Ugthorpe
Encyclopedia
Ugthorpe is a village and civil parish
in the Scarborough
borough, situated near Whitby
, North Yorkshire
, England
. According to the 2001 UK census
, Ugthorpe parish had a population of 201.
, a Catholic priest and martyr, was born and lived in a humble home, now called The Hermitage, at Ugthorpe. He studied at Douay College
, France, becoming a priest in 1628. He worked secretly as a priest in a wide area of Yorkshire, finally settling back to Ugthorpe in the 1660s.
Although anti-Catholic feeling had subsided a good deal, it flared up again due to the fake Popish Plot of 1678; this followed a false testimony from Titus Oates
in which he claimed there was a conspiracy to instal a Catholic king
, and he managed to ferment a renewed and fierce persecution of English Catholics. It was to be the last time that Catholics were put to death in England for their faith; one of the last victims - but not the very last - was Nicholas Postgate.
During the panic engineered by Oates, a prominent Protestant magistrate in London, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, was murdered and Oates loudly blamed the Catholics; Sir Edmund's manservant, John Reeves, set out to get his revenge. For reasons which are not clear, he decided to base his actions in the Whitby area, possibly because he knew that priests arrived there from France.
Nicholas Postgate was arrested at Redbarns Farm, Ugglebarnby, near Whitby
, where he was to carry out a baptism. Reeves, with a colleague called William Cockerill, raided the house during the ceremony and caught the priest, then aged 82. He was tried for treason in York and then hanged, disembowelled and quartered.
Every year since 1974 an open air service has been held – alternatively in Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe – in honour of Fr Postgate.
Early in the 19th century, while the anti-Catholic Penal Laws
were still in effect, Ugthorpe was the location of a mission for Catholic Recusants
. From 1803–1827, it was presided over by Father George Leo Haydock
(1774–1849). While serving there, he completed an extensive body of annotations to his edition of the Douay Bible, which became known as The Haydock Bible, published by his brother, Thomas, in 1811, and remaining in print to this day.
(1800 – 7 September 1886) and opened in 1855, it is still in regular use. Rev Rigby established a new cemetery and founded a college which later became the church hall. About 1884 Rev Rigby handed over the priestly duties to his curate, the Rev. E.J. Hickey.
, and around the neighbouring villages. The building is still often referred to as the Bacon House but has now been converted into a house.
The Village is home to William Fawkes, a teacher of the deaf who did pioneering work in teaching music to deaf children on a large scale basis.
Dorothy Fawkes who was born in the village, is the daughter of Aaron Hart and the husband of William Fawkes. She was previously the Deputy Principal of Norland Nursery Training College
at Hungerford, in Berkshire.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Scarborough
Scarborough (borough)
Scarborough is a non-metropolitan district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the town of Scarborough, it covers a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire, including Whitby and Filey....
borough, situated near Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. According to the 2001 UK census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Ugthorpe parish had a population of 201.
History
Ugthorpe was an ancient demesne of the Crown, and is styled in the Domesday book as Ughetorp. The Mauleys became lords here at an early period, and from them the manor and estate descended by marriage to the Bigods, and afterwards to the Ratcliffes, by whom the whole was sold in parcels. The village is situated in the western part of the parish, south of the road between Whitby and Guisborough.Venerable Nicholas Postgate
In 1596 the Venerable Nicholas PostgateNicholas Postgate
Blessed Nicholas Postgate was an English, Catholic priest. He is one of the 85 English Catholic Martyrs of England and Wales, beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II, in November 1987....
, a Catholic priest and martyr, was born and lived in a humble home, now called The Hermitage, at Ugthorpe. He studied at Douay College
English College, Douai
The English College, Douai was a Catholic seminary associated with the University of Douai . It was established in about 1561, and was suppressed in 1793...
, France, becoming a priest in 1628. He worked secretly as a priest in a wide area of Yorkshire, finally settling back to Ugthorpe in the 1660s.
Although anti-Catholic feeling had subsided a good deal, it flared up again due to the fake Popish Plot of 1678; this followed a false testimony from Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
in which he claimed there was a conspiracy to instal a Catholic king
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, and he managed to ferment a renewed and fierce persecution of English Catholics. It was to be the last time that Catholics were put to death in England for their faith; one of the last victims - but not the very last - was Nicholas Postgate.
During the panic engineered by Oates, a prominent Protestant magistrate in London, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, was murdered and Oates loudly blamed the Catholics; Sir Edmund's manservant, John Reeves, set out to get his revenge. For reasons which are not clear, he decided to base his actions in the Whitby area, possibly because he knew that priests arrived there from France.
Nicholas Postgate was arrested at Redbarns Farm, Ugglebarnby, near Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, where he was to carry out a baptism. Reeves, with a colleague called William Cockerill, raided the house during the ceremony and caught the priest, then aged 82. He was tried for treason in York and then hanged, disembowelled and quartered.
Every year since 1974 an open air service has been held – alternatively in Egton Bridge and Ugthorpe – in honour of Fr Postgate.
Father George Haydock
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
were still in effect, Ugthorpe was the location of a mission for Catholic Recusants
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
. From 1803–1827, it was presided over by Father George Leo Haydock
George Leo Haydock
George Leo Haydock , scion of an ancient English Catholic Recusant family, was a priest, pastor and Bible scholar. His edition of the Douay Bible with extended commentary, originally published in 1811, became the most popular English Catholic Bible of the 19th century on both sides of the Atlantic...
(1774–1849). While serving there, he completed an extensive body of annotations to his edition of the Douay Bible, which became known as The Haydock Bible, published by his brother, Thomas, in 1811, and remaining in print to this day.
St. Anne's Catholic Church
There was an earlier Catholic church here, built around 1812. The present St Anne's Catholic Church is situated in the centre of the village. This church was built by Haydock's successor, Rev Nicholas RigbyNicholas Rigby
Nicholas Rigby , was an English Catholic priest.He was born in Walton-le-Dale near Preston, Lancashire. At the age of twelve he went to Ushaw College, where he was for a time professor of elocution. Ordained priest in September, 1826, he was sent to St. Mary's, Wycliffe, for six months, and was...
(1800 – 7 September 1886) and opened in 1855, it is still in regular use. Rev Rigby established a new cemetery and founded a college which later became the church hall. About 1884 Rev Rigby handed over the priestly duties to his curate, the Rev. E.J. Hickey.
Other facts
The village windmill has long been converted into a residential address and no longer grinds corn. In the 1930s, Ugthorpe had two cobblers, a watchmaker, a joiner and a bacon factory with its own slaughterhouse. The slaughthouse operated until the mid-1970s and was owned and run by Alice and Dinis Hart; the business was continued by their son and after that their grandson, both called Aaron Hart. Originally the slaughterhouse and factory were at White House, later moving to a site near the Black Bull Inn. Pigs were slaughtered each Tuesday and their meat was prepared and sold from the premises, at WhitbyWhitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, and around the neighbouring villages. The building is still often referred to as the Bacon House but has now been converted into a house.
The Village is home to William Fawkes, a teacher of the deaf who did pioneering work in teaching music to deaf children on a large scale basis.
Dorothy Fawkes who was born in the village, is the daughter of Aaron Hart and the husband of William Fawkes. She was previously the Deputy Principal of Norland Nursery Training College
Norland College
Norland College, founded in 1892 by Emily Ward, is a provider of childcare training and education. Norland trainees are employed world-wide as nannies, nursery nurses and in other positions in a variety of settings for childcare....
at Hungerford, in Berkshire.