100 years

LEAVING one's mode of transport on the road was likely to result in a magistrates' court appearance, as well as the possibility of a hefty fine, last century. This same thing happened to waggoner, William Nettleton of Idle when his charge was found unattended near Broughton. He claimed that he had been forced to leave it where it was because he was stuck in the snow. He told magistrates that he had even tried using an extra horse to pull it out but it wouldn't budge and had to leave it in the ditch whilst he went for help. Magistrates decided the man had done his best and dismissed the case.

Should ivory be used or bonzoline? asked Skipton Conservative Club when they were preparing for the district's first billiards tournament, in which Roberts and Dawson were playing 18,000 level for the championship. They were, obviously, refering to the balls and new regulations on the use of ivory. Locals and other cueists were said to be amused at all the quibbling. It was decided that because it was a championship match they should use ivory.

The division between Lancashire and Yorkshire was made apparent when Andrew O'Neil, of no fixed abode, was charged with assaulting a police officer in Raikes Road, Skipton. Upon his arrest he told the officer that he had just done a month in Lancashire for a similar offence but that he was prepared to do six months for assaulting a Yorkshire policeman!

50 years

RESIDENTS on the new Horse Close Estate would not be able to keep poultry in their gardens. As the estate was nearing completion - 60 houses were now occupied - Skipton Urban Council heard that the Housing Management sub-committee had voted not to allow hens on the estate. Instead they hoped land for keeping them would be available near the allotments on the nearby recreation ground. The poultry would still be within a reasonable distance to the houses but not so close as to cause annoyance to other residents through cocks crowing early in the morning.

Farmers were struggling in post-war Britian. There were mouths to feed and stock to rear and now there was a tax on wellies! The matter had been raised at a meeting of the Craven Tenant Farmers' Association and it was decided that Skipton MP, GB Drayson, be asked to approach the Chancellor of the Exchequer to see if he would reduce or abolish the high rate of purchase tax on heavy duty and agricultural rubber wellingtons.

25 years

THE policy of allowing villages to keep on expanding was criticised by a Keighley alderman whose comments might strike a chord or two today.

Speaking at the Craven Water Board meeting, JB Womersley said it was irresponsible to allow development areas when the authorities knew full well that there was not enough water for the board to supply the demand.

There was a particular problem in the parishes around Gargrave and the time had come to say no to more houses simply because the water supply could not cope with any more. A resolution was passed stating that the board could not undertake any additional supplies in the parishes of Hellifield, Airton, Scosthrop, Otterburn, Calton, Malham and Kirkby Malham nor any major additional supplies in Hetton and Rylstone. The board warned that a dry summer would certainly create problems around Gargrave.

People preferred to see a game of cricket start and finish in the same day. This was the observation given by former Lancashire County and England cricketer, Alan Wharton, when he was guest speaker at the annual dinner of the Craven and District Cricket at the Coronation Hotel, Thornton-in-Craven.

He said that there seemed to be fewer county games while the one-day matches were going from strength to strength. He described the county game as aesthetic; people enjoyed the abilities of the batsmen and bowlers and were not worried about the numbers of runs scored.

League cricket, he said, was highly competitive and Federation cricket was simply a passage of time until the bar opened. Mr Wharton said he was concerned about the commercialism which was entering the game and he thought the time would come when the umpires would be wearing white coates with the words 'I wash it in Daz' on them.

Also observed by him was the fact that in every cricket league there was a very important person - the wife! She washed the clothes and made tea on Saturdays and put up with her husband's absence on Saturdays "Never let her change," he concluded.

Bentham Youth Club had been officially opened with the unveilling of a commemorative plaque. Situated at the former Old Friends Meeting House, the occasion marked the perseverence and effort by county councillor Mrs P Pettit who had brought about the successful negotiations.

10 years

AT Gargrave, cricket was also the theme with the annual Sportsman's evening being held. Special guests for the evening were Ian St John, former Liverpool and Scotland forward, and Mike Cowan, former Yorkshire opening bowler. A football autographed by members of the Manchester United football team and a cricket bat autographed by Yorkshire and Lancashire teams were raffled.

The money raised was to go towards buying a motorised heavy roller. £500 was also given to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

A special mention was given to Mike Cox of the Gargrave club for his almost single-handed work in keeping the ground in such good order, both for the season and for the Craven League centenary game against Yorkshire.

Santa and his pixies got a thorough drenching in the inclement weather when switching on the Settle Christmas lights from the Shambles' balcony. Chamber of Trade president, Chris Ellis, paid tribute to the committee for its efforts when he presided over the switch-on.

He then introduced the then chairman of Craven District Council, Claire Brooks, who extended good wishes to all for the festive season. She said that the opening of the new Settle by-pass would bring relief to Settle's roads though hoped it would not hit traders too hard. The children's ward at Steeton's Airedale hospital was one of the major beneficiaries from the money raised.

Painful reading for Gargrave residents: North Yorkshire County Council studied and approved the route of the Gargrave bypass and commented that it varied little from the one which had been finalised many years previously. Ten years on, of course, and Gargrave is still waiting for its bypass.

After a lengthy period in temporary accomodation in a public car park, the library at Embsay at last moved into new premises.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.