Greenhow Moor, looking towards the old ironstone mine at Rud Scar

On the 16th June 1814, the stagecoach ‘England Rejoice’ set off from Stockton on bound for Whitby. It was the return leg of a new service offering weekly return trips with York and Stockton.

The coach had left the Freemason’s Tavern, Whitby at “exactly” six o’clock on the Monday morning bound for York. The journey time was eight hours and returned the following day. On Wednesday, the coach left an hour later for Stockton, by way of Lyle, Hinderwell, Staithes, Lofthouse¹Loftus, Skelton, Marske, and Redcar, arriving at Stockton at five o’clock.

On the Thursday the coach made the return to Whitby, and the next day (Friday), repeated the York route. It was licensed to carry four passengers inside and six outside. The fare from Whitby to Stockton was 18 shillings if you sat inside, and 14 shillings for an outside seat. “Short Fares” were 5 pennies per mile inside and 4 pennies outside. Small parcels were carried for 10 pennies²“Multiple Classified ads.” York Herald, 4 June 1814, p. [1]+. British Library Newspapers, link-gale-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/apps/doc/R3211021466/GDCS?u=ed_itw&sid=bookmark-GDCS&xid=493b3824. Accessed 16 June 2021..

18 Shillings for an inside seat would have been about 6 days wages for a typical tradesman and is equivalent to around £80 in today’s money. So not a cheap method of travel. Although Whitby became connected to Pickering (and hence York) in the 1830s, the railway along the coast to Redcar and Middlesbrough was not completed until 1886³Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby,_Redcar_and_Middlesbrough_Union_Railway> [accessed 16 June 2021].

This was of course not the first coach to connect Stockton with Whitby. In 1796, a post or mail coach, called the ‘Union Coach‘, commenced a twice weekly route from Sunderland to Whitby⁴“Stockton-On-Tees.” 2021. Tripod.com <https://members.tripod.com/Julie10_10/Stockton_History.htm> [accessed 16 June 2021].

• 1
  Loftus
• 2
  “Multiple Classified ads.” York Herald, 4 June 1814, p. [1]+. British Library Newspapers, link-gale-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/apps/doc/R3211021466/GDCS?u=ed_itw&sid=bookmark-GDCS&xid=493b3824. Accessed 16 June 2021.
• 3
  Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. “Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby,_Redcar_and_Middlesbrough_Union_Railway> [accessed 16 June 2021]
• 4
  “Stockton-On-Tees.” 2021. Tripod.com <https://members.tripod.com/Julie10_10/Stockton_History.htm> [accessed 16 June 2021]