Great Ayton
There is an early mention of the village in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Ayton Magna (Great Ayton) then consisted of several distinct manors. It also had a church, possibly located where the old All Saints Church currently stands. This building dates from in part from the 12th Century. It was restored by the Marwood family in the late 18th Century.
Close to All Saints Church, off Low Green, is Ayton Hall. This was probably erected in the middle of the 17th Century.
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Great Ayton is perhaps best known as the boyhood residence of the Captain James Cook. Cook’s father moved his family to the village in 1736, when Cook was 8 years old. By 1755, James Cook senior had built a cottage. This was situated where there is now a stone obelisk (the cottage was dismantled and re-erected in Australia around 1933, and replaced by stone from the first place there sighted by Cook). At that time, the school was the one founded by Michael Postgate. Now a museum, it was attended by Cook for about 4 years. In 1765, Cook’s mother died, aged 63 years. A stone in her memory, as well as that of five of Cook’s siblings, can be found in the grounds of All Saints Church. |
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Cook might have known weavers, as the River Leven was providing power for textile mills in the 18th Century. Shortly before 1842, The Quakers founded the Friends Boarding School on High Green. Previously, a Meeting House had been established there. |
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| This photo is derived from one contributed by Mick Garratt. It is avaliable for reuse under the Creative Commons License |
The village was connected to the outside by coaching routes. The Royal Oak Inn operated as a servicing station. However, in 1864 a railway line opened to connect Great Ayton to Battersby, Nunthorpe and beyond. At first it was just used for goods, including whinstone from Great Ayton’s quarry. However, a few years later it opened to passengers.
In 1877, a new church, Christ Church, was built to serve the growing population.
Chris Armstrong 2010
