat, and 1,240 are permanent grass. (fn. 1)
The northern boundary is a deep gill, through which
runs a tributary of the Rye; another tributary forms
the southern boundary, and their banks are covered
with trees. The soil is principally limestone, the
subsoil corallian beds. There are many old quarries
in the parish, two being now worked.
The village lies in the centre of the parish, 4
miles from Helmsley, the nearest railway station. It
is approached by a lane from Cold Kirby. Another
lane known as High Leir Lane runs westward across
the highest part of the parish past Wethercotes to
Hambleton Mosses and the Hambleton Hills,
reaching a height of 970 ft. above ordnance datum
on the western boundary. Clavery Ley Lane leads
eastward down to the banks of the Rye.
The village is very small and built round a fine
green, at one end of which are the stocks and at the
other an old Norman font. None of the cottages
are of any age, and the Hall on the south side is
also quite modern. The Methodist chapel was built
in 1872.
In the time of Henry VIII the rector had a
dwelling called the 'Hall,' (fn. 2) perhaps on the site
occupied by the modern building of that name.
A little to the south-west of it is another large
house known as Old Byland Grange, and at one time
called 'Storer's Farm.' (fn. 3) The only other house of any
size in the parish is Tile House, near the banks of the
Rye. It stands on what is probably the site of the
earliest abbey of Byland, as, according to the account
of Abbot Philip, (fn. 4) the first monks built themselves
'parvam cellulam'—'ubi eorum tegularia nunc est
constructa.'
Some details of the way in which the abbot used
his estate at Old Byland are given in a 16th-century
lawsuit between the two chief landholders in the
parish. (fn. 5)
There was a water-mill here in the 17th and 18th
centuries. (fn. 6)
Manor
Before the Conquest Aschil had 6 carucates and land for three ploughs in OLD
BYLAND. In 1086 the vill was held
by Robert Malet, (fn. 7) who suffered forfeiture in 1106, (fn. 8)
his estates being granted to Niel Daubeney, ancestor
of the Mowbray family. In 1143 the manor was
granted by Roger de Mowbray to the monks who
subsequently founded Byland Abbey. (fn. 9) The release
made by Hugh de Malebiche of all his rights here (fn. 10)
implies some claim upon the manor, though Roger
de Mowbray appears to have held it in demesne at
the time of the grant. (fn. 11) William
Malebiche, a descendant of
Hugh, laid claim to Old Byland and other lands in 1267. (fn. 12)
The abbot said that he 'ought
not to answer because he does
not hold the whole of the said
manors, for the plaintiff holds
a hamlet called "Schalton"
(Scawton) and the advowson
of the chapel there, which
are within the bounds of the
manor of Old Byland, (fn. 13) and
the master of the knights of
the Temple holds 30 acres of land in the same
manor, and Nicholas de Bagby holds 10 acres of
pasture in the same, and the Abbot of Rievaulx
holds 3 roods of land in the same.' The abbot was
victorious in this suit, (fn. 14) but the claim of the Malebiche
family was not relaxed, and in 1284–5 Old Byland was
described as held of Hugh de Malebiche, (fn. 15) who held
of Roger de Mowbray.
Mowbray. Gules a lion argent.
When the monks of Byland had removed to their
new site in Coxwold parish Old Byland was reduced to
a grange. (fn. 16) It remained in the possession of the
abbots till the Dissolution, when it was worth
£14 15s. 7d. (fn. 17)
After the monastery surrendered in 1538 the
manor was divided up among various tenants. The
greater part of it was granted in 1540 to Sir William
Pickering, (fn. 18) whose son William settled his estate as
'the manor of Old Byland' on Sir Edward Wotton,
his son-in-law, in 1576. (fn. 19) It was bequeathed by
Mary Lady Wotton in 1656 to her son-in-law
Sir Edward Hales. (fn. 20) In 1660 he conveyed it to
Thomas Bellasis, second Viscount Fauconberg. (fn. 21)
Old Byland has from that time followed the descent
of the manor of Newburgh. (fn. 22) It was heavily
mortgaged by the fourth viscount, (fn. 23) but never left
the Bellasis family. Sir George Wombwell, bart.,
whose father succeeded to the Bellasis estates, is the
present lord.
WETHERCOTES, the demesne land of the
abbot, (fn. 24) was granted with the neighbouring grange
of Murton to Sir Richard Bellasis, (fn. 25) the 'keeper' of
the abbey. (fn. 26) The estate remained in his family (fn. 27)
for several generations, and, like that held by the
Wottons, was known as the 'manor of Old
Byland.' (fn. 28)
In 1614 Sir Henry Bellasis had a grant of view of
frankpledge and other manorial rights in his manor
of Old Byland. (fn. 29) The manor of 'Murton cum
Wethercoates' was among his estates in 1645–6, (fn. 30)
and in the hands of the third Viscount Fauconberg
in 1717. (fn. 31) The two estates, under this name, (fn. 32)
subsequently had the same descent, (fn. 32a) passing to the
Frankland family and then to Lord Pelham.
TILEHOUSE GRANGE was leased by the
Abbot of Byland in 1535 to Anthony Rookes and
Joan his wife for forty years. (fn. 33) They were in
occupation when the king granted it in 1543 to
Richard Andrews and Nicholas Temple, (fn. 34) who the
same year alienated it to Anne daughter of Anthony
Rookes and Joan, and a Thomas Allanbridge and his
wife Isabel, probably another daughter. (fn. 35) Anne
Rookes married Christopher Metcalfe, (fn. 36) and a settlement of Tilehouse Grange was made on them and
their heirs in 1564. (fn. 37) Christopher Metcalfe 'of
Tylehowse' received a general pardon in 1605. (fn. 38)
It must have been sold to a Bellasis at some time
between that date and 1645, when 'Old Byland
cum Tylehouse' was among the manors of Lord
Fauconberg. (fn. 39)
OLD BYLAND GRANGE was granted in 1556
to Thomas Wood and John Brown. (fn. 40) It was then in
the tenure of William Storer, (fn. 41) and was probably
alienated to him later, for he appears in possession of
it (fn. 42) till 1602, when he conveyed a certain messuage,
presumably Old Byland Grange, and lands in Old
Byland to William and Henry Bellasis. (fn. 43)
Church
The church, of which the invocation
is unknown, consists of a chancel
measuring internally 15 ft. wide by 13 ft.
6 in. deep, nave 41 ft. by 14 ft. and a south porch with
a low tower over.
The plan of the church is much as it was in the
12th century. It was probably then without a tower,
and the old stones now built in at the springing of
the outer arch probably belonged to the south
doorway. The chancel was probably enlarged northwards in the 15th century, with the result that the
east window and the altar, being central with the
chancel arch, are much nearer the south wall than
the north.
In 1909 the church was thoroughly restored at
the cost of Sir George Wombwell, when it was
found necessary to rebuild the greater part of the
chancel walls, while two windows were inserted in
the north wall of the nave, and the west window
was renewed, stone mullions replacing the wood
frame which had formerly been there. Previously
to this restoration the only window in the north
wall of the nave was a very small modern light near
the east end, which has now been filled in. The
Archbishop of York, at the reopening of the church,
dedicated it in honour of All Saints.
The east window is an early 15th-century insertion
of three trefoiled lights under a square head. The
south window of the chancel is similar, but has two
cinquefoiled lights. To the west of it is a blocked
doorway with a three-centred head. The chancel
arch is semicircular, quite plain on the east side, but
on the west face the jambs have large edge rolls with
carved faces for capitals with volutes over, which give
them the appearance of rams' heads. Above the
capitals are plain chamfered abaci. The arch is
moulded on this side with small rolls and a hollow,
and has a plain chamfered label.
The two north windows of the nave, as stated
above, date from the restoration of the church in
1909, and are copied from the south window, which
is of two cinquefoiled lights and of similar detail to
the south window of the chancel. The modern west
window is also similar. The inner south doorway
has simply a wooden frame, but the outer entrance
to the ground stage of the tower, which forms the
porch, has square jambs and a semicircular arch
moulded with an edge roll and a hollow. There
is no abacus or label. Set into the angles of the
tower wall on a level with the springing of the arch
of the entrance are oblong stones of 12th-century
date carved with grotesque animals; each stone has at
the angle a capital for an edge roll or angle shaft,
carved with a head like those of the jamb shafts of
the chancel arch. Over the south entrance is a small
window to light the tower, the walls of which do
not rise higher than the eaves of the nave roof. The
sill of this window is composed of a 12th-century
stone carved with a geometric pattern. The jambs
seem to be parts of shafts ornamented with spiral
grooves. Close to the top of the tower walls on the
east and west sides are small loop lights. Inserted
in the east face of the tower is an old sundial
stone. (fn. 44) The floor of the chancel from the east wall
to the altar rails is paved with old tiles arranged in
small squares and oblongs. In the centre is a circular
geometric pattern with diamond-shaped patterns on
each side, one of which has ornamental tiles.
The chancel is roofed with a flat open timber roof,
the whitewashed beams of which appear to be old;
in the middle of the centre beam is a flat carved
face. The nave has a flat ceiling roofed with slates.
On the east wall of the chancel is a painted
black letter inscription reading '. . ome and gather
your . . . unto ye supper ye great God . . .' It
is partly hidden by whitewash. In the churchyard
is what appears to be an early font.
There are two bells in the tower, the treble being
inscribed 'Te Deum Laudamus 1672' and the tenor
'Gloria in altissimis Deo. 1672.'
The plate includes a cup by William Foster, with
the York mark of 1570, a pewter flagon and a
modern chalice and paten.
The registers begin in 1653.
Advowson
There was a church with a priest
at Old Byland at the time of the
Domesday Survey. (fn. 45) It was given
by Roger de Mowbray to the monks of Byland in the
middle of the 12th century, (fn. 46) and was in the
patronage of the abbey, to which at some unknown
date it was appropriated, (fn. 47) till the Dissolution. In
1365 William de Ferriby, Archdeacon of Cleveland,
confirmed a grant exempting Old Byland from
archidiaconal visitation. (fn. 48)
In 1544 the rectory, including the advowson, was
granted by Henry VIII to John Broxholme. (fn. 49) It
passed from him to a family called Dawson, (fn. 50) and
from the Dawsons to the family of Bellasis, (fn. 51) lords of
the manor of Old Byland. The rectory belonged
to Sir William Bellasis, (fn. 52) who died in 1604, (fn. 53) and
has remained in his family. (fn. 54) The perpetual curacy
is now in the gift of Sir George Wombwell. The
value of the living was increased by Queen Anne's
Bounty, the governors of which granted to the curate
and his successors a parcel of meadow called Havely
Field within the town precincts of Beverley. (fn. 55)
Charity
In 1891 Benjamin Kendrew by will
left £50 for the benefit of the Wesleyan
chapel. In 1904 the sum of £50
was deposited in Messrs. Barclay & Co.'s Bank
(Helmsley Branch) in the names of three trustees of
the chapel, and the sum of £1 5s. was paid to the
steward of the chapel for purposes connected therewith.