The Old Miner's Institute.

The above pictures are of the original New Marske Institute building.
The original building was replaced by our present one on the same site in 1966.


There are stones from the original building in the wall looking onto the carpark.
They give the original name as "New Marske Institute" and the date of 1875.
That is the same year that St Thomas' church across the road was built.
Lord Zetland paid for the church.
The Pease family who owned the iron stone mine and built the village paid for the Institute.
The Pease family were Quakers and imposed a strict temperance policy on the village.

The Pease family also imposed a no swearing rule in New Marske.
There was a swear box in the Institute for those who blasphemed to pay their penance into.
Today's Management Committee could look at this idea as a source of fundraising.

The Institute was for the education and recreation of the mine workers.
Reading classes were held, there was a library and talks by visiting speakers.

The maintenance and repair of the Institute was paid for by deductions from the mine workers pay.
A pay slip dated the 26th October 1889 shows a deduction of two pence for the Institute.

The ironstone mine closed in 1923.
New Marske was then free from the temperance influences of the Pease family.
The Institute was then running it's own affairs.

In 1925 twenty-five members put up £1 each to enable the Institute to get a licence to sell alcohol.

Some of the above is from the book by the late Ena Holloway, "New Marske Looking back", pages 14, 15, 16, 20 and 61.
Other information is from members

Photo and text with kind permission of New Marske Institute Club and its contributers.

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