Issue No. 16 April/May 2010

Parish Council News Local Sporting Events Neighbourhood Watch Village Clubs Village Fundraising Events History Part 1 Church News Weather Watch Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 1 Parish Council

Owing to there having been no Parish Council Meeting since the last issue of The Mercury we include only a brief report. The next Parish Council meeting will be the Annual Meeting to be held in the Old Schoolroom on Tuesday 11th of May.

Tockwith and Allerton Park Incinerators

County Councillor John Savage has, with the support of Friends of the Earth and the Country Land and Business Association, organised a conference titled “Waste Disposal - The Burning Question”. The conference will be looking at both sides of the issue and will, no doubt, make reference to the two proposed “incinerators” at Tockwith and Allerton Park. At least one of our Parish Councillors Timmy Gordon amongst will be attending. the daffodils on Church Lane With regard to the BCB planning application at Tockwith, we are still awaiting developments over an appeal by BCB after the proposal was rejected. The Tockwith Residents Association are busy organising a united front against any appeal. See their web site at www.tockwith.net.

The New Daffodils

Thanks to the efforts of the bulb planters in October last year we were treated to an impressive first year display of daffodils at the junction of Church Lane and Red House Lane. See the picture above.

Moor Monkton Web Site

The web site (www.moormonkton.com) is fully working and has sections for the Parish Council, Schoolroom, Village Businesses, All Saints Church, the Village, Social Events and Clubs. The section on The Mercury seems to have disappeared - the editor will have to look into this! Overall the structure is there but it is still lacking in content. There are full details of the Schoolroom and minutes of the last Parish Council meeting have been posted. Viking - Nigel Harrison's winning photo in the There are one or two photos of the village and Mounted Print Section of the Photo Interest church. Group's photo competition Robin Gordon

2 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 Neighbourhood Watch

Thankfully no crimes have been reported in the village since the last newsletter. As summer is almost here the police are warning of sneak thieves when homeowners are in the back garden. Make sure front windows and doors are locked and garden equipment is safely stored and if possible all expensive tools are marked with your postcode. Also inform a neighbour when you go on holiday and the property is unoccupied.

“Cold callers” and doorstep peddlers can be a problem at this time of year. NHW have two gatepost/fence signs which can deter unwelcome visitors. One has the NHW logo and the words “WE DO NOT BUY OR SELL AT THE DOOR” and the other has a hand stop sign and the words “NO COLD CALLERS OR UNINVITED SALES PEOPLE“. They are made of pvc and cost £1 each. For more information ring me on 738771 or go to www.nwatchharrogate.org.uk.

The following vehicles are of interest to the police as they are believed to be related to a team of National Distraction Burglars. Ford Focus Estate NG08 EJY - Range Rover Sport YN56 URD - VW Touran LG56 RCZ Please report any sightings and, in particular, any locations where these vehicles are static to North Police on 0845 6060 247 and quote Operation Liberal.

Please report immediately any suspect vehicle or person to the police on 0845 6060 247 and hopefully we will enjoy a crimefree summer. Sandra Wilson (NHW Co-ordinator)

Winter Scene across the River Confluence - Toni Harrison's winning photo in the “Snow and Frost in Winter” Section of the Gardening Club's photo competition

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 3 Fundraising Events

The Moor Monkton Book Sales

Look out Waterstones, Oxfam beware, you have serious competition!! On February 20th the Old Schoolroom was transformed into the next best thing to the aforementioned booksellers. There were thousands of books in every shape, size and colour you could imagine. Titles as diverse as Bob the Builder to Grays Anatomy, there really was something for everybody. There was a huge selection of videos, cds, tapes and jigsaws on offer. The home made refreshments were a treat. A steady stream of customers hardly made a dint in the quantity of stock on sale so we had a second bite of the cherry when the Youth Club opened up the book sale the following Wednesday, and then a third bite, when we opened up again on Saturday the 27th. A tombola during the sale was run by the Youth Club and raised £57 for Youth Club funds. The book sale itself raised £204.56 which was shared between the church and the Schoolroom. Books, etc. that were left over were donated to the church for St Crux day, Sherriff Hutton Village for their book sale in March and to the Arthritis Society bookshop in Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate, . Thank you to everyone who donated items and to the team of volunteers who manned the event. Thank you also to the customers and the Youth Club members. Truly a village event which benefited three village organisations and two outside organisations. Well done everyone.

Christine Grice

Snowdrops - Isobel Ashford’s winning picture in the “Spring Bulbs or Flowers in the Garden” class of the Gardening Club’s photo competition

4 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 Church News

Moor Monkton and Hessay Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) - All Saints Church Moor Monkton, St. John the Baptist Church Hessay and The Methodist Chapel Hessay.

There are a number of interesting things happening in the parish in the coming months:

The second midweek worship of the year will be held on Thursday May 6th in St. Johns Church Hessay at 7.30pm. An informal service in the Taize pattern for all ages to enjoy followed by coffee and cake. Also in Hessay - at the Chapel we have our second visit by Fishermans Choir. On Sunday June 6th at 2.30pm the choir will lead the service, if you missed the opportunity to see and hear the choir last year then put the date in your diary now, they really are “not to be missed” experience. The service is followed by a full Yorkshire afternoon tea. In Moor Monkton on Saturday July 31st there will be a strawberry tea in the Old Schoolroom from 3.30 to 5pm. Proceeds from this event will be shared between church and schoolroom. Please come and support our two village community buildings.

Following the successful installation of electricity into All Saints Moor Monkton, the PCC have launched the St. Johns Hessay Electricity Project. Hessay and Moor Monkton are one parish with two churches. The parish church is All Saints and St. Johns is a daughter church sometimes referred to as a chapel of ease. It is expected to cost around £12000 to install electricity into St. Johns and we have got off to a great start with a “Grand Walk” which was the initiative of our curate Revd Roy Shaw who walked around all the churches in the benefice, a distance of some 24 miles. Accompanied by a number of his friends and parishioners, the walk went without hitch and was successfully completed. Sponsorship is still coming in but, at the time of writing, some £689 has been received.

The church fundraising day held at St Crux, York in March raised £942.45 which is divided between the three churches in our LEP. Thank you everyone for donations of goods and help on the day. A warm, sunny and dry day was enjoyed by all who participated.

Spring in the churchyards is a truly wonderful season. The carpet of snowdrops has faded in the churchyard at All Saints and has been followed by hosts of golden daffodils. If you look a little further you will see a plethora of wild flowers, making an appearance just now are many primroses which will soon be followed by bluebells, cowslips and buttercups to name but a few. The churchyard at St. Johns has an even better collection of wildflowers which for a few years now have been gathered after seeding and taken to various locations where wild flower meadows are being reinstated. Christine Grice Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 5 Village Sporting Events

Spring is with us and with that comes much outdoor activity in and around the village. There are several events occurring which either produce extra noise or traffic, or both, so we thought it a good idea to use the Mercury to inform people about these events with a list of dates.

York Autograss Club

The start to the season was delayed when subsidence of the banks of the Foss drain that flows past the field caused considerable flooding over the winter. The Marston Moor Drainage Board had to be called in before work could begin on preparing the field. The first meeting on the 5th of April was cancelled due too poor ground conditions but the Mens National Qualifier held on the 18th of April benefited from perfect conditions.

The good news for villagers concerned about the noise caused by these events is that the noise levels of each car have been reduced to 102dB, whereas they had been previously up to 108dB. It has to be said that George Capper, who runs the events, appears genuinely concerned about the effects of the Autograss track on the neighbourhood. He is in communication with members of the Parish Council to ensure the village is informed and was quick to spot the new stable which had been built adjacent to the field so that the owners were notified of upcoming events.

The complete list of events to come for this year are:

Sunday 16th May 10am Mens National Qualifier Sunday 30th May 9am North of Englands Monday 31st May 9am North of Englands Sunday 13th June 10.30am Sunday 4th July 10.30am Saturday 24th July 1.30pm Fun Day Sunday 25th July 10.30am Sunday 26th September 10.30am Sunday 10th October 10.30am

During a recent chat with George he asked me to let everyone in the village know that any of us who would like to watch one of the events could do so for no charge - just let the person on the gate know that you live in Moor Monkton.

Red House Equestrian Centre

Although these events are much quieter than the Autograss meetings there does tend to be a considerable number of horse boxes and trailers going past Church Lane end and down Red House Lane when they are on. This year,

6 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 weather permitting, will be one of the busiest seasons ever with two Show Cross competitions and a Combined Training event along with the usual Cross Country Open Days and Wednesday evening Show Jumping.

Saturday 1st May 10am - 2pm Red House Cross Country Open Day Wednesday 2nd June 6pm York and (South) Pony Club Unaffiliated Show Jumping(Open to the public) Saturday 5th June 10am - 2pm Red House Cross Country Open Day Wednesday 9th June 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Sunday 13th June Nidd Valley Riding Club Combined Training (Dressage and Show Jumping) Wednesday 16th June 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 23rd June 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 30th June 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Saturday 3rd July 10am - 2pm Red House Cross Country Open Day Wednesday 7th July 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Sunday 11th July Red House Show Cross Competition Wednesday 14th July 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 21st July 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 28th July 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Monday 2nd August Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt Show Cross Competition Wednesday 4th August 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Saturday 7th August 10am - 2pm Red House Cross Country Open Day Wednesday 11th August 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 18th August 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping Wednesday 25th August 6pm Red House Unaffiliated Show Jumping - followed by presentation of the Peter Hall Cup and Red House Beginners Trophy Saturday 4th September 10am - 2pmRed House Cross Country Open Day

Spectators are welcome to these events, there is no charge for entry (only for competing) and there are usually refreshments available.

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 7 Village Clubs

Moor Monkton and District Photography Interest Group

The last 3 meetings have provided us with a range of activities to educate and entertain. It has been encouraging to see a steady consolidation of the numbers of people attending and credit has to go to the invited speakers who have produced such high quality talks and demonstrations.

Dave Kirkham opened up his photographic studio to the group for the evening of the 2nd of February and gave us an enlightening introduction to studio photography. We had a chance to plug our cameras into the remote flash system and play with exposures and lighting techniques. Dave Kirkham - Instructor turned model at his Photographic Studio near Poppleton On the 2nd of March Roger Poyser from the York and Bishopthorpe Camera Clubs gave us an excellent talk on what makes a good photograph. He had a large range of projected shots highlighting common mistakes and ways of improving the composition of a scene. The session was completed by a ”Blue Peter” style demonstration of how to mount a photo.

This led to the group’s first photo competition which was held in the Schoolroom on the 6th of April. It was judged by York Camera Club’s Jon Wolfe and I think I can safely say that he was quite impressed with the quality and number (around 90) of entries. There were no entry criteria apart from that each member was limited to 3 mounted prints and 3 projected images. This led to a huge array of subjects - portraits, landscapes, abstracts, flowers and wildlife shots. It was quite an unsettling experience having your photos commented on in public but also fascinating to see other people’s examples presented. Congratulations to everyone who entered and in particular, of course, to the winners, Ian Hartley and Nigel Harrison, whose pictures are shown in various places around this publication.

There will be a pause over the summer while we are all busy using our cameras, although there is a possibility of a photographic outing. Ian Hartley/Robin Gordon

The Gardening Club

We have had a good year in the gardening club with a varied programme and now have 26 members from Moor Monkton and surrounding villages. Although the speaker fees and expenses have increased we are still have a satisfactory balance.

8 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 The photo competition (judged by Nigel Harrison) after the AGM, was well supported with a fantastic photograph by Toni Harrison winning the “Snow/Frost in Winter” class, and Isobel Ashford winning the “Spring Bulbs or Flowers in the Garden” class. These pictures can be seen around this publication.

The programme for the next three months is:- 27th May Barbara Hickman speaking on Walled Garden 17th June Conducted tour of Helmsley Walled Garden led by Barbara Hickman 15th July Member`s Summer social at home of Mike and Isobel Ashford at Barley Mow when we will empty our potato buckets to discover how well our potatoes have done. (please check dates with Paul Burrows (738686)

We have again a well balanced programme for the rest of 2010/2011 from fruit growing to ferns, perennials to a presentation on Vita Sackville-West and her creation of the garden at Sissinghurst, and the History of Water in the Garden to a Gardener’s Question Time.

Mike and Isobel Ashford

Youth Club

The Youth Club meets in The Old Schoolroom every other Wednesday, see noticeboards for details. Well done to those members who helped with organising and running the Tombola stall at the Book fair held recently in aid of Schoolroom and Church funds. We made a magnificent £51.15 for the Youth Club.

Toni Harrison

The Ewenique Knitting Club

The club will be meeting in the Garden House at Red House Estate from the 11th to 17th of May. Members will Savannah - Ian Hartley's winning picture in the Projected be working on their own Image section of the Photo Interest Group's Photography projects with Jean Close on Competition hand to advise.

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 9 Moor Monkton - A History Part 1

Over the next few editions of the Moor Monkton Mercury we shall have a look at some of the people who have been here before us. Much of the text that follows is directly attributed to Peter Newman and his invaluable book - Moor Monkton and its People 1600-1916. The book, published in 1982, is still available from Mrs Webster at Abbey Moor Farm.

The common farmers who shaped what we see today

The parish registers for Moor Monkton do not survive from before the last decade of the 17th century and testamentary material is scarce. However, detailed census returns from the 1840s give us a detailed look at the make-up of our community. Rentals paid to estates enable us to keep a fairly close track of the farmers and other tenants in the 18th century, but these tenant farmers were just one of the surface layers of the community. Beneath them were the largely unrecorded sub-tenants, the living in and living out labourers and migrant workers. It was not unusual for a farm to have a living in labourer in 1881 and this was just as likely in 1781 or 1681. Records also make mention of many occupied hovels set up by labourers around edges of fields.

Visitors to Moor Monkton church yard will come close to the past generations of farmers and their wives, labourers, carters, carpenters and all the other callings from one time or another in our community’s past. When walking in the church yard you would be misled to assume that the A Poorhouse - Located somewhere in the largest stones and monuments are for the richest village, this building was used to house members of the community. farm labourers up until the early 1900s. Does anyone know where this building is Noteworthy would be Thomas Smith who had a (or was)? stone erected to record his death in 1770. Records Picture: Yorkshire Evening Press 28th Dec 1982 show how he spent his eighty years, first as a labourer, later as a tenant farmer employing three or four casual labourers. His will records a few shillings bequest here, or a pound or two there. Yet he has a stone, because in his working life he put aside the money in dribs and drabs so that, when his time came, someone would see to it that he was not consigned entirely to oblivion. When one stops before such a stone, one should be aware of the long hours of unremitting toil that filled those lives, lacking the comforts and securities that we now take for granted. When these stones have in time weathered and faded and oblivion is finally total, then look around you at the landscape and see a more enduring memorial to the farmers and labourers of bygone years.

The hands that lifted into place the stones of Moor Monkton church yard no doubt belonged to men who knew very well the ways and whims of the persons buried beneath. Hundreds of years on, we come and we touch those same stones. It is the nearest we get, and it is still so far away.

Ian Hartley 10 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 Weather Watch

The Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajoekull, has dominated the news recently and I was interested to see what effects it might have had on the weather. Perhaps the ash would blot the sun from the sky causing temperatures to plummet. Ultimately it seemed to have more impact on air travellers than on the early spring temperatures and, in reality, there was only just a hint of greyness to the northern sky (and this may have been in the imagination of the observer). It was more the winds bringing the ash our way that had A Moor Monkton sunset through the ash the greatest effect, as this northerly air stream kept “cloud”. Well it looked as good as any temperatures low despite some prolonged periods other of our sunsets. of sun. Many a day it was very pleasant to be out in the sun but, as soon as a cloud cast a shadow over its heating effect, the true temperature became apparent. Also we were promised spectacular sunsets but all those that I saw were no more spectacular than usual. The one pictured above drew quite a crowd at Red House.

The rainfall chart below shows the dry spells in the first half of March and mid April that have made this a spring to remember.

16

14

Rainfall 12

(mm) 10

8

6

4

2

0 January February March April Year Rainfall (mm) But has this been a particularly dry spring? A quick check through the 2003 101.8 Red House weather records, which go back to 2003, show that in the period from 21st January to 27th April, this has been a very average 2004 258.8 spring in terms of rain with the 8 year mean of 132.9mm being 1mm 2005 119.8 more than has fallen in 2010. 2006 168.4 2007 97.5 This time of year always has the added 2008 130.0 interest of watching out for migratory birds as they return for the summer. The most obvious 2009 54.5 of these are the swallows and house martins. 2010 131.9 The first swallow spotted at Red House was Mean 132.9 on the 10th of April. This is 7 days earlier Total rainfall at than last year although their numbers seem to Red House from be well down . 21st January to Robin Gordon 27th April Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010 11 Bus Timetable

In the last edition of The Mercury we published the timetable for buses stopping at Lane End on the A59. Unfortunately we only printed the times for buses leaving Moor Monkton for York and . In case anyone was wanting to come back (although it may be too late now) we thought it would be a good idea to put in the return times as well. The 142 and 143 buses provide a service along the A59 from Monday to Saturday with the following stops: (Single ticket price from York to Ripon is £3.60) 142: York Piccadilly, Rougier Street, Station, Holgate, Road, Hessay, Moor Monkton Lane End, Kirk Hammerton Lane End, Green Hammerton, Whixley, . , Marton-cum-Grafton, Aldborough, Boroughbridge, Langthorpe, Skelton-on- Ure, Ripon Racecourse, Bondgate Green, Ripon 143: York Piccadilly, Rougier Street, Station, Holgate, Boroughbridge Road, Hessay Lane End, Moor Monkton Lane End, Kirk Hammerton Lane End, Green Hammerton, Whixley, Little Ouseburn. Great Ouseburn, Marton-cum-Grafton, Aldborough, Boroughbridge, Langthorpe, Kirby Hill, Dishforth Airfield, Marton-le-Moor, Bridge Hewick, Copt Hewick, Sharow, North Road, Ripon

York to Ripon 142 142 143 142 143 142 143 142 142 142 143 142 SH SD York Piccadilly 0640 0840 0940 1040 1140 1240 1340 1440 1440 1540 1640 1740 Lane End 0702 0902 1002 1102 1202 1302 1402 1502 1502 1602 1702 1802 Boroughbridge 0735 0935 1035 1135 1235 1335 1435 1535 1553 1635 1735 1835 Ripon 0755 0955 1105 1155 1305 1355 1505 1555 1610 1655 1805 1855 Ripon to York 142 142 142 143 142 143 142 143 142 143 142 142 Ripon 0705 0815 0915 1015 1115 1215 1315 1415 1515 1615 1715 1815 Boroughbridge 0720 0835 0935 1045 1135 1245 1335 1445 1535 1645 1715 1835 Lane End 0745 0905 1005 1110 1205 1310 1405 1510 1605 1710 1810 1905 York Piccadilly 0830 0935 1035 1135 1235 1335 1435 1535 1635 1735 1835 1935 For buses to York: 142 use Marston Lane stop (goes via Hessay), 143 use A59 stop SH - Saturdays and school holidays only SD - School days only (Lane End times are approx)

Advertising: This is a great way for local businesses to support the Mercury £25 for sponsorship including half page advert Adverts: £20 half page, £10 quarter page, £5 eighth page A big “thank you” to all those who contributed to this issue and particularly to Andy Atkins- Krüger for his time and expense in printing the Mercury. If you have any stories or events that need publicising let the editor know.

Printed by WebCertain Global, Northminster Business Park, Poppleton (www.webcertain.com)

Editor: Robin Gordon (738483) [email protected]

The information appearing in this newsletter is taken from a variety of sources and the Editor cannot take responsibility for its accuracy or any opinions expressed

12 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 16 April/May 2010