white

THE STORY OF THE WHITES OF EGTON RECUSANTS

The wording of this title is deliberate. The Whites of Egton. It might as well be said at the outset. What is really remarkable about them is that they are one hundred per cent Egtonians and their loyalty to the village extended throughout all the penal times and into the middle of the nineteenth century. By this is meant all the families lived virtually all their lives in the village, or parish. Such is the conclusion to be drawn from the absence of the family from the recusant lists of the neigbouring parishes. Moreover the returns of recusant Whites relates almost entirely to Egton and show that, of all the families, they had by far the greatest number of individual presentments, one hundred and ninety-eight to be precise.

At first the wives were listed and in 1604 it was Christopher, the fuller's wife Mary and Marjorie, wife of Robert of Kirkdale Bank. Next year Mary was listed again. She was still there in 1611 and 1614 where she was entered as aged fifty and eighteen years recusancy, living in Egton Wood Murkaside. Accepting the figures as correct, she was born in 1564 an exact contemporary of Shakespeare, and had broken the law since 1596. The year 1611 saw the first husband and wife on the list. They were Robert and Ellice. He was another fuller and lived at WestBanks. When he conformed in 1616 his home was called Westonby which name it still uses. Two servants appeared in 1614, Emmot born 1596 having been a recusant for one year, and Dorothy, born 1579 having been a recusant since 1602. Margerie a widow, born 1568, having been offending since 1607, was presented at the same time. A labourer John and another labourer's wife Ann, William's wife, were the only names on the list for 1625. Bridget wife of William, fuller, and Francis, a weaver, were on in 1632 together with Ellis the wife of Ralph the weaver. A butcher John and a Margaret occupied the lists for 1635 and 1646 respectively, both single entries.

The big round up in 1641 produced no fewer than seventeen names:

Thomas, fuller, and Emmot wife

William, labourer, and wife Ann.

Margaret, wife of John a butcher.

William, fuller and Bridget wife

Francis , weaver

Alice a widow

George

George, weaver and Margaret wife.

Alice, widow

William, fuller and Frances wife, Margaret,sp

John, weaver.

Between 1625 and 1641 therefore, it seems that Margaret's husband has conformed whereas Ann and Bridget's husbands have been listed.

A period of lessened harrassment ensued before the next great presentment in 1674. Maybe it was occasioned by the spectacular success of Fr. Postgate in maintaining the practice of the proscribed religion, and in reconciling the waverers.

Those listed were:-

Christopher and Jane wife and Ellis

William and Bridget wife, Francis.

Francis and Dorothy wife, John

Thomas and Elizabeth wife.

William and Ann.

Ralph and Francis.

They were harrassed again in 1691 when the lists included:-

Thomas and Elizabeth wife

Francis, John, Bridget, Ellin & Ellin spr.

William and Jane wife.

Christopher and Jane wife.

John and Katherine wife.

George and Margaret wife from Ugthorpe.

Francis and Dorothy wife.

Ralph.

Matthew and Elizabeth wife.

Thomas, William and Elizabeth.

Francis and Jane from Danby.

Francis and Mary from Danby

A small list dated 1680 has:-

Matthew and Elizabeth wife.

George

John and Katherine wife.

John

Two single names Joseph and Elizabeth from Lythe are on the 1716 list.

The ecclesiastical list of 1735 included:-

Thomas and Mary wife and Mary daughter.

Margaret widow.

Francis poor.

William and Jane wife.

John and Mary wife, John being a tailor

William tailor, and Mary wife.

Francis weaver, and Ann wife.

Ralph and Francis brothers bachelors, Eliz. s

Elizabeth maid.

William and William his son.

The 1716 list for Egton had names only:-

Christopher

Thomas

Ralph

William junior

Francis

George junior

and a very short one dated 1708 had:-

Matthew a yeoman

Richard from Egton

Thomas from Egton

A single entry in the 1755 ecclesiastical return for Whitby was Elizabeth wife of Miles yeoman.

Ten years later in 1745 another list cane out to assist the sheriff and the constable in keeping check on the 'obstinate papists', where among others all from Egton were:-

William

Matthew

John, also on 1746 list.

Ralph, also on 1746 list.

William

William, shopkeeper

Thomas, also on 1746 list

William

William tailor

The list compiled by Rev. Jonathan Robinson at the instigation of the Lord of the Egton Manor Cary Elwes in 1753 fills in some more names:-

Francis, wife and one child

John, wife and three children.

Ralph, bachelor 7 two nieces

William, wife and three chn.

William and wife.

Thomas, wife and three chn

It adds some information upon mixed marriages extra to the above which were not.

William and one son papists, wife and other protestants.

William married to a protestant who has since been perverted to popery.

Robert, a protestant, was married by the papist Priest to a woman who was a papist but he never since came to church.

The last important list, the ecclesiastical one for all parishes in 1780 is more informative than the earlier ones. Lythe has no Whites but that for Egton has:-

William

Richard

George and Mary wife & 6 chn.

Peter and Catherine w & 1 child.

Thomas and Ann wife.

William and Hannah wife & 2 chn.

George and Mary wife & 3 chn.

John

Francis and Jane wife, 2 chn

Matt. and Ann wife & 6 chn.

Robert and Agnes w & 2 chn.

Some of these had recusant servants which were unamed. Thomas had two, George with six children had two, George with three children had one, and Peter had three.

The task now is to attempt to fit these names into family patterns using the parish registers. Not withstanding quite a lot of White entries in both Lythe and Egton the first possible connections between the recusancy above and the registers are two deaths namely:-

John on April 15th 1682

Francis on January 14th 1683,

both at Egton. Another is that of:-

George on March 19th 1688 also at Egton.

These items are not a great help as ages were not generally included in burial entries until after 1813. However round about 1760 Rev.Jonathan and Rev. Richard Robinson of Egton being embarrassed by numerous papists began to endorse their registers with that term. The earlier entries being either secret papists not yet presented or those who conformed straight away when recusancy became a penal offence.

The papist occurences in the Egton registers after 1760 follow:-

George son of Robert, schoolmaster baptised March 10th 1760.

Robert, popish schoolmaster buried July 20th 1766.

Francis, molecatcher, papist buried Dec. 15th 1769.

William, householder, papist buried Feb. 12th l770.

Jane, daughter of George, tailor, papist baptised March 8th 1770.

Mary, daughter of George, tailor, papist baptised May 15th 1772.

Mary, papist buried June 20th 1771.

Francis, son of Francis, weaver baptised Feb. 24th 1774, possibly a papist.

George, son of George, papist baptised Feb. 24th 1775.

Thomas, farmer buried Sept. 3rd 1775, possibly a papist

Mary, widow buried Feb.27th 1777 possibly a papist

Ann, wife of George, farmer buried July 28th 1777 possibly a papist

Elizabeth, wife of John labourer buried Feb.26th 1778 possibly a papist

As in previous stories, the help of the Easter Communion Lists will be obtained, bearing in mind the fact that the Whites were primarily Egton folk and the lists for that village, excepting 1826/7 have not been found. What therefore provided considerable information in other cases will not do so in this.

WHITE MARRIAGES BETWEEN 1620 AND 1880

This list is not exclusive.

Glancing through the list of marriages it is seen that the names John, Thomas and William are outstanding and George, Francis and Joseph are poor seconds. Moreover as less than half have been found in the parish records, the remainder, especially over the earlier penal days represent the secret marriages of the recuants. In fact during the same period shown on the first page, only one marriage of a listed recusant took place in the parish church, namely that of William and Hannah Law at Egton in 1745.

As has been anticipated, very little information concerning the Whites was contained in the Easter Communion Lists for Ugthorpe for the simple reason, apparently, that only one family lived there during the time they were taken. It begins with Thomas from Ellerby in 1788, still there it seems in 1796 with a son Joseph born in 1785 and then nothing till the father is listed as from Brockrigg in 1825 and finally his death occurs as given in the register

Thomas R.C. of Glaisdale Green buried on April 11th 1828 aged 80 years.

With Egton the matter is by no means so easy with the multitude of similar names. Christopher only twice used, gives a start. Margerie the wife of Christopher of Murkaside was a recusant in 1614. Christopher son of John, marriage 2 perhaps, was born on December 29th 1632 and was presented on the Egton lists for 1691 and 1716 with wife Jane. Richard son of Richard was born in the same year and had a son Francis born in 1661 who could be the husband of Dorothy who was presented with Francis in 1691 too. He may be the father of the bachelor brothers Ralph and Francis reported to Archbishop Blackburne in 1735. Francis 'poor' on the same list refers perhaps to Richard's son now in his old age.

In submitting the list for 1745 the Egton constable was at pains to distinguish them. Out of six Williams, one is a tailor, and one is a shopkeeper but at the moment his efforts are not very helpful. An Egton burial

George R.C. February 17th 1818 of Egton Bridge aged 89

commences an interesting story. Born in 1729 he is very likely one of the two Georges on the list for 1780 whilst the other is a younger man, George son of Robert the popish schoolmaster who was born in 1760. (George not Robert). Who are the fathers of these two Georges is not known, thereby making an earlier start impossible. The burial of Ann the wife of farmer George indicates the presence of yet another family but there is no indication of recusancy.

Jane the daughter of George, tailor, papist, was baptised in 1770 so her father was the elder recusant. Another daughter was baptised in 1772. It should be pointed out that an entry in the parish book of baptisms does not necessarily mean that an infant had been baptised as the practice of registration without baptism was sometimes an endorsement by a vicar besides a recusant entry. George son of George was baptised on February 24th 1775 exactly a year after that of Francis son of Francis which could be Ralph the bachelor's nephew. George also remained a bachelor until he was ?? years of age when he married Elizabeth Hoggarth at Egton on February 5th 1815. Marriage 51. He lived at Egton, carrying on the trade he learnt from his father in a little business of tailor and draper. Having no children he made bequests in his will dated 1857 to his nieces and nephews bearing the surnames Swales, Readman, Harrison and Lawson. The Swales are the children of his elder sister Jane born in 1770 who married John Swales in 1794 marriage 41a. There is doubt about the niece Elizabeth Harrison who could be the child of either Luke, marriage 50 or James marriage 58 with the weight in favour of the latter. Niece Mary Readman seems certain to be the daughter of William, marriage 55. There is some difficulty about niece Hannah Lawson with whom George's widow was living at Egton 'Head' in 1861 styled as innkeeper, and 'Head' its name or part of it. On this date Hannah was a widow as well aged 52 and being born therefore in 1809 must be the daughter of another of George's sisters whose husbands name is unknown, since it cannot be Lawson because it was not Hannah's maiden name. Elizabeth the innkeeper died at Egton Bridge on Christmas Eve 1863 aged 88. She was a native of Loftus.

Ralph died a bachelor and a yeoman. His will dated November 4th 1762 makes bequests to Mary and Jane daughters of John Smith, to nieces Elizabeth and Mary Smith who do not appear to be sisters of the first two beneficiaries, and to Ann, another Smith.

The will of a Christopher White of Long Rigg Whitby dated January 7th 1815 names William the eldest, and another Christopher with little else of value to this story.

In a will dated January 7th 1815 John who lived at Egton, mentioned Marg. his wife, two sons William and Joseph, and a daughter Ann, who was born on November 16th 1792, being one of the first of the post-recusant baptisms at Ugthorpe. Marriage 41 refers. He died aged 64 on October 8th 1814 and was buried in his own village cemetery. What appears to be a possible case of brothers marrying sisters is noticed in Marriage 39 where Esther Corner becomes the wife of Thomas who also lived at Egton paying 15s. per annum for one rood three perches of land and a cowhouse. His son was born in 1780 and was named Thomas after his father and it was he, not his father as mistakenly stated above who paid the rent of 15s. Thomas senior could quite easily, however have held tenancy in his own time. U.P.R. give a younger sister Mary to Thomas junior. She was born on March 14th 1796, having as godparents, William Readman and Hannah White, making Hannah sister or sister-in-law to the senior Thomas. In 1851 the younger puts down himself and two grown-up daughters in the census. There is nothing about his wife. He names his daughters as Mary aged 33 and Ann aged 29. An examination of the issue of marriage 48 from Fr. Woodcock's Egton register reveals Mary, with John and Mary White as godparents, the godmother being the child's aunt Mary above now aged 18. Nothing about his wife is explained in the Egton burials by

Elizabeth R.C. aged 5? from Egton village January 29th 1839

This makes marriage 39 and 48 relate to father and son. The same burials show that

Margaret nee Corner, John's wife was buried, aged 77 on June 30th 1830

and that two Thomas's were buried from Key Green

Thomas aged 73 June 12th 1820

Thomas aged 80 April 11th 1827

both born 1747 and one of them possibly Esther's husband. Should this be the case it points to a connection between the Whites of Egton and those of Key Green, which may eventually come to light. What happened to John's two sons William and Joseph is not at the moment, known.

The recusancy of another couple from Goathland in 1780 provides a starting point in a different direction. William and Margaret, marriage 40. Two names out of six presented and one out of two families each family having at the time two children. From this it is obvious that any reference to Whites from Goathland can only relate to William and Margaret. Two items from the parish registers have been found.

Mary baptised October 1st 1781

the burial of William on September 9th 1784. That he was a tailor was there too.

The census helps out here for there is discovered

Julian P? 108 acres Joseph White born Goathland aged 74

The information is clear enough to be tabulated at once.

Tailor William (d. 1784) married Margaret (maiden name unknown)

Joseph farmer married Jane Dobson on November 13th 1803 at Egton

Joseph's godparents are unknown, his year of birth being obtained retrospectively like that of his father from the census. Those of the girls William Pearson and Ann Barton for the first, and Joseph Readman and Ann Pearson for the other shows a connection between the Pearsons and the Whites. William, George's godfather, can be given identity number 3, perhaps Tailor William's eldest son.

Joseph farmer married Mary ? of Goathland at the Catholic Chapel of Egton Bridge on January 19th 1850

George farmer married Lucy Harrison dau. of Ambrose at the Catholic Chapel of Egton Bridge on November 24th 1849, Lucy being 3346 in that family.

Living members of the family recall the tragic end of 121 Jane who perished in trying to find her way alone from the station at Middlesbrough to her nephew's house one Christmas in the early twenties. She apparently boarded a wrong train and was found in the river at Newport.

122 Mary became the wife of James Harrison 62182 in that family, who built his home Waterloo House Grosmont, from the stone from the short-lived Beckhole Ironworks.

123 Elizabeth niarried David Pearson from Newby near Seamer, Stokesley who came in the area with the railway in 1868. He had no connection with the Pearsons already in the district. Before his marriage he boarded at Rake House, the beer house belonging to Thomas Gatenby. Elizabeth died young in 1895 six years before her husband, then an engine driver at the Glaisdale Ironworks, leaving 1231 Lucy and 1232 Edward in the care of their aunt Mary above.

About 127 Ellen there is nothing further to hand, but 126 Lucy married Martin Roes son Matthew at Ugthorpe on July 13th 1895, and died a childless widow on June 23rd 1951 aged 89. 124 Ann married Thomas son of Felix Mc Cabe of Halifax on Ju? 24th 1883, at Ugthorpe where her brother 125 Joseph married Elizabeth Harrison the daughter of Joseph 787X, a tenth child, on May 17th 1894. Elizabeth was an only child.

Some time before 1883 the family left Julian Park and settled in Scaling on part of the Turton Estate. It was from their new home that the children married. This is a significant fact indicating the first major move of the Whites from their native Egton.

128 Ambrose was born in 1866 four years after his sister Lucy. He and his family remained in Scaling but spent the last few years of his life at Eskdaleside where he died on August 10th 1952 aged 86. Joseph's children living at Ugthorpe in "The Lawns" are listed:-

Ann the daughter of John of Key Green married Matthew Roe, marriage 66, one of the early marriages in Egton Bridge Chapel since it, and St. Hilda's Whitby, and St. Anne's Ugthorpe were registered for marriages on November 27th 1837. Now, being a Roe occurrence, it will be dealt with in the Roe story.

Before leaving marriage 65 an interesting speculation arises, U.P.R. for June 9th 1828 gives a baptism of Richard son of Joseph and Jane Lyth without any succeeding children of the union, but Fr. Rigby and Fr. Greenhalgh gave the five entries above as children of Joseph and Jane Mead natural sequence from Richard 1828 who could have died in infancy hence the second Richard. The main thing which prompts this possibility is the presence of the Lyth godparents. Perhaps it is only a coincidence, and the surname Mead was a correct transcription, making Joseph and Jane Lyth another family altogether.

Yet there is one more Joseph White family:-

Joseph marriage 52 Sara Robinson

The strange absence of the surnames Mead and Robinson from the godparents point to the probability of a mixed marriage, and could invalidate the speculation just made, but another raises its head at once, a possible copier's error. It concerns the marriage 59 of Richard and Sara where once more a single baptism at Ugthorpe is followed by one more at the same place but to Edward and Sara in natural sequence as in the first case, and then several more to the latterpair but in Whitby. So the queries remain, was Mead to be Lyth? or vice versa? and was Richard really Edward? Whatever the truth, the family will be discussed in the story of the Whites of Whitby. Meanwhile the Egton Thomas who succeeded his father of the same name in the tithe holding there can be followed further. His younger sister's godmother Hannah gives a hint to his grandparents namely William and Hannah who may well have had a child named after her mother. John who made the will and Thomas Sr., born respectively in 17? and 1747, would fit this marriage as it took place in 1745, but there is nothing which confirms the relationship. However continuity for three generations can be tabulated:- Thomas marriage 39 Esther Corney

Other children have not been found, but Ann maybe one being witness at wedding:- Thomas marriage 48 Elizabeth Atkinson Perhaps two preceded

John married Mary ? and continued the tenancy of his father and grandfathers farm.

Apparently Thomas Jr. succeeded Joseph Harrison of Egton Bridge as warden of St. Hedda's Guild holding the position until his death on December 18th 1853 aged 74. Who the prime mover was, who re-instituted this medieval guild after almost 300 years, is not known, but as the founder chaplain was Rev. Henry Greenhalgh it is likely that he was the man, and, it's so he has a lasting memorial, for it still continues. A John White of Egton was also a founder member, taking the office of Bursar's Secretary. Of which family he was, is not certain, but there's nothing to preclude him from being one of the unknown children of Thomas and Esther, and brother of the warden.

THE WHITES OF WHITBY

At first glance this title contradicts the remarks in the opening paragraph of this story, but as no major evidence of the recusant Whitby Whites prior to 1780 has been discovered, Egton takes the credit.

William a widower and two children are listed at that time, the children's names being Hannah and William junior. Being the sole Whitby entry it is safe to say that the family of William and Emily White in the earliest post-recusant Whitby register is that of William junior just mentioned. In fact, the very first entry relates to this family, and the mothers maiden name is White too. The details are:-

A Catherine White married John Liddle and a Bridget White married Thomas Robinson and the godparents to some of their children show that all three wives are sisters and possible co-lateral relatives of the two Williams. At the beginning of the 19th-century a number of family movements are noticed of which marriage 47 is an example.

John White marriage 47 Elizabeth Green

The first two children were baptized at Ugthorpe and the last at Whitby. A second married to this kind is 57, referred to earlier, the details of which are:-

Edward White marriage 57 Sara Sleightholme

Ann was baptized at Egton and all the rest were baptized at Whitby. Edward and Joseph were witnesses in marriage 60 where John the groom is said to be of Dandy parish. This doesn't link up with anything, but if the Godparents are all his brothers and sisters, Ann's godfather could be this John.

Fr. Hervey baptized Mary the daughter of Miles White, yeoman, and Elizabeth his wife on October t6th 1736 when the family lived at Court Houses Whitby and the mother had been reported for recusancy the previous year. A will of Elizabeth White widow from Whitby dated May 28th 1759 gives a son Thomas and a daughter Elizabeth and a brother-in-law Thomas White. If Miles is the husband it makes Thomas his brother and an interesting thing is that 92 years before Miles was the son of Thomas White of Hutton Mulgrave indicating a possible connection, but no recusancy is associated with the first Thomas whose son Miles died in infancy. It is only proper to relate this earlier information notwithstanding the statement above.

Another Whitby family from the early Whitby register is that of marriage 63.

Daniel White marriage 63 Ann Banks

Two Whitby deaths:- Ann R.C. was buried on Feb. 22nd 1841 aged 64

John on Sept. 2nd 1822 aged 49 may be connected.

That Whites as still at Hutton Mulgrave is shown by the burial of six-year-old Elizabeth on Nov. 12th 1859.

Martha White was buried on June 23rd 1840 an R.C. from Burkhead aged 69.

It was this farm situated high on the south bank of East Row Beck in Hutton Mulgrave that Elizabeth Hodgson died 44 years all but six days earlier.

Although there is a hinted connection between the Hodgson's and the Whites here, non is known. Elizabeth, most likely, is Martha's granddaughter, but her parents are not traced. The Egton Easter Communion list for 1826 has John, Monte, Thomas and Elizabeth White from Glaisdale but no conjectures are offered.

Glaisdale also saw the death of Catherine aged 74 on Nov. 21st 1886,

while Egton that of John aged 69 on Nov. 20th 1866 and

George aged 30 on Feb. 25th 1896.

The publication of the Egton parish registers and the completion of those from Whitby will provide many missing pieces for the White jig-saw and for the other family patterns. When this will be is very uncertain, and before volume two for Whitby appears in print a veritable mountain of work will need to be done, for the period covers that of the ports expansion in shipbuilding, whaling and jet ornament manufacture to say nothing of the extensive alum industry in earlier years.

The agent for the Egton estate John White who farmed 76 acres at Limber Hill was born at Pickhill in 1817 and could well be a stranger to the area. He had a son named Edward who was born in 1845.

John born in Whitby in 1783 was living at Greenhouses with his wife and family in 1851. His wife was called Elizabeth, born in Danby. The son Thomas was born in 1815. This appears to be a case of a Whitby family returning to the dales from the coast and is very likely that in marriage 47 and Thomas's brothers James, David and William.

Hutton Mulgrave comes back into the picture with what appears to be the parents of Elizabeth above. John and Anna were there in 1851 with a daughter Hannah who was born in 1831 and a nephew William in 1830. Working backwards:-

The parents of William and Mary White are very probably on the recusant list for Egton 1735 but so many families are involved it is not possible to say which. The brother and sister line is contejture but with a degree of probability. The solution put forward may be incorrect as it is well-known how many other possibilities are present.