100 years ago

A QUARREL over non-payment of work resulted in Barnoldswick joiner Thomas Wellock sueing John Sagar, quarrymaster, also of Barnoldswick, at Skipton County Court. The work involved was the conversion of two cottages into shops for which Wellock was charging £8 16s 6d. Though no contract had been drawn up for the work, Sagar thought the fee was exceptionally high given that Wellock charged 8d per hour. He had worked out he would have had to work 106 hours, and refused to believe he had. The court heard that Thomas Waite, joiner and contractor, had done the work for Wellock and had made a valuation of just £2 4s 1d. Judge Bompas QC decided the £6 in settlement which Sagar had since made to the court was sufficient and the case was closed.

Otley Street resident James Fortune made an unusual request to Skipton Urban Council by suggesting they demolish and "round off" the corner of his house near the Parish Church School. A garden wall was also to be moved to bring it into line with others nearby. The council committee undertook to do this and said they would also put down a flagstone causeway.

50 years ago

FURTHER developments at Eastby Fell Holiday Camp had been put forward to Skipton Rural Council planners by proprietor Mrs EG O'Neill. She said she had opened the holiday camp for 50 guests around 18 months earlier and its success justified the application to extend into its seven-and-a-half acre site. The enterprise was to include new features such as a bathing pool, tennis courts, bowling green and children's playground. The camp would have its own theatre and concert hall, with celebrity concerts and cinema shows.

Wherever you propose to spend Christmas this year, the chances are it won't be in a hay loft in Clapham! The Whitfield family made up of mum, dad and two girls of school age had been evicted from their tied home of three years in the village. Mr Whitfield had lost his position and refused the chance to live rent-free in a cottage in Clapham until February because he wanted something more permanent for his family. The alternative was the unlit and unheated hay loft. Neighbours gave them two stoves for heating and cooking and invited them over for hot meals. Mrs Whitfield had approached Settle Rural District Council to look into their plight.

25 years ago

SKIPTON MP, Burnaby Drayson, had a lucky escape at his house in London, when he took delivery of a letter bomb. Mr Drayson became suspicious about the package and called Scotland Yard, who promptly called in the bomb squad. He said he had no idea why he should have been the target for such a device.

Subscriptions were to rise by 50p for Skipton Angling Association due to the increase in costs, not least for the purchase of stock fish. At the annual meeting in the Weavers' Institute, secretary JW Preston announced that 2,000 trout were to be stocked into Embsay reservoir and the River Aire, and that the club was able to take on 10 more adult members. He added that the increase in subs would help build up a cash reserve in case any stretch of fishing came onto the market. President W Smith announced that it had been a tremendous year for the club and added that he himself had been a member for almost 50 years. He hoped that the club would keep on providing fishing for generations to come.

A lorry carrying 30,000 pop bottles came to grief on the Keighley to Kendal road near Thorlby. The lorry overturned after failing to negotiate a bend and ended up overhanging a bank. Fortunately the driver escaped with only minor bruising. The bottles were empty, though the road was strewn with broken glass.

10 years ago

PEPSI from Earby was one lucky cat, though his nine lives were rapidly running out. No sooner had he recovered from being hit by a car, he found himself on the receiving end of an air rifle, which cost him an eye. An X-ray revealed seven pellets had lodged in his body, although vets had managed to remove most of them. Pepsi belonged to the Holmes family of Longroyd Road.

Chris Riley, mine host of the Falcon Manor in Settle, and formerly of the farming industry, had one ambition - to buy a champion beef animal at auction. Ten years ago his ambition was complete after he purchased a champion bullock at Hellifield Auction Market Christmas Show. The beast was not bought for its intended breeding purposes though - it was put on the menu instead! Mr Riley put the word out that free hot-pot made with some of the meat was being served to celebrate his 10 years at the hotel.

Embsay's £200,000 new village hall had just been officially opened by Lord Hartington, son of the Duke of Devonshire. The bulk of the cash had been raised by the 1,800 villagers. The new building replaced the World War One army huts which had served as the village hall since the 1920s.

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