Past Times was a column written in the Seaton Ross Times in the 1990s and 2002s by Malcolm Young. The articles are reproduced here. Click on more in the blocks below to see the full articles – these also contain links to the original articles. [note that some of the articles are also used/referenced elsewhere on the website]
Sir Edmund de Mauley
…Knight and Lord of the Manor Seton 1306.
Edmund de Mauley was born in 1281 and was the youngest son of a great Yorkshire family who owned Bainton and Neswick for over 200 years. He served in the Scottish Campaign… more
The Lady Well Seaton Ross
Places where water wells from the ground have always been venerated as sources of life, hence their almost invariable female dedication. The Neolithic practice of casting precious and sacrificial offerings into rivers and meres was, in some … more
The Hemp or Tow Pits
The hemp pits in Seaton Ross were situated north of The Hollies, Chapel Lane and consisted of numerous pits – the remains of these pits can still be seen to this day and can be easily reached by an easy stroll and are surrounded by a most… more
St. Edmund’s Church
The Church in Seaton Ross is a brick construction with stone details. It was built in 1788, to replace an earlier church, and it is dedicated to St Edmund. St Edmund, a King of East Anglia, was martyred in the 9th century century for refusing to… more
The Ascension Window
The Stained Glass Windows of St Edmund’s Church. No 1. The Ascension Window (East Window)
In 1953 Mr George G. Pace reorganised the chancel in St Edmund’s Church and the reredos erected in the early 20th century by the… more
The St Edmund Window
The Stained Glass Windows of St Edmund’s Church, No 2. The St Edmund Window (North Window), Preston Memorial Window.
St Edmunds church is dedicated to St Edmund, martyred in the 9th century who was King of East Anglia In… more
The Manor House
The Manor House at Seaton Ross was built in 1683 and is believed to have been of a timber framed construction. It stood on the site, which is now Manor House Farm close to St Edmunds Church. One of the early occupiers of the Manor House… more
Fire Insurance Marks
The idea of insurance against fire damage originated in the sixteenth and seventeenth century with advances in housebuilding accelerating after the horrors of the Great Fire of London in 1666…. more
The Old Mill – Seaton Ross
The old mill was built in the early 18th century and the earliest known resident was a Mr. John Sykes. The mill was occupied for many years during the early 19th century by Matthew Cook. ln earlier days… more
The Steam Mill at Old Mills
Wind milling was an unsociable occupation, the wind miller only being able to work when the wind blew – this could mean working in the middle of the night! As a consequence, millers began to add a new form of additional power… more
The New Mill – Seaton Ross
The new mill was built in the early 19th century by Mr. Thomas Rook. His son, Robert, occupied and worked the mill for many years. Robert Rook was a well-known and respected local farmer and yeoman. The four-sailed… more
The Brick and Tile Works
Lodges Road – Seaton Ross: Brick making bas been carried out in Britain since Roman times. In clay areas such as Seaton Ross, bricks were made on a very local scale with many a village and estates having its own brick works – Seaton Ross… more
The Mustard Mill – North End
The Mustard Mill at Seaton Ross operated from the 1840’s through to the 1860’s. The mill which was steam driven, was part of West Lea Cottages at North End owned by Robert Cook. Robert was a well known and respected farmer… more
The Old Blacksmiths Arms…
…Blacksmith’s Shop and Village School at “The Cross” Seaton Ross.
The old thatched cottage, which stood at The Cross in Seaton Ross, was for many years a public house and blacksmith’s shop… more
The Blacksmiths Arms
The Blacksmiths Arms at the North End, Seaton Ross, was built in 1813. The first owner and occupier was William Pexton who apart from being the victualler was also the village blacksmith and served as churchwarden at Seaton Ross from… more
William Watson
William Watson was born at Seaton Ross in the East Riding of Yorkshire on 17th May 1784, He was the fourth child of eleven to parents John and Sarah Watson. William’s family were farmers and following in that… more
The Seaton Ross Post Office
By the middle of the 17th century towns throughout England and Wales were connected by a postal service. Letters were carried along the principal highways by horses, which were changed at regular ‘posts’. Mail coaches were… more
The Seaton Ross Sundials
Parish churches used sundials to enable clergymen to judge the times of services and for public use long before clocks were installed in church towers. A few Saxon sundials survive. In the middle Ages “scratch dials” were inscribed on… more
The Seaton Ross Carrier
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, trains and horse-drawn transport co-existed. Long before the railways however, a nationwide network of carrier’s served the rural community. Numerous carriers’ carts provided regular… more
The Railway Gate Houses –
Lincoln Flats
The York and North Midlands Railway (Y. & N.M.R.) Selby to Market Weighton line, which was constructed as a single-track railway line, opened on the 8th August 1848 and cost £156,000 to build… more
The National School
The new National School, was described as a grey brick building, when built in 1858 at the centre of the village near to St. Edmunds Church. The new school could accommodate up to 90 children. Prior to 1858, the school was situated… more
The Primitive Methodist Chapel
On the 9th March, 1822 a bargain and sale (conveyance) took place for £15. 14s. to purchase a piece of ground in Seaton Ross for the building of a new Primitive Methodist chapel. This was between Samuel Hall, yeoman… more
The Wesleyan Chapel
On the 30th October, 1822 a bargain and sale took place. for £5.0s.0d. between William Harper, Yeoman of Seaton Ross and a group of eleven local businessmen which included 9 farmers, a surgeon and a shopkeeper. The purpose of this… more
The Parish Cottages…
…and Allotments, North End and South End.
An important part of village life was the vestry meeting at which village worthies came together in the church vestry to appoint each other to the various caretaking jobs of the poor… more
Ancient order of Foresters…
…Court Maxwell No.759, Seaton Ross.
Seaton Ross during the mid 19th century formed two friendly societies, the first was the Ancient Free Gardeners, Rose of Roscommon lodge No 263 (1st June 1839)… more
Ancient Free Gardeners…
…Rose of Roscommon Lodge No 263, Seaton Ross.
The heyday of the friendly society and benefit club was during the Victorian and Edwardian era when they spread widely and provided a useful outlet for reformist energies… more
The Curate’s House
It is mentioned in Archbishop Sharp ‘s manuscript that a little house stood with a yard south of the churchyard at Seaton Ross, which belonged to the benefice. This seems very likely to be the predecessor of the property… more
William Watson’s Simple Instrument for Finding a Meridian Line 1841
During a visit to London in 1840, William Watson contrived the idea of a new kind of instrument for finding a meridian line. .. more
George Johnson of Lincoln Flatts
Seaton Ross, England and
Seaton Ross, Guildford, Western Australia
(1803 – 1879).
In the early years of the 19th century Britain was undergoing changing times – farming was facing decline and difficulties; the static… more
Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee
Celebrations Seaton Ross – 22nd June 1897.
The ageing Queen-Empress Victoria was the figurehead of the largest empire the world had ever known; one on which, quite literally, the sun never set. She was a powerful symbol of… more
PAST TIMES
The following article was written by a resident of Seaton Ross almost 90 years ago of what was considered could be improved in the village and reasons for and against a weekly half day holiday. “How Seaton Ross could be improved March 25th 1919”… more
Seaton Ross Village Feast
‘An ancient village feast which annually falls on the first Sunday after the feast of St Peter’.
The Seaton Ross village feast has been part of the local history for many years and in fact, William Watson makes note in his… more
Seaton Ross Feast – 1905
A CENTURY AGO
Monday & Tuesday 3rd and 4th July 1905.
The following article is from the Howdenshire Chronicle & Pocklington Weekly News of Saturday 8th July 1905 reporting on the above. It would seem to have… more
10 Squadron (Shiny Ten) Melbourne Airfield
1940-1945
The airfield at Melbourne was originally only grass, beginning life in 1940 on a very temporary basis and the first bombers to arrive were twin-engined… more