Swainby (Whorlton)
The old medjaeval settlement of Whoriton took its name from the round hill which dominated it, seat of the de Meynell family with its castle and church was deserted following the Black Death in the 14th century when the land was enclosed for individual fanns and the population moved nearer to the Swainby Beck.
Scugdale had been purposely laid out as an area for industrial activities at this time, when weaving and the bleaching of linen became the dominant occupation alongside agriculture and tanning.
The parish has always had a sound economy owing to the abundance of clean water for both drinking and industry. In the 19 century ironstone and jet were mined and the population rose to its highest level.
Following the death of Sir James Strangeways in 1541 his Whorlton Estate was granted to Matthew, Earl of Lennox, whose wife was niece to Henry VIII. A letter was said to have been written at Whorlton Castle by the Countess which successfully proposed a marriage between her son Henry Lord Damley and Mary Queen of Scots. The Estate was granted in 1604 to Thomas Bruce by their son, James I, remaining in the same family until 1887 when it was sold to James Emerson of Easby Manor. The Bruces felled the woodland and divided Whoriton Great Park into five farms.
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There was a school by 1728 (now a hairdressers shop). A new school completed in Church Street in 1856 was provided by public subscription and in 1968 was replaced by the present school. A Wesleyan Chapel was opened in 1850 and a Primitive Chapel the following year, both now closed. William Clowes conducted a famous Primitive Methodist open- air meeting on Scarth Nick in 1820 attended by about 2000 people. An Oddfellows Hall was built in 1863 and was presented to the community in 1921 to serve as the Village Hall. The nave of the Old Church at Whorlton was dismantled in 1875 and a new church (pictured left) erected in Swainby opened two years later. The 20 century saw an increase in tourists and a decrease in local tradesmen, replaced by commuters and retired residents. Only one village shop remains, but there are three flourishing public houses to serve the 336 households. |
Carol Cook 2006
