Meet the locals - Dobson's guide to Cleethorpes (1850) part two

We shall next present the reader with descriptions of the places of worship connected with Cleethorpes. The first is the Parish Church, a description of which will be found in the account of Clee; but as it is an easy distance, and a beautiful walk for visitors, it may be necessary in this place to give the times of Service. Morning, half-past ten, Afternoon, half-past two, on alternate Sundays.In addition to this, in connection with the Established Church, Divine Service is held in the National School-Room, at Cleethorpes, every Sunday evening at half-past six o’clock.

WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL. This new, large, and commodious Chapel, is situate between the Fore and Upper Thorpes; it was built during the year 1848, and was opened for Divine Service on the 13th July in that year. It contains 402 sittings, 134 of which are free; the cost of this Chapel was £1050; there are attached to it Sunday School Rooms for boys and girls. Order of Services; Sundays, a Sermon at half-past ten in the forenoon, and at six at night. Week-day Service; a sermon every alternate Thursday night, at 7 o’clock.

This is the third Chapel which has been built here by this denomination within the last forty-four years, the other two proving too small.

PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL. This Chapel is situate at the Upper Thorpe; it was opened for Divine Service in April, 1848; it contains 200 sittings, 60 of which are free. The cost of this Chapel was £200. Order of Services; Sundays, two o’clock in the afternoon, and six o’clock  at night. Week-day Service; every alternate Thursday evening at seven o’clock; missing the night on which the Wesleyans hold theirs.

To this Chapel is attached a clock, with a dial facing the street.

THE NATIONAL SCHOOL, above mentioned, is situate at the Upper Thorpe; it was built in the year 1815, and was raised and otherwise improved in 1848. The system of training is according to the national plan. The present master and mistress are Mr and Mrs Glover.

We shall now describe Cleethorpes more particularly. For the guidance of visitors coming to Cleethorpes by packet, we may state that the distance from Grimsby dock is two and a half miles, and from the Railway Station three miles; at which places conveyances are in attendance at the landing of the Steam Packet, and at the times of the arrival of Railway Trains, bringing passengers to Cleethorpes in a few minutes, and returning in time for the departure of the trains and packet.

Visitors who may choose to walk from the packet may either go on the sea shore, or on the direct road; the difference of distance being small. And those walking from the Railway Station may cross the fields leading to Clee Church; on continuing this course, they will fall in with the carriage road, which has a neat footpath on its side, which leads to the Fore Thorpe, on entering which, the first house is the Cross Keys; Mr John Chapman, Landlord. This is an old established building, being licensed for the sale of beer at the time when “Folly Feast” was in vogue. Within an hundred yards is the Leeds Arms Inn, fronting the public entrance into the place; this is the newest and last inn which was licensed in the village; it was opened in October, 1821, by Mr George Burgess, the present landlord, and is in great repute, particularly with the west of Yorkshire visitors.

Belonging to this house are six bathing machines, and a warm bath house.

Passing through this Thorpe, we come to the Dolphin Hotel, which is situate fronting the sea commanding a pleasant view of the Humber, German ocean, and opposite Yorkshire coast; it was formerly much larger, part of it having lately been converted into two lodging houses; however it is yet sufficiently large to accommodate families of the first respectability, and is well attended in the bathing season by the higher classes.

This Inn has six bathing machines belonging to it, and a warm and shower bath-house.

The Manchester Order of Oddfellows have a Lodge here, called “Cleethorpes Fisherman’s Rest”, No 1803; this Lodge was opened at the Leeds Arms with five members, on the 29th day of June, 1839; it now numbers 54 members. Their anniversary is held on Trinity Monday.

Mr George Locking is the present proprietor of this Hotel, and keeps horses and conveyances to let to visitors.

At the foot of the Pleasure Ground, which extends to near the front of this house, is a stand of donkies in readiness to let out to the visitors; they are particularly in request for children.

Not far distant from the Hotel, by the sea side an octagonal beacon was erected a few years ago, to serve as a mark for vessels entering the Humber.

This Thorpe contains sixty-eight inhabited houses, including three Inns and forty lodging houses.

Turning south from the Dolphin Hotel towards the Upper Thorpe, are the splendid buildings lately erected by the Rev. E.R. Mantell, Vicar of Louth, which have the Pleasure Ground and Sea in front; and the National School in the rear of the premises.

Passing these, we shortly come to the Upper Thorpe, in which is the High Cliff Terrace, a splendid pile of buildings, containing 7 houses, fit for the reception of large families; they command a full view of the sea, from which they are only a few yards distant.

Contiguous to the High Cliff Terrace, is the house of Mr Richard Chapman, which is licensed for the sale of beer; one part of which is let for lodgings during the summer. This house is only 28 yards from the highest part of the Cliff, at the south end of the Pleasure Ground, which is the loftiest summit in the place, the Cliff here being upwards of forty feet high.

To this house belong seven bathing machines and a warm and shower bath house.

This house is known by the name of “Cliff House”.

Near to this is the residence of Mr Lill, butcher, whose shop adjoins the public street, called “Sea Lane,” where he keeps horses and a gig, as well as a close vehicle to let to visitors wishing to travel to the neighbouring towns and villages, and particularly to the Earl of Yarborough’s mansion and mausoleum, which is about ten miles from Cleethorpes.

From the highest part of Cliff Terrace is a sloping road of artificial steps, leading to the oyster booth of Mr William Rowston, which is situate at the bottom.

Near to the booth are pleasure boats in readiness to take out parties to Spurn, or pleasure excursions into the Humber, or German ocean, when required; they are neat little vessels with “lug sails”, safe and well adapted for the purpose.

There are other booths erected on the sands, which are an accommodation to visitors on their sea walks, if suddenly overtaken with a shower, or for resting themselves. In these booths are sold oysters, biscuits, and cordials, or temperance drinks.

There is also a Temperance Hotel situate between the two Thorpes, kept by Mrs Healas, who takes in lodgers.

The inhabitants will generally be found civil to strangers who visit the place, as they consider them their superiors.

In front of the pleasure ground, about a mile distant, are the oyster beds, which can be viewed only in spring tides that is at full and change of the moon, or two or three days after, which generally comprises about a week, the greatest tides happening two days after the full and change of the moon.

In the oyster beds, or lays, may be seen at low water, tens of thousands of oysters of different sizes, which the fishermen have dredged and brought in their smacks from distant parts of the sea; for it must be understood that oysters do not breed here.

The author would caution parties visiting the oyster beds, against treading upon or carrying away any oysters, as they are private property. There are seventeen smacks employed in this trade, belonging to this place, which are registered at the Custom House at Grimsby, where the master of each vessel has to send in a statement of his crew half yearly; these smacks are from eight to twenty-eight tons burthen, and employ three or four hands each. Their principal employment during the summer is in the oyster fisheries; and in the winter sprats, which are at times caught in great abundance and sold to farmers for manure.

The visitor to Cleethorpes, if inclined for the study of nature, will find much to interest and instruct; in every walk something will be found which inland places do not furnish, and which to collectors will be a valuable acquisition. The author regrets that want of space prevents him from giving a list of some of the most remarkable plants in this interesting locality; for of some of the walks in this neighbourhood it may be said in the language of Cowper,

“---------- there the turf

Smells fresh, and rich in odoriferous herbs

And fungous fruits of earth, regales the sense

With luxury of unexpected sweets.”

The collector of sea-weeds too, will here reap a rich harvest, for every tide washes up something new, in this department, of the products of that

“Majestic main

A secret world of wonders in itself”

To those commanding the study of sea weeds the author would recommend a small work called the “Marine Botanist” by Isabella Gifford.

A great quantity of wild fowl visit this coast, particularly in the winter season, which afford pastime for the fishermen and other inhabitants. Amongst them will be found a great variety of wild ducks, the teal, the smew, pochard, shelduck, wild geese, sea gulls and mews of various kinds; knots, stints, sand plovers, redshanks, runlets, oyster catchers, called by the inhabitants “Sea Dick,” wild swans, &c, &c. Of these birds some remain and breed here, as the sand runlet, redshank, oyster catcher, the lapwing and many others.

Amongst the fish which are caught here in summer, is turbot (called by the inhabitants “brits,”) plaice, soles, smelts, blue backs, eels, skate, whelks, mussels, cockles, crabs and shrimps are caught in considerable quantities and cooked fresh every day in the summer (except Sundays) and sold amongst the visitors.

Herrings and sprats are caught in nets, but skate and cod are caught on hooks in winter; conger eels, of large size, are sometimes found on the sands, left by the tide.

Seals are sometimes caught alive on the sands, one of which was kept in a large tub  of sea water in the oyster booth of William Rowston, from the 11th of June, 1848, till the 30th March, 1849. It was domesticated like a dog, answering to the name of “Billy,” and was greatly admired by those who saw it; it was kept on small fish, of which it consumed great quantities, but eating too freely of fish, mixed with sea-weed, caused its death.

A great quantity of shells are found on the shore, washed up by every tide; and sometimes jet, of which the boys make beautiful brilliant rings.

To render this small Work interesting as far as possible to all classes of visitors, we shall mention what was called, and with great reason too, “Folly Feast.”

The annual feast was originally held at Clee, commencing on Trinity Sunday, to commemorate the dedication of the Parish Church (a notice of which will be found in the account of Clee), but has for a series of years been held at Cleethorpes. Fortnight days (so called which commenced on the second Sunday after the feast, were held every alternate Sunday during the summer; the crowds of people who attended from the neighbouring towns and villages, and the excesses committed were enormous, such as wrestling, fighting, and foot ball playing. Stalls were erected in front of the Hotel, and on the sands, for the sale of goods and wares, ginger bread and other sweets. This was continued until the thinking part of the population began to see it wrong to thus desecrate the Sabbath and called it “FOLLY FEAST.” Early in the morning of Fortnight Sundays, people began to pour into the place from the neighbourhood, and some from a distance of twenty miles; men on horseback with a woman seated on a pillion seat behind them, besides great numbers on foot.

The horses were afterwards put into a paddock, called “Bellow Garth,” in front of an Inn known by the name of “Chequers,” (now the Vicarage House, which was partly re-built about five years ago. It is situate at the Fore Thorpe, in what is called the Market Place; and is at present in the occupation of Mr Richard Garniss, held under the Vicar, with a farm attached to it, called the Vicarage Farm) and there left to graze until the men partook of some refreshment, and a good supply of “three-penny tankard, October brewed,” to prepare their spirits for “Folly Feast.”

The scenes of riot and drunkenness practiced on these days became so notorious, that the magistrates determined to put them down, which they finally accomplished about sixty years ago.

The site where these scenes of iniquity were practiced on Fortnight Sundays, is still known by the name of Folly.