Wednesday 28 October 2009

Environs

Bransdale

September 14. On this very day J took E, G and W to Bransdale. A very pleasant journey via Castleton Rigg, Farndale, Gillamoor, Fadmoor, to Cockayne Lodge and S Nicholas Church. J took photo of interior, likewise at Church of S Mary Magdalene at East Moors. On to Helmsley and Bilsdale. Called at Spout House (Sun Inn) and heard a local telling tales of Bilsdale cricketers and WG Grace. Noted memorial under window of Bobby Dawson, whipper-in to Bilsdale Hunt. Parson wouldn’t have it in churchyard, so erected under pub window. Also visited restored medieval building in yard – former inn.
Terse inscription on gravestone in churchyard at Bransdale. Would be interesting to see Burial Register.
Bransdale E of Bilsdale; between two branches of Hodge Beck is the hamlet of Cockayne, with an old chapel of ease and a hall used by the Earl of Feversham (c. 1900) as a shooting lodge. Built by Feversham. £300 – VCH p 512. S Mary & S Nicholas 1886. Registers Kirbymoorside. p 516: “In 1538 Wm Wood of Kirbymoorside accused the parish priest of Coken Kirke of treasonable words spoken to the parish clerk in the chapel, in spite of threats from the priest to ‘have of him either a leg or an arm’ before he informed against him’.”
(Right of Sepulture by Archbishop Sterne 1665.)


Brickie Eaton’s
from Wm Lillie’s ‘History of Middlesbrough’ 1968
“J Moss Eaton was appointed a Superintendent of the Brickand Tile Yard at a wage of £7 per week (1839/40). Research Was there any connection with the brickworks E of the cemetery (Dunsdale Rd) on the slope towards the beck, always known in my early years as ‘Brickie Eaton’s Bank’?


Highcliff – Quarries 1854 Rate Book – Wm Byers.


Howlbeck Mill
ZFM Chaloner Archive
Rebuilt 1804 by James Wilson, carpenter. Stripped of gear 1879.

Justice Bank, near Old Park farm: origin of name – 1665 – “Ann, daughter of William Justice” baptised 25 June.

Kirkleatham Chair

Lowcross Farm
Copy of a letter from Grace Dixon to a Mr Walker, 9/12/1982

Mr Brelstaff has passed on to me your letter relating to Lowcross Farm, Pinchinthorpe, as I have recently been collecting information about the Hutton – Pinchinthorpe area.
For a start, the farm seems likely to be on an early site for settlement of some kind, standing on slightly higher ground above Lowcross Swangs to the north. It may have been at a crossroads of the road Ayton to Guisborough, and Blind Lane continuing south-east across Bousdale, and so to old Hutton Village. In medieval times the Hospital of St Leonard’s of Lowcross belonging to Guisborough Priory was situated near the boundary of Barnaby – Hutton – Pinchinthorpe, but its exact site has never been located, although considered to be near the farm.
At the Dissolution of Guisborough Priory in mid 16th century The Manor of Hutton passed to the Crown, and remained under the Crown or the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for 300 years, with the land held by tenants and occupied by their sub-tenants. The main tenants were the Yoward family of Stokesley (later of York) and their descendants. In the 19th century the land was purchased by degrees by the land-owner, Henry William Thomas of Pinchinthorpe House, and then by the Peases.
Some references in 18th century.
1763 “Robert Thomas of Loikerass House in the parish of Guisborough, yeoman”. (He would be the great grandfather of the HW Thomas, above.)
1778 Ralph Jackson, of Normanby Hall, and formerly of Guisborough, wrote in his diary … “I rode to Hutton Locras, left horses there at old Robert Thomas, and walked on shooting 5 hours in Bousdale”.
1773 A Chaloner Estate map shows some details of Hutton and Pinchinthorpe, but perhaps the Chaloner maps were not always complete about what was not Chaloner land. This map shows the then farm buildings on the opposite side of the road to the present farm house. No name is given. This may account for the date 1731 (1751 ?) on the wall, but the initials EB do not correspond to any name found so far. There are other Chaloner maps around that time which could be consulted.
JW Ord’s ‘History of Cleveland’ gives a local map, which shows Lowcross Farm as Spout House. (1846). I cannot find anything else to substantiate this as other references always say ‘Spout House, Pinchinthorpe’ and it is a former name for part or all of Pinchinthorpe House, home of Henry Wm Thomas, died 1846, and of his father John Thomas, died 1843. The Tithe Map of 1845 shows the farm as 169 acres, with house, garden orchard and farmyard, and 426 acres of moor. In 1861 the occupant was John Wilson, but soon after it passed to the Moon family as tenants, and they remained there for about 40 years. They had previously farmed at Bousdale House, and in one of his books Sir AE Pease mentions that hey had farmed at Hutton for 400 years.
For general research on Hutton I am in the process of obtaining information about the former Crown Estate from the Public Record Office in London. It is very likely that more facts about Lowcross farm will come to light, and help to date the building. Externally the house has a 19th century appearance architecturally, but could be a rebuilding on an earlier plan.


Mucky Lane, OS map 1850. Thomas Chaloner built new hall (Longhull) 1857 off Whitby Lane and diverted Mucky Lane to entrance to Tocketts dead opposite on main road as it now stands, from former direction leading to site of N. Lodge.


Pinchinthorpe. Lee family
Roger Lee
Lady Lee

Redcar. Re shoddy buildings.
From Redcar & Saltburn News &Visitors List, Saturday, 9 June 1906 (under General Gossip by Observer). On microfilm at Redcar Ref Library. Wynn??? Quote – ‘I am told that some of the houses being erected in Redcar are not likely to be of a permanent character as some of the inner partitions are only made of lattice and plaster instead of brickwork. If this is so the authorities should see tha their construction is of a more durable nature.’

Roman Helmet
found 19 August 1864 when an accommodation road to Barnaby Grange Farm was being made under the direction of the Cleveland Railway Company.Now in the British Museum.


Runswick





Sinnington

1205 Ralph de Clare’s widow confirmed a grant of land to canons at Guisborough Priory.

Pevsner: “Immediately N of he church is a barn of Sinnington Hall, which must once have been the great hall of a manor house or castle. It is an oblong building and has on he upper floor to the E a late C12 window with big nook-shafts and waterleaf capitals….”


Skelton. A Wharton Bible



Wednesday 21 October 2009

Park Farm

Park Farm untenanted in the 1960s. Demolished 1970

NW angle. Note unusual flues, fourth flue tacked on.

N face. Window moulding. Broken stonework flanking the head of the window (and a staircase inside) suggests a porchway and entrance at one time.

W end. Hall and farm buildings. From this viewpoint there is an excellent outlook to the coast and the sea.

Farm outbuildings: windows of domestic dwelling blocked up.

N side. Rear of Hall.

Front door. The upper of two gardens. The lower with a fine view of the Cleveland Hills.

SW aspect.

Pigs and facade. A house much altered as shown by the windows. The interior drastically partitioned.

Two drawings by ECB. Marked on Ogilby's map of 1698 as residence of "Sr William Chaloner".

Thursday 15 October 2009

Tocketts & Upleatham

Tocketts East
The well-cut letters of a local mason. What type-face did he copy? A classic style with pleasing serifs. (Photo M. Morgan)

Tocketts Hall
Ord’s History, p. 234
See also Guisborough Before 1900, p. 125

Did they live at the dowry farm before settling down at the (old) Tocketts Hall.
See OS map showing site.

Tocketts Mill (Photo Geo Page)

and ITV: 2 reps called 19 April 1979 re “Entertainment programme at Tocketts Mill" later. Wanted local background information. Gave them a copy of “Decline and Resurgence”. Advised them to study Guisborough file at Library. Declined to take part. Offered slide of old playbill. No further news from them. Ian Krause and Karen Blumfeld, TV Centre, N’castle on Tyne. Usual approach – want it ‘on a plate’, gratis!


Upleatham
Victoria County History, NR of Yorks, pp 412-413, with illustration.
12 Century Font, unmounted rectangular font, similar in type to that of Marske. A relic of the old church at Upleatham. 2 ft 3 ins square by 2 ft 1 in high, and has a shaft at each angle, with scalloped capital and moulded base, each of the four sides being carved with diaper or star ornament of various forms. The top edge is chamfered on the underside and the font stands on a modern plinth.

Yks Arch. Journal XXI-301: late church. late 12C. pre-Conquest Cross head. (Grace? Market Cross?)
Church first mentioned about 1119 – 24 when Robert de Brus gave it to Guisborough Priory. Figures in a list of property of the Priory by 1535. A chapel annexed to the Priory.

October 1988. S Andrew, in the village, being converted into a dwelling. Font going to Skelton-in-Cleveland. Should have come to Guisborough. Parson at Guisborough (Rev Dixon, Master at Grammar School founded by Pursglove in 1561, served S Andrew’s church, walking from Guisborough. Guisborough has no ancient font, only Victorian tasteless gift.

see also: ..\..\Archbishop Herring's Visitations.doc

Upleatham Registers
Register 1. 1654-1698. Size 11 ¼" x 7". In a modern binding. Lettered on front in gilt capitals: Register of Baptisms Marriages and Burials for the Parish of Upleatham 1654-1698. Written on vellum. Some early entries illegible. Baptisms from 18 May 1654. Marriages from 18 May 1654.
The name of the civil “Register” is given on the first page: “Thomas Wrench was sworn and approved as the Parish Register of Upleatham before George Marwood, the local Justice.” By an Act of the Barebones Parliament dated 24 August 1653 (effective on 29 September the same year) the registers were taken away from the ministers and handed to a secular official who had the title of “Parish Register”. He was elected by local ratepayers.
Register 2. 1693-1762. 14" x 7⅜". Bound and lettered in the same style as Register No. 1. The original cover of pliable leather is contained within the modern binding. On vellum.
Register (not numbered). 1703-1791. Modern binding in brown linen. Lettered as first two registers. On paper. 8¾" x 7". Is this two registers bound together? Original cover in centre of volume.
Register 4. 1798-1806.
For the purposes of local government Upleatham comes under the Guisborough Urban District Council. In the past there was another close connection between the two parishes. From 1663 to 1800 the pastoral care of Upleatham was undertaken by the Curate of Guisborough, being a means of supplementing his meagre income. One of these curates, the Rev. William Leigh Williamson, also held the living at Kildale and it is a fair assumption that he spent a good deal of time in the saddle. Today the Parish of Upleatham is served by the clergy of Skelton. Grateful acknowledgement is made to the Ven. Archdeacon Palin and to the present Rector, the Rev Stark, for permission to study the registers. This task was facilitated by the ready co-operation of Mr Albert Fowle, the Churchwarden at S. Andrew’s Church: a warm vestry on cold winter mornings was much appreciated.
The primary purpose was to supplement work already undertaken on the Guisborough registers. After a brief inspection it was decided to extract information concerning standards of literacy as revealed by the marriage registers, and also to gather information relating to the occupations of the inhabitants. Any study of Upleatham is assisted by reference to the booklet written by the Rev. Thomas Walters, Vicar of Upleatham from 1923 to 193?. The author modestly describes the booklet as “Being notes about a Cleveland Country Parish”. No one should be deterred by the somewhat sentimental title of “Sweet Upleatham”. In addition to delving into the past, Mr Walters included a good survey of the contemporary scene. Furthermore, he suggested several avenues of enquiry for other local historians: the complete history of the two churches; the connection with Guisborough Priory; the site of a lost village near the old church; the erection and demolition of the Old Hall, and its social and economic consequences; the exploitation of the ironstone; and the variations in population figures. One paragraph on page 67 suggests that Mr Walters saw the world in miniature in his village street and that his vocation was well outside the range of his pulpit.
In 1969 Mrs Shirley Knight of Guisborough studied the contents of the safe of S. Andrew’s, Upleatham, as part of a research project on the Churches of Cleveland. Mrs Knight is also investigating the archaeological evidence concerning the old church.Guis. Par. reg. 1794 – Laurence Dundas, Upleatham, Esq., and Harriet Hale, dr.of Gen John Hale, married by Licence.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Skelderskew

Skelderskew Cross
The cross was said to have been found at Skelderskew in Commondale where Guisborough Priory held land. “In the later Middle Ages the priory gave up direct exploitation of its ‘Colmandale’ granges and turned the area into a separate manor leased to various tenants…”

Ord tells how the cross was found. Who owned it. Its subsequent history was highlighted in 1910 when it was erected as a memorial to the Rev Linnhe Hodgson, Acting Chaplain of the Leeds Rifles, who was killed by an accidental shot during manoeuvres on the moors near Guisborough. 4 August 1909. It can be seen affixed to a column in Leeds Parish Church:
Copy of this sent to Mr Tom Rossiter, Cleveland Inn, Commondale, Whitby. 1 Jan 1989.After Gavin and self walked both ways and came home in the dark. On our walk back to Guisborough it was good to see two small remembrance poppies had been placed at the foot of the memorial to the local guardsmen.

Similar Cross at Little Malvern Priory – 15 cent:
Reproduced from WDB’s 'Guisborough Priory' 1936 (in typescript & bound).
Students requiring additional information should consult
1. John Walker Ord’s ‘History and Antiquities of Cleveland’ 1846, reprinted 1980, pp 136/7
2. Canon Atkinson’s ‘History of Cleveland’ 1874. Very critical of Ord.
3. ‘Guisborough Before 1900’ Edited by BJD Harrison and G Dixon, 1981, reprinted 1982, pp 69/70

Skelderskew Grange

Situated to the NW of Commondale, the Grange was formerly the property of Guisborough Priory. In 1535 Nicholas Cockerell, brother of the ex-prior of Guisborough was a bailiff of the priory and possibly manager of its Commondale property. It is thought that this was the place where Nicholas was attacked during Bigod’s rising.(1)
“The Commons took his brother Nicholas at his house in Skelderscugh and threatened and held and beat him with their daggers’ pommels, when they took from him 5£. in money, seven silver spoons, a little flat piece of silver, 3 pairs of beads with silver gawdies, 20 head of cattle, oxen and kye and 3 horses, all because he refused to join them. His debts amounted to 961. 13s. 4d. and the monastery owes him 350£ or thereabouts. (2) (Signed by Cromwell)

Ord says that the crucifix illustrated on page 136 of his “History of Cleveland” was discovered at Skelderskew. (See file: Skelderskew Cross.doc)

I have inspected this crucifix and find that Ord overestimated its intrinsic value. The date 1119 on the crucifix appears to have been added at a later date.

“After the Dissolution, the Grange was granted, with some other lands in Guisborough, by Henry VIII to Sir Ralph Bulmer and on his death in 1558 descended to his eight daughters, two of whom in 1564 sold their share to Robert Yoward. In the end, Robert’s youngest son Ralph, who had inherited his father’s property here in 1577, must have bought the rest of the Bulmer interest, for in 1589 he made over the capital messuage of Skelderskew to Thomas Pylley, Junr. The name of Thomas Pylley, gentleman, occurs in 1627, but before Ord wrote in 1846 the house had disappeared”. (VCH)

An estate map in the possession of Lord Gisborough shows Skelderskew as belonging to Mr Tweddell. The map is dated 1854 when Robert Chaloner was Lord of the Manor. An earlier map, also in the possession of Lord Gisborough, dated 1772, when William Chaloner was Lord of the Manor, clearly states the names of owners of neighbouring properties. Sklelderskew would appear at that date to have been in the possession of William Chaloner.
Traditional accounts of the original grange include the statement that there was a chapel on the site, presumably for the use of the canons of Guisborough and the inmates of the mansion, and the discovery of the crucifix may have strengthened this tradition.
(1) Victoria County History, Vol. II, p356
(2) Calendar of State Papers, foreign and domestic. Hen.VIII. PRO

Skelderskew Inn, Commondale
(County record Office, Northallerton. 7 Feb 1966. )

1865: “now used as an inn, built by the said Robert Halton. Land formerly part of a close of land called ‘The Mill Hill Leas’”. 3 roods and 5 perches. Bounded towards the N by the NE Railway, towards the S and E by Commondale Beck, towards the W by the highroad leading from Castleton to Commondale. Deed ref. Registry of Northallerton, 31 Jan. 1865. Book KE. page 307. No 486.

1873: Now of James Underwood.

No mention of Cleveland Inn among Gisborough deeds.

The above appears to be the house known as The Diving Duck. Presumably changed its name.

1874: Purchase of Skelderskew Inn: Mr JH Kearsley of Kirby in Cleveland and Stokesley, Ironmonger, and Joseph Harker of Skelton. £530.

Bulmer’s Directory 1890: Robert Cruddass, Victualler and Farmer, Cleveland Inn.