The Overlords of Kildale

Park Nab, a smallish sandstone crag, much favoured by the climbing fraternity, who no doubt delight in the view over Kildale—suggested by some to be the dale of a forgotten Viking named Killi. Perhaps he might be one of those unfortunate Norsemen discovered inconveniently buried under the church floor during the 1868 rebuild. Quite fitting for a village where the church tower shyly peeks out over the trees, right of centre in the photo.

Kildale, recorded as “Childale” in the Domesday Book, was then in the hands of Orm, a loyal servant of William the Conqueror. After Orm had presumably been shown to the door, Robert de Brus took over, marking the beginning of a tedious game of pass-the-parcel, with various nobles seizing it, losing it, and reclaiming it for centuries. Eventually, it fell into the grasp of the Darcys of Knayth, a family whose name one mumbles with great solemnity, though they barely managed to hang onto it for long themselves.¹‘Parishes: Kildale’, in A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2, ed. William Page( London, 1923), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/north/vol2/pp249-253 [accessed 2 October 2024].

But all that is merely a preamble to the arrival of the Percys of Kildale, a line so distinguished it insists on appending ‘of Kildale’ as though that alone were the pinnacle of prestige. The first in this storied clan was Arnald de Percy, who graciously agreed to witness William de Percy’s foundation charter to Whitby Abbey, no doubt with a quill dipped in deep reverence and the vague sense he was doing something historic. The nature of Arnald and William’s relationship has been shrouded in mystery by the passage of time.

The Percys held sway over Kildale for an admirable stretch, though not without frequent squabbles over land, titles, and the like. The legal disputes, one imagines, provided endless amusement for lawyers and little else. By the 17th century, however, the glamour had faded, and Kildale was sold off to John Turner, who in turn passed it down through his family. By the 19th century, it had landed in the hands of Robert Bell Livesey, only to be shuffled yet again into the possession of Edmund Turton, by way of a daughter’s marriage, of all things.

Amidst a history of land grants, ownership transfers, and legal battles, Kildale remains beneath the imposing Park Nab. Yet, its true allure lies in the haunting legacy of the Percys, casting an enigmatic spell over the dale.

• 1
  ‘Parishes: Kildale’, in A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 2, ed. William Page( London, 1923), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/north/vol2/pp249-253 [accessed 2 October 2024].