BRIGNALL
Bringhenale, Bringhale (xi cent.); Brigenhall,
Brigenhale (xii–xiii cent.).
The parish of Brignall comprises 2,104 acres of
land and 7 acres of land covered with water. (fn. 1) There
are 160 acres of woods and plantations, but the
largest part is pasture; only 297 acres are arable, (fn. 2)
oats and barley being the chief crops grown. The
subsoil is Yoredale Rocks, the soil mixed. There are
numerous old quarries here, (fn. 3) and slate and flagstone
are still worked.
A rough road runs south from Watling Street
through this parish to the River Greta, which is
crossed by a ford or 'wath' (fn. 4) connecting the parishes
of Brignall and Barningham. Brignall Lane joins this
road at right angles. Brignall village is not in itself
very interesting. The ruined church of St. Mary
stands on the bank of the stream at some distance
from the new church, and the mill is about 2
miles from the village. Brignall had four mills in
1712. (fn. 5) In 1344 Thomas de Rokeby had licence to
impark his wood of Brignall (fn. 6) ; and from 1377 to the
16th century the park here belonged to the Scropes. (fn. 7)
The parish is separated on the north from Rokeby
parish, to which it scenically belongs, by the Tutta
Beck and on the east by the River Greta, which also
takes its course round the southern boundary. Greta
Bridge is in the three parishes of Brignall, Rokeby and
Wycliffe. The Greta, dashing over the boulders of
its limestone bed under white overarching cliffs and
canopies of trees, has made Brignall famous for river
scenery. A little above Greta Bridge is the cave
where 'Bertram Wycliffe' met 'Guy Denzil' and
listened to 'Edmund's' song and the chorus of
revellers:—
'And as I rode by Dalton Hall
Beneath the turret high,
A maiden on the castle wall
Was singing merrily:—
Chorus.
'Oh, Brignall banks are fresh and fair,
And Greta woods are green;
I'd rather range with Edmund there
Than reign our English queen.' (fn. 8)
In the angle formed by the meeting of the Greta
and the Tutta Beck is the outline of a camp probably
Roman.
Carefully concealed under a heap of stones on
Gatherley Moor were found ('within memory of
man' in 1823) two leaden plates inscribed with rude
scratches, planetary figures and the legend 'I doe
make this, that the father James Phillip, John Phillip,
Arthur Phillip and all the issue of them shall come
presently to utter beggary and nothing joy or prosper
with them in Richmondshire. J. Philip.' (fn. 9) An
account of the magical tables was sent in 1789 to
John E. Brooke of Somerset Herald's Office, who
gave the information that James Phillip, second son
of Henry Phillip of Brignall, was living at Brignall
in 1575 and had an elder brother Charles who had
two sons John and Cuthbert. James had five sons,
John, Arthur, Henry, Christopher and Thomas.
Whether the curse had effect or not is not known,
but in 1789 the family had for some time been
extinct. (fn. 10)
Manor
Charles. Ermine a chief gules with five lozenges ermine therein.
BRIGNALL in 1086 was composed of
12 carucates of land (fn. 11) all waste, and soke
of Count Alan's manor of Gilling (q.v.);
it remained, as a member of the honour of Richmond, under the overlordship of Count Alan's
successors. (fn. 12)
Roger de Mowbray, who died about 1188, (fn. 13) was
at one time mesne lord of Brignall, which was held of
him by William de Logi his man, (fn. 14) but there is no
further mention of this mesne lordship or of any
descendants of William de Logi. In 1211–12, or a
little earlier, Ranulf (de Rye) son of Robert of
Gosberton, Lincolnshire, held one knight's fee of the
honour of Richmond, (fn. 15) and this fee must have been
Brignall; it was perhaps acquired by Ranulf after his
marriage with Constance daughter of Brian and granddaughter of Scolland, (fn. 16) an important tenant under the
honour. (fn. 17) It was found by inquiry made in 1241
that Ranulf had been followed by a son Thomas, on
whose death without heirs King John seized Brignall
and lands of Ranulf in Lincolnshire. Philip brother
of Ranulf then made an agreement with the king by
which Philip had the Lincolnshire lands and the king
kept Brignall and other lands, and the marriage of
Margery daughter of John, another brother of
Ranulf. (fn. 18) This marriage was granted with Brignall to
Charles de la Wardrobe. (fn. 19) In 1227 Robert son of
John de Rye gave up all right in one knight's fee in
Brignall, Cliffe, Cowton and Layton to his sister
Margery and her husband. (fn. 20) Charles's descendants
took the patronymic of Charles. He was dead by
1241, when his land had been seized by the overlord
and granted until the majority of William Charles his
son to the Bishop of Carlisle. His widow Margery,
however, recovered possession, (fn. 21) and in 1263 William
their son was lord of the manor. (fn. 22) He was succeeded
before 1284 by his son Edward, (fn. 23) who died about
1330, having delivered Brignall to one of his younger
sons, Edmund, six years before
his death. (fn. 24) In 1333 William
Charles grandson of Edward (fn. 25)
conveyed the manor (to which
Edward son of Edmund
Charles put in a claim) to
Thomas, lord of the neighbouring manor of Rokeby,
and Julia his wife and the
heirs of Thomas. (fn. 26) Thomas
de Rokeby, 'the uncle,' kt.,
and Julia his wife in 1347
settled the manor on themselves and the heirs of
Thomas with various contingent remainders, (fn. 27) and in
1352 the park and free warren of Thomas de Rokeby
the elder at Brignall are mentioned. (fn. 28) The previous
settlements, however, may have made the alienation
of the manor by William Charles invalid, as in 1380
Sir Robert son of Edward son of Edmund Charles
conveyed the manor to Sir Richard le Scrope of
Bolton. (fn. 29) Sir Richard probably had some earlier
interest in it, for in 1367–8 Theophania widow of
Edmund Charles claimed dower from him in Brignall, (fn. 30) and in 1377 he complained that William de
Bowes, kt., Thomas de Rokeby and others broke his
parks at Brignall and elsewhere and hunted there,
carried away his goods and deer, and assaulted and
imprisoned his servants. (fn. 31)
Savage, Earl Rivers. Argent six lions sable.
Eden. Gules a cheveron between three sheaves or with three scallops sable on the cheveron.
On the overthrow of Richard II Brignall seems to
have been taken from the Scropes for a while, as in
1399 the town and park were granted to William de
Newsham for life. (fn. 32) They must, however, have been
soon afterwards restored; and they followed the
descent of Bolton Castle (fn. 33) until the division of the
Scrope lands in 1653 among the daughters of Emanuel
Lord Scrope, (fn. 34) when a settlement was made of the
manor on his daughter Elizabeth wife of Thomas
Lord Savage. (fn. 35) It remained in possession of the
Savages, Earls Rivers, until Elizabeth daughter and
heir of Richard Savage, Earl Rivers, became in about
1706 the second wife of James Barry, Earl of Barrymore, (fn. 36) who was owner in 1725. (fn. 37) The manor
shortly afterwards passed to the Edens of Windlestone,
Durham. Sir Robert Eden appointed a gamekeeper
for his manor of Brignall in 1745, (fn. 38) and his grandson
Sir Robert Johnson-Eden (fn. 39) held the manor in
1823. (fn. 40) By 1872 it had come into the possession
of Mr. W. J. S. Morritt, who was succeeded in 1874
by Mr. R. A. Morritt. Mr. Henry Edward
Morritt of Rokeby (q.v.) is the present lord of the
manor.
Free warren in Brignall was in 1264 granted to
William Charles and his heirs (fn. 41) and in 1335 to Thomas
de Rokeby and his heirs. (fn. 42) Leave was given in 1265
to William Charles and his heirs to hold a weekly
market at Brignall on Thursday and a yearly fair on
the vigil, feast and morrow of the Nativity of the
Virgin. (fn. 43) The market and fair were among the
appurtenances of the manor in 1712. (fn. 44)
Churches
The church of ST. MARY THE
VIRGIN, built in 1833, consecrated
4 September 1834 and restored in
1892, is a plain rectangle 40 ft. by 24 ft. within the
walls, with a tower at the west, all in the dull Gothic
of the time. The interior of the church has, however,
been made much more attractive at a late refitting and
it has now some very well-designed oak screens, pulpit
and good quire seats. By means of the screens a vestry
has been taken off the width of the chancel on both
sides. A panelled dado runs round the walls, and the
flat plaster ceiling is marked out with pitch pine ribs
having carved bosses at their intersections. The
tower is of three stages, with glazed lancet lights in
the top stage, and is finished with battlements and
angle pinnacles.
The font was removed from the old church and is
of the 13th century, but, unfortunately, much cut down
and reworked; it has a round bowl on a stem with
six attached shafts and bases, but no capitals. Between
the shafts are lines of dog-tooth ornament, mostly left
unworked.
There is one bell of 15th-century date, with 'Ave
Maria gracia plena' in Gothic capitals.
The plate consists of a pewter flagon with lid and
spout and paten with cover; there are also a modern
silver-gilt flagon, paten and chalice.
The registers begin in 1588.
The ruins of the old church of ST. MARY, on the
bank of the River Greta, are sufficiently preserved to
show that it had an aisleless nave and chancel, the latter
being of the 13th century, about 24 ft. by 12 ft.
There were originally three lancets in the east wall,
which in the 16th century were replaced by a squareheaded four-light window. In the south wall is a
13th-century piscina, with signs of a widely-splayed
window, which was probably a lancet, though now it
has a square head; there are also some remains of a
low-side window at the south-west. The north wall
shows nothing earlier than a 16th-century doorway,
but a piece of stone with interlaced ornament is built
into it. A 14th-century grave slab with a large pair
of shears carved on it lies in the chancel.
In the rectory grounds are a few details from the
old church, including part of a 13th-century base, a
stone with dog-tooth ornament and a 14th-century
grave-cover with a cross and sword. There is also a
Roman altar, found in the neighbourhood.
Advowson
Roger de Mowbray gave the
church in the 12th century to the
Hospital of SS. Peter and Leonard
of York to hold quit of all geld and service as William
de Logi his man gave them. (fn. 45) Afterwards William
de Vescy, whose connexion with Brignall is not apparent, (fn. 46) and his heirs confirmed the promise of Eustace
his father touching the church of Brignall made to
St. Leonard's Hospital, York. (fn. 47)
In 1219 Charles de la Wardrobe and Margery
granted the advowson in frankalmoign to the same
hospital, (fn. 48) which, obtaining papal permission to appropriate the church in 1309, (fn. 49) did so without royal
licence (fn. 50) ; this, however, was obtained in 1317. (fn. 51)
The church was held by the hospital (fn. 52) until its
dissolution on 1 December 1539. (fn. 53) The advowson
then passed to the Crown, which retained it (fn. 54)
until 1874, when it, among others, came by exchange into the hands of the Bishop of Ripon, (fn. 55)
the present patron. The rectorial tithes belong to
the vicar. In 1688 an agreement was made between the vicar and the parishioners as to the
manner of paying their tithes of lamb, wool, hay,
corn and calf, by which the vicar was to have 2s. in
the pound according to rents and also Easter dues
and vicarial tithes; for instance, in a dispute which
arose one witness deposed that he paid yearly 1d.
for a foal if he had any, a tithe for his bees when
he had any, 1½d. for every cow, 1d. for every geld
or barren cow, 1½d. for himself and every communicant that he had in his family and also a hen
yearly in kind at St. Andrew's Day or 6d. in lieu
thereof. (fn. 56)
Charity
This parish is entitled to benefit by
the charity founded by Abraham Hilton
known as the Bowes Cross Charity.
(See parish of Bowes.)