Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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Ripon MuseumsThe Yorkshire Law and Order Museums |
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From early times the Estate and Liberty of Ripon enjoyed a certain independence in respect of the administration of justice and maintenance of law and order. Although situated within the old West Riding of Yorkshire, it effectively operated as a county in its own right. This has resulted in an interesting and individual social legacy, which is echoed in much of its architectural heritage.
Historically the title of Liberty was held by a manor or franchise holding privileges from the Crown which gave a degree of legislative autonomy.
Originating from a grant of land from Alchfrith (Ealhfrith) of Northumbria for the establishment of a Celtic monastery at Ripon, which subsequently passed to the Benedictines under Abbot (later Saint) Wilfrid in 661, the Liberty of Ripon became a feudal possession of Wilfrid's spiritual successors, the Archbishops of York. The monastic site became increasingly important over time, leading to the development of a collegiate church or minster, along with an arch-episcopal summer palace and administrative centre, and throughout the Middle Ages the Liberty was governed in the name of the Archbishop, rather than the Crown.
Justice, both religious and secular, was firmly dispensed through the authority of the Church. This was enacted by a variety of agents including Reeves, Bailiffs, Justices of the Peace and the Canons of the minster, along with their various appointed officials.
Under certain circumstances convicted mediaeval malefactors could choose to be punished by the Church. Penalties for those who fell foul of the law might range from public humiliation - such as been made to walk barefoot in procession through the town or perhaps being set in the stocks or pillory - to the social exclusion of suspension or excommunication from the church.
Secular punishment might take more corporal form such as beating, whipping, mutilation or, ultimately, hanging at the gallows. In mediaeval Ripon, executions and other punishments would have been carried out in or around the market place, where justice could be 'seen to be done' (as well as providing a popular public spectacle). Gallows, stocks and a whipping post would have been situated close by the old market cross.
Until the late 15th century, offending clerics could claim sanctuary within the minster and would be tried by the consistory court. A curfew would be imposed upon the offender who would need to be within the bounds of the church when the curfew bell rang. The curfew bell is still rung in the Cathedral at 9 o'clock each evening.
In 12th century England, certain knights of the realm were appointed as 'keepers of the peace'. From the 14th century each county was required by statute to provide a number of Justices to keep the King's Peace within their area of influence. The office was unpaid and justices were generally recruited from the landed gentry, who already held power and influence within their communities, and for whom the holding of the office further reinforced their status. Ripon's Justices of the Peace were nominated by the Archbishop up until the 19th century.
Justices of the Peace were authorised to try many cases summarily in petty sessions but were required to hold periodic courts to hear cases and try offenders before a jury. It became a statutary requirement that these be held at least four times a year. Dates for these Quarter Sessions were eventually fixed at Epiphany, Easter, Midsummer and Michaelmas and within the Liberty of Ripon were held at the Common or Sessions Hall, close by the Minster.
From the 16th century the alternate title of Magistrate was used for Justice of the Peace. The Ripon Liberty Magistrates dispensed justice in all but capital offences, which would be referred to the Assize Court in York. The opening of the Quarter Sessions became a major event in the local calendar. Led by the Mayor and Bellman, and accompanied by Halberd men, the Gaoler and the Master of the House of Correction, Justices would proceed through Ripon from the Town Hall to the Quarter Sessions Courthouse, where they were met by the clerks, Treasurer and Coroner of the Liberty and the constables of the townships and parishes.
In mediaeval times the security of Ripon was the responsibility of its chief citizen, the Wakeman, who with his men, including hornblower and constables, kept the watch each night. Householders were charged two pence for each outer door of their property to pay the watch and to provide a fund from which compensation for any burglary committed during the night was paid.
The constables were unpaid and hard pressed, and were subsequently augmented by the introduction of watchmen who patrolled the streets at night carrying a lantern, rattle, sword and stave (or truncheon). From the reign of Charles II they became popularly known as 'Charlies', perhaps as they were seen to keep that King's Peace. Watchmen helped to keep the peace in Ripon until 1875.
The ceremony of setting the watch by the Ripon Hornblower marked the handing over of the security of the town to the Wakeman and his men until dawn. It has continued through to the present day, becoming a popular tourist attraction and can be witnessed each evening at 9 o'clock at the Obelisk in the Market Place.
Following the 16th century Reformation of the Church, the Archbishop's influence began to wane and control of the Liberty passed to the Crown (though title was restored to the Archbishop by Queen Mary). Furthermore, the granting of a Charter of Incorporation by James I in 1604 gave Ripon borough status allowing the formulation of its own by-laws. This heralded a new administrative infrastructure and a further shift from ecclesiastic dominance. From this time the position of Wakeman was replaced by that of Mayor (the last Wakeman, Hugh Ripley, becoming the first Mayor of the town) who, along with the Corporation, became a new focus of civic authority.
Changing social attitudes in Tudor and Stuart times led to a developing awareness of civic responsibility for the poor and infirm. The 1601 Poor Law provided a framework through which relief could be dispensed to the 'deserving' poor at parish level. Those most in need might be offered outdoor relief in the form of the dole (the distribution of money or clothing) or indoor relief through admission to the Poor House. In 1776 William Aislabie of Studley Royal provided the Old Hall on Allhallowgate to serve as the town Poor House. The site was later used to build the Ripon Union Workouse.
The 'undeserving' poor were viewed differently, particularly if they were judged to be idle or disorderly. Houses of Correction were established nationally to deal with the problems caused by 'rogues, vagabonds, sturdy beggars and disorderly persons'. The Ripon House of Correction, built in 1686 on St Marygate on land owned by the Dean and Chapter of the Minster, was leased by the Liberty Magistrates and utilised for the incarceration and punishment of felons for the next two hundred years. Punishments might include whipping and hard labour. In 1816 a new prison was built adjacent to the House of Correction, the older building then serving as the govenor's residence.
Hard labour, treadmill. Transportation
"Until 1888 the Liberty continued as a county tier of local government, whose Quarter Sessions supervised every aspect of that government, standing at the head of the Townships stretching from Sleningford to Nidd, and from Pateley to Copt Hewick, supporting their parish officers, reading the reports from their Constables, their Overseers of the Poor, and the reports of their roads and alehouses." - Anthony Chadwick, Ripon Liberty, Law and Order over The Last 300 Years.
Though the Local Government Act of 1888 brought an end to the Liberty's administrative independence, seeing it merge with the West Riding of Yorkshire, the Liberty's seperate Quarter Sessions continued until 1953. After this the Liberty Courthouse functioned as a magistrates court, until its final closure as a court in 1998.
A new purpose-built police station, to serve the West Riding Constabulary, was opened in 1959. This building has continued to be used for this purpose for half a century, surviving a local government restructure in 1974, which saw a recatagorisation of Ripon within the new County of North Yorkshire, along with subsequent police authority changes. Its future is perhaps now less clear, awaiting the outcome of a North Yorkshire Police Authority review of the suitability of all stations within the county.
The Workhouse passed into the control of West Riding County Council in 1930 and, with the advent of the Welfare State in 1948, its functions as a social institution became increasingly obsolete. The property subsequently passed into the administration of the Social Services Department.
Many of the buildings associated with the upholding of law and order within Ripon can still be seen in a half-hour stroll about the city by following the Law and Order Trail.
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For further details of the individual locations to be seen on the Law and Order Trail, click on its image in the table above or click the map image to view a larger scale map of the trail.
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