My great great grandfather was George Butt Craig and I would be grateful if anyone has any more information regarding him or his family I would love to hear from them. I also understand he was thrice mayor of Thornaby and gifted the mayoresses chains.
Martin Jones, it’s possible your dad would have known my great uncle, Frank Casey. As you will see on the posting by my second cousin, John, his grandad Frank worked on the row-boat/ferry around the time you mentioned, but great uncle Frank wasn’t Irish, he was born in Stockton but worked on the river all his life I believe. My great great grandad, James Casey, was Irish born in County Monaghan, but died 1895 in Stockton. It is my belief, but I can’t prove it yet, that it was someone in Stocktons Irish community that would have told my g g grandad James to come to Stockton for work, he was an Iron Puddler. Other Caseys were here before g g grandad James Casey and I believe they are related as I’ve already said. Would love to be in touch with any other Caseys in surrounding area in the hope I can link all these Caseys up. If your surname is Casey, or you have links to the Casey family please get in touch with me through picturestockton, would love to hear from anyone.
Derek – sorry, I do not have a name but I do know that my grandfather had known the Irish ferryman since his schooldays in the 1890s. This seems to tie in with your piece about the large Irish community living in Stockton from around the 1850s onwards. I shall be interested to see what you find out.
There was also a large Irish community living in Stockton from around 1850s onwards, most worked in the foudries, ship building and steel mill and most lived in the old Housewife lane, Thistle Green areas. I would loved to have known the surname of the Irishman opperating the rowboat/ferry. My g g grandfather, born in Co Monaghan, settled in Stockton and was a Iron Puddler, he was James Case. Seemed to have been lots of Caseys who came to Stockton and settled – I am trying to find out if they are related my Caseys. Anyone with this surname please get in touch through Picture Stockton.
My grandfather, Everitt Jones, was chief cost accountant at the Craig Taylor shipyard during the 1920s, and my father Trevor remembered visiting the shipyard on occasions in his childhood. It was situated on the Thornaby side of the Tees and my father used to cross the Tees in a small rowing/ferry boat,operated by an Irishman, from the foot of Castlegate. This was a much shorter route than the one by road over the Victoria Bridge. The shipyard closed in June 1931, and my grandfather left the shipbuilding industry for good. Before he left, he received a letter of appreciation from the Chairman, Mr Raymond Taylor, which included an expression of great regret at the breaking up of the firm of which they had both been members for close on 30 years.
My great uncle by marriage, Herbert Vernon Taylor, was of the shipyard family. I have various items of his, some made in the shipyard – a desk, cedar linen trunk, and cabinet; and other shipyard related items: a telescope, and two sea trial photographs of two Craig Taylor ships, both launched in 1925 and (as I have discovered) sunk in WWII at Normandy (as a block ship) and off Iceland (in an Arctic convoy, all hands lost). He was a keen sailor, and sailed from the UK to the Baltic, on one trip meeting the Tsar (before WW1). I have his log for these trips, and many (unidentified) 2 1/4 negatives of places he visited. I also have some examples of Craig Taylor shipyard notepaper, blue, with fully a third of the page taken up with an ornate design. HVT died in I think 1965, and I barely recall him, but his wife, Isobel Mary, lived on to 1992 and was an important influence. I have often wondered about the Craig Taylor yard. The only time I visited Stockton it was difficult to work out where it had been!
I am researching the Taylor family tree for the nephew of Herbert Vernon Taylor… Could you please send your email address to me via Picture Stockton and I will forward it on to Mr. Taylor who would like to contact you. Thank you J. Gillies (Canada)
Hi. I believe I now live in the house once built and owned by Mr Taylor or Mr Craig in Eaglescliffe , Stockton. Feel free to contact me for details. It might be interesting for the family.
I have been trying to find information about the Craigs and the Taylors as my Grandma was in service for one of the families. I thought this was in Thornaby but I’m struggling to get any information on either family .. tried looking at the Census but came up with nothing . All I know is that both families were shipbuilders on the Tees.
Craig, my great grandfather (my father’s grandfather) was Herbert Taylor, and I see back in 2014, J. Gillis was asking for information as well. I knew her and she and my father, Reeh Taylor, did a lot of research into this branch of the Taylor family. I am now researching the history of “Wissahickon”, the home that Herbert & Kate Taylor owned. My father visited them there many times especially in his childhood. If you could pass along any information you have of the house, I would be most appreciative.
I am also trying to find out more about Herbert when he was Mayor of Thornaby-on-Tees (which no longer exists as a separate town) in the 1890’s. If you can point me in the direction of any archives I can look at for this information, again I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you. J. Taylor (British Columbia, Canada)
I believe the Criag Taylor shipyard is marked on OS maps as Thornaby Shipbuilding Yard. It was where Dunedin House & the Santander building are on the Teesdale side of the river. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.56404&lon=-1.30667&layers=168&b=1&marker=54.563664,-1.308317
https://goo.gl/maps/6D3it7DchSGMZ8rD6
My great great grandfather was George Butt Craig and I would be grateful if anyone has any more information regarding him or his family I would love to hear from them. I also understand he was thrice mayor of Thornaby and gifted the mayoresses chains.
Martin Jones, it’s possible your dad would have known my great uncle, Frank Casey. As you will see on the posting by my second cousin, John, his grandad Frank worked on the row-boat/ferry around the time you mentioned, but great uncle Frank wasn’t Irish, he was born in Stockton but worked on the river all his life I believe. My great great grandad, James Casey, was Irish born in County Monaghan, but died 1895 in Stockton. It is my belief, but I can’t prove it yet, that it was someone in Stocktons Irish community that would have told my g g grandad James to come to Stockton for work, he was an Iron Puddler. Other Caseys were here before g g grandad James Casey and I believe they are related as I’ve already said. Would love to be in touch with any other Caseys in surrounding area in the hope I can link all these Caseys up. If your surname is Casey, or you have links to the Casey family please get in touch with me through picturestockton, would love to hear from anyone.
Derek, my grandad worked on the rowboat/ferry, his name was Francis (Frank) Casey – your grandads brother.
Derek – sorry, I do not have a name but I do know that my grandfather had known the Irish ferryman since his schooldays in the 1890s. This seems to tie in with your piece about the large Irish community living in Stockton from around the 1850s onwards. I shall be interested to see what you find out.
There was also a large Irish community living in Stockton from around 1850s onwards, most worked in the foudries, ship building and steel mill and most lived in the old Housewife lane, Thistle Green areas. I would loved to have known the surname of the Irishman opperating the rowboat/ferry. My g g grandfather, born in Co Monaghan, settled in Stockton and was a Iron Puddler, he was James Case. Seemed to have been lots of Caseys who came to Stockton and settled – I am trying to find out if they are related my Caseys. Anyone with this surname please get in touch through Picture Stockton.
My grandfather, Everitt Jones, was chief cost accountant at the Craig Taylor shipyard during the 1920s, and my father Trevor remembered visiting the shipyard on occasions in his childhood. It was situated on the Thornaby side of the Tees and my father used to cross the Tees in a small rowing/ferry boat,operated by an Irishman, from the foot of Castlegate. This was a much shorter route than the one by road over the Victoria Bridge. The shipyard closed in June 1931, and my grandfather left the shipbuilding industry for good. Before he left, he received a letter of appreciation from the Chairman, Mr Raymond Taylor, which included an expression of great regret at the breaking up of the firm of which they had both been members for close on 30 years.
My great uncle by marriage, Herbert Vernon Taylor, was of the shipyard family. I have various items of his, some made in the shipyard – a desk, cedar linen trunk, and cabinet; and other shipyard related items: a telescope, and two sea trial photographs of two Craig Taylor ships, both launched in 1925 and (as I have discovered) sunk in WWII at Normandy (as a block ship) and off Iceland (in an Arctic convoy, all hands lost). He was a keen sailor, and sailed from the UK to the Baltic, on one trip meeting the Tsar (before WW1). I have his log for these trips, and many (unidentified) 2 1/4 negatives of places he visited. I also have some examples of Craig Taylor shipyard notepaper, blue, with fully a third of the page taken up with an ornate design. HVT died in I think 1965, and I barely recall him, but his wife, Isobel Mary, lived on to 1992 and was an important influence. I have often wondered about the Craig Taylor yard. The only time I visited Stockton it was difficult to work out where it had been!
I am researching the Taylor family tree for the nephew of Herbert Vernon Taylor… Could you please send your email address to me via Picture Stockton and I will forward it on to Mr. Taylor who would like to contact you. Thank you J. Gillies (Canada)
Hi. I believe I now live in the house once built and owned by Mr Taylor or Mr Craig in Eaglescliffe , Stockton. Feel free to contact me for details. It might be interesting for the family.
I have been trying to find information about the Craigs and the Taylors as my Grandma was in service for one of the families. I thought this was in Thornaby but I’m struggling to get any information on either family .. tried looking at the Census but came up with nothing . All I know is that both families were shipbuilders on the Tees.
Craig, my great grandfather (my father’s grandfather) was Herbert Taylor, and I see back in 2014, J. Gillis was asking for information as well. I knew her and she and my father, Reeh Taylor, did a lot of research into this branch of the Taylor family. I am now researching the history of “Wissahickon”, the home that Herbert & Kate Taylor owned. My father visited them there many times especially in his childhood. If you could pass along any information you have of the house, I would be most appreciative.
I am also trying to find out more about Herbert when he was Mayor of Thornaby-on-Tees (which no longer exists as a separate town) in the 1890’s. If you can point me in the direction of any archives I can look at for this information, again I’d really appreciate it.
Thank you. J. Taylor (British Columbia, Canada)