SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND IN HISTORY

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Page 27. THE POOR PEOPLE OF SKELTON. THE OVERSEERS.

Thanks to Alan Ward of Saltburn the fascinating contents of an old book from the early 1800's can be revealed. The vellum has mostly worn off the covers by much handling, but inside the lovely copper plate hand writing of the time reveals how provision for the poor and needy of Skelton was dealt with. It is the Account Book of the Overseers of the Poor. From the late 1500's to 1834, by order of Parliament, poor relief was made the responsibility of each Parish. Each Easter, the Vestry [a group of parish rate-payers who usually met in the Church] had to elect Overseers to see that these obligations were carried out. For a hard working farmer or tradesman it was an onerous, unwanted and unpaid job in terms of lost hours and the problems of administration.

On the one hand, they had to decide between the deserving and the undeserving poor and at the same time satisfy the local ratepayers who paid to fund the process and usually lived a hard and uncertain life themselves. Up to 1822, in Skelton, it was the task of one man and after that two were elected. 1802 William Cole 1803 Richard Wilson, Farmer 1804 John Andrew,  Smuggler Farmer 1805 William Sherwood 1806 Jackson Harden 1807 Stephen Emmerson 1808 George Langstaff 1809 Thomas Shemelds 1810 David Elcoat 1811 Robert Watson 1812 Robert Tiplady, Farmer. 1816 John Appleton 1818 Thomas Dixon, Joiner 1819 William Wilkinson 1820 Edward Hall 1821 John Johnson Jun 1822 Thomas Rigg and John Parnaby 1823 John Parnaby and James Cullen 1824 Robert Thompson and Matthew Taylor 1825 Matthew Taylor and William Sayer 1826 Matthew Taylor and Newburn Johnson 1827 Joseph Hickson and Robert Watson 1828 Robert Marley and William Cole 1829 John Dale and Michael Miller 1830 John Andrew and John Dale for John Wood 1831 Codrington Kilburn and James Taylor 1832 Joseph Harker and Mark Carrick 1833 William Dixon and William Leng 1834 William Dixon and  William Leng 1835 Stephen Emmerson and John Thompson 1836 Joseph Tate and Thomas Ableson 1837 John Farndale and John Cole 1838 Thomas Moon and Robert Thompson 1839 William Morris and William Johnson 1840 Nathaniel Stonehouse, Miller and V E Pattonson 1841 Leonard Dixon and Robert Wilkinson 1842 Joseph Biggins and Thomas Rickaby 1843 John Grundon and Thomas Taylor 1844 William Young and William Gowland 1845 John Cass and John Elliott 1846 P M Lockwood and Robert Thompson 1847 John Andrew Junr and Richard Nixon 1848 John Andrew Junr and William Wilkinson

The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 removed the administration of the Poor Law from the Parish. Poor Law Guardians were established and these were representatives of many Parishes and combined to form a Poor Law Union. 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. As can be seen from the above table Parish Overseers in Skelton were still elected to  liaise with these Guardians and carry out the Parish functions that the Work House system had not replaced.

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