100 years ago

A quarry man from Earby was summoned to the petty sessions at Skipton Town Hall for working a horse while in an unfit state. PC Coldwell stated that he saw the defendant in charge of a horse attached to a stone wagon. He noticed that the horse was acting in a peculiar way, so he stopped the defendant and examined the animal. Under the saddle he found a large, raw wound and told the defendant he was not to work the horse. However, some days later he saw the horse again working in a quarry in the same condition.The defendant was fined £1 and costs.

A charge of persistent cruelty was brought against a blacksmith from Cross Hills by his wife, who also applied for a judicial separation order. The bench was told that when the defendant worked full time he could earn between 34 shillings and 35 shillings a week, but his wife never received more than 18 shillings. The bench consulted and found that the case had been proved, and granted a separation order.

50 years ago

A farmer from Ilkley was fined 10 shillings for using a motor van not equipped with two driving mirrors enabling him to see the road at each side behind him. When his van was stopped at Draughton, it was only fitted with an external mirror on the offside. In a letter to the court, the accused said that he was not aware of the regulations requiring two mirrors until he saw a column on the subject in the Craven Herald and Pioneer after the incident.

A new move to combat the menace of rabbits on Skipton allotment sites was made at the annual meeting of the Skipton and district gardeners' and allotment holders' association. It was unanimously decided to appoint William Counter as an honorary pests officer and to apply to the allotment committee of Skipton Urban District Council for a permit to kill rabbits on any allotment site owned by the council.

The demolition of buildings that had been the casual blocks of the old workhouse in Gargrave Road, Skipton, reminded readers of the days when vagrants were a common sight on the highway. A Craven Herald photographer took a picture of the old casual blocks, which showed the grates through which the casuals had to place the small pieces of stone that they had broken up in their cells in return for a night's keep.

25 years ago

For the first time in the district's history a Prime Minister in office visited West Craven. Margaret Thatcher attended the official opening of the new Silentnight showroom and dubbed the firm's founder Tom Clarke "Mr Wonderful". The PM even gave away some of her and husband Denis's boudoir secrets, saying that they both had bad backs and liked a hard bed.

Anglers were worried that Yorkshire Water Authority plans to extract gravel from the upper reaches of the Wharfe would ruin the river's game fishing. Fishermen said removing the gravel would interfere with the natural spawning grounds of the river's trout, grayling and salmon.

Skipton was described as a cultural desert at the annual meeting of the Craven Drama Festival.

10 years ago

A maypole that mysteriously appeared in Burnsall rekindled a feud dating back more than 200 years. The original 60-foot traditional maypole had blown down over Christmas, but to the surprise of villagers an impostor, not even half as tall, appeared overnight on the village green. Fingers were pointed at neighbouring Thorpe - with whom they had had a "maypole war" since 1804. The hostilities started when Thorpe was blamed for taking Burnsall's maypole.

Horses from North Yorkshire Police's mounted section made their last public appearance during an outing to Threshfield School. The force's mounted division was being disbanded and the seven horses, based at Harrogate, were to be sold.

2:47pm Thursday 21st February 2008

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