Bellcross

Bellcross, Kilpin

When first introduced to Bellcross in Kilpin, we assumed that the name was a generic term for a wayside shrine or
chapel. This seemed especially likely as there appear to be four images suggestive of ‘bellcrosses’ on the 15th
century Inclesmoor map, located in the villages of Airmyn, Snaith, Haldenby and Reedness:

During our early research into the map, we were very fortunate to receive help and advice from Professor Paul
Harvey (an authority on medieval maps). He suggested that we should not rely too heavily on the realism of the
images shown on the map, as pictorial maps of this time were more symbolic than accurate. While we have taken
that advice on board, we have noticed that some of the villages do appear to show certain buildings that suggest
some knowledge of the area by the cartographer / artist – for instance, the representation of a toll tower at Airmyn
(for Booth Ferry?) and chapels on bridges at Ferrybridge and Fockerby. Having been introduced to the notion of a
bellcross at Kilpin, therefore, we thought that maybe the images of a bell contained within a tower bearing a cross
may be representative of an actual bellcross shrine or chapel; ie: bellcross being a generic term, just one example of
which may have been situated at Kilpin.
The location of a shrine at Kilpin is borne out further by this quote from Bulmer’s History and Directory of East
Yorkshire (1892):

“At the upper end of Bell Cross Lane formerly stood a shrine, or oratory, dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin Mary, at which offerings were frequently made by pilgrims resorting thither. It was in
existence in 1512, but not a vestige of it now remains. It is very probable that the name of Bell
Cross has some connection with this shrine.”
However, since digging deeper into the subject of the bell cross at Kilpin, an alternative theory comes to mind.
Whilst the images on the Inclesmoor map may, indeed, represent small shrines, chapels or places of pilgrimage, etc.,
we are not now convinced that they can be called bell crosses or that ‘bell cross’ is, indeed, a generic term. On the
contrary, we are starting to consider that the ‘Bell cross’ which seems to have been located on the road between
Kilpin and Howden could have been a fairly prominent Marian shrine or chapel, possibly built by, or at least
supported by, at least one prominent family in the area.
This is backed by the fact that an internet search on ‘bell cross’ brings up very few matches. Apart from the
references at Kilpin, we only found two other mentions of bell crosses. The first was a reference to a bell cross base,
discovered during an archaeological excavation in Spring Lane, Sprotbrough. The remains are marked on a late-19th
century OS map of the area.

The other reference can be found on the University of Nottingham’s website, ‘The Place Names of the West Riding of
Yorkshire’:

https://tinyurl.com/md3xptws
There are probably many more, but we haven’t discovered them yet … apart from the following one, which we
believe might possibly hold the key to the story of the Bell Cross at Kilpin …

Dame Katherine Hastings
Mention of Belcrosse occurs in the last will and testament of Dame Kateryne Hastinges (Katherine Hastings). Dame
Katherine died in February 1506-7 and, by her own request, was buried “in ye parich church of Askton, otherwise
called Aughton, or Acton”.

In this document, amongst other bequests, Dame Katherine leaves:
‘my black chamlett’ to ‘our Lady of Belcrosse’.

It seems that chamlett was a luxury fabric often comprised of a mixed weave of silk and animal hair or wool. It is
possible that the intention was that the rich material was cut up into vestments and displayed on the statue of Our
Lady. It was not unusual for bequests made to shrines, by women in particular, to take the form of garments or
jewellery, rather than money. These shrines were often Marian; ie: dedicated to the Virgin Mary. They often
marked the site of an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which was centred
a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales were often the destination of pilgrimages.
So, coming back to Lady Katherine’s will - where was ‘Our Lady of Belcrosse’? It couldn’t be the Bell Cross
memorialised as Bell Cross Lane and Bell Cross Cottages on 19th century OS maps of Kilpin … or could it?
First of all, we needed to find out more about Katherine Hastings and what her connection might be to the places
mentioned in her will.
Our first clue to the identity of Dame Katherine may be found if we consider more of her will:

We immediately notice the bequest to Katherine’s brother, George Aske, followed by a number of further bequests
to other members of the Aske family. So, Katherine’s maiden name was Aske!
In fact, Katherine Aske was born circa 1457 at Aughton, Yorkshire, the daughter of Sir John Aske of Aughton (1442 -
June 1497) and Elizabeth Bigod (1443 - 1507+). Sir John and his wife had a total of 8 sons (Robert, Richard, John,
William, Ralph, George, Henry, Nicholas) and 3 daughters (Anne, Catherine, Margaret).
Katherine’s father, John Aske, was the son of Richard Aske and Margaret Ughtred. Margaret’s father, Sir Thomas
Ughtred, was a member of an extremely important family of the time. Also of interest is the fact that Sir Thomas is
documented as having leased the moated site at Hook from St Mary’s Abbey in 1402. Whether he actually lived
there is unknown. However, if he did, is it possible that Katherine’s mother may have been born there, perhaps?

In 1496, Katherine married Sir John Hastings of Fenwick, Yorkshire (1466 - July 12, 1504), son of Sir Hugh Hastings
and Anne Gascoigne. Katherine was Sir John’s second wife.

The Aske Family

The Askes were an old Yorkshire family whose
origins can be traced to the eleventh century when
they held lands of the earl of Richmond in North
Yorkshire. A younger branch of the family founded
by Conan, the second son of Hugh de Aske, came by
property in Aughton through marriage. Conan's son,
Richard Aske, founded a chantry in Howden church
in 1365, indicating that he was living in the area at
the time. His grandson, John de Aske, had a
daughter, Alicia, whose marriage to German Haye
brought with it land in Aughton and when she and
her husband died without issue it reverted to John
de Aske and his male heirs.

John de Aske was thus the first lord of the manor of Aughton. Katherine was John de Aske’s Great Granddaughter.

The south side of Aughton church bears a slightly cryptic inscription: ‘do not forget the year of our Lord 1536.’ This
is the year that Katherine of Aragon died; Anne Boleyn met her dramatic end; and Henry VIII took a third wife in his
quest for a son. But, for the people of Aughton, it would have been remembered most for what would become
known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. This famous insurrection that would involve 30,000 men throughout Yorkshire
and further north was named and given its purpose by Katherine’s nephew, Robert Aske. In fact, Katherine even left
Robert a shirt in her will!

Katherine’s Bequests

To understand the reasoning behind the bequests made in Katherine’s will, we should consider that it is likely that
she would have visited the shrines during her lifetime or the shrines would, at least, have had some significance to
her family or ancestors. For this reason, shrines mentioned in wills can give us valuable information about the places
with which people were familiar and, at the same time, can reveal intensely local attachments.

The religious sites mentioned in Katherine’s will are:

 The Church of All Saints, Aston cum Aughton, where she wished to be buried. Katherine’s immediate family
built the church at Aughton. This was also the final resting place of several other members of Katherine’s
family.

 The Priory church of St Mary and St Lawrence at Ellerton, to the Parson of which Katherine gave her horse in
gratitude for him carrying out her burial service;

 The shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. There is no obvious family connection to this shrine, however it was
a major site of pilgrimage in North Norfolk and, as such, featured in many wills at the time.

 Our Lady of Doncaster. This was the most important medieval Shrine dedicated to Our Lady in Yorkshire. In
1449, Constance Bigod, Katherine’s Great Grandmother, left her girdle worked with silver and gilt to Our
Lady of Doncaster. In 1482, Katherine’s Father-in-Law, Sir Hugh Hastings, then on an expedition against the
Scots, left funds to provide wax to be burned during Mass before Our Lady's altar here.

 Our Lady of Hemingbrough. Katherine and Sir John had a daughter, Elizabeth, who died before her mother
and was buried in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hemingbrough. Hemingbrough seems to have been the
resting place of several members of the Aske family.

 Norton Church. Norton Priory, near Doncaster, was the burial place of Katherine’s husband, Sir John
Hastings.

And then we have Our Lady of Belcrosse … No obvious connection to Katherine or her family of a shrine with this
name has yet come to light. However, a post-lockdown visit to the repository of the Aske family papers at Hull
History Centre might reveal more. It may well be that the Bell Cross at Sprotbrough, not Kilpin, is the one referred to

in Katherine’s will. Sprotbrough is close to Doncaster and, after all, Katherine did make a bequest to Our Lady of
Doncaster. However, a local map marked with places of significance to the Aske family does seem to show an
emphasis centering on the Howden area, rather than around Doncaster which is approximately 30 miles South of the
family seat at Aughton. Kilpin, on the other hand, is barely ten miles from Aughton.
Furthermore, other family links in the Howden area of Yorkshire include:

 The patronage of the Priory church of St Mary and St Lawrence at Ellerton by Sir Robert Aske in 1531;
 In November 1543, John Aske left the sum of £20 to the church wardens, in order for them to ‘finish the

steple [steeple] of the churche of Aughton’.
 In 1542, the will of Robert Aske requested that ‘my bodie to be buried in the quere [choir] of Aughton where

my ancestors lieth’.
 St Michael’s Church, Eastrington – It is likely that the Aske family paid for the addition of the North and/or

South aisle of this church. Parts of the south chapel, in particular the south window, date from the
fourteenth century. This chapel was the Aske family chapel. Seemingly long-since gone, the coat of arms of
John and Elizabeth Aske were recorded as being observed on a stone in the church in 1584. The coat of arms
combined the arms of the Aske family with that of the Gascoyn family - Elizabeth Aske was the daughter of
William Gascoyn who was Lord Chief Justice in 1400. The south chapel is also sometimes referred to as the
Athorpe chapel as several members of the Athorpe family, who owned Ousethorpe for many years, are
buried here. The Athorpes were also to become major landowners in Kilpin.

Sites of significance in Katherine’s story
So the Aske connections to the area close to Kilpin are very strong! Particularly to the patronage of religious
buildings and sites!

A final thought
Probably very much a long-shot, but this 14th-century carving of
the Madonna and Child may be found in Howden Minster. The
origin of this carving is apparently unknown.
Could this be the statue of Our Lady of Bell Cross, Kilpin?!
Furthermore, it is interesting to note that any record of Bell Cross
at Kilpin does not seem to exist after the early part of the 16th
century. Just a thought, but if the Aske family were, in fact,
patrons of Bell Cross, might it have been destroyed as a reprisal
for the Pilgrimage of Grace? After all, a key member of the Aske
family instigated and led the rebellion!

Much more research remains … these are just initial ponderings!