Ministers of Husthwaite
Stuart Marriott 2022
The Coxwold Rectory
When Newburgh Priory was founded the whole (extensive) Coxwold parish was made part of the endowment. Thus we find early references to the ‘mother church’ of Coxwold. Then during the twelfth century the canons created a separate Husthwaite parish by division. Newburgh remained the ‘rectory’, taking all the ecclesiastical income of the two parishes and in return providing chaplains. At the Dissolution the ecclesiastical property was surrendered to the king and in 1546–47 the tithes and rights of presentation were given to Trinity College, Cambridge as part of its endowment. The college made a practice of leasing out the whole rectory, usually to the owners of Newburgh Priory. Because regular ‘vicarages’ with their own guaranteed resources had not been previously needed Coxwold and Husthwaite remained ‘perpetual curacies’. Incumbents were provided and maintained by whoever had the lease of the rectory from Trinity. These curates were not casual assistants in the ordinary sense: once licensed they could be removed only for just cause under ecclesiastical law. To avoid confusion (or lack of respect, I suppose) they were usually referred to as ministers.
Ministers of Husthwaite with Carlton
< 1180 Brian (? of Newburgh) was resident priest at Husthwaite chapel
1472 Complaint against the chaplain of Husthwaite parish for showing undue favour to the (subordinate) chapel at Carlton.
1476 John Buttiler was curate of Husthwaite. About 1500 Master John Butler of Newburgh was mentioned in a Chancery case.
1539 the corporation of Newburgh ceased to exist (Dissolution). The rectory of Coxwold and Husthwaite was in the hands of the king’s bailiff, until 1564 when it was given to Trinity College, Cambridge.
1564 The parson of Husthwaite was charged before the Ecclesiastical Commissioners with possessing mass books, antiphons*, and other equipment of the old religion.
*antiphon - Short sentence sung or recited before or after a psalm or canticle; call and response, especially in Christian music and ritual
1566 Thomas Milborne
Appears in the clergy records between 1566 and 1578. These dates suggest that he was a replacement for the pro-Papist arraigned in 1564.
1596 Thomas Gregson
Jennifer Kaner's notes on the High Commission Act Book, referring to some date shortly after 1604: Thomas Gregson of Husthwaite, clerk was involved in a dispute with the inhabitants of Carlton who brought a case against him and Henry Bellasis [lessee of the Rectory] regarding failure to provide the usual services at Carlton chapel. Gregson was later found guilty of conducting clandestine marriages and imprisoned. He was deprived of his ecclesiastical functions and punished by being made to stand on a barrel in the castle yard with a paper on his head stating his offences.
1607 Richard Gra[i]nge minister of Husthwaite
In Feb 1608 Richard Grainge from Coxwold had dealings with the Scarborough common council. It seems that he had been invited to be minister at St Mary’s, Scarborough. His letter to the council, which is wordy and elliptical, states that he had decided to remain where he was. It also refers to the need to find a master for the Coxwold grammar school, for preference a clergyman.
1607 Court of High Commission, Act Book
The churchwarden of Carlton, William Scruton, sued Richard Grange, minister of Husthwaite, to show cause why he should not observe certain customs regarding the saying of divine service and administering the sacraments in the chapelry of Carlton. Reported in 1608 that Grange had indeed refused, and would not officiate in churching women at Carlton. The chapelry was given permission to ask the ministers of Thirkelby and Thormanby for help. Grange argued that he was not curate of Carlton, since no such office was named in the lease from Trinity College.
1608 Newburgh accounts
Payment to Mr Grainge, Husthwaite. Payments of this kind were quite common and appear to have been fees for officiating and giving sermons outside the stated requirements of the Rectory lease. (A kind of piece-work: see following).
1609 Newburgh accounts
Payment to Mr [?Duffield or ?Bonsfield, see below], Husthwaite. (He was also curate at Birdforth).
1612 Newburgh accounts:
Payment to Mr Grainge for sermons on 5 November and Christmas Day.
Payment to Sir John Bonsfield, clerk at Husthwaite.
[Kaner claimed a Wilfred Watton, curate of Husthwaite on the evidence of the Newburgh accounts but I do not find him. SM]
1627/29 George Robson
Robson had been ordained in the diocese of York, and certified as literate (presumably he was not a university graduate). He was soon involved in manorial business: in 1633 he witnessed renewal of the lease of the Manor of Husthwaite and in 1637 was named as trustee in a new lease; during the 1640s he was actually employed as steward of the manor. In 1651 Robson achieved minor notoriety when he was brought before the justices for reading from the Book of Common Prayer in public. (He should have been using the Commonwealth’s Directory of Public Worship.) Will of George Robson: York Wills 49/437.
1661–1668 John Walker
As curate (minister) he signed the BTs; continued to sign until 1686.
1687 Thomas Hodgson
Minister until 1703. Was followed briefly by William Dove. A vacancy seems to have occurred, for the rector of Thormanby signed the bishop’ returns in 1706.
1707–1761 Robert Midgley
He was also master of the Coxwold free grammar school throughout.
1744 Robert Fisher
Deacon for one year only.
1761–68 Thomas Newton, minister of Husthwaite with Carlton
Admitted St John’s Cambridge, 1753. BA 1757, ordained priest 1758. Assistant master at Knaresborough grammar school. He was also master of Coxwold grammar school. In 1768 he moved sideways from Husthwaite to be minister of Coxwold.
1768–1805 Robert Peirson, minister of Husthwaite
In 1770 wrote that henceforth he would keep the parish register in the form recommended by Ralph Thoresby ‘as promising to afford much clearer Intelligence to the researchers of Posterity’. He later served also as archdeacon of Cleveland.
1806-1843 Thomas Newton, curate of Coxwold and Husthwaite
Son of Thomas Newton above, born Knaresborough 1761. Jesus College, Cambridge 1777. BA 1783. Fellow and tutor of Jesus (mathematics). Ordained priest 1785. In 1788 he lost to Hailstone in the contest for the Woodwardian Professorship of geology, and then served as rector of Tewin, Hertfordshire, before being head-hunted for Coxwold/Husthwaite.
1807–1873 John Winter
Admitted Trinity College, Cambridge 1802; ordained priest 1805. Newton, because he was minister to the two parishes, insisted on having a curate and Winter was licensed in 1807. There were several local parish reorganisations during Winter’s very long tenure and he appears in the records under various titles.
1834 William Horner
Appeared as curate [assistant to Newton], and under-master of the grammar school.
This was perhaps William, son of the local industrialist John Horner. There is little information but clearly he was ordained in the C of E.