Kirkby Malzeard & Laverton

The Market Cross

Let’s start by giving a little background to the Market Cross, or ‘Mart Mark’, as far as I can gather from my research.

A market charter was obtained by John de Mowbray from King Edward 1st in 1307 which allowed two fairs annually and a weekly market to be held in Kirkby, and also meant that Kirkby is, technically, a town.
The holding of the market and fairs had stopped prior to 1817 when there was an advert placed in the local newspaper stating they were starting them again.
A document sent to ‘The Freemen, Inhabitants and Tradesmen’ of Ripon by a Freeman dated 26th April 1817 shows the concern they had for impact the market and fairs could have on the ‘Grocer, the Mercer, the Draper, the Innkeeper, the Artisan and Manufacturer of every description and all persons least engaged in Trade’, in Ripon.


It is unclear how successful the markets in Kirkby were, but there is a record showing that they were again restarted in 1824, and again without much success!
So this brings us nicely onto the history of the actual Market Cross.
In 1817, when there were plans for the market and fairs, a request was made to Mrs Lawrence of Studley Hall and a local land owner, to pay for the building of a cross.
Moving forward to 28th May 1866, we have a significant event in the story of the Market Cross.
Quoted from ‘Rambles with a Rambler’ by T. Thirkill.
The site of the current Police Station (now Kirkby House) was originally occupied by two thatched cottages, a pigstye, Blacksmith’s shop, and a dunghill, the whole of which was purchased by one Mr John Bonwell, a native of the district who pulled down this mixture and built a dwelling house and cottage with rails in front, facing east. Mr Bonwell sold this property to one Mr Helliwell, a retired schoolmaster, who got himself mixed up in a pretty mess after having got himself appointed surveyor, for on the early morning of 28th May 1866, he pulled the old cross down as he considered it an eyesore, broke it up, and used it wherewith to repair the highway. This caused a terrific hubbub and so aroused the indignation of the locals that securing the assistance of Col. J. S. Crompton of Azerley Hall, and T. Richmond, of Laverton Hall, they instituted proceedings against him with a view to compelling him to replace it, but without effect, so local inhabitants eventually took the matter into their own hands, pulled down the iron railings, and displaced the quoin stones at both corners of the house, each of which were encroached on the highway. This proceeding naturally caused some excitement, and increased the hubbub, with the result that he had ultimately to pull down the whole building and rebuild it on the old foundations before existing, and in the following September, a New Cross was erected, where it now stands in the original position. In the south east corner foundation stone was placed a sealed bottle, four Ripon Chronicles, one Ripon Gazette, some newspapers, two plans of the Market Cross, and one Nidderdale Almanak containing a full description of the old Market Cross.
There is certainly more to this story than I have mentioned.
In the Richmond and Ripon Chronicle, 20th April 1867 there is a letter published from a Dr W Armstong relating to the problems with the Market Cross.
It seems that both the old and new Market Crosses were at the centre of anti-social behaviour.
The letter quotes “The sooner it (the cross) is removed the better in every way for the respectability of Kirkby Malzeard, for I know from experience it was the resort only of naughty boys and indolent men”. “If they cling to it as a relic of by gone days by all means let them erect it at the other end of the village where they can disport themselves at pleasure without disturbing others who have no sympathy with the unruly and lawless.”
“I am glad you have called my attention to the cross at Kirkby Malzeard, During the time of holding my curacy in that parish, it was a perpetual source of annoyance, especially on Sundays ; young men and children used to assemble there in knots and take delight in insulting the passers-by, especially females when going to or returning from church. I have known instances in which ladies have been deterred from coming to church, on Sunday evenings, under the apprehension of meeting with insult on their way to and from home by parties congregated at that spot. The language, I understand, used by those young offenders was often gross in the extreme. I rejoiced, therefore, to think that that mutilated heap of stones, which had lost all the character of a cross, was removed.”
“Ornamental trees have been torn down, ornamental stones have been dilapidated and destroyed, palings injured, windows broken, cope stones thrown down, and injuries of other sorts committed, which Irish Fenians alone could think of paralleling. On Friday last the services of the church were much interfered with by the brutish crowd collected outside, which meets every day and night under leadership to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the inhabitants of the town-end. Means are now, however, being taken to put a stop to such iniquities so that we may expect shortly to be allowed to live in a state of decent comfort.”
There is also a letter published in the same newspaper the following week which shows the level of anger the issue of the Market Cross was causing at that time!
The current cross was inaugurated on September 30th 1868, and is the cross you can see today. apart from repair work.