"Memoirs of the Hartley Family of Bingley and Staveley,  Yorkshire"
by Minnie Growse (1864-1939),

Foreward
Introduction
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Low Hall
Notes
Hartley, Staveley
Hartley, Bingley

memoirs Continued 9

Dr. Hartley of Maltons

He had three sons who were doctors too, and a huge practice keeping eight horses going almost day and night.  He kept one or two as well about thirty miles away so that he could leave his weary horse and pick up a fresh one on a long round.  He was greatly beloved by rich and poor and during a terrible illness he managed to creep out of bed and burn all the bills of people he knew could not afford to pay,

He was very tall and broad-shouldered and had a marvellous face.  His eyes were extraordinary, like bright stars, and seemed to look right into you and through you.  He was always in a tearing hurry and at meals he used to rush and if he wanted a little butter, take yours off your plate if nearer than the dish, and say "Get some more child, get some more."  He used to drive like a Jehu, furiously in the most awful old gigs and carriages, then he would stop suddenly for those wonderful eyes had seen a bird's nest.  Out he always jumped to inspect it and, on one occasion, his watch was found hanging on a hedge by a nest.  Everybody loved him, in spite of his funny ways. He would pursue a surgery boy who had been a fool down the long passage, give him a kick from his long foot and send him flying into the market place.

Once he was called to see a man who was dying.  He arrived at the gate and the man was standing there, but did not speak.  He felt it was something strange and drove on to the house to find the man's spirit had just passed on,

His own home was haunted by the ghost of a little dark girl. Cousin Joshua returning in the middle of the night saw the child running up the stairs and gave chase thinking it was his little daughter Mabel who must be walking in her sleep.  Suddenly the child vanished and Cousin Joshua on going to Mabel's room found her peacefully asleep.

Several of the family saw her including my cousin Janie Addams who was staying there and was purposely not told of it lest  she be nervous.  The child crept up to the bed and laid her little  cold hand on Janie's shoulder.  It nearly killed her with fright and  then everything had to be told and Janie moved elsewhere to sleep.

Tennyson Jesse asked to sleep in the house as his faith was  weak and he thought a real ghost would strengthen it, but he did not  see the poor mite, who appears to have lived there long ago and been  ill-treated, but this was not known at the time.

Later when alterations were being made to the house workmen  uncovered the remains of an old staircase in the wall of the room  where the little girl was said to vanish, and after this was demolished  she never appeared again,

My brother Dick, Richard Hartley, used to tell of how when  he was staying with his cousins Dr. Hartley (known locally as "Kill  'orse Josh") took him on one of  his rounds.  The gig gave an extra  big jolt and pills flew all over the floor.  Dick dutifully tried to  pick them up, but the old man said "Don't worry boy, don't worry.  They are only bread pills for the old women,"

On one occasion he was bathing in the river with his cousins  when one of them ducked him in fun,  he may have fainted, but he was  almost drowned.  Luckily being medical students they brought him round.  All he remembered was them telling him to hurry up and get dressed,  and it was many years before they confessed.

(In the 1950s there was a York City Councillor's wife who came  from Malton and could well remember being the patient of the last of the  Hartleys to hold the family practice, and he too seems to have been much  loved.)

Amy (Jim Addams' wife) had no children and all the money was  left among the first cousins, my brothers and sisters and self having  an equal share.  Cousin Joshua was the son of my Father's Uncle,  Rev, John Hartley of Marton-cum-Grafton and Boroughbridge.

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