Tarn House Skipton
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A Brief History Of Skipton and the Local Area
In the Aire gap separating the Craven limestone Dales to the north, the gritstone moors to the south, and the pastoral Ribble valley to the west, Skipton is an attractive market town serving a large rural area. Just outside the National Park boundary, Skipton prides itself on being 'The Gateway to the Dales'. Its name comes from the Saxon word for sheep - 'sheep town'.
Settled by sheep farmers as long ago as the 7th century, Skipton was granted to the de Romille family in 1066. Their building of a fortress castle led to a regular market being established for local produce and trade, which continues to the present day, whilst seasonal Fairs brought traders into town from further afield. The market was granted its charter by King John in 1204.
From the castle and nearby Holy Trinity Church the town grew around the market place, expanding along what is now High Street, with coaching inns, yards, and craftsmens' workshops.
In 1309 Skipton Castle passed to the Clifford family, and became their main residence for over 300 years. The castle was rebuilt after the Civil War, and much of the present castle dates from the 1650s. It is open to the public, and is well-preserved. With a long established livestock market in Skipton, Skipton became an important wool trading centre as roads developed.
The arrival of the Leeds-Liverpool canal in 1770 brought industrial growth to Skipton, with cloth making becoming a major activity. The railway brought increased growth to the town.
Nowadays, Skipton is a major commercial and shopping centre, with its colourful market 4 days a week and a variety of interesting pubs and eating places.
Settlements
Ancient records of Thorlby write of a Bronze Age Settlement. The first of these is believed to be about 1300 A.D. This was situated in what is known as High Chaney field, part of the Thorlby Manor Farm property, and situated on the Gargrave side of the village. In 1978 High Chaney was ploughed and Mr Ellwood of Skipton took aerial photographs of the field, which showed that the site had a moat around it.
Among the finds which were dated at Skipton Museum, were flint and stone tools, and a barb and tang arrowhead, an iron projectile head, which is believed to be from a ballister bolt, the type used by Roman soldiers to fire from crossbows, plus two spindle whorls used for spinning wool, also pottery pieces. The first pottery pieces dated from 1300, and this was called East Pennine Britty. In 1500 the pottery was called Humber Ware, and was considered a very good quality, which points to the inhabitants of the settlement being wealthy people. Some horse shoes were also found, and pieces of metal.
No pottery found was dated later than 1700, which seems to indicate that, either the inhabitants left, or that they went through a depression.
Hamlets and Early Records
Stirton with Thorlby are two small hamlets in the Skipton North Yorkshire Parish, situated off the Skipton to Gargrave Road, approximately one and half and two miles from Skipton. The boundaries are Niffany and Clay Hall on the Skipton to Broughton Road, Sandy Beck and the old Toll House on the Skipton to Rylstone Road, Aireville Grange on the Skipton Road and Holme Bridge on the outskirts of Gargrave, thus the postal area is quite large, but the ‘centres’ are just a few houses in Stirton, and two farms and a sprinkling of cottages in Thorlby.
THE EARLIEST RECORDS of Stirton with Thorlby were made in 1086. The Doomsday Survey records state that Stirton with Thorlby possess larger and more valuable holdings than Skipton, which owned approximately 4 acres to Stirton’s 10, Skipton was then a small settlement within a major originally Saxon Estate, and even unoccupied.
Stirton with Thorlby were originally part of the Embsay Kirk Priory lands. When the monks left Embsay and settled in Bolton Abbey, the Stirton lands were exchanged with those at Skibeden, by Alice de Romille for the Bolton Abbey lands, and so from 1189 Stirton with Thorlby were demise lands of the de Romille Honor of Skipton.
In 1310 the honour was granted to Robert de Clifford and remained with the Cliffords until Lady Ann died in 1675, when it was passed to her grandson of the Tufton family. It remained in this family until 1957, when the Honor of Skipton was conveyed to Mr Thomas Fattorini with the title of ‘Lord of the Manor of Skipton, Silsden, Stirton, Thorlby and Skibeden’. Much of the land was then sold, including properties in Stirton with Thorlby, to the Catholics of Stonyhurst. By the time of the poll tax in 1379, Stirton had almost as many labourers as had Skipton, with 34 as against Skipton’s 48, in spite of the fact that with the coming of the Cliffords, Skipton had become more important. According to the records, the amount contributed by Stirton as tax payers in 1379 was 7s. 8d.
The hamlets were early Saxon and Norse settlements, the name Stirton is derived from early Saxon, meaning “Farmstead near the street”, and Thorlby is derived from old Norse “Thoralds farmstead”.
From documents dated the early 1500’s, during the reign of Henry VIII, the following curious tolls appear to have been levied in Cookrise and Skyrakes on the Old Moor Road:-
First that every bride coming over Sharphaw or Thorlby Moor, shall give either a left shoe or 3s. 4d. Robert Garth Forster, Toll Keeper has noted ‘that every woodman coming that way with horses loaded with wool shorn, shall pay for every horse foot 4d. and every drove of sheep over the said ground shall pay 3s. 4d.
The Civil War
During the Civil War the Parish Church and the Castle at Skipton suffered greatly at the hands of the Roundheads. During the siege of the Castle the Parliamentary soldiers were accused of stealing brasses from two of the Clifford tombs in the Parish Church. Years later, around 1850 some of these were recovered in a house at Thorlby, behind the wood panelling, (the actual house remains unknown). These were the figure of the Trinity, and the second of the sons on the tomb of Earl Henry. There were also three shields. The brasses not recovered were replaced with replicas by the Duke of Devonshire, who also repaired the tomb.
Records of 1513 name three men from Thorlby who fought at Flodden Fields, namely:
- William Brogden
- Robert Burgess
- Thomas Bacock
No mention has been made of their return to the village.
Spencer Family
The Spencer Family of Marks and Spencer fame, apparently lived in Stirton until the mid 18th century, when they moved to Bradley and married into the Gill and Thornton families. It was from the Stirton – Bradley Spencers that Thomas, co-founder of Marks and Spencer was born.
Skipton Soke Mill
The inhabitants of Stirton with Thorlby were among the dissatisfied tenants in 1762 who objected to being forced by the Earl of Thanet to have their corn ground at the Skipton Soke Mill, which stood in Chapel Hill. When leases were granted by the Earl, the service was included in the terms. Several freeholders erected steel mills and were either threatened or had action commenced against them. Approximately 1700 principal freeholders of the Skipton area tried to stop the custom, but the Earl won the case, and the old custom continued.
Local Legal Cases Recorded
Legal cases were not without humour. Included in the Skipton Petty Sessions in the 1800’s were the following ‘petty’ or humorous cases:
Night Poaching
Arthur Hawkins and Robert Fletcher were charged for night poaching. Two keepers saw them in a field near Highgate, in the parish of Stirton with Thorlby, setting a net across a gateway. Fletcher was discharged with caution, Hawkins received a three calendar month prison sentence.
Trespassing
17th October 1868, John Palmer was charged by John Chapman, gamekeeper, with trespassing in pursuit of game in a field, High Croft, occupied by Henry Nutter in the same parish. Palmer said he was out picking mushrooms, and accidentally trod on a young hare. He denied doing it on purpose, or that he was searching for game. Chapman said after stepping on it, he knocked it on the head with a stick and put in his pocket. He was forgiven and fined £5.
Motor Driver
Mr N Frankland, Motor Driver, Thorlby, was summoned for having identification plates obscured, P.C. Hartley stated that at 3.25 p.m. on August 21st, (year unknown) in Swadford Street, Skipton, defendant was driving a motor wagon loaded with hay, and the hay hanging over the back obscured the identification plate. When he saw the defendant going to the field he warned him about this. Mr Pearson, for defendant, said the offence was caused through the hay being rather rushed. Defendant was ordered to pay costs.
Skipton Museum
Skipton Museum has various interesting ‘objects’ relating to Stirton with Thorlby. A number of finds were at Thorlby Springs on Sharphaw, and perhaps point to an Iron Age Settlement being located there. Among the finds are the following:-
- A Middle to Late New Stone Age axehead, found in Dr Gibson’s garden, High Barn, Stirton in approximately 1975.
- A piece of jet found at Thorlby Springs, probably Bronze or Iron Age.
- A fragment from a bracelet – Cammel Coal – Bronze or Iron Age.
- Spindle Whorls of the Iron or Roman Period.
- Pottery pieces – Roman or British found on Sharphaw Crag.
- Hammer stones, prehistoric, found on Sharphaw Crag.
- Flint knife, New Stone Age to Early Bronze, found at Thorlby Springs.
- Microliths. These would be fastened into a handle for fishing spears, Middle Stone Age, found at Thorlby Springs.
There are also various Posters. One very difficult to read, is an undertaking by John Brooksbank and his family, formerly living in Stirton with Thorlby, that they would not become a Charge on The Skipton Poor Rate 1694. An interesting feature of this document, is that out of the eight people ‘signing’ the document on behalf of the town, only two appear to have been able to write, the others made a mark.
- One poster advertised Property for Sale in Stirton in 1835, another in 1845.
- A poster for an Auction of Land and buildings at Niffany in 1845 is also included.
- The Truncheon and handcuffs used by the last Constable of Stirton with Thorlby are also held in the Museum.
Recent Finds in Stirton include a CANNON BALL which Richard Pratt discovered at the road side at White House Farm, when he ceased farming in 1991, and Tony Proctor found an old BEER BOTTLE when digging at the side of his garden for a lay-by in 1993, this is intact and appears to have been there since the cottages were built around 1890.
Documents
At the June meeting a memorandum was added after the accounts were perused, settled and allowed, which read:-
Memorandum at the meeting this date held, it was ordered that the succeeding overseer to pay to Grace Hartley of Skipton, 10s. 6d. as a present from this township, for the care and attention bestowed to her, on Ann Myers, a pauper belonging to this town boarded with her.
Similar entries included:-
- Clogs from 7d. upwards
- New frock 2s. 6d.
- Children’s shirts, shifts and stockings 2s. 6d.
- Hospital cleaning 10s. 0d.
- Paid George Burton for making suit 18s. 6d.
- Middlebrooks sons shoes soling 4s. 2d.
- Paid Mr Buck for blanket 12s. 0d.
- S. Bell, bed gown 5s. 2d.
- Ellis Cook 12 months’ pay @ 1s 6d per week £3.18s. 0d.
- J Robinson’s suit 18s. 6d.
- Paid for clogs and irons for Assimers family 11s.9d.
- Thomas Chew rent £1. 6s. 0d.
- Thomas Lee rent £1. 4s. 0d.
The poor were paid amounts varying from 9d. to 5s. 0d. per week. MEMORANDUMS were regularly added at the end of an account, here is an example:
MEMORANDUM, that it appears on a settlement of account transcribed within book at page 33 that the late Mr John Harrison deceased was indebted to the town with the sum of £6. 5s. 5d. against which the following demands are set up, say 15s. 4d. paid relieving Ellen Cook, the sum of £1. 10s. 0d. for money paid on account of Wm. Mason’s bastard child for which Mr Harrison had not credit in said account, and £1. 15s. 8d. due from Mr Sam Hall of Stirton, given credit for by Mr Harrison in receipt of assessments generally, but which sum Mr Hall never paid.
Which said respective sums of 15s. 4d. and £1 10s. 0d. and £1. 15s. 8d. make the sum of £4. Is 0d. which being deducted from said £6. 5s. 5d. leave a balance in favour of the town of £2. 4s. 5d. which it is hereby agreed shall be accepted of Mr Thomas Harrison as and for a full settlement of the said sum of £6. 5s. 5d. If it should hereafter turn out that the late Mr John Harrison has received or that his representatives should hereafter receive Mr Hall the said sum of £1. 15s. 8d. or any part thereof, Mr Thomas Harrison undertakes to be accountable to the town for the same.
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