SHAROW : AN HISTORIC A L A C C O U N T A V I L L A G E H ISTORY UP TO 2005 Sharow Community History Group The Manor House Sharow, Ripon North Yorkshire, England © Sharow Community History group All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publishers. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover than in which it is published, without the prior consent of the publishers. First printing in 2006 (In Dec 2018 - sole permission was granted by members of the Sharow Community History Group, for St John’s Church website to publish this document in full) A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication is part of the records which have been assembled by a group of dedicated local inhabitants of the village of Sharow in North Yorkshire. The group, Sharow Community History Project, (SCHP), are pleased to acknowledge the debt which they owe to the late Mike Younge, resident of Sharow, historian and friend, for the enthusiasm with which he infected the group during their early work. Mike’s premature death in February 2004 took not only a colleague but also a valuable and experienced source of much information. We are grateful to his wife for searching through boxes of documents in support of the varied topics addressed. LHI – acknowledgement Awards for All – acknowledgement Sharow Parish Council have generously supported the SCHP both financially and by providing the use of the village hall for our discussions and displays. In particular we have received very active support from the Chairman, Mr John Irvin. North Yorkshire County Council have provided additional financial support, thereby assisting the group with obtaining copies of many records from diverse archives. Sharow: An Historical Account 1 There are many residents who have loaned photographs, documents and memories to the Project, to whom we all owe a big thank you. But finally, due acknowledgement must be given to those who have contributed their time, enthusiasm and efforts in researching, transcribing, collating and preparing this record of our Village . John Bushell Margaret Bushell Bess Chapman Yvonne Coupé Andrew Coulson Ruth Grenfell Simon Grenfell Angie Grundy Brian Latty Susanne Livingstone Beryl Long Chris Long Philip Mason Jim Price Sandra Price Marjorie Sills Alice Thrush Jill Warwick Simon Warwick Carole Younge Andrew Coulson, Chairman Sharow Community History Project Every effort has been made to acknowledge sources and, where appropriate, copyright of material referred to in this publication. Neither the Sharow Community History Group, nor any of its members can accept responsibility for errors or non-attribution of ownership. If further information or corrections are suggested, the Group will be pleased to consider them. Sharow: An Historical Account 2 P HOTOG R A P H S & I LLUSTRATIONS (Photographs published at end of this document) Page Source or copyright where known 9 Sanctuary Cross: The Ripon Millenary Record, W Harrison, Herbert Railton 14 Ordinance Survey 15 Sanctuary Cross: Beamish Museum Archive 21 St John’s Church c1850: J David Page 22 St John’s Church c1890: Janet Fields 35 Wildlife award Press Cutting: Ripon Gazette 38 Lucan House 1920s: Alice Thrush 38 Lister House 1970: Doreen Nicholson 38 Jubilee, Lister House 1977: The R Ackrill Group 47 Sharow Hall c1996 Phillips International Auctioneers & Valuers 48 Sharow hall c 1968: Charles Lucas 50 Sharow Hall Garden Fete & Young Bandsman: Charles Lucas 55 Fairlawns: J David Page 59 Lucan House: Alice Thrush 65 Lister House x 3 pictures: Doreen Nicholson 74 Sharow School c1898: Bess Chapman 76 Sharow School 1957: Darlington & Stockton Times 80 Rev H H Slater 1890: St Andrew’s Church Archive, Thornhaugh 81 1937 Cigarette Card: Ardath Tobacco Co 81 Village stalwarts 1964: Darlington & Stockton Times 82 Pvt H G Slater: Commonwealth War graves Commission 87 Last Good Tea Press Cutting: Ripon Gazette 92 Lt Col Stoddart-Scott MP: Yorkshire Post Sharow: An Historical Account 3 C ONTENTS Acknowledgements 3 The Railway 71 Photos & Illustrations 5 Sharow Village School 74 Introduction 9 Head Teachers at Sharow 75 Origins of Sharow 10 Personalities linked to Sharow’s Past 77 The Geology of Sharow 11 Charles Piazzi Smyth: A Brief Landscape and Vegetation Astronomer & Egyptologist 77 History 11 Sharow Cross 14 James Gilbertson: Clockmaker 78 Sanctuary 16 George Nicholson: Curator at Kew 79 Sharow’s Early Church History 19 Rev. Henry Slater: The Church of St John 20 Ornithologist & Entomologist 80 The Bells 26 George Slater: Glaciologist 82 Stained Glass 29 Richard Terry: Banker Churchyard 34 … and other well known visitors 82 Anglo Saxon Sharow 36 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson: Author 84 Taxing the Village 36 Sabine Baring-Gould: Subsidy Rolls 36 Composer, Cleric & Collector 85 Hearth Taxes 39 19th/20th Century Sharow 85 Tithes and the Tithe System 40 The Parish Council & Parish Appraisal 87 The Early Residents 41 Sharow Women’s Institute 89 Births Marriages and Deaths 42 Sharow Cricket Club 90 Interesting Wills 42 Sharow Garden 93 Studley and the Marquess of Ripon 43 Maundy Money 93 Overseers of the Poor 44 Early Roads and Highways 45 Pre 1900 Buildings 47 Sharow Hall 47 The Manor House 51 Sharow Grange 52 Riss House 53 Lucan House 55 St John’s House 66 Low Farm 67 Sharow Grove 68 Bishops Mount 69 The Holt 70 (Page numbers may have varied slightly in this digital edition from the original printed edition) Sharow: An Historical Account 4 I NTRODUCTION Community histories are attempts to describe the origins, interactions and daily lives of people from within a defined locality, for the benefit of both present and future generations. The village of Sharow (or Sharrow on some occasions in history!) is still a small community of around 400 inhabitants living along the north bank of the River Ure as it enters the cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire. Though small, Sharow has a social history which can be traced back to the 12th century and has associations with characters as diverse as a one time Astronomer Royal of Scotland; a family banking firm still (in merged form) trading; the World Heritage site of Studley Royal; the industrial revolution in Bradford; Lewis Carroll and the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew! Following a structure which included the geology and topography of the village, the early and medieval lives of residents and the buildings and personalities of Sharow, the Sharow Community History Project Group has assembled a unique record. None of the Group is a professional historian, although all have a dedication to the absorbing entertainment offered by wading through archival records in a variety of languages and styles! This compilation is the result of considerable collaborations and covers the principal changes experienced in Sharow which have given the village its form and activities of today. Since each chapter is sourced from differing documents, and since many valuable records have never (and probably will Sharow Sanctuary Cross never) been found there are understandable gaps in some Dating from c938AD this is timelines. These intervals are, hopefully, few enough to be amongst the oldest man made relics in the village. Drawing by forgiven and in no way detract from the shared enjoyment of Mrs Herbert Railton from The our journey back through history. Ripon Millenary Record 1886 One of the challenges faced by the Group has been deciding how much information to include, what material to omit and how to present Sharow’s history in a readable and authoritative account. The source documents for this publication, and much additional information are filed at the North Yorkshire Archives. Your reading of this account may generate an enthusiastic interest to find out more about Sharow’s past. The Group will have achieved their goal by completing this record: the new goals will be whatever you set for yourself! Sharow: An Historical Account 5 Origins of Sharow: ITS NAME AND EARLIES T REFERENCES The name Sharow is thought to be derived from Old English Scearu meaning a boundary – and Hoh – meaning a hill, seeming to mean a boundary hill. The village and parish of Sharow lie along the bank of the River Ure approximately a mile and a half from the city of Ripon. The spelling of the village name has evolved – as indeed has its pronunciation – with several forms appearing in documents. Sharou and Sarrou were both used in the 12th and 13th centuries, Sharrowe, Scharrowe and Sharho all Map of 1706 appear in the 13th century records, as does This image is taken from a modern copy of the original map dated 1706 with the Shaarehow. village spelling ‘ Sharah’ The 14th century saw Scharhowe and Scharhow used, with Sharo and Sharaye being used in the 16th century. In Victorian times it was usual to see Sharrow (with a double ‘r’) but – currently – the name is agreed as Sharow! The Domesday Book does not contain mention of Sharow (by any spelling) and neither is it listed in the York Gospel Book. The Archbishop of York however lists “Scharhow” in a book of 1316 – the Nomina Villarum – as belonging to the Archbishop. As those who have studied the history of this part of Yorkshire will know however, there were frequent claims and counter-claims between the Archbishop and the Canons of the Cathedral Church in Ripon, and some documents list a prior claim (in 1226) by the said Canons to the ownership of Sharow. Later in the 14th century it is known that various cottages, lands and properties in what is present day Sharow were Map of 1772 owned by various chapels in the area, with tenants This image, apparently a copy of an paying rents to the incumbents.