At last! A book on Settle, its people and fascinating history..

Settle: A Historic Market Town, by David Johnson, with a foreword by His Grace the 12th Duke of Devonshire, covers the town’s history from its early origins with topics such as commerce, textiles, people and buildings all written in the author’s very readable style.

David, who has researched and written extensively about the archaeology and history of the Yorkshire Dales, said: “Settle is obviously a small town but it has a long and rich history, some of it visible in the town’s buildings, some in the surrounding field systems. There is always the danger that information is lost as time passes and this book was written to avoid this happening. It is a very personal book and I hope residents and visitors alike will enjoy reading it as much as I have thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing it.”

The book was part-funded by Stories in Stone, a programme of community and heritage projects developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership, which is led by Clapham-based charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) and mainly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Here, it is reviewed by Angus Winchester, Professor Emeritus, of the Department of History, Lancaster University, and resident of Chapel-le-Dale.

At last – a detailed history of Settle! For some reason, Settle, unlike most market towns, has not had a proper local history in book form for many years; yet it is a place full of historical interest with a story which deserves to be much better known.

That lack has now been remedied in fine form by David Johnson, a long-time resident of the Settle area and well-known as an archaeologist and landscape historian. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, which makes this a deeply researched, fascinating book, richly illustrated and attractively produced by the North Craven Heritage Trust.

After a foreword from the Duke of Devonshire - Settle’s lord of the manor - the book begins by setting the scene, looking at the landscape in which Settle lies, tucked under the limestone crag of Castleberg.

The first chapters provide a survey of the origins and growth of the town. Although it had obtained a market charter in 1249, Settle remained small and largely rural until the early 17th century, when it was ‘a place beginning to burst forth’, as David Johnson puts it.

A spate of building in the later 17th century - stone mullioned windows and datestones survive - tells of increasing wealth, and a new market charter granting the right to hold additional fairs was sought in 1708.

The book explores the different aspects of Settle’s history which created the town’s landscape from the 1600s to Victorian times.

The town’s position on the ancient highway from Skipton to Kendal was central to its history and a chapter called ‘Connections’ looks at evolution of routeways, including an abortive proposal for a canal to Settle and the coming of the railways.

The marketplace, with its shops and inns, was the hub of the town. Like most market towns in the hills of northern England, Settle’s manufacturing life originally centred on animal products, especially wool and leather. Stocking knitting and tanning were important - the author graphically describes the noxious smells of the tanning process: ‘human urine, dog dung and pigeon droppings mixed with lime were all part of the mix’.

By Victorian times the textile industry had changed: Settle had five water-powered cotton mills by 1835.

A chapter on ‘Hospitality’ tells the story of the inns, hotels, pubs and beer houses which were numerous in Settle, as in most market towns.

They were not just places for a drink or an overnight stop – before the days of the railways, they were the hubs from which carriers departed, taking goods to neighbouring towns.

Chapters on ‘Faith’ and ‘Education’ tell the stories of Settle’s places of worship and schools, the institutions so central to the life of the town.

Settle was part of the parish of Giggleswick until 1892, thought it had its own Anglican church from 1838. Religious nonconformity was strong, the earliest presence being the Quakers who played a leading role in the town’s economic life as businessmen and bankers.

By the 19th century there were also congregations of Independents, Methodists and Roman Catholics. Adult education features in the story of schooling in Settle, because of the connection with George Birkbeck, founder of the national Mechanics Institute movement; one was founded in the town in 1831.

The last two chapters provide mini-biographies of some of Settle’s inhabitants and buildings.

Both chapters try to straddle social distinctions by covering people and places, great and small: the Birkbeck dynasty of businessmen and bankers, but also John Delaney, the quarry owner, who ‘started with nothing’ but ‘died a very rich and respected man’; the large villas built by the wealthy on the outskirts of the town, but also public buildings such as the assembly rooms, court house, and drill hall, and places vital to the lives of the poorer inhabitants, like ‘Slippy Slops’, the public well.

The story is brought right up to date, recording the use of the Victoria Hall as the Community Response Centre during the current Covid-19 crisis.

The book is rounded off with full references to the sources used to unearth the details which make this such an engaging read, and a list of local place-names with their meanings.

This is a book rich in details, nuggets of interest which help to bring the past alive. We learn the names of the people whose initials survive on the early datestones on so many old houses in the town and, often, something about their lives.

We hear about surprising connections, such as the Swedish countess who lived in Settle for a while and died there in 1766. And we learn about forgotten features in the landscape which have now gone, such as the four sundial stones on the slope below Castleberg, used to tell the time as the shadow advanced down the hillside. Wouldn’t restoring them be a grand project for our generation?

David Johnson and the North Craven Heritage Trust have done a great service in bringing Settle’s history alive. This is a book for both residents and visitors alike – it opens the reader’s eyes to what is around them in Settle and peoples the town and its buildings with the men and women who made Settle across the centuries.

Settle: A Historic Market Town costs £5 and can be bought from local outlets, or online at: www.ydmt.org/shop