Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Some years ago, when I was itinerating in Craven, I passed through a village, and saw “Rathmell” painted on a board. The name struck me, and I recollected it was the residence of Mr. Frankland, the tutor of the first dissenting tendency in England. I asked the first man I met if there were any remains of an old chapel in the place; “No,” said he, “but there was once a college here.” I then enquired what person in the village was most likely to give me information about it. At last I went to one family whose ancestors had resided within a stone’s cast of Mr Frankland’s house for several centuries. They received me courteously, entertained me to dinner, showed me the premises, and told me all the traditions of the place respecting “the old college.” It was an extensive establishment, bounded by a high wall, which enclosed an acre of ground. Over the gate of the yard was a large bell, which rang at stated times to call the students up, and to summon them to family prayers, meals, etc. Some of the buildings have been taken down, and those which are still standing are converted into cottage houses. There was a long row of windows to the different studies, most of which are now walled up. The kitchen was described to me as having been very large; and my guide told me that when she was a girl she had often hid herself in the oven in a game of “hide and seek.”

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

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Original

The old college building at Rathmell still exists, but has been greatly altered; in part demolished, and in part turned into cottages which occupy an enclosure known as College Fold. The following is an account given by John Cockin, minister at Holmfirth, in a letter written by him April 21st, 1821, of a visit paid by him to the place:

“Some years ago, when I was itinerating in Craven, I passed through a village, and saw ‘Rathmell’ painted on a board. The name struck me, and … I recollected it was the residence of Mr. Frankland, the tutor of the first dissenting tendency in England. I asked the first man I met if there were any remains of an old chapel in the place; ‘No,’ said he, ‘but there was once a college here.’ I then enquired what person in the village was most likely to give me information about it…. At last I went to one family whose ancestors had resided within a stone’s cast of Mr. Frankland’s house for several centuries. They received me courteously, entertained me to dinner, shewed me the premises, and told me all the traditions of the place respecting ‘the old college.’ It was an extensive establishment, bounded by a high wall, which enclosed an acre of ground. Over the gate of the yard was a large bell, which rang at stated times to call the students up, and to summon them to family prayers, meals, &c. Some of the buildings have been taken down, and those which are still standing are converted into cottage houses. There was a long row of windows to the different studies, most of which are now walled up…. The kitchen was described to me as having been very large; and my guide told me that when she was a girl she had often hid herself in the oven in a game of ‘hide and seek.’ The garden and orchard were extensive, but are now converted into grass land. I could learn no anecdotes of the personal character of Mr. Frankland, or any of the students; and all the traditions I heard related to the mischievous tricks which the young men played to the country people.”

A view of the buildings, as they now appear, is given in the Transactions of the Congregational Historical Society for September, 1906. A complete list of Frankland’s students may be found in J. H. Turner’s edition of “Oliver Heywood’s Diaries, &c,” vol. 3, 1885.

417 words.

Tags

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• Ancient Rome (4) ·
• Child (17) ·
• Craven (8) ·
• Dissenting academies (1) ·
• English Dissenters (4) ·
• Game (3) ·
• Herculaneum (1) ·
• Heywood, Oliver (1630-1702) (34), Bolton-born nonconformist minister and diarist, active in the West Riding, resident at Northowram, ejected for his beliefs ·
• Hide-and-seek (1) ·
• Holmfirth (6) ·
• Nonconformism (47) ·
• Rathmell Academy (1) ·
• 📌Rathmell (1) ·
• Richard Frankland (tutor) (1) ·

All tags.

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