Guisborough, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1750.

GUISBOROUGH:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1750.

"GUISBOROUGH, (given as "GISBOROUGH") a parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire, in Cleveland, and the road from Whitby to Durham, 183 cm. 214 mm. from London, and 4 m. from the mouth of the Tees, where is a bay and harbour for ships. It had formerly an abbey, which was once the common burial- place of the nobility of these parts, and its Ch. by the ruins seems to have been equal to the best cathedrals in England. 'Tis so pleasant a situation, that Camden compared it to Putcoli in Italy: And the inh. are praised by travellers, for their good manners, the neatness of their houses, and the cleanliness of their diet. The coldness of the breezes from the sea is qualified by the intervening hills. The soil, besides its fertility in pasture, and a constant verdure adorned with plenty of field-flowers almost all the year, has earths of sundry colours, some iron, and mines of allom, which were first discovered by Sir Tho. Chaloner, tutor to Pr. Henry son of Jam. I. and have been since very much improved. Sir Paul Pindar, who first farmed them, paid rents to the K. 12,500 l. to the Earl Musgrave, 1640 l. and to Sir Will. Penniman, 600 l. and had moreover 800 men, by sea and land, in constant pay; yet he was a considerable gainer, because there was then scarce any other to be had, and the price was 26 l. a ton. These allom-works were, since that, carried on by the late D. of Buckingham and Normanby, or his agents; but now there are divers other allom-works in this Co. which have taken a great part of the trade from hence; so that the works here have for some years lain neglected. Here is a Mt, on M. and Fairs Aug. 15 and Sep. 8."

[Transcribed by Mel Lockie © from
Stephen Whatley's England's Gazetteer, 1750]