Greetings! Does anyone know if a book has been written about the history of Hinderwell near Whitby? The family that I am interested in was Roman Catholic and lived there in the late 1830s and 1840s. Was The Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea in Staithes in existence then? If not, does anyone know the nearest Catholic church to Hinderwell during that time period? I've just learned that my relative Jane (nee BODDY) SPENCE and her husband John SPENCE, Surgeon, lived there with their family (per 1841 census). Previously, they had lived in Leeds and Lancashire, but by 1851 they had emigrated to America. I have been unable to learn who John SPENCE's parents were, or where he was born. (I do have MBA---he and Jane were married in Leeds. I also have baptism info for two of their four children). He died in America before 1857, place and date unknown. Jane later lived at Ft. Wayne, Indiana. She ( Jane Boddy Spence) was born in Bishop Thornton township near Ripon c. 1800 and I have a great deal of information on the Boddys. Thank you very much for any assistance. Sincerely, Patricia Boddy Tharp

Hi Patricia, The following information is taken from Genuki- 'The Catholic Church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title of "Our Lady, Star of the Sea," is a neat Gothic edifice, erected from the designs of Mr. M. Carr, architect, Middlesbrough. The need of a chapel had long been felt by the Catholics of the village and neighbourhood, and at the request of the Right Rev. Dr. Lacey, the Rev. Father Sullivan undertook the very laborious task of establishing the mission. The foundation stone was laid on the 31st July, 1884, and the church was publicly opened on the 2nd of June, 1886. The altar is pitchpine, very chastely carved and highly polished. Above the west door is a statue of the Blessed Virgin holding up the hands of the Divine Child to bless, and a representation of a boat rowed by two angels'. It would seem therefore that this church did not exist at the time you are looking. I think that the closest Catholic church to Hinderwell then would be Ugthorpe, but other listers may know better. You may find something useful in "Hearts of Oak", a study of the Recusancy in the Moorlands of NorthEast Yorkshire 1569 to 1840. http://ca.geocities.com/patriciablackburn2004/HeartsOfOak/coverpage.html Also, are you aware that there was a Catholic church at Bishop Thornton - St. Joseph. HTH, Michele ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patricia Tharp" <p_tharp@hotmail.com> To: <eng-north-yorks@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 5:34 PM Subject: [ENG-NORTH-YORKS] Hinderwell near Whitby; SPENCE > > Greetings! > > Does anyone know if a book has been written about the history of Hinderwell near Whitby? > > The family that I am interested in was Roman Catholic and lived there in the late 1830s and 1840s. > > Was The Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea in Staithes in existence then? If not, does anyone know the nearest Catholic church to Hinderwell during that time period?