Saltmarshe
Saltemersc 1086 (Domesday Book). "Salty or brackish marsh". Old English salt + mersc.
"A Dictionary of English Place-Names", Oxford University Press
Saltmarshe Hall, set in a beautifully wooded surround, is typical of an estate landscape. Although completely moulded by man, the house mellows with the yellow cover of rape blossom and the varied shades of green leaf and creates a rarely seen haven on the lower Ouse, as most trees have been felled by farmers.
Visitor Comments
Posted by Janni on 12/03/2008
Who built Saltmarshe Hall? When was it built? Where can its history be found? Thanks.
Posted by Fiona on 23/04/2008
It was built by the Saltmarshe family in 1825, architects Prichett & Watson with additions by JB & W Atkinson.
Philip Saltmarshe was the last member of the family and he had no heirs, he died in the early-1970s and the house was sold. It is still a private house and I have heard the gardens are open to the public as part of the "Yellow Book" scheme.
There is an entry about it in Pevsner's "Buildings of England" series "York & East Riding of Yorkshire" 1995 edition.
Posted by Stuart on 28/05/2008
Although Saltmarsh Hall is not open to the public, it does have an "open day" for people to look round its gardens.
Posted by Norma on 14/03/2008
Who was the owner and family who lived in Saltmarshe Hall during the 1860s to early-1900s? Is this now a hall that one could tour? I am looking for the name Mary Smart who was employed there sometime during 1860 or maybe a little before.
Mary was my great-grandma, am most anxious to find family members in the area. Thanks.
Posted by Patrick on 07/06/2008
My family live in the two cottages on the Saltmarshe estate that were occupied by the coachman and the butler's families. The hall that now stands is the second one being built in the early 19th Century, the first was a wholly smaller affair and was 200 meters nearer the village and river. This was used as a school in the 1800s. The Saltmarshe family can trace its ancestry right back to Domesday and have been residents in the hall up until 1970.
All sorts of characters can lay claim to the name ranging from judges to mad old men with 50 cats or more - typical aristo's one might say! We are ourselves unsure of the actual date of the cottages but think they are about 250 years old. It's hard to pin them down in the census as there are no names or numbers. We can't identify the houses anyway before the butler's profession is named.
There is also a whole book on the Saltmarshe family, written by Captain Philip Saltmarshe, but alas can only be viewed by visiting Goole Library as it's in the archives and cannot be removed.
Posted by Duncan on 10/06/2008
With scant info and taking a long shot, there is a family of Smarts listed on the 1861 Census in Portington, which is approx. five miles from Saltmarshe.
Thomas SMART, 42, agricultural salesman
Jane SMART, 39, wife
? SMART, 11, daughter
Mary SMART, 9, daughter
Alice SMART, 7, daughter
Bentley SMART, 6, son
Elizabeth SMART, 3, daughter
Sarah SMART, 1, daughter
If you want to research you could use www.1901censusonline.com
Posted by Norma on 10/06/2008
Thank you so much Patrick and Duncan - whoever you are - for the information. I hope to be in England next year and possibly can make a trip to the Goole Library. I am new at this so feel like it is an arduous task. My great-grandma's second name was Ellen, employed at Saltmarshe Hall. If only I could at least find some ancestors who had information. My cousin, Jack Day now lives in Hook (Mary was his grandma). My grandma was Sarah (Sally Outwin). Mary Smart was of course her mother.
Posted by Barry on 12/08/2008
I have many fond memories of Saltmarshe, Skelton and Laxton as a young lad. I was brought up in one of the railway houses at Kilpin crossing near the delphs. No electric, no tap water, but happy days. Remember having to go to Saltmarshe Hall to get a fishing permit from Capt. Philip Saltmarshe, a rather eccentric looking old man - he used to frighten us boys. I remember him driving a white Triumph Vittesse car.
I left the area when I was twenty, but I've still got family in Skelton. Would like to hear from anyone who remembers me. Thanks.
Posted by John on 27/11/2009
I recall the old railway crossing cottages which Barry mentions. There were two and the other one was occupied by Lewis Coulthard and his family. I know Lew worked for the railways and operated the crossing gates but I think he also or maybe later worked on the swing bridge over the Ouse.
The earth to build the railway embankments was dug out leaving a great hole which filled up with water and was sometimes used for swimming and also for angling. There used to be some huge stuffed pike in glass cases in the Ashes Playing Field Pavilion in Howden which were caught in the ponds (known locally as Skelton Delphs). After Colonel Saltmarshe died, the Delphs were made into a nature reserve and the local kids lost an amenity.
The dairy farm behind Saltmarshe Hall is presently occupied by a branch of the Sweeting family who own and farm much of the old estate now. I don't think this is the same family as Barry would belong to?
Posted by Judy on 21/08/2008
My mother-in-law, Elise McLaughlin-Hunt, was born in Leeds in 1909. At age fifteen (1924) she went to work in Saltmarshe Hall, said she scrubbed floors on her hands and knees.
Posted by Pojo on 11/05/2009
Elsie Hunt, nee McLaughlin was my grandmother. I do not have her original birth certificate, but her passports state that she was born in Laxton, not Leeds.
Posted by Duncan on 25/09/2008
I am carrying out research into my family history but have drawn a blank on part of it. My grandmother's birth certificate shows her mother as Sarah BARRET, kitchen maid at Saltmarshe Hall. The year was 1913.
Does anyone know of said Sarah or where I may find further records of the servants of the day? 1901 Census shows no record of likely candidates. Thanks in advance for any offerings.
Posted by Richard on 05/11/2008
Try the spelling BARRATT when searching. My family were living in Laxton and Metham around 1900. No knowledge of Sarah, sorry
Posted by Duncan on 22/01/2009
Thanks for your comments Richard. I'll do some more research as suggested and see if anything turns up.
Posted by Patrick on 08/02/2009
If you can get into Goole Library, upstairs in the archive department, all census records are kept on micro film and I have seen all maids and staff for the hall at Saltmarshe listed, as I was looking for the butler's name because of the connection to our cottages.
Posted by Duncan on 09/10/2009
Thanks Patrick for your comments all that time ago. For those interested, I tracked down Sarah BARATT (well done Richard) on the 1911 census aged 24 and working at Saltmarshe Hall. She was born in Pattingham, Shropshire, not far from Wolverhampton. I've also found that she died in Goole in 1917 aged 30 years. The hunt continues!
For those looking for names of servants etc., the 1911 census for Philip Saltmarshe lists all those at the house including William DAWSON (footman) and Charles PARKER (houseboy)
Posted by Sue on 15/05/2009
My dad was a footman at Saltmarsh Hall in the early-1940s. I think, his family lived in Saltmarsh. His name was Harry Wainman, his mother Agnes and auntie Edde.
Posted by Sheila on 27/05/2009
My great-grandparents (Henry and Eliza Rabey) worked on the Saltmarshe estate in 1901 at the dairy. Their daughter (Mary Jane Rabey) worked at the hall, although I cannot find any evidence. Does anyone know where the housekeeping records went when the house was sold? I would be very interested to see them as they are usually a fairly accurate record. My mother Myrtle Scarrow, born 1921, was named after one of the Saltmarshe family who died in 1918. She has many memories of the area in the 1920s and 1930s.
Posted by Wendy on 14/06/2009
The Saltmarshe records could well be at the Treasure House, Beverley or the Bortwick Institute at York. Both of these places holds the records for this area, it just depends where the records were deposited or they could have been kept privately. I think if anywhere it would be the Treasure House.
For anyone wanting information on Family History, the Goole Times weekly local newspaper has a Readers Section and would welcome anyone wanting to seek information, etc.
I was brought up locally so know these places very well, still local in Goole.
Posted by Matthew on 06/07/2009
My grandfather was evacuated there to live with his grandparents during WWII. His grandfather was Richard Atkinson who was the chauffer there and Alice Atkinson who did the laundry. They all lived at Laundry Cottage on the estate.
Posted by PN on 24/11/2009
I remember Richard "Dick" Atkinson as a child. I believe he was a chauffeur, not to the Saltmarshes, but to the Schofields on the nearby Sandhall estate. Yes, there is a Laundry Cottage at Sandhall, he lived there with his wife. My daughter rented the cottage for a while a few years ago. The old washhouse was still intact and it had to be preserved as it was years before although not in use.
Posted by Katie on 29/07/2009
The last picture on this header is the grave of my great-grandad Bertie BRIGNALL. He lived at Corner Cottage and worked this land, he also worked at Saltmarshe Hall, My dad Ivan now owns the remaining acre of land which my great-grandfather used to rent. His ashes are buried there. That's where he wanted to be, in the tranquil setting of Fox Lane.
Posted by John on 15/12/2009
Does anyone recall a ship going aground in the river at Saltmarshe near the hall? I have a recollection of cycling from Howdendyke with my father to look at it as a youngster. It was best viewed from just along the bank from the gate into the hall gardens which was located at the end of the village. When we saw it there was quite a gathering of locals observing it. There were a couple of ropes from it to trees in the gardens to stop it drifting around with the tides. This must have been in the 1950s I think but I can't recall the name of the vessel.
Posted by Robert on 19/12/2009
Probably the SS AIRE which collided in the river with the German collier HELENE B. SCHUPP at Saltmarshe on 6 October 1958.
Posted by John on 23/12/2009
I had a faint idea the grounded ship I recalled was some years earlier than 1958. Maybe around 1953 or 1954 but it's only a dim memory now. Maybe there were two incidents? If not, it's a hazy memory.
Posted by Fiona on 09/03/2010
My grandfather Fred Barrow was a manager at AHL when the ship sank. I have a lot of the photographs he took. When I was little (I was born the year after the calamity) he used to take me to Saltmarshe Park and show me the chain scars on the trees there. The story of the loss of the ship, the life of one of the crew and the fact it was exploded fascinated me.
Posted by Paul on 15/02/2010
Intriguing mystery highlighted by the new history section of Hull Library. They are in possession of a single left-handed duelling glove donated by the Saltmarshe family, approx. 1804. Reputed to have belonged to Captain Philip Saltmarshe. Two military men fought, blood spilt, but whose? All I can find is that Philip was dead by 1807, when his youngest daughter Anne Catherine died. Were the Saltmarshe family living before 1825?
Posted by Linda on 28/02/2010
My ancestors William Henry Walmsley and Henry Walmsley were millers at Saltmarshe Mill. Listed in the 1861 and 1871 censuses. I guess I probably still have distant relatives in the area.
Posted by Phil on 17/05/2010
My grandma on my father's side was an upstairs maid at Saltmarshe Hall, I think around 1920. Would love to see any photos from that period. Her name was Betty Backhouse, she was a farmer's daughter from Skelton. My mother (Dorothy Wilkinson) lived at the railway crossing (the triangle) in the house next door to Sweetings when she was about ten years old.
My mum and dad have an edition of the book written by Captain Saltmarshe, the only other one I think is in Goole library. I think the records from the hall were all sold in the auction in the 1970s. My dad has a salmon rod given to him by Philip Saltmarshe. I remember going to pick it up with him. I still live in Skelton.
Posted by Lesley on 16/12/2010
Can anyone tell me a date of when the cottages in Saltmarsh were built?
I refer to the two cottages (after Joiners Cottage) when you come out of Saltmarshe Park along the river side as though you are going to Laxton. I am having difficulty with the insurance company who are insisting on knowing a definitive date before I can insure with them, all records my mother holds are vague. Thanks.
Posted by Victor on 03/02/2011
We attended the sale of the contents of Saltmarshe Hall early in the 1970s, and we purchased amongst other things the Library Chair belonging to Captain Philip Saltmarshe. Could anyone please tell me what was the exact date of the contents sale, and the name of the company who conducted the sale? My wife (who made the purchase!) re-covered the chair and it is still in superb condition and in constant use today. Any help with these details would be gratefully received. Thanks.
Posted by Jennifer on 09/07/2012
I have a photocopy of part of two pages of the catalogue given to me over twenty years ago by English migrants to Australia. No year readable, but first day, Tues 15th June: jewellery, silver, plate, pictures, library of books. Second day, Wed 16th June: china, glass, brass, copper and other metalwork, furnishings of the reception rooms and domestic offices. Third day, Thurs 17th June: furnishings of two staff wings, bedrooms, main landing, corridor and staircase, ornamental and ancillary items, fishing tackle and firearms, shotguns and antique pistols and outside items. I'm sure they told me early- to mid-1970s.
Posted by RB on 01/03/2011
I'm trying to locate where the Punch Bowl pub would have been in Saltmarshe in the 1820s. I have seen from the Baines trade directory that my ancestor, Thomas Barker, was the landlord in 1823 and I would like to find out more about him as I suspect this line of the family originates in the Saltmarshe/Howden area.
Posted by Helena on 13/03/2011
On 3 June 1817, Emma RAWSON of Halifax married Christopher SALTMARSHE, Esq. of Saltmarshe. He died 15 October 1852. She died 15 July 1834. Can anyone tell me what trade the Saltmarshes were in? I presume they were in trade because, in the research I am doing, there is a mention of his warehouses on the riverbanks. Thanks.
Posted by Phil on 07/05/2011
I was booking clerk at Staddlethorpe railway station, now called Gilberdyke, nearly 50 years ago and Captain Philip (spelt with one "l") the last of his line, was still alive and living at the Hall. The family originally came over to England with William the Conqueror and the family settled on the banks of the River Ouse. The Saltmarshe family were important military figures, some being generals etc. Captain Philip was ADC to the Governor General of Australia in his early career.
The railway station at Saltmarshe is actually in Laxton village. Part of the contract of the Saltmarshe family, in selling the land to the then railway company, was that the station had to bear the name of the Saltmarshe family and the Saltmarshe family had the right to have any train stopped, especially at Saltmarshe for them to board, usually one of the London trains. Captain Philip's father, the old Colonel, would inspect several compartments to decide where he was going to sit before boarding often taking several minutes to do so.
Posted by Shirley on 04/06/2011
My aunt and uncle, Hannah and George Pratt lived and worked at Saltmarshe Hall, back in the 1950s. They lived in a cottage on the estate and this is the one and only time I remember seeing my grandmother, Hannah Richardson, descendant of Matthew Brunyee (1605-1645). My mother, father and two brothers and sisters all went up for a holiday and alighted at a small railway station (Saltmarshe?) and walked to the cottage where my aunt and uncle lived with their large family. Happy memories.
Posted by Corby on 05/05/2012
Does anyone have NORWOOD/BEALBY connections?
I am searching for a husband of Mary Norwood born 1736 in Saltmarshe. Father Michael and mother Mary Bealby. The husband's name was Thomas COOK. Where was Thomas born? Thomas and Mary were married in 1759. Thanks.
Posted by Anon on 21/07/2012
Who used to own Saltmarsh and could the property be passed down to family members? (me as I am family according to my mum and all her family) My mother's grandfather used to own Saltmarshe Hall. I wish I had lived there. It looks very grand and beautiful.
Posted by Pam on 05/08/2013
If your mother's family owned Saltmarshe Hall, you'll have to share it with me as my mother was a Saltmarshe. ;-)
I doubt your grandfather owned it, as the last owner, Colonel Saltmarshe, died childless in the early-1970s.
Posted by Paul on 23/10/2012
My grandfather, William Heaton Elmhirst (who I remember), was a curate who lived at the vicarage at Laxton at the end of the 19th Century. He had eight sons (my dad was number eight so got the middle name of Octavius) followed by one daughter. As a result my grandmother was known as "the hardy annual".
My oldest uncle remembered Colonel Saltmarshe leading the procession of torchbearers to light the beacon on the banks of the Humber for Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897. I recently tracked down 70 letters which the eight brothers and their sister had written as a round robin during World War I. It is called "The Family Budget". One was killed on the Somme and one was killed at Gallipoli. One became an Air Marshal in World War II.
Posted by Les on 28/11/2012
Saltmarshe Hall is a Grade II* listed building. Full listing on historicengland.org.uk. I was one of 200 volunteer photographers who took 270,000 photos of listed buildings "as at" the Millennium.
Posted by Saltmarshe Hall on 25/01/2013
It's very interesting reading through the history of Saltmarshe. If anybody has managed to find any old pictures I'd love to see them. We're trying to gain as much history of the hall as we can.
For those wanting more up to date pictures of the hall you can see some at our website www.saltmarshehall.com
The hall is celebrating its opening as a venue for weddings and events by hosting a Masquerade Ball on 23 March (2013). For those wanting to see the hall it will be a great opportunity for that as the hall and gardens will be open throughout the event.
Posted by Darren on 03/05/2015
I'm looking for info on a young stable boy who apparently worked at Saltmarshe around 1900 or 1910. His name was Edward Fisher. Thanks.
Posted by Dave on 02/07/2018
I recently found out my ancestors, Mr Urias Pratt, was headkeeper at Saltmarshe Hall and the last miller, 1882. If you or any one knows of any information about him I would be grateful to hear from you. Thanks.
Posted by Corby on 05/07/2018
My maternal roots were from Asselby, where I know of the mill which was there and the miller, who also had a mill at Howdendyke. I believe your ancestor arrived from outside of the area. The only graves in the Minster burial ground with the name Pratt were:
Robert who died in 1843 aged 20
Anne who died in 1873 aged 57
Eliza who died in 1878 aged 56
There was one who died at Garforth
When he was a miller, where did he work? Good luck with your quest
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