by Bob Dunn

The Wharton family came from Gilling West near Richmond. The first Lord of Trimdon Manor was Humphrey Wharton, who in 1546 was given 400 acres of glebe land as a reward for fighting in a battle against the Scots. This also included property on the north side of the village which had originally been given to the priors of Guisborough from the Durham bishop William de Sancta St. Barbara in 1146.

Following the dissolution of the priory, the patronage of the church passed to the Whartons, then to the Roper family and later, in the seventeenth century to the Woodfields and the Beckwiths. The Beckwith family came into close association with the Parish Church

by Irene Collings

My earliest recollection of going to St. William's School was in 1900 when I was 5 years old. The Church was used as a school in those days and they divided it up by putting a large purple curtain across the Alter front. Class one was in the old vestry, the main hall of the Church was divided in two by a large curtain and made a further two classes. Then upstairs, in the choir, was the fourth class.

The teachers were :-
Miss O'Connor - Headteacher
Miss O'Keefe
Miss Roache
Miss Howlie
Miss Grimley

In 1904 we moved into our new school. It was marvellous, we separated into our various classes, we each had a desk and chair, and there was lots of daylight. The school had glass everywhere. I lived in Trimdon Grange and was born in the pit yard, not a hundred yards from the colliery. They called the street Office Row, the houses were made of wood. We had one room downstairs, one room upstairs. They were named 'one up, one down.  >>