Lyth Family

RECUSANCY IN THE LYTH FAMILY

The part of Yorkshire that is being dealt with in this section, namely the parishes of Lythe and Egton and their immediate surroundings, was overrun by the Danes over twelve hundred years ago. It is considered that many settlements were made and that this family owes its origins to that invasion. At thiat time Christianity had only recently come to these islands, and many an early Christian out post was destroyed by the Northmen. The Saxon villages rose from the ashes with new names, the more important being now known as White-by, and perhaps its neighbour Lythe got its name as the seat of the Lyth family. Be that as it may, the new people gradually adopted the beliefs and practices of Aidan and Paulinus and soon the restored abbey was flourishing, and, further north Bede was putting to writing for posterity, the stirring events of the times.
It was not the the Border struggles with the Scotch, nor the long conflict with the French nor even the fratricidal Wars of the Roses that disturbed the faith of these sturdy peasants. It was nothing less than greed. Greed that provided eagor buyers for Henry's confiscated monastic properties. The royal greed at once begot a greater in many of his subjects. Legislation quickly followed which confirmed the new arrangements. The changes initiated by the covetous counsellors of tho ailing Edward and continued by those of Elizabeth set up a code of religious bahaviour by law established totally unacceptable to the majority of the ordinary people, and maintained by cruel penal statutes. Recusancy was born.
Available evidence indicates that no Lyths ever even reached yeoman status, so the Exchequer Recusanr Rolls, commenced in September 1592, soon ceased to show the entries of the poor and concentrated on "obstinate papists" of the wealthier kind. This does not mean to say that they were forgotten, by no means! Hounded by the village constable, summond to Quarter Sessions, harrassed, blackmailed and spied upon by common informers keen to merit the rewards the law offered, they soon began to appear on the civil and ecclesiastical records.
These can be conveniently be grouped together and treated parish ny parish. At this stage, however, some clarification can be given to the Archbishop's returns given on page 21 in the introduction above.

1706 Abp. Dawes. Number of papists per parish are given; therefore they are of numerical interest only. These are numbers of householders.

1735 Abp. Blackburne. Names of papists are given in each parish so are of much greater interest. Persons over 13 years of age only are included.

1743 Abp. Herring. Numbers of families per parish who are papists are given and are computed at five persons per family, therefore like those of 1706 they are only of numerical interest.

1753 A nominal returns for Efton only, made by Rev. Johnathan Robinson the vicar at the request of the new Lord of the Manor Mr. Cary Elwes to the Archbishop. This is quite useful and, together with the relevant correspondence, forms an appendix following the text.

1767 Abp. Drummond. Numerically classified into papists per parish, and further into age groups per Deanery. The figures for Cleveland are:-

Persons under 18. Persons 18 to 50 Persons over 50 Priests Total

Male Female Male Female Male Female excl. priests

167 184 203 234 98 105 7 991

The comparative figures for Bulmer Deanery are:-

76 63 95 114 24 28 3 400

whilst those for Rydal Deanery are:-

29 35 38 55 26 13 2 196

1780 Nominal returns by parish; very useful, especially those for Lythe which give families with their children; also appendixed. All other dates dealt with are civil lists giving papists by name in each parish, again forming an appendix.
As to be expected the early lists are content to relate merely the names with little or no embellishments so Mary Lyth,a spinster, is entered as an Egton Papist in 1637 the imiddle of the reign of King Charles I. Notwithstanding the growing difficulties between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, time was found to compile a much more comphrehensive list only four years later in 1641. This time Egton Parish papists include Elizabeth Lyth a widow, George Lyth a tailor, Mary his wife, and John Lyth also a tailor perhaps his son, Alice Lyth a widow, and John Lyth a fuller.
1680 list for Egton, made up at a time when the government is viewing the attempts of the king Charles II to lighten the lot of the papists with grave disquiet, shows John Lyth junior, together with Elizabeth and Ellin no doubt his children, and Mary Lyth and Francis Lyth in separate entries.
Having, by 1691, obliged King James II, the even more lenient brother and successor of Charles II, to leave the country (the Queen had recently given birth to a son and heir to the throne - how similar to the case of King Farouk of Eygpt some years ago) the government proceeded with vigour to round up the papists and other dissenters. Their efforts produced a massive dossier containing, in the case of Egton Parish, no fewer than 172 names. It is not a little suprising therefore to discover only one Lyth - Richard, among all these. The reader may make his own conclusions as to the whereabouts of the other Lyths; their absence from the list seems to have created a precedent for the next Egton list dealt with has only 36 names. Nevertheless this does not preclude the possibility that some Lyths as well as other families may have conformed due to the pressure of the laws against them.
This list dated 17l6 in the begining of the reign of George I, once again has only one Lyth - John.
By 1735, the return of Archbishop Blackburne the Lyths of Egton appear either to have given up the struggle, died out or moved to another area, since only Margaret "poor" and Mary a servant remain.
Ambrose Lyth, recusant, is living at Egton in 1745, and by 1753 is entered as having a papist wife and four chidren. This is immediately after the Stuart effort by Bonnie Prince Charlie to regain the throne. It is more than a coincidence that many of the civil lists appear after a severe scare. The 1680 one above, was made after the Titus Oates "plot" which resulted in the arrest and cruel execution of the Egton born missionary priest the Ven. Nicholas Postgate in 1679. The one for 1716 was the year after the earlier attempt by the Stuarts on the throne.
At the time of the Gordon Riots in London in 1780 another list appeared. In it we find John Lyth with seven children, William with none, Thomas and Anna with one child, another Thomas, Mary his wife and six children, Elizabeth with one child and Richard and Mary with two children.
It is not known whether any of tshe above lists include Glaisdale papists as for a considerable time it was a chapelry of Egton. However a Thomas Lyth is one of six names of Glaisdale papists in 1745. Three Lyth families from Glaisdale are in the 1780 return. They are Thomas and Elizabeth his wife and two children, John and Mary his wife and two children, Francis and Mary his wife and one child and Eleanor with none.
When the Lythe parish returns are examined, the year 1691 shows Elizabeth Lyth from Hildaswell the old name of Hinderwell, the year 1716 reveals John and Elizabeth his wife and William, Maria and John Children. 1735 Richard, wife Isabell with John and Ellen children, but in 1745 only John Lyth is present, and in 1780 only one family namely Richard and Susanna with no children entered.
Although Ugthorpe, a chapelry of Lythe merits long lists in its own right, there are no Lyth names between 1691 and 1745.
No Lyths appear to have moved to Whitby in great nunbers. 1691 reveals Margarita and 1735 Ambrose and Mary. Ambrose being a carpenter.
So far no certain lines of continuity of descent are visible. The first traces to appear are to be found in the records of Rev. John Hervey alias Rivett a missionary priest who served Ugthorpe for eleven years between 1734 and 1745, in which year he was arrested, imprisoned and banished from the district. Mention of his exploits and the stir he made by them in the Archepiscopal circles has been made already.

MARRIAGES OF LYTHS BETWEEN 162O & 1840

	Date	Parish	Parties	Home or witnesses
1.			? Lyth & Elizabeth b.1568	Recusants 1614 Eg.5 years
2.			George Lyth & Mary both b. 1588	Recusants 1611/14 Eg. 7yrs
3.			Robert (1584) Lyth & Elizabeth	Recusants 1611/14 Eg. 8yrs
4.	1/ 2/1628	Egton	Thos. Rickinson & Mary Lyth
5.			John Lyth & Mary weaver	Recusants 1632 Egton
6.	22/ 6/1649	Egton	Pet. Coverdale & Alice Lyth
7.	25/ 1/1641	Lythe	John Lyth & Anne Harrison
8.	27/ 9/1653	Egton	John Lyth & Ellen Hunter
9.			Timothy Lyth & Ellinor	Recusants 1674 Egton
10.	11/ 5/1656	Lythe	John Lyth & Elizabeth Ducke	Leaserigg
11.			Thomas Lyth & Anne	Recusants 1674 Egton
12.			Matthew Lyth & Margaret (Eskdaleside)	Recusants 1674
13.			John Lyth & Elizabeth	Recusants 1716 Lythe
14.			Ambrose Lyth & Elizabeth	Recusants 1745/53 Egton
15.			Richard Lyth & Isabell	Recusants 1735 Lythe
16.			John Harrison & Helen Lyth
17.	17/ 1/1703	Egton	John Lyth & Ann Melson
18.	1/ 1/1737	Lythe	Robert Lyth & Elizabeth Crosby
19.	27/12/1739	Lythe	Ambrose Lyth & Susanna Marshall
20.	16/ 6/1741	Lythe	John Lyth & Mary Ward
21.	2/ 2/1741	Lythe	Williiam Lyth & Ann Booth
22.	30/ 5/1742	Egton	Thomas Lyth & Sarah Campion
23.	5/ 5/1760	Egton	John Lyth & Ann White
24.			Ambrose Lyth & Mary carpenter	Recusants 1735 Whitby
25.	25/ 7/1763	Skelton	Richard Lyth & Susanna Stonehouse	1780 Lythe
26.	15/ 5/1764	Danby	John Lyth & Ann Hind
27.	7/ 1/1766	Egton	John Harrison & Elizabeth Lyth	Recusants 1780 Egton
28.	31/ 3/1768	Danby	Thomas Lyth & Mary Cornforth	Recusants 1780 Egton
29.	25/ 5/1779	Lythe	Thomas Lyth & Elizabeth Taylor	Recusants 1780 Glaisdale
30.	14/4/ 1774	Skelton	Thomas Lyth & Ann Harrison	Recusants 1780 Egton
31.	24/ 5/1774	Egton	Richard Lyth & Elizabeth Hutchinson	Shorefoot
32.	10/ 2/1776	Egton	James Tiplady & Ann Lyth
33.	8/ 1/1778	Lythe	Francis Lyth & Mary Seagroves	Recusants 178O Lythe
34.	16/ 6/1778	Danby	Richard Lyth & Mary Cornforth	Recusants 1780 Egton
35.	4/ 2/1783	Lythe	Ambrose Lyth & Mary Welford	Howe House
36.	7/ 1/1790	Egton	Richard Lyth & Ann Hoggarth	Egton village, tailor
37.	23/ 9/1792	Lythe	John Lyth & Jane Thompson	Sandsend
38.	12/ 1/1794	Egton	George Barker & Ann Lyth
39.	10/8/1795	Danby	William Lyth & Elizabeth Mead	Westonby
40.	15/ 2/1797	Egton	Matthew Roe & Frances Lyth
41.	24/4/1804	Egton	Richard Lyth & Esther Mead	Shorefoot
42.	15/5/1808	Egton	Charles Knaggs & Catherine Lyth
43.	6/1/1810	Danby	Geo. Lennard & Jane Lyth
44.	15/8/1816	Egton	Wm. Fletcher & Elizabeth Lyth
45.	3/6/1816	Whitby	Cornelius Lyth & Jane Collier widow
46.	10/1/1818	Whitby	Joseph Lyth & Mary Newton
47.	30/9/1820	Egton	Ralph Child & Elizabeth Lyth	Egton Grange
48.	21/10/1822	Egton	William Lyth & Mary Harrison	Westonby 2nd m.lst
49.	20/ 1/1824	Lythe	John Lyth & Ann Wood
50.	22/ 4/1828	Egton	George Swales & Elizabeth Lyth
51.	18/ 8/1832	Whitby	Peter Lyth & Mary Ann Welford s.	John & Hannah Duck
52.	24/11/1832	Whitby	Philip Lyth & Elizabeth Elwick
53.	9/ 6/1832	Egton	Thomas Lyth & Rose Harrison
54.	28/11/1835	Egton	Jn. Readman & Mary Lyth
55.	9/ 4/1837	Egton Bridge	Geo. Hoggarth & Ann Lyth
56.		Whitby	Ambrose Lyth & Isabel ?

Of the marriages which follow, neither date or parish are known only where children have been baptised.

Ugth. Egton	John Fletcher m. Mary	Before 181O lived Ealholme
Whitby Egton	Thomas m. Jane Winspear	Before 1819
Ugthorpe	Henry m. Jane EIders	Before 1829
Egton	William Pennock m. Anna	Before 1838
Whitby	John m. Hannah Duck	Before 1808
Whitby	Ambrose m. Isabell ?	Before 1834
Whitby	Peter m. Mary Ann Welford	Before 1837 (Eldest son of John/Hannah)

Fortunately place names occur more regularly in later records and from burials such are found, that add considerable interest to otherwise drab lists.
It is not intended to follow up the female line in any family unless that family has well known recusant antecedents. A number of clear liness of continuity are evident and pin point family settlements the chief being Stonegate, Shorefoot, Egton Village, Howe House, Westonby. These are all within easy reach of one another and illustrate the movement of the families more to Egton than to Lythe or Whitby parishes. To facilitate reference the marriages have been numbered. The subsequent story of each branch of the family will be traced after the pattern of the previous Harrison story.
Apart from the confirmation of recusancy afforded by the records of Fr. Hervey, and the recusant returns themselves, independent confirmation comes in the addition of R.C. to the entries of burial. This practice of the local vicars continued well into the beginning of the nineteenth century supplanting the former endorsement "papist", and provided proof where everything else failed.
So Elizabeth and Wilelmena are daughters or daushters-in-law of Richard 31. As the census reference to Thomas relates to an Egton one, Thomas Shorefoot must be another and the former a possible son of Richard tailor. The absence of Egton - papist - baptisms before 1814 and the missing Ugthorpe ones between 1812 and 1818 is largely the reason why the recurring cases of confused identity continue. Thomas Shorefoot would then be either Q 1. or Q 4.
Richard Q 6. married Hannah Readman at Egton Bridge on May 4th 1844 as November 27th 1837 was the date when "St. Hilda's Whitby, St. Anne's Ugthorpe and the Catholic Chapel Egton Bridge (were) registered for marriages" and the precaution of the "midnight marriage" was no longer necessary.
His children as returned on the census for 1861 are below

Q 61.	Mary	b. 1845	m. Thomas Pearson son of Francis, Westonby wit. Geo Pearson Ann L?
Q 62.	Thomas	b. 1848
Q 63.	Jane	b. 1850	m. Aaron Hart s Francis Ugthorpe, wit. Thos. & Esther S'foot and Thos. Pearson & Mary L S'ft
Q 64.	Esther	b. 1852
Q 65.	Elizabeth	b. 1858
Q 66.	Hlannah	b. 1860	and no doubt others. Richard died on April 19th 1881, aged 64.

Taking Thomas born 1807 as a son as Richard the Egton tailor, the story left off above is continued by relating his family. He married Rose Harrison at Egton on June 9th 1832 when the witnesses were Ambrose Lyth and Elizabeth Harrison. Most of his children are known : -

John	b. 1834	d. aged 5 s/fever - Mgt. Underwood nee Harrison informed
John	b. 1834	Godparents Richard Lyth junior, and Ann White, for 2nd child.
Richard	b. 3/10/1836	d. aged 3 of Burns
Ambrose	b. 1841
William	b. 11/ 2/1843	Godparents Robert Burnett and Ann Knaggs
John	b. 31/10/1845	Godparents George Swales and Margaret Underwood
Richard	b. 1849
Thomas	b. 3/12/1853	Godparents Richard Lyth and Rebecca Readman

In 1762 Mary Lyth a widow died leaving a will in which she mentioned Richard of Greenhouses and his sister Ellen Harrison, William, John, Thomas and Ambrose, Mary the wife of William Frankland, Catherine Lyth, Susannah the wife of John Road (Roe ?). She refers to William son of William Lyth deceased, Susannah Marshall and Susannah Keble, the latter as "the mother of the said William Lyth executor." The will was witnessed by Francis Harrison.
Father Hervey some twenty odd years earlier, was officiating at the marriages of some of these children at Ugthorpe:-

12/2/1740	John Harrison of Greenhouses	p. Danby	m. Helen Lyth of Cockwoodnuke	p. Lythe	in the presence of Mary Harrison, John Lyth and Matthias Booth.
7/1/1741	William Lyth of Cockwoodnuke	p. Lythe	m. Ann Booth	p. Whitby	in the presence of Thomas and Richard Lyth, Dorothy Gallilee (Gallon?), and Robert Stephenson.
28/5/1741	John Lyth of Cockwoodnuke	p. Lythe	m. Mary Ward	p. Lythe	in the presence of Ambrose and Richard Lyth

The Lyth Parish Registers add some further light on the subject at this stage. An entry dated 27/12/1739 indicate the banns of marriage between Ambrose Lyht and Susannah Marshall. Whether they were actually married there is not certain. The marriages of William and John above are entered under the dates 2/2/1741 and 16/6/1741 respectively showing they were both married earlier at Ugthorpe. This illustrates a common recusant practice which continues until "non-parocial" unions were recognised in 1837. The first Lyth in the register is entered as "Mary, daughter of Timothy Lythe February 18th 1653. An interesting marriage entry is as follows:-

"May 11th 1656 John Lyth of Leiserirr - Elizabeth Ducke of the same by Thomas Lascelles Esq. J.P. North Riding, York, witnesses Robert White of Egton and Richard Harland of Godeland."

The spelling of the surname is significant. A child Elizabeth daughter of John Lyth was baptised on November 4th 1657. The burials add more information:-

John Lyth's wife died or rather was buried on March 14th 1654, John Lyth of Buscoe was buried February 23rd 1670. A third John Lyth of Cockernuke was buried on August 8th 1711, whilst Mary , daughter of Richard Lyth of Cockernuke was buried on May 25th 1705.

A will of Buscoe John has been found which tells of his wife Alice and sons John and Thomas.
That Cockernuke was a recusant homestead it is fairly safe to assume but no evidence of recusancy relates to the other parish occurences. The coincidence between the Susannah wife of Ambrose and the Susannah Marshall in the first will above, has not been overlooked neither has the almost certain identity of Ambrose as the son of Mary above mentioned.
Disregarding, for the moment, the records of Father Hervey, the close ot the eigteenth century sees the establishment of the earliset post-recusant communities and the beginning of their precautionary Latin registers. These provide the source material for the next section of the family history, with some help from the parish registers since use was made of both bt those anxious to avoid the fines for non-registration. Some even went so far as to have their children "registered but not baptised" a practise which was permitted by some less bitter vicars. So it is seen that not all entries are certain evidence of a bastism or marriage in that church.
As with all recusant famiIies the difficulty now arises, which has already been encountered, namely that of linking up vaious names into the correct families. It will be well to commence with the earliest positively recusant group that can be seen to be a well established family and because few of the names on the previous page fulfil these requirements a start will be made with that of Mary Lyth above. A similar numerical identification to that used in the Harrison story will be adopted, and where conjecture comes to be made, it will be pointed out as and when necessary. This conjecture is not to be taken as synonymous with wishlul thinking, an easy and most likely inacurate procedure, making arduous research a useless folly.
It cannot be proved that Mary's husband is the Ambrose the carpenter in the 1735 Whitby list without more information. The marriage has not yet come to light.

THE RECUSANT LYTHE FAMILY OF COCKWOODNUKE (COCKERNUKE CUCKETNOOK) P. LYTHE Whether or not Cockwoodnuke was ever a non-recusant homestead it is very difficult to know. After 1762 when Mary Lyth died it may have changed. Lyths were there before 1700. As in the Harrison story, the order of mention in her (Mary's) will can indicate order of birth of her children because only seldom were papist children entered in the parish books. Being married around 1740 they would be born around 1720.

1.	Richard	b.	m.	living Greenhouses 1762	d.
	A Richard whose wife was Mary died at Whitby in 1796 but cannot be identified with Richard 1.
2.	Ellen	b.	m. John Harrison 2/12/1740 Ug.	lived Greenhouses	d.
	The children of this marriage are listed 71 to78 in the Harrison story.
3.	William	b.	m. Ann Booth 7/1/1741 Ug.	lived Dunsley	d.
4.	John	b.	m. Mary Ward 28/5/1741 Ug.		d.
5.	Thomas	b.	m.		d.
	A Thomas married Sarah Campion 30/5/1742 Eg.
6.	Ambrose	b.	m. Susannah M'all 27/12/1739 Ly.
6.	As an Ambrose w Elizabeth had four chn. on the E.R.R. 1753 and that Fr. Hervey showed a move to Howe House Egton by the same family it is wiser to place this one child 6, rather than the one who married Susannah, hence the alteration.
7.	Mary	b.	m. Wm. Frankland
8.	Catherine	b.
9.	Susannah	b.	m. John Road

Although four of the above enteries have been referred to on the previous page, they have been repeated for obvious reasons. The reference also to "the almost certain identity of Ambrose" must be read in the light of the information above because Elizabeth's Ambrose is certainly a recusant whereas doubt now surrounds the other. A Lythe burial, overlooked, reads:-

Susannah w. of Richard Lyth of S(andsend) shoemaker, aged 76 March 23rd 1793

shows she was born in 1717 and could well be the recusant listed with Richard Lyth in the L.R.R.1780 and whose children by which time would be adults.This conjecture gives Richard 1's wife a christian name. The other persons in the will are too confusing to include.
Fr. Hervey's records, ending when he was arrested, only tell us of a few of the chiIdren of the parents above-menytioned. The names of the baptismal godparents are quite helpful. Underlined identity numbers indicate conjecture.

11,12, Etc. None of these children, if any, have been identified belonging to Richard 1

21 to 26 inclusive are known. See 2 above.

31. Thomas b. 27/2/1743 m. G'parents Thos. Lyth and Dorothy Stephenson.

No more children of this marriage have been found.

41. John b. 8/4/1742 m. G'parents Fr. Hervey and Jane Ward

42. Mary b. 27/2/1744 m. G'parents Thos. Hodgson and Hannah Harland Moorside

No further known children

51. Etc., No known chlidren.

6l. William b. 24/12/1754 m. G'parents Robt. Stephenson Helen Pierceson.

62. Mary b. 13/1/1737 m. G'parents Geo. Nellis Mary Harrison G'houses

William was born at Cockwoodnuke and Mary at Howe House see above. The children are not necessarily the first in the family as the date of the marriage is not known. Egton Parish Burials give:-

Ambrose Lyth R.C. How House 4/6/1835 aged 92.

This makes him born 1743 and therefore 65 will do for his number. 63 and 64 and 66 etc are not discovered, nor are any offspring of 7, 8 or 9.
At this point it may be well to say that there are many Lyths who could fit into the empty spaces above but there is no evidence as to which family or even non-recusant ones. Their names are in the mairiges contracted in the surrounding parish churches, necessary by law after 1753. There seems to be a growing recusant practice about this time of parties being married in parishes other than their own, banns being entered elsewhere. Sometimes one takes place "by licence" An instance of this concerns one of these "orphan Lyths" once more a Richard, banns for whose marriage to -believe it or not- Susannah Stonehouse were entered at Skelton on July 25th 1763.
On July 3Oth 1833 died Jane Lyth, R.C. aged 32 and nine years earler, also at Egton died John Lyth on March 6th 1824 R.C. as well. John was ninety and was from Egton Village, Jane from East-end, that part of the village adjoining the road to Lamplands and Aislaby.

THE LYTHS OF WESTONBY IN THE PARISH OF EGTON Here a fairly straight Iine of descent from the Lyths of Cucketnook becomes apparent Thomas a son of William and Ann (Booth) was born on February 27th 1743. He married Mary Cornforth at Danby on March 31st 1768. By 1780 the Egton Recusant Returns show Thomas and Mary with six children of whom only what appear to be the first two have been traced:-

Anna	D 1.	born 1768	married Geoge Barker
William	D 2.	born 1770	married Elizabeth Mead (sister of Esther previously mentioned) at 3Danby on August 10th 1795
Mary	D 21.	born 1816	is the only child to be traced from this first marriage

Mary's mother died aged 44 on February 21st 1820 at Thackside House across the Murk Esk from Beckhole Goathland, a spot some what removed from the other Lyth homesteads. Her father married again, this time to Mary Harrison on October 21st 1822 at Egton. A son William was born on August 21st 1823 and married Elizabeth Harrison on November 13th 1844 in the Egton Bridge Chapel, having obtained a dispensation from a third degree inpediment of consanguinity. It was this marriage with its dispensation that solved the identity of one of the children of 61 Joseph Harrison who had three children on the G.R.R. of 1780. This has since been confirmed in the recently discovered separate Glaisdale Registers. An "upsidedown" tree will illustrate the problem best.

William Lyth			married	Elizabeth Harrison			2nd cousins	621X
		l			l
William Lyth	m.	Mary Harrison (1st. c.)		John Harrison 621	m.	Margaret Child
		l		l
		Jos. Harrison 61		Wm. Harrison 62
		\		/
		Ann Elders	m.	Wm. Harrison 6

The parents of the bride and groom being known from their marriage entry must be, (two of them) first cousins, whilst two of their grand-parents must be from the same family. It follows that two of their great-grand-parents must be husband and wife. In this case William Harrison had only one brother 61 Joseph who is therefore Mary's father, and Mary gets her Harrison identity number 613. Harrison 611 has not been found, 612 is 8/5/1778 Joseph son of Joseph Harrison papist. Mary's entry reads 22/4/1780 Mary daughter of Joseph Harrison tailor. 614 is Ann described like Mary, under the date 12/2/1782. It is easy to see taht once the family with the relationship is recognised, the antecedents of the other people can be ignored.
Returning to the subject, Ann, William and Mary Lyth made their Easter duties from "Tatchside" according to the 1826 Egton list previously mentioned. How this ties up with the death of William D 2's first wife six years before is not clear. What is obvious is that the Lyths are on the move, probably due to increase in numbers, away from their settled haunts. The 1826 list also gives Thomas, Ann and Mary at Westonby. They could be children of D 2's first marriage, D 21 Mary being ten then. Philip, the son of the Egton tailor, also took to wandering marrying Elizabeth Elwick at Whitby on November 24th 1832, when he was 28. He lived at first, it seems, at the home of the Elwick's on Eskdaleside where his brother-in-law Thomas was a railway labourer living at Sleights Gatehouse. Soon he was a raiway employee himself moving to Incline Bottom Beckhole in 1847, after a period in Egton Bridge.
Margaret his first child was born on July 2nd 1840, Hannah Lyth being the only godparent.
Jane was born on November 6th 1842, Godparents Joseph and Ann Cringe.
Ann was born on November 22nd 1846, Godparents Philip Hoggarth and Rose Lyth (Harrison).
John was born on April 18th 1850, Godparents William Pearson and Ann Hodgson.
Thomas was born on May 8th 1853, Godparents John and Susanah Sleightholme (Lyth).
He returned to Egton Bridge at a later date, was left a widower on March 4th 1881, and died himself on May 5th 1887, aged 86, at no. 2 Station cottages where the old couple used to keep four boarders.
Almost as a postscript, U.P.R. gives Elizabeth Lyth Westonby baptised May 9th 1780, perhaps the last child of Thomas and Mary above.
Long-lived Lyths seem to be the pattern, Shorefoot and Egton (Bridge) 86 years, Westonby 89 & 90 years and How House 92 years, for persecution in adversity breeds rugged endurance.

THE LYTHS OF HOWE HOUSE IN THE PARISH OF EGTON Barely four fields distance due east of Westonby lies Howe House a farm overlooking Egton Flats the heath across on the other side of Mally Harland's Slack.
Into this house came Ambrose and Elizabeth Lyth from Cockwoodnuke where their son William was born.Their new abode saw the birth of their next child Mary on January 13th 1737. In 1745 he was reported for his recusancy and in 1753 the special Egton list described him as with a wife and four children, one of whom was Ambrose the younger born in 1743. His mother died a widow on March 13th 1785 by which time he had married Mary Welford at Egton on February 4th 1783. Strangely enough, no trace of any children of this marriage has been found. His sister Mary above, died on July 3rd 1750, his wife on January 20th 1825. Alone, except for William and Hannah Welford who made their Easter Communions with him in 1826 from Howe House, he remained there till his death on June 4th 1835. The Welfords most likly his brother-in-law and wife were tenants of the farm when Egton Estate was put up for sale in 1853. The mystery of his late marriage remains.

THE LYTHS 0F WHITBY The recusancy lists are largely silent about the Lyths of Whitby, the one and only reference being found in the returns of Archbishop Blackburne 1735 stating Ambrose and Mary his wife. Strictly speaking however, another single name occurs in the civil list of 1691, the name of Margaret Lyth. Three families from Whitby have already been mentioned at the bottom of the list of Lyth marriages above, that of John and Hannah being the most informative. His children and their godparents illustrate this.

Peter	born June 29th 1808	Godparents Thomas Lyth and Hannah Lawson
Mary	born December23rd 1810	Godparents John Lawson and Ann White
Matthew	born February 24th 1813	Godparents Leonard Jordan and Hannah Lawson
Hannah	born October 24th 1815	Godparents Richard Lyth and Ann Lyth
Esther	born July 19th 1817	Godparents John Swales and Elizabeth Lyth
Elizabeth	born November 16th 1820	Godparents Matthew Liddle and Dorothy Harrison
Ann	born December 28th 1823	Godparents Thomas Leng and Hanna Bowmaker
Elizabeth	born July 8th 1826	Godparents Anthony Lawson and Ann Robinson
John	born November 17th 1827	Godparents Richard Lyth and Ann Harrison
Ann	born November 17th 1827	Godparents Brown Thomas and Hanna Bowmaker

A Richard again, with brothers Thomas and John and sisters Ann and Elizabeth. Two Esthers both born in 1817, one daughter of Richard and Esther Shorefoot, the other at Whitby. The one known child of the second pair Ambrose (again) and Isabell, married much later, is another Richard born July 30th 1834 with godparents Richard and Mary Lyth. Peter, the first on the list above, married Mary Ann Welford on a date unknown and had two children known.

Alice	born May 13th 1837	Godparents Thomas Fletcher and Hannah Lyth(aunt)
Richard	born September 9th 1838	Godparents Daniel Ibbotson and Margaret Wrestle

So far the family picture, by no means complete, presents a fairly comprehensible array of people and places in the area. Like a huge jig-saw puzzle, there are inevitably many pieces that will not fit in, and the end of the story is an attempt to gather these together for future reference, so to speak. Many of them are to be found in the lists of godparents, where a sudden inspiration, a stroke of good luck, and a bit of conjecture, and a piece snaps into place - a revelation-. The odd marriages have been given. A snipet here and there, such as Martha and Elizabeth Lyth making their Easter duties from Greenhouses in 1826; John, son of Richard Lyth Shorefoot born and died in 1824; the recollection that there was a Richard at Greenhouses in 1762, a Richard marriage at Danby in 1778; a statement made at the death of the above Martha, a spinster in 1844- "that Philip Lyth had the justest claim to the effects of the deceased" who died aged 57; all point to certain conclusions, but inspite of all the pointers, this bit does not fit in, since the civil records state that the place of death was Shorefoot and the informant was Richard (presumably from Shorefoot too). Perhaps the bit of jig-saw needs puttIng in the other way round, who knows?
Omitting the faamilies where continuity is not evident and where conjecture replaces it, some good purpose may be served in recapitulating the others. These are the Lyths of Westonby, Shorefoot and Howe House, 'daughter' houses of Cockwoodnuke and the time of the last Stuart monarchs. Underlined identity numbers indicate conjecture.

John Lyth m. Elizabeth Duck May 11th 1656 at Lythe

Mary daughter of Richard Lyth died at Cockernuke on May 28th 1705

John Lyth died at Cockernuke on August 8th 1711

Widow Mary Lyth died at Cockernuke in 1762 leaving among others 3. William and 6. Ambrose

3 William m. Ann Booth at Shorefoot in 1788 6. Ambrose m. Elizabeth ? at Cockernuke till 1753 - 4 children E.R.R. 1753

32 Richard b. 1744 - m. Eliz. Hutchinson at Egton April 24th 1804 31 Thomas b. 1743 - m. Mary Cornforth at Danby March 31st 1768. - lived Westonby 6 chn. E.R.R. 1780 65 Ambrose b. 1743 at Howe House - m. Mary Welford at Egton Feb. 4th 1783. No children known. Ambrose remained at Howe House until his death on June 4th 1835.

323 Richard b. 1778 - m. Esther Mead at Egton April 24th 1804 312 William b. 1770 - m. Elizabeth Mead at Danby Aug. 10th 1795. Only one child of this marriage is known.

3236 Richard b. 1817 - m. Hannah Readman at Egton Bridge Chapel May 4th 1844 3128 Mary b. 1816 - m. 6214 Charles Harrison May 28th 1842

All the above Richards died at shorefoot in 1826, 1863, and 1881 respectively. William married a second time Mary Harrison Oct. 21st 1823 and a child of this marriage 3129 William b. Aug 21st 1826 m. Elizabeth Harrison 621X on Nov. 13th 1844.

In 1853 there where two tenant farmers at Westonby, Lyth and Pearson. 31 Thomaas and his wife both died at Westonby in 1832 and 1831 respectivelt, whilst 312 William died on March 9th 1860 a. 90 at Sandgate in Whitby when Elizabeth Harrison was the informant. In 1851 William 3129 was at Grange Head Farm Egton the home of his mother-in-law Margaret Harrison the widow of 621 John. George 31291 and Thomas 31292 were 3yrs and 4 months of age at that date. On December 23rd 1852 his wife died aged 26 of consumption. Young Thomas was still with his grandmother at the farm ten tears later, but has moved to Whitby with his father, residing at 9 Linskill Square by 1871. Meanwhile Westonby has become the tenancy of Francis and Hannah Pearson, and Howe House that of William and Hannah Welford, but the Lyths are still holdding Shorefoot, now in the tenancy of Richard 3238.
It is well to note that the godfather of Thomas 31292 was Rev. Thomas Lyth who can very well be one of the first priests to be ordained from the area since the repeal of the penal laws in 1829.
An item of interest comes to mind as a sequel to the question of how long the ancestral home of Cooketnook remained a recusant tenancy. Speaking from memory, 63 Ann Harrison and her husband Matthew Roe were there in 1788.
Mr. Peter Lyth from Whitby recently provided the writer with copies of the wills of 65 Ambrose above and Richard marriage Q now renumbered 41. Leaving no surviving children, Ambrose refers to his brothers John and Richard, his late sister Elizabeth Harrison, and nephew William Welford. He names John's wife Ann, but does not mention Richard's who died in 1738. Moreover he specifically states "my brother John Lyth of Egton" not the "township of Egton" which he names as the locality of Howe House. This helps to clear up some of the confusion surrounding Richard the Egton tailor who now seems to be one of the seven children of the recusant John in E.R.R. 1780, nephew of Ambrose and cousin to Richiard whose will shows he had seven daughters and two sons. Thomas marriage 53, and RIchard marriage 57. Marriage 56 relates to a dead son of Richard named Ambrose who also had a son Richard born in Whitby 30/ 7/1834.
The numerical identification of the Shorefoot Richards above should now read 66 Richard 1744, 663 Richard 1778 and 6636 Richard 1817, whilst Thomas marriage 53 is 6633 all in the Cucket Nook line.
This information has been very helpful and is greatly appreciated.

families...

Persons under 18.		Persons 18 to 50		Persons over 50		Priests	Total
Male	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female		excl. priests
167	184	203	234	98	105	7	991
The comparative figures for Bulmer Deanery are:-
76	63	95	114	24	28	3	400
whilst those for Rydal Deanery are:-
29	35	38	55	26	13	2	196

11,12, Etc.	None of these children, if any, have been identified belonging to Richard 1
21 to 26	inclusive are known. See 2 above.
31.	Thomas	b. 27/2/1743	m.	G'parents Thos. Lyth and Dorothy Stephenson.
	No more children of this marriage have been found.
41.	John	b. 8/4/1742	m.	G'parents Fr. Hervey and Jane Ward
42.	Mary	b. 27/2/1744	m.	G'parents Thos. Hodgson and Hannah Harland Moorside
	No further known children
51. Etc.,	No known chlidren.
6l.	William	b. 24/12/1754	m.	G'parents Robt. Stephenson Helen Pierceson.
62.	Mary	b. 13/1/1737	m.	G'parents Geo. Nellis Mary Harrison G'houses

3 William m. Ann Booth at Shorefoot in 1788		6. Ambrose m. Elizabeth ? at Cockernuke till 1753 - 4 children E.R.R. 1753
32 Richard b. 1744 - m. Eliz. Hutchinson at Egton April 24th 1804	31 Thomas b. 1743 - m. Mary Cornforth at Danby March 31st 1768. - lived Westonby 6 chn. E.R.R. 1780	65 Ambrose b. 1743 at Howe House - m. Mary Welford at Egton Feb. 4th 1783. No children known. Ambrose remained at Howe House until his death on June 4th 1835.
323 Richard b. 1778 - m. Esther Mead at Egton April 24th 1804	312 William b. 1770 - m. Elizabeth Mead at Danby Aug. 10th 1795. Only one child of this marriage is known.
3236 Richard b. 1817 - m. Hannah Readman at Egton Bridge Chapel May 4th 1844	3128 Mary b. 1816 - m. 6214 Charles Harrison May 28th 1842
All the above Richards died at shorefoot in 1826, 1863, and 1881 respectively.	William married a second time Mary Harrison Oct. 21st 1823 and a child of this marriage 3129 William b. Aug 21st 1826 m. Elizabeth Harrison 621X on Nov. 13th 1844.