THE GHOST OF THE FERRY AT NUN MONKTON

 Extract from Burdekins Criminal Chronology of York Castle :- 

“William Vasey was executed on August 18th, 1870, at the Tyburn without
Micklegate Bar for the wilful and deliberate murder of Marion, the
housekeeper of Mr. Earle of Beningbrough Hall and for the attempted.
murder of Martin Giles, Mr. Earle‘s head gamekeeper.”

— 22 —   Marion (her surname is not mentioned) was housekeeper to Squire
Earle at Beningbrough Hall and had for her sweetheart a young man
(Richard) from this village. Their favourite meeting place was on the
river bank by the ferry, Richard crossing the river by boat.  Sometimes
they both crossed to this side of the river, and wandered round the
Avenue and the surrounding woods. They were planning to be married when
one day while on the Staith at York Richard was seized by the Press Gang
and carried off to serve as a sailor in the King’s Navy.  Marion was
broken hearted at the loss of her sweetheart.  Squire Earle was away for home most of the time and the estate was
left in the hands of a man named Laurie. This steward was jealous of
Marion and, after the departure of Richard (Marion blamed Laurie for
Richard’s seizure by the Press Gang) he pestered her with his attentions
until she was nearly crazy. She used to walk along the river bank calling
to her sweetheart to come to her assistance and to free her from Laurie’s
unwelcome attentions. Finding that she would not listen to him, Laurie
hired a notorious character — a thief and highwayman named William Vasey
to murder Marion. 
Vasey followed her on to the river bank where she was walking from
the ferry towards where the pump house now stands. He seized her and,
screaming and struggling, she was dragged down the bank and thrown into
the River Ouse. Her body was later found and she was buried in Newton-on—
Ouse churchyard. Later Vasey attempted to kill Martin Giles, Squire
Earle’s gamekeeper, but he was apprehended by the police and taken to
York Castle.  While there he confessed to many crimes, among them being the being
the murder of Marion for which he was hanged.  Laurie was dismissed by Squire Earl and later shot himself.  Marion’s ghost is supposed to haunt the river bank near the ferry
where she spent so many happy hours with her sweetheart. She wrings her
hands and moans, and sometimes screams and calls for Richard.  Rumour says that one dark night a woman’s voice was heard calling
“Boat.”  The old ferryman took his lamp, went down to his boat and
crossed to the Newton Landing. The muffled figure of a woman stood on the
bank.  She stepped into the boat but never spoke a word.  On reaching the Nun Monkton landing, the old ferryman turned to help
her out of the boat but there was no one there.  The woman had vanished,
but far away on the opposite bank he heard an eerie voice crying
“Richard, Richard.  Help me.”  When Richard finally returned from the Navy and found Marion had
been murdered it is said that he drowned himself in the Ouse.
 

NUN MONKTON MAYPOLE

  NUN MONKTON MAYPOLE.  During the middle ages and the succeeding periods in history, all

village activities centred round the village green and the maypole.
Almost every village possessed one, and it was a cherished possession.
Tradition says that a new oak maypole was erected in 1793. An old
painting in the possession of my brother dated about 1848 shows a maypole
on it. This was possibly the one erected in 1793. In 1878 a new maypole
was erected the other evidently having been blown down.  The Vicar, the Rev. Septimus Crawhall, was the originator of the
scheme and he gave most of the money for the purchase of the pole. The
rest was raised by public subscription. A meeting of the villagers was
called and Mr. John Poulter, senr, was given the sum of £1 to cover his
expenses and was instructed to go to Hull to make enquiries as to price,
size, etc., of a suitable pole. The £1 was for lodging for the night,
etc., Mr. Poulter was met by an old friend Mr. Seth Lupton who lived in
Hull and who gave his visitor free lodging. They made the necessary
enquiries and also spent the £1 on liquid refreshment. On his return Mr.
Poulter reported to the Vicar and a pole was purchased for £25. It was a
Norwegian pine tree. It was despatched to Marston Moor station and it was
an unshaped block. A wood wagon left Nun Monkton at 3-30a.m. to collect
it but did not arrive back until 6—30 a.m. the next morning. The greatest
difficulties were experienced in turning corners at Marston Moor and at
Poole Lane End.  The pole was shaped and painted by Mr. Poulter and his sons and men
and it was raised by a hand winch and ropes borrowed from Beningbrough
Hall. At the meeting to audit the accounts, the Rev. Septimus asked Mr.
Poulter to present a statement showing exactly how the £1 given to him
was spent. The statement was handed in later, but needless to say the
exact method of expenditure was not accurately given as Mr. Lupton had
provided accommodation free and the £1 had been spent on liquid
refreshment. This account was given to me verbally by Mr. John Poulter
son of the above who followed his father as village joiner.

 

THE PRIORY

 THE PRIORY

 

After the Dissolution, the plate belonging to the Priory and. all
valuables were carried off to London. The Conventual buildings were
destroyed and the material sold. Two years later, in 1538, the estate with
all its appurtances was sold to John Neville on very reasonable terms ( a
yearly payment of £14—18—8 to King Henry VIII) Specially mentioned in this
transaction were the rights to the ferry. This seems to be the first mention
that has been made in any records of the ferry, but it must have been widely
used to have it specially mentioned in the deeds.  John Neville erected a house but we do not know if he lived here. His
second wife was Catherine Parr of Kendall, and on the death of her husband
John Neville (Lord Latimer) she married King Henry VIII and survived him. 
The Priory stayed in the Latimer family and Lord Latimer’s
granddaughter married Henry, 8th Earl of Northumberland who then lived at
Spofforth Castle. In 1585 this earl was accused of plotting with Mary Queen
of Scots against Queen Elizabeth 1. He was imprisioned in the Tower of
London but committed suicide. His widow then married Francis Fitton and the
Nun Monkton estate then passed to that family. After this the estate changed
hands many times — John Carvile - Marjoribanks (1644) Paylors (1650—1748)
Samual Jollyfe Tuffnell 1786.  In 1789 George IV, then Prince of Wales, lunched at the Priory after
York Races.  The Butler Family followed (brother of the Earl of Kilkenny whose
eldest son became Viscount Mountgarret). Then the Brown family (he was a
Proctor at York Minster) and in 1860 it was bought by Isaac Crawhall, Esq.,
who was succeeded by his son George and later by Walter - nephew of George.  The Priory was sold in 1928 to Captain C. Whitworth and again in 1946
to Lieut. Col. George Aykroyd.  The Paylors must have rebuilt the house. The present building was built
in the time of William and Mary and was designed by a Dutch architect. It
was built of hand made bricks. There was a maze in the garden and 90 acres
of pasture land attached to the estate. A special feature of the grounds was
the collection of lead statues which are unique and very valuable. They are
supposed to be the work of a Dutch sculptor named Andrew Carne in approx.
1688. There is a very peculiarly carved stone in the wilderness also
attributed to Dutch workmen.

— 5 —  On it are the arms of the Paylor family and many scenes depicting village
life. There is an old legend that there was a tunnel passing from the
priory under the River Nidd and to Red House which was used at the time
of the battle of Marston Moor, but this has never been found. The battle
of Marston Moor was fought in July 1644 between Cavaliers led by Prince
Rupert and Roundheads led by Oliver Cromwell. The Roundheads were
victorious and the Royalists fled, many of them over to Nun Monkton,
Thorpe and Ouseburn.  Nun Monkton was Royalist.  A pike man seriously wounded wandered to the priory and later died there.
His full equipment consisting of pot helmet, gorgel, breast and back
plates and tassets with sword and 15 ft pike is now in the Kirk Museum at
York. Strangely, this armour was presented to the museum by a London
gentleman but it had been in the possession of the Marjoriebank family
who owned the priory at the time of the civil war. 
Overlooking the church yard there is a ‘tithe barn’ which is in an
excellent state of preservation and a little further along there is the
site of the nuns fish pond now only a beck. Also there is the ‘Nuns Walk’
an avenue of trees which led from the priory grounds to the park, but which is not now used as such.
 

Taken from

http://www.nunmonktonparishcouncil.co.uk/_UserFiles/Files/Nun%20Monkton%20history.pdf 

Paylor'S Thirsk & York 1869 and beyond?

By genealogy.com user May 19, 2001 at 06:34:12

Dear All fellow Paylor
(and a big hug to Irma R and Lisa P)

I have been researching the Paylors for the last few years and after passing on information all round the globe wonder if anyone can help me any further.

My Great Grandfather was Thomas Paylor born in Thirsk, North Yorkshire in 1869. his Grandfather was Vincent Paylor born in Topcliffe Thirsk in 1794. I know that Vincents father was also Vincent (1764) and Vincent's Grandfather was George Paylor born December 1675 in Nun Monkton Near York,

I have now come to a grinding halt. There is a suspicion that Nathaniel Paylor may have been George Paylors Father but as to his birthplace and year I have no confirmation. Can anyone help me get back further than this? Also has anyone any reference to their Occupations in the Paylor Family?

I would be extreamly greatful for any jhelp in this matter and look forward to meeting new family wherever you may be.

Incidently...,I live only 8 miles from Thirsk and until I started doing my Family Tree.....no-one in the family was aware that 'anyone' lived anywhere near Thirsk. It's purely co-incidence that I live here, I moved simply because of my late husbands job!
Spookie Stuff - huh folks?

All good thoughts,
Sue Simpson
(but a Paylor and proud of it!)
Northallerton,
North Yorkshire
England

Hello Sue,
My gg grandfather was Robert Paylor (born 16 March 1840), youngest son of Vincent of Topcliffe, who was born after Vincent's death.Robert married Ellen Carter on 12 May 1860 at St. Stephen's Parish Church, Willington and they had four children - Robert, Thomas, John and Mary (my great-grandmother).I have done much research at both Durham (my local record office) and Northallerton and may be able to add to your notes.
Kindest regards,
Janet (Harding)

Hi Sue, I am looking for Paylors from Thirsk, It wouldbe my great great grandfather Vincent Paylor and his wife's first name was Sarah.She died May 14, 1891 in Thirsk, York, England.Their one son William Paylor Born Oct 15, 1865, moved to Glenelg Township, (just outside of Durham, Ontario.)He married Elizabeth Falkingham.I was wondering if this is part of your line that you are tracing.Can you help?I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks Susan Paylor

Hello Susan,
I think I may have your William on my database.If it is him, his parents, Vincent and Sarah, had nine children (4 girls, 5 boys), William being the third son, born c.1865.This is one line I have not done a lot of research on - Vincent was my g.g.grandfather's older brother.Does this match with your information?
Kind regards,
Janet (Harding)

Hi Janet
It could well be the line I am looking for.My Dad is not sure how many brothers and sisters his great Grandfather had.

Susan,
Won't bore you details but am now relaxed and refreshed !
Thirsk, Northallerton and York is/was the epicentre of the Northern clan of the Paylors.
George, whom you refer to, was born at/in Nun Monkton in 1675 and was 'named' (nowadays called 'christened') on 3rd August, 1675. He died in 1698, aged 23. Details on IGI Records. George had a sister, Mary Ann, born a year earlier in 1674, also at Nun Monkton. She was 'named' on 2nd April, 1674. Details on IGI Records
George and Mary were the two children of Nathaniel.

Nathaniel was born in 1655 at Nun Monkton, and named on Sept 9th of that year (IGI & Parish Records). Nathaniel was one of four children of GEORGE. Nathaniels' brothers and sister were, Marie (died 25th July 1646), Samuel (died 8th Feb, 1649) and Robert (died 8th Dec, 1651 aged 41 weeks, 2 days).

Marie, Samuel and Robert are buried at The Tower of London. Visit the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula in the south eatern corner where there are busts of George Payler and his wife Maria Carey. Well worth a day out!

Now we hit a problem !!!

Nathaniel's father was GEORGE - proven....

Now bear with the problem which I am still working on....

BACGROUND TO THE PROBLEM :
The earliest reference to our family which I can trace with certainty is PIETER PAILLOR, born in York around 1520. He had three sons and one daughter. Family as follows :

William Payler - born in York 1548
Pieter Payler - born in York, 1550
John Payler - born in York, 1553
Jane Payler - born in York, 1560

PROBLEM :

Pieter had four children, one of whom was named GEORGE
John had five children, one of whom was
named GEORGE

At this moment I am unable to say, with certainty, which GEORGE is the father of Nathaniel.

Summary :
Pieter Paillor, born around 1520
(three sons & one daughter)
One of Pieter's sons - either Pieter or John - had son GEORGE (your line)
George (your line) had four children, including Nathaniel.
Nathaniel had one daughter and one son (George)

Hope some of this is of use. I have spent a few years researching but don't claim to be an expert!!!

Hi there Kevan,

And thank you for answering my post. I found the information very useful but have a question that may be just my understanding of the data....can you help me further?

PIETER PAILLOR was born in 1520
and had a son (either JOHN or PIETER)or sons b. around 1550 (30 year gap....no problem)

Then either PIETER or JOHN was the father of GEORGE

GEORGE then had a son NATHANIEL in 1655.

The querie/question/problem is....
there seems to be a tremendous gap between PIETER 1550 and his granson GEORGE in 16?? in order for GEORGE to father NATHANIEL in 1665.

Is there a generation missing between PIETER/JOHN & GEORGE (Father & Son)

I 'do' hope this all makes sense.
Thank you for the information shared so far.

And BTW-My mum has always been adament that we have relatives in Whitby. I have spent many a happy day there.

All good thoughts,
Sue Simpson (nee Paylor)
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
England

Hello again Susan,
As a pale-skinned Whitby Paylor, this hot and sunny weather is too much for me!!!
Re. your query. I have no evidence whatsoever of any missing generation. Peiter, born 1520(ish)had four children, two of whom had children named George ; ie:
(i) Pieter, born 1550, had a son named George who was born in York in 1590 when Pieter was 40 years old
(ii) John, born 1553, had a son named George who was bornin York in 1607 when John was 54 years old

George was the father of Robert, Marie, Samuel and NATHANIEL. Which George ? Pieter's son or John's son - I can't prove which one YET. But a quick reckoning shows the following :
Peiter's George, born 1590, would have been 65 years old when Nathaniel was born in 1655. Possible.. but...
John's George, born in 1607, would have been 48 years old when Nathaniel was born in 1655. A strong possibility that this is the line you are looking for but at this moment still not proven.
I have not found any reference whatsoever to any 'missing generation' and believe that the father of Nathaniel must be either Pieter's GEORGE (aged 65yrs) or John's GEORGE (aged 48 years).If you find anything to the contrary, let me know !
John's George is favourite in my book!
P.S. If your mum knows that there are Paylor relatives in Whitby then you and I are almsot certain to be related, however distant ! Let me know of any names, etc, and I'll try to put the jigsaw together ....

Best wishes,
Kevan

George Ruddick

Taken from http://stokesleyheritage.wikidot.com/ruddick-g

Private 201835 George Ruddick, 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment (Territorial), formerly 5287 Yorkshire Regiment (Territorial)

Died of wounds 27th June, 1917

George Ruddick was born in Newby in 1892 the son of James Ruddick, a farm labourer, born Dalton Piercy, and Elizabeth Ann Walshaw who was born in Middlesbrough.

George was one of 12 children: Sarah Ann, John William, Frederick Robert, Albert, George himself, Margaret Hannah, James, Elizabeth Mary, Ernest, Christopher, Thomas, Emily, and Harold.

In 1911 George was living at Haregill Lodge, Masham, with his eldest brother John and family, together with his brother Frederick and sister Elizabeth Mary. John was a farmer and in the census of that year he recorded George and Frederick as ‘brothers working on the farm’, and Elizabeth as “farmer’s sister dairy work”. James Ruddick, Frederick’s father was still in Newby with wife Phyllis, his 5 youngest children and one grandchild, Annie aged 4 years.

According to the Book of RemembranceGeorge was a farm man prior to enlistment and went abroad in Spring 1915. We also know from official sources that George enlisted in Masham, but said that he lived in Nunthorpe. (Presumably he gave the address of his parents, as Newby was frequently classed as being in Nunthorpe)

Private Ruddick died on 27th June 1917, and the Book of Remembrance tells us that he died following a gas attack. The war diary of 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment records that there was a gas attack on 16th June where

"Casualties were caused by enemy shell and rifle fire and at least as many more by poison gas. Four Officers and four other ranks were killed by gas, one Officer and 14 other ranks were wounded, one Officer and sixteen other ranks were gassed.”
(See http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandl.danby/001/BnIndex.html for further details of 1st/4th Yorkshire Regiment)

As official sources say that Private Ruddick died of wounds it may well be that he was one of the 14 wounded or the 16 that were gassed on this occasion, and that he subsequently died 11 days later.

Private Ruddick was 25 years old when he fell, and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His body lies in plot B 10 at the intimate Rookery British War Cemetery, Heninel in the Pas de Calais.

George Ruddick was one of 5 brothers who served 2 of whom fell. He is commemorated on the Memorial Plaque in the church of St Peter and St Paul, Stokesley as well as on the Newby War Memorial and at St Paul’s church, Healey.

Frederick Robert Ruddick

Lance Corporal 200388 Frederick Robert Ruddick, 6th West Yorkshire Regiment

Frederick Robert Ruddick was born in Newby in 1888, the son of James Ruddick, a farm labourer born in Dalton Piercy, and Elizabeth Ann Phyllis Walshaw who was born in Middlesbrough. The couple married in Middlesbrough district in 1884, and raised a large family.Died as a Prisoner of War 8th May, 1918

Frederick was one of 12 children: Sarah Ann, John William, Frederick Robert, Albert, George, Margaret Hannah, James, Elizabeth Mary, Ernest, Christopher, Thomas, Emily, and Harold.

In 1911 Frederick was living with his brother John’s family, (together with his brother George¹ and sister Elizabeth Mary) at Haregill Lodge, Masham, Yorkshire. John was a farmer and Frederick and George were recorded as brothers working on the farm. Sister Elizabeth was described as “farmer’s sister dairy work”.

Frederick’s father was still in Newby with wife Phyllis, his 5 youngest children and one grandchild, Annie aged 4 years.

The army records for Frederick are quite detailed. He enlisted at York into the West Yorkshire Regimenton 23rd August 1914 aged 26 years and 2 months. His occupation at that time was recorded as brewer’s drayman and he was 5’ 8¾” tall.

Frederick was sent to France on the ss Invicta, arriving at Boulogne on 16th April 1915. Between May 1915 and August 1916 his military career was interrupted by various illnesses such as diarrhoea and debility which caused him to be hospitalised for short periods in the field hospital. According to his records he remained a private soldier until 1917, but was awarded Proficiency Class 2 on 13th August 1916. In February 1917 he was once more placed in hospital (in Etaples) as he had a carbuncle on his neck, and he was then sent home on the hospital ship Grantilly. He was placed in the West Yorks reserves until such time as he could return to active duty.

Frederick was sent back to France again on 16th June 1917 and on 8th July he was posted to the 1st/6th West Yorkshire Regiment. Then, despite his history of illnesses, he was appointed Lance Corporal (unpaid) on 31st December 1917.

In March/Aprill 1918 the Germans launched Operation Michael, their last desperate attempt to win the war. They made rapid advances, inflicting heavy casualties on the allied troops and taking hundreds of prisoners. Lance Corporal Ruddick was reported missing on 24th April 1918. In May, his death was notified to the British Army in a report containing an official German list. Lance Corporal Ruddick had died of pneumonia in a Prisoner of War hospital in German-controlled Antwerp on 8th May 1918.

Following the report of his death a list of living relatives was requested by the authorities. The names supplied were:
• Father, James Ruddick of Newby
• Mother, E.A. P. Ruddick of Newby
• Brothers, James 22, Christopher 16, Thomas 13, Harold 9 (all of Newby) and then Ernest 18 of Close Farm, Hilton, Albert 30 of Seamer, Yarm and John 35 of Haregill Lodge, Masham.
• Sisters: Maggie Ruddick 25, of 1 Allendale Road, Grang… Stockton, Mrs Mary Smith 22 of 18 Maynard Street, Carlin How, Mrs Sarah Greenwood 36 of 11 Pall Mall, Mytholmroyd, York, and Emily Ruddick 11 of Newby.
The form was signed by Frederick’s mother and witnessed by Robert Fisher, Clerk in Holy Orders.

Lance Corporal Ruddick was 30 years old when he died. He was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the Bronze 1914 – 15 Star. His body lies in Plot IIa.8 of Schoonselhof Cemetery, Hoboken, Antwerp.

Frederick R Ruddick was one of five brothers who served in the Great War, 2 of whom died. He is commemorated on the Memorial Plaque in Stokesley church, the Newby War Memorial and also on the war memorial in the church at Masham, where he worked on his brother's farm before he enlisted.

Go to next soldier: Ruddick G. - NB. This soldier is the brother of Ruddick F.R. 

Johm William Paylor

After watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmN27ZWymCY&t=616s

I recognised the names of 3 of my ancestors.

John William was my Grandad (Joseph Rowland Paylor) Brother

The following is copied from here: http://stokesleyheritage.wikidot.com/paylor-j-w  

Lance Corporal 148607 John W Paylor, 55th Battalion Machine Gun Corps, (formerly Private 2477 Yorkshire Regiment)

Killed in action 6th September, 1918.

John William Paylor was born in Thirsk in 1896. He was the son of Thomas Paylor, a farm hind also from Thirsk , and Elizabeth Metcalfe, the daughter of Charles and Margaret Metcalfe who was born in Darlington. The marriage of Thomas Paylor and Elizabeth Metcalfe was registered in Thirsk in 1893.

By 1901, however, the family was in Picton within Stokesley rural district and they are recorded ten years later as living at Thorntree Farm, Carlton, near Busby. John was then 14 and 'at home'. He was one of a large family, 9 children in all, of whom 8 were then surviving. John had 4 brothers: Charles, born about 1886, Thomas Vincent (1901), Arthur Wilfred (1903) and Joseph Rowland (1908). There were also 3 sisters: Sarah Selina born 1894, Annie Elizabeth (1899) and Margaret Jane (1905).

John’s attestation (enlistment) papers do not seem to have survived but those of his brother Charles have, and from these we can see that the family was living in West End, Stokesley in 1914. According to the Book of Remembrance John initially enlisted with the 4th Yorks Territorial Regiment on 14th September 1914 and was sent to France in April 1915. Over the next two years he was twice gassed and was once “missing” – his friends believing that he had perished.

The official list of “The Soldiers who Died in the Great War 1914 – 1918” states that John enlisted in Northallerton where he joined the Yorkshire Regiment. He was later transferred to the 55th Battallion Machine Gun Company (MGC). The 55th MGC joined with other MGCs of the 18th Division to form the 18th Machine Gun Battalion on 16th February 1918. He remained with this unit through the campaigns of spring and summer 1918, first checking the German advances and then driving the invaders north and east across France and Flanders. John Paylor had come through the most perilous stage of the whole war, only to die in action two months before the war ended.

Private Paylor's medal card records a variety of regimental numbers allocated to him as he was transferred from one unit to another. The first entry has him listed as Pte 2477, A Cyclist Corps; next he becomes Pte 14376, A Cyclist Corps, and finally Pte 148607, MGC. An annotation to the card by an army clerk reads: “correct Regtl No. 186” which must have been the number allocated to him when he joined the territorials.

From the medal card we also learn that John died of wounds and, poignantly, that his medals were returned undisposed of. Given the size of John Paylor's family, this seems hard to explain.

Private Paylor was 22 years old when he fell. He was awarded the British Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1915 Star. His body lies in Plot VI A 25 of the Pernes British Cemetery 

Samuel Tufnell

Samuel Tufnell - Who acquired The Priory at Nun Monkton after the death of his uncle George Paylor

An interesting portrait of Samuel Tufnell, an early Georgian country gentleman. This portrait comes with a copy of the book "Samuel Tufnell of Langleys 1682-1758; the Life and Times of an Essex Squire" by Francis W. Steer.
"At Great Waltham in the centre of Essex is the mellow brick mansion of Langleys where, over the dining room fireplace hangs the portrait of a grave-faced boy in a red coat. Two miles away, at Pleshey - a place known to all readers of Shakespeare - is a massive marble monument with the bust of an old man who died full of years and achievements.
The boy and the man are one. The portrait and the bust are both of Samuel Tufnell who bought Langleys and made it into the stately home we see today.
As a landowner, he took no small part in the affairs of the county of his adoption; he served his country too in positions requiring tact and shrewd judgement.
The object of this book is to give a picture of the life and times of a country gentleman during the first half of the eighteenth century, the period of William of Orange, Queen Anne, and the first two Georges."
So begins this illuminating insight into a way of life long gone, which with the portrait, makes us feel we really know the man and his times.
The portrait itself is a good, honest, no-nonsense image of the sitter...he looks directly and frankly at the viewer. The unknown artist was clearly influenced by the work of Joseph Highmore (1692 – 1780), an artist very fashionable with the gentry at this time.
The frame is a good example of 18th century carved giltwood.
SIZE: 36 x 30.5 inches inc. frame.
PROVENANCE: Sir Robert Wilmot Horton.
Yorkshire Private Collection.
Verso, Victorian Gothic script label: "Painting of Samuel Tufnell, esquire, of Langleys, married Elizabeth, daughter of George Cressener. The property of Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton; Artist J. Highmore."
(It has been suggested by a member of the family that this may not be Samuel Tufnell, but his grandson, also called Samuel Tufnell, who married the daughter of Wilmot-Horton).
See image 5 for Langleys as it is today.

Reformation village and estate

Reformation village and estate

Though Nun Monkton village remained a single estate until the 1930s, it changed hands several times after the Protestant Reformation. Its first owner was John Neville, the 3rd Baron Latimer and the second husband of Katherine Parr the last wife of Henry VIII. Latimer, who had been granted in 1538, bequeathed it and lands in Hammerton to his daughter at his death in 1543. During the later 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, it was owned by the Payler (or Paylor) family.

On 2 July 1644 the Battle of Marston Moor, one of the largest battles ever fought on English soil, took place in fields some miles to the south-west of the village. Royalist troops under Prince Rupert crossed the Ouse between Beningbrough and Nun Monkton and proceeded on to Skipbridge where they crossed the Nidd and joined battle with the Parliamentarian army. Because of its proximity to the battlefield, Nun Monkton must have been directly affected but there seem to be no traditions, though older villagers in the late twentieth century reported claims that fallen soldiers were buried around St. Mary's Church.

In 1748 the estate and those in surrounding villages passed to William Tufnell Jolliffe upon the death of his uncle Nathaniel Payler. A painting dated to 1773 shows Squire William Tufnell with his son on horseback amid a pack of hounds, looking across from the Moor Monkton bank of the Nidd at Nun Monkton Priory and Church. Despite the passage of 237 years, the view is relatively unchanged today. An elaborate early nineteenth century monument to the Tufnell family is today in the sacristy on the north side of the church. Before 1871 it was in the old sanctuary of the church and seems to have been somewhat damaged during while being moved.

George IV while Prince of Wales, is believed to have had lunch at the Priory during a visit to Yorkshire.^[2]

In the 1840s one visitor to the village would have been the novelist Anne Brontë, and her brother Branwell. During her time as a governess to the Robinson family at Thorpe Green, Little Ouseburn, Brontë taught the children of the rector of Nun Monkton.^[3][4][5]

In 1860, Isaac Crawhall, a Durham-born gentleman, bought Nun Monkton from the Tufnell family and his family owned the estate and lived at the Priory until it was bought by the Whitworth family in the 1920s. Crawhall was responsible for the redesigning of the church and the building of the new roof and chancel between 1871 and 1875.

A painting of villagers standing outside St.Mary's church by the landscape artist John Henry Leonard was sold at Christies in January 2009. It appears to date from the 1860s and may have been commissioned by Isaac Crawhall.

Nun Monkton was visited in the summer of 1898 by the future Provost of Eton and ghost story writer, M.R.James on a boat trip from York during a meeting of Convocation. James was enchanted by the Priory house and gardens and its chinoiserie summer house near the river. He wrote in a letter: "At Nun Monkton a beautiful house adjoins the church — Queen Anne with a sweet garden and leaden statues and a summerhouse." Nun Monkton later appears to have provided some of the background for his gruesome ghost story "The Ash Tree", though in the story the house is situated in Suffolk.

The largest secular building in Nun Monkton and architecturally by far the finest after the church, is the hall or manor house formally known as the Priory,^[6] and used as a location in the television series A Touch of Frost in an episode entitled "Endangered Species". Observant viewers who know the location will note that when Jack Frost (played by David Jason) drives up to The Priory it shows the gate to the left of the cattle grid, over which a temporary wall was erected for the TV programme. In the grounds of the Priory is Avenue Cottage, an 18th-century grade II listed building.^[7]

Taken from Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun_Monkton 

George Paylor & Lady Maria Carey

GEORGE:

LADY MARIA CAREY: Mary, Lady Carey
Mary, Lady CareyIntroductionMary, Lady Carey (née Jackson), was author of a series of largely autobiographical poems and meditations, which exist in two manuscripts: one her reportedly autograph manuscript, in private hands (*CaM 1); the other in a later formal copy now in the Bodleian (CaM 2). Although selections

Memorial in the Tower of London George Payler Esq. - Master surveyor of the ordinance and his wife Lady Maria Carey.

2 of their children Eldest son Samuel & youngest daughter Maria are buried there. 
In the reign of Charles 1st

Nun Monkton