Elizabeth Bagwith

Elizabeth was born in Fylingdales (Robin Hood’s Bay region of North Yorkshire) on 16th December 1657. Her father was William Farside (1620–1670) and her mother was Ursula Marshall. Her siblings included Mary (b. 1646), John (b. 1661) and Jane (b. 1665).

Elizabeth married Timothy Bagwith on 23 October 1683 at the age of 24. Timothy was the Deputy Comptroller for the Port Customs Office in Whitby. This was a senior management post which would have involved collecting revenues and organising anti-smuggling activities! Elizabeth and Timothy had at least six children: Hannah, Jane, Elizabeth, Christopher, Francis and William.

It was probably through daughter Hannah’s marriage that Elizabeth ended her days in Malton. Hannah married John Watson, a solicitor and landowner from Malton, on 5th December 1706. The memorial describes Elizabeth as ‘Relict’, meaning widow, and it is likely that Timothy died around 1700. It would have been natural for her to move and live with, or close to, her daughter who had made such an advantageous marriage.

Elizabeth died on 16th February 1739, aged 82. She was buried three days later in St Leonard’s churchyard as St Michael’s has no burial ground attached.

In 1741 Elizabeth’s son-in-law, John Watson, bought Bilton Hall (near Knaresborough) for £8,500 (£2.4 million in 2026). It is extraordinary that Bilton estate was originally owned by Tison (or Tyson) in 1086 — see the coat of arms window on the north-west wall (No. 43A)! On John’s death the Hall passed to George Watson and then to George’s nephew, John Farside (note Elizabeth’s maiden name was Farside), who subsequently took the name of Watson, as was the custom of the day. The last Watson to own the Hall was Georgina who died in 1898.