Showing posts with label Stokesley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stokesley. Show all posts

Saturday 15 February 2020

The 17th & 18th century Jacksons of Broughton Grange

With many thanks to Jim Watson for this information.  We hope that publishing it here will be helpful to people trying to disentangle their Jackson ancestors as well of course to those interested in Great Broughton.

The Jackson family of Broughton Grange, 
descendants of Robert Jackson of Wilton
by Jim Watson  

Today, Broughton Grange is a large arable farm set at the south end of the village of Great Broughton, near Stokesley in North Yorkshire.

Broughton Grange was a farm under Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley, from 1316 until the Abbey’s dissolution in 1538.  The subsequent lease changed hands several times before being granted to Hester and John Hewerdyne by Queen Elizabeth.  The Hewerdyne family was resident at Broughton Grange at least until 1629. 

Some time between 1629 and 1636, the Jackson presence at Broughton Grange commenced with William Jackson son of Robert Jackson of Wilton.  In 1637, William Jackson was sued for non payment of tithes for some fields for the year 1636.

In 1650, William Jackson of Broughton Grange conveyed to his brother Robert of Lazenby a messuage and 2 oxgangs of land at Lazenby, and in the same Indenture the conveyance by William’s father Robert to William of Topliffe Farm Great Broughton was recorded.

William died in 1658, leaving his widow Dorothy with five under-age children.  The eldest Jane married William Harrison of Kirkleatham.

It has been recorded in several submissions to the Court of Chancery, that following her husband’s death, Dorothy set about acquiring property to ensure that her three sons would have satisfactory incomes.  It was also recorded that Dorothy spent large sums of money on the Mansion House at Broughton Grange, in excess of £300.  This makes it clear that the Jacksons of Broughton Grange were a wealthy family.

Son William achieved his majority in 1665, and it may be no coincidence that there is a lintel in the Mansion House bearing the initials WJ and the number 1665.  William junior married and had two daughters Anne and Dorothy.  William’s brother Richard died in October 1673, followed by William in November 1673.  Subsequently William’s widow Ann married a widower Edward Edwards, probably about 1681.  The record of the marriage has not been found, and it doesn’t appear to have occurred in the local church St Augustine’s in Kirkby.

Widow Dorothy’s second daughter Margery remained single until her death in 1678.  Dorothy died in 1685, leaving her youngest son Robert as her only surviving male descendant.  About 1690, the Edwards family moved to London, where William and Ann’s two daughters Anne and Dorothy found themselves a husband each, respectively Charles Tracy a lawyer and John Harper a watch maker.

It is possible that there was no Jackson presence at Broughton Grange from about 1690 until Robert Jackson first became a tenant of part of Broughton Grange in 1705.   Later Robert became tenant of the all of Broughton Grange and by 1707 he was also agent for Ann Tracy and Dorothy Lee and their husbands.

Robert remained as tenant at Broughton Grange until 1727, possibly a few years later.  By this time Robert was already in his seventies, but he had recently married, and he disposed of a significant amount of property to a local mason Robert Patton in 1729.  It was about this time that Robert Jackson became embroiled in a nasty sequence of suits with the London section of the family that eventually ended up in the Court of Chancery.  Robert’s property sale may have been to ensure Robert had sufficient funds for his legal expenses.  The Court found in balance in Robert’s favour, but not until after his death.  In the meantime, Robert and his wife Hannah retired from Broughton Grange to the Dog House, a property Robert had purchased about twenty years earlier.

By the time that Robert retired, Anne Tracy née Jackson, by then a widow had probably returned to Great Broughton and for most of her time in the village she lived at Broughton Grange, though she owned other property in the village.

Shortly before her death, Anne moved into one of her other properties in the village along with her widowed daughter Elizabeth Amaiday.  Broughton Grange was sold by Henry Harper, Anne’s eldest nephew, to John Preston an attorney of Stokesley in 1742.  Anne died in 1742 and her daughter Elizabeth died in 1743.

Jackson family presence in Great Broughton continued after Robert Jackson’s death.  Robert and his wife Hannah had three children, Robert, Dorothy and William.  Robert had the unenviable task of executing his father’s over generous Will, effectively a hopeless task, even after the Court of Chancery settlement produced in excess of £600.  Fortunately, Robert’s mother, brother and sister cooperated in solving the financial headache, and eventually the matter was dealt with, but at the cost of the complete disposal of father Robert’s estate, including splitting the Dog House into four separate dwellings and much reduced legacies to Hannah and Dorothy.

What became of Robert Jackson’s three children?  Robert, became a mariner and appears to have left the village about 1760.  William became a bricklayer and lived in Stokesley.  Dorothy married John Raw with whom she had at least ten children, three of whom died in infancy.  John and Dorothy Raw lived in Great Broughton till 1771, thereafter they appear to have left the village.

Sources

Borthwick Institute:  
Cause Papers:  CP.H.2171 (1637),  Dispute re Tithes, Sutton v Jackson
Wills and Probate;  PROB Register 85, Folio 150 on MIC 1005, Robert Jackson’s Will      

National Archives:  
Cause Papers:  
C 6/289/59  1664,  Watson v Howardyne et al, gives details of previous lease holders.
C 11/1/44  1713,   Cornforth v Geer,  contains reference to the conveyance of the Dog House and Harrisons Farm from John and Margaret Cornforth to Robert Jackson
C 11/1495/36  1731,  Harper v Jackson
C 11/2695/42  1732,  Jackson v Tracey
C 11/2695/47  1733,  Jackson v Harper
C 11/1370/14  1733,  Harper v Jackson  Statements taken at Durham
C 11/1370/17  1734,   Harper v Jackson, Deponents statements
The above five references relate to the financial dispute between Robert Jackson and the executors of William Lee, Dorothy Jackson the younger’s third and last husband.  They include some vital event data for the London Jackson family, ie Tracy,Harper, Sadler and Lee.

North Yorkshire County Record Office:
Kirkleatham Papers:  
ZK 4223  Conveyance of property within the Jackson family in 1650.
Old Parish Registers:  
Kirkby cum Broughton, vital event data relating to Broughton Grange and Great Broughton.
Wills and Deeds:   
DB 114 53, refers to sale of property by Robert Jackson to Robert Patton, original Indenture to be retained by Isaac Chapman, 
A 503 616,  14/8/1738,  Henry Harper agrees terms for Anne Tracy occupying part of Broughton Grange.  Anne had been living in Great Broughton several years before this Indenture was executed.
P 379 619  2&3/1742,  I 392 460  3/2/1742  and  B 120 33  3/2/1742,  all relate to the sale of Broughton Grange by Henry Harper to John Preston.



Sunday 22 December 2019

The prettiest warehouse in England – in Hutton Rudby

Who knew that Hutton Rudby boasted the prettiest warehouse in England?  What a claim to fame.
Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough, 10 July 1895
Mr Henry Fell Pease, Mrs Pease, and other members of the family visited many of the villages nestling at the foot of the Carlton Hills yesterday, and at all places met with a hearty reception.  At Hutton Rudby there was a well-attended meeting, many of those present being sailcloth makers from the Cleveland sailcloth works, which with its ivy-clad walls can boast of the prettiest warehouse in England.  Mr Pease spoke well both at Swainby and at Hutton Rudby.  Mr Pease stayed at Hutton Rudby, and to-day he moves on to Carlton and Stokesley.  Whilst engaged in the western Mr Henry Fell Pease's supporters were active in the eastern extremity of the division.  Both at Coatham, New Marske, and Eston meetings were held approving of his candidature, strong committees being formed at each place.
Henry Fell Pease, a member of the prominent Darlington Quaker family, was Liberal MP for Cleveland from 1885 until his death in 1896 at the age of 58.  

Here he is canvassing for the 1895 general election, the voting for which was held between 13 July and 7 August 1895.  Pease was successful but his party was not.  The election was won by Lord Salisbury's Conservatives in alliance with the Liberal Unionists, who had broken from the Liberal Party over the issue of Irish Home Rule.

It's possible that the ivy-clad warehouse was the long building which the Tithe Map shows behind the houses of Barkers Row, standing parallel to them.  Unless anybody else has a better idea?

Saturday 5 October 2019

Stokesley races, 1727

This is the earliest newspaper notice for horse racing at Stokesley that I have been able to find.  You can see that it was a good financial investment for the subscribers to the Plate, as they were the only people entitled to supply the race patrons with food and drink.  

The racecourse at Stokesley was just south of Seamer Moor and more or less north of Brawith (which lies between Tame Bridge and Skutterskelfe); I think the name of Oneholmes Farm in the 19th century was Race Course Farm.  

The Toll Booth in Stokesley stood on the site of the present Town Hall, which replaced it in 1853.  

Newcastle Courant, 13 May 1727
On Trinity-Monday, the 29th Day of May, will be run for in a Field near Stokesley, in Cleaveland, a Subscription Plate, given by Stokesley Inhabitants, 3l. Value, by Galloways, 14 Handshigh or under, three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles, carrying 9 Stone, including Bridle and Saddle, each Horse, &c. to make the usual Allowance as in Galloway Plates, and paying 5s. Entrance, and to be enter'd the same Day betwixt 8 and 11-o'Clock in the forenoon at the Toll Booth in Stokesley; four or more to run or no Plate. 
On Tuesday, the 30th Day of May, will be run for, in the same Field another Subscription Plate, given also by the Inhabitants of Stokesley, 10l. Value, by any Horse, Mare, or Gelding, carrying 10 Stone, including Bridle and Saddle, three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles, each Horse, &c. paying 15s Entrance, and to be enter'd in Stokesley-Toll-Booth, betwixt the Hours of 8 and 11 in the Forenoon of the 29th of May, four or more to run or no Plate, and none to run that has won above 20 l. Prize at one Time, and both the said Races to be govern'd by Articles that will be produced at the Day of Entrance. 
This is to give Notice, that none but Subscribers will be allowed to set up any Tent, Hutt, or retail any Liquor in the Field, where the said Races are to be run.
For a full description of the Galloway pony, I refer the reader to Wikipedia.  It was a breed that is now extinct, but its influence can be seen across the Pennines in the Fell Pony and it was said to have "good looks, a wide, deep chest and a tendency to pace rather than trot."  In the 18th century Galloways were bred in Swaledale to haul lead ore. 

Younger readers might need to know that  3l. = £3, 10l. = £10, and 5s. and 15s. means five shillings and fifteen shillings respectively. (12 pence made 1 shilling; 20 shillings made £1).

This website gives the results of later race meetings held in 1752 and 1782.  I can't find the results of the 1727 races, I'm afraid.

Saturday 7 September 2019

An early Stokesley Show

As the annual Stokesley Show approaches, here is a little item to show that Shows have been taking place at Stokesley for a very long time.

I've preserved the 18th century spelling (as in 'publick' and 'shew') but I leave the reader to imagine the long 's' in words such as horses and first ...
Newcastle Courant, 4 July 1747 
These are to inform the Publick, 
THAT at STOKESLEY in Cleveland in the County of York, there will always for the future be publick SHEWS of Horses, Sheep, Cows, Heifers, and other Cattle; and also a SALE of Linen Cloth and Leather, on the following Days yearly (to wit) on Saturday next after the first Day of August, on Saturday next after the Twenty-ninth Day of September, and on Saturday next before the first Day of Lent; and that the first of the said Shews will be on the Eighth Day of August next.

Saturday 3 August 2019

Celebrations of the tenantry in Ingleby Greenhow, 23 April 1850

York Herald, 27 April 1850
REJOICINGS AT INGLEBY GREENHOW
It was a day of gaiety and festivity long to be remembered at Ingleby Manor, on Tuesday last, the 23rd inst., in celebration of the marriage of Miss Foulis, of Ingleby Manor, to the Hon. Mr Phillip Sidney, only son of Lord de Lisle, of Penshurst, in Kent, which took place in London on that day.  
At two o'clock in the afternoon, in a commodious rustic tent, beautifully fitted up and festooned with evergreens and bloom [sic], about seventy gentlemen, including the tenant farmers on the estates, sat down to a substantial dinner with fine brown October and punch, served up in first-rate style by Widow Hunt, of the Village Inn.  John Peirson, Esq., of Thornton Fields, presided, supported on the left by John H Handyside, Esq., of Stokesley, on the right, by Thomas Garbutt, Esq., of Yarm; the vice-chair being occupied by Mr Henry Chapman of Hutton Rudby.  
Tea was provided at the Village Inn, for the wives and daughters of the tenantry, which was most tastefully set out, and the room chastely ornamented with wreaths of evergreens flowers, and orange blossom, a huge bride's cake taking command in the centre of the table.  Afterwards a ball took place, which was kept up with great spirit.  
It must not be omitted that a fatted ox was slaughtered, and an ample supply of beef given to every poor family in the villages of Ingleby and Battersby so that the aged and infirm, as well as the young and healthy, might each and all rejoice on this auspicious event.
Widow Hunt of the Village Inn was Mrs Mary Hunt, then aged 52.  In the census of 1851 she stated that she was born in Hutton, and I think this means Hutton Rudby.  She will have been assisted by her daughter Mary, aged 22.  She also had a 15 year old son, John.
John Peirson was a land agent; Thornton Fields farm is off the Redcar Road, near Guisborough.  
John Hepburn Handyside was a surgeon in Stokesley; he married Hannah Coates, daughter of the solicitor James Coates in Stokesley in 1845.
Thomas Garbutt was a Yarm solicitor.
Mr Henry Chapman of Hutton Rudby was a farmer and land agent.  The family farmed in Enterpen for many years.

Hutton Rudby had a couple of other links with this story besides Henry Chapman.  

Firstly, the Foulis family owned land in the Sexhow area and, secondly, Lucius Cary of the Falkland family, owners for a time of the Rudby and Skutterskelfe estates, was buried at the groom's family estate of Penshurst in 1871.  Lucius was the only child of Lucius Cary and Amelia Fitzclarence, daughter of William IV.  Amelia is commemorated by a tablet in Hutton Rudby church, (for details, see The People behind the Plaques.)

Saturday 6 April 2019

When Mr Mease of Hutton Rudby lost his arm, November 1860

We had always known that Joseph Mellanby Mease (1827-1928) lost an arm in an accident at the corn mill on Hutton bank, but I have at last found a newspaper article that carried an account of the accident at the time:-

York Herald. 1 December 1860
HUTTON RUDBY
A HERO
Mr Mease, of Hutton Rudby, was accidentally caught, a few days ago, by a part of the machinery of his mill, and his arm fearfully mangled and crushed.  He extricated himself and stopped the machinery.  Allowing no one to go home to tell his wife of the accident, he calmly concealed the arm, and walked home himself, afraid the shock to his partner would be as serious as the accident to himself.  He walked into the house in his usual calm manner, took down a book, and commenced reading it for a minute or two, and then gradually broke the matter to his wife.  By-and-bye surgical assistance was procured, and Mr Mease bore up with the greatest magnanimity, his wife aiding him with that fortitude and resignation he had sought.  The arm, we regret to say, had to be amputated.
Joseph Mellanby Mease was a well-educated and well-read man, born into a Stokesley family in 1827 and baptised there on 24 October 1827.  According to a report on his 100th birthday in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, he went to school in Doncaster and would tell lively recollections of his stage coach rides to school.

He married Harriett Wilkinson on 29 March 1854 in the parish church of Whitfield in Derbyshire, where Harriett was living at Norfolk Street.  She was the daughter of Joseph Wilkinson, a cotton mill manager.

Joseph was then working as chief clerk at the Lake Chemical Works in Jarrow (they were owned by a member of his family), and it was in Jarrow that their only child, Jane Ellen (always known as Jenny) was born.

Joseph, Harriett and Jenny came to Hutton Rudby in 1858, for Joseph to work as manager of the corn mill that stood half way up Hutton Bank.  Then he lost his right arm in the accident at the mill.

Many adjustments must have been made.  Here, for example, is the left-handed moustache cup that he used:-

He seems to have retired temporarily - in the 1861 Census he describes himself as a farmer of 23 acres.  He and his wife and daughter were living at Mill House, later to be named Leven Valley, a house on the Rudby side of the River Leven.  Joseph and Harriett lived there for the rest of their long lives.

By 1871 he was the Registrar of births and deaths for Hutton Rudby and an Inspector of Nuisances, or Sanitary Inspector, for Stokesley Rural Council, retiring at last when in his eighties.

His wife Harriett ran a school, assisted by her daughter Jenny.  (Mrs Mease’s school is mentioned in the Hutton School log book in 1879.)

Joseph Mellanby Mease and his wife Harriett
In this photograph you can see Joseph and Harriett together in old age.

When the Northern Echo celebrated its jubilee in 1920, Joseph was one of the three or four people who could prove that they had taken the paper from its first number, and he was presented with a silver teapot.

Harriett died at the age of 92 in 1924.

In his last years Joseph became famous as the village's centenarian, as these notes from a clipping in Miss Winifred Blair's green album show:-
Newspaper clipping from 15 October 1927:  
Centenarian as Stone Layer – Hutton Rudby G.O.M. likes Bright Villages – New £3,500 Hall – 
Hutton Rudby’s grand old man, Mr J M Mease, who recently celebrated his hundredth birthday, on Saturday laid one of the foundation stones of the new village hall.
In view of his great age, however, it was not felt fit that he should be subjected to the excitement of a public ceremony, and he performed his part in the function with his usual cheerfulness a couple of hours before the larger gathering, with a silver mallet with which he was presented by the architects.
He said that he had always been in favour of brightening village life and was thankful that he had been spared to see the start of a village hall  
Joseph Mellanby Mease
He attributed his great age to an open-air life, plenty of sleep and always having been abstemious.  He never smoked until he was over 80, and after that had a cigarette after supper every night.

He died at the beginning of January 1928.  His daughter Jenny lived afterwards in Rose Cottage, Enterpen.

The Mease family

Joseph Mellanby Mease (1827-1928) was the son of Thomas Mease (1792-1862) and the great-grandson of Solomon Mease (1731-1801).  

Born in Great Ayton, Solomon married Jane Humphrey and had four children.  He was the son of a weaver and trained as a weaver himself.  As I understand it (but I have no source for this information) Solomon inherited money and his wife brought him a good portion, but in the words of his son John, his “love for cards and drink was such that he was sold up in a few years”.  He joined the army and served as a sergeant in the American Wars.  His son John Mease left a diary which contains many references to the religious problems of the day, but I do not know where this diary is to be found.

For a full account (incorporating new research) of the Mease family in Stokesley and Hutton Rudby, the mills they established and their fluctuating fortunes, see the series of articles posted on 29 February 2020 beginning with The linen mills of Stokesley & Hutton Rudby: 1823-1908







Saturday 29 December 2018

An elaborate hoax at Stokesley, 1849

Somebody went to a great deal of trouble to set up this elaborate hoax against a local landowner.  I wonder what can have lain behind it ...

Darlington & Stockton Times, 17 February 1849
STOKESLEY
A HOAX 
We love at heart a jest, but not at the expense of our neighbours: we hope that whoever may have concocted the following will soon find to their cost that it is "above a joke":- 
Last week letters were sent in the name of James Emerson, Esq., to Stockton, Guisborough, Northallerton and Thirsk, requesting the attendance of solicitors, physicians, surgeons, auctioneers, builders, cabinetmakers, and even undertakers, at Mr Emerson's house precisely at one o'clock, besides ordering an open carriage and four greys from the Vane Arms at Stockton, to convey from home Mr Emerson and his family.  The various parties arrived in good time, but only to learn their services were not required.  
We understand that Mr Emerson has, with his accustomed liberality, offered a reward of £100 to be paid on conviction of the offenders, and that a clue to their discovery has already been obtained.
I'm afraid I haven't been able to discover whether the culprit was found or why it happened at all.

Mr Emerson was a man of some importance and became even more prominent in the years that followed this incident.  

According to A History of the County of York North Riding (which can be found on the British History online website) his family had owned a considerable amount of land in the Stokesley area since the 18th century.  In 1853 James Emerson added to this by buying the manor of Easby, presumably from Robert Campion because according to White's Directory of 1840 
Rt Campion, Esq., of Whitby, is lord of the manor, and resides occasionally at Easby Hall, a neat modern mansion, standing near the site of the ancient hall, which was long the seat of the Lords Eyre or Eure, the last of whom died in 1698. 
The County History describes Easby in this rather lyrical vein:
The roads of Cleveland all meet at Stokesley. That running east from the town to Whitby comes after about 4 miles to the little village of Easby.  Here a small stream which flows north from Battersby joins the Leven, and between the two streams is the park surrounding Easby Hall, a large stone mansion built in the 19th century, and the seat of Mr. John James Emerson.  The old manor-house of the Eures was on the other side of the stream, where it is commemorated by Castle Hill, on the summit of which is a memorial to Captain Cook, who was born and educated in this neighbourhood. 
On the outskirts of the park, across Otter Hills Beck, is a private chapel built in 1881 by the late Mr. James Emerson and maintained at his own expense. A little to the west is the Methodist chapel.
At much the same time James Emerson bought the manor of Kirkby-in-Cleveland from Mr John Hindson (the entry in British History online can be found here)

And that is why on 15 April 1854 these notices could be found in the York Herald:
MANOR OF EASBY
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that at the Court Leet and View of Frankpledge, together with the Court Baron of JAMES EMERSON, Esquire, Lord of the Manor of Easby in Cleveland, in the County of York, to be holden on MONDAY, the 24th day of APRIL, in the year 1854, the Boundaries of the MANOR OF EASBY will be perambulated; and that such perambulation will commence at the Bleach Mill, within the said Manor, belonging to the said James Emerson, and in the occupation of Benjamin Claxton, and proceed from thence along the midstream of the River Leven, in a South-East direction to the Boundaries of the Manor of Kildale, at ELEVEN o'clock in the Forenoon of the same day, and proceed from thence round the Moor.
JNO. P. SOWERBY,
Steward of the said Manor.
Stokesley, April 8th, 1854
MANOR OF KIRKBY, OTHERWISE KIRBY, IN CLEVELAND
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Court Leet and Court Baron of JAMES EMERSON, Esquire, Lord of the Manor of Kirkby, otherwise Kirby, in Cleveland, in the County of York, will be holden on TUESDAY, the 25th day of APRIL, 1854, at the MANOR HOUSE, in KIRBY aforesaid, at TWELVE o'Clock at Noon, when all Inhabitants, Resiants [sic], and Freehold Tenants within the said Manor, and others who owe suit and service at the said Courts, or either of them, are required to be and appear, at the time and place aforesaid, then and there to do and perform the same.  Dated this 8th day of APRIL, 1854.
JNO. P. SOWERBY,
Steward of the said Manor.
Stokesley, April 8th, 1854
John Page Sowerby was a Stokesley solicitor.  I think he was probably the solicitor mentioned here, who as a young man found himself increasingly anxious at the conduct of his partner Robert Brigham.

Tuesday 28 August 2018

More on the cholera and the Rev R J Barlow

This exchange of letters casts more light on the events of the Cholera Epidemic in Hutton Rudby in the autumn of 1832:  Mr Peacock uses Mr Barlow's activities during the epidemic to strike back at critics of the Established Church.  In his reply, Mr Barlow praises the doctors who came to the assistance of the stricken villagers:-

Yorkshire Gazette, 17 November 1832
To the Editor of the Yorkshire Gazette 
Sir, – It ought to be mentioned, to the praise of a humane and pious clergyman of the Church of England, the Rev. Barlow, vicar of Hutton-Rudby, in Cleveland; – and also as an example "to go and do likewise," – that during the prevalence of the cholera in that village, he never failed to visit every individual afflicted with that dreadful malady, especially the poor and needy; and to administer to their wants and comforts with a truly christian benevolence.  I may also add, that the funeral service was performed by him in the numerous instances of mortality, with a seriousness and solemnity befitting so awful a visitation. – He has indeed raised for himself, in the language of Horace –
"Monumentum aere perennius"
that will live in the grateful recollections of his parishioners. 
Yet such are the men whom it is too much the fashion of the present liberal age to depreciate and vilify!  But what greater injustice can there be, than to cast odious reflections upon the venerable Establishment, because, forsooth, a few of its members may possibly walk unworthily, and in some instances, neglect the duties of their sacred calling.  But let such examples as have been mentioned, have their due praise; – such conduct exhibits the traits of true christian heroism, as well as of humanity, – far more ennobling than the laurels of the warrior when "died in blood, and bedewed with the tears of the widow and the orphan." 
I am ever yours respectfully, 
G C Peacock
Sowerby Grange Academy, near Thirsk,
November 14, 1832

Yorkshire Gazette, 1 December 1832
To the Editor of the Yorkshire Gazette 
Sir. – Having accidentally seen in your Gazette of the 17th inst., a letter signed G C Peacock, of Sowerby Grange, near Thirsk, permit me, through the medium of your excellent and widely-circulated paper, to present unto Mr Peacock my most grateful thanks and acknowledgments for the very handsome and flattering manner in which he has introduced my name to public notice.  Deeply as I feel impressed with a sense of my own unworthiness, if, during the awful pestilence at Hutton Rudby, I have afforded spiritual or temporal comfort to the unhappy sufferers, I trust I may ever feel thankful to the Almighty God, who, in his mercy, not only spared my life, but gave me, as it were, new strength both of mind and body, proportioned to the duties I had to perform. 
Allow me to trespass for a moment longer upon your valuable time, to pay an humble, but just, tribute to the merits of Doctor Keenlyside, of Stockton, and James Allardice, Esq., of Stokesley, our medical assistants, who kindly gave up their own excellent practice, and, with a truly philanthropic spirit, came into the midst of the plague to alleviate the anguish of suffering humanity.  To a stranger nay, to the very people of the village unconnected with the seat of disease, it is unknown how much those gentlemen had to contend with, between prejudice on the one hand, and on the other from the want of an hospital, and all other conveniences which a well regulated town can command; but, to the honour of their names be it recollected, their unwearied attention and benevolence surmounted every difficulty, – for which I do feel myself personally much indebted to them, and for which the inhabitants of Hutton Rudby can never repay them without a grateful remembrance of their names, convinced as they ought to be, that to their assiduity and professional skill alone, under divine Providence, must be attributed the rapid disappearance of the alarming malady. 
I have the honour to remain, Sir, 
Your most obedient Servant.
R J Barlow, Clerk.
Linden Grove, Rudby, Nov. 29th

It does seem a pity that the doctors' names were not remembered – instead, a story grew up that the doctors came out from Northallerton only so far as Doctors Lane, and would not enter the village.

But, as I pointed out in my book, Doctors Lane was known by that name before the Asiatic cholera ever arrived in the British Isles.


Wednesday 20 September 2017

William Hall Burnett (1840-1916)

Here is a new website about William Hall Burnett, journalist & editor, newspaper proprietor & poet.

He was born in Stokesley in 1840 and began his career under the printer William Braithwaite, and was deeply influenced by him and by the Rector, Charles Cator.

Only three posts so far, but all very interesting – especially for those with an interest in Stokesley – and do check out the section called Things to Come.







Tuesday 15 August 2017

Thomas Wayne of Angrove Hall

York Herald, 15 August 1801
GAME
WHEREAS the GAME within the Manors of HIGH WORSALL, HUTTON near RUDBY, AND KIRBY, belonging to THOMAS WAYNE, Esq., hath of late been almost entirely destroyed; it is requested that no Gentleman will Hunt, Shoot, or Course upon the said Manors, or any of the Grounds of the said THOMAS WAYNE, without his leave in writing.  All unqualified persons found trespassing will be immediately prosecuted.
ANGROVE HALL, Aug. 13, 1801

More details on Thomas Wayne of Angrove Hall (which stood between Great Ayton and Stokesley) can be found in Stately Homes of Hutton Rudby.

His servant Mark Barker was a major beneficiary under Wayne's Will, inheriting the mill by the River Leven in Hutton, the lordship of the manor of Hutton and several other properties (see A History Walk round Hutton Rudby.  I posted a piece about Mark Barker's Will earlier in the blog, here.

For maps of the area in which Angrove Hall once stood – and for the story of its haunting – see the Great Ayton history website for information from Peter Meadows' unpublished article, Angrove Hall, a lost Cleveland house.

Thursday 29 June 2017

Toft Hill Farm, Hutton Rudby in 1728

An early glimpse of Toft Hill Farm, off Black Horse Lane, Hutton Rudby:

Newcastle Courant, 29 June 1728
To be SOLD
A Convenient Farm called Toft-hill, containing about 100 Acres of very good arable, meadow, and pasture Ground, well Fenced and Watered, and lying altogether nigh Hutton Rudby, being Freehold Lands, and of the yearly Value 47 l. or thereabouts; Whoever is desirous of purchasing the same, may apply to Mr John Preston of Stokesley Attorney at Law, or to Mr Anthony Aysley of Hutton Locrass [Lowcross], who will treat about the Sale thereof.

Wednesday 8 March 2017

New Close Farm, Hutton Rudby in 1806

York Herald, 8 March 1806
CLEVELAND
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION 
On TUESDAY the FIRST day of April next, at THOMAS SMITH'S, the GOLDEN LION, Stokesley, in the county of York, at FOUR o'clock in the afternoon 
A VALUABLE and DESIRABLE FREEHOLD ESTATE, situate at HUTTON RUDBY, in Cleveland, in the county of York, at an easy distance from Cleveland Port, the Town and Port of Stockton on Tees, the Market Towns of Northallerton, Thirsk, Stokesley, and Yarm; late the residence of Mr JAMES APPLETON, and now in the occupation of THOMAS KELSEY, consisting of a genteel, modern, well-built DWELLING-HOUSE, with convenient and extensive Barns, Stables, and Outoffices, all in most excellent repair, and ONE HUNDRED and FORTY-TWO Acres, by estimation, of valuable Arable, Meadow, and Pasture LAND; the whole forming a most desirable residence for a Gentleman Farmer. 
For particulars apply to Mr JAMES APPLETON, of Nunthorpe, near Stokesley, or of Mr WARDELL, Attorney, Guisbrough*.
March 6, 1806
New Close Farm, which is still a Valuable and Desirable residence but no longer a working farm, as it has only 20 acres, lies south of Hutton Rudby, off Black Horse Lane.

*Not so much a typo as one of the variant spelling of Guisborough during the C19

Thursday 12 January 2017

Extracts from the York Herald, 12 January 1850

Local news and local names - I thought this sort of thing might be useful or interesting to readers:-

Yarm
Seasonable Benevolence
During the past week, Marshall Fowler, Esq., of Preston Hall, one of the executors under the will of the late Benjamin Flounders, Esq., deceased, has caused to be distributed the sum of £20 in blankets and coals, among the poor people in this town; 75 families received half a ton of coals each, and 25 families one blanket each.  This sum is an annuity of £20 bequeathed by the late Mr Flounders, to be distributed annually at Christmas, among the poor of Yarm.
Inquest. - Verdict of Manslaughter. - An inquest was held on Friday, the 4th inst., before J P Sowerby, Esq., coroner, on the body of John Mudd.  It appears that the deceased and a youth of the name of George Crabtree, had, on the previous Monday, a few angry words together, when the latter kicked the former in the lower part of his body, and thereby injured him so seriously that he died on the following Thursday.  After a lengthened inquiry, the jury returned a verdict of "manslaughter."  The prisoner was committed to York Castle, to take his trial at the spring assizes.  He is 17 years of age, and the deceased was 19 years of age.

Marske
Odd Fellowship. - On the 28th ult., the members of the Zetland Lodge held their anniversary at the house of Mr Wm Bulmer, Marske, Mr Thos Shaw in the chair, when the company partook of an excellent supper.  After the usual loyal and other toasts had been given, the chairman said at a previous meeting it was unanimously agreed that a token of respect should be presented to Brother John Green, D.G.M., of the Zetland Lodge, in the Stokesley district, for his valuable services to the lodge.  He (the chairman) thereofre, in behalf of the members of the lodge, presented Brother John Green, D.G.M., with the emblems of the order, and also that of the widows and orphans.  Brother Green then rose and returned thanks in an able speech.  (Loud cheering).  The toasts and speeches were enlivened by a few friends with popular songs, after which the company separated, highly gratified with the evening's entertainment.

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Alfred Edwin Sadler, manufacturing chemist of Ulverston


John Lamb of Ulverston has asked me if I have any information on Alfred Sadler, son of Samuel Sadler.  Alfred, who once owned John's house in Ulverston, Cumbria, ran a tar works in Ulverston.

I will set down below the details about Alfred that I have found in a quick search, but John is particularly interested in the history of the Ulverston works.

Anyone who has any information – and particularly pictures – of the Ulverston works of Sadler & Co, please contact John!

His email address is martinhd581@gmail.com

Yorkshire Evening Post & Leeds Intelligencer 
16 April 1922
News was received at Ulverston yesterday of the death in a nursing home at Stokesley, Yorkshire, of Mr Alfred Edwin Sadler, principal of the firm of Sadler & Co Ltd., chemical manufacturers, of Ulverston and Middlesbrough.  For 45 years Mr Sadler had been prominently identified with the industrial, social, and political life of Ulverston.  He was a well-known Freemason, and was Assistant Prov. G.M. of the province of West Lancaster, and was keenly interested in Masonic charities.  Mr Sadler was also a staunch Unionist, was unmarried, and was 65 years of age. 
28 April 1922
The presence of upwards of a hundred workmen who had walked in drenching rain from Middlesbrough to Ormesby Churchyard yesterday to attend the funeral of the late Mr Alfred Edwin Sadler, was evidence of the esteem in which that gentleman was held on Teesside and in Cleveland.  The service was conducted by the Rev. J C C Kemm.  The coffin was borne to the graveside by foremen from the works of Messrs Sadler and Co. Ltd, Middlesbrough, etc.  The principal mourners were Mr C J Sadler (chairman of Messrs Sadler and Co), Mr S A Sadler (managing director), Mrs S A Sadler, Mr Basil Sadler, Col H Sadler, Mr C N Sadler, Mr Alex. Sadler, Mr and Mrs A W Field, Mr Frank Cooper (representing Mrs Gloag), Mr Douglas Cooper, Mrs Gjers, Mr John Gjers, and Sister Jefferies. Sir John Fry, Bart. and Mr R H Wilson, directors of the company, as well as the chief officials, were present, as well as a large and representative gathering of Freemasons. 
19 July 1922
Mr Alfred Edwin Sadler, of Sand Hall, Ulverston, principal of the firm of Messrs Sadler and Co (Ltd), chemical manufacturers, of Ulverston and Middlesbroiugh (net personalty £7,253) - £7,963 

Saturday 15 March 2014

Thomas Milner of Skutterskelfe: notes, sources & select bibliography

In order to make the preceding piece about Thomas Milner readable, I have moved a good bit of the detail into these notes.  Here you will find references, extra information and hyperlinks.


Thomas Sowthwaites alias Milner

In quoting the will I have generally modernised the spelling .  A few letters at the ends of the lines of writing are illegible because of the binding, and these I have indicated by square brackets. 
In the comment regarding his father-in-law's estate, 'unloving brethren' for 'loving brethren' is conjecture, but there are clearly a couple of illegible letters there.

The grant of wardship and marriage of Thomas Milner to Thomas Laton [sic]:
Grants in November 1534
33. Thos. Laton. Annuity of 3l. issuing from a third part of certain lands specified in Faceby, Yarum, Carlton, Semar', Broughton, and the reversion of the manor of Skutterskelf in Cleveland, Yorks., which lately belonged to Thos. Lyndley, deceased; during the minority of Thos. Milner, kinsman and heir of the said Thomas; with the wardship and marriage of the said heir. Del. Westm., 24 Nov. 26 Hen. VIII.—S.B. Pat. p. 1, m. 4.
cf: Henry VIII: November 1534, 26-30, Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7: 1534 (1883), pp. 550-560 online here

The marriage of Mary Milner and Charles Layton
Details of an Indenture dated 11 July 11 James (1613) citing the Indenture of Covenants bearing date 26 Feb 37 Eliz (1594) between Charles Layton of the one part and John Constable of Dromonby, Nich. Gower of Staynesby, Esqres., Will. Baite and Tho. Baite of West Laithes, John Constable of Lasinby, Tho. Warcopp of East Tanf[eild], Leon. Baite of West Laithes, gentlemen, and John Milner of Whitwell, gent. can be found in Quarter Sessions Records (ed Rev J C Atkinson) vol 4 (North Riding Records), p141

Thursday 6 March 2014

Smallpox by hospital-acquired infection in Hutton Rudby in 1893

Two rather dark tales from the newspapers:

Northern Echo
Monday 2 October 1893
Stokesley Guardians 
A case of scarlet fever was reported at Great Ayton, a case of typhoid fever at Stokesley, and a case of smallpox at Hutton Rudby.  
It was decided that the authorities of the Bradford Fever Hospital be written to informing them that a case of smallpox had occurred at Hutton Rudby through their allowing a nurse in their institution to leave without having her clothing disinfected.



Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough
Thursday 25 May 1893
Selling a Mare for Ten shillings 
This morning at Stockton a hawker named Christopher Smith, of Hutton Rudby, was charged with working a mare while in an unfit state. 
Inspector Cape said he saw a bay mare belonging to defendant yoked in a cart in Bishop-street on the 17th inst., and he noticed that the animal was very lame.  The mare was subsequently condemned by Mr Awde, veterinary surgeon, as unfit to work.
Defendant pleaded for clemency on the ground that he had complied with Mr Cape's instructions regarding the animal, and had sold it at considerable sacrifice.  He gave £7 for the mare, and sold it for 10s. 
Defendant was fined £3, including costs.

Friday 13 December 2013

25 January 1877: Public Notices in the Middlesbrough press

From The Weekly Exchange
(price One Penny)

Thursday 25 January 1877

PUBLIC NOTICES
THE ANNIVERSARY of the BIRTH of ROBERT BURNS will this year be held in the CLEVELAND HOTEL, Smeaton-street, North Ormesby, on January 25th.  ANGUS MACPHERSON, Esq., editor of the "People's Centenary Edition of Burns," in the chair.  Dinner on the table at 5.30pm.  Tickets 4s, may be had at the bar of the Hotel, or of any of the members of the committee.  All are hereby invited to the Festival, whatever their nationality.
....................................
THEATRE ROYAL, YARM LANE, STOCKTON-ON-TEES.
Lessee - Mr T HOLMES
Manageress - Mrs A CHAPLIN
Glorious Success!  Crowded Nightly.  Acknowledged by the Public and Press to be the Greatest Production ever witnessed in Stockton, both in Talent, Dress, and Scenic Effect.  Hundreds unable each evening to gain admission.  The Curtain will rise every Evening at Seven, with the Grand and Gorgeous
CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME!
Under the personal direction and superintendance of Mrs AMELIA CHAPLIN and Mr WALTER LEWIS, assisted by Mr A L BARON.
Adapted for this Theatre by Mr W LEWIS, entitled
YE FAIR ONE WITH YE GOLDEN LOCKS,
or
HARLEQUIN KING COLLYWOBBLE, THE WICKED DEMON, AND THE GOOD FAIRIES OF THE ENCHANTED GROVE.
GRAND
TRANSFORMATION SCENE!
ABODE OF THE QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES
Columbine - Miss FANNY FITZGERALD
Harlequin - Mr GEORGE FITZGERALD
Harlequina - Miss EMILY VINNING
Pantaloon - Mr W H MORGAN
Clown - Mr WALTER LEWIS
Centre Boxes, 2s; Side Boxes and Pit Stalls, 1s.; Pit and Upper Boxes, 6d; Gallery, 4d.
Doors open at 6.30, commence at 7.
Box Plan at Heavisides and Son's, 4, Finkle-street, Stockton, where places and tickets may be secured.
....................................
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a separate building named "The Primitive Methodist Chapel" situate in the Back Lane in the parish of Stokesley in the County of York, and in the district of Stokesley, being a building certified according to law as a place of religious worship, was on the third day of January 1877, duly Registered for solemnizing Marriages therein, pursuant to the Act of 6th and 7th, William 4th, chapter 85.
Witness my hand this fourth day of January 1877.
THOS. SOWERBY
Superintendant Registrar

Monday 2 September 2013

Probate of the Will of John Cole of Stokesley (c1812-1892)

John Cole of Stokesley made his Will on 19 December 1885. 

He left all his “household goods and Furniture plate linen Books Glass and China” to his two daughters Elizabeth Sarah and Jane.

His executors were William Robinson of Enterpen, Hutton Rudby, Yeoman, and George William Rickatson of Stokesley, Grocer.

The rest of his estate was divided equally between his daughters and his son William.

The Will was witnessed by C E Jameson, solicitor, Stokesley and J W Skeen, his clerk.

John Cole died on 2 February 1892, by which time William Robinson of Enterpen had died, so his Will was proved by George William Rickatson alone on 12 March 1892.  The gross value of his estate was £1,385. 10s. 0d.

John Cole was born in Gateshead and had lived in Stockton-on-Tees and Kirkby-in-Cleveland.  in his Will he is described as "gentleman", probably because he had been retired for some time.  In his working life, he had been an engine driver and a publican.  In 1861 he was running the Tilery Inn in Garbutt Street, Stockton-on-Tees.  By 1871 he had moved with his family to live near Stokesley and in 1881 he and his wife Elizabeth, then aged 69 and 55, were living at Cleveland Cottage in the parish of Kirkby-in-Cleveland near the Station Hotel, Stokesley. 

In 1891, John Cole was living in High Street, Stokesley.  He was a 70 year old widower, born in Gateshead, and in his household were his unmarried daughter Jane (30) and his married daughter Elizabeth S Passman (32).

Ten years earlier, he and his wife Elizabeth (55) had been living at Cleveland Cottage in the parish of Kirkby-in-Cleveland near the Station Hotel, Stokesley.  His wife was born in Hutton Rudby, and their unmarried daughters Jane and Elizabeth were with them.  They were then 24 and 25 years old, and had been born in Stockton. They had been living there for at least ten years

In 1861 John had been running the Tilery Inn in Garbutt Street, Stockton.  His son William was then an apprentice painter aged 19; there was a gap of 13 years between William and John's elder daughter Elizabeth.  The censuses show that William had been the middle son of three - there had also been an older boy, John, and a younger boy, James.

Friday 16 August 2013

The Stokesley parish magazine of 1876

A few notes from the Stokesley, Whorlton & Ingleby Parish Magazine of 1876.

(I find to my dismay that I can't find the source of these notes at the moment!  Perhaps if I have time to go through my hand-written notes, I'll find it.  I think the Northallerton County Library is the source).

The following services were held in January 1876:
Stokesley:  Sundays at 10.30 am and 6.30 pm, with a 2.30 pm service on the first Sunday of the month
Easby: Sundays at 2.30 pm
The Workhouse: Wednesdays at 6 pm

On Saints' Days there were services at Stokesley at 11 am and 7.30 pm.
Daily Prayer was held at 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. 
Other activities:
Bible Class
Mothers' Meetings
Catechising at Church on Sunday afternoons
"working parties at the Rectory"
"an instruction class in church".
"In case of sickness … send at once to the Rectory, to the Rev R E Briggs, or to the Rev W V Palmer".

Thursday 6 June 2013

People of Hutton Rudby in the C18/19: Sigsworth to Souter

... from my working notes ... accuracy not guaranteed ... for explanatory note, see post of 14 Feb 2013


Sigsworth

FQ 434:  14 & 15 Apr 1829:  Thomas Sigsworth occupied land belonging to Elizabeth Sleigh


Simpson

David Simpson’s charity: yearly rent charge of 20s, 1783.  B D Suggitt was his grandson.

Yorkshire Poll Book 1807:  Crathorne:  Richard Simpson innkeeper (freehold in Hutton Rudby)

John Simpson was a tenant of James Bainbridge on East Side in 1817
 
EH 212 & EG 295:  relate to the same ppty:  a house which had been divided into two tenements and in 1818 was “lately occupied in four different tenements or dwellinghouses”:  tenants were previously Jane Whorlton & her tenants William Easby, Oliver Jackson & William Honeyman; tenants were in 1818 William Honeyman, Thomas Graham, Robert Walton and Robert Codling:  bounded to E by Christopher Flintoff decd, to S & W by townstreet, to N by David Simpson decd

EC 354:  30 Oct 1817:  James Bainbridge bricklayer (1) William Richmond of Stockton mercer & draper (2):  2 houses with garden behind, occ by James Bainbridge & John Simpson:  bounded by messuage & garden of Roger Bowes to E, by messuage & garden of Edmund Taylor to W, by street to N, by Thomas Passman to S

FC 147:  14 Nov 1825:  James Bainbridge bricklayer (1) Hutchinsons & Place bankers (2) William Richmond of Stockton mercer & draper (3) Richard Nightingale the younger of Middleton St George (4):  2 houses, lately in 3 tenements, with garden behind, formerly occ by James Bainbridge, Richard Wood & Thomas Almond, then by James Bainbridge & John Simpson, now by James & John Bainbridge; and also 2 new erected houses now in 3 tenements lately erected by James Bainbridge in the garden, now occ by George Harker, Alice Pedlar & Ann Rudd:  all bounded by messuage & garden of Roger Bowes to E, by messuage & garden of Edmund Taylor to W, by street to N, by Thomas Passman to S

FL 58:  13 May 1827:  East Side, judging by occupants & boundaries:  2 houses lately used in 3 tenements with garden behind formerly occ by James Bainbridge, Richard Wood & Thomas Almond, then by sd James Bainbridge & John Simpson, then by sd James Bainbridge & John Bainbridge:  and the 2 houses used in 3 tenements “newly created” and “lately erected” by sd James Bainbridge in the sd garden, then occupied by George Harker, Alice Pedlar & Ann Rudd:  bounded by house and garden bel to Roger Bowes to E, by Edmund Taylor to W, by street to N, by Thomas Passman to S:  parties:   Richard Nightingale the younger late of Middleton St George gent and George Stanger of Pickton farmer:  reciting indre of 14 Nov 1825 to which James Bainbridge, George & John & Henry Hutchinson, Thomas Place, William Richmond and said Richard Nightingale were parties

28 Sep 1835:  Will of John Braithwaite:  he left a house occupied by son Robert (except a room built over a coalhouse occ by tenant Richard Simpson) with garden & privy;  a house occupied by Richard Simpson (except the room beforementioned);  house lately occupied by William Mudd and now unoccupied.  [East Side deeds]

Churchwardens’ accounts 1838:  “Thos Simpson Lime & Lead Do. 15s” [ditto=New Window]

James Simpson (15) was a servant at the Barlows’ at Linden Grove in the 1841 Census
1841 Census:  Ann Simpson 50 ag lab, Robert 20 journeyman blacksmith and Hannah 15 flaxspinner, South Side
1841 Census:  Thomas Simpson 40 farmer and family, with John Sidgwick 25 linen weaver and Simon Sidgwick 45 linen weaver, Enterpen

1851 Census:  South Side:  Ann Simpson widow 62 pauper farmer’s widow, b Crathorne
1851 Census:  Enterpen:  Thomas Simpson 52 widower, ag lab, b Potto, and unmarried children Mary Ann 26 housekeeper, Thomas 23 ag lab, Jane 20, Hannah 17,  all born Hutton Rudby;  with son-in-law John Sidgwick 32 hand loom weaver widower [?], brother-in-law Simon Sidgwick single 60 hand loom weaver, both born Hutton Rudby

Oddfellows Board:  Bro:  Robert Simpson, Linthorp, 19 Nov 1874, a57