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The Beginning of a New
century
1901, the beginning of a new
century and a year that began with the death of Queen Victoria
and the accession of a new monarch, King Edward VII. On the
world stage William McKinley was sworn in as the 25th
President of the United States, only to be assassinated some
months later; Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic radio
signal in Newfoundland; the first Nobel Prize ceremony was held
in Sweden, Robert Scott set out to explore the frozen wastes of
the Antarctic and the Second Boer War was being fought in
southern Africa – these were just some of the events that were
to make history.
Apart from
the death of Queen Victoria and the Boer War, in which the West
Riding Yeomanry Regiment was involved, the other events would
probably have passed without comment by the people of Tickhill -
that is if they had even read or heard about them.
At the
beginning of the 20th century, Tickhill was a large
village with a population of 1,565, which had been granted Urban
District status in 1894. The 1901 Census Returns, together with
the help of the 1901 Doncaster Gazette Directory and the 1901
Ordnance Survey map, provide a snapshot of the village and its
people at that precise point in time. The returns are
particularly interesting as they record personal information
such as, age, marital status, relationship to the head of the
household, trade or occupation, place of birth and infirmities,
relating to every person resident in Tickhill on census night –
March 31.
Tickhill in 1901 appears to have been a
self-contained village, which catered for the everyday needs of
its population. Like other villages throughout the country, it
had its gentry, well-respected professionals, prosperous farmers
and shopkeepers, who together with a wealth of skilled
craftsmen, provided employment for the rest of the population.
Public officials
Tickhill
Urban District Council was responsible for administering village
affairs; it was made up of nine members, with the support of
part-time officers to undertake its duties. In 1901 local farmer
Mark Law of Eastfield was Chairman and
22-year-old Norman Fullwood of St Mary’s Cottage was the Collector of
Rates, who appears to have been assisted by local farmer, Edward
Smith; the Clerk to the Council, John Walker, however, does not
appear to have been a Tickhill resident. The post of Surveyor
was held by local builder, Roger Harvey Rawson of Westgate, this
was incorporated with that of Inspector of Nuisances, the
forerunner of the present day Environmental Health Officer. This
was a most unpleasant role as he was required to inspect
premises, which were overcrowded, insanitary and disease ridden,
and to deal with refuse smells and obstructions to roads and
footpaths. Public announcements were made by town
crier, James
Brown of Castlegate.
Tickhill appears to have had strong support
for the Conservative and Unionist Party, (as the General
Election of 1910 would later prove). The Conservative Club was
situated on Northgate; local farmer, William Jarvis of Northgate
was Secretary and Elizabeth Potter was its ‘live-in’ caretaker.
Law and order was under the jurisdiction of
Police Constable William Howard, who lived in the Police House
on Castlegate, and was member of the West Riding Constabulary:
Lower Strafforth and Tickhill District.
There were two doctors in the village:
Thomas Aloysius Caley of Sunderland Street was a physician and
surgeon, and George Phillips, who lived on Northgate, was a
surgeon and apothecary - he also held the official role of
‘Public Vaccinator’.
Thomas Watson, the manager of Gas Light,
Coal & Coke Co.Ltd, lived with his family at the works on
Sunderland Street. On the opposite side of the road was Toll Bar
House, no longer the official residence of the toll collector
whose duties ceased with the demise of the Bawtry and Tinsley
Turnpike; it was now the home of bricklayer’s labourer, George
Wells and his wife, Florence.
Religion and education
In Victorian and pre-World War One England,
church and chapel were very much the focus of village life. The
Rev Augustus Dixwell Alderson was the vicar of St Mary’s and
would have been a respected member of the community, instilling
in his parishioners, both young and old, strong moral values.
For non-conformists, there was the Wesleyan Chapel on Northgate;
by the turn of the century, it had gained in status and was
authorised to perform marriages.
The National Schools had strong links with
the Church, which in 1865 had given land on Back Lane (now St
Mary’s Road) to build a new school for the education of poor and
working class children and had become associated with an 1840s
Infants’ School on Tithes Lane. In 1901 Thomas Dixon was the
Schoolmaster, the census reveals that he had six boys, who are
described as ‘scholar’ boarding with him at his home in
Sunderland Street, (it can only be assumed that they too were
pupils of his at the National School). The younger children were
taught by Miss Alice Smith, the Infant Schoolmistress, who lived
at the Infants’ School House on Tithes Lane. They were assisted
in their duties by Frederick Greenhough and Frances Goodwin and
pupil teachers, Mabel Copley, Annie Greenhough and Ethel Saxton;
however responsibility for the teaching of religious education
for all pupils rested with the Vicar.
Shopkeepers
The focal point of the village was Market
Place; here you would have found Joseph Percy: tailor and
draper, John Skinn: grocer and beer seller, Edgar Jeffrey:
hardware dealer, Joseph Kirkland: watchmaker, Thomas Woodcock:
butcher, George Jenkinson: grocer and draper, William Tiplady:
butcher, Samuel Colbeck: sweet dealer, Charles Bradshaw: chemist
and Jarvis & Sons: draper and grocer. Together, these
shopkeepers provided local people with all their everyday
household requirements - just as large supermarkets do in the 21st
century.
On the corner of Market Place and
Sunderland Street was the Post Office and stationer’s; Louisa
Lye was the Sub-Postmistress, assisted by her three daughters:
Louisa Ann, Emily and Bertha, with postal deliveries carried out
by rural postmen: Thomas Whinfrey, John Oldfield and Herbert
Smith, together with Herbert’s 74 year old father, John.
Although Market Place appears to have been
the ‘retail centre’ of Tickhill, several other shopkeepers were
well established on the three main roads radiating from there.
On Castlegate you would have found grocers: William Colbeck,
Thomas Clixby and Mary Turner, baker: Fred Higginton and
butcher: John Hewson. Grocers: David Kendall, John Hickson,
Susannah Milthorp and William Bogg (who was also a fish & fruit
dealer) and butcher: Edwin Dawson traded on Northgate, Thomas
Lane and Robert Richardson on Sunderland Street and Edward
Clarkson on Westgate.
Craftsmen and artisans
Shops, in the retail sense however, were in
the minority on Castlegate, Northgate, Sunderland Street and
Westgate; here you would have found many self-employed craftsmen
and artisans working from home. Bespoke clothing for gentlemen
could be acquired from tailors: Francis Thorpe and George
Clarkson both of Northgate, whilst dressmakers: Elizabeth Parkin,
Mary Fullwood, Maud Foulstone Elizabeth Trueman, Sophia Denton,
Eva Saxton, Louisa Webster, Maria Rawson, Beatrice Gleadall and
Alice Hancock, and milliner: Annie Richardson of Sunderland
Street would have competed for the custom of Tickhill’s
fashionable ladies. Both men and women would have availed
themselves of the services of boot and shoemakers, Richard
Machin on Northgate and Thomas Cartwright on Sunderland Street.
There was only one hairdresser in the village: Thomas Watson on
Sunderland Street, however, James Watson of Castlegate combined
his work as a cabinetmaker with that of barber!
There was no shortage of craftsmen to
undertake building work, household repairs and improvements.
Rawson & Sons were the main building contractors, and Edward
Godley and George Rowe, both masons, would have carried out
smaller jobs. Herbert Hickson and William Burton were both
plumbers, John HHHill, John
Wimberley and Samuel James: painters and decorators, Robert
Sarsby, John Alderson and William Wardingley: joiners and
carpenters, Joseph Denton: whitesmith and George Hackford,
tinplate worker; all were self-employed. One remarkable
craftsman was 30-year-old, Willie Stead, a basket maker & carpet
weaver on Sunderland Street, who had been blind from childhood.
The returns show there were many
assistants, labourers and apprentices in different trades and
crafts, and it is fair to assume that many were employed by
local shopkeepers and craftsmen.
Farming
The surrounding land had been farmed for
centuries and in 1901 there was a number of large farms situated
within a two-mile radius of Tickhill, these included Eastfield,
Dadsley Wells, The Grange, Spitalcroft, Apy Hill, Gally Hill,
Friary, Woolthwaite, Limestone Hill, Folds, South Wongs, Spital
and Moorhouse; many of these are still working today (2009). In
addition, the village, itself, had a considerable number of
‘street farms’ fronting onto the main thoroughfares of
Northgate, Castlegate, Sunderland Street and Westgate – the
census reveals there were 22 in all, with members of the
Gleadall family owning two on Northgate, and one each on
Castlegate and Westgate. Unfortunately, the location of these
‘street farms ‘ would have done little to enhance the appearance
and cleanliness of the village, and must have kept the Inspector
of Nuisances fully occupied!
Farming employed a large number of local
people. The most common occupation recorded on census returns
was that of ‘Ag lab’ – agricultural labourer, and Tickhill had
its fair share, together with many other farm ‘hands’ described
as horsemen, farm waggoners, cattlemen and shepherds. At the
beginning of the 20th century, mechanisation was
starting to replace traditional farming methods and the returns
reveal there was one threshing machine owner in the village -
Thomas Moore of Sunderland Street. Other farming related
occupations included four cattle dealers, a pig dealer, a
slaughterman, three millers, a hay trusser, a hay dealer and two
gamekeepers.
On a horticultural note, there were eight
market gardeners and 20 domestic or jobbing gardeners living in
the village.
Some farmers, particularly those with
‘street’ farms, are shown as having an additional occupation,
Richard Wood of Sunderland Street was a butcher, Edward Smith
and Arthur Cutler, both of Castlegate were rate collector and
carter respectively, John Colbeck of Church Lane had the unusual
combination of bookseller and drover and William Hancock was
also the publican of the Traveller’s Rest on Westgate.
Innkeepers
Inns, taverns, pubs, beerhouses and
alehouses have always been at the heart of English village life.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Tickhill could
boast no fewer than seven public houses: the Red Lion in Market
Place, the Millstone, Carpenter’s Arms and Traveller’s Rest on
Westgate, the Scarbrough Arms on Sunderland Street and the Royal
Oak and Three Crowns on Northgate. Two smaller establishments
described as beerhouses were to be found on Northgate and
Sunderland Street; Harriet Law is described as ‘beerhouse
keeper’ of the former and Edward Gleadall of the latter, which
although described as merely a ‘beerhouse’ in the census, was
known locally as the White Horse. A mysterious third ‘beerhouse’
possibly known as the Labour in Vain, may have existed on
Northgate somewhere between the Royal Oak and the Three Crowns:
whilst the property is described as ‘Northgate (beerhouse)’, the
occupation of its tenant, Thomas White is shown as ‘Agricultural
labourer’.
With two exceptions, there is little
indication in the returns of the staff employed in these
establishments. At the Scarbrough Arms, Lilian Barham, the
19-year-old daughter of the landlord, Robert Barham is shown to
have assisted her father as a waitress, whilst Selina Whinfrey,
sister of William Whinfrey, landlord of the Red Lion is
described as a ‘helper’.
Transport
Until the arrival of the South Yorkshire
Joint Railway service in 1910, there was no public transport
system in the area; horses or horse drawn vehicles were the only
method of transport, and people had to rely on local services.
Joseph Saxton, cab proprietor of Northgate travelled to
Doncaster on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, stopping at both
the Three Legs on St Sepulchre Gate and the Little Red Lion in
Market Place; as Tuesdays and Saturdays were market days, this
should have been a very profitable service. Although the name is
the same, it is not clear whether, stable and cab proprietor,
Robert Saxton and his son Arthur, who lived on Castlegate, were
related to Joseph and worked with, or were in competition with,
him.
Tickhill carriers: William Watkinson,
Jonathon Wardingley and Richard Whinfrey and carter, Arthur
Cutler would have transported goods and parcels, and were the
equivalent of the modern day ‘van driver’; it is very likely
that people would have also ‘hitched’ a lift with them.
The census returns list several people with
the occupation of groom, stable boy and domestic coachman, and
some of these appear to have been employed as live-in servants
by the local gentry. Herbert Russell is described as groom to
Grenfell Todd-Naylor, Retired Major of Sunderland House; Charles
Hobson, combined his duties as ‘coachman ‘ with that of
‘domestic‘ whilst in the employ of Gertrude Leather at The
Friary, and Doctor Thomas Aloysius Caley engaged the services of
thirteen-year-old Arthur Brown as a stable boy.
In an era of horse-drawn travel, the
services of a blacksmith would have always been in demand, and
none more so in Tickhill than those of Walter Deakin on
Northgate, who is described in the returns as a ‘blacksmith &
farrier’, which indicates that he would have also shoed horses.
Two other blacksmiths: William Copley and Martin Bingham plied
their trade on Sunderland Street and Westgate respectively, and
together with saddler and harness maker, Arthur Cutler on
Castlegate, all would have also attracted trade from the
surrounding farming community.
The Gentry
The gentry - people
of gentle birth, good breeding, or high social position ranking
just below the nobility – lived a very different lifestyle to
the majority of the population. Many would have enjoyed a very
comfortable existence; living in large, imposing houses, and
employing a range of live-in servants to attend to their
everyday needs. Foremost amongst these were the families of
George Herbert Shakerley, JP for the County of Chester, who
lived at St Leonard’s; the vicar, the Rev. Augustus Alderson,
84-year-old Mrs Ann Wright of The Castle and the aforementioned
Mrs Gertrude Leather and her two unmarried daughters, Millicent
and Rosamund. Between them they employed a host of cooks,
parlourmaids, housemaids, kitchenmaids, gardeners, nurses, a
nursemaid and a companion. Domestic work for the local gentry,
however, did not provide employment for local people as only
one, 15-year-old Emily Ainley, a kitchenmaid at The Friary, had
been born in Tickhill.
Other affluent
households employing staff included Miss Elizabeth Laughton at
The Hollies, Benjamin Brooksbank JP at Sand Rock, widows, Mrs
Charlotte Curtis at Weardale and Susan Fox at Sunderland Lodge,
and the aforementioned Thomas Dixon, schoolmaster, retired Major
Grenfell Todd-Naylor and
Doctors George Phillips and Thomas Caley.
Edwardian ‘commuters’
A study of occupations suggests that very
few people worked outside Tickhill. Amongst these were Harry
Rawson, who is described as ‘ railway clerk’, Thomas Milner,
‘engine driver’ and William Smith, ‘engine fitter’, it is
possible they may all have been employed by the Great Northern
Railway at Doncaster Plant Works; steel melter, Charles
Dickinson may have travelled to the steel works in Rotherham or
Sheffield, and stone quarryman, James Glasby to the limestone
quarries at Levitt Hagg or Warmsworth.
There are a number of road labourers,
hawkers and hucksters listed –these were jobs often associated
with itinerant workers; although the returns show them to be
residents, it not clear how permanent their residency was. The
majority were not born locally, and whilst most were married and
some had children, in several cases there were instances of
co-habitation. One interesting fact emerged, with the exception
of one 35 year-old, all the road labourers were over the age of
50. None, however, were resident in the Common Lodging House at
the easterly end of Sunderland Street (close to the present
A1(M) bridge).
The Census also raises some questions:
Arthur Richardson and Henry Day, both County Council Surveyors
Clerks of York are described as ‘working away from home’ and
lodging with butcher William Tiplady in Market Place - why
were they in Tickhill? Why were Gunner William Grindle, Lance
Corporal George Spencer and Frederick Johnson, Surveyor with the
Royal Engineers at home without an explanation, when Arthur
Deakin of the 1st York & Lancaster Regiment is
recorded as being ‘on furlough’ at his home in Mangham Lane?
A migrant population?
The population of Tickhill, which was made
up of 754 males and 811 females, appears to have been reasonably
static, with the majority of people remaining in their place of
birth and most migration coming from within Yorkshire and the
adjacent counties of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
Statistics show that 53% of the population had been born in
Tickhill; 8% in the Doncaster area; 15% in Yorkshire and, 9% and
4% in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire respectively.
Of the remaining 11%, most came from
Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Suffolk and London; from
further afield, we find Mary Brand, nursemaid at the Vicarage
and Isabel Brydon, parlourmaid at the Friary - both are from
Scotland. Ireland is the given birthplace of John Gorman,
labourer living in Bradley Square and Dublin, that of Thomas
Burns, agricultural labourer of Drury Lane.
Sisters, Minnie and Annie Gleadall of
Westgate, however, could boast they were born on another
continent; their parents, John and Catherine were born in
Tickhill, but by 1870, it seems they had emigrated to Canada
where the girls were born shortly afterwards. There is no way of
knowing their reasons for returning so soon after the birth of
Annie, but return they did as their third daughter, Beatrice is
shown to have been born in Tickhill in 1874. Perhaps family
ties, (there were several Gleadall families in Tickhill at the
time) and their Tickhill roots were too strong!
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