God's Own County

Ripper Sutcliffe’s Victims

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Hortoris

This book examines the detail behind each of 13 murders by the Yorkshire Ripper and the resulting police investigations. There is less said about the seven attempted murders but it does highlight the possibility of several other unsolved cases including 2 male deaths that could be attributed to Sutcliffe. Michael Bilton in ‘Beyond Belief’ focuses also on the victims and their lives, rather than glossing over them to focus on the criminal Peter Sutcliffe. Much of the newspaper reporting in 1981 covered Sutcliffe’s time from being a Grave digger at Bingley in the 1960’s until his arrest in Sheffield and sentencing at the Old Bailey in May 1981

‘This book is different as it tells the story in some detail of the effects on the son of the victim, his family neighbours and friends. It really is an eye opener and reminds us all and especially those responsible for investigating crime and those responsible for the future of the villain to consider much more fully the effects the murderer has on those bereaved and their well being. Very well written and though detailed is not ” Heavy”. It is to this sons credit that he came through his trauma eventually and a credit to the author for sensitivity and thorough research.’ with thanks for Amazon review by Rev. J Cooper.

Anna Rogulsky was attacked in Keighley in July 1975 and Wilma McCann and Joan Harrison were murdered later that year. Emilly Jackson, Marcella Claxton, Jayne McDonald, Marilyn Moore, Marguerite Walls, Upadhya Bandara, Jacqueline Hill and Irene Richardson were all found dead in Leeds during the 5 years of horror perpetrated by Sutcliffe. Murders also took place in Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford and of Vera Millward in Manchester.

On 2 January 1981 Olivia Reivers was getting into a car when the police stopped to talk to the driver. He asked to go relieve himself in some bushes where he stowed a knife and Ball Pein Hammer. Meanwhile police realised the number plates were false and took Sutcliffe, then calling himself Peter Williams, into Hammerton Road police station before transferring him to Dewsbury. Another knife was discovered in the toilets at the police station and eventually Sutcliffe confessed he was ‘The Ripper’.

Rotherham Rant 2

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Hortoris

It is 6 years since the first rant was published – see below

Only now are there any signs of getting to grips with the myriad problems for this town.

In a couple more years I will revisit the improvements and local governance changes.

The more we see and read the more perverse the world of social services seems to be. The ‘politically incorrect brigade’ who removed children from foster parents because they are members of a political party are rightly in the firing line.

Should someone resign for fostering the children with these parents in the first place?
Certainly someone must now depart from their job or elected office because they must be wrong from the start or dead wrong now when they take the kids away.
Sadly no one in public life seems inclined to own up and takes responsibility by resigning (unless the pay out is worthwhile).
In Rotherham they were kipping on the job but it is the kids who will find it hard to kip as they are moved from home to home.

Secrecy seems to trump commonsense in many of these situations. We may never know what has gone on behind the scenes as the truth is often covered up in the guise of protecting the children. Christopher Booker writes in the Daily Telegraph ‘Our ‘child protection’ system is severely dysfunctional, but it has not come to the centre of national attention because it hides its workings behind a veil of secrecy ………’

Blame culture, self interest, financial chicanery, obfuscation and buck passing have become national diseases. I have half a mind to vote for a different set of politicians (if I thought they would make a difference) and half a mind is all you need to vote in our current party system. Come on Rotherham show us how to do it in your by-election

Photo credit Rotherham … GREGGS. by BazzaDaRambler CC BY 2.0

Posted in Our Yorkshire | Tagged events, politics | Comments Off

Brass Bands of Yorkshire and Yore

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Hortoris

Where there’s muck there’s Brass Bands and where there is a lot of brass there are Silver Bands. ‘The Cloth-Cap’ music of the working class man has strong links in Yorkshire and with Yorkshire businesses.

For up to date news and reports there is a weekly magazine The British Bandsman ‘the leading international Brass Magazine’ with too large a circulation to feature on Private Eye.
The Bandsman has a data base of 108 brass and silver bands in Yorkshire without a single Salvation Army band listed. Exactly half the Yorkshire bands are in West Yorkshire including such names as Gawthorpe Brass, Frickley & South Elmsall Brass Band, Hammonds Saltaire Band, Holme Silver Band (1), Meltham & Meltham Mills Band and Brighouse & Rastrick Band. In South Yorkshire you can hear Rockingham Band, Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band,Grimethorpe Colliery Band and Stocksbridge Band amongst others. North Yorkshire has many village bands and this is just a selection, Knaresborough Silver Band, Leyburn Brass Band, Muker Silver Band, Summerbridge & Dacre Silver Prize Band, Reeth Brass Band and York Railway Institute Band. So if you are thinking of joining or rejoining have a look for a band near you (or not so near if the sound of your practicing travels).

Widely accredited as the first amateur band was that of Stalybridge Old Band in 1814 followed by the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band formed in Queensbury Yorkshire in 1816. Below is a photograph of the Keld Village band from a book of old photographs that I can no longer trace.

I am indebted to The History of Brass bands for the following musical quotations

‘Brass Bands are all very well in their place – outdoors and several miles away’

Sir Thomas Beecham

Come if you dare! Our trumpets sound’. Purcell…the brass band movement has a great future]:

‘It has a great present, if only people would realise it’

Gustav Holst

‘God tells me how the music should sound, but you stand in the way’

Arturo Toscanini to a trumpet player

‘Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them’

Richard Strauss

‘Military justice is to justice what militarymusic is to music’

Groucho Marx

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Arts & Music, Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes | 2 Comments

Kirklands Bridge Club 1974-2015

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Hortoris

Dorrie Waugh – Kirklands Bridge Club President

Sports and pastimes were an important part of our society, culture and upbringing long before the advent of digital media, computer games and television. Board games like Ludo, Snakes & Ladders and Monopoly were only marginally less popular than family card games such as Snap, Sevens and Beggar-my-neighbor. Bridge is one popular card game that has evolved into an internationally competitive activity, the pastime of Omar Sharif and Warren Buffet amongst many others. However Bridge is not just for the rich or famous but is played in village halls, clubs and family gatherings all around the country.

One such Rubber Bridge Club is celebrating 41 years of existence in the West Riding village of Menston this autumn. Formed by Dorrie Waugh and several friends, after a notice was pinned up in a local amenity centre, over 20 people turned up on the first night in 1974. With Dorrie as president since inception the club has grown and prospered by sticking firmly to its Rubber Bridge roots and eschewing the duplicate version of the game. Subscriptions are returned in the form of prizes or subsidised parties and free Champagne was provided as promised for the 40th anniversary party.

The rubbers are contested for small stakes and it is a good night if you win 50p and a bad night if you loose anything. Even poor hands may win a cash prize for a Yarborough but a grand slam is worth £2.50 – riches indeed. Long may this and similar clubs thrive and prosper.

Partnership Comments

We had a partnership misunderstanding. I assumed my partner knew what he was doing.

My partner is 20 years behind the times. He still thinks you need high cards to bid.

Your play was much better tonight and so were your excuses.

We play forcing hesitations.

If I did everything right, I wouldn’t be playing with you.

My partner leads the 8 from a 98 doubleton because his teacher told him “eight ever, nine never?”

Know the difference between a serial killer and a bridge partner? Answer: You can reason with the serial killer.

“You know, you may not be the worst player in the world, …. but if that person should die….”

Where is the hand you held during the bidding dummy?

After playing bridge a pair go to the same pub and start going over the hands again.
Finally Jim says: “Bill, don’t we know anything but bridge? Can’t we discuss something else, anything else, movies, politics sports, even sex?
“Sex, says Bill, I had sex diamonds to the king-queen..”

Bridge Tall Tales

A notable bridge player in his eighties was asked why he bid every time it was his turn. He replied: “At my age the bidding may not get back around to me again.”

Bridge is a great comfort in old age. It also helps you get there faster.

They were at a concert. Said she, a bridge addict, “What’s that book the conductor keeps looking at?”
“That’s the score,” answered her escort.
“Oh. Who’s vulnerable?”

Helen Sobel was once asked how it felt playing with a great expert (Charles Goren). “Ask him,” she replied.

South had started with four hearts originally and had to guess who had the HQ. He started by leading the HJ from his hand. West went into an Oscar winning performance trying to make South think he had the queen and finally played low. South, taken in by all of this, also played low as did Roth! When Roth’s partner saw that Alvin had the queen and could have defeated 7NT by taking the trick, he asked Roth why he hadn’t taken the trick with the queen. “Because I thought you had it”, said Roth.

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes | 1 Comment

Yorkshire’s Closed Churches

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Hortoris

Open but Closed!
St. John the Evangelist is the oldest church in the centre of Leeds and it was constructed between 1632-1634. It was restored in 1868 but all the main features were preserved. That is to no avail now as the church pews are empty and the church deconsecrated. So it is closed as a church but open as a tourist attraction and art space. The Tudor fish and chip shop known to millions as Nash’s was just behind St John the Evangelist and were it not now also closed it would have been a good place to have lunch after a quick visit to this well preserved 17th century building.

It seems quirky to me to have a web site for derilict churches but this church caught my eye due to the history and provenance of Mount St Mary’s Irish Famine Church. The architect was Joseph Hansom who also created the Hansom cab abd parts were designed by E.W. Pugin who also designed the Houses of Parliament. ‘Mount Saint Mary’s stands in a district of Leeds traditionally known as ‘The Bank’. This high ground dominates Leeds and had originally been used as farmland but by the late 1840’s it had developed into an industrial area densely packed with mills and workshops whose tall chimneys billowed out smoke which all but obliterated the sun and choked the air.By this time, The Bank also became home to a large community of Irish Catholic families who had emigrated to Leeds to seek work building canals and railways and as millworkers. ‘

Churches Conservation Trust

This organisation supports 27 Yorkshire churches of which 18 are in North Yorkshire

St John the Evangelist church Cadeby was designed by renowned Victorian architect Sir Gilbert Scott in 1856 for Sir Joseph Copley and was intended as a decorated version of the Early English church at Skelton near York.Although some of the external stonework detail has eroded, the fine carving inside by J Birnie Philip is as crisp as ever and there is lovely painted decoration inside the roof.

Holy Trinity Wentworth is now a partly ruined building which started life as a church in the 15th century but was converted to a mausoleum in 1877 after a new church was commissioned. In the chancel, brass and stone memorials and alabaster effigies from the 16th and 17th centuries trace the powerful Wentworth family, These include one to the Earl of Strafford, a supporter of the Crown who was beheaded on Tower Hill just before the Civil War, and Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquis of Rockingham, who helped to negotiate an end to the American War of Independence.

Wentworth estate workers and villagers rest in the churchyard, including the 17-year-old Chow Kwang Tseay from China, baptised John Dennis Blonde. He was thought to have been rescued from HMS Blonde’ and brought to Rotherham in 1847 as a 14-year-old.

Posted in Wit and Humour, Yorkshire History and Heritage, Yorkshire Trips and Places | Tagged churches, fish | Comments Off

Saltaire Village Yorkshire

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Hortoris

David Hockney galleries, a Round Church, a Reed Organ museum and a model village are just some of the highlights to savor on a trip to Saltaire. The village was founded in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt for the workers in the mill and their families. It included neat stone houses with running water, a hospital, an Institute for recreation and education now called Victoria Hall where music and dance events are staged. The village also provided almshouses, allotments, a park and a boathouse which was recently damaged in a fire.
Sir Titus was a canny philanthropist siting his massive mill complex between the river Aire and the Leeds Liverpool canal alongside a railway station that is still open on the Leeds to Settle line. To get staff to move over 10 miles from Bradford he needed to make some facilities available but the model village has stood the test of time and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The mill has fantastic vaulted ceilings and stone slabs for flooring that would pull down many modern buildings. The space is now used by the NHS, an electronics manufacturer but mostly as a unique exhibition and retail space. As the UK home for displaying David Hockney’s works the mill has 3 floors of singular works by this artist from telephone book covers to Opera sets, photographic montages to paintings in several mediums. Interspersed are retail opportunities notably specials book sales and 3 eateries. The whole facility exudes quality and this is replicated on their web site

The Saltaire streets are given girls names that are reminiscent of a gone by era like Maud Street and Grace Street. (Sorry if these are popular modern names but I doubt that somehow)

Credit
Saltaire Church by JohnSeb CC BY-SA 2.0

Posted in Yorkshire Trips and Places | Tagged canals, rivers, trains | 2 Comments

Gargrave North Yorkshire

Posted on October 28, 2015 by tejvan

gargrave

Canal running past Gargrave.

Gargrave is a great little village on the outskirts of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a convenient starting point for walkers and cyclists. It is 2 miles west of Skipton bisected by the busy A65. There is also a canal running through the village. The canal offers an excellent towpath for walkers and cyclists.

Within Gargrave there are a few excellent local shops. The famous Dalesman cafe is a well worth a visit for tea and teacakes and an old fashioned sweat shop.

From Gargrave you can go north about 6 miles to Malham or North East towards Grassington and Kettlewell. The south side of Gargrave is also well worth visiting even though it is not in an official National Park.

Like many Yorkshire villages Gargrave is not short of activities and various clubs have been organised by the locals.

Village Hall
Womens Institute
Football Club
Cricket Club
Bowls Club
Golf Society
Civic Society

Posted in Yorkshire Dales | Comments Off

Conisbrough Village and Ivanhoe Castle

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Hortoris

Conisbrough near Doncaster was the setting for Sir Walter Scotts ‘Ivanhoe’. Using the Castle as the basis for a Saxon stronghold during the reign of Richard 1st the tale about chivalry and knighthood daring-do led too a TV series in the 1960’s. The castle is not the oldest part of Conisbrough as St Peters Church is the oldest building in South Yorkshire dating from AD 650-700. At the time of the Norman conquest the manor was held by King Harold and consisted of the church and 28 vills or villages. In the 16th century the castle suffered neglect and eventually became a ruin. In 1990 the Conisborough castle was floodlit and became a tourist attraction.

Conisbrough was one of the important royal manors of Yorkshire. Its Court Rolls provide us with a unique account of the working lives and relationships of its inhabitants. The Rolls survive in large measure across eight centuries. This project aims to show what can be done with such remarkable documents. Through it, you can discover the historic workings of a manor and learn more about Conisbrough and how its past has contributed to its present.

Conisborough In 20th Century

Coal mining started in 1867 at Denaby and was the deepest mine at the time. Soon Cadeby started just across the river then in 1912 a terrific explosion cost the lives of 35 miners followed by a further 40 fatalities amongst the rescue party in a second explosion. The colliery closed in 1986

Kilner Bros were based at Providence Glass Works where they made the famous Kilner jars and bottles until 1938

ICI had a Powder Works at Denaby making detonators until 1963

In the mid-1990s, a new tourist attraction, Earth Centre, opened on the nearby site of the former Cadeby Main Colliery; it closed in 2005.

Cycling is popular around the area and routes include this Conisbrough cycle route.

Photo credits
conisborough_castle_05 by becky fryer CC BY 2.0
Untitled by steve p2008 CC BY 2.0

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Villages, Towns and Cities, Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes | Tagged cyclinh, walking | 1 Comment

The Lupin Man of York – George Russell

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Hortoris

Photo CC by Thor Thorson 1

George Russell 1857 – 1951

George Russell developed a passion for Lupins, gathered seed from North America and around world and then grew them on two allotments in his home city of York. He never carried out vegetative propagation or hand pollination, preferring to let natural pollination by bumble bees do the hybridisation for him. At the end of each season he collected seed from the very best plants and sowed it. Any inferior plants were rigorously removed. George Russell, like most Yorkshiremen, only wanted the very best, and was ruthless in his selection.
For 23 years George had bred his Lupins and resolutely refused to sell them commercially. But in 1936 a deal was done for his seeds to be grown at Bakers nursery Boningdale as long as George had the right to ‘Rough’ or deselect any that did not meet his standards. Once the seedlings were in flower George was sent for so he could inspect the crop. Jimmy Baker must have been flabbergasted when George insisted on destroying 4,200 of the 5,000 seedlings (some quality control eh! modern growers take note).

The Lupins on his York allotments were improved through breeding. The top varieties had flowers all around the stem in a wide range of colours. Eventually George Russell allowed his seeds to be sold and in 1937 they were selling at 12 seeds for one shilling equal to 1d each.

Lupins were introduced into Britain from North America in 1826. The blue flowered spikes we occasionally saw on railway embankments were the predominant colour. Fast forward a hundred years to 1937 and the Royal Horticultural Society awarded its highest honour to a ‘ jobbing Yorkshire gardener’ George Russell for developing a strain of Lupins that were causing a sensation.

Photo cc by Magnio

The Chelsea Flower Show 2008 displayed the Lupins below. As Lupins are not very long lived plants many of George Russels varieties have been lost but this display shows some of the great flowers that George showed it was possible to grow. Why not try in your garden this year. Lupins are available as plants or seeds from Thompson Morgan

Photo cc by steve 2.0

See Old Lupin photos on Gardeners Tips.

Who could get 2 allotments now with the current fashion for growing your own? Who would have the patience to wait so many years before they tried to make any money out of the flowers they had bred?

Posted in Yorkshire Folk, Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes | 2 Comments

Havercakes at the Dog & Gun

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Hortoris

Driving back from ‘that place’ this week I stopped at the Dog & Gun in High Malsis near Cowling (pronounced Co-lin our barmaid said). The Timothy Taylors Dark Mild hit the spot and someone else offered to drive. The pub was busy for a Monday because the grub was so good and the highlight was a traditional Haver Cake as a sweet.

Clapcake or havercake is an ancient oat cake after Haver meaning an Oat in Norse. In this part of the world one of our traditional foods is Oatcakes which we usually toast and apply liberally with best butter and they are magic. They are a sort of pancake made from Oats. In the old days these were called Havercakes and in the remoter parts of North Yorkshire and the pennine area they are still called that.

‘The way the Havercakes used to be made was to mix Oats with water and milk in a bowl and leave to ferment overnight. The next day this mixture was stirred until it became a kind of mortar consistency and then was poured out onto a piece of flat board criss-crossed with grooves that encouraged the mixture to spread evenly and yet not to run all over the place, until it formed a round pancake about the size of a dinner plate. The Havercake would bake in a matter of minutes on a fire stone. Of course today these cakes are made on a cast iron griddle on the cooker.

If the cakes were to be eaten fresh they would be served up by rolling them into tubes with a heavy fruit jam filling, such as Rhubarb, Quince or Plum jam. The Dog and Gun used a mixture of Bramley Apple and Sultanas. If the Haver cakes were to be stored they would be suspended over a length of pole near the fire and allowed to dry until they were hard, they say these cakes lasted for ever once they dried out. When required the half moon shaped folded cakes would be placed in canvas bags to be eaten later in the fields or at work etc. these bags became known as Haversacks.

Recipe for the Havercakes

Ingredients
1 pint mixed milk and water
5-6 oz fine oatmeal
1oz yeast 3oz flour
1 scant teaspoon salt
Mix the flour, salt and oatmeal. Warm the liquid and stir in gradually to make a smooth batter. Crumble in the yeast, stir gently and leave to stand in a warm place for 20 minutes. Stir again and cook in a strong, well-greased frying pan. Pour in enough batter to cover the base fairly thinly and turn out when cooked.

The old Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in Yorkshire were known as the ‘Havercake Boys’ as these cakes formed a major part of their rations. On recruitment days the recruiting Sergeants would tour the inns with a Havercake pierced on the end of his sword held in place with a ribbon of the regimental colours. To take up a soldier’s life with this regiment was a real case of ‘Having your cake and Eating it’
Timothy Taylors brewed a special HaverCake Ale in Keighley in 2002 to help the ‘Dukes’ celebrate 150 years service to their county and country “A very robust Yorkshire ale (ABV 4.7%) brewed to match the qualities of the famous ‘Dukes’ Regiment – it has strength, balance, clarity and a good head” and it is hand pulled. The ale was later relaunched in 2006 and is also available bottled.

I recommend a Lunch or Dinner at the Dog and Gun and give the Havercakes a go

Credits for Havercake Pictures
Google Images
93130_soldier by stans_pat_pix, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
London Architecture Bike Tour by M.J.S CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Duke of Wellington with a haversack on?

Posted in Food and Drink & Yorkshire Products, Our Yorkshire | 1 Comment