PREVIOUS INCUMBENTS

Hickleton List of Incumbents:

Researched and complied by Mr John Dabell with gratitude.

From its Foundation to the Dissolution
From the Dissolution to the Victorian era
From the Victorian to the Modern Age

From its Foundation to the Dissolution:

Before 1170, Jordan parson of Hickleton.
Notification by Archbishop Roger,c 1170-1177, of the termination of a dispute between Jordan, rector of Hickleton and the clerks of Barnburgh, Jordan having proved before the Archbishop that Hickleton was a mother church and ought not to belong to the church of Barnburgh as the clerks had contended.

c1170-1177, John parson of Hickleton described as clerk of Roger Bertram
Granted the church by archbishop Roger after the death of Jordan.

C1220, Reginald parson of Hickleton.
Witness to charters of Monk Bretton Priory by William de Newmarch, his son Randulf, and his granddaughter Nichola.

1246, John rector of Hickleton
His dispute with the prior of Monk Brettcn was settled in 1246 by remitting all claims for payment of small tithes in view of the privileges provided by the prior.

1279, 7th Dec William de Brathewelle priest of Hickleton.
Presented by Peter de Routherfelde, knight

1308, 30th Nov. Ralph de Coninggesburgh magister of Hickleton
Presented by John Curzon.

1319, 8th June Alan de Coninggesburgh magister of Hickleton
Presented by John de Britannia, Earl of Richmond, guardian of Roger, son and heir of John Courson (Curzon). Held Hickleton until 1340.

1340, 12th Dec Robert Curzon clerk of Hickleton
Son of John Curzon, presented by Roger Curzon. Described as with ‘first tonsure’. He was the subject of a complaint with others in 1343 for having broken the park of Isabel, widow of William FitzWilliam at Emley, hunted therein, carried off deer and assaulted her servants.

1369-70, 3rd Feb. Thomas Bailly.
Described as rector and from Barnsley. Acting as feoffee of lands in Kexborough.

1376-77, John de Doddesworth chaplin of Hickleton
Grant by John do Doddesworth, chaplain, to Thomas Baty of Hickleton and Diota his wife, of a messuage, four and a half acres of land, a rood and a half of arable land, as they lie within the vill and territory of Hickleton, in the Chartulary of Monk Bretton Priory.

1471, 6th May William Wilson chaplain of Hickleton
Witness to a grant by William Littiwood of Hickleton and Joan his wife to Henry Strafford, rector of the church of Tretton and William Bell of Hickleton, of a messuage, garden and land at Hickleton. in the Chartulary of Monk Bretton Priory.

1471, 12th Aug Thomas Stodfold chaplain of Hickleton.
Grant by John Sike of Bulklyfe to Thomas Oxspringe and William Bell of Hickleton, of a moiety of a toft and three roods of land, with appurtenances etc., in the Chartu~y of Menk Bretton Priory.

1535, Henry Cadby, Curate at Hickleton.
The monks engaged a stipendiary curate to perform the duties of the parish, to whom they allowed a pension of £4. The rectory was valued at £17 4s 7d. No vicarage.

TOP

From the Dissolution to the Victorian era:

1559 ‘The wardens and parishners doo present that they have had no curate for this twelve months’ (sic.).
So stated the returns of the Royal Visitation of 1559, enquiring into the spiritual health of the nation in each parish.

1591 Chancel in bad repair — no service.
Reports the archdeacon from his visit.

1600 Chancel still not repaired.
Archdeacons visit again. This appears to have been a bad period for Hickleton church. The living of the church had passed rapidly through several hands after the Reformation, which would have been very unsettling for the village. It was also a time of change, where Yeomen farmers were holding land by a variety of tenures and were investing their profits back into the land in the form of increased productivity.

1637 J Michael Noble — curate.

1638 Samuel Morley — curatus.

1639 Samuel Morley — vicar.
Married Rosamunda Osburne in December this year.

c1650 John Gibson preaching minister
Living worth £6 I 5s 4d per annum.

c1661 Hugh Everard — minister.
At sometime during the Commonwealth, Hugh became minister at Hickleton and died at Hickleton Hall in 1665.

1662 Nathan Denton — preacher.
Nathan Denton was preacher at Hickleton on the invitation of Lady Jackson after he was ejected from the living of Bolton-on-Dearne 1660.

1683 ‘Wee have no ministr’ (sic.) states the churchwardens account, dated 28th April 1684
These were troubled times for the Church of England where since the Reformation clergy had been punished for not adhering to the new services demanded and for rejecting the prayre book of 1559.

1743 Joseph Leach — deacon.
No curate. But he must have become a curate as he left Hickleton to become vicar at Darton.

1755-1771 Robert Fisher — minister.

1771-1786 John Coulthred — curate.
John Coulthred, minister of Hickleton, near Doncaster, transcribed the neat new catalogues of the Fothergill collection in 1773 for one guinea and of the main library in 1774-5 for five guineas.

1790-1794 John Coulthred — minister.

1797-1800 Thomas Braithwaite — curate.

1801 Ayseough Hawkesworth – officiating minister
F Hawksworth is described as of Hickletonin the subscription list in Miller’s History of Doncaster, while Godfrey Wentworth is of Woolley. Was Hickleton Hall ratted at this period?

1802-1811 Thomas Braithwaite – curate.

1803 Ayscough Hawkesworth — officiating minister.

1810 Richard Hawkesworth, officiating minister.

1814-1817 A. Hawkesworth, priest in charge
Since the 1700’s, Hickleton and the living of the church were in the possession of the Wentworth family. Godfrey Wentworth built a Georgian house In 1745 a little further south from the Elizabethan palace. The church meanwhile was being used regularly and was fitted out with a gallery, box-pews and two-tiered pulpit.

TOP

From the Victorian to the Modern Age:

1817-1865 Rev. John Wentworth Armytage – perpetual curate

He was here in 1838 as the commercial directory of that date bears witness. He was known as Divine Jack’ and the second Viscount Halilix gave a delightful portrayal of him for ‘The Treasury’ a magazine dated December l902, of the clothes he wore while in the pulpit. He was also rector of the parish of Bulwell, Nottinghamslsire, where once a year he would return to preach an annual sermon.

1865-1873 Mr. E. V. Richards, vicar of Hickleton and rector of South Wooton, Norfolk. His memorial is on his wife’s grave is in the churchyard.

A Welshman with a beard who’s appointment caused friction between the first Viscount Halifax and his son. He was a family man; he played the harmonium and was neither high nor low church. Just the opposite of what the second Viscount wanted – he wanted the Catholic faith and Mr Lawrence a catholic preacher.

1873 but died 1875 Francis Terry MA, Priest of Hickleton.

His grave is in the churchyard at Hickleton on the south side. He died at the age of 45.

1873-1877 Living vacant

1877-1880 Rev. William Montague Higginson Church MA, Vicar

The Rev. Church made an entry in the parish register for Dec. 1877 stating that Lord Halifax gave two oak screens witch are placed in the arches North and South of the Altar Table.

1880-1886 A. M. Wellington, Vicar

1886-1924 Rev. John Dalton MA, Vicar of Hickleton, died 24 August 1924.

Made several entries in the Parish Register from January l886 to 1889, giving also a list of church furniture in 1879. He started his career as a lawyer in Whitelsaven, Cumberland, later moving to Carmarthee. While here worked in hit spare time at the Riverside Mission Church, among fishermen. Moved to London as a solicitor and continued mission work at St. Stephens, Lewisham, work which allowed him to be ordained and west to Masbrough as assistant priest. While here made the acquaintance of Viscount Halifax who invited him to Hickleton.

1924-1929 Rev. Canon Basil Herbert Kingsley, MA, Vicar of Hickleton.

Came to the parish with a wide Colonial experience, very genial and affable has spent the last eighteen years in South Africa. Canon Kingsley is a second cousin to Rev. Charles Kingsley the famous author. He is unmarried and lives at the Lodge.

1919 Rev. F.E.S. Staines Danniel, chaplain.

At the golden wedding of Lord and Lady Halifax on the 26th April 1919 when they celebrated mass at Hickleton church, the Rev. Father Danniel was the celebrant.

1929-1934 H. F. Painter, Vicar of Hickleton.

1935-1939 Rev. Harry Howard, vicar.

The Rev Harry Howard was also vicar of Goldthorpe (the concrete church given by the Second Viscount Halilix) from 1924 to 1939 left to undertake duties at S. Mary Magdalene, Bradford.

1939-1953 Prof. Charles Edwin Whiting, Vicar of Hickleton and canon of Durham.

Charles Edwin Whiting, MA, DD, DCL. D.Litt. FSA, Emeritus Professor of History in the University of Durham, died at Hickleton Vicarage on 24th March 1953. For the last five years of his life he was president of the Yorkshire Archaeology Society. Curate at Hooton Pagnell 1906-16. On his retirement in 1939 Lord Halifax, the patron to the living of Hickleton, presented him, where he resided until his death. He had 23 publications to his credit, transcribing the parish registers of Hooton Pagnell. Frickley with Clayton, Brodsworth, Hickleton, Cantley, Burghwallis and Rillington. He published the Church accounts of Hooton Pagnell, was a dab hand with an excavating trowel at Hampole Priory, Sutton Common and Stancil and wrote an article on Richard Rolle of Hampole. All local places. Did he work on Hickleton material?

1953-1961 Rev, George Edward Waidron Johnston, BA, Vicar of Hickleton. He was also chaplain to St. Hilda’s School for girls based in Hickleton Hall during this period.

1961-1970 He was Priest-in-charge.

Born Dec 9th 1891 and died March 6th 1970. Educated at St. Chad’s College, Durham 1911-1915. Ordained priest March 45 1917. Vicar of St. Andrew’s, Walsali, 1926-1953. Married in 1916 to Madeline Johnston, born July 3,d 1881. Both died on the same day within a few hours. He wrote a booklet on Hickleton church that I have not yet traced.

1971-1972 D. A. Baker, Priest-in-charge.

With Hooton Pagnell church.

1972-1976 K.W. Emmerson, Priest-in-charge.

With Hooton Pagnell church.

1976-1981 D. Carter, Vicar.

With Goldthorpe church.

1981-1990 R. H. Marshall, Vicar.

With Goldthorpe church.

1990 -2008 A. J. Delves, Vicar of Hickleton and Goldthorpe. Canon of Sheffield 1998.

In 1991 Father Delves edited and produced a commemorative booklet on the Goldthorpe parish church, built of concrete in the Italianate style, at the gift of the Second Viscount Halifax in 1916

2008 to the present Father C R Schaefer

TOP