Queries in the comments section of A History Walk round Hutton Rudby

I've had a query – you can see it in the comments to A History Walk round Hutton Rudby – about Mary Temple of Ebenezer Place and William Robson Temple, who lived in the village until his death in 1911.

I notice that his death was reported in one of the Leeds newspapers on 23 June:-

Leeds Mercury, Friday 23 June 1911

TEMPLE – June 20th, at Hill House, Hutton Rudby, aged 50 years, WILLIAM ROBSON TEMPLE, son of the late William and Ellen Temple, Raskelf, and nephew of the late Geo. Robson, Shires House, Easingwold.  (Will be interred at Rudby Church to-day (Friday).  Friends please accept this (the only) intimation.)

(I can't help but think that friends living in the areas served by the Leeds Mercury might have found it quite tricky to get to Rudby church for Mr Temple's funeral given the short notice – and when was the service going to be held?) 

Anybody with any information about Mary or William Robson Temple, please let me know!

.....................

Somebody left a comment on the same page of the blog some time ago asking about a John Graham who was a farmer at Home Hill Farm in the early 'fifties.  In case whoever it was is searching again:

I did reply to your query in another comment on the same page, but you'd have to have checked back with the comments section to find it.  In case you missed the reply and you're searching for John Graham again, here it is:

I didn't recognise the name Home Hill Farm so I've checked with a friend who has spoken to one of the oldest farmers of the district – he didn't recognise either the name of the farm or the farmer. Where did you think Home Hill Farm was, exactly?

Anybody with any information on John Graham, do contact me.

Hutton Rudby in the Second World War

Not to be missed!  Check out the videos on the Facebook page of the Hutton Rudby and District Local History Society in which Malcolm McPhie interviews Maurice Atkinson about his memories of Hutton Rudby in the Second World War.

It's a priceless collection.  These are the topics that Maurice and Malcolm cover:

• The radio announcement by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
• Arrival of the evacuees 
• The Army take over
• The Home Guard
• Army Cadet Force
• The Air Raid Shelters
• Search Lights
• Village defences
• Spitfires over the village
• Damaged Army tank on Rudby Bank
• Rifle practice in Leven Valley
• Celebrations and bonfire on the Green

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.)

Leonard Appleton of Doddle Hill Farm

This sort of detail is always useful to family historians, I know, given the Rev R J Barlow's failure to keep the parish registers properly (see here and here)

Newcastle Guardian & Tyne Mercury, 15 April 1848

Marriages

On the 10th inst. Mr Leonard Appleton, of Hutton Rudby, farmer, to Miss Jane Hardman, of Durham

The Tithe Map and White's Directory 1840 show that Leonard Appleton farmed at Doddle Hill and in the 1841 census he gave his age as 43.  The 1851 census finds him farming 141 acres at Potto Field House.  By then his wife Jane had given birth to a little girl called Ann Elizabeth.  By 1861 Margaret Jane and Mary Ann had been added to the family.

Update on 'Thomas King of Kirkleatham, brewer & smuggler'

I have just been looking over an early blogpost on Thomas King of Kirkleatham, the brewer who was said to be in partnership with John Andrew, the famous smuggler of Saltburn.  

I've updated the links to the Skelton history website – the old ones were invalid.  And I've also done a little more work on the subject, so for a couple of 18th century newspaper reports on the lugger called the Morgan Rattler – and for an explanation of what a Morgan Rattler actually was – do follow the link.

The Yarm Minstrel Troupe performs at Hutton Rudby, 1894

This seems a very male entertainment and I harbour dark suspicions of the piece entitled Woman's Rights:

Darlington & Stockton Times, Ripon & Richmond Chronicle, 3 February 1894

HUTTON RUDBY 

On Friday night the members of the Yarm Minstrel Troupe gave a highly successful entertainment in the Board Schoolroom, Hutton Rudby, under the distinguished patronage of Messrs G. Y. Blair, J.P., A. Bowes Wilson, J.P., P.A. Blair, and other gentlemen.  

The room was crowded by a large and appreciative audience.  The first part of the programme consisted of a comic operata, The Two Frauds, performed by Messrs R.L. Wilford and H. Wright.  A most laughable sketch, entitled Woman's Rights, was given by Mr Rhodes Eliff, in full costume, for which he was loudly applauded.  

In the second part songs, &c., were rendered by the troupe, and Mr W. Raper sang, in a most exquisite manner, Maggie May, while Mr R Gamble played a cornet solo in capital style.  Mr J.H. Watson was accompanist, and Mr C. Fergyson was managing director.  

At the conclusion of the entertainment, Mr A. Bowes Wilson, J.P. in a few well-chosen remarks, complimented the performers on the efficient and entertaining style in which they had performed their parts.

G.Y. Blair was George Young Blair (1826-94) of Drumrauch Hall (see here).  Only weeks after this entertainment, Mr Blair suffered an attack of his heart condition and his doctors advised him to spend five weeks convalescing in Bournemouth.  He went back to work on his return, suffered a relapse and died on 22 September.  P.A. Blair was his son-in-law, Percy Alexander Field Sadler (1866-1906) of Linden Grange, who took the surname Blair.

A. Bowes Wilson was Allan Bowes Wilson (c1839-1932) of the Cleveland Sailcloth Mill - for more on him and his family see here.

Benjamin Flounders and the Crathorne Bleach Yard, 1743

This notice – really it's an advertisement – in a Newcastle newspaper of 1743, casts an interesting light on the scope of the operation run by Benjamin Flounders (1708-56), who had a Bleach Yard at Crathorne in the first half of the 18th century.

His surname appears in this advertisement as Flounder, but it is clearly a typo.  The notices continue in the Newcastle Courant until we find, on 3 April 1756, a few weeks after his death, that his widow Barbara is now carrying on the business in his place.  By 1765 the notices appear under the name of their son, John.

The family were Quakers. Benjamin and Barbara were the grandparents of the prominent Yarm businessman and pioneer of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, Benjamin Flounders (1768-1846).

We can see that Benjamin Flounders in 1743 has a network of collection points across County Durham and the North Riding.  I assume the handloom weavers, who worked from weaving sheds at home, would have their cloth bleached so as to be able to profit themselves from the higher price that it would then fetch. 

The square brackets indicate where I have added letters or given the modern spelling of names and places, to assist people searching online.  (You can see that Staithes was spelled phonetically)

Newcastle Courant, 26 March 1743

BENJAMIN FLOUNDER,

of CRATHORNE, near YARM, hereby gives Notice, 

THAT he continues the BLEACHING OF LINEN CLOTH this Year as usual, to great Perfection.  His Prices are, as formerly, Yard-wide high white at Twopence Halfpenny per Yard, and so in proportion for broader or narrower, and Superfine Cloth at Threepence, which will be taken in at the following Places, viz.  

By Geo. Flower, Grocer, in Sunderland; Barnard Sheal, at the Dun Cow, in the Market-place, Durham; Sam. Dalkin, Roper, in Sedgefield; Mary Ward, Weaver, in Whitby; Rich. Taylor, at Steaths [Staithes]; Rich. Outhard, Weaver, in Guisborough; Joseph Flounder, Butcher, in Northallerton; Anthony Lidster, Dyer, near Bedale; Simon Bickerdike, Dyer, at Laburn [Leyburn]; Robt Hodgshon [Hodgson]. in Darlington; William Bird, Taylor, in Bishop Auckland; Jonathan Wheatley, Dyer, at Staindrop; Wm Hall, Tanner, in Barnardcastle; John Gill, Weaver, in Sockfield; Thomas Allison, in Chester-le-street; and at his own Shops at Stockton, Stoxley [Stokesley] and Yarm.  All Persons may depend on having their Cloth kept strong, and with a good Colour.  Mr Gabriel Hughes, Merchant, at Yarm, with himself, will be accountable for all the Cloth that comes to the above Peoples Hands. 

N.B.  He has made a great many Conveniences in his Yard, so that his Friends may expect to have their Cloth as well done as at Durham, or elsewhere.

Note:  For more on Benjamin Flounders (1768-1846) see Benjamin Flounders, a very useful account of this interesting man on the Stockton-on-Tees heritage site.