Howden area Quakers

I have been looking this week at Quaker history and specifically at some of our local families who emigrated in the late seventeenth century.

The Quaker movement was founded by George Fox. Early Quakers (or Friends) stressed the importance of a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ and a belief in the universal priesthood of all believers. They emphasised a personal experience of Christ acquired through both direct spiritual experience and the reading and studying of the Bible.

Their beliefs meant that came into conflict with the 'establishment' and were often imprisoned for non-payment of tithes, for simply attending their meetings as the law then forbade religious gatherings of more than five people outside the Church of England, or for not taking an oath of allegiance to the king. Quakers did and do not agree with swearing oaths.

In Yorkshire there were many Quakers and several local men and women spent long periods in York Castle, several of them dying there. This took place mostly in the reign of Charles II.

Meetings of Friends were held at Elloughton, North Cave, Shipton, Barmby, Ferriby, Hotham, Sancton, Metham, Brantingham and Sandholme.

Meeting-houses were later erected at North Cave and Elloughton and records of their meetings survive including their minute books and records of suffering. These two local meetings later became incorporated into the Hull monthly meeting

At Sandholme there is still a Quaker farm, once owned by Sebastian Ellythorp who died in York Castle in 1695. 

Cornelius Empson was another local Quaker and member of the landowning Empson family of Goole Hall, where there is still a private burial ground. This is referred to in 1673 when Katherin Empson, wife of James, was buried as a Quaker in "Rich[ar]d Empson’s ground, Gowle".

On the 24th of the 6th month 1680 (the Quakers had their own dating system, beginning with March as month one), the Hull Monthly Meeting of Friends registered the birth of a son to Cornelius Empson. He was named Richard and was the eldest son of four born to Cornelius and his first wife Mary.

Cornelius Empson emigrated to America in 1684. In 1685 he was described as living on Shellpots Creek, a small stream in Brandywine Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware.

On the 12th December 1710 his will was proved. He was then described as Cornelius Empson, gentleman, of Goal [sic - Goole] Grange, New Castle County, Pennsylvania, later Delaware.

Some records suggest that Cornelius Empson was born at Booth. There were at least two Quaker families in the  nearby Knedlington area. I am not sure where they lived in Knedlington, which now consists of only a few houses, but early maps  do show a Quaker burial ground there.

The Wright family

Another local Quaker family were the Wrights of Howden and Knedlington. Robert Wright, a butcher in Hailgate, Howden and his wife Alice Lawtie had at least three, possibly four sons who all emigrated to America.

The eldest son was Thomas Wright. In 1677 he emigrated to the Jersey shore of the Delaware river on the "Flie Boat Martha" from Hull. Thomas Wildbuys or Wildcup was the master. The Martha arrived "at the end of Summer 1677" carrying "114 passengers" for the Yorkshire Tenth in Burlington. Thomas Wright wrote home to his wife on October 28th 1677, having just arrived. His family followed him. He died in Burlington County, New Jersey 1706.

The second son was Joshua Wright. Joshua married on June 10th 1669 Elizabeth Empson of "Gowle Field House", Goole. I am not sure how she was related to Cornelius Empson, but she was possibly his sister.

Joshua obviously had a 'falling out' with the local Friends around the time of his marriage. The Friends records of 1669 (which are hard to decipher) for the South Cliffe meeting state that,

"Joshua Wright of Howden, having been convicted of frequenting friends meetings, denied the worlds went from it, paid tithes, forsooke ... and ... he being admonished and warned faithfully by friends, and afterwards proceeded ... world, and ...  marryed by a drunken priest."

Joshua was disowned in 1669 by the Cave Monthly Meeting for marrying Elizabeth Empson on 4 mo. 10. 1669, contrary to Discipline.

Joshua Wright, along with his wife and children Elizabeth, Joshua and Robert, seems to have left the area and eventually emigrated from Ashford-in-the-Water near Bakewell in Derbyshire. The family embarked for West New Jersey at Hull, in August 24, 1679 on the same ship as Joshua's brother Samuel (see below) and arrived at the falls of the Delaware, now Trenton, about December 20th 1679.

Joshua's will, which was written in 1690 although he  died in 1695, includes bequests as follows which show he was Samuel's brother.

"I give to Mary, late widow of my brother Samuel Wright, that farm or plantation whereon she now dwells during her life and to Samuel Wright her son to him and his heirs forever.

 I give to Peter Fretwell, my son-in-law, and Elizabeth his wife, my only daughter, our lot in the town of Burlington, belonging to the first part---------to them and their heirs forever.

 I give to Robert Wright my son - 100 acres of land and 30 pounds to him and his heirs forever. I give to Thomas Wright my son - 350 acres of land and 30 pounds to him and his heirs forever.

 I give to Joseph Wright my son - 350 acres of land and 30 pounds to him and his heirs forever.

 I give to Samuel Wright my son - 350 acres of land and 30 pounds to him and his heirs forever.

 I give to Elizabeth my wife one half of the farm or plantation whereon I now live during her natural life and after to my son Joshua with all the rest of my lands and herby give to him and his heirs forever. And the rest of my goods to Elizabeth my wife and Joshua my son, whom I make executors of this my last will and testament."

The third of the Wright sons was Samuel Wright, yeoman of Knedlington, who was born about 1645. He married Mary Starkey, daughter of John Starkey of Knedlington, on the 1st July 1671.

In 1675 Samuel Wright, of "Nedlington", grassman, was imprisoned for refusing to pay a demand of 4d for the wages of the parish clerk.

The Elloughton monthly meeting minutes of 1676 show that Friends of the Howden meeting were ordered to "enquire into the present condition of Samuel Wright's family (he being prisoner at York for the truth sake) and to bring in account the next meeting".

It was also minuted that "considering the condition of Samuel Wright of Knedlington, he being straitly kept prisoner and his wife great with child, and his estate but small; [they] sent her by Christopher Graves 10 shillings".

In 1677 another 10s was sent to Samuel's wife as she was "in weakness and her husband in prison, by a Capias Writt persecuted by the wicked Bishop's Officers".

Samuel Wright emigrated to America with his brother Joshua Wright, leaving Hull in August 1679 with his wife and children, Alice and Samuel. His daughter Mary was apparently born at sea on October 25th 1679. Samuel Wright settled in Burlington Co. along the south side of Crosswicks Creek. He died Burlington Co., New Jersey before 25th March 1690, when his wife was described as a widow in his brother's will. 

A fourth Wright son, Richard Wright, born in 1651, may have emigrated and lived at Cooper's Creek, Gloucester Co, New Jersey.

The Goforth family

William Goforth was born in 1631 at Knedlington. His father Miles had three known children, William,  George and Elizabeth.

Miles Goforth died in 1674 at Knedlington. William, who may have been married before, married Anne Skipwith in 1662 in the Friends meeting house in Hull. Anne's mother Honora Skipwith, wife of Willoughby Skipwith, was also a Quaker and died in 1679 in York Castle.

William and Anne and their family emigrated to  America on the Martha in 1677. Thomas Wright, also of Knedlington (mentioned above) was a fellow passenger. Sadly, William died in Burlington the following year. Ann remarried to another fellow passenger, William Oxley.

I am sure that there is much more to discover about the Quaker families in this area of East Yorkshire. I briefly mentioned Sebastian Ellythorp of Sandholme earlier in this blog piece. The Ellythorps are a fascinating local family and I researched them in greater detail for my book about Eastrington.

When I have time I will have a more detailed look at some of the other local Quaker families and their 'sufferings' which are available to read in the archives at Beverley.

Howden church organist and choirmaster

I have been looking this week at various aspects of the history of Howden church and in particular some of the interesting people associated with it.

I was researching the history of the organ and found that in the 1890s the organist, choirmaster and master of the Howden Grammar school was Charles Sanderson Fosbery [1865-1958].

I knew little of him but I found that after leaving Howden he eventually moved in 1900 to Montreal in Canada. There, in 1909, he founded the Lower Canada College which, on his retirement in 1935, he gifted to the Old Boys of the school. It still flourishes as a private independent school. He returned to England, married a former matron of the school and lived in Bournemouth.

I wonder if he ever returned to visit Howden.

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.

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.