The Church of St Oswald, Lythe, is the parish church for the village of

Lythe Lythe is a small village and large civil parish, in North Yorkshire, England, situated near Whitby within the North York Moors National Park. The name of the village derives from Old Norse and means hill or slope. It was in the old North Rid ...

, west, north west of

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. The church is at the top of Lythe Bank (the western end) and is just east of the village on the

A174 road The A174 is a major road in North Yorkshire, England. It runs from the A19 road at Thornaby-on-Tees, across South Teesside and down the Yorkshire Coast to Whitby. The A174 is the coastal route between Teesside and Whitby; the alternative road, ...

. A church has been on the site since the 13th century, though the present building was adapted from the old church in 1910 by Sir Walter Tapper. It was

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in 1969.

History

A church had been located on the site since the 13th century, but stones found in the early 20th century mark Lythe as being an important

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

burial ground. The tower of the old church was renovated in 1769, with the whole church being renovated in 1819. When Sir Walter Tapper rebuilt the church in 1910, only the north wall and the east end of the chancel were left untouched. During the rebuilding in the early 20th century, stones found in the walls of the tower were dated to pre-

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

times. Tapper also adapted the Norman tower to fit a spire, which acts as a way marker and coast marker for sailors travelling alongside the dangerous part of the coast near to here. The church was granted to the monks of

Nostell Priory Nostell Priory is a Palladian house in Nostell, West Yorkshire, in England, near Crofton and on the road to Doncaster from Wakefield. It dates from 1733 and was built for the Winn family on the site of a medieval priory. The Priory and its co ...

during the tenure of

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

(1159–1181) and so was named after their dedication of St Oswald. The church became crown property in the 1530s after its benefactor, Sir Francis Bigod was hanged at the

Tyburn Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in London, Middlesex, England, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone. Tyburn took its name from the Tyburn Brook, a tributary of the River Westbourne. The name Tyburn, from Teo Bourne ...

in London for high treason. Before Tapper's restoration, several changes were made to the building which was essentially of 12th and 13th century origin. At some point, the walls were re-inforced with buttresses and two arches inside the church were demolished to make just one arch. The top of the tower was removed "for fear of it falling down upon the church." In 1818, the roof was stripped of its lead covering and replaced with slate. The churchyard was enlarged in 1887 and around the same period, a lych-gate was added. The church is only away from the coast and is adjacent to a steep hill on the A174 road known as Lythe Bank. Its prominent location overlooking road and sea is often described as being in a commanding position for its views to the east. The

chapel-of-ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

of St Mary's at

Sandsend Sandsend is a small fishing village, near to Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Lythe. It is the birthplace of fishing magnate George Pyman. Originally two villages, Sandsend and East Row, the united San ...

, is believed to have been built when the population of Sandsend increased. The new church meant that worshippers could avoid the steep Lythe Bank to get up to St Oswald's. Despite being described as having no antiquarian value by some writers (on account of its restoration in 1910) the building was given a grade I listing in 1969. The roof was replaced again in 2018, when the roof tiles put up by Tapper were replaced with newer stones. The old sandstone tiles were carved into unique artworks by a local sculptor who then sold the pieces during the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire to raise money for the church.

Churchyard

The churchyard contains many graves, some dating as far back as the 10th century. Several of the burial plots are those from the Phipps family; the Phipps are the family that have been in possession of

Mulgrave Castle Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Lythe, near Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wade (folklore), Wada, a 6th-century ruler of ...

and woods for several centuries.

Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby Oswald Constantine John Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby (29 July 1912 – 30 January 1994), styled Earl of Mulgrave until 1932, was a British peer and philanthropist for blind people. Early life and education The only son of Constantine Phip ...

was buried here in 1994. The churchyard also contains a memorial to the seventeen men from the village killed in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and also commemorates seven unknown sailors who were washed ashore in the same period. The memorial sits to the south west of the church and is

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. In 1932, the Belgian trawler ''Jeanne'' was wrecked on the coast below Lythe. The graveyard contains a grave with three of the dead sailors.

Parish and benefice region

The Church of St Oswald, is the parish church for the Parish of Lythe which covers over . The parish consists of the settlements of Lythe, Sandsend, Goldsborough, East & West Barnby and

Kettleness Kettleness, is a hamlet in the county of North Yorkshire, England. The settlement only consists of half-a-dozen houses, but up until the early 19th century, it was a much larger village. However, most of that village, which was on the headland, ...

and the area largely consists of a rural seaside landscape. The church is part of the benefice of Hinderwell, Roxby & Staithes with Lythe, Ugthorpe & Sandsend. The benefice has a population of 2,700 but only 74 attend church, and of those, only 20 attend St Oswald's regularly. In 2016, St Oswald's performed three baptisms, nine weddings and seven funerals.

In popular culture

The graveyard and church were used as a setting in the

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English actor. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Daniel Day-Lewis, numerous a ...

film, ''"

Phantom Thread ''Phantom Thread'' is a 2017 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville, and follows an haute couture dressmaker in 1950s London who takes a y ...

"''.

Clergy

The following are listed as being rectors of St Oswalds between 1154 and 1537, when Edward Layton was presented as the vicar of St Oswalds by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. Thereafter, all clergy are listed as vicars. Some sources list John Fisher, who was incumbent between 1499 and 1504 as being the Catholic Martyr of

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...

and his recorder being Hugo Ashton, who succeeded him at Lythe.

References

Sources

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External links

St Oswalds, Lythe webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lythe, Saint Oswald Grade I listed churches in North Yorkshire Church of England church buildings in North Yorkshire 12th-century church buildings in England