Thurlby Anecdotes & Stories
........talk has it that a THURLBY female had an illegitimate child and was 'outed' from the family and sent to live out in Bicker Fen. She then changed her name to THORLBY and later married a DAWSON. When our generation tried to question this, a block was put on us by the older members...........
bought a department shop in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and named it "THURLBY". It sold dresses, coats, hats, drapery and materials. Apparently
this was an unheard thing for a woman to do back then. We know the shop was still operating under the same name in 1915. Charles Watkin
Thurlby was educated from the age of 7 to 19 to be a Priest boarding at Ampleforth Monastry in York. It was run by the Jesuits and according
to Charles, were very severe. However, he disappointed his family by not becoming a Priest as he did not want a life of celibacy. One of
Charles Watkin Thurlby's uncles owned a sugar plantation in the West Indies. When the Civil War ended in America his uncle could no longer
afford to pay the negroes wages so he sold his plantation and bought the
"Black Swan" Hotel in Yorkshire. Charles Watkin Thurlby visited hisuncle in his hotel and said it was famous because King Charles was hidden there when escaping and he scratched his initials on the window
pane with his diamond ring.
Joseph Thomas THORLBY born 2 May 1879 used to amuse himself by drawing beautiful anatomically correct pictures of horses on his slate. Jennifer Dancy´s husband still has many of his grandfather's carpentery tools engraved with the initials JT.