by
David Conn
"Upleatham Hall" painted by Lady Dundas in 1891.
Upleatham is a small parish of about 1400 acres some 6 miles south of the mouth of the River Tees in North Yorkshire. The northern edge of the parish is a small hill which provides a panoramic view of the Tees estuary. In about 1300 Guisborough priory held lands on the banks of the Tees at Caldecot, now called Cargo Fleet, and amongst the tenants were Johannes and Rojerus Conne. It is tempting to believe that these early farmers migrated the 6 miles to Upleatham, although there is absolutely no proof that this happened.
By the early 1600's there were several members of the Conn family in Upleatham, including Peter, Robert, George, Henry and John. The name is written as either Conn or Con - sometimes both can appear on the same document at the same time. The earliest documentary mention was of Peter in 1617 when a parcel of land was transfered from George Toccotts to Dorothy Gibbon. The occupier of the property was Peter Conn. A conveyance of land from John Fishwick to Robert Con in 1633 was witnessed by George Con, whilst a further parcel of land was transfered to Robert Con from Fishwick in 1636, witnessed by Peter Con. The relationship of these men is unknown, but it is suggested that Peter and Robert were brothers, and that George was Peter's son. Perhaps Henry and John are two other sons. The 1653 survey shows that only Peter and Robert were landowners - Peter owned Wortswell whilst Robert owned several parcels of land around the village. Because in later documents George is the owner of Wortswell, it is assumed that he is Peter's eldest son and has inherited Wortswell. Only Robert and George played a significant role in the life of the village, and their descendants will be considered separately. The wills of three family members are held in the North Yorkshire Archives, and there are two Conn gravestones in Upleatham churchyard.
The Whitby and Sedgefield connections are somewhat speculative, although I think that they are highly probable.