Ayton, North Riding of Yorkshire

Historical Description

Ayton, two townships and a parish in the N.R. Yorkshire. The townships are distinguished from each other as Great and Little. Great Ayton lies on the river Leven, 6 miles from Guisbrough, and has a station on the N.E.R. It includes the hamlet of Langbaurgh, and has a post, money order, and telegraph office (R.S.O.) Acreage, 3589; population, 1727. Little Ayton lies contiguous on the E, also on the river Leven. Acreage, 1378; population, 99. The parish contains likewise the township of Nunthorpe; population, 1961. Freestone is quarried. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of York; net value, £156 with residence. The perpetual curacy of Nunthorpe is a separate charge. There are chapels for Congregationalists, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, and Quakers. A charity school, with £10 a year, was founded, under Rose-Topping Hill, in 1704, by Michael Postgate, and here the celebrated navigator, Captain Cook, received part of his education.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Ayton from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Ayton, Great (All Saints))

Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for the North Riding of Yorkshire is available to browse.

Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following North Riding newspapers online:

• York Herald
• Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough
• Yorkshire Gazette
• Yorkshire Evening Press
• Whitby Gazette