ABSTRACT
Occasionally a guardian would promote a cause in the court to retain the duty of guardian or tutor to a child when challenged by another party. It was considered that, under the circumstances, Christopher Fell was an 'improper person' to have the tutorship of any children and that James Rigmaiden was a far better person to have the administration of the estate and also the custody of the children in his hands. The indifference shown by some tutors towards the children in their care often involving child abuse, something not uncommon in the twentieth century is well illustrated by a case from Bedale. On the whole Thackwray appears to have been a good guardian and treated John Webster in a proper manner. The court granted his request and Richard Marsh was replaced as tutor by Kempe.
