Articles:
Black Mariners
We have found no direct evidence, yet, of Scarborough's connections with the transatlantic slave trade and there is only one old photograph showing a black crew member. Scarborough is still a very racially unmixed town but the f...
Captain Sydney Smith
Captain Sydney Smith was an important resident of Scarborough. He worked at Trinity House and built up detailed records of thousands of ships that were made or sailed in an out of Scarborough over the centuries. He was also a ...
The George Coull collection of photographs
The George Coull collection of maritime photos was generously donated to Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre by Mr. Coull during his lifetime but was so large it had to be transported from Aberdeen to Sc...
A Short Biography of George Scales
George Scales (1917 – 2005)
George spent his entire life in Scarborough (although, I believe his first few months were lived in Filey).
His parents, Thomas Scales and Edith (ne...
The story of John Dean was the talk of all the coffee houses in London in the mid eighteenth century. This book rekindles that long forgotten tale of a merchant seaman of humble origins from Scarborough who became famous throughout the UK for...
In our collection is a battered little navy blue booklet, about the size of an old-style British passport, is the Continuous Certificate of Discharge issued to Joseph Sawdon. It is special because we also have lots of supportive evidence of ...
Richard “Tich” Oakes.
A tribute by George Westwood - August 2023
So nicknamed because of his extra large physique and larger than life character but he was more commonly refrred to by the fishing fraternity as Oaksie, especial...
Scarborough People
We have several reference files in alphabetical order with information about local people of interest. This website contains a lot on local fishing families and you can search it using the search box.
People with notabl...
Sheader Family
You may recall our visit to the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre a few weeks ago to enquire about the whereabouts of a portrait of Spouse Godfrey Sheader which we believe used to hang in the old Lifeboat Station before it w...
Tom Rowley Snr 1947 - 2023
Tom Rowley Snr came from a family of fishermen spanning back several generations. Tom helped the Maritime Centre right from our early days being very supportive and informing the ‘landlubbers’ of the tea...
WOMEN IN MARITIME WORK
In past times it was thought unlucky for women to go to sea. This is because they might distract the crew who were away from their wives and women onshore. The crew not keeping watch on the sea might also anger Nep...
