SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY
1868 ~ 1870

Halfpenny Bridge, 700 feet long and 130 feet high. Completed 1869.
27th Sep 1867. James Pashley, miner of Skelton, was fined 17s for assaulting David Gibb and using abusive language at Skelton.

1868 4th September - Work on the the Halfpenny Bridge started.
Middlesbrough News and Cleveland Advertiser:-
"On Monday the foundation stone of the bridge, which is being built across the glen by Mr J T Wharton esq. of Skelton Castle, was laid by Mr Wilman, the engineer in charge. The spot selected for the site is a little south of Balmoral Terrace,close beside the entrance to the path leading down to the wood. The bridge will be a handsome structure, mainly of iron, and is being erected by Messers Hopkins, Gilkes and Company Limited. The cost will be £7,500 and it is expected that the bridge will be ready for traffic next year. It is understood that Mr Wharton's object in the construction of the bridge is the bringing into use a large tract of building land on the east side of the glen; and, therefore, a considerable increase in the rising little town may soon be looked for."
This latter expansion never materialised and the bridge, apart from saving the local populace a long and circuitous trip across the valley of Skelton Beck, turned out to be something of a white elephant.

16th September - The death of John Vaughan aged 69, ironmaster and the discoverer of workable ironstone in East Cleveland.

He left half a million to his only son, Thomas Vaughan, a massive fortune in those days. £3,000 per annum to his widow and besides this the estate and mansion of Gunnergate, Cleveland Lodge and other properties.

Skelton was made a rectory and Brotton constituted as a distinct parish.

Pall  Mall  Gazette
Wednesday,   7th April 1869.
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT - THREE MEN KILLED.

The Leeds Mercury reports that yesterday afternoon a shocking accident happened at Saltburn-by-th-Sea, causing the death of three workmen, through the falling of a bridge. Messrs Hopkins, Gilkes, and Co., of Middlesbro', are building an iron bridge of 700 feet in length across the famous glen, along which the Skelton beck runs at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, for Mr. J. T. Wharton of Skelton Castle. The work has been in hand some time and the whole of the piers, eight in number, which consist of cast-iron columns, were finished some time ago, and four of the girders, which are about 85 feet in length, are fixed, and the flooring completed. Yesterday a strong force of workmen were employed fixing a pair of girders upon two of the piers, which are eight tiers in eight, reaching 130 feet from the ground. Everything appeared to be progressing favourably, when suddenly one of the girders, from some as yet unexplained cause, slipped from its holding upon the pier, swung to and fro, and then struck against the other pier, smashing the two girders and one of the piers absulutely into scrap iron. Upoin the pier which was broken there were three workmen employed. One of them, seeing the impending danger whilst the girder was swinging in mid air, jumped to the ground, a distance of some 130 feet, but was overtaken by the falling girders and killed upon the spot, The other two men remained at their dangerous posts, and one of them was killed instantaneously. The other was fearfully injured, in fact he had to be literally "jacked" out from underneath the debris. The bodies were a sad mangled sight, one man having his head literally smashed to atoms. The man who breathed a few minutes had both his legs broken. The names of the deceased are George Simpson, James Denny (foreman), and James Miles.

The Skelton curate's 'living' was £570 per year.

Mr J T Wharton of Skelton Castle leased land between Waterfall Farm and Skelton side of Airy Hill to Bell Bros for iron stone mining at 6d per 22 and a half hundredweight.

Transportation of criminals was ended.

1869 - Income tax was sixpence in the pound or 2.5%.

Rushpool Hall was erected for John Bell of the Bell brothers, who owned Skelton Shaft Mine.
It was built with blocks of ironstone taken from the mine, which gives its red appearance.

The Halfpenny Bridge was completed.
Pedestrians paid one halfpenny to cross, with other tolls rising to sixpence for horse-drawn carriages.
Three workmen were killed in the course of its construction.
There were many other suicide cases during its existence, who, the old sick joke said, paid only a farthing to jump off halfway.
It was finally demolished in December 1974, but had long been considered unsafe and closed to vehicle traffic. See page 1886-89 for copy of Toll Book and page 1909 to 1910 for Bridge Keeper.

5th Feb London Gazette. Church Organist and Music Teacher Bankrupt.
Robert Bell, of Skelton, near Marske-by-the-Sea, in the county of York, late Musician and Musical Instrument Dealer, and now a Musician, having been adjudged bankrupt under a Petition for adjudication of Bankruptcy, filed in the County Court of Yorkshire, holden at York on the llth day of January, 1869, which petition has now been transferred to the County Court of Yorkshire. holden at Stokesley, a public sitting, for the said bankrupt to pass his Last Examination, and make application for his Discharge, will be held at the said Court at Stokesley aforesaid, on the 19th day of February instant, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon precisely...


Rushpool Hall. Built 1869. Burnt down 1904. Restored 1905.
1870 - The Married Woman's Property Act gave wives possession of any money they earned.

Mine Accidents.
Between 1870 and 1890 death and injury in the ironstone mines was common.
Each year on average 20 men were killed and 500 injury-causing accidents occurred.
The main hazards were falls of stone from the roof and sides of the mining tunnels, methane gas, dangerous use of explosives [gunpowder] for bringing down the stone, use of young boys for driving horses, which hauled the wagons of ore from the mining face to the pit bottom.
Lighting to start with was by candle, the 'midge'.

26th December -
"The Cleveland Hounds", a book by A.E Pease, published in 1887, records on page 189 that-
Thomas Pressick Andrew had a seisure in the Hunting Field from which he never recovered.
The Redcar & Saltburn by the Sea Gazette. Fri. December 23 1870.
With great regret we have to announce the demise of Mr T.P. Andrew. Master of the Cleveland Hounds, which took place on the 25th inst. at his residence the White House at the comparatively early age of 54 years.


Thomas Pressick Andrew
His wife, Mary Ellerby.
He had a slight attack of paralysis last summer, from which he rallied sufficiently to enable him to resume his duties though it was contrary to the advice and wishes of his medical attendant and friends that he again took the field.
He was seized with the second attack in the hunting field near Kirkleatham in November last, when he was promptly removed to the hall, from whence he was taken home in Mr Newcommen's carriage.
Every available means was used for his recovery, but without effect and he finally sank under the attack.
The name of Andrews has been associated with the Cleveland Hounds for more than half a century, his father and grandfather of Mr Andrews having both preceded him as master of the hounds.
The subject of the present notice will be greatly regretted by a large circle of friends, for his kind and genial disposition won the hearts of all with whom he was associated whether in business or pleasure. No where was his remarkable equanimity of temper more fully displayed than in the hunting field, where he always maintained his self possession under the most trying circumstances, a fact best appreciated by those who know the difficulties and provocations incident to a huntsmans career. The internment taken place to-day (Friday) at Skelton at 1pm.
Thomas was the grandson of John Andrew, the notorious smuggler and first Master of the Cleveland Hounds, at their formation in 1817.
His father, also John, who had been imprisoned for his smuggling activities, had been Master before him.
Thus, the family had been Masters of the Hunt for 55 years.
The book records that he was buried in Skelton All Saints Old Churchyard, being followed by
"a concourse of mourners as was never seen before or since in Cleveland."
[The photograph of Thomas P Andrew and this information has been kindly contributed by Alan Ward, a native of Skelton and direct descendant of the Andrew family].

The Education Act introduced primary schools which were to be run by School Boards.
The country was divided into 2500 areas and in each one local ratepayers had to elect a School Board which would examine education in the area. Up to this time the only provision was by voluntary societies. Now they were empowered to build schools and run them out of the rates.

1st March. London Gazette.
In the Court of Bankruptcy for the Leeds District. In the Matter of Robert Tiplady Tate, of Skelton, in Cleveland, in the county of York, Brewer, a Bankrupt,against whom an adjudication in Bankruptcy, bearing date the 18th day of September, 1869, was duly made.....

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