20 June 2026 Whitby Abbey

 

The only place we visited today was the town of Whitby in Yorkshire, along the Northeastern Coast of England overlooking the North Sea. We paid a visit to St Mary's Parish Church of Whitby next to the Abbey, and then had to get some Fish and Chips, followed by a visit to the Captain James Cook Museum.

The ancestors that I have that are associated with the town of Whitby and Whitby Abbey are:


Any evidence of them being buried at the abbey, at the parish church, or anything is lost to time. This Abbey was another casualty of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and was built sometime in the 1220's. After it's destruction in 1539, it was bought by the Cholmley Family, who also purchased the Abbey's estates. 

I did find some stone coffins half buried next to the crossing of the Abbey, but there was no way to identify them. Sorry, no discoveries today. 



St. Mary's Parish Church wasn't much better. Situated next to the Abbey, when the King's men came to dismantle the Abbey, they saw the church, and left it alone. The Church had already declared that it was a Church of England Church, so there was no reason to save any part of Whitby Abbey, so it was scrapped and left in rough shape. 


The Church is overlooking the harbor at Whitby, and is a picturesque sight. There is also an old churchyard surrounding it. To get down to the town of Whitby, it is 199 steps. That number is from experience. Going up was tougher than going down. 


The last place we visited was the Captain Cook Museum in Whitby. Captain James Cook was a British Naval Officer, explorer, and Cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Southern and Pacific Oceans. He lost his life on the third voyage in 1779 in the Hawaiian Islands, but discovered many things and civilizations. 

Many of you know that I spent most of my career as a Navigator, so the desire to visit Captain Cook's Museum was of interest to me. Later in this trip, I plan to visit the Naval Observatory in Greenwich, and straddled the Prime Meridian while visiting the museum there. Attached are some pictures from our visit to Whitby today.











Popular posts from this blog

24-25 July 2023 Powderham Castle, Two Churches, and Plymouth

Image
Yesterday was a repositioning day from Exeter to Torquay (pronounced Tor-Key). I keep screwing that pronounciation up. It was rainy, and I had to repositioning some of my junk into suitcases so that I could leave one with stuff I don’t need to carry with me in my rental car. Powderham Castle was one of the castles belonging to the Lords of Devon, the Courtenays. It is also restored, and tours are offered. I have 29 Courtenays in my family tree, and it is a mess to try and sort all of them out. I have thought about joining the Courtenay Society, since they have a resident archivist who could help me, and I may do that eventually, but not on this trip. I still have a lot to see.                                                     ...
Read more

Round 2 12 May- 2 July 2026

Image
Hello again. After 3 years, it's time to go back to resume my genealogy journey with my ancestors. This time my trip is going to start out in the West Midlands of England, and work it's way North to Chester. This is the land of the English Marcher Lords. What was a Marcher Lord you may ask? After William the Bastard defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he needed to divy up the lands of the previous Anglo-Saxon nobility, to prevent any uprisings or attempts to take back what he had fought for. Securing his Kingdom became the most important action to take to safeguard his conquests. Not only were previous Anglo-Saxon nobles a threat, so were the Scots and the Welsh. Castles needed to be constructed to support his own Norman Noble Lords, to protect his possessions. This was the beginning of the medieval fuedal system. The Marcher Lords were given the lands bordering Wales, also called the Welsh Marches. From Bristol to Liverpool, many Motte and Bailey Castles we...
Read more

22 July 2023 Okehampton and Crediton

Image
 It’s another rainy day in England. I started out with a plan, and it was changed because of the weather. Okehampton Castle was home to the Earls of Devon, until it fell into ruins. Located on a hill next to a river, the location was ideal to defend. Unfortunately, the English Heritage Trust closed some of their attractions when adverse weather can cause visitors to slip and fall, so I had a chance to view it from outside the gate and fence. Okehampton Castle  is a  medie val   motte and bailey  castle in  Devon , England. It was built between 1068 and 1086 by  Baldwin FitzGilbert  following a revolt in Devon against  Norman rule , and formed the centre of the  Honour of Okehampton , guarding a crossing point across the  West Okement River . It continued in use as a fortification until the late 13th century, when its owners, the de Courtenays, became the  Earls of Devon . With their new wealth, they redeveloped the castle as a ...
Read more