Scarborough Trinity House Seafarers Trust
Guild of the Trinity of the Fraternity of the Mariners of England
The following brief history is compiled from notes left by the late Captain Sydney Smith MBE who, for over fifty years, was brethren, trustee, warden and latterly president of Scarborough Trinity House. Some of his notes referred to sources ‘Surtees Soc vol 4’ and ‘Thoresby’s diary’. Further information came from Capt James Buckley’s ‘The Outport of Scarborough’ and ‘A history of Scarborough’ by Joseph Borden Baker, a local historian around the late 1800s. Capt Buckley was also a trustee of Scarborough Trinity House.
The earliest record of the Scarborough society is one from the year 1408 when Sir Richard Says, or Sage, Knight, an alderman of York, made a codicil in his will dated April 10th 1408 to this effect, ‘I will that Rockliffe have men heres in the land at Skarburght. I will that they make an almshouse of the Trynyte vj men and vj women’.
The connection is very vague due to the many ways of spelling Scarborough and there is no record of an almshouse in Scarborough at that time. This information originated in the diary of Thoresby. He also notes that every vessel contributed four pence per voyage, every master four pence and every seaman that receives above fifteen shillings wages, two pence apiece. The whole whereof amounts to considerable subsistence and is given them every Christmas. The agreement appears to have been signed by upwards of sixty ship owners and ship masters vesting the management of the fund in four wardens, chosen annually on St Thomas the Apostle’s day,. “For as much as the observations of good orders tending to charitable use in all commonwealths is both commendable and right necessary’.
The above preamble to an agreement signed by the shipowners, masters and mariners of the port of Scarborough, on the 21st day of December in the year of our Lord 1602 and in the fortieth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth. The agreement goes son two lay down the rules for the collection of levies from the owners, masters and seamen of Scarborough registered vessels., whatever the port of call, at the completion of a voyage. The rates varied from two pence for a seaman hiring on a vessel to a fine of two shillings and six pence be imposed upon the master of a vessel for failing to collect the appropriate levy. The agreement concluded ‘ in witness whereof the aforesaid Society of Owners, Masters and Mariners have subscribed they names. And for more credit and better observing thereof the Baliffs have set their seal of office. (It appears that some bailiffs were also brethren. In later years this became an embarrassment for the Society).
A Trinity Master was appointed to survey shipping in the port as part of the levy process. This agreement was the beginning of Scarborough Trinity House charitable trust and was actually signed some 30 yearsbefowre Deptford’s agreement was concluded. However, Deptford was in operation long before Scarborough. Deptford continued to control Scarborough until January 1st 1855. On tis date both seamen’s hospital combined under the title of Scarborough Trinity House. The fund continued under the management of the four wardens until 1780 when it was transferred to the direction of the president and trustees of the Seamen’s Hospital.
December 21st 1602 to 1673 became the day when the ceremonial procession to St Mary’s (St Thomas’s?) church took place and the monies collected were distributed to distressed seafarers, their wives, widows and children. This fund continued until at least 1882, receiving ‘liberal benefactions’ from ship owners, some of the funds raised went to the relief of fellow townsmen being held prisoner in France. A proviso was added that any ship owner who refused to contribute to the fund would not receive any benefits for the crews of any of his ships taken by the French. The benefit to the prisoners at that time was a Livre (£) a week.
In 1673 in the face of great hardship being experienced by seamen in the town, the Society took out a lease on a plot of land in St Pulchergate and in 1675 a hospital comprising 27 apartments and 2 rooms was built to accommodate impoverished seamen, their widows and children. This became known as Hospital Of Trinity house and there is evidence to suggest that Deptford Trinity House played a part in its establishment.
A further Merchant Seamen’s Hospital was established by the Society in 1752. In the 1820s Richard Williamson, gent, left by will £400 for the genera purposes of Trinity House. Thomas Hinderwell, a one time president (also a Younger Brethren of London Trinity House) and local historian left the sum of £100 in his will to Trinity House. The Trinity House was rebuilt in 1832/33 making 31 apartments and a boardroom for the brethren. This hospital cost £1600 3s 11d. The present day number of apartments at Trinity House is now reduced to 7, much more spacious, of course.
From 1747 Scarborough became an Outport of London and Scarborough Trinity House, for so the Society had become known and whose members were now referred to as brethren, effectively came under Deptford Trinity House with policy and control being directed from there. Governors and the President, locally elected, had to be approved by Deptford, as also the list of pensioners. This relationship continued until the January 1855 when Scarborough achieved its independence from Deptford. At this time the town Scarborough merchant seamen’s hospitals combined under Scarborough Trinity House.
The fortunes of Trinity House fluctuated considerably in the years following its foundation. The records show that in 1624/25 numerous meetings were held to try to improve the collection of shipping and semen levies. The trustees and wardens still had problems up to the year 1647, some brought about by the fact that some trustees and some wardens were also bailiffs of Scarborough. It appears that trustees were loaning the town money through the offices of the bailiffs and were unable to recover these loans. As a consequence very little money was available for distribution to the needy seafarers and families. The amount owned by the town to Trinity House in 1649 was £116 16s 4d. Further distress around this time was the civil war when both Parliamentarians and Royalists made off with assets and food stores belonging to the local population. In 1673 the bailiffs entered into agreements with Trinity House to set affairs in order, nearly 50 years after meetings were held to resolve the problem. A mortgage was given to Trinity House by the bailiffs on Northstead Close. ‘The bailiffs will, in consideration of the sum of £100 being part of and belonging to the said Society and now remaining due to the said Society by and from the town of Scarborough, bailiffs and Commons, herby doth acknowledge’. And for the better security of the said £100 all the Close known as Northstead Close and its appurtenances lying within the liberties of Scarborough, to have and to hold all that close of meadow land, paying 30 shillings per annum at the Feast of the Nativity of the blessed Virgin Mary. (Northstead Manor is the alternative to the Chiltern Hundreds)
One curious charge against the Trinity was made by the town bailiffs in 1649 ‘To bailiffs order to James Williamson for going to Hull to give notice to a ‘Man o war’ in the Humber, that Denton was at sea’. Denton appears to have ben a pirate!
Following the building of Trinity House Hospital, the brethren bought mortgages on the 3 Closes of Weapons and the Garlands. There do not appear to be any records of what happened to these mortgages. Both areas are now the up market end of Scarborough. Recent research by trustees has found references to property in York and Thirsk which also seem to have also sunk without trace. Sir John Lawson left a legacy of £100 to the Society which the bailiffs may have used to redeem the Northstead mortgage. Could it be that Capt George Lawson, a present day trustee, is a descendant?
From 1673 to 1747 things seemed to be fairly quiet and then the shipbuilding family of Tindallls arrived in town. Scarborough flourished and funds became more readily available to the Society. Tindalls built and operated East Indiamen for the London Register and also the Scarborough Register. They were brethren / trustees of the Society for many years but perhaps a more well known trustee is William Harland who served his time as a draughtsman with Tindalls and later achieved fame as Harland & Wolff of Belfast. He continued to attend trustee meetings after leaving Scarborough. The founder of Prince Line was also a one time brethren.
In 2002 we celebrated 400 years of service to seafarers and we hope to continue the service for many years to come.
Cap Clive Berry, President & Chairman, October 2003.
Originally 'Trinity' denoted a religious origin and dedication but in a more secular age its motto has become ‘Sales, Perfugio, Securite’ ie comfort, shelter, security.
On the front of ‘The Hospital of Trinity House’ in St Sepulchre Street is the stone frieze carving of a Spanish Galleas. It is a hybrid ship with oars and sails. One idea was a connection with seamen maimed in battles with the Spanish Armada in 1598 but this lacks credibility. When the carving was done casualties came from the Dutch wars. 90 years after the second hospital was built the borough coroner described the rooms as ‘bunny hutches’. It was not until 1952 that electricity was installed along with central heating, toilets and bathrooms. 27 rooms turned into 15 two-roomed apartments. In 1972 a grant from the King George Fund for Sailors gave conversion into 7 self contained modern flats. They are rented to retired seamen, widows or unmarried daughters aged over 50. The building is Grade II* listed. John Woodall, Tindalls, Edward Harland and Cap Syd Smith (died 2001) were all trustees. This important building reminds us of our town’s long, rich seafaring history. Jack Binns - 2005.
