Thursday, November 11, 2004

100 years ago: Recent fine weather was a mixed blessing to the agricultural community. While farmers rejoiced on account of the "open" autumn, it brought farm work to such an advanced stage that employers were in a better position to bargain than they had been for some years. As a result wages were likely to be a couple of sovereigns down, and there was a tendency on the part of masters to await developments. At the Michaelmas fairs, engagements had been entered into at £20 to £30 for horsemen, £26 to £30 for managing foremen, £18 to £20 for waggoners, and £12 to £16 for plough lads. The number of servants in Pavement was larger than for many years, and, where men refused to accept less than last year's rates, farmers were engaging big lads with the object of waiting until the market rate fell. Girls were very difficult to get for domestic work. Their wages varied from £16 to £20, and those with special qualifications found little difficulty in getting even more.

50 years ago: The traditional use of mistletoe in the English Christmas may owe its survival to an old pre-Reformation custom in York Minster, a new book claimed. Originally a sacred plant of the Druid religion and credited with miraculous healing powers, the mistletoe went out of favour with the coming of Christianity, and was banned by the Church as a pagan symbol. The only exception to this rule was in the Minster, where each Christmas a large bundle of mistletoe was brought into the sanctuary and placed on the high altar by a priest. In time, the pagan significance was forgotten and it became generally used as a seasonal decoration.

25 years ago: Police stepped up patrols in York after street battles the previous weekend. The chief inspector of police told the Evening Press there were reports that "notices of street fight venues have appeared on school notice boards". Young people would be in the city to see where the action was, and he thought that the film Quadrophenia had caught their imagination. But added it was a misnomer to speak of Mods and Rockers in York, as he hadn't seen any about, although there was "a small element of Teddy Boys".

Updated: 08:50 Thursday, November 11, 2004