Hutton Rudby between the Wars: in newspaper cuttings

These notes were taken years ago, from a scrapbook that somebody lent me.  I think, as is often the way with newspaper clippings, they were mostly undated (I don’t like to think that I didn’t copy out the dates!) but I think they are interesting all the same …and I have been able to date most of them ...

The funeral took place at Hutton Rudby yesterday of Mr John Barnabas Smith, one of the best-known residents of the parish, and the proprietor of one of the oldest businesses on Teesside.  Mr Smith, who was 73 years of age, had all his life enjoyed excellent health, and as recently as Saturday he spent his leisure hours digging in his garden.  On Tuesday morning he got up at his accustomed time, and after breakfast set off, as was his wont, to walk to Potto Station.  So regular had he been in his habits that many residents of Hutton Rudby have set their clocks by him as he passed to the station in the morning when on his way to business.
Shortly after passing the Village Hall in course of erection in Lodge-lane [it was built in 1927], Mr Smith was seen to fall to the ground.  He was taken into Mr McKinney’s house, and Dr Proctor was called to him …

[Sister: Mrs Scaife.  Niece: Miss Finlayson.  J B Smith worked for Joshua Byers & Co, timber merchants of Stockton, which was taken over by Mr John Wilson Watson, and J B Smith finally became proprietor of the business.  He never married and in the 1911 Census was living at Jubilee Cottage on North Side, near to the (Wesleyan) Methodist Chapel]

Joseph Mellanby Mease

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January 1928
Mr Joseph Mellanby Mease, of Leven Valley House, the oldest inhabitant of Hutton Rudby and the oldest reader of the Northern Echo, has died at the age of 100 …

[He attributed his great age to an open-air life, plenty of sleep and always having been abstemious.  Never smoked until he was over 80, and after that had a cigarette after supper every night.  In early days was chief clerk at the chemical works in Jarrow owned by a member of the Mease family.  Came to Hutton Rudby in 1858 as manager of a corn mill, on the site of which the police constable’s house now stands.  Three years later he lost his arm when his sleeve was caught in the machinery.  When the Northern Echo had its jubilee in 1920 he was one of the 3 or 4 people who proved they had taken the paper from its first number, and he was presented with a silver teapot]

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Hutton Rudby Bridge
Reporting to the Highways Committee of the North Riding County Council with regard to the Hutton Rudby bridge, the County Surveyor states:-

The property on the south side of the river which obscures the view at the foot of Hutton Rudby bank is offered for sale at £1,750.  The property consists of a mill and 4 occupied cottages.  If the property were pulled down a good improvement would be effected.  The cost of clearing the site and making good would probably be covered by the value of the scrap material from the buildings.  The property adjoins the Bridge road which is maintained by the County Council.  The continuation of the Bridge road in either direction is a district road between Stokesley and East Rounton.
[The Mill and cottages were demolished in the 1930s to widen the road, which was dangerously narrow at that point]

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People of Hutton Rudby in the C18/19: Wailes to Wiles

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


Wailes

1840 Whites:  East Rounton:  the Grange is the seat and property of John Wailes Esq

1851 Census:  Linden Grove:  Forbes MacBean 60 Lt Col Artillery full pay b Annapolis Nova Scotia British subj, wife Eliza 65 b St Petersburg British subj, daughters Elizabeth 25, Margaret Murray 20 & Marianne Georgina 18, all b Woolwich; wife’s sister Miss Marianne Scougall 45 indep also b St Petersburg;  servants:  groom Joseph Dawson 21 b Baysdale, housemaid Elizabeth Trenham 35 b Stokesley, cook Mary Wailes 23 b HR and boy groom William Ramshaw 13 b HR


Wake

FQ 434:  14 & 15 Apr 1829:  James Wake occupied land belonging to Elizabeth Sleigh

Thomas Wake was witness at the wedding of Richard Peacock of Rudby and Jane Scott of Stockton on 13 Sep 1832

1841 Census:  John Wake 17 joiner’s apprentice in the household of James Meek, Enterpen

‘The Cleveland Repertory’ 1 Aug 1843:
“Police Intelligence.  July 22nd, - Present Robt Hildyard and Wm Mauleverer, Esqrs.  Upon hearing the complaint of Jno Wake, an apprentice to Jas Meek, of Hutton Rudby, against the said James Meek, for having on the 12th ult, illtreated him, the said Jno Wake – ordered that he be forthwith discharged from his apprenticeship, and that the said James Meek, pay the costs.”

1851 Census:  Carpenters Arms:  Elizabeth Wake widow 56 victualler’s wife b Whorlton, and children John Wake 38 house carpenter journeyman, b Stokesley, Jane Wake 21 dressmaker b Carlton, and Mary Wake 17 house servant b Carlton, and grandson Robert Kitching 5 b Pickering

This may be the family of Charles Wake, who left for America in 1855 with the Mormons:
Charles Wake was one of the Faceby tailors.  He was 24 years old at the time of the 1851 Census when he and his young family were living next door to James Stanger junior.  He gave his place of birth as Stokesley, and his wife Elizabeth, aged 25, was born in Potto.  They had a ten month old son James, who had been born in Faceby, and Charles’ fifteen year old brother Thomas was living with them as a tailor’s apprentice – he had been born in Hutton Rudby.  The register for 7 Aug 1836 records that Thomas’s parents were James Wake, gamekeeper, of Rudby and his wife Ann. 
According to ancestral files on the IGI, Charles Wake was born in Stokesley in 1826, the son of James Wake and Elizabeth Wrightson, and married Elizabeth Thompson, the daughter of Robert and Jane Thompson of Potto, in Whorlton in 1849.  Robert Thompson was a cartwright in Potto at the 1851 Census.  Charles’ and Elizabeth’s oldest child is said to have been baptised in Stokesley in 1850, and the younger two children in Faceby.  The third child does not appear on the passenger list, but details of her life are given in the IGI.

People of Hutton Rudby in the C18/19: Southeran to Swallwell

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



Southeran

11 May 1868:  Codling mortgage:  Mustard garth bounded by John Oates & George Davison to E, Robert Southeran to S and John Sidgwick to N


Spence

Yorkshire Poll Book 1807:  Hutton Rudby:  William Spencer [sic] weaver

ET 604:  12 & 13 Sep 1823:  4a close in Hutton Moor, previously occ by Bart Wright now by Simon Sidgwick the weaver, bounded by lands late belonging to Margaret Smith & now to William Spence to E

FQ 249:  13 & 14 Mar 1829:  exors of Wayne to Barker:  the Carpenters Arms with the cartwrights shop and stable on the west end thereof, the garden and the privy on the south & backside of the premises, bounded by road to East Rounton to E, by Mrs Elizabeth Hildreth to W & S, by road to East Rounton, John Robinson and Mr Farnaby to N – occ by Edward Meynell;  the garth occ by Edward Meynell, bounded by Elizabeth Hildreth to E, by John Burdon to W, by Thomas Passman, Elizabeth Hildreth, Mr Kendall & William Spence to N, by road to East Rounton to S; the site where buildings lately occupied by John & Hannah Kay & taken down by Mark Barker stood; the garth now used as garden ground to the E & backside of the sd site;  the new houses built by Mark Barker on the site and part of the garth: some of the houses and the garden ground “at present unoccupied”, the others occupied by Robert Hall, William Souter, George Sanderson, John Kay, Mary Lamb, Jackson Richardson, John Wild and Thomas Shaw:  bounded by house & lands bel to Rev Richard Shepherd to E & S, by Arthur Douglas and townstreet to N & W

FS 577:  9 Jun 1831:  Robert Norman paper maker to Robert Holliday Dobson of Potto gent:  6a close in Hutton known as the Cottages bounded by Widow Johnson to S, road to the Rountons to N, William Spencer to W, Mr Rickaby to E, occ by Robert Norman

GG 130:  31 Oct 1835:  Thomas Spence of Hutton weaver & Dorothy his wife (1) Henry Collins of Stokesley gent (2):  2 houses now used as one, the weaver’s shop adjoining & the garden or orchard of 1r behind, occ by Thomas Spence; the butcher’s shop adjoining the weaver’s shop occ by William Sherwood:  bounded by Lord Falkland to E, street to W, Mrs Kingston to N, Edmund Taylor to S; also Gowdie/Gowlay Hill Garth 1a with cowhouse occ by Thomas Richardson:  bounded by John Charlton to E, by Francis Stainthorpe to W, by street to N, by Jane Willans & Edward Meynell to S; also house with garden & garth behind 2r, occ by William Merrington:  bounded by street to E, William Wood to W, John Seamer to N, John Rymers & Francis Stainthorpe to S; also 3 closes formerly 2 closes called the Cottager 7a, previously occ by William Braithwaite as tenant to William Spence decd:  bounded by Robert Halliday Dobson to E, George Hunter & William Ableson to W, by Rounton road to N, by Richard Johnson to S; “& all other the messuages lands tenements and hereditaments formerly belonging to Thomas Smith late of Hutton yeoman decd and comprised in his Will”

GZ 204:  2 May 1842:  Thomas Spence late of Hutton weaver but now of Middlesbrough baker & shopkeeper (1) John Snowdon of Stokesley shoemaker (2) Thomas Sidgwick of Hutton linen manufacturer (3) George Wilson of Hutton linen manufacturer (4) reciting indres of 1839:  John Snowdon had lent Thomas Spence £90 with £4-17-5d interest also owing, on Spence’s property on East Side:  Spence sold Sidgwick the house (formerly 2 houses) & garden for £180, the mortgage to be paid off:  the garden & orchard to be sold to Sidgwick was staked out and contained 33 p; previously occ by Thomas Spence and now by William Meynell; the rest to be sold to John Oates; mortgagee George Wilson

GZ 206:  May 1842:  Thomas Spence to John Oates for £50:  the 2 shops, one formerly a weaver’s shop and now a carpenter’s and the other a butcher’s shop, with the ground behind now staked out and measuring 9 p:  now occ by William Meynell, William Sherwood and John Oates:  bounded by Thomas Sidgwick’s purchase from Spence to E & N, by street to W, Edmund Taylor to S; mortgagee George Wilson

Mrs Spence is in a list of names in the Middleton Book
Anne Spence is in a list of names in the Middleton Book
Mark Spence was given a prayer book worth 10d in the Rudby School accounts – Middleton Book
Catherine Spence is in a List of Girls – Middleton Book
M Spence was in A List of Boys – Middleton Book

Thomas Spence of East Side was a weaver, and he and his wife Dorothy appear in the 1836 Wesleyan class lists
They had children:  Moses baptised 23 Feb 1831; and Titus baptised 15 Feb 1830; also Dorothy who lived 1837 to 1838.   Moses died in 1831.
In 1835 he owned a house (previously two houses, now used as one) with a weaver’s shop and a garden behind, amounting to 1 rood.
He also owned an acre with a cowhouse at Goldie Hill, and a house and 2 roods of land occupied by Wm Merrington, just below Tisbut Row, and three closes called the Cottager or Cottage Fields out in the Hutton Fields/Moor area, on the Rounton road
The cottage fields had been occupied by Wm Braithwaite, as tenant to Wm Spence decd, and the deed included all lands “formerly belonging to Thomas Smith late of Hutton yeoman decd and comprised in his Will”.  [William Spence of Hutton was buried aged 63 on 19 Jun 1835.  Wm and Ann Spence(r) had Margaret in 1796, Thomas in 1797, William in 1799, and Elizabeth in 1801; possibly more.
1840 Whites:  Hutton Rudby:  Thomas Spence, grocer & draper – ie. the depression in weaving has forced him to change occupation.
In 1842 Thomas had left Hutton to become a Baker and Shopkeeper in Middlesbrough.  He owed £90 to John Snowdon, and he sold up his Hutton property:  the house and part of the garden (33p) was sold to Thomas Sidgwick for £180 - this was bounded by Mrs Kingston on north.  The weaver’s shop, now used as a carpenter’s shop, with the butcher’s shop and 9p of land was sold to John Oates for £50.  The mortgages were paid off, and it appears that George Wilson was the purchasers’ mortgagee.
The result can be seen on the 1891 map – the northern (Sidgwick) property has the majority of the garth.
William Spence, weaver of Hutton, and his wife Lucy had their son George baptised on 16 Jan 1831

Notes on Hutton Rudby's industries in the 19th century

From my research notes for Remarkable, but still True.  I can't guarantee accuracy, but I thought it might be of interest to others to see the topics brought together in this way.  I have added internet links where I have found them available.

Agriculture

1808:  Graves noted that “there are no common, or uninclosed lands, which is a circumstance of some advantage and consequence to husbandry”.

1853-70:    The “Golden Age of Farming”

1877:  the price of wheat began to drop disastrously

1894:  Royal Commission noted that in the Stokesley area wheat growing land had fallen in value by two thirds since 1879, farmers had lost their capital and three had even applied for poor relief

This depression in farming only came to an end with the First War

1801 Census    
Skutterskelfe, Sexhow and East Rounton wholly agricultural
Hutton, Rudby and Middleton 20 % agricultural and 80 % manufacturing, trade or handicraft

1808   
Graves commented that in the parish the number of people engaged in agriculture and the number engaged in trade or manufactures was nearly equal.

1831-41   
Ord noted in 1846 a decrease in population between 1831 and (probably) 1841, and attributes it to “the removal of families to Middlesborough”.

1841-51    
the linen industry collapsed. 

1841 Census
there were 37 farmers, 2 hinds and 71 agricultural labourers, 62 % men and 38 % women.  9 of the women and 10 of the men were 65 to 85 years old

1851 Census
there were 94 farm labourers and 41 farm servants – 86  labourers were men, and only 5 men and 1 woman were over 65.  The young men had been displaced from the linen industry into agriculture. 

1861 Census
there were 52 farmers, 111 labourers and 38 speciality farm workers eg ploughmen, milkmaids.   
A number of Drainers are listed in the Census – 12 men aged between 24 and 50.  One was born in Hutton, one in Stockton, 4 were Yorkshiremen, two of them married to Hutton women, one was born in Lincoln and 5 in Ireland.