Richmond: New book looks at the most famous residents of historic North Yorkshire town

Now a new book delves deeper into the cast and characters of the Dales' market town since Norman times, sharing the tales of those who have been connected in some way.

Within the pages of Richmondians are 101 biographical portraits dating back nine centuries, featuring artists and politicians and martyrs and even a Jamacain slave.

To author Jane Hatcher every such settlement has a history which can be peeled back to reveal fascinating layers of "human geology".

She said: "The individual characters undoubtedly shape the character of a place, whether it is through the children they have taught, the buildings they have designed or the paintings they have left behind.

"Richmond is a town blessed with a full and colourful history that goes right back to the Normans and the foundation of the castle in 1071. There are many rich seams to explore, including the Georgian period for which the town is famous, and which I personally find particularly fascinating with its art, architecture and aspirations."

Ms Hatcher, an architectural historian born in York, has published seven books including The History of Richmond 2000 and Richmond Architecture. Having lived in Richmond for many years, she has run guided walking tours and talks on its history and characters.

Now they are brought together under 101 biographical profiles, featuring 102 Richmondians with the two Ryder sisters - genteel, Anglican spinsters who produced some of the first ever printed knitted patterns while teaching poor Roman Catholic girls in the town.

Among the better-known names is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, more commonly known as Lewis Carroll, who authored Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and attended Richmond School.

The book also highlights the associations of renowned Georgian architect John Carr, artist JMW Turner, and John Fenwick whose small shop on Frenchgate was to spawn the Fenwick empire.

Beneath it all are the local characters, that many today might not have heard of but who through time were to shape Richmond's story.

Among them is John York, a Jamaican slave born in 1758, who ended up working at Yorke House on the Green and then within the household of John Hutton at Marske Hall.

There is the tale of the town's legendary huntsman Robert Willance, who died in 1616, and accidentally rode off a cliff, and Protestant martyr Richard Snell, burned at the stake on Newbiggin.

There is also Christabel Cowper, a Prioress in charge of the Swaledale house of Benedictine nuns who died in 1562, and Samuel Butler whose Georgian Theatre Royal is still popular today.

Ms Hatcher said: "The selection of who to pick out is unashamedly subjective and highly personal.

"Many of these people have left very important legacies to the town and region as a whole. It is important that they are not forgotten.

"Others encapsulate their period, such as dispossessed nuns and chantry priests, or are linked with aspects of Britain’s colonial past, or open up unexpected facets or byways of Richmond.

"It is their lives that bring our collective history to life," she added. "I hope that sharing these biographies will help people to understand and wonder at the history that has gone before them.

"Most of all, I hope the book is entertaining. Each one is a stand-alone piece of writing. A life of its own."

Richmondians: Nine centuries of men and women in this Yorkshire town by Jane Hatcher is priced at £18.99 and can be purchased at Castle Hill Bookshop in Richmond or on its website.

Among its profiles is one dedicated to the wealthy lead mine owner Charles Bathurst, who built Richmond’s prominent King’s Head Hotel and now lends his initials to the CB Inn in Arkengarthdale, while the oldest to be profiled is Alan Rufus who built the castle in 11th century.

There are also associations with figures such as founder of the Scouts Robert Baden-Powell, the inventor of the lifeboat, and theologian John Wycliffe who translated the Bible into English.