The national census of this year showed Skelton, [including Lingdale, Boosbeck, N Skelton] having a population of 7820 with 4224 males and 3596 females.
There were 1433 inhabited houses with 263 being built or vacant.
The national population was estimated at 26 million.

Guisborough Workhouse had some 120 inmates including two people registered from Skelton. "John Elcoat, widower, agricultural labourer, imbecile, age 58." and "Thomas Hepton, General labourer, age 64."

At the other end of the social scale The Mount Girls Boarding School at Darlington registered "Martha Petch, Boarder under 15, Skelton, York, England."

The total population of Skelton, Skelton Green, North Skelton and New Skelton was 4791,
Of these 955 worked in the Ironstone mines.
These 955 miners included 48 boys aged 15 or under and 10 of them aged just 13.
One 10 year old was working as a "trapper boy".
300 gave Durham as their place of birth, 234 Norfolk, 129 Devon Cornwall, 106 Lincolnshire, 65 Northumberland and 64 Suffolk.
There were only 4 people aged over 80, the oldest woman being Anne Steel,age 87 and the oldest man was retired plumber, William Gowland aged 80.
21 men gave their occupation as boot/shoe maker or cordwainer [the old name for the trade.]
25 people were registered as school teachers/pupil teachers.
There were 34 dressmakers/seamstresses.

New mines were opened and mining techniques and machinery were improved.
Although the miners were paid by the ton produced , they did not benefit greatly by improvements in output, as the mineowners reduced the rate paid.

5th Jan. Longacres Mine. Thomas Hart,a miner aged 51 was killed. ""While stemming a charge of powder it exploded when he had got about a quarter of it stemmed."

7th Feb. MAN KILLED ON THE RAILWAY AT SKELTON. "A melancholy accident happened on the railway at North Skelton on Saturday night. An old man [he was aged 65] named Zachariah Wilson, a joiner employed at the North Skelton mines, had been to Middlesbrough and had come back by train to Saltburn. Instead of coming back from Saltburn to his home at North Skelton by the turnpike road, he had gone part of the way on the line. He had got to the junction at North Skelton where he was met by the excursion train from Middlesbrough. His foot was taken off by the ankle and legs otherwise mutilated. He died this morning from the injuries received. He was found on the line by PC Calvert and his own son-in-law, Robert Bean."

9th Feb. INQUEST. "An inquest was held at the Bull's Head Inn, North Skelton before Mr William Robinson, Deputy Coroner, touching the death Zachariah Wilson, who died from injuries received on Saturday last by being run over by the return trip train from Loftus. Inspector Dobbie watched the case on behalf of the North Eastern Raillway Company. A verdict of accidental death was returned.

15th Feb. John Plummer was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for assaulting Joseph Mallett with an iron sprag in Old Shaft mine. Mallett was knocked insensible and woke up in the surgeons.

15th March. London Gazette. Bankruptcy.
In the Matter of a Special Resolution for Liquidation by Arrangement of the affairs of Thomas Lowe, of Skelton, in Cleveland, in the county of York, Shoemaker and Shoe Dealer. The creditors of the above-named Thomas Lowe who have not already proved their debts,

16 April. Skelton Park Pit, George Bringloe, aged 36, was killed by a fall of stone while he and deputy were putting up props after a shot.

25th May. - A local miner records that there was a - "First demonstration held at Boosbeck, speakers were Mr.A.McDonald, M.P., F. Burt, M.P., Charles Bradlaugh, M.P."

15th July. London Gazette. Bankruptcy.
In the Matter of Proceedings for Liquidation by Arrangement or Composition with Creditors, instituted by William Stokoe, of North Skelton,in the county of York, General Dealer. Notice is hereby given, that a First General Meeting of the creditors of the above-named person has been summoned to be held at the offices of the South Durham and North Yorkshire Wholesale Traders' Association Limited, 134, High-street, Stockton-on-Tees, in the county of Durham, on the 30th day of July, 1881, at eleven o'clock in the forenoon precisely......

July. Primitive Methodist Chapel was started at N Skelton, built of wood and corrugated iron sheets. This was situated on the corner opposite the present C of E Church, and was the only building there at the time. The Loftus Advertiser reported that this "iron chapel" was paid for by the local mine owners Bolckow and Vaughan. It could seat 250 and cost £350.