March 25th

Warton's Hospital.JPG

 

On 25th March 1725, Sir John Warton died at 77 in Beverley. He was reputed to be the richest man in England, even though his father’s estates had been depleted by fines to Parliament for Royalism. He was elected MP for Hull, and twice MP for Beverley, but took little active interest in Parliament.  In his will, he left £4,000 for the repair of Beverley Minster, £1,000 to Warton’s Hospital, £500 to the charity school, £100 to the poor and £100 to each parish in Beverley. photo shows Warton’s Hospital

On 25th March 1780, Peter Horsfield, a negro servant to Mr Knowsley, curate of Boynton, married Elizabeth Lawson, daughter of the vicar of Weaverthorpe. It was fashionable at the time for rich families to employ black servants.

On 25th March 1868, Rev John Healey Bromby died at 97 at Hull Charterhouse; he was up to then the oldest working minister of the Church of England.

On 25th March 1904, a ‘Smoking Café and Lounge’ was opened in the basement of the Prudential Building, Victoria Square, a landmark Hull building. In 1941, the whole building was demolished by a German bomb.

On 25th March 1927, the Ministry of Agriculture closed the Crown Colony at Sunk Island, a failed experimental farm settlement for ex-servicemen set up during WW1. This is referred to in Winifred Holtby’s ‘South Riding’ as Cold Harbour colony.

Sunk

January 23rd

On 23rd January 1221, William de Forz II, Count of Aumale and Lord of Holderness, was excommunicated for the second time, for rebelling against the King, fortifying castles which were not his, and failing to fulfil a vow to go on crusade.

On 23rd January 1803, Burnett’s Shipping List reported 5 ships arriving in Hull from London that day; the Hope had lost an anchor and cable, and the Manchester had lost an anchor. 2 ships sailed for Yarmouth, 1 for Shields, and 1 for London.

On 23rd January 1908, Hubert Nicholson was born in Washinton Street, Hull. He was a journalist, poet and novelist, best known for “Sunk Island’ 1956. He took holidays in the Holderness marshes, the strong attachment to the area being reflected in his writing.       d Epsom 11.1.1996 Commemorated by a blue plaque.

Hubert Nicholson

October 18th

On 18th October it was the tradition, on St Luke’s Day, to appoint an official dog-whipper to keep dogs out of church, and to whip any dogs found in the streets; the tradition is said to have begun when a dog ate a consecrated wafer in York Minster.

On 18th October 1654, The Petition of the Three Colonels or The Humble Petition of Several Colonels of the Army was published, authored by Alured, John Okey and Thos Saunders. Colonel Matthew Alured, brother of Hedon MP John Alured, lost his commission, and was imprisoned for a year for stirring up dissatisfaction with Parliament among English troops in Ireland.

On 18th October 1833, Capt John Ross was granted the Freedom of the Town of Hull. Having returned to Hull on expedition to find the lost Isabella, was then himself thought lost.  (He was also granted the freedoms of London, Liverpool, Bristol and Wicklow)

On 18th October 1850, the Hull Advertiser reported that the ring leaders of a riot which resulted in the deaths of 4 Irish labourers on Sunk Island in July were found guilty of riot and sentenced to 4 months each with hard labour.They were: Robert Smith, John Londsbro, George Bellamy, John Dent, George Bielby and Fewson Towse.

 

John_Ross_rescued_by_Isabella,_1833

July 26th

On 26th July 1826, the Aire & Calder Navigation Company officially opened the new canal at Goole, locks for ships and barges, dock, and canal basin linking Goole to the west. A new town was built around the small hamlet of Goole (population in 1822: 450).

On 26th July 1845, Capt Dannatt and crew of Hull whaler Prince of Wales came across Sir John Franklin and his expedition to find the North West Passage, in Lancaster Sound, in the Arctic, and invited him and his officers on board. This was the last known sighting of the expedition.

On 26th July 1850, Hull Advertiser printed a report of the deaths by drowning during a riot of 4 Irish navvies (Patrick Langthon, John Dowling, Barney M’Jay and Thomas Twomey) working on the embankment of Sunk Island.

On 26th July 1986, 8 rail passengers and 1 person travelling in a van died when the van was struck by the 9.33 Bridlington to Hull train at Lockington level crossing, and the train was derailed. 51 people were injured, 10 of them seriously. There is a memorial to those who died in Driffield Memorial Garden.

 

lockington crash memorial

June 18th

On 18th June 1584, James Halsey was imprisoned in Hull, (presumably for what we call today contempt of court) until he confess his fault, after he spoke with contempt to the mayor and aldermen and said that the fines imposed on him (see 24.3) were unjust.

On 18th June 1599, Hull Corporation ordered a general muster of all people aged 16 to 60, and specifying the type of arms they should be issued with. (Did this include women?)

On 18th June 1874, at his annual visit to Sunk Island village school, HM Inspector of Schools spoke highly of the master, Mr Thomas Osgerby.

On 18th June 1920, Ian Gillett Carmichael was born in Hull. A film and TV actor, particularly in comedy. Awarded an OBE in 2003. Died 5.2.2010. photo shows a clip from the film “Lucky Jim’.

‘.Ian Carmichael