 Home : North Yorkshire : Newburgh Priory
Newburgh Priory
 Newburgh Priory is a pretty well kept secret. It's not on any of the main tourist
trecks and you have to work hard to find it. It's actually just south of Coxwold,
which itself is just to the east of Sutton Bank and the Kilburn white horse. I only
came across it by accident while looking for Byland Abbey, and it came as a surprise,
as I can honestly say I've never seen any publicity of any kind for it.
After a bit of digging I discovered it was originally the site of a priory which
fell into the hands of Henry VIII's chaplain after the dissolution. Sounds just
like the Russian Oligarchs cashing in as the Soviet Union was broken up! At some
point after that, Oliver Cromwell's daughter Mary married into the family,
and reputedly
brought his headless corpse which was then entombed in a bricked up vault somewhere in the
house.
Why did Cromwell have a headless corpse you ask. Well three years after he died,
Charles II was restored to the throne, and Cromwell's corpse was dug up from Westminster
Abbey and the head stuck on a spike on Westminster Hall - a symbolic location
as that's where Charles I had been tried. The head eventually ended-up buried at
his old college, Sidnex Sussex in Cambridge, and the body, reputedly, is here. A
sad end for a great Englishman. By the way, if anyone reading this knows where John
Lilburne rests, drop me a line as that's a pilgrimage I'd like to make.
The house descended through the Fauconberg and Wombwell families and is still lived
in by the Wombwell's today. Hence the Fauconberg Arms at Coxwold and the Wombwell
Arms at Byland Abbey. Don't know about the Fauconberg Arms, but I've had a nice
pint of Black Sheep at the Wombwell Arms, and the food looked good too.
I haven't been round the house yet as I didn't have time when I went past, but I
will be doing soon. The website's
a year out of date as I'm writing, but the sign
on the gate said it opened 2- 6 on a Wednesday and Sunday fom April to June. No
wonder they don't print leaflets with opening hours that short. Then again, I would
guess the estate is probably viable as the estate wall stretches for literally miles
and this is rich agricultural land. Update
- just checked the
website and the house itself is only open from 2:30 - 4:45.
But it's nice to see a house not in the hands of the National Trust, as they're
all run to the same formula and lack any kind of individuality. You certainly
wouldn't see bizarre topiary like this anywhere the NT were involved. No, they'd
hold meeting after meeting, check their decisions with focus groups and then commission a sculptor
to produce a small privet chicken.
Can't say much more till I've been round. Hope lovers of topiary enjoy the photos.
|