This history of the Hebdens of Appleton-le-Street & Easthorpe Park was written by my father Thomas Peter Hebden in 1988.
In his introduction he acknowledges the help that he received from Sidney P Hebden of Australia, W E Hebden of England and Edith (Muffy ) Drummond of Canada, so I shall start by doing the same.

What I enter on to this site has been slightly abridged by myself due to the amount of material, ( apologies to dad) but the most important facts remain.

There are some wonderful old photographs to include but those shall have to wait until a later date. The Manor of APPLETON is located on the Malton to Helmsley road. It was, until 1632, under the ownership of Sir George Lee who sold it to William Hebden In the village of Appleton Le Street, an old family memorial is set into the south outer wall of All Saints Parish church. At the top of the memorial tablet is inscribed an eye and the words “This is the burial place of the family of Hebden. May the eye of providence watch over them.”

Although William Hebden purchased the Manor of Appleton le Street in 1632, there were Hebdens in Appleton and surrounding area and may other parts of Ryedale long before that. Records have been found of William de Hebden, Lord of the Manor of Hebden, concerning woods at Pickering in 1251, John Hebden of Amotherby, who died in 1543, Richard Hebden of Helmsley (1587) & Thomas Hebden of Kirby Misperton who died 1535 to name but a few.

The “Landed Gentry” of 1854 describes the Hebdens of Appleton as an “ancient family of the North Riding” and the earliest members of this branch that can be identified at this time are, brothers John Hebden of Amotherby who married Elizabeth Dobson of Habton in 1600 and a William Hebden of Swinton. At the same time, a mere 5 miles away in Kirby Misperton, a Thomas Hebden and his wife Agnes resided so it would be reasonable to consider that Thomas could be a cousin of John and William.

It was a great grandson of the above mentioned John of Amotherby who purchased the lordship of Appleton Manor in 1632. The eldest son of James, 2nd Lord of Appleton was John Hebden of Appleton and Scarborough and it appears that this was the founder of the Scarborough line.
This John is reputed to have had fourteen brothers and sisters but it is not indicated in his fathers will of 1730 though infant mortality could account for that. The will dated October 1730, reads “James Hebden gent of Yestrop Park (sic) Appleton, Ryedale. Eldest son John Hebden got land an tenements in Appleton le Street value on Ł100 on his marriage now gets manor. Wife Edith, son William, son George and his children William, James, Mary and Margaret. Daughters Margaret (Kemp), Catherine (Burton), Ursula (Whaley), Edith (Woodcock) and Margaret’s daughter Edith.” In addition to this it was known that an Elizabeth was born sometime before 1681 and was mentioned in the Will of George Jackson of Pickering, grandfather of Edith the wife of James 2nd Lord of Appleton. There were also two other known sons of James. Rev William Hebden M.A., (vicar of St Helens Amotherby) and George who owned Easthorpe Park itself.
George was born in 1688 and died in 1760 after marrying Margaret Hodgson of Boynton on the 7th April 1724 and producing 3 sons and 2 daughters.

It is at this point that the family appears to have divided into two main branches - the Easthorpe branch and the Scarborough branch. I have attempted to make things a little simpler by separating up the various branches which you can access by the links below.