GREAT SMEATON
Smeton, Smetton (xi cent.); Smethyton, Smetheton (xii–xiv cent.); Smitheton (xiii–xv cent.);
Smeton (xvi cent.).
The area of this parish is 3,421 acres, of which
1,309 acres are arable, 1,744 acres are laid down to
permanent grass and 147 acres are covered by woods
and plantations. (fn. 1) The subsoil is Red Sandstone and
Marl, the soil clay. The chief crops raised are
wheat, oats and barley.
The village of Great Smeaton stands on a short
ridge rising from the level of the River Wiske half a
mile to the south, the churchyard occupying the
highest point.
Approaching by the wide main road from Northallerton, 7 miles to the south, the road makes its
first sharp turn on entering the village, trending
north-west in the direction of Croft.
The rectory lies among trees which extend behind
the church and village on that side. At the east end
of the churchyard is a small square green, on the
north of which is Smeaton Hall, a typical Georgian
red brick house. The houses are closely grouped
round the road on each side of the churchyard and
are of brick or rough-cast with tiled roofs. Two
noticeable painted signs hang in the main street, the
'Bay Horse' and the 'Bull.'
The surrounding country is flat or slightly undulating, the main road being often lined with trees on
one side or the other.
Thorpe Row (Thorpe Parva, Thorperaw) Farm
close to Great Smeaton was once the hamlet of Little
Thorpe and belonged to the lords of Hornby, (fn. 2) a
village to the north-east of Great Smeaton.
Walter de Killingholm in the 13th century granted
to St. Mary's Abbey, York, his mill on the Tees
near 'Pilcotwath' (fn. 3) in Magna Smeaton, with its
pool in the territory of Sockburn. In 1388 Sir John
de Nevill of Raby held the capital messuage under
the Abbot of York. (fn. 4) In 1594–5 a horse-mill, two
water-mills, seven dovecotes and free fishing in the
River Wiske, which forms the southern boundary of
the parish, were appurtenant to the manor of Great
Smeaton. (fn. 5)
A School Board for the united district of Great
and Little Smeaton and Hornby was established in
1873, when a Board school was erected; this was
enlarged in 1896. The Wesleyan chapel at Hornby
was built in 1835. The parochial chapelry of
Appleton-upon-Wiske has since been included as a
township in this parish.
Manors
Four of the 6 carucates and a 'manor'
in GREAT SMEATON which had belonged to Malgrim before the Conquest
had passed into the hands of Count Alan in 1086 (fn. 6)
and were afterwards included in the lands of the
honour of Richmond. (fn. 7) The remaining 2 carucates
were then in the hands of the king. (fn. 8) In the 13th
century a mesne lordship under the Earls of Richmond (fn. 9) was held over one-third of a knight's fee (fn. 10)
by the family of Fitton of East Cowton.
At this period the whole of the vill with the
exception of 1 carucate was held by the abbey of
St. Mary, York, (fn. 11) which seems to have derived its
land both from the fee held by the honour and from
the land in the king's hands in 1086. The church
and 4 carucates of land were obtained from Hardwin
de Scales, while one Bernard gave 1 carucate, both
gifts being confirmed to the abbey by Henry II. (fn. 12)
At the Dissolution the manor was valued at £11 19s. 4d.,
this including 40s. farm from Richard Vincent. (fn. 13)
In 1543 Richard Vincent obtained from the Crown
a grant of the vill in two separate parcels and also
the advowson of the rectory. (fn. 14) He died seised in
January 1558–9, leaving a son and heir Marmaduke, (fn. 15)
who died in February 1594–5. (fn. 16) Marmaduke had
two daughters, Jane, who married William son and
heir of Edward Vincent, and Ellen married to Thomas
younger son of John Beverley of Westow. (fn. 17) The
manor was divided between these two sisters and their
heirs. The first half was inherited by Marmaduke,
son of Jane and William Vincent, a minor in 1595. (fn. 18)
He died in 1637, leaving a son Richard. (fn. 19) No
further history of this moiety has been found. The
second moiety of the manor descended from Thomas
and Ellen Beverley to their son Vincent Beverley,
who died in 1634, leaving a son and heir John. (fn. 20) In
1653 he conveyed the manor to James Darcy and
others. (fn. 21)
In 1689 John Tindall and Jane his wife, probably
daughter and co-heir of John, conveyed a quarter of
the manor and the advowson to Thomas Wood. (fn. 22)
According to Ingledew the Rev. Henry Hewgill, who
from 1754 held the advowson, was also lord of the
manor (fn. 23) ; but conveyances of the manor were made
in 1776 by Thomas Wood and in 1801 by Edward
Wood and Edward his son. (fn. 24) Colonel A. F. Godman, C.B., is the present owner.
The 1 carucate of land held under the mesne
lordship of Edmund Fitton, lord of East Cowton (q.v.),
was in 1286–7 in the hands of John de Smeaton. (fn. 25)
HORNBY (Horebodebi, Horenbodebi, xi cent.;
Herneby, Erneby, xiv cent.) was land of the Bishop
of Durham in 1086, (fn. 26) and it was held of the manor
of Northallerton in 1573. (fn. 27) Before the Conquest
Aschil held 2 carucates here. In 1086 the soke of
this land was in Sessay, (fn. 28) and it was waste. Hugh,
Bishop of Durham, granted the vill of Hornby for his
services (fn. 29) to Gilbert Hansard, who made a grant of
land in this territory to St. Mary's Abbey, York, in
1184. (fn. 30) Gilbert was succeeded by his son Gilbert,
to whom King John confirmed
the vill in 1199 (fn. 31) ; his Durham lands descended to his
son Sir John Hansard, kt., (fn. 32)
but another branch of the
family must have been in possession of Hornby, for in 1281
one Gilbert Hansard settled a
messuage and lands here on
John Hansard, jun., and his
heirs with remainders to Gilbert brother of John and his
heirs, and contingent remainder to Gilbert's own right
heirs. (fn. 33) Gilbert Hansard held 4 carucates here in
1286–7 and in 1316 was returned as sole lord. In
this same year the Bishop of Durham granted to his
sister Alice de Kellaw the custody of all lands and
tenements in Hornby that had belonged to Sir Gilbert
Hansard, kt., and were in the bishop's hands by reason
of the minority of William his son and heir. (fn. 34) Ralph
Nevill of Middleham died in 1367 seised of land in
Hornby that he held for life of John Hansard with
remainder to John's heirs. (fn. 35) Richard le Scrope of
Bolton obtained licence in 1384 to acquire lands in
Hornby and half the manor of Hornby from Geoffrey
de Sinningthwaite, (fn. 36) presumably a trustee for the Hansards.
There are two separate conveyances to him in this year
of a moiety of the manor,
one by Geoffrey de Sinningthwaite, (fn. 37) the other by the
parsons of the churches of
Wensley and Marske. (fn. 38) The
Scropes of Bolton (fn. 39) held
Hornby until 1571, (fn. 40) when
Henry Lord Scrope conveyed
it to William Tancred (fn. 41) of
Boroughbridge, who died
seised in 1573. William died
intestate and without making provision for his younger
son James, and Thomas, the eldest son, (fn. 42) to recompense James, conveyed the manor of Hornby to
his use, and before 1596 sold it, giving James the
proceeds. (fn. 43) Perhaps the conveyance made by the two
brothers in 1583–4 of the manor to William Bate (fn. 44)
was this alienation. Thomas Smelt and Jane his
wife conveyed the manor to Christopher Byerley in
1636–7. (fn. 45) The next mention found of Hornby is
the conveyance of tenements here with the manor of
Girsby (fn. 46) to William Blackett in 1682, (fn. 47) and from this
date the manor of Hornby followed the descent of the
Blacketts' manor of Sockburn, (fn. 48) and is now the property of Maj.-Gen. Sir Edward William Blackett, bart.
Hansard. Gules three molets argent.
Tancred of Boroughbridge. Argent a cheveron between three scallops gules.
Church
The parish church of ST. ELOY is
modern with the exception of a 14thcentury nave arcade, and consists of
chancel 25 ft. 7 in. by 12 ft. 6 in. with north vestry,
nave 47 ft. by 15 ft. 4 in., south aisle 7 ft. 7 in. wide,
south porch and west bell-turret.
On the south of the nave is a 14th-century arcade
of three bays resting on octagonal shafts with moulded
capitals and on respond corbels supported on heads.
In the west wall are two trefoiled lancet windows
with quatrefoils over.
The walling of the church is of coursed rubble,
and that of the chancel is old walling re-used. The
roofs of nave and chancel are steep pitched. There
are no buttresses, but at the west end is a bell-turret
with two bells.
The font is cylindrical, covered with rough diaper
work of Norman character.
The plate consists of a cup and cover bearing the
London mark of 1571, a plated cup and two pewter
patens.
The registers begin in 1580, but the entries are
irregular till 1690.
Advowson
The advowson followed the descent
of the manor of Great Smeaton until
the 18th century. (fn. 49) From 1754
until 1848 it was held by the Rev. Henry Hewgill,
son of Henry Hewgill and Cordelia Place, (fn. 50) and his
descendants. (fn. 51) The Rev. Henry Hewgill, who was
also rector of Great Smeaton, had a son LieutenantGeneral Edwin Hewgill, who died in 1809, leaving a
son and heir Henry, father of Captain Edwin Henry
Hewgill. (fn. 52) From this family the advowson was purchased in 1848 by John Barry, and sold by him or
his heirs in 1866 to the Rev. Samuel Jenison Mosse.
His family held it until 1891, when it was bought
by the Rev. Peter Elwin Wrench, who left it by will
in 1897 to the present patron and rector, the Rev.
Peter Elwin Wrench. (fn. 53)
In 1576 the waste free chapel of Hornby, in the
tenure of the inhabitants there, was granted to John
Sonky and others. (fn. 54)
Charity
Lady Calverley's Charity.—The
parish is entitled to participate in these
benefits.