100 years ago

For many years in Bridlington Priory Church a neat little notice in gold letters had been in position over a table tombstone, close to the entrance to the church by the south aisle.

The notice was as follows: “'1542, Thomas Newman, aged 153 years. This stone was refaced in 1771, to preserve the recollection of this remarkable prolongation of human life.' The above is a copy of an inscription on an ancient stone in Bridlington churchyard, which has now disappeared.”

The legend of the stone had now been dispelled by the Rector, Dr Pride, who had added the following note, and affixed it to the frame of the notice: “The Bridlington worthy who erected this board was evidently under a misapprehension. I have made enquiries, and I am quite satisfied that no such stone was ever in Bridlington churchyard and that the identical stone is at present in Brislington churchyard, near Bristol.”

50 years ago

York Education Committee should feel proud that it had reached the climax of the scheme for teaching instrumental music in school which it started in 1957, said the chairman, Councillor A L Philipson.

Those who had heard the concert given by the Schools' Music Association were very delighted to hear how these junior instrumentalists could stand up to the work and appreciated the very fine concert. Councillor Philipson was commenting on a recommendation that the scheme for teaching the violin and cello should be continued as originally planned.

This would enable the fourth age group in the secondary schools to be included for violin teaching and would complete the scheme whereby the two oldest groups in primary schools and the first four age groups in secondary schools would be included, he said.

25 years ago

Michelle Dunn's message in a bottle had brought her a Norwegian penpal two years after she threw the note into the sea at Whitby.

Thirteen-year-old Michelle, of York Road, Tadcaster had given up hope of getting a reply to her sea-borne message. But the previous week she heard the bottle had been washed up safe and sound near a small town off the Norwegian coast. The Norwegian schoolgirl who found the message was now coming to York to meet her penfriend.

The bottle was discovered by 11-year-old Monica Hansen, from Frederichdad, south-east of Oslo, as she walked along the beach. A Norwegian magazine had arranged for Monica to fly to England and the Yorkshire Evening Press had organised a trip around the Jorvik Viking Centre for the two girls.