Sarah Lister of the Settle Graveyard Project has researched the life of coroner Thomas Brown who conducted the inquests for all the navvies who died during the building of the Settle and Carlisle Railway

CORONER Thomas Brown was buried in Skipton and so it made sense to work together with Jean Robinson of the Friends of Raikes Road Burial Ground, explains Sarah, who, together with Jean has discovered a wonderful story.

Thomas Brown was born in 1800 at Calton Hall, a magnificent ancient farm near Airton.

John Lambert, known as the ‘Architect of the Cromwellian Protectorate’ was born at Calton Hall in 1619.

After an education at Malham Endowed School Thomas, aged 15, was articled to John Preston, the principal lawyer in Skipton.

Thomas became a partner in the business and took it over when John died.

In 1827 Thomas was unanimously elected as ‘Coroner for the district of Staincliffe.’ Thomas’ son said he was elected in the ‘good old way’ referring to a bit of bribery.

Thomas was also the clerk to the Poor Law Guardians, Deputy Superintendent Registrar and clerk to the Skipton Rural Sanitary Authority so would not have been short of money.

Thomas married Mary Bradley whose parents were innkeepers of the Devonshire Hotel on Newmarket Street in Skipton.

They lived at 3 High Street in Skipton which is still a solicitors’ office. They had five children, none of whom married, and unsurprisingly, son Thomas Parkinson Brown also became a solicitor and deputy coroner to his father.

Traditionally this was a job for life.

Historically, ‘crowners’ served The Crown primarily to decide taxes payable at death but by the 19th century held inquests into suspicious or unexplained deaths.

Coroners had to be wealthy so they would be less susceptible to bribery.

Thomas and son Thomas were exceedingly busy men with very strong stomachs. A quick search of 19th century newspapers throws up literally hundreds of articles.

One of Thomas (Snr)’s most notorious cases was in 1846 when he found John Rodda guilty of the ‘wilful murder’ of his daughter Mary by making her drink oil of vitriol (sulphuric acid).

John was executed at York Castle.

Thomas (Snr) died in 1876 having served as coroner for almost 50 years. Thomas, Mary and 17 year old daughter Marian’s fabulous gravestone at Raikes Road burial ground is made from grey Yorkshire sandstone and the cross in the centre is made of Sicilian marble which, at one time, was finely polished.

Unsurprisingly son Thomas Parkinson Brown, a life long bachelor, took over as coroner and held the post for another 40 years. Thomas (Jnr) became the senior partner of ‘Brown, Charlesworth and Wood’ solicitors with the Charlesworth family in Settle.

He died in August 1905, aged 68, of a stroke, a ‘fatal paralytic seizure’ and was buried at Waltonwrays cemetery as Raikes Road had closed in 1878.

He left a significant estate, worth well over £10 million in today’s value to his cousins back in Calton.

Most of Thomas (Snr)’s siblings remained in Calton, farming. Their gravestones suggest they were very wealthy, most appropriate for relations of a coroner.

However Thomas’ sister Nancy Brown married Thomas Wilkinson, a chemist in Skipton.

Their daughter Elizabeth Wilkinson was just 19 when she married 40 year old John Cragg who was the ‘High Bailiff of County Courts at Skipton and Otley’ and also a soda water manufacturer, auctioneer and farmer. A busy man.

Years later, in 1937, after the death of their son, it was revealed that John was a friend of a friend of Rev Patrick Bronte, the father of the Bronte sisters.

The family had papers that said, allegedly, brother Patrick Branwell Bronte wrote all the books after the sisters had sketched the outlines.

The notes described the sisters as ‘sulky, peevish and ignorant country girls’ .

Thomas’ niece Margaret Brown became the second wife of a spirit merchant, John Richard Pickmere. Outside his work John became a JP and magistrate and served as Mayor of Warrington five times.

A portrait of John Richard Pickmere by James Charles is now on the walls of Warrington Museum. That’s quite an impressive family.

If you’d like to know more about the graveyard projects please contact Sarah Lister at Settle Graveyard Project on settleresearch@gmail.com and Jean Robinson at the Friends of Raikes Road Burial Ground on frrbg.org.uk. Sarah Lister’s books on the navvies and graveyard burials are still available by contacting the project email or facebook page.