THE P RTAL
May 2012 Ripley Castle Eliza Treblecock visits Ripley Castle near Harrogate
HARROGATE IS a splendid town, with Ripley Castle is just a short distance away. Te home of the Ingleby family for at least seven hundred years, the Castle is open to the public. It is set in beautiful countryside and is still in private hands. Wonderfully maintained, the Castle is an important local employer and the Ingleby family remains at the heart of local life.
Blessed Francis Ingleby Te family boasts of one ancestor elevated to the
ranks of the “Blessed”. Tis is Blessed Francis Ingleby (1550-1586). Short but well- made, fair-complexioned, with a chestnut beard and a slight cast in his eyes, Francis was ordained deacon at Rheims on Saturday 24th September 1582 and priest at Laon on Saturday 24th December 1583. On Wednesday 4th April the following year he set sail for England.
His mission appears to have
been fruitful in the North of England. Elizabeth’s Government had passed a law that made it illegal for any Catholic priest to enter or remain in England, or for anyone to aid or shelter them. Te penalty was death.
Francis was well aware of the
1964 At the time of the Restoration, in 1688, the Ingleby
family became Anglican, and remain so today. But the story of Blessed Francis was not over, nor was the family’s Catholic heritage. In 1964 the “priest’s hole” was discovered at Ripley Castle. It seems reasonable to assume that Blessed Francis spent time hidden in it. It is tiny and would be uncomfortable for anyone cramped inside.
Te Castle has many interesting
features, and if the other guides are half as good as Bill Forshaw who was on duty when Te Portal was at Ripley Castle, visitors are well served.
The young Sir Thomas Ingleby explores the priest’s hole with his father, the late Sir Joslan Ingleby, soon after its discovery
danger he was in, but knew also that his mission was important.
Priest’s hole At Ripley Castle there was a hide, or “priest’s hole”.
It was no mere cosmetic, but an essential tool for his survival. Tere had been uprisings in Yorkshire in 1536/7 and
1569, so the authorities were doing much to prevent
a third. Te move backfired for, as persecution increased, the number of recusants in Yorkshire began to grow
Execution Francis was confessor to the famous Saint Margaret
Clitherow. Asked for a Blessing by a fellow Catholic, he was observed giving the Blessing, arrested and clapped in irons. His trial was on 2nd June 1586 and he was executed at York on 3rd July. Te execution was brutal, he being hanged, drawn and quartered.
Recusant Yorkshire Te Castle was built in 1555
and was at the very centre of recusant Yorkshire. It seems
that the Ingleby family were up to their necks in the Gunpowder Plot. Guy Fawkes came from Scotten, just two miles from Ripley.
Civil War A chilling reminder of troubled times past survives
in the walls of the Gatehouse. In one wall are the holes made by the muskets that were used to kill hostages during the Civil War. Oliver Cromwell stayed the night at Ripley, despite that fact that the Inglebys were for the King. Nevertheless, the hostages were lined up against the Gatehouse wall and shot.
A visit to Ripley Castle is a joy. Tere is a good
restaurant and ample parking. Not far away is Fountains Abbey, and that is also worth a visit!
Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate,
North Yorkshire, HG3 3AY - 01423 770152
enquiries@ripleycastle.co.uk www.ripleycastle.co.uk
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