harrison

THE HARRISON SAGA

Strangely enough, the first recorded Egton recusants were Lawrence, a pedlar and his wife Katherine in 1614, each having been a recusant for one year. A prominent family name, George, occurs at the outset where he, also a pedlar, his wife Jane and son and two daughters, unnamed, appear from Stokesley at the same time. His secret burial six years later points to his recusancy also. There were earlier Egton recusants listed in 1604 but none were Harrisons who seem to have avoided presentments at Stokesley, Thirsk, Malton and Helmsley in the intervening years. Even the eighty-five names gathered from the diffrrent Egton districts in 1611 do not include them. They could not, perhaps, have made their homes there till after that date.

Subsecuently, as seen from the Egton parish registers, one or two families are in residence in the village. Ann daughter of Roland occurs on the 18th September 1636 and is the first Harrison entry. Her father was presented for his recusancy amongst twenty-five of his fellow villagers three years previously. George appears in a list of twenty-seven, at the same time as Ann's birth. He was styled as a joiner, but there is no means of knowing if there is any relationship with any of the people above.

The first marriage took place on September 28th 1640 between Thomas Harrison and Frances White whose recusancy was not revealed until 1674 towards the end of their life together, having missed being listed among the hundred and fifty-eight of their neighbours the year after their marriage when no other Harrisons would have been with them. During the next ten years three children of this pair appear in the register, William and Mary in 1642 and 1646 and a second William in 1648. 'Henry filio? blank' is entered for August 1641 so this parentage is in doubt.

A second Harrison marriage took place on October 3rd 1647 between William and Ann Mead. In this case they were not presented among the two hundred and twenty-seven Egton people in 1674, but were so among the lesser number, one hundred and seventy-two, in 1691. A son John, was born in 1648.

When Thomas and Frances were listed in 1674 there were John and George Harrison listed with them,all the men being yeomen. Perhaps the latter pair were grown-up sons. A John was cited in 1691 as well, who could be alternatively, the son of William and Ann above. However that may be, the registers themselves raise a number of queries. From their commencement in 1617 as transcricts now in York, (the parish books begin in 1628) there are only twenty-one Harrison entries covering baptisms, marriages and burials, up till 1700. By 1800 there were only thirty-seven more. Are all of these papists? Fr. Hugh Aveling in his valuable book 'Northern Catholics' p.423, gives the total number of papists in Egton in 1676 as two hundred and seventeen out of a total of six hundred and ten inhabitants. What is more peculiar are the number of gaps when no Harrison entries occur, or it would be better to say no occurences find their way into the books. The first of such gaps is 1687 to 1722 inclusive, three items relating to the marriage of Richard Harrison and Mary Dale, 1705/O9 excepted. The next is the decade 1729/39, then 1742/52, and 1767/77 and finally 1789/94 all dates inclusive. It will be shown later that the papists were never keen to make use of the parish books and the Harrisons were no exception.

The year 1691 was the year when so-called extra territorial Harrison families are discovered. At that time the Danby recusant list had nineteen names of whom were Henry Harrison and his wife Dorothy, and that for the hamlet of, or rather the district of Eskdaleside had fifteen names including those of Francis Harrison and his wife Mary. Henry reappears on the Glaisdale list in 1708 and again in 1716 as a yeoman, but the change from Danby to Glaisdale simply means that his home was in the Chapel of Glaisdale which is part of the parish of Danby. Although Francis and Mary are found in the story, it is not thought that this couple from Eskdaleside are connected with a later similarly named pair from Shorefoot in the Lordship of Egton.

As the civil recusant lists are gradually supplanted by the ecclesiastical ones which continue until 1780, they will be referred to as the story unfolds. Evidence from the first post-recusant congregations becomes available shortly after the last recusant list, and in one unique case precedes it by almost half a century. Before commencing the story proper, a list of Harrison marriages may be found useful.

HARRISON MARRIAGES BETWEEN 1600 AND 1868

Each of the papist communities in Egton, Ugthorpe and Whitby went through three stages of church development. Those for Egton were a room in the home of the Smiths followed by what is now the parish school till 1866 then the present church. Those for Ugthorpe were Fr.Hervey's one time boarding school, replaced by a new church in 1808 after the earlier premises had been enlarged in 1803. This 'new' church is now the school, the present church being built in 1855. For Whitby the pattern was first a room above the stonemason's shop belonging to Mr. Langdale. This was at the west end of Baxtergate and lasted until 1805 being superseded by the chapel which was followed by the present church in 1867.

For close on twenty-five years at the beginning of the nineteenth century they were encouraged by the steadfast endeavours of Fr. George Leo Haydock who arrived at Whitby on 15th July 1806 whilst still continuing to serve Ugthorpe; and Fr. John Woodcock, driven from Douai, served Ugthorpe and Egton Bridge from 1803 until 1827 when he was succeeded by Fr. Nicholas Rigby.

As yet only three records of Henry Harrison occur apart from his will. First, as previously stated, one of nineteen others in the civil recusant returns for Danby in 1691. Secondly in the Registration of Papist Estates in 1717, this gives the information that he was a yeoman with landed property in Greenhouses, a hamlet which was at that time apparently, in Danby parish. He holds in the right of his wife from her father Francis Rudd, thirty-five acres, and in his own right a further twenty. Thirdly, Egton Registers reveal his death on January 4th 1727. Danby Registers show Francis Rudd to have died on March 23rd 1722 having descended from Rudds since the beginning of the register.

Strangely enough, a contemporary James Harrison, lived at Greenhouses as well having a wife Dorothy. He is well documented, being married at Danby on August 20th 1706(?). His wife's maiden name was Campion and he died on December 3rd 1731. His will tells of children James, Joseph and Mary who married a Smith, and a son-in-law John Frankland. John and William Harrison were witnesses. There is no mention of any of these among the nineteen above but there is in the Egton lists of the same date. No positive proof however, identifies the witnesses above as the Egton recusants for as the years pass there are more and more instances of several identically named persons alive at the same time and in the same locality.

Henry's will, proved in 1727, sets the family away handsomely. Assuming seniority of mention, he had three girls first and five boys later. The girls, to each of whom he gives £25 receive no more mention anywhere except Barbara. She became the wife of Robert Atkinson and the mother of twins as revealed in Father Hervey's Ugthorpe registers and died on November 21st 1747. Three of his sons apparently had farms of their own whilst Francis and Henry, to whom he left £25 and £20 respectively, became tenants in Shorefoot, part of the Lordship of Egton. Here they were on the opposite side of Stonegate Beck to their family home in the adjacent parish, barely a mile away. Joseph, who received £25, settled a mile or so higher us the same valley in Tranmire; William getting £30 settled in Glaisdaleside further afield across the River Esk, and John inherited Greenhouses. The baptisms of these children have not been found, nor have their deaths, if found, given any indication of age at death.

Each son except Henry, who died in 1785, wisely left wills from which it has been possible to build up the history. Francis is in the 'extra' ecclesiastical recusant list for Egton 1753, in these terms "Francis Harrison, wife and two children" whilst Henry, in the same list merits "Henry Harrison, wife and five children". Francis's will of 1772 only mentions one child, another Francis, and nothing as yet reveals the children of Henry. It seems that these Shorefoot Harrisons did not baptise their infants at Ugthorpe as there are no records in Father Hervey's registers about them. Thus begins the "orphan brigade" of Harrison children born between 1700 and 1780 who are virtually unidentifiable. Their marriages after 1753 are to be found and if they died after 1812 their years of birth, but to which family they belong, it is very difficult, if not impossible to ascertain. To avoid confusion at the outset, it may be of advantage to use a numerical identification as follows:-

the first generation of children are given the numbers one to eight, and the eldest child grand child becomes 11 being the first child of the first child, two figures indicating second generation, three the third and so on. This method was originally used by Hilary Harrison now of Kirby Moorside whose number is 626635 which exactly pin points his position in line of descent from the Henry who died in 1727. The system will become clearer as the story unfolds.

Now as Henry's children are dying round about 1770 to 1790 an interesting point arises namely that as parents normally predecease their first child by twenty-five to thirty years, Henry ought to have died between 1745 to 1765 during which period his widow actually passed away. "Dorothy Harrison, widow, papist, Greenhouses" is an extract from Egton registers of December 2nd 1755. That he was married by 1691 is already known so if that entry was early in his married life, his birth would occur in the early part of the reign of Charles II, that is between l660 and 1670. It is known that a George Harrison was one of the Danby freeholders in 1655 but is not yet possible to say he was Henry's father. The will of Henry's fourth child now referred to as Francis 4, has already been discussed. The will of Joseph 5, 1781, is more helpful. At the time of his death he had apparently, three surviving children 51 Henry, 52 Joseph and 53 Elizabeth who married a Garbutt. He gave his grand-children £5 each and related that four of them belonged to 51 Henry and seven to 52 Joseph and that the money is to be paid on each attaining the age of twenty-one. This means all of them were born after 1760 and their fathers not married before that date. 51 Henry was baptised by the courageous Fr. Hervey at Ugthorpe the entry reading as follows:-"Henry Harrison, son of Joseph and Jane Harr-ison, godmother Mary Hodgson child's aunt." So Jane is a Hodgson. The date was November 19th 1754. As no other entry occurs it may be that his brother and sister are older. Page 134 below makes him the elder by four years. Trammire the family home is hardly two miles away from Ugthorpe. Danby marriages show he married Hannah Dale of that parish on February 5th 1765 he being of Lythe Parish. To the care taken by Thomas Porter vicar of Lythe in his submission of the Lythe recusant returns to the Archbishop in 1780 is owed the named of these grandchildren in their respective families.

This is a noteworthy fact. His children were 511 Ann, 512 Hannah, 513 John, 514 William, 515 George, and 516 Joseph; his brother's, not necessarily in order of birth,521 John, 522 George, 523 Joseph, 524 William, 525 Mary, 526 Alice, 527 Dorothy, and 528 Jane. Their mother is Mary. It appears that each family increased by one child between February and September 1780, the first being the date the will was written and signed and the second that of the return. Now the problem of identically named individuals becomes acutely obvious, two Williams, two Georges, and two Johns all contemporary and all first cousins.

It appears that at some time after their fathers death, Henry and Joseph may have separated the former remaining in the Tranmire area occupying the farms at Redmires and Whins, whilst the latter with his wife Mary, moved to Mickleby, two or three miles nearer the coast. This is evident from a careful analysis of the Ugthorpe Easter Communion records over the period 1795-1627, in the first of which a Joseph and Mary are shown and continue to be shown till 1804 when a move to Barnby is not-iced. It Is possible, however, that the entries refer to a Joseph Junior and his wife.

William 6 778, is described by Rev. Basil Harrison as being of Glaisdaleside. His will of this date reveals that £100 was left to his son Joseph 61, with instructions to give his mother Ann(maiden name unknown but perhaps Elders) £1 yearly for life. The same bequest is given to his daughter Ann 63 Roe the wife of Matthew, with £1 yearly to her mother for the remainder of her life. His other son William 62 gets the balance of the estate and pays his mother £4 yearly. If Joseph or Ann die before the legacies are paid their children divide the respective sums and pay their grand-mother the amounts above.

Perhaps William 6 anticipated the possibility of a death for a Joseph Harrison died according to the Egton Parish burials on April 18th 1779, but the extra inform-ation "Whins" would seen to indicate a connection with Joseph 5 above. It is inter-esting to note, however, that Richard Robinson "Minister of Glaisdale" includes a Joseph and Mary Harrison and three children on the Glaisdale Return of recusants for 1780. This marriage is most likely that shown in the Egton Marriages for June 10th 1770. There has not been found the names of these children or whether they had further brothers and sisters.

John 7 1780, the inheritor of the Greenhouses estate obviously died, unlike his father, when all his children were nearly all married as he gives their married names. The estate too, has prospered for he gives his daughters 71 Mary Barker £30, 72 Elizabeth Raw £30, 73 Dorothy Lawson £40, 75 Helen £40, and Ann £45. He fortunately is well recorded in Fr. Hervey's registers marrying Helen Lyth of Cucketnook on February 12th 1740. ( Lyth family history below). The arrest of Fr. Hervey in 1745 terminates his records so the baptisms of his children cease to be recorded there. Dorothy born April 1st 1741, Mary born August 8th 1742, Elizabeth born March 7th 1744, John 74, born June 24th 1745, are the relevant details. This John is not mentioned in the will so is likely to have died young. Of the daughters only of Dorothy is there as yet any further information. She married Joseph Lawson at Egton on November 6th 1770 and had four children by the time of the 1780 returns of Egton recusants. Egton burials show "Dorothy Lawson R.C. Egton Bridge, July 3rd 1818 aged 77. By checking Harrison marriages and the names of witnesses there to the names of the children come to light. A Henry Harrison death in 1807 at the age of 54 in the early Ugthorpe records provides the key. The same occurance in the Egton Parish is without the age. This Henry, therefore, was born in 1753.

Two marriages, one in Egton the other in Lythe, provide some useful information. The respective entries are as follows:- June 18th 1781, John Hutchinson and Ann Harrison witnessed by Henry Harrison; August 5th 1777, Daniel Wilson and Helen Harrison (Eleanor in the register) witnessed by Henry and Ann Harrison. The bride as Eleanor is cited in the Lyth Returns for 1780. The early Ugthorpe Records (U.P.R. when referred to again) reveal that "Ellin" Wilson of Biggin Houses died aged 79 on March 3rd 1827, being born therefore in 1748. Similarly Egton burials tell of the death of Ann Hutchinson R.C. Stangbeck on November 15th 1822 aged 75, a fortnight before her husband. Her birth then occurs in 1749. The will concludes with the landed bequests:-son Richard "five acres and the newly erected messuages" son Henry "the remainder of the farm". What of this Richard? His tombstone in St. Ann's Ugthorpe and his will 1842 answer the question. Dying aged 86 in that year gives a birth in 1756 making him the youngest son. The query immediately arises was Henry 77 married? Were there any children? He appears to be intestate. These and other questions will be discussed below.

Having obtained all the information the wills of Henry 1727's children can give it now remains to follow up what can be gleaned about his grand-children. The will of Francis 3 1772, mentions one son by name Francis 31 and one daughter unnamed, and a grand-daughter Mary 313 ?Egton Recusant returns, referred to below as E.R.R.1753, relate the presence of two children Francis 3,and five children of Henry 8. Francis 31 married Elizabeth Hutchinson at Egton on December 18th 1761, and died in 1811, mentioning a third Francis 311, and Elizabeth 312, wife of John Martin. Some family trouble is evident for in his mothers will of 1824 he is left the proverbial shilling, no indication being given of any brothers or sisters. These, if any, join their unknown uncles and aunts born after 1761 and will merit an attempt to sort them out later. Is it possible that these Shorefoot Harrisons did not own any land in the first place or that they sold them to the Egton Estate? In E.R.R. 1753 both families are tenants like the others listed.

Henry 51, left a will dated 1812. This confirms and adds to the information given by Lythe Recusant Returns (L.R.R. when referred to again) of 1780. 511 Ann receives £40, the wife of William Roe. 512 Hannah, wife of Thomas Hudson, receives £40, 513 John receives £100, 514 George and 515 Elizabeth are omitted, presumably dead, 516 William receives £5, and 5l7 Joseph apparently nothing, but perhaps the Whins Redmire farms. Actually, Egton burials show "George Harrison Whins June 1st 1800.

No will of Joseph 72 has, as yet, been discovered so his children will need some elucidation as well.

Of the children of William 6 1778, only one, William 62, has left a will dated 1825. This William, being the discovered direct forebear of the writer's wife, is quite well documented and forms the nucleus of his "Harrison Genealogy" which it hoped to include further on. Little is known about Joseph 61 except the Glaisdale Recusant Return(G.R.R.) 1780 statement "Joseph Harrison and wife Mary and three children", and a similar one from E.R.R.1780 "Matthew Roe and wife Ann (Harrison) and four children".

Again, only one child of John 7 leaves a will, not having searched for possible ones from his sons-in-law. This child is the above mentioned Richard 78, who died in 1842. This will seals the fate of the Greenhouses estate directing its sale and division of proceeds. Probably the testator came in possession on the death of his brother in 1807. Yet again, he may never have had "the remainder of the farm" which was his brother's bequest. By a stroke of great good fortune, a list of Richard 78's children was discovered in the bible belonging to William White of "The Lawns" Ugthorpe some years ago. It is appended together with additional information from the will and local registers below.

Now the real difficulty arises. Wills cease to show much information, may be because the practice of dividing a property invariably led to smaller estates being owned, whilst the number of children per marriage seemingly resulted in people not possessing enough to necessitate the making of a will. Anyway other sources have to be found.

The Parish Registers have to be brought into much fuller use since the secondary entries there are more helpful than at first thought. Names of witnesses to marriages and names of godparents in baptisms, names of persons reporting a death, and the place of its occurance, and, when given, the occupation of a father can be useful. The practice now held of the best man and chief bridesmaid being the brother and sister of the groom and bride respectively, was more reliable in the past for indicating kinship than today when much smaller families are the prevalent pattern. However, the practice of registering baptismal godparents universally employed in the early records of the post-recusant parishes, has been the means of successful identification when all else failed. Brothers and sisters, but more frequently, uncles and aunts of a child have been found in this way. Yet another interesting, but difficult means is to make use of the recording at a marriage of a degree of relationship for which a dispensation has been obtained. It is surprising how many were present in the recusant communities of such places as those under examination. The reluctance to enter a relationship with a partner outside their tightly-knit societies is quite obvious and becomes a habit in later years which wise pastors are at pains to discourage. The problem posed by this addition to a marriage record "Dispensation obtained for fourth and fifth degree mixed consanguinity" is virtually insoluble. It is true to say that all recusant families were closely inter-related and in some cases too closely so. This is at one and the same time both a help and a hindrance to individual identification.(See page below). Ecclesiastical legislation relating to marriage permits a union between third cousins but requires dispensation for closer relationship. One or two cases of permission being granted for marriages between first cousins have been found and a good number of cases of marriage between second cousins. The dispensation quoted above implies a kinship of third and fourth degree between two of the four parents of the spouses concerned. When that marriage is found without any reference to such kinship being stated, it shows that an entry has not been fully copied when the register has been transcribed. Some of the lists among the archives in a parish or record office are copies of this kind where a copier thought it wiser not to record details of these relationships in the marriage transcript. In theory, the mechanics of the thing is quite simple. First cousins, common grand-parents, second cousins, common great grand-parents, but it is not so simple when it is remembered that the chances of correct identification are halved for each receding generation. When the thing proceeds beyond living memory, beyond the compulsory registration of 1837, back to the parish records and finally to no records at all, the difficulty becomes apparent. One feels in the dark, trying to hook a definite person into a known marriage and avoid the trap of making the wrong Richard Lyth, for example, the child of such and such a marriage.

Reference has already been made to the existence at the same time of two, perhaps three identically named individuals with little or no great difference of age, of even the same generation. It is easier to follow when a child bears the name of a parent or grand-parent. A second or third marriage of the man without the status of widower in the record does not facilitate the identification process. Moreover, parents in those days of high infantile mortality, quite often named a younger child after a deceased brother or sister, that is two children of the same name being born to one family.

The application of these principles to the disentangling of the recusant Harrison family and of course those inter -related families the Lyths, Readmans, Roes, Harlands and others, living before 1800 can only be illustrated with effect by actual occurences.

In 1774 a child was born who was baptised Ambrose Harrison. Only the year of his birth is known from a backward calculation from his death. No baptismal record is extant(see page ). His parents are unknown. Several Harrison marriages could provide them without undue or obvious impossibilities. An Ambrose Harrison is mentioned in the U.P.R. as having been an Easter communicant in 1796. Egton Parish Records (E.P. when referred to again) show his marriage to Lucy Readman of Scalby on May 2nd 1808. It may be that contemporary Easter Communion records for Egton Bridge parish, if discovered, will indicate his previous movements. However U.P. R. fortunately include baptismal records which are obviously those of Egton Bridge (E.B. when referred to again). This can be easily be explained since one priest was often in charge of both parishes during this period. These E.B. documents cover the years 1/1813 to 5/1827 and record the births of all his subsequent children, their god-parents, and, if a marriage had not been found, the very useful fact, the maiden name of the mother. This information reveals six children, two boys and four girls, one of the boys being another Ambrose. For his pre-1813 children the census returns of 1851 show Joseph a son and Jane a daughter-in-law with children Ambrose aged 7, and Thomas aged 5. Three Ambrose Harrisons already but thankfully three generations. The birthplace of the house-holder is also given which is a very useful piece of information, in this case, Egton parish. A careful sifting of god-parents shows Elizabeth, John, Martha, Ralph and Rose Harrison and Thomas and Elizabeth Readman as sponsors of his children. As Thomas witnessed the marriage, in 1808,it is an added confirmation. Lucy Harrison's birthplace is given as Egton which fact shows that Scalby in the marriage entry is merely the place of residence "in service" most likely, at the time of marriage. When it is noticed that Lucy and Ambrose sponsor some of the children of Joseph Readman and Elizabeth Smallwood, it is evident that this Joseph is another brother of Lucy. Now E.P. births show Thomas and Joseph Readman sons of Joseph Readman whose marriage to Mary Wedgewood occurs in September 1779. Thus the parentage of an 'orphan' Readman has been established. The possibility of Joseph being another of the same name is disproved by the fact that his age at death prove him to be the Joseph son of Joseph above. His death in 1847 occurred at The Hollins Egton bridge.

Although the same degree of certainty does not yet apply to the parentage of Ambrose, to whatever family he belongs, some faint glimmerings point to the possibility that he with other 'orphans' could very well be grand- children of Francis 5 or Henry 8, as will be explained.

The name Ambrose occurs in three families, namely Lyths, Harrisons and Whites. The first instance is in the 1755 ecclestastical returns connected with the Visitation of Archbishop Blackburn to Whitby. Here Ambrose Lyth and his wife Mary are recusants. The will of Mary Lyth, widow, in 1762 reveals a son Ambrose. Fr. Hervey baptised William son of Ambrose and Elizabeth on December 24th 1734 and their home was Cucket Nook and later Howe House. A third Ambrose born in 1745 is a likely William's brother. The E.P. marriages have John Harrison and Elizabeth Lyth married in January 1766. This pair, according to E.R.R. 1760 had seven children. The Ambrose Harrison born l774 could well be one of these. His 'father' John died in 1800 at West Banks. A further examination of E.P. burials show Thomas Harrison and Joseph Harrison both living at Egton Banks. Again two of Thomas's children are sponsored in baptism by Ambrose and James respectively. Now the births of Joseph,1772, Thomas,1777, and James 1780, are obtained from the census 1851 which also gives Elizabeth Harrison, spinster a sister of Thomas at Egton BankS. She was born in 1767. Thomas also witnessed the marriage of James in 1812.Thomas and Ambrose both had sons named Ambrose born in 1818 and 1825. Ambrose White the son of George White and Lucy Harrison is yet another grand son. Lythe registers show another Ambrose born October 16th 1757 baptising his children around about 1780 a period when recusant children were "registered not baptised" so it is likely that that family were not recusants. The parents of this Ambrose were Robert Harrison and Anne.

Should this Ambrosian saga be accepted as reasonable, it is possible to link him, his brethren and their descendants to Francis 3 as their grand-father, so giving them honourable antecedants. If future research shows this reasoning to be false, a good purpose, nevertheless, will have been served in that further study will have been stimulated.

So, subject to correction, an attempt follows to elucidate the descendants of Henry 8, all there being to go on resting on the meagre information of E.R.R.1753 "five children". As E.R.R.1780 lists the family as having "no children and two servants" the children must by that date be married. The Harrison miarriages between 1755 and 1780 at Egton and Lythe are below.

The above marriages are not exclusive, it is the marriages of 'orphan' Harrisons, rather than the others that merit close examination. In the first place the recusancy of the family is an important point. E.R.R. 1780 includes "John Lyth and seven children" and "William and Mary Readman" with one child and John and Eliz. Harrison with seven children, whereas L.R.R. 1780 quotes George and Jane Harrison as well as James and Elizabeth Miller each family with no children. The Glaisdale returns of the same year(G.R.R.)list another William and Mary Readman with six children. It is not known whether this is a duplicate entry or two separate families both lists being prepared by Richard Robinson Minister of Egton and Glaisdale. The dates of birth of these Harrisons, Mary 1741, George, 1743, Cecily, 1745,and most likely Elizabeth, together with their recusancy outlined above suggest that they may well be sons and daughters of Henry 8. Cecily Hoggarth became the mistress of the Ugthorpe school for a short time in 1804. None of these children are entered in Fr. Hervey's records nor are any Harrisons, children of Henry ,in the Egton baptisms.

The third generation analysis can follow in order and it contains the conjectures discussed above. These may be accepted as true until proved otherwise, being quite factual in themselves and circumstantial evidence, namely the Shorefoot connections, and the arguments set down above, suggest placing them where they are. Perhaps a little recapitulation at this stage before proceeding will be beneficial. A tabular presentation of the third generation was intended, so the 'recap' of the two preceding will lend unity to the whole thing in following the same pattern.

Agreeing the possibility of arbitrary mention of HENRY 1727's chi1dren as in his will, as actual order of birth, we have:-

As conjectural family positioning has occured in tabulating the second generation it becomes necessary to show where this has been done. Where, therefore, personal identity numbers have been underlined, is an indication of such. A beginning can only be made with 3. Francis's children.

Fr. Hervey gives the children of Barbara 4. Robert b. 6/6/1742 and twins John and Dorothy b. 27/8/1744.

The third generation now follows chronologically.

As the Atkinson family has not been followed up Henry 51 is next.

No information is offered on the Garbutt family. Joseph 61 follows:-

The details of this family were obtained from the draft register of Rev. Richard Robinson which was very kindly loaned to the writer by Mr. Bernard Mackridge. The entries are not in the Egton register, and so, not in the transcripts either. As the draft is a fragment up to 1780, the possibility of further children must not be discounted.

The Roe story deals with Ann 63's familly. As John 7 had only two surviving sons, their families follow; those of the daughters are elsewhere.

This family was discovered in the family bible belonging to William White to whom an acknowledgement is due for making it known. Mr. white is currently farming at The Lawns Ugthorpe. Richard's gravestone is in St. Anne's there. By his will the Greenhouses estate was disposed of by public auction.

Sheer weight of numbers precludes the story proceeding with the narration of all known members of each generation, and therefore details of selected families only will follow. The first of these relate to the families living at Egton Banks. Unless the female members marry into families dealt with in this study, they will be neglected. They are those of the reputed children of 33 John the reputed son of 3 Francis.

The registers cease to give further entries relating to this marriage although a daughter Susanna was living with them aged 17 in 1851. Their home ten years later was Doubting Castle, by which time they were living alone.

Neither the marriage nor the early children of 77 Henry have been positively identified, but the clues lead to Whitby where a number of 'pieces' interlock with relevance. Margaret Harrison the wife of John Shaw whom she married there on Nov. 25th 1814, had Ann, Dorothy, Helen Harrison and George Pearson as Godparents for her children, whilst she and her husband sponsor a daughter of 'Ellin' called Martha in 1819. Helena, meanwhile had already had a natural son Henry sponsored by John Lawson and Francesca Harrison in 1816. When Francesca married George Pearson in 1821 Fr. Haydock entered her age in his book. This proves she was the daughter of Henry 77. Moreover her first child, another Henry, born in 1822 was sponsored by Henry and Ann Harrison when Francesca was 24. They do like service for Martha Pearson born in 1829 but it appears that Ann may have become Mrs. lbbotson by that time.

This information satisfies the writer that the children 777/Y are as entered above and could well have a sister Margaret too. The issue of 779 Henry follows:-

Slightly more is known about the grandchildren of 78 Richard than those of his brother Henry and again Whitby is largely the source. His daughter Ellen married a gentleman convert named Mark Noble who employed, among his other servants, at his Aislaby home, his wife's eldest brother John. This John married a fellow servant 30 years his junior in 1828. 782 Joseph is not in his father's will of 1842, nor is his sister Elizabeth. A son Richard was born to 784 Henry and his wife Elizabeth and the godparents were 785 Richard and Elizabeth, but of the infant or any other offspring nothing is known. Tragedy struck the godfather for typhus carried him off before his fifth wedding anniversary leaving three small children at Ellerby.

It appears that Joseph's godparents were his eldest brother and his wife, nee Pringles, who were married nine weeks beforehand, marriage 91 refers. His brother and sister Thomas and Margaret were the witnesses. The family were still living at this time at Aislaby.

These were the only children of this marriage. They were beneficiaries under the will of their grandfather. Their parents were according to Fr. Haydock, second and third cousins. The application of this piece of information proves quite helpful pointing to the common ancestor in Henry who died in 1727. Assuming Elizabeth's age as twenty when she married, a birth around 1796 is expected, and the early Ugthorpe registers provide it namely the daughter of William and Ann, baptised 25/2/1797. Danby shows their marriage William Harrison of Lythe parish and Ann Dale of Danby parish on October 12th 1790. As 524 William's wife was Margaret, it is realised that the connection is through 51 Henry. If this is correct, William styled 514 would most likely be older than his sister Ann styled 511. As some of the children of this marriage are known the interpolation of the details can occur here.

The reasorning here illustrates the point made earlier about the value of incidental information in the elucidation of family history, making it possible to give Elizabeth 5144, retaining of course 514 for her father. The 78 story proceeds.

The actual family of George, styled 824, are the only descendants of George 82 that are known.

The fifth generation is obviously going to be even more selective than the fourth for the drift from Egton has already been noticed, and the rapid rise of Middlesbrough is going to draw away more and more, notwithstanding the short lived Eskdale Iron Age towards the end of the century. The 1850's see the over-flowing churches necessitating the building of the present churches in Egton Bridge, Ugthorpe and Whitby shortly afterwards. The Grandchildren of 334 Ambrose can conveniently begin the fifth generation story being quite well documented.

The grandchildren of 335 Thomas are not so clear, William does not seem to have married by 1861 but (Lawrence) Wilson does do so.

Once again information relating to the grandchildren of 336 James is not plentiful, one marriage only being traced.

Ann Elizabeth, so named in the census returns 1851/61 was, so it seems an only child becoming the wife of Thomas Lyth in 1871 at Egton Bridge probably after the death of her grandfather on August 22nd of that year. It is not known whether the family continued to reside at the Mass House.

Since no trace of any descendants of George the second son of 516 Joseph, and since John the first stayed with his widowed mother at Redmires, and Joseph the third was a bachelor, at least until 1851, it is with the offspring of the last known son William that the story unfolds.

By far the greatest amount of information to hand relates to the family of 62 William and their issue. Although there is no trace of the marriage of 6211 George, Fr. Basil-Harrison gives four children, John, William, Helen and George, adding 1 to 4 to their father's number respectively.

The Harrison descendants of 626 Robert,where known, follow in order.

It is intended to conclude this part of the story with one or two selections from the sixth generation from the Harrison patriach Henry styled 1727 from the date of his death. That there were other Harrisons at that time is well known, and they may prove to be his co-laterals if and when the contents of the Danby chest are made available for research.The over-riding criterion has always been that of recusancy which fact itself has provided evidence which otherwise would never have existed. If the present day descendants of these steadfast people would only appreciate and remember what they did in the past then it would provide a sheet anchor in these sad days of indecision and drift so that they will say with solid determination No Further!

May these in whose veins flows the blood nurtured in these dales and hamlets during the two and a half centuries before 1800 do it again.The need was never so great.

The two concluding examples from the sixth generation are the families of 62144 Robert Harrison as far as is known, and of 62666 Leo Harrison.

Robert's marriage to Sarah Garbutt is taken from the list of marriages of Harrisons extracted by Rev .Fr. Gerard Harrison. It took place in 1874 at Eaton Bridge. It is believed that he married a second time, but details of this are not to hand. What is known follows:-

Fr. Basil is one of three priests from the larger Harrison family.The others are Fr. Gerard above, of the Sacred Heart Fathers, classified as 334228-, the dash indicating the seventh generation with his position in the family not known as yet. This, of course relates to the position in his own family. He has mentioned other two Harrison priests, Frs.Thomas and Joseph apparently grandsons of a Joseph who left Ruswarp for Hull. These have not been identified. His sister is a nun at present in the Bar Convent at York.

The second is Fr. Bernard Harrison whose untimely death moved his bishop, later to become Cardinal, to speak so highly of him at his requiem. His family number is 6218242. Fr. Bernard's brother Oswin died before his ordination since he too was studying for the priesthood.

It is very fitting to finish the story of the Eskdale Harrisons in this way because without the sustained encouragement of the missionary priests of the penal times, they and their neighbouring families would have been forgotten in conformity and these pages never written.

The last word goes to the quest with which this work began, namely the search for kinship between the author and his wife. She has direct Harrison antecedents extending through five generations to the time of the Civil War and finishes with two more involving the Lyths and the Pearsons. Her grandmother was 62149 Agnes Harrison and her mother a direct descendant of the Lyths of Cucket Nook through five generations.

The author's two great grandmothers both called Mary Harrison have numbers 7791 and 8242 making them third cousins to themselves and to 6214 Charles giving a seventh degree relationship as the answer. As conjecture was necessary respecting some links in the ancestry of the author, it is nice to think you know. Sixth cousins!

The reader may conclude "Too easy" but it was far from that. It was indeed an exercise in that "vital curiosity" so necessary in historical research.