Sometimes, without any reason at all, wool can get into an awful tangle. I can, and do, spend ages carefully untangling it, I will never cut it, ever. I have spent hours untangling tangles of embroidery threads, (not mine, inherited), and will carefully re-wind it, following each yarn. This piece of research is following a thread, slowly, carefully, winding up the story. Sometimes you come upon the "other end" and can start to wind from that end too . I save the string used to tie up the beans or tomatoes, and rewind it for next season, untying knots as I go ! So let's follow the thread ...... This is the start. Oliver Cromwell [ 1599 - 1658] he does not need an introduction; Parliamentarian who ruled during the Commonwealth period until his death. This portrait is by Peter Lely [1618 - 1680] and is at the Museum of London. And this, I hope, is Dr John Bathurst [1600 or 1607 - 1659] He was a member of the Royal College of Physicians. This portrait is on the website of the said institution identified as him, but on the ArtUk website the same portrait is of a "Doctor" and it could be any of three, one of whom was Dr John Bathurst. It was painted by Cornelius Johnson [1593 - 1661] , I hope it is Bathurst, because of his association with the dales. He went to Pembroke College, Cambridge, then the Royal College of Physicians, he was the personal physician to Oliver Cromwell and became M.P. for Richmond. He married a local girl, Elizabeth Willance of Clints, and bought the Manor of Arkengarthdale in 1656. For anyone local, you cannot separate the name Bathurst from Arkengarthdale. Dr John Bathurst left a will dated 23 April 1659 [PROB 11/301] in which he was very generous to all his family and also very generous to the local people of the Yorkshire dales. Here he is setting up a charity to support two poor scholars in the University of Cambridge, they had to be virtuous and competent and would get £4 each per annum as long as they were at University. There was also money for setting out as apprentices two poor boys from Richmond, selected by the Aldermen, Burgesses and Schoolmaster of Richmond. The manor of Arkengarthdale was charged with £16 p.a. for the maintenance of the Schoolmaster in Arkengarthdale to teach children of the said manor to read, write and cast accounts and the rudiments of Latin. £4 was for putting out as apprentice a poor boy of the dale, but he had to be able to read perfectly, on sight, a chapter of the Bible. Bathurst's manor of Clints was charged with 20 shillings to pay for a schoolmaster at Marske, and land at Kirkby Hill was charged with £16 for the maintenance of a schoolmaster to teach the children of New Forrest, and £4 for apprenticing a poor boy of New Forrest, if none applied, then the money was to buy Bibles. Bathurst's property and land in Richmond town fields was charged with £12 for ever unto the Aldermen and Burgesses of Richmond for the apprenticing of boys and the maintenance of scholars at Cambridge. The house at Clints no longer exists, this is a sketch by Samuel Buck. But St Edmund's Parish Church in Marske is a delight, with quaint box pews and little gallery. So wondering who were the beneficiaries of all this charity, a look inside the Minute Book of the Bathurst Charity to see how the money was spent - This page records that in 1770 one student was William son of the Reverend Andrew Layton of Ipswich, now at Trinity College, Cambridge. Ipswich ! a very long way from Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. How on earth was he a beneficiary of Bathurst's Charity? Start following the thread ..... Who was the Reverend Andrew Layton of Ipswich? This was his church, St Matthew's in Ipswich. A guide book for this church records that Andrew Layton was descended from an ancient family of West Layton in Yorkshire. I followed this thread from both ends and the ends did not tie together. He was from Yorkshire, but not East or West Layton. Andrew Layton had graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, so is listed in the Alumni. Here, more accurately, it gives his birth place as Coxwold. A delightful and picturesque village just off the A19 between Thirsk and Easingwold. St Michael's Church in Coxwold is impressive both outside and in, and has some splendid tombs. The Layton family appeared in the Coxwold Parish Registers from 1600 onwards. I traced several generations, who they married, how many children, and the Reverend Andrew of Ipswich was born in 1719 the son of another Andrew Layton and his wife Elizabeth Midgley. He had brothers and sisters, Joseph, Sarah, Robert and Elizabeth. So leaping forward, the Reverend Andrew Layton, born Coxwold in Yorkshire, parson in Ipswich, died and left a will in 1772 [PROB 11/978] How very curious that he had property in the WEST Riding of Yorkshire. Here he bequeaths all that Freehold messuage cottage or tenement farm and lands being at Stead near Otley, and more land at Breary .... not quite so surprising was the property he had in Thirsk, which is only a few miles from Coxwold, and all was left to his son William Layton who at the time was still at Trinity College, Cambridge. He had also acquired land in Suffolk. Eventually William also became Vicar of St Matthew's in Ipswich, but he never married. His will in 1818 was short and sweet, not mentioning any Yorkshire property, but leaving everything to his sister Marianne. However, when Marianne made her will in 1842, the Yorkshire property was listed again. This little snip from her will [PROB 11/1993] mentions the land at Stead near Otley. These places took some finding! Stead is just west of Burley in Wharfedale. Breary is in the parish of Adel just north of Leeds. But how on earth did these remote (then) and tiny places, come into the portfolio of property belonging to a Reverend in Ipswich who had come from Coxwold? So I followed the thread backwards. Untangling lots of Laytons in Coxwold, I could not find any evidence that any of the Laytons had lived here. I did find another line of Laytons at Rawdon, who were connected to the ones in the parish of Kirkby Hill/ Ravensworth, but they never mentioned kin in Coxwold. A stray bit of yarn. But in untangling the Coxwold clan I did discover why the young William Layton had been a recipient of money from the Bathurst Charity. The schoolmaster in Richmond who recommended him had married his Aunt in Coxwold. Andrew Layton, born Coxwold, had an older sister called Sarah Layton, and she had married Anthony Temple who later was appointed Schoolmaster at Richmond Grammar school, and his nephew William Layton went to board there. So there was me thinking that local boys would benefit, this was Nepotism! And how strange is this? Here is Anthony Temple, staring at his pupils with a withering look. Not only do I keep string and wool, but also newspapers. This portrait was in The Darlington and Stockton Times 23rd October 2023 when a portrait of Anthony Temple turned up and was donated to the Richmondshire Museum. The artist, George Cuit was also local to Richmond. Back to the Laytons of Coxwold. The Reverend Andrew of Ipswich's parents had married in 1712 in the tiny village of Gilling East. Andrew (father) and Elizabeth Midgley (mother) married on May Day, the same day as Elizabeth's sister Jane who married George Deighton. Who were the Midgleys? Wondering how and when the Laytons got their hands on these farms in the West Riding, and property in Thirsk, I looked at all the families the Laytons had married into. Casting around at random Midgley wills there was a Midgley of London who mentioned he had a brother at a place called Breary in Yorkshire. Just one tiny mention in a long will. Robert Midgley Citizen and Barber Surgeon of London made a will 1673 [PROB 11/344], he had property in London and was expecting a large sum from a voyage to the East Indies, but he also just mentioned a nephew Robert Midgley son of his brother Ralph at Breary in the West Riding. Was Elizabeth Midgley any relation? Where had she come from? working out how old she would have been when she married, approximately, and looking for an Elizabeth Midgley of that time, she was from Thirsk. Elizabeth's parents were Mr Joseph Midgley and Mistress Saray Pybus, both of Thirsk, but they got married by licence at the church in Kirby Hill near Boroughbridge on the 24th March 1684. Yorkshire is confusing, we have TWO places called Kirby Hill, one adds an extra K, and two places called Gilling, East and West. Mr Joseph Midgley had a large family in Thirsk. Elizabeth was baptised at St Mary's parish Church, Thirsk on the 2nd March 1693. She had an older brother Robert, and lots of sisters, Mary, Jane, Frances and Sarah. Key to the family fortunes was that her father was the Schoolmaster at Thirsk. Joseph Midgley was the son of Ralph Midgley, born at Breary near Adel, he was educated at Ripon then Christ's College, first a deacon in 1678 and then ordained a clergyman in 1682, he died quite young in 1704 at Thirsk. He left an amazing will [at the Borthwick in York] where he bequeathed to all his infant children land in and around Thirsk, and cash. Elizabeth got land in particular open fields around Thirsk and £50. He also had money out on loan in mortgages. He mentioned a brother Robert Midgley. The inventory went round his house room by room, he had £40 worth of books in the library. He farmed, and had livestock, crops in the fields and £45 worth of Malt, £12 in debts for malt, that is owing to him, and his total inventory was valued at £292 13 shillings. Not bad for 1704. His son Robert Midgley, born at Thirsk in December 1684 also became a schoolmaster - at Coxwold. This is the Old School in Coxwold where Robert Midgley, sister of Elizabeth who married Andrew Layton, was the schoolmaster, and where Anthony Temple, schoolmaster of Richmond, had been educated under the said Robert Midgley. Anthony Temple was born at Crayke near Easingwold. Sometimes you have to concentrate hard, after all some of the strands you are unpicking all have the same name! So There was a Joseph Midgley in Thirsk, but had come from Breary in the West Riding. He mentioned his brother Robert Midgley. There was a Robert Midgley of London who mentioned that he had a nephew Robert Midgley of Breary. This Robert, brother of Joseph, also made a will in 1721 [Borthwick] and was "of Leeds", but mentioned he was possessed of land at Breary. He left many annuities to relatives and friends and "whereas I am possessed of a farm and divers lands at Breary for the remainder of a term of 1,000 years .... " he left the lease to a brother called James Midgley (not met him before now) and a sister, but after their decease to his NEPHEW Robert Midgley - the now schoolmaster at Coxwold. He was at this school for 53 years and died in 1761. I have not yet found if he left a will or not. However, all this property appears again, in the Layton family. This is a snip from the will of Joseph Layton, clergyman of Witham in the Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire [PROB 11/971] dated 1771, who left everything to his brother the Reverend Andrew Layton of Ipswich, including the farms at Stead near Otley and Breary and property in Thirsk. Joseph was the eldest of this generation of Laytons , born in Coxwold in 1713. The following year, 1772, The Reverend Andrew of Ipswich made his will, and eventually the same farms and property turned up in his daughter Marianne's will in 1844.
All this began with wondering how money from a charity in Richmond in Swaledale benefitted the son of a clergyman in Ipswich !
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Over Christmas and throughout January, I seem to have spent many, many hours in the kitchen "keeling the pot", cooking and baking and then making a year's supply of marmalade. Shakespeare's poem "Winter" has been in my mind. These amazing specimens were photographed by my mother. They were suspended from the roof at the back of the cart-house. Oh how we loved to find icicles when we were children! They hardly occur now. So what will the next generation make of Shakepeare's poem? I learnt it as a child, and loved it because everything in it was real. Even the characters were names in our own family, with the exception of Joan. So I am indulging in memories that this poem conjurs up, and looking at lovely pictures on ther ArtUk website. When icicles hang by the wall - We did not have the luxury of inside plumbing [!] and passed by these icicles on the path to the outside "lav" - an earth closet no less. Perish the thought today. Here should be the second line of Shakespeare's poem, which describes a shepherd whose name was Richard, warming his hands by breathing on them .... I can see my father in this shepherd, the many layers of clothes, the boots, the gaiters, the tender look at the "lahtle lamb" ... I can smell the turnips and feel the raw east wind . This picture really makes you feel as if you are in the fields with the shepherd. This picture is called "Shepherd with a lamb" and is by George Clausen [1852 - 1944] and is at The Higgins, Bedford, on ArtUk with Creative Commons with credit to The Higgins, Bedford. Two more lovely pictures of shepherds, the old and the young. The picture on the left is called "The Shepherd" and is by Percy Frederick Horton [1897 - 1970] and is held by Dove Cottage and Wordsworth Museum, with photo credit to the Wordsworth Trust. The picture on the right is called "The young shepherd" and is by David Forrester Wilson [1873 - 1950] and is at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art, Creative Commons CC BY NC ND. A lovely contrast. And Tom bears logs into the hall - What a burden the poor man carries. The sky is cold and the path looks uneven, but he needs his fuel. Think of Good King Wenceslas and his page. Fuel was needed for cooking, heating water, keeping warm. How cold and damp it was if the fire went out. You had to look after the fire and keep it going. This picture is called "Man with a bundle of firewood in a country lane" and is by Herman Herkomer [1863 - 1935] and is at Bushey Museum and Art Gallery and on ArtUk. I love this picture because it was one of my Saturday afternoon jobs to saw up wood on a saw horse and make a pile of logs for the rest of the week. There was a "Stick Heap", where broken fence posts, fallen branches, any bits of wood, were propped up like a teepee. I would get the saw horse out and a bushman's saw and keep myself very warm all afternoon. Everything about the picture above makes you shiver. The grey clouds, the water-logged ruts in the field, the very wintery looking cabbages, the pile of logs and kindling. This picture is called "Winter" and is by Henry Robert Robertson [1839 - 1921] and is at the Sheffield Museum, Creative Commons, photo credit to Sheffield Museum. Another cold scene. This piece of timber is yet to be sawn up. Logs warm you twice, once in the sawing and then in the burning. The distant windmill could possible point to a Dutch landscape, but perhaps not. There were windmills in Britain too. The picture is called "Carrying home the firewood" and is by Thomas Smythe [1825 - 1907] and is at the Colchester and Ipswich Museum and on ArtUk. It was fun to bring in logs on the sledge when there was snow like this, balancing them so they would not fall off. In this picture a young mother is opening the door to let them in, babe in arms, and the bundle of sticks is almost as big as the man carrying it, and they would have to leave the fallen branch outside. She needs to keep the fire in to dry all the nappies. We never came back from a walk anywhere without a bundle of sticks, called kindling, which were then put in a side oven of the kitchen range to dry out for the next day's fire lighting. And milk came frozen home in pail - Here is a milkmaid with her newly calved cow, which she seems to be feeding turnips. We never gave the cattle whole turnips, but chopped them up. There was a turnip chopper, in the Turnip House, and you threw them in at the top, turned a handle round and round and they came out at the bottom chopped up. You put a "swill" underneath to catch them, this was a woven vessel, possibly made of willow, like a very wide basket, and then you fothered the beast out of it. Another warm winter's job. This picture is called "A chat with a milkmaid" and is by John Frederick Herring [1795 - 1865] and is at the National Trust Tyntesfield, available through Creative Commons and on Art Uk. I love the cat, the wooden pails and yoke and three-legged stool. This is a lovely photograph called "Milk Maid" and is by Joseph Hardman [ 1893 - 1972] and is at the Lakeland Museum, available through Creative Commons CC BY NC ND. No sign of a cow though, but she is striding out with her buckets. On the way to milking ? or coming back? This picture is called "Milking Cows" and is by John Walter Hadland [ 1832 - c1920] and is at the Beverley Art Gallery, available Creative Commons CC BY NC ND. Everything about this picture is familiar. I can smell the cows, the muck, the warm milk, the hay, the cow-cake, feel the swish of the cows' tails, hear the low sounds they make, the milk in the pails ... The man milking would set his cap at a certain angle and rest his head on the cow's flank. My father's cap had a very particular patina at the front from years of resting his head on his cows! We had wooden bins at one end of the byre where the meal and cow cake was stored, with metal scoops, and each cow was given so many scoops of meal in a trough as well as the hay in the racks. Every day the byres were cleaned out, swept and washed down. And when snow prevented the milk being taken to the road side, half a mile away, to go to the dairy in Leyburn, then the calves had to drink as much as they could and we made butter. When blood is nipp'd and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl, To-whit! To-who! A merry note - Owls are heard more often than they are seen, so it was always a treat to see one swoop over the stack yard at dusk. Where I live now we have owls, I do not know which variety, but I hear them hunting over the fields and woods around our house. At dawn and dusk they are most active and it is lovely to know they are there even if we don't see them. As children we had Observer's books to identify what we saw around the countryside. Whilst greasy Joan doth keel the pot - This is a poster created for the Empire Marketting Board and is called "Christmas Fare from the Empire - Cooking a Turkey" on the ArtUk website with credits to HMSO & Eyre and Spottiswoode Lts [active 1875 - 1970 and Frederick Clifford Harrison [1901 - 1984] and is at the Manchester art Gallery, Creative Commons CC BY NC ND. I can't think that any ingredients for our Christmas Fare came from anywhere but very local, with the exception of currants and raisins and oranges. The two black and white sketches below are typical farmhouse fireplaces with kitchen ranges for cooking. They are illustrations in books of Yorkshire prose and poems by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe, and are by the Wensleydale artist and illustrator Fred Lawson. When all aloud the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parson's saw; This picture is called "The cleric" and is by an unknown artist of the British School and at the Royal Cornwall Museum, available on Creative Commons, CC BY NC. It is painted onto boards, which gives it a very rustic appearance, and you can almost hear the Parson sawing on and on, and on and on, the congregation hoping the service would soon be over and they could go home and get warm. Churches are not notable for being warm places. And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian's nose looks red and raw - Well this picture has snow and birds, but I am a bit perturbed at the dead sheep. The Shepherd has not gathered the flock in time .... the picture makes you shiver, the cold , grey light, the last glimmer reflected in the beck, and eery silence..... brrrr. This is called "The weary waste of snow" and is by Joseph Farquharson [1846 - 1935] and is at the Manchester Art Gallery, Creative Commons CC BY NC ND I will spare you a picture of Marian's nose looking red and raw. When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl - Here is a young girl peeling apples, they look larger than crab apples, and she has a cabbage to prepare as well. Onions are hanging up from the ceiling. Apples were an important part of the diet. We had crab apples in the hedges, but they would only be used to make jelly. The different apple trees in the garden were either "eaters" or "keepers". The keepers were all laid out in the Apple Room upstairs and kept for months and months. The skins went waxy, and the perfume from them was lovely. When my mother was cooking she would send me upstairs to get some apples for a pudding. I can feel the cold of the unheated room, the lino on the floor, the smell, the feel of the apples, and carefully carry them downstairs. Home grown food, fuel gathered from the woods, fresh milk, warm from the cow but frozen by the time it came into the house .... all part of a life now only remembered. Then nightly sings the staring owl
To-whit! To-who! A merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. The last picture has a HUGE cooking pot suspended over a fire and an enormous fireplace. The picture is called "The Kitchen of Barra Castle" by James Cassie [1819 - 1879] and is at Aberdeen Art Gallery and available on Creative Commons CC BY NC. In my child hood home we cooked over a fire. There was a kitchen range with an open fire and a hob, i.e. a shelf in front of the grate. The kettle was always on the hob, and pans were balanced on it. You had to watch them, so that nothing boiled over and put the fire out! Everything in Shakespeare's poem was also part of my growing up, how quickly life changes, a life not recognisable any more except through memories and old pictures. WHEN icicles hang by the wall, And [here should be the second line of Shakepeare's poem] And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-who; Tu-whit, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. WHEN all aloud the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parson’s saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marian’s nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-who; Tu-whit, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. Love's Labour's Lost - Act V, scene 2 Still exploring York between Micklegate and Skeldergate, it is just amazing what is there if you scratch the surface. Wilkie Collins [1824 - 1889], a brilliant novelist, wrote "No Name" which has a description of York - In that part of the city of York, which is situated on the western bank of the Ouse, there is a narrow street called Skeldergate, running nearly north and south, parallel with the course of the river. ... the few old houses left in the street, are disguised in melancholy modern costume of whitewash and cement. Shops of the smaller and poorer order, intermixed here with dingy warehouses and joyless private residences of red brick compose the present aspect of Skeldergate.. On the riverside the houses are separated, at intervals, by lanes running down to the water, and disclosing lonely little plots of open ground, with the masts of sailing barges rising beyond ...... He then places his characters in one of the "cheap lodging houses" just off Skeldergate. If you haven't read "No Name", then make a point of seeking it out. Great book. But Wilkie Collins might not recognise Skeldergate today. There are several large hotels, the warehouses have been repurposed as expensive apartments, the sailing barges have gone. I walked down one of the little lanes and am standing on Queen's Staithe, looking across the River Ouse to King's Staithe on the opposite bank. Queen's Staithe still has the cranes, but no barges. However, it does have an interesting history. Part of a pedigree of the Topham family of Coverdale, some of whom went to York. Now what is now called the Queen's Staithe on the Ouse in York, was previously called Topham's Staithe and was built in 1660 by Alderman Christopher Topham who at one time was Lord Mayor of York. This particular Christopher is not on the family tree above, but as two Tophams moved from Caldbergh to York, there may be a connection. But as there are Tophams in many parts of Yorkshire, if you know different, let me know. This staithe was used for butter. There was a butter market at the top of Micklegate, and from there it was put on barges and ended up in London. Coming back up the little lane from the river, end on to Skeldergate is an Almshouse with this wonderful coat of arms and the dedication "These Almshouses were erected by public subscription to the memory of the late Sir Joseph Terry". The name Terry in York is connected to chocolate. Oh the memory of All Gold chocolates, the fragrance as you opened a new box .... alas no more, the Terry's factory is now very upmarket houses and apartments. Sir Joseph Terry [1828 - 1898], here his portrait by Emily Lawson Barnard [1840 - 1911] at the Merchant Adventurers Hall in York, and on Art Uk, was a J.P., a councillor and a Lord Mayor for York as well as well as a driving force behind the chocolate factory, developing boxes of chocolates. The Almshouses were built in 1899 and the subscription raised was £1,020 12s 9d. And behind Terry's Almshouse, is another interesting building, the Middleton Hospital. This building, with a statue of the benefactress above the door, is very similar to the Wandesforde Hospital on Bootham [see blog for April 2021]. This was built as a hospital (place of hospitality) for twenty poor widows of Freemen of the City of York. The money was left in the will of Anne Middleton in 1659. Her husband Peter had been a Sheriff. The building had been nearer to the street but was rebuilt further back. It is no longer used for its original purpose of housing poor widows, but is a Very upmarket hotel, which now also incorporates the Joseph Terry Almshouse. Anne Middleton's will [PROB 11/274] made the 14th August 1655 and proved 20 April 1658/1659. She was extremely generous to a long list of kinsmen and their children, and then left money for a school in Shipton and ... Also I give and bequeath unto the Lord Mayor Aldermen and Commonaltie of the Citie of York ... £2,000 to the intent and putpose that they shall therewith erect and built an hospitall convenient for twentie poore widdowes to dwell in that have been freemen's widdows and to have £4 a piece yearly to them paid quarterly during their respective naturall lives ...... Wandering back up the hill from Skeldergate I came upon this sign on the side of buildings which are now residential, but had formerly been the site of a factory making optical instruments. This was the site of Buckingham House, and then much later, Thomas Cooke's Optical Instruments factory. Let's start with Buckingham House, now long gone. On the left is Thomas Fairfax [1612 - 1671] who was a Parliamentarian Commander in the English Civil War. This portrait is by Henry Stone [1616 - 1653] and is at the Manchester Art Gallery, on the ArtUk website. On the right is his daughter Mary [1638 - 1704] after John Michael Wright [1617 - 1694] in the York Art Gallery and on ArtUk. And here is George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham [1628 - 1687], this portrait in all its flamboyance, was painted by Robert Wignall, active in the 17th century, and is at Charterhouse, the only one I could find on Creative Commons. The portrait at the National Portrait Gallery adds that he was described as "one of the worst men alive", such was his reputation as a scoundrel. However, he was a Royalist, yet he married the daughter of a Parliamentarian, Mary Fairfax. All this leads to Mary and George living in the house in York between Skeldergate and Micklegate built by Thomas Fairfax, but called Buckingham House or "Duke's Place" to the people in York. When it was pulled down the site was used to build the factory that made optical instruments for Thomas Cooke. Here is a telescope of his make. Search on online auction sites and his instruments are highly valued. In the nineteenth century they were sought after by anyone interested in astronomy, and he later made instruments for the navy and army. This is a snippet from the York Herald for 23rd June 1860. The Royal family had bought one of the telescopes for Osborne House for HRH the Prince Consort. Mr Cooke went to Osborne House personally to take measurements. Such was the reputation of Cooke's telescopes that here is an advertisement placed in the London Evening Standard on 22nd June 1874 for a house to rent. It was some house as the rent was 100 Guineas but along with the house and 40 acres was an observatory with 7 inch Cooke Telescope equatorially mounted, transit room and instruments ! There was even a race horse called Cooke's Telescope in the 1880s, which galloped home hopefully with several guineas in winnings. Here is an advertisement from the York Herald for 8th October 1879 which lists the range of optical instruments made by Cooke's - Opera and Field glasses, military glasses, rifle practice telescopes, surveying and drawing instruments, scales and rules, drawing boards, T squares etc, barometers, pocket aneroids, thermometers, microscopes, electrical and pneumatic bells, batteris, indicators etc and etc. The company also installed clocks, and evidently there are tower clocks all over the country attributed to Cookes. The Observatory in the York Museum Gardens has a Cooke's telescope. This is from the York Herald 17 April 1869, an obituary to Thomas Cooke who set up the business. He had more or less been a self taught and self made man. He came from Allerthorpe where his father was a shoemaker. Not wishing to follow in his father's footsteps [pun intended], he went to York where he taught himself mathematics, and specialised in a refracting telescope used in astronomy. The company continued under his sons and eventually moved to another site and this site was redeveloped for houses in the 1980s. So wander around any of the streets in York and it is amazing what is there to be discovered. More meanderings in York in the streets behind Micklegate, called Bishophill, down to the River Ouse at Skeldergate. This is an area usually not explored by the tourist, although if you walk round the City Walls you look down on the neat terrace houses on this lofty hill. Most of York is very flat. The chamfered corner of this cottage is a wonderful architectural feature, very economical use of space, and it invited me to wander along St Martin's Lane. A curious little lane, half way along is a pub called The Ackhorne, which is an imaginative way of spelling Acorn. Had they read Winnie the Pooh and thought of Haycorns? The lane then opens out onto St Martin's Church, which is partly made of stone and partly of brick. It is properly called St Martin cum Gregory Micklegate, as a former parish of St Gregory was added to St Martin's parish. The lane is so narrow that it was difficult to get a shot of the church tower, but it is also built of brick. The church has a very ancient foundation and is Pre-Conquest, the tower was rebuilt in brick in 1677. The door was locked, even though a notice said that the church houses the Stained Glass Centre which was "open to the public at various times throughout the year with Free Entry". I must go back and try again. Right next to the church, on St Martin's Lane, is a property for sale at one and a half million £s ..... such is the desirability of York. There are lots of churches in the area south of Micklegate from Trinity Lane to Priory Street and on Bishophill. This is the church of Holy Trinity, which seems rather squashed with a house butting into the churchyard right up to the path to the church door. This is another very ancient Pre-Conquest Church listed in the Domesday Book. It had been an Abbey of an order of Benedictines and then became a Parish Church. The Abbey site had covered several acres behind the present church and at the Dissolution had been granted to Leonard Beckwith in 1542 and remained as gardens for many years. This lovely painting is titled "Gatehouse Holy Trinity Priory, York" by Walter Harvey Brook [1863 - 1943] and is at the York Art Gallery. It is on the ArtUk website and is in the public domain with credit to York Art Gallery. The gatehouse no longer exists as it was sold in 1850 and later taken down when Priory Street was developed. In the churchyard is a set of stocks! with the explanation Wooden Stocks have probably [aagh, how historians hate the word Probably!] stood on this spot since the 16th century. They were used for the punishment of minor crimes and nuisances until changes in the law in 1858. The original stocks are displayed in the church. These replicas were set up in 2006. But of course, the church was locked so I couldn't check the originals. So onwards round the corner to Priory Street and a fist full of churches and chapels. But first just look at this gorgeous lettering on the gateway to the Rectory. On the left a huge Methodist Chapel, which may now be unused; in the middle and directly, opposite a huge Baptist Church, with a building site in front of it, and at the end of Priory Street a large square building called St Columbas United Reform Church, originally Prebysterian, which had originally had a tower on the corner facing the street. Also on Priory Street are buildings that were a school. Lots of puiblic buildings within a very few yards. This building had me puzzled for some time, there is nothing on the building to say what it was. It is on the corner of Victor Street and Newton Terrace, right against the City Walls. It was Victoria Bar Chapel, of the Primitive Methodist denomination and very important at the turn of the last century. Here is a snippet from the Yorkshire Evening Press for 24th January 1905. Primitive Methodists were a fairly radical lot, and many early Labour M.P.s cut their oratorical speech-making from the cradle of Primitive Methodism. This newspaper report is about Mr Charles Clack who was a Passive Resister and had been sentenced to a week in Wakefield Gaol for non-payment of rates and came to Victoria Bar Chapel to give an account of his experience. I discovered that a forebear in my family had also been involved with the Passive Resistance movement, and was , of course, a staunch Methodist. This movement involved not paying your rates, a bold move indeed, and was linked to a change in the law about Education. When School Boards were introduced in 1870 schools were run by locally elected governors, and it meant that non-conformists could be on the board. The law was changed by the Education Act of 1902 which abolished School Boards and created LEAs, Local Education Authorities, who would gather in the rates and govern schools. Non-conformists, now kicked off the governing bodies, resented paying rates to Anglican schools that taught their brand of religion, and so decided to not pay the rates. The amount of money was usually small, and eventually the movement fizzled out, but Victoria Bar Chapel had a moment in the spot-light. This is from the York Herald 10th July 1890 and dates from about ten years after the Victoria Bar Chapel was built, but they were still struggling to pay off a debt. Many non-conformist denominations had more zeal for building than they had money in the coffers, had to borrow to build their chapels, and then spent years and years repaying the debts. Ten years after it first opened they were holding a Bazaar. Ladies spent hours and hours making things to sell and tea and cakes to encourage people to come. Onwards to Bishophill. There were two ancient parish churches within a few yards of each other, one called St Mary Bishophill Senior, and the other St Mary Bishophill Junior. Very strange. This notice is attached to the railings of the churchyard of St Mary Bishophill Senior, because the church has now gone, demolished in 1963. The notice tells of Saxon burials on the site and that the outline of a simple church dates from the 10th century. Roman masonry was used in the construction and it was enlarged and rebuilt at various times until a complete restoration was undertaken in the 1860s. And just two hundred yards down the road is the Parish Church of St Mary Bishophill Junior. The church door was open, but as I cautiously pushed it I could hear that there was a meeting going on inside so did not explore further. This is also very old and has re-used Roman masonry, but has been much restored. Stunning carving on the porch of Jacob's Well. And a little door in a wall on Trinity Lane is the side entrance into the Rectory. Which brought me back to Micklegate. There is more ... next time. Just at the moment York City Council is digging up most of the city streets (which are called Gates in York, and the gates are called Bars), which is making any visit to the City awful. Some streets are blocked off, the noise is dreadful, metal fencing, diggers, it must be unbearable for those who are shopkeepers. York is divided by the River Ouse, and the quieter side runs up hill from the river to the south west. This map has just one bridge crossing the river, now there are three. So on a bright, sunny, autumn morning I ventured across Ouse Bridge (in the centre of the map) and wandered up Micklegate. Do come with me. I just look at things, and see where they take me. You could just dash past this doorway, but look, there are two little lions, and two lovely ferns, two flowers beneath and a lovely fan light, and a reflection of the houses on the other side of Micklegate, showing the different styles of architecture, the flat fronted brick built Georgian houses, and the old medieval gable ended houses. Let's start with one of the important houses. This is Bathurst House, fortunately in the sunshine, and a nice link with the Yorkshire Dales because it was built by Charles Bathurst of the CB Inn in Arkengarthdale fame. This was his town house. He was a High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1727, and no doubt impressed his guests at this lovely house. An unusual angle, but it is always a good idea to look up. I was given to understand that Bathurst House was one of the earliest to have guttering and pipes to take the rain off the roof. Lead was not a problem to Charles Bathurst, there was plenty of it in Arkengarthdale. Right at the top there is a letter "B", and a very fancy down pipe. I have been in this house as at one time our accountants had their office here. This is another rather grand house, called Garforth House, the plaque on the wall says that it was once a girls' school. I was rather taken by the ornate iron work at each side of the door. Was it to hold some sort of lantern or torch? Here is William Garforth, what a lovely velvet coat. This painting is by Charles Jervas 1675 - 1739 [or follower of] and is at the Merchant Adventurers' Hall in York and on the ArtUk website. He supported the widows of the Merchant Adventurers out of an income from this house. He became a Governor of the company and a Freeman of the City of York. More lovely houses opposite Garforth House. The Georgians knew how to create pleasing architecture, the attention to detail and ornamentation makes Micklegate feel very grand. There were many county families who had town houses on Micklegate, with all their servants, and in between ordinary tradespeople, shops, inns and churches. The 1791 Universal British Directory listed the principal inhabitants of York, the ones living in Micklegate are highlighted. Quite a few! Mrs Bourchier William Caddy Esq Countess Cunningham Mr Fisher Esq J Fothergill Esq Mrs Macdonald Mr Patterson Esq Mr J Swann Esq William Taylor Esq Major Thompson Mr Wand Esq And another link to the Yorkshire Dales, the Rev Mr Costabadie had a house in Micklegate. Was this the same as the Vicar of Wensley or a member of his family? Someone will tell me. The Mrs Bourchier, above, lived at Micklegate House. This is described as the most important Georgian house in York. It was built by John Bourchier of Beningbrough Hall in 1752. For details of the architecture you can read this page on the City of York website. After Mrs Bourchier's time the house was lived in by the Crompton family, and fortunately Henrietta Maria Crompton left diaries and letters (at North Yorkshire County Record Office). The Cromptons had several country houses but used this is their town house when they were in York. The Cromptons were originally bankers, made money and had an estate called Wood End near Thornton le Street, near Thirsk. Joshua Crompton had the grand house on Lendal in York called the Judges Lodging, now a hotel. After he sold this he moved to Micklegate House, the grandest of Micklegate's houses. Through his marriage he also acquired Esholt Hall in the West Riding. This is from the York Herald 4 January 1834 and illustrates why the great and the good would be in their town houses. From Henrietta Maria Crompton's diary for the 16th January 1834 - Morning of the Great County Ball benefit Bar walls. Mr and Mrs Fawkes arrived at 4 then Lady Stourton, Joshua and Robert slept at the Falcon. Mr Serjeantson, Mr Warde, Mr Maxwell at dinner, 15. To the ball at 10. 560 persons present. Lady Mexbro, Howden, Charlotte Fox, Elizabeth Lowther, Muncaster, Ramsden, Lady Henry Powlett, arrived home at 4 o'c all enjoyed it. I sat still and thought of other things. This is the Crompton household in 1851, some years after the Ball of 1834. Henrietta Maria heads the household, she never married and gave her age as 56 in 1851. She had two sisters with her, Margaret and Caroline, and an aunt Jane Rookes (Henrietta's mother was a Rookes), there was one visitor, Mary Brockhill from Dishforth, and nine servants. Micklegate House is now a Safestay Hostel. A bit further along Mickelgate (I am dodging about from one part to another) this intriguing plaque is behind some ornate railings in front of another grand house. I am familiar with the name of Backhouse, associated with the Quaker banking family in Darlington, and did not know they had a York connection. The York Civic Trust have a page all about James Backhouse here . And here are the Backhouses in the 1851 census, next door to the Cromptons. James Backhouse described himself as Nurseryman and Seedsman occupying 79 acres employing 34 men, 9 women and 5 boys, born Darlington. His son, another James was also in the same business. Elizabeth Backhouse, sister of the first James, also born in Darlington, was a Bank and Railway Share holder, and they had a cook and a housemaid. Now I am going up to the top of Micklegate to look at some very different architecture. I cannot tell you how long I had to wait to take the photograph above! Where the red A board is on the pavement there is a take-away coffee shop, and that part of the pavement was constantly occupied by people waiting to be served and then eating and drinking! What caught my eye on this rather lovely old building is the animal which could be a lamb, or a calf ...? and the numbers 176.... couldn't make out the rest. But the building is surely far older than 1760 something or other. This shows the overhanging jetties of a medieval construction and exposed timbers. Has this building always looked like this? Compare and contrast - A sketch by Gilbert Foster in one of Edmund Bogg's Yorkshire guide books printed 1904. And an illustration in Charles Brunton Knight's guide "This is York" 1951. And picture called "The corner of Micklegate" by James H Bakes [1862 - after 1930] at the York Museum Trust and on the ArtUk website. All of which go to show that the black and white building at the top of Micklegate was not always a black and white building! And all these later sketches have not included the rain water down-spout! The York Conservation Trust has an interpretation and history of these buildings here. There is a lot more to see, churches, little snickets or snickleways between the houses , much more. Micklegate has Roman origins, and is still being built upon. On the opposite corner to the picture above is a Huge Hole where buildings have been demolished and are now being re developed. What style of architecture I wonder? Next time I will explore a bit further.
This summer I have visited two exhibitions of quilts, one at Newton on Ouse and the other at Gainford. Both were stunning. At Newton on Ouse the parish church was stuffed full of quilts old and new. They were draped over every pew, which must have been very cosy for morning service. The variety was amazing, the techniques, colours, designs, and represented thousands of hours of work. I am in a little sewing group and we had some quilts draped over the pews above. This led me to think of all the work involved, and how over time dedicated needlewomen (and some needlemen) have provided everything required for their home and family, but after a while it is lost, used for dusters, succumbed to moths and time. Fascinated by any references to such needlewomen here are a few tantalizing snippets. Celia Fiennes [1662 - 1741] famous for her travels throughout the country on horseback, was a rich lady. She never married, and her will left a large amount of jewellery, and also some textiles - To my neice Jane King besides the large pearl necklace I gave her at her marriage and stich pillows and quilt I give her my father’s picture set in gold in miniature - a mention of some stitched pillows and a quilt - I hope Celia made these herself. Also - to my Doctor Justinian Morse my seatee of Irish Stich and my single large silver plaite in gratitude to their great care. I give my own servant that attends me at my death all my clothes - Dr Morse got a settee of Irish Stitch. I wondered what Irish Stitch is, and it is another term for Florentine work or Flame embroidery. Here is one I made earlier, 1978 in fact. Husband made the piano stool and I made the top. The standard of quilt making in the exhibition at Gainford was particularly high, see the photograph above. Some superb designs and sewing. Traditionally patchwork quilts were made up of left over scraps, whole-cloth quilts (associated with Durham and the North East) were made out of pieces of cloth bought for the purpose. Above is one of the many photographs I took at Gainford. I do try and use left-over scraps for my quilts and do cut up old clothes (particularly husband's raggy shirts) but sometimes you just need a particular colour and have to make a specific purchase. Wills sometimes give intriguing glimpses into houses as well as the lives of the testator and his or her family. Mary Fossick, who made a will in 1776, was originally from Yorkshire but lived down south - I also give to her the said Mary Carter all my household goods and Furniture in the front dining room of my dwelling house in Bishopsgate Street London And my Crimson Silk Bed and everything belonging thereto And my Harpsichord in my house at Chigwell Row in Essex and also my Gold Watch and all my Buckles Diamond Rings and trinketts that I may die posessed of ..... So imagine Mary's harpsichord in her house at Chigwell Row and her crimson bed .... Beds, bedding and bed hangings were often bequeathed and were therefore something of value. Mary Seavers of Thirsk made a will in 1780 and had a variety of personal possessions to leave to her family - I give and bequeath to my grandson Richard all that my bed and bedding bedstead with checked hangings - she also specified various pieces of furniture, silver spoons and a tankard and her wearing apparel and linen. Ann Johnson of Barningham left the beds and bedding used by each of her children specifically to them - I give and bequeath to my daughter Jane Johnson £30 and also my Mahogany Table Glass and Pictures in the Parlour of my said house at Greenbrough aforesaid eight Mahogany Chairs the bed and beddings usually used by her together with my best set of China and all and singular my plate and linen (except as herinafter mentioned) ..... I give and bequeath to my son Edward Johnson £30 together with the bed and bedding used by him Also my leather bottomed chairs and a Mahogany Table. And I give my son William Johnson the bed and bedding usually used by him. Three Ladies Sewing by George Dance the younger [1741 - 1825] at Eton College and on the ArtUk website. Mary Metcalf of Masham made a will in 1704 in which she left - I also give to my Cozen Mary Beckwith one Silver Salver of 5 Guineas value in which my name shall by ciphered. She shall have my best Sute of Cloaths throughout all from head to foote. Her sisters got all the rest of her clothes divided between them. This picture is called Portrait of a couple said to be John Tradescant the elder and his wife Elizabeth Day at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and on the ArtUke website, I have used this to illustrated what they wore on their heads because in the will of Ellen Lobley of 1635 she mentioned many things, her cows and calves, pewter, money and bacon .... To Isabel Atkinson a stirke att May day, one Caull, one Pewther dish, three Cheese presses one Bacon flicke on paire of sheetes and a Pettecote To Elizabeth Geldart one Pettycote and a hatt To the above named Dorothie Fosse her best gowne & her best hatt Dorothie's daughter had already got a cow. An inventory was made after Ellen died and the lists included three pairs of sheets, a mattress, two coverlets, a bolster, three blankets and a pillow; ten shillings worth of bacon and six shillings and seven pence worth of flax and yarn. Ellen doubtless made everything herself. It is quite hard to find pictures of ordinary people in ordinary houses, portraits of this period were of the great and good with lace and ruffs, not plain clothes. This picture is called Interior of a room with Figures, a man playing a lute and a woman, by Adrien Brouwer [1605 - 1638] and is at the V & A. Another testator who mentioned clothes was Alyce Croft of East Witton in 1620. The spelling is difficult, so in our spelling she left - I give to Alice Croft daughter of Rauf my best green gown and my petticoat of flannel ... I do give to Elizabeth Croft daughter of John a felt hat lined with velvet. I give unto Alice Thwaite another felt hat ... I do give to my son Thomas Croft a pair of bed stocks and the feather bed, a couple of blankets, a single covering, a single happin and a pair of linen sheets and a throwne chair ... I give Isabel Thwaite the honey chest and my best red petticoat of flannel... and all this intermingles with her pans and kettles, tups and gimmers. Her nephews got the hives of bees. Moving forward in time, the will of Elizabeth Natriss of Askrigg in 1843 mentioned - to my nephew George Natriss the son of my brother John Natriss I give my gold hunting watch and also my largest round pattern table cloth. All these give tiny glimpses into the homes and wardrobes of women in times past, who plied their needles to make and embroider tablecloths, cushions, petticoats and gowns, bed spreads and curtains. My current pile of sewing and knitting is on a chair just out of shot! I will leave the last words to Hannah Gill, she must have had an amazing wardrobe and really cut a dash. Barden is a very tiny place, with far more cows than people, and I am trying to imagine Hannah in all her finery amongst them all. She made her will in 1827. This is the Last Will and Testament of me Hannah Gill late of Poland Street in the City of London but now residing at Barden in the parish Hauxwell in the County of York, Spinster ..... unto my sister in law Mary Gill the wife of my brother George Gill of Barden the bed on which I now lie together with the bedstead, bedding and other things appertaining , also one pair of sheets, four napkins, three table cloths, a set of china, glass decanters ... my red and white shawl, my best tea caddy .... to my niece Hannah daughter of my brother Thomas Gill .... my red and white cotton bed quilt, one pair of sheets, one pair of white stays and also my Leghorn bonnet, stuff gown, green silk shawl and a tea pot ... to my niece Elizabeth, daughter of George Gill, now in London, my best Gros de Naples gown and a black veil ... neice Mary daughter of my brother George my scarlet silk shawl... Lydia daughter of my brother George my Shambro gown ... my sister Lydia Lye wife of Edward Lye of no. 2 Rupert Street, London ... my best Noneith crape gown, my brown silk pelisoe, my best damask table cloth three and a half yards long marked with my initials, one pair of sheets .... my niece Elizabeth daughter of my brother William Gill my best cloth pelisoe, my puce silk gown trimmed with buttons ... my niece Lydia daughter of my brother John Gill my white gown and fleeced petticoat ... to Mary wife of my brother John my black Bombazine gown and petticoat .... she then bequeathed them all money. This is a photograph of a quilt that was on display some years back at the Hawes Museum, called the Kilburn Quilt, I think after the local family called Kilburn. Was Hannah's red and white cotton bed quilt similar? So who will I leave my quilts to? Will they want them? Should I sort it out with my daughters now!? But I salute all those dedicated women who stitched and stitched to provide for their homes and families. Gainford exhibition.
These women, and all who have gone before them, have skills that make them "More precious than jewels" ... Proverbs chapter 31 - A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels ... she puts her hands to the distaff and her hands hold the spindle, she opens her hands to the poor and reaches out to the hands of the needy. She is not afraid for her household when it snows for all her household are clothed in crimson .... she makes herself coverings [i.e. quilts!] ... she makes linen garments and sells them ... she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.. So I had better get on and do some chores ..... This month, the Parish or Petty Constable. Here is a Constable from the Lewis Walpole collection. How typical he would have been I don't know. The Parish Constable was appointed at the Vestry meeting held after Easter and would serve for a year, a voluntary position, unpaid, but could claim expenses. He was responible for law and order in the parish and had a long list of responsibilities. This volume of 1772 outlines the duties of the Parish Constable which extended beyond their own parish. To start with they had to swear an oath that they would fulfil their position and be loyal to King and Country at the Quarter Sessions. There were other types of Constables, Chief Constables and High Constables had power from Justices of the Peace over a specific area, a County, Liberty or Wapentake [division of a County]. They are mentioned often in the records of the Quarter Sessions, and usually had to be present at the court. They were not always up to the job. In 1653 a Luke Yarker of Leyburn was appointed Chief Constable for the Wapentake of Hang West, but in 1654 was relieved of his duty as he could neither read nor write and Thomas Foster of Leyburn was appointed in his place. Under these Constables were the Parish of Petty Constables, originally nominated from the Manor Court, but as some Manor Courts ceased to function, they were appointed from the Vestry Meeting. The Parish Constable had powers of arrest, powers to enter a property and had to keep records of local parishioners. So you can see that as this was a voluntary post, there could be quite a variation in the standards and administration of their duty. Quite often they were summoned to the Quarter Sessions for neglecting some aspect of the job. In 1611 Richard Geldart, Constable for Coverham, was summoned for not apprehending Rogues. The following year all the inhabitants of Coverham were in trouble for NOT appointing a Constable at all and they were told they ought to find one. One of their duties was to raise a Hue and Cry if a felon was in the parish, or an escaped prisoner. This meant that they had to ride through the parish calling out loud for all the inhabitants to come out and pursue the miscreant on horseback or on foot with much shouting, until captured. If every one did not turn out for the Hue and Cry, the whole parish could be made to pay compensation to the vitim of the crime. And the pursuit could extend beyond the boundary of the parish. Above is the instruction to alert the Constable of the next parish or town. An example was in 1655 when Mr Robert Berry was robbed in the Wapentake of Allertonshire and lost £138. The Constable of Bedale neglected to pursue the robbers in a Hue and Cry and the inhabitants of the Wapentakes of Hallikeld and Hang East had to pay compensation of £124 between them! The bit of Yorkshire called Richmondshire was made up of five Wapentakes, Gilling East, Gilling West, Hang East, Hang West and Hallikeld. The Gilling East Wapentake is not to be confused with the place called Gilling East in Ryedale. The Constable was responsible for maintaining the parish stocks and a whipping post. Here are the stocks on the village green at Bainbridge from the geograph.org.uk website available through creative commons. After a trial the constable would be responsible for taking a prisoner to the local stocks or whipping post to receive their punishment in public. In 1615 Jane Walker, spynster of Hunton, was guilty of her offence of Bastardy, i.e. she had a child out of wedlock, and was conveyed to the market at Middleham where she was whipped by the constable of Middleham. In 1626 Margery wife of Miles Metcalfe of Crakehall was to be sett in the stocks at Bedale in full market time with a paper on her head written with great letters I SITT HERE IN THE STOCKS FOR BEATINGE MY OWNE MOTHER and there to remain untill such time as she shall sitt downe upon her knees & submitt herselfe to her mother & crave her blessinge. Robert Storr & Christopher Smith, Constables of Bedale, to see this Order performed. The Constable was also responsible for the Lock-up, or if there was none, had to keep any prisoner in his own house. This is the village Lock-up at North Stainley near Ripon and is also on the website of geograph.org available through creative commons. The Constable had to regularly apprehend Rogues and Vagabonds and keep them until they could be taken to the nearest Justice of the Peace. The Constable of Kirklington had an unlucky experience when he apprehended Alice wife of Ralph Dixon as a Rogue and Vagabond in 1624, he took her to his house where she died! The Constable had to appoint a Watchman who was reponsible for many things, including watching prisoners, and watching boundaries. At times of contagious disease, of humans or livestock, a watchman had to be in post at the boundaries of the parish. The Constable of Gilling [West] was brought before the Quarter Sessions because he had appointed a poor blind man as watchman who could not see the light of a candle! This was at a time where there was a dreadful cattle plague in County Durham. In the 1740s a cattle plague of some sort kept breaking out all across the country and movement of livestock was strictly regulated. The Constables had to close down all fairs and markets and there were even restrictions in moving cattle to water or pasture. In 1748 the Quarter Sessions ordered that all Parish Officers and Constables nearest to the bridges of the rivers Ure and Swale had to hinder any horned cattle from crossing the said bridges without a legal certificate. The Constables had to set Watchmen at the said bridges at the cost of 10d for one watchman watching in the day time and 1s 8d for two men in the night time. [It didn't mention fords]. This picture is called The Watchman and is by Godfrey Sykes [1824 - 1866] and is at the Sheffield Museum and on the ArtUk website. In towns and cities the Watchman had responsibilities for those coming and going from sun setting to sun rising. His job was quite dangerous and he could be subject to violence. The Parish Constable also had to keep lists of local men who were qualified to do Jury Service. This picture is called The Jury by John Morgan [1823 - 1886] and is at the Buckinghamshire County Museum and on the ArtUke website. I am worried about the one yawning .... The Jury lists were kept by Parish and then Wapentake and were annotated as to when and where the persons listed were summoned. These are interesting for those parts of the dales where there were Quakers, who would not swear an oath, as this is indicated by their name. There were several at the top end of the dales around Bainbridge. I have also found some names annotated with non compos mentis. This is a summons to call men to serve at the Jury of the Quarter Sessions for Christmas 1811 in Richmond. They would be picked from the lists submitted by the Parish Constables. These were all from the top end of Swaledale - Joseph Clarkson, John Clarkson, James Broaderick and Thomas Alderson from Satron; John Metcalfe from Oxnop; Ralph Close from Calvert Houses; William Harker and Edmund Milner from Thwaite; John Grime and James Grime from Muker; Edward Alderson, William Alderson and John Alderson from Angram - Anthony Cleasby and John Alderson from Ravenseat; Thomas Birkbeck, William Parkin, James Spenceley and Christopher Raw from Feetham [although they have put Fleetham which is quite a different place]; William Coates, Richard Garth and Jonas Eglin from Crackpot; then moving down dale - Robert Gibson, George Allan, Robert Allan and George Jackson from Ravensworth; and Robert Moss, Jonathan Thompson and Henry Coates from Scargill; and lastly John Goundry from Thorpe who was a joiner. So who would have volunteered to be a Parish Constable? The list of jobs was long and varied, from keeping lists of who had gun licences and ale houses to pursuing criminals and arresting them. Justices of the Peace gave them warrants such as this - 1723 Apprehension warrant directed to the Constable of East Witton - To apprehend Marmaduke Moore of East Witton, a lunatic, who is not fit to go at liberty and to take him to East Witton and confine him with a chain in some convenient room. The township [of East Witton] to allow three shillings a week for his maintenance as it appears he has no effects of his own. 13 February 1723. Where on earth did they put him? Poor soul. Marmaduke Moore was baptised in 1697 so was still a young man at this time. I have much sympathy for any Parish Constable in Swaledale at the end of the 1760s and into 1770 when it seems as if every miner in the dale was caught up in rioting and fighting. Lists and lists of them were summoned to the court. Someone had to apprehend them. This is a typical summons To the Constable of Grinton and to the Keeper of the House of Correction at Richmond - Whereas Ann Gale, widow, hath made information & complaint upon oath that John Dunn of Grinton, yeoman, hath bruised and ill treated her & hath of late frequently threatened to kill her, whereby she is afraid. The said John Dunn intends to kill her or do her bodily harm .... And this day John Dunn hath been brought before me ... to find sureties for his appearance at the next Quarter Sessions ... which he hath refused to do. These [i.e.this summons] are therefore to authorize & require you the said Constable to convey the said John Dunn to the House of Correction. Wm Chaytor [ who was a J.P] This is for 1771 . Phasing out of Parish Constables and the establishment of County Police Forces began after an Act of Parliament in 1839, and probably not before time. And so began the professional police force. Does anyone remember when villages had their own police officers who lived in a police house? You can still spot them by their distinct architecture. And yes, I do think they had bicycles. All over the county there are yellow diversion signs, road closed signs, and endless roadworks. Which brings to mind Bernard Cribbin's song There was I, a-digging this hole, Hole in the ground, So big and sort of round it was ...... with the chorus Don't dig it there, dig it elsewhere, You're digging it round and it ought to be square ... etc etc So this month I am looking at the Surveyor of the Highways, one of the voluntary position within the Parish Officers who assembled at the Vestry Meeting. I am sure it was an unpopular job as they could levy a rate and assemble the parishioners to mend the roads. From an Act of Parliament in 1555 a parish was responsible for all the roads in that parish, and they had to be maintained and repaired by the inhabitants of that parish. Now if you were in some little rural backwater it may not have been too big a task, but imagine if you had the Great North Road (now the A1) running through your parish. And some did. The County, i.e. The Quarter Sessions, were responsible for bridges. The Surveyors of the Highways (sometimes there were two) were appointed at the Vestry Meeting held at Easter, and were appointed for a year. If they refused to act, or neglected their duty, then they would be fined at the Quarter Sessions 40 shillings. The Surveyor of the Highways would then decide that certain days were for mending the roads and the parishioners had to meet together and give free labour. These were called Statute Days. If you refused or did not turn up, you too could be summoned to the Quarter Sessions and fined. Sometimes a whole parish was summoned if their roads were in a bad way, sometimes just individuals. The Quarter Session records are peppered with such summons. The Quarter Sessions held at Thirsk on the 17th and 18th April 1610 summoned the inhabitants of Middleham for not repairing the highway between Elizabeth Clarkson's house and Henry Watterson's, his house leading to the church. Later the same year, at the June Quarter Sessions, Thomas Spence of Newbiggin was summoned for refusing to work on the highways. Thomas Spence was a bit of a rebel because he was then in contempt for not obeying the warrant. At the same Sessions a record was made that the High Street leading through the Lordship of Constable Burton to the coalpitts was in great ruin and ought to be repaired by the inhabitants of Finghall, and the same for the road from Spennithorne to the coalpitts. Old maps pinpont quarries in this area but not coal pits, so I am intrigued. On 18th July 1693 at the Quarter Sessions held in Bedale, the inhabitants of Askrigg (on far right on map) were presented for not repairing the highway that went from Askrigg to Kirkby Stephen in Westmoreland at the place called Cotter (top left on map). Those of you who know this bit of the dales will appreciate what a task it would be to keep the road up Cotter in repair, it is steep. So what did the inhabitants have to do? The Surveyor of the Highways had to decided which bits needed mending, find the stone and supply some tools. Each parish would have tools for breaking stones to mend the roads. Those who had horses and carts had to bring them, but most would have had wheel barrows or hand carts. If you were a land owner with land worth £50 p.a. you could send two labourers in your stead. The Statute Days would be announced in church, and then you hoped for a fine day and not rain. Bad luck if you were hoping to get your grass cut that day. This is from George Walker's "Costumes of Yorkshire" 1814 and is of road menders. You may have to give up four or even six days a year to mend the roads. Of course, this meant that the quality of the roads varied from parish to parish, not just because of material available, but because of the skill and ability of the Surveyor. This document is about collecting money. The Surveyors of the Highways were allowed to levy a rate in the parish and had to keep accounts to pay for tools and materials. This is an Assessment of 3d in the £ for defraying the necessary expenses belonging to the Highways of East Witton Township in the North Riding of Yorkshire made this 21st day of February 1837 by John Smallpage, Overseer. It then listed all the owners and occupiers of property and the value. By the time of this document the system of Statute Days of Labour had been abolished, and in 1835 rates were levied to pay workmen. There is nothing new about paying rates. I remember the roadman who looked after all the ditches around the village where I went to school. I often met him on my long walk to and from the village. At each Easter Vestry Meeting the Surveyor had to hand in his accounts. Alexander Fothergill [1709 - 1788] of Carr End, Raydale, kept a diary of the time he was the Surveyor of the Richmond to Lancaster Turnpike starting in 1751. He kept meticulous accounts and travelled along the eastern route of the road continually, come rain, hail or sun. He was required to organise the Statute Days of Labour for the parishes the turnpike passed through, acquire materials and tools, commission toll bars and houses, check on the workmen, etc, and he did this for 23 years. So what insights does his diary give about road mending? Alexander Fothergill often stayed at Halfpenny House (top right) and in 1754 he recorded in his diary - 5th June. I attended the townships of Laybourne [Leyburn] to and at their first Statute days of work. They appeared generally and wrought pretty well and led 255 cart loads of stones from my quarries and each one from their low quarries. 7th June. Early in the morning I came to Bellerby to attend the first common days work in that town, the inhabitants appeared generally and wrought pretty well and led 214 cart loads of stones onto the road ready casten for that purpose. In the evening I went down to lodge at Halfpenny House where I paid William Anderson the remainder due to him for making ninety two roods and a half of road on Coat Moor at 6s 9d per rood ..... However things did not go so well in Askrigg. 11th June. I attended the East half of Askrigg to their first Statute Day's work. They appeared very generally but wrought very idly and little could be done if I had not provided skuttles to place in their carts at which they were so greeved that often threw them away over into the fields. And so his diary recorded how we went along the whole route through Wensleydale in June 1754 summoning the inhabitants of each village to work on the roads, and whether they turned up or not and if they did any work. So next time you are faced with a "Road Closed" sign and a long diversion do think of your predecessors who had to turn up with a shovel and a wheel barrow or a hammer to break stones. Unless of course you really fancy being one of the "Boys from the Blackstuff" and driving a Big Machine. And I really think that the Sign Writers were a bit over-zealous in announcing that this road was closed.
There is much focus at the time of writing this on an International Singing Competition in Liverpool. Whatever your taste in music, singing is now acknowledged to be good for you. I have sung all my life and had the good fortune to have had a series of singing teachers who all taught me different techniques, and I have been a member of many choirs over a whole life time, and sung a wide variety of music, plus of course, singing in Sunday School and Chapel. Do you remember Singing Together with William Appleby? This was broadcast on the wireless on a BBC Schools Service from 1939 to 2001. This was an amazing resource for small village schools which did not have a piano or a teacher who could read music. I LOVED Singing Together, and owe the programme a huge debt, I gained a love for traditional folk songs from the repertoire. Each term had a booklet with brilliant drawings, words, and one stave of music. I would learn them off by heart and can still remember many of them now. We were allowed to take the booklets home, and when a niece was learning to play the recorder I passed all mine on to her, but I doubt they were kept, which I now much regret. Music making in the dales has a long history. Each generation has sung and played to amuse, entertain, accompany work, calm babies and praise God. Fashions come and go, popular composers are now long dead and forgotten, harmonic styles reminiscent of a different era have faded from the ear, but every so often a reminder emerges. Competitions encouraged (or discouraged) amateur musicians to learn new music and "have a go". For good or ill I went to Tournaments of Song and Music Competitions all over. I have a chest full of music, which every so often I get out and play. At the time I just did as I was told, but later I did rebel and call a halt to being put into competitions. As well as a chest full of music I have a shelf of books which were prizes, and I do "prize" them. Oh the short skirt and long hair ...... The Wensleydale Tournament of Song still takes place every year in Leyburn. There had also been a Swaledale Tournament of Song. This is from the Darlington and Stockton Times 19th May 1900. The report filled most of the page - The ancient Borough of Richmond is to be congratulated on the very successful Tournament of Song which has been held there during the past week. These Tournaments have been held at other centres in this district, but it is the first attempt which has been made at Richmond, and according to all appearances, the experiment seems not unlikely to take root as a permanent institution. The idea of founding the gathering rests with the Hon Lucien Orde-Powlett and Mr W Ellis Mus Bac. of Richmond. They have been most energetically backed up by the residents of the town and district, and found untiring coadjutors in Miss C Yeoman and Miss M Yeoman of Richmond who act as Hon secretaries. They have worked in season and out of season to promote the undertaking and deserve a great deal of credit for the success which is to be expected ..... The adjudicators at this competition were Thomas Tertius Noble and Miss Mary Augusta Wakefield. Both celebrated in their time and still remembered. Noble [ 1867 - 1953] was an organist and composer and in 1900 was the organist at York Minster. He also founded the York Symphony Orchestra which today is conducted by Edward Venn who also conducts the choir I sing with. The other adjudicator, Miss Mary Augusta Wakefield [1853 - 1910] is credited with starting music competitions around the country. She was also a talented singer, composer, author and sufragette. She came from a Kendal family and you can read more about her on www.sedgwickparishcouncil.org.uk/mary-wakefield.html Sadly the report in the D & S Times for the Swaledale Festival in 1901 reported a drop in entries, and although it halted for the First World War, and then started again, it did not carry on for much longer. The local newspaper is a great source for the names of competitors in these festivals and tournaments of song. But other singing events were reported in the newspaper too. The Teesdale Mercury 31st January 1872 reported on the Arkengarthdale Miners' and Mechanics' Institute Tea Festival. And what a jolly time was had! This was held in the Reading Room at the CB Yard. One hundred people turned up for tea and then there was entertainment. The report took up a large part of the page and named all those who took part and what they did. I have found some of the music to give an idea of what the folk in Arkengarthdale found entertaining. The Rev John Tinkler M A , vicar of Arkingarthdale presided. Programme (first part) duet - The Osborne Quadrilles - Miss and Master Joseph Peacock of Sealhouses ; part song - Where is Home - Miss Maggie Willey, Mr Michael Willey jun, Mr Matthew Willey of Scar House, Mr Christopher Hind, schoolmaster ; song - My Betsy - Mr Geo Stoddart of Old Schoolhouse ; reading - the Clothing Club - Mr Joseph Stones of Mill Intake ; pianoforte duet - Come down by the silvery brook - Miss E A & Mr W Peacock ; song - Janet’s choice ........ Claribel was Charlotte Alington Barnard [1830 - 1869] a composer of popular ballads and poems. Miss Anne Knowles of Low Row, Swaledale ; Song - Teddy O’Neal - Mr John Hillary, accompanied by Mr B Harker on the harmonium. Song - Don’t marry a man if he drinks - This song is of course a warning and had quite a jolly tune. Young ladies pray listen to me And keep just as quiet as mice While I sing you a song it is not very long Which contains quite a piece of advice. ....... each verse ending with Don't marry a man if he drinks. It was a very full programme, in two halves .... Mr Michael Willey junr. March - The Prussian Cavalry, pianoforte - Miss A Knowles. Song - The old arm chair There are various versions of this which is a sentimental ballad probably in the Music Hall style. The evening copntinued with recitations and then there was Part the second. The Cameronian Quadrille - pianoforte - Miss and Master Joseph Peacock. Song - The young recruit - Mr John Hillary accompanied by Mr B Harker on the harmonium. Recitation - Margery Gullwell’s Model - Mr Joseph Stones and Mr Ambrose Whitehead of Church Lodge. Song - Maggie’s secret . The young recruit has lots of verses and was along the lines of .... Come and be a soldier, lads, come lads, come! Hark, don’t you hear the fife and the drum? Come to the battlefield, march, march away. Come and lose your eyes and limbs for thirteen pence a day. Miss Elizabeth Peacock accompanied by Miss E A Peacock. Reading - Tom out on his velocipede - Mr Joseph Stones. Song - Lady Clara Vere de Vere - Miss A Knowles. Song - Is that mother bending o’er me The poem Lady de Vere de Vere was by Alfred Tennyson and included the line "Kind hearts are more than coronets". The song "Is that mother bending o'er me" is about a sixteen year old American lad who went into battle and was mortally wounded, looking anxiously for his mother...... There were many more items and I am sure that Arkengarthdale had some talent amongst the population who had access to the sheet music in the pre wireless days. I am going to end with an amazing piece in the Liverpool Daily Post for 7th October 1932. A reporter had travelled into the dales and got talking to a local in the Punch Bowl at Low Row. A Chat in the Bar Parlour. The Punch Bowl at Low Row is frequented by many of the venerable choristers who compose the Swaledale veteran concert party, so I sat in the bar parlour one evening hoping to meet one of them. Eventually a white haired farmer entered, whereat the landlord exclaimed "Jemmy, tell the lad here about the Swaledale concert party." The farmer nodded, and measured me slowly with his brown eyes, faintly interested as he saw that I was an "incomer". "Aye, Jack" he answered and led me to a table that overlooked the steep dale. There we sipped the Tadcaster brew, and chatted for a while until he began. "Aye, we're all over sixty, an' we sing for charity, and then we doan't concern ourselves with these new songs as can be listened to on the wireless. We have mostly our own songs written in these parts. we've had concerts in Muker, an' Askrigg, an' Arkengarthdale, all great successes. Ther's Mr John Cottingham here eighty-three and sings a song called "Oonder the ault apple tree"." I gazed with interest at the figure he indicated. A finely poised head with aquiline features, and a short white beard. There there's James Iverson, 77, a well known Swaledale worthy. He sings songs of his own arrangement, and does clog dances with them. "An' Mr John Bearpark, of Low Row, sings a song called "Whiteside Moor" - all about a fomous fox hoont of 90 years ago that found at Markse brigg and went over the moor yonder an' right oop past Muker towards Bootertoobs. It was composed by his gran'father Mr Cherry Bearpark. So he rambled on specifying the songs of each members of the party and relating the history of the dale, and eventually persuaded him to write down the names and ages of the whole choir. Here they are :- Mr John Cottingham, 83; George Alderson 77; James Peacock 66; Ralph Peacock 68; Frank Parker 69; James Hutchinson 69; James Iveson 77; John Bearpark 66; James Coates 68; Edward Fawcett 69; Joseph Chapman 68; George Sunter, Mrs Sunter, Mrs Timothy Scatcherd. "Tim Scatcherd" he explained as I scanned that chronicle of aged nightingales, "doan't sing, but kindly takes oos to engagements in his boos, so I've added him. Now as for George Soonter," he leaned across to tell the solemn truth. "He's not yet sixty, but we bring him in to sing a dooet with Mrs Soonter, because none of oos lads is acquainted with it - an' the ladies? we doan't know their ages". Needless to say I have found most of these people in censuses and confirm their ages. Well we are no spring chickens in the choir that I sing with either! But whatever your age, whatever style of music you like, Eurovision or Opera, Folk songs or hymns, whatever it may be, SING - it is good for you. This picture is called The Village Choir and is by Thomas George Webster [1800 - 1886] at the V & A Museum and on the ArtUk website.
Easter was the time when the officals of the parish, the bottom rung of local democracy, were appointed. This month I am looking at the parish officers and what their duties were. My examples of course, are from the dales, I don't know if they would have indulged in a Vestry Dinner at their appointments - the print below is from the Lewis Walpole collection dated 1795 ref lwlpr08535. There is a notice on the wall behind the diners which is their Vestry Creed "... see and say nothing. Eat, Drink and Pay Nothing" which is not unlike the Yorkshireman's Motto "Hear all, see all, say nowt; eat all, drink all, pay nowt. And if tha does owt for nowt do it for thi'sen." Which is why some pubs are called The Four Alls. Back to the Vestry Meeting. Laymen were important in the running of the parish on both a civil and an ecclsiastical level. At Easter the members of the meeting were appointed and out of their number they elected the Churchwardens, the Parish Constable, the Surveyor of the Highways, the Overseer of the Poor and a Sexton and a Beadle, who sometimes also was the dog whipper. The post of Churchwarden gave its name to a long stemmed pipe, and here is a Churchwarden smoking away. This is a print dated 1812 - 1817 and I am surprised he was not bewigged. Also from the Lewis Walpole collection ref 812.0000106 What did the officers do? A handy book of rules was printed in 1772 called "The Complete Parish Officer" which laid out duties and responsibilities. The churchwardens were a link between the clergy and the parishioners, they had to look after the fabric of the church and answer to the Bishop or his representative at the annual Visition. This is where Churchwardens had to take authority over the morals of the parishioners. Churchwardens signed the parish registers and the copies that were sent to the Bishop, called Bishops' Transcripts. In very large parishes there would be several churchwardens and other officers. If a parish was very large and had a Chapel of Ease then the wardens for that place of worship were called Chapelwardens, they were still Anglican, not non-conformist. Thus the above are called Chapelwardens. These were in Barnard Castle, which was part of a larger parish of Gainford. The top image is from 1818 and the lower one for 1820, so you can trace who served when at the time that the registers were signed. This is St Andrew's Parish Church,Kirkby Malzeard. The churchwardens' accounts survive and detail what they spent money on and their duties. The expenditure and receipts of William Storry, Richard Fryer, Thomas Ashbridge and John Watson, churchwardens of the parish of Kirkby Malzeard in 1834. They had to keep the church clean, pay a washerwoman to clean the surplices, buy candles, look after the clock or pay a clockmaker. In this account they bought soap and washcloths and paid Margaret Tesseyman and Nancy Chandler for doing some washing and paid Richard Morland for looking after the clock. In 1847 after the Court fees at Masham they had the expence on 30th November of the Twenty Four, i.e. all the Vestry Meeting, at Mr Woods' St Andrews Day, this cost £1 12s 6d. I don't know which pub Mr Wood had but I hope they had a good dinner. Another print from the Lewis Walpole collection dated 1795, ref lwlpr08597. The Churchwardens had a very serious side to their job. At the Visitation they had to answer a whole series of questions and report to the Bishop about any lapses in the morality of either clergyman or parishioners. At various times in history they were the ones who reported on Recusants or anyone who was absent from church. This is Holy Trinity, Coverham. At the presentments made by the Churchwardens on 12th April 1624 they gave a whole list of names of those who did not come to church to take Holy Communion at Easter. It was illegal to be a Catholic at this time but there were many Catholic families in the dales and some of these were taken to court. The documents were signed with the names of the outgoing churchwardens - Henry Becke, George Yeoman, William Winn and Thomas Lobley, and then the new appointees - William Watson, Henry Hawmond, Richard Atkinson and James Geldart. An early account for Coverham, 1629 had reported that they did not have a chest (written chyst) for keeping the church books in, which is a good excuse for the disappearance of the Parish Registers. None survive for Coverham before 1700. They also reported that the inside of the church was not as it should be. The aisles were uneven because of the corpses buried underneath and that they had not been paved over in a decent manner. They had to get it sorted before St Michael's Day This is the beautiful church of St Chad in Middlesmoor in Nidderdale. This photograph is from the Upper Nidderdale Landscape Partnership website. Here some of my ancestors lie sleeping in the churchyard. This was a chapelry within the huge parish of Kirkby Malzeard, so the wardens were called Chapelwardens not Churchwardens. Middlesmoor came under the jurisdiction of St Mary's in Masham which was a Peculiar. That means it was outside the authority of a diocese and Bishop and could hold its own courts. So the chapelwardens of Middlesmoor and the churchwardens of Kirkby Malzeard and other villages were answerable to the court at Masham. Here they travelled over the tops to Masham to the Court. The Reverend Mr Wm Firth, clerk, curate, was there with the outgoing chapelwardens, Ottiwell Tomlin, Jonathan Spence, Thomas Grainge,and on this occasion they said they had nothing to present. All the good people in Nidderdale were behaving themselves. This was unsual. The incoming chapelwardens were Thomas Spence, Thomas Harrison and Thomas Grainge again, and they were sworn in. They were obliged to report any parishioners who were adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, haunters of alehouses in the time of divine service and a whole list of other moral lapses. Thus my great, great, great, great grandmother was reported to the Church courts in Masham. In answer to a question concerning the behaviour of the parishioners, Lambert Hartley was accused of adultery with Easter Hanley of Masham and pleaded the Act of Grace, i.e. owned up and repented. But also Elizabeth Newton and Mary Gill were accused of fornication. They were unmarried. Mary Gill was reported twice, each time after taking her illegitimate baby to be baptised at Middlesmoor church, Peter in 1746 and John in 1755. For these lapses in her morality (but we know not who the father(s) were) she was excommunicated by the Anglican Church, i.e. she could not take communion. Having been thrown out of the Anglican church Mary Gill's name is on one of the earliest lists of Methodists that exists for Nidderdale. This is the Parish Church of St Mary and St Alkelda in Middleham. The Churchwardens here had another duty. To take up certain offical positions the applicant had to be a paid up member of the Anglican Church, and to prove this had to have a certificate to say that they had recently taken communion according to the Anglican Prayer Book. To become an officer in the Militia, a Justice of the Peace, offical in higher levels of government, Sheriff, Lord Lieutenant etc you had to be an Anglican. This is part of a Sacrament Certificate. We the Curate and Church Wardens of the Parish and Collegiate Church of Middleham etc hereby certify that John Howgill of Askrigg in the County of York on Sunday the 15th Day of April did receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in the Collegiate Church aforesaid immediately after Divine Service and Sermon according to the Usage of the Church of England In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our hands the said 15th Day of April 1798. J Cockroft, curate ... John Dixon and Robert Burton, Church Wardens of the said parish. Below this there is also a sworn affidavit of two witnesses who were there - George Severs of Middleham and Lawrence Shore of Bedale. This cartoon is by Thomas Howell Jones and is called select Vestry Comforts, dated 1828, from the Lewis Walpole collection ref lwlpr 13164. Churchwardens could levy a rate on property to raise funds, and here the Select Vestry are enjoying a fine dinner. The bill of fare on the left hand side lists - Item of Expences - visiting the Pauper Children ~~~~~Dinner & Desert £9 -9-0 and goes on to list their beverages Sherry, Punch, Soda, Rose Water, Ice for Wine, 12 bottles of Port, Sauterne etc etc, with a total of £34 -12 - 6. The gentleman on the left has a speech bubble "Don't be afraid of the viands, Gentlemen, although our fatigues are great. I hope we shall convince the parishioners we can do our duties at the table if we do not at the Board." Falling out of the pocket of the gentleman in the foreground "Hush Money from certain Brothells, Flash Houses etc" .... Churchwardens' accounts are actually very interesting. I could find no evidence at all that the Vestry Meeting in Wensley held any kind of dinner. This is a snip from the Wensley Churchwardens' Accounts for Tuesday April 1st 1755. It covers the assessment for raising the parish rate by John Scott and Francis Metcalfe and Michael Brotherick, the churchwardens of Wensley, Leyburn and Preston for 1754. They raised £12 - 10s of which the Wensley proportion was £5, Leyburn £5 and Preston £2 - 10s. However in 1754 the expenditure was £13 - 7s - 11 d & a halfpenny! Henry Blades was paid 5/- for whipping the dogs out of the church. They spent £2 14s 3d on communion wine (it was a big parish), and one shilling seven pence ha'penny on communion bread. They lime washed the church and had to fetch the lime with a man and a horse, they pointed the church and paved the steps, paid the ringers and bought candles and oil. The expences on Easter Tuesday (when the vestry was appointed) was 15 shillings. The picture above is Holy Trinity, Wensley, creative commons. The churchwardens had many responsibilities. Some kept pew plans so that they knew where everone was seated, some kept lists of who took communion at Easter. These are the signatures of those who were on the Vestry Meeting in Wensley in 1754. Another time I will look at some of the other parish officers and what they did.
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AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
January 2024
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