Pensioners Who Lived in The Almshouses

In an age when poor people could not retire and there was no state pension, illness and disability could mean homelessness and starvation. The almshouses were a haven; successful petitioners could be guaranteed a roof over their heads, money to live on, clothing and companionship for the rest of their lives. The pensioners had a level of personal freedom and independence that inmates of workhouses and poorhouses seldom enjoyed.

Pensioners had to be over sixty years of age, single or widowed and to have been resident in Cleveland for at least three years. Residents of the parish of Guisborough were given priority, and pensioners were selected according to their need.

The following alphabetical list of pensioners has been collated from the Hospital Minutes Books, Accounts ledgers and correspondence. Some names may be missing and in some cases, we cannot be specific as to when a Pensioner entered the Almshouses or when they died. The ‘year of admittance’ is therefore the earliest date when the individual was known to be in the Almshouses but the actual date of admittance could be earlier.

If you would like to know more about an entry listed here, please contact us on ppc.museum@pursglove.ac.uk

First name	Surname	Age on admittance if known	Year of Admittance	Comments
George	Allan	73	1858	Born in Guisborough and formerly a Shoemaker. Died on 26 January 1872
	Allanbie		1622
Edw.	Baines		1561
Samuel	Barry		1748
John	Barry		1750
William	Bellwood	78	1839	Died on 24 March 1847
William	Bolton	93	1840	Died on 24 December 1846
James	Bolton	79	1870	Former Labourer.
Catherine	Bulmer	78	1839	Died on or about 9 May 1848
	Bye		1645	Referred to as Widow Bye.
William	Calvert		1836	Died on 19 March 1837
	Carleton		1597	Known as Widow Carleton
John	Chapman	73	1840	Former Agricultural Labourer born in Boulby. Died on or about 18 October 1851
Alice	Charlton		1839	Died on 14 November 1839
Rachel	Cheeseman	78	1846	Died on or about 24 February 1852
Mathay	Clarke		1597
Bell	Clement		1625
Sarah	Cole	69	1856	Born in Whitby. Died circa 23 March 1871.
Joseph	Cooper		1842	Left Almshouses 3 October 1843
Mary	Cox		1842	Died on 14 November 1846
Maurice	Dale		1871
Mary	Dale		1872
Hannah	Denny		1837	Died on 15 November 1838
Sarah	Dickenson	75	1880	Born at Cargo Fleet
Mary/May	Dickinson	78	1839
Thomas	Dunne		1639
Mary	Earle	85	1860	Born in Guisborough, formerly a Charwoman or Washerwoman. Died on 12 March 1872
Jane	Easton		1847	Died on 14 January 1848
Ann	Eston		1838
William	Farndale		1861	Died on or about 27 October 1863
William	Firbank		1873
John	Flintoft		1748
William	Forster		1864	Died on or about 13 April 1870
Mary	Gisburn		1748
Robert	Grange		1778
Elizabeth	Gummerill		1778
Jacob	Handisides	67	1880	Born at Tocketts
Jane	Handsell		1778
Ann	Heavisides	62	1847	Born in Broughton. Died on or about 14 March 1854. Name may be Handyside
Dorothy	Harrison		1838	Died on 16 June 1839
Jane	Haswell		1838	Died on or about 3 September 1839
Thomas	Haswell		1841	Born in Guisborough, former Agricultural Labourer. Died on or about 4 July 1862
Mary	Havelock	70	1863
John	Hines		1750
Thomas	Hodgson	63	1860	Born in Guisborough, formerly a Tailor. Died on or about 13 October 1864
James	Hornby		1853	Died on or about 6 March 1855
Christopher	Hurde		1578
William	Husband		1778
Jane	Huton		1618
Jane	Ingledew	72	1867	Born in Skelton, former Farm Servant.
Joannah	Jones		1750
Marjery	Jowsey		1656
Thomas	King		1778
Robert	Knaggs	64	1853	Name may be Staggs. Born in Guisborough, former Agricultural Labourer. Died 5 May 1861.
Robert	Lancaster		1561
Mary	Langley	57	1848	Name may be Langdale. Born in Hutton Rudby. Died 10 August 1851.
Ellen	Lawrence	55	1850	Born in Worsall. Originally Nurse until she gave up her post to Martha Page.
John	Lennard	68	1880	Born in Sandsend
John	Linas		1788	Died on 20 January 1789
Henry	Lincoln		1750
Betty	Lincoln		1835	Died on or about 1 September 1836
Thomas	Lincoln		1840	Died on or about 19 March 1841
Dorothy	Longhorn		1750
William	Lyle		1685
Robert	Marley		1836	Died on 16 February 1837
Elizabeth	Maskell	77	1848	Born in Guisborough. Known as Betty.
Peter	Mason		1837	Died on or about 5 December 1837
Richard	Mease		1748
Ann	Mease		1778
Christopher	Metcalfe	51	1872	Born in Danby Wiske
Mary	Miller	79	1840	Died about September 1843.
John	Minikin	67	1847	Born in Guisborough, former Weaver. Died on or about 26 August 1852.
Annie	Minikin	70	1864	Born in Maltby and a former Farm Servant.
Jemima	Ord	69	1848	Born in Guisborough. Died on or about 5 February 1856.
Martha	Page	54	1863	Born in Hutton Rudby. Appointed Nurse in place of Ellen Lawrence.
Thomas	Pattison		1863	Died on 9 May 1868
Mary	Patton		1778
Robert	Patton		1778
William	Pearson	71	1837	Died on or about 22 August 1841
William	Pearson	51	1872	Born in Guisborough
Mary	Porritt		1854	Died at Stockton on 12 July 1854.
George	Porritt	68	1855	Born in Guisborough, a former Shoemaker. Died on 1 April 1867.
Elizabeth	Potter	68	1852	Born in Guisborough. Died on 3 May 1867.
William	Potter	74	1867	Born in Guisborough, a former Farm Labourer. Died on 11 May 1873.
Ralph	Pulman		1836	Died on 6 June 1840
Mary	Pulman		1853	Died on or about 11 March 1856
Jane	Reed	75	1836	Died on 10 November 1846
Elizabeth	Rhyman	70	1846	Born in Thirsk. Died circa 23 May 1853
Hannah	Richardson		1778
Peter	Riget		1625
Ann	Robinson	73	1854	Born in Acklam. Died on or about 17 October 1863
Susannah	Roper	59	1880	Born in Thurston, Surrey
James	Rowntree		1773
Francis	Rowntree		1778
John	Rowntree	60	1841	Born in Guisborough, former Shoemaker. Died on or about 26 July 1853.
William	Rowntree		1851	Died on or about 27 March 1860
John	Shepherd	68	1847	Born in Guisborough, Former Weaver. Died on or about 1 November 1853.
	Smith		1620
George	Smith	79	1840	Died 13 April 1842
William	Snaith	69	1852	Former Agricultural Labourer. Died on 7 July 1871.
Elizabeth	Sokel		1837	Died on 5 February 1838
Jane	Stephenson or Stapleton?	71	1848	Born in Guisborough. Died on or about 27 September 1852.
George	Sunley		1748
Daniel	Swales	70	1880	Born at Skelton
John	Thompson	68	1868	Born in Skelton, former Farm Labourer.
John	Towers	72	1880	Born in Commondale
William	Unthank		1773
Ann	Ventris?		1778
Mary	Walker	79	1840	Died on 13 December 1846
Isabell	Walls		1750
Joseph	Walters		1837	Died on 24 December 1839
John	Watson		1835	Died on or about 26 January 1836
Mary Ann	Watson	72	1856	Born at Harewood. Died on or about 13 October 1864
Ann	Wiley	74	1861	Born in Guisborough. Died on or about 31 March 1863
William	Wilkinson	64	1862	Born in Upleatham, a former Shoemaker
Joshua	Wilson	68	1846	Born in Easby. Previously Farmer of 30 acres. Died on or about 23 February 1858.
Mary A	Winter	77	1880	Born at Boosbeck
Thomas	Wright		1625
Matthew	Wright		1837	Former Groom. Died 9 May 1839
Robert	Wright		1843	Died on 12 November 1846.
William	Young		1648
Thomas	Young		1778

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