Scarborough Tymons.......

John Tymon

John Tymon (my great great great great grandfather)

was born in around 1790 in Ireland. To put this date

into perspective it is interesting to note major events

of the time. In 1787 the American Constitution was

drafted and in 1789 Washington became the first

President of the United States of America. Also in

1789 the French Revolution began. The storming of

 the Bastille occured on 14 July that year.

Emigration to Kingston Upon Hull

We know from the evidence of the 1841 census that John Tymon lived in Hull at that time. He is described as a Tailor aged 50 (it was usual to round ages down to the nearest 5 or 10) and his place of birth is confirmed as Ireland. At that time he was living at Mill Street with his son James John aged ‘20’ and a Judy Tymon aged 60 who may have been his sister or wife. This suggests that James was born around 1820 in Ireland.

Mill Street was quite an interesting place to live in the early part of the 19th Century. The street first appeared on the map in the 18th Century and took its name from a large wind cornmill which had previously occupied the rural site. The street was once the residence of the ‘respectable classes of the town’ but by the early 19th Century it was a ‘very low neighbourhood’ and in particular, an enclave of Irish Immigrants. In August 1833 there was a street battle in Mill Street which was said to involve 500 combatants. In recent years the building of the road ‘Ferensway’ cut off the west end of the street.

In 1851 John was still living at 7 Mill Street in Hull but was then described as a widower and retired tailor and with no other people living at that address. There is no record of John in the 1861 census at the Mill Street address and it seems likely that he may have died prior to that date.

There were other members of the Tymon family living in Mill Street around the same time as John, all of whom came from Ireland. On 15 May 1839 Margaret Tymon married Thomas McColay and their address at the time of marriage was 4 Mill Street. Also at this same address in 1851 a John Lofthouse is described as the Head of the household, but the numerous lodgers include a Bridget Tymon (age 19) and Mary Tymon (age 15). They are both described as ‘factory girls’.

James Tymon

James Tymon moved to Scarborough probably in the 1840s where he met and married Sarah Peart. Their marriage took place on 19 March 1855. Sarah Tymon was the daughter of John and Patience Peart and she was baptised at St. Mary’s Church in Scarborough on 6 November 1836. The parish register shows John Peart’s occupation as a waiter.

The first record of James Tymon’s life in Scarborough in the trade directories, produced extensively in the 19th Century, was in the 1867 directory for Hull, Grimsby and Scarborough and James is described as an Old Clothes Dealer trading from 30 Dumple Street. It is not clear whether he had taken a step backwards from his and his father John’s trade of Tailor or whether this new description more accuratley reflects their true occupation!

James died on 4 August 1879 aged 53 years and is buried in Dean Road Cemetery in Scarborough (G.20 6&7). Sarah took on the role of providing for the family of seven children from this point.

The census records show the changes in the lives of the Tymon family well.

1861 Census of Scarborough - 1 Longwestgate

NameSurname Relationship to headAge Occupation Birth Place

JamesTymon head 32 Tailor Hull

SarahTymon wife 25 Scarborough

MaryTymon daughter 6 Scholar Scarborough

AnnTymon daughter 4 Scarborough

HarrietTymon daughter 2 Scarborough

SarahTymon daughter 6 mths Scarborough

Interestingly while over the ten year period everyone else has aged ten years, James has aged twelve! The age given in the 1871 seems to be nearer his true age.

1871 Census of Scarborough - 30 Dumple Street

NameSurname Relationship to headAge Occupation Birth Place

JamesTymon head 44 Tailor Invalid Hull

SarahTymon wife 35 out of work servantScarborough

MaryTymon daughter 16 out of work servantScarborough

Harriet Tymon daughter 12 Scholar Scarborough

SarahTymon daughter 10 Scholar Scarborough

John Owen Tymon son 8 Scholar Scarborough

William Tymon son 6 Scarborough

JamesTymon son 2 Scarborough

I think that James’ brother John Tymon married Martha Lightfoot at St. Mary’s on 22 June 1845, though there are very few other records of him.

William Tymon

William Tymon was the second son of James and Sarah Tymon and

was born in 1864. He married Mary Bean at St. Mary’s in Scarborough on 29 January 1887. The parish records show his occupation at that time as ‘Vanman’. William Tymon died on 17 April 1902 aged just 37. Mary Bean was the daughter of John and Ann Bean and was

christened at St. Mary’s in Castlegate, York on 22 May 1864.

John William Tymon

John William Tymon was born on 24 February 1885 in Cottam near Driffield, the son of William Tymon and Mary (Bean). John William married Daisy Sedman on 31 January 1910 at St. Peters Roman Catholic Church in Scarborough. In that year King Edward VII died with George V becoming King. 1910 also saw the death of Florence Nightingale.

Daisy was the daughter of John William Sedman and Ellen (Nelson) and was born on 11 November 1889. John William and Daisy had five sons; William Stephen, Edwin, Laurence, Dennis and Reginald. John William fought in France in the First World War. The picture below left shows him in uniform in about 1914. The picture to the right shows his war medals.

Dumple Street

John William worked as a hairdresser, and had a small shop in Castle Road. The photograph below shows the view down Aberdeen Walk in Scarborough towards Castle Road with John William’s shop in the centre at 6b (or 6c) Castle Road. The photograph also shows Clarkes Drinks Company, the Lending Library and Smallwood House Agents. The precise date of the photograph is unknown, but it is likely to be some time during the 1920s.

My Running..

Tymon Castle