100 Years Ago

CRUELTY to children was far, far worse, it seems, 100 years ago. The annual meeting of the Craven branch of the NSPCC, held in Settle, reported that a staggering 199 cases had been investigated by the local branch involving 614 children and 267 offenders. It was a fact, said the speakers, that cruelty occurred in the sparsely populated rural areas just as much as in the towns. HC Longdon, secretary of the Craven branch, said child cruelty was far worse than it used to be.

In Bradley the new Wesleyan chapel was opened, on the site of the original chapel built in 1814-15. It cost £1,700 and the first of 26 memorial stones was unveiled by John Brigg MP of Kildwick Hall. Each stone layer was presented with a small mallet bearing the inscription 'Wesleyan Chapel, Bradley, April 23 1904'. Under a stone laid by Mrs Peter Green of Bradley was an Edwardian version of a "time capsule" including coins, stamps and copies of the Craven Herald.

50 Years Ago

SETTLE Rural District Council finally gave permission for overhead electricity lines to be installed along Littondale all the way to Foxup bringing supply to the residents. The council had wanted the cables routed underground but the Yorkshire Electricity Board had said this was not possible. The Council for the Preservation of Rural England was also against the overhead lines but said it did not want to keep the dale powerless. It called for underground cables in Arncliffe and the transformer to be housed in a building in keeping with the local style.

It was a proud day for Appletreewick, noted the paper, as the village hall extension was opened and every resident of the village was crowded into the building. The Herald reported that a campaign had started in 1904 and a village hall opened in 1907 but it soon became apparent that a stage was lacking. The extension housed the stage and already a drama group had been formed in Appletreewick. The extension was the village's contribution to the Queen's coronation celebrations and a message from Her Majesty thanked the village for its loyalty.

Drought gripped Craven and in Earby there was a particular shortage. Demand was 50,000 gallons per day higher than normal and the water authority warned that in a "moderately dry" summer there would be great difficulty maintaining supply. The Herald reported that many lambs could be lost as the lack of moisture was affecting the normal source of food for ewes and a drought could claim more lambs than a severe winter storm.

The death was reported of Fred Yates, owner of Yates and Son, the Skipton ladies and gents outfitters. He was a president of the Craven Club and leading light of the Craven Bowling Club, Skipton Golf Club, Skipton British Legion and the finance committee of Skipton Congregationalist Church.

25 Years Ago

THE general election was only six days away and with the Liberal candidate Claire Brooks needing a swing of less than one per cent, both parties wheeled out their big guns. Liberal leader David Steele spoke in Hellifield and what the Herald termed the biggest political meeting for a century, former Prime Minister Edward Heath, spoke to 1,100 at Aireville School.

Arncliffe farmer Arnold Fell created a storm when he published a pamphlet called the "Tragedy of the Yorkshire Dales". In it he called the Yorkshire Dales National Park committee an "inept, incompetent, ignorant body of men" and called for the national park to be run by a committee made up entirely of elected parish representatives. He also called for the freedom to develop broken down barns to ease the pressure on the local housing market and give local people the chance to buy their own homes. Burnaby Drayson, about to stand down as Skipton MP, stoked the fire when he wrote to Mr Fell congratulating him on his "excellent production". The national park hit back by staying that the pamphlet was full of inadequate and misleading information.

A 100-year-old Skipton business ended when Stanley Cork closed his Sheep Street business and rented the premises out to A Sutcliffe Footwear, of Accrington, saying the twin threat of VAT and supermarkets discounting cigarettes had persuaded him it was no longer worth the effort. The Corks, Stanley, brother William and sisters Edith and Hilda had once run four Skipton barber shops but had gradually moved away from hair cutting to tobacco. Mr Cork recalled that most men would shave only twice a week, at a cost of one penny, and frequently after visiting the picture house. His was the last shop in Skipton to repair lighters and umbrellas.

10 Years Ago

THE North Yorkshire Magistrates Courts Committee said it had taken account of local feelings in its decision to close Settle Magistrates Court. Oddly, the Herald could find not one single person who wanted the court to close and North Yorkshire's Chief Constable also condemned the decision.

Dr Tom Gibson retired from Dyneley House doctor's practice. He was replaced by Dr Bruce Woodhouse.