Changes through the ages at 12th century Horton-in-Ribblesdale church

Horton–in–Ribblesdale was historically a part of Ewecross wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It became a parish town in the early 12th century when the church of St Oswald was established.

The church – dedicated to one of the early English martyrs – was historically associated with the Deanery of Chester and was part of the Diocese of York, although, today, it is part of the Diocese of Bradford. The surviving parish records date back to 1556.

In the 13th century the village and parish were ruled by rival monastic orders at Jervaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey. Their dispute stemmed from a 1220 transfer of property by William de Mowbray to the Fountains monks. Not until 1315 was this dispute firmly settled, when Edward II confirmed the Abbot of Jervaulx as Lord of Horton–in–Ribblesdale.

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the monks’ interests at Horton in Ribblesdale – which brought an annual income of £32 and five shillings – were given to the Earl of Lennox. He, in turn, disposed of the manor lands in about 1570 to a syndicate consisting of John Lennard, Ralph Scrope, Ralph Rokebie, Sampson Lennard, William Forest, Robert Cloughe and Henry Dyxon.

It seems the manor lands were eventually held solely by the family of John Lennard. His daughter Lady Anne Lennard married Sir Leonard Bosville of Bradburne in Kent and together they sold their interests at Horton-in-Ribblesdale during the reign of Charles II to a partnership consisting of Lawrence Burton, Richard Wigglesworth and Francis Howson.

In 1597 Horton in Ribblesdale, like so much of northern England, was struck by a killer plague.

This is confirmed by the parish burial register, which lists 74 deaths that year compared to just 17 deaths during the preceding and succeeding years. Those lost to this pandemic amounted to roughly one in eight of the parish’s population.

The church itself dates from the early 1100s, built probably during the reign of Henry I or Stephen.

Then, as now, it was the centre of a widespread parish. Its construction would have been paid for by the local landowners and executed by the local workers using local materials supervised by a professional master mason acting as architect and foreman.

The advowson (right to appoint a clergyman to a living) belonged to Jervaulx through a long period of dispute with Furness, but by 1249 was given to the prioress of Clemmenthorpe (near York).

In the reign of George I the advowson belonged to Dr Wilson, the Dean of Carlisle. He was an absentee patron who owned Beecroft Hall, but did not visit Horton much and showed little interest in the church. It later passed to the Rev Dr George Holden who was vicar from 1798 to 1821. The living was supported by tithes, but was not as wealthy as it would appear as the three Cistercian monasteries, the main landowners, claimed exemption from paying them.

The living remained a poor one. In 1716 the stipend was £12 a year; in 1769, £30 and by 1809 £40, out of which the incumbent paid rent for his house and any land he required. However, the vicars frequently supplemented their incomes as schoolmasters, like John Carr (1712–1745) and William Paley (1769–1782) who were headmasters of Giggleswick Grammar School or like Dr Holden who was master of Horton Grammar School.

The basic character of the building has remained unspoiled despite alterations, which have been made as needs and fashions have demanded.

The original Norman church was well–proportioned and squat, sited below the magnificent backcloth of Penyghent. Imagine it with a wooden or even thatched roof, impressive south door but as yet no tower. The chevron and dog–tooth moulding of the arch over the door is a good example of the Norman decoration. Many features of the church show evidence of the efforts made to combat the elements and so help finances, like the door itself. It is centre hinged allowing it to half–open during the winter – the lock too is a miniature masterpiece of ingenuity.

Inside, the heavy, stone tub–shaped font with its fascinating herringbone pattern is also a reminder of this early period. However, the most impressive feature is the nave, which gives a great feeling of strength and permanence, despite a pronounced lean to the south by the pillars.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the tower was added and remains an impressive feature and sturdy sentinel of the village.

The oldest glass in the church dates from this period and is to be found on the west wall of the tower. It shows the heads of Thomas a Becket and the Virgin Mary and part of the arms of Jervaulx Abbey. The chancel was added at this time, but its windows are much later with three lights showing the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Ascension although the small inserts of much plainer glass above the main lights are probably medieval. The windows of the north and south aisles are straight headed, some with cusped lights. They were fitted with most effective tinted glass set in a chevron pattern at a later date. The two–light window of the Lady Chapel represents the raising of the widow’s son at Nain.

The 17th and 18th centuries was a period of relative prosperity and saw the installation of the bells. There are three of them, the tenor being dated 1614. Papers concerning the bells state “the middle bell at Horton was cast anew in 1776. In 1770 the little was cast anew. Paid for ye casting £10.1.2, carrying and re–carrying from York to Settle £2.0.0”.

Several interesting memorial brasses can be seen in the north aisle. Three have been brought into the church from tombstones to protect them from the weather. One commemorates John Armistead who endowed the Free Grammar School in 1725.

Some inevitable reconstruction took place in Victorian times and the church had a major facelift in 1879, when the singers’ gallery at the West End was replaced and the church was furnished with box pews and a three decker pulpit.

It was another 15 years before the organ was installed. Built by Sagar of Leeds, it is typical of its era – tracker action, two manual, with a straight pedal board, but lacking any brightness of tone despite a rebuild by Hopkins of York in 1906.

Without doubt the most important addition at the church was the introduction of electricity in 1937, donated by the Langstroth family of the USA, “in memory of their ancestors 1559–1767”.

The two other major alterations were the glazed screen at the west end and the Lady Chapel at the east end. The screen was donated by the parishioners from Selside in 1965. A template was made to fit the arch and the screen built to this pattern. Imagine the consternation of the joiners when they found it would not fit. However, when reversed it was found to fit perfectly!

In 1969, using money donated by friends and parishioners, existing pews at the east end were remodelled, and turned to face east instead of towards the Chancel to form the present Lady Chapel. The remaining wood was used to make an altar rail and credence table.

Now, in the 21st century, despite the current lack of funds, two projects are in the planning stage. The bell rack has spaces for two more bells and these have been identified as becoming available from another church in the South of England. It is estimated that the cost of purchasing, transporting and fitting these two bells could be in the region of £20,000 to £25,000 – a considerable amount of money. A bell–ringing group has recently reformed including a number of young people from the village who meet regularly and are progressing well. Despite a noteworthy donation, a significant amount is still required to complete the task.

In order to make the church more user–friendly during the whole week it is felt that toilets should be provided and facilities sympathetically upgraded to create an open centre available to the whole community and our many visitors.

The church has always been an important centre for local life. The farmsteads of this exceptionally large parish lay some distance away from the church, but in the Middle Ages everyone met here on Sundays, when news could be exchanged and corporate worship welded the community together.

The church will hopefully continue to fulfil this function for present and future parishioners, and will provide a centre of welcome to visitors enjoying our beautiful countryside.