Articles:
Alan Richmond
In January 2024, a small WW2 RAF Service Issue New Testament Bible was donated to us. Inside the cover was the name G Richmond and Spreight Lane Steps. We researched this Scarborough man and found the following story.
Geo...
Alfred Shuttleworth
Engineer & Benefactor
Alfred Shuttleworth was a businessman/engineer, who never made a permanent home in Scarborough, but nevertheless was a major benefactor to the town. His father was Jacob Shuttleworth, who ha...
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was born in 1936 in Salford. He grew up on a farm near Bridlington and went to the Hull Navigation School. Age 16 he joined the Merchant Navy, Bank Line, and sailed the world, being at sea for up to 2 year stretches. In...
Black Mariners
We have found no direct evidence, yet, of Scarborough's connections with the transatlantic slave trade and there is only one old photograph showing a black crew member. Scarborough is still a very racially unmixed town but the f...
Captain Peter Simpson
Captain Peter Simpson (16/5/1937 to 16/5/2024) was a valued member of the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre for over a decade. He helped with the refurbishment of 45 Eastborough and was a weekly volunteer and a valued...
Captain Sydney Smith
Captain Sydney Smith was an important resident of Scarborough. He worked at Trinity House and built up detailed records of thousands of ships that were made or sailed in an out of Scarborough over the centuries. He was also a ...
Frank Dalton
RNLI Bronze Mdeal Holder
In January 1951 the Lifeboat, named the ECJR, see note 1, was new to Scarborough, at 11.15 on the morning of 9th December 1951 a call was answered from a Dutch coaster, ‘Westkust’ that was in di...
George Alderson Smith - Steam Trawler Owner
George Alderson Smith was born in Leeds on 6 March 1834, he was the second son of John Smith, a banker, and Ann Catherine Jane Metcalfe. On leaving school he was articled to be a solicitor’s clerk,...
The George Coull collection of photographs
The George Coull collection of maritime photos was generously donated to Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre by Mr. Coull during his lifetime but was so large it had to be transported from Aberdeen to Sc...
A Short Biography of George Scales
George Scales (1917 – 2005)
George spent his entire life in Scarborough (although, I believe his first few months were lived in Filey).
His parents, Thomas Scales and Edith (ne...
Henry Barlow Carter
Artist
In August 1793, Joseph Carter and Elisabeth Ann Barlow married at Mary Magdalene Church, Bermondsey, Middlesex; eleven years later, on 4thFebruary 1804 their son Henry Barlow Carter was born. On the baptisma...
Henry Harry Pickup
Pickup’s Engineering – Harpic
Henry Harry Pickup was born in Scarborough on 16thNovember 1888 he was the son of Henry Pickup (1859 – 1940) founder of Pickup’s Engineering Ltd, and Florence Emily Alliso...
Henry Pickup
Engineer and Lock and Lift Covers
Henry Pickup was born on 20 October 1859 at Whitby, he was the son of Henry Pickup (1831-1928) who was a whitesmith and Mary Waudby (1835-1883). When his father had completed his apprenticeship whi...
Henry Vandyke Carter
Doctor and Artist
Henry Vandyke Carter was the son of Henry Barlow Carter, artist, and Eliza Caroline Barlow; he was born in Scarborough and baptised at St Mary’s Church on 8 July 1831. It was Eliza’s wish that ...
Henry Wyrill
RNLI Sivler Medal Holder
Henry Wyrill was born in Scarborough on the 25 August 1809, the son of James Wyrill also a fisherman and Mary Harris. Aged twenty-two, on the 31st May 1832 he married Jane Stanhope and they went on to have ...
Jim Spencer
In April 2023, Merchant Navy man, Jim Spencer, passed away. He was a director, volunteer & trustee at the Maritime Centre for over a decade. He grew up in Scarborough and went to the Graham Sea Training School where he eventually s...
The story of John Dean was the talk of all the coffee houses in London in the mid eighteenth century. This book rekindles that long forgotten tale of a merchant seaman of humble origins from Scarborough who became famous throughout the UK for...
In our collection is a battered little navy blue booklet, about the size of an old-style British passport, is the Continuous Certificate of Discharge issued to Joseph Sawdon. It is special because we also have lots of supportive evidence of ...
Lifeboat Heros
Jack Sheader, Jack Cammis & Francis Bayes
John Nicholas Sheader known as Jack, came from a large family of Scarborough fishermen, was born in 24 July 1891, one of six boys and three girls to ...
Margaret Feather
World Champion Long Distance Swimmer - Local Hero
Margaret Feather was born in Ashbourne, Derbyshire on 30 April 1933, the eldest child of George and Elsie (nee Artless). Her brother Arthur was also born in Ashford whilst h...
Reg Warrener
Reg grew up in Scarborough and went to the Graham Sea Training School. In 1940 he went into the army and was in the First Airborne Division. He was a prisoner of war in Mulberg, Germany, until he was freed by the Russians in 1945. In ...
Richard “Tich” Oakes.
A tribute by George Westwood - August 2023
So nicknamed because of his extra large physique and larger than life character but he was more commonly refrred to by the fishing fraternity as Oaksie, especial...
Scarborough Memories Project
As part of the NLHF Sea Wall Heritage Trail project we interviewed people about their memories of Scarborough:
Dave Normandale - Fisherman: Typed Transcript or Audio Recording (8 minutes)
Les Shann...
Scarborough People
We have several reference files in alphabetical order with information about local people of interest. This website contains a lot on local fishing families and you can search it using the search box.
People with notabl...
Sheader Family
You may recall our visit to the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre a few weeks ago to enquire about the whereabouts of a portrait of Spouse Godfrey Sheader which we believe used to hang in the old Lifeboat Station before it w...
Smart Doctor's - Benefactors
John Cass Smart
The Smart family were a long line of doctors and surgeons. John Cass Sharp was the son of surgeon, George Sharp (1790 – 1855) of Hutton Buscel and Isabella Harrison (1778 – 1865) from...
Tom Rowley Snr 1947 - 2023
Tom Rowley Snr came from a family of fishermen spanning back several generations. Tom helped the Maritime Centre right from our early days being very supportive and informing the ‘landlubbers’ of the tea...
William Boyes
Business Man
William Boyes was born at 15 Bedford Street, in 1859. His father, also called William was a joiner and his mother was Martha, nee Chester; sadly William’s mother died when he was still young. In 1861 his father ...
