Two of Yorkshire’s most remarkable Victorian churches were built in memory of a young man murdered by Greek brigands.  Christ the Consoler, Skelton-on-Ure, and St. Mary the Virgin, Studley Royal, were built in the early 1870s to commemorate the life of Frederick Vyner of Newby Hall, whose plight caused anxiety to Queen Victoria and whose untimely death at the age of 23 was a national scandal, rocking the foreign policy of the government.

Frederick’s sister was Henrietta who was married to the earl of Ripon, whose estate was Studley Royal.  Frederick Vyner’s mother, Lady Mary, daughter of Earl de Grey, raised a vast sum of money which was put towards the building of Christ the Consoler church in Skelton-on-Ure, in memory of Frederick, in the grounds of Newby Hall, with designs by reknowned Architect William Burges.

Inside Skelton church is rich marble, black in the nave, multicoloured in the chancel ; look also for the stained glass windows depicting the Resurrection, and Thomas Nicholls’ carvings of The Four Ages of Man.  Burges’s estimate for Skelton church was £10,000 but by the time it was complete in the autumn of 1876 it had cost the Vyners around £25,000.

There are remarkable features within St. Mary’s Church, Studley Royal.  Lady Ripon, Vyner’s sister, was the main inspirer of the Studley church, and is not a church that reflects mourning.  It is instead a paean of praise to the Creator.  Its theme is Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.

These two churches are considered to have no parallel in the UK.  The Church of Christ the Consoler at Skelton is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust.  St. Mary’s Church, Studley, is owned by English Heritage and administered by the National Trust.

Aged 23, Frederick set out from Athens in a party of eight to visit Marathon on 11^th April 1870.  The party included Lord and Lady Muncaster from Ravenglass in Cumberland.  They were escorted by 4 mounted police and 12 foot soldiers, to protect them from the region’s many marauding bandits.  On the return the carriages managed to get out of sight of the soldiers and, in an overgrown ravine armed brigands attacked the vehicles and shot two policemen.  The travellers were forced to climb into the mountains where they were interrogated.  A ransom demand for 32,000 English sovereigns was sent to the Greek government.  Meanwhile Vyner and friends negotiated with the brigands, and the demands were modified to £25,000 (valued today at £1.25 million) or an amnesty.  Gladstone’s government, in which Frederick’s brother the earl of Ripon was lord president of the Council, had been pursuing a policy of detente with the Greeks, which made the situation very difficult.  Eventually the captors were asked to accept the modified ransom, but they realised they had valuable persons in their hands, worth vast sums.

Negotiations broke down and troops sent to rescue the prisoners, but gunfire broke out and panic ensued, Vyner and others were shot, some escaped.  The grief in Newby Hall was intense, which inspired the building of the two churches in memorium.

The statue is Late 17^th and updated in late 19^th century.

It is made of Carrara marble figures, bronze reins, ashlar plinth.  Tall plinth with moulded base and cornice, rounded ends.  The mounted figure in armour holds reins in left hand and staff in the right;  the horse stands over a cowering figure with left hand raised to protect himself.  The statue was made in Italy and originally represented John Sobieski, King of Poland, trampling a Turk;  it commemorated his victory in Vienna.

The statue was bought in 1675 by Sir Robert Vyner (who was the goldsmith responsible for Charles II’s Coronation regalia) who brought it to London at the Restoration. The original Crown Jewels had been melted down by Parliament during the Interregnum.  Sir Robert had the head refashioned to represent Charles II and the lower figure represented Oliver Cromwell.

In 1739 the site was taken for the construction of London’s Mansion House, and the statue was removed to an inn yard, then to the Vyner estate in Lincolnshire.   Lady Mary Robinson of Newby married Henry Vyner and inherited Newby Hall  in 1859.

The statue was brought to Newby Park in 1883.

A wooden church existed on this site in the 13^th century when Alan de Aldfield was granted a chantry with a chaplain.  The raiding Scots were probably responsible for its destruction, but the church was rebuilt and has undergone various restorations.  The dedication refers to St. Lawrence, a Roman deacon martyred in AD258.

Over the church door is a sundial with a 1696 date, thought to be part of the earlier church, rebuilt in 1782 in the Georgian gothic style.  In an engraving dated 1720 the church is shown with a tower, which was later demolished.  The church bell dates from 1775.  Within the church are three bays and an oak three-decker pulpit.  The box pews date from the 18^th century.  There are two painted wooden panels on either side of the altar on which are the Lord’s prayer, the creed, and the ten commandments.

It is thought the stone work on the east window came from the earlier church.  All windows have good proportioned lancets with simple ‘Y’ tracery.  The marble font is designed like the 13^th century one in Fountains Abbey museum, and is considered to have come from the private chapel of Studley Hall.  The church organ is 20^th century but in keeping with the style of the church.  A 1756 gravestone in the church is that of a blacksmith of Fountains Abbey

A NOTE ABOUT LES BLOOM, who originally planned this visit back in 2019 but the event had to be postponed for various reasons including Covid restrictions, but he has since died and we felt it important to finally carry out his plans for this project……..

For those who never knew Les, who lived in Pudsey near Leeds, he was one of the Field Society’s earliest members, befriending and working closely with the famous Dr. Arthur Raistrick who was one of the Society’s Founder Members back in 1956, and maintained regular commitment to the Society   Les’s engineering career led him to an interest in industrial archaeology and a comprehensive knowledge of the milling industry.  Les had a deep interest in history too and developed a thorough knowledge of the county’s important families, their connections and welfares, and their historic homes.

In any project Les took on he presented us with the result of immense research, providing paper handouts to members but speaking from his enviable and accurate memory with humour.  We shall miss his presence, but will do our best to make this day for him

Notes by Phyllida

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