Fenay Cottage History
1628 Sir Hugh Chumley & son William Chumley, landowners.
1651 2000 yr. lease for £20 and 4d a year on two cottages to Lawrence Grainger & son Robert Grainger.
**** John Grainger fisherman inherits
**** Mary ( m Richard Tindall), Rebecca ( m Thomas Bedlington), Lydia ( m Thos Bedlington yngr) & Hannah ( Tindall widow), daughters of Hannah inherit.
1780 Lydia 1731-1814 & Thomas Bedlington master mariner ( m 1774 four children) buy outright, £30 for threequarters share from her sisters.
1814 Elizabeth & Hannah (m William Granger ) daughters of Lydia Bedlingtons first marriage 1757 to John Hodgson inherit.
1833 Elizabeth 1758-1838 (m 1785 Isaac Storm 1758-1824 fisherman , eight children ) buys outright £25 for half share.
Mary Bedlington 69.
1843 Elizabeth ( Betsy ) m 1843 William Cooper (master mariner) daughter of John & Mary also in residence during this period.
1851 Census: Betsy Cooper 39 and William Cooper 2. John Storm now living with daughter Martha nearby.
1861 Census: William Cooper 43, Betsey Cooper 47, William Cooper 12, Mary Cooper 9.
John now living alone nearby.
1862 Mathew Storm 1816-1890 master mariner and ship owner ( m 1840 Mercy Storm 1816-1890 daughter of James Storm and Damaris Harrison ) and living in the dutch gabled cottage in front, buys outright £80.
Mathew Storm was the nephew of John Storm and cousin to Elizabeth & William Cooper living here at this time. The 3 large cottages in front were bequeathed by James Storm 1790-1854 ship owner, to his daughters Mercy, Rebecca 1831-1908 (m William Bedlington ) and Francis 1822-1904 (m 1844 William Harrison Steel). By 1871 the now considerably wealthy and extended Storm family owned and lived in houses to all sides of Sunny place as it was now called. Mathew and his brothers in law formed the shipping company Mathew Storm & Co. that owned in 1865 seven ships totalling 1400 tons and valued at over £9000.
1871 Census: Elizabeth Cooper 58, Mary Cooper 19.
1881 Census: William Cooper 64, Elizabeth Cooper 66. With Mathew and Mercy still living infront.
1890 Damaris Harrison Harrison (niece of Mathew Storm) & Rebecca Bedlington (sister in law) inherit after the death of Mercy. William Peacock in residence.
1892 William Cornforth ( cartwright) buys outright at auction £53 + 1 guinea. The original kitchen to the South is sold to William Bedlington & Rebecca Mercy Storm Bedlington. The new wash house extension is built. The present main staircase is built.
1914 Now ‘ Fenay Cottage’ rented cottage with attendance Katy Simpson.
1925 Mcneil Cornforth (joiner) & William Cornforth ( licensee Ye Abbey Inn Whitby ) sons of William Cornforth inherit. Around this time the present dormer windows are built and the girls school behind is demolished. Thomas Brewster in residence.
1929 Mary and Nora Hogget buy outright £100
1938 Margaret Emma Newton (of the Sunny place bakery) buys £200 ( used as tearooms).
1951 Richard Bell Brockbank ( artist ) buys £1000 ( known as Bell house ).
1960 Mildred Lavinia Yetton ( name reverts to Fenay Cottage )
1966 Robin & Pamela Woodsend ( holiday cottage )
1988 Neil Murray Metcalfe ( holiday cottage )
1997 David & Janet White ( holiday cottage )