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1826 - John Wharton was defeated in the election at Beverley and retired from politics, heavily in debt.
1830 - Death of George IV and accession of William IV.
1831 - The population of Skelton was 781.
1832 - The Reform Act of this year extended the right to vote slightly and altered constituencies. 1834 - The Poor Law Amendment Act removed the administration of the poor law from the parish and established the Poor Law Guardians who were representatives of many parishes and combined to form a Poor Law Union. |
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Skelton combined with 26 other parishes and a work-house was authorised in Northgate, Guisborough. Opened 1838.
Paupers, who could not maintain themselves were sent there and hard work was found for the able bodied.
Pigot's Directory of this year lists people in "Professions and Trades" in Skelton as:- |
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Nobility, Gentry and Clergy - Close Rev. William, Hixon Mr. John Ellerby [attorney], Wharton John esq, Castle. Academies and Schools - Adamson Catherine [Boarding], Adamson James, Sharp John. Blacksmiths - Carter Thomas, Kilburn William, Robinson Robert, Young William. Boot and Shoe Makers - Bell Robert, Bunting Thomas, Hatherton John, Johnson John, John Lewis, Thomas Low. Butchers - Wilkinson William & Son. Grocers and Drapers - Dixon William [and druggist], Macnaughten Duncan, Shemelds Thomas and Son. Inns and Public Houses - Duke, Joseph Biggins, Royal George, William Lawson, Wharton's Arms, Robert Bell. Joiners, Cabinet Makers and Cartwrights - Carrick Mark, Dixon Leonard. Plumbers and Glaziers - Gowland William. Shopkeepers and Dealers in Groceries and Sundries - Harforth William, Robinson Benjamin, Robinson John, Wilkinson Elizabeth, Wilson Christopher. Stonemasons - Ridsdale John, Wilkinson George. Tailors - Lynass Ralph, Shemelds Thomas and Son, Thompson Joseph. Linen weaver - Thomas Dawson. Retailer of Beer - Christopher Wilson. |
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1835 - The burial of John Andrew in the South corner of Skelton Old Church yard.
He was a Scot, having been born in 1757 at Inverberbie, Kincardine. He was notorious in this area as
the 'king of smugglers' at the Ship Inn, Saltburn.
Thomas King, a Brewer, of Kirkleatham, who later married one of John Andrews daughters, Elizabeth, was a partner.
Together they bought a lugger named the "Morgan Rattler" to cut out the middle men and prospered.
In 1781 John married Anne Harrison at Skelton Church.
After making his illegal "fortune" he joined the landed gentry by buying the White House at Saltburn and in 1817
he was elected as the first Master of Foxhounds by the newly formed Hunt. It has long been believed that, after a lifetime of dodging the excise men, he was eventually caught in 1827 at Hornsea off-loading an illicit cargo. But, as Alan Ward of Saltburn points out, John would have been 70 by this time and it was, in fact, his son, also called John [1794 to 1855] who was nabbed in the act. John Andrews, Junior must have carried on the family "trade". Three items, found by Alan, confirm this. The first is a letter from the Customs House, London, dated 20 Jan 1825 asking the Customs Collector to enquire into the ability of two men to meet the bail amount of £95 for John Andrew. |
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The second is a letter asking the Collector to take the necessary measures for the release of John Andrew, "JUNIOR"
from York Castle. The third is an article in the Northern Echo, dated 28 Nov 1935 dealing with "Sir Alfred Pease's Memories of Saltburn":- There were three Andrews of successive generations, who were Masters of the Cleveland Hounds. They lived at White House. I began hunting with the last of them, Tom about 1865. He died in 1870. His brother George at the White House until he died in the 1880's. I knew him well. [George died 7 April 1891, he was shown resident at Glenhow Saltburn 1891census, 5 April.) altho. burial register All Saint's Skelton show abode as White House.] John Andrew, JUNIOR had the bad luck to be caught running a cargo ashore at Hornsea and was fined an enormous sum of £100.000, I believe about 1827, and, of course, unable to pay a fraction of the fine, was imprisoned in York castle. After two years of durance there, Henry Vansittart, of Kirkleatham, who had carried on the hounds during John's absence, was able to secure his release through the influence of his relative Lord Bexley, who was in the goverment. In those days the discipline for debt was not strict, and Tom Parrington told me that John Andrew carried on his smuggling by correspondence through agents all the time he was a prisoner. From his release until his father died in 1835, he seemed to have been reduced to poverty, for he lived in a small cottage at Boosbeck and only had a grey pony. 15 h.h. on which he hunted hounds twice a week. The pony was "as hard as iron" but had a temper and would always run away with his master and was not particular as to the direction in which he bolted. It was not uncommon to see the gallant grey tearing across country in quite another direction to that which the hounds were running.The pony never got a summer rest for then his owner yoked him to a cart and he carted stones, seaweed, or anything else at a job which earned John a few shillings. After his father's death, Andrews was master of the hounds, and his circumstances improved a little as the hunt paid him a small salary.
Offenders from this area were sent to the House of Correction at the County headquarters, Northallerton. This year saw the imposition of a new
system of correction. Silence. No communication or conversation was to be allowed.
People who committed serious crimes in this area were sent to the York Assizes for Trial. |
1837 - Death of William IV and accession of Victoria.
1st July - For civil registration purposes Skelton is made a sub district of Guisborough and remained so until 31st March 1930.
Othersub districts were "Danby, Guisborough, Kirk Leatham, Lofthouse and Marske." These districts were used to compile the census returns of
1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901.
One of the longest cold periods, beginning January, with temperatures down to -20 at Greenwich, and lasting some 7 to 8 weeks.
1838 - Building of Guisborough Workhouse at the corner of Northgate and Church Lane to house up to 130 poor, who could not provide for themselves.
 The dress of the gentleman with the stock pens would indicate a date some time in the earlier part of the 19th Century. But he could be an invention of the artist to depict earlier times, as the gentleman standing in the road looks distinctly later. It is believed, by the paintings owner, to have been the work of a lady called Tiplady. This surname appears several times in Skelton's History of this period. See list of Farmers below. The Green, had long been used for pasture and as a market. It still had stock-pens on photographs much later in the 1800's The Royal George, with the sign and cart outside, later had a third storey added in red-brick and bay-windows. The white railings below the Inn still exist. The house below the Royal George was a fish shop in the 1940's and probably for some time before. John Dobson lived there as a young boy and remembers a floor of sandstone flags. As he points out, this cottage is number 8. Therefore there must have been others running down to the Parsonage. Perhaps the bottom three and the Parsonage are out of view in the painting. Probably one was a shop as a sign can be seen at the end of the row. Today only 7 and 8 North Terrace exist. Skelton Castle Estate built an Estate Office in 1890 and these lower cottages were presumably demolished, as John points out, to make way for it. [The painting is owned by Allan Seaton, now of Congleton, Cheshire. He kindly loaned it to be photographed. His family lived at various addresses on Boosbeck Rd, Skelton Green and his wife Pamela was fostered by a family called Gill of New Brook Farm, Skelton Green. It is thought the artist was one of their ancestors. The work shows a certain expertise beyond the talents of the average local amateur and may well have been created by the Rev Crawford Townsend Bowen, who married into the family. See Forbidden Love Story on the page for 1859. [Permission to copy this photograph should be sought via this website.] |
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1840 - 10th January. The Penny post was introduced. Now anyone could send a letter weighing not more than half an ounce anywhere in Britain for the cost of a one penny adhesive stamp. Previous to this the cost was paid by the recipient of the letter based on weight and distance and the cost could prove too expensive for the ordinary man. White's directory records Skelton as 'including the hamlet of Manless Green'. |
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The schoolmaster is teaching 10 'free' scholars. The poor of Skelton benefitted from the following charities - £0 16s 8d left by a person called Carrick £1 12s 8d left by Thomas Conn and Robert Collins. £1 10s left by William Hutton. [see 1801] |
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£1 10s left by William Hutton. [see 1801] £1 10s left by a person called Ling. £10 left by Medd Scarth [see 1818]. Letters arrive at 8.30am and the post returns at 4 pm. A coach goes to Whitby and Middlesbrough three days a week, Persons recorded are - Castle - John Wharton. Curate - Rev W Close, Farrier - Barker Joseph. Victuallers - Joseph Biggin at Duke of York [presumably Duke William], Jane Lawson at the Royal George. Robert Bell at the Whartons Arms [also listed as a wood agent.] Gamekeeper - Frank Thomas. Plumber and Glazier - William Gowland, James Gowland. Butcher - Lawson Andrew. Saddler - Patterson Thomas. Schoolmaster - Joseph Sharp. Corn Miller - Nathaniel Stonehouse. Surgeon - Hinderwell Thompson. |
 240 pence = 1 Pound 960 Farthings = 1 Pound |
Blacksmiths - William Carter, John Kilburn, Thomas Robinson, John Young. Boot and shoemakers - John Lewis, Thomas Lewis. Farmers - Mrs Abelson, John Andrew, John Cass, John Cole, Thomas Coverdale, E Dale, Thomas Dixon, Stephen Emmerson, C Kilburn, Thomas Leng, Ruth Lockwood, John Lynas, Robert Marlow, Michael Miller, Thomas Moon, William Morris, Edward Patterson, David Petch, John Roper, Thomas Rickaby, John Sanderson, Robert Suggitt, Joseph Tate, James Taylor, Hannah Thompson, John Thompson, Robert Tiplady, John Wood, Robert Wilkinson, William Young. Grocers - Thomas Carter, William Dixon, Benjamin Robinson, Thomas Taylor, Hannah Wilkinson, Matthew Young. Tailors - Ralph Lynas, Benjamin Robinson, Thomas Taylor, Joseph Thompson. Wheelwrights - Mark Carrick, Leonard Dixon, James Wood. |