February 2009

Your letters

Ghost Stories

I read with great interest the piece on the Vampire of Dent (Dec). As a boy in Dent my grandfather, born 1876, told me that George Hodgson had been a wizard who could turn himself into an animal and roam the countryside at will. His favourite disguise was apparently that of a hare which led to him being shot and injured by a farmer. The latter followed the injured hare to George’s house where upon looking through the window he saw George tending his shotgun wounds.

Other ancient residents of Dent will no doubt know of other stories. However, I had never heard George referred to as a vampire until I read Mike Harding’s book Walking the Dales. Perhaps he was fed this information by someone who had spent too long in the George and Dragon or the Sun? The local brew is particularly powerful. As children we were all convinced that the small piece of metal embedded in the gravestone was the end of a stake that went right through George’s heart. The real answer seems to be that the stone originally had a brass plate attached and that the stone was re-used after the plate had been lost.

In Garsdale churchyard there are several stones with the brass plates still attached. They are the same size as the recess on George’s gravestone. One question remains. Why was he buried under the doorway. Was it simply as an old rhyme said:

Here I lie beneath the door
Here I lie because I’m poor
The further in the more you pay,
But here I lie as warm as they.

Denis Sanderson, Grange-over-Sands

Play up and play the game

I refer to Mrs Walters’ letter in the December issue about women’s cricket teams in Yorkshire. The cricket team in Skelton was started by my sister Mary Wellburn in the mid 1930s. We lived in Skelton, my father being a farmer at Skelton Manor, and at that time only about a hundred people lived in the village. My sister therefore had to get some of her friends from York to make up the numbers for the team.

I was the scorer and I well remember visiting other villages in the area to play them. My sister hired a bus from either Pulman or Reliant and it is interesting that both these companies are still in business. We left Skelton in 1939 and moved to East Keswick so I do not know about the team’s disbandment when the war broke out.

Bill Wellburn, Malton

Chair mystery

I read with interest the article on the now famous Busby Stoop Chair. Though not specifically stated, it implies that the chair was used by drinkers in the pub during World War Two.

From 1938 to 1951 the Busby Stoop Pub was lived in and run by my late aunt Mrs Margaret Amelia (Milly) Ingham and her husband Percy. After Percy died she married Jack Watson of Ampleforth and eventually came to live with myself and my husband at Sproxton.

Mrs Watson was always adamant that during her time at Busby Stoop she knew nothing of either the whereabouts of the chair or the curse that went with it. If there had been any truth in it she would have known, and would have wanted to share her experiences. She died fully ‘compos mentis’ in 2006 aged ninety-six.

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who knew the Inghams and visited the pub at that time.

Mary Coldbeck, York

Editors note: I should also draw readers’ attention to the excellent article by John R Bacon (Sep 2007) in which he disproves several theories put forward in the latest piece.

A rare rescue

Referring to the air crash survival story (Nov) the Polish airman was found by a lady named Nanny Pember, whose father farmed the land the airman was crawling through. Nanny went out to look at the hens as it was such a bad afternoon and saw something lying in the snow some distance away. She went to see what it was and found the airman and raised the alarm and he was saved.

He kept in touch with Nanny and her family and when she moved to Skipton came to see her occasionally

Mrs D Smith, Skipton

Green Howards

This photograph was taken in 1939/40. It depicts a TA company of the fifth Bt Green Howards, en route for a folding unit at Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, preparing to embark to France. Sadly some of them never returned, were wounded and taken prisoners. I gather they were engaged in fighting a rear-guard action assisting troops in the retreat to Dunkirk.

My only brother, John Backa (Jack) Burniston, is in the foremost vehicle, second from left, next to the sergeant. He never returned, has no known grave, only a name on a stone plinth in a Dunkirk cemetery.

I corresponded with one of his friends Thomas (Rusty) Hicks, all the time he was a prisoner of war, but lost touch with him after his repatriation. I wonder if this photograph stirs any memories?

Mrs E Palfray (née Burniston), Worcs

Fly the flag

In reply to Frank McMaster’s letter (Nov), the Yorkshire Ridings Society has Yorkshire flags for cars. He should contact Glynis Abbott, Yorkshire Ridings Products, 39 Essex Close, Redcar, North Riding of Yorkshire TS10 4BY.

Mrs N E Hudson, Hon Sec North Riding Group of the Yorkshire Ridings Society

Wrong Dale

Regarding the letter from Bernard Wilkinson (Dec) I would like to point out that Constable Burton is in Wensleydale and not Arkengarthdale. In answer to his query regarding Friars Wynd in Richmond – it was originally a cul-de-sac, the west walling being the back of the priests’ residence, up to the town wall.

A postern gate was made for the townsfolk to gain access to fresh water supplies at the newly established Franciscan friary of 1258.

In time too, the friary would be supplying fruit to the town from their orchard of one acre. When the Obelisk replaced the Market Cross in 1771, a cistern of water was built under it, the friary water supply became redundant and the gateway was blocked up. Happily the whole survived and it was reopened in 1818. Friars Wynd as we now know it was originally named Newgate.

Ian Stoker, Marske

Semerwater stroll

One Sunday in November we finally managed to get out and do the Semerwater Circular featured in the September issue. It was one of the most magical walks we have ever done. The weather was perfect: bright sunshine, frosty, no wind. I think had we known how high Wether Fell was we might not have attempted it but what we would have missed doesn’t bear thinking about.

Before we reached the top it was obvious what we thought was frost was in fact snow… yippee! Beautiful snow, not slushy or mushy, it was just perfect. Add to this the spectacular views what more could we want? I must say it took us longer than the three hours quoted.

Taking photographs and drinking in the views we lost all track of time, and what a way to spend a Sunday. Thank you so much.

Amanda Makewell

Common Crashes

Re the ‘Counting them back in’ entry (Nov) – I lived in Tockwith Village throughout the war. I saw the airfield and the camp organised by a large army of workmen including my father who had the task for pulling up hedge and trees etc. The camp was to be called RAF Tockwith but owing to the close proximity of RAF Topcliffe it was called Marston Moor.

According to the RAF records the first Halifax Bomber to arrive was ‘Q’ for Queenie on 30 December 1941 and on 3 January 1942 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit was formed to train aircrew to fly heavy bomber aircraft. Many crashes took places both and off the airfield when the crews were doing cross-country flights or doing circuit and bumps.

The records show that the only time aircraft flew on operational bombing raids were on the 1,000 bombers raids in May/June 1942 when a total number of thirty-seven aircraft took part in three attacks; thirty had successfully trips; three were lost – including one where the crew of were taken prisoner – and four turned back without completing the trip. In 1993

I wrote a small book on the village of Tockwith but I only have two copies left.

Clarrie East

Easy mistake to make

I’m afraid reader Martin Turner of Biggleswade fell into the trap often found when reading worn monuments, and it appears whoever made the Card Index in the church, to which he referred, did the same.

Having recorded hundreds of gravestones for family history societies over the past dozen years, I saw immediately what had happened.
A common error is made when ‘4’ becomes worn and looks like ‘1’. Usually the vertical line is carved more deeply than the horizontal and diagonal lines, which are the first to be eroded leaving what appears to be ‘1’. There is usually a slightly bigger space between what looks like ‘1’ and the next digit, as the original ‘4’ would have taken up more space.

William Brown was of course aged forty-three when he died. Just to confirm my assumption, I looked up the 1851 Census, and found in the township of Calton at Calton Hall, William Brown aged 40, farmer of 300 acres, his wife Elizabeth aged 38, and his children John aged 3, Mary Ann aged 2 and Robert aged 3 months. Also in the household were two female domestic servants and a farm servant.

In small country churchyards it is common to find local farmers and their families commemorated on large and comparatively extravagant headstones or other monuments. The richer folk such as titled or gentry families would often be buried and have their monuments inside the church.

Christine Jemmeson

We welcome readers' letters, which should be sent to:
Dalesman, The Water Mill, Broughton Hall, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 3AG
Or email: paul@dalesman.co.uk

The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.