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It shows his ancestors, who owned the licenced Groccer and General Store. It also doubled as the local Post Office in Mickleton. Agnes Raine, the small child, later became Post Mistress. Mr Raine, a local historian who lives in Barnard Castle, has helped immensly in putting together our exhibition of 'old postie' photos.
He has also compiled two books entitled 'Teesdale in Old Photographs'.
E. Raine as listed on the Roll of Honour Post Office Barnard Castle:
** RAINE Ernest - Private Ernest Raine of the 81st Coy Labour Corps worked as a postman (and farmer) and lived in Lathkirk, Middleton-in-Teesdale. From the 1901 Census his father, William Raine, was a Sub Postmaster and his mother, Mary, a Post Office assistant. Record WO 364/5580.
** Additional information Briony Kay of The National Archives
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Teesdale Talk:
By Jim McTaggart Saturday March 22, 2008.
HISTORIAN Parkin Raine has been surprised to discover he had a relative who served in the First World War. He has gathered facts about many of his family, including the famous Parkin Raine the Fiddler. But he knew nothing of Private Ernest Raine, who was in the 81st Company of the Labour Corps, until Royal Mail officials uncovered details.
Ernest's name has been on a roll of honour in the Barnard Castle Delivery Office for a long time, but his background has just been put together with the help of the National Archives.
It is now known he was a postman and farmer living at Laithkirk. The 1901 census shows he was the son of William Raine the local subpostmaster and Mary Raine, a postal assistant. Parkin Raine knew that his relatives were long connected with Mickleton Post Office [see photo above].
"But until now I've never heard of any of them being a soldier," he said. Ernest was one of 19 dale postal workers who went to war and survived, while five were killed.
As yet there is no indication of what he did when he came home. But it is likely that before long someone will give details to Dave Charlesworth, the delivery office manager, so another part of his history project can be completed.
Mickleton in 1823
MICKLETON is a high moorland township, extending along the south side of Lunedale to the borders of Westmoreland. It contains about 4,800 acres, and had, in 1881, 667 inhabitants, many of whom are employed in the lead mines on the Durham side of the Tees. The Barnard Castle and Middleton railway passes through the township, and has a station here. The township is valued for rating purposes at £3,985. The Earl of Strathmore, who is lord of the manor; the Rev. Henry Cleveland, M.A., rector of Romaldkirk; (for glebe land) the exors. of Thomas William Dent, Esq.; William Dent, Mickleton; Thomas Dent, High Green, Mickleton; the exors. of George Tarn; Robert Anthony Hugginson, Esq., Romaldkirk; John Carter Langstaff, Mickleton; Miss Mary Dent, Barnard Castle; Rev. John Dent, Hamsteels, Esh; Robert Raine, Romaldkirk; John Dent, Thringarth; John Langstaff, Lunedale, are the principal landowners. Part of the land is leasehold, and subject to certain fines.
The manor, at the time of the Norman Conquest, belonged to Torfin, and when the Domesday Survey was made, it was in the possession of Bodin. Later, it came into the possession of the Fitzhughs, and was granted by Royal Letters Patent, in the reign of Queen Mary, to Sir William Parr. In 1561, Sir George Bowes purchased this and other manors from the Marquis of Northampton.
A family, bearing the local name, possessed lands here as early as the reign of Edward I., and their descendants were represented in the parish till the beginning of last century. Christopher Mickleton, in 1657, purchased Crook Hall, near Durham, whither he removed; but the name is utterly extinct in Teesdale. The Dents, the Baines, the Hugginsons, and the Longstaffs were amongst the landowners of the township three centuries ago, and their names are still found in the list of proprietors.
The village of Mickleton is picturesquely situated on the south bank of Teesdale, eight miles N.W. of Barnard Castle, and about two miles from Middleton-in-Teesdale, The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists have chapels here. The village school was enlarged a few years ago to accommodate 120 children, and has an average attendance of 80. The poor of the township receive the rents (£37 7s. per annum) of three dwelling houses, built on the site of a house and garden left by John Blarton, of Middleton, in 1725; and also a rent-charge of 6s. a year, left by John Dent, in 1728.
[Description from Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire (1890)]
