Marton, Middlesbrough
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The famous explorer and navigator Captain James Cook was born in Marton, in 1728, and lived for a short time in the village, until the family moved to Great Ayton.
Attractions include Stewart Park, a large public park given to the people of Middlesbrough by Dormund Stewart, in which thrive several varieties of wild species, including rabbits, birds, and squirrels, and a large collection of tree types.
Stewart Park was where the original manor house Marton Lodge stood. This hall and the land of Marton were owned by Bartholomew Rudd, who made many alterations; it burned down in 1832. In 1853, the ruin and the land that is now the park were bought by the Middlesbrough ironmaster H. W. F. Bolckow. He built a new hall, which was destroyed by fire in 1960 after standing empty for several years. The park is also home to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum; in addition to viewing the large collection of Cook-related objects at the museum, tourists may visit a granite urn erected in 1858 on the site of the demolished Cook cottage, as well as St. Cuthbert's Church, where Cook was baptized.
Other notable persons who lived in the parish of Marton include H. W. F. Bolckow's partner John Vaughan, who lived at Gunnergate Hall until his death in 1868; Sir Raylton Dixon, a Middlesbrough shipbuilder; Henry Cochrane, an ironmaster; and Agnes Spencer, the wife of the founder of Marks and Spencer.
The church is now ornamented with a stained-glass window commemorating Cook.
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