'Great Ayton' is a
village and
civil parish in the
Hambleton district of
North Yorkshire on the edge of the
North York Moors in
England. The name Great Ayton is thought to derive from Ea-tun, tun meaning farm and 'ea' meaning river.
It is known as the boyhood home of the
British explorer and
navigator Captain Cook and in the
18th and
19th centuries was a centre for the industries of
weaving,
tanning,
brewing and
tile making.
Great Ayton was home to the
Great Ayton Friends' School from 1841 until its closure in 1997.
Geography
Great Ayton is situated at the foot of the Cleveland Hills beneath Easby Moor and the distinctively-shaped
Roseberry Topping. The
River Leven, a tributary of the
River Tees, flows through the village and links its two centres, High Green and Low Green. It is served by
Great Ayton railway station.
The Captain Cook connection
''Main article:
James Cook''
James Cook and his family moved to the village when he was 8 and lived there until he was 16. James' father, James Sr., was a
Scottish migrant farm labourer married to Grace, a local
Yorkshire woman, and had moved to the village to take up a position on one of the local farms. His employer, one Thomas Skottowe, financed the younger James' schooling. After completing this tuition James stayed on at the farm for several years helping out his father (who was now farm manager), before leaving in
1745 to take up an apprenticeship at a
haberdasher and
grocery store in Staithes.
Museum and monuments
The Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum
The building in which the museum is situated in what was once a charity school founded in
1704 by landowner Michael Postgate. James Cook received his early education here from
1736 to
1740.
The Captain Cook Sculpture
This sculpture, located on High Green, depicts James Cook at the age of 16 looking towards
Staithes where, according to tradition, he first felt the lure of the sea. The sculpture was commissioned by Hambleton District Council and is the work of sculptor
Nicholas Dimbleby. It was unveiled on
May 12 1997.
Captain Cook's Monument
The monument is a 51 ft high obelisk located on Easby Moor and visible for miles around. It was constructed from local sandstone and was erected in
1827. The inscription on the monument reads:
:''In memory of the celebrated circumnavigator Captain James Cook F.R.S. A man of nautical knowledge inferior to none, in zeal prudence and energy, superior to most. Regardless of danger he opened an intercourse with the Friendly Isles and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. He was born at Marton Oct. 27th 1728 and massacred at Owythee Feb. 14th 1779 to the inexpressible grief of his countrymen. While the art of navigation shall be cultivated among men, whilst the spirit of enterprise, commerce and philanthropy shall animate the sons of Britain, while it shall be deemed the honour of a Christian Nation to spread civilisation and the blessings of the Christian faith among pagan and savage tribes, so long will the name of Captain Cook stand out amongst the most celebrated and most admired benefactors of the human race.''
Site of the Cook family's cottage
The
Cook family home on Bridge street was built by James' father in
1755. The cottage was dismantled in
1934 to be shipped to
Australia. Each stone was numbered so that the cottage could be reconstructed exactly in its new home in the
Fitzroy Gardens in
Melbourne. A granite obelisk now marks the original site of the cottage in Great Ayton. The obelisk is constructed from granite taken from
Point Hicks, the first land sighted by Cook in Australia.
External links
★
Great Ayton Tourism, Parish Council, and Community Website
★
useful links to websites about Great Ayton
★
Great Ayton - Information for visitors from Hambleton District Council
★
Captain Cook Country
★
The Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum Website
★
photographs of Great Ayton
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