When his father died in 1839 Richard continued farming at Downholme with his mother. He inherited the business interests and furnishings, implements of husbandry, etc. at Downholme but not the property which belonged to his uncle Edward.
A Yorkshire Assizes court case reported in the 21/3/1846 edition of The Times : "Seduction. Naylor v. Ellerton. John Naylor of Merrick, near Richmond, to recover damages against Richard Ellerton (a 34 year old farmer at Downham [sic] who lived on his own farm with his mother and sister), for the seduction of the plaintiff’s daughter Ellen Naylor when she was aged 14. The defendant referred to his uncle, Dr. Ellerton, an elderly clergyman, who lived in the south. The defendant was found guilty, and ordered to pay damages of £300". The Hull Packet added "the defendant, after promising marriage to the plaintiff's daughter had first betrayed and then abandoned her ... she became pregnant in the summer of 1844 ...child was still-born ... on 24th February 1845".
His sister Ann's 1847 will states: "I bequeth to my brother Richard who received my interest in the Oxcue estate £5". Researcher Judith Brown believes that Richard "also had the income from a farm at Marrick which he rented to a tenant farmer" - and this was almost certainly Oxque which lies just over the River Swale from Ellerton Lodge (see his father's page for details of the purchase of the Oxque estate).
Richard probably lived the whole of his life at Ellerton Lodge, as recorded in the census returns: 1841 (with his mother shown as head, sister Ann, niece Jane Harland and 5 agricultural labourers); 1851 (head, along with his mother, nephew Thomas F Alderson, niece Jane Ann Harland and 2 farm labourers); 1861/1871 (living alone except for 3 "servants"). The labourers and servants presumably resided in the "Cottage" part of the building.
The 1871 Land Return for NRY recorded Richard as having 284 acres, with an estimated rental value of £294.
Richard was the last Ellerton to live at Ellerton Lodge
and when he died in 1873 some of the furniture and household effects were passed down to the Alderson family
(his sister Catherine had married Daniel Fossick Alderson in 1823). He made
bequests to three of Catherine's daughters (Elizabeth Reed, Catherine Gibbes,
and Mary Ann Alderson), Mary Eliza Teale (sister of his friend John Teale, a
solicitor of Leyburn), Mary and Robert Hodgson of Stockton-on-Tees, Rev. Matthew
White of Reeth, Charles Allanson of Harrogate, John Barr of Richmond, and Thomas
Thompson a chemist of Richmond. A creditors notice in the London Gazette of 7th
November 1873 stated that his "will, with a codicil annexed, was proved by
Daniel Fossick Alderson of Worksop, Nottingham, Gentleman, John Teale of
Leyburn, Gentleman, and Thomas Thompson of Richmond, Chemist".
The Lodge
and the farms Richard owned were bought by Timothy Hutton of Hutton Hall. (Marske) and
his brother Matthew Hutton of Walburn Hall. Notices relating to the potential
sale and letting of High Oxque Estate/Farm appeared in the Northern Echo
(Oct 1878 and March 1883 respectively), indicating that the Oxque estate had at
some time been divided into two separate estates (they are currently known as Low Oxque and High Oxque).
The National Probate Index shows: "Richard Ellerton of Ellerton Lodge, Downholme, died 11/9/1873. Will proved on 24th October by Daniel Fossick Alderson (nephew), John Teale of Leyburn (solicitor), and Thomas Thompson of Richmond (chemist). Effects <£3,000". A notice was published in the London Gazette on 7/11/1873 to "all creditors and other persons having any claims or demands" on Richard's estate.
Click here for a picture of the five Ellerton table tombs at Downholme church, here for a close-up of Richard's tomb, and here for the full transcriptions from all five tombs.
The Bolton Arms Inn at Downholme has [as at September 2007] hanging on the wall a framed page of the 31/10/1936 edition of the “Darlington & Stockton Times – Ripon & Richmond Chronicle” with a full-page article headed Ancient Downholme’s New Lease of Life and, under the sub-heading Pre-view of a Funeral:
“… an old time local celebrity Mr Dick Ellerton of Ellerton Lodge, a man of tremendous proportions and whose hat was as big as an umbrella. Dick, it appears, gained notoriety by having his coffin made during his lifetime and engaging four men to carry it just to satisfy himself that his own funeral would be undertaken with some dignity and decorum”.
Click here for the schematic "Richard 1678" family tree
* I am indebted to Judith Brown for providing
some of the above information
and the photo (believed to be that of Richard) *
Page last updated:
August 2008
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