Matthew Farndale

28 June 1850 to 27 February 1927

The Kilton 1 Line

The Craggs Line

FAR00383

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Context and local history are in purple.

1850

Matthew Farndale, the son of Martin and Elizabeth (nee Taylor) Farndale (FAR00264) of Fogga was born at Skelton on 28 June 1850 and baptised at Skelton on 24 July 1850 (Skelton PR). Martin was a labourer. Matthew Farndale’s birth was registered at Guisborough in the third quarter of 1850 (GRO Vol 24 page 455).

In the 1913 parish rate book for Skelton in 1913, Fogga was described as North Skelton and George Harrison made a will regarding Fogga Farm in 1718 and it was the location of a later ironstone mine, formally called Old Fogga on the 1856 ordnance survey map.

So Fogga farm is where North Skelton (confusingly to the east of Skelton) now stands.

Martin was probably sharing an interest with his father in law, James Taylor and was variously described as the farmer in his own right and a labourer, presumably working for or with Jame Taylor.

1851

Census - 1851 - Skelton - Fogga Farm:

James Taylor, head, age 74, widower, born Barnby, farmer 70 acres.

Elizabeth Farndale, 40, married, daughter and wife of Martin Farndale, born Fylingdales (ie 1811).

Martin Farndale, 33, married, born Easby, Son-in-law (ie born 1818).

William Farndale, son of Martin, age 8, born Skelton, grandson (FAR00356).

Martin Farndale, son of Martin, age 5, born Skelton, grandson (FAR00364).

John Farndale, son of Martin, age 2, born Skelton, grandson (FAR00376).

Matthew Farndale, son of Martin, age 9 months, born Skelton, grandson (FAR00383).

1861

Census 1861 – 61 Galey Hill, Hutton Lowcross:

Martin Farndale, head; married; age 42; agricultural labourer; born Easby (1819).

Elizabeth Farndale, wife; age 44; born Skelton (1817).

John Farndale, son; age 12; scholar; born Skelton (1849) (FAR00376).

Matthew Farndale, son; age 10; scholar; born Skelton (1851) (FAR00383).

1871

Census 1871 – Hall Farm, Kilton

Martin Farndale, aged 71 (this was FAR00236, not his father Martin)

Elizabeth Farndale (not his mother but his great uncle’s wife), 66

Matthew Farndale, 22, born 1849, a servant

Several other servants working on the farm

1879

Martin Farndale's (FAR00364) two brothers lived nearby. John the next lived at Loftus and worked on the LNER and Matthew farmed at Craggs Hall near Brotton.

There is a story that, while living at Tranmire (or possibly before, in August 1879, according to one record), Martin asked Matthew to go and take Craggs Hall for him. On his return Matthew said that he had taken it, but for himself! It was said that when Matthew came back and told Martin what he had done, they both walked back to Kilton Thorpe without saying a word. Martin however always spoke highly of his brother who helped him to get to Tidkinhow, a farm on Wharton estate. It is said that Matthew later lent Martin some money to acquire Tidkinhow Farm and that Martin took this in part as repayment of his previous 'loan' and for the rest, Matthew used to come to Tidkinhow each year for many years to claim the three best lambs as part repayment (Family Knowledge).

Cragg Hall Farm is a Farmhouse, probably late seventeenth with adaptations and alterations through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Sandstone, mainly laid to courses, with pan tile roof and brick stacks. Plan: derived from longhouse tradition, now referred to as 'false longhouse'. One and a half storey to the west forming the house with washhouse at the western end, single storey to the east containing the cross passage and gable entry byre. The house part of the range has two cells, each with its own stairs to rooms above. Blocked doorways show that the upper rooms of the house, washhouse and cross passage attic were formally interconnected. Exterior, North façade: Two bay house with horizontal sliding sashes at first floor. Ground floor has horizontal sliding sash to right and a three over three vertical sliding sash to left with small fixed light fire window to far left. Left gable wall with stone flagged coping and main stack. Second stack to centre, for inner room. Horizontal building break at ground floor lintel height with slightly better quality masonry above. Single bay outbuilding to right of a building break with single, reduced, ground floor window. Stone flagged coping to left gable wall with low brick stack. Cross passage to left of house covered by single storey outshut with a single window. Byre to left with stone buttress and stone flagged coping to gable. Exterior,South façade: House part of the range has only one opening on the south side: a single small fixed light for the inner room. To the left, at the foot of the inner room stairs, there is a low blocked doorway. To the left of this is the doorway to the washhouse with a small outshut to its left. Entry to the house is via the cross passage to the right of the house. The external door to the cross passage is C20. To the right there is a small four light window. Vertical building breaks between the cross passage and both the byre and house. Building break between the house and washhouse less clear. No apparent horizontal building break to the house to correspond to that on the north façade. Exterior, east gable end (byre): Stable door to left of centreline, unglazed attic window to centre. Exterior, west gable end (washhouse): Small blocked window at attic level to left of central stack. Small C20 fixed light set in blocked doorway to outshut on the right. Building break between outshut and washhouse. Interior, cross passage: Concrete floor. Exposed ceiling joists, of which at least one appears riven, supporting broad planks with rolled edge moulding. Planked doors to both outshut and house, that to the house using narrow planks with bevelled edges. Interior, fore room: Stone flagged floor, exposed ceiling joists with alternate joists riven and sawn, the sawn joists being chamfered. Broad floor boards above with rolled edge detail. Similar broad planks with rolled edge detail used for the screen between the hearth and the door to the cross passage, and for the timber partition with doors for the staircase. Hearth with small cast iron range. Salt box to left. Interior, Inner parlour: Raised timber floor. Exposed ceiling joists, some roughly chamfered supporting narrow floor boards with rolled edge mouldings. Timber partition for staircase with narrow planks with bevelled edge, (similar to those used for the door between the cross passage and fore room). Door between inner parlour and foot of fore room stairs is also planked but uses narrow planks with rolled edge moulding. Interior, washhouse: Brick and concrete surround for a solid fuelled copper built in front of earlier hearth. Interior, byre: Cobble floor. Remains of timber stalls (Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1987 "Houses of the North York Moors").

Construction of yeomen farmsteads following and developing the medieval longhouse tradition (where animals and people shared the roof of a linear building range) continued on the North York Moors up until about the mid 18th century. From the late 17th century, existing and new longhouses developed piecemeal, improving the standard of accommodation for the farmer and increasing the degree of separation from the animals. False longhouses were those examples which were built with separate entrances for people and animals, rather than being adapted from those where the entrance to the byre was originally from the cross passage. Longhouse farmsteads were frequently adapted as the needs and the wealth of the farmers changed over time. House parts were often raised and extended. Outbuildings could come into domestic occupation or be returned to auxiliary use. Accommodation was frequently subdivided to provide for widows or joint heirs (as North York Moors yeomen frequently did not employ primogeniture inheritance), and then recombined at a later date. 

Cragg Hall Farm is an example of the continuation of the North York Moors vernacular tradition of longhouse construction. The series of modifications that are still identifiable by the various building breaks in the masonry, blocked openings and styles of internal timberwork, all eloquently demonstrate the evolutionary nature of longhouses through the 17th to 19th centuries. It is this succession of alterations which make Cragg Hall Farm of particular special architectural and historical interest, showing how adaptable the longhouse tradition was to changing tastes and circumstances.

The Farndales had associations with Craggs from the eighteenth century. For instance William Farndale (FAR00130) had farmed there.

1880

Matthew Farndale of Craggs Hall aged about 30, 1880

1881

Census 1881 - 1, Kilton Village:

‘Bessie’ Farndale, head; widow; age 70; born Whitby.

John Farndale, son; unmarried; age 32; railway porter; born Skelton (FAR00376).

Matthew Farndale, son unmarried; age 30; ag lab; born Skelton (FAR00383).

1884

Matthew Farndale, married Mary Ann Liverseed in 1884 at Stockton District (GRO Vol 10a page 122).

Matthew Farndale at about the time of his marriage.

Mary Ann Liverseed was born at Roxby in 1857, the daughter of Robert Liverseed (1810 to 1882) and Mary Ann Margaret (nee Hutchinson) Liverseed (1821 to 1905). Her grandparents were Thomas Liverseed (1781 to 1848) and Elizabeth (nee Rowland) Liverseed (1790 to 1840) and her great grandparents were Ralph Liverseed (born 1757) and Jane (nee Hall Liverseed. She was the youngest of seven siblings.

Mary Ann Liverseed Senior, Mary’s mother Andrew and Polly Liverseed. Andrew was Mary’s brother

1885

Robert Farndale (FAR00606) was born in Craggs Hall Farm on 20 August 1885 (1939 Register). Robert Farndale’s birth was registered in Stockton District in the fourth quarter of 1885 (GRO Vol 10a page 60).

1886

Ruth Farndale (FAR00619) was born in Guisborough District on 14 December 1886 (BR, PR and family knowledge). Ruth Farndale’s birth was registered at Guisborough District in the first quarter of 1887 (GRO Vol 9d page 465).

1889

Ernest Farndale (FAR00633) was born in Brotton District in 1889. Ernest Farndale’s birth was registered in Guisborough District in the first quarter of 1889 (GRO Vol 9d page 468).

1891

Census 1891 - Craggs Hall Farm, Brotton:

Matthew Farndale, head, 40

Mary A Farndale, 34

Robert Farndale, 5

Ruth Farndale, 4

Ernest Farndale 2

Elizabeth Farndale, widow; aged 80; born Whitby; (1811).[Shown as mother to Matthew Farndale of Craggs Hall].

Annie Mitchel, a domestic servant

Whitby Gazette, 31 July 1891: CARLING HOW. PICNIC. The Wesleyan picnic, which had been postponed from Wednesday, was held on Saturday last in a field near Craggs Hall, kindly leant by Mr M Farndale. The children were regaled with milk and the provisions that remained from the tea held on the Wednesday. A number of games were indulged in until dusk.

1892

Herbert Farndale (FAR00652) was born on 30 March 1892 (1939 Register), and baptised on 12 April 1892 at a private service at Craggs Hall Farm, according to the rites of the Wesleyan-Methodist Church. Herbert Farndale’s birth was registered in the second quarter of 1892 (GRO Vol 9d page 503).

1894

William Farndale (FAR00665) was born at Craggs Hall Farm on 14 July 1894 (Birth Certificate, 1939 Register). William Farndale’s birth was registered at Guisborough District on 29 August 1894 (GRO Vol 9d page 448).

1898

Edwin Farndale (FAR00691) was born in Guisborough District on 23 July 1898 (1939 Register). Edwin Farndale’s birth was registered in Guisborough District in the third quarter of 1898 (GRO Vol 9d page 514).

1900

Matthew Farndale and his wife Mary Ann (nee Liverseed) at Craggs Hall in about 1900

Matthew and Ann Farndale and their family at Craggs Hall in about 1900

William Robert Ruth

Matthew Herbert Ann Ernest

Edwin

1901

Census 1901, Craggs Hall Farm

Matthew Farndale, head, 50, a farmer

Mary A Farndale, 44

Robert Farndale, 15, an assistant on the farm

Ruth Farndale, 14

Ernest Farndale, 12

Herbert Farndale, 9

William Farndale, 6

Edwin Farndale, 2

1911

Census 1911, Craggs Hall Farm

Matthew Farndale, head, 60, a farmer

Mary A Farndale, 54

Ruth Farndale, 24, at home

Ernest Farndale, 22, at home

Herbert Farndale, 19, at home

William Farndale, 16, at home

Edwin Farndale, 12, school

The Whitby Gazette, on 8 December 1911 reported: FOUNDATION STONE LAYING AT CARLIN HOW. The Carlin How and Skinningrove District has grown very rapidly during the last few years, and, in order to cope with the increasing demand for accommodation, the friends of the Wesleyan body have decided to build a new Wesleyan Church at Carlin How. The cost of the church will be £850, £500 of which has already been raised or promised. Mr T C Hutchinson, managing director of the Skinningrove iron works, has generously given the site. The buildings will be of brick, and will accommodate about 250 people. Mr. A Farndale is the architect, and Mr J K Wilson is superintending the work of erection. The foundation stone laying ceremony took place on Wednesday, in the presence of a good company. The Rev W Powell, Loftus conducted the ceremony, and stones were placed by Mrs M Moore, Westfield, Loftus,… C Farndale …. M Farndale, Craggs Hall... Mr E Lofthouse laid a stone in memory of the late Mr. A Murray weather, a prominent Brotton Wesleyan. The Rev J C Adelard (Saltburn) gave an address and a public tea took place in the preaching room, which has, for many years, done duty as a place of worship, but is now totally inadequate to meet the demands made-up on it.

1915

Whitby Gazette, 25 June 1915: BROTTON. A successful picnic for the Brotton Wesleyan Sunday School was held at Craggs Hall on Wednesday, by permission of Mr and Mrs M Farmdale. The event was attended by a number of parents, scholars and others. Tea was provided and games were indulged in by young and old.

1916

Whitby Gazette, 22 September 1916. CARLING HOW. During the weekend, the Wesleyans at Carlin Howl held their harvest festival services. On Sunday, the Rev H Mortimer, Staithes, preached twice, and on Monday evening a public meeting was held. The Rev H Mortimer addressed the meeting, and gave a helpful and inspiring address. Mr Arthur Garnett presided. The sale of fruit and vegetables took place at the close of the meetings. Collections were taken at all the services, which were well attended, and the total proceeds, which amounted to £7, will be devoted to the Trust Funds. The vote of thanks to all helpers and those who had given fruit etc, was proposed by Mr Hutchinson, and seconded by Mr M Farndale. Miss Pearson, “Mount Pleasant,” presided at the organ, and the chapel was tastefully decorated for the occasion.

1917

Whitby Gazette, 7 December 1917: A lecture entitled “Life amongst tramps and social outcasts,” was given in the Carlin How Wesleyan Church, last week, by the Rev Harry Mortimer, Staithes. The lecture, which was very interesting, was a descriptive account of work in Manchester Wesleyan Mission, with which Mr Mortimer was for some time identified. Mr M Farndale, Craggs Hall, presided.

1919

The family continued to lice at Craggs Hall, Carlin How (Electoral Registers, 1919).

1920

Mary Ann Farndale in front of Craggs Hall in about 1920 Matthew Farndale, Ann Farndale, Robert Farndale and Ruth Farndale, in front of Craggs Hall, about 1920

Mary Ann Farndale (FAR00397) had vivid memories of holidays at Cragg Hall Farm. Mother is adamant that she knew it is Cragg and not Craggs as on your site. (Craggs is the usual usage, but there have been uses of Cragg as well, and Mary Ann’s evidence suggests that it may have been called Cragg by the family). Matthew (FAR00383), affectionately called Mattha by Mary Ann was an elderly widower by then and he appeared to enjoy her fussing over him. My mother remembers a beautiful rose garden hidden at the back of the farm seen only by those at the farm, fruit bushes dripping with berries, taking the farmworkers lunches out to the fields at midday, being allowed to go shopping on her own to Carlin How or Brotton (an example of the changes in society as she was only 5 or 6 at the time) and reading Pilgrims Progress in the rarely used ‘front room’ A special treat was to be taken for rides in the side car of Herbert’s (FAR00652) motor bike. Herbert, Matthews’ son was presumably running the farm by this stage (Record from Judith Bremner).

1921

1921 Census – Craggs Hall, Carlin How

Matthew Farndale, 71

Mary Ann Farndale, 64 Years 1 Month

Herbert Farndale, 29 Years 3 Months

1923

Cleveland Standard, 23 June 1923: PROPERTY MARKET. At Loftus on Wednesday, Mr T S Patch, auctioneer, offered for sale the Craggs Hall Farm, situated between Brotton and Carlin How. The purchase would only buy one half the revenue derived from the estate. Mr H Farndale, son of Mr M Farndale, tenant of the farm, became the purchaser for £1,500. The solicitor for the vendor was Mr Julius Bertram, of London.

1927

Matthew Farndale, age 76, died at Craggs Hall on 27 February 1927 and the death was registered in Guisborough District in the first quarter 1927 (Brotton PR, Monumental Record, GRO Vol 9d page 752).

THE FUNERAL AT BROTTON OF MR MATTHEW FARNDALE. The funeral of Mr Matthew Farndale, of Craggs Hall, Carlin How, took place at Brotton, yesterday afternoon, in the presence of a considerable number of mourners. The chief mourners were Miss farndale, daughter, Eastbourne; Mr Robert Farndale, Leeds, Mr William Farndale, Northallerton, Mr E Farndale, Walbottle, sons; Mr M Farndale, Tidkinhow, Boosbeck, brother; Mr R Liverseed, Loftus, Mr A Liverseed, Stockton, brothers in law. There were in the cortege farmers and representatives of the agricultural interests from all parts of Cleveland. The Rev John Hunt, Wesleyan Minister, Loftus conducted the burial service in Brotton Wesleyan church.

Cleveland Standard, 5 March 1927: The death has taken place at Craggs Halll, Carling How, of Mr Matthew Farndale, a well known Cleveland farmer, who was 76 years of age, and had lived at Craggs Hall 44 years. Mr Farndale, who had been in failing health for some time, had the reputation of being one of the best cultivators of land and hedges in the district.

He was buried on 2 March 1927 at Brotton.

(Probate Index)

Gravestone Brotton Old Churchyard;

In loving memory of Ernest, beloved son of Matthew and Mary A Farndale of Craggs Hall who died 30 November 1913 aged 24 years. Also the above named Matthew who died 27th February 1927 aged 76 years. Also the above named Mary Ann who died 4th November 1933 aged 77 years (Monumental Record).

1933

Mary Farndale, Matthew’s widow, died at Craggs Hall on 4 November 1933 (Brotton PR).

Cleveland Standard, 11 November 1933: Funeral of Mrs M A Farndale. The funeral took place this week of Mrs Mary Ann farndale, of Craggs Hall, Brotton, widow of the late Mr Matthew Farndale, who was well known in Cleveland farming circles. A large company was present at the Wesleyan Church, where the service was held. It was conducted by the Rev F A Wenyon, of Loftus, and the Carlin How Methodist Church choir was also present. Mr William Hedley, of Kilton Thorpe, was at the organ. Internment took place that brought on churchyard.

Craggs Hall Farm in 2021