SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND IN HISTORY

Long Acre Ironstone Mine, Skelton

1883 - 31 March. Longacres Mine. James Moyce, a miner aged 52 of 35 Richard St, N Skelton, was killed when a fall of stone crushed the lower part of his body while he was barring it down. He 'died on the Saturday afternoon following the accident on Wednesday.' Born in Suffolk he had come up North with his family in his 40s to find work. He left a wife, Eliza, age 51, from St Margarets Suffolk, a son James, 20, who also worked in the mines and a daughter, Emma, aged 12. 26 April. John Pennock, a miner aged 43, was killed. He was described as being "shockingly injured by an explosion of powder. while engaged putting the hay wad into a hole just charged with loose powder." He lived at 17 William St, North Skelton, and had come from Lastingham, Yorks, about 1877, possibly from Rosedale Ironstone mines. He left a wife, Jane, age 42, who came from Osmotherley, Yorks and five children on the 1881 census - Watson, age 14, Rodger, aged 12, Hannah, age 10, John, age 8 and Robert age 6.

5 August. John Peel. a miner aged 48 died of injuries received on 3rd August. A local paper describes that he was killed "by explosion of powder, supposed to have been lit by squib instead of match." John lived at 31 William St, North Skelton and had been born in Norwich, Norfolk.

All Saints Church Skelton soon after completion

He left a wife, Rose, age 41, who had been born in Neurala State, India and was presumably the daughter of a British serviceman. He had two children at the census of 1881, Rose, then aged 7 and Charlotte 5. They had been born at Rosedale, Yorks and there seems to have been a movement of miners from there to the Skelton mines, as the 1881 census shows. 18 August. Percy Saunders, an ex Indian Army officer was drowned in the "German Ocean" at Saltburn near where Skelton Beck outflows. He was attempting to save the life of a Thomas Goddard, who had hired a bathing machine and then got into difficulties. Thomas was saved by others. Percy was rescued by a boat, but efforts to revive him failed. He was buried in Skelton Old Churchyard. A large procession and Saltburn Brass Band attended. Saltburn did not get its own cemetery until 1889.

[Postcard kindly contributed by Julie Felgate of Skelton.]

1884 - Representation of the People Act. Now any male occupying land or property with an annual rateable value of £10 could vote and this increased the number of adults now eligible to 24 percent. NSPCC founded. Skelton and Brotton were amalgamated under a joint local government board of 21 members. Meetings first Tuesday in each month. 14th October. The new church in the High St was consecrated by the Archbishop of York. The total cost was £13,476, obtained mostly by the sale of church land. The rector at the time, John Gardner, was the moving force behind it. The old church was said to seat 500, but it was thought a larger church was needed for the increased population. The stone came from Glaisdale, Skelton and Skelton Shaft.

Font, dated 1859.

Thirteenth century bell.

To see 1859 origin of font. click. The font was brought from the old church along with one of two bells dating from the thirteenth century. The other bell is in the Victoria and Albert museum in S Kensington, London. The organ was a gift of rector, John Gardner. The peal of 8 bells and clock were the gift of J T Wharton. The Anglo Saxon sun dial fragment from the old church was placed in the porch. The Church clock was made by William Potts of Leeds. 7th Mar. William Bellinger was fined 6d for damaging grass at Skelton.

William Potts 1809 - 1887 Skelton Church Clockmaker

7th Mar. Robert Currie, grocer, of Skelton was killed by a fall from his horse in Trout Hall Lane while out hunting, after riding with Mr Stevenson of Trout Hall Farm. The Stevensons, who still occupy Trout Hall Farm, seem to have been new arrivals as at the 1881 census it was in the occupations of William Wood, age 53, born in Northumberland. 14th Mar. Peter Entwistle was fined 5s by Guisborough Police Court for stealing turnips from field of T Petch at Barns Farm, Guisborough Road, Skelton. 28th Mar. North Skelton Mine. George Byles, fitter, was severely burnt when he had a fit and fell back into a workshop fire. 1885 - Criminal Law Amendment Act raised the age of legal sexual intercourse with girls from 12 to 16. K Benz built first internal combustion engine car in Germany. A further 2 acres were added to the New Skelton cemetery. About 1500 people, mainly single men, emigrated to America from the Cleveland area around this time. The population had multiplied fivefold from 1871 to 1881 and yet the demand for ironstone had declined as the local ore competed with foreign imports with a richer iron content.

The price per ton went down from 7 shillings and sixpence in 1873 to 3 shillings in 1879. The mine owners had formed their own association and got the miners' wages linked to the price of pig iron on Teesside. 3 January. William Scilling, miner of Skelton, was charged with assaulting his wife, Elizabeth, after coming home drunk with another man. He had beaten his wife on several previous occasions. Case dismissed. 17 January. William Scilling was charged with deserting his wife at Skelton, whereby she became a charge to the Guisborough Union. They had been married for 13 years.