Now! Then! 2025! - Yorkshire On This Day

A Yorkshire Almanac Comprising 365 Historical Extracts, Red-letter Days and Customs, and Astronomical and Meteorological Data

27 December 1745: A correspondent from Stokesley (Hambleton) recounts the destruction of their Catholic chapel by a youthful mob during the Jacobite invasion of England

George Young. 1817. A History of Whitby, and Streoneshalh Abbey, Vol. 1/2. Whitby: Clark and Medd. Get it:

.

Excerpt

Last Tuesday, a number of Stokesley boys pulled some tiles off Mr Pearson’s mass-house. The papists could not see their place of worship thus insulted without resenting it, and therefore got a warrant from Mr Skottowe against one of the boys (a sailor) who had been the most active in the affair. The constables apprehended the boy the next day, upon which his associates were called together to the number of about 200, and being joined by some young fellows, marched in order (with drum beating and colours flying) to Mr Skottowe’s [at Great Ayton], and declared to him that they all acknowledged themselves equally guilty with the boy charged with the fact. Mr Skottowe could not forbear laughing at them. However, after giving them a gentle reprimand, he dismissed them, recommending it to the papists to put up with the damage. Upon this the boys went to Ayton, beating up for volunteers for his majesty’s service, and enlisted about thirty or forty boys; then marched to Stokesley cross, fixed their colours upon it, and made large coal fires about it, the spectators all wondering what were their intentions to act next. When they had completed the fires, they marched in a full body to the mass-house, got upon it, stripped off all the tiles, and beat down the ceiling. From thence they let themselves down into the chapel, pulled it all to pieces, and tossed the things out of the windows into the yard, where they had placed a guard to secure them. When they had got everything out, not even sparing the doors and wainscot, they marched with their booty to the market-cross, and set the things around the fires; then one of them put on a fine vestment and cap, with a mitre in his hand, and mounted the cross, called them all around him, and made them a speech, in the conclusion of which he told them, that in consideration of the great service they had done to their king and country, in destroying the mass-house that day, he presumed, from the great authority he was then invested with, to absolve them from all their past sins; but exhorted them for the future to lead a peaceful and godly life; upon which they gave a great huzza, “God save King George, and down with the mass!” Then he put off his robes, and threw them into the fire. At the same time each hand was employed in burning the rest of the things, laid ready for the flames, after which they dispersed and went to their respective homes.

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

Comment

How much of this is true? Why would a small chapel have a mitre, headgear associated with Catholic bishops and abbots? If the letter was indeed written on December 27th, “last Tuesday” would have been Christmas Eve, and the next day Christmas Day, but there is no mention of this.

Alice Barrigan writes:

G M Tweddell’s annotated copy of Ord’s History in Northallerton Library records that “Horatio Tweddell” was “the boy (a sailor) who had been most active in the affair.”

Was he prosecuted?

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

The following extract of a letter from Stokesley, dated Dec. 27, 1745, and inserted in the Gentleman’s Magazine for January 1746, may serve to illustrate the spirit which then prevailed:

Last Tuesday, a number of Stoksley boys pulled some tiles off Mr. Pearson’s mass-house, the damage of which might amount to 11s. The papists could not see their place of worship thus insulted, without resenting it; therefore got a warrant from Mr. Skottowe against one of the boys (a sailor) who had been the most active in the affair. The constables apprehended the boy the next day; upon which his associates were called together to the number of about 200, and being joined by some young fellows, marched in order, (with drum beating and colours flying) to Mr. Skottowe’s [at Great Ayton], and declared to him that they all acknowledged themselves equally guilty with the boy charged with the fact. Mr. Skottowe could not forbear laughing at them; however, after giving them a gentle reprimand, he dismissed them, recommending it to the papists to put up with the damage. Upon this the boys went to Ayton, beating up for volunteers for his Majesty’s service, and enlisted about thirty or forty boys; then marched to Stoksley cross, fixed their colours upon it, and made large coal fires about it, the spectators all wondering what were their intentions to act next. When they had completed the fires, they marched in a full body to the Mass-house, got upon it, stripped off all the tiles, and beat down the cieling; from thence they let themselves down into the chapel, pulled it all to pieces, and tossed the things out of the windows into the yard, where they had placed a guard to secure them: when they had got everything out, not even sparing the doors and wainscot, they marched with their booty to the Market-cross, and set the things around the fires; then one of them put on a fine vestment and cap, with a mitre in his hand, and mounted the cross, called them all around him, and made them a speech, in the conclusion of which he told them, that in consideration of the great service they had done to their king and country, in destroying the Mass-house that day, he presumed, from the great authority he was then invested with, to absolve them from all their past sins; but exhorted them for the future to lead a peaceful and godly life; upon which they gave a great huzza, God save king George, and down with the Mass; then he put off his robes, and threw them into the fire; at the same time each hand was employed in burning the rest of the things, laid ready for the flames; after which they dispersed, and went to their respective homes.

477 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

All tags.

Similar


Search

Donate

Social

RSS feed

Bluesky

Extwitter