The social and economic history of the parish of Haverton Hill near Middlesbrough by Kelvin Street

This updated history of Haverton Hill and Port Clarence is based on a Masters dissertation I did in the early 1990s. I was looking for a Middlesbrough parish to study and as my own ancestors on my Mother’s side had lived in Haverton Hill  this had an effect on my initial decision to study the village rather than other areas of Middlesbrough which had already been covered in more detail. This study unlike exisitng literature on Haverton Hill includes detailed statistical interpretations of existing data I have found and also many actual quotes and thoughts of the residents themselves contained in archives.  

 

Like many others my ancestors came for work from a rural parish (Brawby near Malton in North Yorkshire) and included: George (who was a a joiner and pattern maker in Haverton Hill, and former wheelwright in Brawby near Malton, Yorkshire) and Anne Thackeray, who arrived in Haverton Hill in 1861. They lived at 17 Clarence Street and later at 1 Oak Street. Their daughter Ruth lived at 23 and 37 Clarence Street before marrying George Moore and moving south of the river to St Hilda’s parish in near by Middlesbrough. 

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Click on the following chapter links to access the information:

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Chapter 1 describes the general history of the parish up to 1930. It focuses on contemporary quotes and documents related to the extension of the railway to Haverton Hill and the Tees estuary. The impact of the arrival of the glass and iron firms in the district is then considered. Statistical information from census material, gives a unique interpretation of the growth and structure of the community throughout the 19th century. The chapter finishes in the 1920’s just as expansion finishes and decline begins to set in. 

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Chapter 2 looks at the key institutions of religion and education. The history of Methodism in the settlement is revealed through documents and minutes. Accounts from taped interviews with the original residents bring the religious attitudes of the last 100 years alive. The study of the daily events of Haverton Hill Infant School in the 1880s is mainly taken from recollections of those who were there and from the school logbook, which was written up each day by the head teacher. The scene gives an accurate picture of the problems children and staff faced in a deprived, industrial black spot area. 

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Chapter 3 looks at the history of the Heavy Industries which soon surrounded the parish. The archive deposits of company records in steel, salt, shipbuilding and chemicals, give many contemporary facts. The chapter also includes accounts of the dirty and dangerous conditions, from those who actually work there. 

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Chapter 4 studies the daily lives of the residents. It looks at the social problems of housing, environment and poverty, and compares them with the fond memories of the good times that many former residents can remember. 

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Chapter 5 charts the community struggle to survive from the end of the 1930s to the present day. How it became the most polluted settlement in the country and its ultimate demolition, is looked at from official reports and newspaper articles. The future of the remaining residential remnant at Port Clarence brings the history up to date. 

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Chapter 6 looks at the changes since 1991 to 2023 to bring the story up to date