Craven through the years

AN alarming disease, enteritis, was sweeping the region, killing grouse. So far the disease had spread around Cumberland and North Yorkshire moorlands. The moors around Settle and Craven had stayed free of the disease for over 20 years - but there were reports from Bolton Abbey that old and young birds were dying by the hundreds, and that the sporting outlook for the season had never looked so gloomy.

Embsay Parish Church celebrated its jubilee anniversary. To mark the celebrations a huge congregation witnessed the church being consecrated.

Mill owners in Skipton had sworn an undertaking to use every endeavour to prevent the emission of dense smoke in such quantities as to cause a nuisance to the town. However the Herald noted that in the Newmarket area of the town there could regularly be seen chimneys 'belching' out dense volumes of black smoke.

A draft charter was being considered for the formation of a University of Yorkshire. The university was to be formed around the existing structure of the Yorkshire College. Local headmasters and colleges were being consulted over the plans.

50 years ago

Celebrations continued across the district to mark the Coronation, including a concert by Skipton Girls' Choir at the Town Hall. The concert had been postponed as it was originally planned to be held in Aireville Park but heavy rain meant the event had to be called off.

A row broke out over the correct address for the first ever woman chairman of Skipton Urban District Council. Mollie Mitchell objected to being referred to as "Madam Chairman", saying it was a contradiction in terms and that she should be addressed as "Madam Chair". While it was left to members' discretion one councillor insisted on antagonising her further by continuing to refer to her as "Mr Chairman." Coun Mitchell said that if women had earned the right to occupy the chair, then they had the right to the distinction of a feminine title.

25 years ago

TWO Glusburn lollipop ladies were nominated in the Lollipop of the Year national contest. Barbara Isherwood and Doris Hudson patrolled busy roads either side of Glusburn School. Mrs Hudson was also marking her silver anniversary in the role.

Elslack parents lost their fight to save their village school. The school was earmarked for closure by September 1978. The decision to close the school was taken in the face of fierce local opposition, but officials said that it was unlikely there would be more than 12 pupils attending the school by 1981.

Pupils at Barnoldswick's Coates Lane School had been p-p-p-picking up a penguin and raising money for the Wildlife fund. They had collected 3,400 penguin biscuit wrappers and nine year old Robin Brennan also p-p-picked up a prize for his essay about the birds in a national competition.

A mysterious cairn appeared on Farnhill moor, just a few hundred yards from the familiar pinnacle landmark and the ancient burial mound on Bradley Moor. The ten feet high pile of stones, with a simple wooden cross on top, just appeared with Craven District Council, Farnhill Parish Council and residents having no idea why it had come into being.

10 years ago

A Gargrave woman was one of the first in Craven to experience the thrills and spills of the new craze of bungee jumping. Karen Manger was to make the 175 feet jump to raise money for a cancer research project at Christie's hospital, Manchester. The event at Gargrave was the first bungee jump to be held in Craven.

A serious lack of burial space in Settle had led to a suggestion to bury corpses vertically. A packed public meeting expressed concerns that in two years there would be no plots left in the existing cemetery at Parish Church. Other suggestions were to bury them elsewhere or raise the churchyard and bury on top of existing graves.

A Craven Herald was one of the items buried in a time capsule in Cononley. The capsule was buried to mark the completion of a village shared ownership housing scheme. Other items buried were a group photographs of the primary school, a cassette of pupil's singing and music from the Pet Shop Boys.