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diff --git a/9973-h/9973-h.htm b/9973-h/9973-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1d3255d --- /dev/null +++ b/9973-h/9973-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,7452 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> + <head> + <title> + Yorkshire, Painted and Described, by Gordon Home. + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd7; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 2em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 20%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 25%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + pre { font-family: Times; font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> + <h1> + <a href="#linkstart">YORKSHIRE</a> + </h1> + <h2> + by<br /> Gordon Home + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +Project Gutenberg's Yorkshire Painted And Described, by Gordon Home + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Yorkshire Painted And Described + +Author: Gordon Home + +Release Date: August 13, 2004 [EBook #9973] +Last Updated: October 22, 2012 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YORKSHIRE PAINTED AND DESCRIBED *** + + + + +Produced by Ted Garvin, Michael Lockey and PG Distributed +Proofreaders. Illustrated HTML file produced by David Widger + + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linkstart" id="linkstart"></a> <br /><br /> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="title2 (260K)" src="images/title2.jpg" width="100%" /> + </div> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + YORKSHIRE + </h1> + <h2> + PAINTED AND DESCRIBED + </h2> + <h3> + BY + </h3> + <h2> + GORDON HOME + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-1" id="linkimage-1"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/01.jpg" width="100%" + alt="York from the Central Tower of The Minster " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="title (74K)" src="images/title.jpg" width="100%" /> + </div> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH2"> CHAPTER I </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH3"> CHAPTER II </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH4"> CHAPTER III </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH5"> CHAPTER IV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH6"> CHAPTER V </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH7"> CHAPTER VI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH8"> CHAPTER VII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH9"> CHAPTER VIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH10"> CHAPTER IX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH11"> CHAPTER X </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH12"> CHAPTER XI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH13"> CHAPTER XII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH14"> CHAPTER XIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH15"> CHAPTER XIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH16"> CHAPTER XV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH17"> CHAPTER XVI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH18"> CHAPTER XVII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH19"> CHAPTER XVIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH20"> CHAPTER XIX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH21"> CHAPTER XX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH22"> CHAPTER XXI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH23"> CHAPTER XXII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH24"> CHAPTER XXIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH25"> CHAPTER XXIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH26"> CHAPTER XXV </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>ILLUSTRATIONS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-1"> York from the Central Tower of The Minster </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-3"> Sleights Moor from Swart Houe Cross </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-5"> Runswick Bay </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-6"> Robin Hood's Bay </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-7"> Sunrise from Staithes Beck </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-8"> The Red Roofs of Whitby </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-9"> Whitby Abbey from the Cliffs </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-10"> An Autumn Day at Guisborough </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-11"> The Skelton Valley </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-12"> In Pickering Church </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-13"> The Market-place, Helmsley </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-14"> Richmond Castle from the River </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-15"> A Rugged View Above Wensleydale </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-16"> A Jacobean House at Askrigg </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-17"> Aysgarth Force </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-18"> View up Wensleydale from Leyburn Shawl </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-19"> Ripon Minster from the South </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-20"> Fountains Abbey </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-21"> Knaresborough </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-22"> Bolton Abbey, Wharfedale </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-23"> Settle </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-24"> Wolds </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-25"> Filey Brig </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-26"> The Outermost Point of Flamborough Head </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-27"> Hornsea Mere </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-28"> The Market-place, Beverley </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-29"> Patrington Church </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-30"> Coxwold Village </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-31"> The West Front of the Church Of Byland Abbey + </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-32"> Bootham Bar, York </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#linkimage-33"> Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds </a> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + YORKSHIRE + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH2" id="link2HCH2"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> <a href="images/34.jpg">ENLARGE TO FULL SIZE</a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img alt="34th (79K)" src="images/34th.jpg" width="100%" /> + </div> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <p> + ACROSS THE MOORS FROM PICKERING TO WHITBY + </p> + <p> + The ancient stone-built town of Pickering is to a great extent the gateway + to the moors of North-eastern Yorkshire, for it stands at the foot of that + formerly inaccessible gorge known as Newton Dale, and is the meeting-place + of the four great roads running north, south, east, and west, as well as + of railways going in the same directions. And this view of the little town + is by no means original, for the strategic importance of the position was + recognised at least as long ago as the days of the early Edwards, when the + castle was built to command the approach to Newton Dale and to be a menace + to the whole of the Vale of Pickering. + </p> + <p> + The old-time traveller from York to Whitby saw practically nothing of + Newton Dale, for the great coach-road bore him towards the east, and then, + on climbing the steep hill up to Lockton Low Moor, he went almost due + north as far as Sleights. But to-day everyone passes right through the + gloomy cańon, for the railway now follows the windings of Pickering Beck, + and nursemaids and children on their way to the seaside may gaze at the + frowning cliffs which seventy years ago were only known to travellers and + a few shepherds. But although this great change has been brought about by + railway enterprise, the gorge is still uninhabited, and has lost little of + its grandeur; for when the puny train, with its accompanying white cloud, + has disappeared round one of the great bluffs, there is nothing left but + the two pairs of shining rails, laid for long distances almost on the + floor of the ravine. But though there are steep gradients to be climbed, + and the engine labours heavily, there is scarcely sufficient time to get + any idea of the astonishing scenery from the windows of the train, and you + can see nothing of the huge expanses of moorland stretching away from the + precipices on either side. So that we, who would learn something of this + region, must make the journey on foot; for a bicycle would be an + encumbrance when crossing the heather, and there are many places where a + horse would be a source of danger. The sides of the valley are closely + wooded for the first seven or eight miles north of Pickering, but the + surrounding country gradually loses its cultivation, at first gorse and + bracken, and then heather, taking the place of the green pastures. + </p> + <p> + At the village of Newton, perched on high ground far above the dale, we + come to the limit of civilization. The sun is nearly setting. The cottages + are scattered along the wide roadway and the strip of grass, broken by two + large ponds, which just now reflect the pale evening sky. Straight in + front, across the green, some ancient barns are thrown up against the + golden sunset, and the long perspective of white road, the geese, and some + whitewashed gables, stand out from the deepening tones of the grass and + trees. A footpath by the inn leads through some dewy meadows to the woods, + above Levisham Station in the valley below. At first there are glimpses of + the lofty moors on the opposite side of the dale where the sides of the + bluffs are still glowing in the sunset light; but soon the pathway plunges + steeply into a close wood, where the foxes are barking, and where the + intense darkness is only emphasized by the momentary illumination given by + lightning, which now and then flickers in the direction of Lockton Moor. + At last the friendly little oil-lamps on the platform at Levisham Station + appear just below, and soon the railway is crossed and we are mounting the + steep road on the opposite side of the valley. What is left of the waning + light shows the rough track over the heather to High Horcum. The huge + shoulders of the moors are now majestically indistinct, and towards the + west the browns, purples, and greens are all merged in one unfathomable + blackness. The tremendous silence and the desolation become almost + oppressive, but overhead the familiar arrangement of the constellations + gives a sense of companionship not to be slighted. In something less than + an hour a light glows in the distance, and, although the darkness is now + complete, there is no further need to trouble ourselves with the thought + of spending the night on the heather. The point of light develops into a + lighted window, and we are soon stamping our feet on the hard, smooth road + in front of the Saltersgate Inn. The door opens straight into a large + stone-flagged room. Everything is redolent of coaching days, for the + cheery glow of the fire shows a spotlessly clean floor, old high-backed + settles, a gun hooked to one of the beams overhead, quaint chairs, and oak + stools, and a fox's mask and brush. A gamekeeper is warming himself at the + fire, for the evening is chilly, and the firelight falls on his box-cloth + gaiters and heavy boots as we begin to talk of the loneliness and the + dangers of the moors, and of the snow-storms in winter, that almost bury + the low cottages and blot out all but the boldest landmarks. Soon we are + discussing the superstitions which still survive among the simple + country-folk, and the dark and lonely wilds we have just left make this a + subject of great fascination. + </p> + <p> + Although we have heard it before, we hear over again with intense interest + the story of the witch who brought constant ill-luck to a family in these + parts. Their pigs were never free from some form of illness, their cows + died, their horses lamed themselves, and even the milk was so far under + the spell that on churning-days the butter refused to come unless helped + by a crooked sixpence. One day, when as usual they had been churning in + vain, instead of resorting to the sixpence, the farmer secreted himself in + an outbuilding, and, gun in hand, watched the garden from a small opening. + As it was growing dusk he saw a hare coming cautiously through the hedge. + He fired instantly, the hare rolled over, dead, and almost as quickly the + butter came. That same night they heard that the old woman, whom they had + long suspected of bewitching them, had suddenly died at the same time as + the hare, and henceforward the farmer and his family prospered. + </p> + <p> + In the light of morning the isolation of the inn is more apparent than at + night. A compact group of stable buildings and barns stands on the + opposite side of the road, and there are two or three lonely-looking + cottages, but everywhere else the world is purple and brown with ling and + heather. The morning sun has just climbed high enough to send a flood of + light down the steep hill at the back of the barns, and we can hear the + hum of the bees in the heather. In the direction of Levisham is Gallows + Dyke, the great purple bluff we passed in the darkness, and a few yards + off the road makes a sharp double bend to get up Saltersgate Brow, the + hill that overlooks the enormous circular bowl of Horcum Hole, where + Levisham Beck rises. The farmer whose buildings can be seen down below + contrives to paint the bottom of the bowl a bright green, but the ling + comes hungrily down on all sides, with evident longings to absorb the + scanty cultivation. The Dwarf Cornel a little mountain-plant which flowers + in July, is found in this 'hole.' A few patches have been discovered in + the locality, but elsewhere it is not known south of the Cheviots. + </p> + <p> + Away to the north the road crosses the desolate country like a pale-green + ribbon. It passes over Lockton High Moor, climbs to 700 feet at Tom Cross + Rigg and then disappears into the valley of Eller Beck, on Goathland Moor, + coming into view again as it climbs steadily up to Sleights Moor, nearly + 1,000 feet above the sea. An enormous stretch of moorland spreads itself + out towards the west. Near at hand is the precipitous gorge of Upper + Newton Dale, backed by Pickering Moor, and beyond are the heights of + Northdale Rigg and Rosedale Common, with the blue outlines of Ralph Cross + and Danby Head right on the horizon. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-3" id="linkimage-3"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/03.jpg" width="100%" + alt="Sleights Moor from Swart Houe Cross " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The smooth, well-built road, with short grass filling the crevices between + the stones, urges us to follow its straight course northwards; but the + sternest and most remarkable portion of Upper Newton Dale lies to the + left, across the deep heather, and we are tempted aside to reach the lip + of the sinuous gorge nearly a mile away to the west, where the railway + runs along the marshy and boulder-strewn bottom of a natural cutting 500 + feet deep. The cliffs drop down quite perpendicularly for 200 feet, and + the remaining distance to the bed of the stream is a rough slope, quite + bare in places, and in others densely grown over with trees; but on every + side the fortress-like scarps are as stern and bare as any that face the + ocean. Looking north or south the gorge seems completely shut in. There is + much the same effect when steaming through the Kyles of Bute, for there + the ship seems to be going full speed for the shore of an entirely + enclosed sea, and here, saving for the tell-tale railway, there seems no + way out of the abyss without scaling the perpendicular walls. The rocks + are at their finest at Killingnoble Scar, where they take the form of a + semicircle on the west side of the railway. The scar was for a very long + period famous for the breed of hawks, which were specially watched by the + Goathland men for the use of James I., and the hawks were not displaced + from their eyrie even by the incursion of the railway into the glen, and + only recently became extinct. + </p> + <p> + We can cross the line near Eller Beck, and, going over Goathland Moor, + explore the wooded sides of Wheeldale Beck and its water-falls. Mallyan's + Spout is the most imposing, having a drop of about 76 feet. The village of + Goathland has thrown out skirmishers towards the heather in the form of an + ancient-looking but quite modern church, with a low central tower, and a + little hotel, stone-built and fitting well into its surroundings. The rest + of the village is scattered round a large triangular green, and extends + down to the railway, where there is a station named after the village. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH3" id="link2HCH3"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <p> + ALONG THE ESK VALLEY + </p> + <p> + To see the valley of the Esk in its richest garb, one must wait for a + spell of fine autumn weather, when a prolonged ramble can be made along + the riverside and up on the moorland heights above. For the dense + woodlands, which are often merely pretty in midsummer, become + astonishingly lovely as the foliage draping the steep hill-sides takes on + its gorgeous colours, and the gills and becks on the moors send down a + plentiful supply of water to fill the dales with the music of rushing + streams. + </p> + <p> + Climbing up the road towards Larpool, we take a last look at quaint old + Whitby, spread out before us almost like those wonderful old prints of + English towns they loved to publish in the eighteenth century. But + although every feature is plainly visible—the church, the abbey, the + two piers, the harbour, the old town and the new—the detail is all + lost in that soft mellowness of a sunny autumn day. We find an + enthusiastic photographer expending plates on this familiar view, which is + sold all over the town; but we do not dare to suggest that the prints, + however successful, will be painfully hackneyed, and we go on rejoicing + that the questions of stops and exposures need not trouble us, for the + world is ablaze with colour. + </p> + <p> + Beyond the great red viaduct, whose central piers are washed by the river + far below, the road plunges into the golden shade of the woods near Cock + Mill, and then comes out by the river's bank down below, with the little + village of Ruswarp on the opposite shore. The railway goes over the Esk + just below the dam, and does is very best to spoil every view of the great + mill built in 1752 by Mr. Nathaniel Cholmley. + </p> + <p> + The road follows close beside the winding river and all the way to + Sleights there are lovely glimpses of the shimmering waters, reflecting + the overhanging masses of foliage. The golden yellow of a bush growing at + the water's edge will be backed by masses of brown woods that here and + there have retained suggestions of green, contrasted with the deep purple + tones of their shadowy recesses. These lovely phases of Eskdale scenery + are denied to the summer visitor, but there are few who would wish to have + the riverside solitudes rudely broken into by the passing of boatloads of + holiday-makers. Just before reaching Sleights Bridge we leave the + tree-embowered road, and, going through a gate, find a stone-flagged + pathway that climbs up the side of the valley with great deliberation, so + that we are soon at a great height, with a magnificent sweep of landscape + towards the south-west, and the keen air blowing freshly from the great + table-land of Egton High Moor. + </p> + <p> + A little higher, and we are on the road in Aislaby village. The steep + climb from the river and railway has kept off those modern influences + which have made Sleights and Grosmont architecturally depressing, and thus + we find a simple village on the edge of the heather, with picturesque + stone cottages and pretty gardens, free from companionship with the + painfully ugly modern stone house, with its thin slate roof. The big house + of the village stands on the very edge of the descent, surrounded by high + trees now swept bare of leaves. + </p> + <p> + The first time I visited Aislaby I reached the little hamlet when it was + nearly dark. Sufficient light, however, remained in the west to show up + the large house standing in the midst of the swaying branches. One dim + light appeared in the blue-grey mass, and the dead leaves were blown + fiercely by the strong gusts of wind. On the other side of the road stood + an old grey house, whose appearance that gloomy evening well supported the + statement that it was haunted. + </p> + <p> + I left the village in the gathering gloom and was soon out on the heather. + Away on the left, but scarcely discernible, was Swart Houe Cross, on Egton + Low Moor, and straight in front lay the Skelder Inn. A light gleamed from + one of the lower windows, and by it I guided my steps, being determined to + partake of tea before turning my steps homeward. I stepped into the little + parlour, with its sanded floor, and demanded 'fat rascals' and tea. The + girl was not surprised at my request, for the hot turf cakes supplied at + the inn are known to all the neighbourhood by this unusual name. + </p> + <p> + The course of the river itself is hidden by the shoulders of Egton Low + Moor beneath us, but faint sounds of the shunting of trucks are carried up + to the heights. Even when the deep valleys are warmest, and when their + atmosphere is most suggestive of a hot-house, these moorland heights + rejoice in a keen, dry air, which seems to drive away the slightest sense + of fatigue, so easily felt on the lower levels, and to give in its place a + vigour that laughs at distance. Up here, too, the whole world seems left + to Nature, the levels of cultivation being almost out of sight, and + anything under 800 feet seems low. Towards the end of August the heights + are capped with purple, although the distant moors, however brilliant they + may appear when close at hand, generally assume more delicate shades, + fading into greys and blues on the horizon. + </p> + <p> + Grosmont was the birthplace of the Cleveland Ironworks, and was at one + time more famous than Middlesbrough. The first cargo of ironstone was sent + from here in 1836, when the Pickering and Whitby Railway was opened. + </p> + <p> + We will go up the steep road to the top of Sleights Moor. It is a long + stiff climb of nearly 900 feet, but the view is one of the very finest in + this country, where wide expanses soon become commonplace. We are + sufficiently high to look right across Fylingdales Moor to the sea beyond, + a soft haze of pearly blue over the hard, rugged outline of the ling. Away + towards the north, too, the landscape for many miles is limited only by + the same horizon of sea, so that we seem to be looking at a section of a + very large-scale contour map of England. Below us on the western side runs + the Mirk Esk, draining the heights upon which we stand as well as Egton + High Moor and Wheeldale Moor. The confluence with the Esk at Grosmont is + lost in a haze of smoke and a confusion of roofs and railway lines; and + the course of the larger river in the direction of Glaisdale is also + hidden behind the steep slopes of Egton High Moor. Towards the south we + gaze over a vast desolation, crossed by the coach-road to York as it rises + and falls over the swells of the heather. The queer isolated cone of + Blakey Topping and the summit of Gallows Dyke, close to Saltersgate, + appear above the distant ridges. + </p> + <p> + The route of the great Roman road from the south to Whitby can also be + seen from these heights. It passes straight through Cawthorn Camp, on the + ridge to the west of the village of Newton, and then runs along within a + few yards of the by-road from Pickering to Egton. It crosses Wheeldale + Beck, and skirts the ancient dyke round July or Julian Park, at one time a + hunting-seat of the great De Mauley family. The road is about 12 feet + wide, and is now deep in heather; but it is slightly raised above the + general level of the ground, and can therefore be followed fairly easily + where it has not been taken up to build walls for enclosures. + </p> + <p> + If we go down into the valley beneath us by a road bearing south-west, we + shall find ourselves at Beck Hole, where there is a pretty group of stone + cottages, backed by some tall firs. The Eller Beck is crossed by a stone + bridge close to its confluence with the Mirk Esk. Above the bridge, a + footpath among the huge boulders winds its way by the side of the rushing + beck to Thomasin Foss, where the little river falls in two or three broad + silver bands into a considerable pool. Great masses of overhanging rock, + shaded by a leafy roof, shut in the brimming waters. + </p> + <p> + It is not difficult to find the way from Beck Hole to the Roman camp on + the hill-side towards Egton Bridge. The Roman road from Cawthorn goes + right through it, but beyond this it is not easy to trace, although + fragments have been discovered as far as Aislaby, all pointing to Whitby + or Sandsend Bay. Round the shoulder of the hill we come down again to the + deeply-wooded valley of the Esk. And in time we reach Glaisdale End, where + a graceful stone bridge of a single arch stands over the rushing stream. + The initials of the builder and the date appear on the eastern side of + what is now known as the Beggar's Bridge. It was formerly called Firris + Bridge, after the builder, but the popular interest in the story of its + origin seems to have killed the old name. If you ask anyone in Whitby to + mention some of the sights of the neighbourhood, he will probably head his + list with the Beggar's Bridge, but why this is so I cannot imagine. The + woods are very beautiful, but this is a country full of the loveliest + dales, and the presence of this single-arched bridge does not seem + sufficient to have attracted so much popularity. I can only attribute it + to the love interest associated with the beggar. He was, we may imagine, + the Alderman Thomas Firris who, as a penniless youth, came to bid farewell + to his betrothed, who lived somewhere on the opposite side of the river. + Finding the stream impassable, he is said to have determined that if he + came back from his travels as a rich man he would put up a bridge on the + spot he had been prevented from crossing. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH4" id="link2HCH4"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <p> + THE COAST FROM WHITBY TO REDCAR + </p> + <p> + Along the three miles of sand running northwards from Whitby at the foot + of low alluvial cliffs, I have seen some of the finest sea-pictures on + this part of the coast. But although I have seen beautiful effects at all + times of the day, those that I remember more than any others are the early + mornings, when the sun was still low in the heavens, when, standing on + that fine stretch of yellow sand, one seemed to breathe an atmosphere so + pure, and to gaze at a sky so transparent, that some of those undefined + longings for surroundings that have never been realized were instinctively + uppermost in the mind. It is, I imagine, that vague recognition of + perfection which has its effect on even superficial minds when impressed + with beautiful scenery, for to what other cause can be attributed the + remark one hears, that such scenes 'make one feel good'? + </p> + <p> + Heavy waves, overlapping one another in their fruitless bombardment of the + smooth shelving sand, are filling the air with a ceaseless thunder. The + sun, shining from a sky of burnished gold, throws into silhouette the twin + lighthouses at the entrance to Whitby Harbour, and turns the foaming + wave-tops into a dazzling white, accentuated by the long shadows of early + day. Away to the north-west is Sandsend Ness, a bold headland full of + purple and blue shadows, and straight out to sea, across the white-capped + waves, are two tramp steamers, making, no doubt, for South Shields or some + port where a cargo of coal can be picked up. They are plunging heavily, + and every moment their bows seem to go down too far to recover. + </p> + <p> + The two little becks finding their outlet at East Row and Sandsend are + lovely to-day; but their beauty must have been much more apparent before + the North-Eastern Railway put their black lattice girder bridges across + the mouth of each valley. But now that familiarity with these bridges, + which are of the same pattern across every wooded ravine up the coast-line + to Redcar, has blunted my impressions, I can think of the picturesqueness + of East Row without remembering the railway. It was in this glen, where + Lord Normanby's lovely woods make a background for the pretty tiled + cottages, the mill, and the old stone bridge, which make up East Row,<a + href="#linknote-1"><small><sup>1</sup></small></a> that the Saxons chose a + home for their god Thor. Here they built some rude form of temple, + afterwards, it seems, converted into a hermitage. This was how the spot + obtained the name Thordisa, a name it retained down to 1620, when the + requirements of workmen from the newly-started alum-works at Sandsend led + to building operations by the side of the stream. The cottages which arose + became known afterwards as East Row. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1" id="linknote-1"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + <sup>1</sup> [ Since this was written one or two new houses have been + allowed to mar the simplicity of the valley.—G.H.] + </p> + <p> + Go where you will in Yorkshire, you will find no more fascinating woodland + scenery than that of the gorges of Mulgrave. From the broken walls and + towers of the old Norman castle the views over the ravines on either hand—for + the castle stands on a lofty promontory in a sea of foliage—are + entrancing; and after seeing the astoundingly brilliant colours with which + autumn paints these trees, there is a tendency to find the ordinary + woodland commonplace. The narrowest and deepest gorge is hundreds of feet + deep in the shale. East Row Beck drops into this canon in the form of a + water-fall at the upper end, and then almost disappears among the enormous + rocks strewn along its circumscribed course. The humid, hot-house + atmosphere down here encourages the growth of many of the rarer mosses, + which entirely cover all but the newly-fallen rocks. + </p> + <p> + We can leave the woods by a path leading near Lord Normanby's modern + castle, and come out on to the road close to Lythe Church, where a great + view of sea and land is spread out towards the south. The long curving + line of white marks the limits of the tide as far as the entrance to + Whitby Harbour. The abbey stands out in its loneliness as of yore, and + beyond it are the black-looking, precipitous cliffs ending at Saltwick + Nab. Lythe Church, standing in its wind-swept graveyard full of blackened + tombstones, need not keep us, for, although its much-modernized exterior + is simple and ancient-looking, the interior is devoid of any interest. + </p> + <p> + The walk along the rocky shore to Kettleness is dangerous unless the tide + is carefully watched, and the road inland through Lythe village is not + particularly interesting, so that one is tempted to use the railway, which + cuts right through the intervening high ground by means of two tunnels. + The first one is a mile long, and somewhere near the centre has a passage + out to the cliffs, so that even if both ends of the tunnel collapsed there + would be a way of escape. But this is small comfort when travelling from + Kettleness, for the down gradient towards Sandsend is very steep, and in + the darkness of the tunnel the train gets up a tremendous speed, bursting + into the open just where a precipitous drop into the sea could be most + easily accomplished. + </p> + <p> + The station at Kettleness is on the top of the huge cliffs, and to reach + the shore one must climb down a zigzag path. It is a broad and solid + pathway until half-way down, where it assumes the character of a + goat-track, being a mere treading down of the loose shale of which the + enormous cliff is formed. The sliding down of the crumbling rock + constantly carries away the path, but a little spade-work soon makes the + track firm again. This portion of the cliff has something of a history, + for one night in 1829 the inhabitants of many of the cottages originally + forming the village of Kettleness were warned of impending danger by + subterranean noises. Fearing a subsidence of the cliff, they betook + themselves to a small schooner lying in the bay. This wise move had not + long been accomplished, when a huge section of the ground occupied by the + cottages slid down the great cliff and the next morning there was little + to be seen but a sloping mound of lias shale at the foot of the precipice. + The villagers recovered some of their property by digging, and some pieces + of broken crockery from one of the cottages are still to be seen on the + shore near the ferryman's hut, where the path joins the shore. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-5" id="linkimage-5"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/05.jpg" width="100%" alt="Runswick Bay " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + This sandy beach, lapped by the blue waves of Runswick Bay, is one of the + finest and most spectacular spots to be found on the rocky coast-line of + Yorkshire. You look northwards across the sunlit sea to the rocky heights + hiding Port Mulgrave and Staithes, and on the further side of the bay you + see tiny Runswick's red roofs, one above the other, on the face of the + cliff. Here it is always cool and pleasant in the hottest weather, and + from the broad shadows cast by the precipices above one can revel in the + sunny land- and sea-scapes without that fishy odour so unavoidable in the + villages. When the sun is beginning to climb down the sky in the direction + of Hinderwell, and everything is bathed in a glorious golden light, the + ferryman will row you across the bay to Runswick, but a scramble over the + rocks on the beach will be repaid by a closer view of the now + half-filled-up Hob Hole. The fisherfolk believed this cave to be the home + of a kindly-disposed fairy or hob, who seems to have been one of the + slow-dying inhabitants of the world of mythology implicitly believed in by + the Saxons. And these beliefs died so hard in these lonely Yorkshire + villages that until recent times a mother would carry her child suffering + from whooping-cough along the beach to the mouth of the cave. There she + would call in a loud voice, 'Hob-hole Hob! my bairn's getten t'kink cough. + Tak't off, tak't off.' + </p> + <p> + The same form of disaster which destroyed Kettleness village caused the + complete ruin of Runswick in 1666, for one night, when some of the + fisherfolk were holding a wake over a corpse, they had unmistakable + warnings of an approaching landslip. The alarm was given, and the + villagers, hurriedly leaving their cottages, saw the whole place slide + downwards, and become a mass of ruins. No lives were lost, but, as only + one house remained standing, the poor fishermen were only saved from + destitution by the sums of money collected for their relief. + </p> + <p> + Scarcely two miles from Hinderwell is the fishing-hamlet of Staithes, + wedged into the side of a deep and exceedingly picturesque beck. + </p> + <p> + The steep road leading past the station drops down into the village, + giving a glimpse of the beck crossed by its ramshackle wooden foot-bridge—the + view one has been prepared for by guide-books and picture postcards. Lower + down you enter the village street. Here the smell of fish comes out to + greet you, and one would forgive the place this overflowing welcome if one + were not so shocked at the dismal aspect of the houses on either side of + the way. Many are of comparatively recent origin, others are quite new, + and a few—a very few—are old; but none have any architectural + pretensions or any claims to picturesqueness, and only a few have the neat + and respectable look one is accustomed to expect after seeing Robin Hood's + Bay. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-6" id="linkimage-6"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/06.jpg" width="100%" alt="Robin Hood's Bay " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + I hurried down on to the little fish-wharf—a wooden structure facing + the sea—hoping to find something more cheering in the view of the + little bay, with its bold cliffs, and the busy scene where the cobbles + were drawn up on the shingle. Here my spirits revived, and I began to find + excuses for the painters. The little wharf, in a bad state of repair, like + most things in the place, was occupied by groups of stalwart fisherfolk, + men and women. + </p> + <p> + The men were for the most part watching their womenfolk at work. They were + also to an astonishing extent mere spectators in the arduous work of + hauling the cobbles one by one on to the steep bank of shingle. A tackle + hooked to one of the baulks of timber forming the staith was being hauled + at by five women and two men! Two others were in a listless fashion + leaning their shoulders against the boat itself. With the last 'Heave-ho!' + at the shortened tackle the women laid hold of the nets, and with casual + male assistance laid them out on the shingle, removed any fragments of + fish, and generally prepared them for stowing in the boat again. + </p> + <p> + A change has come over the inhabitants of Staithes since 1846, when Mr. + Ord describes the fishermen as 'exceedingly civil and courteous to + strangers, and altogether free from that low, grasping knavery peculiar to + the larger class of fishing-towns.' Without wishing to be unreasonably + hard on Staithes, I am inclined to believe that this character is + infinitely better than these folk deserve, and even when Mr. Ord wrote of + the place I have reason to doubt the civility shown by them to strangers. + It is, according to some who have known Staithes for a long long while, + less than fifty years ago that the fisherfolk were hostile to a stranger + on very small provocation, and only the entirely inoffensive could expect + to sojourn in the village without being a target for stones. + </p> + <p> + No doubt many of the superstitions of Staithes people have languished or + died out in recent years, and among these may be included a particularly + primitive custom when the catches of fish had been unusually small. Bad + luck of this sort could only be the work of some evil influence, and to + break the spell a sheep's heart had to be procured, into which many pins + were stuck. The heart was then burnt in a bonfire on the beach, in the + presence of the fishermen, who danced round the flames. + </p> + <p> + In happy contrast to these heathenish practices was the resolution entered + into and signed by the fishermen of Staithes, in August, 1835, binding + themselves 'on no account whatever' to follow their calling on Sundays, + 'nor to go out without boats or cobbles to sea, either on the Saturday or + Sunday evenings.' They also agreed to forfeit ten shillings for every + offence against the resolution, and the fund accumulated in this way, and + by other means, was administered for the benefit of aged couples and + widows and orphans. + </p> + <p> + The men of Staithes are known up and down the east coast of Great Britain + as some of the very finest types of fishermen. Their cobbles, which vary + in size and colour, are uniform in design and the brilliance of their + paint. Brick red, emerald green, pungent blue and white, are the most + favoured colours, but orange, pink, yellow, and many others, are to be + seen. + </p> + <p> + Looking northwards there is a grand piece of coast scenery. The masses of + Boulby Cliffs, rising 660 feet from the sea, are the highest on the + Yorkshire coast. The waves break all round the rocky scaur, and fill the + air with their thunder, while the strong wind blows the spray into beards + which stream backwards from the incoming crests. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-7" id="linkimage-7"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/07.jpg" width="100%" alt="Sunrise from Staithes Beck " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The upper course of Staithes Beck consists of two streams, flowing through + deep, richly-wooded ravines. They follow parallel courses very close to + one another for three or four miles, but their sources extend from + Lealholm Moor to Wapley Moor. Kilton Beck runs through another lovely + valley densely clothed in trees, and full of the richest woodland scenery. + It becomes more open in the neighbourhood of Loftus, and from thence to + the sea at Skinningrove the valley is green and open to the heavens. + Loftus is on the borders of the Cleveland mining district, and it is for + this reason that the town has grown to a considerable size. But although + the miners' new cottages are unpicturesque, and the church only dates from + 1811, the situation is pretty, owing to the profusion of trees among the + houses, has railway-sidings and branch-lines running down to it, and on + the hill above the cottages stands a cluster of blast-furnaces. In + daylight they are merely ugly, but at night, with tongues of flame, they + speak of the potency of labour. I can still see that strange silhouette of + steel cylinders and connecting girders against a blue-black sky, with + silent masses of flame leaping into the heavens. + </p> + <p> + It was long before iron-ore was smelted here, before even the old + alum-works had been started, that Skinningrove attained to some sort of + fame through a wonderful visit, as strange as any of those recounted by + Mr. Wells. It was in the year 1535—for the event is most carefully + recorded in a manuscript of the period—that some fishermen of + Skinningrove caught a Sea Man. This was such an astounding fact to record + that the writer of the old manuscript explains that 'old men that would be + loath to have their credyt crackt by a tale of a stale date, report + confidently that ... a <i>sea-man</i> was taken by the fishers.' They took + him up to an old disused house, and kept him there for many weeks, feeding + him on raw fish, because he persistently refused the other sorts of food + offered him. To the people who flocked from far and near to visit him he + was very courteous, and he seems to have been particularly pleased with + any 'fayre maydes' who visited him, for he would gaze at them with a very + earnest countenance, 'as if his phlegmaticke breaste had been touched with + a sparke of love.' + </p> + <p> + The lofty coast-line we have followed all the way from Sandsend terminates + abruptly at Huntcliff Nab, the great promontory which is familiar to + visitors to Saltburn. Low alluvial cliffs take the place of the rocky + precipices, and the coast becomes flatter and flatter as you approach + Redcar and the marshy country at the mouth of the Tees. The original + Saltburn, consisting of a row of quaint fishermen's cottages, still stands + entirely alone, facing the sea on the Huntcliff side of the beck, and from + the wide, smooth sands there is little of modern Saltburn to be seen + besides the pier. For the rectangular streets and blocks of houses have + been wisely placed some distance from the edge of the grassy cliffs, + leaving the sea-front quite unspoiled. + </p> + <p> + The elaborately-laid-out gardens on the steep banks of Skelton Beck are + the pride and joy of Saltburn, for they offer a pleasant contrast to the + bare slopes on the Huntcliff side and the flat country towards + Kirkleatham. But in this seemingly harmless retreat there used to be heard + horrible groanings, and I have no evidence to satisfy me that they have + altogether ceased. For in this matter-of-fact age such a story would not + be listened to, and thus those who hear the sounds may be afraid to speak + of them. The groanings were heard, they say, 'when all wyndes are whiste + and the rea restes unmoved as a standing poole.' At times they were so + loud as to be heard at least six miles inland, and the fishermen feared to + put out to sea, believing that the ocean was 'as a greedy Beaste raginge + for Hunger, desyers to be satisfyed with men's carcases.' + </p> + <p> + In 1842 Redcar was a mere village, though more apparent on the map than + Saltburn; but, like its neighbour, it has grown into a great + watering-place, having developed two piers, a long esplanade, and other + features, which I am glad to leave to those for whom they were made, and + betake myself to the more romantic spots so plentiful in this broad + county. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH5" id="link2HCH5"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <p> + THE COAST FROM WHITBY TO SCARBOROUGH <a name="linkimage-8" id="linkimage-8"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/08.jpg" width="100%" alt="The Red Roofs of Whitby " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Although it is only six miles as the crow flies from Whitby to Robin + Hood's Bay, the exertion required to walk there along the top of the + cliffs is equal to quite double that distance, for there are so many + gullies to be climbed into and crawled out of that the measured distance + is considerably increased. It is well to remember this, for otherwise the + scenery of the last mile or two may not seem as fine as the first stages. + </p> + <p> + As soon as the abbey and the jet-sellers are left behind, you pass a farm, + and come out on a great expanse of close-growing smooth turf, where the + whole world seems to be made up of grass and sky. The footpath goes close + to the edge of the cliff; in some places it has gone too close, and has + disappeared altogether. But these diversions can be avoided without + spoiling the magnificent glimpses of the rock-strewn beach nearly 200 feet + below. From above Saltwick Bay there is a grand view across the level + grass to Whitby Abbey, standing out alone on the green horizon. Down + below, Nab runs out a bare black arm into the sea, which even in the + calmest weather angrily foams along the windward side. Beyond the sturdy + lighthouse that shows itself a dazzling white against the hot blue of the + heavens commence the innumerable gullies. Each one has its trickling + stream, and bushes and low trees grow to the limits of the shelter + afforded by the ravines; but in the open there is nothing higher than the + waving corn or the stone walls dividing the pastures—a silent + testimony to the power of the north-east wind. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-9" id="linkimage-9"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/09.jpg" width="100%" alt="Whitby Abbey from the Cliffs " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + After rounding the North Cheek, the whole of Robin Hood's Bay is suddenly + laid before you. I well remember my first view of the wide sweep of sea, + which lay like a blue carpet edged with white, and the high escarpments of + rock that were in deep purple shade, except where the afternoon sun turned + them into the brightest greens and umbers. Three miles away, but seemingly + very much closer, was the bold headland of the Peak, and more inland was + Stoupe Brow, with Robin Hood's Butts on the hill-top. The fable connected + with the outlaw is scarcely worth repeating, but on the site of these + butts urns have been dug up, and are now to be found in Scarborough + Museum. The Bay Town is hidden away in a most astonishing fashion, for, + until you have almost reached the two bastions which guard the way up from + the beach, there is nothing to be seen of the charming old place. If you + approach by the road past the railway station it is the same, for only + garishly new hotels and villas are to be seen on the high ground, and not + a vestige of the fishing-town can be discovered. But the road to the bay + at last begins to drop down very steeply, and the first old roofs appear. + The oath at the side of the road develops into a very lone series of + steps, and in a few minutes the narrow street flanked by very tall houses, + has swallowed you up. + </p> + <p> + Everything is very clean and orderly, and, although most of the houses are + very old, they are generally in a good state of repair, exhibiting in + every case the seaman's love of fresh paint. Thus, the dark and worn stone + walls have bright eyes in their newly-painted doors and windows. Over + their door-steps the fishermen's wives are quite fastidious, and you + seldom see a mark on the ochre-coloured hearth-stone with which the women + love to brighten the worn stones. Even the scrapers are sleek with + blacklead, and it is not easy to find a window without spotless curtains. + At high tide the sea comes half-way up the steep opening between the + coastguards' quarters and the inn which is built on another bastion, and + in rough weather the waves break hungrily on to the strong stone walls, + for the bay is entirely open to the full force of gales from the east or + north-east. All the way from Scarborough to Whitby the coast offers no + shelter of any sort in heavy weather, and many vessels have been lost on + the rocks. On one occasion a small sailing-ship was driven right into this + bay at high tide, and the bowsprit smashed into a window of the little + hotel that occupied the place of the present one. + </p> + <p> + The railway southwards takes a curve inland, and, after winding in and out + to make the best of the contour of the hills, the train finally steams + very heavily and slowly into Ravenscar Station, right over the Peak and + 630 feet above the sea. On the way you get glimpses of the moors inland, + and grand views over the curving bay. There is a station named Fyling + Hall, after Sir Hugh Cholmley's old house, half-way to Ravenscar. + </p> + <p> + Raven Hall, the large house conspicuously perched on the heights above the + Peak, is now converted into an hotel. There is a wonderful view from the + castellated terraces, which in the distance suggest the remains of some + ruined fortress. At the present time there is nothing to be seen older + than the house whose foundations were dug in 1774. While the building + operations were in progress, however, a Roman inscribed stone, now in + Whitby Museum, was unearthed. It states that the 'Castrum' was built by + two prefects whose names are given. This was one of the fortified signal + stations built in the 4th century A.D. to give warning of the approach of + hostile ships. + </p> + <p> + Following this lofty coast southwards, you reach Hayburn Wyke, where a + stream drops perpendicularly over some square masses of rock. + </p> + <p> + There is a small stone circle not far from Hayburn Wyke Station, to be + found without much trouble, and those who are interested in Early Man will + scarcely find a neighbourhood in this country more thickly honey-combed + with tumuli and ancient earth-works. There is no particularly plain + pathway through the fields to the valley where this stone circle can be + seen, but it can easily be found after a careful study of the large-scale + Ordnance Map which they will show you at the hotel. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH6" id="link2HCH6"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <p> + SCARBOROUGH + </p> + <p> + Dazzling sunshine, a furious wind, flapping and screaming gulls, crowds of + fishing-boats, and innumerable people jostling one another on the + sea-front, made up the chief features of my first view of Scarborough. By + degrees I discovered that behind the gulls and the brown sails were old + houses, their roofs dimly red through the transparent haze, and above them + appeared a great green cliff, with its uneven outline defined by the + curtain walls and towers of the castle which had made Scarborough a place + of importance in the Civil War and in earlier times. + </p> + <p> + The wide-curving bay was filled with huge breaking waves which looked + capable of destroying everything within their reach, but they seemed + harmless enough when I looked a little further out, where eight or ten + grey war-ships were riding at their anchors, apparently motionless. + </p> + <p> + From the outer arm of the harbour, where the seas were angrily attempting + to dislodge the top row of stones, I could make out the great mass of grey + buildings stretching right to the extremity of the bay. + </p> + <p> + I tried to pick out individual buildings from this city-like + watering-place, but, beyond discovering the position of the Spa and one or + two of the mightier hotels, I could see very little, and instead fell to + wondering how many landladies and how many foreign waiters the long lines + of grey roofs represented. This raised so many unpleasant recollections of + the various types I had encountered that I determined to go no nearer to + modern Scarborough than the pier-head upon which I stood. A specially big + wave, however, soon drove me from this position to a drier if more crowded + spot, and, reconsidering my objections, I determined to see something of + the innumerable grey streets which make up the fashionable watering-place. + The terraced gardens on the steep cliffs along the sea-front were most + elaborately well kept, but a more striking feature of Scarborough is the + magnificence of so many of the shops. They suggest a city rather than a + seaside town, and give you an idea of the magnitude of the permanent + population of the place as well as the flood of summer and winter + visitors. The origin of Scarborough's popularity was undoubtedly due to + the chalybeate waters of the Spa, discovered in 1620, almost at the same + time as those of Tunbridge Wells and Epsom. + </p> + <p> + The unmistakable signs of antiquity in the narrow streets adjoining the + harbour irresistibly remind one of the days when sea-bathing had still to + be popularized, when the efficacy of Scarborough's medicinal spring had + not been discovered, of the days when the place bore as little resemblance + to its present size or appearance as the fishing-town at Robin Hood's Bay. + </p> + <p> + We do not know that Piers Gaveston, Sir Hugh Cholmley, and other + notabilities who have left their mark on the pages of Scarborough's + history, might not, were they with us to-day, welcome the pierrot, the + switchback, the restaurant, and other means by which pleasure-loving + visitors wile away their hardly-earned holidays; but for my part the story + of Scarborough's Mayor who was tossed in a blanket is far more + entertaining than the songs of nigger minstrels or any of the commercial + attempts to amuse. + </p> + <p> + This strangely improper procedure with one who held the highest office in + the municipality took place in the reign of James II., and the King's + leanings towards Popery were the cause of all the trouble. + </p> + <p> + On April 27, 1688, a declaration for liberty of conscience was published, + and by royal command the said declaration was to be read in every + Protestant church in the land. Mr. Thomas Aislabie, the Mayor of + Scarborough, duly received a copy of the document, and, having handed it + to the clergyman, Mr. Noel Boteler, ordered him to read it in church on + the following Sunday morning. There seems little doubt that the worthy Mr. + Boteler at once recognized a wily move on the part of the King, who under + the cover of general tolerance would foster the growth of the Roman + religion until such time as the Catholics had attained sufficient power to + suppress Protestantism. Mr. Mayor was therefore informed that the + declaration would not be read. On Sunday morning (August 11) when the + omission had been made, the Mayor left his pew, and, stick in hand, walked + up the aisle, seized the minister, and caned him as he stood at his + reading-desk. Scenes of such a nature did not occur every day even in + 1688, and the storm of indignation and excitement among the members of the + congregation did not subside so quickly as it had risen. + </p> + <p> + The cause of the poor minister was championed in particular by a certain + Captain Ouseley, and the discussion of the matter on the bowling-green on + the following day led to the suggestion that the Mayor should be sent for + to explain his conduct. As he took no notice of a courteous message + requesting his attendance, the Captain repeated the summons accompanied by + a file of musketeers. In the meantime many suggestions for dealing with + Mr. Aislabie in a fitting manner were doubtless made by the Captain's + brother officers, and, further, some settled course of action seems to + have been agreed upon, for we do not hear of any hesitation on the part of + the Captain on the arrival of the Mayor, whose rage must by this time have + been bordering upon apoplexy. A strong blanket was ready, and Captains + Carvil, Fitzherbert, Hanmer, and Rodney, led by Captain Ouseley and + assisted by as many others as could find room, seizing the sides, in a + very few moments Mr. Mayor was revolving and bumping, rising and falling, + as though he were no weight at all. + </p> + <p> + If the castle does not show many interesting buildings beyond the keep and + the long line of walls and drumtowers, there is so much concerning it that + is of great human interest that I should scarcely feel able to grumble if + there were still fewer remains. Behind the ancient houses in Quay Street + rises the steep, grassy cliff, up which one must climb by various rough + pathways to the fortified summit. On the side facing the mainland, a + hollow, known as the Dyke, is bridged by a tall and narrow archway, in + place of the drawbridge of the seventeenth century and earlier times. On + the same side is a massive barbican, looking across an open space to St. + Mary's Church, which suffered so severely during the sieges of the castle. + The maimed church—for the chancel has never been rebuilt—is + close to the Dyke and the shattered keep, and so apparent are the results + of the cannonading between them that no one requires to be told that the + Parliamentary forces mounted their ordnance in the chancel and tower of + the church, and it is equally obvious that the Royalists returned the fire + hotly. + </p> + <p> + The great siege lasted for nearly a year, and although his garrison was + small, and there was practically no hope of relief, Sir Hugh Cholmley + seems to have kept a stout heart up to the end. With him throughout this + long period of privation and suffering was his beautiful and courageous + wife, whose comparatively early death, at the age of fifty-four, must to + some extent be attributed to the strain and fatigue borne during these + months of warfare. Sir Hugh seems to have almost worshipped his wife, for + in his memoirs he is never weary of describing her perfections. + </p> + <p> + 'She was of the middle stature of women,' he writes, 'and well shaped, yet + in that not so singular as in the beauty of her face, which was but of a + little model, and yet proportionable to her body; her eyes black and full + of loveliness and sweetness, her eyebrows small and even, as if drawn with + a pencil, a very little, pretty, well-shaped mouth, which sometimes + (especially when in a muse or study) she would draw up into an incredible + little compass; her hair a sad chestnut; her complexion brown, but clear, + with a fresh colour in her cheeks, a loveliness in her looks + inexpressible; and by her whole composure was so beautiful a sweet + creature at her marriage as not many did parallel, few exceed her, in the + nation; yet the inward endowments and perfections of her mind did exceed + those outward of her body, being a most pious virtuous person, of great + integrity and discerning judgment in most things.' + </p> + <p> + On one occasion during the siege Sir John Meldrum, the Parliamentary + commander, sent proposals to Sir Hugh Cholmley, which he accompanied with + savage threats, that if his terms were not immediately accepted he would + make a general assault on the castle that night, and in the event of one + drop of his men's blood being shed he would give orders for a general + massacre of the garrison, sparing neither man nor woman. + </p> + <p> + To a man whose devotion to his beautiful wife was so great, a threat of + this nature must have been a severe shock to his determination to hold + out. But from his own writings we are able to picture for ourselves Sir + Hugh's anxious and troubled face lighting up on the approach of the cause + of his chief concern. Lady Cholmley, without any sign of the inward + misgivings or dejection which, with her gentle and shrinking nature, must + have been a great struggle, came to her husband, and implored him to on no + account let her peril influence his decision to the detriment of his own + honour or the King's affairs. + </p> + <p> + Sir John Meldrum's proposals having been rejected, the garrison prepared + itself for the furious attack commenced on May 11. + </p> + <p> + The assault was well planned, for while the Governor's attention was + turned towards the gateway leading to the castle entrance, another attack + was made at the southern end of the wall towards the sea, where until the + year 1730 Charles's Tower stood. The bloodshed at this point was greater + than at the gateway. At the head of a chosen division of troops, Sir John + Meldrum climbed the almost precipitous ascent with wonderful courage, only + to meet with such spirited resistance on the part of the besieged that, + when the attack was abandoned, it was discovered that Meldrum had received + a dangerous wound penetrating to his thigh, and that several of his + officers and men had been killed. Meanwhile, at the gateway, the first + success of the assailants had been checked at the foot of the Grand Tower + or Keep, for at that point the rush of drab-coated and helmeted men was + received by such a shower of stones and missiles that many stumbled and + were crushed on the steep pathway. Not even Cromwell's men could continue + to face such a reception, and before very long the Governor could embrace + his wife in the knowledge that the great attack had failed. + </p> + <p> + At last, on July 22, 1645—his forty-fifth birthday—Sir Hugh + was forced to come to an agreement with the enemy, by which he honourably + surrendered the castle three days later. It was a sad procession that + wound its way down the steep pathway, littered with the debris of broken + masonry: for many of Sir Hugh's officers and soldiers were in such a weak + condition that they had to be carried out in sheets or helped along + between two men, and the Parliamentary officer adds rather tersely, that + 'the rest were not very fit to march.' The scurvy had depleted the ranks + of the defenders to such an extent that the women in the castle, despite + the presence of Lady Cholmley, threatened to stone the Governor unless he + capitulated. + </p> + <p> + Three years later the castle was again besieged by the Parliamentary + forces, for Colonel Matthew Boynton, the Governor, had declared for the + King. The garrison held out from August to December, when terms were made + with Colonel Hugh Bethell, by which the Governor, officers, gentlemen, and + soldiers, marched out with 'their colours flying, drums beating, musquets + loaden, bandeleers filled, matches lighted, and bullet in mouth, to a + close called Scarborough Common,' where they laid down their arms. + </p> + <p> + Before I leave Scarborough I must go back to early times, in order that + the antiquity of the place may not be slighted owing to the omission of + any reference to the town in the Domesday Book. Tosti, Count of + Northumberland, who, as everyone knows, was brother of the Harold who + fought at Senlac Hill, had brought about an insurrection of the + Northumbrians, and having been dispossessed by his brother, he revenged + himself by inviting the help of Haralld Hadrada, King of Norway. The + Norseman promptly accepted the offer, and, taking with him his family and + an army of warriors, sailed for the Shetlands, where Tosti joined him. The + united forces then came down the east coast of Britain until they reached + Scardaburgum, where they landed and prepared to fight the inhabitants. The + town was then built entirely of timber, and there was, apparently, no + castle of any description on the great hill, for the Norsemen, finding + their opponents inclined to offer a stout resistance, tried other tactics. + They gained possession of the hill, constructed a huge fire, and when the + wood was burning fiercely, flung the blazing brands down on to the wooden + houses below. The fire spread from one hut to another with sufficient + speed to drive out the defenders, who in the confusion which followed were + slaughtered by the enemy. + </p> + <p> + This occurred in the momentous year 1066, when Harold, having defeated the + Norsemen and slain Haralld Hadrada at Stamford Bridge, had to hurry + southwards to meet William the Norman at Hastings. It is not surprising, + therefore, that the compilers of the Conqueror's survey should have failed + to record the existence of the blackened embers of what had once been a + town. But such a site as the castle hill could not long remain idle in the + stormy days of the Norman Kings, and William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle + and Lord of Holderness, recognising the natural defensibility of the rock, + built the massive walls which have withstood so many assaults, and even + now form the most prominent feature of Scarborough. + </p> + <p> + Until 1923 there was no knowledge of there having been any Roman + occupation of the promontory upon which the castle stands. Excavations + made in that year have shown that a massively-built watch tower was + maintained there during the last phase of Roman control in Britain. This + was one of a chain of signal or lookout stations placed along the + Yorkshire coast when the threat of raiders from the mouths of the German + rivers had become serious. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH7" id="link2HCH7"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <p> + WHITBY + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + Behold the glorious summer sea<br /> As night's dark wings unfold,<br /> + And o'er the waters, 'neath the stars,<br /> The harbour lights behold.<br /> + <i>E. Teschemacher</i>. + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + Despite a huge influx of summer visitors, and despite the modern town + which has grown up to receive them, Whitby is still one of the most + strikingly picturesque towns in England. But at the same time, if one + excepts the abbey, the church, and the market-house, there are scarcely + any architectural attractions in the town. The charm of the place does not + lie so much in detail as in broad effects. The narrow streets have no + surprises in the way of carved-oak brackets or curious panelled doorways, + although narrow passages and steep flights of stone steps abound. On the + other hand, the old parts of the town, when seen from a distance, are + always presenting themselves in new apparel. + </p> + <p> + In the early morning the East Cliff generally appears as a pale grey + silhouette with a square projection representing the church, and a fretted + one the abbey. + </p> + <p> + But as the sun climbs upwards, colour and definition grow out of the haze + of smoke and shadows, and the roofs assume their ruddy tones. At midday, + when the sunlight pours down upon the medley of houses clustered along the + face of the cliff, the scene is brilliantly coloured. The predominant note + is the red of the chimneys and roofs and stray patches of brickwork, but + the walls that go down to the water's edge are green below and full of + rich browns above, and in many places the sides of the cottages are + coloured with an ochre wash, while above them all the top of the cliff + appears covered with grass. There is scarcely a chimney in this old part + of Whitby that does not contribute to the mist of blue-grey smoke that + slowly drifts up the face of the cliff, and thus, when there is no bright + sunshine, colour and details are subdued in the haze. + </p> + <p> + In many towns whose antiquity and picturesqueness are more popular than + the attractions of Whitby, the railway deposits one in some distressingly + ugly modern excrescence, from which it may even be necessary for a + stranger to ask his way to the old-world features he has come to see. But + at Whitby the railway, without doing any harm to the appearance of the + town, at once gives a visitor as typical a scene of fishing-life as he + will ever find. When the tide is up and the wharves are crowded with + boats, this upper portion of Whitby Harbour is at its best, and to step + from the railway compartment entered at King's Cross into this picturesque + scene is an experience to be remembered. + </p> + <p> + In the deepening twilight of a clear evening the harbour gathers to itself + the additional charm of mysterious indefiniteness, and among the + long-drawn-out reflections appear sinuous lines of yellow light beneath + the lamps by the bridge. Looking towards the ocean from the outer harbour, + one sees the massive arms which Whitby has thrust into the waves, holding + aloft the steady lights that + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Safely guide the mighty ships<br /> Into the harbour bay.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + If we keep to the waterside, modern Whitby has no terrors for us. It is + out of sight, and might therefore have never existed. But when we have + crossed the bridge, and passed along the narrow thoroughfare known as + Church Street to the steps leading up the face of the cliff, we must + prepare ourselves for a new aspect of the town. There, upon the top of the + West Cliff, stand rows of sad-looking and dun-coloured lodging-houses, + relieved by the aggressive bulk of a huge hotel, with corner turrets, that + frowns savagely at the unfinished crescent, where there are many + apartments with 'rooms facing the sea.' + </p> + <p> + Turning landwards we look over the chimney stacks of the topmost houses, + and see the silver Esk winding placidly in the deep channel it has carved + for itself; and further away we see the far off moorland heights, brown + and blue, where the sources of the broad river down below are fed by the + united efforts of innumerable tiny streams deep in the heather. Behind us + stands the massive-looking parish church, with its Norman tower, so + sturdily built that its height seems scarcely greater than its breadth. + There is surely no other church with such a ponderous exterior that is so + completely deceptive as to its internal aspect, for St. Mary's contains + the most remarkable series of beehive-like galleries that were ever + crammed into a parish church. They are not merely very wide and + ill-arranged, but they are superposed one abode the other. The free use of + white paint all over the sloping tiers of pews has prevented the interior + from being as dark as it would have otherwise been, but the result of all + this painted deal has been to give the building the most eccentric and + indecorous appearance. + </p> + <p> + The early history of Whitby from the time of the landing of Roman soldiers + in the inlet seems to be very closely associated with the abbey founded by + Hilda about two years after the battle of Winwidfield, fought on November + 15, A.D. 654; but I will not venture to state an opinion here as to + whether there was any town at Streoneshalh before the building of the + abbey, or whether the place that has since become known as Whitby grew on + account of the presence of the abbey. Such matters as these have been + fought out by an expert in the archaeology of Cleveland—the late + Canon Atkinson, who seemed to take infinite pleasure in demolishing the + elaborately constructed theories of those painstaking historians of the + eighteenth century, Dr. Young and Mr. Lionel Charlton. + </p> + <p> + Many facts, however, which throw light on the early days of the abbey are + now unassailable. We see that Hilda must have been a most remarkable woman + for her times, instilling into those around her a passion for learning as + well as right-living, for despite the fact that they worked and prayed in + rude wooden buildings, with walls formed, most probably, of split + tree-trunks, after the fashion of the church at Greenstead in Essex, we + find the institution producing, among others, such men as Bosa and John, + both Archbishops of York, and such a poet as Caedmon. The legend of his + inspiration, however, may be placed beside the story of how the saintly + Abbess turned the snakes into the fossil ammonites with which the liassic + shores of Whitby are strewn. Hilda, who probably died in the year 680, was + succeeded by Aelfleda, the daughter of King Oswiu of Northumbria, whom she + had trained in the abbey, and there seems little doubt that her pupil + carried on successfully the beneficent work of the foundress. + </p> + <p> + Aelfleda had the support of her mother's presence as well as the wise + counsels of Bishop Trumwine, who had taken refuge at Streoneshalh, after + having been driven from his own sphere of work by the depredations of the + Picts and Scots. We then learn that Aelfleda died at the age of + fifty-nine, but from that year—probably 713—a complete silence + falls upon the work of the abbey; for if any records were made during the + next century and a half, they have been totally lost. About the year 867 + the Danes reached this part of Yorkshire, and we know that they laid waste + the abbey, and most probably the town also; but the invaders gradually + started new settlements, or 'bys,' and Whitby must certainly have grown + into a place of some size by the time of Edward the Confessor, for just + previous to the Norman invasion it was assessed for Danegeld to the extent + of a sum equivalent to £3,500 at the present time. + </p> + <p> + After the Conquest a monk named Reinfrid succeeded in reviving a monastery + on the site of the old one, having probably gained the permission of + William de Percy, the lord of the district. The new establishment, + however, was for monks only, and was for some time merely a priory. + </p> + <p> + The form of the successive buildings from the time of Hilda until the + building of the stately abbey church, whose ruins are now to be seen, is a + subject of great interest, but, unfortunately, there are few facts to go + upon. The very first church was, as I have already suggested, a building + of rude construction, scarcely better than the humble dwellings of the + monks and nuns. The timber walls were most probably thatched, and the + windows would be of small lattice or boards pierced with small holes. + Gradually the improvements brought about would have led to the use of + stone for the walls, and the buildings destroyed by the Danes may have + resembled such examples of Anglo-Saxon work as may still be seen in the + churches of Bradford-on-Avon and Monkwearmouth. + </p> + <p> + The buildings erected by Reinfrid under the Norman influence then + prevailing in England must have been a slight advance upon the destroyed + fabric, and we know that during the time of his successor, Serlo de Percy, + there was a certain Godfrey in charge of the building operations, and + there is every reason to believe that he completed the church during the + fifty years of prosperity the monastery passed through at that time. But + this was not the structure which survived, for towards the end of + Stephen's reign, or during that of Henry II., the unfortunate convent was + devastated by the King of Norway, who entered the harbour, and, in the + words of the chronicle, 'laid waste everything, both within doors and + without.' The abbey slowly recovered from this disaster, and the + reconstruction commenced in 1220, still makes a conspicuous landmark from + the sea. It was after the Dissolution that the abbey buildings came into + the hands of Sir Richard Cholmley, who paid over to Henry VIII. the sum of + £333 8s. 4d. The manors of Eskdaleside and Ugglebarnby, with all 'their + rights, members and appurtenances as they formerly had belonged to the + abbey of Whiby,' henceforward belonged to Sir Richard and his successors. + </p> + <p> + Sir Hugh Cholmley, whose defence of Scarborough Castle has made him a name + in history, was born on July 22, 1600, at Roxby, near Pickering. He has + been justly called 'the father of Whitby,' and it is to him we owe a + fascinating account of his life at Whitby in Stuart and Jacobean times. He + describes how he lived for some time in the gate-house of the abbey + buildings, 'till my house was repaired and habitable, which then was very + ruinous and all unhandsome, the wall being only of timber and plaster, and + ill-contrived within: and besides the repairs, or rather re-edifying the + house, I built the stable and barn, I heightened the outwalls of the court + double to what they were, and made all the wall round about the paddock; + so that the place hath been improved very much, both for beauty and + profit, by me more than all my ancestors, for there was not a tree about + the house but was set in my time, and almost by my own hand.' + </p> + <p> + In the spring of 1636 the reconstruction of the abbey house was finished, + and Sir Hugh moved in with his family. 'My dear wife,' he says '(who was + excellent at dressing and making all handsome within doors), had put it + into a fine posture, and furnished with many good things, so that, I + believe, there were few gentlemen in the country, of my rank, exceeded + it.... I was at this time made Deputy-lieutenant and Colonel over the + Train-bands within the hundred of Whitby Strand, Ruedale, Pickering, Lythe + and Scarborough town; for that, my father being dead, the country looked + upon me as the chief of my family.' + </p> + <p> + 'I had between thirty and forty in my ordinary family, a chaplain who said + prayers every morning at six, and again before dinner and supper, a porter + who merely attended the gates, which were ever shut up before dinner, when + the bell rung to prayers, and not opened till one o'clock, except for some + strangers who came to dinner, which was ever fit to receive three or four + besides my family, without any trouble; and whatever their fare was, they + were sure to have a hearty welcome. As a definite result of his efforts, + 'all that part of the pier to the west end of the harbour' was erected, + and yet he complains that, though it was the means of preserving a large + section of the town from the sea, the townsfolk would not interest + themselves in the repairs necessitated by force of the waves. 'I wish, + with all my heart,' he exclaims, 'the next generation may have more public + spirit.' + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH8" id="link2HCH8"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <p> + THE CLEVELAND HILLS + </p> + <p> + On their northern and western flanks the Cleveland Hills have a most + imposing and mountainous aspect, although their greatest altitudes do not + aspire to more than about 1,500 feet. But they rise so suddenly to their + full height out of the flat sea of green country that they often appear as + a coast defended by a bold range of mountains. Roseberry Topping stands + out in grim isolation, on its masses of alum rock, like a huge sea-worn + crag, considerably over 1,000 feet high. But this strangely menacing peak + raises his defiant head over nothing but broad meadows, arable land, and + woodlands, and his only warfare is with the lower strata of storm-clouds, + which is a convenient thing for the people who live in these parts; for + long ago they used the peak as a sign of approaching storms, having + reduced the warning to the easily-remembered couplet: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'When Roseberry Topping wears a cap,<br /> Let Cleveland then beware of + a clap.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + From the fact that you can see this remarkable peak from almost every + point of the compass except south-westwards, it must follow that from the + top of the hill there are views in all those directions. But to see so + much of the country at once comes as a surprise to everyone. Stretching + inland towards the backbone of England, there is spread out a huge tract + of smiling country, covered with a most complex network of hedges, which + gradually melt away into the indefinite blue edge of the world where the + hills of Wensleydale rise from the plain. Looking across the little town + of Guisborough, lying near the shelter of the hills, to the broad sweep of + the North Sea, this piece of Yorkshire seems so small that one almost + expects to see the Cheviots away in the north. But, beyond the winding + Tees and the drifting smoke of the great manufacturing towns on its banks, + one must be content with the county of Durham, a huge section of which is + plainly visible. Turning towards the brown moorlands, the cultivation is + exchanged for ridge beyond ridge of total desolation—a huge tract of + land in this crowded England where the population for many square miles at + a time consists of the inmates of a lonely farm or two in the + circumscribed cultivated areas of the dales. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-10" id="linkimage-10"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/10.jpg" width="100%" alt="An Autumn Day at Guisborough " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Eight or nine hundred years ago these valleys were choked up with forests. + The Early British inhabitants were more inclined to the hill-tops than the + hollows, if the innumerable indications of their settlements be any guide, + and there is every reason for believing that many of the hollows in the + folds of the heathery moorlands were rarely visited by man. Thus, the + suggestion has been made that a few of the last representatives of now + extinct monsters may have survived in these wild retreats, for how + otherwise do we find persistent stories in these parts of Yorkshire, + handed down we cannot tell how many centuries, of strange creatures + described as 'worms'? At Loftus they show you the spot where a 'grisly + worm' had its lair, and in many places there are traditions of strange + long-bodied dragons who were slain by various valiant men. + </p> + <p> + On Easby Moor, a few miles to the south of Roseberry Topping, the tall + column to the memory of Captain Cook stands like a lighthouse on this + inland coastline. The lofty position it occupies among these brown and + purply-green heights makes the monument visible over a great tract of the + sailor's native Cleveland. The people who live in Marton, the village of + his birthplace, can see the memorial of their hero's fame, and the country + lads of to-day are constantly reminded of the success which attended the + industry and perseverance of a humble Marton boy. + </p> + <p> + The cottage where James Cook was born in 1728 has gone, but the field in + which it stood is called Cook's Garth. The shop at Staithes, generally + spoken of as a 'huckster's,' where Cook was apprenticed as a boy, has also + disappeared; but, unfortunately, that unpleasant story of his having taken + a shilling from his master's till, when the attractions of the sea proved + too much for him to resist, persistently clings to all accounts of his + early life. There seems no evidence to convict him of this theft, but + there are equally no facts by which to clear him. But if we put into the + balance his subsequent term of employment at Whitby, the excellent + character he gained when he went to sea, and Professor J.K. Laughton's + statement that he left Staithes 'after some disagreement with his master,' + there seems every reason to believe that the story is untrue. + </p> + <p> + I have seldom seen a more uninhabited and inhospitable-looking country + than the broad extent of purple hills that stretch away to the south-west + from Great Ayton and Kildale Moors. Walking from Guisborough to Kildale on + a wild and stormy afternoon in October, I was totally alone for the whole + distance when I had left behind me the baker's boy who was on his way to + Hutton with a heavy basket of bread and cakes. Hutton, which is somewhat + of a model village for the retainers attached to Hutton Hall, stands in a + lovely hollow at the edge of the moors. The steep hills are richly clothed + with sombre woods, and the peace and seclusion reigning there is in marked + contrast to the bleak wastes above. When I climbed the steep road on that + autumn afternoon, and, passing the zone of tall, withered bracken, reached + the open moorland, I seemed to have come out merely to be the plaything of + the elements; for the south-westerly gale, when it chose to do so, blew so + fiercely that it was difficult to make any progress at all. Overhead was a + dark roof composed of heavy masses of cloud, forming long parallel lines + of grey right to the horizon. On each side of the rough, water-worn road + the heather made a low wall, two or three feet high, and stretched right + away to the horizon in every direction. In the lulls, between the fierce + blasts, I could hear the trickle of the water in the rivulets deep down in + the springy cushion of heather. A few nimble sheep would stare at me from + a distance, and then disappear, or some grouse might hover over a piece of + rising ground; but otherwise there were no signs of living creatures. + Nearing Kildale, the road suddenly plunged downwards to a stream flowing + through a green, cultivated valley, with a lonely farm on the further + slope. There was a fir-wood above this, and as I passed over the hill, + among the tall, bare stems, the clouds parted a little in the west, and + let a flood of golden light into the wood. Instantly the gloom seemed to + disappear, and beyond the dark shoulder of moorland, where the Cook + monument appeared against the glory of the sunset, there seemed to reign + an all-pervading peace, the wood being quite silent, for the wind had + dropped. + </p> + <p> + The rough track through the trees descended hurriedly, and soon gave a + wide view over Kildale. The valley was full of colour from the glowing + west, and the steep hillsides opposite appeared lighter than the indigo + clouds above, now slightly tinged with purple. The little village of + Kildale nestled down below, its church half buried in yellow foliage. + </p> + <p> + The ruined Danby Castle can still be seen on the slope above the Esk, but + the ancient Bow Bridge at Castleton, which was built at the end of the + twelfth century, was barbarously and needlessly destroyed in 1873. A + picture of the bridge has, fortunately, been preserved in Canon Atkinson's + 'Forty Years in a Moorland Parish.' That book has been so widely read that + it seems scarcely necessary to refer to it here, but without the help of + the Vicar, who knew every inch of his wild parish, the Danby district must + seem much less interesting. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH9" id="link2HCH9"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <p> + GUISBOROUGH AND THE SKELTON VALLEY + </p> + <p> + Although a mere fragment of the Augustinian Priory of Guisborough is + standing to-day, it is sufficiently imposing to convey a powerful + impression of the former size and magnificence of the monastic church. + This fragment is the gracefully buttressed east-end of the choir, which + rises from the level meadow-land to the east of the town. The stonework is + now of a greenish-grey tone, but in the shadows there is generally a look + of blue. Beyond the ruin and through the opening of the great east window, + now bare of tracery, you see the purple moors, with the ever-formidable + Roseberry Topping holding its head above the green woods and pastures. + </p> + <p> + The destruction of the priory took place most probably during the reign of + Henry VIII., but there are no recorded facts to give the date of the + spoiling of the stately buildings. The materials were probably sold to the + highest bidder, for in the town of Guisborough there are scattered many + fragments of richly-carved stone, and Ord, one of the historians of + Cleveland, says: 'I have beheld with sorrow, and shame, and indignation, + the richly ornamented columns and carved architraves of God's temple + supporting the thatch of a pig-house.' + </p> + <p> + The Norman priory church, founded in 1119, by the wealthy Robert de Brus + of Skelton, was, unfortunately, burnt down on May 16, 1289. Walter of + Hemingburgh, a canon of Guisborough, has written a quaintly detailed + account of the origin of the fire. Translated from the monkish Latin, he + says 'On the first day of rogation-week, a devouring flame consumed our + church of Gysburn, with many theological books and nine costly chalices, + as well as vestments and sumptuous images; and because past events are + serviceable as a guide to future inquiries, I have thought it desirable, + in the present little treatise, to give an account of the catastrophe, + that accidents of a similar nature may be avoided through this calamity + allotted to us. On the day above mentioned, which was very destructive to + us, a vile plumber, with his two workmen, burnt our church whilst + soldering up two holes in the old lead with fresh pewter. For some days he + had already, with a wicked disposition, commenced, and placed his iron + crucibles, along with charcoal and fire, on rubbish, or steps of a great + height, upon dry wood with some turf and other combustibles. About noon + (in the cross, in the body of the church, where he remained at his work + until after Mass) he descended before the procession of the convent, + thinking that the fire had been put out by his workmen. They, however, + came down quickly after him, without having completely extinguished the + fire; and the fire among the charcoal revived, and partly from the heat of + the iron, and partly from the sparks of the charcoal, the fire spread + itself to the wood and other combustibles beneath. After the fire was thus + commenced, the lead melted, and the joists upon the beams ignited; and + then the fire increased prodigiously, and consumed everything.' + Hemingburgh concludes by saying that all that they could get from the + culprits was the exclamation, 'Quid potui ego?' Shortly after this + disaster the Prior and convent wrote to Edward II., excusing themselves + from granting a corrody owing to their great losses through the burning of + the monastery, as well as the destruction of their property by the Scots. + But Guisborough, next to Fountains, was almost the richest establishment + in Yorkshire, and thus in a few years' time there arose from the Norman + foundations a stately church and convent built in the Early Decorated + style. + </p> + <p> + One of the most interesting relics of the great priory is the altar-tomb, + believed to be that of Robert de Brus of Annandale. The stone slabs are + now built into the walls on each side of the porch of Guisborough Church. + They may have been removed there from the abbey for safety at the time of + the dissolution. Hemingburgh, in his chronicle for the year 1294, says: + 'Robert de Brus the fourth died on the eve of Good Friday; who disputed + with John de Balliol, before the King of England, about the succession to + the kingdom of Scotland. And, as he ordered when alive, he was buried in + the priory of Gysburn with great honour, beside his own father.' A great + number of other famous people were buried here in accordance with their + wills. Guisborough has even been claimed as the resting place of Robert + Bruce, the champion of Scottish freedom, but there is ample evidence for + believing that his heart was buried at Melrose Abbey and his body in + Dunfermline Abbey. + </p> + <p> + The central portion of the town of Guisborough, by the market-cross and + the two chief inns, is quaint and fairly picturesque, but the long street + as it goes westward deteriorates into rows of new cottages, inevitable in + a mining country. + </p> + <p> + Mining operations have been carried on around Guisborough since the time + of Queen Elizabeth, for the discovery of alum dates from that period, and + when that industry gradually declined, it was replaced by the iron mines + of today. Mr. Thomas Chaloner of Guisborough, in his travels on the + Continent about the end of the sixteenth century, saw the Pope's alum + works near Rome, and was determined to start the industry in his native + parish of Guisborough, feeling certain that alum could be worked with + profit in his own country. As it was essential to have one or two men who + were thoroughly versed in the processes of the manufacture, Mr. Chaloner + induced some of the Pope's workmen by heavy bribes to come to England. The + risks attending this overt act were terrible, for the alum works brought + in a large revenue to His Holiness, and the discovery of such a design + would have meant capital punishment to the offender. The workmen were + therefore induced to get into large casks, which were secretly conveyed on + board a ship which was shortly sailing for England. + </p> + <p> + When the Pope received the intelligence some time afterwards, he thundered + forth against Mr. Chaloner and the workmen the most awful and + comprehensive curse. They were to be cursed most wholly and thoroughly in + every part of their bodies, every saint was to curse them, and from the + thresholds of the holy church of God Almighty they were to be sequestered, + that they might 'be tormented, disposed of, and delivered over with Dathan + and Abiram, and with those who say unto the Lord God, "Depart from us; we + desire not to know thy ways."' + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-11" id="linkimage-11"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/11.jpg" width="100%" alt="The Skelton Valley " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The broad valley stretching from Guisborough to the sea contains the + beautifully wooded park of Skelton Castle. The trees in great masses cover + the gentle slopes on either side of the Skelton Beck, and almost hide the + modern mansion. The buildings include part of the ancient castle of the + Bruces, who were Lords of Skelton for many years. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH10" id="link2HCH10"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <p> + FROM PICKERING TO RIEVAULX ABBEY + </p> + <p> + The broad Vale of Pickering, watered by the Derwent, the Rye and their + many tributaries, is a wonderful contrast to the country we have been + exploring. The level pastures, where cattle graze and cornfields abound, + seem to suggest that we are separated from the heather by many leagues; + but we have only to look beyond the hedgerows to see that the horizon to + the north is formed by lofty moors only a few miles distant. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-12" id="linkimage-12"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/12.jpg" width="100%" alt="In Pickering Church " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Just where the low meadows are beginning to rise steadily from the vale + stands the town of Pickering, dominated by the lofty stone spire of its + parish church and by the broken towers of the castle. There is a wide + street, bordered by dark stone buildings, that leads steeply from the + river to the church. The houses are as a rule quite featureless, but we + have learnt to expect this in a county where stone is abundant, for only + the extremely old and the palpably new buildings stand out from the grey + austerity of the average Yorkshire town. In rare cases some of the houses + are brightened with white and cream paint on windows and doors, and if + these commendable efforts became less rare, Pickering would have as + cheerful an aspect to the stranger as Helmsley, which we shall pass on our + way to Rievaulx. + </p> + <p> + Approached by narrow passages between the grey houses and shops, the + church is most imposing, for it is not only a large building, but the + cramped position magnifies its bulk and emphasizes the height of the + Norman tower, surmounted by the tall stone spire added during the + fourteenth century. Going up a wide flight of steps, necessitated by the + slope of the ground, we enter the church through the beautiful porch, and + are at once confronted with the astonishingly perfect paintings which + cover the walls of the nave. The pictures occupy nearly all the available + wall-space between the arches and the top of the clerestory, and their + crude quaintnesses bring the ideas of the first half of the fifteenth + century vividly before us. There is a spirited representation of St. + George in conflict with a terrible dragon, and close by we see a bearded + St. Christopher holding a palm-tree with both hands, and bearing on his + shoulder the infant Christ. Then comes Herod's feast, with the King + labelled <i>Herodi</i>. The guests are shown with their arms on the table + in the most curious positions, and all the royal folk are wearing ermine. + The coronation of the Virgin, the martyrdom of St. Thomas ą Becket, and + the martyrdom of St. Edmund, who is perforated with arrows, complete the + series on the north side. Along the south wall the paintings show the + story of St. Catherine of Alexandria and the seven Corporal Acts of Mercy. + Further on come scenes from the life of our Lord. + </p> + <p> + The simple Norman arcade on the north side of the nave has plain round + columns and semicircular arches, but the south side belongs to later + Norman times, and has ornate columns and capitals. At least one member of + the great Bruce family, who had a house at Pickering called Bruce's Hall, + and whose ascendency at Guisborough has already been mentioned, was buried + here, for the figure of a knight in chain-mail by the lectern probably + represents Sir William Bruce. In the chapel there is a sumptuous monument + bearing the effigies of Sir David and Dame Margery Roucliffe. The knight + wears the collar of SS, and his arms are on his surcoat. + </p> + <p> + When John Leland, the 'Royal Antiquary' employed by Henry VIII., came to + Pickering, he described the castle, which was in a more perfect state than + it is to-day. He says: 'In the first Court of it be a 4 Toures, of the + which one is caullid Rosamunde's Toure.' Also of the inner court he writes + of '4 Toures, wherof the Kepe is one.' This keep and Rosamund's Tower, as + well as the ruins of some of the others, are still to be seen on the outer + walls, so that from some points of view the ruins are dignified and + picturesque. The area enclosed was large, and in early times the castle + must have been almost impregnable. But during the Civil War it was much + damaged by the soldiers quartered there, and Sir Hugh Cholmley took lead, + wood, and iron from it for the defence of Scarborough. The wide view from + the castle walls shows better than any description the importance of the + position it occupied, and we feel, as we gaze over the vale or northwards + to the moors, that this was the dominant power over the whole countryside. + </p> + <p> + Although Lastingham is not on the road to Helmsley, the few additional + miles will scarcely be counted when we are on our way to a church which, + besides being architecturally one of the most interesting in the county, + is perhaps unique in having at one time had a curate whose wife kept a + public-house adjoining the church. Although this will scarcely be + believed, we have a detailed account of the matter in a little book + published in 1806. + </p> + <p> + The clergyman, whose name was Carter, had to subsist on the slender salary + of £20 a year and a few surplice fees. This would not have allowed any + margin for luxuries in the case of a bachelor; but this poor man was + married, and he had thirteen children. He was a keen fisherman, and his + angling in the moorland streams produced a plentiful supply of fish—in + fact, more than his family could consume. But this, even though he often + exchanged part of his catches with neighbours, was not sufficient to keep + the wolf from the door, and drastic measures had to be taken. The parish + was large, and, as many of the people were obliged to come 'from ten to + fifteen miles' to church, it seemed possible that some profit might be + made by serving refreshments to the parishioners. Mrs. Carter + superintended this department, and it seems that the meals between the + services soon became popular. But the story of 'a parson-publican' was + soon conveyed to the Archdeacon of the diocese, who at the next visitation + endeavoured to find out the truth of the matter. Mr. Carter explained the + circumstances, and showed that, far from being a source of disorder, his + wife's public-house was an influence for good. 'I take down my violin,' he + continued, 'and play them a few tunes, which gives me an opportunity of + seeing that they get no more liquor than necessary for refreshment; and if + the young people propose a dance, I seldom answer in the negative; + nevertheless, when I announce time for return, they are ever ready to obey + my commands.' The Archdeacon appears to have been a broad-minded man, for + he did not reprimand Mr. Carter at all; and as there seems to have been no + mention of an increased stipend, the parson publican must have continued + this strange anomaly. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-13" id="linkimage-13"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/13.jpg" width="100%" alt="The Market-place, Helmsley " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The writings of Bede give a special interest to Lastingham, for he tells + us how King Oidilward requested Bishop Cedd to build a monastery there. + The Saxon buildings that appeared at that time have gone, so that the + present church cannot be associated with the seventh century. No doubt the + destruction was the work of the Danes, who plundered the whole of this + part of Yorkshire. The church that exists today is of Transitional Norman + date, and the beautiful little crypt, which has an apse, nave and aisles, + is coeval with the superstructure. + </p> + <p> + The situation of Lastingham in a deep and picturesque valley surrounded by + moors and overhung by woods is extremely rich. + </p> + <p> + Further to the west there are a series of beautiful dales watered by becks + whose sources are among the Cleveland Hills. On our way to Ryedale, the + loveliest of these, we pass through Kirby Moorside, a little town which + has gained a place in history as the scene of the death of the notorious + George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham, on April 17, 1687. The house + in which he died is on the south side of the King's Head, and in one of + the parish registers there is the entry under the date of April 19th, + 'Gorges viluas, Lord dooke of Bookingam, etc.' Further down the street + stands an inn with a curious porch, supported by turned wooden pillars, + bearing the inscription: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Anno: Dom 1632 October xi<br /> William Wood'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + Kirkdale, with its world-renowned cave, to which we have already referred, + lies about two miles to the west. The quaint little Saxon church there is + one of the few bearing evidences of its own date, ascertained by the + discovery in 1771 of a Saxon sun-dial, which had survived under a layer of + plaster, and was also protected by the porch. A translation of the + inscription reads: 'Orm, the son of Gamal, bought St. Gregory's Minster + when it was all broken and fallen, and he caused it to be made anew from + the ground, for Christ and St. Gregory, in the days of King Edward and in + the days of Earl Tosti, and Hawarth wrought me and Brand the prior (priest + or priests).' By this we are plainly told that a church was built there in + the reign of Edward the Confessor. + </p> + <p> + A pleasant road leads through Nawton to the beautiful little town of + Helmsley. A bend of the broad, swift-flowing Rye forms one boundary of the + place, and is fed by a gushing brook that finds its way from Rievaulx + Moor, and forms a pretty feature of the main street. + </p> + <p> + A narrow turning by the market-house shows the torn and dishevelled + fragment of the keep of Helmsley Castle towering above the thatched roofs + in the foreground. The ruin is surrounded by tall elms, and from this + point of view, when backed by a cloudy sunset makes a wonderful picture. + Like Scarborough, this stronghold was held for the King during the Civil + War. After the Battle of Marston Moor and the fall of York, Fairfax came + to Helmsley and invested the castle. He received a wound in the shoulder + during the siege; but the garrison having surrendered on honourable terms, + the Parliament ordered that the castle should be dismantled, and the + thoroughness with which the instructions were carried out remind one of + Knaresborough, for one side of the keep was blown to pieces by a terrific + explosion and nearly everything else was destroyed. + </p> + <p> + All the beauty and charm of this lovely district is accentuated in + Ryedale, and when we have accomplished the three long uphill miles to + Rievaulx, and come out upon the broad grassy terrace above the abbey, we + seem to have entered a Land of Beulah. We see a peaceful valley overlooked + on all sides by lofty hills, whose steep sides are clothed with luxuriant + woods; we see the Rye flowing past broad green meadows; and beneath the + tree-covered precipice below our feet appear the solemn, roofless remains + of one of the first Cistercian monasteries established in this country. + There is nothing to disturb the peace that broods here, for the village + consists of a mere handful of old and picturesque cottages, and we might + stay on the terrace for hours, and, beyond the distant shouts of a few + children at play and the crowing of some cocks, hear nothing but the hum + of insects and the singing of birds. We take a steep path through the wood + which leads us down to the abbey ruins. + </p> + <p> + The magnificent Early English choir and the Norman transepts stand + astonishingly complete in their splendid decay, and the lower portions of + the nave, which, until 1922, lay buried beneath masses of grass-grown + débris, are now exposed to view. The richly-draped hill-sides appear as a + succession of beautiful pictures framed by the columns and arches on each + side of the choir. As they stand exposed to the weather, the perfectly + proportioned mouldings, the clustered pillars in a wonderfully good state + of preservation, and the almost uninjured clerestory are more impressive + than in an elaborately-restored cathedral. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH11" id="link2HCH11"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <p> + DESCRIBES THE DALE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE + </p> + <p> + When in the early years of life one learns for the first time the name of + that range of mountains forming the backbone of England, the youthful + scholar looks forward to seeing in later years the prolonged series of + lofty hills known as the 'Pennine Range.' His imagination pictures + Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough as great peaks, seldom free from a mantle of + clouds, for are they not called 'mountains of the Pennine Range,' and do + they not appear in almost as large type in the school geography as Snowdon + and Ben Nevis? But as the scholar grows older and more able to travel, so + does the Pennine Range recede from his vision, until it becomes almost as + remote as those crater-strewn mountains in the Moon which have a name so + similar. + </p> + <p> + This elusiveness on the part of a natural feature so essentially static as + a mountain range is attributable to the total disregard of the name of + this particular chain of hills. In the same way as the term 'Cumbrian + Hills' is exchanged for the popular 'Lake District,' so is a large section + of the Pennine Range paradoxically known as the 'Yorkshire Dales.' + </p> + <p> + It is because the hills are so big that the valleys are deep and it is + owing to the great watersheds that these long and narrow dales are + beautified by some of the most copious and picturesque rivers in England. + In spite of this, however, when one climbs any of the fells over 2,000 + feet, and looks over the mountainous ridges on every side, one sees, as a + rule, no peak or isolated height of any description to attract one's + attention. Instead of the rounded or angular projections from the horizon + that are usually associated with a mountainous district, there are great + expanses of brown table-land that form themselves into long parallel lines + in the distance, and give a sense of wild desolation in some ways more + striking than the peaks of Scotland or Wales. The thick formations of + millstone grit and limestone that rest upon the shale have generally + avoided crumpling or distortion, and thus give the mountain views the + appearance of having had all the upper surfaces rolled flat when they were + in a plastic condition. Denudation and the action of ice in the glacial + epochs have worn through the hard upper stratum, and formed the long and + narrow dales; and in Littondale, Wharfedale, Wensleydale, and many other + parts, one may plainly see the perpendicular wall of rock sharply defining + the upper edges of the valleys. The softer rocks below generally take a + gentle slope from the base of the hard gritstone to the riverside pastures + below. At the edges of the dales, where water-falls pour over the wall of + limestone—as at Hardraw Scar, near Hawes—the action of water + is plainly demonstrated, for one can see the rapidity with which the shale + crumbles, leaving the harder rocks overhanging above. + </p> + <p> + Unlike the moors of the north-eastern parts of Yorkshire, the fells are + not prolific in heather. It is possible to pass through Wensleydale—or, + indeed, most of the dales—without seeing any heather at all. On the + broad plateaux between the dales there are stretches of moor partially + covered with ling; but in most instances the fells and moors are grown + over at their higher levels with bent and coarse grass, generally of a + browny-ochrish colour, broken here and there by an outcrop of limestone + that shows grey against the swarthy vegetation. + </p> + <p> + In the upper portions of the dales—even in the narrow riverside + pastures—the fences are of stone, turned a very dark colour by + exposure, and everywhere on the slopes of the hills a wide network of + these enclosures can be seen traversing even the most precipitous ascents. + Where the dales widen out towards the fat plains of the Vale of York, + quickset hedges intermingle with the gaunt stone, and as one gets further + eastwards the green hedge becomes triumphant. The stiles that are the + fashion in the stone-fence districts make quite an interesting study to + strangers, for, wood being an expensive luxury, and stone being extremely + cheap, everything is formed of the more enduring material. Instead of a + trap-gate, one generally finds an excessively narrow opening in the + fences, only just giving space for the thickness of the average knee, and + thus preventing the passage of the smallest lamb. Some stiles are + constructed with a large flat stone projecting from each side, one + slightly in front and overlapping the other, so that one can only pass + through by making a very careful S-shaped movement. More common are the + projecting stones, making a flight of precarious steps on each side of the + wall. + </p> + <p> + Except in their lowest and least mountainous parts, where they are subject + to the influences of the plains, the dales are entirely innocent of red + tiles and haystacks. The roofs of churches, cottages, barns and mansions, + are always of the local stone, that weathers to beautiful shades of green + and grey, and prevents the works of man from jarring with the great + sweeping hill-sides. Then, instead of the familiar grey-brown haystack, + one sees in almost every meadow a neatly-built stone house with an upper + storey. The lower part is generally used as a shelter for cattle, while + above is stored hay or straw. By this system a huge amount of unnecessary + carting is avoided, and where roads are few and generally of exceeding + steepness a saving of this nature is a benefit easily understood. + </p> + <p> + The villages of the dales, although having none of the bright colours of a + level country, are often exceedingly quaint, and rich in soft shades of + green and grey. In the autumn the mellowed tints of the stone houses are + contrasted with the fierce yellows and browny-reds of the foliage, and the + villages become full of bright colours. At all times, except when the + country is shrivelled by an icy northern wind, the scenery of the dales + has a thousand charms. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH12" id="link2HCH12"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <p> + RICHMOND + </p> + <p> + For the purposes of this book we may consider Richmond as the gateway of + the dale country. There are other gates and approaches, some of which may + have advocates who claim their superiority over Richmond as + starting-places for an exploration of this description, but for my part, I + can find no spot on any side of the mountainous region so entirely + satisfactory. If we were to commence at Bedale or Leyburn, there is no + exact point where the open country ceases and the dale begins; but here at + Richmond there is not the very smallest doubt, for on reaching the foot of + the mass of rock dominated by the castle and the town, Swaledale commences + in the form of a narrow ravine, and from that point westwards the valley + never ceases to be shut in by steep sides, which become narrower and + grander with every mile. + </p> + <p> + The railway that keeps Richmond in touch with the world does its work in a + most inoffensive manner, and by running to the bottom of the hill on which + the town stands, and by there stopping short, we seem to have a strong + hint that we have been brought to the edge of a new element in which + railways have no rights whatever. This is as it should be, and we can + congratulate the North-Eastern Company for its discretion and its sense of + fitness. Even the station is built of solid stonework, with a strong + flavour of medievalism in its design, and its attractiveness is enhanced + by the complete absence of other modern buildings. We are thus welcomed to + the charms of Richmond at once. The rich sloping meadows by the river, + crowned with dense woodlands, surround us and form a beautiful setting of + green for the town, which has come down from the fantastic days of the + Norman Conquest without any drastic or unseemly changes, and thus has + still the compactness and the romantic outline of feudal times. + </p> + <p> + From whatever side you approach it, Richmond has always some fine + combination of towers overlooking a confusion of old red roofs and of + rocky heights crowned with ivy-mantled walls, all set in the most + sumptuous surroundings of silvery river and wooded hills, such as the + artists of the age of steel-engraving loved to depict. Every one of these + views has in it one dominating feature in the magnificent Norman keep of + the castle. It overlooks church towers and everything else with precisely + the same aloofness of manner it must have assumed as soon as the builders + of nearly eight hundred years ago had put the last stone in place. + Externally, at least, it is as complete to-day as it was then, and as + there is no ivy upon it, I cannot help thinking that the Bretons who built + it in that long distant time would swell with pride were they able to see + how their ambitious work has come down the centuries unharmed. + </p> + <p> + We can go across the modern bridge, with its castellated parapets, and + climb up the steep ascent on the further side, passing on the way the + parish church, standing on the steep ground outside the circumscribed + limits of the wall which used to enclose the town in early times. Turning + towards the castle, we go breathlessly up the cobbled street that climbs + resolutely to the market-place in a foolishly direct fashion, which might + be understood if it were a Roman road. There is a sleepy quietness about + this way up from the station, which is quite a short distance, and we look + for much movement and human activity in the wide space we have reached; + but here, too, on this warm and sunny afternoon, the few folks who are + about seem to find ample time for conversation and loitering. + </p> + <p> + On one side of us is the King's Head, whose steep tiled roof and square + front has just that air of respectable importance that one expects to find + in an old established English hotel. It looks across the cobbled space to + the curious block of buildings that seems to have been intended for a + church but has relapsed into shops. The shouldering of secular buildings + against the walls of churches is a sight so familiar in parts of France + that this market place has an almost Continental flavour, in keeping with + the fact that Richmond grew up under the protection of the formidable + castle built by that Alan Rufus of Brittany who was the Conqueror's second + cousin. The town ceased to be a possession of the Dukes of Brittany in the + reign of Richard II., but there had evidently been sufficient time to + allow French ideals to percolate into the minds of the men of Richmond, + for how otherwise can we account for this strange familiarity of shops + with a sacred building which is unheard of in any other English town? + Where else can one find a pork-butcher's shop inserted between the tower + and the nave, or a tobacconist doing business in the aisle of a church? + Even the lower parts of the tower have been given up to secular uses, so + that one only realizes the existence of the church by keeping far enough + away to see the sturdy pinnacled tower that rises above the desecrated + lower portions of the building. In this tower hangs the curfew-bell, which + is rung at 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., a custom, according to one writer, 'that has + continued ever since the time of William the Conqueror.' + </p> + <p> + All the while we have been lingering in the market-place the great keep + has been looking at us over some old red roofs, and urging us to go on at + once to the finest sight that Richmond can offer, and, resisting the + appeal no longer, we make our way down a narrow little street leading out + to a walk that goes right round the castle cliffs at the base of the + ivy-draped walls. + </p> + <p> + From down below comes the sound of the river, ceaselessly chafing its + rocky bottom and the big boulders that lie in the way. You can distinguish + the hollow sound of the waters as they fall over ledges into deep pools, + and you can watch the silvery gleams of broken water between the old stone + bridge and the dark shade of the woods. The masses of trees clothing the + side of the gorge add a note of mystery to the picture by swallowing up + the river in their heavy shade, for, owing to its sinuous course among the + cliffs, one can see only a short piece of water beyond the bridge. + </p> + <p> + The old corner of the town at the foot of Bargate appears over the edge of + the rocky slope, but on the opposite side of the Swale there is little to + be seen beside the green meadows and shady coppices that cover the heights + above the river. + </p> + <p> + There is a fascination in this view in its capacity for change. It + responds to every mood of the weather, and every sunset that glows across + the sombre woods has some freshness, some feature that is quite unlike any + other. Autumn, too, is a memorable time for those who can watch the face + of Nature from this spot, for when one of those opulent evenings of the + fall of the year turns the sky into a golden sea of glory, studded with + strange purple islands, there is unutterable beauty in the flaming woods + and the pale river. + </p> + <p> + On the way back to the market-place we pass a decayed arch that was + probably a postern in the walls of the town. There can be no doubt + whatever of the existence of these walls, for Leland begins his + description of the town with the words '<i>Richemont</i> Towne is + waullid,' and in another place he says: 'Waullid it was, but the waul is + now decayid. The Names and Partes of 4 or 5 Gates yet remaine.' We cannot + help wondering why Richmond could not have preserved her gates as York has + done, or why she did not even make the effort sufficient to retain a + single one, as Bridlington and Beverley did. The two posterns—one we + have just mentioned, and the other in Friar's Wynd, on the north side of + the market-place, with a piece of wall 6 feet thick adjoining—are + interesting, but we would have preferred something much finer than these + mere arches; and while we are grumbling over what Richmond has lost, we + may also measure the disaster which befell the market-place in 1771, when + the old cross was destroyed. Before that year there stood on the site of + the present obelisk a very fine cross which Clarkson, who wrote about a + century ago, mentions as being the greatest beauty of the town to an + antiquary. A high flight of steps led up to a square platform, which was + enclosed by a richly ornamented wall about 6 feet high, having buttresses + at the corners, each surmounted with a dog seated on its hind-legs. Within + the wall rose the cross, with its shaft made from one piece of stone. + There were 'many curious compartments' in the wall, says Clarkson, and 'a + door that opened into the middle of the square,' but this may have been + merely an arched opening. The enrichments, either of the cross itself or + the wall, included four shields bearing the arms of the great families of + Fitz-Hugh, Scrope (quartering Tibetot), Conyers, and Neville. From the + description there is little doubt that this cross was a very beautiful + example of Perpendicular or perhaps Decorated Gothic, in place of which we + have a crude and bulging obelisk bearing the inscription: 'Rebuilt (!) + A.D. 1771, Christopher Wayne, Esq., Mayor'; it should surely have read: + 'Perpetrated during the Mayoralty of Christopher Wayne Goth.' + </p> + <p> + Although, as we have seen, Leland, who wrote in 1538, mentions Frenchgate + and Finkel Street Gate as 'down,' yet they must have been only partially + destroyed, or were rebuilt afterwards, for Whitaker, writing in 1823, + mentions that they were pulled down 'not many years ago' to allow the + passage of broad and high-laden waggons. There can be little doubt, + therefore, that, swollen with success after the demolition of the cross, + the Mayor and Corporation proceeded to attack the remaining gateways, so + that now not the smallest suggestion of either remains. But even here we + have not completed the list of barbarisms that took place about this time. + The Barley Cross, which stood near the larger one, must have been quite an + interesting feature. It consisted of a lofty pillar with a cross at the + top, and rings were fastened either on the shaft or to the steps upon + which it stood, so that the cross might answer the purpose of a + whipping-post. The pillory stood not far away, and the May-pole is also + mentioned. + </p> + <p> + But despite all this squandering of the treasures that it should have been + the business of the town authorities to preserve, the tower of the Grey + Friars has survived, and, next to the castle, it is one of the chief + ornaments of the town. Some other portions of the monastery are + incorporated in the buildings which now form the Grammar School. The Grey + Friars is on the north side of the town, outside the narrow limits of the + walls, and was probably only finished in time to witness the dispersal of + the friars who had built it. It is even possible that it was part of a new + church that was still incomplete when the Dissolution of the Monasteries + made the work of no account except as building materials for the + townsfolk. The actual day of the surrender was January 19, 1538, and we + wonder if Robert Sanderson, the Prior, and the fourteen brethren under + him, suffered much from the privations that must have attended them at + that coldest period of the year. At one time the friars, being of a + mendicant order, and inured to hard living and scanty fare, might have + made light of such a disaster, but in these later times they had expanded + somewhat from their austere ways of living, and the dispersal must have + cost them much suffering. + </p> + <p> + Going back to the reign of Henry VII. or there-abouts, we come across the + curious ballad of 'The Felon Sow of Rokeby and the Freres of Richmond' + quoted from an old manuscript by Sir Walter Scott in 'Rokeby.' It may have + been as a practical joke, or merely as a good way of getting rid of such a + terrible beast, that + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Ralph of Rokeby, with goodwill,<br /> The fryers of Richmond gave her + till.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + Friar Middleton, who with two lusty men was sent to fetch the sow from + Rokeby, could scarcely have known that she was + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'The grisliest beast that ere might be,<br /> Her head was great and + gray:<br /> She was bred in Rokeby Wood;<br /> There were few that + thither goed,<br /> That came on live [= alive] away.<br /> <br /> 'She + was so grisley for to meete,<br /> She rave the earth up with her + feete,<br /> And bark came fro the tree;<br /> When fryer Middleton her + saugh,<br /> Weet ye well he might not laugh,<br /> Full earnestly + look'd hee.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + To calm the terrible beast when they found it almost impossible to hold + her, the friar began to read 'in St. John his Gospell,' but + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'The sow she would not Latin heare,<br /> But rudely rushed at the + frear,'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + who, turning very white, dodged to the shelter of a tree, whence he saw + with horror that the sow had got clear of the other two men. At this their + courage evaporated, and all three fled for their lives along the Watling + Street. When they came to Richmond and told their tale of the 'feind of + hell' in the garb of a sow, the warden decided to hire on the next day two + of the 'boldest men that ever were borne.' These two, Gilbert Griffin and + a 'bastard son of Spaine,' went to Rokeby clad in armour and carrying + their shields and swords of war, and even then they only just overcame the + grisly sow. + </p> + <p> + If we go across the river by the modern bridge, we can see the humble + remains of St. Martin's Priory standing in a meadow by the railway. The + ruins consist of part of a Perpendicular tower and a Norman doorway. + Perhaps the tower was built in order that the Grey Friars might not + eclipse the older foundation, for St. Martin's was a cell belonging to St. + Mary's Abbey at York and was founded by Wyman, steward or dapifer to the + Earl of Richmond, about the year 1100, whereas the Franciscans in the town + owed their establishment to Radulph Fitz-Ranulph, a lord of Middleham in + 1258. The doorway of St. Martin's, with its zigzag mouldings must be part + of Wyman's building, but no other traces of it remain. Having come back so + rapidly to the Norman age, we may well stay there for a time while we make + our way over the bridge again and up the steep ascent of Frenchgate to the + castle. + </p> + <p> + On entering the small outer barbican, which is reached by a lane from the + market-place, we come to the base of the Norman keep. Its great height of + nearly 100 feet is quite unbroken from foundations to summit, and the flat + buttresses are featureless. The recent pointing of the masonry has also + taken away any pronounced weathering, and has left the tower with almost + the same gaunt appearance that it had when Duke Conan saw it completed. + Passing through the arch in the wall abutting the keep, we come into the + grassy space of over two acres, that is enclosed by the ramparts. It is + not known by what stages the keep reached its present form, though there + is every reason to believe that Conan, the fifth Earl of Richmond, left + the tower externally as we see it to-day. This puts the date of the + completion of the keep between 1146 and 1171. The floors are now a store + for the uniforms and accoutrements of the soldiers quartered at Richmond, + so that there is little to be seen as we climb a staircase in the walls 11 + feet thick, and reach the battlemented turrets. Looking downwards, we gaze + right into the chimneys of the nearest houses, and we see the old roofs of + the town packed closely together in the shelter of the mighty tower. A few + tiny people are moving about in the market-place, and there is a thin web + of drifting smoke between us and them. Everything is peaceful and remote; + even the sound of the river is lost in the wind that blows freely upon us + from the great moorland wastes stretching away to the western horizon. It + is a romantic country that lies around us, and though the cultivated area + must be infinitely greater than in the fighting days when these + battlements were finished, yet I suppose the Vale of Mowbray which we gaze + upon to the east must have been green, and to some extent fertile, when + that Conan who was Duke of Brittany and also Earl of Richmond looked out + over the innumerable manors that were his Yorkshire possessions. I can + imagine his eye glancing down on a far more thrilling scene than the green + three-sided courtyard enclosed by a crumbling grey wall, though to him the + buildings, the men, and every detail that filled the great space, were no + doubt quite prosaic. It did not thrill him to see a man-at-arms cleaning + weapons, when the man and his clothes, and even the sword, were as modern + and everyday as the soldier's wife and child that we can see ourselves, + but how much would we not give for a half-an-hour of his vision, or even a + part of a second, with a good camera in our hands? + </p> + <p> + In the lower part of what is called Robin Hood's Tower is the Chapel of + St. Nicholas, with arcaded walls of early Norman date, and a long and + narrow slit forming the east window. More interesting than this is the + Norman hall at the south-east angle of the walls. It was possibly used as + the banqueting-room of the castle, and is remarkable as being one of the + best preserved of the Norman halls forming separate buildings that are to + be found in this country. The hall is roofless, but the corbels remain in + a perfect state, and the windows on each side are well preserved. The + builder was probably Earl Conan, for the keep has details of much the same + character. It is generally called Scolland's Hall, after the Lord of + Bedale of that name, who was a sewer or dapifer to the first Earl Alan of + Richmond. Scolland was one of the tenants of the Earl, and under the + feudal system of tenure he took part in the regular guarding of the + castle. + </p> + <p> + There is probably much Norman work in various parts of the crumbling + curtain walls, and at the south-west corner a Norman turret is still to be + seen. + </p> + <p> + Alan, who received from the Conqueror the vast possessions of Earl Edwin, + was no doubt the founder of Richmond. He probably received this splendid + reward for his services soon after the suppression of the Saxon efforts + for liberty under the northern Earls. William, having crushed out the + rebellion in the remorseless fashion which finally gave him peace in his + new possessions, distributed the devastated Saxon lands among his + supporters; thus a great part of the earldom of Mercia fell to this + Breton. + </p> + <p> + The site of Richmond was fixed as the new centre of power, and the name, + with its apparently obvious meaning, may date from that time, unless the + suggested Anglo-Saxon derivation which gives it as Rice-munt—the + hill of rule—is correct. After this Gilling must soon have ceased to + be of any account. There can be little doubt that the castle was at once + planned to occupy the whole area enclosed by the walls as they exist + to-day, although the full strength of the place was not realized until the + time of the fifth Earl, who, as we have seen, was most probably the + builder of the keep in its final form, as well as other parts of the + castle. Richmond must then have been considered almost impregnable, and + this may account for the fact that it appears to have never been besieged. + In 1174, when William the Lion of Scotland was invading England, we are + told in Jordan Fantosme's Chronicle that Henry II., anxious for the safety + of the honour of Richmond, and perhaps of its custodian as well, asked: + 'Randulf de Glanvile est-il en Richemunt?' The King was in France, his + possessions were threatened from several quarters, and it would doubtless + be a relief to him to know that a stronghold of such importance was under + the personal command of so able a man as Glanville. In July of that year + the danger from the Scots was averted by a victory at Alnwick, in which + fight Glanville was one of the chief commanders of the English, and he + probably led the men of Richmondshire. + </p> + <p> + It is a strange thing that Richmond Castle, despite its great + pre-eminence, should have been allowed to become a ruin in the reign of + Edward III.—a time when castles had obviously lost none of the + advantages to the barons which they had possessed in Norman times. The + only explanation must have been the divided interests of the owners, for, + as Dukes of Brittany, as well as Earls of Richmond, their English + possessions were frequently endangered when France and England were at + war. And so it came about that when a Duke of Brittany gave his support to + the King of France in a quarrel with the English, his possessions north of + the Channel became Crown property. How such a condition of affairs could + have continued for so long is difficult to understand, but the final + severing came at last, when the unhappy Richard II. was on the throne of + England. The honour of Richmond then passed to Ralph Neville, the first + Earl of Westmoreland, but the title was given to Edmund Tudor, whose + mother was Queen Catherine, the widow of Henry V. Edmund Tudor, as all + know, married Margaret Beaufort, the heiress of John of Gaunt, and died + about two months before his wife—then scarcely fourteen years old—gave + birth to his only son, who succeeded to the throne of England as Henry + VII. He was Earl of Richmond from his birth, and it was he who carried the + name to the Thames by giving it to his splendid palace which he built at + Shene. Even the ballad of 'The Lass of Richmond Hill' is said to come from + Yorkshire, although it is commonly considered a possession of Surrey. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-14" id="linkimage-14"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/14.jpg" width="100%" alt="Richmond Castle from the River " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Protected by the great castle, there came into existence the town of + Richmond, which grew and flourished. The houses must have been packed + closely together to provide the numerous people with quarters inside the + wall which was built to protect the place from the raiding Scots. The area + of the town was scarcely larger than the castle, and although in this way + the inhabitants gained security from one danger, they ran a greater risk + from a far more insidious foe, which took the form of pestilences of a + most virulent character. After one of these visitations the town of + Richmond would be left in a pitiable plight. Many houses would be + deserted, and fields became 'over-run with briars, nettles, and other + noxious weeds.' + </p> + <p> + Easby Abbey is so much a possession of Richmond that we cannot go towards + the mountains until we have seen something of its charms. The ruins + slumber in such unutterable peace by the riverside that the place is well + suited to our mood to go a-dreaming of the centuries which have been so + long dead that our imaginations are not cumbered with any of the dull + times that may have often set the canons of St. Agatha's yawning. The walk + along the steep shady bank above the river is beautiful all the way, and + the surroundings of the broken walls and traceried windows are singularly + rich. There is nothing, however, at Easby that makes a striking picture, + although there are many architectural fragments that are full of beauty. + Fountains, Rievaulx and Tintern, all leave Easby far behind, but there are + charms enough here with which to be content, and it is, perhaps, a + pleasant thought to know that, although on this sunny afternoon these + meadows by the Swale seem to reach perfection, yet in the neighbourhood of + Ripon there is something still finer waiting for us. Of the abbey church + scarcely more than enough has survived for the preparation of a + ground-plan, and many of the evidences are now concealed by the grass. The + range of domestic buildings that surrounded the cloister garth are, + therefore, the chief interest, although these also are broken and + roofless. We can wander among the ivy-grown walls which, in the refectory, + retain some semblance of their original form, and we can see the + picturesque remains of the common-room, the guest-hall, the chapter-house, + and the sacristy. Beyond the ruins of the north transept, a corridor leads + into the infirmary, which, besides having an unusual position, is + remarkable as being one of the most complete groups of buildings set apart + for this object. A noticeable feature of the cloister garth is a Norman + arch belonging to a doorway that appears to be of later date. This is + probably the only survival of the first monastery founded, it is said, by + Roald, Constable of Richmond Castle, in 1152. Building of an extensive + character was, therefore, in progress at the same time in these sloping + meadows, as on the castle heights, and St. Martin's Priory, close to the + town, had not long been completed. Whoever may have been the founder of + the abbey, it is definitely known that the great family of Scrope obtained + the privileges that had been possessed by the Constable, and they added so + much to the property of the monastery that in the reign of Henry VIII. the + Scropes were considered the original founders. Easby thus became the + stately burying-place of the family and the splendid tombs that appeared + in the choir of their church were a constant reminder to the canons of the + greatness of the lords of Bolton. Sir Henry le Scrope was buried beneath a + great stone effigy, bearing the arms—azure, a bend or—of his + house. Near by lay Sir William le Scrope's armed figure, and round about + were many others of the family buried beneath flat stones. We know this + from the statement of an Abbot of Easby in the fourteenth century; and but + for the record of his words there would be nothing to tell us anything of + these ponderous memorials, which have disappeared as completely as though + they had had no more permanence than the yellow leaves that are just + beginning to flutter from the trees. The splendid church, the tombs, and + even the very family of Scrope, have disappeared; but across the hills, in + the valley of the Ure, their castle still stands, and in the little church + of Wensley there can still be seen the parclose screen of Perpendicular + date that one of the Scropes must have rescued when the monastery was + being stripped and plundered. + </p> + <p> + The fine gate-house of Easby Abbey, which is in a good state of + preservation, stands a little to the east of the parish church, and the + granary is even now in use. + </p> + <p> + On the sides of the parvise over the porch of the parish church are the + arms of Scrope, Conyers, and Aske; and in the chancel of this extremely + interesting old building there can be seen a series of wall-paintings, + some of which probably date from the reign of Henry III. This would make + them earlier than those at Pickering. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH13" id="link2HCH13"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII + </h2> + <p> + SWALEDALE + </p> + <p> + There is a certain elevated and wind-swept spot, scarcely more than a long + mile from Richmond, that commands a view over a wide extent of romantic + country. Vantage-points of this type, within easy reach of a fair-sized + town, are inclined to be overrated, and, what is far worse, to be spoiled + by the litter of picnic parties; but Whitcliffe Scar is free from both + objections. In magnificent September weather one may spend many hours in + the midst of this great panorama without being disturbed by a single human + being, besides a possible farm labourer or shepherd; and if scraps of + paper and orange-peel are ever dropped here, the keen winds that come from + across the moors dispose of them as efficaciously as the keepers of any + public parks. + </p> + <p> + The view is removed from a comparison with many others from the fact that + one is situated at the dividing-line between the richest cultivation and + the wildest moorlands. Whitcliffe Scar is the Mount Pisgah from whence the + jaded dweller in towns can gaze into a promised land of solitude, + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Where things that own not man's dominion dwell,<br /> And mortal foot + hath ne'er or rarely been.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + The eastward view of green and smiling country is undeniably beautiful, + but to those who can appreciate Byron's enthusiasm for the trackless + mountain there is something more indefinable and inspiring in the + mysterious loneliness of the west. The long, level lines of the moorland + horizon, when the sun is beginning to climb downwards, are cut out in the + softest blue and mauve tints against the shimmering transparency of the + western sky, and the plantations that clothe the sides of the dale beneath + one are filled with wonderful shadows, which are thrown out with golden + outlines. The view along the steep valley extends for a few miles, and + then is suddenly cut off by a sharp bend where the Swale, a silver ribbon + along the bottom of the dale, disappears among the sombre woods and the + shoulders of the hills. + </p> + <p> + In this aspect of Swaledale one sees its mildest and most civilized mood; + for beyond the purple hill-side that may be seen in the illustration, + cultivation becomes more palpably a struggle, and the gaunt moors, broken + by lines of precipitous scars, assume control of the scenery. + </p> + <p> + From 200 feet below, where the river is flowing along its stony bed, comes + the sound of the waters ceaselessly grinding the pebbles, and from the + green pastures there floats upwards a distant ba-baaing. No railway has + penetrated the solitudes of Swaledale, and, as far as one may look into + the future in such matters, there seems every possibility of this + loneliest and grandest of the Yorkshire dales retaining its isolation in + this respect. None but the simplest of sounds, therefore, are borne on the + keen winds that come from the moorland heights, and the purity of the air + whispers in the ear the pleasing message of a land where chimneys have + never been. + </p> + <p> + Besides the original name of Whitcliffe Scar, this remarkable view-point + has, since 1606, been popularly known as 'Willance's Leap.' In that year a + certain Robert Willance, whose father appears to have been a successful + draper in Richmond, was hunting in the neighbourhood, when he found + himself enveloped in a fog. It must have been sufficiently dense to shut + out even the nearest objects; for, without any warning, Willance found + himself on the verge of the scar, and before he could check his horse both + were precipitated over the cliff. We have no detailed account of whether + the fall was broken in any way; but, although his horse was killed + instantly, Willance, by some almost miraculous good fortune, found himself + alive at the bottom with nothing worse than a broken leg. + </p> + <p> + It is a difficult matter to decide which is the more attractive means of + exploring Swaledale; for if one keeps to the road at the bottom of the + valley many beautiful and remarkable aspects of the country are missed, + and yet if one goes over the moors it is impossible really to explore the + recesses of the dale. The old road from Richmond to Reeth avoids the dale + altogether, except for the last mile, and its ups and its downs make the + traveller pay handsomely for the scenery by the way. + </p> + <p> + But this ought not to deter anyone from using the road; for the view of + the village of Marske, cosily situated among the wooded heights that rise + above the beck, is missed by those who keep to the new road along the + banks of the Swale. The romantic seclusion of this village is accentuated + towards evening, when a shadowy stillness fills the hollows. The higher + woods may be still glowing with the light of the golden west, while down + below a softness of outline adds beauty to every object. The old bridge + that takes the road to Reeth across Marske Beck needs no such + fault-forgiving light, for it was standing in the reign of Elizabeth, and, + from its appearance, it is probably centuries older. + </p> + <p> + The new road to Reeth from Richmond goes down at an easy gradient from the + town to the banks of the river, which it crosses when abreast of + Whitcliffe Scar, the view in front being at first much the same as the + nearer portions of the dale seen from that height. Down on the left, + however, there are some chimney-shafts, so recklessly black that they seem + to be no part whatever of their sumptuous natural surroundings, and might + almost suggest a nightmare in which one discovered that some of the vilest + chimneys of the Black Country had taken to touring in the beauty spots of + the country. + </p> + <p> + As one goes westward, the road penetrates right into the bold scenery that + invites exploration when viewed from 'Willance's Leap.' There is a + Scottish feeling—perhaps Alpine would be more correct—in the + steeply-falling sides of the dale, all clothed in firs and other dense + plantations; and just where the Swale takes a decided turn towards the + south there is a view up Marske Beck that adds much to the romance of the + scene. Behind one's back the side of the dale rises like a dark green wall + entirely in shadow, and down below half buried in foliage, the river + swirls and laps its gravelly beaches, also in shadow. Beyond a strip of + pasture begin the tumbled masses of trees which, as they climb out of the + depths of the valley, reach the warm, level rays of sunlight that turns + the first leaves that have passed their prime into the fierce yellows and + burnt siennas which, when faithfully represented at Burlington House, are + often considered overdone. Even the gaunt obelisk near Marske Hall + responds to a fine sunset of this sort, and shows a gilded side that gives + it almost a touch of grandeur. + </p> + <p> + Evening is by no means necessary to the attractions of Swaledale, for a + blazing noon gives lights and shades and contrasts of colour that are a + large portion of Swaledale's charms. If instead of taking either the old + road by way of Marske, or the new one by the riverside, one had crossed + the old bridge below the castle, and left Richmond by a very steep road + that goes to Leyburn, one would have reached a moorland that is at its + best in the full light of a clear morning. + </p> + <p> + The clouds are big, but they carry no threat of rain, for right down to + the far horizon from whence this wind is coming there are patches of blue + proportionate to the vast spaces overhead. As each white mass passes + across the sun, we are immersed in a shadow many acres in extent: but the + sunlight has scarcely fled when a rim of light comes over the edge of the + plain, just above the hollow where Downholme village lies hidden from + sight, and in a few minutes that belt of sunshine has reached some sheep + not far off, and rimmed their coats with a brilliant edge of white. Shafts + of whiteness, like searchlights, stream from behind a distant cloud, and + everywhere there is brilliant contrast and a purity to the eye and lungs + that only a Yorkshire moor possesses. + </p> + <p> + A short two miles up the road to Leyburn, just above Gill Beck, there is + an ancient house known as Walburn Hall, and also the remains of the chapel + belonging to it, which dates from the Perpendicular period. The buildings + are now used as a farm, but there are still enough suggestions of a + dignified past to revivify the times when this was a centre of feudal + power. + </p> + <p> + Turning back to Swaledale by a lane on the south side of Gill Beck, + Downholme village is passed a mile away on the right, and the bold scenery + of the dale once more becomes impressive. + </p> + <p> + Two great headlands, formed by the wall-like terminations of Cogden and + Harkerside Moors, rising one above the other, stand out magnificently. + Their huge sides tower up nearly a thousand feet from the river, until + they are within reach of the lowering clouds that every moment threaten to + envelop them in their indigo embrace. There is a curious rift in the dark + cumulus revealing a thin line of dull carmine that frequently changes its + shape and becomes nearly obliterated, but its presence in no way weakens + the awesomeness of the picture. The dale appears to become huger and + steeper as the clouds thicken, and what have been merely woods and + plantations in this heavy gloom become mysterious forests. The river, too, + seems to change its character, and become a pale serpent, uncoiling itself + from some mountain fastness where no living creatures besides great auks + and carrion birds, dwell. + </p> + <p> + In such surroundings as these there were established in the Middle Ages, + two religious houses, within a mile of one another, on opposite sides of + the swirling river. On the north bank, not far from Marrick village, you + may still see the ruins of Marrick Priory in its beautiful situation much + as Turner painted it a century ago. Leland describes Marrick as 'a Priory + of Blake Nunnes of the Foundation of the Askes.' It was, we know, an + establishment for Benedictine Nuns, founded or endowed by Roger de Aske in + the twelfth century. At Ellerton, on the other side of the river a little + lower down, the nunnery was of the Cistercian Order; for, although very + little of its history has been discovered, Leland writes of the house as + 'a Priori of White clothid Nunnes.' After the Battle of Bannockburn, when + the Scots raided all over the North Riding of Yorkshire, they came along + Swaledale in search of plunder, and we are told that Ellerton suffered + from their violence. + </p> + <p> + Where the dale becomes wider, owing to the branch valley of + Arkengarthdale, there are two villages close together. Grinton is reached + first, and is older than Reeth, which is a short distance north of the + river. The parish of Grinton is one of the largest in Yorkshire. It is + more than twenty miles long, containing something near 50,000 acres, and + according to Mr. Speight, who has written a very detailed history of + Richmondshire, more than 30,000 acres of this consist of mountain, + grouse-moor and scar. For so huge a parish the church is suitable in size, + but in the upper portions of the dales one must not expect any very + remarkable exteriors; and Grinton, with its low roofs and plain + battlemented tower, is much like other churches in the neighbourhood. + Inside there are suggestions of a Norman building that has passed away, + and the bowl of the font seems also to belong to that period. The two + chapels opening from the chancel contain some interesting features, which + include a hagioscope, and both are enclosed by old screens. + </p> + <p> + Leaving the village behind, and crossing the Swale, you soon come to + Reeth, which may, perhaps, be described as a little town. It must have + thrived with the lead-mines in Arkengarthdale and along the Swale, for it + has gone back since the period of its former prosperity, and is glad of + the fact that its situation, and the cheerful green which the houses look + upon, have made it something of a holiday resort. + </p> + <p> + When Reeth is left behind, there is no more of the fine 'new' road which + makes travelling so easy for the eleven miles from Richmond. The surface + is, however, by no means rough along the nine miles to Muker, although the + scenery becomes far wilder and more mountainous with every mile. The dale + narrows most perceptibly; the woods become widely separated, and almost + entirely disappear on the southern side; and the gaunt moors, creeping + down the sides of the valley seem to threaten the narrow belt of + cultivation, that becomes increasingly restricted to the river margins. + Precipitous limestone scars fringe the browny-green heights in many + places, and almost girdle the summit of Calver Hill, the great bare height + that rises a thousand feet above Reeth. The farms and hamlets of these + upper parts of Swaledale are of the same greys, greens, and browns as the + moors and scars that surround them. The stone walls, that are often high + and forbidding, seem to suggest the fortifications required for man's + fight with Nature, in which there is no encouragement for the weak. In the + splendid weather that so often welcomes the mere summer rambler in the + upper dales the austerity of the widely scattered farms and villages may + seem a little unaccountable; but a visit in January would quite remove + this impression, though even in these lofty parts of England the worst + winter snowstorm has, in quite recent years, been of trifling + inconvenience. Bad winters will, no doubt, be experienced again on the + fells; but leaving out of the account the snow that used to bury farms, + flocks, roads, and even the smaller gills, in a vast smother of whiteness, + there are still the winds that go shrieking over the desolate heights, + there is still the high rainfall, and there are still destructive + thunderstorms that bring with them hail of a size that we seldom encounter + in the lower levels. + </p> + <p> + The great rapidity with which the Swale, or such streams as the Arkle, can + produce a devastating flood can scarcely be comprehended by those who have + not seen the results of even moderate rainstorms on the fells. When, + however, some really wet days have been experienced in the upper parts of + the dales, it seems a wonder that the bridges are not more often in + jeopardy. + </p> + <p> + Of course, even the highest hills of Yorkshire are surpassed in wetness by + their Lakeland neighbours; for whereas Hawes Junction, which is only about + seven miles south of Muker, has an average yearly rainfall of about 62 + inches, Mickleden, in Westmorland, can show 137, and certain spots in + Cumberland aspire towards 200 inches in a year. + </p> + <p> + The weather conditions being so severe, it is not surprising to find that + no corn at all is grown in Swaledale at the present day. Some notes, found + in an old family Bible in Teesdale, are quoted by Mr. Joseph Morris. They + show the painful difficulties experienced in the eighteenth century from + such entries as: '1782. I reaped oats for John Hutchinson, when the field + was covered with snow,' and: '1799, Nov. 10. Much corn to cut and carry. A + hard frost.' + </p> + <p> + Muker, notwithstanding all these climatic difficulties, has some claim to + picturesqueness, despite the fact that its church is better seen at a + distance, for a close inspection reveals its rather poverty-stricken + state. The square tower, so typical of the dales, stands well above the + weathered roofs of the village, and there are sufficient trees to tone + down the severities of the stone walls, that are inclined to make one + house much like its neighbour, and but for natural surroundings would + reduce the hamlets to the same uniformity. At Muker, however, there is a + steep bridge and a rushing mountain stream that joins the Swale just + below. The road keeps close to this beck, and the houses are thus + restricted to one side of the way. + </p> + <p> + Away to the south, in the direction of the Buttertubs Pass, is Stags Fell, + 2,213 feet above the sea, and something like 1,300 feet above Muker. + Northwards, and towering over the village, is the isolated mass of Kisdon + Hill, on two sides of which the Swale, now a mountain stream, rushes and + boils among boulders and ledges of rock. This is one of the finest + portions of the dale, and, although the road leaves the river and passes + round the western side of Kisdon, there is a path that goes through the + glen, and brings one to the road again at Keld. + </p> + <p> + Just before you reach Keld, the Swale drops 30 feet at Kisdon Force, and + after a night of rain there are many other waterfalls to be seen in this + district. These are not to me, however, the chief attractions of the head + of Swaledale, although without the angry waters the gills and narrow + ravines that open from the dale would lose much interest. It is the stern + grandeur of the scarred hillsides and the wide mountainous views from the + heights that give this part of Yorkshire such a fascination. If you climb + to the top of Rogan's Seat, you have a huge panorama of desolate country + spread out before you. The confused jumble of blue-grey mountains to the + north-west is beyond the limits of Yorkshire at last, and in their strong + embrace those stern Westmorland hills hold the charms of Lakeland. + </p> + <p> + If one stays in this mountainous region, there are new and exciting walks + available for every day. There are gloomy recesses in the hillsides that + encourage exploration from the knowledge that they are not tripper-worn, + and there are endless heights to be climbed that are equally free from the + smallest traces of desecrating mankind. Rare flowers, ferns, and mosses + flourish in these inaccessible solitudes, and will continue to do so, on + account of the dangers that lurk in their fastnesses, and also from the + fact that their value is nothing to any but those who are glad to leave + them growing where they are. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH14" id="link2HCH14"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII + </h2> + <p> + WENSLEYDALE <a name="linkimage-15" id="linkimage-15"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/15.jpg" width="100%" + alt="A Rugged View Above Wensleydale " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The approach from Muker to the upper part of Wensleydale is by a mountain + road that can claim a grandeur which, to those who have never explored the + dales, might almost seem impossible. I have called it a road, but it is, + perhaps, questionable whether this is not too high-sounding a term for a + track so invariably covered with large loose stones and furrowed with + water-courses. At its highest point the road goes through the Buttertubs + Pass, taking the traveller to the edge of the pot-holes that have given + their name to this thrilling way through the mountain ridge dividing the + Swale from the Ure. + </p> + <p> + Such a lonely and dangerous road should no doubt be avoided at night, but + yet I am always grateful for the delays which made me so late that + darkness came on when I was at the highest portion of the pass. It was + late in September, and it was the day of the feast at Hawes, which had + drawn to that small town farmers and their wives, and most, if not all, + the young men and maidens within a considerable radius. I made my way + slowly up the long ascent from Muker, stumbling frequently on the loose + stones and in the water-worn runnels that were scarcely visible in the dim + twilight. The huge, bare shoulders of the fells began to close in more and + more as I climbed. Towards the west lay Great Shunnor Fell, its vast + brown-green mass being sharply defined against the clear evening sky; + while further away to the north-west there were blue mountains going to + sleep in the soft mistiness of the distance. Then the road made a sudden + zig-zag, but went on climbing more steeply than ever, until at last I + found that the stony track had brought me to the verge of a precipice. + There was not sufficient light to see what dangers lay beneath me, but I + could hear the angry sound of a beck falling upon quantities of bare + rocks. If one does not keep to the road, there is on the other side the + still greater menace of the Buttertubs, the dangers of which are too well + known to require any emphasis of mine. Those pot-holes which have been + explored with much labour, and the use of winches and tackle and a great + deal of stout rope, have revealed in their cavernous depths the bones of + sheep that disappeared from flocks which have long since become mutton. + This road is surely one that would have afforded wonderful illustrations + to the 'Pilgrim's Progress,' for the track is steep and narrow and + painfully rough; dangers lie on either side, and safety can only be found + by keeping in the middle of the road. + </p> + <p> + What must have been the thoughts, I wonder, of the dalesmen who on + different occasions had to go over the pass at night in those still recent + times when wraithes and hobs were terrible realities? In the parts of + Yorkshire where any records of the apparitions that used to enliven the + dark nights have been kept, I find that these awesome creatures were to be + found on every moor, and perhaps some day in my reading I shall discover + an account of those that haunted this pass. + </p> + <p> + Although there are probably few who care for rough moorland roads at + night, the Buttertubs Pass in daylight is still a memorable place. The + pot-holes can then be safely approached, and one can peer into the + blackness below until the eyes become adapted to the gloom. Then one sees + the wet walls of limestone and the curiously-formed isolated pieces of + rock that almost suggest columnar basalt. In crevices far down delicate + ferns are growing in the darkness. They shiver as the cool water drips + upon them from above, and the drops they throw off fall down lower still + into a stream of underground water that has its beginnings no man knows + where. On a hot day it is cooling simply to gaze into the Buttertubs, and + the sound of the falling waters down in these shadowy places is pleasant + after gazing on the dry fell-sides. + </p> + <p> + Just beyond the head of the pass, where the descent to Hawes begins, the + shoulders of Great Shunnor Fell drop down, so that not only straight + ahead, but also westwards, one can see a splendid mountain view. + Ingleborough's flat top is conspicuous in the south, and in every + direction there are indications of the geology of the fells. The hard + stratum of millstone grit that rests upon the limestone gives many of the + summits of the hills their level character, and forms the sharply-defined + scars that encircle them. The sudden and violent changes of weather that + take place among these watersheds would almost seem to be cause enough to + explain the wearing down of the angularities of the heights. Even while we + stand on the bridge at Hawes we can see three or four ragged cloud edges + letting down on as many places torrential rains, while in between there + are intervals of blazing sunshine, under which the green fells turn bright + yellow and orange in powerful contrast to the indigo shadows on every + side. Such rapid changes from complete saturation to sudden heat are + trying to the hardest rocks, and at Hardraw, close at hand, there is a + still more palpable process of denudation in active operation. + </p> + <p> + Such a morning as this is quite ideal for seeing the remarkable waterfall + known as Hardraw Scar or Force. The footpath that leads up the glen leaves + the road at the side of the 'Green Dragon' at Hardraw, where the innkeeper + hands us a key to open the gate we must pass through. Being September, and + an uncertain day for weather, we have the whole glen to ourselves, until + behind some rocks we discover a solitary angler. There is nothing but the + roughest of tracks to follow, for the carefully-made pathway that used to + go right up to the fall was swept away half a dozen years ago, when the + stream in a fierce mood cleared its course of any traces of artificiality. + We are deeply grateful, and make our among the big rocks and across the + slippery surfaces of shale, with the roar of the waters becoming more and + more insistent. The sun has turned into the ravine a great searchlight + that has lit up the rock walls and strewn the wet grass beneath with + sparkling jewels. On the opposite side there is a dense blue shadow over + everything except the foliage on the brow of the cliffs, where the strong + autumn colours leap into a flaming glory that transforms the ravine into + an astonishing splendour. A little more careful scrambling by the side of + the stream, and we see a white band of water falling from the overhanging + limestone into the pool about ninety feet below. Off the surface of the + water drifts a mist of spray, in which a soft patch of rainbow hovers + until the sun withdraws itself for a time and leaves a sudden gloom in the + horseshoe of overhanging cliffs. The place is, perhaps, more in sympathy + with a cloudy sky, but, under sunshine or cloud, the spout of water is a + memorable sight, and its imposing height places Hardraw among the small + group of England's finest waterfalls. The mass of shale that lies beneath + this stratum is soft enough to be worked away by the water until the + limestone overhangs the pool to the extent of ten or twelve feet, so that + the water falls sheer into the circular basin, leaving a space between the + cliff and the fall where it is safe to walk on a rather moist and slippery + path that is constantly being sprayed from the surface of the pool. + </p> + <p> + John Leland wrote, nearly four hundred years ago, '<i>Uredale</i> veri + litle Corne except Bygg or Otes, but plentiful of Gresse in Communes,' and + although this dale is so much more genial in aspect, and so much wider + than the valley of the Swale, yet crops are under the same disabilities. + Leaving Gayle behind, we climb up a steep and stony road above the beck + until we are soon above the level of green pasturage. The stone walls + still cover the hillsides with a net of very large mesh, but the sheep + find more bent than grass, and the ground is often exceedingly steep. + Higher still climbs this venturesome road, until all around us is a vast + tumble of gaunt brown fells, divided by ravines whose sides are scarred + with runnels of water, which have exposed the rocks and left miniature + screes down below. At a height of nearly 1,600 feet there is a gate, where + we will turn away from the road that goes on past Dodd Fell into + Langstrothdale, and instead climb a smooth grass track sprinkled with + half-buried rocks until we have reached the summit of Wether Fell, 400 + feet higher. There is a scanty growth of ling upon the top of this height, + but the hills that lie about on every side are browny-green or of an ochre + colour, and there is little of the purple one sees in the Cleveland Hills. + </p> + <p> + The cultivated level of Wensleydale is quite hidden from view, so that we + look over a vast panorama of mountains extending in the west as far as the + blue fells of Lakeland. I have painted the westward view from this very + summit, so that any written description is hardly needed; but behind us, + as we face the scene illustrated here, there is a wonderful expanse that + includes the heights of Addlebrough, Stake Fell, and Penhill Beacon, which + stand out boldly on the southern side of Wensleydale. I have seen these + hills lightly covered with snow, but that can give scarcely the smallest + suggestion of the scene that was witnessed after the remarkable snowstorm + of January, 1895, which blocked the roads between Wensleydale and + Swaledale until nearly the middle of March. Roads were dug out, with walls + of snow on either side from 10 to 15 feet in height, but the wind and + fresh falls almost obliterated the passages soon after they had been cut. + In Landstrothdale Mr. Speight tells of the extraordinary difficulties of + the dalesfolk in the farms and cottages, who were faced with starvation + owing to the difficulty of getting in provisions. They cut ways through + the drifts as high as themselves in the direction of the likeliest places + to obtain food, while in Swaledale they built sledges. + </p> + <p> + When we have left the highest part of Wether Fell, we find the track + taking a perfectly straight line between stone walls. The straightness is + so unusual that there can be little doubt that it is a survival of one of + the Roman ways connecting their station on Brough Hill, just above the + village of Bainbridge, with some place to the south-west. The track goes + right over Cam Fell, and is known as the Old Cam Road, but I cannot + recommend it for any but pedestrians. When we have descended only a short + distance, there is a sudden view of Semmerwater, the only piece of water + in Yorkshire that really deserves to be called a lake. It is a pleasant + surprise to discover this placid patch of blue lying among the hills, and + partially hidden by a fellside in such a way that its area might be far + greater than 105 acres. + </p> + <p> + Those who know Turner's painting of this lake would be disappointed, no + doubt, if they saw it first from this height. The picture was made at the + edge of the water with the Carlow Stone in the foreground, and over the + mountains on the southern shore appears a sky that would make the dullest + potato-field thrilling. + </p> + <p> + A short distance lower down, by straying a little from the road, we get a + really imposing view of Bardale, into which the ground falls suddenly from + our very feet. Sheep scamper nimbly down their convenient little tracks, + but there are places where water that overflows from the pools among the + bent and ling has made blue-grey seams and wrinkles in the steep places + that give no foothold even to the toughest sheep. + </p> + <p> + We lose sight of Semmerwater behind the ridge that forms one side of the + branch dale in which it lies, but in exchange we get beautiful views of + the sweeping contours of Wensleydale. High upon the further side of the + valley Askrigg's gray roofs and pretty church stand out against a steep + fellside; further down we can see Nappa Hall, surrounded by trees, just + above the winding river, and Bainbridge lies close at hand. We soon come + to the broad and cheerful green, surrounded by a picturesque scattering of + old but well preserved cottages; for Bainbridge has sufficient charms to + make it a pleasant inland resort for holiday times that is quite ideal for + those who are content to abandon the sea. The overflow from Semmerwater, + which is called the Bam, fills the village with its music as it falls over + ledges or rock in many cascades along one side of the green. + </p> + <p> + There is a steep bridge, which is conveniently placed for watching the + waterfalls; there are white geese always drilling on the grass, and there + are still to be seen the upright stones of the stocks. The pretty inn + called the 'Rose and Crown,' overlooking a corner of the green states upon + a board that it was established in 1445. + </p> + <p> + A horn-blowing custom has been preserved at Bainbridge. It takes place at + ten o'clock every night between Holy Rood (September 27) and Shrovetide, + but somehow the reason for the observance has been forgotten. The medieval + regulations as to the carrying of horns by foresters and those who passed + through forests would undoubtedly associate the custom with early times, + and this happy old village certainly gains our respect for having + preserved anything from such a remote period. When we reach Bolton Castle + we shall find in the museum there an old horn from Bainbridge. + </p> + <p> + Besides having the length and breadth of Wensleydale to explore with or + without the assistance of the railway, Bainbridge has as its particular + possession the valley containing Semmerwater, with the three romantic + dales at its head. Counterside, a hamlet perched a little above the lake, + has an old hall, where George Fox stayed in 1677 as a guest of Richard + Robinson. The inn bears the date 1667 and the initials 'B.H.J.,' which may + be those of one of the Jacksons, who were Quakers at that time. + </p> + <p> + On the other side of the river, and scarcely more than a mile from + Bainbridge, is the little town of Askrigg, which supplies its neighbour + with a church and a railway-station. There is a charm in its breezy + situation that is ever present, for even when we are in the narrow little + street that curves steeply up the hill there are quite exhilarating peeps + of the dale. We can see Wether Fell, with the road we traversed yesterday + plainly marked on the slopes, and down below, where the Ure takes its way + through bright pastures, there is a mist of smoke ascending from Hawes. + Blocking up the head of the dale are the spurs of Dodd and Widdale Fells, + while beyond them appears the blue summit of Bow Fell. We find it hard to + keep our eyes away from the distant mountains, which fascinate one by + appearing to have an importance that is perhaps diminished when they are + close at hand. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-16" id="linkimage-16"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/16.jpg" width="100%" alt="A Jacobean House at Askrigg " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + We find ourselves halting on a patch of grass by the restored market-cross + to look more closely at a fine old house overlooking the three-sided + space. There is no doubt as to the date of the building, for a plain + inscription begins 'Gulielmus Thornton posuit hanc domum MDCLXXVIII.' The + bay windows have heavy mullions and there is a dignity about the house + which must have been still more apparent when the surrounding houses were + lower than at present. The wooden gallery that is constructed between the + bays was, it is said, built as a convenient place for watching the + bull-fights that took place just below. In the grass there can still be + seen the stone to which the bull-ring was secured. The churchyard runs + along the west side of the little market-place, so that there is an open + view on that side, made interesting by the Perpendicular church. + </p> + <p> + The simple square tower and the unbroken roof-lines are battlemented, like + so many of the churches of the dales; inside we find Norman pillars that + are quite in strange company, if it is true that they were brought from + the site of Fors Abbey, a little to the west of the town. + </p> + <p> + Wensleydale generally used to be famed for its hand-knitting, but I think + Askrigg must have turned out more work than any place in the valley, for + the men as well as the womenfolk were equally skilled in this employment, + and Mr. Whaley says they did their work in the open air 'while gossiping + with their neighbours.' This statement is, nevertheless, exceeded by what + appears in a volume entitled 'The Costume of Yorkshire.' In that work of + 1814, which contains a number of George Walker's quaint drawings, + reproduced by lithography, we find a picture having a strong suggestion of + Askrigg in which there is a group of old and young of both sexes seated on + the steps of the market-cross, all knitting, and a little way off a + shepherd is seen driving some sheep through a gate, and he also is + knitting. + </p> + <p> + From Askrigg there is a road that climbs up from the end of the little + street at a gradient that looks like 1 in 4, but it is really less + formidable. Considering its steepness the surface is quite good, but that + is due to the industry of a certain road-mender with whom I once had the + privilege to talk when, hot and breathless, I paused to enjoy the great + expanse that lay to the south. He was a fine Saxon type, with a sunburnt + face and equally brown arms. Road-making had been his ideal when he was a + mere boy, and since he had obtained his desire he told me that he couldn't + be happier if he were the King of England. The picturesque road where we + leave him, breaking every large stone he can find, goes on across a belt + of brown moor, and then drops down between gaunt scars that only just + leave space for the winding track to pass through. It afterwards descends + rapidly by the side of a gill, and thus enters Swaledale. + </p> + <p> + There is a beautiful walk from Askrigg to Mill Gill Force. The distance is + scarcely more than half a mile across sloping pastures and through the + curious stiles that appear in the stone walls. So dense is the growth of + trees in the little ravine that one hears the sound of the waters close at + hand without seeing anything but the profusion of foliage overhanging and + growing among the rocks. After climbing down among the moist ferns and + moss-grown stones, the gushing cascades appear suddenly set in a frame of + such lavish beauty that they hold a high place among their rivals in the + dale. + </p> + <p> + Keeping to the north side of the river, we come to Nappa Hall at a + distance of a little over a mile to the east of Askrigg. It is now a + farmhouse, but its two battlemented towers proclaim its former importance + as the chief seat of the family of Metcalfe. The date of the house is + about 1459, and the walls of the western tower are 4 feet in thickness. + The Nappa lands came to James Metcalfe from Sir Richard Scrope of Bolton + Castle shortly after his return to England from the field of Agincourt, + and it was probably this James Metcalfe who built the existing house. + </p> + <p> + The road down the dale passes Woodhall Park, and then, after going down + close to the Ure, it bears away again to the little village of Carperby. + It has a triangular green surrounded by white posts. At the east end + stands an old cross, dated 1674, and the ends of the arms are ornamented + with grotesque carved heads. The cottages have a neat and pleasant + appearance, and there is much less austerity about the place than one sees + higher up the dale. A branch road leads down to Aysgarth Station, and just + where the lane takes a sharp bend to the right a footpath goes across a + smooth meadow to the banks of the Ure. The rainfall of the last few days, + which showed itself at Mill Gill Force, at Hardraw Scar, and a dozen other + falls, has been sufficient to swell the main stream at Wensleydale into a + considerable flood, and behind the bushes that grow thickly along the + riverside we can hear the steady roar of the cascades of Aysgarth. The + waters have worn down the rocky bottom to such an extent that in order to + stand in full view of the splendid fall we must make for a gap in the + foliage, and scramble down some natural steps in the wall of rock forming + low cliffs along each side of the flood. The water comes over three + terraces of solid stone, and then sweeps across wide ledges in a + tempestuous sea of waves and froth, until there come other descents which + alter the course of parts of the stream, so that as we look across the + riotous flood we can see the waters flowing in many opposite directions. + Lines of cream-coloured foam spread out into chains of bubbles which join + together, and then, becoming detached, again float across the smooth + portions of each low terrace. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-17" id="linkimage-17"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/17.jpg" width="100%" alt="Aysgarth Force " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Some footpaths bring us to Aysgarth village, which seems altogether to + disregard the church, for it is separated from it by a distance of nearly + half a mile. There is one pleasant little street of old stone houses + irregularly disposed, many of them being quite picturesque, with mossy + roofs and ancient chimneys. This village, like Askrigg and Bainbridge, is + ideally situated as a centre for exploring a very considerable district. + There is quite a network of roads to the south, connecting the villages of + Thoralby and West Burton with Bishop Dale, and the main road through + Wensleydale. Thoralby is very old, and is beautifully situated under a + steep hillside. It has a green overlooked by little grey cottages, and + lower down there is a tall mill with curious windows built upon Bishop + Dale Beck. Close to this mill there nestles a long, low house of that + dignified type to be seen frequently in the North Riding, as well as in + the villages of Westmorland. The huge chimney, occupying a large + proportion of one gable-end, is suggestive of much cosiness within, and + its many shoulders, by which it tapers towards the top, make it an + interesting feature of the house. + </p> + <p> + The dale narrows up at its highest point, but the road is enclosed between + grey walls the whole of the way over the head of the valley. A wide view + of Langstrothdale and upper Wharfedale is visible when the road begins to + drop downwards, and to the east Buckden Pike towers up to his imposing + height of 2,302 feet. We shall see him again when we make our way through + Wharfedale but we could go back to Wensleydale by a mountain-path that + climbs up the side of Cam Gill Beck from Starbottom, and then, crossing + the ridge between Buckden Pike and Tor Mere Top, it goes down into the + wild recesses of Waldendale. So remote is this valley that wild animals, + long extinct in other parts of the dales, survived there until almost + recent times. + </p> + <p> + When we have crossed the Ure again, and taken a last look at the Upper + Fall from Aysgarth Bridge, we betake ourselves by a footpath to the main + highway through Wensleydale, turning aside before reaching Redmire in + order to see the great castle of the Scropes at Bolton. It is a vast + quadrangular mass, with each side nearly as gaunt and as lofty as the + others. At each corner rises a great square tower, pierced, with a few + exceptions, by the smallest of windows. Only the base of the tower at the + north-east corner remains to-day, the upper part having fallen one stormy + night in November, 1761, possibly having been weakened during the siege of + the castle in the Civil War. We go into the court-yard through a vaulted + archway on the eastern side. Many of the rooms on the side facing us are + in good preservation, and an apartment in the south-west tower, which has + a fireplace, is pointed out as having been used by Mary Queen of Scots + when she was imprisoned here after the Battle of Langside in 1568. It was + the ninth Lord Scrope who had the custody of the Queen, and he was + assisted by Sir Francis Knollys. Mary, no doubt, found the time of her + imprisonment irksome enough, despite the magnificent views over the dale + which her windows appear to have commanded; but the monotony was relieved + to some extent by the lessons in English which she received from Sir + Francis, whom she describes as her 'good schoolmaster.' While still a + prisoner, Mary addressed to him her first English letter, which begins: + 'Master Knollys, I heve sum neus from Scotland'; and half-way through she + begs that he will excuse her writing, seeing that she had 'neuur vsed it + afor,' and was 'hestet.' The letter concludes with 'thus, affter my + commendations, I prey God heuu you in his kipin. Your assured gud frind, + MARIE R.' + </p> + <p> + On the opposite side of the steep-sided dale Penhill stands out + prominently, with its flat summit reflecting just enough of the setting + sun to recall a momentous occasion when from that commanding spot a real + beacon-fire sent up a great mass of flame and sparks. It was during the + time of Napoleon's threatened invasion of England, and the lighting of + this beacon was to be the signal to the volunteers of Wensleydale to + muster and march to their rendezvous. The watchman on Penhill, as he sat + by the piled-up brushwood, wondering, no doubt, what would happen to him + if the dreaded invasion were really to come about, saw, far away across + the Vale of Mowbray, a light which he at once took to be the beacon upon + Roseberry Topping. A moment later tongues of flame and smoke were pouring + from his own hilltop, and the news spread up the dale like wildfire. The + volunteers armed themselves rapidly, and with drums beating they marched + away, with only such delay as was caused by the hurried leave-takings with + wives and mothers, and all the rest who crowded round. The contingent took + the road to Thirsk, and on the way were joined by the Mashamshire men. + Whether it was with relief or disappointment I do not know; but when the + volunteers reached Thirsk they heard that they had been called out by a + false alarm, for the light seen in the direction of Roseberry Topping had + been caused by accident, and the beacon on that height had not been lit. + </p> + <p> + Wensley stands just at the point where the dale, to which it has given its + name, becomes so wide that it begins to lose its distinctive character. + The village is most picturesque and secluded, and it is small enough to + cause some wonder as to its distinction in naming the valley. It is + suggested that the name is derived from <i>Wodenslag</i>, and that in the + time of the Northmen's occupation of these parts the place named after + their chief god would be the most important. + </p> + <p> + In the little church standing on the south side of the green there is so + much to interest us that we are almost unable to decide what to examine + first, until, realizing that we are brought face to face with a beautiful + relic of Easby Abbey, we turn our attention to the parclose screen. It + surrounds the family pew of Bolton Hall, and on three sides we see the + Perpendicular woodwork fitted into the east end of the north aisle. The + side that fronts the nave has an entirely different appearance, being + painted and of a classic order, very lacking in any ecclesiastical + flavour, an impression not lost on those who, with every excuse, called it + 'the opera box.' In the panels of the early part of the screen are carved + inscriptions and arms of the Scropes covering a long period, and, though + many words and letters are missing, it is possible to make them more + complete with the help of the record made by the heralds in 1665. + </p> + <p> + A charming lane, overhung by big trees, runs above the river-banks for + nearly two miles of the way to Middleham; then it joins the road from + Leyburn, and crosses the Ure by a suspension bridge, defended by two very + formidable though modern archways. Climbing up past the church, we enter + the cobbled market-place, which wears a rather decayed appearance in + sympathy with the departed magnificence of the great castle of the + Nevilles. It commands a vast view of Wensleydale from the southern side, + in much the same manner as Bolton does from the north; but the castle + buildings are entirely different, for Middleham consists of a square + Norman keep, very massive and lofty, surrounded at a short distance by a + strong wall and other buildings, also of considerable height, built in the + Decorated period, when the Nevilles were in possession of the stronghold. + The Norman keep dates from the year 1190, when Robert Fitz Randolph, + grandson of Ribald, a brother of the Earl of Richmond, began to build the + Castle. + </p> + <p> + It was, however, in later times, when Middleham had come to the Nevilles + by marriage, that really notable events took place in this fortress. It + was here that Warwick, the 'King-maker,' held Edward IV. prisoner in 1467, + and in Part III. of the play of 'King Henry VI.,' Scene V. of the fourth + act is laid in a park near Middleham Castle. Richard III.'s only son, + Edward Prince of Wales, was born here in 1467, the property having come + into Richard's possession by his marriage with Anne Neville. + </p> + <p> + We have already seen Leyburn Shawl from near Wensley, but its charm can + only be appreciated by seeing the view up the dale from its larch-crowned + termination. Perhaps if we had seen nothing of Wensleydale, and the + wonderful views it offers, we should be more inclined to regard this + somewhat popular spot with greater veneration; but after having explored + both sides of the dale, and seen many views of a very similar character, + we cannot help thinking that the vista is somewhat overrated. Leyburn + itself is a cheerful little town, with a modern church and a very wide + main street which forms a most extensive market-place. There is a + bull-ring still visible in the great open space, but beyond this and the + view from the Shawl Leyburn has few attractions, except its position as a + centre or a starting-place from which to explore the romantic + neighbourhood. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-18" id="linkimage-18"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/18.jpg" width="100%" + alt="View up Wensleydale from Leyburn Shawl " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + As we leave Leyburn we get a most beautiful view up Coverdale, with the + two Whernsides standing out most conspicuously at the head of the valley, + and it is this last view of Coverdale, and the great valley from which it + branches, that remains in the mind as one of the finest pictures of this + most remarkable portion of Yorkshire. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH15" id="link2HCH15"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV + </h2> + <p> + RIPON AND FOUNTAINS ABBEY + </p> + <p> + We have come out of Wensleydale past the ruins of the great Cistercian + abbey of Jervaulx, which Conan, Earl of Richmond, moved from Askrigg to a + kindlier climate, and we have passed through the quiet little town of + Masham, famous for its fair in September, when sometimes as many as 70,000 + sheep, including great numbers of the fine Wensleydale breed, are sold, + and now we are at Ripon. It is the largest town we have seen since we lost + sight of Richmond in the wooded recesses of Swaledale, and though we are + still close to the Ure, we are on the very edge of the dale country, and + miss the fells that lie a little to the west. The evening has settled down + to steady rain, and the market-place is running with water that reflects + the lights in the shop-windows and the dark outline of the obelisk in the + centre. This erection is suspiciously called 'the Cross,' and it made its + appearance nearly seventy years before the one at Richmond. Gent says it + cost £564 11s. 9d., and that it is 'one of the finest in England.' I + could, no doubt, with the smallest trouble discover a description of the + real cross it supplanted, but if it were anything half as fine as the one + at Richmond, I should merely be moved to say harsh things of John + Aislabie, who was Mayor in 1702, when the obelisk was erected, and + therefore I will leave the matter to others. It is, perhaps, an + un-Christian occupation to go about the country quarrelling with the deeds + of recent generations, though I am always grateful for any traces of the + centuries that have gone which have been allowed to survive. With this + thought still before me, I am startled by a long-drawn-out blast on a + horn, and, looking out of my window, which commands the whole of the + market-place, I can see beneath the light of a lamp an old-fashioned + figure wearing a three-cornered hat. When the last quavering note has come + from the great circular horn, the man walks slowly across the wet + cobble-stones to the obelisk, where I watch him wind another blast just + like the first, and then another, and then a third, immediately after + which he walks briskly away and disappears down a turning. In the light of + morning I discover that the horn was blown in front of the Town Hall, + whose stucco front bears the inscription: 'Except ye Lord keep ye cittie, + ye Wakeman waketh in vain.' The antique spelling is, of course, unable to + give a wrong impression as to the age of the building, for it shows its + period so plainly that one scarcely needs to be told that it was built in + 1801, although it could not so easily be attributed to the notorious + Wyatt. Notwithstanding much reconstruction there are still a few quaint + houses to be seen in Ripon, and there clings to the streets a certain + flavour of antiquity. It is the minster, nevertheless, that raises the + 'city' above the average Yorkshire town. The west front, with its twin + towers, is to some extent the most memorable portion of the great church. + It is the work of Archbishop Walter Gray, and is a most beautiful example + of the pure Early English style. Inside there is a good deal of + transitional Norman work to be seen. The central tower was built in this + period, but now presents a most remarkable appearance, owing to its + partial reconstruction in Perpendicular times, the arch that faces the + nave having the southern pier higher than the Norman one, and in the later + style, so that the arch is lop-sided. As a building in which to study the + growth of English Gothic architecture, I can scarcely think it possible to + find anything better, all the periods being very clearly represented. The + choir has much sumptuous carved woodwork, and the misereres are full of + quaint detail. In the library there is a collection of very early printed + books and other relics of the minster that add very greatly to the + interest of the place. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-19" id="linkimage-19"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/19.jpg" width="100%" alt="Ripon Minster from the South " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The monument to Hugh Ripley, who was the last Wakeman of Ripon and first + Mayor in 1604, is on the north side of the nave facing the entrance to the + crypt, popularly called 'St. Wilfrid's Needle.' A rather difficult flight + of steps goes down to a narrow passage leading into a cylindrically + vaulted cell with niches in the walls. At the north-east corner is the + curious slit or 'Needle' that has been thought to have been used for + purposes of trial by ordeal, the innocent person being able to squeeze + through the narrow opening. + </p> + <p> + In reality it is probably nothing more than an arrangement for lighting + two cells with one lamp. The crypt is of such a plainly Roman type, and is + so similar to the one at Hexham, that it is generally accepted as dating + from the early days of Christianity in Yorkshire, and there can be little + doubt that it is a relic of Wilfrid's church in those early times. + </p> + <p> + At a very convenient distance from Ripon, and approached by a pleasant + lane, are the lovely glades of Studley Royal, the noble park containing + the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Below the well-kept pathway runs the Skell, + but so transformed from its early character that you would imagine the + pathways wind round the densely-wooded slopes, and give a dozen different + views of each mass of trees, each temple, and each bend of the river. At + last, from a considerable height, you have the lovely view of the abbey + ruins illustrated here. At every season its charm is unmistakable, and + even if no stately tower and no roofless arches filled the centre of the + prospect, the scene would be almost as memorable. It is only one of the + many pictures in the park that a retentive memory will hold as some of the + most remarkable in England. + </p> + <p> + Among the ruins the turf is kept in perfect order, and it is pleasant + merely to look upon the contrast of the green carpet that is so evenly + laid between the dark stonework. The late-Norman nave, with its solemn + double line of round columns, the extremely graceful arches of the Chapel + of the Nine Altars, and the magnificent vaulted perspective of the dark + cellarium of the lay-brothers, are perhaps the most fascinating portions + of the buildings. I might be well compared with the last abbot but one, + William Thirsk, who resigned his post, forseeing the coming Dissolution, + and was therefore called 'a varra fole and a misereble ideote,' if I + attempted in the short space available to give any detailed account of the + abbey or its wonderful past. I have perhaps said enough to insist on its + charms, and I know that all who endorse my statements will, after seeing + Fountains, read with delight the books that are devoted to its story. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-20" id="linkimage-20"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/20.jpg" width="100%" alt="Fountains Abbey " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH16" id="link2HCH16"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV + </h2> + <p> + KNARESBOROUGH AND HARROGATE + </p> + <p> + It is sometimes said that Knaresborough is an overrated town from the + point of view of its attractiveness to visitors, but this depends very + much upon what we hope to find there. If we expect to find lasting + pleasure in contemplating the Dropping Well, or the pathetic little + exhibition of petrified objects in the Mother Shipton Inn, we may be + prepared for disappointment. It seems strange that the real and lasting + charms of the town should be overshadowed by such popular and + much-advertised 'sights.' The first view of the town from the 'high' + bridge is so full of romance that if there were nothing else to interest + us in the place we would scarcely be disappointed. The Nidd, flowing + smoothly at the foot of the precipitous heights upon which the church and + the old roofs appear, is spanned by a great stone viaduct. This might have + been so great a blot upon the scene that Knaresborough would have lost + half its charm. Strangely enough, we find just the reverse is the case, + for this railway bridge, with its battlemented parapets and massive piers, + is now so weathered that it has melted into its surroundings as though it + had come into existence as long ago as the oldest building visible. The + old Knaresborough kept well to the heights adjoining the castle, and even + to-day there are only a handful of later buildings down by the river + margin. + </p> + <p> + When we have crossed the bridge, and have passed along a narrow roadway + perched well above the river, we come to one of the many interesting + houses that help to keep alive the old-world flavour of the town. Only a + few years ago the old manor-house had a most picturesque and rather + remarkable exterior, for its plaster walls were covered with a large black + and white chequer-work and its overhanging eaves and tailing creepers gave + it a charm that has since then been quite lost. The restoration which + recently took place has entirely altered the character of the exterior, + but inside everything has been preserved with just the care that should + have been expended outside as well. There are oak-wainscoted parlours, oak + dressers, and richly-carved fireplaces in the low-ceiled rooms, each one + containing furniture of the period of the house. Upstairs there is a + beautiful old bedroom lined with oak, like those on the floor below, and + its interest is greatly enhanced by the story of Oliver Cromwell's + residence in the house, for he is believed to have used this particular + bedroom. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-21" id="linkimage-21"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/21.jpg" width="100%" alt="Knaresborough " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Higher up the hill stands the church with a square central tower + surmounted by a small spike. It still bears the marks of the fire made by + the Scots during their disastrous descent upon Yorkshire after Edward + II.'s defeat at Bannockburn. The chapel north of the chancel contains + interesting monuments of the old Yorkshire family of Slingsby. The + altar-tomb in the centre bears the recumbent effigies of Francis Slingsby, + who died in 1600, and Mary his wife. Another monument shows Sir William + Slingsby, who accidentally discovered the first spring at Harrogate. The + Slingsbys, who were cavaliers, produced a martyr in the cause of Charles + I. This was the distinguished Sir Henry, who, in 1658, 'being beheaded by + order of the tyrant Cromwell, ... was translated to a better place.' So + says the inscription on a large slab of black marble in the floor of the + chapel. The last of the male line of the family was Sir Charles Slingsby, + who was most unfortunately drowned by the upsetting of a ferry-boat in the + Ure in February, 1869. + </p> + <p> + When we have progressed beyond the market-place, we come out upon an + elevated grassy space upon the top of a great mass of rock whose + perpendicular sides drop down to a bend of the Nidd. Around us are + scattered the ruins of Knaresborough Castle—poor and of small + account if we compare them with Richmond, although the site is very + similar; where before the siege in 1644 there must have been a most + imposing mass of towers and curtain walls. Of the great keep, only the + lowest story is at all complete, for above the first-floor there are only + two sides to the tower, and these are battered and dishevelled. The walls + enclosed about the same area as Richmond, but they are now so greatly + destroyed that it is not easy to gain a clear idea of their position. + There were no less than eleven towers, of which there now remain fragments + of six, part of a gateway, and behind the old courthouse there are + evidences of a secret cell. An underground sally-port opening into the + moat, which was a dry one, is reached by steps leading from the castle + yard. + </p> + <p> + The keep is in the Decorated style, and appears to have been built in the + reign of Edward II. Below the ground is a vaulted dungeon, dark and + horrible in its hopeless strength, which is only emphasized by the tiny + air-hole that lets in scarcely a glimmering of light, but reveals a + thickness of 15 feet of masonry that must have made a prisoner's heart + sick. It is generally understood that Bolingbroke spared Richard II. such + confinement as this, and that when he was a prisoner in the keep he + occupied the large room on the floor above the kitchen. It is now a mere + platform, with the walls running up on two sides only. The kitchen + (sometimes called the guard-room) has a perfectly preserved roof of heavy + groining, supported by two pillars, and it contains a collection of + interesting objects, rather difficult to see, owing to the poor light that + the windows allow. There is a great deal to interest us among the + wind-swept ruins and the views into the wooded depths of the Nidd, and we + would rather stay here and trace back the history of the castle and town + to the days of that Norman Serlo de Burgh, who is the first mentioned in + its annals, than go down to the tripper-worn Dropping Well and the Mother + Shipton Inn. + </p> + <p> + The distance between Knaresborough and Harrogate is short, and after + passing Starbeck we come to an extensive common known as the Stray. We + follow the grassy space, when it takes a sharp turn to the north, and are + soon in the centre of the great watering-place. + </p> + <p> + There is one spot in Harrogate that has a suggestion of the early days of + the town. It is down in the corner where the valley gardens almost join + the extremity of the Stray. There we find the Royal Pump Room that made + its appearance in early Victorian times, and its circular counter is still + crowded every morning by a throng of water-drinkers. We wander through the + hilly streets and gaze at the pretentious hotels, the baths, the huge + Kursaal, the hydropathic establishments, the smart shops, and the many + churches, and then, having seen enough of the buildings, we find a seat + supported by green serpents, from which to watch the passers-by. A + white-haired and withered man, having the stamp of a military life in his + still erect bearing, paces slowly by; then come two elaborately dressed + men of perhaps twenty-five. They wear brown suits and patent boots, and + their bowler hats are pressed down on the backs of their heads. Then + nursemaids with perambulators pass, followed by a lady in expensive + garments, who talks volubly to her two pretty daughters. When we have + tired of the pavements and the people, we bid farewell to them without + much regret, being in a mood for simplicity and solitude, and go away + towards Wharfedale with the pleasant tune that a band was playing still to + remind us for a time of the scenes we have left behind. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH17" id="link2HCH17"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI + </h2> + <p> + WHARFEDALE + </p> + <p> + Otley is the first place we come to in the long and beautiful valley of + the Wharfe. It is a busy little town where printing machinery is + manufactured and worsted mills appear to thrive. Immediately to the south + rises the steep ridge known as the Chevin. It answers the same purpose as + Leyburn Shawl in giving a great view over the dale; the elevation of over + 900 feet, being much greater than the Shawl, of course commands a far more + extensive panorama, and thus, in clear weather, York Minster appears on + the eastern horizon and the Ingleton Fells on the west. + </p> + <p> + Farnley Hall, on the north side of the Wharfe, is an Elizabethan house + dating from 1581, and it is still further of interest on account of + Turner's frequent visits, covering a great number of years, and for the + very fine collection of his paintings preserved there. The oak-panelling + and coeval furniture are particularly good, and among the historical + relics there is a remarkable memento of Marston Moor in the sword that + Cromwell carried during the battle. + </p> + <p> + Ilkley has contrived to keep an old well-house, where the water's purity + is its chief attraction. The church contains a thirteenth-century effigy + of Sir Andrew de Middleton, and also three pre-Norman crosses without + arms. On the heights to the south of Ilkley is Rumbles Moor, and from the + Cow and Calf rocks there is a very fine view. + </p> + <p> + About six miles still further up Wharfedale, Bolton Abbey stands by a bend + of the beautiful river. The ruins are most picturesquely placed on ground + slightly raised above the banks of the Wharfe. Of the domestic buildings + practically nothing remains, while the choir of the church, the central + tower, and north transepts are roofless and extremely beautiful ruins. The + nave is roofed in, and is used as a church at the present time, and it is + probable that services have been held in the building practically without + any interruption for 700 years. Hiding the Early English west end is the + lower half of a fine Perpendicular tower, commenced by Richard Moone, the + last Prior. + </p> + <p> + The great east window of the choir has lost its tracery, and the Decorated + windows at the sides are in the same vacant state, with the exception of + one. It is blocked up to half its height, like those on the north side, + but the flamboyant tracery of the head is perfect and very graceful. Lower + down there is some late-Norman interlaced arcading resting on carved + corbels. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-22" id="linkimage-22"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/22.jpg" width="100%" alt="Bolton Abbey, Wharfedale " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + From the abbey we can take our way by various beautiful paths to the + exceedingly rich scenery of Bolton woods. Some of the reaches of the + Wharfe through this deep and heavily-timbered part of its course are + really enchanting, and not even the knowledge that excursion parties + frequently traverse the paths can rob the views of their charm. It is + always possible, by taking a little trouble, to choose occasions for + seeing these beautiful but very popular places when they are unspoiled by + the sights and sounds of holiday-makers, and in the autumn, when the woods + have an almost undreamed-of brilliance, the walks and drives are generally + left to the birds and the rabbits. At the Strid the river, except in + flood-times, is confined to a deep channel through the rocks, in places + scarcely more than a yard in width. It is one of those spots that + accumulate stories and legends of the individuals who have lost their + lives, or saved them, by endeavouring to leap the narrow channel. That + several people have been drowned here is painfully true, for the + temptation to try the seemingly easy but very risky jump is more than many + can resist. + </p> + <p> + Higher up, the river is crossed by the three arches of Barden Bridge, a + fine old structure bearing the inscription: 'This bridge was repayred at + the charge of the whole West R ... 1676.' To the south of the bridge + stands the picturesque Tudor house called Barden Tower, which was at one + time a keeper's lodge in the manorial forest of Wharfedale. It was + enlarged by the tenth Lord Clifford—the 'Shepherd Lord' whose + strange life-story is mentioned in the next chapter in connection with + Skipton—but having become ruinous, it was repaired in 1658 by that + indefatigable restorer of the family castles, the Lady Anne Clifford. + </p> + <p> + At this point there is a road across the moors to Pateley Bridge, in + Nidderdale, and if we wish to explore that valley, which is now partially + filled with a lake formed by the damming of the Nidd for Bradford's + water-supply, we must leave the Wharfe at Barden. If we keep to the more + beautiful dale we go on through the pretty village of Burnsall to + Grassington, where a branch railway has recently made its appearance from + Skipton. + </p> + <p> + The dale from this point appears more and more wild, and the fells become + gaunt and bare, with scars often fringing the heights on either side. We + keep to the east side of the river, and soon after having a good view up + Littondale, a beautiful branch valley, we come to Kettlewell. This tidy + and cheerful village stands at the foot of Great Whernside, one of the + twin fells that we saw overlooking the head of Coverdale when we were at + Middleham. Its comfortable little inns make Kettlewell a very fine centre + for rambles in the wild dales that run up towards the head of Wharfedale. + </p> + <p> + Buckden is a small village situated at the junction of the road from + Aysgarth, and it has the beautiful scenery of Langstrothdale Chase + stretching away to the west. About a mile higher up the dale we come to + the curious old church of Hubberholme standing close to the river, and + forming a most attractive picture in conjunction with the bridge and the + masses of trees just beyond. At Raisgill we leave the road, which, if + continued, would take us over the moors by Dodd Fell, and then down to + Hawes. The track goes across Horse Head Moor, and it is so very slightly + marked on the bent that we only follow it with difficulty. It is steep in + places, for in a short distance it climbs up to nearly 2,000 feet. The + tawny hollows in the fell-sides, and the utter wildness spread all around, + are more impressive when we are right away from anything that can even be + called a path. + </p> + <p> + When we reach the highest point before the rapid descent into Littondale + we have another great view, with Pen-y-ghent close at hand and Fountains + Fell more to the south. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH18" id="link2HCH18"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII + </h2> + <p> + SKIPTON, MALHAM AND GORDALE + </p> + <p> + When I think of Skipton I am never quite sure whether to look upon it as a + manufacturing centre or as one of the picturesque market towns of the dale + country. If you arrive by train, you come out of the station upon such + vast cotton-mills, and such a strong flavour of the bustling activity of + the southern parts of Yorkshire, that you might easily imagine that the + capital of Craven has no part in any holiday-making portion of the county. + But if you come by road from Bolton Abbey, you enter the place at a + considerable height, and, passing round the margin of the wooded Haw Beck, + you have a fine view of the castle, as well as the church and the broad + and not unpleasing market-place. + </p> + <p> + The fine gateway of the castle is flanked by two squat towers. They are + circular and battlemented, and between them upon a parapet, which is + higher than the towers themselves, appears the motto of the Cliffords, + 'Desormais' (hereafter), in open stone letters. Beyond the gateway stands + a great mass of buildings with two large round towers just in front; to + the right, across a sloping lawn, appears the more modern and inhabited + portion of the castle. The squat round towers gain all our attention, but + as we pass through the doorways into the courtyard beyond, we are scarcely + prepared for the astonishingly beautiful quadrangle that awaits us. It is + small, and the centre is occupied by a great yew-tree, whose tall, + purply-red trunk goes up to the level of the roofs without any branches or + even twigs, but at that height it spreads out freely into a feathery + canopy of dark green, covering almost the whole of the square of sky + visible from the courtyard. The base of the trunk is surrounded by a + massive stone seat, with plain shields on each side. The aspect of the + courtyard suggests more that of a manor-house than a castle, the windows + and doorways being purely Tudor. The circular towers and other portions of + the walls belong to the time of Edward II., and there is also a + round-headed door that cannot be later than the time of Robert de Romillé, + one of the Conqueror's followers. The rooms that overlook the shady + quadrangle are very much decayed and entirely unoccupied. They include an + old dining-hall of much picturesqueness, kitchens, pantries, and + butteries, some of them only lighted by very narrow windows. The + destruction caused during the siege which took place during the Civil War + might have brought Skipton Castle to much the same condition as + Knaresborough but for the wealth and energy of that remarkable woman Lady + Anne Clifford, who was born here in 1589. She was the only surviving child + of George, the third Earl of Cumberland, and grew up under the care of her + mother, Margaret, Countess of Cumberland, of whom Lady Anne used to speak + as 'my blessed mother.' After her first marriage with Richard Sackville, + Earl of Dorset, Lady Anne married the profligate Philip, Earl of Pembroke + and Montgomery. She was widowed a second time in 1649, and after that + began the period of her munificence and usefulness. With immense + enthusiasm, she undertook the work of repairing the castles that belonged + to her family, Brougham, Appleby, Barden Tower, and Pendragon being + restored as well as Skipton. + </p> + <p> + Besides attending to the decayed castles, the Countess repaired no less + than seven churches, and to her we owe the careful restoration of the + parish church of Skipton. She began the repairs to the sacred building + even before she turned her attention to the wants of the castle. In her + private memorials we read how, 'In the summer of 1665 ... at her own + charge, she caus'd the steeple of Skipton Church to be built up againe, + which was pull'd down in the time of the late Warrs, and leaded it over, + and then repaired some part of the Church and new glaz'd the Windows, in + ever of which Window she put quaries, stained with a yellow colour, these + two letters—viz., A. P., and under them the year 1655... Besides, + she raised up a noble Tomb of Black Marble in memory of her Warlike + Father.' This magnificent altar-tomb still stands within the Communion + rails on the south side of the chancel. It is adorned with seventeen + shields, and Whitaker doubted 'whether so great an assemblage of noble + bearings can be found on the tomb of any other Englishman.' This third + Earl was a notable figure in the reign of Elizabeth, and having for a time + been a great favourite with the Queen, he received many of the posts of + honour she loved to bestow. He was a skilful and daring sailor, helping to + defeat the Spanish Armada, and building at his own expense one of the + greatest fighting ships of his time. + </p> + <p> + The memorials of Lady Anne give a description of her appearance in the + manner of that time: "The colour of her eyes was black like her Father's," + we are told, "with a peak of hair on her forehead, and a dimple in her + chin, like her father. The hair of her head was brown and very thick, and + so long that it reached to the calf of her legs when she stood upright." + </p> + <p> + We cannot leave these old towers of Skipton Castle without going back to + the days of John, the ninth Lord Clifford, that "Bloody Clifford" who was + one of the leaders of the Lancastrians at Wakefield, where his merciless + slaughter earned him the title of "the Butcher." He died by a chance arrow + the night before the Battle of Towton, so fatal to the cause of Lancaster, + and Lady Clifford and the children took refuge in her father's castle at + Brough. For greater safety Henry, the heir, was placed under the care of a + shepherd whose wife had nursed the boy's mother when a child. In this way + the future baron grew up as an entirely uneducated shepherd lad, spending + his days on the fells in the primitive fashion of the peasants of the + fifteenth century. When he was about twelve years old Lady Clifford, + hearing rumours that the whereabouts of her children had become known, + sent the shepherd and his wife with the boy into an extremely inaccessible + part of Cumberland. He remained there until his thirty-second year, when + the Battle of Bosworth placed Henry VII on the throne. Then the shepherd + lord was brought to Londesborough, and when the family estates had been + restored, he went back to Skipton Castle. The strangeness of his new life + being irksome to him, Lord Clifford spent most of his time in Barden + Forest at one of the keeper's lodges, which he adapted for his own use. + There he hunted and studied astronomy and astrology with the canons of + Bolton. + </p> + <p> + At Flodden Field he led the men-at-arms from Craven, and showed that by + his life of extreme simplicity he had in no way diminished the traditional + valour of the Cliffords. When he died they buried him at Bolton Abbey, + where many of his ancestors lay, and as his successor died after the + dissolution of the monasteries, the "Shepherd Lord" was the last to be + buried in that secluded spot by the Wharfe. + </p> + <p> + Skipton has always been a central spot for the exploration of this + southern portion of the dales. To the north is Kirby Malham, a pretty + little village with green limestone hills rising on all sides; a rushing + beck coming off Kirby Fell takes its way past the church, and there is an + old vicarage as well as some picturesque cottages. + </p> + <p> + We find our way to a decayed lych-gate, whose stones are very black and + moss-grown, and then get a close view of the Perpendicular church. The + interior is full of interest, not only on account of the Norman font and + the canopied niches in the pillars of the nave, but also for the old pews. + The Malham people seemingly found great delight in recording their names + on the woodwork of the pews, for carefully carved initials and dates + appear very frequently. All the pews have been cut down to the accepted + height of the present day with the exception of some on the north side + which were occupied by the more important families, and these still retain + their squareness and the high balustrades above the panelled lower + portions. + </p> + <p> + Just under the moorland heights surrounding Malham Tarn is the other + village of Malham. It is a charming spot, even in the gloom of a wintry + afternoon. The houses look on to a strip of uneven green, cut in two, + lengthways, by the Aire. We go across the clear and sparkling waters by a + rough stone footbridge, and, making our way past a farm, find ourselves in + a few minutes at Gordale Bridge. Here we abandon the switchback lane, and, + climbing a wall, begin to make our way along the side of the beck. The + fells drop down fairly sharply on each side, and in the failing light + there seems no object in following the stream any further, when quite + suddenly the green slope on the right stands out from a scarred wall of + rock beyond, and when we are abreast of the opening we find ourselves + before a vast fissure that leads right into the heart of the fell. The + great split is S-shaped in plan, so that when we advance into its yawning + mouth we are surrounded by limestone cliffs more than 300 feet high. If + one visits Gordale Scar for the first time alone on a gloomy evening, as I + have done, I can promise the most thrilling sensations to those who have + yet to see this astonishing sight. It almost appeared to me as though I + were dreaming, and that I was Aladdin approaching the magician's palace. I + had read some of the eighteenth-century writer's descriptions of the + place, and imagined that their vivid accounts of the terror inspired by + the overhanging rocks were mere exaggerations, but now I sympathize with + every word. The scars overhang so much on the east side that there is not + much space to get out of reach of the water that drips from every portion. + Great masses of stone were lying upon the bright strip of turf, and among + them I noticed some that could not have been there long; this made me keep + close under the cliff in justifiable fear of another fall. I stared with + apprehension at one rock that would not only kill, but completely bury, + anyone upon whom it fell, and I thought those old writers had underrated + the horrors of the place. + </p> + <p> + Wordsworth writes of + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + "Gordale chasm, terrific as the lair Where the young lions couch,"<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + and he also describes it as one of the grandest objects in nature. + </p> + <p> + A further result of the Craven fault that produced Gordale Scar can be + seen at Malham Cove, about a mile away. There the cliff forms a curved + front 285 feet high, facing the open meadows down below. The limestone is + formed in layers of great thickness, dividing the face of the cliff into + three fairly equal sections, the ledges formed at the commencement of each + stratum allowing of the growth of bushes and small trees. A hard-pressed + fox is said to have taken refuge on one of these precarious ledges, and + finding his way stopped in front, he tried to turn, and in doing so fell + and was killed. + </p> + <p> + At the base of the perpendicular face of the cliff the Aire flows from a + very slightly arched recess in the rock. It is a really remarkable stream + in making its debut without the slightest fuss, for it is large enough at + its very birth to be called a small river. Its modesty is a great loss to + Yorkshire, for if, instead of gathering strength in the hidden places in + the limestone fells, it were to keep to more rational methods, it would + flow to the edge of the Cover, and there precipitate itself in majestic + fashion into a great pool below. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH19" id="link2HCH19"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII + </h2> + <p> + SETTLE AND THE INGLETON FELLS + </p> + <p> + The track across the moor from Malham Cove to Settle cannot be recommended + to anyone at night, owing to the extreme difficulty of keeping to the path + without a very great familiarity with every yard of the way, so that when + I merely suggested taking that route one wintry night the villagers + protested vigorously. I therefore took the road that goes up from Kirby + Malham, having borrowed a large hurricane lamp from the "Buck" Inn at + Malham. Long before I reached the open moor I was enveloped in a mist that + would have made the track quite invisible even where it was most plainly + marked, and I blessed the good folk at Malham who had advised me to take + the road rather than run the risks of the pot-holes that are a feature of + the limestone fells. The little town of Settle has a most distinctive + feature in the possession of Castleberg, a steep limestone hill, densely + wooded except at the very top, that rises sharply just behind the + market-place. Before the trees were planted there seems to have been a + sundial on the side of the hill, the precipitous scar on the top forming + the gnomon. No one remembers this curious feature, although a print + showing the numbers fixed upon the slope was published in 1778. The + market-place has lost its curious old tolbooth, and in its place stands a + town hall of good Tudor design. Departed also is much of the charm of the + old Shambles that occupy a central position in the square. The lower + story, with big arches forming a sort of piazza in front of the butcher's + and other shops, still remains in its old state, but the upper portion has + been restored in the fullest sense of that comprehensive term. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-23" id="linkimage-23"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/23.jpg" width="100%" alt="Settle " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + In the steep street that we came down on entering the town there may still + be seen a curious old tower, which seems to have forgotten its original + purpose. Some of the houses have carved stone lintels to their doorways + and seventeenth-century dates, while the stone figure on 'The Naked Man' + Inn, although bearing the date 1663, must be very much older, the year of + rebuilding being probably indicated rather than the date of the figure. + </p> + <p> + The Ribble divides Settle from its former parish church at Giggleswick, + and until 1838 the townsfolk had to go over the bridge and along a short + lane to the village which held its church. Settle having been formed into + a separate parish, the parish clerk of the ancient village no longer has + the fees for funerals and marriages. Although able to share the church, + the two places had stocks of their own for a great many years. At Settle + they have been taken from the market square and placed in the court-house, + and at Giggleswick one of the first things we see on entering the village + is one of the stone posts of the stocks standing by the steps of the + market cross. This cross has a very well preserved head, and it makes the + foreground of a very pretty picture as we look at the battlemented tower + of the church through the stone-roofed lichgate grown over with ivy. The + history of this fine old church, dedicated, like that of Middleham, to St + Alkelda, has been written by Mr. Thomas Brayshaw, who knows every detail + of the old building from the chalice inscribed "THE. COMMVNION. CVPP. + BELONGINGE. TO. THE. PARISHE. OF. IYGGELSWICKE. MADE. IN. ANO. 1585." to + the inverted Norman capitals now forming the bases of the pillars. The + tower and the arcades date from about 1400, and the rest of the structure + is about 100 years older. + </p> + <p> + "The Black Horse" Inn has still two niches for small figures of saints, + that proclaim its ecclesiastical connections in early times. It is said + that in the days when it was one of the duties of the churchwardens to see + that no one was drinking there during the hours of service the inspection + used to last up to the end of the sermon, and that when the custom was + abolished the church officials regretted it exceedingly. Giggleswick is + also the proud possessor of a school founded in 1512. It has grown from a + very small beginning to a considerable establishment, and it possesses one + of the most remarkable school chapels that can be seen anywhere in the + country. + </p> + <p> + The greater part of this district of Yorkshire is composed of limestone, + forming bare hillsides honeycombed with underground waters and pot-holes, + which often lead down into the most astonishing caverns. In Ingleborough + itself there is Gaping Gill Hole, a vast fissure nearly 350 feet deep. It + was only partially explored by M. Martel in 1895. Ingleborough Cave + penetrates into the mountain to a distance of nearly 1,000 yards, and is + one of the best of these limestone caverns for its stalactite formations. + Guides take visitors from the village of Clapham to the inmost recesses + and chambers that branch out of the small portion discovered in 1837. + </p> + <p> + In almost every direction there are opportunities for splendid mountain + walks, and if the tracks are followed the danger of hidden pot-holes is + comparatively small. From the summit of Ingleborough, and, indeed, from + most of the fells that reach 2,000 feet, there are magnificent views + across the brown fells, broken up with horizontal lines formed by the bare + rocky scars. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH20" id="link2HCH20"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX + </h2> + <p> + CONCERNING THE WOLDS + </p> + <p> + On wide uplands of chalk the air has a raciness, the sunlight a purity and + a sparkle, not to be found in lowlands. There may be no streams, perhaps + not even a pond; you may find few large trees, and scarcely any parks; + ruined abbeys and even castles may be conspicuously absent, and yet the + landscapes have a power of attracting and fascinating. This is exactly the + case with the Wolds of Yorkshire, and their characteristics are not unlike + the chalk hills of Sussex, or those great expanses of windswept downs, + where the weathered monoliths of Stonehenge have resisted sun and storm + for ages. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-24" id="linkimage-24"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/24.jpg" width="100%" alt="Wolds " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + When we endeavour to analyse the power of attraction exerted by the Wolds, + we find it to exist in the sweeping outlines of the land with scarcely a + house to be seen for many miles, in the purity of the air owing to the + absence of smoke, in the brilliance of the sunlight due to the whiteness + of the roads and fields, and in the wonderful breezes that for ever blow + across pasture, stubble, and roots. + </p> + <p> + Above the eastern side of the valley, where the Derwent takes its deep and + sinuous course towards the alluvial lands, the chalk first makes its + appearance in the neighbourhood of Acklam, and farther north at + Wharram-le-Street, where picturesque hollows with precipitous sides break + up the edge of the cretaceous deposits. Eastwards the high country, + scarred here and there with gleaming chalk-pits, and netted with roads of + almost equal whiteness, continues to the great headland of Flamborough, + where the sea frets and fumes all the summer, and lacerates the cliffs + during the stormy months. The masses of flinty chalk have shown themselves + so capable of resisting the erosion of the sea that the seaward + termination of the Wolds has for many centuries been becoming more and + more a pronounced feature of the east coast of England, and if the present + rate of encroachment along the low shores of Holderness is continued, this + accentuation will become still more conspicuous. + </p> + <p> + The open roads of the Wolds, bordered by bright green grass and hedges + that lean away from the direction of the prevailing wind, give wide views + to bare horizons, or glimpses beyond vast stretches of waving corn, of + distant country, blue and indistinct, and so different in character from + the immediate surroundings as to suggest the ocean. + </p> + <p> + At Flamborough the white cliffs, topped with the clay deposit of the + glacial ages, approach a height of 200 feet; but although the thickness of + the chalk is estimated to be from I,000 to I,500 feet, the greatest height + above sea-level is near Wilton Beacon, where the hills rise sharply from + the Vale of York to 808 feet, and the beacon itself is 23 feet lower. On + this western side of the plateau the views are extremely good, extending + for miles across the flat green vale, where the Derwent and the Ouse, + having lost much of the light-heartedness and gaiety characterizing their + youth in the dales, take their wandering and converging courses towards + the Humber. In the distance you can distinguish a group of towers, a + stately blue-grey outline cutting into the soft horizon. It is York + Minster. To the north-west lie the beautifully wooded hills that rise + above the Derwent, and hold in their embrace Castle Howard, Newburgh + Priory, and many a stately park. + </p> + <p> + Towards the north the descents are equally sudden, and the panorama of the + Vale of Pickering, extending from the hills behind Scarborough to Helmsley + far away in the west, is most remarkable. Down below lies the + circumscribed plain, dead-level except for one or two isolated hillocks. + The soil is dark and rich, and there is a marshy appearance everywhere, + showing plainly the water-logged condition of the land even at the present + day. + </p> + <p> + There is scarcely a district in England to compare with the Yorkshire + Wolds for its remarkable richness in the remains of Early Man. As long ago + as the middle of last century, when archaeology was more of a pastime than + a science, this corner of the country had become famous for the rich + discoveries in tumuli made by a few local enthusiasts. + </p> + <p> + It has been suggested that the flint-bearing character of the Wolds made + this part of Yorkshire a district for the manufacture of implements and + weapons for the inhabitants of a much larger area, and no doubt the + possession of this ample supply of offensive material would give the tribe + in possession a power, wealth, and permanence sufficient to account for + the wonderful evidences of a great and continuous population. In these + districts it is only necessary to go slowly over a ploughed field after a + period of heavy rain to be fairly certain to pick up a flint knife, a + beautifully chipped arrow-head, or an implement of less obvious purpose. + </p> + <p> + To those who have never taken any interest in the traces of Early Man in + this country, this may appear a musty subject, but to me it is quite the + reverse. The long lines of entrenchments, the round tumuli, and the + prehistoric sites generally—omitting lake dwellings—are most + invariably to be found upon high and windswept tablelands, wild or only + recently cultivated places, where the echoes have scarcely been disturbed + since the long-forgotten ages, when a primitive tribe mourned the loss of + a chieftain, or yelled defiance at their enemies from their double or + triple lines of defence. + </p> + <p> + In journeying in any direction through the Wolds it is impossible to + forget the existence of Early Man, for on the sky-line just above the road + will appear a row of two or three rounded projections from the regular + line of turf or stubble. They are burial-mounds that the plough has never + levelled—heaps of earth that have resisted the disintegrating action + of weather and man for thousands of years. If such relics of the primitive + inhabitants of this island fail to stir the imagination, then the + mustiness must exist in the unresponsive mind rather than in the subject + under discussion. + </p> + <p> + In making an exploration of the Wolds a good starting-place is the + old-fashioned town of Malton, whence railways radiate in five directions, + including the line to Great Driffield, which takes advantage of the valley + leading up to Wharram Percy, and there tunnels its way through the high + ground. + </p> + <p> + Choosing a day when the weather is in a congenial mood for rambling, + lingering, or picnicking, or, in other words, when the sun is not too hot, + nor the wind too cold, nor the sky too grey, we make our start towards the + hills. We go on wheels—it is unimportant how many, or to what they + are attached—in order that the long stretches of white road may not + become tedious. The stone bridge over the Derwent is crossed, and, + glancing back, we see the piled-up red roofs crowded along the steep + ground above the further bank, with the church raising its spire high + above its newly-restored nave. Then the wide street of Norton, which is + scarcely to be distinguished from Malton, being separated from it only by + the river, shuts in the view with its houses of whity-red brick, until + their place is taken by hedgerows. To the left stretches the Vale of + Pickering, still a little hazy with the remnants of the night's mist. + Straight ahead and to the right the ground rises up, showing a wall + chequered with cornfields and root-crops, with long lines of plantations + appearing like dark green caterpillars crawling along the horizon. + </p> + <p> + The first village encountered is Rillington, with a church whose stone + spire and the tower it rests upon have the appearance of being copied from + Pickering. Inside there is an Early English font, and one of the arcades + of the nave belongs to the same period. + </p> + <p> + Turning southwards a mile or two further on, we pass through the pretty + village of Wintringham, and, when the cottages are passed, find the church + standing among trees where the road bends, its tower and spire looking + much like the one just left behind. The interior is interesting. The pews + are all of old panelled oak, unstained, and with acorn knobs at the ends; + the floor is entirely covered with glazed red tiles. The late Norman + chancel, the plain circular font of the same period, and the massive + altar-slab in the chapel, enclosed by wooden screens on the north side, + are the most notable features. Going to the east we reach Helperthorpe, + one of the Wold villages adorned with a new church in the Decorated style. + The village gained this ornament through the generosity of the present Sir + Tatton Sykes, of Sledmere, whose enthusiasm for church building is not + confined to one place. In his own park at Sledmere four miles to the + south, at West Lutton, East Heslerton, and Wansford you may see other + examples of modern church building, in which the architect has not been + hampered by having to produce a certain accommodation at a minimum cost. + And thus in these villages the fact of possessing a modern church does not + detract from their charm; instead of doing so, the pilgrim in search of + ecclesiastical interest finds much to draw him to them. + </p> + <p> + As a contrast to Helperthorpe, the adjoining hamlet of Weaverthorpe has a + church of very early Norman or possibly Saxon date, and an inscribed Saxon + stone a century earlier than the one at Kirkdale, near Kirby Moorside. The + inscription is on a sundial over the south porch in both churches; but + while that of Kirkdale is quite complete and perfect, this one has words + missing at the beginning and end. Haigh suggests that the half-destroyed + words should read: "LIT OSCETVLI ARCHIEPISCOPI." Then, without any doubt + comes: "[ILLUSTRATION] IN: + </p> + <p> + HONORE: SCE: ANDREAE APOSTOLI: HEREBERTUS WINTONIE: HOC MONASTERIVM + </p> + <p> + FECIT: I IN TEMPORE REGN." Here the inscription suddenly stops and leaves + us in ignorance as to in whose time the monastery was built. There seems + little doubt at all that Father Haigh's suggested completion of the + sentence is correct, making it read: "IN TEMPORE REGN[ALDI REGIS + SECUNDI]," which would have just filled a complete line. + </p> + <p> + The coins of Regnald II. of Northumbria bear Christian devices, and it is + known that he was confirmed in 942, while his predecessor of that name + appears to have been a pagan. If the restoration of the first words of the + inscription are correct, the stone cannot be placed earlier than the year + 952 (Dr. Stubbs says 958), when Oscetul succeeded Wulstan to the See of + York. However, even in a neighbourhood so replete with antiquities this is + sufficiently far back in the age of the Vikings to be of thrilling + interest, for you must travel far to find another village church with an + inscription carved nearly a thousand years ago, at a time when the English + nation was still receiving its infusion of Scandinavian strength. + </p> + <p> + The arch of the tower and the door below the sundial have the narrowness + and rudeness suggesting the pre-Norman age, but more than this it is + unwise to say. + </p> + <p> + And so we go on through the wide sunny valley, watching the shadows sweep + across the fields, where often the soil is so thin that the ground is more + white than brown, scanning the horizon for tumuli, and taking note of the + different characteristics of each village. Not long ago the houses, even + in the small towns, were thatched, and even now there are hamlets still + cosy and picturesque under their mouse-coloured roofs; but in most + instances you see a transition state of tiles gradually ousting the + inflammable but beautiful thatch. The tiles all through the Wolds are of + the curved pattern, and though cheerful in the brilliance of their colour, + and unspeakably preferable to thin blue slates, they do not seem to + weather or gather moss and rich colouring in the same manner as the usual + flat tile of the southern counties. + </p> + <p> + We turn aside to look at the rudely carved Norman tympanum over the church + door at Wold Newton, and then go up to Thwing, on the rising ground to the + south, where we may see what Mr. Joseph Morris claims to be the only other + Norman tympanum in the East Riding. A cottage is pointed out as the + birthplace of Archbishop Lamplugh, who held the See of York from 1688 to + 1691. He was of humble parentage and it is said that he would often pause + in conversation to slap his legs and say, "Just fancy me being Archbishop + of York!" The name of the village is derived from the Norse word <i>Thing</i>, + meaning an assembly. + </p> + <p> + Keeping on towards the sea, we climb up out of the valley, and passing + Argam Dike and Grindale, come out upon a vast gently undulating plateau + with scarcely a tree to be seen in any direction. A few farms are dotted + here and there over the landscape, and towards Filey we can see a + windmill; but beyond these it seems as though the fierce winds that assail + the promontory of Flamborough had blown away everything that was raised + more than a few feet above the furrows. + </p> + <p> + The village of Bempton has, however, contrived to maintain itself in its + bleak situation, although it is less than two miles from the huge + perpendicular cliffs where the Wolds drop into the sea. The cottages have + a snug and eminently cheerful look, with their much-weathered tiles and + white and ochre coloured walls. From their midst rises the low square + tower of the church, and if it ever had a spire or pinnacles in the past, + it has none now; for either the north-easterly gales blew them into the + sea long ago, or else the people were wise enough never to put such + obstructions in the way of the winter blasts. + </p> + <p> + Turning southwards, we get a great view over the low shore of Holderness, + curving away into the haze hanging over the ocean, with Bridlington down + below, raising to the sky the pair of towers at the west end of its priory—one + short and plain, and the other tall and richly ornamented with pinnacles. + Going through the streets of sober red houses of the old town, we come at + length into a shallow green valley, where the curious Gypsy Race flows + intermittently along the fertile bottom. The afternoon sunshine floods the + pleasant landscape with a genial glow, and throws long blue shadows under + the trees of the park surrounding Boynton Hall, the seat of the + Stricklands. The family has been connected with the village for several + centuries, and some of their richly-painted and gilded monuments can be + seen in the church. One of these is to Sir William Strickland, Bart., and + another to Lady Strickland, his wife, who was a sister of Sir Hugh + Cholmley, the gallant but unfortunate defender of Scarborough Castle + during the Civil War. In his memoirs Sir Hugh often refers to visits paid + him by "my sister Strickland." + </p> + <p> + After passing Thorpe Hall the road goes up to the breezy spot, commanding + wide views, where the little church of Rudstone stands conspicuously by + the side of an enormous monolith. Although the church tower is Norman, it + would appear to be a recent arrival on the scene in comparison with the + stone. Antiquaries are in fairly general agreement that huge standing + stones of this type belong to some very remote period, and also that they + are "associated with sepulchral purposes"; and the fact that they are + usually found in churchyards would suggest that they were regarded with a + traditional veneration. + </p> + <p> + The road past the church drops steeply down into the pretty village, and, + turning northwards, takes us to the bend of the valley, where North Burton + lies, which we passed earlier in the day; so we go to the left, and find + ourselves at Kilham, a fair-sized village on the edge of the chalk hills. + Like Rudstone and a dozen places in its neighbourhood, Kilham is situated + in a district of extraordinary interest to the archaeologist, the + prehistoric discoveries being exceedingly numerous. Chariot burials of the + Early Iron Age have been discovered here, as well as large numbers of + Neolithic implements. There is a beautiful Norman doorway in the nave of + the church, ornamented with chevron mouldings in a lavish fashion. Far + more interesting than this, however, are the fonts in the two villages of + Cottam and Cowlam, lying close together, although separated by a + thinly-wooded hollow, about five miles to the west. Cottam Church and the + farm adjoining it are all that now exists of what must once have been an + extensive village. In the church is a Norman font of cylindrical form, + covered with the wonderfully crude carvings of that period. There are six + subjects, the most remarkable being the huge dragon with a long curly tail + in the act of swallowing St. Margaret, whose skirts and feet are shown + inside the capacious jaws, while the head is beginning to appear somewhere + behind the dragon's neck. To the right is shown a gruesome representation + of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence, and then follow Adam and Eve by the Tree + of Life (a twisted piece of foliage), the martyrdom of St. Andrew, and + what seems to be another dragon. + </p> + <p> + On each side of the bridle-road by the church you can trace without the + least difficulty the ground-plan of many houses under the short turf. The + early writers do not mention Cottam, and so far I have come upon no + explanation for the wiping out of this village. Possibly its extinction + was due to the Black Death in 1349. + </p> + <p> + It is about four miles by road to Cowlam, although the two churches are + only about a mile and a half apart; and when Cowlam is reached there is + not much more in the way of a village than at Cottam. The only way to the + church from the road is through an enormous stackyard, speaking eloquently + of the large crops produced on the farm. As in the other instance, a + search has to be made for the key, entailing much perambulation of the + farm. + </p> + <p> + At length the door is opened, and the splendid font at once arrests the + eye. More noticeable than anything else in the series of carvings are the + figures of two men wrestling, similar to those on the font from the + village of Hutton Cranswick, now preserved in York Museum. The two figures + are shown bending forwards, each with his hands clasped round the waist of + the other, and each with a foot thrown forward to trip the other, after + the manner of the Westmorland wrestlers to be seen at the Grasmere sports. + It seems to me scarcely possible to doubt that the subject represented is + Jacob wrestling with the <i>man</i> at Penuel. + </p> + <p> + At Sledmere, the adjoining village, everything has a well-cared-for and + reposeful aspect. Its position in a shallow depression has made it + possible for trees to grow, so that we find the road overhung by a green + canopy in remarkable contrast to the usual bleakness of the Wolds. The + park surrounding Sir Tatton Sykes' house is well wooded, owing to much + planting on what were bare slopes not very many years ago. + </p> + <p> + The village well is dignified with a domed roof raised on tall columns, + put up about seventy years ago by the previous Sir Tatton to the memory of + his father, Sir Christopher Sykes; the inscription telling how much the + Wolds were transformed through his energy 'in building, planting, and + enclosing,' from a bleak and barren track of country into what is now + considered one of the most productive and best-cultivated districts of + Yorkshire. The late Sir Tatton Sykes was the sort of man that Yorkshire + folk come near to worshipping. He was of that hearty, genial, conservative + type that filled the hearts of the farmers with pride. On market days all + over the Riding one of the always fresh subjects of conversation was how + Sir Tatton was looking. A great pillar put up to his memory by the road + leading to Garton can be seen over half Holderness. So great was the + conservatism of this remarkable squire that years after the advent of + railways he continued to make his journey to Epsom, for the Derby, on + horseback. + </p> + <p> + A stone's-throw from the house stands the church, rebuilt, with the + exception of the tower, in 1898 by Sir Tatton. There is no wall + surrounding the churchyard, neither is there ditch, nor bank, nor the + slightest alteration in the smooth turf. + </p> + <p> + The church, designed by Mr. Temple Moore, is carried out in the style of + the Decorated period in a stone that is neither red nor pink, but + something in between the two colours. The exterior is not remarkable, but + the beauty of the internal ornament is most striking. Everywhere you look, + whether at the detail of carved wood or stone, the workmanship is perfect, + and without a trace of that crudity to be found in the carvings of so many + modern churches. The clustered columns, the timber roof, and the tracery + of the windows are all dignified, in spite of the richness of form they + display. Only in the upper portion of the screen does the ornament seem a + trifle worried and out of keeping with the rest of the work. + </p> + <p> + Sledmere also boasts a tall and very beautiful 'Eleanor' cross, erected + about ten years ago, and a memorial to those who fell in the European war. + </p> + <p> + As we continue towards the setting sun, the deeply-indented edges of the + Wolds begin to appear, and the roads generally make great plunges into the + valley of the Derwent. The weather, which has been fine all day, changes + at sunset, and great indigo clouds, lined with gold, pile themselves up + fantastically in front of the setting sun. Lashing rain, driven by the + wind with sudden fury, pours down upon the hamlet lying just below, but + leaves Wharram-le-Street without a drop of moisture. The widespread views + all over the Howardian Hills and the sombre valley of the Derwent become + impressive, and an awesomeness of Turneresque gloom, relieved by sudden + floods of misty gold, gives the landscape an element of unreality. + </p> + <p> + Against this background the outline of the church of Wharram-le-Street + stands out in its rude simplicity. On the western side of the tower, where + the light falls upon it, we can see the extremely early masonry that + suggests pre-Norman times. It cannot be definitely called a Saxon church, + but although 'long and short work' does not appear, there is every reason + to associate this lonely little building with the middle of the eleventh + century. There are mason marks consisting of crosses and barbed lines on + the south wall of the nave. The opening between the tower and the nave is + an almost unique feature, having a Moorish-looking arch of horseshoe shape + resting on plain and clumsy capitals. + </p> + <p> + The name Wharram-le-Street reminds us forcibly of the existence in remote + times of some great way over this tableland. Unfortunately, there is very + little sure ground to go upon, despite the additional fact of there being + another place, Thorpe-le-Street, some miles to the south. + </p> + <p> + With the light fast failing we go down steeply into the hollow where North + Grimston nestles, and, crossing the streams which flow over the road, come + to the pretty old church. The tower is heavily mantled with ivy, and has a + statue of a Bishop on its west face. A Norman chancel arch with zigzag + moulding shows in the dim interior, and there is just enough light to see + the splendid font, of similar age and shape to those at Cowlam and Cottam. + A large proportion of the surface is taken up with a wonderful 'Last + Supper,' and on the remaining space the carvings show the 'Descent from + the Cross,' and a figure, possibly representing St. Nicholas, the patron + saint of the church. + </p> + <p> + When the lights of Malton glimmer in the valley this day of exploration is + at an end, and much of the Wold country has been seen. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH21" id="link2HCH21"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX + </h2> + <p> + FROM FILEY TO SPURN HEAD + </p> + <p> + 'As the shore winds itself back from hence,' says Camden, after describing + Flamborough Head, 'a thin slip of land (like a small tongue thrust out) + shoots into the sea.' This is the long natural breakwater known as Filey + Brig, the distinctive feature of a pleasant watering-place. In its wide, + open, and gently curving bay, Filey is singularly lucky; for it avoids the + monotony of a featureless shore, and yet is not sufficiently embraced + between headlands to lose the broad horizon and sense of airiness and + space so essential for a healthy seaside haunt. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-25" id="linkimage-25"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/25.jpg" width="100%" alt="Filey Brig " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The Brig has plainly been formed by the erosion of Carr Naze, the headland + of dark, reddish-brown boulder clay, leaving its hard bed of sandstone (of + the Middle Calcareous Grit formation) exposed to the particular and + ceaseless attention of the waves. It is one of the joys of Filey to go + along the northward curve of the bay at low tide, and then walk along the + uneven tabular masses of rock with hungry waves heaving and foaming within + a few yards on either hand. No wonder that there has been sufficient sense + among those who spend their lives in promoting schemes for ugly piers and + senseless promenades, to realize that Nature has supplied Filey with a + more permanent and infinitely more attractive pier than their fatuous + ingenuity could produce. There is a spice of danger associated with the + Brig, adding much to its interest; for no one should venture along the + spit of rocks unless the tide is in a proper state to allow him a safe + return. A melancholy warning of the dangers of the Brig is fixed to the + rocky wall of the headland, describing how an unfortunate visitor was + swept into the sea by the sudden arrival of an abnormally large wave, but + this need not frighten away from the fascinating ridge of rock those who + use ordinary care in watching the sea. At high tide the waves come over + the seaweedy rocks at the foot of the headland, making it necessary to + climb to the grassy top in order to get back to Filey. + </p> + <p> + The real fascination of the Brig comes when it can only be viewed from the + top of the Naze above, when a gale is blowing from the north or + north-east, and driving enormous waves upon the line of projecting rocks. + You watch far out until the dark green line of a higher wave than any of + the others that are creating a continuous thunder down below comes + steadily onward, and reaching the foam-streaked area, becomes still more + sinister. As it approaches within striking distance, a spent wave, + sweeping backwards, seems as though it may weaken the onrush of the + towering wall of water; but its power is swallowed up and dissipated in + the general advance, and with only a smooth hollow of creamy-white water + in front, the giant raises itself to its fullest height, its thin crest + being at once caught by the wind, and blown off in long white beards. + </p> + <p> + The moment has come; the mass of water feels the resistance of the rocks, + and, curling over into a long green cylinder, brings its head down with + terrific force on the immovable side of the Brig. Columns of water shoot + up perpendicularly into the air as though a dozen 12-inch shells had + exploded in the water simultaneously. With a roar the imprisoned air + escapes, and for a moment the whole Brig is invisible in a vast cloud of + spray; then dark ledges of rock can be seen running with creamy water, and + the scene of the impact is a cauldron of seething foam, backed by a smooth + surface of pale green marble, veined with white. Then the waters gather + themselves together again, and the pounding of lesser waves keeps up a + thrilling spectacle until the moment for another great <i>coup</i> + arrives. + </p> + <p> + Years ago Filey obtained a reputation for being 'quiet,' and the sense + conveyed by those who disliked the place was that of dullness and + primness. This fortunate chance has protected the little town from the + vulgarizing influences of the unlettered hordes let loose upon the coast + in summer-time, and we find a sea-front without the flimsy meretricious + buildings of the popular resorts. Instead of imitating Blackpool and + Margate, this sensible place has retained a quiet and semi-rural front to + the sea, and, as already stated, has not marred its appearance with a + jetty. + </p> + <p> + From the smooth sweep of golden sand rises a steep slope grown over with + trees and bushes which shade the paths in many places. Without claiming + any architectural charm, the town is small and quietly unobtrusive, and + has not the untidy, half-built character of so many watering-places. + </p> + <p> + Above a steep and narrow hollow, running straight down to the sea, and + densely wooded on both sides, stands the church. It has a very sturdy + tower rising from its centre, and, with its simple battlemented outline + and slit windows, has a semi-fortified appearance. The high pitched-roofs + of Early English times have been flattened without cutting away the + projecting drip-stones on the tower, which remain a conspicuous feature. + The interior is quite impressive. Round columns alternated with octagonal + ones support pointed arches, and a clerestory above pierced with + roundheaded slits, indicating very decisively that the nave was built in + the Transitional Norman period. It appears that a western tower was + projected, but never carried out, and an unusual feature is the descent by + two steps into the chancel. + </p> + <p> + A beautiful view from the churchyard includes the whole sweep of the bay, + cut off sharply by the Brig on the left hand, and ending about eight miles + away in the lofty range of white cliffs extending from Speeton to + Flamborough Head. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-26" id="linkimage-26"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/26.jpg" width="100%" + alt="The Outermost Point of Flamborough Head " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The headland itself is lower by more than a 100 feet than the cliffs in + the neighbourhood of Bempton and Speeton, which for a distance of over two + miles exceed 300 feet. A road from Bempton village stops short a few + fields from the margin of the cliffs, and a path keeps close to the + precipitous wall of gleaming white chalk. + </p> + <p> + We come over the dry, sweet-smelling grass to the cliff edge on a fresh + morning, with a deep blue sky overhead and a sea below of ultramarine + broken up with an infinitude of surfaces reflecting scraps of the cliffs + and the few white clouds. Falling on our knees, we look straight downwards + into a cove full of blue shade; but so bright is the surrounding light + that every detail is microscopically clear. The crumpling and distortion + of the successive layers of chalk can be seen with such ease that we might + be looking at a geological textbook. On the ledges, too, can be seen rows + of little whitebreasted puffins; razor-bills are perched here and there, + as well as countless guillemots. The ringed or bridled guillemot also + breeds on the cliffs, and a number of other types of northern sea-birds + are periodically noticed along these inaccessible Bempton Cliffs. The + guillemot makes no nest, merely laying a single egg on a ledge. If it is + taken away by those who plunder the cliffs at the risk of their lives, the + bird lays another egg, and if that disappears, perhaps even a third. + </p> + <p> + Coming to Flamborough Head along the road from the station, the first + noticeable feature is at the point where the road makes a sharp turn into + a deep wooded hollow. It is here that we cross the line of the remarkable + entrenchment known as the Danes' Dyke. At this point it appears to follow + the bed of a stream, but northwards, right across the promontory—that + is, for two-thirds of its length—the huge trench is purely + artificial. No doubt the <i>vallum</i> on the seaward side has been worn + down very considerably, and the <i>fosse</i> would have been deeper, + making in its youth, a barrier which must have given the dwellers on the + headland a very complete security. + </p> + <p> + Like most popular names, the association of the Danes with the digging of + this enormous trench has been proved to be inaccurate, and it would have + been less misleading and far more popular if the work had been attributed + to the devil. In the autumn of 1879 General Pitt Rivers dug several + trenches in the rampart just north of the point where the road from + Bempton passes through the Dyke. The position was chosen in order that the + excavations might be close to the small stream which runs inside the Dyke + at this point, the likelihood of utensils or weapons being dropped close + to the water-supply of the defenders being considered important. The + results of the excavations proved conclusively that the people who dug the + ditch and threw up the rampart were users of flint. The most remarkable + discovery was that the ground on the inner slope of the rampart, at a + short distance below the surface, contained innumerable artificial flint + flakes, all lying in a horizontal position, but none were found on the + outer slope. From this fact General Pitt Rivers concluded that within the + stockade running along the top of the <i>vallum</i> the defenders were in + the habit of chipping their weapons, the flakes falling on the inside. The + great entrenchment of Flamborough is consequently the work of flint-using + people, and 'is not later than the Bronze Period.' + </p> + <p> + And the strangest fact concerning the promontory is the isolation of its + inhabitants from the rest of the county, a traditional hatred for + strangers having kept the fisherfolk of the peninsula aloof from outside + influences. They have married among themselves for so long, that it is + quite possible that their ancestral characteristics have been reproduced, + with only a very slight intermixture of other stocks, for an exceptionally + long period. On taking minute particulars of ninety Flamborough men and + women, General Pitt Rivers discovered that they were above the average + stature of the neighbourhood, and were, with only one or two exceptions, + dark-haired. They showed little or no trace of the fair-haired element + usually found in the people of this part of Yorkshire. It is also stated + that almost within living memory, when the headland was still further + isolated by a belt of uncultivated wolds, the village could not be + approached by a stranger without some danger. + </p> + <p> + We find no one to object to our intrusion, and go on towards the village. + It is a straggling collection of low, red houses, lacking, unfortunately, + anything which can honestly be termed picturesque; for the church stands + alone, a little to the south, and the small ruin of what is called 'The + Danish Tower' is too insignificant to add to the attractiveness of the + place. + </p> + <p> + All the males of Flamborough are fishermen, or dependent on fishing for + their livelihood; and in spite of the summer visitors, there is a total + indifference to their incursions in the way of catering for their + entertainment, the aim of the trippers being the lighthouse and the cliffs + nearly two miles away. + </p> + <p> + Formerly, the church had only a belfry of timber, the existing stone tower + being only ten years old. Under the Norman chancel arch there is a + delicately-carved Perpendicular screen, having thirteen canopied niches + richly carved above and below, and still showing in places the red, blue, + and gold of its old paint-work. Another screen south of the chancel is + patched and roughly finished. The altar-tomb of Sir Marmaduke Constable, + of Flamborough, on the north side of the chancel, is remarkable for its + long inscription, detailing the chief events in the life of this great + man, who was considered one of the most eminent and potent persons in the + county in the reign of Henry VIII. The greatness of the man is borne out + first in a recital of his doughty deeds: of his passing over to France + 'with Kyng Edwarde the fourith, y[t] noble knyght.' + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'And also with noble king Herre, the sevinth of that name<br /> He was + also at Barwick at the winnyng of the same [1482]<br /> And by ky[n]g + Edward chosy[n] Captey[n] there first of anyone<br /> And rewllid and + governid ther his tyme without blame<br /> But for all that, as ye se, + he lieth under this stone.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + The inscription goes on in this way to tell how he fought at Flodden Field + when he was seventy, 'nothyng hedyng his age.' + </p> + <p> + Sir Marmaduke's daughter Catherine was married to Sir Roger Cholmley, + called 'the Great Black Knight of the North,' who was the first of his + family to settle in Yorkshire, and also fought at Flodden, receiving his + knighthood after that signal victory over the Scots. + </p> + <p> + Yorkshire being a county in which superstitions are uncommonly long-lived + it is not surprising to find that a fisherman will turn back from going to + his boat, if he happen on his way to meet a parson, a woman, or a hare, as + any one of these brings bad luck. It is also extremely unwise to mention + to a man who is baiting lines a hare, a rabbit, a fox, a pig, or an egg. + This sounds foolish, but a fisherman will abandon his work till the next + day if these animals are mentioned in his presence. + </p> + <p> + On the north and south sides of the headland there are precarious beaches + for the fisherman to bring in their boats. They have no protection at all + from the weather, no attempt at forming even such miniature harbours as + may be seen on the Berwickshire coast having been made. When the wind + blows hard from the north, the landing on that side is useless, and the + boats, having no shelter, are hauled up the steep slope with the help of a + steam windlass. Under these circumstances the South Landing is used. It is + similar in most respects to the northern one, but, owing to the cliffs + being lower, the cove is less picturesque. At low tide a beach of very + rough shingle is exposed between the ragged chalk cliffs, curiously eaten + away by the sea. Seaweed paints much of the shore and the base of the + cliffs a blackish green, and above the perpendicular whiteness the ruddy + brown clay slopes back to the grass above. + </p> + <p> + When the boats have just come in and added their gaudy vermilions, blues, + and emerald greens to the picture, the North Landing is worth seeing. The + men in their blue jerseys and sea-boots coming almost to their hips, land + their hauls of silvery cod and load the baskets pannier-wise on the backs + of sturdy donkeys, whose work is to trudge up the steep slope to the road, + nearly 200 feet above the boats, where carts take the fish to the station + four miles away. + </p> + <p> + In following the margin of the cliffs to the outermost point of the + peninsula, we get a series of splendid stretches of cliff scenery. The + chalk is deeply indented in many places, and is honey-combed with caves. + Great white pillars and stacks of chalk stand in picturesque groups in + some of the small bays, and everywhere there is the interest of watching + the heaving water far below, with white gulls floating unconcernedly on + the surface, or flapping their great stretch of wing as they circle just + above the waves. + </p> + <p> + Near the modern lighthouse stands a tall, hexagonal tower, built of chalk + in four stories, with a string course between each. The signs of age it + bears and the remarkable obscurity surrounding its origin and purpose + would suggest great antiquity, and yet there seems little doubt that the + tower is at the very earliest Elizabethan. The chalk, being extremely + soft, has weathered away to such an extent that the harder stone of the + windows and doors now projects several inches. + </p> + <p> + In a record dated June 21, 1588, the month before the Spanish Armada was + sighted in the English Channel, a list is given of the beacons in the East + Riding, and instructions as to when they should be lighted, and what + action should be taken when the warning was seen. It says briefly: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Flambrough, three beacons uppon the sea cost,<br /> takinge lighte + from Bridlington,<br /> and geving lighte to Rudstone.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + There is no reference to any tower, and the beacons everywhere seem merely + to have been bonfires ready for lighting, watched every day by two, and + every night by three 'honest householders ... above the age of thirty + years.' The old tower would appear, therefore, to have been put up as a + lighthouse. If this is a correct supposition, however, the dangers of the + headland to shipping must have been recognized as exceedingly great + several centuries ago. A light could not have failed to have been a boon + to mariners, and its maintenance would have been a matter of importance to + all who owned ships; and yet, if this old tower ever held a lantern, the + hiatus between the last night when it glowed on the headland, and the + erection of the present lighthouse is so great that no one seems to be + able to state definitely for what purpose the early structure came into + existence. + </p> + <p> + Year after year when night fell the cliffs were shrouded in blackness, + with the direful result that between 1770 and 1806 one hundred and + seventy-four ships were wrecked or lost on or near the promontory. It + remained for a benevolent-minded customs officer of Bridlington—a + Mr. Milne—to suggest the building of a lighthouse to the Elder + Brethren of Trinity House, with the result that since December 6, 1806, a + powerful light has every night flashed on Flamborough Head. The immediate + result was that in the first seven years of its beneficent work no vessel + was 'lost on that station when the lights could be seen.' + </p> + <p> + The derivation of the name Flamborough has been conclusively shown to have + nothing at all to do with the English word 'flame,' being possibly a + corruption of <i>Fleinn</i>, a Norse surname, and <i>borg</i> or <i>burgh</i>, + meaning a castle. In Domesday it is spelt 'Flaneburg,' and <i>flane</i> is + the Norse for an arrow or sword. + </p> + <p> + At the point where the chalk cliffs disappear and the low coast of + Holderness begins, we come to the exceedingly popular watering-place of + Bridlington. At one time the town was quite separate from the quay, and + even now there are two towns—the solemn and serious, almost + Quakerish, place inland, and the eminently pleasure-loving and frivolous + holiday resort on the sea; but they are now joined up by modern houses and + the railway-station, and in time they will be as united as the 'Three + Towns' of Plymouth. Along the sea-front are spread out by the wide + parades, all those 'attractions' which exercise their potential energies + on certain types of mankind as each summer comes round. There are seats, + concert-rooms, hotels, lodging-houses, bands, kiosks, refreshment-bars, + boats, bathing-machines, a switchback-railway, and even a spa, by which + means the migratory folk are housed, fed, amused, and given every excuse + for loitering within a few yards of the long curving line of waves that + advances and retreats over the much-trodden sand. + </p> + <p> + The two stone piers enclosing the harbour make an interesting feature in + the centre of the sea-front, where the few houses of old Bridlington Quay + that have survived, are not entirely unpicturesque. + </p> + <p> + In 1642 Queen Henrietta Maria landed on whatever quay then existed. She + had just returned from Holland with ships laden with arms and ammunition + for the Royalist army. Adverse winds had brought the Dutch ships to + Bridlington instead of Newcastle, where the Queen had intended to land, + and a delay was caused while messengers were sent to the Earl of Newcastle + in order that her landing might be effected in proper security. News of + the Dutch ships lying off Bridlington was, however, conveyed to four + Parliamentary vessels stationed by the bar at Tynemouth, and no time was + lost in sailing southwards. What happened is told in a letter published in + the same year, and dated February 25, 1642. It describes how, after two + days' riding at anchor, the cavalry arrived, upon which the Queen + disembarked, and the next morning the rest of the loyal army came to wait + on her. + </p> + <p> + 'God that was carefull to preserve Her by Sea, did likewise continue his + favour to Her on the Land: For that night foure of the Parliament Ships + arrived at Burlington, without being perceived by us; and at foure a + clocke in the morning gave us an Alarme, which caused us to send speedily + to the Port to secure our Boats of Ammunition, which were but newly + landed. But about an houre after the foure Ships began to ply us so fast + with their Ordinance, that it made us all to rise out of our beds with + diligence, and leave the Village, at least the women; for the Souldiers + staid very resolutely to defend the Ammunition, in case their forces + should land. One of the Ships did Her the favour to flanck upon the house + where the Queene lay, which was just before the Peere; and before She was + out of Her bed, the Cannon bullets whistled so loud about her, (which + Musicke you may easily believe was not very pleasing to Her) that all the + company pressed Her earnestly to goe out of the house, their Cannon having + totally beaten downe all the neighbouring houses, and two Cannon bullets + falling from the top to the bottome of the house where She was; so that + (clothed as She could) She went on foot some little distance out of the + Towne, under the shelter of a Ditch (like that of Newmarket;) whither + before She could get, the Cannon bullets fell thicke about us, and a + Sergeant was killed within twenty paces of Her.' + </p> + <p> + In old Bridlington there stands the fine church of the Augustinian Priory + we have already seen from a distance, and an ancient structure known as + the Bayle Gate, a remnant of the defences of the monastery. They stand at + no great distance apart, but do not arrange themselves to form a picture, + which is unfortunate, and so also is the lack of any real charm in the + domestic architecture of the adjoining streets. The Bayle Gate has a large + pointed arch and a postern, and the date of its erection appears to be the + end of the fourteenth century, when permission was given to the prior to + fortify the monastery. Unhappily for Bridlington, an order to destroy the + buildings was given soon after the Dissolution, and the nave of the church + seems to have been spared only because it was used as the parish church. + Quite probably, too, the gatehouse was saved from destruction on account + of the room it contains having been utilized for holding courts. The upper + portions of the church towers are modern restorations, and their different + heights and styles give the building a remarkable, but not a beautiful + outline. At the west end, between the towers is a large Perpendicular + window, occupying the whole width of the nave, and on the north side the + vaulted porch is a very beautiful feature. + </p> + <p> + The interior reveals an inspiring perspective of clustered columns built + in the Early English Period with a fine Decorated triforium on the north + side. Both transepts and the chancel appear to have been destroyed with + the conventual buildings, and the present chancel is merely a portion of + the nave separated with screens. + </p> + <p> + Southwards in one huge curve of nearly forty miles stretches the low coast + of Holderness, seemingly continued into infinitude. There is nothing + comparable to it on the coasts of the British Isles for its featureless + monotony and for the unbroken front it presents to the sea. The low brown + cliffs of hard clay seem to have no more resisting power to the capacious + appetite of the waves than if they were of gingerbread. The progress of + the sea has been continued for centuries, and stories of lost villages and + of overwhelmed churches are met with all the way to Spurn Head. Four or + five miles south of Bridlington we come to a point on the shore where, + looking out among the lines of breaking waves, we are including the sides + of the two demolished villages of Auburn and Hartburn. + </p> + <p> + From a casual glance at Skipsea no one would attribute any importance to + it in the past. It was, nevertheless, the chief place in the lordship of + Holderness in Norman times, and from that we may also infer that it was + the most well-defended stronghold. On a level plain having practically no + defensible sites, great earthworks would be necessary, and these we find + at Skipsea Brough. There is a high mound surrounded by a ditch, and a + segment of the great outer circle of defences exists on the south-west + side. No masonry of any description can be seen on the grass-covered + embankment, but on the artificial hillock, once crowned, it is surmised, + by a Norman keep, there is one small piece of stonework. These earthworks + have been considered Saxon, but later opinion labels them post-Conquest. + In the time of the Domesday Survey the Seigniory of Holderness was held by + Drogo de Bevere, a Flemish adventurer who joined in the Norman invasion of + England and received his extensive fief from the Conqueror. He also was + given the King's niece in marriage as a mark of special favour; but having + for some reason seen fit to poison her, he fled from England, it is said, + during the last few months of William's reign. The Barony of Holderness + was forfeited, but Drogo was never captured. + </p> + <p> + [A worked flint was found in the moat not long ago by Dr. J. L. Kirk, of + Pickering.] + </p> + <p> + Poulson, the historian of Holderness, states that Henry III. gave orders + for the destruction of Skipsea Castle about 1220, the Earl of Albemarle, + its owner at that time, having been in rebellion. When Edward II. ascended + the throne, he recalled his profligate companion Piers Gaveston, and + besides creating him Baron of Wallingford and Earl of Cornwall, he + presented this ill-chosen favourite with the great Seigniory of + Holderness. + </p> + <p> + Going southwards from Skipsea, we pass through Atwick, with a cross on a + large base in the centre of the village, and two miles further on come to + Hornsea, an old-fashioned little town standing between the sea and the + Mere. This beautiful sheet of fresh water comes as a surprise to the + stranger, for no one but a geologist expects to discover a lake in a + perfectly level country where only tidal creeks are usually to be found. + Hornsea Mere may eventually be reached by the sea, and yet that day is + likely to be put further off year by year on account of the growth of a + new town on the shore. + </p> + <p> + The scenery of the Mere is quietly beautiful. Where the road to Beverley + skirts its margin there are glimpses of the shimmering surface seen + through gaps in the trees that grow almost in the water, many of them + having lost their balance and subsided into the lake, being supported in a + horizontal position by their branches. The islands and the swampy margins + form secure breeding-places for the countless water-fowl, and the lake + abounds with pike, perch, eel, and roach. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-27" id="linkimage-27"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/27.jpg" width="100%" alt="Hornsea Mere " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + It was the excellent supply of fish yielded by Hornsea Mere that led to a + hot discussion between the neighbouring Abbey of Meaux and St. Mary's + Abbey at York. In the year 1260 William, eleventh Abbot of Meaux, laid + claim to fishing rights in the southern half of the lake, only to find his + brother Abbot of York determined to resist the claim. The cloisters of the + two abbeys must have buzzed with excitement over the <i>impasse</i> and + relations became so strained that the only method of determining the issue + was by each side agreeing to submit to the result of a judicial combat + between champions selected by the two monasteries. Where the fight took + place I do not know, and the number of champions is not mentioned in the + record. It is stated that a horse was first swum across the lake, and + stakes fixed to mark the limits of the claim. On the day appointed the + combatants chosen by each abbot appeared properly accoutred, and they + fought from morning until evening, when, at last, the men representing + Meaux were beaten to the ground, and the York abbot retained the whole + fishing rights of the Mere. + </p> + <p> + Hornsea has a pretty church with a picturesque tower built in between the + western ends of the aisles. An eighteenth-century parish clerk utilized + the crypt for storing smuggled goods, and was busily at work there on a + stormy night in 1732, when a terrific blast of wind tore the roof off the + church. The shock, we are told, brought on a paralytic seizure of which he + died. + </p> + <p> + By the churchyard gate stands the old market-cross, recently set up in + this new position and supplied with a modern head. + </p> + <p> + As we go towards Spurn Head we are more and more impressed with the + desolate character of the shore. The tide may be out, and only puny waves + tumbling on the wet sand, and yet it is impossible to refrain from feeling + that the very peacefulness of the scene is sinister, and the waters are + merely digesting their last meal of boulder-clay before satisfying a fresh + appetite. + </p> + <p> + The busy town of Hornsea Beck, the port of Hornsea, with its harbour and + pier, its houses, and all pertaining to it, has entirely disappeared since + the time of James I., and so also has the place called Hornsea Burton, + where in 1334 Meaux Abbey held twenty-seven acres of arable land. At the + end of that century not one of those acres remained. The fate of Owthorne, + a village once existing not far from Withernsea, is pathetic. The + churchyard was steadily destroyed, until 1816, when in a great storm the + waves undermined the foundations of the eastern end of the church, so that + the walls collapsed with a roar and a cloud of dust. + </p> + <p> + Twenty-two years later there was scarcely a fragment of even the + churchyard left, and in 1844, the Vicarage and the remaining houses were + absorbed, and Owthorne was wiped off the map. + </p> + <p> + The peninsula formed by the Humber is becoming more and more attenuated, + and the pretty village of Easington is being brought nearer to the sea, + winter by winter. Close to the church, Easington has been fortunate in + preserving its fourteenth-century tithe-barn covered with a thatched roof. + The interior has that wonderfully imposing effect given by huge posts and + beams suggesting a wooden cathedral. + </p> + <p> + At Kilnsea the weak bank of earth forming the only resistance to the waves + has been repeatedly swept away and hundreds of acres flooded with salt + water, and where there are any cliffs at all, they are often not more than + fifteen feet high. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH22" id="link2HCH22"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI + </h2> + <p> + BEVERLEY + </p> + <p> + When the great bell in the southern tower of the Minster booms forth its + deep and solemn notes over the city of Beverley, you experience an + uplifting of the mind—a sense of exaltation greater, perhaps, than + even that produced by an organ's vibrating notes in the high vaulted + spaces of a cathedral. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-28" id="linkimage-28"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/28.jpg" width="100%" alt="The Market-place, Beverley " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Beverley has no natural features to give it any attractiveness, for it + stands on the borders of the level plain of Holderness, and towards the + Wolds there is only a very gentle rise. It depends, therefore, solely upon + its architecture. The first view of the city from the west as we come over + the broad grassy common of Westwood is delightful. We are just + sufficiently elevated to see the opalescent form of the Minster, with its + graceful towers rising above the more distant roofs, and close at hand the + pinnacled tower of St. Mary's showing behind a mass of dark trees. The + entry to the city from this direction is in every way prepossessing, for + the sunny common is succeeded by a broad, tree lined road, with + old-fashioned houses standing sedately behind the foliage, and the end of + the avenue is closed by the North Bar—the last of Beverley's gates. + It dates from 1410, and is built of very dark red brick, with one arch + only, the footways being taken through the modern houses, shouldering it + on each side. Leland's account and the town records long before his day + tell us that there were three gates, but nothing remains of 'Keldgate + barr' and the 'barr de Newbygyng.' + </p> + <p> + We go through the archway and find ourselves in a wide street with the + beautiful west end of St. Mary's Church on the left, quaint Georgian + houses, and a dignified hotel of the same period on the opposite side, + while straight ahead is the broad Saturday Market with its very + picturesque 'cross.' The cross was put up in 1714 by Sir Charles Hotham, + Bart., and Sir Michael Warton, Members of Parliament for the Corporation + at that time. + </p> + <p> + Without the towers the exterior of the Minster gives me little pleasure, + for the Early English chancel and greater and lesser transepts, although + imposing and massive, are lacking in proper proportion, and in that + deficiency suffer a loss of dignity. The eulogies so many architects and + writers have poured out upon the Early English work of this great church, + and the strangely adverse comments the same critics have levelled at the + Perpendicular additions, do not blind me to what I regard as a most + strange misconception on the part of these people. The homogeneity of the + central and eastern portions of the Minster is undeniable, but because + what appears to be the design of one master-builder of the thirteenth + century was apparently carried out in the short period of twenty years, I + do not feel obliged to consider the result beautiful. + </p> + <p> + In the Perpendicular work of the western towers everything is in graceful + proportion, and nothing from the ground to the top of the turrets, jars + with the wonderful dignity of their perfect lines. + </p> + <p> + A few years before the Norman Conquest a central tower and a presbytery + were added to the existing building by Archbishop Cynesige. The + 'Frenchman's' influence was probably sufficiently felt at that time to + give this work the stamp of Norman ideas, and would have shown a marked + advance on the Romanesque style of the Saxon age, in which the other + portions of the buildings were put up. After that time we are in the dark + as to what happened until the year 1188, when a disaster took place of + which there is a record: + </p> + <p> + 'In the year from the incarnation of Our Lord 1188, this church was burnt, + in the month of September, the night after the Feast of St. Matthew the + Apostle, and in the year 1197, the sixth of the ides of March, there was + an inquisition made for the relics of the blessed John in this place, and + these bones were found in the east part of his sepulchre, and reposited; + and dust mixed with mortar was found likewise, and re-interred.' + </p> + <p> + This is a translation of the Latin inscription on a leaden plate + discovered in 1664, when a square stone vault in the church was opened and + found to be the grave of the canonized John of Beverley. The picture + history gives us of this remarkable man, although to a great extent hazy + with superstitious legend, yet shows him to have been one of the greatest + and noblest of the ecclesiastics who controlled the Early Church in + England. He founded the monastery at Beverley about the year 700, on what + appears to have been an isolated spot surrounded by forest and swamp, and + after holding the See of York for some twelve years, he retired here for + the rest of his life. When he died, in 721, his memory became more and + more sacred, and his powers of intercession were constantly invoked. The + splendid shrine provided for his relics in 1037 was encrusted with jewels + and shone with the precious metals employed. Like the tomb of William the + Conqueror at Caen, it disappeared long ago. After the collapse of the + central tower to its very foundations came the vast Early English + reconstruction of everything except the nave, which was possibly of + pre-Conquest date, and survived until the present Decorated successor took + its place. Much discussion has centred round certain semicircular arches + at the back of the triforium, whose ornament is unmistakably Norman, + suggesting that the early nave was merely remodelled in the later period. + The last great addition to the structure was the beautiful Perpendicular + north porch and the west end—the glory of Beverley. The interior of + the transepts and chancel is extremely interesting, but entirely lacking + in that perfection of form characterizing York. + </p> + <p> + A magnificent range of stalls crowned with elaborate tabernacle work of + the sixteenth century adorns the choir, and under each of the sixty-eight + seats are carved misereres, making a larger collection than any other in + the country. The subjects range from a horrible representation of the + devil with a second face in the middle of his body to humorous pictures of + a cat playing a fiddle, and a scold on her way to the ducking-stool in a + wheel-barrow, gripping with one hand the ear of the man who is wheeling + her. + </p> + <p> + In the north-east corner of the choir, built across the opening to the + lesser transept on that side, is the tomb of Lady Eleanor FitzAllen, wife + of Henry, first Lord Percy of Alnwick. It is considered to be, without a + rival, the most beautiful tomb in this country. The canopy is composed of + sumptuously carved stone, and while it is literally encrusted with + ornament, it is designed in such a masterly fashion that the general + effect, whether seen at a distance or close at hand, is always + magnificent. The broad lines of the canopy consist of a steep gable with + an ogee arch within, cusped so as to form a base at its apex for an + elaborate piece of statuary. This is repeated on both sides of the + monument. On the side towards the altar, the large bearded figure + represents the Deity, with angels standing on each side of the throne, + holding across His knees a sheet. From this rises a small undraped figure + representing Lady Eleanor, whose uplifted hands are held in one of those + of her Maker, who is shown in the act of benediction with two fingers on + her head. + </p> + <p> + In the north aisle of the chancel there is a very unusual double + staircase. It is recessed in the wall, and the arcading that runs along + the aisle beneath the windows is inclined upwards and down again at a + slight angle, similar to the rise of the steps which are behind the marble + columns. This was the old way to the chapter-house, destroyed at the + Dissolution, and is an extremely fine example of an Early English + stairway. Near the Percy chapel stands the ancient stone chair of + sanctuary, or frith-stool. It has been broken and repaired with iron + clamps, and the inscription upon it, recorded by Spelman, has gone. The + privileges of sanctuary were limited by Henry VIII, and abolished in the + reign of James I; but before the Dissolution malefactors of all sorts and + conditions, from esquires and gentlewomen down to chapmen and minstrels, + frequently came in undignified haste to claim the security of St. John of + Beverley. Here is a case quoted from the register by Mr. Charles Hiatt in + his admirable account of the Minster: + </p> + <p> + 'John Spret, Gentilman, memorandum that John Spret, of Barton upon Umber, + in the counte of Lyncoln, gentilman, com to Beverlay, the first day of + October the vii yer of the reen of Keing Herry vii and asked the lybertes + of Saint John of Beverlay, for the dethe of John Welton, husbondman, of + the same town, and knawleg [acknowledge] hymselff to be at the kyllyng of + the saym John with a dagarth, the xv day of August.' + </p> + <p> + On entering the city we passed St. Mary's, a beautiful Perpendicular + church which is not eclipsed even by the major attractions of the Minster. + At the west end there is a splendid Perpendicular window flanked by + octagonal buttresses of a slightly earlier date, which are run up to a + considerable height above the roof of the nave, the upper portions being + made light and graceful, with an opening on each face, and a pierced + parapet. The tower rises above the crossing, and is crowned by sixteen + pinnacles. + </p> + <p> + In its general appearance the large south porch is Perpendicular, like the + greater part of the church, but the inner portion of its arch is Norman, + and the outer is Early English. One of the pillars of the nave is + ornamented just below the capital with five quaint little minstrels carved + in stone. Each is supported by a bold bracket, and each is painted. The + musical instruments are all much battered, but it can be seen that the + centre figure, who is dressed as an alderman, had a harp, and the others a + pipe, a lute, a drum, and a violin. From Saxon times there had existed in + Beverley a guild of minstrels, a prosperous fraternity bound by + regulations, which Poulson gives at length in his monumental work on + Beverley. The minstrels played at aldermen's feasts, at weddings, on + market-days, and on all occasions when there was excuse for music. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH23" id="link2HCH23"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII + </h2> + <p> + ALONG THE HUMBER + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Away with me in post to Ravenspurgh;<br /> But if you faint, as + fearing to do so,<br /> Stay and be secret, and myself will go.'<br /> + <i>Richard II</i>, Act II, Scene 1.<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + The atrophied corner of Yorkshire that embraces the lowest reaches of the + Humber is terminated by a mere raised causeway leading to the wider patch + of ground dominated by Spurn Head lighthouse. This long ridge of sand and + shingle is all that remains of a very considerable and populous area + possessing towns and villages as recently as the middle of the fourteenth + century. + </p> + <p> + Far back in the Middle Ages the Humber was a busy waterway for shipping, + where merchant vessels were constantly coming and going, bearing away the + wool of Holderness and bringing in foreign goods, which the Humber towns + were eager to buy. This traffic soon demonstrated the need of some light + on the point of land where the estuary joined the sea, and in 1428 Henry + VI granted a toll on all vessels entering the Humber in aid of the first + lighthouse put up about that time by a benevolent hermit. + </p> + <p> + No doubt the site of this early structure has long ago been submerged. The + same fate came upon the two lights erected on Kilnsea Common by Justinian + Angell, a London merchant, who received a patent from Charles II to + 'continue, renew, and maintain' two lights at Spurn Point. + </p> + <p> + In 1766 the famous John Smeaton was called upon to put up two lighthouses, + one 90 feet and the other 50 feet high. There was no hurry in completing + the work, for the foundations of the high light were not completed until + six years later. The sea repeatedly destroyed the low light, owing to the + waves reaching it at high tide. Poulson mentions the loss of three + structures between 1776 and 1816. The fourth was taken down after a brief + life of fourteen years, the sea having laid the foundations bare. As late + as the beginning of last century the illumination was produced by 'a naked + coal fire, unprotected from the wind,' and its power was consequently most + uncertain. + </p> + <p> + Smeaton's high tower is now only represented by its foundations and the + circular wall surrounding them, which acts as a convenient shelter from + wind and sand for the low houses of the men who are stationed there for + the lifeboat and other purposes. + </p> + <p> + The present lighthouse is 30 feet higher than Smeaton's, and is fitted + with the modern system of dioptric refractors, giving a light of 519,000 + candle-power, which is greater than any other on the east coast of + England. The need for a second structure has been obviated by placing the + low lights half-way down the existing tower. Every twenty seconds the + upper light flashes for one and a half seconds, being seen in clear + weather at a distance of seventeen nautical miles. + </p> + <p> + In the Middle Ages great fortunes were made on the shores on the Humber. + Sir William de la Pole was a merchant of remarkable enterprise, and the + most notable of those who traded at Ravenserodd. It was probably owing to + his great wealth that his son was made a knight-banneret, and his grandson + became Earl of Suffolk. Another of the De la Poles was the first Mayor of + Hull, and seems to have been no less opulent than his brother, who lent + large sums of money to Edward III, and was in consequence appointed Chief + Baron of the Exchequer and also presented with the Lordship of Holderness. + </p> + <p> + The story of Ravenser, and the later town of Ravenserodd, is told in a + number of early records, and from them we can see clearly what happened in + this corner of Yorkshire. Owing to a natural confusion from the many + different spellings of the two places, the fate of the prosperous port of + Ravenserodd has been lost in a haze of misconception. And this might have + continued if Mr. J. R. Boyle had not gone exhaustively into the matter, + bringing together all the references to the Ravensers which have been + discovered. + </p> + <p> + There seems little doubt that the first place called Ravenser was a Danish + settlement just within the Spurn Point, the name being a compound of the + raven of the Danish standard, and eyr or ore, meaning a narrow strip of + land between two waters. In an early Icelandic saga the sailing of the + defeated remnant of Harold Hardrada's army from Ravenser, after the defeat + of the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge, is mentioned in the lines: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'The King the swift ships with the flood<br /> Set out, with the autumn + approaching,<br /> And sailed from the port, called Hrafnseyrr (the + raven tongue of land).'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + From this event of 1066 Ravenser must have remained a hamlet of small + consequence, for it is not heard of again for nearly two centuries, and + then only in connexion with the new Ravenser which had grown on a spit of + land gradually thrown up by the tide within the spoon-shaped ridge of + Spurn Head. On this new ground a vessel was wrecked some time in the early + part of the thirteenth century, and a certain man—the earliest + recorded Peggotty—converted it into a house, and even made it a + tavern, where he sold food and drink to mariners. Then three or four + houses were built near the adapted hull, and following this a small port + was created, its development being fostered by William de Fortibus, Earl + of Albemarl, the lord of the manor, with such success that, by the year + 1274, the place had grown to be of some importance, and a serious trade + rival to Grimsby on the Lincolnshire coast. To distinguish the two + Ravensers the new place, which was almost on an island, being only + connected with the mainland by a bank composed of large yellow boulders + and sand, was called Ravenser Odd, and in the Chronicles of Meaux Abbey + and other records the name is generally written Ravenserodd. The original + place was about a mile away, and no longer on the shore, and it is + distinguished from the prosperous port as Ald Ravenser. Owing, however, to + its insignificance in comparison to Ravenserodd, the busy port, it is + often merely referred to as Ravenser, spelt with many variations. + </p> + <p> + The extraordinarily rapid rise of Ravenserodd seems to have been due to a + remarkable keenness for business on the part of its citizens, amounting, + in the opinion of the Grimsby traders, to sharp practice. For, being just + within Spurn Head, the men of Ravenserodd would go out to incoming vessels + bound for Grimsby, and induce them to sell their cargoes in Ravenserodd by + all sorts of specious arguments, misquoting the prices paid in the rival + town. If their arguments failed, they would force the ships to enter their + harbour and trade with them, whether they liked it or not. All this came + out in the hearing of an action brought by the town of Grimsby against + Ravenserodd. Although the plaintiffs seem to have made a very good case, + the decision of the Court was given in favour of the defendants, as it had + not been shown that any of their proceedings had broken the King's peace. + </p> + <p> + The story of the disaster, which appears to have happened between 1340 and + 1350, is told by the monkish compiler of the Chronicles of Meaux. + Translated from the original Latin the account is headed: + </p> + <p> + 'Concerning the consumption of the town of Ravensere Odd and concerning + the effort towards the diminution of the tax of the church of Esyngton. + </p> + <p> + 'But in those days, the whole town of Ravensere Odd.. was totally + annihilated by the floods of the Humber and the inundations of the great + sea ... and when that town of Ravensere Odd, in which we had half an acre + of land built upon, and also the chapel of that town, pertaining to the + said church of Esyngton, were exposed to demolition during the few + preceding years, those floods and inundations of the sea, within a year + before the destruction of that town, increasing in their accustomed way + without limit fifteen fold, announcing the swallowing up of the said town, + and sometimes exceeding beyond measure the height of the town, and + surrounding it like a wall on every side, threatened the final destruction + of that town. And so, with this terrible vision of waters seen on every + side, the enclosed persons, with the reliques, crosses, and other + ecclesiastical ornaments, which remained secretly in their possession and + accompanied by the viaticum of the body of Christ in the hands of the + priest, flocking together, mournfully imploring grace, warded off at that + time their destruction. And afterwards, daily removing thence with their + possession, they left that town totally without defence, to be shortly + swallowed up, which, with a short intervening period of time by those + merciless tempestuous floods, was irreparably destroyed.' + </p> + <p> + The traders and inhabitants generally moved to Kingston-upon-Hull and + other towns, as the sea forced them to seek safer quarters. + </p> + <p> + When Henry of Lancaster landed with his retinue in 1399 within Spurn Head, + the whole scene was one of complete desolation, and the only incident + recorded is his meeting with a hermit named Matthew Danthorp, who was at + the time building a chapel. + </p> + <p> + The very beautiful spire of Patrington church guides us easily along a + winding lane from Easington until the whole building shows over the + meadows. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-29" id="linkimage-29"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/29.jpg" width="100%" alt="Patrington Church " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + We seem to have stumbled upon a cathedral standing all alone in this + diminishing land, scarcely more than two miles from the Humber and less + than four from the sea. No one quarrels with the title 'The Queen of + Holderness,' nor with the far greater claim that Patrington is the most + beautiful village church in England. With the exception of the east + window, which is Perpendicular, nearly the whole structure was built in + the Decorated period; and in its perfect proportion, its wealth of detail + and marvellous dignity, it is a joy to the eye within and without. The + plan is cruciform, and there are aisles to the transepts as well as the + nave, giving a wealth of pillars to the interior. Above the tower rises a + tall stone spire, enriched, at a third of its height, with what might be + compared to an earl's coronet, the spikes being represented by crocketed + pinnacles—the terminals of the supporting pillars. The interior is + seen at its loveliest on those afternoons when that rich yellow light Mr. + W. Dean Howells so aptly compares with the colour of the daffodil is + flooding the nave and aisles, and glowing on the clustered columns. + </p> + <p> + In the eastern aisles of each arm of the transept there were three chantry + chapels, whose piscinae remain. The central chapel in the south transept + is a most interesting and beautiful object, having a recess for the altar, + with three richly ornamented niches above. In the groined roof above, the + central boss is formed into a hollow pendant of considerable interest. On + the three sides are carvings representing the Annunciation, St. Catherine + of Alexandria, and St. John the Baptist, and on the under side is a Tudor + rose. Sir Henry Dryden, in the <i>Archaeological Journal</i>, states that + this pendant was used for a lamp to light the altar below, but he points + out, at the same time, that the sacrist would have required a ladder to + reach it. An alternative suggestion made by others is that this niche + contained a relic where it would have been safe even if visible. + </p> + <p> + Patrington village is of fair size, with a wide street; and although + lacking any individual houses calling for comment, it is a pleasant place, + with the prevailing warm reds of roofs and walls to be found in all the + Holderness towns. + </p> + <p> + On our way to Hedon, where the 'King of Holderness' awaits us, we pass + Winestead Church, where Andrew Marvell was baptized in 1621, and where we + may see the memorials of a fine old family—the Hildyards of + Winestead, who came there in the reign of Henry VI. + </p> + <p> + The stately tower of Hedon's church is conspicuous from far away; and when + we reach the village we are much impressed by its solemn beauty, and by + the atmosphere of vanished greatness clinging to the place that was + decayed even in Leland's days, when Henry VIII, still reigned. No doubt + the silting up of the harbour and creeks brought down Hedon from her high + place, so that the retreat of the sea in this place was scarcely less + disastrous to the town's prosperity than its advance had been at + Ravenserodd; and possibly the waters of the Humber, glutted with their + rapacity close to Spurn Head, deposited much of the disintegrated town in + the waterway of the other. + </p> + <p> + The nave of the church is Decorated, and has beautiful windows of that + period. The transept is Early English, and so also is the chancel, with a + fine Perpendicular east window filled with glass of the same subtle + colours we saw at Patrington. + </p> + <p> + In approaching nearer to Hull, we soon find ourselves in the outer zone of + its penumbra of smoke, with fields on each side of the road waiting for + works and tall shafts, which will spread the unpleasant gloom of the city + still further into the smiling country. The sun becomes copper-coloured, + and the pure, transparent light natural to Holderness loses its vigour. + Tall and slender chimneys emitting lazy coils of blackness stand in pairs + or in groups, with others beyond, indistinct behind a veil of steam and + smoke, and at their feet grovels a confusion of buildings sending forth + jets and mushrooms of steam at a thousand points. Hemmed in by this + industrial belt and compact masses of cellular brickwork, where labour + skilled and unskilled sleeps and rears its offspring, is the nucleus of + the Royal borough of Kingston-upon-Hull, founded by Edward I at the close + of the thirteenth century. + </p> + <p> + It would scarcely have been possible that any survivals of the Edwardian + port could have been retained in the astonishing commercial development + the city has witnessed, particularly in the last century; and Hull has + only one old street which can lay claim to even the smallest suggestion of + picturesqueness. The renaissance of English architecture is beginning to + make itself felt in the chief streets, where some good buildings are + taking the places of ugly fronts; and there are one or two more ambitious + schemes of improvement bringing dignity into the city; but that, with the + exception of two churches, is practically all. + </p> + <p> + When we see the old prints of the city surrounded by its wall defended + with towers, and realize the numbers of curious buildings that filled the + winding streets—the windmills, the churches and monasteries—we + understand that the old Hull has gone almost as completely as Ravenserodd. + It was in Hull that Michael, a son of Sir William de la Pole of + Ravenserodd, its first Mayor, founded a monastery for thirteen Carthusian + monks, and also built himself, in 1379, a stately house in Lowgate + opposite St. Mary's Church. Nothing remains of this great brick mansion, + which was described as a palace, and lodged Henry VIII during his visit in + 1540. Even St. Mary's Church has been so largely rebuilt and restored that + its interest is much diminished. + </p> + <p> + The great Perpendicular Church of Holy Trinity in the market-place is, + therefore, the one real link between the modern city and the little town + founded in the thirteenth century. It is a cruciform building and has a + fine central tower, and is remarkable in having transepts and chancel + built externally of brick as long ago as the Decorated Period. The De la + Pole mansion, of similar date, was also constructed with brick—no + doubt from the brickyard outside the North Gate owned by the founder of + the family fortunes. The pillars and capitals of the arcades of both the + nave and chancel are thin and unsatisfying to the eye, and the interior as + a whole, although spacious, does not convey any pleasing sensations. The + slenderness of the columns was necessary, it appears, owing to the soft + and insecure ground, which necessitated a pile foundation and as light a + weight above as could be devised. + </p> + <p> + William Wilberforce, the liberator of slaves, was born in 1759 in a large + house still standing in High Street, and a tall Doric column surmounted by + a statue perpetuates his memory, in the busiest corner of the city. The + old red-brick Grammar School bears the date 1583, and is a pleasant relief + from the dun-coloured monotony of the greater part of the city. + </p> + <p> + In going westward we come, at the village of North Cave, to the southern + horn of the crescent of the Wolds. All the way to Howden they show as a + level-topped ridge to the north, and the lofty tower of the church stands + out boldly for many miles before we reach the town. The cobbled streets at + the east end of the church possess a few antique houses coloured with warm + ochre, and it is over and between these that we have the first close view + of the ruined chancel. The east window has lost most of its tracery, and + has the appearance of a great archway; its date, together with the whole + of the chancel, is late Decorated, but the exquisite little chapterhouse + is later still, and may be better described as early Perpendicular. It is + octagonal in plan, and has in each side a window with an ogee arch above. + The stones employed are remarkably large. The richly moulded arcading + inside, consisting of ogee arches, has been exposed to the weather for so + long, owing to the loss of the vaulting above, that the lovely detail is + fast disappearing. + </p> + <p> + About four miles from Howden, near the banks of the Derwent, stand the + ruins of Wressle Castle. In every direction the country is spread out + green and flat, and, except for the towers and spires of the churches, it + is practically featureless. To the north the horizon is brought closer by + the rounded outlines of the wolds; everywhere else you seem to be looking + into infinity, as in the Fen Country. + </p> + <p> + The castle that stands in the midst of this belt of level country is the + only one in the East Riding, and although now a mere fragment of the + former building, it still retains a melancholy dignity. Since a fire in + 1796 the place has been left an empty shell, the two great towers and the + walls that join them being left without floors or roofs. + </p> + <p> + Wressle was one of the two castles in Yorkshire belonging to the Percys, + and at the time of the Civil War still retained its feudal grandeur + unimpaired. Its strength was, however, considered by the Parliament to be + a danger to the peace, despite the fact that the Earl of Northumberland, + its owner, was not on the Royalist side, and an order was issued in 1648 + commanding that it should be destroyed. Pontefract Castle had been + suddenly seized for the King in June during that year, and had held out so + persistently that any fortified building, even if owned by a supporter, + was looked upon as a possible source of danger to the Parliamentary + Government. An order was therefore sent to Lord Northumberland's officers + at Wressle commanding them to pull down all but the south side of the + castle. That this was done with great thoroughness, despite the most + strenuous efforts made by the Earl to save his ancient seat, may be seen + to-day in the fact that, of the four sides of the square, three have + totally disappeared, except for slight indications in the uneven grass. + </p> + <p> + The saddest part of the story concerns the portion of the buildings spared + by the Cromwellians. This, we are told, remained until a century ago + nearly in the same state as in the year 1512, when Henry Percy, the fifth + Earl, commenced the compilation of his wonderful Household Book. The Great + Chamber, or Dining Room, the Drawing Chamber, the Chapel, and other + apartments, still retained their richly-carved ceilings, and the sides of + the rooms were ornamented with a 'great profusion of ancient sculpture, + finely executed in wood, exhibiting the bearings, crests, badges, and + devises, of the Percy family, in a great variety of forms, set off with + all the advantages of painting, gilding and imagery.' + </p> + <p> + There was a moat on three sides, a square tower at each corner, and a + fifth containing the gateway presumably on the eastward face. In one of + the corner towers was the buttery, pantry, 'pastery,' larder, and kitchen; + in the south-easterly one was the chapel; and in the two-storied building + and the other tower of the south side were the chief apartments, where my + lord Percy dined, entertained, and ordered his great household with a vast + care and minuteness of detail. We would probably have never known how + elaborate were the arrangements for the conduct and duties of every one, + from my lord's eldest son down to his lowest servant, had not the + Household Book of the fifth Earl of Northumberland been, by great good + fortune, preserved intact. By reading this extraordinary compilation it is + possible to build up a complete picture of the daily life at Wressle + Castle in the year 1512 and later. + </p> + <p> + From this account we know that the bare stone walls of the apartments were + hung with tapestries, and that these, together with the beds and bedding, + all the kitchen pots and pans, cloths, and odds and ends, the altar + hangings, surplices, and apparatus of the chapel—in fact, every + one's bed, tools, and clothing—were removed in seventeen carts each + time my lord went from one of his castles to another. The following is one + of the items, the spelling being typical of the whole book: + </p> + <p> + 'ITEM.—Yt is Ordynyd at every Remevall that the Deyn Subdean Prestes + Gentilmen and Children of my Lordes Chapell with the Yoman and Grome of + the Vestry shall have apontid theime ii Cariadges at every Remevall Viz. + One for ther Beddes Viz. For vi Prests iii beddes after ii to a Bedde For + x Gentillmen of the Chapell v Beddes after ii to a Bedde And for vi + Children ii Beddes after iii to a Bedde And a Bedde for the Yoman and Grom + o' th Vestry In al xi Beddes for the furst Cariage. And the ii'de Cariage + for ther Aparells and all outher ther Stuff and to have no mo Cariage + allowed them but onely the said ii Cariages allowid theime.' + </p> + <p> + We have seen the astonishingly tall spire of Hemingbrough Church from the + battlements of Wressle Castle, and when we have given a last look at the + grey walls and the windows, filled with their enormously heavy tracery, we + betake ourselves along a pleasant lane that brings us at length to the + river. The soaring spire is 120 feet in height, or twice that of the + tower, and this hugeness is perhaps out of proportion with the rest of the + building; yet I do not think for a moment that this great spire could have + been different without robbing the church of its striking and pleasing + individuality. There are Transitional Norman arches at the east end of the + nave, but most of the work is Decorated or Perpendicular. The windows of + the latter period in the south transept are singularly happy in the + wonderful amount of light they allow to flood through their pale yellow + glass. The oak bench-ends in the nave, which are carved with many devices, + and the carefully repaired stalls in the choir, are Perpendicular, and no + doubt belong to the period when the church was a collegiate foundation of + Durham. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH24" id="link2HCH24"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII + </h2> + <p> + THE DERWENT AND THE HOWARDIAN HILLS + </p> + <p> + Malton is the only town on the Derwent, and it is made up of three + separate places—Old Malton, a picturesque village; New Malton, a + pleasant and oldfashioned town; and Norton, a curiously extensive suburb. + The last has a Norman font in its modern church, and there its attractions + begin and end. New Malton has a fortunate position on a slope well above + the lush grass by the river, and in this way arranges the backs of its + houses with unconscious charm. The two churches, although both containing + Norman pillars and arches, have been so extensively rebuilt that their + antiquarian interest is slight. + </p> + <p> + On account of its undoubted signs of Roman occupation in the form of two + rectangular camps, and its situation at the meeting-place of some three or + four Roman roads, New Malton has been with great probability identified + with the <i>Delgovitia</i> of the Antonine Itinerary. + </p> + <p> + Old Malton is a cheerful and well-kept village, with antique cottages here + and there, roofed with mossy thatch. It makes a pretty picture as you come + along the level road from Pickering, with a group of trees on the left and + the tower of the Priory Church appearing sedately above the humble roofs. + A Gilbertine monastery was founded here about the middle of the twelfth + century, during the lifetime of St. Gilbert of Sempringham in + Lincolnshire, who during the last year of his long life sent a letter to + the Canons of Malton, addressing them as 'My dear sons.' Little remains of + Malton Priory with the exception of the church, built at the very + beginning of the Early English period. Of the two western towers, the + southern one only survives, and both aisles, two bays of the nave, and + everything else to the east has gone. The abbreviated nave now serves as a + parish church. + </p> + <p> + Between Malton and the Vale of York there lies that stretch of hilly + country we saw from the edge of the Wolds, for some time past known as the + Howardian Hills, from Castle Howard which stands in their midst. The many + interests that this singularly remote neighbourhood contains can be + realized by making such a peregrination as we made through the Wolds. + </p> + <p> + There is no need to avoid the main road south of Malton. It has a + park-like appearance, with its large trees and well-kept grass on each + side, and the glimpses of the wooded valley of the Derwent on the left are + most beautiful. On the right we look across the nearer grasslands into the + great park of Castle Howard, and catch glimpses between the distant masses + of trees of Lord Carlisle's stately home. The old castle of the Howards + having been burnt down, Vanbrugh, the greatest architect of early Georgian + times, designed the enormous building now standing. In 1772 Horace Walpole + compressed the glories of the place into a few sentences. '... I can say + with exact truth,' he writes to George Selwyn,' that I never was so + agreeably astonished in my days as with the first vision of the whole + place. I had heard of Vanburgh, and how Sir Thomas Robinson and he stood + spitting and swearing at one another; nay, I had heard of glorious woods, + and Lord Strafford alone had told me that I should see one of the finest + places in Yorkshire; but nobody ... had informed me that should at one + view see a palace, a town, a fortified city; temples on high places, woods + worthy of being each metropolis of the Druids, vales connected to hills by + other woods, the noblest lawn in the world fenced by half the horizon, and + a mausoleum that would tempt one to be buried alive; in short, I have seen + gigantic places before, but never a sublime one.' + </p> + <p> + The style is that of the Corinthian renaissance, and Walpole's description + applies as much to-day as when he wrote. The pictures include some of the + masterpieces of Reynolds, Lely, Vandyck, Rubens, Tintoretto, Canaletto, + Giovanni Bellini Domenichino and Annibale Caracci. + </p> + <p> + Two or three miles to the south, the road finds itself close to the deep + valley of the Derwent. A short turning embowered with tall trees whose + dense foliage only allows a soft green light to filter through, goes + steeply down to the river. We cross the deep and placid river by a stone + bridge, and come to the Priory gateway. It is a stately ruin partially + mantled with ivy, and it preserves in a most remarkable fashion the detail + of its outward face. + </p> + <p> + The mossy steps of the cross just outside the gateway are, according to a + tradition in one of the Cottonian manuscripts, associated with the event + which led to the founding of the Abbey by Walter Espec, lord of Helmsley. + He had, we are told, an only son, also named Walter, who was fond of + riding with exceeding swiftness. + </p> + <p> + One day when galloping at a great pace his horse stumbled near a small + stone, and young Espec was brought violently to the ground, breaking his + neck and leaving his father childless. The grief-stricken parent is said + to have found consolation in the founding of three abbeys, one of them + being at Kirkham, where the fatal accident took place. + </p> + <p> + Of the church and conventual buildings only a few fragments remain to tell + us that this secluded spot by the Derwent must have possessed one of the + most stately monasteries in Yorkshire. One tall lancet is all that has + been left of the church; and of the other buildings a few walls, a + beautiful Decorated lavatory, and a Norman doorway alone survive. + </p> + <p> + Stamford Bridge, which is reached by no direct road from Kirkham Abbey, is + so historically fascinating that we must leave the hills for a time to see + the site of that momentous battle between Harold, the English King, and + the Norwegian army, under Harold Hardrada and Harold's brother Tostig. The + English host made their sudden attack from the right bank of the river, + and the Northmen on that side, being partially armed, were driven back + across a narrow wooden bridge. One Northman, it appears, played the part + of Horatius in keeping the English at bay for a time. When he fell, the + Norwegians had formed up their shield-wall on the left bank of the river, + no doubt on the rising ground just above the village. That the final and + decisive phase of the battle took place there Freeman has no doubt. + </p> + <p> + Stamford Bridge being, as already mentioned, the most probable site of the + Roman <i>Derventio</i>, it was natural that some village should have grown + up at such an important crossing of the river. + </p> + <p> + An unfrequented road through a belt of picturesque woodland goes from + Stamford Bridge past Sand Hutton to the highway from York to Malton. If we + take the branch-road to Flaxton, we soon see, over the distant trees, the + lofty towers of Sheriff Hutton Castle, and before long reach a silent + village standing near the imposing ruin. The great rectangular space, + enclosed by huge corner-towers and half-destroyed curtain walls, is now + utilized as the stackyard of a farm, and the effect as we approach by a + footpath is most remarkable. It seems scarcely possible that this is the + castle Leland described with so much enthusiasm. 'I saw no House in the + North so like a Princely Logginges,' he says, and also describes 'the + stately Staire up to the Haul' as being very magnificent. + </p> + <p> + We come to the north-west tower, and look beyond its ragged outline to the + distant country lying to the west, grass and arable land with trees + appearing to grow so closely together at a short distance, that we have no + difficulty in realizing that this was the ancient Forest of Galtres, which + reached from Sheriff Hutton and Easingwold to the very gates of York. + </p> + <p> + In the complete loneliness of the ruins, with the silence only intensified + by the sounds of fluttering wings in the tops of the towers, we in + imagination sweep away the haystacks and reinstate the former grandeur of + the fortress in the days of Ralph Neville, first Earl of Westmorland. It + was he who rebuilt the Norman castle of Bertram de Bulmer, Sheriff of + Yorkshire, on a grander scale. Upon the death of Warwick, the Kingmaker, + in 1471, Edward IV gave the castle and manor of Sheriff Hutton to his + brother Richard, afterwards Richard III, and it was he who kept Edward + IV's eldest child Elizabeth a prisoner within these massive walls. The + unfortunate Edward, Earl of Warwick, the eldest son of George, Duke of + Clarence, when only eight years old, was also incarcerated here for about + three years. Richard III, the usurper, when he lost his only son, had + thought of making this boy his heir, but the unfortunate child was passed + over in favour of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, and remained in close + confinement at Sheriff Hutton until August, 1485, when the Battle of + Bosworth placed Henry VII on the throne. Sir Robert Willoughby soon + afterwards arrived at the castle, and took the little Earl to London. + Princess Elizabeth was also sent for at the same time, but whether both + the Royal prisoners travelled together does not appear to be recorded. The + terrible pathos of this simultaneous removal from the castle lay in the + fact that Edward was to play the part of Pharaoh's chief baker, and + Elizabeth that of the chief butler; for, after fourteen years in the Tower + of London, the Earl of Warwick was beheaded, while the King, after five + months, raised up Elizabeth to be his Queen. Even in those callous times + the fate of the Prince was considered cruel, for it was pointed out after + his execution, that, as he had been kept in imprisonment since he was + eight years old, and had no knowledge or experience of the world, he could + hardly have been accused of any malicious purpose. So cut off from all the + common sights of everyday life was the miserable boy that it was said + 'that he could not discern a goose from a capon.' + </p> + <p> + Portions of the Augustinian Priory are built into the house called + Newburgh Priory, and these include the walls of the kitchen and some + curious carvings showing on the exterior. William of Newburgh, the + historian, whose writings end abruptly in 1198—probably the year of + his death—was a canon of the Priory, and spent practically his whole + life there. In his preface he denounced the inaccuracies and fictions of + the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth. At the Dissolution Newburgh was + given by Henry VIII to Anthony Belasyse, the punning motto of whose family + was <i>Bonne et belle assez</i>. One of his descendants was created Lord + Fauconberg by Charles I, and the peerage became extinct in 1815, on the + death of the seventh to bear the title. The last owner—Sir George + Wombwell, Bart.—inherited the property from his grandmother, who was + a daughter of the last Lord Fauconberg. Sir George was one of the three + surviving officers who took part in the charge of the Light Brigade at + Balaclava on October 25, 1854. + </p> + <p> + The late Duke of Cambridge paid several visits to Newburgh, occupying what + is generally called 'the Duke's Room.' Rear-Admiral Lord Adolphus + Fitz-Clarence, whose father was George IV, died in 1856 in the bed still + kept in this room. In a glass case, at the end of a long gallery crowded + with interest, are kept the uniform and accoutrements Sir George wore at + Balaclava. + </p> + <p> + The second Lord Fauconberg, who was raised from Viscount to the rank of + Earl in 1689, was warmly attached to the Parliamentary side in the Civil + War, and took as his second wife Cromwell's third daughter, Mary. This + close connexion with the Protector explains the inscription upon a vault + immediately over one of the entrances to the Priory. On a small metal + plate is written: + </p> + <p> + 'In this vault are Cromwell's bones, brought here, it is believed, by his + daughter Mary, Countess of Fauconberg, at the Restoration, when his + remains were disinterred from Westminster Abbey.' + </p> + <p> + The letters 'R.I.P.' below are only just visible, an attempt having been + made to erase them. No one seems to have succeeded in finally clearing up + the mystery of the last resting-place of Cromwell's remains. The body was + exhumed from its tomb in Henry VII.'s Chapel at Westminster, and hung on + the gallows at Tyburn on January 30, 1661—the twelfth anniversary of + the execution of Charles I—and the head was placed upon a pole + raised above St. Stephen's Hall, and had a separate history, which is + known. Lord Fauconberg is said to have become a Royalist at the + Restoration, and if this were true, he would perhaps have been able to + secure the decapitated remains of his father-in-law, after their burial at + the foot of the gallows at Tyburn. It has often been stated that a sword, + bridle, and other articles belonging to Cromwell are preserved at Newburgh + Priory, but this has been conclusively shown to be a mistake, the objects + having been traced to one of the Belasyses. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-30" id="linkimage-30"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/30.jpg" width="100%" alt="Coxwold Village " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Coxwold has that air of neatness and well-preserved antiquity which is so + often to be found in England where the ancient owners of the land still + spend a large proportion of their time in the great house of the village. + There is a very wide street, with picturesque old houses on each side, + which rises gently towards the church. A great tree with twisted branches—whether + oak or elm, I cannot remember—stands at the top of the street + opposite the churchyard, and adds much charm to the village. The inn has + recently lost its thatch, but is still a quaint little house with the + typical Yorkshire gable, finished with a stone ball. On the great sign + fixed to the wall are the arms and motto of the Fauconbergs, and the + interior is full of old-fashioned comfort and cleanliness. Nearly opposite + stand the almshouses, dated 1662. + </p> + <p> + The church is chiefly Perpendicular, with a rather unusual octagonal + tower. In the eighteenth century the chancel was rebuilt, but the + Fauconberg monuments in it were replaced. Sir William Belasyse, who + received the Newburgh property from his uncle, the first owner, died in + 1603, and his fine Jacobean tomb, painted in red, black and gold, shows + him with a beard and ruff. His portrait hangs in one of the drawing-rooms + of the Priory. The later monuments, adorned with great carved figures, are + all interesting. They encroach so much on the space in the narrow chancel + that a most curious method for lengthening the communion-rail has been + resorted to—that of bringing forward from the centre a long narrow + space enclosed with the rails. From the pulpit Laurence Sterne preached + when he was incumbent here for the last eight years of his life. He came + to Coxwold in 1760, and took up his abode in the charming old house he + quaintly called 'Shandy Hall.' It is on the opposite side of the road to + the church, and has a stone roof and one of those enormous chimneys so + often to be found in the older farmsteads of the north of England. + Sterne's study was the very small room on the right-hand side of the + entrance doorway; it now contains nothing associated with him, and there + is more pleasure in viewing the outside of the house than is gained by + obtaining permission to enter. + </p> + <p> + During his last year at Coxwold, when his rollicking, boisterous spirits + were much subdued, Sterne completed his 'Sentimental Journey.' He also + relished more than before the country delights of the village, describing + it in one of his letters as 'a land of plenty.' Every day he drove out in + his chaise, drawn by two long-tailed horses, until one day his postilion + met with an accident from one his master's pistols, which went off in his + hand. 'He instantly fell on his knees,' wrote Sterne, 'and said "Our + Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name"—at which, like a + good Christian, he stopped, not remembering any more of it.' + </p> + <p> + The beautiful Hambleton Hills begin to rise up steeply about two miles + north of Coxwold, and there we come upon the ruins of Byland Abbey. Their + chief feature is the west end of the church, with its one turret pointing + a finger to the heavens, and the lower portion of a huge circular window, + without any sign of tracery. This fine example of Early English work is + illustrated here. The whole building appears to be the original structure + built soon after 1177, for it shows everywhere the transition from Norman + to Early English which was taking place at the close of the twelfth + century. The founders were twelve monks and an abbot, named Gerald, who + left Furness Abbey in 1134, and after some vicissitudes came to the notice + of Gundred, the mother of Roger de Mowbray, either by recommendation or by + accident. One account pictures the holy men on their way to Archbishop + Thurstan at York, with all their belongings in one wagon drawn by eight + oxen, and describes how they chanced to meet Gundreda's steward as they + journeyed near Thirsk. Through Gundreda the monks went to Hode, and after + four years received land at Old Byland, where they wished to build an + abbey. This position was found to be too close to Rievaulx, whose bells + could be too plainly heard, so that five years later the restless + community obtained a fresh grant of land from De Mowbray, at a place + called Stocking, where they remained until they came to Byland. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-31" id="linkimage-31"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/31.jpg" width="100%" + alt="The West Front of the Church Of Byland Abbey " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Recent excavation and preservation operations carried out by H.M. Office + of Works have added many lost features to the ruins including the exposure + of the whole of the floor level of the church hitherto buried under grassy + mounds. Almost any of the roads to the east go through surprisingly + attractive scenery. There are heathery commons, roads embowered with great + spreading trees, or running along open hill-sides, and frequently lovely + views of the Hambletons and more distant moors in the north. + </p> + <p> + In scenery of this character stands Gilling Castle, the seat of the + Fairfaxes for some three centuries. It possesses one of the most beautiful + Elizabethan dining-rooms to be found in this country. The walls are + panelled to a considerable height, the remaining space being filled with + paintings of decorative trees, one for each wapentake of Yorkshire. Each + tree is covered with the coats of arms of the great families of that time + in the wapentake. The brilliant colours against the dark green of the + trees form a most suitable relief to the uniform brown of the panelling. + In addition to the charm of the room itself, the view from the windows + into a deep hollow clothed with dense foliage, with a distant glimpse of + country beyond, is unlike anything I have seen elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH25" id="link2HCH25"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV + </h2> + <p> + A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF YORK + </p> + <p> + Thoroughly to master the story of the city of York is to know practically + the whole of English history. Its importance from the earliest times has + made York the centre of all the chief events that have take place in the + North of England; and right up to the time of the Civil War the great + happenings of the country always affected York, and brought the northern + capital into the vortex of affairs. And yet, despite the prominent part + the city has played in ecclesiastical, military, and civil affairs through + so many centuries of strife, it has contrived to retain a medieval + character in many ways unequalled by any town in the kingdom. This is due, + in a large measure, to the fortunate fact that York is well outside the + area of coal and iron, and has never become a manufacturing centre, the + few factories it now possesses being unable to rob the city of its romance + and charm. + </p> + <p> + There could scarcely be a better approach to such a city than that + furnished by the railway-station. Immediately outside the building, we are + confronted with a sloping grassy bank, crowned with a battlemented wall, + and we discover that only through its bars and posterns can we enter the + city, and feast our eyes on the relics of the Middle Ages within. It is no + dummy wall put up to please visitors, for right down to the siege of 1644, + when the Parliamentary army battered Walmgate Bar with their artillery, it + has withstood many assaults and investments. Repairs and restorations have + been carried out at various times during the last century, and additional + arches have been inserted by the bars and where openings have been made + necessary, luckily without robbing the walls of their picturesqueness or + interest. The bright, creamy colour of the stonework is a pleasant + reminder of the purity of York's atmosphere, for should the smoke of the + city ever increase to the extent of even the smaller manufacturing towns, + the beauty and glamour of every view would gradually disappear. + </p> + <p> + Of the Roman legionary base called Eboracum there still remain parts of + the wall and the lower portion of a thirteen-sided angle bastion while + embedded in the medieval earthen ramparts there is a great deal of Roman + walling. + </p> + <p> + The four chief gateways and the one or two posterns and towers have each a + particular fascination, and when we begin to taste the joys of York, we + cannot decide whether the Minster, the gateways, the narrow streets full + of overhanging houses, or the churches, all of which we know from prints + and pictures, call us most. In our uncertainty we reach a wide arch across + the roadway, and on the inner side find a flight of stone steps leading to + the top of the wall. We climb them, and find spread out before us our + first notable view of the city. The battlemented stone parapet of the wall + stops at a tower standing on the bank of the river, and on the further + side rises another, while above the old houses, closely packed together + beyond Lendal Bridge, appear the stately towers of the Minster. + </p> + <p> + On the plan of keeping the best wine until the last, we turn our backs to + the Minster and go along the wall, trying to imagine the scene when open + country came right up to encircling fortifications, and within were to be + found only the picturesque houses of the fourteenth and fifteenth + centuries, many of them new in those days, and yet so admirably designed + as to be beautiful without the additional charm of age. Then, suddenly, we + find no need to imagine any longer, having reached the splendid + twelfth-century structure of Micklegate Bar. Its bold turrets are pierced + with arrow-slits, and above the battlements are three stone figures. The + archway is a survival of the Norman city. In gazing at this imposing + gateway, which confronted all who approached York from the south, we seem + to hear the clanking sound of the portcullis as it is raised and lowered + to allow the entry of some Plantagenet sovereign and his armed retinue, + and, remembering that above this gate were fixed the dripping heads of + Richard, Duke of York, after his defeat at Wakefield; the Earl of Devon, + after Towton, and a long list of others of noble birth, we realize that in + those times of pageantry, when the most perfect artistry appeared in + costume, in architecture, and in ornament of every description, there was + a blood-thirstiness that makes us shiver. + </p> + <p> + The wall stops short at Skeldergate Bridge, where we cross the river and + come to the castle. There is a frowning gateway that boasts no antiquity, + and the courtyard within is surrounded by the eighteenth-century assize + courts, a military prison, and the governor's house. Hemmed in by these + buildings and a massive wall is the artificial mound surmounted by the + tottering castle keep. It is called Clifford's Tower because Francis + Clifford, Earl of Cumberland, restored the ruined wall in 1642. The Royal + Arms and those of the Cliffords can still be seen above the doorway, but + the structure as a whole dates from the twelfth century, and in 1190 was + the scene of a horrible tragedy, when the people of York determined to + massacre the Jews. Those merchants who escaped from their houses with + their families and were not killed in the streets fled to the castle, but + finding that they were unable to defend the place, they burnt the + buildings and destroyed themselves. A few exceptions consented to become + Christians, but were afterwards killed by the infuriated townspeople. + </p> + <p> + On the opposite side of the Foss, a stream that joins the Ouse just + outside the city, the walls recommence at the Fishergate Postern, a + picturesque tower with a tiled roof. After this the line of fortifications + turns to the north, and Walmgate Bar shows its battlemented turrets and + its barbican, the only one which has survived. The gateway itself, on the + outside, is very similar in design to Micklegate and Monk Bars, and was + built in the thirteenth century; inside, however, the stonework is hidden + behind a quaint Elizabethan timber front supported on two pillars. This + gate, as already mentioned, was much battered during the siege of 1644, + which lasted six weeks. It was soon after the Royalists' defeat at Marston + Moor that York capitulated, and fortunately Sir Thomas Fairfax gave the + city excellent terms, and saved it from being plundered. Through him, too, + the Minster suffered very little damage from the Parliamentary artillery, + and the only disaster of the siege was the spoiling of the Marygate Tower, + near St. Mary's Abbey, many of the records it contained being destroyed. + Numbers were saved through the rewards Fairfax offered to any soldier who + rescued a document from the rubbish, and as the transcribing of all the + records had just been completed by one Dodsworth, to whom Fairfax had paid + a salary for some years, the loss was reduced to a minimum. + </p> + <p> + Walmgate leads straight to the bridge over the Foss, and just beyond we + come to fine old Merchants' Hall, established in 1373 by John de + Rowcliffe. The panelled rooms and the chapel, built early in the fifteenth + century, and many interesting details, are beautiful survivals of the days + when the trade guilds of the city flourished. On the left, a few yards + further on, at the corner of the Pavement, is the interesting little + church of All Saints, whose octagonal lantern was illuminated at night as + a guiding light to travellers on their way to York. The north door has a + sanctuary knocker. + </p> + <p> + The narrowest and most antique of the old streets of York are close to All + Saints' Church, and the first we enter is the Shambles, where butchers' + shops with slaughter-houses behind still line both sides of the way. On + the left, as we go towards the Minster, one of the shops has a depressed + ogee arch of oak, and great curved brackets across the passage leading to + the back. All the houses are timber-framed, and either plastered and + coloured with warm ochre wash, or have the spaces between the oak filled + with dark red brick. In the Little Shambles, too, there are many curious + details in the high gables, pargeting and oriel windows. Petergate is a + charming old street, though not quite so rich in antique houses as + Stonegate, illustrated here. A large number of shops in Stonegate sell + 'antiques,' and, as the pleasure of buying an old pair of silver + candlesticks is greatly enhanced by the knowledge that the purchase will + be associated with the old-world streets of York, there is every reason + for believing that these quaint houses are in no danger. In walking + through these streets we are very little disturbed by traffic, and the + atmosphere of centuries long dead seems to surround us. We constantly get + peeps of the great central tower of the Minster or the Early English south + transept, and there are so many charming glimpses down passages and along + narrow streets that it is hard to realize that we are not in some town in + Normandy such as Lisieux or Falaise, and yet those towns have no walls, + and Falaise, has only one gateway, and Lisieux none. It is surely + justifiable to ask, in Kingsley's words, 'Why go gallivanting with the + nations round' until you have at least seen what England can show at York + and Chester? Skirting the west end of the Minster, and having a close view + of its two towers built in late Perpendicular times, which are not so + beautiful as those at Beverley, we come to what is in many ways the most + romantic of all the medieval survivals of York. There is an open space + faced by Bootham Bar, the chief gateway towards the north; behind are the + weathered red roofs of many antique houses, and beyond them rises the + stately mass of the Minster. The barbican was removed in 1831, and the + interior has been much restored, without, however, destroying its + fascination. We can still see the portcullis and look out of the narrow + windows through which the watchmen have gazed in early times at + approaching travellers. It was at this gateway that armed guides could be + obtained to protect those who were journeying northwards through the + Forest of Galtres, where wolves were to be feared in the Middle Ages. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-32" id="linkimage-32"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/32.jpg" width="100%" alt="Bootham Bar, York " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + Facing Bootham Bar is a modern public building judiciously screened by + trees, and adjoining it to the south stands the beautiful old house where, + before the Dissolution, the abbots of St. Mary's Abbey lived in stately + fashion. + </p> + <p> + When Henry VIII paid his one visit to York it was after the Pilgrimage of + Grace led by Robert Aske, who was hanged on one of the gates. The citizens + who had welcomed the rebels pleaded pardon, which was granted three years + afterwards; but Henry appointed a council, with the Duke of Norfolk as its + president, which was held in the Abbots' house, and resulted in the Mayor + and Corporation losing most of their powers. The beautiful fragments of + St. Mary's Abbey are close to the river, and the site is now included in + the museum grounds. In the museum building itself there is a wonderfully + fine collection of Roman coffins, dug up when the new railway-station was + being built. One inscription is particularly interesting in showing that + the Romans set up altars in their palaces, thus explaining the reason for + the Jews refusing to enter the praetorium at Jerusalem when Christ was + made prisoner, because it was the Feast of the Passover. + </p> + <p> + We can see the restored front of the Guildhall overlooking the river from + Lendal Bridge, which adjoins the gates of the Abbey grounds, but to reach + the entrance we must go along the street called Lendal and turn into a + narrow passage. The hall was put up in 1446, and is therefore in the + Perpendicular style. A row of tall oak pillars on each side support the + roof and form two aisles. The windows are filled with excellent modern + stained glass representing several incidents in the history of the city, + from the election of Constantine to be Roman Emperor, which took place at + York in A.D. 306, down to the great dinner to the Prince Consort, held in + the hall in 1850. + </p> + <p> + The Church of St. Michael Spurriergate, built at the same period as the + Guildhall, is curiously similar in its interior, having only a nave and + aisles. The stone pillars are so slight that they are scarcely of much + greater diameter than the wooden ones in the civic structure, and some of + them are perilously out of plumb. There is much old glass in the windows. + </p> + <p> + St. Margaret's Church has a splendid Norman doorway carved with the signs + of the zodiac; St. Mary's Castlegate is an Early English or Transitional + building transformed and patched in Perpendicular times; St. Mary's + Bishophill Junior has a most interesting tower, containing Roman + materials, and the list could be prolonged for many pages if there were + space. + </p> + <p> + We finally come back to the Minster, and entering by the south transept + door, realize at once in the dim immensity of the interior that we have + reached the crowning splendour of York. The great organ is filling the + lofty spaces with solemn music, carrying the mind far beyond petty things. + </p> + <p> + Edwin's wooden chapel, put up in 627 for his baptism into the Christian + Church nearly thirteen centuries ago, and almost immediately replaced by a + stone structure, has gone, except for some possible fragments in the + crypt. Vanished, too, is the building that was standing when, in 1069, the + Danes sacked and plundered York, leaving the Minster and city in ruins, so + that the great church as we see it belongs almost entirely to the + thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the towers being still later. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH26" id="link2HCH26"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <p> + + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV + </h2> + <p> + THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICT + </p> + <p> + It is not easy to understand how a massive structure such as that of Selby + Abbey can catch fire and become a burnt-out shell, and yet this actually + happened not many years ago. + </p> + <p> + It was before midnight on October 19, 1906, that the flames were first + seen bursting from the Latham Chapel, where the organ was placed. The + Selby fire brigade with their small engine were confronted with a task + entirely beyond their powers, and though the men worked heroically, they + were quite unable to prevent the fire from spreading to the roofs of the + chancel and nave, and consuming all that was inflammable within the tower. + By about three in the morning fire-engines from Leeds and York had + arrived, and with a copious supply of water from the river, it was hoped + that the double roof of the nave might have been saved, but the fire had + obtained too fierce a hold, and by 4.30 a correspondent telegraphed: + </p> + <p> + 'The flames are through the west-end roof. The whole building will now be + destroyed from end to end. The flames are pouring out of the roof, and the + lead of the roof is running down in molten streams. The scene is + magnificent but pathetic, and the whole of the noble building is now + doomed. The whole of the inside is a fiery furnace. The seating is in + flames, and the firemen are in considerable danger if they stay any + longer, as the false roof is now burned through. + </p> + <p> + 'The false roof is falling in, and the flames are ascending 30 feet above + the building. Dense clouds of smoke are pouring out.' + </p> + <p> + When the fire was vanquished, it had practically completed its work of + destruction. Besides reducing to charred logs and ashes all the timber in + the great building, the heat had been so intense that glass windows had + been destroyed, tracery demolished, carved finials and capitals reduced to + powder, and even the massive piers by the north transept, where the + furnace of flame reached its maximum intensity, became so calcined and + cracked that they were left in a highly dangerous condition. + </p> + <p> + Fortunately the splendid Norman nave was not badly damaged, and after a + new roof had been built, it was easily made ready for holding services. + The two bays nearest to the transept are early Norman, and on the south + side the massive circular column is covered with a plain grooved + diaper-work, almost exactly the same as may be seen at Durham Cathedral. + All the rest of the nave is Transitional Norman except the Early English + clerestory, and is a wonderful study in the progress from early Norman to + Early English. + </p> + <p> + On the floor on the south side of the nave by one of the piers is a slab + to the memory of a maker of gravestones, worded in this quaint fashion: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Here Lyes ye Body of poor Frank Raw<br /> Parish Clark and Gravestone + Cutter<br /> And ys is writt to let yw know:<br /> Wht Frank for Othrs + us'd to do<br /> Is now for Frank done by Another.<br /> Buried March ye + 31, 1706.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + A stone on the floor of the retro-choir to John Johnson, master and + mariner, dated 1737, is crowded with nautical metaphor. + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'Tho' Boreas with his Blustring blasts<br /> Has tos't me to and fro,<br /> + Yet by the handy work of God I'm here<br /> Inclos'd below<br /> And in + this Silent Bay<br /> I lie With many of our Fleet<br /> Untill the Day + that I Set Sail<br /> My Admiral Christ to meet.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + The great Perpendicular east window was considered by Pugin to be one of + the most beautiful of its type in England, and the risk it ran of being + entirely destroyed during the fire was very great. The design of the glass + illustrates the ancestry of Christ from Jesse, and a considerable portion + of it is original. + </p> + <p> + Although Selby Abbey suffered severely in the conflagration, yet its + greatest association with history, the Norman nave, is still intact. At + the eastern end of the nave we can still look upon the ponderous arches of + the Benedictine Abbey Church, founded by William the Conqueror in 1069 as + a mark of his gratitude for the success of his arms in the north of + England, even as Battle Abbey was founded in the south. + </p> + <p> + Going to the west as far as Pontefract, we come to the actual borders of + the coal-mine and factory-bestrewn country. Although the history of + Pontefract is so detailed and so rich, it has long ago been robbed of + nearly every building associated with the great events of its past, and + its present appearance is intensely disappointing. The town stands on a + hill, and has a wide and cheerful market-place possessing an + eighteenth-century 'cross' on big open arches. It is a plain, classic + structure, 'erected by Mrs. Elisabeth Dupier Relict of Solomon Dupier, + Gent, in a cheerful and generous Compliance with his benevolent Intention + Anno Dom' 1734.' + </p> + <p> + The castle stood at the northern end of the town on a rocky eminence just + suited for the purposes of an early fortress, but of the stately towers + and curtain walls which have successively been reared above the scarps, + practically nothing besides foundations remains. The base of the great + round tower, prominent in all the prints of the castle in the time of its + greatest glory, fragments of the lower parts of other towers and some + dungeons or magazines are practically the only features of the historic + site that the imagination finds to feed upon. A long flight of steps leads + into the underground chambers, on whose walls are carved the names of + various prisoners taken during the siege of 1648. Below the castle, on the + east side, is the old church of All Saints with its ruined nave, eloquent + of the destruction wrought by the Parliamentary cannon in the successive + sieges, and to the north stands New Hall, the stately Tudor mansion of + Lord George Talbot, now reduced to the melancholy wreck depicted in these + pages. The girdle of fortifications constructed by the besiegers round the + castle included New Hall, in case it might have been reached by a sally of + the Royalists, whose cannon-balls, we know, carried as far, from the + discovery of one embedded in the masonry. Coats of arms of the Talbots can + still be seen on carved stones on the front walls over the entrance. The + date, 1591, is believed to be later than the time of the erection of the + house, which, in the form of its parapets and other details, suggests the + style of Henry VIII's reign. + </p> + <p> + Although we can describe in a very few words the historic survivals of + Pontefract, to deal even cursorily with the story of the vanished castle + and modernized town is a great undertaking, so numerous are the great + personages and famous events of English history connected with its owners, + its prisoners, and its sieges. + </p> + <p> + The name Pontefract has suggested such an obvious derivation that, from + the early topographers up to the present time, efforts have been made to + discover the broken bridge giving rise to the new name, which replaced the + Saxon Kyrkebi. No one has yet succeeded in this quest, and the absence of + any river at Pontefract makes the search peculiarly hopeless. At + Castleford, a few miles north-west of Pontefract, where the Roman Ermine + Street crossed the confluence of the Aire and the Calder, it is definitely + known that there was only a ford. The present name does not make any + appearance until several years after the Norman Conquest, though Ilbert de + Lacy received the great fief, afterwards to become the Honour of + Pontefract, in 1067, the year after the Battle of Hastings. Ilbert built + the first stone castle on the rock, and either to him or his immediate + successors may be attributed the Norman walls and chapel, whose + foundations still exist on the north and east sides of the castle yard. + </p> + <p> + The De Lacys held Pontefract until 1193, when Robert died without issue, + the castle and lands passing by marriage to Richard Fitz-Eustace; and the + male line again became extinct in 1310, when Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, + married Alice, the heiress of Henry de Lacy. Henry's great-grandfather was + the Roger de Lacy, Justiciar and Constable of Chester, who is famous for + his heroic defence of Chateau Gaillard, in Normandy, for nearly a year, + when John weakly allowed Philip Augustus to continue the siege, making + only one feeble attempt at relief. Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who was a + cousin of Edward II, was more or less in continual opposition to the king, + on account of his determination to rid the Court of the royal favourites, + and it was with Lancaster's full consent that Piers Gaveston was beheaded + at Blacklow Hill, near Warwick, in 1312. For this Edward never forgave his + cousin, and when, during the fighting which followed the recall of the + Despensers, Lancaster was obliged to surrender after the Battle of + Boroughbridge, Edward had his revenge. The Earl was brought to his own + castle at Pontefract, where the King lay, and there accused of rebellion, + of coming to the Parliaments with armed men, and of being in league with + the Scots. Without even being allowed a hearing he was condemned to death + as a traitor, and the next day, June 19, 1322, mounted on a sorry nag + without a bridle, he was led to a hill outside the town, and executed with + his face towards Scotland. + </p> + <p> + In the last year of the same century Richard II died in imprisonment in + the castle, not long after the Parliament had decided that the deposed + King should be permanently immured in an out-of-the-way place. Hardyng's + Chronicle records the journeying from one castle to another in the lines: + </p> + <table summary=""> + <tr> + <td> + 'The Kyng the[n] sent Kyng Richard to Ledis,<br /> There to be kepte + surely in previtee,<br /> Fro the[n]s after to Pykeryng we[n]t he + nedes,<br /> And to Knauesburgh after led was he,<br /> But to + Pountfrete last where he did die.'<br /> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + Archbishop Scrope affirmed that Richard died of starvation, while + Shakespeare makes Sir Piers of Exton his murderer. + </p> + <p> + During the Pilgrimage of Grace the castle was besieged, and given up to + the rebels by Lord Darcy and the Archbishop of York. In the following + century came the three sieges of the Civil War. The first two followed + after the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, and Fairfax joined the + Parliamentary forces on Christmas Day of that year, remaining through most + of January. On March 1 Sir Marmaduke Langdale relieved the Royalist + garrison, and Colonel Lambert fell back, fighting stubbornly and losing + some 300 men. The garrison then had an interval of just three weeks to + reprovision the castle, then the second siege began, and lasted until July + 19, when the courageous defenders surrendered, the besieging force having + lost 469 men killed to 99 of those within the castle. Of these two sieges, + often looked upon as one, there exists a unique diary kept by Nathan + Drake, a 'gentleman volunteer' of the garrison, and from its wonderfully + graphic details it is possible to realize the condition of the defence, + their sufferings, their hopes, and their losses, almost more completely + than of any other siege before recent times. + </p> + <p> + In the third and last investment of 1648-49 Cromwell himself summoned the + garrison, and remained a month with the Parliamentary forces, without + seeing any immediate prospect of the surrender of the castle. When the + Royalists had been reduced to a mere handful, Colonel Morris, their + commander, agreed to terms of capitulation on March 24, 1649. The + dismantling of the stately pile by order of Parliament followed as a + matter of course, and now we have practically nothing but + seventeenth-century prints to remind us of the embattled towers which for + so many months defied Cromwell and his generals. + </p> + <p> + Liquorice is still grown at Pontefract, although the industry has + languished on account of Spanish rivalry, and the town still produces + those curious little discs of soft liquorice, approximating to the size of + a shilling, known as 'Pontefract cakes.' + </p> + <p> + <a name="linkimage-33" id="linkimage-33"> + <!-- IMG --></a> + </p> + <div class="fig" style="width:80%;"> + <img src="images/33.jpg" width="100%" alt="Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds " /> + </div> + <!-- IMAGE END --> + <p> + The ruins of the great Cistercian Abbey of Kirkstall, founded in the + twelfth century by Henry de Lacy, still stand in a remarkable state of + completeness, about three miles from Leeds. With the exception of + Fountains, the remains are more perfect than any in Yorkshire. Nearly the + whole of the church is Transitional Norman, and the roofless nave is in a + wonderfully fine state of preservation. The chapter-house and refectory, + as well as smaller rooms, are fairly complete, and the situation by the + Aire on a sunny day is still attractive; yet owing to the smoke-laden + atmosphere, and the inevitable indications of the countless visitors from + the city, the ruins have lost much of their interest, unless viewed solely + from a detached architectural standpoint. We do not feel much inclination + to linger in this neighbourhood, and continue our way westwards towards + the great rounded hills, where, not far from Keighley, we come to the grey + village of Haworth. + </p> + <p> + More than half a century has gone since Charlotte Brontė passed away in + that melancholy house, the 'parsonage' of the village. In that period the + church she knew has been rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, her + home has been enlarged, a branch line from Keighley has given Haworth a + railway-station, and factories have multiplied in the valley, destroying + its charm. These changes sound far greater than they really are, for in + many ways Haworth and its surroundings are just what they were in the days + when the members of that ill-fated household were still united under the + grey roof of the 'parsonage,' as it is invariably called by Mrs. Gaskell. + </p> + <p> + We climb up the steep road from the station at the bottom of the deep + valley, and come to the foot of the village street, which, even though it + turns sharply to the north in order to make as gradual an ascent as + possible, is astonishingly steep. At the top stands an inn, the 'Black + Bull,' where the downward path of the unhappy Branwell Brontė began, owing + to the frequent occasions when 'Patrick,' as he was familiarly called, was + sent for by the landlord to talk to his more important patrons. + </p> + <p> + The churchyard is, to a large extent, closely paved with tombstones dating + back to the seventeenth century, laid flat, and on to this dismal piece of + ground the chief windows of the Brontės' house looked, as they continue to + do to-day. It is exceedingly strange that such an unfortunate arrangement + of the buildings on this breezy hill-top should have given a gloomy + outlook to the parsonage. If the house had only been placed a little + higher up the hill, and been built to face the south, it is conceivable + that the Brontės would have enjoyed better health and a less melancholy + and tragic outlook on life. An account of a visit to Haworth Parsonage by + a neighbour, when Charlotte and her father were the only survivors of the + family, gives a clear impression of how the house appeared to those who + lived brighter lives: + </p> + <p> + 'Miss Brontė put me so in mind of her own "Jane Eyre." She looked smaller + than ever, and moved about so quietly and noiselessly, just like a little + bird, as Rochester called her, barring that all birds are joyous, and that + joy can never have entered that house since it was first built, and yet, + perhaps, when that old man married, and took home his bride, and + children's voices and feet were heard about the house, even that desolate + crowded graveyard and biting blast could not quench cheerfulness and + hope.' + </p> + <p> + Very soon after the family came to Haworth Mrs. Brontė died, when the + eldest girl, Maria, was only six years old; and far from there having been + any childish laughter about the house, we are told that the children were + unusually solemn from their infancy. In their earliest walks, the five + little girls with their one brother—all of them under seven years—directed + their steps towards the wild moors above their home rather than into the + village. Over a century has passed, and practically no change has come to + the moorland side of the house, so that we can imagine the precocious + toddling children going hand-in-hand over the grass-lands towards the + moors beyond, as though we had travelled back over the intervening years. + </p> + <p> + The purple moors so beloved by the Brontės stretch away to the Calder + Valley, and beyond that depression in great sweeping outlines to the Peak + of Derbyshire, where they exceed 2,000 feet in height. Within easy reach + of this grand country is Sheffield, perhaps the blackest and ugliest city + in England. At night, however, the great iron and steel works become + wildly fantastic. The tops of the many chimneys emit crimson flames, and + glowing shafts of light with a nucleus of dazzling brilliance show between + the inky forms of buildings. Ceaseless activity reigns in these industrial + infernos, with three shifts of men working during each twenty-four hours; + and from the innumerable works come every form of manufactured steel and + iron goods, from a pair of scissors or a plated teaspoon to steel rails + and armour plate. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Yorkshire Painted And Described, by Gordon Home + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YORKSHIRE PAINTED AND DESCRIBED *** + +***** This file should be named 9973-h.htm or 9973-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/9/9/7/9973/ + +Produced by Ted Garvin, Michael Lockey and PG Distributed +Proofreaders. 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