Last year, the Society of Friends (the Quakers) celebrated the 350th anniversary of its first gathering in Skipton. And the milestone brought memories flooding back of a history piece written by local historian and retired solicitor Geoffrey Rowley. It looked at the early history of 2 to 10 Newmarket Street, Skipton, which was linked to John Hall, a leading Quaker who bought the land on which the current Friends’ Meeting House stands. No 2 Newmarket Street is now home to the Sense charity shop, while 4 to 10 is occupied by C&H Brown’s shoe shop. The premises used to be called Old Hall. Mr Rowley’s widow, Valentine, has kindly let us reproduce her husband’s article.

The site of 2 to 10 Newmarket Street can be traced back to 1660, when stood on the site “a messuage or burgage in Skipton”. A burgage is a tenure of land in a town on a yearly rent while a messuage is a dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use.

The Hearth Tax Returns of 1672 lists two adjoining houses, the larger one with 12 hearths and the smaller one (adjoining Caroline Square) with six hearths, occupied by Robert and Henry Mitchell.

In May 1678, Robert conveyed the property to Hugh Watkinson and in 1689, Hugh Watkinson sold to John Hall. When John Hall died the house had three living rooms, two parlours and four chambers as well as a bakehouse cellar and outbuildings. Grounds reached as far as the beck and comprised a barn, stables and a cowhouse with garden and orchard.

John Hall was born in Airton in 1637 and at 14 years was apprenticed as a tailor and practised for many years. He attended Quaker meetings and became convinced as a Quaker. He moved to Skipton in 1682 and in 1689 he purchased the Newmarket Street property. He was an active Quaker and at one time was arrested and fined for speaking at a meeting, but he refused to pay the fine and his house was stripped bare. However, the Toleration Act of 1689 brought easier times for dissenters and it was permitted to meet in any building licensed for worship. The house was registered as a Quaker meeting place under the Toleration in 1689 and again in 1693.

In 1693, John Hall, along with John Cowper, acquired land off the “New Market” near Schoolhouse Beck and the present Friends’ Meeting House was erected. The original right of way to the Meeting House was from Caroline Square through Quaker Place and along a raised pavement on one side of Waller Hill Beck. In 1901, the name of Quaker’s Place was changed to Brookside.

Strangely enough for a Quaker, John kept an inn in his house for 14 years, but did not allow drunkenness, singing, dancing, music or excess. However, the inn closed in 1703 when a school was opened on the premises.

John died in 1719, aged 82, and was succeeded by his only son, David. David had been educated at grammar school, but was barred from university entrance by his Quakerism and, in 1703, he set up a Quaker School in collaboration with his parents in the house. Records of the Archdeacon’s Court show that David Hall appeared in 1711 and again in 1714 for teaching without a licence. At one time the school had 43 boys, but the number was reduced later to 12.

David died in 1756 and his son John succeeded to the property, which in a deed of 1759 is referred to as “two dwelling places in the occupation of John Hall, schoolmaster, and Robert Taylor, doctor of physics”. John is described as a schoolmaster in a mortgage of 1764 when the property was in the occupation of John Hall, William Garforth, William Fort and Thomas Hall.

In 1765, John Hall sold to David Binns, also from a Quaker family, “two messuages, dwelling house and tenements” late in the tenure of the said John Hall and Robert Taylor. The title deeds of the Old Hall freehold in 1817, when it was sold to Dr Smith, describe it as two dwelling houses on the south side of Newmarket Street, at the westerly extremity, in the occupation of John King and George Lee. After 1817, the property seems to have split into the five individual shops.

Number 2: By 1837, it was let to Robert Twistleton, an ironmonger from Settle who was succeeded by his son (until 1875). From 1879, Henry Chadwick had his pawnbroking, clothing and outfitting business there until he moved to Swadford Street. The shop was then taken by Joseph Watson, who moved from No 8, until at least 1932. More recent occupants have been Home and Colonial stores and Fabrics Galore.

Numbers 4 to 6: This was probably the shop let to John King in 1817. The 1841 census shows the occupiers as Robert Oldfield, plasterer, his wife Ann, confectioner, and daughter Margaret, who succeeded to the business in 1850. The shop seems to have been divided at that time, with John Wilkinson, the draper, occupying No 4 and Margaret at No 6 until she moved to Caroline Square in 1866. By 1871 John Tomlinson was carrying on a bootmaker’s business here and on his death in 1876 Woodrup and Drake succeeded to the business. Richard Woodrup became bankrupt in 1871. Grace Atkinson then had a confectionery business from 1889 to 1890.

No 4 was let to Stirk & Co, grocers, from at least 1889. In 1888, the National Telephone Co advertised for a suitable shop or house in which to establish a telephone exchange and call office and it was established in the upper storey of No 4. Stirk & Co were still here in 1932. Later occupants were Greenwood, draper, and Harry Vick, optician, at No 4 and Arts and Crafts and Greenwoods, footwear, at No 6.

Number 8: Early records show Edmund Sagar carried on a business as a watch and clockmaker. George Lee, from Askrigg, was the tenant when the freehold was sold to Dr Smith in 1817. He died and his widow carried on the business until 1859. In 1861, Joseph Watson, a hatter, had the shop and in 1881 the business was transferred by his son Joseph to No 2. Miss Cragg then moved here and on her death in 1889, Mrs Isabell Luty moved her glass, china and earthware business there until 1893. In 1897, Mrs H Wilkinson, ladies outfitter, was here, in 1899 Joseph Watson converted the shop into an office for estate and rent collection purposes and in 1908 Skipton Building Society had an office in the building. From 1888 to 1915 Joseph Watson was secretary of the building society. In 1928 we have Miss Annie Wilkinson, ladies outfitter. Later tenants were West Yorkshire Bus Co and finally West Yorkshire/ Ribble.

Number 10: In 1841 Read Bell had a cordwainer’s shop; in 1851 Benson Bailey, the registrar for births, marriages and deaths had his office here; and in 1861 this was Mrs Jane Dickinson’s fancy repository. By 1887, John Austin was a tailor and draper. In 1887 James Lister, hairdresser, was here. By 1900 he had been succeeded by Mrs Hindle, milliner, who was still in occupation in 1918. The last tenants before C & H Brown took over were West Yorkshire/Ribble Buses.

Because of the alterations that have inevitably taken place over the years, it is difficult to establish how much of the original buildings remain. There are some old cornerstones on the walls round the back and some very old walls, both at the back and on the Brookside gable end. There are also some very old beams dating from the 1700s which may have been re-used in later alterations.