RECUSANCY IN THE KNAGGS FAMILY
This is the story where conformity struck early and deep reducing an erstwhile strongly papist family to the point wherethe last Egton return failed to show one name at all. It is not a case of reconciliation; of a late inclusion on the lists but rather the reverse the gradual erosion of the faithful stock until narily a spark is left.The numbers presented to the Quater Sessions during the reign of James I was less than eleven members of the family and during the next reign ther were two. The certificate of those conforming and going to the parish church, submitted by the Minister Nicholas Lewes and Thomas Dickinson and William Coverdale churchwardens in 1616 contained out of 28, three names:-
  • Thomas Knaggs, Shortwait (Shorefoot) yeoman
  • Elizabeth, wife of George of Egton
  • Agnes wife of John of Egton
    Before Fr. Postgate's death in 1679 the number had again reached eleven, remaining at that figure until 1691 after which time they disappeared all together from Egton and mustering only seven during the following ninety years from scattered places in the area. These were two each at Whitby and Ugthorpe in 1716, two at Glaisdale in 1745 and one again at Whitby in 1780.
    Until 1616 recusancy in this family was confined to three families George the Egton shoemaker some time alehouse keeper, his wife Elizabeth and sons Richard and William; Thomas a husbandman and his wife Margery of West Banks; and Agnes the wife of John yeoman of Egton. The practice of allowing the wifes name to go forward whilst that of the husband did not, has already been discussed. The young people have gone by 1607, the second and third families by 1616. The shoemaker and his wife remain listed together in 1625 and Elizabeth alone a widow in 1635/41. The resurgence of Recusancy in 1674 may or may not be in the same families as before since no continuity is in evidence. Egton produced yeoman John, his wife Elizabeth, John junior and Francis; yeoman Thomas, his wife Jane and Christopher; and finally widows Ann and Isabella. At the same time one family was presented for Lythe namely John and Magaret his wife. A single name Elizabeth, appeared for Egton in 1680, and one line of continuity is seen in 1691 when Christopher is listed with a wife Jane. John, James, two Janes, two Annas complete the Egton list. At Ugthorpe there were Martha Knaggs, John and Maria. The scene shifts to Glaisdale in 1745 when William and John are presented. Danby has a single Katherine; and Mary at Whitby, and William at Skeletonare the last people of the family to be recorded as rescusants in 1780.
    The Egton registers reveal a number of interesting points. The first marriage takes place in 1617, the first baptism in 1631 to be followed by others fairly regularly till 1661 after which ther are no more baptisms till 1780 when some regularity follows till 1811. By 1830 there have been no further entries of baptism. Thirteen family marriages in a period of two hundred and thirteen years and four of them between 1628 and 1639! Two of these four are between pairs both named Knaggs a peculiar feature commented upon before. In the whole time there were thirty eight burials and thirty five baptisms. Anyone may do some home work upon these figures but it is obvious that many anomalies will remain.
    The Lythe registers reveal a much more regular pattern of seventy five occurences in the period between 1700 and 1768 made up of forty six baptisms, nine marriges and twenty deaths. It almost appears that the Egton family is literally dying out numerically, not merely diminishing in the number of papists. Fr. Hervey's register gives one family John and Isabella Sturr married in 1734 and apparently living in Glaisdale by 1745, Whitby has one papist family at the beginning of the nineteeth century and a little later, one was living in Egton Bridge. Nothing as yet is known about whether any of the Lythe families were papists or not, but Jonn and Isabella were for certain.
    Like most of the other family histories it is noticed that a drift to Whitby takes place as the opportunities for employment ther increase. It is felt that a connection between the families in the various localities may be discovered which may prove helpful.
    The fact that today members of the family are living in the area and practicing still the faith held yt their recusant predecessors proves that the beliefs they held were not quite extinguished during the difficulties of the penal times.

    MARRIAGES IN THE KNAGGS FAMILY 1600 TO 1840'S
    DateParishPartiesHome or Witnesses
    1.EgtonGeorge Knaggs & Elizabethshoemaker; Recusants 1604/25
    2.EgtonThomas Knaggs & Margeryhusbandman; Recusanys 1611/?
    3.EgtonJohn Knaggs & Agnesyeoman; Recusants 1616
    4.1617EgtonWilliam Atkinson & Elizabeth Knaggs
    5.27/12/1628EgtonJohn Knaggs & Elizabeth Knaggs
    6.30/11/1635EgtonHenry Lee & Jane Knaggs
    7.24/4/1636EgtonRichard Knaggs & Alice Coverdale
    8.15/10/1639EgtonWilliam Knaggs & Isabel Knaggs
    9.30/1/1649EgtonPeter Lacy & Jane Knaggs
    10.EgtonJohn Knaggs & ElizabethRecusants 1674, Egton
    11.EgtonThomas Knaggs & JaneRecusants 1674, Egton
    12.John Knaggs & MargaretRecusants 1674, Lythe
    13.EgtonChristopher Knaggs & Jane Recusants 1691, Egton
    14.17/1/1705EgtonLeonard Knaggs & Margaret BowesShorefoot
    15.17/11/1746EgtonFrancis Knaggs & Jane Cook
    16.4/1/1776EgtonJohn Knaggs & Elizabeth Allan
    17.6/9/1780EgtonFrancis Knaggs & Bridget White
    18.22/12/1734Ugth.John Knaggs & Isabel SturrStonegate Fr. Hervey's
    19.15/12/1778LytheWilliam Tindall & Mary KnaggsRobert & John Knaggs
    20.7/4/1806LytheJohn Knaggs wdr & Hannah Wedgewood William & Ann Wedgewood
    21.15/5/1808EgtonCharles Knaggs & Catherine Lyth
    22.WhitbyThomas Knaggs & Sarah
    23.28/12/1818WhitbyWilliam Knaggs & Ann Dykes
    24.27/11/1823EgtonJoseph Knaggs & Mary Hoggarth
    25.William Harland & Mary Knaggs
    26.9/4/1827EgtonAnthony Knaggs wdr & Mary Chapman widow
    27.11/2/1817LytheLeonard Knaggs & Ann Harrison
    28.17/4/1814LytheThomas Knaggs & Sara Lyth
    29.23/8/1814LytheRobert Knaggs & Mary Oliver2ndly Eliz. Simpson 25/7/4?
    30.6/2/1842Whitby Chl.Joseph Knaggs & Mary Ann Watson

    The fortunate mention of Stonegate by Fr. Hervey links that family with Ralph the miller of that hamlet. Ralph's wife Ann died in 1731. A son probably a juvenile, died in 1745 whose name was John, whilst Ralph himself died in 1756. John the husband of Isabel must therefore be, most likely, a brother of the miller. Fr. Hervey baptised a daughter of John called Mary on April 13th 1738 when William Knaggs of Yackley Side was the godfather. This was the only child entered in the register. William succeeded Ralph as miller, marrying a wife named Mary who died in 1790 four years after her daughter Jane and ten years before her husband. At least a century of Knaggs being the Stonegate millers seems to have ended with this death for the references cease afterwards.
    A short story is possible about the Knaggs of Shorefoot where Leonard died 172?. He can only be the one in marriage 14 in 1705. Richard, his son perhaps, died at Westonby in 1745 and Richard's wife died in 1731. Elizabeth a widow died there in 1739. Another Leonard Knaggs died at Whitby in 1819 aged 68 and William died in Ruswarp Poor House in 1818 aged 67 both therefore born in 1751. Leonard is a possible connection here but no trace can be found in Egton or Lythe.
    A number of apparently unconnected burials occur in the Lythe registers:-

  • Robert died in 1800 aged 60. He was from that village.
  • William of Sandsend died in 1814 age 41
  • Thomas of Whitby died in 1828 aged 50.
    Francis, most likely a son of Francis m.15, was born in 1750 and became a churchwarden in 1775 two years after his father's death. His niarriage appears to be m.17, and his wife bears a very papist name Bridget White. His children are well documented but are unlikely to be papists. They are:-
  • Francis b. 1780
  • William b. 1783
  • Jane b. 1786
  • Mary b. 1788
  • Hannah b. 1791
  • John b. 1794
  • Joseph b. 1796
  • Robert b. 1799
    At the time of his death in 1809, Francis senior was a sexton as well as a farmer.
    A second son of Francis m.15 by name John was born in 17537 and his marrige might weIl be m.16. As he gave one of his sons an unusual family name of Charles, a fair decree of continuity was possible.

    John Knaggs shoemaker (b. 25th May 1753 d. 9th Apr. 1828) m.16 Elizabeth Allan at Egton 4/1/1776
    21.
    22.
    23.William b. 22/11/1781date of baptism
    24.Charlesb. 23/ 1/1785date of baptism
    25.Elizabethb. 6/ 4/1787date of baptismd. 20/5/1788
    26.Johnb. 16/ 3/1789date of baptismother children not entered.
    24. Charles Knaggs m.21 Catherine Lyth at Egton 15/5/1808
    241.
    242.Elizabethb. 21/3/1810'registered but not baptised' endorsed in register
    243.(These children
    244.(not even registered
    245.Josephb. 16/9/1815Gpts. Henry Harrison & Mary Swales(These entries
    246.Peterb. 23/ 2/1820Gpts. George Roe & Mary Roe(from early
    247.Williamb. 22/ 2/1823Gpts. William Swales & Ann Lawson( E.B. register
    248.Andrewb.d. 10/1/1826.
    Other children not known.

    The thought arises that the descendants of Francis m.15 were non papists and that Charles, like Luke Gallon nearly a hundred years before, was 'pervertet by his wife Catherine'. As no Egton Bridge Registers prior to 1813 have been found the children 243 and 244 may be entered there. The interlining of certain entries in the very early Egton registers is an indication of the use of the expedient above, when trying to be on both sides of the fence at the same time to avoid the £100 penalty for illegal baptisms. It will be remembered that this was ad{??}ed by Christopher Raw as early as 1632. The fact that no Knaggs appear as baptismal sponsors is significant, confirming the idea that these Knaggs were not papists.
    A sequel to this tale lies in the fact that the writer spoke to an old man of name Charles Thomas Knaggs of 4 Esk Terrace Egton Bridge many years ago. He died on October 8th 1949 aget 81. He would have been able to link up with one of the children above but although those links still exist, they are not to hand at this moment. His descendants still live in the village.
    The 1841 census gives Charles' children as Peter and William and their home Egton Bridge. This actually was at the bottom of the road to Goathland at the right side as one begins to climb the hill. Ambrose Harrison's home was on the left hand side. 245 Joseph is not mentioned. What appears to be 29 Joseph an 'unenterred' child John, is entered as living at Egton directly opposite the road to Grosmont with his wife Mary and daughter Ann. Francis was the tenant of this cottage in 1795. This Joseph aged 44 as entered on the form, would be Charles' youngest brother.
    The 1851 census finds Charles and Catherine at Scally Hill with Allan and William only.The latter is 247 but Allan can only be a nephew the same age as 246 Peter bearing his grandmother's maiden surname.
    The 1861 return is the same except that Catherine has died. The home apparently is known as Scally Hill. In 1853 the rental was £14 per annum for six acres three roods twenty-four perches of land, for Joseph's tenancy, and £4 per annum for that of Charles which comprised one acre three roods eleven perches.
    Mary Knaggs was, it seems housekeeper to Thomas Underwood at Peat House a cottage beside Butterbeck just below the ascent to the Delves.There was one perch of ground and the rent was £1/10s a year, in 1853. Whether or not she was the same person as the Mary Knaggs who in 1841 was given as a farmer aged 45 years of Egton Grange it is hard to say.
    As Charles was the tenant in 1853 of the property in the tenancy of Eleanor Allen in 1795 it would appear that Scally Hill was the home of his maternal grandparents before 1800. Reverting to Mary the housekeeper, the only Knaggs that would fit is the wife of Joseph m.24, but she is more likely to be Joseph 29's wife which makes Joseph m.24 into Joseph 29 and leaves the question of the identity of the housekeeper undecided.


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