Eastrington show

I hope to attend Eastrington show tomorrow as I have done now for more years than I care to remember. Although these days I have no connection with the show I used to look after some of the horse and pony entries and my parents and aunt were for a long time show officials. In particular my dad, Doug Watson, was the secretary, a job which took a surprising amount of work even for a small village show.

In the past I put up road signs, gave lengthy telephone directions to Eastrington (before the days of sat nav) and sat for hours in a tent which some years was very hot and other years was very cold.

More recently I attempted to have a history and old photo display in a tent the year after I published my book on Eastrington. Unfortunately the wind blew strongly and the tent blew down.  Some pictures and objects got very wet. I vowed never to have an outdoor display ever again.

This year I look forward to good weather (!!!!) and walking round as a spectator. I hope it all goes well.

The picture below was taken by my dad at the 1977 show and if you look carefully (double click on the picture to enlarge it) you can see a fancy dress competitor dressed as a queen.  It was the year of the Silver Jubilee.

Henry Bell Thorp, Goole architect

Members of the Goole Civic Society have recently been compiling a list of 'local heritage assets' - buildings which are an important part of the town's heritage and which planners  should therefore be aware of.

It became clear that several of these buildings were designed by Henry Bell Thorp, a local architect. So far we have found that he designed Bank Chambers (now the council offices) opened in 1892; the Clifton Gardens Methodist schoolroom [1890] and the adjacent Trinity Methodist church [1898] as well as the new Half Moon in Howden (now the Co-op shop) in 1890. I am sure that further research will add more buildings to this list. However no-one seemed to know much about Mr Thorp.

As I have  a lifelong interest in, and have written about, the Eastrington and Portington area I wondered whether there was a connection with Henry Bell of Portington Hall (see my recently published Eastrington history book).

After some research I found that there was.


Henry Bell of Portington [1729- 1816] was a landowner and farmer, lord of the manor of Portington and a friend and supporter of John Wesley. He and his wife, the former Mary Guy, had three sons and a daughter. Their eldest son Henry [1768- 1839] married Eleanor Wade and they had at least nine children.

One of their daughters, Maria [born 1800], married Robert Thorp at Eastrington in 1820. The couple lived at [Monken] Hadley in Middlesex (now part of Greater London) where their children were born. Their eldest son was Robert Hayton Thorp [b 1821], followed by Ellen Maria [1824], Henry Bell [1826] and Mary Ann [1828]. Both daughters died young - Mary Ann in 1843 aged 14 and Ellen aged 20 in 1844 and are commemorated in Eastrington church.

Robert also died and in 1841 Maria had married again to James Adcock, a linen draper. They lived in Wellingborough and their daughter Ellen Bell Adcock was born in 1844. Presumably she was named Ellen in memory of her sister.

By 1851 James too had died and Maria and Ellen were living at Temple Hirst with Maria's eldest son Robert, where he was farming. Robert's brother Henry Bell Thorp was living in York with his aunt and uncle.

Maria's younger sister Helen had married William Leak from Goole, a draper. Later uncle and nephew went into partnership as well known York drapers Leak and Thorp.

Meanwhile Robert married Ellen Acroyd in 1853. They had six children including another Henry Bell Thorp who was born in 1861 at Temple Hirst.

By 1881 the 20 year old Henry Bell Thorp described himself as an architect and was  lodging in London. I can find nothing about his training.

Although we know that he was designing local buildings by 1890/91, he also found time to make a trip to Canada. On 26th August 1891 at Toronto he married Emily Georgina  Hanning. They arrived in England aboard The Etruria on 12th September, having made the passage from New York to Liverpool.

Their son Henry Guy Hanning Thorp was born in 1895 at Goole. It is possible that he was born in a house in Clifton Gardens as it is known that Mr Thorp owned much of the land there.

The rest of Henry Bell Thorp's family had moved to Moorfields Farm on Goole Fields in the 1880s. His father died in 1890 and his mother in 1908 at Clifton Gardens.

His brother Robert Hayton Thorp lived at Willerby and another brother, Robert Justis Thorp, emigrated to Canada and lived at Telkwa in British Columbia.

Mrs Emily Georgina Thorp died in 1911 at Belle Vue House Doncaster. Henry Guy Hanning Thorp attended Haileybury School and was killed in France in 1915 whilst serving as a second lieutenant with 3rd battalion KOYLI. He was 19.

I believe Henry Bell Thorp died in 1953 but as yet have found no further details of his life.

If anyone can add further details to this account I would be pleased to include more about Henry Bell Thorp, who provided Goole with some of its impressive Victorian buildings.

Bank Chambers, Goole. Now East Riding Council offices.

Mystery picture - Williamson family of Marske and Watson family of Eastrington

Christmas is over, the duck has been eaten, presents exchanged and we have had a traditional long Boxing Day walk.

I have a new computer and am spending some time sorting out my old photos. It is wonderful to be able to see them all in an organised way but there are some which I need help with.

This lovely old photo was loaned to me by the family of Tom Watson of Eastrington who was killed in the Second World War. He was the son of Maud Watson of Eastrington who was, for many years, the Eastrington post lady.

The information I have about this photo is that it is the Williamson family of Marske and that the lady was Tom's great aunt. Does anyone know any more about the Williamson  family? I have more about the Eastrington  end of the family but hope the picture may help someone with family in Marske.

Eastrington memories

I often write about the history of Goole or Howden but I was brought up in Eastrington where my mother's family (the Nurses) have lived  since the seventeenth century. I wrote a book about the village a couple of years ago (Eastrington, an East Riding Village) which had taken me perhaps 30 years to research and write. The problem was that there was always something new to find out but I finally decided enough was enough and published.

Since then I have sold almost 700 copies (there are still plenty left!) and have met, either in person or over the internet, many people with Eastrington connections. Some are descended from those who emigrated to Canada in the 1830s, a few from the criminals who were transported to Australia, but many are people who were born in Eastrington, often went to school there and then settled elsewhere in the UK.

Eastrington is still a rural community where most people know their neighbours. It has a school, a beautiful old church, a shop and post office, a pub, a garage and a village hall.

I attended the village school (the old one) where I was taught by Mrs White, Mrs Leadill and Mr Thomas. I went regularly to St Michael's church and remember when Rev. Maurice Clarke was the vicar. My ancestors are commemorated on the walls and in the churchyard and I always feel at home there.

I went to buy kali and sherbert from the village shop run by Joan Dove, a childhood friend of my mother's and sometimes went to the other shop run by the Holland family. In my childhood too there were Lilleys' and Holmes' butchers where you could buy pork pies and sausages.

I went to buy stamps from the village post office run by Arnold Hoggard but never went in the Black Swan. My father did sometimes and would bring us home a packet of crisps but the pub was not then for families.

I remember the old garage being built by George Benson and going there a lot when my friend Susan  lived there and Joe Kendrick ran it. Now there is a new garage run by Kevin Stevens where my car goes for its all too frequent repairs.

The village hall too is new - there is now a house built where the old one stood and where we had Sunday school parties, blind sales  and agricultural show dances.

Do add your memories in the comments box below.

Local history classes - Howden, Eastrington and Goole

Now that autumn is here with winds and rain it is time for the new term of WEA local history classes to begin.

I teach three classes - one in Howden, one in Eastrington and one in Goole. All three classes have been running for some years and are very friendly. You don't need any experience and you won't be asked to do written work but you do need to be interested in the area where you live.

The class at Howden starts on Monday afternoon, 19th September at 1.30 pm and is held in the meeting room above the East Riding Customer Services building in Howden. This term we shall be looking at the history of the town and studying some original documents. There are frequent Powerpoint shows of local pictures.

The class at Eastrington starts on Tuesday afternoon Sept 20th in Eastrington Village Hall, again at 1.30pm and will look at Eastrington and other villages. Again there will be Powerpoint presentations about the villages.

The Goole class meets in the Ilkeston Ave Community centre at 10am on Thursday  22nd Sept and this term we are looking at the industries of Goole.

The fees are £55 per term [ 10 classes] and £3 for claimants. You can come to the first class and see whether you like it before joining.

Do contact me if you would like more information.

Eastrington church

Now back from holiday and the temptation of the Hay on Wye bookshops I have plenty to do. The garden is becoming overgrown with all the rain although not as much fell here as at Goole where there was severe flooding.

We are eating green beans and courgettes at every meal and the poor damson tree has been pulled down by the weight of fruit. Unfortunately the damsons are not really ready and so I am leaving the tree alone and then will prune it after picking the crop.

I am busy now writing my fourth book on the Pictorial History of Goole and hope to have it ready  by autumn - lots of work to do but it is very interesting to write.

The exhibition at the Beverley Treasure House by the Victoria County History will feature three boards of my old photographs about Howden, Eastrington and Newport. It opens on 17th September, the same day as the local history book fair. I am having a stand there so will be able to sneak along and listen to comments on the exhibition!!

I am looking forward to the afternoon of Wednesday 31st August when I am giving a talk to a group made up of the Howden U3A and my WEA students at Eastrington church. This is my 'home' church where my family have worshipped since at least 1680 so I always enjoy sharing it with others.

Eastrington Show 2011

We went to Eastrington Show yesterday and enjoyed meeting several old friends.

It was a cool day but dry and not windy like last year. Then we had a tent with a display of old photographs and copies of my book about Eastrington. It did not last long in the gale and despite our best efforts it blew down.

This year we watched the display by the locally based Action Horses and then went to see how we had fared in the produce section. My aunt's begonia had won a prize in the houseplant class, our picture of a water lily at Kew was the best flower photo but most pleasingly our eggs had also won a prize. As the grand daughter of the owners of the Eastrington Poultry Farm I felt  my grand parents would have been pleased. (I have to say I was less pleased when three of our eggs, left on display, were taken by someone. Not, I felt, in the spirit of the show!)

My family have lived in Eastrington for  over three centuries. My ancestors have, no doubt, attended most of the shows of former years and for many years my father, Doug Watson, was the secretary. I  personally have very happy memories of  shows where I took part in fancy dress, rode on the speedway, entered my pony in trotting races and later sat in some very hot tents as we tried to keep the horse jumping running smoothly.

This year's show was perhaps a bit quieter but I hope to attend Eastrington Show in 2012.

Emigration from East Yorkshire to Ontario

This week I had a visit from John and Sue from the US who were staying in Saltmarshe whilst tracing their family history.

Sue's great great grandfather Thomas Tomlinson had emigrated from Saltmarshe near Howden in 1826, sailing from Hull like so many other young men and making a new life for himself in Ontario.  They were hoping to find a record of Thomas' birth and although the date was not exactly right I think we found his baptism in the Howden parish records in 1803.

Sue is lucky as her great grandfather, Richard Tomlinson, wrote out an account of his ancestry which gave her some clues - and maybe a few red herrings - to follow up. She has given me permission to reproduce a little of the information here.

            Richard H. Tomlinson,  a history of his life

I believe it to be the duty of every head of a family, no matter what his station in life may be, to leave behind him some sort of a history of his life and doings not necessarily for publication but for the purpose of saving trouble and perhaps expense.  Altho I have no diary or record of my own life and so far as I am aware none of the family have kept any I am the more desirous that my children shall have all the facts before them imperfect as those facts may be and (was?) able as I am at this time to place them on record.

Parentage

My father was an English immigrant coming to this country about the year 1826.  I am unable to give the name of the vessel but I have heard him say it was by a sailer and that it took them about 13 weeks to cross from Hull to Montreal. 

There being no canals at that time the journey from Montreal had to be made in Durham Boats, a sort of scow, in which the goods were placed and the passengers were obliged to assist in propelling up the rapids.  However, they reached their destination – Port Hope – Smiths Creek as it was then called – in due time and they at once proceeded to transfer their luggage to row boats in waiting, to the shore.

  My father came from a place called Saltmarsh near Howden in the East Riding of York.  The estate belonged I believe to Sir Titus Salt.  At all events my father was born and brought up as a farmer upon the estate and until he migrated to America was not off it.

  Coming as he did at that early date he brought little with him and so far as I am aware there is but little left of what he did bring.  A few books, amongst them a Prayer Book of the Episcopal church to which to which he belongs and some other books all of which have disappeared or are in possession of my sister Lizzie now Mrs. Albert Webster of Oshawa except a box which he brought with him now in our farm at Howden Holm.   I would like very much that this box be preserved it must be nearly 100 years old and the only article in our possession that Father brought with him from England. 

Saltmarsh is beautifully situated on the right hand or west side of the river Ouse a tributary or branch of the Humber about 4 miles from Howden and about 8 or 10 miles from Goole, the head of navigation in a beautiful farming or agricultural country.  There is also a church and grave yard, in which latter many of my ancestors lie. 

My mother

 Soon after landing at Port Hope or Smiths Creek as it was called, my father proceeded to Bletchers Corners, a considerable town in those days, where he got employment and met my mother Miss Gitty Gosling (daughter?) of John Gosling who came from Dutchess Co., who was a seamstress and worked for a Mr. Walton a tailor in Port Hope.

 From here they were married and went to Rochester NY by a sailing vessel.  Upon their return, they went to live on the Ashford farm about 2 miles east of Bletchers Corners.  I think it must have been Mr. Olney Ashford’s father, he of Hawaiian notoriety, be that as it may here on this farm, me and my oldest brother were born,  I understand, and we lived there for a year or two, perhaps longer I cannot say just how long.

 The Ashford farm was in the Township of Hamilton but Port Hope and Cobourg were the principal market towns.  Bletchers Corners however continued to be quite a busy place.  I have often heard my father speak of  Esq. Sowden(?) and I am inclined to think that he must have worked for the Squire when he came to this country or soon after it.

I found it fascinating to talk to John and Sue as my own relative, Robert Nurse from Eastrington, emigrated to Port Hope, as did other Eastrington families including the Bletchers and the Ainleys. I am sure they must all have known each other.

Emigration from East Yorkshire

One of my particular interests is in families from this area of Yorkshire who emigrated to US and Canada in the nineteenth century. Now thanks to the internet their descendants can find their roots and some come and visit.

Although, having said that, I have a wonderful collection of letters [only copies] which chronicle the story of the Thompson/Medd and other Eastrington families who emigrated to the Port Hope area of Canada in the 1820s/30s. The families kept in touch very regularly.

Recently I have been contacted by descendants of Thomas Tomlinson of Saltmarshe near Howden. He left in 1826 but never forgot his roots and passed on to his family details of where he came from. Now his descendants are coming from Canada to see where he lived.

Welcome to my blog

I have been interested in local history for many years and also in family history. My mother's ancestors, the Nurse family, have lived in Eastrington since the seventeenth century and so learning about the history of the village meant I also learned about my own family at the same time.

After several years teaching history to children at Howden School I moved on to teach local history to adults for the WEA and have long-running classes in Goole, Howden and Eastrington.

I also write articles and books about local history and work as a professional genealogist with a special interest in Yorkshire.

In any spare time I am a keen gardener, trying to tame a plot of about an acre although the weeds usually win. I also keep a few chickens, a cat and share the house with my daughter.