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 PM 1868-74, 1880-86, 1892-94 |
1871 - The national census produced the following figures for Skelton, including Lingdale, Boosbeck and N Skelton. Inhabited houses 439, 10 uninhabited and a further 4 being built. Population - 2561 comprising 1490 males and 1071 females. In ten years the number of houses had doubled, the number of females had doubled and the number of males had trebled. The "Ironstone Rush" brought people from E Anglia, the Midlands and as far away as Cornwall, probably from failing tin mines. Guisborough Workhouse had only 5 individuals registered from Skelton. Herbert Campion age 10, James Day age 10, John Day, age 12, Mary Lowe, age 11 and William Day age 9.
A roll of Landowners in the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1871 gives the name and address of the owner, the extent of land owned and the rental
value' but not the location of the holding. |
 PM 1868, 1874-70. |
John T Wharton of Skelton Castle owned 8257 acres, 3 roods and 12 perches with a Rental value of £7043 and five shillings. This "rental value" would be equivalent to £350,000 in the year 2002. Whether this included income from leases on the ironstone mines is uncertain. Average income for other people at this time was:-
Other owners of land locally were the parson, the Rev John Gardner, who held 52 acres, 2 roods and 5 perches with a value of 71 pounds and
eleven shillings. |
 John Vaughan], North Skelton |
156 houses were built in North Skelton. These houses were of the two up, two down variety with a cold water tap and a midden in the back yard. A coal fire place, with a cast iron range that had to be black leaded and hearth white washed by the hard working wife. A coal fired boiler outside to heat water to fill both the tub to poss the clothes and the tin bath to wash the miner when he came home, [if he came home.] With large families and sometimes lodgers, the two bedrooms must have seen some strange sleeping arrangements. But jobs at the mines were vied for just to get one of these dwellings, which compared with living conditions in previous ages were comparative luxury. And no one was allowed to go in the 'front' room which was kept for showing the Victorian ornaments, the aspidistra and the piano. Large areas of Skelton were set aside for allotments and they were more vital and more widely used than today. Many people fattened a pig, which was shared out amongst neighbours when it was slaughtered. The average working class family had 6 children and one in six families had ten or more. In this year Bank Holidays were introduced and Trade Unions legalised. Bastardy Laws gave the right for the mother to apply to the court for maintenance. A Licensing Act introduced licensing of premises selling beer and spirits; limited the number of such places; limited their opening hours to between 6 am and 11 pm; limited the sale of intoxicating liquor to any person "apparently under the age of 16 years"; and prohibited gambling on licensed premises.
1872 - 1st June opening of the viaduct, 150ft high and 783 feet long, over the valley of Skelton beck . The 11 redbrick arches carried a
double track when opened.
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