I am sure there will be much editing to do on this. Comments please 

The Manor House

The Manor House is set back from the west end of the Village Green, end on, so that it faces south. It is surrounded on two sides by a stone wall of considerable height. Both the house and the wall are listed Grade 2*.   The house can be approached on the south side through two handsome stone gate posts which may have been imported at some time in the past. There are signs of very high gates, which would have been out of keeping with the Manor. A gravel path, wide enough for a vehicle leads up to the front door. The other entrance is directly from the main part of the Green along a track leading to the back of the house. In 2019 this is the entrance used by vehicles and people unless it is a special occasion.

   It is known that the oldest part of the house was built in about 1570 by Matthew Heron as a Bastle or fortified house, though there is some evidence that there had been a previous building, possibly a Tower that had been ruined. Some of the boulders at the bottom of the north wall are of great size. Also it seems strange that there should have been a church but no major house.

   The house, being a Bastle, had very thick walls, 6ft thick.  The south wall has been rebuilt at about 3ft. It would have consisted of space for cattle on the ground floor, with a dividing wall. Upstairs there were originally two rooms, the easterly smaller with a fireplace in the outside wall. The larger had a fireplace at each end. Historians consider the fireplace in the centre wall to be of great historical interest. There would not have been proper windows so it would have been very dark. The occupants of the house would have gained access to the living quarters via a ladder which could be pulled up if the Scottish raiders came.

   Stone work on the north east corner at the roof level probably points to there having been a turret. Although not common, there are about three houses in Northumberland that had them. The outer stone work in that corner is unusual to the trained eye and inside there is the remains of a circular stair that is only visible on the first floor. There is no doubt that such a turret would have given a very good view to the North, allowing Border Reivers to be spotted. The roof was made of stone slabs which were held in place with sheep’s bones.

   After the union of England and Scotland, towards the middle of the 17^th century, the house was partially rebuilt, to satisfy comfort rather than defence. It is clear that the south, or front wall was replaced and a front door, as well as 5 windows of Tudor design were inserted. It is possible that it was at that time that the thinner dividing walls were added. The stairs were inserted at the back, out of what would have become the kitchen. It would still have been a simple house, with the kitchen, living room and hall on the ground floor and 3 bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen fireplace was very deep, with the chimney built half outside, as often happened in those days.

   Who lived in the house is not certain, though originally it may well have been occupied by the Herons. Evidence shows that a family named Arthur may have lived there for quite a long time.  In about 1664, the Township of Kirkheaton was bought from Matthew Heron by Sir Richard Stote of Stote’s Hall, Newcastle. In that year, a William Arthur paid hearths tax on three hearths. It is thought that he must have been the tenant of the Manor House. A hearth tax was a property tax during the medieval and early modern period, levied on each hearth, thus by proxy on each family unit. The Kirkheaton Parish Register shows that in 1712, a William Arthur married Sarah Fenwick, joint heiress and owner of West Harle, though both were ‘of Kirkheaton’. This also points to the Arthurs being tenants of the Manor. David Gardner-Medwin, researching the ancestry of Thomas Bewick the famous engraver, found that his Grandfather had been born, son of Agnes Arthur, daughter of a laird of that name, of Kirkheaton and Thomas Bewick of Cross Stone House, Kirkheaton. He and his siblings were baptized in Kirkheaton Church, the sons and daughters ‘of Thomas Bewick of the Town and Parish of Kirkheaton’. It is likely that the Arthurs were still the tenants of the Manor.

   In about 1740, Dame Dorothy Windsor built on the square section at the east end of the house. It is quite a contrast in style. The roof is flat and was covered in lead. The walls are ashlar, (even square blocks,) in contrast to the older house which is built of stones of random size and shape. It is noticeable that the north wall is more roughly built and only has one widow, a small one on the ground floor. To the east there are 2 windows at first floor level and on the south 2 at first floor and 2 at ground floor level. These windows are large. They are sash type with 3 panes across and 6 deep. 

   When the right hand south-facing bedroom window was repaired in 2018 by specialists, it was thought that the woodwork was original as was much of the glass. This was also thought to be true of all the bedroom windows though one downstairs is probably later, due to a conservatory being shown on an old painting with a door instead of a window. Sadly, there is no sign of it now. The wall between the old house and new was about 6ft thick so it cannot have been easy to break through. The original fireplace was divided between the two rooms with a bread oven now hidden in the wall.

   A new period in the life of The Manor started in 1770, when the Rev. Humphrey Brown took up residence. He acted as Chaplain for Kirkheaton, and was curate, or vicar of Throckrington. This was a small village several miles away to the west which he must have accessed usually by horse, though a longer route would have allowed him to use a trap. For more than 100 years, the Manor was known as the Vicarage and was lived in by a succession of Vicars, the last leaving in 1900. Much about this period is to be found in the chapter on the church. The reason for the Rev Bettison leaving the house in 1900 was its condition. The owner of the Estate at the time, one of the Bewick family, would not allow enough for repairs, so the Bettisons decided to live somewhere more satisfactory and moved nearer to Throckrington. It is known that in the late 1800s the flat roof over the ‘drawing room’ was leaking and that the rent was 2/6 a year.

   There are two interesting letters giving an idea of life in 1886 and 1887. They are written by Mrs C. Moore in 1946. She was a maid for the O’Donel family during that time and was replying to a request for information about the house, and its water supply from Mrs Lithgow, the owner in 1946. (The letters are in full in an appendix and the originals are held by the Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn. )

   The poor girl was 16½ and slept in the attic, which must have been bitterly cold. When she was not working she sat in the kitchen, which was the room to the right of the front door. ‘Scullery at the back of the kitchen opened on to a green space with outhouses’. The family had to pass through the kitchen to the ‘breakfast’ room. This was where they spent most of their time. The upstairs large room was used as a drawing room and from there the family could see who was coming and going on the Green, and where they entertained.  “It rained in, in wet weather, and tubs etc had to be rushed up to catch the drips”. There is a lovely account of the Bishop coming to stay one night so that he could go to Throckrington next day for a Confirmation Service, “across the fields”. They came back for a service in Kirkheaton Church and had tea before he returned home.

   To return to the story of the house: during the period when it stood empty, there are at least two accounts of the village and the house.  John Francis Carter, in the Newcastle Chronicle of Sept 3^rd 1910, wrote that “ Creeping plants have quite overgrown the door and some of the windows, while neglect and the forces of nature combined are playing sad havoc with the roof and interior of the building...... Curious little hole and corner rooms fill up the attic space in the roof..... The lower room (at the east end) has been used as a chapel, and the altar dais and tessellated pavement still remain.” This was when the Rev. T. Harris was ‘Gothicising’ the church – rebuilding the Chancel and adding a vestry amongst other things. In the house there are clear signs of a door in the north wall into the passage that was cut through the original east wall. It is possible that this was put in by Rev Harris so that the people did not have to pass through his living quarters.  There is now a small window there.

   When Kirkheaton Estate was sold by the Bewicke family to Mr. Charlton of Bog Hall, the ruined Manor was included. It was bought by Mr. Leonard Macpherson of Capheaton in 1927. All the outer walls were sound but the roof of the older part had fallen in and that of the square area must have been very leaky. Internally, much damage had been done.

   The original older rooms were only about 6ft 6ins high so Mr Macpherson had them all raised to ?.  He did not alter the level of the roof, so the attic space has no wall, the floor being at gutter level. At the same time the window heights were raised making the windows three panes high instead of two. This was very well done, though most of the hood mouldings were cracked. The extra stone in the frame of the windows and door can still be recognised today, as it is lighter than the rest.

   Talking of the chimney in the old east gable, Mr Carter, (in an article in the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne – Proceedings – No 3, 4 ser V. – September Quarter, 1931)stated:

“The chimney on the east gable contained the most interesting feature of the house,

 a secret recess constructed in all likelihood to serve as a priest’s hiding place.

During the restoration which took place at the beginning of 1931, Mr Matthew Robson,

 the builder discovered that this chimney enclosed a large space capable of holding two or three people, about four feet up from the fireplace of the upper east chamber, now called Oliver Cromwell’s room. The platform in the chimney was on the south side, and it had a parapet on its northern edge which projected up the chimney about 2ft 6ins, enclosing what was practically a small mural chamber on one side. The flue sloped upwards to the north and thus prevented anyone looking up the chimney from detecting the existence of the chamber. It was done away with during the alterations to the chimney, but the particulars given by the builder are confirmed by Mr. Macpherson, who saw the old chimney opened out. There is little doubt that this cavity was a hitherto unrecorded example of a priest’s hiding place. “

   The staircase was moved from the back of the kitchen to the back of the small hall, where it is today. A lath and plaster wall was put across the kitchen, making the area of the old staircase into a passage through to the big room beyond. The addition of a kitchen, larder and back door a staircase up and two tiny bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory above made a big difference. It was built onto the north side of the dining room. The old scullery a little further along was removed. Chimneys were built into the north end.

   There is no record as to the location of an earth closet outside, that must have been there before, though there is a small stone building a little distance to the west. Until recently it was roofed with stone slabs until it became impossible to waterproof it. There are signs of a boiler for a washer but if there was an EC, all signs are gone and covered with a cement floor.

   When we did alterations to the kitchen in 2000, The ceiling had to be brought down and the builder found, nailed to a beam, an election leaflet for the General Election, 1931, polling day Tuesday, October 27^th. “Vote for DUNNICO and Progress”. Inside is his Labour election spiel. There were also the initials of the builder. The original will be found in the County Archives, a copy was put back in the ceiling with the initials of our builder.

   Having completed the work, Mr. Macpherson decided that he did not wish to live here, so sold it to Mr. Lithgow on 29^th July 1931. Mr. Lithgow worked in Newcastle but Mrs Lithgow spent her time in Kirkheaton, much of it in bed, as she suffered from ‘neuritis in her spine’. She used the upper room in the ‘tower’ from whence she could watch all that went on in the village. When the baker came she insisted that he bring a selection of cakes up for her to choose from, which did not please other villagers who did not like the idea of eating cakes that had been in her bedroom! (Told to me by Nancy Proudlock) There was trouble with a resident of North Side, who wished to graze an animal on the Green. In the past this had been a right for villagers – to graze a cow or horse, but it must have fallen into disuse. (Mrs Lithgow thought that they owned the Lordship of the Manor, but it was by no means certain). The problem went from the District Council to Council’s opinion, but does not seem to have been solved!

   On 30^th April 1953 Mr. Higgins bought the house, but he only lived in it for 6 years. His wife had attended Studley Horticultural and Agricultural College, studying Agriculture. This was several years before I studied Horticulture there but we met at a gathering. It was clear that much of the garden design was down to her.

   The Higgins sold the house on 31^st July 1959 to Mr Maurice Taylor. He had a girl friend and three children. They were an interesting family but as some are still living I cannot tell their story. I can say that the lady of the house had a number of Show ponies, which, having no fields, she grazed on the Green. Apparently one or two of them used to chase cars, just like dogs do! There are still a lot of rosettes on the wall in the wooden stable, which was probably built by them with room for 3 horses/ponies.

   Mr. Robin Gray purchased the house on 28^th November 1962. He added another bathroom, taking space off the bedroom at the west end of the house. He had to add a window and copied the arched windows that had been added at some much earlier date. (There is still some ancient glass in them.)

Mr. Gray was very active both in the village and with the Church.

   He sold to Mr G.R. Barkes on 3^rd July 1974. I moved here in May 1981, marrying him in Hexham, with a Blessing Service in the Church. During our time here we have made several alterations. In 1966 we took a small piece from the bedroom of which the second bathroom is a part and added a lavatory.

   In 1997, the dividing wall was taken out in the sitting room.  The removal of this wall emphasised the bastle house proportions of the old house.  The gap where the passage had been cut through the very wide dividing wall was filled with a display area on the stairs side and a deep cupboard on the sitting room side. The results of this alteration was that, although it became necessary to walk through the sitting room to reach the drawing room, the latter became much more approachable and the former was much better proportioned, in fact, its original proportions.

    At the same time, the brick fire surround in the fireplace was removed, returning it to the state it acquired when the drawing room was added in 1740. There is an irregularity on the south side of the chimney at the old height of the first floor, which must be all that is left of the Priest Hole.

   The other major alteration came in 1998. A Conservatory was added to the West side of the kitchen, the large window being opened up into a doorway.  The old back door, which butted up to the old house, was closed up, a window put in and the passage turned into a cloakroom.  The neighbouring space – the old cloakroom – became the tiny larder.  A porch was added to the door that had led from the outside into the boiler space and a vestibule was created. The walls forming a larder in a corner of the kitchen were removed.  The ceiling had to be taken down as the old one was in poor condition.  This allowed a mass of old wiring to be removed and facilitated the running of new wiring to the kitchen, porch and conservatory.

   That brings the story of this old house up to the time of writing, in 2019. I hope that the House on the Rock will be here for many more years.