Friday, December 3, 2004

100 years ago: Certain grand jurors in the north of England failed to put in an appearance to discharge the duties to which they were called. They were engaged in business so profitable that a columnist remarked: "It is to be hoped they would not be losers on the deal when they were fined £10 a man." The unemployed wished to be summoned and paid for jury service, but they were already out of work they could not incur loss by attending court, and therefore were debarred from payment. "What a pity that there cannot be combined business and duty in the manner pursued by a man who appeared before one judge," he continued. He was in deep mourning and claimed exemption on the ground that he was interested in the funeral of a gentleman that day, at which he desired to be present. "Oh certainly," said the courteous judge, and the man went sad-facedly away. "Do you know the man you have exempted?" asked the clerk. "No," replied the judge. "He is an undertaker," was the reply.

50 years ago: The proposal to use St Saviour's Church as a storehouse for York Castle Museum prompted Mr Nobody to look into its history. The first half of Queen Victoria's reign was marked by continuous activity in the restoration of the ancient churches of York, and St Saviour's was among those affected. In 1844 practically the whole of St Saviour's was taken down and rebuilt with fresh stone, the only part left untouched being a portion of the 14th century tower. A pre-Conquest church, St Saviour's was among those mentioned in the Domesday Survey or in other contemporary documents. In the 15th century it had an annual value of £8, these yearly values, according to one York historian, being declared on oath to the King's Commissioners for assessing the amount due when levying a subsidy granted by Parliament of 2s in the £1 on all "spirituals and temporals in the realm" for carrying on the French war.

25 years ago: A freak thunderstorm hit the York area, the first to be recorded in December for 11 years, bringing 16in of rain in less than an hour. It was caused by a combination of unusually warm, moist weather and a down rush of cold air. Strong winds brought down trees in the Malton area, blocking the road to Stamford Bridge, and near North Grimston, with police having to clear up branches from the roads across the region.

Updated: 09:02 Thursday, December 02, 2004