386:. Unlimbering it from the frame, he wheeled the stone before him to Starbeck, but unhappily, when within a short distance from his home, it broke in two, and there lay, until he returned with his wheelbarrow for the fragments. The ever present companion of his daily journeys was a dark blue moreen bag, which a friendly lawyer may have discarded, and without which he was rarely seen abroad. No trifle was too inconsiderable to find a home within it; even a stray feather from a fowl by the wayside would be carefully picked up and added to the stock previously gathered. Bits of old iron, stray nails, bags of woollen, cotton, or linen were commodities much too valuable to be left behind. Old boots, shoes and bits of leather were pounced upon and disposed of for what they would realise at the hands of some economical
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and demeanour changed at once. He sold all his jewellery, apart from his watch and gold guard, which he hid away. "He was never afterward seen to wear a vestige of anything except the most needful apparel". He earned, but did not spend, willingly; "he literally carried his life in his hands in order to achieve success". He and his apprentices worked long hours, opening the shop between four and six in the morning, well before his neighbours opened theirs, and closing between ten and twelve in the evening. Passing
171:'s son rose from the position of a draper's assistant via well-to-do shop-owner, to become a rich property-owner and sought-after lender to the moneyed residents and visitors of Harrogate. However, his extreme and pecunious personal habits drew the attention of local people, who saw him pay in full for buildings and land, but deny himself and his family the comforts of life, and hoard and recycle waste material to make pennies, alongside the great profits he made in his primary occupations.
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after by persons who were in financial embarrassment ... Tradesmen in their winter difficulties, property-owners with deeds to mortgage, sought him without ceasing". Turner was "never known to be entangled in a lawsuit". He always charged the same rate of five per cent for loans, he held pledges, and pledges were redeemed. He was now in good health, and secure in his business, but his behaviour continued to draw attention, as it had in
Bradford: The
223:, and he is describing himself as a "house and land proprietor". By 1871 Turner is calling his cottage "Beech Villa", and describing himself as a retired draper. In 1881, the Census finds Turner, aged 81, boarding (not visiting) in a lodging house at 5 Promenade Square, in the parish of St Mary's in Low Harrogate. Meanwhile his wife Jane was still living in Beech Villa, calling herself a "house and land proprietor's wife".
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travel between
Bradford and Manchester to purchase stock, the beeline distance being 29 miles (47 km). He "occasionally got a lift in a carrier's wagon, but whether he paid for the ride is doubtful, as parting with money was with him one of the unpardonable sins". He took advantage of independent cottage weavers, too. The
469:
figure closely associated with early
Harrogate, the late John Turner, of Starbeck. The penurious habits of this individual are well known, and perhaps to some extent he merited the title given him by a Bradford contemporary – miser; but though charity was a quality foreign to his nature, his sense of
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Fire was never used in house except for cooking, and when he could not pick up coal sufficient to supply that requirement he went out into the hedgerows for timber. On returning home from his errands he always divested himself of the suit with which he went abroad, and donned a home suit composed of
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to the people of
Harrogate. This was a fortuitous step, because when he arrived, Harrogate consisted of two small villages, but as its fame and size grew and businesses moved in, it filled with rich residents and visitors, and he drew from these as his customer base. As a moneylender, he was "sought
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Turner's draper's shop continued to open for long hours and it did well, but he became ill, and around 1840, nine years after starting in business, he sold the shop, which fetched a good price, being known to be a prospering business. With the sale of the shop and his savings, he had accrued £16,000
324:
Besides extreme hard work and frugality, Turner needed to make money out of his savings. He did this by investment, and his first such venture was made about two years after going into business. by buying the deeds of a pub in
Bradford. However, paying the whole purchase price upfront brought public
442:
By the end of Turner's life, he had become a well-known character in
Harrogate and Starbeck, and was a landlord who held a lot of land and property in the vicinity of Harrogate, being described as a "large owner of property" in 1882. He died in Harrogate, "after a long and protracted illness", on 2
381:
Here, secluded in his own house, in the privacy of his own grounds, with re-established health, did the
Bradford draper accumulate with greater eagerness than before. Nothing that would realise money escaped his cold grey eyes. Belated travellers and those up betimes encountered him on the highways
279:
Sayer found the
Bradford shop unprofitable, and he was already trying to let it in 1827, so around 1831 he offered it to Turner, and Turner started business with an advance of £1000 (equivalent to £107,680 in 2023) on the security of an expected inheritance from his family – and his appearance
288:
Smith did not share his fortune with others. He did not marry early in his career. He had a housekeeper, and a pair of apprentices under contract, for whom premiums were paid to him by their sponsors. He economised on transport costs by walking everywhere, including those occasions when he had to
201:
Turner moved to
Starbeck around 1840, and had a son John Frances Turner Vant (24 June 1840 – 27 November 1882), with Jane Vant (1813 – 15 March 1887) from Ripon, who was possibly his housekeeper, and the child was born in Ripon. In 1841 Turner married Jane Vant. When married, he kept his annual
315:
were numerous, and not so well off as perhaps operatives are nowadays, it was the custom for manufacturers to be their own weavers and their own salesmen, travelling the country with the produce of their wooden looms on their backs or on the backs of packhorses or asses. Turner, knowing from
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However, Turner's eccentricity was not hidden. He bought the half-built house next door from a builder who ran out of money, and he or his son lived there without completing the build, with "a great mound of stones and rubbish remaining in front which on no account would he have disturbed".
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gathering the refuse of the roads on his wheelbarrow, or picking up stones on the roadside, which, after being broken in sufficient quantities, he would dispose of as road metal. Having on one occasion a debtor at Ripon who was unable to repay him, he took as a security on account a
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During the forty years after Turner began to earn his fortune, one of his former
Bradford apprentices did very well, behaving somewhat unlike his former master Turner. That lad "amassed a handsome fortune in a neighbouring county honoured and respected as a public benefactor".
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who changed horses behind the Bowling Green Inn would sometimes spot Turner still working at one hour past midnight. Turner drove himself hard to keep the shop "packed from basement to attic" with stock, and he would sleep for perhaps a few hours per night among those goods.
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Turner's funeral was held on 8 March 1883. At midday the funeral procession left the Crown Hotel, Harrogate, with seven coaches containing relatives and tenants following the coffin. The funeral service was conducted at
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of his affairs by arrangement", then absconded, saying he was "going to America". Leek was declared bankrupt on Turner's petition, but as of January 1875 the police were still looking for him.
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justice, on the other hand, was so acute, that we believe he was easier satisfied upon the question of per cent, than has been many a man more generally credited with charitable proclivities.
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of the period, and took great pride in adorning himself with rings, gold guards, and jewellery, having in this respect higher aspirations than drapers' assistants usually entertain".
325:
attention to his hidden wealth for the first time, because until that moment he had given the appearance of poverty. It was at that point that his reputation as a miser began.
458:, although a double probate was issued in November 1887 or 1889. In April 1883 his personal estate was calculated as £50,784, 15s 10d (equivalent to £6,460,825 in 2023).
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order as soon as they defaulted. Turner did see fit to pay a solicitor, though. In 1875 he paid solicitors Kirby & Son of Harrogate to present a petition for the
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178:, was printed and copied in the Press, and around the same time his life – and perhaps his legacy – was celebrated with an expensive stone memorial, in
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Around 1840, for the sake of his health, Turner migrated from industrial Bradford to Beech Cottage, also known as Beech Villa or Beech Grove House, in
390:, or when too valueless for his uses they were hoarded yet a little longer until the whole could be profitably disposed of to the manufacturer of
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John Turner of Starbeck, Harrogate. 12 April 1883 at the Principal Registry, personal estate £50,784, 15s 10d (equivalent to £5,441,695 in 2021)
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Turner had tenants in Bradford. He walked from Starbeck with a pre-packed lunch to collect rent, and was once seen walking barefoot across
994:
402:, carrying his shoes to "save leather". He was a landlord who never missed the dates when rents were due, and tenants were served a
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At Turner's death, there was much public speculation on the subject of Turner's worth. His will was proved on 12 April 1883 at the
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experience the chronic impecuniosity of many of these men, waited until they had travelled the country unsuccessfully with their
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Note: In this police report, Turner's son John Francis is officially recorded as using the full name John Francis Turner Vant.
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The birth and death dates of Turner, his wife and his son are on Turner's memorial monument at Grove Road Cemetery, Harrogate
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Soon after Turner died, his biography by a "Bradford contemporary", in which he was titled "Harrogate miser" and compared to
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75:
320:, and then, rather than return home empty-handed, they accepted prices from him which meant privation for many days to come.
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580:"Moreen" is "A thick woollen fabric, watered or with embossed figures, used in upholstery, for curtains" (from Wiktionary).
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GRO index:Marriages Jun 1841 Vant Jane and Turner John, Knaresbro' 23 257. Deaths Mar 1887 Turner Jane 73 Knaresbro' 9a 78
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880:"1881 England Census, 5 Promenade Square, St Mary's parish, Low Harrogate (listed as Pannal), RG11/4326, page 2"
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GRO index:Births Sep 1840 Turner John Ripon XXIII 489. Deaths Dec 1882 Turner John Francis 42 Knaresbro' 9a 72
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854:"1871 England Census, Beech Villa, Knaresborough Road, Bilton with Harrogate (Starbeck), RG10/4291, page 6"
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hundreds of patches of all sizes of material from about 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm) square.
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The 1851 and 1861 Censuses find Turner and his wife and son living in Beech Cottage, next to
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906:"1881 England Census, Beech Villa, Starbeck (Harrogate), RG11/4328, page 7, schedule 105"
827:"1861 England Census, Scriven with Tentergate (Starbeck), RG/9/3205, page 5, schedule 48"
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771:"The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)"
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William Leek of Harrogate. Leek owed money to Turner, "filed a petition for
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draper's assistant at John Sayer's shop, next to the Old Bowling Green Inn,
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Independent weavers carrying cloth bales. (Mixed Cloth Hall, Leeds, 1758)
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household costs below £20 (equivalent to £14,880.55 in 2023). The
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799:"1851 England Census, Beech Cottage, Starbeck, HO/107/2283, page 23"
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By dint of excessively hard work, long hours, and self-denial, this
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After Turner's death his biography, comparing him to the miser
987:
Wells & Swells, the golden age of Harrogate Spa, 1842-1923
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In 1884, as part of a retrospective of the previous year, The
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The Bowling Green Hotel, next to which Turner started business
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GRO index: Deaths Mar 1883 Turner John 83 Knaresbro' 9a 91
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A watch guard was a cover to protect the watch glass of a
198:"who by dint of thrift and hard work had acquired money".
989:(1 ed.). Lancaster, England: Carnegie Publishing.
160:, whose perceived behaviour led to his reputation as a
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Turner's memorial at Grove Road Cemetery, Harrogate
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272:. While working for Sayer, Turner "was one of the
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240:John Sayer's 1827 ad, calling for an assistant
194:, North Riding of Yorkshire, into a family of
148:(1 March 1800 – 2 March 1883) was an English
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1075:"Knaresborough: funeral of Mr J.F. Turner"
501:The Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale Herald
465:printed the following obituary of Turner:
368:line. He regained his health and became a
20:
767:inflation figures are based on data from
341:The former site of Beech Cottage/Villa,
329:(equivalent to £1,824,789 in 2023).
190:John Turner was born on 1 March 1800 in
602:
529:
1152:– via British Newspaper Archive.
1090:– via British Newspaper Archive.
1062:– via British Newspaper Archive.
1027:– via British Newspaper Archive.
960:"Distance from Bradford to Manchester"
948:– via British Newspaper Archive.
747:– via British Newspaper Archive.
719:– via British Newspaper Archive.
709:Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale Herald
666:– via British Newspaper Archive.
1080:Otley News and West Riding Advertiser
1017:Otley News and West Riding Advertiser
7:
1047:"Funeral of the late Mr John Turner"
711:. 6 October 1883. p. 5 cols 1,2
658:. 6 October 1883. p. 5 cols 1,2
47:, North Riding of Yorkshire, England
1082:. 8 December 1882. p. 4 col.4
1019:. 28 January 1876. p. 5 col.2
14:
1144:. 5 January 1884. p. 5 col.5
85:Tall stone monument at Grove Road
1165:
1054:. 9 March 1883. p. 5 col.4
940:. 7 April 1827. p. 4 col.2
377:somewhat dramatises the story:
16:English moneylender (1800–1883)
264:, and also at Sayer's shop at
180:Grove Road Cemetery, Harrogate
76:Grove Road Cemetery, Harrogate
1:
739:. 3 May 1862. p. 5 col.2
449:Christ Church, High Harrogate
119:
1106:probatesearch.service.gov.uk
933:"To drapers, grocers &c"
704:"Story of a Harrogate miser"
651:"Story of a Harrogate miser"
985:Neesam, Malcolm G. (2022).
487:, was printed in detail in
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443:March 1883 aged 83 years.
491:, and repeated in two of
364:. The house was near the
362:North Riding of Yorkshire
206:describes his home life:
1108:. Probate search service
1012:"An absconding bankrupt"
270:West Riding of Yorkshire
221:Starbeck railway station
769:Clark, Gregory (2017).
1202:British businesspeople
964:distancecalculator.net
497:The Knaresborough Post
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1197:People from Harrogate
1174:at Wikimedia Commons
966:. Distance Calculator
489:The Bradford Observer
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366:North Eastern Railway
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567:. For examples, see
1172:John Turner (miser)
569:Geoff Alnutt Clocks
765:Retail Price Index
656:Knaresborough Post
463:Knaresborough Post
456:Principal Registry
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375:Knaresborough Post
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291:Knaresborough Post
252:Turner served his
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204:Knaresborough Post
1170:Media related to
1142:Knaresborough Pos
912:. H.M. Government
886:. H.M. Government
860:. H.M. Government
834:. H.M. Government
806:. H.M. Government
311:In the days when
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441:
418:and alleged
397:
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323:
317:
312:
310:
294:
290:
287:
278:
273:
251:
218:
214:
209:
203:
200:
196:smallholders
189:
173:
166:
145:
144:
72:Burial place
58:(1883-03-02)
56:2 March 1883
41:1 March 1800
18:
1192:1883 deaths
1187:1800 births
1112:13 February
1086:14 February
1058:13 February
970:13 February
944:14 February
916:14 February
890:14 February
864:14 February
838:13 February
810:13 February
743:14 February
737:York Herald
424:liquidation
370:moneylender
169:smallholder
158:moneylender
146:John Turner
127: 1871
123: 1831
102:moneylender
90:Occupations
25:John Turner
1181:Categories
597:References
416:ironmonger
412:whitesmith
408:bankruptcy
384:grindstone
186:Background
125: – c.
37:1800-03-01
1148:1 January
1023:1 January
715:1 January
662:1 January
475:Aftermath
404:distraint
360:, in the
358:Harrogate
352:near the
268:. in the
82:Monuments
66:, England
64:Harrogate
507:See also
356:town of
350:Starbeck
343:Starbeck
333:Starbeck
282:coachmen
266:Keighley
262:Bradford
232:Bradford
154:landlord
136:Being a
107:landlord
410:of the
388:cobbler
1207:Misers
993:
420:forger
274:swells
254:draper
227:Career
156:, and
150:draper
97:Draper
782:7 May
524:Notes
430:Death
258:linen
192:Ripon
162:miser
138:miser
45:Ripon
1150:2023
1114:2023
1088:2023
1060:2023
1025:2023
991:ISBN
972:2023
946:2023
918:2023
892:2023
866:2023
840:2023
812:2023
784:2024
745:2023
717:2023
664:2023
499:and
392:glue
318:webs
53:Died
31:Born
763:UK
354:spa
1183::
1140:.
1125:^
1116:.
1104:.
1078:.
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1033:^
1015:.
962:.
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908:.
882:.
856:.
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773:.
754:^
735:.
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672:^
654:.
605:^
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414:,
299::
182:.
164:.
152:,
120:c.
999:.
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39:)
35:(
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