St James' Chapel Timeline
1086
There is no mention of a church or chapel at Spaldington in the Domesday Book.
Reign of Henry II (1154 - 1189)
Excerpt from transcript of Charter relating to the Gilbertine house of Ormsby:
"Let all as well future as present know that I William son of Gerard of Spaldington have given, granted, and by this my present charter confirmed to God, blessed Mary, and the nuns of Ormsby and their brethren, clerk and lay, one bovate of land in the territory of Spaldington, which I have taken out of my demesne and measured and handed over to them in four quarters in the field of the aforesaid Spaldington ; namely at Syinestibusc one selion, and towards the west at Redlandes one selion, and upon the way to the church towards the north [one selion], and one selion upon Gosholmmor (Gooseholme Moor?) of the breadth of six perches and a quarter of a perch from one headland to the other, and upon Calmaremor the breadth of one perch and a half from one headland to the other, and at Sinderlandes the breadth of three perches, and at their head as much meadow as belongs fully to one bovate on that side of the village — namely on the north side of Rederdic — and at Sudestesengdailes (South East Ing Dales?) the breadth of two perches and a half east and west, and at the head of the same breadth so much meadow as can be furthest mown, and upon Berewic the breadth of four perches from the hedge to the headland, and at Lanwellehilles the breadth of two perches from Berewic to the headland, and at Westredaile in Westbroc three perches from the hedge to the headland, and at the south side of Bonnelandes the breadth of two perches from the headland to the ditch, and at the west side of Bonneland as much as belongs to my six bovates from the west of the same Bonneland to the ditch. And in addition to this bovate I have given them at Westrebroc next the aforesaid three perches the breadth from the hedge to the headland, and also my whole meadow in Wandaile at Berewyk. And if it shall happen that the boundaries of the tilled land shall be extended more than they are now, as much as the other bovates shall be increased their's also shall be increased. And further I have given them all my part in Spaldingholme to enclose with a ditch or hedge or as it shall seem best to them from Brendaic* as far as Fulna east and west, and from the same Brendaic* towards the north one furlong and a half in breadth, that it may be of one breadth at Fulne and at the west and of one length at the north and south by the perch of twenty feet. I have given all these things to the aforesaid nuns with my daughter Hawisa with all that belong to these aforenamed things, free and quit from ditching and hedging and from all service and exaction or worldly custom, with all their liberties and free entries and exits within the village and without, in fields, moors, meadows, pastures, woods, plains, fisheries, waters, marshes dry and wet ways and paths within and without everywhere, and in all things, in pure and perpetual alms as any alms can be most freely given, for the safety of my soul and the souls of my father and mother and of all our ancestors and of all faithful people. And I and my heirs will warrant all these things to them against all men for ever. "
* I seems likely that Brendaic refers to Brind. Spaldington Grange is midway between Brind and the Foulness.
1310
On 8th April 1310, at Cawood, a licence was granted to a Roger of Spaldington, possibly Osbert of Spaldington's son, to have divine service celebrated for 5 years in an oratory in his manor of Spaldington, 'quod a parochiali ecclesie multum distet' (which is far removed from the parochial church.)
(Brown, William, and A. Hamilton Thompson. (eds.). 1936. The Register of William Greenfield Lord Archbishop of York 1306-1315 Part III. Surtees Society 151, 168) ( Register 7 f.213 (recto) entry 2, https://archbishopsregisters.york.ac.uk/searches?display_type=full+display&page=1&person_same_as_facet=Spaldington%2C+Robert%2C+fl+1304-1309%2C+Vicar+of+Long+Preston&place_same_as_facet=Cawood%2C+West+Riding+of+Yorkshire%2C+England&rows_per_page=10&search_term=Hutton%2C+Matthew%2C+%3F+1529-1606%2C+Archbishop+of+York )
1345
Peter de la Haye, in his will, left 10/- to mend his Chapel. At the time, this was equivalent to the wages of a skilled tradesman for 25 days.
1426
Peter de la Hay, donsel, and a number of the parishioners of the parish churches of Aughton and Bubbewith in the diocese of York petitioned Pope Martin V - containing that they are often prevented from being present at divine offices in the said churches, especially in winter by floods, snow and hail; and adding that near (circa) the bounds of the said parishes a chapel of St. James was of old founded and dedicated — to grant that they may, during the said hindrances, cause mass and other divine offices to be celebrated by a fit priest in the said chapel; saving the right of the said churches and of any other.
1486
Richard Blanshard of Spaldington, Farmer, left a will in which he made several bequests to the chapels of Spaldington and Willitoft.
1493-4
In John Vavasour Senior's will, made on 11th January 1493-4, he directed his executors to make, found and ordain one chantry at Spaldington with his land that he had at Newland. They should put aside £200 for this. (2023 equivalent: £200,000. At the time, this could employ a skilled tradesman for 6666 days. The chantry was subsequently founded by his nephew, Sir Peter Vavasour (See 1510 below).
(A Selection of Wills from the Registry at York Vo.l 4, by Surtees Society, Durham)
1510
The dedication of this chapel was revealed when Peter Vavasour obtained a licence “to found a chantry for one chaplain in the chapel of St. James, in the hamlet of Spaldington, in the parish of Bubwith, Yorks.; to pray for the King and Queen Katharine, and for the said Peter and Elizabeth his wife, and for the soul of Sir John Vavasour; according to the ordinance of the said Peter and Henry Mathewe, prior of Ellerton, York, Thomas Tanfeld, prior of Thorneholme, Linc., and John Warner, alderman of London. Also mortmain licence for the said Peter to alienate lands to the said chaplain of the annual value of 9 marks. ”. Henry Matthew, prior of Ellerton, was to be its chaplain. (Greenwich, 18 May, 2 Hen. VIII. Del. Westm., 15 June. P.S. Pat. 2 Hen. VIII. p. 1, m. 16. [1097.] Henry VIII: June 1510, Pages 298-311. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 1, 1509-1514. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1920. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol1/pp298-311#highlight-first )
1525-6
In the clerical tax list of Feb 1525/6, Robert Flete was listed as the chaplain of Spaldington.
(State Papers 17 Hen VIII, vol iv, Part i, no. 2001, and printed in the Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, Vol XXIV, (part 93), pages 62-80)
1548
The chapel was still in existence at the Dissolution of the Chantries in 1548, and was valued then at £4. 13s. 4d, per annum.
1650
In 1650 it is stated : " Vicarage worth £13. 6s.8d. Spaldington and Willitoft to be united and made a parish, and Willitoft to be the parish Church." There were then two Chapels. (Parliamentary Survey of 1650, vol. xvii. page 367. and vol. xviii. pages 111- 126)
1764
The chapel seems to have fallen into disuse at some point during the next 100 years, as in Archbishop Drummond's Visitation of 1764 he asked the question: Have you any chapels within your parish? What are the names of them? How far are they distant from the parish-church? How are they endowed? By whom, and at what times, are they served. Is the curate duly qualified? By whom, and when, was he nominated? Have you any chapel in ruins in which no divine service is performed? to which the reply was: “There is now no chapel. Two lie in ruins, one at Spaldington, and one at Willitoft.”