Pickering is a market town in the Vale of Pickering in North
Yorkshire, England. The Vale runs from York in the west to
Scarborough in the east, with the North York Moors to the north
and the Yorkshire Wolds to the south.
The parishes of Ugglebarnby, Whitby and Fylingdales are grouped
together, just to the north of Scarborough, on the east coast of
Yorkshire, and to the north of them is the coastal parish of
Lythe. It has several small hamlets within its borders, but is
centred around Mulgrave Castle, the home of the Earl of Normanby.
Loftus lies about 10 miles north of Lythe and was an important
market town on the road to Whitby. Since the 17th century it has
been a mining town, initially potash, laterly ironstone.
The earliest records for this family are in Pickering dated about 1620. Exactly where they lived in Pickering, or what their occupations were is not known. In the Civil War of 1642, Pickering Castle was attacked by the Parliamentarian forces, an event that must have caused some distress amongst the local population. In 1652 George Fox, the founder of the Quackers, was preaching in Pickering, and may have been seen by the Conn family. About 1710 the family moved to Ugglebarnby/Whitby/Fylingdales area. The main town of Fylingdales is Robin Hoods Bay, usually just called Bay, which was one of the main fishing centres along this north east coast. Fish was landed at Bay and transported along a sailors trod to Pickering, and it is likely that the family moved along this trod. It is clear that they were a poor family, for at least two members were buried from the Poor House. Towards the end of the 1700s they were on the move once again, this time to the parish of Lythe, just to the north of Whitby. The farms at Hutton Mulgrave and Moorgate where the children were born are still standing. In about 1822 another move was made to Lofthouse (Loftus). The Tithe map of 1838 shows that George Conn was renting three small cottages immediately to the rear of the parish church of St Leonards. He was also renting a small strip of land just outside of Loftus from Lord Dundas. This was the same Dundas family that features in the Conn family of Upleatham.
Of George's eight children the descendants of only three have been traced. John and William still have descendants in this part of England, whilst George's descendants are to be found in America. William's son ,John, married Mary Jane Hansell of Staithes and had four children. Shortly after the birth of the last child, Grace, John was killed on the Railway at Sandsend, near Whitby. Mary Jane subsequently married John Bennison, the local carrier in Staithes, where they lived in Poplar House. In the 1930s this became a guest house, where I spent many happy holidays.
It seems probable that the Conn family had been living in the Pickering area from at least 1301, because the Yorkshire Lay Subsidy of that year showed that Alicia Conn paid 5 pence. This was a tax of one fifteenth raised by Edward the 1st. on the temporal assets of each person. That meant that Alicia had assets of 75 pence, and because the cut-off point was so low - possibly set at 2 pence - this was almost equivalent to a poll tax. Alicia was the only Conn mentioned in the whole of Yorkshire, although at this early date only about half the population had recognisable surnames.
Records from the parishes in the Vale of Pickering.
These records have been included
with the Pickering records because it is thought that at least
some of them may be related to the Conn
family of Pickering.
This has not yet been proved. The
parishes have been arranged in alphabetical order, but come from
both the North Riding and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The
boundary between the two ridings passes along the centre of the
Vale of Pickering.
1342 Jun 19. William Conne was paying 20 pence
rent on land in Edeston (?Ebbleston near Pickering). Yorkshire
Deeds, vol 5, pp80
1432 Feb 7. Probate of the will of John Conn of Thornton in the
parish of Foston. This is just to the west of Pickering.
1545. Will of Roger Con, husbandman of Grauncemore in the parish
of Burton Agnes
1655. Marriage of William Conn and Jane Moore at Acklam
1748 Mar 10. Bap of Mary daughter of Robert Conn, Appleton le
Street
1751 Dec 15. Bap of Anne daughter of Robert Conn, Appleton le
Street
1754 Apr 21. Bap of Elizabeth daughter of Robert Conn, Appleton
le Street
1628 Oct 5. Bap of Elizabeth daughter of Richard Conn, Kirby
Grindalythe
1727 Dec 7. Mar of Mary Con and John Elmor, Kirby Grindalythe
1727 Nov 30. Mar of Rebecca Conn and John Elmer, Kirby Misperton
1727 Jan 13. Mar of Elizabeth Conn and John Thompson, North
Grimston
15 Jan 1575. Marriage of Dorothia Conne to Gabriell Farthing at
Rudston. This is about 20 miles SE of Pickering.
1 Jul 1576, Marriage of Williamus Conne to Francesca Sharp at
Rudston.
17 Jul 1581. Marriage of Margareta Conne to Jacobus Hardie at
Rudston.
28 Oct 1583. Marriage of Margareta Conne to Johannes Wright at
Rudston.
1659 Apr 5. Mar of Jane Conn and Robert Clarks, Sherburn near
Scarborough
1764 Oct 20. Mar of Thomas Conn and Mary Ireland, Scarborough
1765 Aug 16. Bap of Jane daughter of Thomas and Mary Con,
Scarborough.
1774 Aug 25. Bap of Mary daughter of Thomas and Mary Conn,
Scarborough. She died in 1777 at Scarborough.
1814 Sep 19. Bur of Mary Conn, widow aged 77 of Scarborough
1847 Sep 29. Bap of Christiana Esther daughter of Peter and Jane
Conn, Scarborough
1861. Birth of Mary Jane Conn of Scarborough
1882 Dec 31. Mar of Mary Ann Conn and Brian Coulson, Scarborough
1709 Mar 1. Bap of Jane daughter of Thomas Conn, Wharram le
Street
1709 Mar 1. Bap of Francis son of Thomas Conn, Wharram le Street
1712 Dec 7. Bap of Thomas son of Thomas Conn, Wharram le Street
1718 Mar 28. Bap of Robert son of Thomas Conn, Wharram le Street
1667 Mar 24. Mar of Alice Conn and Robert Wharram, Wintringham
1670 Jan 25. Mar of Elizabeth Conn and John Story, Wintringham.
Robert Conne married Easter, dates unknown.
Their children were:-
John Conne (senior) married Alicia, dates unknown.
The records of only one son has been found, although it should be noted that Pickering lies on the boundary of North and East Yorkshire, and the parish records of East Yorkshire have not been searched.
John Conn (sen). was buried 21 Oct 1679 and Alicia Conn, widow, was buried 12 Jun 1681.
John Conne (junior, 1647-1683) married Dorothy Harding (bur 1682), 20 Jun 1665, Pickering.
Their children were:-
23 Feb 1682 Burial of Dorothy Conn.
20 Jun 1682. Marriage of John Conn to Jane Wilson in Pickering. They had one child:-
15 Feb 1683. Burial of Jane Conn, Pickering.
15 Jun 1683. Burial of John Conn, Pickering.
The large number of deaths in the 1682-1683 period would suggest
that the area was suffering from the plague.
Robert Conn married Rebecca Hardwicke, 18 Nov 1685, Pickering.
Their children were:-
Thomas Conn (1692-1776), shoemaker, married Jane Chapman (1683-) in 1711, Ugglebarnby.
Thomas Conn migrated to the parish of Ugglebarnby in about 1710, but whether he went alone is not known. Ugglebarnby registers prior to 1720 have been lost and the following records have been taken from the Bishop's Transcripts.
Their children were:-
Jane Chapman, the wife of Thomas (born 1692), must have died in the early 1720s, for in 1728 we find Thomas marrying a Barbary Richmond in Whitby. They had one son called Robert, who was buried in 1731. At some time after this date, Thomas and Barbary must have moved to Fylingdales, where both died.
St Stephens Church
The returns of the Overseer of the Poor show that Rebecca Conn was receiving sums of money each year between 1776, when the records begin, and 1783, presumably to maintain her in her own home. It is assumed that after this date she moved into the poorhouse, where she eventually died.
Robert, the illegitimate son of Rebecca Conn, married Mary Garbut in 1779 in Pickering. There follows a 20 year period of moving from one farm to another. The records are incomplete, so a certain amount of speculation is neccessary.
Their children were:-
Mary is called the fourth daughter and seventh child of Robert Conn, but only six can be accounted for.The family line continues through George: what happened to the other children is not known.
The 1841 census of Scarborough shows that a John Conn and his
wife Betha were living in St Helens Square.
The 1851 census of Scarborough shows that John Conn, aged 66, and
his wife Bethia, aged 82, were living at 2 Topham Yard,
Scarborough. John is said to have been born in Kirby Moorside,
and would have been born about 1784. Is this the missing child of
Robert Conn? I have not found any records of any children.
1. Jane Conn (1780-) married John Collier (of KMS). Place and dates unknown.
Their children were:-
5. George Conn (1788-1856) married Eliza Duck (bur 1864) on 21 Dec 1812 in Fylingdales.
Their children were:-
20 Jan 1856. Burial of George Conn at St Leonards, Loftus.
3 Jul 1864. Burial of Elizabeth Conn at St Leonards, Loftus.
Hollin Tree House, Hutton Mulgrave and Moorgate are all farms in the parish of Lythe, whilst Handale is a farm just south of Loftus, originally the site of a Franciscan priory. About 1826 George and his family moved into the township of Loftus, living in the group of old cottages immediately to the rear of St Leonards Church. The Tithe map of 1838 shows George occupying three of the four cottages, along with a strip of land, probably of about half an acre, along the road to Handale.
The marrages of six of the surviving children can be traced, although it should be noted that in several cases the name has changed to Cown. In the 1881 census George Conn is called George Cown, and on his gravestone he is also called Cown, even though his brother William is in the next grave, still called Conn.
Their children were:-
William Conn died at Scarborough 7 Sep 1893
John Conn (1849-1879) married Mary Jane Hansell 17 Aug 1871.
In the 1871 census John is working and living at Port Mulgrave, where his father is said to be an ironmaster. Mary Jane, aged 18, was working as a servant to Dr Laverick at Hinderwell, and this is almost certainly where they met. After marrying they probably went to live with Mary Jane's mother on the High Street in Staithes. Mary Jane's father, William Hansell who was a farrier and Vetinary surgeon, had died in 1867.
Their children were :-
John Conn died 2 Aug 1879, age 30. and was buried in Grave 4b,
East Loftus cemetery. He was killed on the railway at Sandsend;
details of the accident was reported in the Whitby Chronicle,
dated 4 Aug 1879. Mary Jane subsequently married John Bennison,
the carrier and coal merchant in Staithes.
This family is called COWN in the 1891 and 1901 census.
Their children were:-
This family is called COWN in the 1891 census.
Their children were:-
Of these children, only Margaret can be followed up. She married John Tansley in 1871 and they emigrated to America at the turn of the century.
Grace Conn (1823-) married John Porrit, 14 Aug 1854 at St Leonards, Loftus
They lived at Port Mulgrave and then in Loftus, but didn't appear to have any children.
For 20th century family connections, contact the author.