gallon

THE STORY OF THE GALLONS OF UGTHORPE

"......perverted by his wife about fifteen years ago."

This very important addendum is written beside the entry "Luke and Dorothy Gallon" on the 1735 return of recusants to Archbisnop Blackburn ralating to Lythe parish. It implies probably a secret marriage round about 1720 or earlier, between a papist and another not so. Dorothy was the papist.

The first family name to appear on the lists was Maria Gallon who was presented in 1691 among sixty-one others for Ugthorpe itself not as part of the greater Lythe parish. The next was the one above, the only Gallons among fifty presented for the whole of Lythe. The last were Luke and Thomas listed in 1745 for Hinderwell and Ugthorpe respectively. These and subsequent occurences indicate that the family were peculiar to Lythe parish and to Ugthorpe in particular. That they originated in the adjoining parish of Hinderwell is shown by the entrry in the Lythe burials for May 18th 1770 of Luke Gallilee of Staithes. There is no age given.

This new name calls for some explanation. It might be said that it refers to another family altogether but that opinion needs some revision when the Ugthorpe registers of Fr. Hervey give Luke Gallilee, Dorothy Gallilee senior and Dorothy Gallilee junior as witnesses to the marriage of Andrew Jowsey of Ugthoroe to Sarah Saunderson of Easington on November 10th 1737. Searching for Gallon wills proved fruitless but revealed those of a number of quite wealthy Gallilees. Brief particulars of these are:

As both the members of the Staithes branch died intestate no bequests are known so whether Luke got anything or nothing is unknown. The first Luke, being dead would, of course not benefit but there were other Lukes and still are to this day.

Luke's daughter Dorothy married into the Garbutts a strongly recusant Ugthorpe family in l738 and the godparents of some of some of her children point to her brothers and sisters. Straight away another Luke appears together with Thomas and Margaret. The latter married John Camplin (Campion) and Luke sponsors one of his children, whilst both Luke and Margaret are godparents to Peter another onild of Dorothy. As Fr. Hervey was arrested in 1745 the remainder of the story of the Early Gallons is lost but a further Luke is noted marrying Mary Readman at Egton on November 10th 1789. Whether he is grandson of Luke 1 or Luke 2 is not known. U.P.R. gives Elizabeth Gallon, Greenhouses born on September 12th 1790 most likely his first child. From this it is seen that in the last decade of the eighteenth century there were at least three papist families residing in that remote hamlet - Harrisons, Readmans and Gallons. Furthermore it seems probable that this Luke lived with his in-laws his wife being the Mary who made her Easter Duty from Greenhouses in 1781, as told in the Readman story. No more is known about this family except that Elizabeth herself married James Readman at Ugthorpe on October 23rd 1811, James being E2 in the Readman classification and his children Iisted there.

To return to the Gallons. In 1801 on the sixth of September another Luke Gallon married Mary Roe at Egton parish church, which, it must be remembered, was the one which stood from pre-reformation times on, or more correctly, adjojnirig the present cemetery until it was pulled down in 1878.This Luke who must be numbered 4 could not have been a son of Luke 3 because only twelve years separate their marriages. He could however be a child of Thomas above whose marriage has not been traced. The first and only recorded child of Luke's marriage was John who was born on January 28th 1803. Why there are so few children of Luke 3 and Luke 4 is not understood unless the parents studiously avoided recording them or the registers are lost. John became the direct forebear of the Gallons at present residing in Ugthorpe. His children were:-

John the father apparently did very well becoming a master cartwright, and no doubt, a capable builder too for he built his own house Bellwood still occupied by Gallons today. At the time of its cconstruction in 1856 it would have been the best house in Ugthorpe having two storeys, a slate roof and a marvellous landing window. Catherine, predeceased her husband, dying on November 20th l866 aged 62, and John himself died on May 9th l879 aged 76. In the meantime John 5 married Hannah Welford of strong recusant stock from Roxby. This marriage produced the following children:-

Thanks are due to Elizabeth, one of John 5's grand-daughters, from whom a considerable part of this information has been obtained, and to Alice the widow of 55 Nicholas who very kindly permitted the use of Bellwood to the writer for a period in 1961. Perhaps the only thing that had changed in more than a century was a tap water supply. It was in fact, an opportunity to live the life of a hundred years ago, a most appreciated practical History lesson for the whole family.

Now 54 John Ralph married Ann Readman (L2321) daughter of Joseph (L232) and Elizabeth Harrison (62144), their children being brought up at Newgrove whilst Nicholas and Alice lived at Bellwood. They (Ann & Ralph) had ten children Thomas, Mary, Frank, Luke, Theresa, Elizabeth, Philomena, Cecilia, Dorothy and Winifred, listed not necessarily in natal order. A stalwart moorland family well acquainted with the rural crafts and pastimes. The menfolk have not lost the art of their illustrious Readman ancestor, the quoit player Joseph, who, two hundred years before, was the father of L2 himself. Frank earns his place in Marie Hartley and Joan Ingilby's important book "LIFE IN THE MOORLANDS OF NORTH-EAST YORKSHIRE" for his skill in making scuttles from ash. Nor do the womanfolk lack any of the domestic abilities of the rustic housewife. Their greatest commendation however, shared with the other families narrated here, that they have preserved for over four hundred years the practice of the faith sustained by the saintly priest Nicholas Postgate whose footsteps they follow.

The Ugthorpe communion lists reveal a little more, anonagenarian widow Mary died at Danby Lodge aged 98 on February 10th 1814 having been an Easter Communicant for many years. She may have been in service at the Lodge from her youth; her husband may have been employed there and on his death spent her widowhood there. In 1808 Elizabeth Gallon was a widow at Staithes where she died aged 87 on Janusry 14th 1818. She was the widow of Thomas. Her name appears on a list headed "Non-Catholics Received by Fr. Bertout" alongside the date January 6th 1800. In 1781 at Staithes were Luke and Mary a sister to N. Gallon. In 1788 the references are Luke senior at Staithes and Luke junior at Ugthorpe. A list of First communions shows Mary aged 13 in Oct. 1805 and John aged 12 at Whitsuntide 1814 who is John above.

Rev. Richard Robinson vicar of Egton did some legal work for some of the Gallilees with whom the Gallons are obviously connected. He calls them Gallaley in his records. On April 14th 1781 he notes a service done for Thomas Gallaley, yeoman Barnby Lyth. On October 10th of the same year he notes what appears to be letters of administraion on behalf of Thomas Francis and William farmers of Barnby Lythe.

There are no Gallon occurences in Glaisdale or Goathland nor any at Whitby between 1794 and 1840.

At the time of writing none of the ten Gallons above mentioned have died and some of them will be referred to again since they have married into families the stories of which are the subject of this essay. Notwithstanding the outward movement of people away from the area this family is still well represented in Ugthorpe and the surrounding villages.

Two more items:-

Thomas, son of Thomas and Eliz. Gallon of Sandsend was baptised 16th Nov. l74O

Thomas Gallon of Lythe, householder of Lythe died 14th March 1767