Grewelthorpe

Mickley

This page is devoted to some historical snippets about the village of Mickley which is a neighbour of Grewelthorpe. See also the items about Mickley Flax Mill. and the Mickley Water scheme.


Mickley is a small village about six miles northwest of Ripon. It has only one main street, no shops and no pubs, but in spite of this, or maybe because of it, it is a very pretty and friendly village.



Mickley St.John’s Church.


There is a small church which was built in 1841 through the generosity of the Dalton family of Sleningford Grange in memory of Elizabeth Dalton. It is built of cobblestones taken from the river Ure, which runs the length of the village on the north side. Many wild flowers, both common and rare, grow in the churchyard and a photographic record of these is kept in the church. There are a number of gravestones of Irish Catholics in the graveyard. These are of immigrants who came to work in a flax mill near the river during the potato famine in Ireland in the 1840s. The ruins of the flax mill can still be seen.

Mickley is a small village on the south bank of the River Ure in the West Riding of Yorkshire: the river here, unbridged at Mickley, forms the boundary with the North Riding of Yorkshire. The village is in Wensleydale, the Ure’s own dale, just as it begins to become gentler below the Pennine moorland.

To the west, a lane runs up to Grewelthorpe, a village barely larger on the slope of the dale, and lanes run eastward to the A6018 and North Stainley. To the northeast is West Tanfield, on the north bank of the river and thus in the North Riding.

The Ripon Rowel Walk, a long path making a ring through this part of the riding, runs through Mickley on its way down Wensleydale to Ripon, where it starts and finishes.

The information below is taken from local newspapers.
If anyone reading this has any memories of living in Mickley, please contact the site.

Names of houses, properties and cottages in Mickley.
Details of the sale of PAPER MILL. In 1779.


1875. ETON COTTAGE To Let @ £30 p.a. [In 1871 Governess Harriet Hitchings from Oxford lived here.
1890. WHITE HORSE INN. Landlord Mr Mackley.
1908. SHOULDER OF MUTTON INN.
1947. NORTH VIEW COTTAGE Sale of contents for Miss Williamson.
1953. BEECH COTTAGE 4 beds. Stone built. For sale.
1953. BURLEY COTTAGE 3 beds. Stone built. For sale.
1955. THE WHITE HOUSE Country cottage stone built 3 beds.


Names of some of the woods around Mickley as mentioned in an account of a fox hunt in 1935.
Hunt started at SLENINGFORD OLD HALL. Fox raised below JUNIPER WOOD. Through BROWN WOOD to FIVE POINTS turn left hand to SPRING WOOD up and down THE GILL over THIEVESGILL ROAD.
to THUNDER WOOD through POTGATE & BROWN WOOD to CASTLE DYKES and then parallel with Ripon Road to FISHER WOOD on to SUTTON GRANGE and on with CARR HOUSE on the right along the length of JEFFERY GILL And across the MICKLEY RD and into a corner of HACKFALL.


BARRAS WOOD 1890. Sale of wood.



1944 For sale. 6 acres of cleared woodland known as COAL BANK Mickley. useful for a poultry farm or something similar.

Some of the INHABITANTS of Mickley.


1864. EDWARD CALVERLEY Accidently killed. [see Calverley page].


1877. THOMAS HOBSON selling his farm of 105 acres in Mickley.


1889. HERBERT HARLAND, CHARLES WOODWIN & MILES CAYGILL of Mickley brought before magistrates for taking fish from River Ure at West Tanfield. They were seen throwing stones at the fish, The case was dismissed.


1889. ENOCH & DENNIS LUTHER MOSS Timber merchants from Mickley.


Nov. 1889. Marriage of WILLIAM ANDREW MARSHALL & PRISCILLA HORSFIELD both of Mickley. Married at the Zion chapel in Ripon.


Wedding of EMMA CALVERLEY 1895.

see information about Emma on the Calverley page in the genealogy section.


1900. Mickley death.

Death of Ralph.Gregg.
Ralph Gregg was born in Melmerby about 1821.. Married to Ann Metcalfe from Tanfield. He was a farmer.
They had 4 children. George [b.1844] Jane [b.1852] Christopher [b 1853] James [b.1857].

Ralph Gregg’s grave Mickley churchyard.

1904. Death of Mrs White the wife of the retired chemist Mr.White She was injured on New Years Eve by an explosion in a lamp.
In the 1901 census. Robert White chemist and druggist lived in the village with his wife May White and their son Conrad White. The family were from Durham.

1906. Death of the vicar of Mickley. Rev. KYNASTON SUMMERFIELD.


Report on Emily Harrison [1825-1915] from 1912 when she was visited by a group of Naturalists who had been walking in Hackfall.



1918. Death of Marion Summerfield the widow of Rev. K. Summerfield*. The coffin was followed down the street by villagers and friends.


1922. Retirement of ex Inspector Percy Crabtree. after 26 years service. He joined in 1896. He finished his career in Sheffield. He was presented with a gold watch.
In the 1901 census Percy J.C.Crabtree [b.Mickley] was a police constable living in Sheffield with his wife Ada Crabtree and their baby son Charles Crabtree. Percy died in 1948.


July 1925.

Sept. 1931. Sir John Page Middleton.



EVENTS IN MICKLEY
1889. On January 11th 1889 the third annual ball held to raise funds for the Reading Room Mickley. A larger room was used than on previous occasions and it was decorated with evergreens, the ball proved financially successful. The Kirkby Malzeard string band were hired for the occasion. The dancing started at 9-30p.m. and continued until 4a.m. with spirit and everyone appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves.


In 1890 Mr Mackley the landlord of the WHITE HORSE INN applied for an extension to his licence during the Mickley Feast, to be held 10th & 11th July. He was asking for an extra hour, to 11p.m. It was refused. It was reported that there were 3 pubs in the village . It would be unfair to the other pubs, and could cause problems and unrest.



Advert for White Horse hotel.

1892. 50th Jubilee anniversary of the consecration of the church. Sale of work held, opened by Miss Harrison of High Bank. She was thanked by C.Crabtree. Helpers were Mrs & Miss Calverley – Mrs H.Hedley – Misses Marshall – Mrs Crabtree – Mrs & Miss Gregg – Mrs May & Miss Truman. Miss Leaf held a toy stall.
A brass lectern and a jewelled cross were presented to the church. It was hoped that £60 would be raised for church repairs.


1893. Opening of a new reading room which would be called The Institute. This replaced the old reading room which closed 2 years ago.
Rules of the institute were stated. No gambling – no bad language. There would have to be fund raising to cover the rent. Subscriptions would be the same as before. Mrs Bairstow & Miss Staveley had made curtains. Mrs Hedley & *Miss Harrison had provided games and books. Miss Leaf provided Titbits weekly.
Mrs Calverley & daughter had put up curtains, pictures and wallpaper.


1894. Jan. A concert in the schoolroom where Miss F.Harrison sang and played the guitar.
1894. Feb.Rev R.A.Summerfield gave an interesting lecture on bees and beekeeping to the Mickley Institute.


1902. Missionary meeting.



1904. Garden Party. Rev. H & Mrs Hedley gave a farewell garden party for the parishioners. Mr J.Dinsdale presented the vicar with a revolving bookcase, which had been subscribed for by the parishioners.


1922. A billiards match held at Mickley Institute between Mickley & Ripon. A Win for Ripon.
The Mickley team were .
M.RISHWORTH – E.SIMPSON – A.TODD – W.TURNER – R.FLINT.


In 1871 some of the important people in Mickley village.
ATKINSON FREDERICK Carpenter. [living Wood House] b. Harewood.
BELL JOHN Innkeeper & Shoemaker [The Bay Horse] b. N.Stainley.
BOWMAN WILLIAM Schoolmaster. b. North Stainley.
CALVERLEY JOHN & THOMAS Joiners. b. Mickley.
CALVERLEY MARY Grocer. b.Whitehaven.
CAYGILL JAMES Groom b. Well.
GAIT SARAH Schoolmistress. b. Somerset.
GRAHAM JOHN Innkeeper [Shoulder of Mutton] b. West Witton.
HARLAND WILLIAM Carter & Carrier. b.Mickley
HARRISON FRANCIS Landowner [High Bank} b. Preston.
HARRISON THOMAS Vicar. b. Aldborough.
HEATH GEORGE Retired schoolmaster. b. Mickley.
HEATH WILLIAM Tailor. b.Mickley.
HIGGINS JOSEPH Police constable.
KING WILLIAM Manager of Flax mill.
LEATHLEY JOHN Blacksmith. b.Grewelthorpe. [Father & Son]
LINCOLN JOHN Innkeeper. [White Horse} b. Scorton.
WHARHAM JOHN Mechanic b. Hoyland.

Research by Barbara Bradley started in Feb. 2022.