The parish of Kirby Underdale is situated in what was once the wapentake of Buckrose, part of the historical East Riding of Yorkshire (see maps in Introduction). Its boundaries remained unchanged after the 1832 parish boundary changes, so that it still includes the hamlets of Garrowby, Painsthorpe, Uncleby and Hanging Grimston, though the latter no longer exists as a settlement. The area contains many ancient remains in the form of barrows and tumuli, especially on Hanging Grimston and Uncleby Wolds, both lying to the west of the Roman road that crosses the parish from north to south, and on Painsthorpe Wold to the east of it. In 1868 a tumulus on Uncleby Wold revealed two barrows, one British and the other Anglo-Saxon, the former inside the latter. Seventy Anglo-Saxon skeletons were found among numerous relics from the two cultures.

Kirby Underdale had two manors at the time of the Conquest, one held by three thanes and the other by Arngrim and Siward. By 1086 King William was lord and tenant in chief of the former, but the ownership of the latter had not changed, the implication being that it was waste. Soon after the completion of the Domesday Survey Arngrim gave his property to St. Mary’s Abbey in York and became a monk there. By 1316 Painsthorpe and Uncleby had also come into the possession of the abbey, but Garrowby remained in secular hands. St. Mary’s Abbey lost its lands at the Dissolution in 1539, Kirby Underdale and Painsthorpe passing through various hands until they were sold in 1575 to the Bourchiers, along with the manor of Hanging Grimston, lands in Uncleby and the advowson of the parish church. Some of these possessions were still in the same family’s hands until 1767, when they passed through the female line to a succession of other families.

The parish church, dedicated to All Saints, was probably built by St. Mary’s Abbey for its tenants. It stands on the side of a steep hill and is approached from the village by a descent of 30 steps. Its construction is of stone in the Norman style, dating from the mid 12th century, and it consists of a chancel, a nave, a north aisle – where remains of the original windows can be seen above its arches – a south aisle, a south porch and an embattled western tower. The church was restored in 1828 at considerable expense, but no attempt was made to preserve the unity of its original design. This was remedied in 1871, the costs being borne mainly by Charles Wood, the first Viscount Halifax, and the rector. Foundations unearthed during the restoration showed that the church had been built on an earlier structure, consisting of a nave and an apsidal chancel. During the 1871 works the Norman chancel arch remained intact, but the 13th century chancel was entirely rebuilt. The original nave and chancel had followed the downward slope of the land, and it was decided to raise the chancel to the same level as the nave, involving the addition of five steps. At the same time the chancel windows were filled with stained glass. The ancient octagonal font, which now stands near the vestry door, was replaced by modern square one made of Caen stone, resting on an octagonal shaft and four pillars of polished granite. The 17th century bells were recast as a single bell, and the remains of those buried in the church were removed to the churchyard, their grave slabs being placed outside. Finally, in 1932 the third Viscount Halifax had dormer windows inserted into the roof of the nave, greatly enhancing the interior lighting. All Saints was designated a Grade I in 1987.

Kirby Underdale village was called a variant of Kirkby Hundlesdale until the late 1700s. It has always been very small, the population being scattered over the whole area of the parish. For a long time it consisted of the manor house, its farm, the rectory and a handful of houses. In the mid 1800s the row of old, thatch-roofed, chalk houses which provided accommodation for the poor and also housed the village school and the smithy, were replaced by brick cottages with Tudor chimneys. The old foundations still exist as do those of the new school, which was also built on site of two old cottages at the end of the village. The nearby teacher’s house was built at the same time. The fine old brick manor house at Kirby Underdale, with its string course, elaborate corbel table and projecting wings, probably dates back to the end of the 1600s. It belonged to the Bourchier family, but was occupied for many years by their tenants, the Warwicks. Manor farm has undergone many transformations over the years, but perhaps not as many as the rectory that stands opposite it, a sprawling complex that sprouts annexes in higgleby-piggleby fashion. The first known rector was appointed in 1229, but the first known repairs to the rectory took place in 1685. By 1740 the then rector considered it unfit for his large family to live in, even after spending £150 on repairs. He therefore allocated it to his curate who, after being appointed rector in 1755, added two rooms and did much planting in the garden and glebe. Another four rooms were added between 1776 and 1805 by the incumbent, and at the time of a survey in 1781 it was recorded as containing seventeen rooms, two staircases and three closets. In 1843 the then rector rebuilt the greater part of the house, making the rooms much loftier and enlarging the drawing room and bedroom above it. At the same time a carriage drive was made round the west end of the house to the new entrance on the north side, replacing the former one on the south side facing the street. The rector who was appointed in 1859 added six more rooms and a gardener’s cottage adjoining the house. A new drainage system was installed in 1887, the laundry reconstructed and a second cottage built for a coachman. Finally, the reverend Rev. W.R. Shepherd, the author of the book from which I have drawn invaluable information, purchased the grounds that had long been rented by the rectory out of the proceeds of the sale of the glebe to Garrowby estate.

Hanging Grimston consisted of two manors, both of which Domesday classifies as waste. The owner of the first manor had perhaps abandoned it as his name is unknown. It was awarded to Odo the bowman in 1086 and in 1089 he gave part of his lands to St. Mary’s Abbey. Gudhridh and Odhvidh were the pre-Conquest owners of the second manor, followed in 1086 by Osward and Rothmund. The manors were eventually merged and a manor house, known to the locals as the Castle, was built near the top of Hanging Grimston with its commanding views over the Vale of York. Access to the house was difficult, but its site had been chosen because of its proximity to a well from which which water was piped. In 1575 the house was acquired by Sir Ralph Bourchier and his second son John was living there in 1609. Thereafter the Howards held lands in Hanging Grimston, which they sold to the Powletts in 1688. Robert Smith who became Lord Carrington purchased them in 1788 and he sold them in 1811 to Sir Francis Wood, the direct ancestor of the Viscounts Halifax. Today a few scattered farms attest to human presence on Hanging Grimston Wold, as the house has long since disappeared. Its site is marked by uneven ground and the foundations of cottages also remain in the vicinity, bearing witness to the hamlet’s former larger extent.

Garrowby was the only hamlet in the parish to remain in private hands. Before the Conquest it was owned by Gamal, son of Barth, and he was still lord and tenant in chief in 1086. In the 1100s part of the manor belonged to the Brus fee, but when the Yorkshire Bruses died out in the male line with Peter III de Brus, his lands passed to his sisters. Margaret de Ros received the lands which had been let to William Mauleverer, and Lucy de Thweng those let to Walter de Garwardby. Thereafter they passed through various local families until the early 1800s when they were acquired by Sir Francis Wood. Wood built a “shooting box” on his newly acquired land, which he only occasionally occupied as his principal residence was elsewhere. It became known as Garrowby Hall, and his grandson Charles Wood, the second Viscount Halifax, largely reconstructed it in 1892. Charles transferred the whole of the estate in 1906 to his son Edward, the third Viscount Halifax. The latter spent a lot of his childhood at Garrowby Hall and was very attached to it. He gradually enlarged it, added a chapel and died there in 1959. A local architect remodelled the hall in 1980. The much older manor house lies within the grounds of Garrowby Hall. Built in the early 1700s, it remains a plain brick building though it has undergone many alterations over the years, the latest being its transformation into three cottages for the workmen of the estate.

Painsthorpe, like Kirby Underdale, had two manors at the time of the Conquest, one held by four thanes and the other by Arngrim. By 1086 King William was lord and tenant in chief of the former, but the ownership of the latter had not changed, the implication being that it was waste. By 1316 Painsthorpe had come into the possession of St. Mary’s Abbey and after the Dissolution passed through various hands until it was sold to the Bourchiers in 1575, remaining in their possession until 1767. By the early 1800s it was owned by Lord Carrington, and in 1811 he sold 90 acres of land at Painsthorpe, including two farms, to Captain Charles Richardson, later Admiral Sir Charles Richardson. Richardson had decided to settle in Painsthorpe and build a house on his newly acquired land on the recommendation of his relative and friend, Sir Francis Wood. Wood, the owner of Garrowby estate, bought the rest of Lord Carrington’s property in the parish at the same time. Richardson built a plain brick house on his land and called it Painsthorpe Hall. It stands near the road to Kirby Underdale, though hidden from it by trees, on a site sheltered from the north and east winds with views westward over the wolds. He died unmarried in 1850 and left his property to the son of his friend, Charles Wood, the first Viscount Halifax.

Uncleby was part owned by Thorkil before the Conquest, the rest forming part of the estate of Thobrand, son of Karli. King William had taken over Thorkil’s part by 1086 and Thorbrand’s had been awarded to Berenger of Tosny. By 1316 Uncleby had come into the possession of St. Mary’s Abbey and remained so until the Dissolution in 1539. It was sold to the Bourchiers in 1575. The Howards also had lands in Uncleby in the early 1600s, which they subsequently sold to the Powletts. They eventually passed to Sir Francis Wood following the same sequence of ownership as the Hanging Grimston lands. James Warwick, a member of the family who were long-standing tenants of the Bourchiers at Kirby Underdale, acquired holdings in Uncleby in the early 1700s, in particular manor farm, which he settled on his son George some time before 1724. George died unmarried and manor farm was sold, eventually being purchased by Charles Wood, the first Viscount Halifax, in 1859. James’s daughters had also inherited property in Uncleby and their descendants remained in the parish until 1806. Uncleby manor house is a fine brick building with string course, but lacks the refinements of the Kirby Underdale house. Its date was unexpectedly discovered when a coin of George II, dated 1733, was found built into the wall under a window sill during repairs.

Despite their presence in the parish registers of Kirby Underdale from the mid 1500s to the mid 1600s, with births in Garrowby, Painsthorpe and Uncleby, the Puckerings of Kirby Underdale are only mentioned sporadically in The History of Kirby Underdale. The first known Puckering was a sheep farmer in Painsthorpe and his assumed sons were all buried in the graveyard of All Saints from 1559 to1578. Of the following generation Ellin Puckering married Richard Boose, a member of a family “pre-eminent among those connected with parish”; Richard Puckering married a Nottingham and Thomas Puckering a Robinson, both recurring names in the early parish registers.

Sources:
https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ERY/KirbyUnderdale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Underdale
Annals of Yorkshire 1866-7, vol. 3, p.185
https://opendomesday.org/place/SE8058/kirby-underdale
https://opendomesday.org/place/SE8060/hanging-grimston
https://opendomesday.org/place/SE7957/garrowby-hall
https://opendomesday.org/place/SE8158/painsthorpe
https://opendomesday.org/place/SE8159/uncleby
The History of Kirby Underdale, volumes 1-3, by the Rev. W.R. Shepherd (not on line)
History and Topography of Yorkshire, York, Ainsty, East Riding, vol. 2, pp. 645-6: https://books.google.fr/books/about/History_and_topography_of_the_city_of_Yo.html?id=3cEHAAAAQAAJ
Bulmer’s History, Topography and Directory of East Yorkshire with Hull 1892, pp. 665-6: https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/324025
Church of All Saints: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1083837?section=official-list-entry
http://www.garrowbychurches.com/all-saints-kirbyunderdale.html
https://www.unclebybarn.co.uk