STOCKTON WARD 



STOCKTON ON TEES 



ran till 183 2."* The Tees Bank was established in 

 1785 by Henry Hutchinson and continued until 

 1825 '^ ; another, the Stockton and Cleveland, failed 

 in 1815, when the Commercial Bank appeared.'"* A 

 savings bank was formed in 1816.'" 



Of minor events may be mentioned a visit of the 

 Duke of Wellington in i 827, when he was entertained 

 by the Corporation.-'^ Wordsworth wrote part of the 

 White Doe ofRyhtone while on a visit to the Hutchin- 

 sons at Stockton in 1807.'' A less important visitor 

 was Joanna Southcott in 1803 ; she made few con- 

 verts.''- In 1832 there were great rejoicings over the 

 passing of the Reform Bill.^'' The Rev. John Brewster, 

 the first historian of Stockton, who was assistant curate 

 and lecturer from 1776 to 1799 and then vicar until 

 1805, was held in great esteem, and no doubt aided or 

 stimulated the various charitable and intellectual 

 eftbrts of the time.-^ His history was first published 

 in 1796.^^ 



In the 1 8th century Ralph Bradley, a barrister of 

 Gray's Inn, practised at Stockton, and was said to have 

 managed the concerns of almost the whole county of 

 Durham ; he died in 1788. 2*' Joseph Reed, a drama- 

 tist, was born at Stockton in 1723, and for a time 

 followed his father's business as a ropemaker ; in 1757 

 he removed to London, where he died in 1787.^' 

 Brass Crosbie, born at Stockton in 1725, went to 

 London, where he practised as an attorney. He be- 

 came City Remembrancer in 1760 and Lord Mayor 

 in 1770 ; during his term of oiHce he refused press- 

 gangs permission to work in the city and defied the 

 House of Commons by allowing reports of its pro- 

 ceedings to be printed. He was in consequence im- 

 prisoned in the Tower, becoming a popular hero. 

 He died in 1793.-* Christopher Allison was a local 

 seaman whose story attracted much attention. He 

 took part — by his own statement a leading part — in 

 the capture of a French privateer in 1758. He died 

 in 1808.^" Nathan Brunton, born at Stockton in 

 1744., entered the navy as a seaman, obtained a com- 

 mission and rose to be a vice-admiral. He died at 

 Stockton in 1814.'" Thomas Sheraton, the famous 

 cabinet-maker and designer of furniture, was born at 

 Stockton in 1751. He removed to Soho about 1790 

 and published books of designs and taught drawing. 

 He was also a zealous Baptist preacher. He died in 

 l8o6.'i Margaret Nicholson, who attacked King 

 George III in 17S6, was also a native of Stockton. 

 She was insane at the time, and died in Bedlam in 

 1828.^^ Joseph Ritson, the celebrated antiquary, wai 

 born at Stockton in 1752 in humble circumstances. 

 He became a solicitor, and in 1775 settled in London. 

 He studied English literature and history, and was 

 an authority on ballad poetry. In 1 781 he pub- 

 lished the Stockton Jubilee, a satire on the inhabitants 



of his native place. On the other hand he assisted 

 Hutchinson and lircwster in their histories of the 

 county and the town, and made a collection of Durham 

 ballads, some relating to Stockton. He died in 1803.^' 

 Admiral Sir Thomas Bertie was a son of George Hoar, 

 and was born at Stockton in 1758. He entered the 

 navy in 1773 and took part in a great number of 

 actions, particularly distinguishing himself at the battle 

 of Copenhagen, retiring from the service in 18 10. 

 In 1788 he married Catharine Dorothy daughter of 

 Peregrine Bertie, and took her name. He died in 

 1825 at Twyford, in Hampshire.''' Lieut. -Col. 

 William Sleigh, born at Stockton about the same time 

 as Sir Thomas Bertie, joined the 19th Regiment and 

 served in the American war. He died in 1825 at his 

 native place. '^ A contemporary, Grace Horsfall, the 

 wife of George Sutton of Stockton and Elton, whom 

 she married in 1780, founded the Stockton School of 

 Industry for girls in 1803, and deserves remembrance 

 for a life of charitable effort. She died in 1814, and 

 has a monument in the church. ''' The school is con- 

 tinued as Holy Trinity Girls' School. John Walker, 

 born at Stockton about I 78 I, became a chemist there 

 in 181 8, and about 1827 invented friction matches. 

 He died in 1859, and a tablet commemorating him 

 has been placed on the wall of 59 High Street. '^ 



The Bishops of Durham had a manor- 

 CJSTLE house at Stockton from the late i 2th cen- 

 tury at least. The ' hall ' of Bishop 

 Pudsey stood near the banks of the Tees, probably on 

 the site of the later castle.^' The d.ite when the castle 

 was built or the manor-house fortified is not known. 

 Bishop Kellaw, who died in I 3 1 6, built a ' beautiful 

 chamber ' at Stockton, '' and this was perhaps the scene 

 of the bishop's assertion of his palatine rights in i 3 1 2,'"' 

 though at other times the chapel seems to have been 

 used as theofficial room.^' A deed of 1428 was dated 

 in the ' chapter-house ' of the manor.^- The house is 

 called a castle in 1376 in an inquiry concerning the 

 abduction from it of one of the bishop's wards.^' 

 Leland also mentions the castle about 1535,''^ and in 

 1577 inquiry was made as to the condition of the 

 manor-house of Stockton commonly called Stockton 

 Castle. It was then stated that the place went to 

 decay under Bishop Pilkington's rule, and that nearly 

 £1,600 would be required to put it in good repair. 

 The report names the tower north of the chapel, the 

 west tower, the tower over the stairs ; of the hall, 

 measuring 63 ft. by 33 ft. with walls 36 ft. high and 

 4 ft. thick, nothing remained but the walls ; the 

 ch.ipel, measuring 63 ft. by 1 8 ft., with its four turrets 

 needed repairs. There was a staith of timber in front 

 of the house for its protection from the Tees ; it was 

 ' sore decayed,' and if not repaired the water would 

 undermine the house.''' Probably nothing substantial 



" Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 180; Richmond, 

 op, cit. III. 



'^ Mackenzie and Ross, op. cit. ii, 39. 



'^ Ibid. ; Surtees, op. cit. iii, 180 j 

 Riclimond, op. cit. 125. 



'^ Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 182. 



»» Ibid. 1 155. 



•' Diet. Nat. Biog. 



-■' Richmond, Loca/ Rcc. p. 106. 



-■* Heavisidcs, op. cit. 19S. 



" Diet. Nat. Biog. Sec Egglescliff'e. 



-•' A second cnl.Trged edition, with 

 portrait of the author, &c., came out in 

 1829. 



-« Diet. Nat. Biag. 



" Ibid. 



'" Ibid. ; Surtees, op. cit. iii, 196, with 

 portr.Tit. 



'" Brewster, op. cit. 136. 



'" Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 161. 



»' Did. Nat. «/of. 



» Ibid. 



"* Surtees, op. cit. iii, 193 ; Did. Nat. 

 Biog. 



" Fordyce, op. cit. ii, 169. 



'-'' Ibid. 162. Shortly before his death 

 Sleigh was in command of the volunteer 

 cavalry of the district. 



353 



" Ibid. 161 ; Richmond, op. cit. 103. 



'" Diet. Nat. Biog. 



'" r.C.H. Dur. i, 337. 



'» Hist. Dunelm. Serif t. Tret (Surt. 

 Soc), 97. 



*^ Reg. Palat. Dunelm. (RolU Ser.), i, 

 205. 



*' Ibid. 319, 471, 4:'+; iv, 42+. 



" Cat. Pat. 1429-36, p. 182. 



^' Surtees, op. cit. iii, 403. 



*' Itiii. (ed. Hcarne), vii, 50. 



" Printed in ylre/i. Act. (New Ser.), 

 vii, 1 20. See also Cat. S. P. Dom. i 595-7, 

 p. 217 ; ibid. Addenda, 15S0-1625, p. 553. 



45 



