Selby Hagg and Saltburn Alum Works

Peter Appleton of the Skelton History Group has provided this fantastic article on alum workings between Skelton and Saltburn.

In trying to understand the timetable of the Selby Hagg and Saltburn works, we face the same problem as with Guisborough, inconsistent use of names. Sometimes the works are described as Selby Hagg works, sometimes as Saltburn works.

So, what is known? The Selby Hagg works were located to the east of Hagg Farm, near Skelton-in-Cleveland, and would seem to have had three distinct periods of operation. During the first of these, from about 1617 to 1643, the alum house may have been located within the quarry. The second phase ran from 1670 to 1685, and the third from 1765 to 1775. The alum houses for these latter two phases were located at Saltburn.

The works were first established within 10-12 years of the start of the industry locally, and about 5 years after the industry was taken into the King’s hands, i.e. financed by the Treasury and with a share of the profits going to the Treasury. For this early activity, the works get mentioned only rarely in secondary sources, and there are comparatively few surviving primary source records.

By the time we get to 1637, there must have been a feeling of unease about the industry in the court of Charles I because, on 15^th May, he set up a Commission of Enquiry to look into the activities at Belman Bank, Newgate Bank, Slapewath, Selby Hagg, Mulgrave and Sandsend works. The Commissioners were charged with investigating:

“in what repair the said houses shall be maintained and kept and the pans, furniture, pits and other necessaries thereunto… to see and observe that the said Allome-mynes be orderly digged and contrived for the better and long continuance of them for our benefit, as in and by the said Letters Patent… to see and provide that the said patentees and their Assigns have and shall duly observe and perform the said Covenants and agreements and that they do leave… a sufficient number of houses with pans and other materials and necessaries in them to make the quantity of eighteen hundred Tons of Allome yearly, the Works orderly digged, and all other provisions, as in our said patent is expressed.”

In the event of the assessment being that the works could not make the required 1800 tons per annum, the commissioners were given the authority to make recommendations as to the additional production capacity that should be installed, and where it should be installed for best advantage. It is not known what the outcome of this Commission of Enquiry was. Did it, perhaps, recommend closure of the works?

Whatever the reason for the works being laid down in 1643, the resumption of alum production was the work of Edward Trotter of Skelton Castle, possibly acting on behalf of his father-in-law, Sir John Lowther. The Trotter family had come into possession of the Skelton castle estates in the late-1500s. After the Conyers male line died out in 1556, the estate was split up between three sisters: Ann, who married Anthony Kempe; Catherine, who married John Atherton; and Elizabeth, who married Thomas D’Arcy.

In 1577, Anthony Kempe sold his ⅓-share of Skelton estates to Robert Trotter. Over the next few years, by exchanges of land and outright purchases, Robert acquired the other ⅔-shares. The re-constituted estates remained in the hands of the family and passed, eventually, to his great-grandson, Edward, who had married Mary Lowther, daughter of Sir John Lowther of Lowther Hall, Westmorland.

In a letter dated 26^th August 1668, Edward wrote to Sir John:

“I have not yet discoursed with Sir Hugh Cholmeley about youre Allome works, and they that are concerned in that field above that place are unwilling (as yet) to sell”

So, the planning, at least, for these works would seem to have been under-way by that date, even if construction hadn’t yet started. This is further borne out by Sir John’s own account that he had, in 1669, paid £440 for “the wood at Lambehagg in Skelton in order to the errectinge the Allam workes”. Sir John went on to note that in that same year he bought:

“…a parcell of land of Phillip Emerson adjoyneinge upon Selby Hagg at Skelton for Allom rock in it, and to compleate the other without which I could not have wrought the Allam workes as I intend, with my son Trotters assistance, for way leeves and liberties to build houses near Saltburne”

In April of the following year, John Pearson (possibly the Alum works manager or the manager of the Lowther properties in Cleveland) wrote from Skelton about the difficulty he was having in finding men to “worke at the rocke”. He explained that a new wage agreement, increasing the daily rate by three farthings, had resolved the situation He also went on to state that the troughs were about to be laid and “will be a vast charge”, whilst there had been some delay in getting the houses, i.e. alum houses, ready. Despite all his problems, Pearson reported that he expected to make 100lbs of alum by the summer.

In a second letter to Sir John Lowther, written from Saltburn in September 1670, Pearson reported that the works were now going well; with five pans and two settlers in operation, and a tun or two in washing. He felt that they would be ready to roach the following week. He went on to report that “our allom man likes it well, and saith that there is not a better rocke in England”.

This second phase of working came to an end in 1685 when the Earl of Mulgrave and Sir Hugh Cholmeley leased the works from Edward Trotter for a 13-year period. They promised to pay Trotter £400 per annum if he:

“sells bargains demises… those Allum Mines and Allumworks situate lying and being in a certain piece of Ground Close or field called Selby Hagg in the parish of Skelton in the county of Yorke together with all wayes waters watercourses easements profits comodityes and hereditaments whatsoever…”

 “…it shall and may be lawfull to and fore the said Edward Trotter… from time to time or att any time or times dureing the said terme… to come into and upon the premises… and from thence to take pull down digg up load carry away remove… dispose of all and every the houses edifices panns plates cisterns pitts coales kelp and other materials necessaryes engines and utensills whatsoever for the making of Allum…”

“…the said Edward Trotter… shall… putt out all fires for making any Allum upon the premises.”

Edward Trotter died in 1708 and, in his will, left the rights to his holdings in alum works to his grandson, Lawson Trotter, as described below:

“…whereas I have already given to my Grandson Lawson Trotter one moiety of my fifth part of the Allum Rock, Allum Mine and Allum Work at Boulby in the said county of York, with the Rights, members and appurtences thereof, I do give devise and bequeath unto my said Grandson all and every my other moiety of the said fifth part of the said Allum Rock, Allum Mine and Allum work and all Rights, members, Libertyes, privileges and Appurtences thereunto belonging or appertaining and all my Estate, right, title, interest, terme of years, property, Claims and demands whatsoever thereunto belonging or appertaining, all my part or share of the Coles, Kelp and Stock whatsoever except the allum which shall be made after my death for the Carrying on or in Right of or belonging to the said allum work.”

Note, these are rights at Boulby works, not Selby Hagg. This points to there never having been a resumption of work after 1698, when the lease made by the Earl of Mulgrave and Sir Hugh Cholmley expired.

The third phase of working started in 1765 at a time when the selling price of alum in London had recently peaked at £30 per ton. John Hall Stevenson, the owner of Skelton Castle, decided to re-open both the quarry at Selby Hagg and Trotter’s alum house complex near Cat Nab at Saltburn. The two sites were linked by a liquor trough that ran for more than one mile down the length of the wooded, Saltburn Gill valley.

John Hall Stevenson was a direct descendant of Edward Trotter. After Edward’s death in 1708, the estates had passed to his grandson, Lawson Trotter, whose father, John, had pre-deceased him. It then passed to Lawson’s daughter, Catherine, on her marriage to Joseph Hall in 1718, and to their son, John Hall, who was born that same year. On the 7^th February 1739/40, at Skelton, John Hall married Anne Stevenson, the daughter of Ambrose Stevenson, and added her surname to his. Hall Stevenson was a prolific writer of poetry, often bawdy in style. In “Crazy Tales” he paints pen-portraits of his friends, including Laurence Sterne, Zachary More and Robert Lascelles. Sterne, of course, achieved his fame as the author of “Life and opinions of Tristram Shandy: gentleman”. In that book, the character Eugenius was modelled on Hall Stevenson. In Hall Stevenson’s works, his character Tristram was modelled on Sterne.

His Will gives us a further insight into his life. To his housekeeper, Hannah Wilson, he gave an annuity of forty pounds “for her good services, for and during her natural life if she so long continues unmarried”. This was to reduce to twenty pounds if she married. He then went on to declare:

I do hereby charge, order and direct my said brother… to purchase a convenient dwelling-house in some part of the said county of York and let it [to] the said Hannah Wilson for and during her natural life, with remainder to her natural or reputed son, John Wilson, his heirs and assigns for ever; provided nevertheless that the purchase money… shall not exceed two hundred pounds nor be less than one hundred and fifty pounds British money. Also I give and bequeath the sum of one thousand pounds of like money to the said John Wilson…

In a codicil, he directed that Hannah Wilson was also to receive certain of his personal effects. Does all this indicate that John Hall Stevenson was the natural father of John Wilson? [Strongly suggestive, don’t you think?]

However, enough of this digression on this fascinating character, let’s get back to the alum works at Selby Hagg…

George Dodds of Boulby works, writing to his employer on 22^nd October 1774, recorded that these works, which he identified under the name of Saltburn, were operating 2 pans, both put in the previous week. He described the works as being in the ownership of Sir George Colebrooke, having previously been “Mr. Hall’s”. In a memorandum dated 29^th November 1777, Dodds recorded the works as having closed in 1777.

Sir George Colebrooke was a financial meddler who tried to establish a world monopoly on alum production. He failed – big time! Within the space of just twelve months, he managed to lose a family fortune, bankrupt a family bank and have control of the East India Company taken from him by the government. But that, as they say, is another story.

We can state, with some certainty, that Saltburn was the location of the alum house complex for both the second and third periods of operation of Selby Hagg alum quarry. In support of this assertion, there are several items of primary source material. For example, for the second period (1670-1685), there are Sir John Lowther’s own account of obtaining “liberties to build houses near Saltburn” and John Pearson’s letters about the alum house activities, written from Saltburn (see above). For the third period (1765-1775), there is Ralph Jackson’s diary entry for Tuesday 19^th November 1765:

“…after breakfast I went to Skelton Castle, drank a Bason of Tea there & went out a hunting wth. Mr. Chaloner & Revd. Mr. Lascelles till three, (upon Hob Hill & by Mr. Hall’s New Allom works)…”

In addition, there is the correspondence of George Dodds, the manager of the Boulby alum works, mentioned above.

When the works were advertised in 1779 (see below), there was no mention of alum rock, calcining places, steeping pits or cisterns – all of which are features of an alum quarry; and all of which got mentions in the “For Sale” notices of other works.

General Evening Post, London, Thursday December 11^th to Saturday December 13^th, 1779, Issue 7168

“To be LETT, and entered upon immediately For a Term of Years

The ALUM WORKS at SALTBURN, in Cleveland, YORKSHIRE; with the Alum-house, houses for workmen, and other necessary buildings and conveniences ready for making of alum; and several parcels of land, suitable for maintaining horses and cattle, for the carrying on of that business; all adjoining upon the sea shore.

For particulars, enquire of Mr. Jackson, at Guisborough, in Cleveland.”

The Saltburn being referred to above is not the Victorian tourist resort that sits on the west side of Skelton Beck. It is the community that would have existed near Cat Nab, on the east side of the Skelton Beck. The Ship Inn is the last vestige of this community.

So, where was this alum house complex located? According to John Farndale (1862): “There was a large alum house near Cat Nab” where his grandfather employed many men, and behind which, Thomas Hutchinson, Esq. “late of Brotton House, made an easy carriage road from Saltburn to that place”. The large house, Mill Farm, that now stands between Cat Nab and the road from Saltburn to Brotton, would seem to occupy the site of this alum house complex.

The above conclusion is reinforced by the detail shown on “A map of an Estate belonging to John Hall Stevenson Esqr lying at Skelton & Brotton in Cleveland in the North Riding of the County of York”, produced in 1773 following a survey by Watson & Seagrave. This shows the alum quarry at Selby Hagg with features suggestive of a bank of steeping pits and some cisterns.

From one of the latter a line emerges and runs the entire length of the Saltburn Gill valley towards the sea.

At the Saltburn end it touches what are presumed to be buildings at a place called Allum House Bank. It then continues and terminates at a large complex of presumed buildings. These are located just to the east of Saltburn Gill beck, at the point where it makes an abrupt left turn before joining the Skelton beck. This location agrees well with the location of the present-day Mill Farm.

Acknowledgements

1773 Map images derived from an original of the Estate of John Hall Stevenson courtesy of Anthony Wharton, Skelton Castle and Tees Archaeology

Sources (primary)

Correspondence of George Dodds at Palace Green Library, Durham

Lowther family papers at Cumbria Archives, Carlisle

Sheffield family papers at North-east Lincolnshire Archives, Grimsby

Wills and Probates at the Borthwick Institute and Archives, York

1773 map of John Hall Stevenson’s estates courtesy of Anthony Wharton, Skelton Castle and Tees Archaeology

Sources (secondary)

Farndale, J., 1864, A Guide to Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Miller, I., ed., 2002 Steeped in History

Ord, J. W., 1846, The History and Antiquities of Cleveland

Phillips, C. B., 1979, Lowther Family Estate Books 1617-1675