100 years ago

TWO men appeared in court in Settle after they shot at a balloon making its way from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Manchester to Barnard Castle, thinking it was a toy one. The Herald has reported two weeks previously the embarrassing reception given to the balloonists who were forced to 'flop down in the carriage without ceremony'. Two of the Settle volunteers admitted unlawfully discharging their rifles. They were fined £2 17s 6d each and were expelled from the company. They claimed they thought it was a paper balloon.

A mission room was opened at Glusburn as part of Sutton church. Mr Lemmon, a lay reader, held the first service and hymns were accompanied by an organ donated by an anonymous benefactor. The room was opened by the Bishop of Richmond and around 120 people attended.

A man was killed while milking a cow in Skipton. A cat ran out in front of the animal, startling it. It knocked over the labourer and trampled on him.

50 years ago

Around 20 relatives and friends of employees of Dewhurst's Belle Vue Mills were invited to have a look round the mill and learn the secrets of how to turn raw cotton into a finished reel of thread. The owners John Dewhurst and Sons Limited operated the factory as a branch of the English Sewing Cotton Company.

Fred Davis, a world professional snooker champion, visited Barnoldswick Conservative Club to give a number of exhibition matches. Profits from the evenings went to the local old age pensioners' association and St John's Ambulance.

Silsden was to erect a memorial to the late George VI and launched a local fund to buy one. The chairman of Silsden Urban District Council called upon groups to hold special events in the forthcoming months to raise funds.

The advisability of holding Kilnsey show on a Saturday instead of the traditional Tuesday was discussed by Upper Wharfedale Agricultural Society. Also being discussed was the introduction of a dog section.

25 years ago

THE PTA at Langcliffe Primary School were puzzled about a mysterious illness that was recurring among the pupils. Members were worried about the schoolchildren, who constantly suffered bouts of sickness, and they decided to question the Local Health Authority about the cause. They put it down to a "virus infection" but the association wanted them to investigate further to pinpoint the cause and to why the virus kept coming back.

The parking debate in Skipton has clearly been carrying on for a while, as the idea of a multi-storey car park in Skipton was put forward at a meeting of the Council's development services committee 25 years ago. It was said that there was an "unsatisfied demand" for parking. One councillor thought that the provision and siting for a multi-storey car park in Skipton should be looked into. Others instantly rejected the idea, saying they did not want such a "monstrosity" in Skipton, and the proposal was defeated. Successive councils have, of course, continued to do nothing.

A meeting of Hellifield ratepayers was called to find out if they would contribute to Settle Area swimming pool, which was under the threat of closure. Members of the parish council had said that they did not want the pool to close, but were not happy with the suggestion of making a contribution from the rates.

Grassington Parish Council agreed to a trial ban on cars parking on the village square. The parish council also backed the construction of a bowling green on the Yorkshire Dales National Park's headquarters of Colvend.

10 years ago

THE mysterious "disappearance" of Rylstone Cross - a cause of concern to local residents - was solved. The age-old monument had actually fallen down. A spokesman for the Dales National Park, responsible for the area, said that on the day it had disappeared had been a calm day so it was unlikely to have been blown over. He added that the Dales National Park Authority would try and find out what had happened one way or another.

A local man, Les Pilling of Bentham, set a new British weight lifting record at the World Drug-Free Powerlifting Championships at Roll-Royce, Derby. Leslie, 37, set the record for the squat lift with 295kg.

Anger at the announcement of the decimation of the British coal industry prompted a local councillor to stage a demonstration. Councillor Margaret Billing had been approached by many people who were deeply distressed about the plans to close over 30 pits, many of them in Yorkshire. She expressed the view that the announcement had brought the country to the brink of 'natural disaster' and organised a silent protest on the steps of Skipton Town Hall.