Just to complete the ‘aside’ on Howden manor with a brief mention of three of the six churches within Howdenshire under the authority of the diocese of Durham. The image above, taken from a leaflet produced as part of a restoration appeal for Hemingbrough Minster, shows a pre-photo view of St. Mary’s church from the south west, the churchyard wall seen in the foreground remains in place. Hemingbrough is a village roughly half way between Selby and Howden near the River Derwent and river transport allowed the builders access to Tadcaster magnesian limestone as the main building material. Much of the cruciform church is of the 13th century, the lofty needle spire (although I read that it has broach supports at its base) having been completed in the mid 15th century. Along with the crossing tower of York Minster and the needle spire of South Dalton church that of Hemingbrough must be one of the loftiest points on an ecclesiastical building in the East Riding. St. Mary’s has much of interest to offer the visitor including a complete 13th century font (if the church is open).
I am not familiar with Skipwith church (s.p.b.) but David Neave speaks glowingly of it (Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (2005, 687-689), especially its window tracery.
Saltmarshe church (s.p.b.) is located in the village of Laxton two miles north of Saltmarshe’s River Ouse-side location. In the field across the road from the Victorian church of St Peter’s stands the surviving east -end of the chancel of an earlier church otherwise demolished when the new church was completed in 1876. A fine 14th century east window survives in the ruin, this probably the earliest built part of the church when it was in use.
A similar situation may be found in Holme-on-the-Wolds (Dalton Holme) where until late 20th century a section of the chancel of the once St. Peter’s church stood as a ruin. No longer there but a section of the graveyard may still be viewed from the road-side not far from South Dalton church.