INDUSTRY – Cleveland Ironstone found

Accreditation the Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette 01/12/1871.

CLEVELAND – DISCOVERY OF IRONSTONE

It is announced that a further supply of that material which has been the cause of the immense development and the great prosperity of the staple industry of the Cleveland district has been discovered in a trace of land which hitherto has been supposed to be quite destitute of it. A few days ago a bed of Ironstone was met with in Yearby Bank, which is on the estate of A. H. T. Newcomen, Esq., of Kirkleatham Hall, and is situate between the now famous deposits in the Eston and Upleatham Hills. The seam has been proven to be about 9 feet thick, but to what limits it extends has not yet been ascertained, nor has any analysis of the ore been made public. If, however, the quality and quantity should be considered satisfactory, the royalty can be both easily and cheaply worked, because the top of the bed is only a very short distance from the surface. It has always been asserted by geologists and mining engineers that the Kirkleatham estate was a particularly poor one, as well miner mineralogically as agriculturally, a great part of it being flat, marshy, and unproductive, and though call has been board for near to Coatham on two separate locations, we believe that a bed found at the last trial was not compensated sufficiently valuable to justify any pit been sunk. As mining experts were agreed that a washing away of the ironstone in Yearby had in long past times occurred, it seemed particularly fortunate for the owner that ore should exist on every side of the estate, and that the proprietors of the estates thereof should be deriving princely incomes from their royalties on the tonnage raised, whilst his land should be barren in this respect.

Should the quality of the ore turnout satisfactory it will not be difficult to form an estimate of the changes that will take place in the respect of the neighbourhood of Kirkleatham; miners will flock to the village, new houses will have to be erected, labour will be at a discount on the adjacent farms, a tramway will have to be laid from the main line of the Stockton and Darlington Railway through the estate, and we may expect the hamlet of Yearby to emerge from the obscurity which has enshrined it hitherto. At present the inhabitants are something like half a century behind the comparatively busy towns of Marske, Redcar, &c., and rise at a correspondingly unfashionable hour, they seldom see a newspaper, and the chief stock of the literature current among them is the Bible and the weather almanac. It is interesting to note the prosperity and enlargement of the village of Cleveland, which were once purely agricultural, such as Brotton, Marske, Skelton, Lofthouse, Skinningrove and Normanby, the rise of new places such as North Ormesby, South Eston, California, South Bank, New Lackenby, New Marske, and New London.

It may not be out of place here to mention a few facts connected with the mining of Cleveland ironstone. It is asserted that from the Cleveland Hills ore sufficient is raised to produce one third of the iron of manufactured in Great Britain. It was in the year 1850 that the late Mr John Vaughan discovered on the hills above Esther the “men seam” of Cleveland, and soon afterwards the erection of blast furnaces on the banks of the Tees to smelt it was commenced. It was known, however, previous to that time, that ironstone existed there, but it was not, said did valuable enough for working till the supply of Ironstone from the call measures of Durham had failed. The “men seam” thus met with is comp almost of an Imperial work carbonate of protoxide of iron, and contains on an average 30 per cent of metallic iron. The bed crops out in the face of the Eston Hills, below the Nab, where it is richest in quality and greatest in quantity, being about 14 feet thick and containing above 33 per cent of iron. At Upleatham it is 12 feet thick, and contents 32 per cent. The scene is met with at Hob Hill, Brotton, Skelton, Guisboro’ Lofthouse and Skinningrove, but beyond the last place. It contains so small a percentage of iron that it cannot be worked profitably. The Cleveland storm covers an area of about 30 square miles and at the present rate of extraction. It is calculated that the mind is now opened out will keep the blast furnaces supplied for a bout a century. After that, if no new beds are found, the probability is that the storm will be imported from other districts. If the analysis of the Kirkleatham ore should turn out to come out to contain less than 24 per cent, and the iron, will not be worked, at least, not until the mines that are now in operation are exhausted. These comprise the following 🙂 The Ormesby Mines of Messrs. Swan Coates, and Co., Cargo Fleet Ironworks, Middlesbro’; the Normanby mines of Messrs Bell Brothers, Clarence Ironworks, Middlesbro’ the Eston mines of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan, and Co.; the Belmont mines, Guisboro’, of the Weardale Iron Company’s the Upleatham mines of Messrs. J. and J. W. Pease, the Hob Hill mines, Saltburn; the Crag Hall mines, Brotton; the Cliff Mines of Messrs Morrison and Co.; Messrs. Bell Brothers, Skelton; Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan, and Co., Skelton; the South Skelton mines of Mr. T. Vaughan; the Boosbeck mines of Messrs. Stevenson. Jaques, and Co., Acklam Ironworks, Middlesbro’; the Kilton mines; the North Cleveland mines, Lofthouse; the Liverton mines of Sir C. Fox and Co., and the Moorsholm mines of Mr. T. Knott. The Hutton and Cod Hill mines, Guisboro’, are now closed.

REPLY

Accreditation the Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette 08/12/1871.

LETTER FROM THE VICAR OF THE YEARBY PARISH
to the editor of the Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette

Sir, In fairness, I trust you will allow me to make a few remarks on your leader of last week. In the course of many inaccurate statements on the subject matter of his article, the writer refers to the hamlet of Yearby, and gives a grotesque description which contains such a glaring perversion of facts, that refutation becomes a necessity. In the first place, he says, “the inhabitants are something like half a century behind the comparatively busy towns of Marske, Redcar, &c.,” more shall be said on this point by-and-bye, but it really would seem as if half a century had elapsed since the writer had seen or heard of Yearby. Again, “they retire to rest by about eight or nine p.m., and rise at a correspondingly unfashionable hour.” Well, we won’t quarrel over this; if true, it goes to prove their wisdom and accounts for the healthiness that exist there, according to the old saw :-

“Early to bed and early to rise,” &c.

But the next statements cannot be passed over so likely, “they seldom see a newspaper,” and if the news papers in general, contained such fabulous remarks the selmonder the better I should say; “the chief stock of literature current among them is the Bible and the weather almanak stop.” On this, let me remind the writer of a verse of Tennyson’s:

“And the Parson made it his text that week, and he said, likewise
That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies;
That a lie which is all a lie met with and fought out right,
But they lie which is part a truth is harder matter to fight.”

            But now for facts, which I trust may remove any false impression created by the article stop Thereafter to daily and 30 weekly papers taken in Yearby, even the “Redcar and Saltburn, Gazette” finds its way there occasionally. I know of one resident in the “obscure hamlet” who has taken in the Cornhill Magazine since its commencement, and others. There are regular subscribers to the popular serials., Then that is our Village Library, containing upwards of 1000 volumes, which is freely used by these villagers, an average of from 8 to 10 volumes be exchanged weekly amongst them, and not only books but magazines such as All the Year Round, Chambers’ Journal, &c., Are in constant circulation. By means of our subscriptions and profits from Penny Readings, we are able to add from 30 to 40 new volumes annually. From these facts it will be seen that our Village Library, is no dead letter, or mere name, as is so frequently the case, but a reality, and one which is properly appreciated in this “obscure hamlet” of Yearby stop “Half a century behind Marske and wrecked ! ! I I I appeal to your sense of justice, Mr. Editor; look at our Penny Readings, which I humbly submit and not unknown to fame, the first established in this neighbourhood, now in their fifth year and apparently as popular as ever; look at our social Christmas gathering, which you yourself once honoured by designating the “Annual Ball, “or look at our Village Cricket Club. “Would you be surprised,” Mr. Editor, to learn that these institutions are more or less under the management of our Library Committee, and that the majority of the members of this committee are residents in the “obscure hamlet” of Yearby.

I remain, Sir,
Yours truly,
THE VICAR OF THE PARISH STOP

The Vicarage, Dec. 5th, 1871.

(It is only fair to state that the article in question was written by another hand, professionally well acquainted with the subject, during the illness of the Editor, and it is to be regretted that the writer was so ill-informed on the subject matter of the article which he undertook to write. It is quite inexcusable to put forth statements which have no existence except in the mind of the writer, and we have no hesitation in giving the same publicity to the , Vicar’s letter as to the statements he refutes.  –  Ed. R. and S. Gazette

Webmaster. Please note that some of the above editorial and accompanying letter were dictated verbatim thus obtaining some Yorkshire dialect, and and grammatical errors.