From the archives (From Craven Herald)

From the archives

9:30am Saturday 6th March 2010 in

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100 years ago

A labourer was charged with obtaining charitable donations by false pretences from Alderman Clough of The Shroggs, Steeton. The prisoner had represented himself as living in Eastburn and having a sick child, who he stated subsequently died. By these means, he obtained various sums of money. He pleaded guilty and was committed to prison for two months of hard labour.

A new master and matron were appointed to Skipton Union Workhouse. The master, Mr Booth, had been deputy master at the Keighley Workhouse, while his wife, the new matron, was experienced in steam laundry supervision, female tramps and was also a qualified asylum nurse.

Skipton was to be honoured with another county Rugby match, the deciding tie in the northern championship of the Rugby Union between Yorkshire and Northumberland.

50 years ago

The rents of the majority of council houses in the Settle rural area were to rise because of the necessity for an increased annual allowance for repairs. The rents of pre-war houses were to rise by 1s to 1s 6d per week, according to type, while tenants of larger, post war houses, would have to pay 2s a week more. A number of pre-war houses had not had much work done for some time and were in need of “rejuvenation”.

A programme of school building, estimated to cost £5.6 million for 1962-63, was approved. Included in the plans for 13 new primary and secondary schools was the second phase of Aireville County Secondary School, Skipton, at a cost of £125,000. This would make the premises capable of providing a five- form entry school.

The birth of a son to Her Majesty the Queen was greeted with joy all over the Craven district. Flags were hoisted on public buildings and messages of congratulations were sent to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. All children attending West Riding schools were given an extra day’s holiday.

25 years ago

Twenty-eight pupils and staff from Giggleswick School were heading to Elsinore Castle, in Denmark, to perform Hamlet. They would be the first amateurs to stage the Shakespearean classic at the Danish military outpost – the original setting for the play. The invitation came after the father of Danish pupil Anders Moltke-Leth put producer and English teacher Michael Day in touch with the castle’s commandant.

Kettlewell’s New Bridge collapsed, sparking fears about the effects on tourist trade. The bridge, on the main A6265 road, had been in a poor condition for several years and its collapse was blamed on the heavy traffic using the country road. North Yorkshire County Council agreed to set up a temporary bridge almost immediately, but permanent repairs could take a long time. Meanwhile traders estimated they would lose up to £5,000 a week.

The ashes of British author JB Priestley could be laid to rest at St Michael’s Church, Hubberholme, it was reported. His widow, Jacquetta Hawkes, said her husband had been fond of St Michael’s and often visited the Dales church. Vicar the Rev Ernest Blanchard said the church council was sympathetic to the idea, but there were legal complications that needed to be sorted out.

10 years ago

After 10 years getting to the top of his profession, Carleton man Nick Woodhead was teaching the rich and famous. Based in Aspen, Colorado, Nick had achieved his international licence to teach snowboarding and his recent pupils had included pop singer Mariah Carey and her brother.

It was not a good week in West Craven. Anger was growing in Earby over the proposed closure of Barclays – the town’s last remaining bank, which had only recently been refurbished. And, in Barnoldswick, Rainhall Road School was facing an uncertain future after a review revealed it had just 65 pupils out of a potential capacity of 140.