After this, little is known until 1788, when the Independent Church was
again established, and in the following year a chapel was built, and it
was enlarged in 1814.
It is an interesting fact that about 1862 the small manual organ in the
Independent church was played by a Mr Clark, who was organist at the
Parish church in the morning and at the chapel in the afternoon and
evening. Before this time the Independents had contented themselves with
violins and a bass viol, and for a time with a clarionette.
In 1801, the population of Pickering was 1994, and at the last census
before the accession of Queen Victoria it had increased to 2555.
During the Georgian period Pickering's only external illumination at night
was from that precarious "parish lantern," the moon. The drainage of the
town was crude and far too obvious, and in all the departments for the
supply of daily necessities, the individualistic system of wells,
oil-lamps or candles and cesspools continued without interference from any
municipal power.
The houses and cottages built at this time are of stone among the hills,
and of a mixture of brick and stone in the vale. Examples of cottages can
be seen in the village of Great Habton. They are dated 1741 and 1784, and
are much less picturesque than those of the seventeenth century, though
village architecture had not then reached the gaunt ugliness of the early
Victorian Age.
The parish registers throughout the district were regularly kept, and as a
rule contain nothing of interest beyond the bare records of births, deaths
and marriages.
Pages:
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210