Some History of Ravengill, Commondale and the brickworks There is evidence of early history in a stone path which crosses the moors and is said to have been laid by the monks of Guisborough Priory who had a church at "Colmondale" in the 12th century at Skelderskew Farm. Skelderskew Farm lies just above the campsite and can be seen from many of the camping areas More recently pit shafts which were sunk behind the farmhouse in 1800 for the production of ironstone. The mine never got into production. The North Yorkshire moors provided the iron stone that built Stockton and Middlesbrough into the towns similar to what they are today. Rosedale to the South of Ravengill still has many signs of this mining, the old railway lines can be seen crossing the moors, and the remains of the winding engine at the top of battersby incline can still be seen. There are the lime kilns up on the moor which the children thought were a giant's castle when they were small and a bleach mill in 1753 where the wool from local sheep, having been woven by farmers' wives was taken to be bleached before being made into cloth. Ravengill Campsite contains 'the quarry', part of the site used to be the quarry for the Commondale Brickworks. The site has been shaped by these works, notably the quarry but also the spoil heaps The village of Commondale lies in a deep valley where Ravengill and Whiteley Becks join. It is a quiet place now but in the late 19th Century the coming of the railway, which linked the village to other parts of Cleveland, helped fuel the rapid development of the local brickworks founded by John Pratt. Many of the village buildings, including the church and the old school house, are easily distinguishable by the red bricks which came from the works, later known as the Commondale Pottery, the brickworks closed in 1947 Today, the pottery and bricks produced up until the late 1950's are collectible. Nowadays, Commondale is a quiet, sleepy village and is an ideal starting point for the many lovely walks in this area Further up Ravengill beck from the end of the campsite there is a stone in the middle of the beck with an engraving: GEORGE WATSON FELO. DE. SE. HOMINIS EST ERRARE which can be translated as 'George Watson, Crime against himself. It is of man to err' The stone marks the pool in the Ravengill beck in which George Watson committed suicide in 1876 (grid ref 663115). He worked in the Commondale brickworks. Suicide was considered a crime until 1961. Further afield, to the north on the moor there is a stone inscribed 'Hob on the Hill' (Grid Ref: 646124). 'Hobs' or 'hobgoblins' figure prominently in local folklore and are supposedly the ugly, mischievous cousins of elves and goblins who lived on the moors and in certain dales. They were thought to be helpful creatures, curing illness and protecting crops. There are many similar tales all over the country and these beings are perhaps best described as Brownies - the Elves in the Elves and the Shoemaker tale