A BOOK which uncovers the fascinating stories behind some of the people buried in Settle's Holy Ascension Church graveyard has been published.

Since the church was consecrated in 1838, plenty of baptisms, marriages and burials have marked the passing of time. 180 years later in May 2018, Settle District U3A Family Historians decided it would be a good idea to record the inscriptions on all the gravestones to preserve them for future generations, starting with the oldest ones in the ancient graveyard.

Researcher Sarah Lister, a member of Settle District U3A, who undertook the research, has now finished writing 'Curious Tales from the Ancient Graveyard' to celebrate the lives of some of those buried there and it is available to buy from July 27.

It will be on sale at the Folly, in Settle, on that date, with a book signing from 11am - 2pm.

It will also be available from the church, from Stories in Stone at www.ydmt.org, and from www.settledistrictu3a.org.uk.

Alongside the book, Sarah Lister is running themed Graveyard Tours at the Church on summer holiday evenings where she makes an appearance as 'Gentleman Jack'. The themes are: Church Saints and Sinners, Working Class Heroes, Fun with Farmers and Gardeners, Scandal in the Graveyard, Wonderful Women, Innkeepers of Settle and Tragic Deaths.

Tickets are available from the Folly. There are also several interactive talks at the Folly, at Settle District U3A and with other local groups. Books will be available to buy at all of these events and further details are from settleresearch@gmail.com

Sarah said: “This book demonstrates what can be achieved when a large team of people work together, and I’m grateful to all the individuals and community groups who have helped to make this happen.

"I hope readers will be interested in this new look at Settle’s heritage and may be inspired to have a look in their own community graveyards to discover the tales buried within.”

The book was produced as part of Stories in Stone, a scheme of conservation and community projects in the Ingleborough area.

The scheme was developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership led by Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Don Gamble, Stories in Stone scheme manager, said: “Sarah and everyone involved with the project have done an amazing job finding out about Settle’s ancestors. The book is full of fascinating stories about remarkable people and it adds greatly to what we know about Settle’s history.”

The Craven Herald is running a number of individual stories from Sarah's research on some of the occupants of the churchyard.

Keep a look out on our nostalgia pages for some of these fascinating revelations.