Easington Parish

BOULBY

BOULBY, in the parish of Easington, wapentake and liberty of Langbargh; 1¼ miles ENE. of Easington, 11 miles NW. of Whitby.

A branch of the ancient family of the Conyers resided here for many generations, whose mansion is now converted into a farm-house; over the door of which, on a square stone, is an escutcheon bearing the arms of that family.

Noted for its alum works, situated on the verge of a stupendous cliff; where, on entering the vast excavation formed by human labour in the centre of the rock, the spectator is astonished to behold the different strata arranged with such symetry and exactness, as declare the perfect workmanship of the Omnipotent. The alum works here were established about the year 1615; they extend eastward and westward from Whitby, and this is the only part of England where that commodity is produced. In Catholic times the production of alum was a manufacture of the Popes', and any infringement of the monopoly, subjected the offender to excommunication. The present state of the manufacture at its principal seats will be seen from the following table, exhibiting the annual produce on an average of 12 years:

Situation of works.    Proprietors.      Annual produce
--------------------   -------------     --------------
Peake & Stoupe Brow    Messrs. Cooke         300 tons
Eskdale Side           H. W. Yeoman, Esq.    270
Sandsend               Earl Mulgrave.        455
Kettleness             Earl Mulgrave.        455
Boulby                 Baker & Jackson.      450
Loftus                 Lord Dundas           910
                                          -------
Total annual average                        2840