Nappa Hall
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Nappa Hall is a
fortified manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a Manorialism, manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, ...
in
Wensleydale Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The Dale (landform), dale is named after the village of Wensley, North Yorkshire, Wensley, formerly the valley's market tow ...
,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England, described by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
as "probably the finest and least-spoilt fortified manor house in the north of England". It stands east of
Askrigg Askrigg is a small village and civil parish in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, part of the county of North Yorkshire, England. The village and its parish are located in Upper Wensleydale, west of Leyburn, and east of Hawes. ...
, overlooking pastures leading down to the
River Ure The River Ure in North Yorkshire, England, is about long from its source to the point where it becomes the River Ouse. It is the principal river of Wensleydale, which is the only major dale now named after a village rather than its river. ...
. A single-storey central hall sits between two towers, a four-storey western tower and a two-storey eastern tower. The four-storey tower has a turret, lit by slit vents, for a spiral staircase that climbs to
crenellated A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
s. The taller tower retains its original windows, but
sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History ...
s were inserted in the 18th century in the lower two-storey block which housed the kitchen and service rooms, at the opposite end of the hall. In the 17th century, an extra wing was added. The battlements are served by a single stair consisting of 70 stone steps. Nappa Hall is a
Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


Descent

The place name Nappa, first mentioned in about 1251 as ''Nappay'', is of uncertain origin, but possibly derives from the
Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
''hnæpp ġehæġ'', meaning "enclosure in a bowl-shaped hollow".


Scrope

The manor of Nappa was originally part of the manor of Askrigg in the
North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire was a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point was at Mickle Fell at . From the Restoration it was used as a lieutenancy area, having b ...
, but by the late 13th century was a separate estate. It was owned by the
Scrope Scrope (pronounced "scroop") is the name of an old English family of Norman origin that first came into prominence in the 14th century. The family has held the noble titles of Baron Scrope of Masham, Baron Scrope of Bolton, and for a brief time, t ...
family for some generations, but in the late 14th century
Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...
granted the estate to James Metcalfe (d. circa 1472) of Worton


Metcalfe

Nappa remained the seat of the Metcalfe family for many centuries. The descent was as follows: *James Metcalfe (d. circa 1472) of Worton, acquired Nappa from
Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and ...
; * Thomas Metcalfe, second but eldest surviving son,
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...
, who built the surviving house. A Yorkist, he sued King Henry VII for a special pardon on his accession. He became surveyor of
Middleham Castle Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home of ...
and by leasing estates in the lordship greatly increased his wealth. *James Metcalfe (d.1539), son and heir, who held his father's offices in Wensleydale and purchased further adjoining estates; *Christopher Metcalfe (d.1574), son and heir,
Sheriff of Yorkshire The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferr ...
in 1555, Forester of Wensleydale, Parker of Woodhall and Wanless, and supervisor of Middleham. Soon after his succession John Lord Scrope of Bolton challenged the original grant to James Metcalfe. After prolonged litigation, including secondary proceedings against Christopher for bribing a jury, the verdict seems to have been given in favour of Lord Scrope; he consented, however, to exchange the manor of Healey for Nappa. As Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1555 Christopher received the justices attended by 300 horsemen of his name and kin. From this date, however, his fortunes declined, and he was forced to sell various portions of his estates. There is a legend that
Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...
stayed there for two nights in 1568 while under house arrest at
Bolton Castle Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (). The nearby village of Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was d ...
and that
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334†...
visited the house. In the 16th century John Leland described it as "a very goodly Howse". *James Metcalfe, eldest son and heir, who died a few years later. *Thomas Metcalfe (d.1655), son and heir, inherited as an infant aged five months. During his minority Nappa was let to two 'principal and dangerous Recusants' who were purposed 'to live obscurely.' Thomas when of age was forced to mortgage portions of his estate, and finally Nappa itself; afterwards recovering the manor, he settled it on himself in tail-male. He had lead mines on Askrigg Common. *James Metcalfe (d.1671), eldest son and heir, who divided Nappa Hall with his brother Thomas Metcalfe. In 1663 James paid the tax for six hearths and Thomas for five. He died without male issue. *Thomas Metcalfe (d.1684), younger brother; *Henry Metcalfe (d.1705), only surviving brother, who settled the manor in tail-male on his son Thomas Metcalfe, 'the hopeful heir to the old ruinous house at Nappa.' *Thomas Metcalfe, son and heir, last of the Metcalfes of Nappa, who was forced by financial trouble to settle the reversion of Nappa on his kinsman, Thomas Weddell of Earswick.


Weddell, Elcock

Thomas Weddell of Earswick, inherited Nappa from his kinsman Thomas Metcalfe. He bequeathed his right to his nephew Richard Elcock, on condition he should adopt the surname Weddell, with remainder to
Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham PC (30 November 173820 July 1786) was a British statesman. He notably served as Foreign Secretary between 1782 and 1783. Background and education Grantham was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Thomas Ro ...
. The Weddells of
Newby Hall Newby Hall is a country house beside the River Ure in the parish of Skelton-on-Ure in North Yorkshire, England. It is south-east of Ripon and south of Topcliffe Castle, by which the manor of Newby was originally held. A Grade I listed buildi ...
made some improvements.
William Weddell William Weddell (13 May 1736 – 30 April 1792) of Newby Hall in the parish of Skelton-on-Ure, near Ripon in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1766 and 1792. He created ...
(1736-1792) adapted Nappa Hall as a hunting lodge, and added a stable and coach house.


Robinson

*
Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham PC (30 November 173820 July 1786) was a British statesman. He notably served as Foreign Secretary between 1782 and 1783. Background and education Grantham was born in Vienna, Austria, the son of Thomas Ro ...
, inherited Nappa from Weddell family; *
Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey Thomas Philip de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, 3rd Baron Grantham, 6th Baron Lucas (born Robinson, later Weddell; 8 December 178114 November 1859), styled as The Hon. Thomas Robinson until 1786 and as Lord Grantham from 1786 to 1833, of Wrest Park in ...
, eldest son and heir. He was born as Thomas Philip Robinson, his surname was Weddell from 1803 and de Grey from 1833. His younger brother was Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, 1st Earl of Ripon (1782–1859),
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
. Thomas de Grey died without surviving male issue, leaving his two daughters as co-heiresses.


Vyner

Lady Mary Gertrude Weddell, daughter and one of the co-heiresses of Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, inherited Nappa as her portion. She married Captain H. Vyner, and was lady of the manor until 1892.


Metcalfe (return)

The Metcalfes moved back in 1889, first as tenants and in 1930 as owners. William Metcalfe sold the house in 2008. The new owners have put forward plans to restore the house. The title "Lord of the Manor of Nappa in the County of Yorkshire" remains in the Metcalfe family. The present holder is Shaun Metcalfe, who lives in New Zealand.


See also

*
Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district) There are over 9,000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the unitary authority area of North Yorkshire. List of buildings ...
* Listed buildings in Askrigg


References


External links

{{coord, 54.313, -2.055, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Grade I listed houses in North Yorkshire Country houses in North Yorkshire Manor houses in England Askrigg