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July 2012

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Dalesman

Your letters

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The best seaside trips

Thank you Evelyn Barker (Best Day Out, March) for bringing back my childhood memory of a day trip to Redcar.
I was born in 1928 and brought up in Thirsk in north Yorkshire and the highlight of the lives of most of the local children each year in the 1930s was this day to the seaside. Those never-to-be-forgotten fish and chips at the Britannia Café, Punch and Judy Show on the beach, the sand and the sparkling sea, and what about Sunshine Corner where all the children were entertained for no charge.
I wonder if any more of your readers recall such days when it never rained. Perhaps God looked down kindly on whoever organised these annual fixtures. No matter which church, if any, they attended, I know we kids loved it.

Mrs E Barber, Cirencester

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Drawn to the Dales

Once again, the arrival of Dalesman results in another letter of appreciation for your continually excellent magazine. The April cover picture evokes memories of walking this path down to Ramps Holme Bridge many times over the years, through the lovely flower-rich meadows with the mighty Kisdon hill to one side.
Although I have lived in the East Midlands for nearly fifty years, I grew up in Doncaster and went to Scarborough College. I have to return to the Dales two or three times a year. I was able to go to the book launch of Hay Time in the Yorkshire Dales in Giggleswick in 2010 and was pleased also to be able to speak to the doyen of the Dales and the Dalesman, W R Mitchell, a fascinating man with a wonderful wealth of knowledge and anecdotes of this area.
I would like to record my thanks for the work that you and your staff do in constantly producing such varied and interesting articles about people and places which are eagerly awaited each month by your readers around the world. I see articles written by Andrew Gallon; is his related to Bill Gallon sometime chairman of the Pennine Way Association, by any chance? Over the years I have walked the Pennine Way, the Dales Way, the Three Peaks and the Howgills, and many more lovely quiet and less visited footpaths (pretty little Wharfe by Austwick springs to mind), taking photographs of the landscape with its stone and barns, limestone scars and pavements which give the Dales its unique character and which holds so much of my affection.

M Rhodes, Northampton

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Tweeting mad

My husband and I love reading Dalesman and May’s was no exception, with some lovely articles.
We particularly enjoy reading Ian McMillan’s articles and this time we howled with laughter at his dawn chorus of Yorkshire birdsong. Ever since, we have been listening out to see if we can identify his ‘’eyup!’ and ‘By Heck!’ etc and we even think we have found a new one – ‘How Much? How Much?’
Long may Ian reign supreme with his love of words and language.

Pat and John Rhodes, Bradford

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Just Yorkshire; that’s it

May I suggest that it is once again time to remind Dalesman readers, article-writers, editors and advertisers that our county is Yorkshire. In 1974 the government created a number of new administrative areas (GAAs) around the UK. Four of these were in the county of Yorkshire. Unfortunately they thoughtlessly named them North/South/East/West Yorkshire. This has caused confusion whereby many people and organisation incorrectly assume that the GAAs are new counties. They are not. The county is Yorkshire; just that. When discussing areas of Yorkshire, it is acceptable to speak of north/south/east/west (initial lower-case adjectives) Yorkshire. Of course it is better to speak of the North/East/West Ridings. The GAAs of Cleveland and Humberside are best forgotten.
The problem and confusion also exist in other areas of the UK including, but not limited to, Cumberland and Westmorland (confused with the GAA of Cumbria) and the Welsh counties.

David Burdett, Eastleigh

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Admiring from afar

How I did enjoy the February issue about refuelling the cyclists. I remember the years before the 1939 outbreak of war when cycling was very much the way to travel. We lived in Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands and had a spare bedroom, so mum thought she would do some bed and breakfast and was advised to put an advertisement in the Kuklos Annual. Does it still exist, do any cyclists remember it?
You may wonder why a Scotswoman reads the Dalesman. Years ago, my shepherd husband, living in Glen Douglas, met a lovely family from Dent who were camping in the Glen. The friendship continued for many years and we visited Dent and many of the Yorkshire Dales. One Christmas we were lucky to get a present of a yearly subscription to Dalesman, and it has continued for a long time. Although sadly my husband and our friends are not around anymore, I am very lucky to get my Dalesman from their generous son. I do enjoy it so much, a very good publication.

Mrs E Spalding, Argyll

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Wishing trees

Regarding a question by J Appleby in the March issue about tree stumps with coins pushed in – it is called a Wishing Tree. The practice of wishing trees dates back hundreds of years. Many people believed that by making offerings to these various spirits that in turn they would be granted wealth, happiness and love.

Miss R Wharton, Harrogate

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Welcoming Lord Halifax

Some time ago I read in the Dalesman about Lord Halifax living at Hickleton Hall. When I went to school at Kirby Underdale their home was Garrowby Hall when he came home from India after five years as Viceroy. Pupils and staff from my school, Bishop Wilton, and Bugthorpe school were in the courtyard the night Lord Halifax got home, and when he got out of his car we had to sing Home Sweet Home. All the tenants were there and there were cups of tea and food. I am ninety years old now and I wonder if there is anyone living now who was in those schools and remember that night.

N Marwood, Malton

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Free as an owl

The ‘Strange Yorkshire Pub’ in the April issue talked about the Three Hulats. It reminds me of a saying my grandmother had and which I never understood until now: “I’ve lived ta gain woods to be free as hulats”. She could not read and write, and spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent. She was born in Stainland in 1862 and lived in Barnsley and Castleford; she was Yorkshire through and through. She died in 1934 aged seventy-two and I was thirteen. I am ninety now but remember her ways.

Winifred McLoughlin, Castleford

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No ordinary roads

Some time ago in the Dalesman there was an interesting article about steep roads in the Dales and the point was raised, how do the experts actually work it out and which is the steepest? One of the roads in question was the single track road over Satron Moor in Swaledale. Some time ago my wife and I went over this road which has got some quite stunning views with steep inclines.
However, perhaps one of the toughest roads and steepest we have ever encountered is Hardknott Pass in Cumbria – phew! Perhaps it should be re-named Hard-Nut-Pass – it is very difficult to crack.
While tourists to the Dales were reminded in the Dalesman about the gated roads of Satron Moor that all commuters have to deal with on that particular road, please allow me to mention that at the other end of Swaledale, on the road that goes up from Helwith towards the Barningham area, at the far end are also gated roads that have to be dealt with. What are the origins of gated roads and why were they introduced?

Bernard Wilkinson, Sheffield

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Bygone shoe repairers

Two stories caught my interest in the May edition of Dalesman.
The first was ‘Twilight Yorkshire’. On looking at Paul Miguel’s photo of Trollers Ghyll, it brought back memories of several visits through the Ghyll and its eerie atmosphere. But looking closely at the photo, something made it more spooky. On the left hand side of the photo, on the cliff, there is an outline of a face looking down. On the other side, just under the overhang is another gargoyle-type sinister face with a flowing beard. The more I look at it the spookier it gets.
The second piece which caught my interest was the photo of the Keighley News building. One of the shops on the street was James Coombes & Co Ltd, the shoe repairer. I started work in Sept 1957 in the head office of Coombes, based in Harrogate. I spent thirty-eight years with the company and saw many takeovers. Walker & Martin, the tanners from Bolton, were the first, followed by Modern Shoe Repairs, later Allied Shoe Repairs. Several businesses were also taken over including Malones of Scotland where I moved in 1981 to take over running the Scottish office. We were then taken over by the multi-national chain of Mister Minit and finally they sold out to the current owners, Timpsons.
I was wondering if any of your readers remember James Coombes & Co and did any of them work for them? At their peak they had over 300 shops in the north.
I would love to hear from them and can be contacted at dmason945@btinternet.com.
Living in Scotland, the Dalesman keeps me in touch with my lovely Yorkshire Dales.

Dave Mason

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Family quest

I was very interested to note in March’s Dalesman about the exhibition held at Harewood House to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
I wonder if anyone can help me with some history. I am coming up to ninety-ninth year and I have in my possession a leather bound, much used, Bible. It is inscribed inside ‘Miss Rhoda Tugby. A Christmas present from your true friend Henry Lascelles 25th December 1885’. On the opposite page has been stuck a picture of Epworth Church where I think my grandmother was married, her name became Wilkinson.
I do know my grandmother was in service at Goldsborough Hall, which was then the home of the heir in waiting, before moving to Harewood House. I am interested in knowing the position held by my grandmother in 1885 and her age at the time.
I would be very grateful if anyone can help me or point me in the right direction to find more information regarding my grandmother.
Mrs Phyllis Hooker, Essex.
The Dalesman website contains a comprehensive alphabetical section on people searching for their Yorkshire roots. Please visit www.dalesman.co.uk.

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Can you help?

I was born in Barnoldswick in 1935 and lived in Earby until I married at nineteen and went to live in Bedfordshire. I can remember when I was young, going round to everyone’s back yard with homemade maypoles. Now, the next thing I remember, and I hope you can help me, is someone being in a sack, laid down and we would poke them gently with sticks and sing “Addy, Addy, on con kay Addy, on con kay”. I’ve no idea why we did it, or how you spell it. Maybe an older reader may have heard of it?
I’m now seventy-seven and in 1952 I was Earby’s May Queen (née Mary Ward). Happy memories.

Mary Pickett, Knaresborough

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Can any readers help me out with the following: a copy of the Dalesman, volume 3, number 8, November 1941, please?
Paul Beaumont, tel: 07870 939548

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