MANFIELD
Mannefelt (xi cent.); Manafeld (xii cent.);
Mansfeild (xvii cent.).
Manfield parish is composed of the townships of
Manfield and Cliffe. The Tees forms its northern
boundary and is crossed at Cliffe by Pierce Bridge
where the great north road from the Roman
station at Catterick passed through the station at
Magis.
The village is grouped round several roads, and lies
on level ground half a mile east of Watling Street.
The position is typical of many villages along this
route, and appears to have been designedly kept at
some distance from the main road, which for many
miles has only occasional houses at the roadside.
The church is at the east end of the village, and the
rectory, now being replaced by a new and a smaller
building, is nearly opposite it.
The 'bridge of Tees' is mentioned in a description
of lands in Manfield in the 12th century. (fn. 1) An order
to view Pierce Bridge was made in 1655–6, (fn. 2) , and the
North Riding and the County Palatine of Durham
were each responsible for a moiety of the repairs. (fn. 3)
In 1717 the lord of Cliffe owned a ferry across the
Tees at Manfield. (fn. 4)
The fishery was rented at 10s. in 1086, (fn. 5) and in
the 13th century there was a mill. (fn. 6)
The park of Cliffe Hall was formed in the 13th
century (fn. 7) ; it is surrounded by plantations and traversed
by a little stream, the Glen, that finds its way to the
Tees. There are tumuli in the park. A lane from
Cliffe crosses Watling Street and runs through
Manfield to Cleasby. The parish gradually rises
from 150 ft. above ordnance datum in the east to
370 ft. in the west where it joins the heights of
Gilling. Its area is 2,920 acres of land, 1,559 acres
of which are arable, and 184 woods and plantations. (fn. 8)
The subsoil is Magnesian Limestone and recent
Alluvium by the Tees; the soil is a strong clay. The
chief crops raised are wheat, oats and turnips, the
occupation of the people being mainly agricultural.
An endowed school of the Church of England was
built in 1857 at Manfield.
The following place-names in Manfield are mentioned in the 12th and 13th centuries: Buttrethorn,
Staynhoudalesike, Waredhou, Lathegarthmire, Standandestaynecrosse (fn. 9) ; Pinkney Carr is mentioned in
1717 with places in Cliffe known as Haverfield,
Willow Pound, Stonebridge-fields, Scroggy Pasture,
Lime Kill-fields, Carlberry, and the Mill-dam. (fn. 10)
Manors
The 16 carucates of MANFIELD
were soke of Count Alan's manor of
Gilling in 1086, (fn. 11) and Manfield afterwards continued to be a member of the honour of
Richmond. (fn. 12) One Hermer was enfeoffed as undertenant before the death of Count Stephen in 1137;
he was succeeded by his daughter Gutherith; and in
about the middle of the 12th century Earl Conan
confirmed to Torphin son of Robert (son of Copsi) (fn. 13)
and his heirs Manfield with its appurtenances, viz.
two knights' fees, as fully as his ancestor (attavus)
Hermer or Gutherith daughter of Hermer held it
'in waters, ways, mills, in borough and without . . .
with soke and sac, tol and theam and infangentheof.' (fn. 14)
Torphin, variously known as Manfield, Brough
and Watheby (q.v.), had, like the great officials of
the earl, a station at Richmond Castle, his station
being between the kitchen and the brewery. (fn. 14a)
Although descended from a previous lord of Manfield,
his claim to this place must have been through his
wife, for the two knights' fees were divided on his
death between his daughters (apparently her children)
and the descendants of his son Conan. (fn. 15) Torphin,
who from 1169 to 1172 was one of the surveyors of
the works of Bowes Castle, (fn. 16) paid 2 marks for his lands
in Richmondshire in 1210–12. (fn. 17) He had three
daughters, Parnel, perhaps a natural daughter, whom
he married to Geoffrey de Bretaneby (fn. 18) ; Agnes wife
of Robert Tailbois of Hurworth, (fn. 19) a place a little
further down stream, in Durham; and Maud, who
had successively four husbands, Robert [? Hubert],
Nicholas de Bueles, (fn. 20) Philip de Burgh (son of Thomas
de Burgh), (fn. 21) and John. (fn. 22) Agnes and Maud were
their father's heirs and are both called 'de Morvill,'
possibly after their mother. (fn. 23) They each granted a
moiety of the church and a moiety of the mill to
St. Agatha's Abbey, (fn. 24) but Agnes and her descendants
seem to have no further connexion with Manfield.
Maud's son and heir was Jernagan, (fn. 25) who left a
daughter and heir Avis, a minor in 1221 and in the
custody of Robert Marmion. (fn. 26) Avis subsequently
married a Marmion, possibly her guardian. (fn. 27) The
Marmions held Manfield for a few generations and
were succeeded there as at Tanfield (q.v.) by the
Greys of Rotherfield and afterwards by the Fitz
Hughs of Ravensworth. Manfield escheated to the
Crown with Tanfield, and in 1572 these manors,
with others, were granted to Lord Burghley, (fn. 28) and
quitclaimed by the Dacres in 1580. (fn. 29) Manfield
belonged to the owners of Tanfield in 1751. (fn. 30)
Richard Basset Wilson was owner in 1857; Mr.
Murrough John Wilson, J.P., of Cliffe is the present
lord of the manor.
Fitz Henry of Kelfield. Argent a cross engrailed sable.
The family called in the 13th century Fitz Conan,
and afterwards Fitz Henry of Kelfield, held half the
manor, their moiety, like that of the Marmions,
being held directly of the Earls of Richmond. (fn. 31)
Henry son of Conan son of
Torphin (fn. 32) held lands in Manfield in 1202, (fn. 33) and his grandson Henry (fn. 34) divided the mill
with Avis Marmion and the
Abbot of Easby in 1274–5, (fn. 35)
and was joint tenant with Avis
Marmion in 1282 of the two
knights' fees once held by
Torphin. (fn. 36) The heirs male of
Henry son of Conan (fn. 37) held
this moiety, perhaps as mesne
tenants, until 1496, (fn. 38) when
John Fitz Henry died seised
of half the manor, leaving
daughters and heirs Elizabeth and Grace. (fn. 39) Grace
was married to William Rokeby of Marske in Cleveland. (fn. 40) The Fitz Henrys made a sub-enfeoffment of
this half-manor before the passing of Quia Emptores in 1290, for in 1419 Margaret grandmother of
William Ingleby of Ripley died seised of it, (fn. 41) and
the Inglebys held Manfield of the Fitz Henrys (fn. 42)
from this time until 1564, when William Ingleby
conveyed the manor to Ralph son of William and
Grace Rokeby, (fn. 43) who died seised in 1564, leaving a
son and heir Robert. (fn. 44) Ralph eldest son of Robert (fn. 45)
made a settlement of the manor in 1596, (fn. 46) evidently
for a conveyance to Anthony Witham of Cliffe, who
died seised in 1604. (fn. 47) This part of Manfield seems
from this time to have been absorbed in the adjoining manor of Cliffe.
Lands in Manfield were held, probably of the fee
of Maud de Morvill, (fn. 48) by the family of Hipswell.
Robert de Hipswell was impleaded for land here in
1227, (fn. 49) and was succeeded before 1241 by Gerard de
Hipswell, who in that year granted the reversion of
half the mill of Manfield to the Abbot of Easby. (fn. 50)
He was succeeded by his son Robert de Hipswell,
who died childless (fn. 51) ; his lands appear to have been
divided. (fn. 52) Some of the lands passed to Meliora,
sister of Gerard de Hipswell, and descended in turn
to her son Brian Pigot (Pygot) and grandson Henry;
Henry's son Brian Pigot failed to establish a claim for
land against the Abbot of Easby in 1316. (fn. 53) It seems
probable, however, that the most important part of
the fee passed to the family of Cleasby, for in
1285–6 (fn. 54) Harsculf son of William de Cleasby was
among those whom Denise widow of Robert de
Hipswell sued for dower. (fn. 55) Harsculf de Cleasby
claimed the advowson in 1307, (fn. 56) and in 1316 Amabel
de Cleasby was holding Manfield jointly with John
Marmion and the Fitz Henrys. (fn. 57) These lands were,
however, in 1340 settled on Brian Pigot 'of Manfield'
with successive remainders to his son John and his
heirs and to Henry son of Sir Geoffrey le Scrope in
fee; they are afterwards found in the hands of the
Scrope family. (fn. 57a)
One-third of a knight's fee appears to have been
held of the Hipswell lordship by Thomas Greathead
in 1282. (fn. 58) He left four daughters: Joan wife of
William de Levington, Elizabeth wife of Henry de
Cranswick, Alice wife of Richard Herbert, and
Maud, who married first Adam de Kirkby Fleetham, (fn. 59) and as her second husband John de Bellerby. (fn. 60)
In 1349 Henry son of Maud and Adam recovered
land here from his half-brother Henry de Bellerby, (fn. 61)
and in the reign of Richard II both Thomas de
Kirkby and the heir of John de Bellerby were in
possession. (fn. 62)
The abbey of Easby held 3 carucates of land here
under the Fitz Hughs at the Dissolution, (fn. 63) when
the abbey demesnes were of the annual value of
£4 6s. 5d. (fn. 64)
Witham of Cliffe. Or a bend gules between three eagles close sable.
The vill of CLIFFE (Ileclif, Ueclif, vii cent.;
Clive, xi cent.; Clif, xiii–xiv cent.), (fn. 65) like Wycliffe
(q.v.), was built it is said by Ecgred successor of
St. Cuthbert and given to the saint for the support
of those serving him, but was afterwards taken away
by King Ella. (fn. 66) Like Wycliffe, also, it had become
part of the fee of Mercia by the time of the Norman
Conquest, and passed with other lands of Earl
Edwin to Count Alan, of whose manor of Gilling
it was soke in 1086. (fn. 67) There is no record of the
enfeoffment of the family of Rye of Gosberton in
Lincolnshire; but Ranulf son of Robert de Gosberton
(Gosberkirk) became seised of one knight's fee in
Brignall (q.v.), Cliffe, Cowton and Layton, and Cliffe
descended with Brignall to the Charles family, (fn. 68) who
held both manors in 1380. In 1264 William
Charles obtained a grant of free warren in his
demesne lands of Brignall and Cliffe, (fn. 69) and in 1265
a grant of a weekly market on Tuesday and a yearly
fair on the vigil, feast and morrow of St. Edmund's
Day at his manor of Cliffe. (fn. 70) The latter grant shows
that Cliffe, no doubt owing to its vicinity to Piercebridge, was of much greater importance formerly than
now. (fn. 71) In 1379–80 Robert Charles conveyed the
manors of Cliffe and Brignall
to Richard le Scrope (fn. 72) of Bolton, who in 1420 conveyed
Cliffe to John Walton (Wauton). (fn. 73) The two sons of John
Witham of Grantham in Lincolnshire married the two
daughters and co-heirs of John
Walton, Janetta and Margaret.
Thomas Witham, who married
Janetta, had Bretaneby. (fn. 74)
Margaret, according to the
Visitations, married firstly
William Tocketts (Towcott)
and afterwards George Witham, who moved from
Lincolnshire to Cliffe on his marriage. (fn. 75) A survey of
the honour of Richmond of 1508, however, states
that William Tocketts and Alice his wife held one
messuage and 3 carucates of land in Cliffe for the life
of Alice with reversion to John Witham, son of Margaret. (fn. 76) Margaret Tocketts died seised in 1524–5,
Thomas Witham, son of the above John, (fn. 77) being her
kinsman and heir. (fn. 78) The manor descended in the
Witham family and was their residence from father to
son until 1802, (fn. 79) when William Witham died without
issue, having devised Cliffe to Eliza daughter of his
brother Thomas and wife of Henry Thomas Maire
Silvertop, who assumed the name of Witham, (fn. 80) and
with his wife and son Henry in 1824 conveyed
the manor of Cliffe to Tinmouth Dixon, (fn. 81) evidently a
trustee. In 1826 Isaac George
Manley and Frances his wife
conveyed the manor to John
Wilson, (fn. 82) ancestor of the present owner, Mr. Murrough
John Wilson, J.P.
Wilson of Cliffe. Party argent and azure a fesse cotised with three lions' paws razed thereon all countercoloured and a wolf's head razed sable in the quarter.
CLOUBECK is sometimes
called a manor, but generally
a grange. Robert de Cleasby
held it in 1243 (fn. 83) ; it was
coupled with Cleasby in the
return of 1286–7, (fn. 84) and followed the descent of the manor
of Cleasby (fn. 85) (q.v.), whose lords
received a grant of free warren
at Cloubeck among other places
in 1314. (fn. 86) It was afterwards granted to Lord Burghley
with Manfield (fn. 87) and subsequently descended with that
manor. (fn. 88)
Church
The church of ALL SAINTS consists
of a chancel 33 ft. by 19 ft. with a
modern north vestry, nave 51 ft. by
19 ft., north aisle 8 ft. 9 in. wide, south aisle
10 ft. 6 in. wide, western tower 10 ft. 6 in. by
12 ft. 6 in. and a south porch.
In the 12th century there was evidently a
church here which consisted of an aisleless nave
and chancel. North and south aisles were added
about 1240, when the 12th-century doorway
was removed to the south wall, only the head
being retained and new jambs being added in
the later style. About 1330 the church appears
to have been enlarged again, with a new north
arcade, new chancel and chancel arch. The nave
was also apparently extended one bay further
west. This necessitated a new south entrance;
the older doorway with the 13th-century jambs
and 12th-century door was built into the south
wall of the chancel, where it now forms a rather
large priest's doorway. The tower was built in
the 16th century.
In recent times a new porch and a new vestry
have been added, and every window in the
church, except the west window of the tower
and the small lancet at the west end of the south
aisle, has been renewed or replaced by another
of different design. Some parts of the walling
and the upper part of the tower have also been
rebuilt and the clearstory raised. In fact, so
much rebuilding and restoration has the church
undergone that it is difficult to trace its history
from the present stones.
The pillar piscina with scalloped bowl on the
south wall seems to be ancient. It has been
retooled. Its recess has a moulded arch of 14thcentury style; the two lower stones of the jambs are
old, the rest are modern. The sedilia have three
bays with two-centred trefoiled heads, and between
them there are thin partitions with three-quarter
rolls or shafts on their faces. They appear to be
modern, but may be the old ones scraped.
The south doorway is, as mentioned above, rather
larger than the usual priest's doorway. It has two
orders; the inner one of the jambs has a pointed
bowtel with a hollow on either side of it, the outer
order is square, having a round detached shaft in the
angle with a moulded capital of simple section, and a
base of rounds and hollows. The arch is semicircular
and of two orders; the inner order almost follows the
jamb, but the outer one is a fine specimen of the work
of about 1170, having a carved lozenge moulding
with nail-head decoration on the inner splays. All
but this arch appears to date from about 1240.
The chancel arch has been re-worked in modern
times. Both nave arcades are of four bays; the four
responds have a small half-round shaft with capitals
which have all been recut. The first two piers in
the south arcade have bell-capitals with abaci formed
of a small sunk bead surmounted by a chamfered roll.
The arches are acutely pointed and of two chamfered
orders.
Manfield Church: Priest's Doorway in the Chancel
The south aisle has a three-light east window of
two chamfered orders, the outer of which is old, the
rest restored. The lights have plain pointed heads,
above which are three plain circles. The south doorway is modern, all but the two lowest stones in the
jambs. This south wall is of the unusual thickness
of 3 ft. 9 in. The west window of this aisle is a
13th-century lancet. The clearstory is modern, and
is lighted by four traceried circular lights on each
side.
The entrance to the tower has no responds, and is
spanned by a double-chamfered pointed arch.
The west window, into the tower, is of three
round-headed lights with a double-chamfered, threecentred arch, having a label rising from a shield on
each side, and with another shield in its centre. On
the middle the arms are a maunch ermine impaling
a cross moline; the north one appears to be party
bendwise with a lion rampant, the southern is partly
obscured by ivy, but is apparently a bend between
two scallops.
The tower, which is of three stages, has diagonal
buttresses at its west angles and a wide square one
against the north aisle; the stair turret is in its southeast corner. The belfry windows are of two uncusped
lights with elliptical heads inside a square outer order.
The parapet is embattled. The walling generally of
the church is of rough ashlar or rubble.
The roofs are gabled and of recent date.
The octagonal font is modern, as is all the rest of
the furniture. In the vestry is a good oak chest with
five decorated panels and a carved foliage top rail,
on which is inscribed e w 1688.
Of the three bells the first is inscribed 'Jesu be
our speed ir vs wt 166[4?],' the second 'of iesvs mary
an[u] ioseph 166[4?],' and the third 'fili dei miserere
mei 166[4?].'
The plate consists of a large flagon, a large cup,
and two patens, all of 1829.
The registers begin in 1594.
Advowson
The church is mentioned in
Domesday Book. (fn. 89) Maud de Morvill and Agnes her sister each granted
half the advowson to St. Agatha's Abbey, (fn. 90) and the
abbot during the course of the 13th century appointed
a perpetual vicar. (fn. 91) Avis Marmion in 1250 claimed
half the advowson, and the abbot granted her the
next presentation with remainder to himself and his
successors. (fn. 92) The other landowners in Manfield put
in claims to this advowson, (fn. 93) but St. Agatha's Abbey
continued to hold it until the Dissolution. (fn. 94) The
Crown subsequently retained the patronage until
1874, (fn. 95) when it was transferred to the Bishops of
Ripon, (fn. 96) now patrons.
John Marmion, son of Avis, (fn. 97) gave the abbey of
St. Agatha leave to appropriate the church, (fn. 98) which
they did before 1292. (fn. 99) Perhaps this grant was
made without royal licence, for in 1347 the abbey,
'impoverished by the Scots,' had again licence for
impropriation, but this time from the Crown. (fn. 100)
In 1400 the pope gave the abbot and convent
permission, on the death or resignation of the perpetual vicar, to serve Manfield Church by one of
their own canons or by a secular priest. (fn. 101) The
church was dowered with 1 carucate of land. (fn. 102)
The abbey held the rectory until the Dissolution, (fn. 103)
and it was granted in 1612–13 to Francis Morrice
and Francis Phillips, their heirs and assigns, (fn. 104) after
having been leased with other possessions of the late
abbey to the Scropes. Morrice and Phillips conveyed it in the same month to Francis Townley of
Littleton, Thomas Greenwood, and Richard Kelling,
their heirs and assigns. (fn. 105) In 1633 Thomas Greenwood settled it on his son Thomas and others. (fn. 106)
On the registration of Papists' estates in 1717 Charles
Greenwood of Brize Norton, Oxford, 'not being a
Papist but professing to believe the Holy Catholic
Church as the same is expressed in the Apostles'
Creed,' stated that he was seised to himself and his
heirs male of the rectories and churches of Manfield
and Easby and all other possessions of John Greenwood, his late father. (fn. 107) The living, a vicarage, is
endowed with the rectorial glebe. (fn. 108) In 1252 the
Abbot of St. Agatha granted to Avis Marmion that
two of his canons should celebrate mass in the church
of Manfield at the altar of St. Nicholas for Avis, her
ancestors and heirs. (fn. 109) There is no further mention
of this chantry. In 1294 Robert 'Dean' of Manfield
is mentioned. (fn. 110)
Charities
The Charity Estate consists of
about 6 a. 3 r. 8 p. in the parish of
Melsonby, let at £14 a year. By a
scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 12 September
1902 a yearly sum of £10 is applied in the advancement of education by scholarships, payment of fees
for classes and lectures, &c., and the residue for the
general benefit of the poor.
Louisa Fearn, by will of 17 June 1848, bequeathed
£1,000 consols, the dividends to be applied for the
benefit of the village school. The stock is held by
the official trustees. The vicar of Manfield and the
incumbents of the three next parishes of Barton,
Melsonby, and Cleasby are the administering trustees.