Earby Chronicles

Edition 63 WINTER 2011

SOCIETY AIMS: to raise awareness, EARBY JUNCTION foster an interest and facilitate Below is a copy of a post card donated by£1.50 Peter Dawson depicting research into the heritage of Earby & a whimsical version of the Barlick Spud. district including Thornton in Craven, Sough, Kelbrook, Harden, Hague and Salterforth.

OFFICIALS Chairman : Bob Abel phone 01282 843850

Vice Chairman : Stephanie Carter Phone 01756794099

Secretary : Margaret Brown phone 01282 843932

Treasurer : Wendy Faulkner An interesting early 20 th century picture of Earby Station (see over) phone 01282 863160 has recently been added to the Society’s photograph collection. The pic- Programme Secretary ture was taken in the days when the Midland Railway was the life blood of Wendy Venables phone 07780 603652 Earby’s trade. The local farmers used the railway to transport their milk to the towns and cities of the West Riding and the picture shows a selection Archivist: of different style milk kits, probably the empties waiting to be collected and Margaret Greenwood phone 01282 843394 returned to the farms. Proven for the farms, fish, coal for the mills and households, building materials and most of the necessities of life would NRCC Rep: have been brought in on the railway. Wendy Venables phone 07780 603652 One can’t fail to be impressed by the monumental sign to inform passengers that they have arrived at Earby and those continuing to Web Site / IT Vacant Barnoldswick have to change trains and catch the Barlick Spud Roaster as the branch line train was affectionately known. Editor Vacant

Committee: Recent talks & features Trevor Tattersall phone 01282 842819 Page 4 Earby 100 Years Ago (concluding part) Page 9 Earby Mines Museum Mile Stone £2.50 Page 13 Murder at Black Lane Ends Members of 1 Society free Earby Chronicles

The Skipton Train is Due Any Moment

ANNUAL DINNER 2012

The 2012 annual dinner will take place on Saturday 25th February and you will see that we shall be having a change of venue and format this time. The venue will be Rolls Royce Social Club in Barnoldswick and we have invited Ian Dewhirst to speak after the meal. Ian is an ever popular and entertaining speaker who pre- sents local history with a different insight and always with a twist of humour. Rolls Royce Social Club will be able to cater for more guests than we normally have so please invite a few friends and relatives to what will be a major social event for the Soci- ety. Please book early to ensure your places. (see booking form attached to this edition of the Chronicles).

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Society AGM will take place on Tuesday 21 st February 2012. Nominations for the committee and any proposals for the AGM need to be submitted to the Secretary by January 31st 2012. (see attached form). The AGM will be followed by guest speaker, Dr Stephen Caunce, whose talk will be “Business and Pleasure Combined – Hiring Fairs in Yorkshire”.

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THROUGH GLASS BRIGHTLY At the September meeting we welcomed back Margaret Curry as the guest speaker whose talk was entitled “Through Glass Brightly” the story of stained glass. According to the ancient Roman historian Pliny (AD 23-79), Phoenician merchants discovered glass (or rather became aware of its existence accidentally) in the region of Syria around 5000 BC. Pliny tells how the merchants, after landing, rested cooking pots on blocks of nitrate placed by their fire. With the intense heat of the fire, the blocks eventually melted and mixed with the sand of the beach to form an opaque liquid, a crude form of glass. The Romans brought glass making to Britain. It was discovered that by adding min- eral salts to the glass ingredients, coloured variations could be made and the art of stained glass began. There were two main techniques for making window glass both involving blowing. A cruder form was created by rotating the blown glass until a disc was produced and in the other a more up market, higher quality glass, was produced when the blown glass was swung vertically forming a hollow cylinder of glass which could be cut open and rolled flat. This second type of glass was used in buildings of higher status like churches. Stained glass designs are created by cutting the glass to the required shapes and fixing them together using a strip of lead of “H” cross section sealing the joints with a ce- ment. Intricate designs and pictures could be created this way particularly when painting on glass was developed. The earliest stained glass was thought to have been in the Five Sisters Windows in York Minster, completed in 1260. Archaeologists however discovered 7 th century stained glass at St Pauls, Jarrow which was probably installed by Flemish craftsmen. Margaret showed us a selection of slides depicting the many styles of stained glass windows and explained the stories they depict. We saw examples from York Minster with its huge medieval windows to more modest churches with equally interesting stories to tell. Morley (Derbyshire) Parish Church has a series of late medieval glass panels, which were originally from Darley Abbey, depicting the cautionary tale of Saint Robert of Knares- borough. We saw the window in Middleton Church depicting the local men who were arch- ers at the Battle of Flodden and a window at Farndon near Chester illustrating scenes from the English Civil war. Margaret used many more slides to illustrate the glass maker’s art through the centu- ries ending with some fine examples of contemporary works .

MISSING EARBY FILM ARCHIVE

The Society was contacted earlier this year by Peter Dacre from York. His mother’s cousin Rose Edith Hargreaves lived in Earby and he used to visit her in his younger years. One thing Peter mentioned was that friends of Rose Edith were Harry and Elsie Easterby. Peter remembers that “Harry was a keen cine photographer, and had a lot of films of Earby, but where they finished up is any one’s guess!!” The Easterby’s ran the post office at Barlby near Selby before retiring back to Settle. They both died in the 1980s without children. It is probably an impossible task to track down these films but the Society is making an attempt. If anyone has any knowledge of the Easterbys and any surviving family then we would be pleased to hear from you. Contact Bob Abel 01282 843850.

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EARBY100 YEARS AGO Culled from the Craven Heralds

October – December 1911

The cotton weaving industry in Earby was flourishing:

“There are considerable alterations at Victoria Mill, loom space being provided for 600 more looms. Messrs Stockdale and Jones have taken the middle floor of the mill and will have about 300 looms. The Earby Manufacturing Co are recovering their preparatory machinery into the mill premises and fitting up the space, previously occupied by them for warehouse purposes, which will provide accommodation for 240 looms. Mr C Shuttleworth’s firm are also putting 150 more looms into the mill and renewing their warehouse.

A new weaving shed is proposed to hold 1000 looms near Duxbury Street. John De- laney of Settle is about to increase Grove Shed by 400 looms . A new shed of 1000 looms will be erected in the same district, while Victoria Spinning Mill is being overhauled and con- verted into a weaving concern, the place being let to Earby Manufacturing Co, Mr C Shuttle- worth and Messrs Stockdale & Jones of Skipton.”

The autumn and winter evenings brought an extensive number and variety of social gather- ings, many based around the chapels. These included:

· The annual festival of Wesley Guild with solos and special services · Inaugural meeting of the Earby Brotherhood held in the Baptist Chapel · Mother’s meeting – first winter session in the Church Mission Room · Social in the Wesleyan schoolroom with songs, games and competitions for the Wesleyan football club · A rabbit coursing match · Social at the United Methodist school with supper, songs and recitations to promote the young women’s class · Married men’s tea and concert at the Baptist chapel · Wesleyan Band of Hope entertainment with songs and recitations · Pigeon shooting on the Stoneybank Grounds · Cricket Club whist drive and dance at the Albion Hall · Lecture on Wycoller Dene in connection with Earby Naturalists Society in the Baptist School · Socialist discussion class heard a paper on “Why we believe in God” and a lecture on ”With the camera in Belgium” · A lecture in the Albion Hall on the Haunts and Writings of Robert Burns promoted by the Earby Conservative Association · A lecture on the work of the Earby Urban District Council was given by Cr Judd at the Weavers Institute · A tea and concert promoted by the married ladies at the Baptists, with songs, glees and humorous sketches · Conservative “At Homes” promoted in the Albion Hall after an interval of 8 years, with a variety of sketches, dramatic comedy, songs and talks on Conservative policy

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· Brass Band social at the Albion Hall with Morris Quadrille Band providing the music for dancing, followed on the Saturday by a concert of sacred music by the Band at the same venue · An elegant dinner at the Punch Bowl was served to members of the Bowling Club, fol lowed by songs and a comedian

November saw the opening of the new organ at the United Methodist Chapel. “It cost £230 half of which was donated by Arthur Carnegie and the rest raised in a bazaar last winter. It was erected by Laycock and Bannister, Crosshills. The framework was pitch-pine. At the formal opening Rev Hall presented a gold key to Rev. Bannister the pastor. Mr E Berry organist of Earby Baptists gave an organ solo. After the tea there was an evening lecture Old Methodists I have known. There was also a recital by E Berry and songs by Mr Fred Popplewell.

FARMING IN EARBY

Stephanie Carter’s book published by the Society, “A Look Back at Farming in Earby”, has proved to be a great success. An initial print run of 75 was ordered from Carro- Step Print in Earby which were snapped up within a week of the launch. A further two print runs of 25 copies each have subsequently been obtained and are nearly sold out again. The official launch was held at the Earby Council Of- fices on Saturday 17th September when the Mayor of Pen- dle, Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, was the guest of honour. We arranged the launch date to coincide with our “Recycling Past and Present” exhibition which was on dis- Stephanie Carter signing copies of the book play there for a week and subsequently transferred to Earby Library. One of the aims of the Society is to encourage members to research local history topics and to get the results into print either in book form or in the Chronicles. Stephanie has not needed a great deal of encouragement and I, as chairman of the Society, would like to thank Stephanie for the con- tribution she is making to the Guests at the Book Launch study of local history in our Councillor Morris Horsfield, The Mayor of Pendle Councillor area. Nadeem Ahmed, Society Chairman Bob Abel, West Craven County Councillor Keith Bailey

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The exhibition focused on recycling over the last 125 years, from the incineration of household waste in the late 1800s to produce electricity for lighting and the Nelson Tram system, through two world wars when recycling was essential for the war effort, to the state of the art waste sorting and recycling operation recently opened near Leyland. In many ways recycling ideas from the past are being themselves recycled today. Thanks are due in particular to Peter Dawson, Pendle Borough Council, Earby Town Council and the members who helped to man the exhibition and Earby Town Council for the loan of the room. We are also grateful to County Councillor Keith Bailey for donating funding, under the Local Member Grant Scheme, towards the first print run of the book.

THE TWENTY STEPS

Most readers will be familiar with the spy novel the Thirty Nine Steps by John Bu- chan. Several films have been made based on the book most notably perhaps being the Al- fred Hichcock version of 1935 starring Robert Donat. But where are the twenty steps in our locality? In June 1916 the following is recorded in the Earby UDC minutes: The clerk read a letter from the Midland Railway Company explaining how the footpath came to be stopped up and that it had now been put right.

The footpath referred to existed before the road from Kelbrook to Salterforth was built and this footpath would have been an important route to Salterforth crossing Shooter Pit bridge. The surveyor also reported as follows:

June 20th 1916 Gentlemen -As reported to you previously, the Midland Railway has now opened up this footpath, but under altered circumstances. With the advent of the new munitions works, the railway company have laid down new sidings. One of these sidings with a cross-over now intersects this footpath, thus making the previously somewhat dangerous level crossing much more dangerous. The work of constructing the sidings is still in progress, but the need for a footbridge at this point is becoming much more necessary, and the railway company’s attention should be called to this mat- ter. Your Obedient Servant—J E Aldersley

During the First World War, Kelbrook was chosen for the site of a munitions storage facility. The land used was between Kelbrook and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. The site was thus accessible both by canal and railway al- though new track and sidings had to be laid. There is no evidence that a foot bridge was ever built but the “twenty steps” still exists. Take the footpath to the side of the Craven Heifer pub in Kelbrook (this path is subject to a very recent diversion) and carry on to the railway embankment. The “Twenty Steps” take the path down to the former track level where the path crossed the line. No prizes for guessing as to how the steps were named.

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NEW SKIPTON BOOK

“Growing Up in Old Skipton” -Stephanie Carter and Ella Hatfield

Based on the memoirs of Joyce Murgatroyd, born in 1892, the book tells of her life in Old Skipton and is a new slant on a familiar subject. It is lavishly illustrated, with pictures of her family, home, where the family shopped, the clothes they wore and what their servants used in their work, school and Christ Church;. Discover what it was like to go to Skipton Girls’ Grammar School in its early days; imagine the excite- ment of seeing the world-famous Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show unloading its three special trains right next to your house, in the days before cinema and televi- sion! Many of the photographs have never been published before; they will stir nostalgia for the past in older folk and fascination in the young. The painting on the cover is of Skipton High Street before the in- vention of cars or buses and shows the town as Joyce would have known it as a child. Stephanie Carter has previously written several historical publications based on Earby in liaison with Earby & District Local History Society and Ella Hatfield is the well known Skipton.

“Growing Up in Old Skipton” costs £7.99 and is available from Bob Abel, The Mines Mu- seum, Stephanie Carter, WH Smiths Skipton, Alley Books, Skipton Castle, Craven Museum and Gallery, Skipton Library and other local venues.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO GARGRAVE by Trevor Batchelor - October Meeting

This was a well researched talk showing the extent of Roman roads in the area around Gargrave. Trevor’s interest was first sparked by the discovery of an ancient paved ford 17 metres downstream of the current bridge over the river Aire in the centre of Gar- grave. In 1967 Gargrave Parish council undertook work to improve the flow of the water, as over the years debris and gravel had accumulated forming a large central island 10 meters or so below the bridge. During this work the paved ford was exposed along with several submerged timber posts or piles. Trevor’s evidence for this being a Roman ford was the body of his talk. He introduced us to many of the local tracks and roads that could have been Roman in origin, and how they were used to move men around the forts, lead from the mines and travel between the local Roman houses, forts and other landmarks. He told us that there has been a bridge in Gargrave since the 14 th century, firstly wooden ones which were replaced by the first stone bridge in 1638 which in turn was rebuilt in 1816/17. This is the one used today. In all the records about the bridges no evidence has so far

7 Earby Chronicles come to light of a ford. Trevor felt that if the ford was known about it would have been used and at least mentioned in the surveys. The wooden bridges were shown to be over the top of the ford in old maps and plans. When the ford was surveyed by Trevor and Kevin Jack- son in 2000 they found that several of the piles used to support the bridges were driven through the paving of the ford, showing that the builders of the wooden bridges were un- aware of the ford’s existence otherwise why would they have rendered a very useful ford in- operable. He then showed how Gargrave was at the centre of a local network of Roman roads connecting the main roads from Ribchester to Tadcaster and York as Gargrave gives an easy crossing of the river Aire for all these routes. It was also used locally to connect the Roman villa at Gargrave, the fort at Elslack and the lead mines in Malham and Grassington. There is still evidence of these roads, some are buried under modern tarmac while others like Mark House Lane and Lanber Lane still show high quality engineering. There have been many local finds of Roman coins, pottery and other artefacts which also support the evidence of a large Roman presence in the area.

He has given the society a full text of his talk and it is available in the archives for any interested members to read. FAMILY HISTORY QUERIES

DIXON Richard Thwaite Steve Randall is seeking information about Richard Thwaite DIXON. He lived at 3 Colne Road before the First World War and brothers John and Matthias DIXON also lived at the same address at some time. Richard died in 1949 aged 85 his death being registered in Barnoldswick.

SMITH Ernest Glenys Blay is researching Ernest SMITH who was born in 1906. His parents were Richard and Martha nee Thompson and he had three brothers, Albert, James Glenthorn and Leo- nard Irving.

If you have any information or can help in any way with these enquiries please contact Bob Abel on 01282 843850

SUCCESSFUL FAMILY HISTORY QUERY FROM THE STATES

Following a family history enquiry for information on the Shuttleworth family, which was passed to me, Stephanie Carter (née Shuttleworth), Kathy and Frank Erickson from Seattle, USA, paid an enjoyable visit to the area in September. Kathy is one of my distant cousins and her grandmother, Mary Ann Shuttleworth, was born at Thornton Hall and her father James and my great grandfather William were brothers. On the day when the wind was high in the trees as a result of the tail end of a hurri- cane, we looked at old Shuttleworth haunts, including the memorials in Thornton church- yard, Thornton Hall, Shuttleworth Street in Earby, Albion Mill, North Holme and Moor Hall Farms. Bob and Helen welcomed us for coffee, prior to an enjoyable lunch at the Punch Bowl, once long ago in Shuttleworth ownership.

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Left to Right—Bob Abel, Helen Horner, Frank Erickson, Stephanie Carter, Kathy Erikson At the Punch Bowl

Kathy and Frank were a delight and very pleased with their visit and to hear of the work of the Society, and we are very pleased that they have joined us as members and will receive future copies of the Chronicles.

EARBY MINES MUSEUM MILE STONE

This year (2011) marks the 40 th anniversary of the opening of Earby’s Museum of the Yorkshire Dales Lead Mining Industry. This is the story of the museum and the events leading up to its foundation as told by Peter Dawson, Morris Horsfield and Peter Hart to Bob Abel In 1945 a group of Earbyers formed the Earby Pothole Club. Some of the founder members included Peter Dawson, brothers Brian and John Sharples, Arthur Hartley, Ken- neth Metcalf, Jim Walker and Morris Horsfield. Jim Walker and Peter Dawson had been to Craven Museum, which was housed above Skipton library in those days, and saw a display about Elbolton Cave near Thorpe. The cave was famous for the collection of prehistoric bones found there and this visit was to fire their enthusiasm for underground exploration. A visit to Elbolton was soon organised and taking some ropes they explored the cave. While they were looking round the area where the cave was situated they realised there were several old mine workings ripe for exploration. The club was interrupted for a few years when most of the members were called up for National Service and it was to be 1949 before it really got going. The pothole club organised a yearly programme of field trips to both potholes and old lead mines. They borrowed an ex-army bell tent from the scouts for weekend trips and

9 Earby Chronicles sometimes stayed overnight underground. They made there own coiled ladders using ma- nila or sisal ropes. One of the first mines they visited was at Buckden where they managed to locate the level but there was so much debris in the tunnel that it formed a dam causing water to flood it. They had to clear the debris and allow the water to drain out sufficiently to allow them access albeit wearing wellington boots. As they continued to explore these and other mine workings they began to realise just how much industrial archaeology there was underground in the form of old machinery, tools and personal effects which had been abandoned when the mines closed. They began to bring out the smaller items which were to become the basis of a fascinating collection of artefacts. Some members became more interested in the mine investigations and gradually a separate group, the Earby Mines Research Group (EMRG), emerged within the original pot holing club. This group were pioneers of the underground industrial archaeology of the dales lead mines. Exploring mines was inherently more dangerous than pot holes as mine workings had had to be supported by timber much of which was rotting and unstable and safety had to be a priority. As they became more experienced some of the more bulky artefacts were recov- ered including mine wagons, stone arches and boundary stones which would have been lost altogether. Most of these relics were stored at Peter Dawson’s house, in his cellar or garden. Another aspect of the mine research was photography and Jim Walker and Frank Makin were the experts. They used the flash powder technique to illuminate the dark re- cesses of the mines. Flash powder was quite hazardous as it entailed igniting a mixture of powdered magnesium and potassium chlorate which was easy to detonate with a lighted taper. The resulting explosion produced a short burst of intense white light (and choking fumes). Sometimes one flash was not sufficient to illuminate large cavernous areas and several strategically placed flashes were set off as simultaneously as possible. By the late sixties the collection had grown to the stage where storage was becoming difficult. In 1970 the West Riding County Council closed the clinic which was housed in the old Earby Grammar School building and surrendered the lease. The building was owned (and still is) by the Windle Trust. It was decided to approach the Trust with a view to setting up a museum but the Armoride factory also had their eyes on the venue as a works social club. The educational aspects of a museum swung the argument and the Windle Trust leased the building to the EMRG at a peppercorn rent. Funding was needed to get the museum off the ground and the members of the group contributed £25 each to get the ball rolling. Much work was needed on the