William Scoresby was born on a small farmstead near Cropton, Pickering, on 3rd. May 1760. Both he and his son were destined to become two of the most famous of Whitby`s sea captains. At the age of about 19, William apprenticed himself to a a Whitby ship owner, the Quaker John Chapman. He served on the ship `Jane` which was engaged in the Baltic trade. When during the winters, the ships were laid up; he studied navigation, which helped, in his advancement in the shipping world. The spring of 1785 saw him on his first whaling ship the `Henrietta`. This was to be his first command when at the retirement of it’s Captain Crispin Bean, and on his recommendation, William was given the appointment. 1791 was a bad year for Whitby whalers, it was Scoresby`s first trip as captain and he, like many others came back `clean`, that is no whales. The owners of the ship however had faith in him and on the second voyage he brought home eighteen whales, a Whitby record.

Captain Scoreseby went on to be not only a well-respected captain and ship owner but also a prominent and much loved citizen of Whitby. He died on April 28th 1829 at 13, Bagdale, and is buried in St Mary`s Churchyard.

SCORESBY CHAIR: To be found in St. Mary`s the parish church , is a chair, handsomely carved in teak taken from the wreck of the `Royal Charter`, a ship in which the Rev. W. Scoresby (jnr.) had undertaken a scientific journey to improve the effectiveness of the compass.