What did it feel like to grow up in Staithes in the early twentieth century? What did children wear, what did they get up to, and what happened when you wanted to go to Sunday School but your clothes weren't quite up to scratch? We can find out from an unlikely source: a life story written by the Reverend W. T. Mugford, who left Yorkshire for America and eventually became a Baptist minister. His booklet, From an English Pit to an American Pulpit, recounts a life of faith, fam

From the Staithes Museum Newsletter, April 2026. This month, we are delighted to share a remarkable story sent to us by researcher John Stafford—one that connects Redcar, Staithes, and a long tradition of remembrance shaped by the sea. At its heart is William Guy, a Redcar lifeboatman who lost his life on Christmas Day in 1836. That day, a violent storm drove the Danish brig Caroline onto the treacherous Salt Scar rocks, just off Redcar. In response, the Zetland lifeboat—buil