283 



of Cleveland, the Kev. Arthur Cay ley, and T. Smith 

 Esq. There is a small but neat parsonage-house 

 attached to the living. 



The village of Middleton is on the high road 

 between Pickering and Kirkby-Moorside ; from 

 which circumstance, in all probability it derives its 

 name of Middle-town, or Middleton. It consists 

 of one street, in which occur several good houses. 

 The hall, the property of John Watson, E?q , of 

 Pickering, and the residence of John Ac ; on, 

 Esq., is a neat modern mansion built of brick.* 



The church is an ancient structure, but in good 

 preservation ; the interior remarkably neat, and 

 kept in a state of repair highly creditable to the 

 vigilance of the church-wardens, and the parish- 

 ioners. This church formerly belonged to the 

 abbey of Kirkstal, near Leeds, as appears from the 

 following carious extract from Burton : " On the 

 19 of Dec. A. D. 1456, William Boothe, archbishop 

 of York, appropriated this church (anciently of the 

 patronage of the lords Wake of Lydel,) to rhe ab- 

 bey of Kirkstal ; and in recompense of the damages 

 done to his cathedral church, reserved to himself 

 and successors the annual pension of 1 , and to 

 his dean and chapter 5s , payable by the said reli- 

 gious, out of the fruits thereof, at P< ntecost and 

 Martinma, by equal portions ; also 1. 16s. 4cU 

 per annum, to be distributed amongst the poor of 

 the parish, at Christmas and Easter. Moreover 

 he ordained that there be one perpetual secular 



* Dr. Short, in his account of m inerai waters, notices 

 a c halybeate spring near Middleton, 



