Tuesday, May 4, 2004

100 years ago: Columnist TT recounted a tale told to him by a huntsman about a curious reply to an advertisement seeking foster mothers for puppies, which had been issued on behalf of the York and Ainsty Hunt. A letter was duly received offering, "two, as good as new, with lamps complete". The offer of the incubators was not accepted, even though TT pointed out that the link between young chicks and foxhound puppies had been "provided by Mr Reynard himself".

50 years ago: A Canadian reader wondered what had happened to York's much-discussed museum ghost, and wrote to columnist Mr Nobody asking him if he knew. The reader was a York war bride who had been closely following the reports of strange happenings at the museum in copies of the Yorkshire Evening Press sent to her by her mother. "But just when I was expecting to find out whether the ghost appeared at that test held by the Society for Psychic Research my paper did not arrive," she lamented. Mr Nobody apologised for disappointing her, but the Edwardian visitor had not obliged, the watchers even waited on a second occasion but again saw nothing unusual.

10 years ago: Archaeologists discovered a Roman fort dating from 70 AD alongside the upgraded A1 in North Yorkshire. The discovery at Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge, was hailed as one of the most exciting in the county. It had been discovered using a machine which detected objects underground and gave a computer readout of their position, without the need to dig it up. It was believed that the fortifications were built by soldiers on the side of Cartimandua, Queen of Brigantia, Britain's largest native kingdom, who had been overthrown by her former husband Venutius. The fort was abandoned in the mid-80s AD and appeared to have been replaced by a new fort a mile away at Aldborough.

Updated: 11:44 Tuesday, May 04, 2004