Loftus History

Know your Parish

- LOFTUS

NOTE: Loftus Parish in the 19th century and up to World War II comprised the township of Loftus plus the hamlets of Waupley and Streethouses. 

When you set about getting to know Loftus, the first thing to get straight is its name. The Parish registers date from 1697 but the name on their covers read LOFTHOUSE – the spelling as the names of two other Yorkshire villages – both in the west of the county. Loftus in Cleveland kept that early spelling until c1890 so that it is written as Lofthouse on all census returns currently available to researchers. So if an ancestor of yours is recorded as being born at Lofthouse, Yorkshire, it may NOT mean your having to seek out parish registers covering Lofthouse in Nidderdale, or Lofthouse near Leeds – what you want could well be Lofthouse in Cleveland and therefore at Teesside Archives. 

Loftus was a pre-conquest settlement, held by Siward, Earl of Northumberland. By the time the Domesday Book was compiled, however, the land around it had suffered a great deal from King William I's efforts to subdue his rebellious northern subjects. Much of it was recorded as 'lying waste'. The Percy family held the land for several generations, and Guisborough Priory owned more than 700 acres of it in the late 13th century. 

The Parish Church of St Leonard (rebuilt 1811 and again in 1901), is believed to have dated from the 13th century, although it was almost certainly built on the site of an earlier Saxon Church, as a record of its clergy dates back to 1294. 

Two miles to the south of Loftus lies the site of Handale Abbey – home of a religious community founded in 1133, though the ruins of it had all but disappeared at the beginning of the 19th century. From the dim and distant past of this area, a legend has survived (being more durable than bricks and mortar!). Most people will have heard of Wearside's 'Lambton Worm'. Loftus too, was plagued by a fearsome serpent which ate cattle (and fair maidens, of course) until one, Scaw, put an end to it with his trusty sword. 

It's a pity that no local musician set the tale to music, as they did at Lambton, then perhaps the name of Loftus in Cleveland would be more widely known. (“Oxford Dictionary of Place Names” mentions Lofthouse in Nidderdale, Lofthouse near Leeds, but its compilers seem to have been unaware that we have a Lofthouse/Loftus in Cleveland). 

Such reference books may overlook Loftus in our own times, but it was an important place in 18th and 19th century Cleveland. Unlike Skelton, Brotton and Marske, which were mainly agricultural communities until ironmaking started. Loftus had an 18th century industry – Alum mining. At the beginning of the 19th century, it ranked as a 'Market Town'. Alum miners mostly lived at Streethouses, coming into 'the township for the Thursday market. 

Loftus has another distinction that dates back to 1801. Family historians are sometimes heard to lament the fact that England's earliest censuses – 1801, 1811, 1821 1831 include only numbers: no names. All we know about most East Cleveland parishes in 1801 is the number of households, and the number of men and women each contained. Loftus, however can boast something very like a complete census that was taken in 1801. 

At that time, it was feared that French troops might attempt to invade the North East coast. Parish Constables in the danger area were required to supply certain information about farm stock, stores of bay and corn, numbers of inhabitants willing to help with defence arrangements, and number who would help if an area had to be evacuated. 

Some parish Constables filled in the required returns with mere numbers; others listed names of those willing to help. But William Dobson, Parish Constable of Lofthouse, did the job with commendable thoroughness. He wrote down the name of every householder, men as well as women, giving occupations, number of people in each household and the capacity in which each able bodied male was prepared to serve, should the need arise. 

For example, we know that one, Joseph Toas, had three people in his household who would need help if evacuation became necessary; that he earned his living as a labourer; and that he was prepared to undertake the driving of farm stock to a place of safety. William Dobson actually went one better than the census takers later in the century. He recorded Thomas Atkinson, Sailor, absent at sea, and Kenneth McClean, away in prision. No need for researchers to scour the returns for 'strays' in this mini-census. 
(You'll find it all in Appendix 3 of “Escape the Monster's Clutches” compiled by M Y Ashcroft. There's a copy in Teesside Archives and the Society also holds a copy) (Library is now at Teesside Archives. Ed) 

One name is missing from William Dobson's list. Zachery Moore had been Lord of the Manor at Loftus until a few years before this time, but he was such a reckless spender that he had to sell out to the Dundas family who owned most of Loftus in the 19th century. John Walker Ord in “History of Cleveland” (1846) pays tribute to Sir Robert Dundas who died in 1844 having done a great deal to improve farming standards in the area and improving the quality of life for his tenants. He also built Loftus Hall. 

In the 1850's, Loftus seems to have declined somewhat in importance. Whellan's “Topography of the North Riding” (1859) ranks it as a 'village' because its market had ceased to be held, except for the sale of meat. Oddly enough, it was 1857 that Loftus achieved another distinction – it was the first parish in what is now Langbaurgh Borough (Now Redcar & Cleveland – Ed) to open a cemetery. The first grave to be dug there received what the sea had left of a poor chap called William Raine who drowned when the 'Amelia' was wrecked off Staithes. He was washed ashore eight months later. 

Then in 1865, Loftus iron mine was opened and the 'village' expanded like a balloon. It acquired a railway link with the rest of the area, and a Town Hall (1879) became the administrative centre for the new Urban District created in 1894. It even had a local newspaper of its own. “The Lofthouse Advertiser” commencing in 1876. Published by Joseph Cooke, who also ran a printer's business, it lasted into the 20th century. 

Mining came to an end at Loftus in 1958 and Loftus U.D.C. was aborted by Langbaurgh Borough Council in 1974. (Teesside in 1968, Cleveland then Redcar & Cleveland – Ed.) Loftus has gone back to its village status now but it is a village that has every right to be proud of its history. 

Parish registers for Loftus 1697 – 1909 are all at Cleveland County Archives, but some later ones have not yet been deposited. There are also some 18th and 19th century 'terriers' and an apprentice record 1809 – 1827 which could yield useful names. There are also non-conformist records for the area – Loftus and Staithes Methodist Circuit 1853-1966. 

Census returns for the parish can be studied both at the archives and Redcar Reference Library. The F.H.S./ 1851 index volume 7 gives all Loftus inhabitants in that year. In its local Collection, Redcar Library has several booklets that will extend your knowledge. “The History of the Church of St. Leonard” by J.R.V Carter (1975) is one; “A brief History of Loftus” by former Loftus Librarian Michael Oliver, published in 1984 is another. There are a couple of articles about Loftus Sword Dance team founded 1890, and if you fancy a look at copies of “The Loftus Advertiser” keeping the town ahead with the news between1879-1916, you will find issues for those years on microfilm at Redcar Library. 

Lastly Loftus, like Marske, has a museum. Their old iron mine had been turned into “The Tom Leonard Mining Museum” open from April to October, photographs, mining tools and equipment can be seen there. Altogether, there's plenty to help you get to know Lofthouse / Loftus. 


by the Late Mary Williams (Originally included in Journal of April 1992) 

This version taken from CFH Journal October 2005. 

(Ed- Editor of CFH Society)