MALTON, formerly comprising Old and New Malton, was under the provisions of the “Local Government Act, 1894,” by Local Government Board Order No. 33,854, dated Oct. 1, 1896, formed into one civil parish; it is a market and union town, the head of a petty sessional division and county court district, in the North Riding, and on the north bank of the river Derwent, over which are two bridges, one of stone and the other of iron, connecting it with Norton, in the East Riding, and it has also a station in Norton urban district at the junction of the branches to Thirsk, Driffield and Whitby, with the York and Scarborough branch of the North Eastern railway; the town is 212 ¾ miles from London, and from Beverley 31 ¼ north-west, Bridlington 31 ½ west, Driffield 20 north-west, Filey 24 ½ west, Huddersfield 70 ¼, Hull 39 ½ north-west, Knaresborough 38 ½, Leeds 53 ¾, Normanton 46 ¼, Scarborough 21, Sheffield 74 ½, Thirsk 30 east. Whitby 34 ¾ and York 21 ¾, in Ryedale wapentake, rural deanery of Malton, archdeaconry of Cleveland and diocese of York.

Malton returned two members to Parliament in 23 and 26 Edward I. (1295 and 1298), but not subsequently until 1640, when by an order of the House of Commons, 11th Dec. in that year, the privilege was restored, and two members regularly returned (and since 1832 in conjunction with Norton), until by the” Representation of the People Act, 1867,” the number was reduced to one, and under the provisions of the “Redistribution of seats Act, 1885,” it was disfranchised as a borough and absorbed into the Thirsk and Malton division.

The town, which is about a mile in length, stands on an eminence overlooking the river, which runs through a beautiful and fertile valley. In 1138 it was burned down by Thurston, Archbishop of York, who besieged it for the purpose of dislodging the scots, and after its rebuilding it was called New Malton.

The town is governed by an Urban District Council of 15 members, formed under the “Local Government Act. 1894” (56 and 57 Vict. c. 73), in place of the former Local Board, constituted Oct. 31, 1854, under the “Public Health Act” of 1848. The town is lighted by electricity supplied by the Northern Counties Electric supply Co. Limited, and abundantly supplied with water of an excellent quality by the Urban District Council.

The church of St. Mary the Virgin, Old Malton, consists of part of the nave only of the church of the ancient priory founded between the years 1147 and 1153 by Eustace Fitz John, for canons of the Sandringham or Gilbertine order; “a magnificent remain, ’’ according to the late Sir Gilbert Scrott, “of one of the noblest periods of mediaeval art.” The existing fragment how in use comprises the six westernmost bays, together with the west front, the south-west tower and part of the north-west tower: the present east end has been formed by inclosing the space between the second pair of piers west of the crossing, and inserting therein three modern lancets, filled with stained glass; the clerestory, remaining in 1728, has disappeared, but the triforium still exists, and on this the roof is fixed: the north arcade of the nave is wholly within the church, the first three bays from the east, Transition Norman, having octagonal columns, the fourth is encased with panelled Perpendicular work, and has a cornice bearing an inscription, the two next bays are also Perpendicular, the westernmost arch next the tower being necessarily blocked: the south arcade has been simply blocked, the columns and arches appearing both inside and outside the church: the first four bays from the east have round moulded arches, carried on cylindrical shafts, but the remaining piers on this side are clustered: the triforium displays large circular arches, inclosing smaller pointed ones, but on the north side the three westernmost bays consist of blind panelling; the interior is now lighted from the sides by small plain round-headed windows: the west front, Early English, has an inserted Perpendicular window, and below it a fine recessed Transition Norman doorway: the south-west tower, of three stages, has lofty pointed windows, with clustered shafts in the first and second stages, and three sides of the upper stage are pierced by coupled lancets, with two quatrefoils above: the machicolated parapet is perfectly plain, and has been repaired with brick: the tower contains 3 bells: besides the existing church, there remain the easternmost portions of the aisle walls, with a processional door and a piscina on the south side, and on the north side, crossing the aisle, a good Norman doorway, with beak ornament; the western piers of the central tower are also standing, and near these are three large and one small stone coffin: the church was partly restored in 1879, and more thoroughly in 1887 and 1888, at a total cost of £6,000, under the direction of Mr. Temple L. Moore, architect, of Downshire hill, Hampstead, when the roof was entirely renewed and the interior of the church lowered nearly 4 feet, so as to arrive at the original level: the bases of the pillars, which had been concealed since the time of the Dissolution, are once more exposed to view; those on the north side are in a very good state of preservation, but on the south side they had entirely disappeared; beautifully carved choir stalls have since been erected, and a handsome carved stone font presented by the widow of George Lund esq. who died in 1888: in 1900 an organ in a carved oak case, was erected, at a cost of £600, and a side chapel constructed within the chancel: the church has 390 sittings: the churchyard extends to the north and west of the church, but is now closed. The Priory church, when complete, consisted of a nave of 8 bays, 142 feet in length, with aisles and western towers, central tower, transepts with square eastern chapels, and a choir with aisles: the cloisters, 102 feet square, adjoined the nave on the south, the refectory extending along the Southern alley: a vaulted chamber, formerly below the refectory, now forms part of the abbey house: the site of the priory was granted in 1546 to Robert Holgate, Bishop of Llandaff, who afterwards founded a free Grammar school here, which has since 1903 been used as a reading room. The register dates from the year 1600. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £220, including 60 acres of glebe, in the gift of the Earl Fitzwilliam D.S.O. and held since 1892 by the Rev. William Ingham M.A. of St. John’s College, Oxford, and rural dean of Malton. The tithe, amounting to £920, belongs to Earl Fitzwilliam.

The church of St. Michael is an ancient and remarkable building of stone, chiefly in the Later Norman style, and consists of chancel, clerestoried nave, aisles, vestry and a Perpendicular western tower containing 3 bells: the nave and aisles are divided by arcades of four arches: the east end is filled with a triplet of Norman windows, the stained glass being given by the late Mrs. William Henry Bose, in memory of her husband; a round window above these and two side windows in the chancel are all stained; in the south aisle is a memorial window to James Smith esq. of Barton Cottage, d. 1867, and one to Mrs. Metcalfe; the west window, erected in 1883, is a memorial to James Bussell and Mary his wife: and there is another to the Rev. G. A. Firth M.A. vicar of this parish 1855—93: the clerestory windows are emblazoned with the arms of Eure, Alton, Tyson, Fitzwilliam and those of the diocese: the brass eagle lectern was presented in memory of John Smith, d. Aug. 13, 1870, and Mary, his wife: the clerestory windows are enriched on the exterior with zigzag ornament, and there is a string course of the same: the organ was much enlarged at the restoration; the church was restored in the years 1883—5, at a total cost of about £5,000; the tower was restored in 1909 and in the same year the sanctuary was panelled and a new carved oak pulpit presented, both in memory of former members of, the congregation: there are 525 sittings. The registers, of which there are 13 volumes, date from the year 1571, The living is a vicarage, with St. Leonard's annexed, joint net yearly value £380, with residence, in the gift of Earl Fitzwilliam D.S.O. and held since 1911 by the Rev. Hugh Lambert Ogle M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge.

The church of St. Leonard is a building of stone, principally in the Norman style, with inserted windows of Perpendicular date, and consists of chancel and nave, under one roof, aisles, vestry, south porch and an embattled western tower in the Early English style, with a slated octagonal spire containing 8 bells, hung on the 5th December, 1768, and restored in 1868: there is an arcade of three Norman arches between the nave and north aisle and of two arches between the chancel and its north aisle; the font is also Norman; in the sacrarium are two finely carved chairs and over the west window of the tower is a rude figure in a square niche: there is a memorial window, placed in 1907, to Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, and one presented in 1906 by Robert Metcalfe esq. J.P. of West Royd: in 1897 the tower was restored, and its buttresses rebuilt, and an illuminated clock was given by Earl Fitzwilliam as a memorial of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria: the church was generally restored in 1906—7 at a cost of £4,000, and affords 470 sittings. The register dates from the year 1600. The living is a vicarage, annexed to St. Michael’s, joint net yearly value £380, in the gift of the Earl Fitzwilliam.

The Catholic church, dedicated to St. Mary, was built in 1837.

The Baptist chapel, in Wells lane, is a plain building, erected in 1822, and will seat 350 persons.

Ebenezer Congregational chapel, Saville street, built in 1815, has a stone front relieved by four pilasters of the Ionic order supporting a pediment, and affords 430 sittings. The Wesleyan chapel, Saville street, erected in 1811, is a plain structure of brick, with two pillars at the entrance supporting a cornice: there are sittings for 700 persons. The Wesleyan chapel, Old Malton, erected in 1824, is also of brick, and will seat 100 persons. The Primitive Methodist chapel, Wheelgate, has 650 sittings. The Primitive Methodist chapel, Old Malton, is an edifice of brick, erected in 1857, with stone dressings, in a plain style, and has 120 sittings. There is also a Unitarian chapel, first founded in 1715, and meeting houses for the society of Friends and Plymouth Brethren.

The old Cemetery at Old Malton, of about half an acre, was formed in 1883, the site being given by the trustees of Hemsworth hospital. The new Cemetery, on the Flatts, was laid out in 1905, and contains about a acres. Both cemeteries are under the control of a Burial Board of three members.

New Malton Cemetery was opened in 1859, and enlarged in 1912, and comprises about 8 acres; the grounds are tastefully laid out and there are two mortuary chapels; it is under the control of a Burial Board of twelve members.

The Town Hall, standing on the east side of the market place, is a plain edifice of stone, erected at different periods, and partly embattled; the entrance, which projects from the main building and is carried up to the roof, has a balcony, supported on brackets; on the roof is an open lantern. The Corn Exchange, in Yorkersgate, erected in 1845, is a stone building, the front of which is relieved by four pilasters of the Corinthian order, upholding a cornice and pediment. It is now used only for public purposes. The Court House, in Victoria road, erected in 1900, at a cost of £1,200, is a building of Yorkshire stone, with columns of polished Aberdeen granite in front, and consists of court room and magistrates’ retiring room.

There are four banks and two savings banks.

In the neighbourhood are lime quarries and whin-stone quarries. There are agricultural implement works, two breweries, maltings and corn mills.

The Malton Agricultural society, founded in 1872, holds an annual show here in the month of July.

The Malton Field Naturalists’ and scientific society was established in 1880, for the study of botany, geology and other natural sciences; meetings are held in the Museum of the Literary Institute.

The market day is Saturday; there is also a market for the sale of fat stock every Tuesday, and Messrs. Boulton and Cooper hold a sale for horses, carriages &c. every fourth Saturday at the Horse mart, Castlegate; there are fairs yearly-for the week before Palm Sunday, on Saturday before Whisuntide, and on the 11th and 12th October, and Saturday before November 23rd.

The Malton Literary Institute and subscription Booms, Yorkersgate, erected in 1814, is of white brick with stone dressings, and contains a bijou theatre, a museum of natural history and curiosities, a reading room with a library of over 4,000 volumes, and a residence for the librarian.

The Masonic Hall is in the basement of the Literary Institute.

The Cottage Hospital, in Cemetery Road, was opened in 1905, and contains eight beds and two cots.

At the top of Yorkersgate stands a cannon, on the carriage of which is the following inscription, “Captured at Sebastopol by the allied armies, 1855.” in 1883 it was surrounded with ornamental railings and planted about with evergreens and shrubs.

Malton was an important Roman station and has been claimed as the Roman “Derventio;” coins and other remains have been discovered. A castle was erected here, on the site of a Roman “Castrum,” in the time of William the Norman; it subsequently belonged to the family of de Vesci, but was afterwards destroyed and a mansion built on the spot by Ralph, 3rd Baron Eure, in the reign of James I. In 1674 this house was pulled down. Traces of the south and east side of the Roman intrenchments may be seen to the south of the lodge, and in the centre of these, indications of the foundations of the castle. There was formerly a castle here at the foot of the bridge over the river Derwent, the seat of the lords de Vesci, but destroyed by King Henry II.

Edmund Burke represented the Malton division in the House of Commons from 1780 until 1794, and Henry Grattan was elected in 1805, but only Sat. for about a year.

Malton Lodge, at present the residence of the Hon. Geoffrey Nicolas Dawnay, is the remaining portion of a large mansion, originally erected on the site of a Roman encampment, by William, Baron Eure, in the early part of the 16th century, but shortly afterwards demolished on account of a family dispute: the existing structure appears to be Jacobean and has modern embattled wings and angle turrets, finished with ogeeshaped capping: the house contains a quantity of oak panelling, and in an upper room there is a remarkable piece of carving illustrating the history of Jonah; there are also some cabinets and a bedstead of early date; the wall inclosing the front courtyard, next the road, is lofty and has three large gateways, much dilapidated; to the east are three ivy-covered houses of two stories, with stepped gabled dormers, one of which is the estate office.

On the south side of St. Mary’s church, Old Malton, stands the Abbey house, beneath which is a crypt once forming a part of the Priory buildings; several houses in Old Malton were entirely built from the materials of the choir and central tower of the Priory church.

The Earl Fitznilliam D.S.O. is lord of the manor and principal landowner.

The acreage of Malton parish, which comprises the Urban District, is 3,986 of land and 30 of water; rateable value, £23,829; the population in 1911 was 4,822. (including 7 officers and 120 inmates in the workhouse).

The population of the ecclesiastical parishes in 1911 was:-St. Mary the Virgin, 913; St. Leonard, 2,147 and St. Michael, 1,762. These populations are also the Urban District Ward populations, Sextons. St. Mary’s, Alexander Graham, Old Malton; St. Michael's, Christopher Samuel, Sheffield, Middlecave road; St. Leonaid's, Barnby Knaergs, 14 Old Malton gate.

The Petty sessions are held for the Malton division, for North Riding, at the Court house, Malton, on the second & last Saturdays in each month at 11 a.m. & for the Buckrose division at the Magistrates’ room, Norton, for the East Riding, on the first & third Saturdays in each month at 11 a.m. The following places are included in the petty sessional division:-Amotherby, Appleton-le-street, Airyholme, Broughton, Butterwick, Barton-le-Street, Bulmer, Coneysthorpe, Fryton, Ganthorpe, Henderskelfe. Hovingham, Hildenley, Huttons Ambo, Malton (Old & New), Swintan, Slingsby, south Holme, Terrington, Welburn, Wath & Whitwell.

TERRITORIAL FORCE.

York & Durham Light Infantry Brigade.

Comprising the:—

4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, Londesborough barracks, Hull.

4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, Northallerton.

5th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, Scarborough.

5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, Stockton-on-Tees.

Head quarters, 12 Castlegate.

Brigade Commander, Col. J. E. Bush Brigade Major, Capt. F. W. Guy.

5th Battalion, Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own (Yorkshire Regiment) (H Co.), Old Malton gate, 2nd Lieut, Clifford C. Pickles; Color-sergeant Frederick Albert Goozee, drill instructor.

MALTON UNION

Comprising Malton Joint Union, Malton Out-Belief Union & Norton Out-Relief Union.

Board day, Saturdays, at the Town hall, at 10.15 a.m. fortnightly.

By an order of the Local Government Board dated Nov. 22, 1894, & which came into operation Dec. 28, 1894, Malton Joint or Indoor Relief Union was formed into the Malton & Norton Out-Relief Unions, the latter comprising the townships in the East Riding The union comprises the following places:-In the North Riding-Airyholme with Howthorpe, Amotherby, Appleton-le-Street with Easthorpe, Barton-le-Street, Barton-le-Willows, Brawby, Broughton, Bulmer, Butterwick, Coneysthorpe, Crambe, Foston, Fryton, Ganthorpe, Great Habton, Henderskelfe, Hildenley, Hovingham, Huttons-Ambo, Little Habton, Malton, Ryton, Scackleton, Sheriff Hutton with Cornbrough, Slingsby, south Holme, Stittenham, Swinton, Terrington with Wiganthorpe, Thornton-le-Clay, Wath, Welburn & Whitwell-on-the-Hill. In the East Hiding-Acklam-with-Barthorpe, Birdsall, Burythorpe, Dugeleby, East Heslerton, Eddlethorpe with Granee, Firby, Howsham, Kennythorpe, Kirby Grindalythe, Kirkham, Knaptoft, Langton, Leavening, Leppington, Menethorpe, North Grimston, Norton, Raisthorpe with Burdale, Rillington, Scagglethorpe, Scampston, Settrington, Thirkleby, Thorpe Bassett, West Heslerton, Westow, Wharram Percy, Wharram-le-Street, Wintringham & Yedingham. The area is 116,056 acres; rateable value at Michaelmas, 1912, £182,040, viz.: North Riding £90,086, East Riding £91,954; the population in 1911 was 20,812.

The Workhouse, called “Spring Hall,” Castlegate, & appropriated as a workhouse in 1735, is a structure of brick, rebuilt in 1789, & enlarged 1893 for 200 inmates.

PLACES OF WORSHIP, with times of services

St. Mary-the-Virgin’s Church, Old Malton, Rev. William Ingham M.A. vicar & rural dean; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m. & 2.30 p.m. last Sunday in month.

St. Michael’s Church, New Malton, Rev. Hugh Lambert Ogle M.A. vicar; Rev. William Robinson & Rev. Harold Neville Wharam B.A. curates; 8 & 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; daily 9.30 or 11.30 a.m.

St. Leonard’s Church, New Malton, Rev. Hugh Lambert Ogle M.A. vicar; Rev. William Robinson & Rev. Harold Neville Wharam B.A. curates; 8 & 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.; Wed. 7.30 p.m.

Catholic, Wells lane, Rev. Augustine D'Hooghe, priest; sudays, holy communion 8.30 a.m.; mass, 10.30 a m.; devotions & benediction, 6.30 p.m.; daily, 8.30 a m.; holy days & holidays of obligation, mass at 10 a.m.; benediction at 7.30 p.m.

Friends’ Meeting House, Greengate; 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Baptist, Wells lana, Rev. Price Williams; 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Tue. 7.30 p.m.

Brethren, Old Maltongate, 6.30 p.m.

Conirregational, Saville street (vacant); 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Wed. 8 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Old Malton, 2 & 6 p.m.

Primitive Methodist, Wheelgate, 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.; Mon. 8 p.m.

Unitarian, Greengate; 11 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist, Saville street, 10.30 a.m. & 6 p.m.

Wesleyan Methodist, Old Malton, 6 p.m.

SCHOOLS

Malton Grammar school, in Middlecave road, is a building of red brick surrounded by grounds extending to about 4 acres, erected in 1910—1911 at a cost, including fixtures, of over £5,000, on a site given by Earl Fitzwilliam D.S.O. The school is an old foundation of Robert Holgate, Archbishop of York, dating back to 1547 & up to 1906. The old school premises were at Old Malton. The school is a secondary school governed by a scheme under the “Charitable Trusts Acts,” with a board of 23 governors, the greater proportion of whom are elected by public bodies & serve for a term of 30 years. There are at present 75 boys & girls in the school. The staff consists of a headmaster & headmistress & 2 assistants. The tuition fees payable are £9 9s. a year, but there are 15 free places. The school is maintained by grants from the Board of Education, the North & East Ridings & the Malton & Norton Urban District Councils. The old endowments amount to about £90; H. Watson Pearson esq. hon. clerk to the governors.

Public Elementary schools

Attendance Officer, Alfred Edward Elvy, 4 Victoria road.

St. Michael’s street (mixed & infants), erected in 1857, enlarged in 1891 by Earl Fitzwilliam at a cost of £600, for 350 children; average attendance, 225.

Wentworth street (infants) erected in 1897, children; average attendance, 94.

Old Malton (mixed), erected in 1859 & enlarged in 1890, for 220 children; average attendance, 160.

Catholic (mixed), Castlegate, erected in 1880, for 100 children; average attendance, 60.

Wesleyan Methodist (mixed), Greengate, erected in 1837 & enlarged in 1892, for 300 children; average attendance, 240.