In May 1847, farmer Joseph Heyworth of Eastby (confusingly, there were two farmers with the same name in Eastby at this time) put some of his property up for auction, which included: “All that Messuage or Dwelling-House, with the Barn, Outbuildings, and Appurtenance thereunto belonging, with the Garden and Croft adjoining, in the Occupation of Mr. Joseph Heyworth, or his Undertenants, with a Pew in the North Aisle of the Skipton Parish Church. 0A 1R. 15P.” ^[[1]]

The Emergence of Pew Rents:-

The controversial practice of selling the rights to sit in a specific church pew went back several centuries, and was still going strong in some churches even into the late 19^th Century. This was a widespread and highly profitable practice, although it became very controversial by the end of the 18th Century. Before considering how this worked in Skipton (and the impact this had on Embsay church), it is useful to know the history of church seating and how pew rents worked nationally.

Before the Reformation of the 1530s, English churches provided little or no seating for the congregation, except for manorial lords. Although the majority of people had to stand throughout services, they could bring their own chairs and stools if they wanted. It was only in the 14th Century that wooden benches started to appear in churches – provided mainly for the infirm. After the Reformation, when the congregation were expected to concentrate, listening to Bible readings in English, and the focus of the service became the sermon – which could be lengthy – church pews became commonplace fixtures. Indeed, in the 1620s, Archbishop William Laud insisted all churches provided seating, although cathedrals were exempt.

Since seating arrangements were the responsibility of churchwardens, they often took it upon themselves to rent out pews, whether for single sittings or for long leases – and these were always, of course, the best placed seats. Wholesale renting of pews soon became widespread, and led to the emergence of Freehold Pews. These were recognised as personal property, and were often ‘Box pews’, enclosed within wooden walls to grant privacy, keep out the draughts, and as a barricade against close contact with the ‘lower orders’ in the congregation. If the walls were high enough they enabled the occupants to fall asleep during sermons, as noted by the poet Jonathan Swift, in his poem ‘Baucis and Philemon’ (1706). Samuel Johnson in his ‘Dictionary of the English Language’ (1755) defined the pew as “a seat enclosed in a church”, that is, a box pew, which was very distinct from an ordinary bench or ‘deal’ bench.

The ‘owner’ or tenant of each box pew might have their own key to open the hinged door to get inside, or the sexton might be charged with unlocking them all before services began. Famously, Samuel Pepys was kept waiting by his locked pew on Christmas Day, 1661, because the sexton had forgotten to unlock it. Such pews could be bequeathed or inherited by generations of the same family. The enclosed box pew allowed the occupants to install wider seats, cushions, rugs, and foot-warmers. Typically, these pews were rented by the wealthy (who were often allowed to re-build their pews to their own design), and members of the middle classes, farmers, business owners, and artisans, keen to establish their social status. People who could not rent a pew had to make do with the simple open bench or ‘deal’ pews (often provided through charitable donations) placed in less prestigious areas around the edges of the church interior, in dark corners, or behind columns – or they had to stand at the back. It was often a source of contention that they could not make use of unoccupied private pews. Pew rents were not officially sanctioned by the Church at this date, so every parish had its own system in allocating them – which might, for example, be based on willingness or ability to pay, or membership of a trade guild or similar institutions.

The 1719 Church Seating Plan, Holy Trinity Church, Skipton:-

Amongst the large collection of notes compiled by the Skipton historian, the late Dr. Geoffrey Rowley, is his transcription of the ‘Church Seating Plan’ of 1719, which named everyone entitled to their own private seat inside Skipton’s parish church of Holy Trinity, and who paid rent for the privilege.^[[2]] The privately rented pews were attached to specific properties – many of them tenancies under Lord Thanet, or leaseholds, and a handful of freeholds. The plan listed by name those people who had the right to sit in particular numbered box pews, and reveals how little space there was for free places to accommodate the majority of poorer parishioners.  There were 145 names of private pew holders – including 14 women (who seem to be widows and therefore able to hold property). The privilege of having the option to pay for a reserved seat was attached to specific freehold and leasehold properties, and to certain tenancies under Lord Burlington and Lord Thanet. These included one seat for the ‘King’s Head Inn’, three seats for the use of the ‘Black Bull Inn’, and four seats for the ‘Red Lion Inn’ (probably intended mainly for hotel guests).

About half the properties listed came with the option of reserving two seats – which begs the question, if a property only had the right to one seat, then where did the additional family members sit during church services? However, apart from Stephen Catterson, landlord of the ‘Red Lion’ Inn, who had four seats reserved, and John Mitchell, of Skipton, who had no less than six, there were only a few people who paid for more than two seats, and most had just one. A special seat was set aside for the use of the Grammar School headmaster, while the boys were given spaces in the Lady Chapel, alongside local men of social status, Henry Currer and Richard Squire. ^[[3]]

There was one seat for the churchwardens, and three for the Earl of Thanet and his chief servants – positioned in the most prominent position at the east end of the church. An intriguing entry relates to two unclaimed seats which were available for the owners of two (un-named) freehold properties – but it was noted that if the pew rents for these were not forthcoming, they would be offered to Lord Burlington to purchase for his tenants.

Skipton was a large parish, so Holy Trinity Church was supposed to accommodate parishioners from several neighbouring townships, and it is interesting to note how many seats in 1719 were allocated to properties outside Skipton town itself. Draughton could only lay claim to three. Mr. Benson, of Halton East, was entitled to just a half-share of a seat! Properties in Skibeden provided the right to 15 seats (shared between eight men), and Thorlby laid claim to 14 seats (seven men with two seats each), while Stirton was provided with eight seats (shared between four men, and a woman called Ann Jennings).

Pews Reserved for Embsay and Eastby

No less than 47 seats were reserved for Embsay and Eastby (shared between 22 men). The attached illustration is a sketch of the seating plan – for this article the private pews rented by Embsay and Eastby people have been highlighted in yellow.

Embsay-with-Eastby property holders and tenants named on the list were:

Mr Myers had a poorly placed seat, indicating his lack of social status. His view of the pulpit from inside box pew number 8, on the north side of the church, was partly obscured by a pillar. He was also out of the line of sight of the more socially important people in the congregation – an important consideration at the time. But at least he had the box all to himself, while others from Embsay and Eastby had to share their box pews.

The same pillar blocking Myers’s view was also a nuisance if William Hubron of Embsay wanted to see the reader or the minister during sermons, as he sat on the other side of the North aisle, sharing with Anthony Petty of Snaygill, Anthony Robinson of Stirton, and Edward Smith and William Walsh of Skipton in pew box 19.

Similarly, behind them in box 18, Peter Parkinson, with his single seat allocation, sat alongside William Lowcock of Skipton, and William Whiteoak of Snaygill, who had two seats each.  Whoever sat on the north end of this box pew would have had to strain their necks to see the reader or the pulpit.

By contrast, the neighbouring pew box (No. 26), was in a prime position. Sitting here, two Embsay men – Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Alcock – had the rights to two2 seats each, sitting alongsideHugh Watson of Snaygill (2 seats), Mrs Dixon (1 seat), and Robert Goodgion of Snaygill (1 seat). Not only could they see and be seen by the Lord Thanet as he took his seat, but they had a direct, unobscured view of the pulpit above them, as well as directly across the Middle Aisle to where other town worthies were seated.

In an even more privileged position right next to the vicar’s personal seat was box 24, where four seats were rented out (one each) to Richard Mason, Thomas Clark, Jonathan Colton, and Robert Croft (for his freehold property), who all came from Embsay.                    

Opposite them, on the other side of the Middle Aisle, with an unobscured view were pew boxes 38 and 39.  Pew box 38 was occupied wholly by Embsay people, each entitled to two seats each – Thomas Chippendale,  Richard Chippendale,  Benjamin Ferrand and Thomas Fell.

In the neighbouring pew (No. 39)  Thomas Mawson and Thomass Jackman of Embsay, plus John Demaine of Eastby, had two seats each, but also had to share with Lord Thanet’s tenant at Back House, Skipton.

Behind them in a slightly less prominent position, but still near the prestigious east end of the church, were pew boxes 42 and 43. Charles Benson was allocated three seats next to the two reserved for Thomas Chippendale of Eastby, these two Embsay men sharing box 42 with two of Lord Thanet’s tenants at Fenton, and two for Wm Taylor of Skipton.

Mr Preston had three seats in box 43 by right of his landholdings in Embsay, and there were three more in the same box for John Baynes, also of Embsay.

Near the back of the church, a good distance away from the pulpit, box 30 nevertheless had a decent view of the pulpit – here sat Wm West who had an “estate” in Embsay, sharing the box with a leading Skipton businessman, Abraham Chamberlain.

Finally, Mr. Maud had one even less prestigious seat inside the neighbouring box pew – number 15 , sharing with the three seats which were reserved for the Black Bull Inn, Skipton.But a pillar was in their way and they probably had difficulty seeing and perhaps even clearly hearing both the reader and the vicar during services.

Part two of this article will appear in the next History posting – The increasing controversy over pew rents, and how Embsay’s church responded in 1853.

Jane Lunnon, Embsay-with-Eastby Historical Research Group.

[1] Leeds Intelligencer & Leeds Mercury newspapers, 1st May 1847

^[2] Dr. Geofrey Rowley – Transcription of “A copy of the Old Plan made June 1 1719 when all claims were made and all seats assigned as herein set down. Examined by John Topham,  Henry Couthurst, A. Allanson & William Drake” (The Rowley Collection of notebooks, Skipton Reference Library)

[3] Henry Currer (1683-1750) was a ‘gentleman’, and no doubt owned more than one property in the town. Richard Squire was probably Richard Swire (1655-1719), an attorney, known to have owned at least three properties in the High Street; John Mitchell was a grocer, who also owned at least three properties on the High Street which he tenanted out. Their tenants would have had seating rights in the pews associated with these properties.

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