100 years ago

AN experiment in which constables in the West Riding were provided with bicycles proved a success. The Chief Constable had been authorised to purchase 12 additional bikes, at a cost of £14 each, for use in various parts of the county. It was thought that if constables stationed in remote districts were thus equipped, the distance each man could cover on his ordinary beat would be considerable.

A Skipton man was summoned before the town's magistrates for his brother's irregular attendance at the Parish Church School. During the last 145 sessions, the youngster had only made 36 attendances at school. But the defendant asked the magistrates how they expected the lad to attend school when he was always getting thrashed by the teacher.

Meanwhile a Skipton wagoner was summoned for having no control over his horses. A policeman on duty in the town's Broughton Road saw a horse attached to a wagon proceeding along the highway and found the defendant asleep inside.The chairman of the bench said he too was almost struck by a wagon as he was on his way home the same day. The wagoner was fined 10s and costs.

50 years ago

SKIPTON'S poultry and rabbit show, held in the Drill Hall, proved to be a notable event, with more than 700 entries and 270 rabbits on show. Unusually, as well as the hundreds of live entries, there was also an exhibition of fur capes, gloves and other articles of clothing which could be made from the fur of the more distinguished breeds. These exhibits were said to have attracted envious glances from women spectators.

A Skipton farmer was fined the massive sum of five shillings for allowing his bull to meander along the highway. The bull had been spotted walking along the Skipton to Otley Road at 9.30pm one evening. The chairman of the bench announced it was the bull's second offence.

Long Preston Women's Institute was celebrating its 17th birthday. A cake had been baked specially for the occasion by Mrs Dodgson and iced by Miss Gane. The cake was cut by president Mrs Roberts.

25 years ago

A special dinner was held to mark the centenary of Skipton Rugby Union Football Club. Speaker Phillip Gaunt, president of the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union, described Skipton as a club with a "great history, great players, great traditions and great conquests". Henry Towler, chairman of the Skipton club, said it had played rugby continuously since 1874, even through the two world wars.

A television programme which focused on the Craven Herald had aroused much interest from across the country. The documentary was screened as part of the BBC's Man Alive series and coincided with the Herald's 100th anniversary. After its screening, the editor and staff received messages of goodwill from many parts of the country.

A recital was to be held at Carleton Parish Church to celebrate the renovation of the church organ, which would be 100 years old the following year. The recital was to be given by the celebrated choir of Leeds Parish Church.

10 years ago

Continuing the centenary theme, it was the turn of Skipton's Trinity Methodist Church in 1989. The church marked its 100th anniversary with a week-long programme of events and a special celebratory service. The Herald reported that all of the events had proved popular, with special chairs having to be brought in for the service.

A celebrity-packed Call My Bluff took place in Skipton Town Hall to raise funds for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Team captains were ex-Craven Herald reporter and former BBC cricket correspondent Don Mosey, and Marilyn Webb, who had her own TV production company. Their teams included John Baxter, from TV's It's a Vet's Life and Yorkshire Television weatherman Bob Rust.

A trainee at the Barnoldswick branch of Rolls-Royce won the chairman's award for the most outstanding trainee in the company. Nigel Buck, of Earby, had been taken on by the firm in 1981 and had later been sponsored to do a four year electrical course at Bradford University. Mr Buck was described as a skilled electrical engineer and was to receive a trophy, medal and £250 from Rolls chairman Sir Francis Tombs during a special ceremony to be held at Glasgow.

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