Wycliffe Parish, 1848

WYCLIFFE, a parish, in the union of Teesdale, wapentake of Gilling-West, N. riding of York, 2½ miles (E.N.E.) from Greta-Bridge; containing 165 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the north by the river Tees, and comprises 2,162 acres, of which 931 are arable, 1,118 meadow and pasture, 56 woodland and plantations, 27 water, and 30 in roads. The surface is agreeably diversified, the soil fertile, and the lands are in good cultivation. A suspension-bridge was erected over the Tees, in 1829, at an expense of £1,200. Wycliffe Hall, belonging to Sir Clifford Constable, lord of the manor, and now occupied by George Clifford, Esq., uncle to the baronet, is an elegant mansion, situated in a highly embellished demesne. Attached to the Hall is a Roman Catholic chapel. The village stands on the bank of the river, and has a pleasingly rural aspect. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 12. 1., and in the patronage of Sir C. Constable: the tithes have been commuted for £427. 17. 6., and the glebe consists of 39 acres. The church, which was rebuilt in the reign of Edward III., is a handsome structure in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles. In the rectoryhouse is a well-executed portrait of Wycliffe by Sir Antonio Moore, presented by Dr. Zouch, a late rector of the parish, to be preserved as an heir-loom by his successors in the living: the reformer was born in or near this place.