Saturday, October 16, 2004

100 years ago: The lord of the manor of Whitby still kept up the quaint observance of the laying of the Horngarth or Penny Hedge in the field on the upper shores of Whitby Harbour. The hedge was laid by a veteran Yorkshireman, and the lord of the manor's bailiff was present to see the devoir properly carried out. Three blasts were blown on a time-honoured horn after the business was accomplished. The commemoration of this ceremony was then in its ninth century, and the horn on which the blasts were blown was 500 years old. The lord of the manor at the time was Sir Charles Strickland, himself a notable personality, as well as the eighth baronet, the Stricklands having settled in Cumberland and Westmorland before the Norman Conquest.

50 years ago: Rabbit was now off the menu for the majority of people in the rural districts around York, and those partial to rabbit pie were now no longer enthusiastic about the dish. Such was the reaction to the steady spread of myxomatosis, which was now attributed to the death of every rabbit, except those killed either by the shotgun or the snare. Even so, many of those killed by shot or trapping were still subject to intense examination, and one showing even the slightest symptom of bulging eyes or gaunt cheeks was quickly considered unsuitable for the table. Little wonder then, according to columnist Mr Nobody, that the trade in rabbits had slumped, even at a time when they would normally fetch up to 6s a couple. In the minds of many farmers, the rabbit was not no longer worth bothering about as a commercial proposition.

25 years ago: Newton-on-Rawcliffe's ducks were testing the waters of the newly-reopened village pond, having spent the last few months shut in the yard of the White Swan. Their enforced stay at the pub was necessary as villagers were cleaning up the pond, and North Yorkshire County Council were putting a rubber lining in as cracks in the bed meant that water had been draining away. Once the work was completed, the villagers half filled the pond with water using hosepipes, and then the landlady of the pub led the convoy back, which included some young ducks that had never known any other water than the pub yard puddles, but they all took to it like ducks to water.

Updated: 08:57 Monday, October 18, 2004