1898

1st January –
DEATH OF EDWARD BELL HAMILTON OF RIGWOOD.
He had been the Land Agent for Skelton Castle for some years and died on this day age 69.

Edward Bell Hamilton’s son, also Edward, placed two windows on the South side of Skelton Church in the High Street in his parents and sister’s memory, as this plaque records.
Edward, junior, was for some time Manager of Kilton Ironstone Mine.
The Durham Mining Museum has details of his mining career here.
He was also an officer in the Skelton Company of the 4th Yorks Battalion and by the time of the First War a Major. He was by then too old to go to the Front and was greatly involved in recruiting.
In 1932 a window in the same Church was placed as a memorial of him.

4th January –
INDECENT ASSAULT.
Jabez Gott, a young miner, was charged with having indecently assaulted Mary Jane Roberts at Skelton on the 26th.
The complainant and her niece were walking up the High Street from Yeoman Street at night and when near the Jubilee tree, they saw 3 young men standing.
As they drew near Gott held up his arms to stop them and the niece eluded him, but the prisoner caught the complainant and tried to kiss her.
She resisted and he then put his arm round her neck and assaulted her.
An alibi was presented to the effect that Gott had gone straight home that night. Fined £2 including costs.

21st January –
NO MUZZLE, FINED A BOB.
At the Loftus Police Court Joseph Maughan of Skelton was fined 1 shilling and 7s 6d costs for allowing his dog to be at large without being muzzled on December the 8th.

Carnival at New Skelton. Dairy Farm in background.

7th February –
BOBBIES ALL CHANGE.
The following changes are taking place in the Langbaurgh East Division – PC Boynton from Kilton to Skelton Green. PC Clark from North Skelton to Kilton.
PC Brough of Skelton Green retires on a pension. He took over as toll keeper on the Halfpenny Bridge.

18th February –
HARMONIUM CONCERT.
A successful Concert was given in the Drill Hall, Skelton on Wednesday under the auspices of the Church Sunday School and Band of Hope.
Mrs S H Merryweather, Mr H Merryweather, Mr Treen and Mr G Johnson each received a well earned encore.
A humourous dialogue was given by members of the Band of Hope and the concert concluded with an exhibition of “Living Waxworks” under the management of Mr J Taylor. Proceeds of £8 for a new Harmonium for the Sunday School.

12th April.
NEGLECTING TO SEND CHILDREN TO SCHOOL FINES.
Mr John Dixon, the Skelton School Board Attendance Officer charged the following parents with neglecting to send their children to school.
John Jackson, Annie Drury, William Jackson, William Sadd and John Walker did not appear and were fined 5 shillings and costs.
Samuel Bentley’s daughter Annie, aged 12 has only attended 60 times out 101. The father said she was unfit owing to periodic illness in her head and ears, but as he had no medical evidence he was fined 5s.
John Rooks’ son James had attended 54 out of 101 and had passed no standard. Frequently summoned in the past. Fined 5s.
George Milner was similarly fined. His son, George, has only 21 out of a possible 84 attendances.
Joseph Allison fined 5s because his daughter, Elizabeth, aged 12, had only 68 out of 102. The mother’s excuse being that she was kept at home to nurse the baby.
Richard Pennock fined 5s because his step son, William Alfred Bougan, aged 11, had only attended 35 out of 120.

12th April –
PINCHED EGGS – SIX STROKES OF THE BIRCH.
Three boys named J Thrower, Arthur Henderson and J Carter, for stealing hen eggs, the property of William Welburn of Skelton were sentenced to receive 6 strokes from a birch rod in the presence of their parents.

15th April.
17 YEAR OLD MINER KILLED – RUN OVER BY TUBS.
Skelton Park Pit. Charles Scuffham, a horse leader aged 17 was killed. “When coming out-bye with a set of full tubs, down a gradient of 1 in 36, he either slipped or caught his foot against a sleeper and fell in front of the tubs, and three of them passed over him crushing him so severely that he was killed instantly.”

24th May –
SCHOOL ABSENCE – SENT TO INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.
Richard Pennock, a miner of North Skelton was summoned by Mr John Dixon, the warden to Skelton School Board for neglecting to send Alf William Boucher, of whom he is guardian, to school.
The boy is 12 years old and has been present only 103 times out of a possible 271.
The Board applied that the boy should be sent to an ‘Industrial School’, as this was the sixth time he had been brought before the court.
Case adjourned to enable the Magistrate’s Clerk to ascertain which Industrial School was available.

24th June –
BOOSBECK TO YORK IN 3 HRS 15 MINS.
On Thursday the Church choirs and Sunday School teachers had their annual excursion, which this year was to York.
About 174 assembled at Boosbeck Station and were conveyed by special train, leaving at 8.45 and reaching York at noon
Breakfast was provided at the “Minster Gates” and the day was spent visiting places of interest among which the “Gala” was a great attraction.

1st July –
MINE ACCIDENTS.
On Monday, Thomas Wilcox, whilst at work in Longacre Mine, received an injury to his arm by a fall of dogger and had to be admitted to the the Skelton Miners Hospital.
Next day, Henry Smith of Westgate, Guisborough, received a severe injury to his cheek and eye by a fall of stone whilst at work in the South Skelton Mines and had to be conveyed to the Guisborough Miners Hospital.

7th July –
MINERS’ DEMONSTRATION.
Members of the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Miners Association held their 27th demonstration in a field under the Eston hills.
Over 3,000 joined in a procession which was accompanied by bands and banners from the Brotton, Guisborough, Skelton, Loftus, Marske, Skinningrove, Eston, North Skelton, Boosbeck, Stanhope and Frosterley lodges.

17th August –
BELL’S BIG WEDDING BELLS.
Today the quiet village of Skelton was aroused into a flutter of excitement by a more than usually stylish wedding which took place in its Parish Church.
The contracting parties were Miss Lilian Bell, daughter of the late Mr John Bell, who resides at Rushpool Hall and Mustapha Rais, Algiers and Mr Clive M Dixon, 16th Lancers, son of Sir Raylton Dixon of Gunnergate Hall, Marton.
Major Clive Macdonald Dixon would be killed on the 5th November 1914 at Ypres. See page for that year.

Rushpool Hall, Skelton.
The two eldest Bell daughters, Evelyn Left and Lillian, with John Bell in the background.
Please note that Christine Newson has Copyright to this photographs and permission should be obtained before copying and showing elsewhere, especially for commercial purposes.
A timeline of the Bell family with many more photographs can be read Here.

CHURCH ROOMS BUILT at the bottom of Green Road.
Parish Magazine –
Through the kind thoughfulness and generosity of the Squire, this most useful building has been erected and placed at the disposal of the Church for Sunday School, Band of Hope and other meetings.
Until now the Church had no place of its own, with the exception of the Drill Hall, which was allowed free for the Boys’ Sunday School.
The building measures 50 ft by 22 ft inside and is divided into two rooms by a moveable partition.
The partition is constructed of leaves 3ft broad, which can be unshipped in a few moments and used for table tops.
The place is lighted with incandescent gas lights and comfortably warmed by means of two tortoise stoves.
The Green and Skelton Mother’s Meetings have an amalgamated mothers’ meeting on Wednesday afternoons – entrance by the North door out of the Infant’s School.
The Boys’ Sunday School meets here at 9.45 and 1.45.

PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL was built in New Skelton.
Prior to this the local Primitive Methodists met at 8 Thomas Street,New Skelton.
The corrugated iron building later became known as “Tippet’s Chapel”,after a Miss Maud Tippet, one of its chief organisers.
See page 14 of Emails.

Tippet’s Chapel, New Skelton.
[Picture of Miss M Tippet donated by Owen Rooks, native of New Skelton.]

1st October –
WRONG DIAGNOSIS.
Yesterday as Dr Thornton, assistant to Dr Merryweather at Skelton, was driving down the road near New Skelton the horse bolted and made swiftly towards North Skelton.
The groom jumped off safely, but Dr Thornton in following his example came in contact with a lamp post which broke off with the force of the collision. He fell with the post above him and his legs being cut and bruised.
The horse ran towards North Skelton, where the conveyance was smashed to pieces by collision with another lamp post. The affrighted animal rushed with the broken shafts towards Brotton, where it was stopped bleeding and exhausted.

28th October –
FISHERMEN HAMMER SKELTON CASTLE.
Football. At Skelton on Saturday the Castle team played Staithes. The visitors were 2 goals up at half time and ran out winners by 7 goals to nil.

25th November –
OUT OF LINE ON THE LINE.
On Tuesday at the Guisborough Police Court seven Miners belonging to North Skelton named John Padget, Robert Stephenson, John Anderson, Walter Mogridge, John Beadle, Robert Pennock and John Spence were charged with trespassing on the North Eastern Railway. Each fined 10 shillings with costs.

25th November –
BRINGING HOME THE BACON OFFENDERS.
At the same Court, Herbert Brunton and Walter Holden, Miners, were charged in custody with stealing 7 shoulders of bacon, the property of Edward Turnbull, at North Skelton on the 19th inst.
The case was adjourned for a week and bail allowed.

16th December.
WHO CAN VOTE ?
Mr Charles F Palmer, Revising Barrister, sat at the Town Hall, Guisborough for the purpose of revising the Parliamentary, County Council and Urban Council electoral lists for the local townships.
The Liberals were represented by Mr O’Connell-Jones and the Conservatives by Mr W A Bulmer.
In the Skelton North Ward list, among others, Mr Bulmer objected to William Dawson and George Fletcher on the ground that they had not been occupiers for a sufficient length of time and to William Headlam as he had left the house before the qualifying period had expired.
Votes struck off. Henry Humphrey who had moved to Rosedale was allowed a County Council vote, but struck off other lists.
Results:- Skelton North Ward, 12 Conservative objections and 8 sustained. No Liberal objections. 3 Liberal ownership claims made and sustained.
South Ward. 8 Conservative objections and 4 sustained. 2 Liberal ownership and 3 occupation claims made and sustained

Skelton High St in the late 1800s. The Literary Institute would be opened in 1899 where the sandstone wall is seen first Right. See the pictures on next 2 pages.
The Chemist at the Shop with the words “Druggist with Drug and Patients Medicine Warehouse, General Store, Horse and Cattle Medicine, oils, paints.” was Alexander Ellis in the 1870/80s.
At the 1901 census it was Walter Kingston, whose family ran it for the rest of the century.
The Estate houses further up the High St to the Right of the horse carriage are yet to be built.

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