Staithes Museum seeking help to solve mystery of 18th Century schoolmaster's diary
Staithes Museum is on the hunt for a missing piece of local history — a diary belonging to Thomas Kirton, an 18th Century Staithes schoolmaster who once attempted to solve one of the greatest scientific challenges of his age: the problem of finding longitude at sea.
Kirton, who lived in Whitby and died in 1790, may not be a household name like Captain Cook or John Harrison, but in 1787 he wrote to the Board of Longitude claiming to have invented a mechanism that could determine a ship’s position using the sun and the principles of geometry.
The board encouraged him to send the device for inspection — a remarkable response, considering the flood of proposals they received.
A year earlier, a nationwide newspaper report spoke of “a gentleman at Staithes” who had found a method to determine latitude at any time of day, not just at noon — a major advantage for sailors often navigating through cloud and storm.
Research has since confirmed this man was Kirton.
What makes Kirton’s story so fascinating is not just his scientific ambition, but his background.
He was not a royal astronomer or gentleman scientist, but a local schoolmaster — self-taught, deeply curious, and evidently gifted.
He and his wife Elizabeth had at least two sons and a few daughters, and he likely lived and worked both in Staithes and in Whitby while pursuing his maritime innovations in his spare time.
A permanent exhibit at Staithes Museum explores the story of Cook’s navigation and the revolutionary clocks that solved the longitude problem.
But alongside Harrison’s famous chronometers, we want to tell the story of Thomas Kirton — a Yorkshire mind at work on the same problem.
However, one tantalising clue about Kirton’s life remains out of reach.
A Whitby Gazette article from January 1895 quotes from a diary kept by Kirton himself, describing the arrival of new bells at St Mary’s Church in 1762.
That diary could contain priceless information about his inventions, experiments, and life - but we don’t know where it is now.
We’re appealing to readers: do you know of any diaries, letters, or papers linked to Thomas Kirton?
Has anything been passed down in your family that could shed light on this remarkable man’s work?
If so, please get in touch with Staithes Museum — we would love to hear from you.
While you’re at it, why not come and see the museum for yourself?
Situated in the former Primitive Methodist chapel on the historic High Street of Staithes, our small but lively museum is open daily from 10.30am to 4.15pm, with free entry and a warm welcome for visitors of all ages (and dogs).
Whether you’re a history lover, a photography fan, or just curious about life on the Yorkshire coast, there’s plenty to explore.