Sheep - the mainstay of the local economy; although today you’ll only get to see sheep
on High Street at Sheep Day.
But the name Skipton is a derivation of the words Sheep Town.
Man has lived in these parts for millennia – there was an Iron Age settlement near
the top of Sharp Haw (pron: Sharper) and these well-worn cup and ring stones are found close
to Snaygill.
People kept to the high ground then, as where Skipton is today was the site of a glacial
lake.
Eventually this was drained by the river Aire, leaving behind rich farmland.
Trading routes were opened up through the Craven Gap to Wharfedale and into Lancashire
over the Pennines.
When the Romans came in about 70AD they built a road from Tadcaster to Ribchester.
There was a fort at Ilkley and the road went through Addingham and over Skipton Moor.
This road was still in use until about 1836 when the present road to Draughton and Ilkley
was built – cutting out the momentous pull up Shortbank Road!
It was then known as Shode Bank and the poet Thomas Grey said it was ‘The steepest hill
I ever saw a road carried over in England.’
The Romans didn’t settle in Skipton – although there was a villa – a farm - at Gargrave.
The first we really know about it was in 1086 when William the Conqueror of Normandy, who
defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, had the Domesday Book compiled - letting him
know all about the lands and possessions he had gained.
It says that Skipton was once owned by Earl Edwin, and that its lands covered around 500
acres.
It was described as ‘waste’ – meaning that anything here then might have been destroyed,
to put down any opposition to William.
It says that the King now owned the land as Edwin was killed in 1070.
It was when William gave this land to Robert de Romille – the family that gave its name
to Rombalds Moor - that the story of Skipton really begins.
He built the first castle here.
To the north it is defended by a 40 metre high cliff, which has the added attraction
of Eller Beck running along the base.
Waller Beck defended it to the east.
This first castle would just have been made of wood and surrounded by a defensive ditch.
The de Romille’s also established Holy Trinity church – again originally a wooden structure,
thought to have stood where the present day church is.
It was Robert’s daughter, Cecily, who married William Meschin (pron: like Machine), who
gave lands at Embsay to Augustinian Canons, the so-called Black Monks - because of the
colour of the robes they wore - to establish a Priory.
This was built in 1120, thought to be in this area.
However, it struggled to survive, and the de Romille’s family gave land, next to the
river Wharfe at Bolton, to re-build the Priory there in 1155.
Holy Trinity and its lands were then endowed, that is its annual rental income given to
financially support Bolton Priory.
A relationship, not only financial, but also clerical: as the Canons were appointed Vicars,
an arrangement that was to continue until 1539 when the Priory was dissolved by Henry
8th.
The village started to grow outside the castle walls – initially in the area around Mill
Bridge.
Access to the clean soft fast flowing waters of Eller Beck were not only vital to life,
but for the cleansing of wool.
We know that by the middle of the 13th century that there was a fulling mill here – a mill
that used waterpower to pound finished cloth and remove all grease from it.
By this time the de Rommille line had died out and the lands had reverted back to the
King – Edward the Ist.
He in turn awarded them to Robert de Clifford.
The Clifford family were to shape Skipton from 1309 until the line died out in 1675.
Skipton in the 14th century would just have been a hamlet – it hardly grew because of
plagues and the Scottish incursions after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 at which
Robert de Clifford was slain.
The castle was rebuilt in stone to repel the Scots.
The oldest part of the castle, that is still extant today, is what was then the inner gatehouse,
thought to have been built around 1220.
It opens to the Conduit Court – so called, as the castle has no natural water supply,
water had to be channelled here.
It has two principal features – the coat of arms of the Cliffords above the Tudor period
doorway, and the yew tree that was planted in 1659 by Lady Anne Clifford.
In the late 13th / early 14th century the round ‘drum’ towers were built – look
here – the walls are almost 13ft thick!
Notice how the skirt of the wall curves, making it almost impossible to scale.
You will also notice that there are no windows – these slits were for bowmen to fire arrows
at the approaching enemy.
To get here, you would have had to already have crossed a 30ft moat that was filled with
water 7ft deep.
The moat collapsed a number of times over the centuries and has now been filled in.
This moat lay between the inner and outer castle walls – the inner castle walls have
since been demolished.
The modern road that skirts round the outer walls – The Bailey – was also a defensive
ditch.
The path runs at a higher level, as in 1820, at a time of trade depression, unemployed
townsfolk were put to work to make this path called ‘Hard Times Walk’ – for obvious
reasons!
The gatehouse that you enter through today was built in 1310– the Clifford motto on
top ‘Desormais’ – means ‘Henceforth’.
HC stands for Henry Clifford, who lived between 1592 to1643.
The dragon on the flag – a red wyvern – is the heraldic symbol of the Clifford’s.
Although Holy Trinity had been rebuilt in stone by this time, the Clifford’s had their
own private chapel built in the castle grounds – the chapel of St John the Evangelist.
This was built about 1330.
It is now disused, and has been for centuries – about 1800 it was used for stabling horses!
The Cliffords were mostly buried at Bolton Priory until the Dissolution of monastic orders
in 1539 and after that they were interred in the Parish Church – where their tombs
can still be seen.
Much of the outside of the church dates from the late15th century when there was a massive
rebuilding programme.
But the south aisle pre-dates 1350 and the position of the sedilia, seats for the Canons
and Vicars, probably indicates the position of the original altar.
The church is 134ft long and 54ft wide and can seat around 900 parishioners.
The choir is screened from the congregation by what was originally a rood loft – a wooden
structure that held the crucifix.
The upper section was removed in 1802 as part of the reorganisation of the church to make
way for the organ.
Galleries at the tower end were removed in 1909.
Look above you in the aisle to see the oak roof and look for the Green Man - a pagan
fertility symbol.
The shields above the altar – the one on the left is that of Bolton Priory who governed
the church from 1326 until 1539 and the one on the right is of Christ Church, Oxford to
whom it was ‘given’ after the Dissolution.
But since 1919 it now forms part of the Diocese of Bradford.
On the way in look for this fresco on the left– it was painted by the monks of Bolton
Priory and represents the hands of death.
Near it is the octagonal font that is over 700 years old – the cover is Jacobean – that’s
around 400 years old.
It is raised and lowered on a pulley system.
An odd feature, that was only uncovered in the renovation of 1909 – is the entrance
to a hermit’s cell.
Someone lived here in medieval times, and alms – food and drink - would have been
passed through a window to him.
Other benefactors to the church and town are listed on the Dole Board.
The church is lucky to have survived the state that it is in – it has been struck by lightning
twice!
The floor was concreted over in 1853 to stop the smell of the decaying bodies underneath!
Many people visit the church to see the Clifford tombs.
There are three that contain 5 Earls, 3 Countesses and four children!
The oldest, to the north side of the altar, is to Henry Clifford, the 1st Earl of Cumberland,
who died at the castle on 22nd April 1542, and his second wife, Lady Margaret Percy.
There are 12 other relatives buried in the vault underneath.
The brass at the head shows the family of Henry, the 2nd Earl of Cumberland, kneeling
in prayer.
The small tomb is to Francis, the son of the 3rd Earl.
He died aged 5yrs 8 months in 1589.
Early death was not uncommon in those days – and you were lucky to survive infancy!
The largest and most ornate tomb, to the south of the altar, is to his father, George, the
3rd Earl of Cumberland.
He died in London on the 30th October 1605 although he wasn’t interred here until 13th
March 1606!
Although it is also a memorial to his wife, Lady Margaret Russell, who died in 1616 – she
is actually buried in Appleby Chapel.
It was their daughter, Lady Anne Clifford, who erected the tomb to honour her parents.
It was also her that had the church repaired after the Civil War.
Not only was it hit by cannonballs, but also, as the Clifford’s were Royalists, the tombs
were defaced and brasses stolen.
If you look in some of the windows you will see the initials AP and the date 1655.
AP stands for Anne, Countess of Pembroke.
As on her second marriage she married Phillip Harbert, the Earl of Pembroke. 1655 refers
to the year the church was repaired - there is a much more detailed tablet on the tower
roof.
If you look at the tower from the outside you will notice the change in the stonework.
The tower was badly hit in the Civil War and had to be part taken down and rebuilt upon
its medieval foundations.
There has been a clock on the tower since 1769, although this one dates from 1899.
The graveyard is in front of the church, but the tombs were removed in the 1950’s – although
they can still be seen around the back.
The Church stands at the top of High Street.
This wide street was developed to accommodate the market.
The first Market Charter was given way back in 1203.