Tag: 19th-century
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Codhill Quarry—A 19th-Century Legacy
Here on Codhill, on Gisborough Moors, is one of a pair of small sandstone quarries. Probably 19th-century. It couldn’t have produced any significant amount of rock, likely used for some dry stone walling over at Sleddale Farm. Really, there is not much else to say about this feature. Now, the day started off all hot…
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The Crags of White Hill: Evidence of a 1872 Landslip
A brisk autumn morning but with a subtle nip in the roriferous air, though the temperature would soon be rising. A warm day beckoned. Meanwhile, 377,000 kilometres away, the moon hangs in the morning sky, as is often the case during its waning gibbous phase, when it transitions from full to half. Down below on…
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On this day in 1804: Jane Ewbank’s Journey to Whitby
Hardly a week goes by without news of some historical document being digitised. Recently, a diary of a lady named Jane Ewbank who lived in York during the time of the Napoleonic Wars has been published. Jane was born in 1778, and her father, George Ewbank, was a well-known druggist and banker in York. He…
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Boom and Bust: Glaisdale’s Brief Ironstone Mining Era
Back in 1831, Glaisdale was a mere township within the parish of Danby. But, by the end of the century, Glaisdale was a parish in its own right. The village, though, pretty much developed as a mining community, which began around the mid-1860s, and by the end of that decade an ironworks had been built.…
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Staithes’ transformation into an artists’ mecca
In the distant past, back in 1415, when the world was a taciturn place, the medieval village of Staithes was first recorded under the name ‘Setonstathes‘. This coastal community thrived as a fishing haven during the 16th century, only to prosper further in the 19th century as local ironstone, alum, and jet mining took hold.…
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Chop Gate—a quintessential collection of cottages
In the heart of idyllic Bilsdale, nestled among the high moors, lies Chop Gate with this collection of charming sandstone cottages. Their roofs are adorned with typical pantiles, exhibiting the distinctive S-shaped cross-section—a design that crossed the North Sea from Holland to Britain in the 17th century. Since the start of the 18th century, these…
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Highcliffe Farm
I’ve posted about Highcliffe Farm before, located on the wide and shallow col between Highcliff Nab and Great Ayton Moor; unsheltered from the winds from the north and the south. One might question the wisdom of setting up a farm in such an exposed spot. The landscape owes its origins to the ancient forces of…
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Loch Cuithir and the diatomite industry
What had fascinated me was the peculiar wording on the O.S. map, indicating the presence of a “Dismantled Railway,” a six kilometres stretch from the Inver Tote coastline, winding its way towards Loch Cuithir, nestled beneath the formidable Sgurr a’ Mhadaidh Ruaidh, aptly dubbed ‘the hill of the red fox.’ As it turned out, Loch…
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Confrontation at Glendale—Gunboats, Troops, and the Resolute Crofters
My knowledge of the Highland Clearances assumed it began the 18th century and pretty much over by the mid 19th century. But it really ended with the Napier Commission and the passing of the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act in 1886, ensuring security of tenure for crofters. My understanding of the Highland Clearances was that it…
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St Maelrubha’s Churches, Eynort
Seal watching at Loch Eynort, but unfortunately, I didn’t have my telephoto lens with me. As a result, the seals’ heads appeared as mere dots amidst the vast expanse of water. However, further up the loch, nestled in a delightful wooded spot, stand the remains of two churches. The smaller one, likely older in age,…