LAST week’s ‘Craven Curiosities’ took a bit of a departure from the norm by asking if readers had any information about Mr and Mrs Maynard who had sent the Christmas card, pictured below, from Chicago to Mr and Mrs John Wilman of Feizor. Unfortunately - perhaps because the card was posted in 1907! - the request, from Anne Read of The Museum of North Craven Life at The Folly in Settle, has so far drawn a blank.

Nowadays, of course, Christmas cards are still sent, though perhaps, because of email and social media, not in so great a number as they were only a few years ago.

In the early years of the 20th century, the sending of Christmas greetings by card was already well established. In Britain, it appears that the custom was started in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole, a senior civil servant who who had helped set-up the new ‘Public Record Office’ - now called the Post Office - and wondered how the service could be used more by ordinary people. Sir Henry had the idea of Christmas cards, and engaged his friend John Horsley, who was an artist, to design the first card.

This had three panels, on which the outer two ones showed people caring for the poor, with the centre panel featuring an illustration of a family enjoying a large Christmas dinner! This first example sold for one shilling - 5p - or about £4.50 in the monetary values of today. This week’s Craven Curiosity, pictured above, was fairly common in the home around 100 years and more ago - and had a specific culinary application. Please send your suggestions by email - with ‘Craven Curiosity’ in the subject box - to news@cravenherald.co.uk, to arrive no later than 8am on Monday.